The stages of water fasting with particular focus on entry and re-feeding. Tips around how to incorporate hemp oil and hemp seeds into a water fast.
Go to comments (70)The Brothers Green team regularly practice fasting and thrive from the nutrients that come from consuming the range of The Brothers Green raw hemp foods leading up to the fast.
The 8 Stages of a 72 Hour Water Fast
- 48-36 Hours Before the Fast - Prepare Your Body with Hemp Seed Oil
- 12 Hours Fasting - Enter the Metabolic State
- 18 Hours Fasting - Switch to Fat-Burning Mode
- 24 Hours Fasting - Autophagy
- 48 Hours Fasting - Increase Growth Hormone Levels
- 54 Hours Fasting - Insulin Levels Drop to Lowest Point
- 72 Hours Fasting - Generation of New Immune Cells
- After the Water Fast - The ‘Refeed’ with Hemp Seeds
Preparation
Stage 1 - How To Begin a Water Fast
What you eat before the fast can set up the next few days for a greater chance of success. The 48 - 36 hours before the fast are important to prepare the body and mind. Beginning to implement a 16 hour fast for the day or two before will give your body time to adjust and then cut down the intake of energy intensive food to process. By eating light, wholefood meals (fruits and vegetables) and not consuming any processed foods you will allow your body to better capitalise on the benefits of the fast and make the most of the experience for autophagy and cell renewal.
Hemp Oil
Hemp Seed Oil is high in polyunsaturated fats, low in carbs, perfect to enter a ketogenic state. In the 2-3 days leading up to your fast, increase your usual 1 TBSP daily serving to 3 TBSP a day. The Brothers Green Hemp Seed Oil is perfect because it's cold-pressed, unprocessed, Omega-3 rich healthy oil.
The Water Fast Itself
Stage 2 - 12 Hours Fasting
By 12 hours fasting you’ve entered the metabolic state called ketosis (Anton et al., Obesity 2018). This is when your body starts to break down stored energy and starts to burn fat.
Stage 3 - 18 Hours Fasting
By 18 hours you’ve switched to fat-burning mode and are generating significant ketones (Anton et al., Obesity 2018).
Stage 4 - 24 Hours Fasting
Within 24 hours your cells are increasingly recycling old components and breaking down misfolded proteins linked to alzheimers and other diseases (Alirezaei et al., Autophagy 2010). This is the process called autophagy which we need to begin immune system regeneration.
Stage 5 - 48 Hours Fasting
By 48 hours fasting without any/ very few calories, carbs or protein, your growth hormone level has increased up to five times higher than when you started your fast (Hartman et al.,1992).
Stage 6 - 54 Hours Fasting
By 54 hours your insulin has dropped to its lowest level point since you started fasting and your body is becoming increasingly insulin-sensitive (Klein et al., 1993). This is where those with type 2 diabetes (insulin insensitivity) begin to see the body naturally re-sensitise to insulin.
Stage 7 - 72 Hours Fasting
By 72 hours water fasting your body is breaking down old immune cells and generating new ones (Cheng et al., 2014).
Maximising the Fasting Benefits
Stage 8 - After the Water Fast - The 'Refeed'
What happens after a water fast - the ‘refeed’ - is one of the most important parts of the fast as this is how your body will regenerate your system. After multiple days without any food your digestive system needs something simple and easy to process. The best food to break a fast is light fruit such as watermelon or a smoothie is the best way to start. This is giving your system a chance to get used to food again before beginning on solid foods. Usually waiting 2-3 hours after your fruit or smoothie is enough time before reintroducing solid food. Although it can be tempting to get stuck into an indulging feed, you won’t regret giving your body time to readjust. This ensures you don’t upset the system and can get back to your normal routine. Your first feed will taste amazing!
I find that my appetite is never as strong as before the fast, the fast can reset our idea of hunger. This gives our mind the understanding that just because our stomach is empty, it does not mean our bodies need more food. It can make it a lot easier to introduce an intermittent fasting regime or healthier diet as it resets your hunger and taste buds.
Hemp Oil & Hemp Seeds
The Brothers Green Hemp Seed Oil & Hemp Hearts are the ideal food for the transition back into eating. They are light, versatile and easy on the gut. The high polyunsaturated fats and low carbohydrates profile will keep your body in ketosis and prolong the benefits of your fast.
Brad enjoying the 'refeed' at Gre3n Superfood after his 72-hour fast.
