My longest fast was about 110 hours, so I’m definitely not up there with the really long fasters. Having said that, a bit part of what prevented me from going further was my inability to get in enough electrolytes. Snake juice = 🤮. However, just potassium in my water is fine. Salt in water makes me feel sick, plus it upsets my bowels (so not fun). I finally started sucking on Himalayan rock salt and hurrah I can now get salt into my body without needing to run to the bathroom! I’m just now starting back into fasting so I’m planning on my first fast being around 36 hours, unless I feel fine and want to add on another day. But yeah, the electrolyte issue was huge for me, especially since I’m also on meds that deplete my magnesium.
Oh, but I started fasting around 10 years ago doing JUDDDD (essentially ADF + OMAD for me). The website is now defunct sadly as it had a calorie intake calculator. The book exists but it’s out of print I believe (and nobody really talks about it anymore anyway)
I’m a female in my mid 40s, and I’ve reached my goal weight, so I’m fasting as treatment for health issues. My longest fast was 14 days in 2017. I’ve lost about 60lbs in 6 years (10 last month, been maintaining the other 50 for about 3.5 years). I’m extremely comfortable with OMAD and do 3-5 day fasts as needed. The last 6 months, I’ve been fasting for about 3 days, every month, before my cycle, I’m now extending it to 5 days to see if it makes a difference, I got good results last month.
The hardest part is day 1 and it’s purely psychological, I just don’t feel like it but know it’s for the best. It’s the literal definition of chore, and like chores I just get it over with by whatever means possible. (However, when I do a fast after feasting (like Christmas), it seems to happen without conscious thought on my part, I’m just not hungry for a couple days.)
Specifically, it’s day 1 at 3 and 7-9pm. I usually eat (2 small or 1 large meal) between 1 and 7. I have awful autopilot tendencies, it’s like food jumps down my throat before consciousness has time to vote, I’m just suddenly holding an apple with chunks missing. So day 1 and 2, I avoid the kitchen completely. The day before the fast I do liquid only with pureed soup at 7. It just works out better for me that way.
By the second day my mental temper tantrums have subsided and the rest is uneventful. I know I’ll be awake all night, so I find ways to entertain myself. I don’t get weak unless I attempt to do strenuous things, however last month I was pretty up and down day 4-5 to the point where I wrapped my hair and did sink bathing in the a.m., then felt fine, then I’d suddenly feel drained, then energized again. My tongue gets a coating, but that’s been diminishing as of last month, so I think it’s clearing up. I don’t indulge in food porn anymore as of maybe 3 months ago. Some fast food commercials kind of turn my stomach. I get cold around day 3, I wear a fleece jacket and keep a throw and teapot nearby. Oh, and depending on what I ate before fasting, I may get head congestion with thick mucus (Mucinex clears it up) in my upper sinuses that lasts until refeed, I believe it has to do with simple carbs or dairy products, I’m still trying to figure it out.