The time to start taking the phrase “Invest In Your Health” seriously is NOW.
2020 has been a year for the books…
And we’re not even halfway through it yet. *inserts distressed emoji face*
Earlier this year I shared my weight loss journey in my blog post, “How I Lost 30lbs Without Going To The Gym”. I mentioned that there were three simple lifestyle changes that I made which unbeknownst to me gave my body the environment it needed to rid itself from a lot of unnecessary fat. It’s been 5 months since I wrote that post and about 10 months or so since I decided to make these small changes. I’ve managed to keep the weight off and my eating habits and water consumption have improved drastically. More specifically, I’ve committed to completing a water fast for 3 days every month.
Fasting is the act of abstaining from consuming food. In a 72 hour water fast, one abstains from food for three days while only drinking water. When my husband first introduced me to this idea of going three days without eating, my immediate reaction was…”Yeah..you’re on your own buddy”. However, after seeing the weight literally fall off of him within a few months, I was intrigued by this 72-hour water fasting phenomenon. I wanted my stomach to be on "flat flat" too so I decided to give it a try!
In September 2019, after our family cruise (What To Expect On The Carnival Sensation), I got my entire life together and embarked on my first 72-hour water fast. The first day wasn’t so bad. I’ve gone entire days without eating before, not on purpose, so I was able to push through. BUT, as the day progressed and surpassed the 36-hour mark, hunger started to attack me lol. Seeing commercials of food made my stomach growl, scrolling past Instagrammable foodie posts began to upset me, and the combination of an empty stomach and throbbing headaches had me walking around feeling like one hangry lady.
The only way to curb my appetite was to drink more water, and more water, and more water….
But with more water that I drank, I began to notice, the less hungry I felt. My headache was still there, but the throbbing had subsided. “Was the worst past over?”, I thought. By the beginning of day three, the desperation and temptation of food were no longer there. My stomach was empty, but I wasn’t hungry. Mindblown! This “ah ha” moment taught me that when I’m complaining of being hungry, it’s more than likely just my mind telling me that I want to eat, not necessarily needing to eat. When all was said and done and I hopped on the scale after my first fast, I lost 11 pounds! Wooow! My stomach was noticeably flatter and my skin was even a little clearer.
Since September, fasting has become much easier for me. Most recently, Husbae and I extended our water fast and went for 90 hours strong. Not because we wanted to put our willpower to the test, but honestly, we didn’t have an appetite. After fasting for a period, your body gets used to not eating, and eventually, your appetite suppresses. Other benefits include detoxification and the elimination of toxins and waste, cellular and tissue repair, clearer skin, and weight loss. When we finally broke our fast (“breakfast”), we eased back in with homemade lemon-ginger-turmeric fresh-pressed juice.
What I learned...and am continually learning from my 72-hour water fast is to invest in my health, to listen to my body, and to feed it what it needs. We really are what we eat and we have to treat our bodies with love and respect. I truly believe that if you take good care of your body, it will take good care of you.
If you’re interested in completing a 72-hour fast on your own, I encourage you to do your research. Consult with your physician, talk to a nutritionist, and read and watch trusted articles and videos. There is research out there on the benefits of fasting. Try intermittent fasting first and then give this 72-hour water fast a try!
In this video, Husbae and I share our experiences on water fasting and what got us started on this journey. Check it out!