Fasting, a practice that has been around for thousands of years, is where we consume little or no food or drink containing carbohydrates, fats or proteins — calories — for a certain amount of time.

This can be done for a day, a few days, a week, or even longer.

And it’s much simpler and easier than most people think.

But why is fasting is done, why would someone not eat for days or even weeks?

When we don’t ingest any proteins, fats or carbohydrates for a certain amount of time, our body goes into a sort of cleanse, a repair and rebuild state called autophagy.

In this state DNA repair occurs, faulty or damaged cells and cellular components are recycled and we build defense against oxidative stress to our cells and nervous system.

Fasting also addresses excess weight, helps increase antioxidant capacity, improves the gut microbiome and supports healthy blood pressure and healthy inflammatory responses.

And it improves metabolism, supports healthy insulin levels and can even slow the aging process.

It's very effective.

But how is it done and what exactly happens?

Let’s dive in.

Fasting, Autophagy, Growth Hormone & Longevity

When we stop eating, certain actions and reactions take place over the hours and days of the fast.

After about 4-8 hours of starting a fast all food has left the stomach and blood sugar levels fall.

As sugar in the blood stream is what triggers insulin release, insulin stops being produced. (Insulin is one of the main hormones that directly causes the creation of body fat and prevents it from being burned.)

About 12 hours into the fast nearly all food we had earlier consumed has been broken down and used for energy. There is little to no food left to create new energy.

The digestive system “goes to sleep.”

Human growth hormone, a repair and rejuvenation hormone, is released.

Glucagon, the hormone that causes any stored sugars to be used, is released to help balance blood sugar levels. This hormone, when all stored sugars are used up, also stimulates the burning of fat for energy.

About 18 hours in, human growth hormone levels start to increase significantly.

And at about 24 hours in, ketones (energy from stored fat) are released to power our body. Fat burning has already begun. And the process of autophagy (cellular repair) now begins.

Autophagy is where the body starts doing a bit of spring cleaning among the cells, getting rid of the old, faulty or damaged cells and making new ones to replace them, cleaning out toxins, and much more.

During this, more growth hormone is released to instruct the cells to take up amino acids to repair or replace old cells. Also, IGF (a key fat burning hormone) is released along with growth hormone to burn fat for energy.

As we continue, hormones start to balance. Toxins are released to be removed by our liver and kidneys. And repair and cleansing occur throughout our body, nervous system, skin and in every organ.

After about 36 hours autophagy increases by about 300%.

After 48 hours it increases another 30% or so.

Now our immune system is resetting and regenerating.

We have a reduction in inflammatory responses in the body.

And at about 72 hours the last of any stored sugars have been removed.

We’re now solely fueled by stored fat being burned. Cellular regeneration is occurring. Hormonal balancing is occurring. Our microbiome is resetting (harmful bacteria and fungi thrive on sugars, and without them they die off).

Energy levels also rise where they may have dipped.

Clarity increases.

And longevity increases.

Many people stop at this point, after about 3 days, and for many that’s just fine. so much has happened in the body. 

Some push it longer to 5 days or a week. And some, with significant body fat to lose or under the care of medical professionals carry on for weeks or even months in some cases.

But 3 days is quite effective.

How To Do A Water Fast

Doing a water fast is simple.

We pick a day to stop consuming any foods, juices, coffees or other caloric beverages.

Water or non-caloric herbal teas are the only thing we ingest starting in the morning and we keep ourselves well hydrated.

From there we go for a few days and we’re done. And it’s often easier than we think.

But there are a few things that make it not only easier, but also more effective:

First, in the few days leading up to the fast it’s important to consume higher levels of cruciferous vegetables and leafy greens.

These help clean out our digestive tract which will be used for waste and toxin removal during the fast and help prevent constipation.

We should also drink plenty of water in the days leading up to the fast, along with electrolytes.

Multi Complete and Reds and Greens: while taking them daily ensures our cells have the key vitamins and nutrients they need to operate, detox and defend themselves, they’re particularly important before a fast.

Taking them in the week or two before the fast helps to build up the levels of key vitamins and nutrients in our cells which will be used to help repair and replace faulty or damaged cells.

And Multi Complete is specifically formulated for liver detox support, something that will be occurring during the fast.

Both PerfectAmino and Nu Cell are also very effective here. PerfectAmino provides the building blocks of proteins for new cells and cellular repair while Nu Cell provides the building blocks of our DNA and RNA. And neither of them break a fast.

Running Our Water Fast

When we start the fast it goes like this:

On the day we start we drink 8 ounces of water and one serving of PerfectAmino, along with a pinch of salt. We also take one serving of Nu Cell.

Then during the day we make sure to drink about 1 liter of water every 5 or 6 hours, or about 3 liters over the course of the day.

Then we repeat this on days 2 and 3.

It’s truly that simple.

But to ensure the very best results, don’t just go right back onto any heavy or processed foods on day 4.

Well, don’t go back onto any processed foods at all if you can help it.

But either way, start with lighter foods and high fiber foods. Fruits, leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables.

There will still be waste and toxins coming out and we don’t want to stop this by suddenly backing everything up with heavy solid foods.

Slowly bring back in solid foods, meats, cheeses, etc., and make sure to fully chew your food before swallowing.

Take digestive enzymes during each meal to ensure these foods are fully digested.

Take Multi Complete and Greens and Reds to ensure your cells have the nutrition they need for continued detox and repair as it will be happening for some time after the fast.

And take Metal Free & Chemical Cleanse to help speed up the release and full removal of toxins which has already started occurring.

And continue your PerfectAmino and proper hydration.

That is how to make the very most out of your fast.

I hope this helps.