Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Have you ever fasted for a few days?

42 replies

InTheNameOfAllThatIsHonest · 24/08/2021 13:52

I have been reading up about fasting and how it can be very good for your body to only take in water for two or three days (provided you don't do any exercise at that time). Has anyone here on MN ever tried it? If so, what were the results? Did you feel better? Did your skin look better? Or did you have a bad experience? Keen to hear from anyone who has done it. Thank you.

OP posts:
Audit · 24/08/2021 13:59

I have done five days straight. There will be many people after me who will say it is impossible, but it is not. Dangerous if you have other health issues, eg diabetes, otherwise if healthy then it is OK.
Monday - OK
Tuesday - Challenging and gets harder towards end of day
Wednesday - Very, very hard. It's a long day and night
Thursday - Euphoric. You feel on a high and can achieve anything.
Friday - The day goes quickly but at supper time the taste of food is incredibly intense.

Russell19 · 24/08/2021 14:00

No but a friends brother swears by a 2 day fast every now and then.

CloseYourEyesAndSee · 24/08/2021 14:04

My boyfriend did 5 days. I thought he was mad but he is planning to do it again in 6 months. He fasts twice a week. He said he had amazing mental clarity most of the time but got a bit woolly headed a couple of times and took his vitamins early to try to counter it. He slept a lot less.

Original poster
InTheNameOfAllThatIsHonest · 24/08/2021 14:31

This is very helpful - thank you. @Audit how did you push through the harder days? What motivated you?

OP posts:
Audit · 24/08/2021 18:27

I get times when I know I need to do it. I wait until I have other things going on in my life that assist it. Then bring them together. Mainly this is work that requires my focused attention over several days. If you are an artist - paint that picture. If you are a management consultant - write those reports. If you are a decorator - paint the whole interior. Then, the harder days aren't so bad.

It would be harder to ignore the tummy rumbles if you are a dry-stone-wall builder, a hedge-layer or a tennis coach, and need to burn physical energy. If you tried to fast for five days then you would faint (as I did). But then you should not be here in the first place.

Audit · 24/08/2021 18:30

P.S. - It is worth it for the Friday night supper alone. Food really tastes awesome.

Original poster
InTheNameOfAllThatIsHonest · 24/08/2021 18:36

Thank you @Audit - I may well give it a shot. My days are quite full so there'd be plenty of distractions. The evenings may be harder but I could simply have very early nights!

OP posts:
romdowa · 24/08/2021 18:38

I've done it but only for medical testing . I got to the third morning and I passed out. So it's not something I would repeat

evianlion · 24/08/2021 18:48

Not by choice.

The euphoria pp described is the psychological high from exerting extreme control over your body. It's not a healthy thing.

You do realise that your bowel will go to sleep and therefore when you resume eating you will feel permanently nauseated and bloated until it starts working properly again? That won't feel very euphoric.

Likewise the muscle loss.

If you have to pop supplements to get through your period of starvation then that just demonstrates that it's something that can be survived rather than something that's meeting physical needs or healthy.

It might meet a psychological need for an individual person, but I couldn't describe it as a healthy psychological high to be seeking and getting addicted to.

It's disordered behaviour whether people want to admit it or not.

evianlion · 24/08/2021 18:50

@InTheNameOfAllThatIsHonest

Thank you *@Audit* - I may well give it a shot. My days are quite full so there'd be plenty of distractions. The evenings may be harder but I could simply have very early nights!
Starvation isn't conducive to a peaceful night's sleep.

What a disturbing thread.

Touloser · 24/08/2021 18:53

If a teenager said they wanted to not eat for 5 days, and that starving made them feel euphoric most people would call that an eating disorder (or at least disordered eating).

msssm · 24/08/2021 19:17

I did 78 hours recently. I didn't put any pressure on myself and knew I could eat at any time. But I felt great. Energetic, clear headed, and surprisingly not that hungry as I drank loads of water throughout the days. For the first 24 hours I was never off the loo, my bladder didn't know what had hit it! That soon calmed down and overall the experience was a positive one.
I have decided to repeat it every 6 months. In the meantime I do 18:6 and low carb. This way of life suits me and I am reaping the benefits.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe · 24/08/2021 19:30

evianlion that's your opinion. Fasting has been practised for hundreds if not thousands of years.

You don't lose muscle mass within a few days, the fat stores are depleted first.

OP, my experiences are the same as Audit although I did a four-day fast. I now fast every day, 16:8 anywhere up to 20:4 if I feel like it. It works for me - I swim for 2 hours a day and have boxing sessions a few times a week.

My advice is to give it research it properly - Dr Jason Fung on Youtube, explains everything and the benefits, what happens when you fast - and then decide if you want to try it.

MN isn't chock full of experts on the subject but there are quite a few posters who've done this - research elsewhere and then join in if you want to.

Lentil63 · 24/08/2021 19:32

Yes, I regularly used to fast 3 x 42 hrs a week and during this time I also did a one off 111hr fast. I was completely fine. I believe fasting to be extremely beneficial and am presently attempting to get back into it. The brain is a complex organ. I know I’ve done this before but I’m struggling to restart.
By the way two crucial things!

Medical research is very positive in favour of fasting.

Never, never, NEVER! trust a fart after a fast!…

dangermouseisace · 24/08/2021 19:35

I end up vomiting if I fast so no I don’t feel great. It doesn’t go away until I eat. It’s very unpleasant.

bonfireheart · 24/08/2021 19:56

I grew up in a country where many didn't eat for days because of poverty, imagine telling them "hey at least it's great for your skin"

Original poster
InTheNameOfAllThatIsHonest · 24/08/2021 20:00

It seems short fasts of no longer than seven days have more positive effects than negative ones. Including making your skin clearer apparently. I may start later this week and see how I get on.

OP posts:
SarahAndQuack · 24/08/2021 20:01

I have, when I was anorexic. It fucks with your metabolism if you do it too much.

nancybotwinbloom · 24/08/2021 20:05

Yes but you have to listen to your body. Done a few three day fasts. It's at that point I know I need to eat

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe · 24/08/2021 20:18

OP... look up 'autophagy', this is the process of cell recycling/regeneration and renewal. I have MS, discussed fasting with my consultant and he was very much in favour, there are current studies being done of rogue cells being 'swept up' in the recycling process. This was one of the reasons I started doing it.

The other was because of my struggle with food/disordered eating. It is such a relief each day to stop eating and stop thinking about it.

ElaineMarieBenes · 24/08/2021 21:11

Recommend reading Valter Longo re fasting.

There are lots of research papers and Ted talks available. Reminds me to do some follow-up sessions! First 24 hours is awful and then it’s wonderful!

Bluntness100 · 24/08/2021 21:26

My concern on people wh do this is that some of them may have eating disorders and be doing it due to mental illness surrounding food. This thread could also be a trigger for someone ill in that way.

MrsDThomas · 24/08/2021 21:32

I didn’t do it intentionally, i lost my mam and just didn’t eat. I wasn't hungry and i don’t eat unless i am hungry. I was 8st 4 at the time and my weight plummeted to 7st 8 in one week.

I slowly got my appetite back. Now I don’t eat after 6pm until 8am. Hungry or not

travailtotravel · 24/08/2021 21:43

Only when I've been really I'll with amoebic dysentery and malaria. That is not a recommended weight loss program!

Bookaholic73 · 24/08/2021 21:47

No, I have hypoglycaemia so need to eat every 2-3 hours or I feel faint.
I love the idea though, as I’ve heard it has great benefits.