I wouldn’t shoot for 7 days for your fast because to be frank, it’s unlikely and you will just be setting yourself up to fail since this is your first. Having juice defeats the purpose when the goal is to reduce the sugar in the body so you will end up burning your fat stores or is that not your goal? Hair loss? Naturally we lose hundreds of hairs per day but maybe as an initial reaction, it may occur. Biotin has been shown to help reduce hair loss. Sleep can be affected as some people just cannot sleep with an empty stomach so have some water, sometimes the energy boost due to burning ketones keeps your brain running high so your sleep is affected by your thoughts and ideas just racing. The first 3-4 days are the hardest, but it will be easier after that and after each attempt. Aim for 12 hours then keep increasing until you get to your 7 day goal. Good luck!
Best of luck to you, your mindset will really determine how you feel over the next week. I’m on day 6 of 13, and enjoying the extra time and focus. I wouldn’t recommend juices, just water with low/no calorie flavoring, like tea or coffee. Listen to your body, especially when it comes to working out, but there’s no reason you can’t do your normal routine.
If you’re in America and fasting until election day, you’re invited to join the hunger strike for Yemen.
Hair loss is not a known side effect to water fasting.
If you take fruit juices then you are not doing a genuine water fast. If you are going to use fruit juices I recommend doing so 1-2 days before fasting to give your body some excess vitamins.
During re-feed you may have some issues with digestion which will depend on a variety of factors. What you ate, how much, how quickly… Make an effort to eat healthy, unprocessed foods when breaking the fast and do not rush your digestion to start working again.
Your metabolism will be burning almost only fat (minimal muscle, glycogen used up) about 2 full days into the fast. The reduction in sleep is typically in length of sleep, but the actual depth of your sleep may be deeper than usual. fasting supposedly allows for more melatonin to be induced.
Lastly, you may work out if you have the energy to. Make sure you are fueled with electrolytes and keep it to a light cardio if you feel your body is weaker than expected.
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Best of luck to you I hope it goes well!
-YC
Lots of questions…. definitely do some research. Be aware of the risks and what exactly you are about to do. But to answer your questions…
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- You shouldn’t lose your hair, I’ve never heard of this happening.
- You can drink juice, but it depends what you want to gain from the fast. I’ve fasted for spiritual reasons before for 18 days, and during that time I had juice. I wasn’t interested in the detox effects, but rather I was in a period of mourning and soul searching. However at other times I needed the physical healing and did a 12 day water fast and I had great gains from that. Tailor the fast to what you want to accomplish.
- The re-feeding for me is kind of a frenzy. I usually put back on about 1/3 of the weight I lost. during the 1-3 days once I start eating I have very little appetite control until my body is done. *Edit* -> Traditional wisdom says to ease back into food, start small then work back in bigger things. For reasons I cannot explain if I fast for less than a week (I usually fast for one 3 day block a month) I have been able to resume eating as normal. If i fast for more than a week, I can eat small portions of regular food and be fine. But this is stuff I learned through experience and learning what my body does during fasting *edit*
- Sleep if a funny thing during a fast. I spend a lot of time “resting” (laying in bed, reading books, not doing much) taking naps, and yes, at night sleeping. After the first week I noticed that at night I can’t sleep. My body becomes energized and my brain is pushing along at 110%. In my experience I am lucky to get 4 hours at night. However, the research shows that some people are different and when fasting they actually require a lot of sleep. So be open to either option and see what happens.
- Working out is not recommended. Go for a walk, maybe even a quick, light jog. Do some light physical activities. However, DO NOT go to the gym like you usually would. You can trigger hypoglycemia and pass out.
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As for motivation…. I lost over 30 lbs during my 12 day fast, I “cured” my gallstones, corrected my appetite and cravings, and was able to quit soda and fast food for about 6 months. And those are the benefits I am aware of, who knows what else my body did during that fast….
Definitely don’t do juice during a fast! It’s going to make you miserable.
The point of water fasting (in terms of metabolism) is to switch over from metabolizing glucose and glycogen (sugars) to ketones (fat). When you drink juice, that’s just pure sugar going into your body without any fat, protein, or fiber to make you feel full.
You should take a look at something called the “Glycemic Index” to get a better idea of how blood sugar levels work in your body. Essentially, you eat sugars/starches, and your blood sugar goes up. Your body then releases a hormone called insulin to help process that sugar to be used or stored.
What happens, is that your insulin levels will keep increasing to match the increased levels of blood sugar, but there’s a bit of a delay. So, when your blood sugar starts going down, your insulin levels can still be increasing past that point. Then, when your blood sugar levels are back to normal, your insulin levels have a way to go. This will ultimately drop your blood sugar making your body think it needs more food to increase blood sugar.
By drinking juice, that’s basically pure sugar (without fiber to slow uptake) straight into your bloodstream. Not a good idea.
I also wouldn’t shoot for 7 days if you have no experience. I’ve not gone longer than 6.5 days, and I’ve been fasting for almost 2 years. Not only are there physiological difficulties, (ie hunger, acid reflux) but also social. The number one reason I’ve broken fasts is eating with family/friends/GF. A week is a LONG time to not eat. People in your life will take time to adjust to your new lifestyle.
I can’t give too much advice on refeeding. I don’t do well there. I wind up eating way too much and being miserable.
I can tell you two things definitively (at least with fasts longer than 3 days). You won’t be able to eat as much at once (your stomach will have shrank), and your senses will be a bit heightened (Ie, food will taste different/better for the first few hours.
Also can’t speak to hair loss. I’m on my way there. Haha