How a 36+ hour fast helps me to reset after times of feasting

I just completed a 45-hour fast yesterday evening.

It felt really good to take a break from eating for an extended time after weeks of traveling, feasting, and consuming more treats and sugar than usual.

Some of the ways an extended fast helps me to reset…

1.) Physically,

-it helps my body process the extra fuel from eating more rich foods,

-helps my insulin hormone be efficient keeping me metabolically healthy,

-balances out my blood sugar, reduces inflammation,

-like deep sleep, fasting allows my body to clear out any dead or damaged cells and tissues.

-Bonus of a 48-hour fast is that it resets the Dopamine sensors in the brain, making it much easier to stay away from sugary foods, or other addictive behaviors.

2.) Mentally,

-it reminds me that I don’t need to have food constantly to feel pleasure, joy, and sustenance.

-It inspires me to create and experience pleasure and joy, and practice self-care in ways that have nothing to do with food- like walks in nature, reading good books, connecting within, etc.

-I like the thought that I’m giving my body a chance to rest, heal, and go into fat-burning mode.

-It helps me to feel strong and capable of doing challenging things.

-Being metabolically flexible (able to use either carbs or fat for energy) helps me to not only maintain my weight well, but also to think more clearly.

-The brain works very well on ketones, which we produce during times of fasting or eating very limited carbs.

3.) Emotionally,

-fasting reminds me that I am capable of dealing with the stresses of my life without turning to food to moderate my feelings.

-It feels grounding and restful to me to take a break from thinking about meals, what to eat, what not to eat.

-Taking a break from food inspires me to cook more post fasting, as I get excited about what nutrient dense foods I might want to break my fast with.

In the pictures below, you can see the veg heavy plate I broke my fast with yesterday.

I included humus and hemp for protein, later had avocado for good fat, and sauerkraut for good bacteria to support my gut.

After an extended fast, I find that I have less/no cravings, and it’s easier for me to pick high quality foods to nourish myself with.

In the Thrive Community Classroom, you have access to a Self-Guided 36 hour plus fast.

If/when you do this fast, you can post about it in Thrive to get extra support!

You do have to be on Level 3 to access this resource . You can easily get to level 3 by commenting on 5-10 people’s posts/comments and liking 5-10 posts/comments.

For those of you who already practice fasting and have some measure of metabolic flexibility, my mentor, Dr. Mindy Pelz, is hosting a free 3-day Water Fast, January 5-8.

If you haven’t done much fasting yet, consider starting with the free 14-day Beginner Intermittent Fasting Challenge in the Classroom.

It’s available to you at Level 2.

The Challenge gives you a slow and gentle approach for starting to experiment with intermittent fasting.

Below, I share a short video talking about fasting with the help of our yaks :)

Which of these resources speaks to you, fellow Thriver, if any?

Where do you think you might start with exploring intermittent fasting?

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