How I lost 20 pounds in 1 Week

Curious about water fasting? Want to learn how I lost 20 pounds in 1 week? I’m excited to share my 7 day fast weight loss results with you!

How I lost 20 pounds in 7 daysI am not a dr and cannot legally share medical advice, this post is my OPINION and personal experience. IF you choose to undertake any fasting I need to remind you that you should seek out medical supervision to ensure you do not experience any nutrient deficiency or muscle loss.

This isn’t a sales gimmick or fad diet, this… my friends, is my real life and my 7 day water fast weight loss results. And I’m so excited to share with you that I’ve lost 20 pounds in 1 week, which is pretty amazing 7 day fast weight loss results, Right?

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I wanted to write this post to help others, like me, who are struggling with their weight and worried about their health, there is hope for all of us!

I’ve recently come across interesting information that intermittent fasting is #1 diet among Americans. If you’re struggling with weight loss and concerned about your health, consider trying Lasta Fasting app. It’s an intermittent fasting app that can help you achieve healthy weight loss. With features like a fasting tracker and meal planning, Lasta Fasting provides valuable support on your weight loss journey. Many people have found apps like Lasta Fasting to be effective tools for managing their weight and fitting into their busy lifestyles. Give it a try and see if it works for you!

Shed pounds in week with Lasta Fasting

How to lose 20 pounds in a week?

Easy!! The fastest way to lose weight is with strict water fasting!

Here’s the thing. I’ve been eating a healthy diet of real foods for several years, yet I’ve continued to struggle with my weight, just as I did 20+ years ago when I ate more of a standard American diet. But see here’s the thing, every one’s idea of ‘healthy’ is vastly different so I feel it’s necessary to explain my healthy diet so you can understand…

  • I buy local, know my farmer and grow my own food
  • I hunt and gather
  • I eat organic, free-range and grass fed eggs, meat; poultry, beef, pork, etc
  • I don’t eat processed foods or drink soda
  • Vegetables are my favorite, especially avocado
  • I don’t over do it with the protein
  • I get plenty of healthy fats
  • I rarely go out to eat, so I eat mostly my own home cooked from-scratch meals
  • I was gluten-free for 7 years and mostly grain-free for 5 years – even wrote a book; Without Grain
  • When I eat dairy, it’s Raw, from A2 cows raised exclusively on organic pasture
  • I drink filtered water like a boss (it’s practically all I drink)
  • I eat fermented foods regularly – even wrote a book on Fermented Foods at Every Meal
  • Have homemade bone broth several times a week
  • Dessert and sweets aren’t my thing, I rarely eat them
  • CICO, Calorie Restriction and Starvation are very different than fasting

I’m no where near perfect, but do my best to be 95% of the time. Now that we are on the same page, you can see with my all general standards, I’ve got this healthy eating thing down pat.

So, why on earth am I still overweight???

I must be eating too much and totally lazy then – right? I mean calories in/calories out, duh. Nope. Despite the fact that the whole calories in/calories out theory is total BS and just plain irrelevant to weight management…..

I’ve played with overeating or undereating, I’ve manipulated my macros – but have only been successful at not exponentially gaining weight. And I have regularly incorporated intermittent fasting into my lifestyle for the past few years. I’m an active homesteader, my average day is 10k steps plus I routinely lift heavy things like carrying 50# bags of chicken feed and 3 gallons chicken waterers to the coop.

When weather permits we enjoy long multiple-mile hikes in the mountains and we have a large garden that needs tending. And then there our dogs, Hercules & Argos, who need walks and play time. I’m not sitting around on my ass folks. I could go on and on, explaining all the wonderful things I do for my health. But you know what, I think you get my point. So, there HAS to be some underlying healthy issue that needs tackled, right??

My blood work comes back fine, with solid cholesterol numbers and good A1C. My thyroid has been checked every way possible. Ruled out PCOS. I had a little adrenal fatigue in 2014 when I finished my first cookbook, but I’ve since healed it. Only my fasting blood glucose is only on the high side of ‘normal’. I’ve been there and done that, when it comes to diets and testing.

So, with all do respect, I beg of you, please don’t try to tell me what I’ve done wrong and how I need to become vegan or anything obviously against my fundamental human existence.

I’m happy that you found your best healthy life, but we are all totes unique individuals and there is no one-size-fits all perfect diet. I’ve researched until my eyes crossed. 

And with my understanding of how the body works, I finally realized with routine blood glucose monitoring that I’m insulin resistant. You know the elusive metabolic syndrome, that without addressing while in a very mild form leaves me open to a fate of pre-diabetes and diabetes… I’ve got it…despite my healthy lower carb eating and active lifestyle.

As I progressed in my research I came across the idea of fasting to reset the body, resetting insulin resistance and fasting blood glucose in particular. Fasting in addition to helping with my ‘blood sugar’ is also notorious for helping the body to heal and detox overall. It is also the fastest and most effective way to accomplish everything my heart desires, and, DUH, you loose weight while you’re at it.

So, I dug deeper into the idea of fasting, to determine if it’s safe and as potentially effective as touted. I couldn’t stop. I’ve read everything I could get my hands & eyes on about fasting. Man has been fasting for thousands of years, it’s only been in recent history that we’ve adopted a fast-free lifestyle.

We’ve Feasted during times of plenty, preparing our bodies for times of famine…. fasted for religious/spiritual reasons and taken voluntary hunger strikes. The average human body is generously prepared to fast for roughly 40 days, safely When I talk about ‘fasting’ — I’m talking about the real deal; therapeutic, healing, Water-Only Fasting. You know, drinking only water, nothing else (I do also allow myself to have mineral water, hot herbal tea and a squeeze of lemon) I’ve done various extended ‘fasts’ in the past – Juice Fasting for 30 & 45 days and Bone Broth Fasting for 30 days, so mentally I was prepared.

Initially I embarked on several shorter 1-3 day water fasts. All of which left me feeling great and most importantly solidified my belief that I wanted to complete a longer fast. Why am I telling you all these details? I want to you clearly understand that my decision to water-fast was not one that I took lightly. I also didn’t just sit around on the couch all day, eating junk food, sweets and drinking soda, bitching about my weight pre-fast.

And I want to stress to YOU that fasting isn’t something that anyone should enter into lightly. It’s a serious test of your ability to overcome cravings and conditioning to eat. And there’s folks that Fasting isn’t a good choice; if you are underweight, pregnant, etc. I decided to water fast to help give my body the time it needs to fix whatever is wrongly causing it to hold on to excess weight.

How to Lose 20 Pounds

Teaser alert, the fastest and easiest way to lose 20 pounds is with water fasting! AKA only consuming water (and maybe some electrolytes) – for MOST of us it will take about 1 week to drop 20 pounds. The dramatic reduction in food intake forces your body to access its fat reserves (and purge your glycogen stores, aka water weight) for a quick fat loss.

Fasting is the most comprehensive elimination diet too! And Fasting has, in just 7 days, has proven to be everything I’ve hoped it would be plus so much more! Today I’m full of energy, do not have any hunger and am 20 pounds lighter than when I started fasting a week ago. My fasting blood glucose has dropped significantly, my skin is bright & clear, I sleep soundly and just can’t help but excitedly share it with YOU!

Here’s an overview of my daily weight loss while on a water diet for a week

  • Monday, I Started fasting (my last meal was Sunday night)
  • Tuesday -8.3 pounds
  • Wednesday -3.2 pounds
  • Thursday -2.2 pounds
  • Friday -2.3
  • Saturday -2.0
  • Sunday -2.3

For a grand total weight loss of -20.3 pounds in 7-day fasting. Pretty sweet huh? I know many people will say ‘it’s just water weight’ and you’re welcome to offer any explanation you’d like. However, my first day I consumed over a gallon of water and lost 8.3 pounds.  (and no, my body isn’t canabilizing organs or muscles, that doesn’t happen until you hit the point of starvation, when there isn’t fat stores available)

CLICK HERE for my WATER FASTING FAQs post

The next question you’re probably going to ask is about maintenance – UPDATE I’ve kept fasting, both extended and shorter intermittent cycles and I’ve lost a total of 38 pounds (as of June 2018) One of the hardest things to deal with when you are fasting is trying to come up with things to do to stay busy, instead of cooking/eating. After all I sincerely LOVE to cook and It’s been tough to stay out of the kitchen for a whole week. But my closets are getting deep cleaning and I’m doing lots of reading 🙂

To learn more about my fasting journey check out my daily posts:

To learn more about Fasting, CLICK HERE to find my favorite Fasting Resources. 

Oh and one last thing before you go – please don’t ask the infamous question: what did you eat? Because it’s super silly and obvious you didn’t read this post or any of my daily posts I linked to!!

What is the fastest way to lose weight?

Hands down, water fasting provides the fastest way to lose weight when compared to any other diet that I have tried over the past 20 years. While in the past, I have hesitated to give weight loss estimates, I feel it is highly likely that you will quickly drop roughly 10% of your body weight when doing a 7 day water fast. Making water fasting the best way to drop pounds quickly & ditch some belly fat in time for your next vacation, wedding or class reunion!

Although like any diet, the weight loss is only temporary if you don’t make long term lifestyle and diet changes.

Water Fasting and Long term weight loss goals

I’m writing this section on July 7, 2022 – over 7 years since I completed this water fast and lost 20 pounds in 7 days. And I want to openly address the long term results of using fasting as a weightloss tool for 8 years as a part of my healthy lifestyle.

When you first finish fasting and resume consuming calories again, there will ALWAYS be some initial & immediate weight gain. In my experience, it is generally 10% of what weight you lost… so if you loose 20 pounds, expect to put 2 pounds back on just accounting for the food in your system.

A word of caution, if you end your fast and immediately return to your unhealthy lifestyle you will undoubtedly suffer from weight gain. Any time you want to maintain weight loss from any diet (or fasting) you must make serious lifestyle change & diet plan – changing your eating habits… whether that is monitoring your calorie intake, low-calorie diet, doing more cardio, increasing fiber intake, portion control, intermittent fasting, etc..

The best way to maintain weight loss after a Water Fast

Again, in my experience the best way to maintain weight loss and lean muscle mass after water fasting is to transition to eating a diet focused on healthy protein intake (like salmon, chicken breast, to help replace and muscle mass loss) and filing the rest of your plate with foods that keep your blood glucose as stable as possible. Learn more in THIS BOOK and wear a Continuous Glucose Monitor (click HERE for the affordable CGM that I wear & recommend – use the code: HEALTHSTARTSINTHEKITCHEN20 for 20% off)

You may think initially that wearing a CGM means that you’ll need to stick to a keto diet to maintain ketosis or very low carb diet, but that’s not the case at all. Many foods contain carbohydrates AND support stable blood sugar levels, aka glucose (lentils, carrots, beans, legumes, quinoa etc)

And in THIS BOOK you will learn how eating a lettuce salad (or other veggies like cucumbers, broccoli, spinach, celery, tomato, etc) BEFORE carbs like pasta, white rice, brown rice, white bread, and other whole grains (even ice cream, chips and cookies) can nearly eliminate any health-damaging glucose spike too!

And again, to be honest if you have been yo-yo dieting for years your metabolism (and hormones like cortisol) is probably damaged.. a 7 day water fast will not magically repair it. Many people are singing the praises of fasting as the holy grail of weight loss and “healthy living” — I’m not here to say that their experience is wrong, only that you need to be very cautious of their level of experience with fasting over the long term before you assign value to their opinions.

5 Tips for the best water fasting experience

  1. Schedule your fast during a time where you CAN rest if needed. In many cases fasting at first can be difficult and you may need to take it easy depending on your health and health conditions.
  2. Pay attention to your water intake. There isn’t a magic amount that’s perfect but listen to your body, if you are thirsty, DRINK more. Dehydration is the reason most people feel bad while fasting.
  3. Speaking of dehydration, for some of us drinking water alone isn’t best. therefore I always recommend combatting any side effects or dizziness with an electrolyte drink supplement. Choose one with the least ingredients or just add sea salt to your water.
  4. If you aren’t able to follow through the full 7 days, that is OK! there are many benefits with shorter 3-day fasts as well. Focus on eating a diet rich in nutrients and gut health promoting probiotics (like yogurt) following your fast then try again in a few weeks.
  5. Do not drink FRUIT JUICE or vegetable juice while fasting, no matter what. Zero calories and zero sugar is key.

Water Fasting FAQs

How much weight will i lose on a 3 day water fast?

Every body is different, for me I lost just over 11 pounds. 

Can I lose 20 pounds on a 7 Day Liquid Diet?

7 day liquid diet weight loss results are going to be SIMILAR but if you are consuming calories, your weight loss will be less than a strict water fast. 

How much weight can I lose on a 10 day water fast?

10 day water fast weight loss results will obviously be greater than a 7 day water fast. 

How much weight can I loose on a 5 day water fast?

5 day liquid diet weight loss will be less than a 7 day water fast, I lost 15 pounds in 5 days

Can I workout while fasting?

The expert consensus on activity and working out during fasting is that you can and should continue all of your NORMAL activities (including strength training and cardio workouts) only making sure to listen to your body and rest whenever it feels right. It is NOT recommended to start a new exercise regimen during fasting.

Should you take supplements while fasting?

Whether or not you choose to include vitamins and supplements while fasting vastly depends on your unique circumstances. I have done both with success, however I feel best when I choose to supplement during fasting with electrolytes.

