5 Days of No Food - My First Water Fast Part 1

That's right. Not even juice. Just water for 120 hours. Backstory

After going to a Vipassana Meditation retreat for 10 days, I realized how much of my mind is preoccupied with food (among, eh hem, other things). If you read my earlier post, you'll know one of my main questions with the Vipassana retreat's two meals per day was, "will I be hungry all the time?"

Spoiler: I actually overate the first few days of Vipassana and felt uncomfortable. So I and cut down my food portions, and enjoyed the rest of the retreat more thoroughly.

This experience inspired me to challenge my need/desire for food, and the hunger pains associated with not eating. It was decided, over New Years I would go to an ashram and see how difficult it would be to not eat or drink anything but water for five days. Food be damned!

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Water Fasting

To learn a bit more about what a water fast would be like, I did some research. One of my favorite findings was "The Science of Fasting" documentary.

Turns out fasting is used extensively in many cultures, both past and present, to treat all sorts of issues: from mental illness to diabetes, arthritis to allergies, high blood pressure to cancer. I was curious if fasting would help with some of my nagging issues: allergies, sports injuries, and blood pressure.

When I told friends and family, some were concerned, but still curious. Because there would be others at the ashram who would be fasting for weeks (not days), I knew I was in good hands.

Fun fact: We humans can water fast for up to 40 days without it being detrimental. That's the bear in us.

Generally, the first 3 days are supposed to be rough, but after day 3 our bodies' evolutionary biology kicks in - our body acclimates and the remaining days are filled with increasing energy levels, self-healing, and a sense of euphoria.

To read about my fasting experience, join me in My First Water Fast Part 2.