How long can you not eat for?

[Andsoitbegins3]

Hi

this is going to sound a bit daft but I thought I’d ask here since it’s anonymous. How long can you go without eating without being unwell/fainting/not being well?

the reason I ask is NOT because I have an eating disorder etc, it’s just I get really badly upset stomachs (IBS) and the only way I can stop the cramps, discomfort and pain is to fast and only drink water. Sometimes doing it for a day is long enough to let my stomach settle but other times it has to be for a few days, the longest I’ve had was 3 of 4. If I eat ANYTHING in this time I’ll get the most horrendous cramps so I completely lose my appetite and don’t even want to eat. Fasting seems to let my stomach reset itself and go back to normal. I don’t have any issues with my weight and I’m not trying to lose weight, but I’m worried about not eating for several days in case it makes me unwell etc, as I thought if you didn’t eat for a few days you would feel sick/faint but actually that hasn’t happened so presumably it’s fine? It’s the only way I’ve been able to stop the cramps and when I’m nervous I completely lose my appetite altogether, so presumably it’s fine as long as I’m still drinking which I am, and as long as I’m not unwell, which I’m not? Usually I feel slightly hungry for a day after starting the fast and then it subsides by day 2 and I can start trying to introduce food again. I just don’t want to make myself unwell/ faint/ be more sick by fasting when I’m doing it in the first place to stop myself feeling unwell, but presumably it’s ok if I haven’t been unwell so far and it’s only occasionally that it’s up to 3/4 days? If it ever lasted more than 4 days I would obviously go to the doctor because I know that’s too long to fast

TIA x

Mmm, that's what I thought.

Why?

There's a big difference between eating 3 meals a day and fasting for days plus

Intermittent fasting for example is fasting for a short period of time. And most studies done on the effects of longer term fasting use a reduction of calories on a fast day to around 20% rather than absolutely none.

There's very little evidence to suggest fasting as in a complete lack of food for longer than 24hrs has any benefit and may come with significant risks depending on the person's existing BMI and health. I wouldn't recommend extended water only fasting unless discussed with a doctor.

It is best not to take advise on the Internet as to how long you can fast for as inevitably you get people with EDs. Enjoying the feeling of being hungry is classic ED behaviour. You cannot tell over the Internet whether someone is mentally well enough to give that advise and therefore it would be best for OP to check with her GP.

There's very little evidence to suggest fasting as in a complete lack of food for longer than 24hrs has any benefit

that isn’t true.

People, of which there are several on this thread, willingly going 3 days without food isn't normal either.

There's a big difference between eating 3 meals a day and fasting for days plus

Yes, and there's a big difference between an eating disorder and a well informed fast, of any length.

Nobody here is trying to psychoanalyse OP. It is best for anybody to seek professional advice before fasting.

There is plenty of evidence that fasting beyond 24 hours can be beneficial if it's done correctly.

There's a lot of codswallop on this thread, OP. Do your own reading and seek professional help, rather than listen to the nonsense here.

A week or so, for IBS reasons.
It's rare I need to these days, generally only eating an evening meal has it pretty much under control, then buscopan and immodium if necessary.
I've been the same size 8 all my adult life, and absolutely do enjoy food, I just don't enjoy the consequences of overindulgence so don't do it too often.
I did the other week and shitting what felt like acid for three days was not fun.
I need to be careful around dairy, caffeine, alcohol, high fibre and anything acidic, though I can have them all.

Also, people focussing on 'normal' are barking up the wrong tree. Normal in the uk is to eat too much of the wrong things, sit down too much, and not look after ourselves physically, mentally, or emotionally. And to try not to complain about it.

If that's your ideal that's up to you, but don't try to tell other people they should change because they don't do the normal thing, just like you.

Agreed

Fasting is like a muscle you build up. If you've always eaten regularly you would find it hard at first. Once used to it, it's a great skill to have. Fasting all day for focus is a super power. For the uninitiated it sounds awful but for healthy adults it's great.

Ffs @Watchkeys surely you can see that a thread titled "how long can you not eat for" is going to draw people with EDs

No one has told you not to fast. Fast as much as you bloody well like. But if OP is asking for advise on whether this is safe for her to do, doing it on an Internet thread with a big ED siren is not in any way a safe place to ask for advise. And I would suggest not taking advise from people on the Internet who regularly avoid eating as OP has no idea as to the mental state of that person

You are so desperate to make your point about the health of the UK and the benefits of fasting that you can't even be bothered to read posts properly. And that's not exactly making you look like a credible source of information

It's the very definition of an eating disorder.

Yeah, lots of misinformation here and it’s not helping the OP (sorry OP). You can survive fasted for a long time, but it’s not necessarily optimal for health long-term and is context dependent. It wouldn’t fuel my activity, for example.

This is turning into a pro-ana competitive breatholding thread.

I would like to make it clear than when I can’t eat for 3 days with a migraine - it’s shit.

It really is.

@CarPour

Thanks for your opinion. I don't merit your posts much either. I think we're both allowed though, because you're not the boss, so threads don't get to be just about what you want to say.

This thread is bonkers if you are .shitting after everything you eat you need to see a Dr not sip water and ask for not eating tips off the Internet. It was a klaxon for people with eating disorders and "fasting" for focus is an eating disorder!

@CarPour

Did you notice I posted this upthread? Fits with your wisdom, doesn't it?

There's a lot of codswallop on this thread, OP. Do your own reading and seek professional help, rather than listen to the nonsense here

fasting" for focus is an eating disorder

Not for everybody.

Lots of generalisations here.

This.

I went through a phase of skipping breakfast as a teenager. I resumed having breakfast pretty quickly because I kept fainting.

So - not very long at all! Although my appetite does seem to vary with time of the month.

@smooththecat

not all performance athletes

This is a really interesting study about extended fasting. I read it a few weeks ago; it is quite long but the results bit has some interesting stuff in it.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6314618/

I think there's probably a lot we have yet to understand about the postitive and negative effects of fasting. Writing it off as an eating disorder ignores the real health benefits there can be, but obviously on the flip side, people with EDs might use it as a way to legitimise their disordered eating, so we do have to be careful/responsible in the way we discuss it. But that's not to say it just shouldn't be discussed at all or that anyone who practices fasting, even extended fasting, has an ED.

Hi OP, I don't have IBS but do have IBD so I sometimes fast for similar reasons. I find I can go around 4 to 5 days OK, which helps settle a flare-up and reduces inflammation. Obviously I'll feel very weak after doing so, but unfortunately needs must! You do need to get some nutrients in your body though so I don't think you should do this regularly. Have you tried very simple liquid foods in your fasting periods, like clear soup (with no veg, something like chicken noodle without the noodles) or jelly? I find this keeps my strength up a bit.

@Clefable

Useful to have that study on the thread, and interesting to read.

I don't want to be 'that' person but please bear in mind some MNers reading this might have anorexia. Is a trigger warning needed?