Last week I fasted 3 days with 2 days of dry fasting (no liquids at all.) This week I did a 3-days and 6-hours Dry Fast (78-hours total.) The bad photo in the mirror was taken this morning after one small meal, some water and a pull-dominant workout and a few sets of arms, sipping on whey hydrolysate.
As a contrast, to show that I’m not actually as fat as I look on the first picture, the second picture was taken at 3 pm in the afternoon after two more meals and some hydration, which brought my veins back – at least somewhat. I lost about 4 kg during these three days of no food or water. On the first photo I weighted only 71.8 kg. In the afternoon I was back up to 74 kg, and I will probably be around 76 kg tomorrow, fully hydrated and with full stores of muscle glycogen. Last week before that previous fast, I was at 78.8 kg. I lost about 3 kg of fat from these total 6-days of fasting and no muscle at all. Losing muscle on dry fasts are almost impossible, even at 7-days or more.
Still, you see bro-science fitness people doing idiotic restriction diets, consuming carbohydrates and plant foods, and not using fasting at all – ruining their metabolism and getting nutrition deficiencies in the process. I have to write a book about that. So much pseudo-science and misinformation. 9 out of 10 coaches are totally clueless on nutrition and physiology.
During these three days, I did not lift weights since I want to let my body heal and detox. Trying to repair extra cellular damage from weight lifting would be unnecessary stress. However, I still walked my dogs as usual for about a total of 3 to 4 hours every day (about 15 to 20 km or 10 to 13 miles a day.)
Was I thirsty or tired? No. Did I get a dry mouth? Only when I talked for longer periods of time. Did I feel weak? No. Did I lose any strength? Yes, on the first workout after a fast I’m about 5% weaker at my max lifts, but I’m also about 4 to 5 kg lower in body weight, so relative to my body-weight I’m actually stronger. And the ‘loss’ in strength is due to less water weight and thus less stability around the joints. Still, it’s only a few kilograms on the bar. And most importantly, everything feels better after a dry fast. Your cell receptors are responsive again. Damaged and useless cells have been removed and replaced. It’s a full body service and your internal clock has been set back several years. If you do not fast a few times a year, you are doing yourself the biggest disservice imaginable.
This 78-hours dry fast was only conditioning. I will do a 7-day dry fast later this year, when I feel I have the time for it and can plan a bit around it. Then I will document every day in more detail.
Read more about dry fasting here: