My personal story of water fasting for 10 days! No food, no medicine. Find out the benefits, challenges, and the results of water fasting. Plus learn additional ways to detox your body.

Have you experienced the health benefits of drinking more water? Such as more energy, clear focus, and better digestion?

Well, my husband took it a step further and he tried water fasting for 10 days – 10 DAYS!

Was it because there was so much excellent food over the holidays that his body couldn’t digest all that was in it? No.

And the bigger question – was he hungry? Absolutely, for the first 24 hours, and even into day one and two… but then not so much.

You see, several months prior, both he and I decided to fast as a way of detoxifying our bodies and giving our digestive tract a chance to rest and heal itself. We had never attempted such a feat before and heard mixed reviews about fasting, but we figured it couldn’t hurt to give it a try.

Note: This is OUR personal story about water fasting. We’re not doctors and have never claimed to be. In no way, shape, or form are we stating that water fasting will cure anything. You should always check with your doctor before embarking on an extended fast!

How We Learned About Water Fasting

A few years ago, my husband worked with a man from Europe who was approached his 60th birthday.

He viewed a lot of things differently – as is expected being from another country – but his views on health really got my husband curious… especially how he viewed water fasting.

You see, twenty years ago, this man was told he had late-stage prostate cancer. It came as a surprise because he was in excellent health, was an active biker and ate a mostly vegetarian diet.

He knew the traditional treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, but he wanted to try a more holistic approach first, so he looked into fasting.

He started a water fast for 40 days, which is exactly what it sounds like: no food and nothing to drink other than water. After the 40 days, he began to incorporate water fasting into his lifestyle, permanently, all while keeping track of his results in a water fasting log.

By routinely and regularly completing long water fasts and permanently changing his diet to include more wholesome, nutrient-dense foods, he now lives a healthier life! His cancer remains in remission to this day, over 20 years from his original diagnosis.

Why Try Water Fasting

After doing some research to validate his fascination and love of fasting, we came to this conclusion: there are clearly many health benefits of fasting, along with a lot of testimonials from people who have water fasted themselves AND experienced the benefits of fasting.

There are several ways to fast, but my husband chose water fasting for two main reasons:

To detoxify. Water fasts are generally the quickest way to detoxify. Some even consider this the only “real” way to detoxify your body and bring it back in check.

Water fasts are generally the quickest way to detoxify. Some even consider this the only “real” way to detoxify your body and bring it back in check. Water fasts are the most difficult type of fast. He figured if he could go ten days on water alone, all future fasts of juice or smoothies would be easy in comparison!

Health Benefits of Water Fasting

There are several benefits to increasing your water intake in general. I’ve summarized our findings on water fasting here, but if you prefer to see the research for yourself, we recommend reading “Water Fasting for Wellness.” For a doctor’s viewpoint of water fasting, check out “Fasting and Eating for Health.”

Note: This is OUR personal story about water fasting. We’re not doctors and have never claimed to be. In no way, shape, or form are we stating that water fasting will cure anything. You should always check with your doctor before embarking on an extended fast!

1) Fat Burn

After your body has used all the excess calories, it begins burning fat. By default, when you burn fat, you lose weight.

Fasting merely to lose weight is a highly debated topic and honestly, I don’t think it’s something you should do. Your body is smart and when you cut back calories, your body adjusts.

So yes, you will lose weight when you water fast simply because you’re not taking in any calories. However, this is short term.

A better way to control weight is by switching to a whole foods lifestyle. Exercise will help too, but what you eat is 80% of the battle.

Focus on nutrient-dense food, instead of the latest fad, and your body will naturally have the nutrients it needs to be healthy!

2) Mental Clarity

This is probably a side effect of your body not working very hard and in turn causing immense relaxation, but you are able to think much more clearly when fasting.

3) Vision

Yes, your vision can sharpen! An odd, but pleasant side effect.

4) Possible Cancer Prevention

A 2008 study at the University of California at Berkeley found that eating every other day decreased the rate at which cells produced, an effect known to reduce the development of cancers.

In animal models, intermittent fasting was found to reduce cancer growth on the skin and in breast tissue.

5) Live Longer

It’s hard to explain the science behind this one, but research shows that fasting can result in longer life spans.

Does simply going without eating prolong life? Probably not. My guess would be the continuous removal of toxins and allowing the body to rest from its daily work.

6) Detoxify

Isn’t this the new craze? People across the world are jumping on the “let’s detox and be healthy” bandwagon, shouting for their food to be void of GMOs and pesticides.

