72-hour fast

I've never really thought about fasting before. One of my close friends invited me to do a 72-hour fast with him leading up to Easter. As I was focused on a specific training goal, I politely declined. But I was intrigued.

You know how you get something new, then you start seeing it everywhere? Well, the 72-hour fast was like that. A guy at the gym brought it up in casual conversation. A guest speaker for one of my classes brought it up when we were having lunch. So, I decided to go for it.

Wednesday Morning

I started yesterday at 11 am. I had an electrolyte drink in the afternoon, and I was hungry last night around dinner time, but the sensation passed and I went to bed.

This morning, I felt normal. I had a cup of black coffee, took Enzo to school, walked the dogs, and headed to the gym. I did the Daily 50, which I augment by adding 4 sets of 5 pull-ups, followed by 10 rounds of a row/ski erg/fan bike circuit. I had an electrolyte drink after my workout.

A decently vigorous workout

I'm at 25 hours in, and am feeling a little hungry. It'll pass.

Wednesday Evening

It's 5 pm, so I'm about 30 hours in. At 2:35 this afternoon, I had a slight headache, but it went away. I've been feeling pretty hungry all afternoon, and am planning on enjoying an electrolyte packet for "dinner." I did enjoy a cup of tea with Luca in the afternoon. The hunger isn't distracting, but it's definitely there in the background.

For dinner, I had an electrolyte packet and a scoop of creatine in a blender bottle. It tasted delicious.

8:47, I felt an urgent need to sit down. Was it a mistake to continue taking my fish oil supplements? Unknown. This is just a big experiment.

Thursday Evening

I'm about 55 hours in. Today was good, pretty easy. I got up, feeling normal, had black coffee, took Enzo to school, and went to the gym. Not too strenuous of a workout, but enough to get my heart going. Mainly because I talked to a friend of mine who was in Singapore about a pending trip to Egypt.

Pretty chill workout

I drank electrolyte water during my workout, and was pretty hungry afterwards. I treated myself to an electrolyte packet and a scoop of creatine. I'll admit to fantasizing about a big scoop of peanut butter.

My fasting supplies

Throughout the afternoon, the hunger was in the background, but not as intense as I expected. Interestingly, the hunger feels the same today as it did yesterday and the day before, maybe even a bit more muted. It's in the background, but I certainly don't feel debilitated.

I don't have a headache exactly, more the sensation of a flight to Europe, or a post all-nighter feeling. I'll probably have another electrolyte packet after I get Enzo home from his art class.  I've gone to bed hungry twice, and I don't think the third time will be much different.

Friday Afternoon

I had a decent workout this morning.  I pushed the sled up to 345 pounds, and did a deadlift pyramid to 315.  There was a lot of socializing and time not spent working, as you can see from my heart rate:

Low-key workout

After that, I came home and took a nice long shower, by which point I was ready to break the fast.

It was really lovely to break the fast.  I started with a cup of black coffee with collagen, then proceeded to a cup of Allison's magical bone broth:

Coffee with Allison and Luca

Broth with a happy cat on my lap, what could be better?

After that, I had a small bowl of plain greek yogurt with a tiny bit of honey and a small scoop of peanut butter, followed by my first real meal: three eggs, two pieces of toast, and a pile of asparagus:

This tasted amazing

It's been an interesting experiment.  When you don't eat, you have a lot more time since you're not eating.  My sleep was pretty good, except for Wednesday when I stayed up way too late.  Unsurprisingly, when you don't eat food, you lose a lot of (presumably water and waste) weight:

Day	Weight	Hours of Sleep
Tuesday	204.6	7 hr 16 min
Wednesday	202.8	6 hr 17 min
Thursday	199.8	7 hr 20 min
Friday	198.0	7 hr 31 min

I still feel pretty hungry, but based on the past 72 hours, I know that’s just a function of mind over matter.  After mowing the lawn, visiting my mom, and getting Enzo from school, I had a protein shake, an apple, and two small slices of toast with burrata filling.

As far as I can see, there are no real negatives to the experience.  This morning, I felt like I’d been on a motorcycle trip for a week and got off.  Everything was moving slowly.  Does that mean my brain was firing differently?  Who knows. 

Overall, it was a good experience.  I proved to myself that I could do it, and I was most surprised by how muted the hunger became after the first evening.  I think doing it during the week as a good idea.  When you're busy, and moving around, you don't really notice it as much.  My energy level throughout was pretty good, and I didn't feel that off my game in the gym.  Of course, I wasn't pushing for maximum performance, but I still performed.

Hunger pangs.  They're a curious phenomenon.  It's definitely a reminder to eat, and it feels strangely good to be hungry at times.  I figure I'll probably end up doing this a couple of times per year.

If you're looking for a different kind of challenge, give it a try.  It's a curious thing, but something that's accomplishable and honestly, I feel pretty good all the way around.  And if there are some ancillary health benefits, all the better.