I end my water fast at 103 hours (4 days and 7 hours)

Here are the results of my 4 day water fast.

4 Day water fast disclaimer

This article is not meant to encourage you to start fasting. It is not meant as medical or health advice in any way, shape or form. I simply share my own experience with fasting in order to report on the effects that it has on my own body. This article is purely meant for anecdotal evidence. Do your research and consult a health professional if you want to consider fasting for yourself.

See the results below.

Why did you end your fast at 103 hours?

You will notice that I did not give a particular amount of time that I was planning to fast for. I wanted to see how my body felt and fast for as long as I felt comfortable. I had the sense that it was time to end my fast at 103 hours, so I did.

That was over 24 hours ago. I wanted to wait before writing this final entry about my fasting journey so that I could write more extensively about the physical effects of the fast.

Re-feeding plan after a long fast

You should follow a good re-feeding plan after a longer fast. Some people say that you only need to implement a re-feeding plan after 5 or more days of fasting, while others say that it should be from 3 days onward. I did not follow this protocol.

I simply ate a relatively small meal with bread, stew, muesli, a banana and an apple. I ate like normal (as if I hadn't been fasting) after I slept.

I had no digestive issues at all. It seems that I would personally need to go for a longer type of fast before I need a re-feeding plan, but everybody is different. It is good to remember that this is my third longer-than-24-hour fast.

You can learn to tell what your body needs.

How much weight did you lose after fasting?

I was at a 4.5 kg (10 pound) loss after the end of my fourth day (on the 96th hour). More than 24 hours after my fast (and with plenty of food and hydration), I am still 4 kg (9 pounds) lighter than I was when I started. I weighed 73.5 kg (162 pounds) at the beginning. Now I weigh 69.5 kg (153 pounds).

Weight loss wasn't my goal, but the reduction in fat is not unwelcome.

Muscle strength after long water fast

I did my first workout today since I started my four day water fast. I did not lose any strength. It looks like I didn't lose any muscle at all according to how I look in the mirror.

It seems that the 1300% increase in human growth hormone (referenced in the report of my fourth day of fasting) must have preserved my muscle mass.

It makes sense that the body will try to preserve muscle mass in challenging times like when there is no food available. If we withered away as soon as we couldn't find food, we would have died out as a species a long time ago. That is exactly what fat is there for.

Our bodies do well on the edge.

Hunger and appetite during long water fast

My hunger wasn't that bad throughout my water fast. Most people think that hunger gets worse after each day, but hunger actually gets less and less after each day of fasting.

Did your allergy or asthma symptoms improve after 4 days of water fasting?

Unfortunately I did not lose my allergies or my asthmatic symptoms. I had close to zero asthmatic and allergic reactions during my entire fast. My tight chest returned within 24 hours of the end of my fast. I am actually writing this post right now because my tight chest woke me up in the middle of the night.

I linked to a documentary about how fasting has cured many people with asthma and allergies. I think that I would need to fast for a longer period of time to see permanent results. I could have fasted for longer, but I felt like my body was telling me to stop. I will probably attempt a longer fast sometime in the future.

There are no quick fixes.

Benefits of water wasting

I did notice some positive changes during my four day water fast. Here are some of them:

1. I lost 4 kilograms (9 pounds) of fat
2. My skin looks clearer
3. I have a hard-to-explain, more positive outlook on life
4. I feel motivated to change a lot more about myself
5. I have more energy than I did before the fast
6. My muscles look a little more toned than they did before the fast
7. My teeth are whiter

Read about my first day of water fasting.
Learn about my second day without any food.
Check out my third day of water fasting.
This is my experience right after the fourth day of fasting.

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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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Day 3 (72 hours) into my water fast

Check out the results of my fast.

72 hour water fast disclaimer

I do not recommend that anybody else try this type of fasting. Consult your medical practitioner about any lifestyle changes that you plan to make. I am simply sharing my personal experiences as I fast. This is meant to serve as anecdotal evidence and is not meant to be a substitute for sound, medical advice.

Find the results below.

How much weight do you lose on a 3 day or 72 hour water fast?

I weighed 73.5 kg (162 pounds) right after my last meal. I currently weigh 68.5 kg (151 pounds) at the 72 hour mark. I therefore lost 5 kg (11 pounds) from 3 days of fasting.