Fasting While Working & Working Out While Fasting
When Brendon and I did our water fast we aimed to fast for 72 hours. Consuming nothing but water, tea and black coffee for three days. We had our last meal on Monday evening and then we didn’t eat again until Thursday evening. During this time we also:
- Worked three full days
- Went to the gym three times
- Walked up the Rapaki Track at Otautahi’s Port Hills
- Attended a Bikram Yoga session at Flow Hot Yoga Christchurch
- Ran around Hagley Park, Otautahi’s largest park
All while not eating. This is not exactly necessary, but we wanted to highlight the fact that we do not always need to eat to operate. Our body stores energy (yes, that’s what fat is) for us to use in these times, however, we never have access to this stored energy because we keep topping up our fuel tank with food.
As a matter of fact, one of the most surprising outcomes of the fast is how much more focused you are, and how much work you can get done when you’re not having to prepare and consume a meal three times a day. Your body is the most complicated and intelligent machine that we have ever discovered. You’re not going to fall over and die if you don’t eat for 12 hours - I’m not sure how we would have made it this far otherwise. Especially when we have so much energy stored around our body.
My favourite part… it’s so simple! Just drink water and don’t eat… I dare ya!!
Our 3 Water Fasting Tips
1. Share the Experience and Results
Practice with a friend, group or partner. This means you have someone to share the experience with and they can keep you on track. It is always easier knowing that someone else is going through the same experience and you will both be able to share the benefits.
2. Keep Your Schedule Free
Don’t plan anything too strenuous or physically difficult. Enjoy the last 24 – 48 hours of the fast at home (weekends, days off, quarantine etc.) and try not to plan any social engagements around a meal. Instead you could go for a walk or have a cup of tea.
3. Keep Your Mind Busy
Although you don’t want to be doing anything involving food, it is a great time to read, study, do some mindfulness or complete those tedious jobs that you have been putting off. You will see that you will have a lot more time in your day, so planning to get some of these activities and jobs done will pass the time quicker.
4. Use Hemp in Transition Periods
Before & after the fast are the key times for getting the most benefits. Food with high fats and low carbs are perfect. Drink hemp seed oil and eat hemp seeds! Click here to explore The Brothers Green product range.
Fast Series Part 4: Eight Steps to a Successful Water Fast
Comments (70)
Hello fasting fellow, so nice to become part of the fasting community. It’s my first 3-day water fast – on day one so I still feel great. Very excited to see what happens on day 3. I might continue or really slow down the referring process.
This is day 3 of water fasting for me. I am 33 and this is probably my third or fourth time attempting this. I don’t know if I have been hydrating properly enough but today I am definitely experiencing more mental clarity. This was an impromptu fast that I had been putting off for over a month so I just started..sadly after a meal filled with carbs and no nutritional value. I think that may have made me more tired over the past few days. I intend to allow this to be my reset to get back to a healthier diet. I have been pescatarian since January and now want to focus on eating less processed food and carbs. This is a pivotal moment for me spiritually and otherwise. I’m going to refeed tomorrow sometime with the suggested options to reset myself. Thanks for the tips! Sending all who are fasting love & light.
Hello everyone, I’m currently on the day 4 of my 7 days water fast. I felt amazing the last 3 day compare to I’m feeling today
I feel tired and I’m experiencing a mid headache I don’t know if it’s normal. This is actually my third time going on a water fast and I always feel good when I fast,This is actually my first fast while working out so I don’t understand why I’m feeling this way this time
Is it normal?
Starting a 3 day fast tomorrow. Will come back and report after that.
How do I feel? Determined. Excited. Anxious. Can I do this? One Day At A Time
How often is it advisable to do a 48 hr water fast
Hi All, I got a quick question and dum question, so research / people kept saying for example when you do 24 hour fast your body start to ( what ever the benefits), my points is if it just start then you eat ; doesn’t that break the fast, and that means it just start then stop the benefits?! Also if you do 24 hours that means everyday I have to delayed one hour to eat day after day, I know those questions sound tricky questions; but here’s my fasting history; I started
07/31/2021 i try the I day 24 hour fast, and was successfully, then 08/01-08/08 I did 12 hours, then 08/09-09/30 I did the 16/8 then 10/01-10/31I did 20 hours 11-01-11/30 I did 22 hours, 12/01-12/30 I did 24 and that’s when my problem started; and kept had to delay from 5-10pm, so what I did was I only eat between 6-7 pm everyday, ( only 1 hour eating window ), then 12/31-01/04/22 I did 100 hours, and then 23/1 everyday then 01/15-01/19 another 100 hours, then 23/1, then 02/03 till now trying for 96 or 120 hours, ( my reason and goal is to trying to get new stem cells, and here’s my main and another dumb question(s), they say after 72 hours you get new stem cells?! So how do I know ( or anyone would know?! ) how much stem cell do / will / can I get?! ( the reason I am doing this is because I do have a brain tumor, so I am trying to find out if I get those stem cell hopefully would heal / kill the tumor?! And last; how often should I do it? 72,96,100,120 hours, ( I would hate to do this every week, since I do like to eat…. ), If anyone knows the answer, please let me know and give me the advice. I would really appreciate and grateful to you guys, here’s my email; not sure if I can post it; marklumemail@gmail.com. If not please forward to me or something. Thank you.
