Matt's waterfast

[Mattyboy]

They say you are twice as likely to get to your goals if you right them down so here goes!

I am doing this for my health so that I can be around for my kids.

I am a 41 year old father of three young kids and business owner. Over the last few years I have made an effort to train and had been training in the gym consistently up until late March when a series of lockdowns in Melbourne due to covid19 not only closed my business down but also my PT. I have fallen into bad habits and haven’t been training and have been eating and drinking way too much which has resulted in significant weight gain. I am alarmed by this as if I continue on the path I am on, I will be a prime candidate for heart attack if I am not already.

Further to this I have been struggling with a strained piriformis that occurred 18 months ago in the gym which has led to sciatica which has become so bad in recent weeks that I am struggling to sit and stand! I Saw an amazing clip on Youtube with a young couple in a camper-van who decided that the waterfast would be a good option to try to fix the young man’s chronic back issues. After a 21 day water fast he had healed his back and I am keen to give it a go to see if I can fix my back too.

I am probably somewhere in the vicinity of 30kg’s above what I would call a healthy weight having put on close to 20kg’s since March. Whether or not I can get close to that is up to me but I intend to put my head down and grit my teeth and see how far I can go. Ideally somewhere around 28-35 days would be a great start. I have juice fasted before for 14 days as my max.

I’ll weigh in on Friday morning. Don’t be afraid to jump in with any advice.

[Miramar]

Hi!

Sounds like you have more than ample fat stores to carry you through .

Longer water fasting has done healing for many. It’s all about the autophagy.

Watch some Dr Fung in youtube. Search out some autophagy videos as well.

I came across these 2 brothers last night who were fasting and camping in australia, and there’s a film coming out. This was on YouTube as well.

Sounds like you enjoy working out. On the longer fasts I think the lighter activity is better. Actually minimal activity .

The body is healing during the fast. Workouts cause more strain/stress and there’s enough stress IMO just from not eating.

Anyway, sounds like good “why’s (you want to fast)” - stick them in your wall, stock up some water and electrolytes and go.

[Mattyboy]

I am planning on giving my back a good rest. It is cactus!

I am interested in Tyler Tolman and others and will check out Dr Fung.

The video I watched was this one:

[Mattyboy]

Alrighty, 114.35kg today. I am both weirdly impressed and horrified by the fact that I was 98kg in late March prior to the closure of gyms etc. My wife is onboard too and is trying for 10 days. Like me she was into fitness having done a couple of Ironman but has put on weight as life has become more and more about work, kids etc and things have been pushed out of balance.

[Mattyboy]

For reference:

Gandhi 21 days

Jesus 40 days

Buddha 49 days

[Kristy]

Although the Siddhartha Gautama was an early aesthetic and fasted near to death it was only once he found moderation with food that he “attained” enlightenment. Although some extended fasts (usually no more than seven days and 3 day dry fasts) are part of certain sects of Buddhism the overall practice is IF. Buddhist in monasteries usually only eat 1 or 2 meals a day between dawn and noonish. Most Buddhist in Cambodia only eat one meal a day. The main meal, lunch, is usually eaten over the period of an hour. Usually in mindful silence. However, if a person is ill they are expected to eat several times a day. After waking up it is the practice to meditate/chant/walking meditation for several hours before eating food.

[Mattyboy]

Day one and a bit done. 111.9kg in the scales which is a massive loss of almost 2.5kg… Lots of water and sodium I’m guessing.

[Mattyboy]

Almost half way through day Day 3 and a good night of sleep apart from my little one having a nightmare and jumping into bed with me. Another whopping 1.7kg further. 110.2 kg’s. Energy levels good although I have done very little apart from grabbing bits and pieces for my kids and I slept really well. Just about through day 3 which is the first mini-goal. After this the next mini-goal will be 7 days and hopefully by this stage I will be fully fat-adapted and in cruise mode.

Potassium sups are hard to get in Australia so I have got an electrolyte replacement that contains magnesium, potassium and calcium on top of pink salt and diet right salt which is actually 50/ 50 sodium/ potassium.

Goal is 35 days which should be enough for a full re-set and hopefully a fully healed back.

[Kristy]

It sounds like you are doing great! Fat adaptation takes a good month at least. You’re going to get pretty deep into ketosis while fasting and your body will take some adjusting. Give it some time. Keep up those mini goals!

[Michelle]

Are you on day 4 now? You should definately be fully into fat burning now. Keep going, I think you’re doing really well

[Mattyboy]

Yes! Almost half way through day 4!

Weight :109.20kg which means I have already dropped 5kg’s which is massive.

Feeling good. Slept well, can’t complain…

[Mattyboy]

Day 5 yesterday was tough. Definitely psychological but certainly the toughest day so far. Erin has been staunch and we are pushing each other on. Back still sore but I am walking ok. Maybe the fast is helping but not really sure yet. This could also come down to the fact that I have not sat at my desk for a week and a half also.

Weight: 108.6

[Mattyboy]

DAY 6 much easier day yesterday. Going strong still although woke up tired!

Weight 107.8kg

[Mattyboy]

Day 7 being around the kids food is tough!

[Michelle]

So with you there!! Be strong

[Kyle]

I’m 44. I never transitioned to eating “Adult Food”… pretty sure that’s 90% of my problem! Do I want Salmon w/a salad or a Burger w/Fries? Hmmmm…

[Mattyboy]

Day 8 Hangin in there. I am amazed at how heightened my sense of smell has become. We made some home-made pizzas for the kids and I could smell the salami from the end of the house. Fasting is very much a mental game I think. My wife is looking amazing. She has a glow about her and has clearly dropped weight. She has done the bulk of the food prep for the kids and is also holding up well.

[maga]

The heightened senses are awesome…
especially the sense of smell… but be cautious…
especially of the bad smells… I can smell my daughters Pampers from one end of the house when she does her business…and your correct it is a mental game - especially since you got thru the first few days. Looks like you got this! Great job!

[Mattyboy]

My hunger has totally gone which is crazy considering that I have not eaten. My wife who was battling yesterday has said the same thing. She has lost close to 6kgs and I have lost just over 7kgs which is pleasing. She is a strong woman.

Unfortunately my back is still crook but we will see how it is at the end of the 21 days. Sciatica is a pain in the arse both figuratively and literally! I’m hoping that the loss of weight and the healing affects of the fast will fix it as I am too young to walking like an old man.

[Kristy]

Oh I’m so sorry to hear about your back pain! I herniated 2 disks at one of my bakery jobs, I’m pretty strong, but even 150 lbs of cookie dough was a bit too much on a 12 hour shift. Are you doing PT? After two years of pure agony, 2 rounds of PT, permanent nerve damage down my right leg, and hard core pain meds I didn’t want to take any more I needed to have surgery. I had immediate relief. My surgeon said I had to lose weight or he’d have to operate again! I hope you don’t have to go through what I did. Losing weight is a great first step! Also there is a new therapy called PRP (platelet rich protein) that is worth looking into. Wish they had that available when I was in pain. I cannot take steroids so I could t get a cortisone shot. I’m really rooting for you!