Many of you were following along on the videos I shared in my Instagram stories as I completed a 7-day water fast last week. That’s right, for 7 full days I had nothing but water, black coffee and some pink himalyan sea salt.

I got so many questions and I thought I’d take some time here on the blog and in the podcast to share answers to the most common questions, most especially: is extended fasting healthy?

The big picture point to remember is this: it’s the way you EAT that will drive your health and results, not the way you FAST. So while fasting might be a great option for you to detox or challenge yourself, it’s not the ONLY approach and it’s certainly not for EVERYONE. If you aren’t consistently eating well, work on that first. If you struggle with disordered eating patterns, DON’T FAST! You’ve got to use common sense, friends. If fasting represents an “all or nothing” mindset, know thyself. Don’t delve deeper into a pattern that doesn’t work for you.

Can we agree to be adult and responsible about the approaches we try? Crash dieting doesn’t work. Binge and restrict isn’t a pattern to reinforce. You use your head.

Focus on taking impeccable care of yourself. Okay?

There’s no option to listen to this blog because I cover all the important stuff in the video below and in episode 469 of the podcast. In this video preview and the complete podcast episode I cover:

• Does your body go into starvation mode when you fast?
• Is extended fasting healthy?
• Why 7 days? Can I go for more or less time?
• Does fasting damage your metabolism?
• Does bone broth or butter coffee break your fast?
• Why do you consume salt on your fast? What kind? How do you consume it? How much?
• How do you handle moments when you’re really hungry?
• How do you feel on an extended fast?
• Why should you fast?
• Who shouldn’t fast?
• Can you workout when fasting?

You can check out the video below but make sure you listen to episode 469 of the podcast for more details! If you have additional questions after the video & podcast, leave them in the comments and I’ll be sure to do a follow up! I’ll be doing a follow up episode (episode 471) on some of the common misunderstandings that surround breaking down protein versus losing lean muscle mass (they aren’t the same thing).

For more resources on fasting, check out the following:

The Complete Guide To Fasting by Dr. Jason Fung & Jimmy Moore

Primal Potential Episode 307: Is Fasting Right For You?

Primal Potential Episode 310: Beyond Fasting: What 5 Days Without Food Taught Me About Eating