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Why am I water fasting into fall?
To cleanse and get rid of painful fibroids; to become leaner and increase joint mobility (I want to start parkour at the age of 44!); to overcome a difficult situation I’m going through; to rock with my M size outfits and say goodbye to L-sized ones; to enjoy the feeling of cold during the hot summer. -
What are my long term and short term goals?
LTG: make fasting a habit and enjoy the feast (i.e., fall off tracks but get back on track); be more self-disciplined, focused, patient, humble and kind. I truly believe fasting is an exercise in discipline, humility and self-control.
STG: lose 14kg within 6~12 months and get me from overweight BMI range to healthy BMI range; focus on improving overall health. -
What are some struggles I face or I have faced in the past?
Nausea, vomiting, fatigue, insomnia, headaches, abdominal pains, joint and muscle pains, skin rashes, hunger pangs and bad breath when doing extended fasts (7+ day water fasts). Boredom and post-fast overeating are also a major issue.
I do OMAD, ADF and 1 to 3 day water fasts on a regular basis. I’ve done so many times that I’m fairly able to manage any issue with these short-term fasts. My problem is with extended fasting regimens. I’ve been trying to extend the fasting window out of 7 days so that I can reap more benefits, especially with regard to fibroids. I’ve done several 7 day water fasts but I couldn’t get past day 7 because of nausea and vomiting followed by severe dehydration and fatigue. I’ve tried several things such as hydrating with filtered water only, with mineral water only, abstaining from caffeinated drinks (tea and coffee), with bone broth or miso soup or kombucha, or adding salt in my drinks but I failed. Filtered water-only triggered the worst adverse reactions and bone broth or variations thereof made me crave food instead of helping me control hunger pangs. I can’t stand salted water, I can’t start the day without coffee and I love tea so abstaining from caffeinated drinks or adding salt in my drinks weren’t really a good strategy. The best strategy for me is to have a selection of hot and cold beverages - natural mineral water, sparkling water, coffee, and several kinds of teas - and simply enjoy them.
Some experts recommend complete rest but that didn’t work for me either. Rest made me feel more miserable and bored, I felt much better when my body and mind were busy doing something more meaningful than rest. I also tend to get easily bored when I fast because not eating (i.e. not cooking, preparing meals, washing dishes, shopping, snacking, or having lunch or dinner with coworkers, family or friends) means a lot of extra time (and money) - which made me realize how much time (and money) I waste thinking of food and eating mindlessly! So getting my mind off food and finding ways to get rid of boredom are also a big challenge for me. I’m confident that this forum will help me overcome these challenges :)) -
What is my game plan?
Occasional long term water fastings (10+ days) followed by short term water fastings (1 to 7 days) and OMAD; eat healthy 70% of the time. -
How do I feel right now?
Confident that July 2020 will be a memorable month!
[Note on 08/01/2020] July 2020 was indeed a memorable month, though I was able to fast for only 12 consecutive days. I’m planning to resume my fasting schedule on 08/03/2020 and carry it on through end of September 2020. -
How will I feel once you achieve my goals?
Lighter, healthier, stronger and satisfied. -
My daily positive affirmation:
“Mind over matter: only I can do it for myself” -
Don’t forget to get hydrated🤗
CS_A's Daily Journal (Fast Into Fall 2020)
Day 1: 7/10/2020 (started 7/9 at 8:47 pm)
Nothing out of ordinary, just a bit moody and weak; went to bed earlier than usual to suppress late night food cravings.
Day 2: 7/11/2020
Did calisthenics, some plyos, mobility and aikido ukemis. Felt a bit lightheaded after the ukemis though. Weight is -0.8kg less than yesterday, glad the loss was smaller than 1kg a day as losses above 1kg make the following days much harder to cope with.
Day 3: 7/12/2020
Glad for losing 1.1kg but feeling wobbly. Coffee definitely helped me get vertical today.
Day 4: 7/13/2020
Woke up as energetic as usual, didn’t seem like I was fasting. No hunger, no pains, calm, focused…wish all my days were like this!
Day 5: 7/14/2020
Terribly wobbly, nauseous and unable to walk and go to work. Grabbed a handful of nuts and three table spoons of plain greek yogurt to make it through the day. Yes, eating means breaking the fast but I’d rather have a quick fix for a temporary struggle than falling off the tracks entirely. I’m still on track, and lost 0.4kg today.
