My 7 day extended fast: Day 2
Day 2 started off last night at 8pm. It was 24 hours and I had hit autophagy which means that my body was recycling old cells by removing damaged cellular components and generating new ones. I always look forward to getting to this point whenever I do an extended fast. I went to bed at 10pm Monday night and had a restless start for a couple of hours but once I slept, I had a really nice deep sleep. Only woke up once to pee which was a great feeling as I could sleep longer.
I hydrated a lot before bed and would usually forego weighing myself this much to avoid scale anxiety but, for the purposes of this content, I will weigh myself twice a day so I can show you my weightloss progress on a daily basis. I do not recommend daily weigh in as scale anxiety is a real thing and a topic I look forward to talking about in future blogs. In the past, if I weighed myself and wasn’t happy with the results, I’d be mad and snack as a stress outlet; Afterall, nothing happened scale wise. Now I’ve learned to control my need to constantly weigh in and do it at the most, once or twice a month alongside measuring by body with a tape measure and taking photos to compare.
My weigh in at bedtime was 68.6kgs/ 151 Lbs which isn’t a big difference. Only 0.3kg/ 0.6 Lbs lost which to me, is still a win!
BREAKDOWN OF DAY 2
Next morning, 36 hours later, I woke up lightheaded with a fast heartbeat. I should have remembered to slowly get out of bed and not jump out of it fast. I took a glass of water with an electrolyte tablet and that helped bring my sodium levels back up. At this point, my glycogen levels were depleted and my body had resorted to burning fat for energy.
Weighed myself this AM and I am 67.2kg / 148 Lbs so that’s a 1.7 kg / 4 Lbs loss from day 1 and 1.4kg / 3 Lbs loss from last night.
Now you may think that’s amazing and sure it is , however, it’s all water weight. If I chose to break my fast at this point so I can refeed, my food would retain all this water again, making me gain the weight back just as fast as I’d lost it. Don’t let the fast weight loss deceive you! From my experience, I usually lose about 3 kgs on my first 2-3 days of an extended fast and that’s not what I consider the real weight loss; It’s just reduced bloating and inflammation … but, progress baby!.
My tongue had a thick white coating which is very common on days 2 and 3. Don’t be alarmed as this is the body’s natural way of eliminating toxins during this healing process. You will also notice that your breath stinks now as you haven’t consumed any food. To hide this, make sure you rinse your mouth out often with water and consume enough zero to low calorie liquids. I drink a lot of freshly squeezed lime from day 2 until the end of my long fast as this really helps tone down the dragon breathe. Luckily, facemasks are a trend now so proudly wear one to keep safe and protect the other person when chatting. I brushed my teeth 3 times a day with lukewarm salt water to get my tongue back to it’s natural pink colour. DO NOT use mouthwash or toothpaste as this will make your stomach turn and you’ll start to feel hungry which will tempt you to end your fast.
I went about with my usual morning routine and off I walked for an hour to the yoga studio to give Bikram hot yoga a try. I gotta say, DO NOT try out new intense workouts when doing an extended fast! I’m not a yogi, so I always assumed it was all about stretching.. no biggie.. boy did I get that wrong! I’d booked various first time classes for this week to shake things up and make sure I get in a fasted workout. The class goes for 90 minutes, 60 standing and 30 on the mat. Each set is repeated twice and I’ve never had my balance tested so much as it was in this class. it was a very comic experience honestly haha!
I enjoyed the class a lot however, an hour in and I was feeling lightheaded. once I hit the mat for the last 30 minutes, that was it! The room is really heated plus you’re sweating buckets …
I think this is a workout I should have done on day 1 or way after I have re-fed and ended my extended fast. Do not try it in a fasted state unless you’re doing intermittent fasting protocols like a 16:8 or OMAD. Not after 40 hours like I did. Stick to the simpler, 40 minutes yoga classes if you do choose it as your fasted workout at this point.
After my class, I rehydrated with a liquid IV energy drink and kept hydrated on water for the rest of the day. You can purchase this at any L’s place if you’re in Vietnam for 1.2m VND. My energy levels went up after I left the hot room that I managed to add in another 2 hours of a slow relaxing stroll around the lake all the way back home. I drank a lot of water during the class which is highly recommended (emptied my whole 1.5ltr bottle). If after 40 hrs you choose to do a dirty fast with juices and smoothies, try to take it really slow and avoid sugar and ice otherwise you will feel the inside of your mouth contract painfully like when you break your fast the wrong way which is a very uncomfortable feeling.
Bikram hot yoga is an absolutely amazing workout that had me stretching my body in places I didn’t think I could, leaving me feeling absolutely amazing afterwards.
By the end of the second day, my GH (Growth Hormone) levels were up higher compared to when I started. Smelling food no longer made me crave but rather appreciate it which may sound weird but, if you have done a 48 hour fast before, then you’ll probably understand what I mean.
Went to sleep a little after 9pm and my weigh in at bedtime was 67.1 kgs/ 148 Lbs. Another 0.1kg/ 0.2 Lbs loss as I officially begin my 3rd day of my long fast. If you notice the pattern, my weight loss doesn’t happen much during the day as I keep hydrated but more when I sleep and wake the next morning. Excited to see what my morning weigh in will be like tomorrow.
What I did to successfully complete day 2
Kept hydrated on drinks that won’t break my fast. the first 48 hours are the most challenging as you have cravings and maybe hunger pangs as your body is off routine and your mind is tricking you into giving in. One of the commonest potential complications of a longe fast is dehydration and that is why it is very important that you drink plenty of fluids to prevent it from happening. I keep a bottle by my bedside to keep hydrated throughout the night too.
Added my fasted workout despite the need to hit snooze and just stay indoors.
Took my electrolytes and salts
Avoided any social meet ups and went to bed early to avoid any snacking temptations.
Took my Magnesium, calcium, vitamin D and iron pill to help with my bone health and also to sleep well. I take the osteocare tablets. there’s a liquid solution as well but too sweet for my liking.
I suffered from keto rash which was itching during the night. So i took a shower and applied sudocrem to the itchy areas on my body (chest and back) and went to bed. This doesn’t happen to everybody but it did happen to me. Don’t be alarmed if it happens, it goes away the next day but can make sleeping uncomfortable.
Conclusion
My progress so far has highly inspired motivation. do what works for you and motivates you to keep on but most importantly listen yo your body if you want to keep on. Please make sure to break your fast properly. I recommend preparing a broth in advance and freeze it, so when you’re tempted to break your fast, you do it right .
If you have any drawbacks, put them into consideration and break your fast. If you have concerns, consult your doctor or feel free to message me and i will try to guide you but please remember I am not a qualified health physician so don’t use my content as a replacement for health feedback from your doctor or nutritionist.