This article is an overview of me doing a 5 day fast during which I didn’t eat any food. Sounds reasonable…In total, I fasted for 120 hours and this is my experience.

That One Time I Didn’t Eat for 5 Days

When someone was to ask you: “When are you going to have your next 5-day fast?” then you probably don’t have an immediate answer to give – “Ummm…Yea…Let’s do it right now!”

Even though fasting for extended periods of time is part of the history of humans, we don’t experience these periods of food abstinence anymore. You can eat whatever, where ever, and whenever. Is it good? Definitely, it is to a certain extent. The problem is that most people tend to fall victim to their primal urges and eat all the time, which may not lead to obesity or diabetes per se but it can still cause some emotional addictions to food.

Fasting has been used as medicine and as a therapeutic method against many diseases in the past.

In Greece, it was thought to cure abominations of the flesh, including obesity.

In religious practices, it’s used for spiritual as well as bodily purposes.

In modern society, there are some who do it just for fat loss but to also clean and heal the body.

And so have I…

One day I was about to face 4 days of traveling to Finland and I thought why not practice some hardcore fasting during that trip? Alright, I haven’t had a longer fast in a few months so let’s take advantage of this opportunity. Sold!

Welcome to the Body Mind Empowerment Podcast. I’m your host Siim Land and this episode is going to be about my 5 day fast which lasted for 120 hours. I’m going to walk you through my experience and give you some of the core principles of fasting for such a long time.

Why I Fasted for 5 Days

My current eating regimen already incorporates a lot of intermittent fasting daily – I eat most of my calories in the evening within a 2-4 hour time frame. It’s the one meal a day diet with a twist.

Then I have several 24-hour fasts a month, and 2-3 day fasts at least once every quarter of the year.

Research has shown that fasting for up to 3 days, boosts stem cell growth, raises ketone bodies in the blood, bolsters the immune system, increases fat oxidation, cleanses the body through a process called autophagy, reduces blood sugar, insulin, and inflammation levels dramatically.

Fasting truly is this miracle drug that can work against many ailments and illnesses, starting with your ordinary I’m carrying a few extra pounds all the way up to full blown brain cancer.

The reason I decided to have a 5-day fast was that it kinda fit into my schedule quite nicely. I had to do some traveling and I wouldn’t have had access to quality food sources. For me, that’s a perfect situation as I’ll get in my extended fast and I’ll avoid all the potentially harmful calories that I don’t need. Fasting also fights jet lag…

In fact, I prefer fasting and staying hungry rather than eating some random unhealthy meal on the go without much nutrition. Your body from a physiological and metabolic perspective would also be better off with avoiding all calories all together as to drive yourself into deeper ketosis and autophagy rather than nibbling on some dried out lettuce wrap or croissante from a fast food restaurant.

Do You Need to Fast for That Long

Initially, I was just planning on doing a 4-day alternate day fast with 48 hours fasted, followed by a small sub-600-calorie ketogenic meal, continued by another 40 hours of fasting.

However, at the 36-hour mark I was thinking to myself: „If I’ve already fasted this long and I’m only starting to reap the life extension increasing benefits, then why not go all in and fast for the entire 5 days.“

You see, your body has developed several innate mechanisms for dealing with periods of starvation, caloric restriction, and fasting. These things are slightly different with some nuances that have to be kept in mind.

Starvation occurs only if your body can’t access the essential nutrients it needs, which won’t happen with smartly planned fasting.

Caloric restriction can occur with a regular eating schedule and it has some health benefits but the effects of fasting are negligible.

Strict fasting with no calories whatsoever triggers your body’s hormetic adaptations, which actually increase your resistance to stressful situations in the future.

The reason why you’d want to have these extended fasts of at least 3-5 days every year is that it takes at least 48 hours for your body to re-adapt to the abstinence of food and trigger the longevity-boosting benefits.

Why You Need to Get Into Ketosis While Fasting

Like I said, I’ve been following a one meal a day eating routine for nearly 2 years and I’ve seen great results from it. I also eat a low carb ketogenic meal, hence the initial 24 hours is a walk in the park for me so to say.

The more keto-adapted you are, the easier it is for your body to burn its own stored fat for fuel, and the easier it is for you to fast.

With contemporary eating habits, like 4-6 small meals a day, very carbohydrate rich menus, highly palatable foods, and snacks, the average person’s body is almost incapable of burning fat and ketones for fuel.

Your default fuel source is glucose, which can be stored in liver and muscle cells for up to 2000 calories

Your adipose tissue can deposit tens and hundreds of thousands of calories as even people with under 10% body fat carry around about 30 000-50 000 calories.

Body fat is food! It’s energy your body can use during days when you’re not eating. If you teach your body to handle only days where you eat several meals all the time, then you’re preventing yourself from burning fat for fuel or at least slow down this process.

