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Comment by marchelzo | Hacker News Reader

Sorry- but you mean that you didn't eat anything at all for 23 days? And you felt energized?

Correct. I did not consume anything but water for those 23 days. And yes, past day four I felt more energized than at any time in the last 10 years or so. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but I guess it's one of those things you have to try to feel for yourself :) Even the people around me that knew I was fasting were surprised to see the progression and how much more energetic I seemed. Anecdotally, I did feel at least five years younger at the end of the fast - physically and mentally.

None of the people I've seen so far on Naked and Afraid seemed "energized" after not eating for days.

I think they are often also dehydrated, full of bug bites, uncomfortable, lacking sleep, and stressed out, so not sure how comparable it would be to fasting in the 1st world.

@crusso, haha I only heard about this show when my friend suggested that I go ahead and apply to participate. It does take some mental effort to cruise through a prolonged fast. It's especially hard in our society where so much is centered around food. It was inconvenient at times to be the one who doesn't eat in social functions and such, but you get over it. The key is not to talk about it and have to explain to people why you're not picking up a beer at the BBQ. Also this wasn't my first prolonged fast, and I know from experience that it does get easier the more you condition your body to rest and take a break from constantly digesting.

Inspired by this thread and your post, I decided yesterday to try at least a 24 hour fast. After a breakfast shake yesterday, I played tennis and went about my normal activities. I eat a fairly ketogenic diet, so the hunger wasn't too distracting, although I felt very laid back in the evening.

This morning, I woke up about an hour earlier than usual with a great feeling of energy and focus. No real hunger. I'm going to push it a little further as long as I feel good. Thanks.

Glad to hear! Feel free to reach out via email if you have any questions or interested in several resources that will go into great detail with regards to prolonged water fasting.

I have a similar experience when fasting!I feel a bit more energised and definitely have a clearer mind.

It's not really that counter-intuitive. Presuming humans evolved to cope in situations where food was sometimes very scarce, and had to be acquired through hunting and gathering, likely in competition with other individuals and groups, then being listless and incapable for months as our body's stores of fat and muscle drained away would not be helpful. Far better for the body to expend its store in a few weeks of energetic activity spent searching for replacement food supplies.

I've heard it said that what most people in the developed world describe as "hunger" is really just appetite. A different phenomenon, and an uncomfortable one, but separate from true hunger, which tends to set in after a few weeks, and is more like a psychological impulse to acquire food by any possible means, including violence.

How much time in between prolonged fastings do you believe is healthy to do it? I'm pretty interested in finding a good time eating - time fasting intervals where I could take advantage of the energy given by the fasting time and the reload of food in our bodies? Hmmm a guess for me (I don't know about the topic) would be a 10 days each 2 months, maybe? You did some kind of exercise or some activity that required big efforts?

Take into account that eg day-on day-off fasting would also have an effect on your body, not just the long fasts.

I went thru the same on a 14 day fast. More energy after about day 3, clearer thinking etc.

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