Being stuck at home with my kids meant I had gained a great deal of weight.

The last 3 months saw me gain a whopping 35 lbs! I’m not proud of it but being stuck indoors especially the last 6 weeks with nothing to do but bake and eat meant I had piled on the pounds without realizing it.

Looking back it was probably the daily baking I was doing with my kids that had caused it

I decided to step on the scale and I was not impressed, I thought at best I had gained a maximum of 10lbs. I guess living in my PJs meant that I hadn’t even noticed what had happened.

Normally I would go super low carb/keto and see results quickly but this time I just couldn’t find the motivation to do it.

I needed a short sharp hit that would help me get me started quickly.

This is where the water fast comes in. I looked into it and decided I would give it a try. Yes, it would be hard but it could potentially be the boost I was looking for to kickstart my weight loss. I had done intermittent fasting in the past but this was something completely different.

I have never fasted for longer than one day. This was my first experience with water fasting.

WHAT IS WATER FASTING? 

Water fasting is where you eat or drink nothing but water. People may undertake water fasting to lose weight or for religious reasons.

I was allowing myself herbal clear teas as a warm drink as one of the side effects was feeling cold and plain water.

BENEFITS OF WATER FASTING? 

One of the main benefits of water fasting is Autophagy. Autophagy is a natural process of cleaning up bad cell matter that’s built up in your body.

– Supports fat loss and ketosis – Improves body composition – Lowers blood pressure – Decreases blood sugar – Supports healthy collagen in the skin – May slow down the ageing process

DANGERS OF WATER FASTING 

– Nutrient deficiencies – Dehydration – Hypertension – Hyponatremia – Dizziness and fatigue – According to this research, Autophagy could starve off Cancer

HOW LONG CAN YOU WATER FAST FOR? 

Some people do it for 3 days, 5 days, or 7 days. I actually wanted to do it for 5 but I felt so good that I continued for 7.

IS WATER FASTING SAFE?

There are limited human studies on water fasting. This is not a prolonged diet and should be only used for the short term.

MY EXPERIENCE OF WATER FASTING 

If you or any other person has a medical concern, you should consult with your health care provider or seek other professional medical treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something that has been read on this blog or in any linked materials. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or emergency services immediately.

I am not a doctor, I am just telling you my experience, please be mindful of overexerting yourself, giving blood, or doing strenuous workouts. People have died from drinking too much water and flushing out electrolytes causing cardiac arrest so please be careful and do your research, Speak with your doctor if you are worried or need advice. 

PREPARE MENTALLY

I prepared myself mentally by doing some of the following:

– I got rid of all junk food and sweet treats in the house – I bought some water bottles to keep an eye on what I was drinking – Prepared some Sole Water for Electrolytes – Got some multivitamins in

HOW TO DO A WATER FAST

– Sounds obvious but don’t eat anything

– Drink water when you feel hungry or thirsty but don?t overdo it – I took electrolytes and a multivitamin as I’m running around after my kids but its an important part of the fast – I drank one cup of clear herbal tea in the morning – If it gets too much then stop. Don’t force yourself to continue if you feel awful

HOW I FELT ON DAY 1-3 

I felt absolutely awful, If you have done Keto then I can only compare it to Keto Flu. It could possibly have been Caffeine withdrawal too as I was drinking at least 6 cups a day to just function.

Days 1-3 were definitely the toughest. I was having migraines and feeling weak but surprisingly from day 2 onwards no hunger.

I drank water when I felt hungry or thirsty. I didn’t overdo it with drinking gallons of water as I was worried about flushing out electrolytes. Instead, I drank to thirst.

I also found I felt very cold. This has always been the case with me even when I am doing intermittent fasting.

DAYS 3-5

I can safely say the migraines had disappeared and so had the tiredness and brain fog. I seemed to be able to get more done for work and I started to take a brisk walk for an hour. I felt amazing, no hunger, and definitely no cravings!

I felt less bloated by day 3 and could see a difference around my waist.

Getting up quickly caused me to be dizzy so I needed to get up slowly. I was, however, still freezing.

DAYS 5-7 

These were by far the best days of the diet. I felt lighter and I could definitely see I had lost weight especially around my midriff and face. I felt great now I was worried about transitioning back to eating normally.

EATING AGAIN 

I decided to transition back slowly. Starting with one meal and then 2 after a few days. I decided to use this as an opportunity to get back onto the Keto diet which has always worked so well for me.

I’m feeling great. Brain fog has lifted and I have a great deal of mental clarity and energy.

HOW MUCH DID I LOSE 

In 7 days I lost 23lbs! Transitioning back to a keto diet meant I gained back another 4lbs but that’s come off plus more.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this 7-day water fast to anyone who wants to kick start weight loss

Water fasting is very simple but NOT easy.