While we agree that food shouldn’t be genetically modified and that we shouldn’t consume pesticides, what the bandwagon folks don’t realize is that their “fad” is true!! Fasting DOES allow the body to rid itself of toxins.

However, if you go back to a lifestyle of poor food choices and living on the couch, you’re not really doing yourself any good.

A fast should be viewed as a jump start to permanent healthy choices. Introducing and MAINTAINING a proper diet filled with real and nutritious food is what will benefit you the most in the long run.

Note: To regularly detoxify my body from the occasional splurge, I incorporate detox smoothies and detox baths into my weekly routine.

7) Digestive Function

Your digestive system will love you for fasting. It takes about three days into the fast for your system to completely shut down. Liquids in, liquid out.

Consider Water Quality When Water Fasting

Berkey water filters are the cream of the crop, known for taking arsenic, uranium, aluminum, and fluoride out of ordinary tap water. While it’s on the pricier side, it’s definitely worth considering not just for water fasting, but for improving the water in your home as a whole.

The only downside is that Berkey water filters are really tall and can be awkward in the kitchen. We installed a reverse osmosis filtration system under our kitchen sink and we love it!

If you’re not a big water drinker in the first place and you don’t think water tastes good, consider an infuser water bottle. You can add slices of fruit that will flavor the water, making it more palatable.

There are infuser water pitchers too, for making bigger batches of flavored water. My favorite flavor combination is cucumber + mint + lemon – so good!

My Experience With Water Fasting for 10 Days

Note: These are written directly from my husband!

Days 1-3

The first few days were rough.

This is when the detoxifying symptoms were the worst. There was hunger, splitting headaches… it was rough.

I attribute the pure misery of days 1-3 to caffeine withdrawal (I’m a coffee lover). At the same time, Mrs. Crumbs cooking dinner for the kids and knowing I couldn’t eat was brutal.

Days 4-6

These days were relatively easy – at least compared to the first three!

By this time my digestive system had shut down and the hunger pains had disappeared. My tongue was often coated with a thick white film. This is apparently normal and a detoxification symptom.

I started losing weight, 1 – 1 1/2 pounds per day, but there was no problem going to work, playing guitar at church or performing any other daily physical functions.

Day 7

I will never forget this day – ever. This was the most miserable day I have ever lived on planet earth.

I came home from work feeling great, not hungry, thinking clearly… And then my life was flipped upside down.

My wonderful wife pulled a freshly baked loaf of rosemary olive oil bread from the oven. I was immediately angry and I wanted that bread. But it wasn’t even possible at this point.

Once your digestive system shuts down around day 3, it takes a few days to bring it back up to speed. You do this by very slowly introducing food to your digestive system… drinking juice for 1-2 days, fresh fruit for another couple of days, steamed vegetables for another day or two.

The process of reintroducing food can take anywhere from 7-14 days before your digestive system is back up to fully operational. Eating any solid food while in a fasted state can lead to severe discomfort and even hospitalization!

Day 8-10

These days were almost an exact replica of days 4-6. By the end of day 10, my body weight had decreased 15 pounds and I was ready to eat again.

Water Fasting: The Bottom Line

All in all, I enjoyed water fasting. It was challenging, but the health benefits (post-fast) were well worth it.

My digestion improved, blood pressure was lowered and my body was able to detox. I plan on doing it again later this year. My long term plan is to fast at least once or twice a year from now on.

My wife likes food too much to do a water fast, be she’s committed to doing a smoothie fast with me whenever I water fast. That might be an option for you if the idea of water fasting is a bit daunting!

An Update With a Second and Third Water Fast

Since the original writing of this post, my husband had finished two more water fasts, one for five days and another for 10 days.

His 5-day water fast was what he called, “quick and painless.” He did it shortly after we moved to Georgia and we were living in a one-bedroom apartment. Cooking was hard and minimal, so he simply fasted during the week and the kids and I had sandwiches for dinner.

His second 10-day water fast was a bit trickier, and we were thankful that he was under the supervision and guidance of a friend who is also a Physician Assistant. It’s hard to pinpoint what made this third fast so hard, and I, unfortunately, have no other details to offer, but it was a good reminder to not make any serious health changes without first consulting your doctor.

Fasting and Detoxifying on a Regular Basis

Water fasting is definitely on the more extreme side of detoxing your body. However, there are many other ways to detox on a regular basis to keep your body functions optimal.

Several of those detox methods use Bentonite Clay. It’s so good for your body in many ways (more about that here). If you’re just starting out try one of these smaller containers of Bentonite Clay. But if you’re like me and use it for all sorts of things around the house, buy it in bulk!

Have you tried a water fast?

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