2 day fast

The idea

Since I did the 12 hour walk challenge a few weeks ago, which I thoroughly enjoyed, I wanted to keep challenging myself in things I didn’t think was possible for me to do. And not just do something easy that I haven’t done before, but rather something that would make me uncomfortable and make me wish I had never taken up the project in the first place.

So I thought, why not do a fast? I have never done one before, and never thought I would be able to go even half a day without a proper meal. So instead of doing half a day or even 1 day, I decided to do 2 days of fasting. I shared this on my Instagram, and my friends/family liked the idea. So many shared their experience and tips on how I can successfully do it.

It was decided. No turning back. And instead of procrastinating to do it some other day with more preparation, I decided to do it immediately the next day (before I change my mind or talk myself out of it).

So I came up with a plan. I knew it would probably not go as I planned, but “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” - Sir BF.

The Initiation

I did my research by reading some articles online. And they all said more or less the same thing:

Prepare (this was not an option)
Start small - like half a day to begin with (neither was this)
Drink water/electrolytes [done]
Stop if you feel sick (didn’t happen)
Meditate/Light exercise (work was too busy for me to find time to do it)
Make notes along the way (I added this myself)

So with these simple points in mind, I decided to begin. Here is how it went.

The Journey

Day 1

4am - Woke up (somehow I woke up way to early)

4.15 - 5.45am - Did some reading/study (more on this later)

5.45m - Honey + water & back to bed

9am - Wake up & get ready for work

9.45am - Honey + water

10am - Start work

[Feeling normal & as usual. I generally don’t have lunch until 12 or 12.30pm, so wasn’t really hungry]

12pm - Still feeling good energy wise. A bit hungry, but a glass of water worked fine.

1pm - Check-in.

[Time seems to be moving so much slower. Drank half a gatorade. Need to schedule in that meditation session.]

2pm - Half of a liquid IV boost.

[Energy levels are good so far, just feeling hungry. Definitely been feeling a bit more colder than usual. Probably cause of not eating anything. Energy levels are still good. I have been getting thoughts about just quitting and going home and having a nice meal. But definitely not giving up anytime soon. Also been wondering if I should just stick to one day and not do two days in a row. Will think about this later.]

3.30pm - Check-in.

[Everything feels good so far. Not tired either. Definitely lot less lethargy and also more free time at hand since I am not spending any time eating and the drowsiness that comes post it.]

4.45pm - Another half of liquid IV.

[It’s weird, I don’t feel the sense of being hungry for food as strongly as much as I feel the craving for various snacks. But neither of them are unbearable. I think I am able to manage it so far, fairly reasonably. The other thing is that I don’t feel agitated either. Often times I hear people being ‘hangry’, where they start to get agitated and irritated because they are hungry. I don’t see that happening as much with myself. At least as of now!

I wasn’t able to get any time to meditate in the day cause of work. Plus the schedule that I had planned doesn’t seem to be going as expected. So I’ll just be doing it when I find the time.

Now that I don’t have to cook or eat, I feel like I have all this extra time. I feel like I saved more than an hour in the day and probably just as much or more in the night.

I could work for a few more hours in the day. Whereas otherwise I would feel much tired by the time I got back home. This feels weird and kind of the opposite of how I should feel. I agree that I drank some electrolytes during the day, but neither of them I believe should have replaced the energy from an entire meal. But it feels contradictory. Somehow I am more alive now.

I’m targeting to go to bed by around 10pm.

For tomorrow, I still haven’t made up my mind whether I will do a full day fast. Maybe fast in the morning and break the fast in the evening (that would be 1.5 or 2 days of fasting). But I want to see if I can go the entire day tomorrow.

I haven’t really tried to distract myself or engage myself in consuming content to keep my mind off the feeling of hunger. The day has been busy with work, so I had things to get done back to back.]

7-8.30pm - Small nap.

[I fell asleep while watching something online. It’s going to be a pain falling asleep at night]

10pm - Glass of honey water

11.40pm - A few sips of water and off to bed.

[I wasn’t able to fall asleep right away as expected because of the nap earlier. But I think somewhere around 2 or 3am, I fell asleep. My head was a bit heavy at night. But nothing I couldn’t get through. Body was feeling much lighter throughout. Overall my body was at so much ease and comfort.

Day 2

8.30am - Woke up.

[Felt a little dehydrated even though I consumed enough water during the day. Started with a cup of water. Everything seems as usual today. Feeling happy that I was able to complete day 1.