I still had a lot of food in my belly as I weighed myself at hour 0 (right after my last meal). My blood pressure has dropped and I have lost a lot of water weight. This leaves me to believe that I've only lost about 2 kg (4 pounds) of fat.

I suspect that most people will lose a lot less than I did. My metabolism is high because I exercise regularly and I eat healthy. This means that my body is very efficient at burning fat for energy already.

An estimated 2 kg of this is fat.

Hunger levels during a 3 day fast

I was the hungriest during the first day. My hunger dropped by about half on the second day. I wasn't hungry at all for most of my third day, but I do feel a little food deprived right now as I wright this article (about 72.5 hours after my last meal).

I'd say that my hunger has consistently dropped day after day. It is not completely gone, though. Water (salt water in my case to keep my blood pressure steady) has definitely helped to curb hunger cravings throughout the 3 days so far.

I feel better than I did on day 1.

Energy levels after 72 hours of fasting

I had an energy drop yesterday (day 2) afternoon.

I woke up with low energy that seems to come and go. I currently have low energy. It is not an uncomfortable kind of low energy. I feel very relaxed and laid back.

I find it hard to muster the motivation to do anything. I just want to sit back and watch videos.

Sleep during water fasting

I slept very little on day 1 (about 5 hours of sleep in total). I didn't feel like I needed any more sleep than that. I slept about 4 hours on day 2.

Day 2 (yesterday) night I fell asleep and slept through until late this morning. I slept for just over 8 hours - very soundly.

It looks like my sleep has returned back to normal. I had extremely low energy when I woke up this morning and it took me a while to get the energy to start the day.

Caffeine during a water fast

Some people say that you can have caffeine and that it will extenuate some of the benefits of fasting. Other people say that caffeine increases some fasting benefits but stops other benefits. I don't drink caffeine during my fasts in order to make sure that I get the maximum benefit from a pure water fast. I consume nothing but water and table salt.

I must say that this fast has been much easier that my previous fasts. I'm pretty sure that the fact that I stopped caffeine 6 days before my fast is a major contributing factor.

Most of the negative side effects of water fasting could probably be attributed to caffeine withdrawal for most people that embark on a pure water fast.

I don't drink coffee when I fast.

Does food tempt you when you fast?

I have just completed 72 hours of fasting and my family made this wonderful stew with a new tomato-based sauce.

The smell fills the whole house and it smells absolutely delicious. I am tempted to break the fast and grab a bowl, but I don't feel too deprived to be without it at the same time.

The fact that I can enjoy it in the future and the fact that I am currently upgrading my body is enough to keep me from giving in to temptation.

Fasting gives you a strong sense of will power that transcends into other areas of your life. I feel proud of myself for navigating past this temptation. It is a lot easier than you would expect on day 3.

Why am I so cold when I fast?

The massive drop in blood pressure and metabolism of fat for energy will make it harder for your body to generate heat. Heat also costs energy that becomes very precious to your body during a fast.

I have noticed that my body temperature drops quite considerably. In order to keep myself motivated enough to stay away from food; I bargained that in place of that I can have two luxuries: heat and sleep. I have loosened my self-imposed restrictions on sleep and I have allowed myself to sit in front of the heater whenever I want.

It is healthy for you to get too hot and too cold from time to time. I have currently been fascinated by research into the health benefits of heat and cold.

Since my body is already under enough stress during this prolonged fast, I won't do any heat training until I start eating again.

Low blood pressure is a part of fasting.

Have my allergies and asthma improved after three days of fasting?

I noted on both my first and second day of fasting that my allergies and asthma seem to disappear completely after 24 hours of fasting. This effect lasted all the day through the second day.

I woke up this morning with a slightly tighter chest than what I have had for the first two days. It seems as if I've had some sort of reversal of these benefits on my third day. My allergies/asthma is much, much better than it ever would be when I don't fast, but it is not as good as it was on day one and two.

I think that this could be for one of two possible reasons. Firstly, my body could be more adapted to going without food and therefore it is starting to return to a place of normalcy (like, for instance, the fact that I slept fully for the first time last night).

The second theory is that the small recurrence of my asthma or allergies is part of the healing crises that is said to happen during fasts when the body starts to heal itself.

See the results from my first day of fasting.
See the results from my second day of fasting.
Here are the results of my fourth day of fasting.
Here are the effects 24 hours after I end my water fast.

Stay Strong!

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