The Day of and After the 24 hour fast

I practice intermittent fasting; if your not familiar with this discipline here's a link that can explain what it is and is not. I typically do a 16:8 fast 6 days a week and once a week I do a 24 hour fast. A 16:8 fast is pretty self explanatory; it's where you eat in an 8 hour window and fast for the other 16 hours of the day; for example I only eat between the hours of 10:30 AM and 6:30 PM. One thing to point out is that this is not a diet because I can still eat whatever I want to eat, I just have to do so within an 8 hour window.

Anyhow, the point of this thread is the 24 hour fast, which I've been practicing every week since about September. What I do is I finish my last meal on a Saturday at 6:30 PM, and won't have my next meal until 6:30 the next day. It's easier than it sounds like, but if you've never tried it before it can quite a challenge; in fact I failed twice and gave into my stomachs temptations before I finally completed one successfully on my third try. Also, worth mentioning, I abstain from"drugs" during the whole day or "fast day" on Sunday. Now by drugs, I simply mean my daily fix of coffee, my daily beer, etc., nothing hard or illegal. So if you smoke, drink, or drink coffee, the 24 hour fast should include abstaining from these vices, as well as prescription meds, for 24 hours as well. Nothing but H2O. In case your worrying, fasting for 24 hours burns fat only, not muscle mass, so you won't look like a skeleton.

So again, I actually start on my last normal meal Saturday night finishing up around 6:30 PM. From this point on until I go to bed, I eat nothing nor take any supplements. I wake up the following morning around 7:30 AM. This is on a Sunday so I am free of work and most daily responsibilities I complete Monday through Saturday. I drink a nice glass of water and take my dog on an hour long walk through nature and fresh air. I feel a little sluggish at this point as my brain is lacking its daily caffeine fix however the fresh air and the light exercise make me feel better. Most of the day I will actually spend outside in my backyard, soaking up the sunlight and trying to be one with nature. The hunger usually hits me in waves around my normal breakfast time which is 10:30 am and my normal lunch which is anytime between 12-2 PM. During these times when I feel hungry I simply drink a nice big glass of water. You want to be drinking a lot of fresh water throughout the fast to give your body a chance to detox it self. I mentioned soaking up the sun as well; for some reason if I'm soaking up sun I feel less hungry which is why I spend a good majority of the day outside either reading a book, working on my garden, letting the dogs run around, etc. Many breatherians believe that sunlight is actually a form of nutrition and they can actually live off of no food and only sunlight like the plants and trees do. I also meditate; meditating in a fasting state is quite the experience. You really feel in tune with nature and get this real religious feeling. After 2 PM I'm typically tan, sweaty, and hot, and I go inside and rinse off. I use NO cosmetics including soap, shampoos, and moisturizers, however, because they absorb through the skin and would technically break a fast. Than I typically lay on my bed, feeling uncomfortable and weak from the lack of caloric intake, and watch a movie or videos and keep counting the minutes until the magic hour of 6:30 PM. When I break my fast, it's typically a smaller meal because your stomach literally shrinks when you fast and you don't want to gorge as you may want to. I will say this however; the meal after a 24 hour fast is BY FAR the best, most rewarding meal you will EVER have. Bar none. It's the climax of a long and enduring day; like running past the finish line of a marathon. It's important to not overeat however, as you will simply negate any of the benefits of the fast, and considering how enjoyable this meal is as I just said, it's a little easier said than done. Cherish every bite slowly, and I promise that meal will put a smile on your face for the whole week ahead. To review, this day is very low key, painful if your addicted to food, and kind of boring, but it should be a day to reflect on the inside who you are, and to, without trying to get to religious here, connect with all that is, or god. It's a day to "give up the physical pleasures" and sacrifice your self and your temptations for a higher purpose, whether it's for your health, your religion, or your own mental well being. Jesus, Moses, and several religious figures fasted for 40 days and 40 nights to " fight off the devil", or in Moses' case, to receive the ten commandments from god, but that's another story!

Now, after my meal, I make a hot camomile tea, I have a mild euphoria from completing what I set my mind to do, and go to sleep around 9. I sleep well, and wake up the following day around my normal time at 7:00 AM. Here's where the real fun begins!

