FYI: Still reviewing the document. Should get back to you within a week depending on how I handle this detox phase! LOL
Emily's Journal
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Detoxing truly is a challenge! But imagine how much crap we had stored up that had no way to be releases before. We’re gonna be so healthy when it’s all over!
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Hi, Emily! After watching Yasemin’s videos for a while, I finally decided to go on a water fast myself. I only started yesterday but I am so glad I came across your journal. Your determination has motivated me beyond words so I will definitely be checking it for motivation. I hope you have a great day!
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Hi Erica! Thanks for commenting. I’m so glad you’ve found my journal motivating!! That makes me really happy. Good luck with your fast, just remember the first few days are the hardest but you are stronger than any food craving!
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Today is day 21! I guess that is a milestone! 3 weeks, or the Daniel fast. It’s hard to believe I’ve almost completed 3 weeks!
I lost 0.4kg today, putting me at 55.8kg, or 123lbs. I haven’t seen the number 55 on the scale since I was about 14, so that’s pretty exciting!
Energy and detox, I think it’s still ongoing from yesterday. All I want to do is lie in bed and rest, and exercise is really out of the question. Even showering and washing my hair made my heart pound! I’m actually fine with this mentally, as long as I can stay lying down I’m pretty happy and calm, and listening to music or audio books. I can’t really watch netflix or YouTube as tracking seems to make my eyes hurt. Usually I like to be on the go all the time so this is a bit of a change! Luckily there is a long weekend this week for the regional anniversary, so I can rest over the weekend.
I would like to be able to do stuff but I guess this is all part of the fasting journey. Its amazing to think that it’s taken 3 weeks for my body to be able to access whatever it is that I’m detoxing right now!
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Congratulations, Emily! That is a huge milestone, you should be super proud of yourself.
I just realized you are only a year older than me and than me and that makes me super happy from some reason. Your journey has been so inspiring that I look forward to reading about it first thing in the morning.
I must admit I’m excited to notice all the changes of detoxing yet I’m a little scared too. How long are you fasting for?
I hope you feel a little better soon.
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Oh wow we are so close in age, fun! In fact I just turned 27 last month 
I’m really happy my journal entries have been inspiring for you so far!
I’m not fasting for a certain length of time, rather I want to fast “to completion” ie till my body has completed its detox process and true hunger returns. Given how I’m feeling now with the detox symptoms and low energy, at this point I’ll give it through till Monday, and if I am still not feeling well I’ll probably break the fast on Monday. If I had the luxury of staying in a tropical island and not do anything I could continue hehe but I have a responsibility to my work! Anyway, I do hope that over the weekend things will pick up and I’ll be able to continue with the fast. Fingers crossed!!
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Happy belated birthday! I’m turning 27 next April but we are still very close in age!
I think that’s amazing, truly. Have you been hungry lately? You have done an amazing job and it seems like your body has done a lot of healing too.
I know exactly what you mean, but today I only had a morning class before I have to go back to an evening one and I feel like having nothing to do makes it a little harder. But of course you feeling dizzy and lightheaded makes it hard to focus on work too, hopefully you’ll feel better soon. 
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Thought you’d enjoy this interview with famous actor Chris Pratt talking about his experience with the Daniel 21-day Fast. Enjoy!
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Thanks for the clip!! I have to admit that I am a total child and the Lego movie is honestly one of my favorite movies ever, I have seen it about 6 times and can quote a fair bit of it 
Aww thank you!! The most hilarious thing is that probably since I mentioned my birthday to you, last night I dreamed I was eating birthday cake I’ve not felt hungry recently. From the fasting literature I’ve read, the sensation of true hunger is felt in the throat and mouth, rather than the stomach.
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It’s Day 22! Today I plateaued again and my weight stayed the same. As before, I know this must just be a temporary water retention issue. It is interesting how this happens even on a fast where its literally impossible to not be losing weight. It makes me realise how on a regular diet, water must have such an impact on the number on the scale!
I’m feeling a bit better today, thankfully! The detox symptoms are less and I’ve been focusing on drinking enough salt for electrolytes. It can be hard to get the salty water down, but it’s worth it. My mind has been playing up a little, I think as a result of feeling so crap the last few days, and wanting to break the fast. However, I know that I’m not done yet, and I am stronger than these weird desires to eat. It’s not that I’m hungry, but my mind keeps telling me that I’ll have more energy if I eat. But I’ve got this far, so I can make it a few more days! I keep reminding myself that I had such a detox on day 20/21 - that’s how long it took to access some of the toxins stored in my fat cells. If I hadn’t done this, they would have probably been in there for life!
