I recently completed a 24 hour fast.
I didn’t eat a thing for an entire day.
After I finished my dinner Saturday night at 8 P.M. I didn’t eat a single bite of food until 8 P.M. Sunday.
My longest fast prior to this was 16 hours. So, I extended my personal record by 8 hours.
I believe in the benefits of fasting. In fact I’ve practiced intermittent fasting in the past with great success.
But people make a lot of claims about fasting that seem too good to be true.
My motivation for doing a 24 hour fast was to see for myself what it was like and to experience the effects firsthand.
I’ve heard that extended fasting provides physical, mental, and even spiritual benefits.
I’ve heard claims that fasting improves heath, provides mental clarity, and, in some cases, and increased sense of meaning and euphoric sensations.
Sounds interesting.
Plus, I want to lose weight for summer. And fasting for a day could jump start the weight loss process (since I’ll be in a calorie restricted state for a prolonged period of time).
On the mental front, fasting is a test of will. I like the challenge and want to strengthen my endurance to override the urge to eat.
Plus, I was genuinely curious to see what it was like for fast for a full day.
24-Hour Fast Benefits
Many people think fasting is going without. However, I’m focused on what I will gain from the fast.
When you abstain you actually gain.
My purpose for fasting was mostly physical and mental – I wanted to lose a few pounds and test my willpower.
In addition to that, I wanted to see how fasting for a day would effect my energy levels and ability to focus.
Maybe this is something that I could make a common practice.
Since one 24 hour fast won’t provide much sustainable benefit. It’s often practiced once every seven days.
I also wanted to see how fasting all day impacts my mood.
If it’s not too terrible, perhaps this is something I could try during a weekday. My main concern about weekday fasting is that I might become hangry and quite unpleasant to work with.
Finally, I want to see if I could achieve the ‘euphoric’ state people experience while fasting. granted, this effect usually kicks in during extended fasting periods of several days. But maybe one day is enough?
Fasting Benefits
In general, fasting benefits are pretty clear.
The benefits are backed by scientific evidence (and practical application by me).
Mental Clarity
I notice a greater ability to think clearly when I fast.
Fasting in a way is a cognitive enhancer.
Your mind is clear and sharp. As long as you’re working on something interesting to keep your mind off food.
Studies have found that fasting increases concentration and enhances learning ability and memory.
It also protects the brain from neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers.
Exercise Willpower
If you’ve ever tried to diet you know how hard it can be to stick to the plan.
A 24-hour fast proved to me that I can resist the temptation to eat.
It wasn’t always easy but it goes to show what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it.
Fasting Makes Food Taste Better
I love to eat. Fine food is one of life’s great pleasures.
Fasting makes food taste so much better. You crave nutritions meals and even the blandest food tastes amazing when you’re hungry.
Your sense of taste and smell is heightened. That first bite of food after a fast is orgasmic.
Eating Often is Overrated
This is for my meathead friends out there.
I wanted to test the commonly excepted believe that you need to eat 6 meals a day to muscle muscle and get ripped.
I’ve eaten six meals a day, and yes, it helped me get ripped, but damn was it a chore.
I wanted to conquer my inner voice that said – “You can’t workout today, you didn’t eat enough to get a good workout.”
Or, “You won’t grow if you don’t eat right away after a workout.”
I wanted to prove that you don’t need to eat all the damn time. You won’t go catabolic if you miss a meal or two. Not so catabolic that you won’t recover from it immediately after your next meal, anyway.
So, don’t stress out if you don’t eat.
I used to HAVE to eat after a workout.
Then I read about Herschel Walker and how he only ate one meal a day.
If an elite athlete can perform at the top of his game on one meal a day and be built like a brick shit house, there must be something to it.
This 24 hour fast was a test to prove that you don’t need to eat all the time to maintain muscle.
Besides, I over eat six days a week to make up for it.
People obsess over eating all the time in order to preserve their muscle.
Guess how muscle muscle I lost while fasting?
Zero.
Unless you’re a competitive bodybuilder, don’t worry about eating all the time.
Weight Loss
I lost 2 pounds after my 24 hour fast.
Granted, I have a fast metabolism (due to my lean muscle mass), but I keep this weight off if I eat clean.
Fasting kickstarts your fat burning since after the fuel from your most recent meal is used up, your body shifts to burn fat for fuel.
Fasting is by far the fastest way to reduce belly fat.
Reduce Inflammation
Inflammation wreaks havoc on your body.
It causes cancer, heart disease, arthritis, depression and anxiety.
Basically, inflammation destroys your quality of life and kills you faster.
Inflammation is caused by eating processed foods. And since 95% of all ‘food’ in America is processed, inflammation is very common.
Cancer, heart disease, arthritis, depression and anxiety are also common as a result.
What is inflammation?
Inflammation is your body’s response to infection.
