I am as surprised to write this as you might be to read this: I just completed a 5-day fast.
Essentially, for 5 days, I had nothing but water and coffee. During the first full 24 hours I had a couple of very low sugar kombuchas but yeah…crazy, right?
In episodes 300 and 307 I talked about why I did it and why I feel strongly that it’s dramatically different (emotionally & metabolically) from a crash diet but today I want to share the experience and talk about the primary lessons I learned from this 5 day fast and how I think it will influence my diet & mindset moving forward.
This week is going to look a little different because I’m fasting and adjusting my workouts accordingly. If you want to understand what my fast is and why I’m doing it, listen to episodes 300 and 307 of the Primal Potential Podcast. Things will return to the normal nutrition & fitness push next week.
7:16am
Guys, I made it to day 5. I really can’t believe it. I feel INCREDIBLE today. Not a single trace of hunger. I’ll be breaking my fast about 4-5 hours from now and honestly, food doesn’t seem like a big deal.
One thing I’d do differently if I could is sleep more. With the exception of today, I was still getting up between 4:30-5a daily. During a fast, I should have allowed my body more rest. I needed it & certainly made this harder by not resting more.
For that reason, I didn’t set my alarm last night. I woke up around 1:30a and struggled to fall back asleep. I woke up again around 4:30 and fell right back asleep until about 6:15a. I’m really glad I got a couple extra hours.
I shared yesterday that Ella & I started testing our blood sugar last night. Another thing I’d change: I’d test my blood sugar throughout.
I tested it this morning upon waking & it was 74 mg/dL. Good stuff!
Episode 310 of the Primal Potential podcast is going to be the lessons this fast taught us and what we’ll do with them when it’s over.
7:51am
Get this guys – super fascinating. When I woke up, my fasted blood sugar was 74. 1 hour after a cup of black coffee it was 85.
85 is still a great fasting value and I’m sure the increase isn’t due strictly to the coffee. It’s also factoring in being awake versus being asleep and normal movement/work stress.
I think I’m going to continue testing blood sugar for a few weeks so I can see what produces an increase and what doesn’t.
In fact, since I’m breaking my fast in a few hours, I decided to ease into it with a cup of coffee with 1 tbsp of MCT oil. I haven’t had any MCT oil during this fast until now. I’ll test my blood sugar after and tell you how it impacts it, if at all.
9:35am
Getting dressed and ready to head out in a bit towards the airport and our breakfast. I tested my blood sugar 1 hour after coffee with 1 tbsp MCT oil and it was 82. Still a great fasting number. I will say this: I hadn’t included MCT oil in my fast at all up until this point and it hit my tummy fast. Didn’t like the way it made me feel. Kind of crampy.
3:23pm
The fast has been broken! What an enlightening experience! On my way to the airport, Ella & I stopped at the restaurant she owns, Village Juice, where I got a salad bowl with spinach, brussels sprouts, avocado & bacon. Ideally I would have broken my fast with something lighter, but since I’ll be traveling all day, I wanted this to be a more satisfying meal.
It’s interesting to me how much easier dealing with airport delays has been today than it was on Monday. I think partly because on Monday I knew the duration of the fast was ahead of me and today I’ve had a meal. More than that though, I’m leaving North Carolina with a tremendous sense of gratitude.
I got rerouted to an unexpected state when I missed my connection due to a delay and all the remaining flights into Boston were full. As people around me race for pretzels, sodas, sugary coffee drinks and fast food, I’m just feeling healthy & strong.
I was aware that following such a long fast, there might be an urge to binge or go overboard. I’m grateful to not have that urge. I just want to fuel my body intelligently.
I will likely find some macadamia nuts before my final flight since it will probably be after 9pm when I get home and I certainly don’t want to eat that late.
I’m going to schedule this blog to post while I’m flying to Boston and I’ll be back on Monday with daily posts of the normal “year of push” – back to the challenging works and more normal eating schedule!
