Anecdotal Evidence

Fasting for 5 days

A journey of long-term fasting and exercise for a healthier life without being intent on a destination.

Diliny M. De Alwis

08 Jan 2024 — 9 min read

Fasting

Fasting for 5 days

I am a 5'4" woman of South Asian descent in her mid-40s, weighing in on the scales at around 200 lbs. I am a mother of 3, and I spend my days as a full-time author. I spent the last 12 years as a Product Manager in high-stress jobs.

Three factors that have contributed to my current weight:

I am stress (cortisol) sensitive.
I had 3 babies and experienced a busier-than-normal lifestyle with undiagnosed ADHD.
I yo-yo dieted between babies, burned out on exercise, and spent time believing it was all futile.

It also goes without saying I LOVE food. That said, I’ve been hyper-vigilant with my diet for the last 20+ years following trends. The weight has gone as low as 180 lbs. Then, it gradually climbs back up!

My acceptable weight goal would be ~175 lbs with a ~36" waist.

My limiting belief is that my body is a homeostatic temple dedicated to maintaining a 200 lb weight. Therefore, letting go of 25 lb is impossible.

Baseline Physical Activity Level

The life of a product manager or author equates to a sedentary life in front of a computer screen. I enjoy kickboxing and cross-country running. I avoid heavy workouts. I’ve confirmed HIIT leads me to weight gain possibly as a stress load to the body. I walk A LOT. I swim. I lift weights and have a boxing dummy. I’m not completely inactive. Activity has never shown a correlation for me to let go of mass.

When I am at 200 lbs — I can’t move. I ache. I am prone to injury.
At < 195 lbs — I am able to do gentler workouts, still prone to injury.
At < 180 lbs — I can pick up running and kickboxing with a focus on strengthening my core.

Broad Goals for 2024

Establish a regular activity routine. Slow ramp-up.
Eat more whole foods. Fill up on the right stuff: vegetables, fruits, meat.
Drink an adequate supply of water and electrolytes.
Lessen the hold stress has on my body. Practice Mindfulness.
Reclaim my life from electronics. Read/meditate before bed each night.
[At the start] Complete the occasional 36-hour fast… [TODAY] Let go of 25 lbs via a long fast and then focus on maintenance.

Lessons in the process of being learned

Don’t be fooled by the scale. The scale is NOT my friend. After working out 2x in my first week, my weight is up to 200lbs. WHAT?! But I feel strong, energetic, and well-rested. I see changes in my body composition.
Don’t fast if you’re hungry. Fasting isn’t a battle of will. If I’m not mentally up for it, pull the plug.
Be mindful of second-guessing decisions. Go back to WHY. Go back to the rationale backed by facts. Stay the course.
Working out will increase appetite, especially for carbs. Food choices should be protein/oils 1st, vegetables & fruits 2nd, and carbs 3rd. Exception: the week before my period — I have found I’m so weak to carbs!
[NEW] Dirty fasting works. Accept a cup of tea or a small sample of kimchi to get me through a day of fasting. If I don’t need it, I don’t have it. (Refer to scientific research backing the fasting-mimicking diet**).

**I have a working hypothesis that a fasting-mimicking diet every two days or so of a long fast spikes insulin enough to restart the autophagy cycle and is MORE beneficial. At the end of the day being able to maintain a dirty fast for a longer period of time is beneficial to letting go of a greater proportion of weight comfortably.

This is near impossible to study as there are so many combinations that could make a study and not enough time, money, or guinea pigs — ahem, people. The closest comparison I know of is the work of metabolic engineers who study how to optimize cellular production of protein through batch (one-shot of nutrients til they die) and fed-batch (continuous delivery of nutrients) feeding. If you periodically feed a small amount of stimulant, you push the organism to restart various cycles leading to optimal protein production over time without having to stop and restart the batch. With fasting, we’re looking at the inverse of this. With a fasting mimicking diet, or OMAD, you’re bumping the body to cycle through optimizing autophagy and other cycles.

Lessons Learned from my progress (or lack)

January saw motivation wax and wane. I ended up respawning before the beginning of February and resetting my intentions. Adding exercise messed with my eating. I could not control my craving for carbs. My weight was back to 200 lbs. I looked fit but then came a day of bloating, where my motivation tanked. I spent the last two weeks of January focused on three healthy meals featuring protein as the star in anticipation of a long fast in February.

Fasting helps reduce cravings for less optimal foods.
Protein-rich meals help reduce cravings for less optimal foods.

February — I researched longer fasting journeys. I’ve stored up enough energy to sustain 3.5 lbs of fat loss (Dr. Fung’s recommendation for a 7-day fast or Mindy Pelz’s recommendation for a 5-day fast). I am curious how my body will respond to a longer fast, possibly 5, 7, or 14 days. I have felt many times that I could go more than 36 hours.

p.s. I have zero intention of going to OMAD for life. Am I looking for a magic bullet? No. I’m looking for a full-on reset. I want back in the driver’s seat of this runaway bus.

My rules for the long fast

I have shared these with my husband, who is my witness and conscience to pull me out if I start heading down a dark path unawares.

