Altair's fasting experiment
 

I will gradually experiment with water fasts in the coming weeks/months. I did a 2 day water fast recently. I combined the fast with meditation and breathing exercises.

Results:

- An odd feeling in the stomach area after 3/4 of a day, which increases over time.
- Sleeping in irregular patterns.
- Odd cravings for things I rarely eat; chocolate biscuits and certain vegetables.
- Yoga asanas not as effective.
- Breathing exercises much more effective.
- Mental peace, and clarity. I already gained insights end of the first day. They just came.

The feeling in the stomach is kind of hard to get used to if you focus upon it. Next time I may do 3 days, and I'm also thinking of doing one standard day of fasting a week. The last described result alone has definitely showed me the benefit of fasting. I'll have to find a delicate balance also because I don't want to lose too much weight after a fast or get skinny.

I didn't really crave for food overall. I started eating again this morning, with some fruits first, then soup and bread with baked vegetables later on.

I'm someone who likes to indulge in food so i found it difficult. I've done 5 days of water fasting when i was younger. I've done it a few times usually 3 to 5 days. The first few days are hard. Just keep in mind to come out of it slowly. If you go from putting nothing in your body to indulging, that can have a negative effect on your stomach. The longer you fast, the longer it will take for the body to get use to eating normally again. Peace and good luck.

Hi Altair,

do you fast to achieve autophagy? Or is your experiment more for spiritual/personal development? I intermittent fast daily but more to complement my diet. From an athletic standpoint, its been highly effective.

My longest being 36 hours but I can't go longer, its a bit tortuous for me. I would like to someday for autophagy purposes, but not now. I read a number of accounts on how autphagy works well to regenerate new skin cells. At any case, let us know if you start looking younger LOL

If you dont have them already, two phone aps I recommend that work really great for tracking your hours is Zero & Life. I like Zero because you can join groups with others, so its nice to have company in the journey.

Thanks for the responses.

No, I am not doing it for autophagy, although that's interesting to hear about. Using an app sounds useful, I said I was fasting two days but actually did not include the evening before the first day of fasting, so that's some 5 extra hours. Thanks for the suggestion, Clover.

I'm already looking forward to the next fast.