What are the side effects to fasting?

Of course there are potential negative side effects to fasting, the main one that I encountered are headaches and fatigue. Both side effects can be mitigated by making sure that you are keeping your electrolytes balanced and getting minerals (ie sodium, calcium, potassium & magnesium). Using a supplemental electrolyte fluid hydration drink can help reduce the symptoms or simply adding a pinch of mineral rich sea salt into your water can help greatly. Studies also showing that both an extended fast and multiple short term fasts can increase overall longevity.

What are the health benefits of fasting?

In addition to the benefits of simply losing weight, other health benefits of fasting include reduced blood pressure, autophagy and mental clarity.

Should you take medications while fasting?

Since I am not a doctor I cannot give advice on mediations, consult with your prescribing physician.

Does fasting cause insomnia?

I’ll be the first to admit that for me, fasting makes it more difficult to get enough sleep. So it’s very important to make sure you aren’t accidentally causing sleep deprivation. This is a great time to focus on establishing good sleep hygiene and a solid routine to encourage relaxation instead of getting anxiety if sleep eludes you.

What else can I drink while fasting?

Many people decide to include zero calorie beverages like black coffee and green tea while fasting without issues.

Yours in Health,

Hayley Ryczek

CLICK HERE for my WATER FASTING FAQs postSaveSave

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337 Comments

  1. Hey Girl!!!!

    I am definitely going to try this because my wedding is coming up……and When my dress was ordered, it was ordered to the current size……..and now my dress is finally here and I weigh more than I did when I went in to get my initial fitting…I know I know, I don’t know what the heck happened so a quick pick me up is very helpful. If you want I will keep you updated with my progress. I want to start tomorrow but my fiance’ we can have a date night and Ill cook if we cant find a sitter so I will probably start on Sunday then. I do have a question because I will need some caffeine but I hate black coffee with a passion!! i recently started drinking the Celsius waters but those have 10 calories in them defeating the purpose of fast. So what do you do for that energy??

    1. You can customize your fast however YOU feel is best – however black coffee is the preferred choice.

  2. Sounds like you need to cut out animal products! Whether they’re organic, grass-fed, A2, whatever, fact of the matter is consuming animal products puts you at risk for a multitude of issues, including insulin resistance! In fact, “ Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are caused by a drop in insulin sensitivity blamed on “intramyocellular lipid,” the buildup of fat inside our muscle cells. Saturated fat can be toxic to the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, explaining why animal fat consumption can impair insulin secretion, not just insulin sensitivity” – from this great video (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/flashback-friday-what-causes-insulin-resistance-diabetes/ )on nutrition facts.org. Best of luck!

    1. There are literally THOUSANDS of dietary THEORIES and all of them have ‘research’ backing them – the only true-truth is that humans are opportunistic omnivores can survive on a wide variety of diets ranging from ALL ANIMAL (in the coldest climates) to ALL PLANTS (closest to the equator) – but for 90% of the human population on earth at this time we thrive on a mix. I hope that you have found what works for you but I will never be interested in a vegan or low-fat dietary approach. The post you are commenting on is from 2017 and I have absolutely ZERO risk factors for any dietary related health diseases.

  3. Thanks a lot Hayley for sharing this…I just came across your blog 5 days ago. I am about to go off to bed and successfully completed my 76 hrs of the fast. 1st day towards the end was a bit difficult, headache and hunger pains 😫. Just listened to some guided meditation and that helped me sleep. I added pink 1tsp Himalayan salt and 1tsp no salt ( potassium) to my 1 gal water along with 2 mile walk, 25 Juming jacks, 25 Sqts, 25 push ups and take 1 detox tea at night.
    2/28 – 163 lbs. – 1.2 Gal water
    3/1 158 – 1 gal, 2 cups green tea- feeling great no headache. Slept better
    3/2 155.3 – 1 gal, 3 cups green tea – a wonderful 3rd day, very focused. 7 lbs down in 3 days…yayy…Will update as I go.

  4. Hi there, love the post.
    Is anyone able to tell me if it is safe to do a 7 day water fast once a month? I have approx 35lbs to lose

    Thank you

    1. That’s a very tough question to answer without knowing many different variables of your health.

      If you are looking to start a monthly fasting routine it’s generally accepted to do 3 days every month

  5. Thank you for this fabulous post. I am a PhD biologist, and wholeheartedly agree with your post. Until the age of 55, I could not gain a pound even when I tried. I was always skinny. Then I started to put on weight, and over time increased with about 20 pounds. At 6ft2 I weighed about 180 pounds. Everbody tells me that is fine. I know better. When doing my daily pushups, my arms started hurting, running became more of a strain, etc. When going for my colonoscopy, I had to fast 3 days. Then I though, hey, that was not so difficult, and I continued 2 more days. Now this is where it becomes important: I just lost 10 pounds. But I learned an important lesson. It really is not so hard. The first time it was a bit difficult the first day, but after that, my hunger disappeared totally! I have been doing this now for many years, about 2 or 3 times per year. I increased the period to 7 days. During the rest of the year, I eat anything i want, including snacking in the evening. My weight varies between 170 and 180 pounds and boy, do I feel great. Since I am slender, I don’t lose as much as the author, but by doing this a few times per year, you are very likely to lose weight permanently, while no having to wonder about calories and food sources. Its a great way to stay healthy, if you are in an otherwise good condition.

  6. Thank u so much for opening Yourself up and sharing. I’d already made up my mind I was doing another water fast tomorrow and I was looking for something to push me and encourage me and I’m grateful I found you

  7. Thanks for sharing, Haley! Your eating healthily and struggling with weight was my struggle. I learned I had Lyme Disease. I started doing some short fasts, and got to the point where I had no appetite, so now I’m going to attempt 7 days. I have finally had a breakthrough. Not getting on the scale, but I’m shrinking.

  8. I’m so happy I FINALLY ran across your article. I have literally been searching all day on how to lose 20 lbs. in 2 wks. I was going to do nothing but Protein Shakes; but then there YOU were. I will be starting tomorrow, Monday 7-12-21. Please wish me luck. I am keeping your article to read as inspiration through out these two weeks. Thanks Again ! 🙂

  9. Couple of things, thank you thank you thank you! Reading this I felt like I could have written it myself, I had recently gained thirty pounds and had no idea where it came from. I eat very healthy, much like you mentioned and exercise daily. I’m guessing at this point it’s stress and hormones, who knows. I was seeking to “reset” when I came across your post. I cannot tell you how grateful and happy I am! I had similar results, please feel free to share. I went for 9 days because I felt great. Details below.
    Day 1: Little tired lot bored. Small headache took advice. Went to bed early. Hard time getting to sleep but then slept great. 6.5 lbs lost
    Day 2: Better energy. Still bored. Brain fog setting in. Camomile tea before bed. Slept great. 2.5 lbs lost
    Day 3: Amazing energy. No fog. Felt great. Mild exercise. No hunger pain. Increased happiness. 2.5 lbs lost
    Day 4-9 Same as day 3
    After day three I just kept feeling better. Little bit of heartburn on day 4. Tea helps. My mind feels so clear it’s very interesting. I starting eating again, very mindfully on day ten. I’m vegan, pretty much raw. I enjoyed steamed vegetables and some fresh fruit. I find that I’m craving water more everyday. I haven’t gained any weight back yet. And still feel clear headed.

    1. Hi Lauren! My situation sounds a little like yours. I appreciate your daily report. I will definitely get the tea. I always get heartburn. Wish me luck! I have a goal…. 20lbs / 2 wks.
      Congrats to you!!! 🙂

  10. Hi Hayley, thanks for the info. I have done a few fasts and I IF as a lifestyle everyday. Last prolonged fast for me was 2 years ago. I plan on 5-7 days for this one and for both weight loss and the mental clarity and to get me back on track to cleaner eating. I hope my journey on this fast has results like yours. Thanks

  11. Wow, I read your fasting , I want to do that but the headaches sound crazy, just out of curiosity, how did you lose 8.3 in one day? I the only reason I ask cause when I got covid I got so sick and couldn’t eat and lost 10 pounds in 8 days, maybe it was the water you drank ? But I do like your diet tho, I think I want to try and I do physical labor too, any pointers you may have for me

    1. First of all, this isn’t a diet, it’s fasting. It’s zero calories.

      And please do NOT add physical activity or exercise while fasting. You can comfortably keep doing normal things but it’s not the time to start a new routine.

      I have no idea why my body decided to drop 8+ pounds in one day, the body is definitely a mystery 🤣

      1. Can I ask why not exercise? I see most people saying do as much as you can and I also heard people say moderate exercise during fasting is good. I have been working out to help with the weight loss and still maintain muscle mass since that is what also goes. Some days I have more energy than others but I can’t say its all that terrible.

        1. I never said NO EXERCISE- My opinion is that you shouldn’t ADD a new exercise program. Keep doing what you would normally do but deciding to Stress your body with a new rigorous exercise routine while fasting can potentially be dangerous.

      1. Hayley, Besides just the water, what do you think about Protein powder with water? Maybe once a day later afternoon. I read that chamomile tea will help with heartburn. Any thoughts about the “Alkaline Water”? I usually drink that for my heartburn.
        So, just to be clear…. all you did was drink water, lemon water, or tea etc?
        Any further help or suggestions would be really appreciated!

        1. Any protein powder would cancel your fast. And yes I drank water, tea, coffee, lemon water and occasionally during other fasts electrolytes

    1. If you are drinking anything besides water you are no longer water fasting If you are having headaches and cravings you need to be strong and go through that with water That is the whole point Advising people to drink tea or coffee or anything is not a good idea When you are water fasting you will not just be losing weight The body will start some deep healing where needed

  12. Hey! Loved the post, and everything you wrote about was very relatable for me. Once you started eating again post fast, how much of the weight of the 20 lost came back, or did it not at all?

    1. How much you regain after fasting depends on many factors. I kept most of the weight off for years along with sticking to a healthy lifestyle.

      In my experience you’ll regain about 20% quickly from glycogen stores being replenished

  13. 4 stars
    You are a very intelligent person!

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  14. Hey. awesome post. Not here to say you’ve done anything wrong; I honestly just think some ppl need to fast to be healthy. Whether it’s genetic or whatever. Thanks for the tips!

    1. I also found that fasting one day each week is amazing for your body, have been trying to fast every Friday and the results are a incredible, not for weight loss necessarily but for helping your body cleanse naturally.

  15. Problem is, even if we are eating “healthy”, we are still eating too much and too often. Often when we are not even hungry. We are too ignorant of insulin. Even among nutritionists and doctors. Intermittent fasting done religiously and not eating after 6pm is very beneficial. Also, we have been brainwashed into thinking big breakfast is healthy and mandatory. It is not!

  16. Did it fix the insulin resistance permanently or it came back? How is your fasting blood glucose? I’m on the same boat…

    1. You must make permanent lifestyle changes for the results of fasting to be long term. If you return to eating unhealthy, symptoms will also return.

  17. Interesting article, thank you! Another excellent book to add to your resource list is Fasting and Eating for Life by Dr. Fuhrman. And, for those interested in supervised water fasting, check out the True North Health Center, run by Dr. Goldhammer. This research-based clinic has done extensive research on the benefits of water only fasting.

  18. Thank you so much for this article. I could have written it word for word. It’s so frustrating to do everything right for so many years and still be 40 lbs overweight. I feel your pain. I too have tried a 7 day fast and lost 12 pounds, and this has been my only success at weight loss in 20 years. I know people I’ve told, including my wife, thought I was cheating or not giving 100% effort or not giving any of the diets ample time to work, but I knew in my heart I was giving 110% effort with no results. I’m still cloudy about what is wrong with us but I sure hope the reset works. I will continue fasting till I get down to 185 lbs. then I guess we will see. I cant tell you how happy I am that I found someone who shares my blight…. I feel VINDICATED… and now EMPOWERED. Thank you for sharing.

    1. Darren, I too suffer from the same plight. So frustrating. I did a3 day fast a few months ago and long a couple pounds, but have been struggling to do it again. I’m starting slow to try and ease my way into a water fast again. I’m drinking 8-12 cups of bone broth a day and 1 meal. I plan to eliminate that 1 meal and do only bone broth soon, then slowly only water. I fully believe in the health and restorative benefits of a water only fast. See Dr. Jason Fung lectures; brilliant man.