Definitely looking forward to day 2. So many times during the day you think about quitting. So strange how our mind is wired to give up at the slightest discomfort.]

9.45am - Honey water

10am - Work

12pm - First half of liquid IV.

1.30pm - Still working but starting to feel much hungrier now. Have a heavier head.

3.15pm - Second half of the liquid IV.

3.35pm - Energy wise I still feel good.

[But still a minor headache potentially due to the fast. The strange thing is that I am not very very hungry (the feeling you get after a long run or intense exercise). But I think just by habit or the fact that I am craving some taste or actually the process of chewing and enjoying a meal that is making me desire food. Yeah, I think desire is a better word. I am desiring food, though I am not necessarily hungry or feeling tired.]

If someone put food in front of me right now, I wouldn’t eat it hungrily. I can eat it slowly, with an ease. But otherwise, sometimes I would just eat hungrily. The compulsiveness of eating is sort of gone. I feel a bit of dispassion with food itself. If someone brought tasty food in front of me, I wouldn’t necessarily crave it as much as I would otherwise on a regular day. This seems fairly odd.

Thinking of breaking the fast around 6pm.]

5.40pm - I thought I would write this last note a few minutes before I am about to break my fast.

[The way I’m feeling right now, I can easily go on for another 12 hours. Plus it’s evening time anyway, so my night activity is going to be much more relaxed, so that would make it even easier.

However, I have decided to break the fast, and so I will go ahead with it.

Looking back the last 2 days, I’m surprised I have been able to do it. When I started, I didn’t think I had it in me to do it. But since 2 days have passed, they don’t seem that much longer. And I seriously can’t believe my body went through all the time and without much discomfort. On the other hand, I am feeling much more lighter, energetic and flexible within me. Of course the feeling of hunger is still there, but that’s something manageable.

Looking back, I had much less cravings during the day or the temptation for midday snacking. My inherent desire for food isn’t super strong, which I think has put me to ease.

Another thing I realized from this, is that if I want to, I can discipline myself to do something everyday. For years I think I have been bad at disciplining myself to do something everyday, at the same time, consistently. But, with this, I was able to simply not eat since I made a decision to keep it that way. Along the same lines, I think if I make a decision to cook at home everyday, or eat dinner at the same time or exercise at the same time everyday, I will be able to keep it up. More on that later.]

6pm - Had a nice half bowl of Chipotle and some chips.

[The first bite was definitely amazing. But I didn’t feel like I had to eat a lot. I ate as much as I eat otherwise in a regular meal.

Also, I felt much more drowsier after the meal. I fell asleep post meal while watching something online. And woke up around 8.30pm. I hate this feeling.

Another thing I realized, on average in NYC, you end up spending $12-15 per meal if you eat outside. By not eating for 2 days, I saved almost $50. Hey, every little bit helps in the city!]

Post Fasting Experience

Mom was definitely not happy I fasted for 2 days. She wasn’t going to talk to me. I can understand her. But its okay. When she heard me on the phone and was full of energy, she felt relieved.

As far as the experience goes, I feel a little bit stronger within myself. Like I can do hard things. I became less reactive. Also, once I accepted mentally that this is how it is going to be, it became much easier.

I am going to use this to challenge myself to consistently maintain a schedule everyday for the next challenges. Hoping to apply the experience and understanding from this fast.

This will also be a part of my regular routine now. At least once a week or once in two weeks. Its very beneficial. I urge everyone to do it.

If you have any more questions, feel free to message me.

I have also left nuggets of my experience in my journey above. There’s good stuff there. Please read.

Conclusion

Try this. It will totally be worth it.

Share with me if you do 🙂

Fasting Plan

Wednesday/Thursday:

10am - honey water

1pm - electrolytes

2pm - meditate (30 mins)

4pm - honey water

8pm - meditate (30 mins)

9pm - honey water

10pm - bed

Record:

Take a note of your activity during the day on a small notepad
This includes water + electrolyte intake, rest, work, etc. for the entire day
Also note how you are feeling/emotions you go through

Preparing:

Drinking lots of water + electrolytes
Reduce the physical exercise
Meditate
Prepare mentally

Post fasting:

Easing out (fruits to break the fast)

What to do when:

The urge for eating arises: Drink water so you feel full
Feel tired: Rest, meditate, nap
Feel irritated/agitated: Go for a walk, meditate