Completed Diary - 36 hours, 0 calories, 2 HIIT Workouts

Well, it was something.

I called it Turboing: fasting for 36 hours coupled with two sessions of intense workouts. Here's how it went.

My Diary

July 1st, 2013

6 pm - So it begins... I ate dinner and began the zero-calorie stopwatch.

July 2nd, 2013

6 am - Woke up feeling fine. I often don't eat until after my workout in the mornings anyway so I don't expect to feel any different. My post workout meal that I’ll skip will be my first contingent of missing calories.

8 am - Off to the gym.

11am - I just got back from the gym. I feel good. Normally I would grab a protein shake or eat some eggs at this point, meaning this is my first real test of a forgone meal. My stomach is starting to grovel.
Noon – I am very hungry.

2 pm – I’ve gotten up to look for food in the fridge multiple times and have had to remind myself, “No, you’re not starving you’re just bored.” I don’t feel tired or weak. I actually have more energy than I usually do. But it would be nice to eat.

3 pm – Strike that. Time is slowing down. I keep fluctuating between feeling like I’m going to be sick and going to sleep.

4:30 pm – The sick feeling has passed. I drank two big glasses of water 20 minutes ago and I think it really helped, though my stomach is still talking out loud. I’m glad I settled on 36 hours of zero calories. Initially, I was going to go for 60 hours. Forget that. I will never.

6 pm - 24 hour mark. I feel much better than I did at 3 pm and so it’s time to get in my second HIIT. Off to the gym.

8 pm – Back from the gym. I’m sore but that’s a good thing. Between the worst I felt and now is like night and day. I feel like I could go another 24 hours without eating. But that would mean I would want to do that, which I don’t. Finished my food and exercise diary.

Today July 3rd, 2013

6 am – Just woke up and I feel great. I just bested my max rep squat and push-up counts that I last tested a week ago. Chicken is in the oven and I am looking forward to a healthy meal.

Final Thoughts: There were times when I absolutely thought I was not going to make it and twice I was within a breath of eating something. It was hard and people that do this regularly have my condolences. Halfway through I felt nauseas and wanted to fall over. That being said the feeling of being sick lasted for only about 90 minutes, and I think it was more a symptom of withdrawal from caffeine than it was a rebellion against zero calories. I drink a lot of caffeine.

I feel healthy, look better, and am stronger. Though I have no way to measure this, I noticed that my skin is clearer and smoother. I normally have good skin, so this is a surprise for me to sight. Was it worth it? Definitely not. I missed food. But I said I was going to do it and I did.

That, at least, is something.