  19. I did juice 60d. water 30d +. then water 10d at a time. saved my life. was severely ill. neurological and endocrine syndrome. basically shutdown. then trained like a super soldier. sounds crazy, it was. i had a horrible 5arii inhibition syndrome (finasteride). info’s out there. water fasting saved my life. bone broth was ok, it’s good now as a bodybuilding thing. juice feasting (not for everyone), but for me was kind of a waste of time. nearly 21 d in I was 1% better. But 10d and 18d into water fasting, I could smirk. Stand a bit. Shower again. I was dying. It was a whole thing, I’m busy and would rather not get into it. Look up hackstasis dot com. I’ll have a blog. my nick there is MNK. this isn’t advertizing, and if it is, make note that I got into arguments with like 20-30 members there. Some of which committed suicide (as per various post drug (medication) syndromes). I get zero revenue or joy from this. Working on the rest of life. self employed. going to prof. school. gotta go. if super ill from a rare medn caused syndrome and no one will help you, especially if it’s finasteride, dutasteride, accutane, an SSRI, etc… consider water fasting. perfect refeed. and strength training and a perfect diet. luckily for me I already lost 70+lb at 15-16, and underwent severe medical side effects, so I kind of had seen the labotomy/castration effects before. needless to say this was difficult. lucky to be alive. kind of pissed off tho. huge ordeal. cost me at least a year. delayed career a couple, but it could always be worse. helped a lot, hope to help more when time permits.

    initial water fast nearly 30d, i barely lost 20.2lb. now i lose 10lb a day, at 172-192lb I’m ripped or near it. metabolism is high again, as it should be considering I’ve been working out half my life. *during PFS crash times, I couldn’t walk, eat, digest for nearly a year. i was suicidal, anyways, again the info’s out there. mostly affects men (they’re vanity drugs (hair loss, acne, etc. antidepressants are trash, much like fasting… there’s better ways, including TEI, HTMA, and other treatments). I got into all that, and will get into more on a podcast/blog outside of school and work. when there’s time. peace. thx for reading. good luck to all. fasting seems crazy, but i fasted 16 then 22 and 23 hrs for yrs, post workout, then ate. got v lean. if i get too thin, i just eat a lot. whether 500 or 6000cals, i change things up. ideally, never sick agn, but if i am… ill fast.

  20. Thank you for sharing your fasting experience. I’ve read the whole blog and it was very inspiring. Thank you for the chart with the day by day breakdown of weight loss each day. I was curious about what was your weight/height at the beginning. Thank you kindly.

  21. I weighed 225 pounds and I’m only 22 years old. I tried the intermittent fasting but it didn’t do much and I went rite back to eating. I’m not a stranger to fasting so I thought I would give it a try. I recently went through a rough break up so I didn’t eat for 2 1/2 days. I gave in when it became hard for me to concentrate and drive. All I drank was water however it wasn’t enough to keep me hydrated. The next day I broke my fast and had a salad during the 4-8pm period. The next day I decided to hop on the scale and I saw I lost close to 5 pounds. I was shocked. I work 4 days a week and have off 3 days. During those 3 days I water fast. So far I lost 17 pounds in 10 days. I recommend watering fasting for anyone whose overweight. It helps control your hunger cravings, knowing when you hungry or actually just need some water, you also realize you eat when your bored. Stay busy. Go for a drive, read a book, clean, hang out with friends, play video games, just drink water. I also noticed if you smoke tobacco while fasting it can effect you in a negative way. Drink tons of water if your a smoker. If you do break your fast BE SMART, have a salad, boiled eggs, avocado toast, wheat bread with peanut butter. Eat slow! Drink water. You’ll realize you weren’t that hungry after all. Also try and have a diet that’s under 500 calories! 17 pounds I lost in 10 days. My goal is to lose 50 pounds and it’s possible. Have confidence in yourself. Enjoy your journey

    1. Eating carbs while in a fasting mode isn’t recommended to keep the weight off!!! Your body is actually better at making fat while in the fasting state so it’s better to stick to lean proteins when you break it. Two hours before breaking your fast be sure to drink water with a bit of salt and cinnamon and drink green tea the days after the fasting period. Then eat either a pea protein shake and wait a few hours, then lean proteins with omega 3s (white fish like haddock or shellfish!!) the next day then add vegetables (you don’t want it at first because it actually takes a lot of energy to break down the cellulose of plants and fermentable veggies like garlic and onion will dehydrate you when they reach the large intestine).
      Also another cool tip is to have an acid (citric acid like lemons, vinegar, or fermented foods like pickles and kimchi) with your carbs! There was a study on Japanese diet that showed when you eat an acid with the glucose it actually binds the amylose proteins in your saliva and stomach and prevents the complete breakdown of the carbs, which means less of an insulin spike and helps with hunger later on!!!

  22. Hayley:

    I know I am being a bit anal here but it’s important for me to stay motivated, this day 1 of my water fast, but:

    What time of day did you weigh yourself? Did you weight yourself at end of day 1? I can’t tell from your info above. Did you weigh yourself at the same time for all 7 days?

    Lastly, how can I stay motivated. I am a 6 foot male and weigh 265 lbs. I want to get down to 200. I tried water fast before and can’t seem to get past day 10. Can you offer me any pearls of wisdom to strengthen my commitment each day? I truly believe if I can stay discipline for 30 days I should reach my goal if not be close to it. However, I am not known to be the world’s most discipline person.

    Anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated.

    1. I weighed myself first thing every morning.
      Generally after day 5 it’s smooth sailing and for us (hubby and I) once we hit day 10 we feel so great we don’t want to stop!!

  23. I read all the way to the bottom and I can’t believe I’m the first person to comment on how dangerous and irresponsible it is to be promoting this kind of fast. The number of young girls commenting combined with the number of people commenting who said they ended the fast at 100/115 etc pounds is frightening. Everything from the clickbait title of this post to the concept of 30 days of self starvation does nothing more than justify and validate unhealthy disordered eating. As someone recovering from an eating disorder I can tell you what days of self starvation does and it’s nothing good. These posts are dangerous and should be removed to prevent young girls looking for pro-ana tips and tricks from finding them.

    1. Jane I’m so sorry that you have struggled with an ED. I’m also sorry that you are confusing a mental condition where the perceived image of ones body is being confused with a health decision to abstain from food for healing. It is small minded to assume that all forms of food restriction are bad.

    2. A fast with out calories is not a starvation diet. the body switches it’s fuel source. A starvation diet is likely what you would promote for someone who wants to lose weight. A this is just messing with metabolism, one thing that does seem to work temporarily for weight loss is a change in diet, as in people that go Keto or go Vegan or eat 5 meals a day. And then it seems that those diets tend to stop being as effective (even calorie restricting works for some for a bit). But fasting is not starving listen to the stories, no one is hungry. Now ask yourself about diets you may have been on.

  24. That’s impressive! I just don’t see myself being able to do this. If for some reason I’m stuck without food & only have water for the first half of the day, I nearly faint. I get severe pain in my back and stomach, can’t concentrate, get a headache… it’s awful. And I only work in an office where there’s little physical activity to rob my energy! Afraid that if I even gave this try, I would get very sick. I have a balanced diet and avoid most sugars, starchy carbs, and processed foods – but my diet is very high in protein. Think the sudden lack of it makes my body crash.

    1. If you are interested in incorporating fasting, start with intermittent fasting. the first step is getting a 12 hour fast over night every night from dinner to breakfast. Then break your fast with a low carb, ideally Keto meal. This absence of carbs will help retrain your body to get off rollercoaster and have sustained energy. After that feels good push to 13, 14 ,15 hours until you fast all the way to lunch then to dinner.. then before you know it you’ll work up to extended fasting,

  25. Much of the weight loss is simply due to depleting glycogen stores in your muscle and liver. Once you eat carbohydrates again… much of the “water weight” will come back. That is why you see a drastic weight reduction in the first 24-72hrs.

    Josh

    1. You are correct. However I did not eat a high carb diet so my glycogen stores were very limited. Of the total 28 pounds I lost during that total fast, I only regained 3 pounds (2 years later)

  26. I am starting this fast today. Day 1!! I want to kick start my body into the new year. I have 25 pounds of baby weight left to lose. My eating habits are relatively clean but I can’t seem to shed these Pounds. I am also doing this before a family vacation. Hoping that if I do it now it will make me make very smart Choices while I’m away. Wish me luck

  27. Hey Hayley,
    I’m just curious if you really drank 2 gallons of water? I found that drinking more than 1.5 gallons of water can cause water poisoning or hyponatremia. I was just concerned about your sodium levels.

    1. I did. I don’t always drink the same quantity, but I did ok that day. I regularly drink only water and can easily drink 2 gallons on a normal day. I never had any sodium or electrolytes issues (fasting or otherwise) much of that is determined by your ‘average’ health status and dietary intake.

  28. Hey! So I’m an 18 year old female and just weighed myself this morning and was 160 pounds. Ugh. The problem is is that I also am on medication for a very light case of epilepsy. I usually incorporate intermittent fasting and just did a salt flush yesterday (holy crap). Would I be okay to do a 3 day fast? I’m trying to lose weight for a trip as well as the fire academy. Thanks!

    1. Have you looked into the benefits of a Ketogenic diet for Epilepsy management? Fasting has the same mechanism, since I’m not a dr I can’t advise when it comes to conditions. I suggest reaching out to Dr Jason Fung.

      1. I have looked into the keto diet, I’ve tried it but the fat content made me feel sick. Heavy fat content and high sugar fruits make me feel ill. I do do intermittent fasting and it seems to work good. Just thought I needed a kick starter. My medication suits me well and I’ve been seizure free for two years and luckily I can take it on an empty stomach. I’ll probably just try it for 24-48 hours or so to be safe. Gotta lot of blubber on me:) getting my first tattoo on on Wednesday so I’ll have to break it before then. thank you!

        1. If you have been starving your body of fat for years, you gotta ease back into it. Everyone needs at a bare minimum of 30% healthy fats (not just any fat) in their diet, most do better at 50-70% which may lead to ketosis. I encourage you to throughly research the chemicals in tattoos before taking the plunge, they can be toxic and make you very sick.

  29. Hi Hayley

    Water fasting is the only method I’ve tried that has not resulted in rebound gains taking my weight higher than before.

    Quite some time has elapsed since your original water fast; has the weight stayed off for you, and has it been easy or a battle?

      1. That’s good to hear.

        I’ve water fasted for eight days before; now I am attempting a longer fast. Despite lots of water and salt, I find that weakness and dizziness continue intermittently.

        But the worst thing is the dry mouth. It’s so severe, it wakes me up frequently throughout the night. Makes fasting quite a trial to fit around work and life, but I see it as a sound investment in future health and worth a certain amount of discomfort.

        However, I wonder whether a keto diet might achieve the same sustainable weight-loss–more slowly, but without the awful sleep disturbance. I find keto quite easy to sustain. Perhaps one weakness may be that it would not trigger the same degree of autophagy, which reputedly helps deal with loose skin.

        1. You’ll only know what feels best for your body by experimenting. While I never ‘needed’ an electrolyte supplement during fasting many prefer to add them, that might help with your dry mouth.

          As for fasting-insomnia, it’s just part of the game unfortunately. I also tend to have a disrupted sleep pattern when in deep ketosis whether from fasting or keto dieting.

          Try one meal a day keto and see how that feels.

  30. Just wanted to say I love fasting!!! I normally do dry fasts for about 72hrs or so then refeed! 1 day of dryfasting is equal to 3 days of water fasting!

  31. Hi Hayley! I’m so glad that I came across your post! I am,on day 11 of a (planned) 35 day water fast. I learned about this type of prolonged fasting in my Advanced Human Physiology class and then did a few weeks of research to get my hands on all of the information possible. I’ve done week long fasts before and felt I was prepared for it. The hardest part for me has been explaining to everyone what I’m doing and how it’s a total reset of your body down to the cellular level. Mostly they are just concerned for my well being, but now that I’ve gone past a week and am feeling pretty well they are starting to come around.

    When I break my fast I intend to take 3-4 days to slowly and carefully re-introduce foods to my digestive system. Due to numerous food allergies I can and do only eat really good meat from a butcher here in town whose farm I have been to. It’s not as good as growing my own, but I do the best I can. Other than that the plan is to stick to whole foods consisting of proteins, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and healthy fats.

    I lost 20.6lbs in the first 7 days. I’m trying not to focus on the scale a ton because I want it to be more about resetting my body; however, I do need to lose a fair amount as well. I am experiencing a lot of detox symptoms which are unpleasant, but not unbearable and that tells me that it’s working.

    I am hoping to go in to a Doctor of Nursing Practice (or nurse practitioner) program and am really considering using water fasting as my research project or dissertation.

    I didn’t really have a question, but just wanted to post my comments and thoughts, thank you so much for your post!

  32. Hi, Hayley. Thank you very much for sharing this. Around a month ago, I started working on weight loss. I have now lost around 10 pounds. However, I want to jump-start this process (at 193.4 pounds, have have around 25 pounds to go). It is now 1:10 p.m. on Saturday. I would like to begin a 4-day “water only” fast beginning at 2:00 p.m. and see what happens.

  33. To be honest i weighed 150 pounds and in a week i am now at 129 losing 21 pounds. I see so many things about diets and such yet I have never used one. I eat fast food almost every day and play on my computer yet i still manage to lose weight. I think the main reason is my metabolism, how ever the worst part is trying to maintain any weight i do gain. I know this is a diet forum but if possible can anyone tell me how to keep the weight i do gain on as I am 28 years old 6 foot 2 inches and am built like a stick, the average weight for a person my age and height is 180-200 pounds. Would be really grateful if anyone can help me with this problem.

    1. Mike this is a personal blog and not a diet forum. I suggest you start by adopting a real food based diet and find a integrative practitioner to help you gain weight.

  34. Do you have any sources outside of Dr. Fung to support your claim that monitoring caloric intake to lose weight is BS? The one other link I saw seems to be broken. The insistence on that kind of threw me for a loop because, while nutrition and the quality of calories is stated to be a huge factor, it’s constantly stated by medical professionals that your caloric intake IS also a factor. I have never seen any claim that it’s completely “irrelevant to weight loss”. It’s a really bold claim to make and I’m curious to know more about it. Where did this come from other than this one doctor? Because there are so many people this has worked for when done properly. I’m hoping you aren’t basing this solely on your own experience because that can definitely be misleading for others who differ from you. I agree the those who follow the CICO diet fad without regard to where those calories come from can experience problems, but what you have here suggests that it just doesn’t matter at all.

