My water fasting weight loss results will blow your mind

Hey, welcome to my extreme water fasting weight loss experiment.

I'll show you exactly what I did to lose 14.6 pounds (6.6 kilograms) in just 5 short days. And while that's almost 3 pounds (1.5 kilograms) a day, you probably already know it's impossible to lose body fat anywhere near as quickly.

But don't worry, I'll explain exactly how much body fat I actually lost, so you'll have a good idea of how much you can expect to lose (should you ever decide to do a water fast yourself).

You'll also understand where the "fake" part of my final weight loss results came from - which will be especially useful since a big fake drop of the number on your bathroom scale can happen even during far less restrictive weight loss diets.

Unfortunately, science says1 that a huge part of those fake weight loss results will be caused by the destruction of your muscle mass and vital organ tissue (but don't worry, that can be easily prevented even without breaking a fast).

Now that you know what you're getting yourself into, let's jump right into what I did to make sure I burned off as much body fat as possible during my 5 day water fast.

How to boost the weight loss results of a water fast?

If you go on a water fast, you can count on losing a lot of weight even if you lay in bed all day. But since I wanted to burn off as much body fat as possible, I also exercised as much as I could.

While I've proven it's actually possible to lose 19.5 pounds (8.8 kilograms) in just 24 hours (if you exercise in intense heat to sweat out a ton of water weight), that's not why I used exercise in my weight loss experiment.

If you completely stop eating, your body will no choice but to fully switch to your body fat reserves for energy. Once your body enters that state (also called a state of "ketosis"), your body fat starts to melt away at highest possible speeds.

What's not to love, right?

There's only one problem with this. It usually takes about 3 days before your body can fully enter ketosis. But before that weight loss magic can start to happen, you need to wipe out three more energy sources in your body (the sugar in your bloodstream, your glycogen reserves, and the food in your digestive tract).

So the reason I used exercise in my water fasting experiment, was to help my body burn through those three energy sources faster. Because I exercised so much, I didn't have to "waste" the first 3 days of my experiment, but I could enter ketosis after just one day.

My final weight loss results were better because of the exercise, but as you'll see from my daily diary, a combination of no food and a lot of exercise can turn out to be pretty ugly.

How to prepare yourself for water fasting?

Well, I'm just not one of those people who can jump into a water fast whenever they feel like it. I was once an overeater, so I first had to earn my right to even be able to pull off a weight loss experiment like this. Back in my overeating days, I would probably end up stuffing my face with just about any fattening food I could get my hands on (even before the first day was over).

Even now, that I've gotten pretty good at handling my cravings, I didn't just dive into a water fast overnight. I could probably pull it off, but why suffer through all the consequences of making such a drastic change overnight?

By planning a smart transition I took away a ton of hunger, cravings, and mental pressure from my weight loss experiment. I also used a scientifically provenvisualization method to prepare myself mentally for what was about to come.

You can do the exact same thing before you go on a quick weight loss diet, or before you start making some permanent changes to your diet.

Oh, and if you stop eating food, your last couple of meals will stay stuck in your colon. So the last thing I wanted, was for that food to rot inside me for 5 days.

For this reason, I always "clean out" my colon if I water fast for longer than 3 days. People use quite a few invasive procedures or strange substances to prepare their colons for a water fast, but I prefer a more common-sense approach.

I simply ate fresh (uncooked) fruits and vegetables for 2 days before I entered the fast. Unlike most regular foods, raw fruits and vegetables won't start to rot, even if they are stuck in your colon for days.

The daily diary of my extreme weight loss experiment

Here's exactly what happened during the 5 days of my extreme water fasting experiment. If you're thinking of doing a water fast yourself (even if just for a day or two), this will give you a better idea of what to expect.

And, like I said, I will also share some of my mind tricks that kept me from falling off the wagon during my weight loss experiment.

You'll also see that I've gotten myself into a pretty risky situation on the fifth day (and had no choice but to "cheat" on my fast). Let that be a reminder to you that water fasting is not to be taken lightly (especially in combination with exercise), and that your safety must always come first.

DAY 1 (DAILY WEIGHT LOSS = 3.1 LBS / 1.4 KG)

During the first day of the fast, my energy levels were still pretty ok. I spent about two hours on my bicycle, plus, I did some sprinting. By the end of the day, I felt really tired, but nothing too out of the ordinary.

The harder part of the first day will be handling your hunger and food cravings.

I properly transitioned into my water fast, so my body was already used to getting just one meal per day (a late dinner). Because I was tired from exercising without food, I fell asleep way before dinner time. So during the first day, I kinda tricked my mind into not even noticing what was happening.

