At the end of last year, I did a water fast for the first time. It is something that I have wanted to do for a while but it wasn’t until a chance conversation with a family friend that I decided to do it.
The family friend is quite the specimen, extremely cut, ripped abs and like myself follows a vegan diet. He told me that he had done several water fasts and talked about the impact that it had. One of them being the ripped abs becoming even more ripped.
I had first taken an interest in water fasting after reading the Mucusless Diet Healing System by Arnold Ehret, but I hadn’t ever gotten to the stage of following it through. That all changed when I heard about the ripped abs, so I decided to do it during my break from work.
It is believed that the practice of water fasting has various health benefits including:
- Improving blood sugar levels
- Weight loss
- Reduced risk of some chronic conditions and much more
In the end I did the fast for 4 days. I wanted to do it for longer but had a family meal on the 7th day and knew that I had to pay special attention to how I broke my fast.
Although the time was shortened, the fast still had a big impact. Here are a few pointers from my experience:
- I really missed food, more so for the flavours than anything else. I just had plain water but some people include herbal teas and flavoured water in their fast
- After day 2 or 3 it was noticeable that my body was removing toxins. I smelt pretty bad and no amount of washing in the morning and the night got rid of the smell. It was the same story for my breath too
- It was easier than I thought it would be, I definitely could have done the 7 days or longer
- I broke my fast with vegetable juice. I had read that vegetables were an easier option for the body after a fast and that if you are healthier you can go with fruit. I didn’t want to take the risk so I started with vegetables. In hindsight it would have been better that I ate the vegetables instead of having them as a juice
- I did not end up having completely ripped abs at the end of the fast 🙁
One of the biggest outcomes was that it made me rethink my food choices. Although I have been vegan for 8 years, I wouldn’t say that I eat extremely healthily. Contrary to popular belief you can be vegan and not eat very well.
What the fast got me to do was really think about what I was putting into my body. One because I did not go 4 days without eating to fill my body with rubbish. Two, I had to be conscious of what I ate, it can actually be dangerous to eat badly straight after a water fast. This is especially true the longer you fast.
The fast completely changed my diet, which I’ll talk about another time, but I’d definitely recommend doing one. Make sure you do your research first and if you have health conditions, check with a doctor before fasting.