    1. CICO has a success rate of 1% in all long term studies regarding weight loss maintenance. Dr fung does not just “say” things they are all backed by studies and science on his site, he’s very through. I’d suggest starting with his work and then back track through his links/studies.

  35. So, I’m on day 4 of a 7 day water fast, and something weird happened. When I weighed myself yesterday I was down about 10 lbs—to about 157…today I’m 170! How is that possible? I have not cheated, but I nursed a 1L bottle of sparkling mineral water, no added flavoring, all day yesterday. Today I got another bottle and after chugging a few sprigs cause I was thirsty as all get out, I decided to weigh myself and I gained 10+.. I’m confused… is this normal?

    1. just to be clear it’s not possible to gain 10 pounds over night <3 it actually sounds like a scale issue HOWEVER our bodies will fluctuate the amount of fluids that we retain and hold. Just stick with the fasting and it will equalize. I have never gained weight while fasting.

      1. Thank you for saying that because I feel like I was going crazy..lol but I decided to disregard the scale, and instead use a tape measure to track my progress. I’m down 2 1/2 inches around my waist..so to me that means something is working. I really appreciate all your tips and tried to follow your advice to a T. The only thing that I’m thinking of doing differently than you is how I’ll break my fast. Because I didn’t eat too clean before my fast.. (I did do fresh veggies, salads, fruit two days before my fast) I think it’d be hard on my body to go back to eating solids. I’ve been making a bone broth in the slow cooker for a few days now, and that’s what I intend to break my fast with? Do you think that’s a good way to break a fast? Also, I’m desiring some fresh berries like no other… when do you suggest I should start eating some fruits after my break? Thanks for all your help!

        1. Bone broth is awesome for breaking your fast! However when it comes to fruits, I want to encourage you to look deeply into your relationship with sweets and sugar. Berries are most often the “safest” way to keep eating sugar and it might be best to keep your body adjusting away from sweet flavors while your motivated.

          1. Ahh ok, I will definitely continue in my goal in breaking with a bone broth then.
            And I see, that makes sense. It’s weird because I never use to have a sweet tooth, and we never ate sugary things growing up.. but the last year I’ve had a sugar heavy diet. Especially when it comes to fruits I love fruits! So that’s the one thing I’ve been kinda looking forward to indulging in. I can break away from other artificial sugars easily now I think, but if you’re saying that berries my trigger more sugar cravings then I guess I’ll have to do without 🙁 I do want a overall healthier diet, and way of living. I know paleo and keto are pretty popular but I’m not the hugest meat fan. For me my diet has usually consisted of carbs, which I plan on stopping, vegetables, lots of fruits, and unfortunately processed foods. I’ll have to definitely reorient my whole eating habit once my fast is over.

          2. I have another question if you don’t mind. I’m on day 6 of my fast and I’m feeling so sick, nauseous, lethargic and I have a slight cold… it’s so weird, what do you think would cause this

          3. Sounds like the keto-flu as your body adapts to being fueled by fat you experience detox like symptoms

  36. I am confused about one thing. I have read “The Complete Guide to Fasting” by Dr. Fung from cover to cover. He states that it is ok to drink bone broth during a fast. However, bone broth is technically calories. Will drinking bone broth change the fast into a low calorie diet, thus damaging your metabolism? I am currently on day 4 of a bone broth only fast. I am drinking it for the gut healing benefits, but after reading through this post and several comments, I’m worried that I need to stop. I don’t want to damage my metabolism!!

    1. This would be a question for Dr Fung directly. However my opinion is that Fasting is a long term lifestyle not a fad diet. IF when you are transitioning you NEED bone broth to keep going, it’s totally fine much like black coffee.

      I’ve always been curious of the threshold of low calorie vs fasting personally, but I use that confusion to continue my motivation to purely water fast and not depend on any crutch.

  37. Black coffee contains calories – but only 4 calories per cup. Would you advise against a cup of black or two (or three) during a water fast? Is even 4 calories too many to have in a day? (Okay, well 12 if you have three cups.)

  38. I know you have said many times that ANY calories will just turn the fast into a low calorie diet, so I apologize in advance. (I read the article and about half of the comments) But just wondering then would a green juice only fast just wreck my metabolism then? Or would it have more similar benefits to a real fast. I have been juicing for a couple of days and wondering if I should rethink what I’m doing. Thanks 🙂

    1. Juice fasts DESTROYED my metabolism and increased my insulin resistance. Juicing is essentially drinking pure sugar water with some vitamins.

  39. “Despite the fact that the whole calories in/calories out theory is total BS and just plain irrelevant to weight management”

    And here is where I stopped reading. That is not a theory, it is fact. While I believe in long fasting and the benefits there-in, I also believe in a thing called science.

    1. what you are believing in is that the law of thermodynamics is relevant in the human body. This is an unproven theory. Please become educated before commenting. If you are so pro-science then I’m certain you would understand how the scientific method works and can adequately research studies where CICO is the dietary method proven to fail 99% of the time.

  40. I was just curious if there are any water flavor enhancers (similar to MIO and others) that arent bad for you. I just was thinking it might make it a little bit more easy to do a water only fast if you could vary the taste.

    1. Part of the beauty of water fasting is resetting your taste buds away from things like sweetened, flavored waters. I strongly urge you to ditch them regardless of fasting. Switch to just a wedge of fresh lemon or lime.

  41. Just to add to your experience, I took vitamins and minerals to keep my micronutrients up with negligible calories added and still had similar results. I also drank black coffee and unsweetened teas. Still similar results. intermittent fasting has maintained and kept me leaning.

  42. Hi Hayley,

    Can I eat healthy fats like avocados during the 7 day water detox? The avocados will assist in cleansing my liver and remove toxins in my body during the detox.

  43. Me too. Everything you said. Home cooking. My own raised protien. No sugar. I did everything right. Work horses and not even a little lazy. I have fasted (30) before but always stopped short of goal weight. Then the weight creeps back. I am sure that stress and a hysterectomy don’t help my metabolism.
    I am on day 10. Down 20lbs. But I think for me to reset, I will have to reach my goal weight. 5’8″ 165lbs.
    Then intermittent as well as clean eating. I don’t understand. 1200 Cal diets just maintain. I am thinking it is hormones and crap we ate as kids.

  44. Hi Hayley

    Fantastic info. I have been wanting to do this and have been practicing for it with IF 20/4 to 23/1 now. Plus I have done several 24 and 48 hour fasts. Also one 36 hour dry fast.

    Currently I am on the 4th day of a long water fast, not sure when I will end it. But here are my 2 questions and both have not been answered before, I looked carefully. Your help is greatly appreciated

    1. Have noticed on my 3rd and 4th day eyes are burning – thought it was lack of sleep – so I exercised hard 3rd day night to crash and sleep well but it did not go away today my 4th day – any advice ?
    2. Your thoughts on dry fasting – they say its 3 times as fast as water fast but for shorter periods, 1-3 days

    Thanks again
    Harish

    1. I haven’t heard of burning eyes, sorry.
      I have dry fasted a few times, I haven’t talked about it pubically because I take enough criticism for water fasting, can’t imagine the feedback about dry fasting. Be cautious and don’t force something that doesn’t feel right.

      1. Thanks for the response, I guess my body was healing my eyes like you mention teeth. Indeed most people are binary in this world. Thanks to people like you, there is information like this out there. Its best to try it out and see how it goes – everyones body is not the same and some are gifted with good hormones.

        I do listen to my body and its that meditative state that you talk about that is so good. Dry fasting as you mention is a taboo subject indeed but the results are great – I have been able to shake off a pain in my right lower abdomen with a 2 day dry fast – imagine that over several visits to the doctors while the speculate what could be wrong.

  45. Hey! I’m starting a 2 week water fast tomorrow. I have to take certain supplements due to health issues but they are all natural so I hope that it’ll be fine. I did a water fast years ago in college. I only lasted 3 days and had to do juice for the next 7 days. Does it get really hard at the 3 day mark? I found it impossible to concentrate in class which is why I started on juice but I’m wondering if that was largely because I didn’t drink nearly as much water then as I do now.

  46. On day 3 of my fast. I am doing this for blood sugar, blood pressure and possibly (hopefully) stabilization of my hormones and menstrual cycle. Though I started coming off a not ideal diet of 3 days of plane food (and all the fun 30+ hours of flying does to the system with a 7 hour time difference). Despite this I feel good and have lost 7.5 at my 2 day weigh in. I am significantly overweight so may loose more than anticipated being at 225 at the start. I though I would maybe loose 5-8 pounds over 5 days as generally other than plane food and when I travel 30% of my time I eat fairly clean (joys of living in Africa) . I’m not sure how far I will go (5-7 days).As I live in central Africa I do not have access to close medical monitoring or intervention so will not got further than 7 but will repeat as soon as my system feels up to it maybe 1-3 weeks.
    After lots of reading I’ve not seen anything about not being able to do this multiple times with small breaks of a couple weeks of clean eating. Over the year I’m hoping to loose 70 pounds but have not yet settled in what and how to eat past fasting and refeeding. Too many lifestyle diets to choose from Paleo, Keto, Dash, Weight Watchers etc. What I know is no refined sugar, fried food and white bread.

  47. I am encouraged by this post. This is the third time I’ve encountered this page in the past 12 months and it’s always after I google search for juice fast. I’ve also done intermittent fasting, paleo, juice fast, low carb, more fats, less sugar, everything. I’ve done a three day water fast but it was in the middle of my juice fast when I wasn’t feeling well and it just happened. Here, I’d like to focus on strictly a water fast and all the health benefits afterwards. I am 100 pounds overweight and while kickstarting that weight loss would be awesome, I’m really truly trying to heal my body. There’s so much thats wrong with my body right now, and it’s a domino effect and I really want to focus on healing. It bums me out when I read the comments and a lot of responses are about dropping weight for a wedding or holiday or special event. There’s so much more benefits to fasting (juice and water) than just losing weight. Thank you for putting this page up, sharing your results, and taking the time to reply to the comments. You’re truly inspiring.

  48. You’re an inspiration . I really needed this as I’m fit and healthy but that last bit of chub clings to me . I workout
    Almost daily and do weights and cardio . I look healthy but my face and tummy little chubbier than I like even if im not large by any means and have muscle tone and waist.

    I’m gonna follow your example and blast this fat . I’ve done a 3 day fast before and lost a lot of weight and kept it off two years until life issues intervened and some personal losses . You have really inspired me and I want to say “
    Bless your heart .”

    I want to be a homesteader too and am Saving for my own piece of land . I think I will read your article a few times . Happy new year and may your wishes come true in coming year xo

  49. Hi All

    Starting my fast on Monday Jan1 2018. I’m 131lbs. I’m doing it to adopt healthier lifestyle choices and lower my Cholesterol levels. Anyone want to do this with me and support each other for the week.

  50. hey on a scale of 1-10 how hard is this fast if you eat junk food on a regular basis- i do cross country- and i am 70 pounds over weight!!!!!!!!!! i really need to do this- anyways what is the max time you should do this for until stopping and taking a break. my wedding is coming up in 1 month and i NEED to fit in my dress i am 5 2′ and 180 lbs, yes i am fat but whatevs i will lose it somehow i thought this might be better than taking laxatives wich btw i will take if i don’t figure it out by the week of the wedding. thanks!

    p.s if you read this later than a month from now – can you still post the answers to my question?

    1. Lina – I”m going to be honest with you, waiting until 30 days pre-wedding then wanting to loose weight is putting undue stress in your life. Focus on the magic of the ceremony and the amazing person you are committing to. I know you want to look your best on the big day, but you don’t have to loose weight.

      I’m also not going to lie to you, Fasting is HARD and even HARDER when your body is being fueled with processed and fast foods.

      In the spirit of promoting your health while loosing some weight, Look into a ketogenic diet focused on all real foods. It will help you transition to a healthier lifestyle, regulate your eating and then you’ll be better prepared to fasting in a few weeks.

  51. Oh one more question, do you know if doing this will wo Towards fixing my metabolism. I have lots of trouble with my metabolism not burning much. And is protein powder ok to start up when the fast is over? Thanks again.

    1. Caleb I suggest researching fasting beyond my one blog post… there is so much amazing info out there and I think that it could help you understand how to prevent weight gain.

  52. Hello i went from eating healthy and not even touching candy or junk, to working at a summer camp and stress eating a huge amount of junk and getting hooked and addicted to it. And gaining about 25 pounds and not being able to get back the way i was. Will this fast possibly help break my addiction and help me lose the weight and keep it gone. Thanks for your time.

  53. When people say you lost water weight, what they mean is glycogen. When you fast, your body depletes its glycogen storage, and each gram of glycogen is attached to 3-4 grams of water. Hence, when you go through a fast, or low carb diet, you lose a lot of water in the beginning, even if you are drinking a lot of water. This is why when you go back to eating normally, you will gain weight immediately.

