My 5-day Fast Experience

I still can’t believe I actually lasted 5 days in a fast! First of all, I have only attempted a fast one other time and it was a juice only fast with fresh pressed juices. I almost made it one full day. I caved at dinner time and HAD to eat something! My mindset and plans were a little different this time. I read many accounts of other people’s attempts and experiences with their fasts, and one thing I learned is that you have to make it your own. Set your own rules and timeline that you feel you can abide with.

Day One

I decided to start the fast the day I had already consumed my morning coffee. I decided that I was not going to give that liquid up throughout the 5 days. I put a lot in my coffee; 1/2 scoop collagen powder, cacao powder, cinnamon, stevia and a splash of almond milk. I also wanted to fortify throughout the day with my vitamin powders in my water. I decided to have two vitamin water drinks each day. I wanted to have enough energy to be able to do my workouts as usual. In the evening I usually have a glass of wine before dinner. In place of that I will allow myself to have a kombucha instead. Healthy substitutes – right? Kombucha has wonderful benefits: probiotics, adaptogens & B vitamins.

On day one, I had:

• my coffee
• Vitamin drink one: Dr. Catie’s Vitamin B, C, tropical digest & greens
• Vitamin drink two: Dr. Catie’s Vitamin C, tropical digest & greens
• hot green tea
• lots of water
• 6 oz kombucha
• 8 oz fresh pressed spinach, carrot & celery juice

On reflection of day one, I realized that going all day on liquids alone is not a big stretch for me since I typically drink my blender of smoothie for my nutrition until about 4:oo each day before I eat something solid. I like to give my digestive tract a rest as much as possible so that my body can use it’s energy for autophagy. It is the evening that is tough for me, so adding the fresh pressed juice gave me something to look forward to and it kept me busy cleaning all the veggies to juice, plus I always love getting all of that added nutrition!

I had minor hunger pangs mostly in the late afternoon evening. I simply drank lots of water when that happened and got busy doing the next thing on my list. I had one more exercise video to finish up and I had to do it that day! I was a little nervous about how I would feel since I always have food in my system before a workout! I was amazed at how good I felt after doing a 45-minute strength training workout! I was not low on energy, I did not get dizzy or lightheaded, and my focus was excellent. I did have a slight headache, which is abnormal for me, and I am sure it was a detoxing symptom.

Beginning stats:

• Weight 151.5 lbs.
• Body fat 19.5%
• BMI 23.7
• Muscle mass 114.2 lbs.
• Metabolic Age 62

Day Two

I woke up on the second day of my fast after a great night’s sleep! I thought I would toss and turn with hunger, but my body was busy in repair mode and I didn’t wake up until 5:30 with the call of nature. I had my usual coffee, which is quite satisfying. The true test of my ability to exercise again was about to begin after 36 hours of fasting.

This was a full body strength training session with multi-muscle movements and cardio. I took it easy on the squat thrusts just in case I began to feel a little light-headed with the intensity of this move. Overall, I didn’t feel any different than when I fuel before a workout. My energy and focus were spot on for the full 45 minutes! I did drink part of my first vitamin water before the workout and finished the other half post workout. Those B vitamins are fantastic!

I had my second vitamin powder drink at 3:30, fresh pressed veggie juice at 5:00, and kombucha at 6:00. Having these different liquids really helped me to stay disciplined. Even though I was consuming nutrients, my body did not have to break down and digest any solid food, giving me the full benefits of resting my digestive system. At the end of day two, I was feeling confident that I could make it to the end of 5 days, but I was still taking it one day at a time.

Here are Doc Catie’s vitamin & nutrient powders I used:

You have to be careful not to use the B powder in the second drink or you may have trouble going to sleep. These organically grown whole food sourced nutrients feed your cells with live enzymes, making it possible to function on these alone! What a test! I put all of these in my daily smoothie along with Pure lean protein powder, but this is the first time I have tried them without the kale, spinach, ginger and blueberries. Wow! You can purchase these wonderful supplements here: Health Shop – PureFitJoy

My detox headache finally started going away later on day two, and I was so grateful! Knowing that I was doing something good for my body helped me to forge ahead as well. What a great feeling!

