Water Fasting Fun on Day One

This morning, I woke up, went downstairs, and poured myself a glass of water, not unlike most mornings. But unlike most days, I won't be drinking -- or eating -- anything else. And tomorrow, I'll do the same thing, and the day after that, possibly five days in a row if I can stand it.

Do I like torture? I must, right? But no, I'm not doing this to torture myself or to trigger some kind of spiritual experience, or to enact penance, or for any religious reason. No, I'm doing this to improve my health. 

In 2016, my husband and I traveled to Santa Rosa, California, to stay at the world-famous TrueNorth Health Center and participate in a water fast. I first read about TrueNorth in Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book Fasting and Eating for Health. I have a history of migraine headaches and IBS and thought a short water fast might help me get rid of those troubling problems.

The benefits of water fasting are many. They include lowering blood pressure, reversing many other diseases, and resetting your palate so that you enjoy foods free of sugar, oil, and salt. You can do a lot of these things by adopting an unprocessed plant-based diet free of sugar, oil, and salt, but it takes longer. However, water fasting, even for 24 hours, should never be done without proper medical supervision. For one, you can get dizzy and fall down if you get up too quickly or exert yourself, something you want to avoid while water fasting. There are other many adverse outcomes when water fasting without medical supervision, so stay safe and find a reliable doctor who can help you (TrueNorth and the Fasting Escape have information and resources on how to do this.)

For some reason, my husband and I didn't know this and decided to try fasting at home. I lasted all of 36 hours, my husband, a couple of days (maybe up to three). As I gobbled watermelon (fresh fruit is considered a good way to break a fast), I remember thinking, "I'll never do that again."

But in 2016, after learning more about water fasting and eating a diet free of oil, sugar, and salt, I decided to go to TrueNorth during a special program they used to have over the winter holidays. I started a fast that I hoped would last about seven days. I made it four days, and then we got a call that our dear dog died, so I broke my fast on the fifth day with juice. I had already experienced some anxiety, so my doctor ordered broth for me on day four. Had the dog not passed away, I might have stuck to the fast another day or two. The overall result of fasting was that I did experience a lessening of migraine headaches and IBS symptoms, although not entirely. I also lost quite a bit of weight, most of which I kept off for a couple of years by staying on the SOS-free, unprocessed plant-based diet they recommend. (I have been vegan since 2000, but haven't always followed an unprocessed vegan diet.)

I tried fasting two more times at TrueNorth, once in late 2017 after experiencing a tooth infection that I believe gave me SIBO, and in the summer of 2019, in a second attempt to get rid of SIBO. Both times, I didn't fast more than two days before feeling sick and weak, so I drank juice for several days and then re-introduced a healthy diet. 

Well, we all know what happened in 2020, but in late 2019, after finding out I did indeed have SIBO, I went on an antibiotic at my regular doctor's suggestion. Even though my SIBO symptoms were much improved after the summer 2019 fast. Yikes. Big mistake. When I had an allergic reaction to the standard antibiotic, I took another, and that gave me C. diff. 

C. diff is an intestinal infection that can be quite serious, especially in the ill or elderly. Luckily, I recovered after two weeks of another antibiotic. But my IBS worsened, and the Pandemic stress didn't help. And I couldn't go to TrueNorth or another fasting center, The Fasting Escape in Orange County. 

Then I found out that the Fasting Escape, run by Dr. Gersfeld, a chiropractor formerly on the staff at TrueNorth, had a remote fasting program. But the idea of fasting at home terrified me. How could I fast and be around food all the time? And take care of the house? And work (remotely, at the time)?

Well, my IBS pushed me to the point over the past three years where I am now willing to try it. And so, here I am, on day one of my water fast, remotely supervised by Dr. Gershfeld, and other than being bored and a little hungry and headachy, I'm feeling okay.

My plan (fingers crossed) is to water fast for at least five days, maybe seven, and slowly re-feed and continue on the healthy, SOS-free diet that helped me get rid of most of my IBS symptoms in 2016. So far, the worst part is not being able to brush my teeth with anything but water. And being a little colder than usual. 

Per Dr. Gershfeld, I'm supposed to rest, so I'll bring this short article to a close. Please check out the resources I shared above if you're interested in learning more about water fasting from a reliable source. Cheers.

(Please excuse any typos you may see here. I'm fasting, after all.)