I Didn’t Eat for 7 Days. Here’s What I Learned.
I started 2018 with a 7-day fast and it was one of the best weeks I’ve ever had. I want to share what I learned because there are a lot of misconceptions about fasting and some benefits that get very little attention.
The main point I want to get across is this—it’s not as hard as you think. There are simple steps to minimize hunger and even muscle loss. Though it might seem crazy, a 7-day fast is very doable. I’m going to explain how, step-by-step.
Why fast?
In my case, the objective was to get into a state of “ketosis,” which has many health benefits. Ketosis inhibits precancerous activity in your cells, reduces inflammation, and a whole lot more. (1)
If you’ve ever skipped a couple meals then you know how easily you can get hungry and bent out of shape. This happens pretty easily on a conventional diet high in carbohydrates where your body is using glucose for fuel. The problem is that your body cannot store very much glucose. When it senses that you’re running low on glucose it sets off a physiological alarm. You feel a strong sense of hunger and an impulse to eat.
These symptoms are temporary. If you go long enough without eating, you will use up the glucose in your system and then enter ketosis. During ketosis, your body switches to an alternative fuel source, ketones, which your body makes from fat. If you’ve ever been to a decent holiday party you’ve noticed that putting on fat is pretty easy. Even a lean person can store hundreds of thousands of calories in the form of fat.
The body and brain actually love to use ketones for fuel. People generally report improved sleep and mental clarity during ketosis. This was my experience as well.
How to fast without going bonkers
The goal is to minimize or even eliminate the hunger stage by getting into ketosis as quickly as possible. You want to drink plenty of water and add electrolytes to avoid headaches. If you want to keep your body composition in check there are solutions to preserve muscle while you burn fat. Here are the exact steps I recommend to make this as easy as possible:
Step 1: If you’re currently subsisting on cake and french fries your body is not going to enjoy a sudden shift to fasting. In the week before the fast it will help if you minimize your carb intake. The general rule is to reduce carbs and add more healthy fats (my favorites are tallow and ghee). If you are plant-based, you might go with avocados, coconut oil, or nuts. If you really want to dial it in, I suggest following a strict “ketogenic diet” leading up to the fast, where 75% of your calories are coming from dietary fat, 20% from protein, and 5% from carbohydrates.
Step 2: Eat your last meal at sundown on a Friday evening. If you want to go the extra mile, finish your meal with an exogenous ketone supplement, which will help with the transition into ketosis. I typically use Ketone-IQ.
Step 3: Sleep as long as possible into Saturday morning. Sleeping is an easy way to burn through glucose. Remember, as you use up the glucose in your system, your body switches to ketosis, which is the goal.
Step 4 (Optional): When you wake up, have another serving of exogenous ketones. For the first 2–3 days, take this supplement first thing in the morning and up to 2 more times throughout the day, adding up to about 200 calories per day.
Step 5: On Saturday morning take a brisk walk for 1–2 hours without breaks to burn through glucose in your system. Make sure you’re on your way within 30 minutes of waking up. Bring a 1-liter bottle with water and add a few good pinches of salt. I recommend Redmond Real Salt.
Step 6: If you’re concerned about keeping hard-earned muscle, you can add in leucine-fortified essential amino acids (LEAAs). I recommend Kion Aminos Capsules. Starting Sunday, take 1.5 grams of LEAAs every morning upon waking and take 3 grams during your workouts. Yes, continue exercising.
Step 7: Continue to add salt to your water throughout the fast. This is critical for replenishing electrolytes to avoid fatigue and headaches.
Step 8: After seven days, on the following Friday, wait until sundown and treat yourself to a nice meal. At the end of a 7-day fast you don’t have to be careful how much you eat, but you likely won’t have a big appetite. I would recommend minimizing carbohydrates for the next couple days, especially if you’re prone to acne breakouts.
6.8 pounds less body fat. 20 hours more free time.
I lost 6.8 pounds of body fat according to my somewhat accurate body composition scale. It also said I didn’t lose any muscle, but I likely did. I lost some strength in the gym as the week went on. That said, I don’t recommend fasting as a weight loss strategy unless you plan to stay on a lower-calorie diet after the fast. If you return to your previous diet you will quickly return to your previous weight.
Next, I found that fasting is very cost effective. I only spent $9.70 on food and supplements during those 7 days. That’s less than the price of a fancy burger.
One of the biggest results was extra time. I magically added 20+ hours to my week. Seven days without planning meals, buying food, and schmoozing over it for long periods of time. I love to do all those things, but that easily freed up 10 extra hours in my week. On top of that, my body didn’t need as much sleep. I went from my usual 8 hours to just 6 hours on average, so that’s an extra 10 hours (I slept for about 8 hours during the first two nights).
I used that extra 20 hours to plan the year ahead and set goals. After staring at an unopened cookbook for the last year I was inspired to learn how to really cook and start making tasty meals. This is most likely because cookbooks become pornography after a week without food.
No post about fasting would be complete without a rant on the meaning of life. Fasting for three or more days can reset your beliefs about food, hunger, and gratitude. I had so many misplaced anxieties with food, many of which I inherited from outside conditioning. I thought I needed to be full at all times, especially as a weightlifter. I was staying within a small zone of comfort, never realizing how tough and resilient my body was. But I realized I can actually thrive for days or even weeks without eating. Experiencing that firsthand left me with a sense of inner calm and self-sufficiency.
If you’re considering fasting for the first time I recommend starting with a 1-day fast to get your feet wet. Then plan a 3-day fast, which will likely be long enough for you to realize that everything is going well and that you are capable of much more.
Are you thinking about doing a fast?
Leave a comment if you have any questions or any insights from your own experience.
Thank you Anton Sepetov, Chris Von Wilpert, and Matthew Hartill for reviewing drafts of this post.