Hi all, woken up on day 8 of my fast and supposed to finish today but considering carrying on. I’m 31 and this is my third fast, but the last two I didn’t exercise. I love the feeling of clarity and the energy I get when I’m in the fast, it’s amazing. I’m on the lemon, maple syrup and cayenne pepper fast so I do suppose the maple syrup helps with my energy but I’m bouncing off the walls at times! This has been my favourite fast so far and this time I’ve been exercising too which could maybe be why?! I started gently but then realised I could really go for it and still feel great – I guess it’s figuring out what your body is willing / wanting to let you do. I seem so refreshed and awake and in such a great mood after I’ve done exercise on this fast. My favourite part of fasting is the effects it has on my energy & mood. Not all the time! If I forget to hydrate that can change, but in general I’ve been leaping out of bed every morning, bouncing around the house and just generally feeling so light and happy and free! I wish this feeling was accessible all the time, perhaps because I keep thinking of all the cells regenerating and the body working all its magic it does feel kind of amazing and exciting to watch your body do it’s primal thing.
Thanks for the page, it’s really motivating!
Ax
Great to see more and more folks are doing fasting to stay healthy! I’m 69 yrs young and have quite a few ‘fasts’ under my belt. Presently on day 5 of my 7 day bi-annual fast. January and June. Intermittent fasting the rest of the time.
Great to see more folks staying healthy thru fasting. Good luck to all !!
Hi Fasting Community out there…
So I’ve been intermittent fasting for some years now and do 8-16. A couple of days a week I also do minimum calorie fast of no more than 500 calories. I lost 10kg in 3 months like this after a slack period and felt good. The only thing I hate is counting calories, time consuming and tedious, so I’ve been thinking for a while now it would be easier to just not eat for 24 hours and just drink water. Well amazingly THREE DAYS LATER and I’m still going strong YAY. I highly encourage anybody to give it a try. I know I could do another day and I’m fast breaks in the evening (in 20 minutes actually :o) and I have no intention of refeeding tonight. Instead I’m going to concentrate on refeeding as of mid morning tomorrow following all The Brothers Green’s guidelines. I’m actually already looking forward to my next one so I can prepare 3 days in advance. I FEEL AMAZING and I hope you will too.
Consistency is everything – don’t just fast once. Three days is okay but shoot for five if you can.
Zero calories! No smoothies, juices, etc.
I do a five day every quarter (like right now) and I credit that with supporting excellent health and having no weight issues. It also allows me to feel good having a few beers from time to time as well.
I am 45 and have never had any health concerns in life. DO IT!!!
I have read different opinions… So just to clarify, is Black Coffee espresso okay during a water fast?
Hello EVERYONE!! I’m in my 51st hour of my 14 day fast, of only drinking water with lemon and a little ACV, and infused kiwi water.. I am hangry lol.. no but seriously, I am amazed at the endurance and liberating feeling that I get. I love love feeling in control, finally, of my mind, body, and eating🙂.. so awesome really! Still hungry, but I’m in control. This too shall pass, trust me!!!
After a number of cleanses, detoxes and water fasts (WF up 60 hours) I knew I wanted to try a prolonged water fast. I was diagnosed with breast cancer 3 years ago aged 42 & have a large ovarian cyst, fibroids, very dodgy gut health & an imbalance with my thyroid. So I have huge motivation & commitment to this!!
I’m on day 5 and will be so happy to get to 10 days minimum with just water & herbal teas, plus I am adding a bit of salt for electrolyte balance.
I plan to then introduce, gradually, bone broth & kefir, then probably stewed apple and just Intuit what I need.
It was great to be reminded of how important the refeed part is and plan to do this over a few weeks to optimise the benefits.