    1. Dustin, the difference is “go back to normal eating” — if you ate junk, fasted, then returned to eating junk then you are absolutely correct. However you will not regain ALL the weight you lost, I am proof. I’ve maintained 95% of my fasting weight loss consistently by eating a healthy diet and staying fat adapted.

  54. Hey!

    I was really interested in doing this water fast. I know in your blog you tried to drink about 1-2 gallons a day, do you think it would be okay to shoot for 1 gallon instead? Or should I start out at 1-2 and decrease to about 1 gallon?

    Also, you mention in the comments to not ADD exercise, but I don’t have a very active lifestyle due to work and school. I would like to get some exercise in, I will listen to my body and not push too much, but is there a type of exercise you recommend that I can add? Maybe like yoga?

    Thank you for your feedback!

    1. You should drink as much as you NEED to drink to satiate your thirst and again, I would NOT recommend adding a new exercise routine. Adding new activity will prevent the body from doing it’s necessary healing.

  55. Thank you for sharing your journey.
    I am on day 3 of my personal fast.
    I too have a high normal A1C and suffer with Crohns/Ulcerative colitis.
    This has been my worse year since I was diagnosed, flare ups almost weekly.
    I want to rest my digestive tract and give my body a chance to heal.
    Big plus, no abdominal pain since I started and I have seen some weight loss.

    Once I complete my fast, I plan to incorporate even more cleaner eating habits, yours are inspiring.

      1. Thank you!
        Researching that and working with internists…
        I broke my fast after 5 days, and am happy to say the symptoms
        from IB disease have diminished. Esp the bloating that was constant, as I looked and felt 8-10 months
        pregnant on any given day.
        Cleaner, fresh foods and no processed foods is where I am now.

  56. What about taking a daily birth control pill? And is this 420 friendly? I have fibromyalgia and am hoping this could start to cure my body, the herbs help with my shakes. Surely that is different than cigarettes.

    1. fasting is an individual journey. you need to decide what is best for your body in your unique situation.

    2. Birth control is SOOOO bad for you. It will permanently screw up your hormones, even when you get off of it. Also, fasting may make it ineffective.

      Igniting something and inhaling the smoke is just as bad for you, no matter what it is.

  57. I can’t believe ppl kept asking what did you eat on your water fast. Unbelievable. It’s clear that ppl just want to lose weight and are not concerned about their health. I have a legitimate ? B/c I’ve done fasting for spiritual/ medical reasons. What did you use or what was your regimen for dry mouth/ odor ? Thanks and Have a blessed day.

    1. I didn’t have dry mouth or mouth odor, I continued to brush my teeth daily with a charcoal based tooth powder.

  58. Hi Hayley, congrats on your awesome results! I had recently ordered Dr. Fung’s The Complete guide to Fasting”. I’ve listened to lots of his talks. The last 3 books I read are The Case Against Sugar, Fat Chance, and Why we get Fat. I’m on day 5 of a water fast not to lose weight, but to try to get into autophagy, as Dr. Fung explains. However, I can only successfully manage my weight on a low carb diet and cycling in hard core ketogenic diet. I’ve already lost 10 lbs on this fast, and I only weighed 120lbs, (5’8″) >now 110 lbs. But at the moment and for the last 3 & 1/2 weeks I’ve been suffering from piriformis syndrome. The myopractor said my hips were madly out of line and it caused my piriformis muscle to be over worked and put into a hypertrophic state and is hitting my sciatic nerve. Excruciating pain. I’m losing my mind. So before I started fasting I would make myself something to eat and by the time I was done that sciatic nerve would be firing so much I had to lay down and wouldn’t end up eating. So I thought maybe my body could heal more effectively and the autophagy could eat the damaged inflamed muscle…I know it’s a stretch. I’ve missed so much work, last year I never missed a day, I can’t do much of anything for more than a few minutes. Tried every stretch, ART, myfascial release, nerve threading, heat, ice….you name it. Hitting total despair. I’ve probably read 100 plus hours of articles on piriformis syndrome. Heartbreaking comments of people who have no life, and some are now addicted to pain killers. I haven’t taking any yet. I rub arnica gel, dmso, and some Chinese tincture on it. It doesn’t work. I ordered some serrapeptase, and kratom. I’m going to try to go to a health food store today to try to get something, so I can go to work Monday. On a positive note, I’ve been watching Dr. Group’s water fast journey updates, today will be day 16 for him. Again, congrats, we have a lot in common, I keep chickens, get fresh milk, and love my veggies. God bless.

  59. Bonjour Hayley!

    I’m interested into fasting, as what you did. Though- I have a question, is being 15 too young to do this? If so, is there a substitute I can do?

    By the way, sorry for commenting on such an old post.

  60. I have made drastic changes to my lifestyle: eating, exercise, etc….I drink ONLY water, NO exceptions, I went from 110# to well over 400# in 2 years time…I then basically starved myself to loose and get back down to 160#. I gained 130# back and was at 298 June 2016. That was when I made serious changes in my life and have SLOWLY lost weight since and am now down to about 245-250#. I see my physician regularly. I have a bad issue with a “mothers apron” and want to have it removed, but I know I need to loose a lot more weight first. I will be 45 years old on 12/26. I read your article and all 6 days linked on your article. I scanned through a lot of the messages, but got tired of reading the same thing about what food do you eat during the fast. Apparently people do NOT read, as there was NO food involved at all. I TRULY appreciate your posting this and sharing, especially the BG/K chart. My biggest questions to you are this….AFTER the fast, when you returned to eating, what did you start out with and how did you advance back to eating solid foods regularly? How much time do you allow BETWEEN each water fast? Are there any other forms of fasting you would recommend to do between water fasting? I have a small (10 acre) homestead, grow & can my own foods, raise my own meat (cattle, sheep chicken, duck, rabbit). I do NOT eat sweets or candy, I refuse to drink ANYTHING except water from my own 500′ closed deep well that feeds directly from the largest natural aquafier in the midwest. I am disabled, so exercise is limited due to multiple spinal surgeries and seizures, but I do walk and take care of my animals and get lots of exercise around the homestead. My children are 26 & 27 and moved out, I am newly engaged to a man that is willing to help me do whatever I need to do to get healthier. The sky is the limit….but I am sick & tired of trying fad diets that put me on a see-saw of lose/gain/repeat. Thank you in advance for your response & again thank you SO much for sharing this article with us!!

  61. Thank you for writing this article. I’m in the same boat as you. I eat healthy food and constantly on the move. I totally understand, how can we be overweight. I have been reading about fastening. I like the idea. Clean body out and straighten itself out. I’m going to try this one week and see what happen.

  62. Hi Haley, I do a 24 hour fast just about all week. However when I read your blog something struck me as strange at least to me.. What it was is you said that you couldn’t lose weight through a calorie deficit. As I was informed many years ago and it has continued in my case and many many others That a calorie deficit IS the way to lose weight!

    1. Calories in Calories out theory doesn’t hold water 😛 I’m extremely active every day, I not over eat on a daily basis. Simply ‘eating less’ will not yield weight loss for me, I’m over joyed if reducing your calories works for you!

  63. Thank you for the post! I feel the same way about fasting although I have concerned friends and family (although they basically eat very little anyways to lose weight too). I’ll be trying this starting tomorrow (and even try out the magnesium supplement later). How do you deal with people pestering to eat even after I explain that I am overweight and fasting is a good process for anyone? Thanks again! Love your lifestyle.

    1. Maria – dealing with other people is difficult for sure, my best advice is to avoid situations where you would eat with others while you are fasting.

  64. Hey Hayley! I’m so glad I came across this post. I’m going to start my fast on Sunday evening. I don’t have much weight that I want to lose- I just really like the idea of a body reset- getting ready for a healthier lifestyle. I’m only writing this because, in the past- I have tried fasting with water alone. I felt very dizzy and it was difficult to do basic things like walk around, after 2 or 3 days without eating. Im wondering if I was to crush up some multivitamins and extra folic acid tablets and put them in my water, would it defeat the digestive break. I will continue researching, but if you have any thoughts please share.
    Thank you

    1. I don’t think that vitamins (specifically folic acid) would help your symptoms. I would look into Sole Water instead.

      1. Ok! I’ll do just that, thanks. I’m going to update on Tuesday or Wednesday to let you (and anyone else curious) know. 🙂

  65. Hi Hayley,

    I recently stumbled across this blog post about water fasting, and I have a few questions for you. I’m a 5’6″, 160 lbs, mid-20 year old female, who was recently diagnosed with PCOS, hypothyroidism, and pre-diabetic. I have always maintained a healthy and active lifestyle; eating majority of fruits, vegetables, meat (I’m not a big sweets person either), and exercising 3-5 times per week. I also already drink on average half a gallon to a gallon of water per day. Unfortunately, my conditions have become so severe that it was necessary for me to go on three different medications. I have been participating in intermittent fasting for the past 4 months, and I’m constantly looking for natural ways to better my health and potentially get off these medications.

    My main question for you is: as you researched water-fasting did you come across any information regarding whether or not it is a health concern for those suffering from PCOS, hypothyroidism, or is pre-diabetic?

    I have read dozens of articles on water-fasting and I’m constantly finding that they’re contradicting each other – some saying it’s fantastic to do when diagnosed with these conditions, and others that say its extremely dangerous but none have provided significant evidence behind the statements.

    I would love to participate in this fast if it is a healthy option for someone with my medical conditions. Any insight you may have would be extremely helpful!

    Thank you!

    1. I encourage you to read the work of Dr Jason Fung – he will help you understand how beneficial fasting can be for your situation. I feel very strongly that we are individuals and since there is NO scientific data to go on we are best to test our own fasting methods. The best part of fasting is that you can stop any time. IMHO fasting for a few days is much safer bet than taking pharmaceutical drugs every time.

    1. That’s totally up to you – there is no right or wrong way to fast – only your way and my way.

  66. Hi Haley,

    i read your post and have started my fasting…but a small doubt for the first two days,you had recommended an intake of 1.5-2 gallons of water,should i decrease it as i go on my fast?

    waiting for ur reply…

    1. I actually didn’t make any recommendations, I have only shared what I did. I did not aim for a specific volume of water, I drank what felt right for my body at that time and would suggest that you drink when you are thirsty but not to force water in.

  67. Hi Hayley

    Great information in your article, I will definitely give it a try. Just a couple of questions, what kind of water did you drink, can I still eat 3 meals a day and how do I get better mileage on my SUV. Just kidding, but you have been very patient with some of the questions you’re getting from people who didn’t read or comprehend your article. Is your forehead as bruised as mine from smacking it each time you read one of these comments?

  68. Hey Thank you for this post read your post a few days ago decided to start a water fast today for 10 days. I am 211 pounds at 5″5 was 240 been on a low cal diet for the past 3 months and been walking 10,000 steps daily at home. However, I’ve hit a plateau need to get out the 2’s already hoping this 10 day fast will help. I will only drink when im thirsty I dont see myself drinking too much water I never followed that recommended intake. Also hoping to continue walking while fasting what do u think?. I was thinking after the 10 day fast to do a liquid shake diet and also have some greek yogurt only for the whole month of August. My birthday is September 2nd Im hoping to drop 30lbs by then and look good in a dress. Any tips? Have u ever done a liquid only diet? Is chewing gum ok while fasting? Sorry for the long message hope you’ll reply thanks in advance for your assistance

    1. Darline – I go into details about my approach to fasting through out my site. I don’t advocate a liquid shake diet/greek yogurt diet for weightloss. I would not recommend chewing gum – to try and make a complex idea simple – chewing is the first step in digestion anytime you ‘chew’ you activate the digestion process even when food isn’t present. I don’t ever chew gum for that reason.

      Low Calorie diets DESTROY your metabolism. I recommend reading the work of Dr Jason Fung to understand why fasting is key to weightloss and why calorie reduction will not help you in the long term.

  69. Hi Hayley,

    Great Post! I was reading over and over and I saw where you stated and someone also asked about working out. You answered with Normal everyday activities and not adding a workout out. Well I regularly workout almost everyday. I work at a gym and well, my question is, if I normally workout everyday, should I continue what I normally do daily, or should i cut back on workouts? I have cut some cardio in general and focused more on resistance and strength training, but I still ad some cardio in some circuit training I do. I would love to get your advice on what to do when it comes to this! thanks!

  70. Hi Hayley,

    For years I’m struggling with my digestive system, yet doctors cannot find anything really wrong.

    I started intermittent fasting a few months ago (18 hours of fasting followed by 6 of eating) and have noticed a significant improvement.
    Given the good results, I already tried 24 hours fasts and I am now interested in trying a 3-day fast first, followed by a 7-day fast a few weeks later.

    One thing that worries me though is what I have read somewhere that multiple people on a longer fast, forgive my language, accidently sh*t their pants. I do not want this to happen when I’m at work or at customers (or off-work for that matter).

    Is this something you experienced or were told by others? Is it possible to avoid this?

      1. Well, you can find some people complaining about it on Youtube for instance.

        But I’m glad it’s not a problem for everyone.
        I just hope I’m on the good side of the fence 🙂

  71. Hi Hayley,

    Do you not recommend bone broth during 7-day or longer fasts? Dr. Jason Fung recommended the bone broth so I went ahead and began simmering a huge pot. If it will affect weight loss, I may just freeze it and use it for when I resume eating a ketogenic diet. I am on day 3 of a 7-day fast (6 pounds lost on the fast). I may consider going longer. Have been doing strict keto since June 22 and as of today July 8, I have lost 20 pounds. YAY. I am a type 2 diabetic and though my blood glucose readings have improved, my morning readings can be a little high (135- 146). The high readings are frustrating, but I understand this may take up to 4 weeks to normalize. I was eating a high carb “normal” diet before I went strict keto. So far I am thrilled with the results but I wish mine were more like yours! I love your blog and I am so glad I found it! I am considering purchasing a glucose/ketone meter. When I saw yours it made me realize how valuable one is!