I use electrolytes once a day (LMNT), Mg2+ citrate, or soup stock cube — whatever I need to keep my electrolytes up and the body aches to a minimum.
<36 hours, do what I know. Water only fast.
>36 hours, allow my luxury item — a cup of tea with milk and sugar (comfort) to balance the FOMO of missing out on meals with the family.
>48 hours, allow me the occasional lemon or lime water, kimchi, or sliced apple with vitamins (B Complex, C) and omega-3 supplement. I am being mindful of future bowel movements. I don’t want to be ‘starved.’ I don’t want to create unnecessary stress on my digestive system. This is part of the dirty fast that keeps things comfortable and ongoing.**
It will NOT be an issue if I must taste something I have made for my family. For 36-hour fasts, I leave a stocked fridge. I will be cooking while fasting.
I fast for as long as I wake up and go to bed feeling great. I pull the plug when something feels wrong, if I become obsessive, or feel like I’ve had enough.
My husband has veto rights if he feels I’m going too far. This is my external conscience to keep me from going too extreme.
When it is time to stop, I will spend the first three days on OMAD consuming small portions of vegetables/fruits, or soup. This is to counter the insulin sensitivity that occurs following a long fast. Also, to ease my body back into its new and improved (smaller) three-meal routine. Previously, I’ve ended my 36-hour fasts with a balanced meal — a likely reason for not being able to sustain the weight loss.
Ride the journey without being intent on the destination. I review progress with my husband every two days. Initially, I said fast for up to 14 days. As I see progress, I permit myself to go longer or shorter.

**It’s hard to find detailed fasting stories of women going long. I have heard Mindy Peltz’s advice not to fast the week before a period. Anecdotal stories on Reddit and Quora have women who have fasted 21–40 days for religious reasons. Most of the studies cited are for men. Women’s data is too variable, with menstrual cycles also playing a part in what we need daily to satisfy the whims of hormones.

I’ve been looking for examples of real overweight (not super obese) people documenting their journey with fasting and then moving into maintenance. What I found: Fast like a bear, Six Miles to Supper, Laura’s Path, and Grow Grey Matter’s experiences. There is nothing of value for me in the flood of experiences of healthy weight individuals documented in news articles, youtube videos, etc. SO MUCH NOISE!

Long Fast Log

My first attempt at a long fast — 5 days — 7 lbs weight lost

Day 1 Weight 200.6 lbs — regular 36-hour fast; I feel cold in my extremities, but it's nothing I haven’t experienced. Started a walking routine, 2–3 times per day.

Day 2 Weight 199.2 lbs — it feels weird to miss dinner again, but it's a repeat of the previous day.

Day 3 Weight 196.9 lbs — fatigue hits me. I slept poorly because of a beeping fire alarm. I spend the day lounging on the couch. This is a hard day. I managed the kid's dinner while nursing my hot water. Rocking the walks.

Day 4 Weight 195.4 lbs — holy energy, batman! I am alive; I feel good. I must be running on ketones. Sleeping feels interrupted, but Fitbit clocks 7.5 hours. I am bouncy and do some stretches, exercise, and extra walking. My stomach growls, smelling my kid’s tacos — I escape to the shower.

Day 5 Weight 193.8 lbs— I seem to have gotten into the swing of things. Sleep is 5.8 hours, but I feel like the energizer bunny. I spent an hour writing and had kids' lunches packed by 7 AM.

Day 5 late afternoon. I make homemade dumplings for the family. The combination of mushrooms, leek, pork, and spices is irresistible. I sabotaged my efforts! I tasted a small bite, ate kimchi, and then, within the hour, decided to break my fast with a half-boiled egg and some walnuts.

Note to self: avoid cooking delicious food next time.

To be continued… probably in a month.

Moods and Meditation

I’m hyper-vigilant about my moods.

I am very self-aware. I still have my reactive moments, but I feel the same as when I have taken ADHD medication — as if I am a little numbed or pulled away from the reaction. I have great clarity and almost too much energy for thinking. I swing between creative spurts of writing and passive learning via YouTube or reading. I benefitted from a long conversation with a friend who practices daily OMAD. I am confident that my intention and motivation are in the right place.

FOMO is a monkey wrench.

It is HARD not to eat with the kids, especially when I’m a good cook. I know the food is good. I acknowledge we have so many treats in the house! That is life. Knowing I will break my fast with ‘NOT TREATs’ over three days helps keep the ball rolling.

I am riding the momentum.

I’ve come this far; what’s one more day? The effort to start this fast is huge. The effort required to maintain the fast not so much. I have energy, and life is good.

Secret dream.

That I can drop 25lbs or more comfortably. That I can maintain the reduction of 25lbs or more over time.

Have Tea with Stress and Fear

One meal doesn’t make you fat. One fast doesn’t make you thin. Keep sight of the big picture. You can’t google the answers. Working out will pump up muscles, making you feel bloated and fat.

A tired mind highlights the negatives. You know you are rested when you see the positives.

REST and RECOVERY mean precisely that.

Deep breaths to calm. Pushing limits is precisely that: you will get stronger and can last longer. Identify your stress: overwhelm, challenge, anger, frustration, or passion.