But that only got me through the first day.

DAY 2 (DAILY WEIGHT LOSS = 2.4 LBS / 1.1 KG)

The hunger, the cravings, and the constant feeling of emptiness in your stomach. Even without exercise, these things can really start getting to you.

One of the most useful tricks I learned to deal with that kind of mental pressure is thinking how it only takes the next five minutes to survive on ANY weight loss diet.

While living "in the present" helps a lot, there's a lot more mental stuff I rely on during my weight loss challenges. I focus on achievements instead of goals, I use emotional response numbing, I rely on my safety net of rationalizations, and I never, ever forbid myself to quit. And no matter what happens, I never allow myself to "fight" the urge to eat something (because I know that as soon as I have to use any of that "willpower" and "self-discipline" nonsense, I already lost half the battle).

That's way too much stuff to get into here, but you can subscribe to my newsletter to learn more about "the art of staying on the wagon".

On the second day of my water fast, I went on a hike. But after about two hours of brisk walking, that was it. I was completely out of gas, and that familiar feeling of dizziness started creeping in.

A little dizziness is completely normal during a water fast (even if you completely avoid exercise). But during my previous fasts, I only started to feel dizzy on the third day. It looks like the exercise really did work to speed things up.

DAY 3 (DAILY WEIGHT LOSS = 3.1 LBS / 1.4 KG)

The third day could easily compete for the worst day of my life.

I was so completely out of energy, that I barely dragged myself around the apartment. The only time I felt this way was when I was extremely weak because of an illness.

If you do a water fast without exercise, the third day is usually much, much easier.

So if you want to burn off even more body fat by exercising in the beginning of your water fast, feeling like crap might be the price you'll have to pay.

But the good news is, my hunger was almost completely gone.

DAY 4 (DAILY WEIGHT LOSS = 3.7 LBS / 1.7 KG)

The third day was as ugly as the come, but on the fourth day, I got some of my energy back.

I was actually able to walk a couple of miles (like a grandpa), but that was it for the day.

Like I said, the hunger was now completely gone. I felt like I didn't care if I ever eat anything again.

And this is actually the biggest advantage of water fasting for weight loss.

If you can learn how to handle yourself during those first few days of strong cravings, you will get to a place where hunger will no longer be bothering you.

But it wasn't until the final day that I got reminded fasting is no child's play.

DAY 5 (DAILY WEIGHT LOSS = 2.2 LBS / 1.0 KG)

The last day of my water fast surprisingly began really great. I felt like I had a lot of energy, so I courageously went on a hike.

But almost exactly at the farthest point from my home, I nearly collapsed.

I remember leaning against a fence, just wanting to lie down. I had no idea how I was supposed to get home.

I had no choice. My safety had to come first, even if it meant not completing the experiment.

I managed to slowly make my way to the nearby store, and bought some dates. Dates have an extremely high-glycemic index, which means that the sugar they contain will rush directly into your bloodstream like a speed train.

And boy, did they work.

I only ate two dates, and it was like pouring gasoline on fire. With this quick energy boost, I was able to get back home with no problems.

So yes, I technically broke the fast to soon.

But those two dates weigh only a couple of grams, so they really couldn't have affected the end results a lot.

In spite of me "cheating" during my experiment, I still ended up losing 14.5 pounds (6.6 kilograms) in 5 short days.

HOW TO PROPERLY BREAK OFF A WATER FAST?

That very first bite you take after not eating for 5 days will taste incredible. Even if you start with something you're usually not all that excited about, that very first sensation of food in your mouth will be far beyond your usual experience.

If you haven't been eating for five days, you need to slowly ease back into your normal diet. This is even more important with longer fasts. But even after a "short" 5-day fast, you can't just start eating like a horse right away.

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You can start with eating some fruit every couple of hours. After a while, you can start including some smaller meals.

Your stomach will shrink during the fast. You will notice how you feel satisfied with far less food than before the fast. You want to hold on to that feeling for as long as possible, so try not to expand your stomach too quickly with huge meals.

The biggest problem with water fasting (or any weight loss diet for that matter) is what happens afterwards. Most people have no clue on how to properly deal with food cravings during a fast, much less after they are finally allowed to eat again.

Photo: © Nastja Pungracic Photography

Why my experiment is probably a really bad idea for you

I know that the more I tell you not to repeat my experiment, the more tempted you will be to try to lose weight as quickly as I did.

So I'm not going to.

Instead, I'm going to warn you about the dangers, and tell you what you can do to minimize the damage.

Let's take a look at the two major reasons why water fasting for weight loss could be a really bad idea for you.