Fasting is Better Than Caloric Restriction Diets

Caloric restriction on a non-ketogenic diet with plenty of carbohydrates also prevents you from establishing ketosis and reaping the benefits of a fat burning metabolism. You’ll burn a little bit of fat but because your body is so used to glucose, it’ll also compensate for that deficit by converting some of your muscle tissue and vital organs into glucose through gluconeogenesis.

Gluconeogenesis occurs only if your body isn’t in ketosis and it can’t cover its energy demands with fat and ketones. This happens because the metabolism hasn’t adapted to using your fat stores.

Therefore, the key to a healthy and successful fast is to establish ketosis as soon as possible and to prevent your body from entering into a semi-starved state.

It also means that if you’re trying to lose weight, then it would be better to avoid all calories and do strict fasting until you’re lean rather than follow a calorically restricted diet that keeps you malnourished for several months.

With fasting, you can get into ketosis with a few days and you’ll trigger the other benefits that can increase your longevity whereas with restricting your food intake will downregulate your metabolic rate and thyroid. This makes you moody and lowers your energy levels to the point of complete exhaustion.

Day One

Just the Routine

I started my 5 day fast like I start any other day of my week – the standard morning routine of meditation, cold thermogenesis, and red light therapy.

Every morning, I kickstart my day with some apple cider vinegar and ½ tsp of sea salt mixed in a glass of water. This will balance my electrolytes, rehydrates my cells, and will also boost the speed at which I enter into ketosis.

Apple cider vinegar has zero calories, trace amounts of potassium, some acetic acid, and a whole lot of metabolic effect. It can actually promote the creation of ketone bodies and trigger mild autophagy in the cells, which is perfect.

During the day I’m going to be drinking very sparingly and only when I feel thirsty. The reason being is that keeping your electrolytes in check is one of the most important things you have to do while fasting.

You NEED TO Get Enough Electrolytes

Fasting with nothing but pure water will make you flush out all of the minerals in your body, which can lead to muscle cramps, lethargy, exhaustion, heart palpitations, and elevated cortisol.

The most important electrolyte is sodium and it’s the easiest to get.

Daily sodium minimum is at about 1500-2300 mg-s, which is 1-2 tsp of salt. If you’re physically active or are sweating a lot, then aim for up to 4000-7000 mg-s, which is 4-5 tsp of salt. Mix it with water for better absorption

If you’re physically active or are sweating a lot, then aim for up to 4000-7000 mg-s, which is 4-5 tsp of salt. Mix it with water for better absorption RDA for potassium is 4700 but once you get enough sodium, you don’t have to worry about getting any more than 2000 mg-s of potassium. Sodium is potassium sparing and your cells will lose potassium only if you lose sodium.

Sodium is potassium sparing and your cells will lose potassium only if you lose sodium. Other electrolytes like magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and chloride aren’t that important during 3-5 day fasts because most of them are actually stored inside the body. Magnesium is much better absorbed through the skin than from supplements. That’s why taking an Epson salt bath with magnesium flakes can be a very good idea. Taking a multivitamin is necessary only if you fast for longer than 5-7 days. Your ability to absorb vitamins is much lower without food anyway so it’s easier to not take any supplements.

Additional source of electrolytes can be baking soda and apple cider vinegar.

Baking soda is 100% sodium bicarbonate and 1 tsp of baking soda has 1259 mg of sodium. It’s great for balancing the body’s pH levels, fixing digestive issues and healing the kidneys. Baking soda is a natural antibacterial and antifungal agent that promotes alkalinity in the body.

is 100% sodium bicarbonate and 1 tsp of baking soda has 1259 mg of sodium. It’s great for balancing the body’s pH levels, fixing digestive issues and healing the kidneys. Baking soda is a natural antibacterial and antifungal agent that promotes alkalinity in the body. Apple Cider Vinegar – it’s a fermented type of alcohol that has many health benefits like reduced inflammation, improved insulin sensitivity, and digestion. ACV is zero calories but it has trace amounts of potassium and other minerals so it’s great to consume while fasting.

That’s why I consume 1 cup of water with ½ tsp of baking soda, 1-2 tsp of ACV once or twice a day. This will also prevent kidney stones and ulcers while fasting, which may happen because of inadequate production of digestive enzymes.

What Else Can You Drink While Fasting

Besides drinking salted water all day, you can also consume some black coffee, sparkling water, mineral water, non-caloric teas, and that’s practically it.

The purpose is to stay in ketosis and allow autophagy to do its work. Even as little as 50 calories or 2-3 grams of leucine can inhibit the cellular cleaning process of autophagy.

That’s why anything with calories, even if it comes from MCT oil, Bulletproof coffee, BCAAs or exogenous ketones will potentially kick you out of a fasted state. Although you’ll maintain ketosis, you’ll inhibit autophagy, which can make your efforts less worthwhile.

Bone broth or collagen protein powders will definitely kick you out of a fasted state because they contain a lot of amino acids that in the presence of no calories can be insulinogenic, thus kicking you out of a fasted state.

