Sometime around the end of 2016, I decided to do a five-day water fasting to detoxify my body system. I had written down a daily log of what happened to me during the five-day detox.
I only stumbled upon it this morning and realized that I never shared this. This information would be useful to those considering a water detox anytime soon.
Note: These were internal dialogues between me and myself.
Day 1
This was more difficult than I thought! After failing not to eat yesterday, I had to bring myself to the fact that I am better than that. I could not resist ordinary dodo, and fried chicken? For reals? Am I that weak? No, I am better than that.
At the start of the year, I did a water fast for seven days. The only difference was that I ate once a day, in the evenings. It was a religious fast, and we had to refrain from eating until 6 pm.
That to me was a test of willpower. Any kind of fasting or refrain is a test of willpower. And I can feel the struggle… it is real! Let us see if I will pull through. I have to!
Day 2
I noticed that I was sweating a lot this evening, while at the hospital. Fine, there was no fan on and the place was a bit warm, but I was sweating more than I was feeling the heat. It was not so hot, but I was sweating a lot, like a tap was open somewhere on my body. lol.
My sister had done a seven-day water detox before, under my supervision. She told me that the first three to five days were the most difficult, so let us see if I will survive the first five days.
At least five days is what I need anyway! When the fifth day elapses on Sunday morning, I will then decide if I want to make it seven days or ten days in total. My target is ten days though.
Day 3
The sweating continued! I was sweating so much this morning! I know that the weather is hot, but I am sweating even though I do not feel much of the heat.
My mind is active, but I am enduring physical pain… hunger and headache. I can feel my body trying to tell me that I am hungry, but it is all in my mind because I still feel alert!
Mental fatigue is not the same as physical fatigue. I feel tired physically, but not mentally. Yet my brain tries to deceive me that they are both the same thing.
Usually, when I feel this tired, sleep is the solution. But then, sleep is not what I need right now. Or is it? It feels as though sleeping will not make much difference in the way I feel, physically.
All-day though, my mind (or me?) keeps coming up with valid and legitimate reasons why I should end the fast. Like,
- I am not fat, so why suffer this much?
- I have done three days, I have tried… what point am I trying to make?
- Why am I really doing this?
- I could resort to eating once a day, and achieve the same result but over a longer period of time
- Dude, stop this foolishness already and admit that you are not strong enough to pull through
While these may seem like valid points, I still have to remind myself of why I started this.
Later that day…
Okay, I was wrong, sleep does help a great deal! Wow!
Day 6
After having breakfast this morning, I was dressing up to leave for church. I overfed this morning, I know. But as I was dressing up, I noticed two things! The first thing I noticed was that I needed to move an up extra hole, to strap my wristwatch! Whaaat? And then after putting on my trousers, I also had to move two belt holes to fit my belt!
After noticing this, I decided to go check my weight. Since I was half-dressed and overfed, I expected my weight to climb back to 71kg, or the 72kg it was right before.
While I did not log anything between days four and five, the ending results at the end were interesting. My notes ended without me revealing how much I weighed at the end of the water detox. But losing one or two belt holes was good progress.
Now if you plan to do a water detox anytime soon, I can tell you one thing. During the detoxification, it is normal to experience headaches. Whenever you feel hunger pangs, take a glass or two of water. Also, try to get enough sleep. Physical activity also helps make the whole experience bearable.
So, have you been on a water fast or detox recently? What was your experience like? Or did you try one after reading this? Did you find my tips useful?
Please share your experiences in the comments below. And thank you for commenting.