1. THE DAMAGE WATER FASTING CAN DO TO YOUR BODY

I have proven water fasting can help you burn a hell of a lot of body fat really quickly. And while many people survived fasting for longer than a month (curing some serious health issues in the process), some death cases have been reported as well.

It's amazing how much misinformation and "bro-science" I've discovered during my research into water fasting. If you want my advice on where to get credible information, here's one of the rare few books I feel comfortable recommending.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman is an actual medical doctor, and he relies on scientific research as he explains everything you need to know about water fasting. He covers everything from the need to monitor a fast, muscle burning, vitamin supplementation, side effects, how to enter and break a fast, etc.

I suggest you read his book on water fasting as a bare minimum before even thinking of going on a water fast yourself.

2. WATER FASTING CAN MESS WITH YOUR HEAD AS WELL

Here's the worst case scenario.

If you don't know how to handle intense hunger and strong food cravings during a water fast, you will suffer at best, and fall face first into a food binge at worst.

But even if by some miracle you make it through the entire fast, all those bottled-up feelings of denial and suffering will explode in your face as soon as you allow yourself to eat again.

Before you know it, you will be standing in front of your fridge, stuffing your face with any fattening, unhealthy and junky food you can get your hands on.

You have walked right into the yoyo dieting trap, without even realizing it. And the only painfully useless consolation I can offer, is that you aren't the first.

I know this because I went through this dieting-binge-dieting cycle many more times that I'd like to admit.

After more than a decade of research into human behavior around food, I am perfectly capable of surviving the relentless assault of cravings during a water fast. Not just survive it. All that mental warfare I used to experience now feels more like a mild inconvenience.

So unless you feel fully confident in your abilities to handle severe dietary restrictions, you should learn more about how to control your hunger before setting yourself up for a water fasting weight loss disaster.

The ugly truth behind my awesome water fasting results

The results of my extreme weight loss experiment look mighty impressive on paper.

I lost a total of 14.6 pounds (6.6 kilograms) in less than a week, while the "doctor's recommended" weight loss rate is about 1-2 pounds (0.5-1 kilogram) per week.

In other words, my water fasting results were more than 10 times better than what you can get on a standard weight loss diet.

But the cold hard truth is, more than two thirds of my awesome weight loss results were totally fake.

I didn't cheat or anything, and water fasting really IS one of the fastest fat burning methods on the planet. But to lose so much body fat so incredibly quickly, you'll have to sacrifice a lot of your "vital body mass" as well.

Luckily, you can easily avoid this during a water fast, but I'll get to that in a minute.

Now, losing a lot of vital body mass (which is something you'll definitely want to avoid) is not just a problem of water fasting.

In fact, most rapid weight lost diets trick you into believing that you're losing your body fat really quickly, just because they show you a big fake drop of the number on your bathroom scale. And while you celebrate those "fake" weight loss results, you stay completely blind to the fact that you probably lost little or no body fat at all.

I can't go into too many details in this article, but if you want to learn more about the 5 different ways your body can trick you into believing you're losing a lot of weight (even when you're hardly losing any body fat at all), you can download a free sample chapter from my "Perfect Fat Burn Diet" book. If you only read this one short chapter, you will never again be fooled by fake results on ANY weight loss diet (water fasting included).

And the worst thing about the fake (non-fat) part of my water fasting results? When you're losing a lot of lean body weight, you destroy a lot of your muscle mass and your precious vital organ tissue as well.

The hidden horrors of muscle loss during water fasting

One study[2] proved it's possible to destroy as much as 13 pounds (5.9 kilograms) of vital body mass during a 21-day water fast.

Now, maybe you don't care about losing some of your muscle mass during a water fast - or your plan is to rebuild your muscles after you get rid of that stubborn body fat...but I do need to remind you that the single most important muscle in your body is your heart.

So even if you only do a short water fast (like I did in my experiment), you could still end up weakening your heart in the process - this could be even worse if you did a series of short water fasts, without giving yourself enough time to fully recover in between.

But no matter what your plan is - destroying your vital bodily tissues is never a smart thing to do - no matter how badly you need to get rid of that body fat.

Luckily, it is simple enough to reverse the destruction of your vital body mass. I have been researching the science behind weight loss for a couple of years now - and I was lucky enough to discover a science-based method that can completely prevent the loss of your vital body mass during a water fast.

And while many people will say that my "Perfect Fat Burn Diet" can no longer be considered a "pure" water fast - I can show you scientific proof that it can offer even better fat burn rates that water fasting (plus, it won't ruin any of your vital body mass in the process).

At this point, I'll leave it up to you. 

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