If you want to establish a ketogenic state faster, then you would want to deplete your liver glycogen stores as to promote the production of ketone bodies. That’s why it’s a good idea to make your last meal before fasting low carb. By the next day, you’ll be in a semi-fasted state already with ketones running through your veins.

Surviving the First Night

That’s what I do during the day – I start off with apple cider vinegar, then drink salted water only when I’m thirsty, have some baking soda in another cup of water, drink 2-3 cups of black coffee only when I’m hungry, some green tea, and that’s it.

The danger with drinking coffee or drinking too much water, in general, is that you’ll have to go to the bathroom more often because of that as well. If you’re peeing very frequently, then you’ll also excrete out more electrolytes. A loss of minerals will make you feel more tired and actually predisposes you to more dehydration. That’s why dry fasting can be much more effective than water fasting because you’ll hold onto your salts and you’ll enter into ketosis faster.

The most difficult part of any extended fast is the first 24 hours. Because your body hasn’t fully switched over into a fasted state, you may experience more hunger and tiredness. This can make it difficult to fall asleep in the evening. However, if you make it through the first night you’re off to the races and it gets a whole lot easier.

Some tips for surviving the first night would be to drink a small cup of water with 1 tsp of ACV before going to bed. This will reduce hunger and lowers your blood sugar in the morning.

PRO TIP: If you want to ramp up your metabolism and raise body temperature, then you can have 1/2 tsp of Cayenne pepper in your water. This will heat up your body and can stave off hunger. This won’t break a fast probably.

Day Two

Staying Active

In the morning of day two, you’ll probably feel slightly hungry but not at the point of excruciating pain.

There is no difference in hunger levels between fasting for 20 hours or 5 days – your hunger levels stay the same and you won’t get increasingly more hungry the longer you fast.

Once your body begins to show the first signs of ketosis, it starts to use its own stored fat for fuel, which gives plenty of energy to the brain and muscles. Your mental acuity and alertness will actually increase because of elevated cortisol and adrenaline as well.

While fasting for longer periods of time, it’s important to stay active and keep moving. This is because you don’t want your body to start wasting away your muscle tissue just because of inactivity.

You don’t have to do a crazy Crossfit WOD or run a half-marathon while still fasting afterward. Instead, you can go for long walks or do some easy Yoga movements. Light aerobic activity such as walking will actually boost fat oxidation and increase ketones because of converting your body fat into energy.

During my 5 day fast, I didn’t sit on the couch or anything. Like I said, I was traveling, and when you look at the data on my OURA ring, then I averaged at about 8-10 km per day, which is twice the amount people walk even when they’re eating enough calories. I did it in a completely fasted state and felt rejuvenated.

Walking is also a great way to reduce hunger. My hypothesis is that because you’ll be converting more body fat into energy, you’ll feel as if you’ve consumed some actual calories because on a metabolic level that’s exactly what happens.

Moving around will also get your mind out of its own rut by exposing yourself to fresh air and environmental stimuli.

What If Others Around You Are Eating

The problem is that although you may be this courageous fasting warrior who’s willing to go hungry for several days in a row, the people around you don’t want to hear anything about it. I mean, if the average person can’t even skip their breakfast or morning coffee, then we shouldn’t even mention to them not eating for 3-5 days.

It’s true that social pressures and environmental temptations can make a novice faster break very easily. They go to the mall -> they smell fresh doughnuts -> they get the cravings -> they instantly give into the temptation and break their fast. Afterward, they’ll get a sugar crash that makes them feel exhausted and they’ll start loathing themselves…

How do you deal with other people cooking food around you and eating right in front of your eyes?

This is purely a matter of willpower and awareness.

First, you have to realize that the reason you get the cravings to eat something are purely due to you being exposed to that particular sensory stimulation (the aroma of doughnuts, the sizzling sound of steak, the pleasurable looks of your peers enjoying their food).

Secondly, once you’ve recognized that you’ve been mind tricked into craving for food, then you have the opportunity to manifest your willpower. The key is to start associating more pleasure with staying indomitable and to associate pain with giving in. This way you’ll feel better about yourself if you do manage to hold your discipline.

Saying no to temptations and cravings is a skill as well as a muscle that gets stronger the more you test it. Initially, if your fat-adaptation is in its infancy, you may find it more difficult but eventually you should reach levels of expertise that resemble putting pieces of meat in front of hungry wolves but still not giving in. If you’re able to stare at other people eating birthday cake right in front of your eyes and still continue to fast, then you’re truly an expert in self-control.

Going to Bed at Day Two

It’s much easier to fall asleep at day two than it is during your first night because you’ve got more used to fasting.

To not accidentally make yourself hungry and lethargic, you’d want to not overstimulate your taste buds. Meaning that you don’t want to use any artificial sweeteners or other tasty non-caloric magic drinks.

Diet sodas, BCAAs, exogenous ketones, alcohol mouthwash, toothpaste, chewing gum have zero calories but they can still stimulate your digestive processes, which will make your mind perceive it’s consuming real food.