Day 2 stats:

• Weight 150.6
• Body Fat 19.5%
• Muscle Mass 114.0
• BMI 23.7
• Metabolic Age 62

Day Three

When I woke up on day three, I was grateful that my detox headache was still staying at bay. I really didn’t mind getting on the scale during the fast at all! You will definitely lose weight, but most of it will come back after you start eating again. You have to realize that this is more of a health reset to let your body heal much more thoroughly than when your digestive track is working full-time. This is a time to let your thoughts settle down too. Spend time meditating, praying or enjoying those quiet times thanking God for the wonderfully, complicated system that works so efficiently all of the time. I felt so wonderful giving my body the gift of the rest it most certainly needed.

Because I was drinking fresh pressed juices every day, I decided to add a coffee enema to further cleanse my system. The fresh juices were giving my body extra nutrients to clean up toxins and repair tissue, which in and of itself is a toxic process and creates more toxins than normal floating around in the blood stream. I wanted to assist the toxins out by producing 600-700 times (with one enema!) more glutathione S-transferase with the Gerson Therapy approved high palmitic acid coffee, which is what the liver produces to clean up the toxins. You can learn more about this process here: How to do Coffee Enema – Gerson Therapy – YouTube Here is another useful website to get you started: How To Do A Coffee Enema with Step-by-Step Instructions (thehealthyfamilyandhome.com) You will have to do your own research and see if it is a good fit for you. It took me a lot of research before I was convinced. If you listen to Dr. Patrick Vickers multiple videos, these are a great resource as he explains the history and benefits of the procedures very well.

I had also grown some wheatgrass that was ready to juice so I juiced that today while I had the juicer out for my “veggie cocktail”. Now juiced wheatgrass has an abundance of chlorophyll which floods the body with light energy and oxygen, which helps the cells to function optimally as well as helps remove toxins and heal damaged cells Benefits of Chlorophyll in Wheatgrass (healthyy.net). That is the whole point of my fast, so why not give it a boost?

I had my coffee, two Dr. Catie vitamin drinks, lots of water, hot green tea, wheat grass shot (about 3 oz), my fresh pressed juice, and 1/2 kombucha today. My fresh juice consisted of chard, apple, spinach, carrots, celery and lemon juice today (8 oz.). I was busy with the extra juicing, cleaning all of the veggies and fruits, as well as making the coffee enema, but I was still able to get all of the work done with all of the extra energy! I took the day off from exercise today to let my muscles repair and I indulged in an epsom salt bath after my coffee enema. I know I will sleep like a baby!

Day 3 stats:

• Weight 149.2
• Body Fat 19.5%
• Muscle Mass 114.0
• BMI 23.7
• Metabolic Age 62

Day Four

I did not sleep like a baby! I think I had the wheatgrass shot too late in the day! Note to self, have the wheatgrass shot before noon so that it has time to wear off! I did wake up feeling the best clarity since the beginning of the fast. I also feel lighter and determined to finish two more days. I only had to make it until day five at 6:30 pm since the last meal I had was at that time the day before I started. I really think that deciding to do the fast the day I started helped me mentally. It did not allow for pondering and wavering – just do it! I also think that making it one day at a time is a great thought process to hold onto, with the realization that you might not go the distance, but whatever distance you make it is beneficial. I leaned on God to give me the strength and perseverance, which helped to build my faith with our Heavenly Father. This practice of fasting resets your body and draws you nearer to God! Now I understand why it was such an important part of Biblical history.

I had all of my liquids as normal along with another wheatgrass shot (earlier in the day!). I did my second coffee enema too. Doing all of these things for myself and my body made me feel extremely pampered! Loving yourself enough to take the time and effort to do this process is healing all by itself! Your stress levels go down, your body is healing from the inside, and you are purposely slowing down. What a great feeling!

