Day 2 (48 hours) into my water fast

This is what happened at the end of my second day

Fasting disclaimer

This information is for anecdotal purposes only. None of the information contained on this page is meant to serve as medical advice. I am simply sharing my own experience as I embark on an extended fast. Do you own research and consult your medical practitioner if you want to do a fast of your own.

Check out the details below.

My experience during the second day of my water fast

I stand proud at the end of day 2, 48 hours into my extended fast. Here are the results and other comments that I have to say so far:

How much weight can you lose on a 2 day or 48 hour water fast?

I weighed 73.5 kg (162 pounds) at the end of my last meal. I weigh 69.5 kg (153 pounds) at the 48 hour mark. This equated to a 4 kg (9 pounds) reduction in weight. I'd estimate that only 2 kg (4 pounds) of this is actual fat mass. I had a full belly at hour 0. I have also lost a lot of water weight as my blood pressure dropped.

Most people should expect to lose about a half a kilogram (or a pound) of fat mass per day of fasting (see my first day's report for my clinical reference to that number).

I am losing more weight than normal because I already exercise regularly and eat healthy. My metabolism is good enough that my body automatically burns calories at a faster rate. 

I don't need to fast to burn fat. I'm doing it to see if it will cure my allergies.

What you do outside of fasts is important.

The effects of a 2 day (48 hour) water fast on allergies and asthma

I felt noticeably better from yesterday (about the 24 hours mark) already. It is Tuesday night and I haven't taken an antihistamine since Sunday night (before the fast began).

I have not sneezed or produced excess mucus as a result of my allergies in these two days. It has been as if I don't have allergies at all. I blew my nose once in the last 24 hours.

I slept without any breathing issues at all last night. The fasting definitely has an immediate, preventative effect on my allergies. I would say that it works better than any antihistamine that I have tried.

I struggled to sleep due to the fasting last night but I breathed normally throughout the entire night. My chest did not close up at all and I breathed very easily right through the night until now (late into the following day). This is remarkably better than I would feel after using an antihistamine.

The long-term benefits of fasting increase dramatically with every extra day that you do. I don't have any allergy or asthmatic symptoms at all now, but I want fasting to cure it permanently - not stop it temporarily. 

The longer I go, the better my chances are at curing my allergies and asthma for good (see the documentary I linked to in my first day's journal for evidence of fasting's ability to cure allergies and asthma).

I will only know if the fast cured my allergies permanently when I start eating again. Stay tuned for that. I will update every day as I go on.

Fasting reduces allergies.

Low blood pressure during fasting

Your body lowers its blood pressure dramatically when you fast. It does this for a variety of reasons. Insulin, triggered by sugar from food, helps the body to hold onto salt and retain water. Without food, insulin drops and blood pressure plummets along with it. 

Secondly, your body uses a lot of water to flush out the by-products of ketosis - primarily at the beginning stages. It won't need to flush out the ketones as drastically as you go deeper into ketosis.

Last night (after 24 hours of fasting), I struggled to sleep well. My blood pressure was extremely low. I felt dizzy, light headed and ill. I could hear my heart beating loud in my chest. These are all classic signs of low blood pressure. The dehydration caused by water loss made me feel cold most of the time (dehydration can make you feel cold).

I contemplated ending the fast because I feared that I was pushing my body too far - I felt horrible and it kept me from sleeping well. I eventually decided to carry on seeing if my blood pressure goes back to normal - and it does!

I still feel light-headed, but not as much as I did last night/earlier this morning. I drank more water today to help my body flush out the ketogenic by-products without having to lose more water weight. I have been adding salt to my water to help my body retain more water.

I weighted 69.5 kg (153 pounds) this morning (36 hours into my fast), and I weigh exactly the same tonight (I weigh myself every 12 hours for this experiment). I have definitely lost fat between now and then. The fact that I haven't lost more body weight in 12 hours means that my blood pressure is slowly returning back to normal.

I feel better now than what I did about 16 hours ago. My experiment shows, so far, that blood pressure stabilizes after dropping during a fast.

It gets easier along your fast.

Low energy from fasting

I felt hungrier than anything during day 1 of fasting. My hunger is starting to stabilize. The temptation to eat, being around a family that eats regularly, is still quite strong.

Today, more than anything else, I feel weak and low on energy. My body feels like it is so much heavier when I get up and lift my arm, for example.

I am happy that my blood pressure is going back to normal because I would hate to feel weak and dizzy at the same time.

This is probably because of the fact that my sugar stores are running out and my body needs to learn to rely on fat exclusively. For all the weakness, I have the feeling that my energy will return to normal (or possibly better than normal) shortly.

It is normal to have an initial energy drop at the beginning of your water fast. It returns to normal at day 3 to 4.

Know your limits.

See the report on my first day (24 hours) of fasting.
See the results of my third day of fasting.
Check out my fourth day of fasting.
Here are the effects 24 hours after I end my water fast.

Stay Strong!

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