Artificial sweeteners in coke, such as aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame-K, and even stevia can raise your insulin and elevate blood sugar. There are specific taste receptors located in your mouth and gut to detect sweetness and they’re very prone to kick you out of a fasted state.

This doesn’t apply to all people though as some folks can get away with artificial sweeteners and exogenous ketones.

If you’re very insulin sensitive and are already lean, then 1 can of diet soda drank over the course of a long time won’t probably have an effect on blood sugars.

If, however, you’re diabetic or are not very physically active, then even the sight or smell of cake may potentially raise your insulin.

There are studies showing this to be true that even imagining taking a bite of something sweet will create a placebo-like insulin response.

Day Three

Things Are Starting to Get Good

After day two, it’s much easier to fast as well because you should be in deep ketosis.

My daily liquid consumption usually looks something like this

Rinse my mouth with salt water after waking up

1 cup of water with 1-2 tsp of ACV and a pinch of sea salt

During the day 1 cup of water with ½ tsp of baking soda, 1-2 tsp of ACV, drank over the course of 2 hours

When I feel thirsty, I sip on some water with a pinch of sea salt

At noon I drink 1-2 cups of coffee

In the afternoon, I drink a cup of green tea with a pinch of sea salt

If I’m feeling hungry in the evening, I’ll make a cup of decaf coffee

In the evening I drink a cup of water with 1 tsp of ACV and ½ tsp of sea salt

In total, this will add up to 5-8 cups of liquids a day and about 2000-4000 mg-s of sodium, depending on the day.

It’s not actually a good idea to be drinking a lot of water while fasting because it’ll make you urinate more thus excreting more electrolytes. You’ll feel generally better with sipping on small amounts of liquids and then refilling yourself occasionally rather than force-feeding more water than you need.

Pay Attention to Hydration Levels

The key is to pay attention to your hydration levels by monitoring the color of your urine and the context of your saliva.

If your piss is crystal clear and you’re going to the bathroom every hour, then you’re edging on the side of overhydration and should dial down your liquid consumption while upping your salts.

If your urine is dark yellow, brown, purple, or pure dark, then you’re very dehydrated and have to find something to drink.

If your mouth is all dry and lips cracked, then you’re starting to get dehydrated and should get a few sips of water to drink.

Short periods of mild dehydration can be good for the body by triggering a hormetic response. Dry fasting for several days is a class of its own and should never be done without prior experience but it can boost the effectiveness of the fast quite a bit if you follow it up with proper re-hydration.

Day Four

Things Getting Beautiful

By day four you should be nearing the 100 hour mark of fasting. This is a significant milestone both in terms of the psychological achievement as well as the physiological state.

A ketogenic state is often characterized by blood ketone readings of 0.5 mMols and above. The optimal range is between 0.5-3.0 mMols. Starvation ketosis begins after 3.0 mMols and ketoacidosis occurs at 7-12 mMols.

Ketoacidosis is generally unachievable with eating a standard ketogenic diet. Usually, it happens in people with severe alcohol poisoning or diabetes. While fasting, you shouldn’t go beyond starvation ketosis either because of your body downregulating its own ketone production.

Higher amounts of ketones aren’t indicative of better metabolic health or more fat burning. In fact, people who’ve keto-adapted for a long time tend to show lower amounts of ketones in the blood because their body is using them for energy rather than keeping them in the blood.

When I did my first 3 day fast, my blood sugar was at 64 mg/dl, which is termed as hypoglycemic, but my ketones were in the normal range – at about 0.9 mMol range. This prevented me from passing out or falling into a coma because I was utilizing those ketones very well.

It Feels Blissful

By day four fasting also becomes the routine. You’ve gotten quite used to not eating that it has also escaped your focus of attention.

Although you may start thinking about what you’ll break your fast with, the sensory temptations from your environment become less effective and you may begin to actually enjoy fasting.

Being in a fasted state is a unique and profound experience.

You’re not feeling particularly hungry or tired but still somewhat limited in your energy.

It’s a blissful state in which you enjoy the clarity of mind and heart – free from cravings, free from attachment to food or the desire to consume something mindlessly

Fasting not only resets your taste buds from the imprisonment of processed food but also liberates your mind from being dependent on certain types of food

Not eating for several days actually changes your relationship with food for the better. You can begin to appreciate the absence of food as you know that it makes you appreciate the presence of food afterward even more. It’s like a way of reminding yourself how grateful you can be for having access to your pantry and fridge at all times.

Honestly, fasting for 4-5 days also has a spiritual component – you’re almost like in this semi-transcendental state where you feel as if not being influenced by any attachment. To put it bluntly, you feel like you’re about to transcend the primordial soup of existence and float around in a different dimension of mind and spirit.

Finishing Day Four

By the end of day four, I had actually returned from my travels and was at home. I could’ve easily finished it there as I had already accomplished quite a lot by fasting for over 100 hours.