Day 6: 7/15/2020
4.5kg less than Day 0…it is mostly water weight but I can feel the joint relief it provides!
Day 7: 7/16/2020
Feeling terrible, unable to manage headache, nausea and tiredness. Had a handful of nuts and dried fruits to make it through the day. I wonder if I will ever experience ‘fasting high’ in my fasting journey…
@CS_A, have you tried taking in electrolytes??? Your symptoms could be related to loss of electrolytes from the fasting. You are doing great so far. Cheering you on.
Yeah, I think so, thanks for the tip! Unfortunately I can’t get down salt only, salted water or water mixed with electrolyte powders without triggering severe vomiting that made me quit fasting in the past. So salted nuts and plain yogurt have been very helpful to manage that.
Day 8: 07/17/2020
No nausea, headache or tiredness but an annoying pelvic pain that makes sitting all the more difficult. Detox is painful…but pushed through day 7!!! 
Day 9: 07/18/2020
Feeling a bit tired but fine. Had 10 nuts (walnuts, macadamias, almonds and cashews) to ensure I make it through my classic guitar lesson in the next two hours.
Day 10: 07/19/2020
Yesterday I was easily irritable, edgy, spreading negativity and bad humor. Glad I met only a few people and had no work to do. Today is day 10 and I feel just fine. I wonder where all the pain and discomfort I felt in the past few days are gone. It’s so amazing to be pain free! I was energetic enough to play tennis for a couple of hours in the afternoon but struggled to get back home afterwards.
Congrats on completing Day 10!!! 
Glad the pain and discomfort are all gone!
Your posts are very interesting. I, too, was in pain at the start of my first 21 day fast. It is so cool how fasting can heal us, right? I hope you reach all of your goals.
@Van, thanks for cheering up! I’m very thankful for this community as it definitely helps me boost my mood when I’m struggling with fasting.
@schmidtsmia, thanks for your compliment! Unfortunately English is not my mother tongue and my posts end up being very laconic, but it is so nice to meet to people who’ve successfully completed extended fasts and are kind enough to share their experiences! Indeed, fasting does heal although its process is sometimes frustrating and taxing to the body. It is just so simple, so budget-friendly, so easy to fit into any lifestyle…it is simply amazing to find out how we can do more with less. I’m looking forward to completing my fasting journey in July and repeating the experience until I get the desired results!
Day 11: 07/20/2020
Weird day today. I was fine and focused but at times my brain was foggy, I stammered and took time to react. Good thing is, I’m getting more able to deal with irritability and emotional imbalances.
I am with you! Where are you from? I live in Germany…transplanted American, lol
I’m from a Latin American country known for soccer and Carnival but I transplanted to Japan. People are so thin and skinny here (I’d even say unattractive from a Latina perspective…) and we seldom see obese people. Employees like me have to take mandatory annual medical check-ups and people diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (overweight or obese BMI range, abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, etc.) like me - though I don’t suffer from high blood pressure or abdominal obesity and my BMI is just 0.5 points above the average range - are recommended to have additional medical check-ups and guidance on nutrition, health and physical exercises. I hate these things so I’m more than happy to skip them and get rid of my excess weight by my own means, thank you very much!
Day 12: 07/21/2020
Feeling so lethargic and making so many silly mistakes at work that I decided to eat something. Had some nuts and black olives but that didn’t really help. I have to close three major projects by the end of the month (also end of the quarter), I really needed to stay sharp and focused but the fast was not helping. I ate clean though, a bowl of salad and a small bowl of cereals with a slice of grilled tuna. So tasty! So good! Restarted my fast right after the break was over.
Apart from the fibroid issue, a lighter weight will definitely help me increase my mobility. I had a severe joint injury six years ago which prevented me from running, hiking, jumping, or even going down the stairs. Combined with the several hormone treatments I underwent to reduce the size of the fibroids, the lack of mobility set me on the path to weight gain. I’m slowly learning how to do things I took for granted for years, like walking correctly so that I put less pressure on the joints, re-learning aikido and tennis, and building more muscle. Back to basics.