When you eat unnatural food, your body see’s it as a threat and becomes inflamed as an immune response.
Fasting gives you the chance to purge the toxic build up that causes inflammation.
Natural Detox
Fasting gives your body a break from digestion and allows you to fully assimilate the food in your gut.
There are pounds of sludge build-up in your gut.
Fasting gives your body the opportunity to purge this sewage from your intestines.
Overeating puts food into your body faster than it can be processed out.
The food rots in your gut and can cause all kinds of health problems over time.
Fasting expels all the bad ingredients in a natural detoxification process.
Every bite of food brings toxins with it.
Pesticides, parasites, synthetic hormones, and unnatural GMOs must be dealt with. Your body spends a lot of energy processing these toxins.
These toxins accumulate over time and make you sick.
Toxins wear you out, beat you down, and crank up your milage.
Not good in a world where we’re expected to constantly do more with less.
You need to be on point and manage your energy to stay on top of your game.
Heal Damaged Cells
You are a mass of trillions of cells all working together to keep you in tip-top shape.
Our DNA is damaged tens of thousands of times a day.
Free radicals, pollutants, radiation from electronics and cell phones punches holes in your DNA on a daily basis.
When this happens, your body deploys special proteins to repair DNA back to normal or kill the damaged cell.
Sometimes though, things go array and the cell mutates, thus creating cancer cells.
Fasting gives your body the resources to focus on fixing damaged cells correctly.
Thus shielding you from cancerous cells.
Conserves Energy
Digestion is the most expensive and energy intense biological process.
Half of your energy is spent on digestion.
Let me repeat that:
Digestion uses half of all your energy.
Energy is your life-force. Run out of energy and you’re toast.
Ever wonder why you get tired after a big meal?
This could be why many people who fast experience lots of energy.
After the shift from burning food to burning fat occurs, that is. The transition can make you tired for a bit.
Obviously, one 24-hour fast won’t reverse years of damage, but a 24 hour fast done once a week will help improve your help.
Alternatively, 16:8 intermittent fasting can have a greater positive impact in my opinion, since it’s a much more consistent fasting method.
My 24 Hour Fast Experience
My 24 hour fast was a fun experiment and I’d like to share my experience with you.
I’ll walk you through my entire 24 hour fasting period.
I took notes throughout the day in order to capture how I felt in the moment as well as to accurately document my activities during the day.
Let’s get to it.
My 24 hour fast started on Saturday night.
After my big dinner of grilled chicken, BBQ ribs, topped off with ice cream and warm brownie for dessert, I shut it off.
I went to bed a few hours after dinner and woke up around 7 A.M. When I woke up I was already 11 hours in to my fast. Nice.
I went to a coffee shop to get some work done. There I had two cups of black coffee.
I started feeling hungry around noon. A little tummy rumble. Nothing serious.
At 1:30 P.M. I check in with myself – “Six hours to go until chow time. Not bad.” I’m cruising through this fast without much turbulence.
I drive to the downtown market for a change of scene. I buy 2 liters of water and drink one while working on facebook advertisements.
Amanda texts me. She wants to workout at 3:30P.M.
“Sounds good. Let’s go.”
I get to the gym and slam my second liter of water in the parking lot.
We go inside and I proceed to absolutely crush a chest workout.
High volume, heavy weight. Fast. Intense.
I drank probably 3/4 gallons of water during my workout.
Drink a lot of water while fasting.
It will keep your belly full and curb hunger. Water also flushes out bad stuff and helps the fasting process.
I felt a slight natural ‘high’. Like my sense of wellbeing was lifted. Definitely a noticeable positive shift in attitude. Interesting.
By 5 P.M. I finished my workout and feel great. I felt strong.
Hunger set in near the end of my workout though. I usually eat after a workout so my body anticipated food.
It was not painful or uncomfortable. The hunger was tolerable and easy to override the sensation by staying busy and focusing on something else.
6 P.M. I’m home, showered and starting to feel really hungry.
I slowed down and now my mind is on food. I need a distraction so I fold laundry and watch basketball on T.V.
The hunger is manageable but I just want to eat.
Amanda makes food. I can smell it in the other room and my mouth starts to water. My sense of smell is sharper. It’s like I can taste the food with my nose.
I reassure myself that the meal I’m about to have is going to be mind-blowing and well worth the wait.
At 7 P.M. I pre-heat the oven and begin preparing my meal.
8:01 P.M. I proceed to destroy a full rack of BBQ ribs, a grilled chicken breast and a pile of asparagus. It was amazing and I feel great.
It took me about 45 minutes to eat. Then I slammed a carton of egg whites and went to sleep.
Addition Thoughts on Fasting
My 24 hour fast actually wasn’t that difficult. I’ve done intermittent fasting from time to time. So, I’m no stranger to fasting.
The trick is to keep your mind off food. If you’re bored and have nothing to keep you occupied then fasting is torture.