When I arrived home it was already 7 PM and I didn’t want to go through the hassle of properly breaking a fast. It’s important to follow the right procedure when stopping fasting as your gut needs some time to get used to food again.

Instead of randomly eating whatever and staying up all night eating, I wanted to savor the moment I broke the fast by doing everything in the correct manner. Given I’d already fasted for 4 days, what difference would it make to continue on for another day?

That’s what I did – I pushed off immediate gratification even more and decided to fast for another day so I could really enjoy the process of breaking a fast without jeopardizing the benefits of the fast or disrupting my sleep.

Day Five

Preparing for the One Meal to Rule Them All

That’s why I decided to change my initial 4 day alternate fasting schedule over to an entire 5 day fast. I was already in a deep fasted state and past the most difficult part. It was much easier for me to continue until day 5 and really reap the benefits of cellular autophagy.

Fasting is great for purifying your body and mind but it can’t be done indefinitely. It’s not a get out of jail free card either with which you can excuse yourself into bingeing.

If you’re already eating a very clean low carb ketogenic diet with a ton of medicinal compounds, medicinal herbs, essential oils, essential fatty acids, and eating in a slight caloric deficit, then you’re already most of the health benefits of longer fasts. The difference is that with strict fasting you’ll ramp up autophagy and other longevity pathways like AMPK, sirtuins and PGC-1 alpha even more.

Instead of eating at day four, I decided to go take a sauna instead. There are immense hormetic benefits to heat exposure and sweating that are similar to fasting. High temperatures stimulate the lymph system, which promotes autophagy and cellular purification even further. It also makes you sleep like a log which is why I did it.

Going for the Final Stretch

Waking up in at day 5 is quite exciting and enjoyable. It’s not the same as opening presents at Christmas morning but even better. That’s what I’m talking about – who cares about these meaningless material possessions if you haven’t eaten for days – you begin to appreciate even the smallest of things like food and water, thus boosting your default state of happiness.

My plan was to fast for about 120 hours before eating anything solid. Before that, I’d gradually start introducing more calories into my system so the gut could get used to it again.

The morning routine was the same – ACV with baking soda and water, some coffee at noon, and smalls sips of water throughout the day. Funny enough, I actually had to go for number 2 in the bathroom. It wasn’t a massive dump but it was surprising that I still had some excrements after 5 days. But let’s not analyze this much longer.

This is where I’d take my blood ketone readings as well as to see how deep in ketosis I really am. The reason I didn’t pull any measurements earlier was that I found it not important for someone who’s already in a ketogenic state while eating. After measuring both my glucose and ketones I was pleasantly surprised.

Blood Glucose: 2.9 mMol-s which is 52 mg/dl. That should be hypoglycemic but I was still fully functional and full of energy

That should be hypoglycemic but I was still fully functional and full of energy Blood Ketones: 3.9 mMol-s which is borderline starvation ketosis. That makes sense as I hadn’t eaten anything for 5 days and my body was converting my own adipose tissue into ketones at a very rapid pace.

It comes to show that even after a prolonged fast, you’re not going to cause metabolic ketoacidosis on yourself but instead will burn those ketones for energy. The reason I felt so good and was able to stay active was that of using those ketones for fuel.

FOOD #1: Bone Broth

In the afternoon, I’d drink another cup of water with 1 tsp of ACV and hot lemon water. This really ramps up the digestive enzymes and stimulates your taste buds. It feels incredibly rejuvenating and fresh as your mouth kind of gets re-awakened.

My first form of actual calories comes from bone broth soup made from either chicken thighs, beef collar bones, or fish fins. This is probably the best thing you can break a fast with because it’s easy to digest, has a lot of salt, plenty of essential fatty acids and amino acids that begin to nourish you right away.

Bone broth contains collagen and glycine, which are incredibly good for your skin, hair, nails, muscle tissue, the intestinal lining of your gut and a host of other things. In fact, drinking bone broth before anything else will promote the absorption of everything else you eat later as well. Additionally, to prolong the effects of autophagy, you can add some cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, ginseng, and other medicinal herbs into your bone broth. It’s going to taste just magnificent.

Working Out During Long Fasts

After my first cup of bone broth, I started to feel quite good. My body and gut definitely warmed up and I could feel my intestines waking up to the intake of calories. It was a pleasant feeling which had almost become foreign to me after 5 days of limited intake of even liquids.

Then I decided to test my physical performance as well. I had already drunk a bit of coffee so I was quite alert and ready. Although I had consumed some bone broth, it was still a fasted workout because I didn’t gain any real boost of energy. I just started to feel more eager to tackle a workout. As a preworkout, you can also take some exogenous ketones or MCT oil based pre-workout drinks that wouldn’t give you a whole lot more vigor.

It was a short and not very intense session because I didn’t want to put too much stress on my system. I did 5 sets of 15-20 pull-ups, 3 sets of 15 handstand pushups, 5 sets of rings turned out pushups, 3 sets of 10-12 ring dips, 3 sets of 20-25 ring rows, some core and 3 sets of 15 pistol squats.

