Starting my 14 day water fast on my birthday.
My goal is (i) reset mentally and physically- I have lived a fasting focused life for 10 months and have taken a break from my routine due to illness, exhaustion and depression in the last 3 weeks (ii) lose the last 14lb to goal weight (iii) take back control of my eating, mood and find some joy in my day that doesn’t involve rubbish food.
If you are feeling stressed, I recommend adding meditation to your daily routine. Studies have shown stress elevates cortisol levels which cause weight gain and can sabotage weight loss.
Day 1
Woke up with Norovirus on my birthday 
. Spent the day in bed sipping water when I could stomach it. Felt a bit weak (from the virus) and headachy.
Happy birthday 
hope you get better soon
This is difficult to write. I wasn’t able to continue the fast last week, I got to 29th October and was totally depleted of electrolytes after having had Norovirus on day 1. I ended up eating and starting my fast again on 1 November.
I feel like I succumbed to an excuse, excuses, allowing my mind’s tricks to get the better of me, letting this group down, failing myself, losing the mental game again. So I try again: intending to beat my mind this time.
Today is my day 3 and yesterday (day 2) was hell. I struggled to make that switch into ketosis causing irritability, depression, my mind played tricks on me the entire day (“let’s eat today and do ADF starting tomorrow”, “you are not too far off your goal and don’t need to do a long fast”, “start on Monday”). I have no idea how I got through the day, these mind excuses are the reason I have broke what were intended as longer fasts in the past. One hour at a time, one day at a time
I completed a 21 day water fast in January (started on 27 December 2018) and a handful of 4 and 3 day fasts throughout this year, with a 7 day fast in June. I have wanted to do another 10 day fast all year but have struggled, succumbing to these bargaining tricks my mind plays. I have conquered my mind before, I will conquer it again.
GOAL: To see the remaining abs before January. Before Pictures coming…
During this time did you do an extended ReFeed? Due to the fact that you completed a 21-day tells me you’re mentally strong. I ask because 2 1/2 months into my own program I had done a 4, 5 and 7 day fast. Then I went through a period of 4 attempts trying another Prolonged Fast and I kept failing. I then realized I had fallen into the “Willpower Trap”. I decided it was actually my body asking for a break from the constant stress I had put it through. So I did a 9-day ReFeed. Re-energized I started my current fast aiming for 40 days. I’m on Day 13 and I haven’t had the struggles I had before the extended ReFeed.
Fatigue is an interesting point. I had suspected lower body fat making it too challenging, but I see other lean people sustaining longer fasts regularly (Peter Attia x1 7 day fast a quarter etc) and think I ought to be able to sustain these 1-2 week fast. After my last 7 and 21 day fasts, I jumped right into ADF and an intense workout schedule. I have had a number of feast days since March followed by 3/4 day fasts and retained intense workout schedules (10K runs, weights and spin classes x5 days a week). I struggle to not workout in a day when I am “on plan”. I’ve never really been able to moderate anything (feast/famine cycles and all in workout schedules work for me). I think the long runs I have tried to sustain have been the reason I break earlier. During my last 21 and 7 day fasts, I did not train at all for the first 4 days. I may try a gentle 4K later and see how I feel, mentally i need some sort of workout to keep a lid on anxiety.
Thanks for the messages, it’s nice to have someone to report to!
Just remember you need protein for muscle growth and repair. It’s the reason when I’m fasting I limit myself to 1 to 2 miles walks. After I finish the 40 day, I’m going to do a 5-day ReFeed of OMAD limited to soup to get my GI tract back online. Then I’ll do more substantial meal OMADS and that’s when I’ll doing Isometric training.
Day 4
Terrible sleep last night. I woke at 4am and felt wide awake. I decided to give up on trying to get to sleep at 6:30 and did a Tracy Anderson mat DVD. I felt pretty light headed and noticed a high heart rate a few minutes into the session (although this isn’t a cardio dvd) I quickly realised I need salt first thing in the morning. I added pink salt to my black coffee and had a little water with salt - immediately felt better.
Today’s challenge has been the 3pm crash, pounding headache - both attributable to the lack of sleep, and battling my inclination to eat after a day in the office. (Typically I work from home 2/3 days a week and have noticed on days I work from the office, I talk myself into breaking the fast when I get home. I believe this has been a desire to reward myself with dinner (despite my having fasted all day and it being a scheduled fasting day in my ADF program). Today I battled the inclination, and instead kept my commitment to my run club. I was able to complete a 5k, and the fresh air cleared that awful headache.
Unusually, I need to be in the office all week this week so now I know I can fight that desire to reward myself, it’s a case of rinse and repeat each day.
Day 5
Started the day with a black coffee and pink salt.
Another day in the office (ugh). I expected to feel lethargic and low on energy after my run last night, but aside from needing a sit down and alone time after work, I resisted joining my children and husband for dinner, instead I worked out whilst they ate and felt better for it. Took magnesium, potassium vitamin c post workout.
I am not weighing myself (yet) since I’m coming off a pretty slack October and I can clearly see I am still holding water, I find the scale can often demotivate if I don’t like the number or feel I “deserve a better number” (terribly entitled), instead I am taking my measurements and using clothes to gauge progress.