This week is going to look a little different because I’m fasting and adjusting my workouts accordingly. If you want to understand what my fast is and why I’m doing it, listen to episodes 300 and 307 of the Primal Potential Podcast. Things will return to the normal nutrition & fitness push next week.
5:54am
My alarm first went off around 4:30a and I stretched in bed until a few minutes before 5. I have the hiccups, which is likely due to the fast. It’s making me more aware of my empty stomach.
As I write this, I’m just over 90 hours into the fast. Ella isn’t up yet and I’m fairly desperate for coffee.
I’m hungry but not unmanageably so. I have a bit of a headache but otherwise I feel surprisingly normal. I slept really well last night, which is great because I’ve had some trouble sleeping this week.
I am NOT going to workout today. I originally planned to workout only on day 1 of the fast but I’ve worked out every day so far.
I want to see if there is a difference in my energy & hunger without a workout.
7:11am
Agony! Ella is still sleeping & I am dyyyyying for coffee! Super excited for her to wake up so I can have some! I basically NEVER wait to have coffee after waking. My first stop after the bathroom is the coffee pot! This would be a tough delay when not fasting but it’s practically impossible when fasting!
7:42am
Best part of my day is that Ella is rested & I have coffee! Two wins!
9:45am
Feeling hungry but the brain fog is gone, thank goodness! I feel like my normal “work self” again, which is so wonderful. I have learned some really powerful lessons during this fast & I’ll be recording a podcast this afternoon to share them!
I need to take a minute & express overwhelming love & gratitude for my girl Ella over at On Air with Ella. She made this fast possible. So, all the lessons I’m taking away from this, I owe to her. Thanks for being my friend and taking me on this adventure with you! So much love!
10:44am (that’s it? this day is crawling!)
Hot lemon water with salt to the rescue. I have the hiccups again, I’m sure due to the fast, and it’s making it tough to do voice notes. I’m recording a podcast in a bit so I need to make them go away!
2:13pm
Just got back from a 50 min walk in the cold air. I needed to get some fresh air, get out of the house and move my body. Deciding not to workout today is right for my body with the fast, but I still need to move or I get a little crazy!
We will hit the 5 day mark tomorrow morning & have decided to break our fast tonight, together, since tomorrow AM doesn’t logistically work with my flight schedule & Ella’s work schedule.
I’ll share with you the same update I posted in our private Facebook group.
That’s the key: do you & no drama!
4:35pm
Just kidding! We’ve decided not to break our fast tonight after all. Seriously.
Here’s what happened: we went over to Thrive Integrative in Winston Salem for some treatments. Ella had the detoxifying foot bath (INSANE! She’ll be talking more about this on her podcast soon) and I hung out in the infrared sauna (more on that in a second).
When we were driving home, we were chatting about how day 4+ (we hit the 4 day mark a few hours ago) has been the best day so far. Mental fog has cleared, hunger is present but tolerable, energy is good. We agreed that if it weren’t for my am flight, we’d totally keep going until tomorrow night.
Long story short, we’re going to break our fast prior to my flight tomorrow morning. Not the timing we hoped for (we both don’t love eating earlier in the day) but we want to capitalize on this good feeling.
So. The fast continues.
That infrared sauna though! My first question was, “How is this different from a regular sauna?”
In short, the infrared technology assists with detoxification benefits beyond what a standard sauna delivers.
It was great! I spent 10 minutes, prior to the sauna, standing on what are essentially vibrating plates to assist with lymph drainage and then I spent about 37 minutes in the sauna.
I’ve been a regular sauna user in the past but this felt different, not because of the infrared but because of the fast. My heart rate was absolutely elevated beyond normal and I chose to stay seated the whole time to help keep it steady and comfortable.
6:57pm
I decided to test my blood sugar for the first time this fast. I’m breaking the fast in the AM (currently around 130 hours into it) and my blood sugar was 79. Granted this is an evening read, after a sauna and having had black coffee & water. To help me continue feeling great, I’m having about 5 oz of beef bone broth.