Honestly, I was able to perform at about 80% of my maximum and could’ve easily pushed myself to the 95%-ile. Comes to show that your body can really tap into its internal sources of power even while not having eaten anything for 5 days.

What about working out at the beginning or the middle of the fast and then continuing fasting for several days?

It’s true that physical activity boosts ketosis and can make you burn a ton of fat, it may still become too much of a stressor on the body. You do want to stay active and use your muscles to some degree as to prevent muscle loss but you don’t want to be having a hardcore resistance training workout.

To not lose muscle mass while fasting, you have to be putting some sort of stress on them. Walking, backpacking, yoga, a few sets of calisthenics are great exercises for stimulating the preservation of muscle mass.

If you were to simply sit on your couch or in a hospital bed without lifting a finger, then your body will quickly burn off your lean tissue. So it’s a good idea to do like 1-2 sets of pushups every day to keep the flame alive so to say.

Unless you’re desperately trying to lose like over 30 pounds of fat, then I wouldn’t bother with working out in a fasted state and then continuing to fast for several days because you may experience a huge slump in energy.

PRO TIP: If you’re moving around a lot or exercising, then you can take a little bit of exogenous ketones around your activity times. Like 1 grams of beta-hydroxybutyrate salts won’t kick you out of a fasted state but they can give you some additional electrolytes. I’m using Perfect Keto BHB base salts and you can get a 20% discount code if you use the code SIIMLAND

FOOD #2: Fermented Foods

After the first cup of bone broth, I’ll probably go on and drink about 2 cups more because it’s delicious and because I want to really warm up my gut before eating anything solid.

Then the next food source should be something probiotic. My favorites are pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, or kombucha. They’re great to start off with because they’ll feed the good microbiome and create a pro-digestive intestinal environment.

There’s also a difference between pro- and prebiotics.

Probiotics are strands of beneficial bacteria living in your gut that help to absorb nutrients and support the immune system. Probiotic foods include kefir, yogurt, coconut kefir, sour cream, tempeh, miso, gherkin pickles, apple cider vinegar, olives, raw cheese, kvass, natto, kombucha, and sauerkraut.

Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that the probiotics can feed upon. They’re utilized by the gut to promote the growth of good bacteria (like lactobacilli and bifidobacteria) and aid digestion. Inulin is a soluble fiber that has many prebiotic properties. Foods rich in inulin are garlic, onions, asparagus, artichokes, chicory root, raw bananas, and leeks.

When breaking a fast, I’ll be eating about 1 cup of probiotics followed up by a few prebiotics like raw garlic or onions.

FOOD #3: Easily Digestible Protein

But man cannot live on just sauerkraut and water alone, which would be ironic after having fasted for 5 days…but I digress…

Next, to the fermented foods, you want to also get some essential amino acids and fatty acids. Protein is the most important macronutrient for survival and weight loss so you should get something easily digestible.

My favorite and probably the best sources of protein are eggs and fatty fish. They have all the essential amino acids and fatty acids in abundant supply. Although meat is highly nutritious and healthy, it wouldn’t be the ideal food to break a fast with right away.

The first actual meal that I broke my fast with was very low carb and ketogenic because I want to prolong my state of ketosis even further. In fact, refeeding on carbohydrates immediately may cause an abrupt weight gain because of sodium retention.

Here’s what I usually eat:

2-4 fried eggs with all kinds of herbs, pepper, curry, and salt

1-2 cups of steamed vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, cabbage

1-2 tbsp of olive oil

A half an avocado

If I’m not having the eggs, then my go-to choice would be salmon or herring because of they have a similar fatty acid profile that includes omega-3s, DHA, and EPA – the most crucial nutrients for the brain and cellular metabolism.

FOOD #4: More of the Good Stuff

After I’ve consumed my first meal, I’m going to let it sit for a while and allow my body to digest it.

This is the point where you either start to feel increasingly more nourished or more exhausted.

If you get tired all of a sudden, then it may be because of rushing in with too high volume foods. In that case, wait about an hour before eating anything further and consume some more bone broth.

If you feel alright and everything looks good, then wait for 20-30 minutes after your first meal before eating anything else.

If, however, you get the sudden disaster pants and have to run to the bathroom, then you can take some activated charcoal, have like ½ cup of lemon water, and continue eating after 20-30 minutes. Getting brief diarrhea after long fasts is normal and it happens just because your gut hasn’t re-adapted to food quite yet. It’ll pass…

The next meals you should be consuming are practically the same with subtle nuances. When the first one was strict low carb keto, then in the second one you can include a bit of starch like carrots, turnips, beetroot, potatoes, rice, quinoa.

If you’re doing a ketogenic diet, then the potatoes and rice are out of the question due to their high carb content. In that case, eat more of the same stuff you did before – veggies, salad, some nuts, seeds, and avocados.

