31–40 of 175 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Please explain where the calories in plain water come from.
According to mass-energy equivalence, every gram of water contains ~2.15*10^13 calories.
Also, I'm not dead. And lucky enough for me, I wasn't very toxic, so I easily went 5 days on nothing but water.
The most shocking thing (when I fasted for 5 days) occurred when I broke the fast. I broke it with 4 ounces of liquid (50% watermelon (straight from the fruit) + 50% water), only to have it come right back out 15-30 minutes later-- just as red as it was when it went it. It was mind boggling. I suppose I had gone my entire life thinking what comes out was always supposed to be brown, but when I looked in the toilet, a…
If I were to fast for that long, should I ingest anything other than water? Some vitamin supplements for example? Or maybe a bit of salt? Or is it really only water?
It is possible to run low on vitamins (depending on how long you go). If it's just 3-7 days, then it doesn't matter as much, but some people go a full 28 days (you can theoretically go about 40 days without causing problems, but as it will take another 40 days to break the fast, it proves to be too much for someone's first time (with 3-7 days working better)).
The step in a water fast that does most people in is the breaking of the fast. The key to a successful water fast is properly breaking the fast. It can be even more difficult, as while any hunger usually goes away within the first day or two, when the fast is first broken (with your first taste of 50% watermelon + 50% water, for example), it will kick the digestive system back into action, and you may easily become overwhelmed by an intense hunger. If you don't have the willpower to ignore this hunger, then you may end up eating something prematurely or eating too much.
The solution that works for most is to either buffer up on vitamins and minerals in the weeks leading up to the fast (which also ensures they don't have any hidden deficiencies), or to start with a juice fast (vegetables blended in a Vitamix, for example).
If I were to fast for that long, should I ingest anything other than water? Some vitamin supplements for example? Or maybe a bit of salt? Or is it really only water?
Do they literally mean zero intake of calories for 72 hours? That sounds like a long time. How do you prepare for that nutrition wise and mentally? People eat at night during the ramadan.
About 3 years ago, I undertook a water fast that lasted about 17 days. It does take a lot of mental preparation. Nutrition wise, I ate only fruits for about a week before the fast. The first few days were very hard, but then I simply did not feel hunger at all. I intended to continue the fast for 30 days. But from about the 4th day onwards my mouth started having an awful odour and my tongue had a thick white coating…
The most shocking thing (when I fasted for 5 days) occurred when I broke the fast. I broke it with 4 ounces of liquid (50% watermelon (straight from the fruit) + 50% water), only to have it come right back out 15-30 minutes later-- just as red as it was when it went it. It was mind boggling. I suppose I had gone my entire life thinking what comes out was always supposed to be brown, but when I looked in the toilet, a…
You weren't very toxic?
The most shocking thing (when I fasted for 5 days) occurred when I broke the fast. I broke it with 4 ounces of liquid (50% watermelon (straight from the fruit) + 50% water), only to have it come right back out 15-30 minutes later-- just as red as it was when it went it. It was mind boggling. I suppose I had gone my entire life thinking what comes out was always supposed to be brown, but when I looked in the toilet, a…
I also don't undertake what you mean by, "I wasn't very toxic."
Do they literally mean zero intake of calories for 72 hours? That sounds like a long time. How do you prepare for that nutrition wise and mentally? People eat at night during the ramadan.
About 3 years ago, I undertook a water fast that lasted about 17 days. It does take a lot of mental preparation. Nutrition wise, I ate only fruits for about a week before the fast. The first few days were very hard, but then I simply did not feel hunger at all. I intended to continue the fast for 30 days. But from about the 4th day onwards my mouth started having an awful odour and my tongue had a thick white coating…
Also, you can add in intermittent fasting (eating within the same 8-hour window each day) and mild caloric restriction (calculate your actual daily caloric requirement (more involved than it may seem), then eat 80% of that).
Then there are the supplements and nootropics. After a water fast is the perfect time to take on the habit of supplementing (in addition to continuing to consume mainly blended vegetables) with things like Acetyl L-Carnitine (and other free-form amino acids), CoQ10 (if you're over 30), Astaxanthin, Ashitaba, Vitamin D & K, Magnesium, (Opti)Zinc, etc. Also, there are nootropics like Cerebrolysin (one month every quarter), NSI-189 (also one month every quarter-- maybe after Cerebrolysin), and (N-Acetyl) Semax (Amidate) + N-Acetyl Selank (also one month every quarter-- or two months if you can't source NSI-189). There's also fasoracetam + coluracetam, Tianeptine Sulfate (mainly if you struggle with depression or anxiety), and many other things.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12386378
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/4z4t1q/top_5_an...
You can also look into Oil Pulling (unless you have many fillings).
Although I haven't attempted this myself, I have seen many people attempt to endure a 72 hours fast (as part of diagnosing a potential pheochromocytoma) and the majority experience this as extremely difficult. I wonder if multiple shorter fasts — e.g., a 24 hours fast once a week — could be as beneficial.