Water Fasting

[KateCatz]

Has anyone ever done a Water fast? I'm starting one tomorrow and I'm kind of nervous... Any advice or tips?

(by the way I'm not doing this for weight loss more for the cleaning benifits)

[trainer]

I did one once more for a health reason than anything else. I had flu and couldn't keep anything down so all I did was sip water, plain water. By the end of the day I had developed something called hyponeutremia and ended up in the urgent care to get an IV of electrolyte solution. 😛 The problem with water only is that it unbalances your system and you deplete your electrolytes. Most fasts suggest you either drink simple, clear fruit juices (diluted if you'd like) or make your own electrolyte solution to sip. Something like 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of sugar in a liter of water if I remember correctly should do the trick. The headache I had from hyponeutremia is something I will NEVER want to repeat 😛

[KateCatz]

When I was younger there was a week that I could not keep anything down and it was hell.... Thanks for your advice! I'll make sure to watch for signs of depleated electrolytes

[Gandhi]

Kate 

As a doctor I would recommend have atleast 3 glasses of water throughout the day

It should  get the electrolytes and cell membrane  osmosis in order

[Stephen1227]

And, hyponeutremia can, worst case be fatal.  

[NY2TX]

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@KateCatz wrote:

Has anyone ever done a Water fast? I'm starting one tomorrow and I'm kind of nervous... Any advice or tips?

(by the way I'm not doing this for weight loss more for the cleaning benifits)

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A water fast?  If you're exercising, I don't "get it." I drank 124 ounces of water yesterday...and I probably average 80-100 on a normal day.  But I walk fast everyday, and I'm in S. Texas where if I don't hydrate I'll keel over.

As for cleaning (or cleansing), the more water I drink, the more I "expel" it and the more I exercise, the more I perspire (I shed 4 pounds of water weight yesterday morning)...I think that I've been "purified."

[slysam]

What is a water fast? Are you just drinking water/no calorie fluids for a day? Or are you not drinking water for a day (fasting from water)?

[KateCatz]

Water fasting is where you only drink water (no flavoring either, like Mio) for a certain amount of time. Right now I am on day three of my 3 day water fast.  So yes there is no calorie intake

[Stephen1227]

I know it's not by business, but are you under a doctor's supervision?  Are you exercisiing at the same time and sweating?  I hope you are getting enough salt / sodium.  As a former marathoner, I will never forget how sad it was when a young female medical student died of hyponeutremia (water poisoning) while running the Boston Marathon.  She was all smiles at one point in the 26.2 mile race, and then she was gone.  Please make sure you are under a doctor's supervision.  Just my two cents. 

[KateCatz]

I totally understand! In addition to myself (almost EMT, waiting to take the cert. test), a few friends who are doctors, EMS, med students, ect. are watching about for me! I have been monotoring all vitals and watching my body's reaction.  Also I have been aquireing information from various reliable sources as to when to know when and how to break the fast!  Also i have been watching how much and how strenous my excersise is, and have limited it only to walking, when I feel up for it! Thank you very much for your concern, it is wonderful to know that people you dont even know care about the well being of others! 🙂

[Stephen1227]

You are most welcome!

[NY2TX]

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@Stephen1227 wrote:
You are most welcome!?

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I drink over 100 ounces of water a day and engage in exertive walking every day.  I perspire profusely when I'm out walking and I carry a 50 oz. Camelbak. In 4 months I've lost 40 pounds. I guess I don't understand the purpose of the water fast as it relates to diet, exercise and counting steps.

[JenniLacey]

What exactly are you trying to "clean" and what makes you believe that your body needs "cleaning"? Our bodies have multiple organs whose purpose is to rid the body of anything that shouldn't be there. I don't understand the purpose of starving yourself to follow a fad without credible scientific evidence to support its benefits.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/detox-diets/faq...

You'd reap more longterm benefits by changing your diet to one that includes fresh, whole foods, foods without use of pesticides or other chemicals and preservatives, low in sugar and sodium and getting adequate water.

I think you would find it beneficial to seek the advice of a certified dietition (not a medical professional untrained in the field of nutrition) to discover a healthy eating plan that is maintainable longterm and can be followed as a lifestyle change rather than a fad or crash diet.

[NY2TX]

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@JenniLacey wrote:

What exactly are you trying to "clean" and what makes you believe that your body needs "cleaning"? Our bodies have multiple organs whose purpose is to rid the body of anything that shouldn't be there. I don't understand the purpose of starving yourself to follow a fad without credible scientific evidence to support its benefits.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/detox-diets/faq...

You'd reap more longterm benefits by changing your diet to one that includes fresh, whole foods, foods without use of pesticides or other chemicals and preservatives, low in sugar and sodium and getting adequate water.

I think you would find it beneficial to seek the advice of a certified dietition (not a medical professional untrained in the field of nutrition) to discover a healthy eating plan that is maintainable longterm and can be followed as a lifestyle change rather than a fad or crash diet.

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Jenni, to whom were you commenting?

I have plenty to purge from my system, but that's neither here nor there. I intend to get a referral to a nutritionist, especially since I've lost so much weight during this relaunch of my activity. But I'm certainly not a "fad diet."  I just don't understand the concept of a water fast, when I know how much water I need to drink to simply replace what I lose when I walk.

[SunsetRunner]

I did a water fast for 30 days and lost 64 pounds. It was the best thing i've ever done. A few years later I fasted for 14 days. I drank only distilled water.

[NY2TX]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

I did a water fast for 30 days and lost 64 pounds. It was the best thing i've ever done. A few years later I fasted for 14 days. I drank only distilled water.

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4 and a 1/2 years ago I wrote that I didn't understand long term fasting, let alone water fasting. Of course you lost 60+ pounds in a month. Did you get any nutrition during that time?

I lost 75 pounds in the first 10 months of using my FitBit Flex. But I combined it with what became daily rigorous exercise. Now, almost 5 years since starting this I've maintained my weight at minus 85 lbs since I started, but I work out everyday. I thought that the purpose of the FitBit routine was to combine "healthy eating" with what some people call "stepping."

I hope everything works out for you.

[SunsetRunner]

Fitbit is whatever you want it for. Some use it just for recording their sleep, for example.

My water fasts were a number of years ago.

No I got no nutrients, which is the purpose. Water fasting cleanses the body of toxins quickly and gets rid of the weight of course. I foud it easy to do.

I got fitbit just over a week ago. I got it to encourage and remind me to stay active. It's working well for that but I find its not at all accurate. Despite that, I am enjoying it.


Sent from Samsung tablet

[NY2TX]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:
Fitbit is whatever you want it for. Some use it just for recording their sleep, for example.

My water fasts were a number of years ago.

No I got no nutrients, which is the purpose. Water fasting cleanses the body of toxins quickly and gets rid of the weight of course. I foud it easy to do.

I got fitbit just over a week ago. I got it to encourage and remind me to stay active. It's working well for that but I find its not at all accurate. Despite that, I am enjoying it.


Sent from Samsung tablet

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I stand corrected

[Dominique]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

I did a water fast for 30 days and lost 64 pounds.

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Sorry, but this just doesn’t make any sense / the numbers don’t add up.

[SunsetRunner]

If you watch some testimonies of people on waterfast, most lose 2 pounds a day, depending on their level of activity.