Day 4 stats:

• Weight 148.0
• Body Fat 19.0%
• Muscle Mass 112.6
• BMI 23.2
• Metabolic Age 62

Day Five

Waking up on day five after a great night’s sleep, I realized that my goal of doing a five day fast will be realized today! It was time to think about what the first thing to eat should be. I had read about people just gorging themselves on their favorite foods and experiencing upset stomach, gas and bloating, or eating flax meal first to avoid this. This did not make sense to me at all! After resting your digestive system for five days, easing back into eating solid food would be more logical. First of all, your digestive enzymes aren’t there to help with the process since they were on vacation. The next consideration is to introduce something that is easily digested and a small amount to begin with.

I decided to make some Hippo (Hippocrates) soup which consists of leeks, celery root, parsley, tomato, and potato. This is very bland soup with no salt added on purpose. It is easy on the digestive system and continues to detox and cleanse the liver and kidneys. Without salt added, it will help keep the sodium – potassium levels in the proper balance for better cellular function. Cooked food is easier for the body to digest than raw food (except for juices which are already broken down). Since my digestive tract had been inactive for five days, this seemed like a logical way to ease back into solid foods in a way that would be less stressful to my body. Here are the directions to make Hippo soup and the explanation of why it is easier on the digestive tract. Dr. Vickers is speaking of cancer patients here, but it is sensible for anyone trying to ease the strain on the digestive system: Our Videos – Advanced Gerson Therapy Clinic (gersonclinic.com)

At 6:30pm I broke my fast with one small bowl of Hippo soup. Even without the salt, it tasted so good! I did not food mill it like in the above video. I left the chunks whole so that I would have something to chew! I waited an hour to see how the soup would settle and then had a second small bowl. I was very satisfied indeed. It is very important to take in small amounts upon reintroducing solid food to avoid a potentially fatal condition called refeeding syndrome. To view Dr. Jockers recommended refeeding schedule, go here: Extended Fasting: Best Way to Break the Fast – DrJockers.com The types of foods you should begin with are important as well. They should be easily digestible like broths, soups, and smoothies, as well as fermented foods to replenish the good bacteria in your gut.

The next day, I continued my normal regimen of a blender full of smoothies, which was easy and natural for me. This is continuing to aid my digestive system and keeping good nutrients flooding my body. I did not feel cravings to eat unhealthy foods because I was already in the habit of eating pretty healthy most of the time. I also drink most of my nutrition, so it wasn’t much of a change for me. I think this made the whole process so much easier. Having smoothies for 3/4 of my overall nutrient intake most days also rests my digestive system from having to break down lots of food. This gives my body more energy to clean up the damaged cells and feed the good cells!

Day 5 stats:

• Weight 148.0
• Body Fat 19.0%
• Muscle Mass 112.6
• BMI 23.2
• Metabolic Age 61

My total weight loss was 3 1/2 pounds, .5% loss of body fat, 1.6 loss in muscle mass, .5 reduction in BMI, and my metabolic age dropped a whole year! My main objective in doing the fast was to reset my body, clean up the damaged cells (these can include muscle cells that need to go), and support my body nutritionally along the way with purely extracted, organic whole-food vitamins, juiced nutrients from whole foods, and fermented kombucha. Now because I was getting some nutrients, I did not get quite the same amount of autophagy or stem cell development of doing a pure water fast, but I did feel great and was able to maintain my energy level for my normal workouts and daily activities, as well as make it through the whole fast!

Regardless of how you decide to do your fast, make it your own, do it safely, and realize that you will get benefits that your body will appreciate for a long time! Letting your digestive tract rest periodically allows your energy to be focused on the clean-up and rejuvenation necessary to boost your immune system and optimize your metabolic network. This will reduce your chance of disease and illness. Good luck with your fasting journey!