I first got intrigued by water fasting shortly after watching the documentary series The Real Skinny on Fat by Naomi Whittel. It was co-hosted by Montel Williams, which you may already know lives with MS as well. My husband and I watched the whole series as she rolled it out, by the end, we knew we wanted to buy it. Highly recommend it if you are on a ketogenic diet or thinking about if its right for you. Several people interviewed in this series speak of water fasting and the benefits. Of course, I had to do my own research outside of the series like I always do with anything. I found this article by Wellness Mama helpful and you may too.
So let me just start by saying the series recommended a 5-day water fast, in order to get the most out of it and create new t-cells. I made it to 4 days and then broke my fast by choice. Not really out of hunger though.
My goal was to drink nothing but water. No tea, coffee, broth or otherwise. Minimum of 64oz each day, cycling in warm water with Himalayan sea salt to keep my electrolytes up and nausea down. You might be asking why the heck by now!? LOL
Let’s start with what I was hoping to gain from the water fast……..
Why I wanted to do a Water Fast
- Reduce inflammation in my body
- Kill of sick cells in my body – autophagy
- Boost my immune system
- Gain more energy
- Reset my food cravings
That was what I was looking to accomplish. So let me break it down by the days of what happened, how I felt, what did I accomplish and of course the question of will I do it again.
The Day Before the Water Fast
I ate zero meat, all fresh veggies and fruit, good fats, probiotics and of course hydrated. It was important for me to go into this with a good attitude and clean eats.
Day 1 Water Fast
I woke up at a normal time for me, 6:15am
Slept well, but did wake up a few times a bit anxious about the fast
Tested ketones in my urine – trace
Down 1 lb
Drank 10oz room temp water upon waking
Small headache, which is not that unusual for me, as the lesions on my spine are generally the ones that inflame and cause this
My body told me to send food down at noon, as I normally eat my first meal at 11am. It went away and I kept drinking water.
Began getting tired and hungry around 3pm. Headache was better. Decided to rest and do work from the couch the rest of the day.
By evening my tongue was milk white (which I had read will happen) so I knew I was on track.
Day 2 Water Fast
Slept 9hrs straight like a log
No headache – wooohooo
Tons of energy
Was able to work
Large ketones in my urine
Drank 10oz warm water upon waking
lost another 1.5 lbs
Good mood
Tongue still white
Eyes look a bit tired
Wanted to be in the kitchen and around food, it was therapeutic for me. I missed it the day before.
Not hungry. Eating almost feels like a habit and not necessary (if that makes sense)
Shopped at Whole Foods and began dreaming up new recipes I was going to make
Went to bed early, slight headache
Day 3 Water Fast
Very rough night of sleep indeed
Restless legs from butt all the way to my toes in both legs. Husband massaged for hours and I took magnesium baths
2 more lb lost
Large ketones in my urine
Tongue is still milk white
Little foggy brained
Unabale to work
Vision was not very good
Waves of nausea drank a lot of warm water with salt
Mood was down today due to lack of sleep
Not really hungry, weird
Bed early again
Day 4 Water Fast
Hardly slept at all, serious restless legs like I have never experienced before
Took 4 magnesium baths throughout the night and hubby massaged me.
Down another 1.5 lbs
Large ketones in urine
Tongue still white
Tired from lack of sleep
Zero energy
Unable to work
Knew my body was telling me it was time to eat at this point. I could not go another night with zero sleep. I decided it was time to break the fast 1 day early. I needed to work.
Day 5 Breaking the Water Fast
Eating the first meal when breaking a fast is uber important. You have to go in low and slow with super easy to digest foods, eating very little.
Heres what my first meal looked like:
Zuchinni noodles in chicken broth with bok choy and avocado. Kimchi. Fresh Berries.
Felt better within 1 hour of eating
Still no taste for coffee, which is super interesting to me
Legs were slightly restless but waaaaaay better
Large ketones in urine
Feeling good overall
Energy about 80-85%
Skin looks dull and wrinkly
Gained 1 lb back
Was able to work as normal
Good brain function
Day 6 Breaking the Water Fast
Slept pretty well
Medium ketones in urine
Felling better
Eyes a little puffy
Energy coming back
Mood is good
Loving eating:
Kombucha Sorbet, egg over baby spinach, cucumber salad, avocado
Fast Forward to Day 9
Feel like myself again!
Small ketones in my urine (which is where I usually am)
2 lbs came back from the total lost 6 lbs lost
Coffee for the first time
Eating super clean
Copious amounts of energy
Brain clarity is best it’s been
Sleep is good
1 egg scrambled in coconut oil with greens and tomatoes. Wild smoked salmon with EVOO and capers, avocado
My Water Fast Take Away
A few things to note, I made sure to move every day, meditate, ground and get some sunshine on my skin. I also had my husband’s full support and care the entire time. I also practice intermitent fasting everyday.
- Reduce inflammation in my body – YES
- Kill of sick cells in my body – autophagy – I believe so
- Boost my immune system – Hope so
- Gain more energy – YES
- Reset my food cravings – YES
Things I Did Not Expect
- Cool to have a deeper understanding about my relationship with food
- My volume of daily food intake has gone down significantly
- I crave water like never before
- The energy I gained is crazy good
- Great even pleasant mood
- Skin looked really unhealthy for about a week after
- Most of the weight to stay off
- Eyesight improved
Would I do it Again?
I waited a week out from breaking the fast to see how I felt. The short answer is yes! I know I will do these regularly but probably only 3 days. It just worked best for my body. I am not in any way suggesting anyone try a water fast just because I did one, I just wanted to share my experience in case you were exploring the idea. In my research they say day 2 & 3 are the bad ones and day 4 & 5 are magical, yeah, I never felt that and clearly, my body did its own thing.
My husband has now decided he wants to do one after watching what it has done for me. I will update as that plays out:)
Love & Be Well,
Natalie
