I did a 5-Day Water Fast: here’s why.
Over this past week, I did a 5-Day Water Fast.
That’s right.
No food. Only water.
I documented each day in a vlog.
Here is the full series.
Vlog series
Day 1 of 5-Day Water Fast | Day 58/365
Day 2 of 5-Day Water Fast | Day 59/365
Day 3 of 5-Day Water Fast / What is "Autophagy"? | Day 60/365
Day 4 of 5-Day Water Fast / Full Lower Back Mobility Routine | Day 61/365
Day 5 of 5-Day Water Fast | Day 62/365
Full-Recap:
I did a 5-Day Water Fast. Here's what you need to know... | Day 63/365
You might ask…why did you not eat for 5 days?
Well, there is a one-word answer: autophagy.
What is “Autophagy”?
“Autophagy" comes from the Greek words: "auto" and "phagy":
"auto" = self
"phagy" = eating
So "self-eating".
Source: The Woodlands Institute for Health & Wellness
You may be saying to yourself, “that sounds horrific.”
Why is it a good thing?
How Autophagy Works
Imagine your body is like a city 🌆
And your cells are the houses 🏘️ in that city.
Over time, houses get old or damaged.
If these damaged parts stay in the cells, they can cause trouble and may lead to cancer🦠
When you don’t eat for a while (prolonged fasting), your body sends out little cleaning trucks 🛻 to go around and pick up all the junk and broken parts in the cells.
Thus, repairing the city to maximum health.
Other benefits of autophagy include…
Energy Efficiency
During fasting, cells recycle old parts to make energy, helping you get through times when you don’t have food.
Your body goes into “fight or flight” mode, doing everything in its power to survive.
I did a 3-day (72 hour) fast last year and I felt like a superhuman - another reason I'm running it back now.
Enhanced Immune Function
Imagine you could send your immune system to boot camp.
This “fight or flight” mode that fasting puts you in essential does that.
The cells of your immune system get themselves ready to fight off anything that comes their way.
They say,
“It’s time. Prepare for war."
"Because if we don’t protect this starving human, he's gonna die.”
Reduced Inflammation
Autophagy helps reduce swelling and soreness in the body.
I’ve been rehabbing a herniated disk and have had some soreness back there.
So this prolonged fast will help reduce the inflammation I have around the injury.
Prevention of Other Diseases
Keeping your cells clean and healthy leads to longevity.
Autophagy through fasting can reduce the risk of cancer but also other illnesses that affect the brain and metabolism, like Alzheimer's and diabetes.
Other benefits aside from autophagy
Aside from autophagy, prolonged fasting has been shown to help with the following:
Stimulating growth hormones (a fat-burning hormone) secretion by 1300%
Stem cells generation
Stabilizes blood sugar
Depression and anxiety
Weight loss and improved metabolic function
Helping autoimmune conditions
Normalizing your insulin and leptin sensitivity
Lowering blood pressure
Thyroid conditions
Chronic pain
This list is from Dr. Mindy Pelz’s article, "A Beginners Guide to Fasting: Everything You Need to Know About Fasting"
Disclaimer: I'm not a healthcare professional. I'm merely very interested in this topic for my own health's sake.
Please consult with your doctor before attempting a prolonged fast.
For overall results, I lost 10lbs total (mostly water weight), really got used to not eating all the time, and realized that we eat so often just for an activity to do when we are not actually hungry.
I think everyone should at least try it once, even if just for a day.
Will I do it again?
Yes - definitely. Probably once a year I’ll do a 5-day fast, and then every quarter i’ll at least do a 24-72 hour fast.
Watch the Full-Recap for some more insights.
That’s all for now, happy fasting. Drink some water :)
-Ryan Ward
