Day 4 (96 hours) into my fast

These are the results of my fast so far - 4 days into it.

Fasting disclaimer

The information on this page is not intended as medical advice in any way. I simply share my own, personal experience with fasting for anecdotal reasons. If you want to fast for an extended period of time, I recommend that you check in with a medical practitioner before attempting to do so.

See the results below.

How much weight can you lose on 4 day water fast?

I weighed 69 kg (152 pounds) at the end of day 4. I weighed 68.5 kg (151 pounds) at the end of my third day of fasting. I weighed 73.5 kg (162 pounds) right at the beginning of my fast. This means that I went down from a 5 kg (11 pounds) loss to a 4.5 kg (10 pounds) loss.

I am glad about this because it means that my body has absorbed more water and my blood pressure is starting to rise after falling so low initially.

Most people lose an average of a pound of fat for every day of fasting. You can find the reference to that fact on the results page from my first day of fasting (linked below).

I am not fasting for weight loss. I am doing it in an attempt to heal my asthma and allergies. My symptoms have almost completely disappeared and I haven't taken an antihistamine since before I started my fast.

Fasting helps your body to heal.

Should you exercise before a fast?

I fasted for 36 hours and 44.5 hours before I felt like I couldn't continue anymore. I exercised like normal leading up to these two fasts. On this current fast, I didn't exercise for 5 days leading up to my fast and I've already fasted for more than double of my previous fasts.

I think that this is one of the many reasons why I was able to go on for so long without giving up. My theory is that exercise placed an energetic drain on the body, and that you will then enter into your fast with sub-optimal energy levels. This then decreases the amount of energetic strain that your body can take before it depletes its sugar stores and finally moves over to fat for energy.

Should you exercise during a fast?

I would definitely exercise during a shorter fast (24 hours or less). Our bodies are much stronger than we realize. If we started to deteriorate so shortly into a fast, the human race would not have been able to survive before the farming era.

Should you exercise during a prolonged fast (2 days or more)?

The documentary that I linked to on my first day's report shows fasting clinics that encourage their patients to exercise - and they fast for very long periods of time (up to 40 days at a time).

I haven't done any exercise so far. I am currently waiting until I feel strong enough (and have enough energy) to do so.

I chose to rest until I am ready.

Energy levels during a fast

My energy levels have been better than the first three days. They aren't at their normal levels yet (I need to motivate myself to write this blog post). I get winded easily and find myself needing to catch my breath often.

The weird part is that I get a little energized whenever I move around. I have energy similar to a caffeine buzz when I drive somewhere in the car or when I walk around for whatever reason. It is very possible that a little exercise would coax my body further into ketosis and therefore give me more energy. I might try this theory tomorrow and see what happens.

Fasting for better eyesight

I am actually fasting for my allergies and asthma, but I only noticed today that I haven't had any eye strain at all since the beginning of my fast (4 days ago). It seems that my eyes are stronger and can take more screen time during a fast.

This effect might be similar to the fact that fasting protects healthy cells from chemotherapy. Fasting most probably protects the cells in the eyes from damage in a similar way.

Does sleep return to normal during a fast?

I slept horribly the first night of fasting. I slept deep and fully on the second night. I didn't sleep so well on the third night. I supplemented with magnesium and I slept much better afterwards. This lady who documented her 54 day water fast with daily videos also had some nights where sleep was amazing and other nights where good sleep was hard to come by.

Similar to her notes, I find that I sleep better when my electrolyte levels are in the right balance.

It's okay to stress your body occasionally.

Emotional benefits of fasting

I have definitely felt more relaxed and at peace yesterday (day 3) and today (day 4). Previous mental stresses and anxieties have gone away. I have much less anger and frustration towards the people around me. At the same time, I am much less worried about what other people think about me.

This guy had the exact same emotional effect during his 21 day fast. He explains that he didn't worry about what people thought about him anymore. It was like a mental enlightenment that came to him. This feeling of less anxiety was so strong, in fact, that he unblocked a lot of people that he was worried were giving him nasty comments.

A few things happened today that would usually elicit a small sense of fear in me. I didn't feel emotional distressed at all.

There is this one person (different scenario) that gives me a dirty look whenever they see me. It used to really frustrate me and it used to give me real negative thoughts about them. In the last two days, though, it didn't bother me at all - literally not one bit. I actually smile at them now and want to greet them as warmly as possible.

I feel as if I've matured emotionally over the last two days. Small things don't bother me anymore. It is almost as if fasting has given me some mental clarity and a brand new perspective (and I'm only on day 4!).

Why does such a strong sense of calm and relaxation take over us during a fast? Dr. Mindy Pelz explains that certain brain chemicals are released during a fast that greatly benefits the mind.

1. Growth hormone can increase by up to 1300% from 12 hours into a fast
2. Ketones that heal the brain are created 13-15 hours into a fast
3. BDNF (brain fertilizer) and serotonin increase dramatically from 24 hours into a fast
4. Inflammation reduces throughout the body at 24 hours
5. GABA production (which initiates a sense of calm) goes up from the 36th to 48th hour
6. Neurons regenerate at this time as well
7. Dopamine receptor sites are re-calibrated from around the third day of fasting.

Fasting is good for your brain.

Check out my experience from my first day of fasting.

Learn about my second fasting day.

Read about my third day of fasting.

Here are the effects 24 hours after I end my water fast.

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