Round 2
Last week, I fasted for 6 days. I had intended to fast 14 days, but when I weighed myself on day 6, I found I was only 8lb from my goal weight and my measurements were less than an inch from goal. At that point, it felt sensible for me to split my fasting into 2-3 cycles not least because by day 6, I was depleted, driving to work, I just wanted to close my eyes, my mind was foggy the entire day despite taking salts (I am a lawyer and cannot afford to struggle to find my words quickly in a negotiation), so I broke my fast. I then fasted again on Thursday which was really tough considering I am accustomed to ADF, I decided to do a 3 day keto re-feed. I wonder if it is normal that being this close to goal makes longer fasts so difficult? I noticed no white coating on my tongue after day 3 last week - I suspect my regular fasts this year have kept me detoxing regularly.
Tomorrow marks day 1/7 cycle 2. This time I have kept in ketosis so I am interested in seeing what this fast will be like.
I sympathize. I’m lucky because I work from home. When I began my journey on August 9th to reverse my Type 2 Diabetes earlier this year I rearranged my entire work life. Let most of my clients go and primarily do ADA (American Disabilities Act) retrofitting of websites which is not that mentally challenging. When I need a break to lie down I can do that. Good luck to you!
How has the diabetes responded to your fasts so far?
.
No longer taking daily insulin injections and dropped my diabetes medication.
Today is Day 8 of my second extended water fast. My longest was 25 days from December 27 2019 - 20 January 2019. I tried several extended water fasts through 2019, and successfully completed a 7 day, 6 day and several 3/4 day fasts mixed with regular ADF. However, I found I could not sustain a fast longer than 6/7 days whilst working (when working I must run 8k daily to manage the stress of my job). Since I typically take a long break from work after Christmas and into January (perhaps that is why I was able to fast so well last year - my body was able to rest in the initial stages of the fast) I resolved to try again this year.
Day 1 - spent travelling to Bulgaria for a 4 day ski trip. Having indulged over Christmas and fasted regularly, I was not hungry but I did feel cranky when my sugar levels dipped.
Day 2 - spent skiing, aside from crankiness and a headache, the day went well and I squeezed in a workout after skiing, to help deplete muscle glycogen.
Day 3 - spent skiing. I felt weak and took a fall down a slope, landing on my shoulder. On return to the hotel, I took a sauna, steam in the hotel, swam with my children in the pool for a while and went to bed. I found being around food/food smells difficult by the end of the day.
Day 4 - spent skiing, I slept terribly the night before and was feeling tired, achey from the fall and generally fragile. Swimming with the children and a Sauna helped perk me up, I went for a deep tissue massage whilst the family went to dinner.
Day 5 - New Year’s Eve, another travel day, and most importantly, my son’s 5th birthday. Slept terribly but was busy enough and managed a long walk in Bansko with the family before the mayhem of herding children and travelling to the airport. I found food smells really tough and obsessed over eating types of food served in the airport lounge and on the airplane (Tuna/Brie) when I break my fast. Got home late, cranky.
Day 5 - welcome the roaring ‘20s and Happy New Year. Back in the UK and since the whole family was exhausted, we had a pyjama day. Still bothered by thoughts/smells of food. My reward centre hasn’t reset yet…
Day 6 - felt better after a rest yesterday. The children are sleeping horribly and the 2 hr time difference between UK/Bulgaria has upset their wake and sleep cycles = two tired parents! Another family pyjama day requested by the boys. Towards the end of the day, I had amassed the energy to unpack, put suitcases away etc.
Day 7 - fasting sleep is terrible! I had 4 hours but felt I needed so much more. The children were awake early so more sleep was not an option. I was able to cook lunch for my family and be around food smells without feeling like a post-hibernation polar bear. I baked my son’s birthday cake for the family birthday lunch (cousins and grandparents).
Day 8 - (today Friday 3rd January 2020) another dreadful night’s sleep. I eventually gave up trying to sleep at 9:30 and went to the kitchen to simply grab a drink but ended up staying to start decorating and assembling what on very short notice, would become a Star Wars birthday cake. I had an appointment at 11am and errands to run for the boys’ return to school. By the time I returned, family had arrived, my husband had cooked and served lunch. I was able to sit and catch up with replete family members before clearing up the lunch mess, baking cookies for the children, and finishing the birthday cake. Once they left, I was exhausted, but I had a productive day, and was pleased being around food did not bother me.
Looks like a busy week! It must be difficult when taking care of the family at the same time, but you have been doing great so far 
Welcome back!
I remember you changed goals due to work demands. Nice to see you back for another attempt at an extended.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Day 9 - woke up tired and incredibly sensitive to lights and loud sound (particularly awful - my 2 boys are currently on school break and enjoying playing with their loud birthday and Christmas toys. ALL. DAY. LONG). This sensitivity lasted all day. I also noticed my skin cells seem to be turning over rapidly, and my skin is peeling all over. I did not experience either of these symptoms during last year’s extended fast. I have also had a dull neck, knee and shoulder pain - each of which I have struggled with over the year and attributable at different times to running and the gym injuries. I chalked all of this up to some deep healing going on and rested in a dark room all day (except for when it was time to feed the children and do a few household chores).
Planning to go with this fast until 13th January. I don’t have much weight to lose (my goal is 7lb from today although my weight loss is at a steady .5lbs a day so I may not reach goal, but given I have to travel for work soon, I need to build in a refeed.
Here’s hoping tomorrow is better.
Has anyone else felt sensitive to stimulus? If so how long did it last?
Thank you! I loved binge reading your journal. I hope the mini fast is going well.
Thank you. I hope you are keeping well.
Had you encountered the visual/auditory sensitivity?