Hey everyone just finished my first ever water fast that lasted 4 days.
Thought I'd share some insights as its goal wasn't weight loss or anything like that but for mental discipline.
I guess the initial thing that comes to mind is that your state of mind alters around day 2 into starvation mode. It almost felt like a psychedelic experience for me where I had a constant train of thought clouding my mind. When I was having conversations with friends, my speech felt alien and unnatural as well. On top of that my sense of touch felt off. In day 3 and 4, it was a real challenge to try meditate to keep my thoughts clear.
The fasting also really puts things into perspective with food and water. By the end of day 3 I was feeling great -lots of energy, though the mornings were always tough. Every time I had a negative thought, my initial reaction was to find something to consume, usually some sort of carb. But really, as my body got water in it, the day got easier and easier, and by night I was full of energy. The concept of consumption was something that I meditated a lot about during my fast.
Although I was planning on fasting for only 4 days, I got onto this through a friend who does water fasts throughout the year for weeks. He's also a father and a professor that works and researches every day. It was a fascinating time to figure out how to keep productive while fasting. For the first 2 days, my day consisted of fixations and distractions such as TV or video games. However, 3rd and 4th day I forced myself to do productive work and light exercise. To my surprise, work was a great fixation as I ended up working 8 hours straight and have been productive than ever! Also, as for the light exercise, it was hard at first but once I got a few push ups in it was good!
This is strictly from my own personal experience but I'd love to hear about others as well. It was such an interesting journey and I'm planning on doing 5 days in December. Tips or suggestions are welcome!
