Water Fasting challenge, support and buddies

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julyeleven
julyeleven Posts: 12
edited November 2023 in Getting Started
Hi there, I'm looking into doing 20 days water fasting.
Are there people here who have done this before, able to tell me about their experience and what to expect?
Also, if there is anyone interested, I would like to do this together with someone for moral support and share of experience.
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Replies

  • crandos
    crandos Posts: 377 Member
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    Please stay safe....
  • LuvDarkChocolate
    LuvDarkChocolate Posts: 145 Member
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    Just out of interest...have you done this before? 20 days seems very drastic. I have heard people doing this before for a few days....and then eating like a zombie from the " The Walking Dead" after. I would be more worried about what my body would go through after.

    Just please be very careful, and make sure you let a family member know of your intentions. Sorry guess I'm sounding like a Grandma (which I am!!):laugh:
  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
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    Holy ****! 20 days on only water?! I have been doing it for 3 days with my girl once an no more... ever. I felt sick and I felt like passing out. :/

    I know a person who fasts for 7 days every month or so, sometimes he fast for longer, and he has told me that nobody should go and fast as long as 7 days if you never fasted before, it is dangerous. You need to start with a couple of days and slowly increase it over a course of few weeks until you are ready to fast for that long 7 days. I imagine it would be a course of few months since 20 days is way more extreme. Also once you stop fasting you have to start eating slowly and bring it beck up again slowly.

    So please make sure you know what are you doing before you jump in it otherwise you might ruin your health forever, not overreacting.

    Be safe! :)
  • fiofi
    fiofi Posts: 9
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    Don't do it! What a punishment for your body >.<
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
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    According to your ticker, you are over 1/2 way to your goal weight. What are you hoping this will accomplish? Looks like you've been successful up to this point. Why change now?
  • ken_hogan
    ken_hogan Posts: 854 Member
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    According to your ticker, you are over 1/2 way to your goal weight. What are you hoping this will accomplish? Looks like you've been successful up to this point. Why change now?

    This.
  • Babycatcher101
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    Water fasting seems very unadvisible for that long of a period of time. Your body requires the nutrients it recieves through the food you consume... which also provides water in its own right. Consuming large amounts of water will detox not only the bad toxins but also the good ones. You are sending your body into a survivial mode and forcing it to rely on the fats and proteins stored. Although in doing so, weight may be loss, you can't just come back into a normal routine of exercise and diet after that long. I think if you are going to consider this at all maybe limiting the time to 2-3 days just to see how your body will react. I think choosing the right foods and exercising while increasing water intake may be a healthier (and safer) way to go.
  • FakingFitness
    FakingFitness Posts: 325 Member
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    Anything I've read about 20 day fasts, the people feel great.
    They claim better blood pressure, less headaches, more energy and better skin; among other things.
    It takes about 3 weeks to form a habit, so that seems like it would certainly revise your eating habits and cravings.
    If you do it, of course be careful, I think that's obvious, but I hope you'll blog your results.

    I've done 3 day fasts lots of times.
    Never a week or more though.
    It sounds interesting.
    Good Luck.
  • julyeleven
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    Thank you. I also read all good things about fasting. Besides, it is not going to be for ever :)
    I will indeed write about the outcome!
  • julyeleven
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    I was looking for buddies and advice from people who have done water fasting before...
    I don't think you can compromise your body in 20 days and if something does not work out well, I'll just stop.
  • FourIsCompany
    FourIsCompany Posts: 269 Member
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    I have not done a water fast, but my sister has. It was one of the many things she tried while losing weight. She lost weight. Water weight. And then put it all back on and more when she started eating. Now, she is gaining weight again, because all the "fads" she repeatedly tried were not successful in changing her relationship with food.

    My opinion is that the short-term fixes people use to experiment on their bodies with usually turn out just hurting them in the long run.

    Good luck to you. And please let us know how it goes.
  • emelia_
    emelia_ Posts: 91
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    Back when I was in sports and thought I needed to drop weight I did a three day water fast. I was dizzy and on the verge of passing out all day on the 3rd and water fasting usually leads to yo-yoing so I would say just stick to healthy eating and exercise. You don't want to put in all the work and just eat EVERYTHING when you're done and be at the same place you started. (And it will happen, trust me)
  • julyeleven
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    I did lose weight in a healthy way. I find it difficult to stuck to that many calories a day (that is to say create the deficit to be able to keep losing) after one year of being strict.
    After a while it becomes discouraging and disheartening and sad and frustrating and you yourself end up having issues with food.
    Everything in your days revolves around that and, although all you do is healthy and balanced for your body, it is, on the other side, subtly, creating an unbalance in your mind.
    Weight loss is a no-win-win situation. You get better in your appearance if you are successful but you increase the chances of spoiling your relationship with food.
    Hence, 20 days of drastic action can't cause any more harm than that we cause to ourselves in our EVERY DAY battle.
  • Melmade
    Melmade Posts: 349 Member
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    My husband and I did a 20 day juice fast--with lots of veggie juices to support protein stores--no solid foods. It was hard for the first week, but it felt great after that. (The urge to eat never really left me.) I eliminated a parasite from my colon (that looked like a huge worm--eeew!). We took Sonne's 7, apple cider vinegar in the mornings, and had a fiber supplement in the evenings (to keep our colons working). I wanted to go longer but I started a new job as a shop carpenter, and didn't want to feel light-headed or weak while using heavy machinery or climbing on tall ladders, etc. You might check out Harper's Magazine--there's a great pro-fasting article from last year, I think? I'll see if I can find it--fasting helps reduce cholesterol, cleanse your system in general, give your system a rest from digestion which helps healing in general.

    If you're serious about fasting I suggest reading Dr. Jensen's "Guide to Better Bowel Care"--at least the parts about fasting and the importance of keeping your colon moving and clean while fasting. Also check out Balch's "Prescription For Nutritional Healing". Juicing for Health is a good website for finding fasting support. Fasting on water vs. juice is debatable--I do know that FASTING IS NOT AN EFFECTIVE WEIGHT LOSS TOOL--it's really a cleansing/healing tool. You will lose muscle mass, and should plan not to exercise heavily. I found it much easier to fast while unemployed. I could do the skin brushing--for me very necessary (I had LOTS of itching for days 3-7, severe headaches for the first few days), as well as showers, and enemas should you need them. (You'll stink and have bad breath for a few days too.) If you're fasting for the right reasons I highly support it--just don't try to use it to jump-start a weight loss regime--it doesn't work permanently.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
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    WHY on earth would you want to do this? (And NO I won't join you.)
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
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    Do what you want, but don't come whining on here when you gain back the weight you lose and more......
  • MaryJane_8810002
    MaryJane_8810002 Posts: 2,082 Member
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  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    Why would you want to do this?
  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
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    By the way, I wanna say one more thing... fasting for so long is NOT for weight loss. Yes, some people use it for that purpose. But it was never meant to be used that. The real point of that is to either clean your body of ll the bad stuff or do it for some deeper discipline reasons such as religion. As a weight loss tool it never works long term. You would most likelly just gain it all back anyways, that's how it works...
  • leadiax3
    leadiax3 Posts: 534 Member
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    Fasting is awful and unnatural. Dont put urself though that bull crap. Its physically and psychologically taxing.
This discussion has been closed.