    Thank you so much!! Hope to hear from you soon!

    1. Fasting is a highly individual journey and it’s best to do what feels best of you and not anyone else.

  72. Hi Hayley,

    Congratulations on your positive fast results. I’m a 57 year old man who was told I had serious heart problems when I was around 50. At 255 Lbs, having not walked more than a few hundred yards at a time and knowing I was eating wrong, I told the doc I was going to drop weight and get healthy, then we’d do the tests again. At that point having fasted for two or three days before the big tests, I thought why not continue the fast and see where it goes. I knew people who had but only started my own research after that day. 14 days and over 30 Lbs later, symptoms typically associated with being over 40, which I had carried around since 45 were suddenly gone and my entire world was a better place. I’m now 10 days into what is likely my 8th or 9th fast. This time because I stress ate my way to 240 Lbs again after being under 215 since the first fast.
    As you pointed out in your intro, we’re all different and things work differently for each of us, so I wanted to point out that I have experimented and discovered if I don’t follow a strict eating routine when done, I will have a hard time controlling my eating and I can be in danger of putting weight back on quick. Not like people think, but I did get down to 190Lbs on one fast, broke it wrong and went back up to 210 in no time. Got careful and stayed there, so not terrible.
    For me and for others who may have more addictive personalities, the key is to eat just iceberg lettuce and very tiny amounts the first two days. AMAZING how great it tastes after a reset! Then I introduce a bit of carrot, then onion, radish etc until I get up to full portion of salad after one week. It starts out as less than half a cup on day one. When I do that and stay on salad only for two weeks, I can start introducing everything (except chocolate) back in, but my desired portions have gone from two massive heaped plates to half of a small plate.
    You are correct. Water only fasting when done correctly and with the support and help of your loved ones is a great thing. It heals the person, not just the body. Try it and see how daily annoyances that send you into a rage (if you are so inclined) before, suddenly seem almost inconsequential. Life is better when you work with nature and let her do her thing.
    Stay well!
    Dave

  73. Nice blog. Thanks for sharing. I’m 3 days 15 hours into a water fast. I’d like to see how long I can last. I’m worried to set a goal I won’t reach, so I’m just taking it day by day. It’s 100 degrees and I have no AC so things have been challenging for other reasons too. Once I reach 5 days, the goal will change to 10 days and I’ll see how I feel at that point. With any luck I’ll get to 21, for more health benefits but not sure. I would also like to lose weight in the range of 30-50 lbs, so any jump start on that is ideal. I enjoyed reading the blog but it got on my nerves how anybody took the time to encourage the troll you had.

  74. I’m attempting this starting this morning!!! I stay miserably full even if I eat a little bit. I really feel like I need to be one with myself. I really enjoyed your story, it was like I was there!!! I’m going to the gym, I hope I survive!!! I’m asthmatic and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism! Any suggestions?

    Thank you,
    Asenat

  75. I love your entire blog. I just happened to stumble upon it and I’m so happy I found you! — I will say, I have been intermittent fasting for almost two weeks and I feel great! I still go to the gym five days a week, but I think my body has reached a plateau. I am so excited to try this water fast for sevens days, however, I’m just curious, how often can you do it? I don’t plan on fasting longer than 7 days each time, but would every other week be overdoing it? As far as resetting goes.. I’m looking at it as more of a detox and not so much a weight loss tool. Thanks so much for all your info!

  76. Hello thank you so much for sharing. Sorry if I missed it but what magnesium supplement and dose do you take at night for sleep?

  77. Hello, Thank you for sharing all your information. sorry if I missed it but I would like to know what magnesium supplement and dose you take at night?
    Thank you

  78. Hi Hayley,

    Apologies if you already answered this –

    essentially, if I wanted to give this a go – essentially water only (but recommend adding magnesium) – aim for 1-2 gallons/day; no medicine.

    Are there any other ‘rules’ I missed?

    Also – do we need to track our blood glucose for this to work to make sure we are in a certain range – or is this just something you did to explain what was happening? If we do need to track, what how should we monitor or adjust this.

    Thanks

    1. Drink water when you are thirsty, that’s all. Do not force a set amount in. Too much water is just as bad as not enough water – let your body lead you. I did take a magnesium supplement at night but only to help me sleep since when fasting I struggle to get enough ZZZZs in since I have so much energy.

      I believe that everyone should routinely check their blood glucose and monitor their reactions to food and fasting. It is one of the best tools to understand what’s going on with your body and how healthy your choices are.

  79. Have you ever done this fast for more than a week? I would like to try this and have about 30-40 lbs to lose and 20 lbs with a week of fasting is very impressive.

  80. Hey,
    Im thinking about doing a 5:2 approach to fasting- thats having a meal at 5.00pm then 24 hours til i eat eat twice a week then 20:4 for the following 5 days which allows a 4 hour window to eat and to fast for the remainder 20 hours.

    I need to lose 10lbs within 30 days- would you recommend this approach or a better one?

    Very inspiring- thank you for posting xxx

  81. Thanks for sharing your story! Whenever I fast it is always encouraging to read about other peoples experiences and how they adapt.

    Random addition: I’m currently going through the second week of a 5 day water/tea fast, followed by 2 days of eating (meats/veg/cheese). I’m finding it much easier than straight 10 or 15 day fasts. I do continue to go to the gym 5 days a week , 30 minutes of cardio and 15-20 minutes of weight training. Progression has been great, I find that we all have to learn as we go, find what is acceptable for our own bodies and tweak it where needed. Just remember, at some point in human history we would go for days or longer without eating until someone scored a kill. Our bodies just need time to remember how to operate.

  82. I’m absolutely amazed that you even take the time to respond to some of these posts. Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask what special water you drank or what diet you followed or whether or not you exercised obsessively 🙂 I just want to thank you for sharing your experience and providing some of the recommendations you did for further reading. I have especially enjoyed the IDM website. Thanks again!

      1. HELLO, I have a question. If I water fast; is there any way I can make my water more nutrient friendly by adding a couple of cucumber slices, small shreds of ginger and a couple of lemon slices? I want to experience the full detox of water and even though it is not flavorful with lemon and cucumber, it helps.

  83. Bone broth fasting is so effective! During my fast me, I just drank organic broth from Au Bon Broth. After a week a lot of people have noticed my weight loss. Definitely recommended!

  84. Love this article! I started my 18/6 fast Monday. Its now Wednesday and I’ve lost 4 pounds!. My body shape sounds a lot like yours, 5’4 and curvy. I started at 178 and now 174 but people thinks that I’m smaller. I drink up to 2 gallons of water. I’ve eaten in my 8 hour window tons of veggies, chicken, white rice, peanut butter on crackers and tuna fish. I’ve also eaten a handful of M&M’s because I’m a chocolate and peanuts fanatic. So far this fast has been great. I’m particially doing for the weight loss but mainly for my blood pressure. Im not starving during the 18 fasting hours. I do the Shaun T rock-in body DVD’s, 5 days a week. Thank you for this article. It gave me some ideas on changes I would like to make in order to fully succeed.

  85. Hi! I’m sorry I didn’t find any questions concern this topic so I’ll ask it myself. Is it safe to excercise during the fast? If it is what kind of excercising? And did you excercise?

  86. i just have to comment. I initially wanted to fast to get quick results but I know the spiritual power of fasting. I am going on a birthday trip the 15th of next month, so I have several false starts thinking I only needed a good 5 days of fasting….because I wasn’t thinking about the true reasoning. I started on Sunday, no food, Monday I had a small slip and yesterday I tried to eat something like a small piece of meat that was cooked at the house…I got sick and ended up throwing it up. I mean not of purpose of course. I think it was a combination of trying to exercise, etc. last nite I prayed because I though I want to weight lost i know i need to fast and pray because there are things in my life i want to get better, my health for one but i want to refocus my mind and body. it seems like after praying last nite i am tempted to eat but i am not interesting in breaking the fast, that well technically started today. i keep thinking about how good i will feel and look and i can tell you i believe the cravings are getting stronger as i pray more… so i believe i am making a breakthrough and reading you post has encouraged me to go all the way. i want to water fast until the 12th of next month to give myself a couple of days to get back to eating some solids so i wont be sick on vacation. so i am looking at approximately 14-15 days. i am 5’0 160 now, very solid but i believe i am terribly bloated, most of my weight shows in my full face and midsection…i look like a little pregnant teddy bear thank God for the magic of spanx lol. i just wanted to post because i felt empowered and i am excited about how i will feel and look in 14 days. but also i am a person who needs immediate gratification so i am hoping i see results because i know i will see my spiritual ones. my question is i am drinking water but i am afraid i am not drinking enough. does it slow the process down if you don’t drink enough, i didn’t remember seeing it in your blog. also can i put cucumbers and lemon in my water. and if i don’t get filtered can i continue to drink the water that comes out of my fridge or is that filtered? and what is wrong with bottled water you said you didn’t drink it, but it is truly the most available water too me. thanks for your post and your energy.

  87. Hi everyone I just want to say that this works…
    I started fasting on February 19 and finish on march 26 and the results were amazing!!!
    I lost 30 pounds!!!!
    I used to weigh 130 pounds now I weigh 100 pounds and feel great! Hope this encourages anyone else who decides to do this!

  88. Hi Hayley,
    I am too insulin resistant after the doctor and blood tests confirmed it. I also did a water fast but haven’t had the same results as you, can you help me? I also exercised during the fast. Can you give me any tips?
    Thank you.

    1. Dimitra – How long did you water fast? Have you been intermittent fasting? What is your ‘normal’ diet like? I suggest reading THIS book.

      1. I fasted for 3 days. I have also tried intermittent fasting, and my normal diet is mostly low carb, high protein. I would like to try another longer water fast though if I could results like you, I mean not the same because every body is different but similar.
        Thank you.

        1. I suggest moderating your protein intake, from a general health perspective. Excess protein in converted into glucose (i.e. sugar) Look into Low-Carb, High-Fat, Moderate Protein.

          1. Yes, that’s correct. The process is called gluconeogenesis. A high protein diet will not induce ketosis above a certain calorie intake.

  89. I’ve been eating Paleo for about a month now and have dropped 10 lbs (sure i have had some cheat days where I fell off the wagon but got right back on) and now I am ready for my water only fast. I’m male 48 yrs old 5’8 currently 265 lbs. I have done a lot of research over the last few months about water fasting for weight loss and overall health. What are your feelings about a 30-40 day fast? Is that too long to start out with or is it fine? I have plenty of weight to lose as my normal weight would be around 175 lbs, I already look at food differently and have been eating only when I am hungry and only Paleo and I don’t crave any of the sugar or grains or carbs that once controlled my daily life. I am happy to have stumbled upon your website and have been trying to introduce Paleo/water fasting to my wife. She has serious bloating of the belly and steady weight gain over the last year or so. She just refuses to kick the Sugar/Carbs that is making her miserable. I hope to show her with my water only fasting then Paleo that it can be done.

    1. I completed a 31 day water fast in Oct 2016 – it wasn’t (obviously) my first fast. Longer fasts are difficult, I suggest starting with an intermittent fasting schedule then doing 3-5-7-10-14 day fasts then you’ll be mentally prepare for a longer fast.

  90. OMG, GIRRRRRRL! I just read through all of the comments and I feel for ya.
    Wish people would go beyond your headline and actually read your post.
    I stumbled upon this entry because I am currently on a juice fast but have been toying with doing a water fast.
    I’m doing my research and getting some inspiration. While weight would be nice and is much needed, I am mainly fasting to get off my meds, to improve my mood, and finally rid myself of this unhealthy relationship I have with food.
    Thank you for writing!

    1. Thanks for reaching out!!! The struggle is REAL< I'll tell ya! I did a lot of juice fasting prior to water fasting - like years before. I did a 45 day juice fast back in 2012ish and only started water fasting in 2015 - let your body guide you. You will know what's right to do. Much love - Hayley

      1. I feel your pain!! I can’t believe ppl ask questions without even reading the entire article!! Lol I run a rather large instagram page and the same thing happens to me. The answer to their questions is usually always in the post!
        But thank you for sharing. Spending my day researching water fasting & came across your blog post. Thank you for taking the time to write it up & share. 🙂

      2. Lol I was just mulling around today writing a sermon called The Struggle Is Real. Maybe it’s a sign.

  91. I am going to start this fasting on Monday I wanted to know if going to the gym would be in healthy for the body due to lack of foods or is it ok since we are more than hydrated?

    1. It’s generally advisable to maintain you normal level of activity but not adding exercise to your routine while fasting. Do what you normally do, but don’t start a new program.

        1. many people continue their normal exercise while fasting – use your best judgment while listening to your body. Use common sense.