8:28pm
I am sooooo looking forward to eating tomorrow morning! Thanks for all the love & support! I’m headed to BED.
The other day, while dealing with multiple airport delays, I realized I have a super power. I believe this super power is what is largely responsible for me not ditching all healthy habits I fought so hard to build when my life got turned upside down with health & personal issues.
That super power is a work in progress but it is changing my life more and more every day.
In today’s episode I’m sharing with you the power of being non-reactive as a way to improve your choices and become a happier, healthier, more stable person.
This week is going to look a little different because I’m fasting and adjusting my workouts accordingly. If you want to understand what my fast is and why I’m doing it, listen to episodes 300 and 307 of the Primal Potential Podcast. Things will return to the normal nutrition & fitness push next week.
Wow. Yesterday’s blog was totally chaotic, huh? That reflects the fog I was in all day.
I’ll attempt to be a bit more clear today.
4:45am
My alarm went off & I didn’t want to get up but I wanted to do a few minutes of work before heading to the gym.
As I mentioned yesterday, my plan was to not workout during this fast with the exception of day 1. However, I’ve felt pretty good in the mornings & I really enjoy moving my body. I don’t feel quite right without it. Before heading out, I had a few sips of cold brew coffee. #obviously
With that said: hot yoga did not appeal to me. I opted for rowing, kettlebell swings & foam rolling.
I had this weird, new-to-me sensation during the KB swings. On the down swing, I was acutely aware of my empty belly. It was kind of like hunger but kind of not. Definitely didn’t enjoy that feeling.
8:06am
Back from the gym and have a couple cups of hot, black coffee in me. I’m noticeably more clear headed today. It’s been 68 hours since my last meal and while the hunger comes in strong waves, they still aren’t lasting more than a few minutes.
I’m incredibly grateful to have more focus for work today. I’ll be spending the next several hours grinding through some work projects & I’m sure that will help the fasting hours go by.
10:15am
Contemplating a nap but my productivity attachment is in the way! I’ve been sipping on water while working but otherwise I’ve limited myself to the earlier black coffee. I had a kombucha on Monday but not since then. I’m honestly not sure how I feel right now…
(No nap)
Ella & I have been having some interesting conversations about how to know if fasting is actually doing anything for you while you’re in it. A lot of this, from my perspective, depends on your “why”.
That’s kind of where I’m at right now – unsure if this is having a beneficial effect on my body.
From a psychological standpoint, I’m certain it’s helpful. I feel like hunger has less control over me after realizing I can go this long without eating and not suffer from intense hunger. That helps put “snack time hunger” into perspective on regular days.
Physically, I think it’s too soon to tell. I still have the rest of today and all of tomorrow so we’ll see.
Aside from physical benefits, physical symptoms I’m experiencing in addition to brain fog include lower body temp & accelerated heart rate.
It’s fascinating to me that I can feel amazing one minute & super hungry the next. Those super hungry moments are no more powerful or real than the amazing moments, and they always pass. It’s giving me a lot to think about in terms of which sensations I choose to act on (outside of this fast) and which I choose to let pass.
1:08pm
Goodness this day is going by slowly! I just mixed two tbsp of bone broth with a mug of water & added some Himalayan sea salt. I wasn’t hungry but I know I needed salt after the past couple of days workouts.
Feeling calm & grounded, just a bit grumpy.
5:00pm
Super happy that I got to re-connect with my great friend & former trainer Nathan. We went out for coffee and it was a wonderful distraction from the fast. I’ll be hanging with Ella for the rest of the night, staying hydrated with water and hoping to get to bed early.
9:32pm
Oh man. What a day. I feel sooooo much better tonight than I did last night. Ella and I had a hysterical time doing live streams (on helium! I hope you didn’t miss them!) but I didn’t drink anything tonight (no water, no tea) so I’m a bit parched. Definitely need to drink more tomorrow.
As I close this out for the day, I’m 81 hours into the fast and feeling hungry but great.