Your source of protein on the second meal should ideally be fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, or trout. This is the point you can also start introducing meat like beef, steak, pork, or chicken. However, you’d want to keep the portions moderate. Eating some organ meats like liver, heart, or tongue is a great idea because they’re extremely high in micronutrients and vitamins, much more so than the flesh.

FOOD #5: What About Desserts

Chances are that you don’t even want to be consuming anything more than 1-2 main courses on the day you break your fast. Although you’d think that you’ve turned into a ravenous rhinoceros who’s going to eat everything in the fridge, the opposite actually happens.

At first, it’s very difficult to eat large quantities of food because your gut has shrunk during the fast and you’ve also lost some of your appetite. It may even be that you’ll get very tired of eating and want to fall asleep. That’s normal and nothing to shy away from.

If, however, you want to reward yourself with a small treat, then you can also have some desserts. Here are the best healthy options:

Sugar-free jello with blueberries, whipped cream, and cinnamon

Almond butter and sesame seed fat bombs

Cottage cheese with berries, coconut flakes, and poppy seeds

Flaxseed cookies with pumpkin seeds and almond flakes

Or simply 2-4 pieces of dark chocolate with raw hot cacao

Eating desserts even on keto isn’t something unachievable. The sky really is the limit and you can successfully swap out some of the ingredients from the traditional menu with low carb ketogenic ones. You can find more of these keto-friendly recipes from my KETO // IF Program.

How Much Food Should You Eat After a 5 Day Fast

This also raises the question of how much food should you actually eat? After 5 days, you’d think you can eat everything you what in unlimited amounts but the real answer may be quite surprising. Let’s do the math…

In my own example, my basal metabolic rate (BMR) is at about 1800 calories. To get my daily caloric homeostatic balance, I’d have to add on top of it my activity levels, such as working out, walking, and other daily fidgeting.

During my fast, I was very active throughout the entire time – I averaged 8-10 km of walking every day with a peak of 14 km on one day. This would’ve set my caloric needs at around 2200 per day.

If you multiply 2200 with 5 you get an 11 000 calorie deficit, which is huge. A pound of fat has 3500 calories so I should’ve lost 3 pounds of fat, which checks in on the scale as well. At the start of the fast I weighed 174 pounds (78.5 kg) and at day five I was 165 pounds (75 kg).

On the day I broke my fast I actually ate around my daily maintenance and stuck around 2000-2200 calories. The reason is that after such a long fast, my metabolic rate will have slightly downregulated itself due to the absence of food and eating any more may have caused some weight gain. It’s also a good idea to eat slightly less because you don’t want to put too much digestive strain on the intestines.

Day Six

The Aftermath

The following night I slept like a baby and in the morning I felt very good. If you ate dinner a few hours before going to bed then it may be that you’ll end up going to the bathroom for #2, which is normal again.

You may actually end up losing a lot more weight in the post-feeding stage the next day because your metabolic rate will experience a huge boost. It may even be that you’ll have to eat more food just to replenish your nutrients.

On day 2 of eating again, you should eat slightly above your maintenance as to nourish your body and restore your energy. A small surplus of 200 calories is more than enough to rev up your metabolism and thyroid again.

What you do on day 3 of eating again depends on your body composition and goals.

If you’re overweight and have more than 20 pounds to lose, then you can immediately go for another extended fast for 3-5 days. Your body fat is food and the second fast will be that much easier. Obese or diabetic people shouldn’t be eating any carbs until their condition gets better. Fasting is a great cure for that as well.

If you’re already lean and at 10% body fat, then you can swap over to the one meal a day or warrior diet with a daily intermittent fasting window of 16-22 hours fasted. The same applies to physically very active people. Your next extended fast of 3-5 days should be in a month or two.

Whatever goals you have, you don’t need to be eating any more than 2 meals a day. The 16-8 fasting schedule is a perfect sweet spot for daily use. I even think it should be the minimum time window everyone should fast for every day.

Let’s Recap

This concludes my experiment which started off as a simple 4 day alternate day fast and ended up with a full blown 5 day fast. Let’s pull in some data and take a look at the results.

Starting weight 174 pounds (78.5 kg) and about 10% body fat

174 pounds (78.5 kg) and about 10% body fat Ending weight 165 pounds (75 kg) and about 8-9% body fat

165 pounds (75 kg) and about 8-9% body fat Fasting length : 120 hours

: 120 hours Average daily step count : 10 000-17 000 steps / 8-14 km-s

: 10 000-17 000 steps / 8-14 km-s Average sleep score : 88-92, which is marvelous and slightly better than on days I eat

: 88-92, which is marvelous and slightly better than on days I eat Average heart rate : 34 beats/min, which is very low. I already have quite a slow heart rate and on normal days I get about 39-43 bpm. Fasting simply lowered my overall energy levels, which slowed down my heart beat even more

: 34 beats/min, which is very low. I already have quite a slow heart rate and on normal days I get about 39-43 bpm. Fasting simply lowered my overall energy levels, which slowed down my heart beat even more Heart rate variability dropped slightly as well . My average HRV scores are between 120-130 but during the fast, I got 100-110.

