How long is it possible to survive without water and food?

[Chocol8]

My dp has the urge to fast for 21 days - excluding not only all food but water.

Sorry, but am I bonkers to think this would make him extremely ill or possibly kill him, or is this ok? Your advice as always would be appreciated, thank you.

why?

you cannot survive that long without water so unless he has a deathwish...

I think you can manage up to 14 days without food, but much less long (i think only a couple of days) without water. Why oh why does your DP want to do this????

I think you can manage up to 14 days without food, but much less long (i think only a couple of days) without water. Why oh why does your DP want to do this????

He says it has been done before and wants to do it - I thought it was three days before you would die of dehydration?

Great - just googled and it says that death will usually occur after one week without water - wtf!!!!

I think David Blaine survived without food for ages (something like 40 days) but he definitely had water

I doubt he would last more than a couple of days without water - suppose it depends on his weight/fitness level

as far as i know you cant go for more than about 72 hours max without water (may eb even a little less)

as for food you really can go for quite a long while...... at least several weeks, as long as you have food.

You will not be very healthy where you stop fasting tho!

60 days no food.
3 days no water.

learnt that in school, not sure why but looks like it's been useful after all!

your body is composed of water in the major part

also ypou may survive without food but you may damage your body in the process

Why on earth does your dh want to do this?

i thinkits 40 or 42 days that hungerstrikers started dying at.also depeneds on original weight tobeginwithithink,
im sure they had water though.
are you sure he doesnt need to be sectioned?
WHY doesnt hewant to eat?

Don't know if this is right, but for some reason I think you can survive for:

3 hours without heat
3 days without water
3 weeks without food

Don't know if this is right, but for some reason I think you can survive for:

3 hours without heat
3 days without water
3 weeks without food

That's quite a long suicide isn't it. I'd suggest something quicker like a shotgun if it was my dh. He is winding you up isn't he? I think you need to encourage him to research this "plan" a bit better than he seems to have done so far.

You can go without food for a bit longer than 3 weeks. I am old enough to remember the IRA hunger strikers and I think they went about 40-50 days without food before they died. I believe the time you can go without water is about a week maximum. But who (apart from David Blaine) would want to put themselves through anything like that degree of stress?

~9 days without water, I think after 3-4 days person starts to hallucinate, though.
up to months without food, partly depends how well-nourished person was to start with.

\link{http://www.scientificamerican.com/askexpert_question.cfm?articleID=00082453-B621-118B-B62183414B7F0000&catID=3&topicID=3\Living without food: (says up to 4 months)
}
\link{http://www.sciam.com/askexpert_question.cfm?articleID=000AEAC0-93EC-1DEF-A838809EC588F2D7
\Survival without water:} (says up to over a week)

\link{http://www.survival.com/bookch1a.htm\that rule of 3's} someone else tried to quote

hope those links work??!

Thanks ArsumLardis - the site said that without either food or water a person would live between one to three weeks. I will show him the links you sent.

Pinotmum, I have tried to get him to investigate this properly, but he won't. I agree with you, it is a long suicide...

Maybe he could do fasting between sunrise and sunset. I know my muslim friends find this really hard during ramadam but find it a very cleansing experience amongst other things. As we are entering longer days now I bet it would be harder. I wish you luck in getting him to see sense - it must be so frustrating for you.

pm, fasting is hard initially, but after the first few days it gets easier, once you are in a routine. but the evening and morning meals are necessary to continue to function normally.
fasting during the summer months in very northern areas is very hard though. even in edinburgh, which isnt exactly tthe norht pole, fasting during july is very very hard. because the hours of darkness are so few, its only really time for one meal, and it stretches willpower.
i think choco, your dh needs to see a doctor.