Not only does it feel like a major physical reset but it’s also a time for me to honour the transition in my life from ‘mother’ archetype to ‘wild woman’ archetype as I enter perimenopause.
I have done a lot of planning for this and each day I am supporting myself with things such as yoga, saunas, salt baths, meditation, drumming, TRE & other awesome things!
Hi I am 64 hours into a water fast consuming only clean spring water – nothing else.
It’s been quite challenging but over the worst of it now and cruising. I intend to continue as long as possible then break the fast with water melon. After the break I will continue with a whole food plant based diet. Not sure how long I will go for yet but aiming for at least 7 days (started 12th Dec at 7pm). Good luck all.
now approaching 48 hours of a water fast, I have allowed myself only water and herbal tea. I don’t think fruit smoothies count as a water fast ))
top tip – adding lemon juice to the water helps the detox effect
3 day water fast, what an eye opener this experience is.
I’ve been doing intermittent fasting for a couple of months while training and thought about doing a 24 hour fast before, so Sunday the 5th December at 6pm was my last meal, I’m into the 39th hour of my 3 day just water fast and I’m feeling pretty good. I nearly grumbled around 3o hour mark but a cup of warm water with a slice of lemon did the job , I’m going to try and get 2 gym sessions in before fast ends.
One thing I have kept up with is doing my daily press up routine but splitting it throughout the day. I weighed myself after the first 24 hours and I’ve lost 4lbs so that’s a bonus…… hope this helps as watching and reading other people’s blogs has helped me
Great. I just start my water fast 10 days ago and I only consume water, juice, coffee, smoothies, and broths. So far it is going very well and I have found it to be quite easy. It is much easier than anticipated, I have no hunger and I think I sill keep this fast going another 30 days. I like to read other experiences and blogs, it gives me encouragement and motivation. Thank you.
Thanks for this encouraging article. I am now in my 48 hours havng only water and I am only feeling a vague sense of hunger. It’s kinda freeing not to be eating. I should end tomorrow, but I’ll see.
Hi there
Thanks for this informative article. I’m in 63 hrs of my planned 72hrs, however, given the current energy it looks like one will end up going for 96hrs with only Water, black rooibos tea and black coffee.
I really like this journey and pray that I will return to my low carb lifestyle after two years of default.
Is it safe to do water fast say for 4 days when one is on ART?
Glad I stumbled on to this post in my search for some insight on my second day of a water fast. The post inspired me to stick to my fasting plans and not succumb to the delicious hunger pangs eating my insides out. My only question is whether it is okay to substitute olive oil in place of hemp seed oil. I have been using olive oil as a daily practice and have had great results and hesitant to switch to a different oil if the beneficial properties are identical. Great post. Thank you.
Great testimony and while I was reading this message I was on my fourth day of water fasting and is for the first time. What kept me going is testimonies like yours. I really appreciate sharing this with us. I am still on track only time will tell where I will stop. Kudus to you .. .
Great article, thank you!
I was wondering how many glasses of water are you more or less supposed to drink during the day?
Also I’ve seen people adding a slice of lemon in their glasses, is it better?
Thank you.
Hi !
Im into my 48 hours of water fasting . Yes indeed it feels great . I do not know how far I will be able to go ..in terms of days/hours but Im motivated . Your article is very useful and helpful. Thanks for your hard work and inputs .
On day 2 of a water fast and feeling really good surprisingly. Was just researching about the refeed part and came across this post. Will get some watermelon in asap :)
Great to see ! Just curious, as someone who enjoys fasting also. Does the coffee and green tea prevent the body from going into these “superhuman” states, as it still needs to be processed through the liver, and not mention activitating the nervous system
Thanks look forward to hearing from you
Great info.
I was quite curious about all the feelings my body was having (3rd day) and you explained quite well.
Thanks for sharing…
Hi, I am interested to know how much water you consumed during the fast? Was it the normal 8 glasses a day, more or less? Also how much and what type of tea/black coffee was added? Thanks!
i read that when u fast your body goes under stress and cortisol levels go up which is bad for you. also i heard that fasting puts you in hypothyroidism can you pls talk about these two issues , email me thanks so much!
I do a 72-hour fast once a week from 10am on Saturday to 10am on Tuesday. In between these fasts I eat one meal a day (OMAD). So effectively I live of five large meals a week. I walk for over an hour every day and do a regimen of 14 weight-lifting exercises every day except Sunday. I am 68 years old, take no pills of any description and have no medical insurance of any sort.