Fasting has been on my radar for a long time. While the research is there to back it up, it wasn’t until recently I started taking the concept of fasting more seriously. What can I say, I love food. But it was incredible my experience and that is why I want to share my 5-day fast and this is what I learned.
No big deal, I thought. It’s only five days out of 365 – it can’t be that bad.
I had studied in-depth the benefits of fasting, felt convicted to practice religious fasting, and yet I just thought I loved food too much to give it up. So I spent over a year, contemplating without ever taking the leap.
Sure, I’d do a 24, even 36 hours fast now and then, but that felt like a burden. But the conviction didn’t end, and a podcast guest who had laid out all of the incredible facts about prolonged fasting and I was convinced I was going to try a 5-day fast.
Click here to listen to the interview about prolonged fasting.
Before I got started, I wanted to lay the groundwork, because I think there is a lot of misconceptions and expectations that we place on ourselves when it comes to fasting and cleansing. I certainly didn’t want to have any part of that – I just wanted to experience the health benefits {and for the religious side of things, the satisfaction and the filling that only comes from Jesus – could I be satisfied on Him alone?}.
my ground rules
Here were my ground rules for my 5-day fast:
- I would NOT weigh myself before I started or after I finished – this was not about weight loss, and I was not going to let that get in my head.
- Not fixate on an external outcome but an internal physical feeling.
- I wanted to spend deep and intimate time leaning into knowing God’s love more – could I be filled on Him alone?
- Could I cure the aches and pains that ailed me and bring me back in an energetic balance?
what i did
After talking and researching and reading about food-mimicking fasting, I decided to opt for this over traditional water fast. Partially because water fasting for five days can be hard on your metabolism and hormonal flow, whereas a bit of nourishment allowed for more extended fasting without the detrimental drawbacks.
The food-mimicking fast I did was called Prolon.
A systemized approach with portioned out “meals” to accompany the 5-day fast. Here are some notes form the five days I jotted down:
Day 1:
Emotionally I feel ready and prepared for the five days, and I’m in good spirits.
Physically I feel energized, healthy, and surprisingly not that hungry. The food was filling and made it feel like I wasn’t even fasting.
Day 2:
Today was harder than I expected – I had heard day three was the worse – and I’m certainly hoping that it doesn’t get worse than this.
I’m hungry, have a headache, and feel exhausted. I’m even having a hard time focusing. But I also don’t feel like I drank enough, so I’m just headed to bed early.
Day 3:
I woke up feeling so much better. I feel more energized and like today is going to be a good day. I’m struggling to get down the soup – in fact, my gag reflex has kicked in, and I don’t even know if I can finish them.
I ended up going to bed without my nighttime soup mixture because I wasn’t that hungry and couldn’t stomach the thought of spooning that soup into my body again. Overall, I’m feeling good but ready for bed.
Day 4:
I’m feeling pretty amazing – it’s also helpful to know that tomorrow is the final day. Honestly, it has felt like the longest week of the year, and I recognize how much I use food for emotional comfort and satisfaction. Not just use it but rely on it.
In all honesty, the social aspect of food is what I miss the most. It’s not that I’m necessarily that hungry or craving anything but connection. Have I learned to connect with food, giving it more power than it was needed?
Something I will be pondering int he coming weeks. But, overall, it was a good day.
Day 5:
I woke up craving protein – anything and everything. It didn’t help that my husband browned some ground beef, and I swear I could have eaten the entire pan {and I don’t even love meat}. However, while I’m more hungry today {it’s also Saturday – which was a terrible day to end on} I feel well.
My body feels light, pain-free, and energized. But I’m going to be glad to eat again as I certainly need some more nourishment in my life. I’m resting easy tonight knowing tomorrow it’s back to food.
Day 6:
The fast is over, and while I woke up like Christmas morning, ecstatic to eat, I realized that what I was seeking food for, it didn’t satisfy. I mean, it was good and made me feel good, but it didn’t have the emotional pull that it used to – which makes me believe that I wasn’t just using food for nourishment but comfort.
What I learned
The 5-day fast taught me a lot, and I felt great. Here are a few things I learned:
- Food is so easily used to fill voids and soften the emotions we go through.
- I eat way more than I need to in a day and could be more satisfied with eating the right amounts rather than continually overeating.
- Jesus can satisfy, and there is something so growing in feeling completely dependent on His filling. A closeness to Him that I crave.
- My body loves protein {and animal proteins}. I craved it the most when the fast was over – to replenish those stores.
- The fast created new rhythms and patterns, helping to evaluate what is working and what isn’t.
What I didn’t love:
- While some of the food was good – the soup mixes in the Prolon packets were AWFUL. I could stomach it on day one and day two, but days three, four, and five, I couldn’t stomach them. It took everything to get them in me, using distracted eating to try not to think about what I was doing.
- My brain also felt off – it wasn’t firing as fast – more foggy in general.
Would I do it again?
Being a few weeks out, I can honestly say it must be like child-birth. You say you’ll never do it again in the middle of it, but a few weeks out, you recognize the good. So yes, I think I can do this again.
The price is what holds me back. It’s definitely incredibly expensive for what you get and for hating 50% of what you eat {and I like food}. If it wasn’t so expensive I certainly would go for it – which brings me back to water fasting.
I still believe with all that I am that fasting is a critical aspect of health. It’s been a part of history since creation, and the studied benefits are exponential. I’m wondering if a 3-day water fast would be more natural than a 5-day fast?
Or could I create my own food-mimicking diet at home? Clearly not as safe {as they say} but the soups – I don’t know if I can do it again?
Honestly, I don’t feel that much different when I come off the 5-Day Hormonal Reset – which happens to include delicious food – and it’s less than $20 {check that out here}. So I may just incorporate that more often, say once a week for three months and see how that goes.
Regardless, fasting {or resetting} is going to become a part of my healthy habits this year – I’ll keep you posted on what other methods I try that work.
would you try a prolonged fast?
Would you try prolonged fasting? Or have you already? I would love to know your experience, what went well, if you’ve done a water fast. Give me all of the details!
If you want to try the Prolon food mimicking fast – they have offered you a discount.
Click here and add simpleroots at checkout for $50 off!
Let me know what you think!