Question

Hello! Pardon if this has been asked before, but if the knowledge that 1 day of dry fasting equals 3 days of water fasting, does that mean if I do dry fasting for 12 hours or intermittently, that 12 hours of dry fasting = 1.5 days water fasting? Just wondering if the logic applies that way. Or if it only applies if you go 24 hours. Are there benefits to IF dry fasting for weight loss? Or should I try longer? Thanks!

Answer

That rubric is true for the overall impact across an entire fast, not for increments of going without food.

It takes several days to enter the fasting state and make progress within it. You will enter the fasting state quicker when dry fasting than when water fasting. Once in the fasting state your progress will be more intense in dry fasting than in water fasting. These experiences will appear relative to each other at roughly 3x the speed. It’s a good ratio to ballpark experience by, not to expect precise differences in multiples.

There is no such thing as dry fasting or water fasting in less than 24 hours – you’re not in the wet or dry fasting state yet, you’re merely skipping meals.

Answer

Dry fasting for 12 hours is pointless. If you want to lose weight it takes a day or two before your body starts burning the extra fat to access metabolic water. If you are dry fasting to heal your body/mind this will take a couple of days for autophagy to really kick in.