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The longest I went without food is 3 days. Honestly, after 24 hours, the remaining 2 days were pretty easy. You forget about food, and your body switches into another kind of mode. I almost felt like I was on drugs the entire time.
For most people, I'd speculate they could safely go 7-10 days without food provided they made sure to hydrate and take necessary electrolytes. If you have a serious medical conditions, I'd check with your doctor.
That being said, I have to ask what you're trying to accomplish. Is it for fun? I did it as a strength of character building exercise. For any other reason, it's pretty much useless. And I can explain why in detail if I understand what your motivation is.
I've never understood the whole fasting thing. We aren't made to starve ourselves. If I went 24 hours without food I'd be miserable and when finally able to eat I'd end up overeating and it would defeat the whole purpose of fasting. I fast from about 6pm until 6am every single day, that's more than enough for me.
I've never understood the whole fasting thing. We aren't made to starve ourselves. If I went 24 hours without food I'd be miserable and when finally able to eat I'd end up overeating and it would defeat the whole purpose of fasting. I fast from about 6pm until 6am every single day, that's more than enough for me.
Right, not to mention, you won't lose that much fat in just a 1 day fast, so it's not suitable for weight loss either. You need to find a diet you can last for the long term.
I have fasted not for health reasons but because I wanted to be diligent in my prayer life. I have done it a number of times in the past. Here are the results:
Fasting for me for this reason meant no "favorite things and abstinence from all food". So not only without food and caffeine or Aleve, but no working out. Typically this would be for 4 days. No supplements, just water.
Result: Was so miserable that focusing on prayer was not possible although I tried. I was doing "works" based fasting but the intentions were really there. Would experience depression, no focus and would always start baking things for after the fast, my favorite being wheat bread from scratch.
After a few years of a number of these, I did working out fasts instead and kept food intake to almost nothing but kept the caffeine and Aleve in the mix. I learned that serious prayer time was more about focus and intent instead of "doing it to the letter" and being so out of it and miserable I was just mumbling words and glazed at my scripture reading.
As far as health wise I never experienced any health benefits during those periods. Just hurried and chowed down on that wheat bread once I came off. Got the caffeine going and started morphing into some sense of human again.
Also, I would do this mental countdown. Day 1, made it through, day 2 etc. And when done it was "I made it!" That is the wrong intent if you are trying to be focused on something else. My main problem was my caffeine addiction. Going cold turkey for 4 days just did a number on me.
I would never fast for health reasons. I see no sense in that.
Anyone ever done a 24 hour food fast? How did it go? What were the benefits?
I do every year, and from food and water; ten days after the New Moon in September. Most of the time I feels great, as in clearing my head. I always have headaches near the end. Usually I am in synagogue. Sometimes I am on the road to a family fast-break (with my wife and two sons the only actual fasters) in Clifton Park, New York.
I did OMAD (23/1) for a year. It didn't take me long to go from 16-hour fasts to begin to 18 to 23; I once even did a 48. Mine was for weight loss, which wasn't successful in the long run, but it was amazing to find that I could function just fine and even exercise without eating every few hours. Most people believe they have to eat their energy; in fact, the body stores it. My fat didn't get used up as I was led to believe it would, but I could certainly do it.
I've NEVER fasted in my life. Even skipping a meal makes me hangry :P
I've heard that fasting has many benefits... resetting many switches in your body.
I had never done it before until starting around a month ago, and I do think it's resetting some switches and has helped me lose weight. I also thought I would get hangry or feel shaky/black out due to low blood sugar, but that hasn't happened at all. I'm currently doing intermittent fasting where I eat a hearty meal around noon, a lighter meal around 5pm, and that's it. No snacking all day like I used to do, no eating after 5pm. I'm losing weight by basically doing nothing and also saving money on food, and I appreciate my meals a lot more.
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