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7 Day Homesteader Water Fast

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7 Day Homesteader Water Fast

7 Day Homesteaders Water Fast

Here is the Video of James' 7 Day Homesteader Water Fast

I completed my first 7 day Water Fast in October this past year just before my 34th birthday. I'd been studying fasting since June of 2021 but never committed to an extended fast. I had dabbled with a few 24 hour water fasts and one 72 hour fast prior to undertaking this big one. The 72 hour fast was harder than the 7 day. The main reason being that in the 72 hour fast, I had just barely finished going through sugar withdrawal when it finished. All pain and no fun. Physiologically it did a lot of good for my body, but psychologically it was a downer. Perhaps this was self manifested since many of the resources I read on fasting had opined that the first 3 days are the worst days of a fast for beginners. By choosing to do a 7 day fast I got to experience the other side of the withdrawal and focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. That side was overwhelmingly positive.

Claiming Back Time

Aside from many of the benefits I was told about from fasting, one of the largest yet unexpected benefit was breaking the chains of my sugar dependence and meal scheduling. All of a sudden, I had a bucketful of time on my hands and a clear mind. I also experienced none of that post-meal lethargy that I did when I would eat. I found myself very productive on the homestead during those 7 days, especially after day 3 when my hunger pains began to subside. You know how when you are in the flow of something and you get interrupted? By the time you get back to your task it's difficult to get started again. All of that time lost during the transition periods between flow states was given back to me during my fast. Taking food out of the equation enabled me to stay in flow on the tasks at hand. I learned to grow some independence from food schedules. It really opened the doors to my personal development and time management.


Energy Bandwidth Optimization

I've read that the process of digestion takes up about 30% of the body's total energy expenditure. If this is true, then it makes sense why dogs don't eat when they are sick. Perhaps they are choosing to allocate that 30% toward their immune system as a super boost. Maybe we would also benefit by taking a break from food when we are ill. This feeding focus (Fed State) we live in, in modern society, is quite possibly reducing our energy potential as well be detrimental to our proper biological functioning.  Ooofdah. For crying out loud, there was a McDonalds in the Hospital I worked at when I was starting out in the medical world. And I, the simple anesthesia assistant, and the cardiovascular surgeon alike snacked on fast-food between surgeries. Clearly there is something askew in our society when it comes to food. This is a digression. Let's get back on track. This post is about fasting, not poor food choices. I still make plenty of those. How does that saying go again? "I went out to eat because I didn't have time." Perhaps it is the constant eating that is causing the lack of available time? (see: chicken and the egg dilemma) Before I dove into fasting, I swear I've spent nearly 30 years planning life between meals.

My Body Weight


I measured my daily body weight just for curiosity. I did not have a specific goal. I did, however, check my BMI beforehand and chose a weight to be my lower threshold for stopping the fast. I did not want to become underweight. I was still 10lbs away from that number at the end of my fast. My weight dropped about 10lbs total from beginning to end (from 155 lbs to 145 lbs). In the past 3 months since my fast my weight has normalized to 150 lbs. According to the books I read, during a water fast the average daily fat loss through ketosis is ~3/4 of a lb/day. I must have lost the extra 5 lbs due to all of the activities I was doing alongside my fast.


What about that Toothache?


The toothache played a very important role in this fast. It became my WHY! Over the years, the goals I have accomplished are the goals that have a strong personal WHY behind them. The thought of an expensive dentist bill or doctor bill from treating an infection was nearly as frightening as the thought of losing teeth! Two days into the fast my toothache was gone. My gum inflammation was gone. At the end of the fast, my mouth felt I had just gotten home from a dental cleaning. I have yet to go to a dentist to confirm whether or not I have a cavity. The toothache and inflammation are still gone to this day.

Bone Broth for Fasting


Hands down, homemade bone broth tastes significantly better than store bought bone broth. I found the taste of fancy store bought to be rather unpleasant. Bone broth is easy to make and needs to be at the ready for those fasting. Ashley created a bone broth that is tasty and easy to make. You can find it in our Recipe section on the website or follow this link.


Peer Pressure Mitigation


When I'm fasting I am also usually attending social gatherings or family meals where food is being consumed/offered. I found this little trick to be a gamechanger for getting peers to get off of my back and honor my fast. People often comment "You look fine, why are you fasting?" or "Come on! Just try some of this." The best reply to these folk was "I have a good friend in poor health who I am fasting for as encouragement." Everyone has a friend/peer in poor health. It is honorable to care about others. Most people will respect this reply, commend you, and get off your back. If they do not, perhaps it is time to modify your peer group.


Fasting Research


I did quite a bit of research before conducting my fast. If you choose to do one yourself, definitely learn more about the topic. I do not have the capacity to advise you. (see our health disclaimer) There are considerations in fasting strategies for those of us with different health issues or those who are taking chronic medications. Below are links to the majority of the resources I found useful in understanding and planning my fast. As Dr. Pradip Jamnadas exclaimed in his Fasting for Survival lecture "You must involve your physician. If your physician does not want to know or does not support a fast then find a new one."

Health Topics Fasting is known to address include:
- Type 2 diabetes reversal
- Cancer occurrence reduction
- Auto-immune disease reduction
- Disorders of sleep
- Disorders of the Mind

Diet Change since this Fast

Experiencing this fast opened my eyes to a world where I can now can gain all of my nutrition from 1  meal per day and have the remainder to do other things! Do I only eat one meal a day (OMAD) always? Of course not. Now that my chains to constant meals/snacks have been broken I can go back and forth to Fasting and Feasting. I can FEAST so long as I FAST (famine).

Why the Mouth Tape?


If you watched my water fast video, you saw a night where my mouth was taped closed. The nightly habit of mouth taping has been, aside from learning about fasting, one of the biggest positive health changes I've made to my life. Us mouth breathers are significantly disadvantaged to our nasal breathing peers. I've been training to become a nasal breather. Let us know if you are interested in this topic and I will definitely get an article with resources in the publishing pipeline.

Questions/Comments? Please head over to our contact page and give us feedback!


Updates to this article will appear below the original article on our website as I answer your questions and think of other important aspects I am learning from Fasting.