Ok. I DID IT. 36 hours (technically 38hours) without eating any food. I only drank water & tea the whole time. This was an interesting but very rewarding experience. I would definitely do this again to challenge and push myself but it was definitely a challenge! There were points in the day where I got really hungry and wanted to eat a snack (around lunch @ 1-2pm & dinner @5-6pm) but I pushed through it and kept drinking a lot of water. 

The time period I chose: I ate dinner on Sunday night as my last meal & then I drank water/tea ALL DAY Monday and then woke up Tuesday morning and made breakfast. I thought this was a good way to break it down so that once I woke up I was able to eat if I was hungry and something I could look forward to. 

I would only recommend this if you have been regularly intermittent fasting. I don't think my body would have responded well if I had not been previously doing this. Also, it's VERY IMPORTANT that you drink a lot of water so that you don't get dehydrated, lightheaded, or get a migraine (which I was honestly nervous about). Here are some quick tid bits about it: 

Do's: 

-drink a lot of water

-stay busy so you don't think about food all day

-eat a good, hearty meal before you start the fast

-have fun & challenge yourself

Dont's:

-surround yourself with food

-don't drink alcohol (stick strictly to water & tea)

-eat unhealthy food before you start / don't eat a lot of sugar prior otherwise it will be harder for you 

-get dehydrated

Benefits:

-fat loss

-decrease risk of cancer & other illnesses 

-increased mental clarity

-decreased inflammation

-improved digestion

I am not usually someone who measures success by the scale, but I have set a personal goal to lose 10lbs. Doing this fast, I lost a solid 2lbs. I am not joking... If you want to see some results, try throwing in a longer fast if your body allows. It had a great impact and I feel really good. It also made me appreciate how easily accessibly food is for us too. It puts things in perspective. 

I had a lot of fun pushing myself to make it 36 hours without consuming food. It was super important that I drank a lot of water so that I didn't get a migraine or get dehydrated because my body is super sensitive to that. Surprisingly, I woke up this morning and wasn't hungry. I have also learned that I have trained my body to expect to eat at certain times (those were the hardest times during the fast) and since I have not been eating until 11am or noon on most days, I didn't feel the need to eat which I was kinda shocked by! But.. breakfast did taste extra delicious this morning!

If you are interested in more research I have been reading a lot from Dr. Fung. There is a lot on the internet about intermittent fasting and all the research surrounding it. I have linked one of my favorite articles about it too. I also put some articles I used as sources at the bottom that have a lot of helpful info and other great links if you want to know more. If you have done a longer fast let me know in the comments how it went for you! 

xoxo Allysa

*Disclosure: I am not a doctor or certified on this topic so this is just my personal experience and what I would recommend. If you are interested in this you can consult your doctor or do a lot of research on the internet to see if your body is able to handle a regular or longer period fast. 

Sources: 

https://www.dietdoctor.com/7-benefits-of-fasting  https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-guide#benefits https://www.dietdoctor.com/intermittent-fasting