I tried two short fasts, one for 36 hours and one for 48 hours. I decided to try fasting after seeing a bunch of YouTube videos from self proclaimed fasting gurus claiming there were loads of health benefits. I couldn’t find any (trusted medical) sources saying short term fasts were harmful, so I thought I would give it a go and reap all the supposed health benefits.
Quick Summary
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Why I Tried Fasting
Mainly because I was curious and I like a challenge. The YouTube videos I saw promised weight loss, more energy, improved focus and cellular clean up. All of which sounds good to me
What Hunger Felt Like
The biggest surprise was that hunger did not build progressively. When I felt hungry it stayed at the same level rather than getting worse. I think a lot of my hunger wasn’t really hunger at all, but just my brain kept expecting food at meal times more than my stomach did.
Evenings were the hardest. Watching TV made it worse because food appears everywhere and triggered cravings. The hunger came in waves; sometimes I barely noticed it and other times I thought about food a lot.
On the second morning of fasting, I was surprisingly not hungry at all. So much so, when my 36 hour fast ended, I did not eat for several hours until lunch.
Sleep
I had concerns that hunger was going to keep me awake during the night. But, actually, i slept very well during both fasts.
What I Drank
I only drank water and black tea. I started of drinking just water, but found it got a bit tedious always drinking water. So I started to have black tea, which not only kept me hydrated but was comforting.
Black tea does have a few calories, but apparently not enough to consider it breaking the fast
Energy and Mental Clarity
Contrary to most online fasting gurus, I did not experience more energy or sharper thinking during the fast.
Towards the end of the first day, I felt a little lightheaded, not faint but not fully switched on. The rest of the time i felt mentally fine and didn’t find myself making mistakes and doing stupid things due to brain fog
I was expecting to feel a distinct lack of energy, but I never felt like I was lacking energy during the fasts. I did consider going to the gym in the evening after I had been fasting for 24 hours, but thought better of it. I was a little concerned that although I felt ok, I would suddenly crash and faint at the gym
48 Hours Was Easier Than I Thought
The second day of the 48 hour fast felt noticeably easier than the first day. Physically and mentally I felt normal, and my hunger was less intense throughout the day.
Heart Rate Changes
My heart rate dropped noticeably. My smartwatch issued low heart rate alerts. I did not feel faint or unwell, but my resting rate was quite a bit lower than usual.
Breaking The Fast
Breaking a fast gently is recommended: protein first and avoid a heavy load of simple carbs. After the 36 hour fast I had a tuna and egg salad and did not crave sugar. After the 48 hour fast I started with a Mexican stew, then ate a large amount of chocolate.
Did I Feel Benefits
Nope, I did not notice obvious short term benefits. Many of the claimed advantages are internal, such as improved insulin sensitivity and autophagy, so absence of a clear feeling does not mean nothing happened. I accept the effects are likely subtle and internal.
Will I keep fasting
Yes. I plan to do a 36 hour fast about once a month. It’s fairly easy to do and doesn’t interrupt my life. There doesn’t seem to be much hard evidence on how good fasts are for you, but there is a general consensus from the medial world (and YouTube Gurus) that there are health benefits to be had from regular fasting.
Final thoughts
From what I’ve read short-term fasts are very unlikely to cause any problems, unless you have some underlying condition. If you do have an underlying condition, I’d recommend speaking to a doctor.
Overall, I found fasting not to be as hard as I thought it was going to be, and although I didn’t feel any benefits during the fast or after the fast, I hope it has had a positive effect on my health. med
