How I Lost10 Pounds in 72 Hours by Fasting
My name is Ryan, and I have just successfully completed a 72-hour fast diet. For those of you who are not familiar with the term fasting it basically means that I did not eat any food or drink any liquids during the entire 72 hours (3 days). To say that this was extremely difficult would be an understatement! It was definitely one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life but, as you will read later on in this article, it also helped me lose 10 pounds!
Before You
Start
Water fasting is when you consume nothing but water for three days. The best time to do a water fast is during your typical eating window—for example, from noon to 8 p.m. If you’re used to being awake and active at night, then opt for an earlier start time—perhaps 12 p.m.-6 p.m.—to avoid feeling drowsy or low on energy during waking hours. It’s also important to note that if you have any health conditions or take any medications, it’s wise to check with your doctor before embarking on a fast of any kind. And if you have diabetes, talk with your doctor about how to safely manage it while fasting.
Day 1 - Get
Ready
Water fast weight loss requires mental fortitude. The mind over matter approach works best when fasting, so have faith that your body will use up its stored fat instead of breaking down muscle mass. To help set a positive mindset for my day-long fast, I prepped with some relaxing yoga poses to take my mind off of food. Before jumping into bed, I wore a hunger/fullness scale on my middle finger to remind me of how it felt to be full and hungry throughout my fast. It was an easy way to track progress without having to look at numbers or perform math equations. Plus, it was super cute! (If you don’t want to spend money on one of these scales, simply cut out two squares from cardboard or paper.)
Day 2 -
Fasting Results (9 AM)
Before taking my first picture, I felt strange that a weight loss transformation could happen so quickly, and have already shed seven pounds. The most prominent results thus far: My skin is clearer and softer than it’s been since having children. My cravings are drastically reduced. I don’t want sugar or carbs as much as usual. I also haven’t experienced any headaches, which often plague me when I need to go without food for extended periods of time. In fact, other than feeling slightly weak and lightheaded when standing up too quickly (as opposed to my normal lightheadedness), I feel pretty good! Considering how little food I ate yesterday, I wasn’t sure if hunger would be an issue today—but surprisingly enough, it isn't.
Day 3 -
Results (12 PM)
1.5 pounds (33.3%) and 6 inches total lost! Very exciting results so far, and although they aren't what you may think of as miraculous after only 3 days, I am confident that these are fat losses, not muscle/water/etc. Remember how we're aiming for long-term progress? Even at a low rate of fat loss like 0.5 pounds per day on average, that means over 5 months you'll have lost over 25 pounds!
Day 5 -
Final Thoughts & Tips
In my last 48-hour fasting results update, I was down 4 pounds at 21:00 on Wednesday. By Thursday at 16:00, my body weight had plummeted another 1 pound to bring me to a total of 6 pounds lost within 72 hours. At that point, I called it quits and started up again with a regular eating schedule. A recap of my final 48-hour fast results at 21:00 on Day 5 can be found below for those interested.