. My average HRV scores are between 120-130 but during the fast, I got 100-110. Psychological wellbeing increased by about 2-fold because I really started to appreciate even a warm cup of tea in my hands, which was a very nice feeling.

That’s my best takeaway from this 5 day fast as well: abstaining from food for even just a few days completely reconceptualizes your relationship with what you eat, how you associate yourself with hunger and your appreciation for eating anything.

Fasting From All Addictions

Fasting is also a great tool for overcoming any form of addictions, whether that be sugar, processed food, ice cream, alcohol, coffee, or just eating in general.

After day 3 I simply lost all attachments to everything – it was indeed like I was transcending the primordial soup of existence because I was in such a blissful state. I had low levels of energy and I carried out this transient feeling of an empty stomach but other than that I could’ve easily dropped dead at that spot and not give a damn.

It was like everything was okay – it was okay that I hadn’t eaten in days, it was okay that I didn’t get to workout, it was okay that I didn’t get to make more content online, it was okay that I felt cold and tired.

I think fasting shouldn’t be done just for healing your body but for also healing your mind. It’s important to „fast“ from everything you’re attached to whether that be social media, sex, alcohol, tobacco, central heating, entertainment, and even water, just so you could become independent of those things. Just so you could remain unaffected by their absence and appreciate their presence. That’s why I’m definitely going to practice daily intermittent fasting as well as implement these longer 3-5 day fasts a couple times per year.

Frequently Asked Questions About Long Fasts

During my fast, I also polled my audience on my YouTube Community page. I let them ask a bunch of frequently asked questions about extended fasting and such. So, why not answer them here rapid-fire style.

Do you take some supplements while fasting? – On regular 3-5 day fasts, there’s not much point in taking supplements if you’re getting your electrolytes in. Sodium and potassium are the most important ones and your body will compensate for the others. If you’re fasting for longer than 5 days, then taking a multivitamin is a good idea.

– On regular 3-5 day fasts, there’s not much point in taking supplements if you’re getting your electrolytes in. Sodium and potassium are the most important ones and your body will compensate for the others. If you’re fasting for longer than 5 days, then taking a multivitamin is a good idea. Why can’t I sleep while doing long fasts or eating keto? – It probably has to do with lack of electrolytes and dehydration. Headaches, palpitations, and increased heart rate are also caused by this. Take some baking soda with apple cider vinegar and see how you’ll react.

– It probably has to do with lack of electrolytes and dehydration. Headaches, palpitations, and increased heart rate are also caused by this. Take some baking soda with apple cider vinegar and see how you’ll react. How long is it good to fast at low body fat? – Depends on your activity levels and how lean you are. If you’re already under 10% body fat, then fasting for longer than 5-7 days should be the limit.

– Depends on your activity levels and how lean you are. If you’re already under 10% body fat, then fasting for longer than 5-7 days should be the limit. Does adding stevia to coffee break a fast? – Theoretically, it shouldn’t but artificial sweeteners are still very sweet and can stimulate the release of insulin. It depends on your insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels. Things like heavy cream or butter will definitely break a fasted state.

– Theoretically, it shouldn’t but artificial sweeteners are still very sweet and can stimulate the release of insulin. It depends on your insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels. Things like heavy cream or butter will definitely break a fasted state. How to prevent muscle loss and maximize fat loss? – Stay active and walk around. Do 1-2 sets of easy calisthenics every day and consume apple cider vinegar 1-2 times a day.

Stay active and walk around. Do 1-2 sets of easy calisthenics every day and consume apple cider vinegar 1-2 times a day. How to not binge after an extended fast? – Make sure you get enough electrolytes during the fast and start off by consuming more bone broth followed by vegetables. In between your meals walk around and take breaks.

– Make sure you get enough electrolytes during the fast and start off by consuming more bone broth followed by vegetables. In between your meals walk around and take breaks. How to avoid stomach aches and cramps? – Drink that baking soda and apple cider vinegar drink 1-2 times per day. It’ll break down kidney stones, helps with gallstones, and promotes digestion in general. Miracle potion truly…

When Will You Have Your Next 5 Day Fast

So, my question to you is: When will you have your next long fast? What’s the longest you’ve actually gone without food? Have you actually abstained from eating any longer than a day?

Whatever the case may be, fasting can be used as a very effective tool for improving body composition and health. It is one of the easiest miracle drugs that will heal your body and mind.

Before you start practicing these longer fasts, you have to come to terms with your medical condition and consult your physician first. All the responsibility is on you and not your doctor, your parents, not me, or your cat – everything is on your shoulders.

But if you want to learn more about how to practice long intermittent fasts, then check out my YouTube videos, blog posts, this podcast, and consider getting my Metabolic Autophagy Master Class It comes with the exact blueprint of how to become fasting-adapted and implement it with the ketogenic diet.

Stay Empowered

Siim