  92. I love this article and your insight! I too and 5’4 and curvy, the way you described your body is exactly like mine. I also don’t share my weight often for the exact same reasons as you described, I came here looking for a quick fix, but instead gained so much more. I know that currently a water fast isn’t for me because of my mindset with food. I do hope that with some hard work and soul searching that in the future I will be strong enough to complete a water only fast. I’m currently taking anti depressants for depression. I’ve tried a year without them but ended up gaining 40 pounds and the depression returned stronger during anniversary of loss dates. I hope I’m not destined to be on them forever. Regardless I love the wisdom and calmness you use with each of your comments, regardless of how repetitive they are. Keep up the amazing work! I’m going to check out your cookbooks now, I’m your newest fan!

    1. Hey Becca – Thanks for reaching out!! there are no quick fixes, only steps forward. I encourage you to read THIS BOOK and address your depression naturally (i.e. overhauling your diet) instead of dangerous pharmaceutical drugs. (I PROMISE that book will change your life!!) I’m always here to help and never hesitate to reach out!!!

  93. Hi
    I just started my fast today just have one question? I ate oatmeal for lunch but water all day so far, is oat meal ok to have? Or should i just concentrate on nothing but water. Thank you for sharing your story.

  94. At the end of day 4 of my 10 day fast and i feel great! I haven’t had much of the symptoms you have described besides a lingering headache that is gone for now. No hunger pains so far…..the hardest thing is cooking for my family! I definitely have to stay busy during the day to keep my mind off of reading though. Thanks for your post, it is helping me tremendously!

  95. Hi, I’m on day 5, but got very dizzy and weak the last 3 days in the morning. I drank orange juice in the morning and evening he last Dee days thinking it would help.

  96. I love how forward and clear you have been with this article. I do have 30 lbs to lose and am currently on a bone broth cleanse/reset with bones from an all grass fed organic cow that I had slaughtered from a local farmer. I eat a diet much like yours on a regular basis and am constantly on my feet as well. I feel that the insight you have given me here was just the tool I need, back to good ol’ pure water to reset and cleanse. With this information, I am going to begin the water cleanse and I feel that I am already a step ahead with being on the bone broth for a few days now. I am so excited to take my healing/weight loss a step further. Very reassuring to know you have kept the majority of the weight off too:)

  97. There is literally nothing that matters other than CICO, that is unbreakable law of thermodynamics. If you believe otherwise, you might as well be a flat earther because it’s the same category of pseudoscience.

    If you really tracked your calories accurately, you may have an underlying medical condition or your TDEE is off from what you expect it to be. When I was in college, I lost 80lbs eating one box of kraft macaroni per day because it was all I can afford that filled me up and it was a significant calorie deficit. It is good to eat healthy, wholesome foods because you should be good to your body. Nutrition is not the same as weightloss. However, for sheer weightloss purposes, calories in vs calories out is what it comes down to whether you eat your daily calories in cereal or paleo or whatever diets are out there these days.

    1. Amanda – except that the “theory” of CICO is one of the biggest failures of all dietary techniques. Because “they” tell you it’s true doesn’t mean it is. It is NOT backed up scientifically. Using a calorie restricted diet (which is immensely different than fasting) actually destroys your metabolism.

      To understand the science behind your beloved and flawed CICO start HERE: https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/how-do-we-gain-weight-calories-part-1/

      I’m not here to argue, I am only here to say with 100% certainly that if our extremely complicated human body simply worked out to a basic mathematical equation that CICO is based on, actually worked we would not have an obesity epidemic. IF CICO was the answer then for every single human being it would be necessary to count every single calorie ingested with scientific precision to maintain their weight. Yet there are people who eat several thousand calories a day and maintain a low weight – the same diet that another would gain on. There are no absolutes, to think it’s that simple is simply idiotic.

  98. I guess I am just worried about safety, I need to drop weight for an event, and I just want to make sure I will survive this lol! Is there a danger zone, I mean what happens if your head continues to hurt??

    1. also is it absolutely necessary to have the ketone, and blood glucose monitor? … Or is this just an added benefit?

      1. Since, from your previous comment, fasting isn’t something you are doing for health just for primarlily weight loss, so these tools wouldn’t be required for you. For those of us whom are fasting to closely watch our bodies reaction and healing, they are amazing tools.

    2. Katie – I’m going to be honest with you, if you are only fasting to drop a few quick pounds then you missed the point. Fasting is a part of my healthy lifestyle, not a miracle quick fix. I encourage you to read the books I recommend to understand more about fasting.

  99. Your story is so inspiring! I’ve been eating raw since the beginning of the year. I am starting my a 7 day fast, right now! Thank you so much and i’ll let you know the results! Both detoxification and weight loss! So excited

  100. My mom is insulin resistant, and within the past year has embarked on a very similar eating plan as you have described in the beginning of your post…I am attempting to follow her lead.

    My question is…did you find that the water fast helped with the insulin resistance?

    Can a fast like this actually heal and reset?

  101. Hi Hayley! Will taking a ibu for pain affect the fasting? Also how about Lemon water?! Thank you so much for your blog! I lost 40 lbs over the summer and have maintained but I am at a stand still. Thanks so much!

    1. Yes. Eating a snack makes it a Very Low Calorie Diet – which supresses your metabolism. Fasting, complete abstinence from food does not. They are 2 different things completely.

  102. Also, I started my fast today and I was wondering, is it ok to take vitamins? The bottle I have says it is 15 calories so does that mean I shouldn’t eat those either? Thank you for taking time to help me!

    1. Generally, when water fasting you don’t need to take vitamins. However, it’s your fast and you can adjust it to fit what works for your body.

  103. Hi I am 4 11″ am I weigh 125 pounds. I have wanted to lose weight for a long time so I was wondering. I know the body is abla to fast for 40 days without food but is it actually healthy to go for longer than two weeks?

  104. Thank you for this post!! It’s so nice to see someone fasting for a good reason, not just for a quick diet like i see so often. I fast periodically and I find it really settles my mind and body, it feels like everything is much more in tune even after a couple of days. Thanks again for sharing your experience , glad I could read about it ?

  105. hello, so great i’ve red your blog! sorry for my bad english cause english isnt my mother language. i have a question, did you maybe doing some exercise or enema while fasting? cause your weightloss is just amazing! i’ve read many blog and review about water fasting but none of the can drop 20pounds in a week, averange just about 10-15pounds. actaully now i am planning to do water fast for 5-6 days. i want to get rid my bloating and cure my acne, also i want became more healthy and i want weighloss too before my graduation day. so maybe you could give me some tips to make my water fasting more effective? im okay with exercise or anything else actually.. i hope you’ll answer my question. thankyou

      1. Hello I just want to make sure I read this right. So 1gal is room temp water. The second gal is cold. In the morning drink tea with lemon but no sugar. What kind of broth soup do u get? Brand name? You go through 7 days and lose 20Ibs. If you do 14, how much more weight can you lose???? I want to make sure I do this right. If you are juicing, can you buy the juice or do you make it at home. I bought two brands of juice products. That’s why I am asking. Can’t wait to hear from you

          1. I really can’t believe some of these comments they clearly didn’t read your post and just skip to the end and ask questions. Congratulations on your weightloss and self healing 🙂

    1. We exclusively drink filtered/purified tap water, which we store in glass bottles for drinking and to take with us. The only “bottled” water that we drink is sparkling mineral water that is in glass bottles.

        1. Also I took the birth control shot…. is this not going to help me lose weight? Since I been on it I have gained about 20pounds in 9months

          1. No, DepoProvera (the “birth control shot”) will not help you lose weight. It caused me to gain 30lbs in 10 days, as well as a host of accompanying health issues I am still trying to deal with, years later.

  106. Is a water fast good for digestive issues? I’ve been having so much frequent indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, and cramps, I can’t take it anymore. And a lot of it happens after eating food but I can’t pin point which food is doing all of this (no I’m not pregnant). I’m probably filled with toxins right now and I’ve only been going once a week :/

    1. I understand that we live in a world of oversharing, but I not someone who shares my weight publicly or revealing photos of myself, for that matter.

      At the start of 2016 (when I did this first 7 day fast) I was a size 14/16 petite pants and XL top (I have a very curvy hour glass figure) at the end of my total 14 day fast I was a size 12/14 and L top.

      I maintained my 23 of my 27 pound weightloss from January to October.

      I lost an additional 24 pounds during my October 31 day Water fast and am now a size 10.

      Our bodies all carry weight differently. For my 5’4″ frame I’m generally heavier on the scale than I appear in person, if that makes sense, because I am very curvy. At my very heaviest I have weighted 225 pounds ever.

      1. Totally respect your response and this has been very informative to read through. I have done some 3-day fasts before but last week I was diagnosed with a certain medical condition and through my research decided to fast to let my body heal itself.

        I work a physically demanding job so I don’t have an end date in mind. I just want to listen to my body and let it tell me when to eat again. I have been putting a few electrolyte tabs in my water (~10cal) because I sweat so much at work. I just started day 5 of the fast and after 4 days I had lost 10 lbs. Yesterday at work was the best I’ve felt so far so I’m hopeful I can keep it going awhile.

  107. Hello,im going to start fasting tomorrow and i want to know is what is the meal plan? Dont eat anything?just water and green tea for the whole week?
    Thank you
    Chloe

      1. Hayley, First thank you very much. My courant weight is 135lbs and I’m 5’1. I have gain lots of weight due to stress and bad eating. I have try everything like healthy eating and workout but nothing help my goals is to loser at least 20-25lbs. My Question is what type of water do you recommend is filter tap water ok? I often do gat bad headache and I start to realized it due to amount of toxic my body has. I totally need some healing and detoxing so I’am ready to give this a try. Please let me know if it ok to used filter tap water thank you again for posting your experience truly inspire 🙂

          1. Thank you very much I was going to start getting does water oh excused my English my first language it French kind of hard to write but I start to Morrow morning and I will keep posting. I thank you again

  108. Can you tell me roughtly how much water did you drink each day or how much you wanted to drink each day? I think I got where you wanted to drink 2 gallons the first day, 1.5 gallons the second. Do you keep it around that for the next 5 days or do you change it up?

  109. Hi, I have started my water fast diet today. I weigh 10st 9. Dress size 10. Do you think it’s possible for me to lose a stone or more and drop a dress size? I go away in 10 days.
    Thankyou.
    Also well done on your weight loss you have done fab x

  110. Hi. I’m almost 110 pounds teenage girl and want to lose 15-20 pounds. What should I do? What if I stop eating from night till evening and have diner only.

  111. I’ve done juicing fasts a few years ago and lost around 40 pounds with in a lil over a month and I recently had a baby 1 1/2 months ago pre pregnancy wieght 125 the day I went to have her I was 173 currently I weight 140 so I only want to lose 15 pounds to be back where I was I miss my clothes and tiny tummy lol I was juicing which is how i lost the weight after my daughter but im looking for a quicker way to lose it so my question is is all you did was drink water for a week and lost 20 pounds?? I am very interested in your diet/fast which you loss 20 in a week I did read you article but just needed to know if you only drink water and that’s it no food or anything lol

    1. Lorrin – being honest, if you just had a baby a month ago, please don’t rush things…. Especially since if you’re breast feeding. Making a baby is hard work and your body has a process to follow, honor it and enjoy your baby.

      1. Lol don’t mean to be rude but I just read all your replies to “Erin” and fucking hell, That person has/had no will-power/common sense at all xD. I was beginning to get frustrated the more I read. I just sighed in relief after I noticed that Person never came back to say something else lol. I bet that was a huge headache for you lol. I noticed you went “all-in” on that last post cause you were probably like “Omfg” haha. Then at the end you just ended on a very simple “You will go longer next time” reply as if saying “FFS you can’t do this, get “out”. Sorry I just like to “read” people by what they say and how they say it. I’m usually somewhat right or spot-on but if I wasn’t right even in the slightest (Or if you only say I wasn’t so it doesn’t offend Erin in case he/she comes back) then I’m Sorry. I loved your post btw.

        1. Oh damn, my comment’s “awaiting moderation” I bet you’ll read it and be like “Oh damn that’s so true” but ultimately have to deny it, do me a favor. IF YOU APPROVE IT, just don’t approve this one cause it’ll be kinda weird.

          1. I’m dead ?☠️ @Anthony AND Erin.

            Anyway, thanks for this motivation. I’ve lasted through several other cleanses/fasts and pksmnto start water fasting like RIGHT NOW through next Wednesday, end of day, and then I’ll re-introduce with raw veggies only for a few days. I’m long past due for another detox.

  112. And also on the weekends my finance and I always go out to lunch so what should I do? I really appreciate you andweing my questions(: you’ve been a great help during this fast . I owe it all to you!

    1. Erin – I’d suggest reading through all of my fasting posts for further clarification CLICK HERE.

      I’m going to be honest with you, I didn’t eat “normal” before fasting and I don’t eat “normal” now. I eat a very healthy diet and for you I would recommend at the very least adopting a gluten free diet and even better look into a primal or paleo way of eating. Be mindful that your carbohydrates are only coming from vegetables not processed foods.

      I haven’t gone out for “pizza” in 7 years (since going gluten free) – Fasting itself is only a part of the bigger picture. If you resume eating the way you did pre-fast you will gain back all the weight you lost AND undo all the healing your body did.

      Finishing a fast it’s important to slowly introduce foods and pay attention to your body’s reaction. If you eat dairy and you have digestive upset, then you have an clue that you have a dairy intolerance. Gluten negatively impacts 80+% of people, and offers ZERO nutritional benefit – I feel very strongly that everyone should avoid it.