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I agree. I’m getting at decades old fat so I keep focusing on how much better I’ll feel after I get rid of it.
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Look at you go, so amazing!
Did you find it hard to focus at all during your first week of fast? Because yesterday I couldn’t focus at all in class, all I wanted to do was lay down. Anyway, I am so happy for you and I will try to remember your words whenever food cravings start to haunt me again.
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Sooo Day 23, and I’m still plateaued at 55.8kg or 123 lbs. Last night I had a difficult time sleeping, and was awake for around 4 hours with my mind racing. “Should I break the fast…” I even started having irrational fears crop up “What if I just die?!” I’d decided that I was going to have a coffee with a splash of cream in the morning regardless of whether I broke or not, as I planned to spend the day with my friends at the Agricultural and Pastoral Show which is always held on our regional anniversary holiday, and I knew I’d need some energy to get through that. So all night I was thinking of having this coffee and how good it was going to be
Then I got up, saw the scale hadn’t moved, and was so sad. “It’s not working… How is it possible that I can be water fasting and not lose a single gram for 3 days… Maybe it is a sign that I should stop now…”
I went and bought my coffee with cream from the organic cafe nearby. Oh, my stars. I never tasted a better coffee in my entire life. I could taste so many nuances and subtleties in the flavour. I drank it so slowly because every sip was like heaven. This will be because my taste buds are so sensitised after 23 days of only salty water! And of course, since I had no caffeine for that time either, the stimulant buzz was incredible. I instantly was able to clear my head and rationalised my earlier fears. “Of course I am still making progress! It’s literally impossible to not be losing fat while water fasting. There’s nothing else for my body to use for energy! What’s happening is simply water retention, possibly even from drinking more salt over the past couple of days. I’m bound to see the whoosh effect before long. There’s certainly no excuse for quitting just over the number on the scale.” Happily, I was able to go around the show with my friends and watch the pony hunter events, which were so much fun as I used to ride a lot as a teenager. I’ve been very antisocial over the fast and it was lovely to socialise. On coming home I was naturally exhausted, with the show on top of only a couple of hours sleep, and I napped for two hours. I’m now feeling very positive about the fast again and willing to continue onward.
I suppose the calories in the cream, probably around 30 for about a tablespoon, in a strict sense did break my water fast. I know Jason Fung approves a little cream in coffee every now and again if it helps you complete the fast, and I’m pretty sure the benefits I got from this, whether they were physical, psychological, or both, outweighed by far my breaking the fast before its true completion, so I’m satisfied that I made the right decision and I’m not going to count it as a true fasting break.
I remind myself of my reasons for fasting - to clear my mind and body of old patterns, old anxieties, fears and long-stored toxins, and to become a blank canvas on which I can repaint my health from the ground up with pure and healthy nutrients.
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I’ve not had specific issues with focus actually. On my first two days I was distracted by thoughts of food, but since then, my focus has been pretty normal. What has been hard is that looking at a screen for any length of time seems to tire and hurt my eyes. I’ve had to dim down my screens and use a blue light filter to manage this! It seems that everyone has certain issues that are more distracting than others!
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I think you’ll start losing again soon, just like you have in the past but it’s so inspiring that you keep going. I know you’re not doing it for weight loss only but I remembered being so discouraged by the number on the scale before and I keep having to remind myself that fasting as soo many other benefits!
I’m so glad you had a good time and that you got to enjoy your coffee. I don’t like coffee myself but it must have been a really nice experience to taste something after all this time. 
and I agree, I don’t think having a coffee will demean all the benefits you get from fasting especially since you have been doing so good.
I’m really going to try and stay on top of my electrolytes because with finals coming up I really can’t afford not being able to focus.
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Finals are so important!! You definitely shouldn’t let fasting affect that. There’s the rest of the year to fast after all, but you only get to take your finals once!! What are you studying?
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That is true but I’m determined to fast before my trip. I got magnesium supplements today so hopefully it’ll make it easier.
I’m finishing my master’s degree in International Business! I’ll be done in school in March if everything goes well
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Day 24 and I’m STILL plateaued at 55.8. I’m a bit disheartened and depressed by this to be honest. Four days of no weight change, I mean come on! It has to be water retention, there’s really no other explanation. But it’s a bit of a mind game, that’s for sure. I am crossing my fingers for the whoosh effect tomorrow. I don’t think I will be continuing the fast after tomorrow if my weight does not change. It may be that my body needs to refeed and reset. My sleep has also been pretty bad lately, I’ll fall asleep for a couple hours, then wake up and lie awake till 5 or 6 am.
During the time I was actually sleeping, last night I dreamed of eating…scrambled eggs it was so vivid I could actually taste them in my dream!
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