Hey, and welcome to my actionable and science-based guide to water fasting.
By the time you finish reading this guide, you will be able to make a fully informed decision about whether or not water fasting is something you should get into.
I will rely on scientific research to bust a few of myths about water fasting, and in the process, I will try to remain as unbiased as possible.
But before we get started, here's a brief overview of everything you can expect to learn from this guide:
What is water fasting?
Dr Alan Goldhamer, the founder of TrueNorth Health Center in Santa Rosa, California, where thousands of patients have already experienced water fasting, says:
"Fasting, by definition, is the complete absence of all substances except water in an environment of complete rest."
So, water fasting is a "water diet", during which you literally can't eat or drink anything else but pure water.
And of course, with your body getting in exactly zero calories, you can't expect to be able to do a lot of heavy work or intense exercise.
Benefits of water fasting
This part of the guide covers the scientifically proven benefits of water fasting.
You will see that water fasting can be extremely efficient if you want to lose some weight, but you'll also see the research on how much muscle mass you could lose as well.
Another amazing benefit comes down to a fact that after a while, hunger and appetite almost completely disappear.
The benefits of water fasting include its ability to improve treatments of certain types of cancers and help deal with the negative consequences of chemotherapy.
Water fasting also has the ability to speed up the cellular "cleanup" process known as autophagy, a natural process that triggers the renovation and regeneration in our bodies.
You can get more information in the part of my guide that explains the different benefits of water fasting.
Dangers of water fasting
In this part of my water fasting guide we will look at the dangers of water fasting.
Headaches, postural hypotension and gout are some examples of minor problems you could run into when doing a water fast.
Another common danger are stomach pains and cramping after you already end a water fast (not eating huge meals right after breaking a fast and keeping your fasts short should prevent this problem).
If you water fasted for extremely long periods of time (upwards of 45-60 days) you could actually be in danger of death by starvation.
This could happen if wiped out your body fat reserves OR your body's protein reserves.
You can get more information in the part of my guide that explains all about the dangers of water fasting.
How to prepare for a water fast
In this part of my guide to water fasting, we will take a closer look at the science on how to prepare for a water fast.
And while water fasting definitely isn't for everyone, anyone who decides to try it, will benefit from planning a smart transition.
One of the main strategies for a smooth transition into a water fast is intermittent fasting (but there are more).
You'll also see what science has to say about the necessity of doing a colon cleanse before or during a water fast.
For more actionable details, visit the part of my guide that shows you how to prepare for a water fast.
How to do a water fast
With preparations out of the way, this part of the guide contains more details on how to do a water fast.
The single most important rule you need to follow is to drink only pure water (NOT distilled water).
And when it comes to how much water you should be drinking, your best bet is to simply stick with the recommended daily water intake.
Also, you should never fast for more than 3 days / 72 hours (unless you can do so under medical supervision in a fasting facility).
I'll also show you a simple strategy that will help you get in enough water and learn how to prevent any lightheadedness and dizziness that could potentially happen during water fasting.
For more details on this, read the part of my guide that explains all about how to do a water fast.
How to break a water fast
This part of my science-backed guide will tell you exactly how to break a water fast correctly.
I've compiled a simple food list you can follow to slowly transition back to your regular diet and avoid any complications along the way.
I'll also give you a simple strategy that will help you avoid weight gains after you end your fast.
I'll also show you a couple of ways of taming your post-fasting hunger and appetite and how to restore the nutrients you've lost during a water fast.
For more actionable details on this, visit the part of my guide that explains how to break a water fast.
Water fasting and weight loss
In this part of the guide, we will take a closer look at the science on water fasting and weight loss.
And while your weight loss results after a water fast will definitely look awesome on paper, you may end up losing a lot less body fat that you hoped for.
So in this part of the guide, you will understand what really makes up your final your weight loss results (I will even help you estimate them with a water fasting calculator).
You will also see how much muscle weight you can expect to lose (and what you can do to prevent this unnecessary loss).
You can find all the details in the part of my guide that deals with water fasting and weight loss.
Water fasting and muscle loss
In this part of the guide, we'll take a closer look at the research that can help us understand muscle loss during water fasting.
You will find out how much muscle mass you can expect to lose (with a daily breakdown).
You will also see how water fasting compares to other low-calorie diets (a mixed and a ketogenic diet).
And most importantly, you will discover an alternative to water fasting that doesn't destroy your muscle mass (but still keeps fat burn extremely high).
You can find more actionable details in the part of my guide that explains everything about water fasting and muscle loss.
Water fasting ketosis
In this part of the guide, you will see the research that helps us understand water fasting ketosis.
Ketosis is a state of ultra-high fat burn that your body enters a couple of days into a fast.
The only problem with losing a lot of body fat really quickly, is the fact that you can also lose a lot of muscle mass as well.
I'll show you a couple of strategies you can use to minimize the loss of your muscles (without slowing down fat burn).
You'll also see the scientific research that proves drinking water can actually speed up fat burn.
You can find all the details in the part of my guide that focuses on water fasting ketosis.
Water fasting tips and tricks
In this section of my guide you will see the science behind some advanced water fasting tips and tricks.
You will learn 3 tricks that will help you enter a state of high fat burn (ketosis) up to 3 days earlier.
I will also show you a couple of science-backed tips you can use to better target your body fat reserves, while simultaneously reversing the loss of muscle mass.
For more details on this, visit the part of my guide that contains some advanced water fasting tips and tricks.
Written by Rok Sprogar, CNC, WLS
Rok Sprogar is a NASM Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC) and a NASM Certified Weight Loss Specialist (NASM-WLS) who has been contributing highly actionable and science-based content to Leanhigh.