      I’m always glad to help, but I want you to understand that my mind set is 99% healthy eating. When I say healthy, I mean REAL FOOD in it’s most natural form, not diet food from a package or processed low-fat garbage. Foods from a Farm, not a factory.

      It can also be beneficial to track/monitor your caloric intake and macro nutrients initially to be more mindful of what you are eating and how it adds up. Very generally speaking, for a women looking to loose weight, you can start out aiming for 1700-1800 calories a day with 15% Carb, 40% Protein and 45% Fat – see how that works for you body. Start your day with 40g of protein at breakfast, Eat 1/2 an avocado every day and ditch all caffeine – absolutely no artificial sweeteners. Then assess are you satiated? Do you have adequate Energy? Weighing yourself weekly – are you loosing weight? I’d also recommend fasting a minimum of 12 hours between dinner and breakfast (research intermittent fasting for more options)

  113. What did you eat after the fast? Did you go back to your normal eating habits and reduced them , or did you completely change the way you ate. My girlfriends and I today we’re gonna go to this new pizza place and I usually eat 3 slices is that ok?

  114. I’ve researched so much and everyone in my situation have lost so much weight in weeks like you did , but I don’t have a scale so I don’t know if I lost weight I’m just going off of how my body looks. All my clothes fit the same some still some/ big

    1. After just a few days of fasting it’s not possible for their to be noticeable difference yet. I’d invest in a scale if you are curious about weightloss.

    2. Erin: you said you weigh 220 lbs. What scale did you use to come up with that number? Can’t you use that scale again? Of course, I realize your post is really old so maybe you found a way to weigh yourself.

  115. This is my third day, I ate a bag of chips at 4 in the morning but they were just crumbs and a cookie but that was on the first day. I totally regret doing that but I couldn’t sleep . Second day felt great jog/walked 3 to 4 miles and I had some gum, I don’t know if eating gum is bad but I’m continuing the fast for 6 more days

    1. Of course cookies & chips aren’t part of a fast and I would avoid chewing gum. Chewing activates the first part of the digestive process, your body will prepare to receive food which is a waste of energy your body needs to use for healing.
      If you are going to eat something choose a healthy vegetable, i suggest celery.

      I, personally, embark on each fast with the sole purpose of healing my body. I do not ever advocate exercise while fasting, it’s best to rest and allow your body a break.

      Additionally, I don’t advocate fasting for weightloss alone, weightloss is only an added benefit. You need to use it as a therapeutic healing opportunity and time for rest. Fasting is an amazing catalyst for a new beginning of greater healthy living.

    1. Erin – I drank enough water to feel satiated. I didn’t have a particular volume planned. How many days have you been fasting, have you taken in anything other than water?

  116. I started the fast two days ago and I’m already down 6 pounds!! I just have one question , will you gain the weight back after you add done with the fast? I wanna know how to keep the weight off .. Some people said just starting eating protein and veggies then move into carbs later

  117. I read your article before I commented and I thought there was some type of meal plan you did while you did the water fasting , because I’ve talked about it with one of my girlfriends and they went on about how you were gonna put the weight back on? Did that happen for you ?

    1. The meal plan is fasting and only fasting. Using therapuetic fasting as a catalyst for an even healthier lifestyle is very different than a fad-crash diet your girlfriends are referring to. There is a enormous difference between abstaining from eating soley for weight loss (aka anorexia type experience) vs for healing health benefits, mostly from a mental/emotional perspective. This is further reading on my fasting experience–> https://healthstartsinthekitchen.com/2016/01/18/eating-after-water-fasting-days-1-2/ – as of today, roughly 8 months post fast, I’ve regained 5 of the 27 total that I lost during 13 days of fasting (we were at a picnic yesterday and over indulged a bit in celebration, but typically my weight has hovered around +3 to 4 pounds daily)

      Erin, unless you get the root cause of your weight issues and develop a functional healthy lifestyle plan you will not permanently loose weight. Waiting until the last minute and looking for a quick fix is what frightens me most, and would not recommend fasting for you personally since it’s not about health. Many people have underlying conditions that need addressed with a functional practitioner.

  118. Yes I totally understand where you are coming From… Do you mind telling me the meal plan you used to lose the 20 pounds in 7 days?

    1. Erin – I’d encourage you to read this post that you are commenting on, I outline EXACTLY what I did. If after reading it you still have questions, I’m glad to answer…. 99% of my answers will be “drink water” 🙂

      1. Im not quite sure why these people keep asking the questions you already answered! Im also insulin resistant ive been told by 2 doctors, now at 46 I’ve been STUCK 15 overweight for 4 years, low carb, low calorie, eating 5 times a day, it barely budges & I go right back up to 165 (stayed at 150 after losing 80 pounds after 3 kids for 8 years)!
        My client just left my office & started a fast and looks and feels great, so I just found your article….I’m excited to give this a try, as my client says that after a day or 2 she feels awesome & not hungry! I think this may be the answer to these last 15 pounds of stubborn weight that I just cant shake….need to detox & reset my metabolism!
        Very inspiring & cant believe people are being rude to you…..thank you!

  119. What was the meal plan that you did to lose the weight? I’m 220 pounds obese 5’8 and I really need to lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks my wedding is coming up please help

    -Erin

    1. Trying to loose 40 pounds in 2 weeks isn’t a healthy goal or even something I feel is achievable. Focus on your big day and not the number on the scale.

        1. I’ve fully outlined what I did in the post, if you read it you will answer your own question.
          If you eat an unhealthy diet pre-fast then just jump back into your unhealthy ways you can expect to gain back the weight. You need to listen to your body and adjust your diet.

          1. I’ve said this hundreds of times, it’s YOUR Fast and you need to figure out what works for your unique body.

          2. I see here you answered May Phoo above..
            By saying if you eat a bad diet then yes most likly you will gain which is true.
            I read your Article and seen that you eat vwry well and i guess this is where my question comes in.. I dont eat like you for sure, i was never really taught to eat heathly but i know i will have to after the fasting so my question is can you give me some Advice on some ways I should start eating and maybe even some recipes that I can start out with if you don’t mind doing Things like that. Just need a jumb start to be ready so when fasting is over i dont go back to unheathly eating. Thank you in Advance!!

          3. I know you Probably said this in your post but quickly can you tell me is there a Certain amount of water you are supposed to drink A-day?? Also just water for 7 days is not dangerous?? Completely Healthy correct??
            Sorry if im asking you something you have already said and posted☺

    2. Hi Erin,

      I am not the lady from the article. I had done fasting in the past for 7 days just drinking only water and I lost 14.5 lbs. Today April 3 I’m starting my fast since this morning, my last meal was Sunday night. What you need to know about fasting its that you can’t eat anything or drink anything else but water only. after you finished fasting you need to start eating broth or a light salad, because your stomach its empty and slowly you can start eating solid foods. I am 5′ weight 124 lbs and I run 6 miles a day and doe 1 hour of workout with weights and 20 minutes of abdominals workout a day!!!!! I have been active all my life through marriage divorce and now remarried and very happy. I love working out and exercising.

      1. I’m sorry but did you say you weigh 124lbs and fasted for 7 days and lost 14.5lbs !?
        I used to fast regularly but then I stop losing weight any advice

  120. That’s awesome! Did you find the same successes (including body healing) with the bone broth & juice fasts that you’ve done in comparison to this water fast?

    1. No. I strongly believe that juice fasting can’t contributed to my insulin resistance – even vegetable juices are pure sugar. In 45 days of juicing I lost 18 pounds.

      While being bone broth fasting is definitely better than juice fasting imho – it’s still calories. When you reduce the number of calories you take in, the body adjusts (i.e. Lowers metabolism as self preservation) where as zero calorie intake w/water fasting it’s like hey! I’ve been saving up nutrition and fat just for this type of thing-don’t worry I got you covered.

      Broth and juicing still require digestive processes – which prevent the type of healing as you get from water fasting.

      Right now, I’ve never felt better in my entire 38 years!

      1. i want to try doing this but would it be safe to go to the gym and complete normal tasks whilst fasting? also do u have any before and after photos?

        1. As I’ve stated in my post and in several comments – while fasting you can maintain your NORMAL activity level. Just be smart, listen to your body and stay hydrated. You do not want to ADD an exercise program while fasting. I did not take before/after photos – I didn’t know the loss would be so dramatic.

          1. I am having trouble falling asleep due to hunger pangs and I think that if I drink water or tea before bed to subside these I will have to go to the bathroom all night. Do you just end up getting used to this and start falling asleep later in the fast? I just started my first day and night. What do you recommend to be able to sleep like this?

          2. One of the funniest things that people say about fasting is that they lack energy – when most often the opposite occurs! I’m like you and often struggle with sleep while fasting. Feel free to have a herbal night time tea or chamomile. I also like taking an epson salt bath for relaxation and transdermal magnesium.

          3. Hi, what was your drinking schedule how much water during what times and what day ? I also want to do this and follow the same water drinking schedule how many oz at what times and days? Thank you I need to lose weight.

          4. You are great my dear. Thank you for being honest and not a bullshitter. I find you extremely interesting and well informed xo

      2. what do you think about taking vitamins during the water fast? I take my vitamins every day and I’m not sure if it’s allowed during the fast.

        1. Personally, I think it’s best to abstain. Most folks are just fasting a few days and it’s totally ok to take a break.

      3. I intermittent fasting daily (usually from 830pm to 12noon the next day) I climb poles for a living so not eating at all is problematic for me… Need a Tru guide on how and what to consume when I break my fast because I’m all over the place with my eating habits. Need a comprehensive plan and how many times I’m my feeding window I should actually be eating. Thanks in advance Gary…

        1. Hey Gary – My hubby has a physically demanding job and finds fasting at work very easy and safe after getting his body adjusted. I encourage you to research a keto diet as a transition from fasting and the best meal timing advice I can give is sticking to at the most 3 meals, no snacking and always fasting for 12 hours over night by default.

      4. I just completed 3 day water fast and am amazed no hunger pains yet. May go another day.
        Needing to reset my body as I haven’t been assimilating minerals and enzymes lately and gained 30 pounds this year.

    2. Hi! I am a 13 year old girl and i weight 141 lbs. I dont look as large as I weight bc of my height but I really need to drop 15 lbs in the next 10 days. Do you have any recommendations on how to push through the fast? Please dont tell me “Thats unhealthy” or “Talk to your parents” because that ain’t happening. I also wanted to tell you I really admire you for posting this article. It is something I never would have done…. Thank you.

      1. I never advocate fasting for children, your brain is developing. I would recommend you looking into a fat-focused way of eating that will continue grow your brain while allowing your body to reduces excess fat.

          1. I’ve done intermittent fasting for several years. for me personally a 16/8 isn’t ‘enough’ to cause weight loss be all of our bodies are very different. You can only know what works for you by trying… just because IF doesn’t help me loose weight on it’s own, it doesn’t mean I don’t do it, I fast between 12 and 24 hours every day.

    3. Hello, my name is Alexis. I weigh 210 pounds and I am 6 foot, 2 inches. I really wanna try this, I know its something serious and I feel commited, Can I eat cucumbers? Can I use laxatives?

      1. I’m not sure why you’d ask me either questions… laxatives are VERY UNHEALTHY and I would NEVER suggest them. As for eating during a water fast, that’s silly

        1. oh Holly! what a creative comment. Thanks for your input.

          PS last time I checked self-centered bitches don’t pour their heart and soul into a web site of FREE information for the general public, only to get called names by trolls.

        2. WOW, you are so right. I’m going to change my email address to HayleyIsAGreatLady just to start the ball rolling on my new outlook on life.

      2. I agree with the Laxatives, however whenever I was fasting or detoxing I would sometimes reach for a cucumber which I really recommend to knew fasters. Just cut a few slices (nothing on it!) and only whenever you are absolutely to that point of breaking your new diet. In my opinion it’s better to reach for a cucumber than to fall apart and binge. I’m 5’5″, lost 30 lbs. with a current weight of 115.

        1. You said you lost 30lbs.Was that in the 7 day water fasting you lost that much?? or did you do something different or longer to lose that much?? Very intersted in your story because i really need to loss 30lbs quickly.
          Thank you!!

        2. Kiki, that was a very thoughtful suggestion. I too have water fasted on several occasions for spiritual reasons as well as health reasons and when you are first beginning it is extremely hard. This is especially true for any of us who have been made a slave by our stomachs. Thankfully I have been able to take my cravings captive to have a life without bondage to food. However, we can often times feel like failures when we are just beginning and need help. A cucumber is a great alternative to giving up. Bone broth is something that has also been a good source to turn to and I found it a bit more satisfying mentally (I guess it was because the source of nourishment was liquid and not solid). I suggest whatever helps you continue and I also suggest you count each day that you are able to fast as a success. Our perspectives are also what gives us our motivations. Blessings to all of you!

    4. Where you afraid of muscle mass? Did you any? Will simple strength training combat this? Like you said everyone is different. Personally I don’t understand how your body would decide muscle was the smart thing to burn when it has so much fat at its disposal. I’ve tried intermittent with absolutely no success my body seems stubborn as a mule. Guess my main question is will lots of water combat muscle loss? I’m planning a full week fast

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