The next morning, which is my Monday morning, I start off with my morning coffee and head to work. The coffee "buzz" I get this morning is AMAZING! It feels like the first cup of coffee you've ever had, which, if your like me and you've been drinking coffee for years, you have long forgotten what the first cup of coffee feels like. It's almost like your brain receptors get reset for everything , and everything you do feels amazing, including a simple cup of coffee, a glass of wine, or whatever your guilty pleasure may be. Going into work I feel like superman! It's a hard, indescribable feeling to try to explain, but it's a massive confidently boasting feeling. You really have to try it to know what I'm talking about. I attribute this "feel good", post fast feeling to the massive amount of HGH your body releases the day after the 24 hour fast. HGH is a hormone that is naturally secreted by your body that stimulates growth, cell reproduction and regeneration in humans and other animals. The supplement industry is now selling products that claim to "naturally boast HGH levels" and they sell for anywhere between $60-$200 for a 30 day trial! They market it as a "fountain of youth" and claim it's benefits are endless from curing depression to reducing heart disease. Well get this, a 24 hour fast increases your HGH NATURALLY by 2000%! (Source) So you literally feel like superman the day after, and your HGH levels remain elevated several days after the fast as well. If you lift or work out or run, you will have some of the most epic work outs ever the day after the fast. I work in sales and I almost always close a deal on Monday. I am noticeably more animated, enthusiastic, and just flat out feel great the day after the fast. I am more sociable, more fluid in my thoughts and getting my point across, and have an easier time influencing and creating friendships. When lunch comes around , I thoroughly enjoy each bite as I remember the hardships I faced all day yesterday. So it makes you appreciate food more.

When I get off work I have an epic, HGH fueled work out, relax, and call it a day.
24 hour fasting has changed my life. It has helped me overcome addictions, boasted my confidence, become more spiritual, and has given me more control of my life. I am better at delaying instant gratification. I am no longer a slave to my wants and needs of

of my ego. I encourage you all to try it if you haven't yet! My next goal is a 3 day fast.

Thank you for reading.
Please share your thoughts or experiences

Be careful with fasting... if you feel dizzy or experience any other adverse effects, call it off early.

A three day fast is only a few steps away from semi-starvation, so please watch out for your health!

originally posted by: sekerofknowlege
When I get off work I have an epic, HGH fueled work out, relax, and call it a day.

Yikes, why the HGH?

It would be hard for me to fast for spiritual and health related reasons, then do an epic work out on human growth hormone. I'd feel slightly conflicted, unless..

..I was trying to become something that I clearly was not, or should not try to be. In which case the fast might make one even more neurotic.

To each their own, and I'm not hating, just having a hard time relating.

Speaking of which, has anyone seen the fake muscle implants they offer men (and women, i suppose) now? Big ole' sacks of God knows what, and they're not even functional muscles -- LOL.

Edit: Hopefully you were talking about oral HGH supplement which is not actual HGH but claims to promote the production of it in your body. The only other legal HGH is prescribed for medical reasons and given via injection.

a reply to: sekerofknowlege

Wow. According to your OP, it would seem I am on a 23:1 fasting system.

I eat only once a day in an one-hour window .

Hm. Oops.

a reply to: sekerofknowlege

You must not be a diabetic.

a reply to: soulpowertothendegree

Hehe.

Yeah I don't know. Diabetes is scary. My Father died from a Diabetic seizure type of thing abruptly one night.

With that said, I probably should eat more and drink less (beer), he drank heavily.

But despite my best efforts, I'm on hour 20 of an unintended 24 hour fast that I wasn't even trying to do, just too stressed out over stuff going on and haven't had an acid reducer tablet in days, so i'm nearly puking bile at this point. Is your near-sight vision supposed to go? Oh yeah, it's Sunday too. Who'da thought. Hey OP, let's do it together! Lol.

But mine isn't the spiritual kind where # is groovy, I just kind of end up starving every once in a while. Rest assured the beer, tea, and cigarettes flow heavily, so I guess mine doesn't really count.



I knew I wasn't cut out for this Jesus-style stuff.

I've woken up at 4:30 AM a few times, eaten a big breakfast, probably in the 1900 calorie region, and not eaten all day at work, gotten home tired from work and fell asleep till around 3 AM, and then eat breakfast again.

Life of a welder on a remote worksite, not the healthiest, but pays well.

I felt fine while working, most of the calories I took in were saturated fats, slow burning, I'd usually drink water during the work day only.

I believe That Fasting Is very life changing. In 1996 on Dec 12 I started my fast and finished it March 30 1997 Went from 245 lbs. to 179lbs.

Changed my Life and health. a reply to: sekerofknowlege

originally posted by: Michaelfunction
I believe That Fasting Is very life changing. In 1996 on Dec 12 I started my fast and finished it March 30 1997 Went from 245 lbs. to 179lbs.
Changed my Life and health.

But you still didn't say if it was good or bad.
You fasted for 3 months? Or you progressively cut back on intake of consumables for 3 months?

It was good. I had just broke up with my GF and I realized I had not eaten in a couple days and I was talking to a friend and out of no ware I said I was going to do a Gandhi and I did for about 109 days. I drank warm water out of the tap because I would get chills if I drank Cold. On my 10 day I had a spiritual Experience and after that I walked with goose bumps 24 7 and that became my food. The overall experience was fantastic.

I had my first solid food today after a 5 day fast.
It is an exercise of will power.
I noticed my dreams becoming very vivid.
A small bowl of gumbo tasted like heaven on earth.