If there is one thing I have learned this week, it’s that people are interested in fasting.

I have had a huge outpouring of questions about the 4-Day water fast that I just completed, along with many of my patients.

I love all the questions because one of my missions is to teach people how to avoid building disease in their body. Last year a doctor from Japan won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovering a concept called autophagy.

Autophagy is a condition in our bodies where cells detoxify themselves when they are deprived of food.

To me, it’s a cool concept because it’s more validation of how miraculous our bodies are.

You were built with your own internal detoxification system. And you don’t need anything from the outside to turn on this detox system. You just need to start exercising your fasting muscle.

The most common question I get about fasting is, “How will I feel?”

Here is what I noticed on my 4-Day water fast:

Day 1

Morning was tough because I am a coffee drinker and my body needed to adapt to the absence of coffee. My mind was foggy.

By the afternoon, my energy was up and down. Thankfully, it was Sunday so I took several naps. I was mildly hungry. By nighttime, I had hunger pains that would come and go. I went to bed early.

Day 2

I felt like I was moving slowly in the morning and I kind of wanted to crawl back into bed. It was a work day for me, so I pushed myself out the door and off to work. Hunger pains were strong all morning. I won’t lie, the morning of Day 2 was rough.

I had been measuring my blood sugar and ketones, so I knew my ketones were rising. Ketones are fuel for the brain. I knew the longer I stayed on the fast, the higher my ketones would go and the better I would feel.

I struggled in the morning with hunger and lethargy, but by 3pm something miraculous happened: the hunger went away. I was able to sit and eat dinner with my family without being tempted.

Day 3

I woke up happy and energized. My blood sugar was at its lowest and ketones were rising quickly. No hunger at all. I felt like I had turned a corner.

I worked all day with no problem. Waves of dizziness and nausea would come and go, but only lasted for a few seconds. I did start getting heart palpitations that night, which is a sign you need more electrolytes so I started drinking salt water. That helped.

My ketones were getting higher and higher on this day. My mental clarity felt limitless. My endorphins were through the roof. My skin was glowing. The color of my eyes was getting brighter. My body felt light, energized and like I could accomplish anything.

I was so energized the night of Day 3 that I had trouble falling asleep.

Research shows that by Day 3 of a fast, your whole immune system repairs itself. You get a surge of stem cells. Stem cells are the cells that repair organ and joint tissue. People pay large amounts of money for stem cell injections, but you can get your own injection by just fasting for three days.

Day 4

I have never felt my body so alive as I did the morning of Day 4. I woke up before my alarm. Popped out of bed with a spring in my step and a ridiculously clear mind.

Day 4 was magic for me. I felt incredible. Energy high, brain clarity like I have never experienced before, and I must have triggered some happiness hormones because I couldn’t stop smiling.

Many experts say that Day 4 is where the magic happens. I never knew what that meant, until I experienced it for myself. I don’t know if it was the increase in stem cells or growth hormone, but I had a buzz in my body I have never experienced before.

Again, getting to sleep was hard because I had so much energy.

Day 5: Breaking the fast

As much as I loved how my body felt, I was excited to have food again.

I slowly introduced bone broth, smoothies, eggs, veggies and, for dinner, a sweet potato. Strangely, I noticed that as I introduced food, my energy started to come down. I kept saying to myself, “Food sure makes me tired.”

Overall, it was an incredible experience that I can’t wait to do again.

I am including a FB live I did yesterday where I answered all the questions I got from people over the week.

I hope I sparked a fasting desire in you! Reach out if you have questions. I am here to help.