Stay busy. That’s part of the point of fasting anyway. Your productivity should increase while fasting.
Fasting Pays Homage to Your Ancestors
In a way fasting honors those who came before us.
We live in bountiful times but it wasn’t always that way.
How many of your grand parents or great-grand parents talked about not having food to eat?
They went to bed hungry.
We don’t have that problem today. Fasting can give you a new appreciation and perspective for what we have and what they went through. Besides, it’s the path they went through to get you here.
If you go way back, our ancestors didn’t eat for days. They were stronger, smarter, and healthier than us as a result.
Or, think about the Spartans who were intentionally starved of food as part of their training. This hardened their bodies and minds and they became the greatest warriors on Earth.
The cold, cruel world that raised our ancestors didn’t leave room for weakness.
The soft got pummeled in direct proportion to their softness.
I equate this to modern day when I feel stressed about eating because later I might be too busy to eat. It distracts from the task at hand. and I think “Oh no. I need food for energy in order to perform well.” So I convince myself to basically perform sub-optimally because I didn’t eat recently.
This is nonsense. And I wanted to prove it to myself beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could operate on little to no food, so it wouldn’t hold me back even in the slightest.
That way, if I was ever in that position (I will be) I wouldn’t be hindered by it. I could tough it out. Not only tough it out, but thrive in that scenario because i’ve been there before and know what to expect.
Challenge Cultural Norms
We are programmed by society to eat three meals a day.
We live in a culture of consumption.
Everyone and their grandma tells you it’s okay to just eat, eat, eat.
What they can’t tell you is what you’re eating is made of.
Do you see how that’s a problem?
Don’t worry about it they say. Just eat this. It will make you happy and feel better (for a little while).
Let me ask you something:
Who benefits when we overeat?
Who profits from our consumption?
It sure as shit isn’t you or me.
Mental Effects of Fasting
I also thought that maybe if I purged my body of impurities it might help clear my mind.
I’ve also heard people have visions and elation while fasting.
That sounds pretty cool. Let’s find out.
Maybe all the toxins getting released and processed out of your body causes this effect.
Or maybe since you’re not wasting any energy on digestion, all your energy is diverted else where. You become more keen to your body and environment and this can prompt greater imagination and concentration.
I didn’t have any visions, epiphanies or hallucinations, but I did feel fantastic around hour 20. It was like an elevated sense of well being and content-ness that rushed over me and stayed for a little while.
Final Thoughts on The 24 Hour Fast
Why would anyone not eat for an entire day?
Because I wanted to see what it’s like. It was an experiment.
Sometimes you need to just see things for yourself.
People flood your mind with bullshit if you let them. Take the ONE extra step and try things for yourself. Don’t just take someone’s word for it. Especially the self-important social media influencers. Most do not have your best interest in mind. I’m not saying they are bad people. Most are perfectly good. But many just echo what everyone else is saying in an effort to be relevant and get your attention. Not to be cynical here, but with the social media wave it’s important to see what works for you personally and what doesn’t.
The 24 hour fast was a personal challenge.
I wanted to prove to myself that it’s all in the mind. Am I really hungry?
How do I function without food in my system for that long?
I tried to have a regular Sunday. I worked all morning and worked out in the afternoon. Then I went home and did chores, meal prepped, and got ready for the week ahead.
It took some will power, absolutely. But it wasn’t that hard.
How Often should You Fast?
One single 24 hours fast will not be able to purge all the toxins from your body but it can definitely help.
You need to start somewhere.
The right amount of fasting for you depends on your goals.
However, even the slightest amount of fasting will provide benefits, if done consistently.
Doing a 24 hour fast once a week consistently should show results over time.
Some people do a 48 hour fast once a month. Or sometimes as often as once a week. This is called 5:2 Fasting.
I’m still partial to 16:8 intermittent fasting where you eat within an 8 hour window and fast for 16 hours every day.
I will try a 48 hour fast next to see if the effects are more pronounced or if there’s new effects.
If you want to learn more about fasting, check out the book Eat-Stop-Eat to learn more.
Hi. Today is my 4th day of my 24hr fasting and I feel great, I am loving it.
Hello. Do you mean you’ve fasted for 4 days in a row? Or this is the 4th time you’ve fasted for 24 hours?
Great article! I saved it to my favorites and I’ll refer to it again. Thank you!!
Fantastic article!
I started 16:8 fasting 16mths ago after “stalling out” with dropping a few kilo’s…and have never looked back.
I finish my dinner at 7pm, and have my “breakfast” when the kids have their lunch – aside from 2 black coffees during the morning never even notice it anymore!
Now I’m inspired to fast 24hr once a week, and 48hr once a month after also watching a documentary with Chris Hemsworth.
Thanks Ash! Nice work. That’s my preferred fasting schedule as well.
Let me know how the 24 hour and 48 hour fasting goes!