the water fast: day 5 - p. 2

"Is there any other underlying conditions I should know about?"

~ Dr. Prather

"Yeah, I just did a water fast for 120 hours?"

~ Me this morning after waking up with sore throat

"Haha, what kind of bet did you lose?

~ Dr. Prather

The final hours

I could definitely feel my fatigue building as I closed in on the meal time with my mind anticipating food to satiate my extreme cravings. My body was clearly tired. Walking up and down stairs definitely took a little more effort than normal and in those final hours getting up from sitting down almost guaranteed lightheadedness.

I couldn't really tell in the moment, but retrospectively, I was definitely a bit foggy. The build up of fatigue definitely created a cloud if I was was not focused in on my work. Luckily, as previously mentioned, I ended up having a very busy evening. The homework and other projects I had to work on helped me see through the cloudiness in my head caused by my hunger.

I took my final weigh in at 7:37 - the closest time I would have been able to measure before dinner (had to weigh in before I took my shower to avoid wet hair altering my weight).

Day 5: 7:37 pm

166.6 lbs

5.1% body fat

48.9% muscle mass

Just for a comparison, my numbers from before the fast are below.

Day 0

179.0 lbs.

7.6% body fat

49.6% muscle mass

I was not expecting to lose more than 10 pounds, but as you'll find out later, I have a feeling it'll be pretty easy to regain the weight. I can definitely feel the difference. Looking in the mirror, the fat loss is evident. I wish I could have had blood work done before and afterwards to see the reductions in toxic load and blood sugar. The 33% reduction in body fat percentage (from 7.6 -> 5.1%) was pretty neat to see.

The feast

Well it all began with my green tea cocktail - delicious. Great way to get the stomach enzymes going. Then I proceeded to indulge in one of the best meals I have had in a long time. My first course included a lemon chicken orzo soup (a greek classic). You can watch my first sip below.

If you can't tell from the video, I WAS DRAGGING. I could definitely feel the pent up stress that my body was undergoing as a result of not being fed for five days, but as soon as the soup began to hit my gut, the food high was on. I felt reborn. It was like no feeling I know how to describe.

The rest of the meal ensued:

• Cup orzo soup

• 1 can chicken noodle soup

• House salad

• Sweet potato casserole

• Potato salad

• Fried Okra (not ideal)

• 6 boneless chicken wings

• 4 cups water

After dinner with the boys, I returned home where I continued to snack...

• Chicken salad

• Bacon cheddar scone

• Kind bar

• Green tea cocktail

I probably did not need to eat anymore at home, but I did, oh well. I finished eating around 11:30, but didn't go to bed until 3:00 am to ensure I had (for the most part) properly digested my food.

Day 5: Post-fast 2:22 am

172.4 lbs

5.9% body fat

50.7% muscle mass

So, recommendation: don't stuff yourself even though you will want to. The 6 pounds was likely in large part water weight as a result of water being able to be absorbed into the food I was eating. That and my stomach having a sudden reintroduction of food...

How I'm feeling

Wow. The food put me on a high. I started eating and I immediately began to feel like a new man. I don't think I would have been able to stay up until 3 am if it weren't for me having food. My taste buds are still craving more, but I had to limit myself. I woke up this morning (day 6), feeling absolutely fine outside of my throat. Yeah, I got unlucky and got strep - woohoo (that's where the Dr. Prather quote is from). No stomach problems though, so that's a major positive.

Day 6: 10:13 am

169.0 lbs

5.9% body fat

49.1% muscle mass

Stay tuned for a conclusion and closing thoughts!