In the first part of this series we looked at the biological benefits of fasting but today, in Part II, I want to share my first experience of doing it - including the why, the how and the results.
Earlier this year, I was diagnosed with mild colitis (inflammation of the lining of the large intestine or colon) which is a less severe form of the condition where symptoms are manageable and can often be treated with dietary adjustments and anti-inflammatory medications (if you’re that way inclined which personally I’m not).
My symptoms included:
Diarrhoea in the early days which then gave way to an urge to have a bowel movement but couldn’t
Mild abdominal discomfort - stitch-like
Occasional excess mucus in the throat
Excessive peeing, resulting in broken sleep
A common trigger with any metabolic disruption is nutrition: what are we fuelling our bodies with and what dietary changes can we make?
So for me, out went the biscuits, snacks and processed foods, to be replaced with more eggs, more fresh vegetables, more varied fruit until my kitchen resembled a fruit & veg stall.
This resulted in a major improvement of my symptoms but I still didn’t feel quite right so I decided to embark on a 24 hour fast.
As explained in Part I it is important to plan ahead and to ensure you have the requisite fluids on hand. I chose filtered still water, infused filtered water, using oranges, lemons and strawberries, an electrolyte supplement and a modest amount of black coffee (small cups).
So under starters orders - the Fast began!
This was a pure, fluid-supported fast with no solid food for 24 hours. I planned it to run from 6 pm to 6 pm to include the 8-9 hours of sleep time which meant only 15 waking hours without food. The prospect of not eating for this length of time was both alien and daunting in equal measure but the potential benefits outweighed those concerns.
I won’t lie, the initial period - knowing you can’t eat - plus waking up in the morning feeling very hungry were the hardest parts to navigate. When the hunger pangs kick in, you just have to resist the urge to eat.
“…..mmm feeling hungry, I’ll just have a …..” oh I can’t I’m fasting!
Looking at my watch:
“…..dinner time soon…..” not today it isn’t!
Damn it! I’ll just have another glass of water then!
However, I must confess, once I crossed the 12 hour mark I felt my body adapting and whilst those hunger pains could still be felt intermittently, the intensity had certainly faded.
When I finally reached my 24 hour target, I honestly felt I could have continued - that’s how quickly my body had adjusted - but I chose to stay with my original plan.
We mentioned in Part I the importance of a slow and controlled reintroduction of food to allow the body to re-acclimatize so the first meal I chose comprised of scrambled egg with avocado and strawberry-infused filtered water.
This was followed later with soup, Greek yoghurt, berries and banana.
Day 1 monitoring
Abdominal discomfort - GONE!
Excessive peeing - GONE!
Broken sleep - GONE!
Much less throat mucus
Stool movement almost normal.
Day 3 monitoring
All symptom levels remain the same
Day 5 monitoring
All symptom levels remain the same and stable.
I would say I am now almost fully recovered so I will definitely be undertaking another one soon.
These results have been achieved from my very first experience of fasting and I have to say I do feel re-energized so I will certainly be continuing with this and including it as part of my on-going health regimen.
I am now inspired to undertake a 48 hour one at some point so will share the results when I do.
ICYMI - you can read Part I here:
Fasting Part I: Resetting the clock
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Jun 23
I have been aware of the biological benefits of fasting for some time now but it’s not something that I have personally embraced - until now!
Finally, if you are considering a fast for the first time, I would strongly suggest reading the above beforehand just to understand the potential benefits and how to plan accordingly.
I wish you well with your endeavours and please feel free to reach out if you need to.
Wishing you all good health!
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