I Consumed Zero Calories For 72 Hours Straight. Here’s What Happened.

My experience with fasting.

“Is that what I look like?”

I looked through the camera roll, puzzled. I had been eating healthily and exercising for months, but apparently, my body didn’t get the memo.

As much as I’d love to tell you my 72-hour fast was inspired by a wholesome desire to cleanse my body and mind, it was purely a vanity move.

But, I’m glad I did.

Here’s how & why I fasted for 3 days straight. And, the plethora of unforeseen benefits that came with it.

Food is… well, addictive.

In recent years, fasting has become one of the most popular habits for increasing energy, mood, longevity, overall health, losing weight… the list goes on.

It’s become a staple of productivity culture and has even been shown to improve cognition and slow cancer growth.

But, one of the biggest revelations I’ve had since playing around with various forms of fasting, is how addictive food is.

Food is meant to be fuel — not a drug.

In the book Ultra-Processed People: Why We Can’t Stop Eating Food That Isn’t Food, Dr. Tulleken breaks down the modern myth of what most people consider clean eating.

How food companies strategically stretch the truth of food labels not only to save money but to keep us hooked on food.

Even “health foods” are packed with preservatives and ultra-processed ingredients to keep us hungry — and coming back for more.

In short, artificial ingredients (such as vegetable/seed oils, preservatives, and anything “modified”) confuse our bodies, making us feel hungry when we’re not.

And, making weight loss feel like an uphill climb.

You’re (most likely) overeating.

Humans are creatures of habit.

We’ll often eat just because it’s time to eat. And, let’s be honest, with anything that gives us a little hit of dopamine, there’s always a risk of addiction.

This is why weight loss continues to be one of the most profitable markets in the world — despite losing weight being relatively simple.

For 90% of adults, the answer to losing weight is to simply eat less and move more.

But, combine the daily stresses of life with the fact that most readily available foods are genetically modified to trick your brain into overeating, and the process becomes a lot more complicated.

Not to mention the fact that eating… well, makes us feel good. And, we often eat out of comfort.

This is precisely what happened to me.

Despite cutting out almost all processed foods over the past few months, I’ve been finding myself a little more fluffy than I’d like. And, upon seeing a photo of myself, shirtless, during a recent cold plunge, I thought,

“Is that really what I look like?”

In hindsight, moving to eating only whole foods gave me the idea I could eat as much as I wanted. And, I had been eating to feel good as opposed to fueling my lifestyle.

So, it felt like the perfect time for a reset. Insert, fasting…

The benefits of fasting.

Back in 2016, I learned about intermittent fasting along with the rest of the world.

And, like many others, I can safely say it’s changed my life. Teaching my body to abstain from food for long periods has allowed me much more flexibility. And, has made weight management easy.

Instead of structuring my day around 3 square meals, I can get straight to work in the morning, take a break when I need one, and when it’s time to eat, I can enjoy my food without worrying about portion control.

When you eat, your body gets used to eating. When you abstain from eating, your body gets used to abstinence.

Plus, whenever I’m feeling like I want to trim up, for whatever reason, the process is very simple — I extend my fast for as long as necessary.

If you’re new to the concept of fasting, here’s a quick breakdown:

• The philosophy dates back to our tribal roots, when food was dependent on hunting/gathering and we would often go days without eating. During this time, our bodies would engage in digestive, cellular, and neurological repair.
• It’s been theorized that many modern diseases and ailments stem from the constant digestion of food. And, that fasting is our body's preferred mode of eating.

So, although everyone’s body is different, abstaining from food for 12+ hours has been shown to have many health benefits, such as:

• Regulating hormones
• Lowering blood sugar
• Improving heart health
• Decreasing inflammation
• Increasing mood/energy/focus

… and of course, weight loss.

In addition, longer fasts (48+ hours) have been shown to increase longevity by slowing the aging of cells, lowering oxidative stress, and regulating healthy insulin resistance.

Plus, it can be a great way to kickstart a little weight loss…

My first 72-hour fast.

So, at this point, I feel it’s important to outline one point.

I’m not a doctor, but merely a person sharing their experience. And, I will admit, abstaining from food for 72 hours is a little extreme. So, I would urge you to do your due diligence before attempting anything like this.

With that out of the way, let’s get into it.

Before embarking on what felt like a marathon of food abstinence, I had 2 major concerns:

• Sleep
• Energy

Although I practice 16 hours of intermittent fasting each day, the longest I had abstained from food in the past was 36 hours. And through that experience, I remember sleeping being the hardest part.

So, to mitigate the number of nights I would go to bed hungry, I started my fast after a full day of eating. On a Monday at 8 PM, I set out to not eat until Thursday at 8 PM.

The rules were pretty simple…

Aside from laying awake from a grumbling tummy, I feared I wouldn’t have the energy to go about my daily tasks. Luckily, coffee exists. And, I decided to take a week off the gym (as I’ve begun doing every 3 months) to maximize the amount of energy I had.

For the next 3 days, I would consume:

• Water
• Coffee/tea
• Salt (to replenish my electrolytes)

Here’s how it went…

Day #1:

I decided to document how I was feeling in real-time as to best embody the tone of each day.

So, what you are about to read is a 3-day diary of the experience.

Today is a Tuesday. I stopped eating at 8 PM last night, so my fast has only really just begun. I normally fast for 16 hours each day, so I would normally be breaking my fast in a few hours. But, today, I won’t be.

From experience I know that the first night is the hardest, so I’m letting myself know that it will be difficult. But, as of now, I feel as I normally do.

I’m currently, taking a week off of the gym, which will be helpful. Instead of exercising, I’m stretching. I also took yesterday off of coffee so it’s hitting me harder today, and I’m drinking tons of water.

That’s basically it. Day #1 has been pretty easy so far.

Day #2:

It’s been roughly 36 hours since eating. This is the longest I’ve abstained from food.

I didn’t nap yesterday and only slept about 4 hours. I woke up at 4 AM and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I just got up. I feel hyper-attuned to the world around me as if all my senses are heightened. Maybe I’m making it up but I swear I could hear the electricity buzzing last night.

I also feel physically lighter and as if my muscles can breathe. I stretched for about an hour today and was much more flexible than usual.

In addition, I’ve begun experiencing a strange sense of calm. I’m having a million thoughts at a time but most of them slip away. The ones I hold onto feel urgent and I’ve found myself getting tons of work done.

Day #3:

Today will be my last full day.

I started feeling very anxious last night. Probably due to the increase in my caffeine intake. Generally, I stop consuming caffeine at 12 PM each day, but I’ve been drinking it as much as I want during this fast.

Nearing the end of Day #3, my productivity began to wane. I was still getting lots done, but I found it hard to focus on complex tasks. Instead of work involving deep thought, I found myself gravitating toward chores, errands, and tasks that involved a lot of movement.

Sitting felt nearly impossible.

And, surprisingly, a lot of the effects carried on even after I began eating again…

My results.

It’s been nearly a week since I ended my fast.

On Thursday eve, I re-introduced calories into my diet, starting with a cup of bone broth. After waiting an hour to let my body get used to digesting food once again, I carried on with my normal diet, starting with fats and moving to carbs.

What I found most interesting about the experience, is how long-lasting many of its effects were.

And, how short-lived others were…

Weight loss:

For starters, I didn’t lose much weight. I did lean out a little bit, but after eating again, most of it came back. It was very eye-opening that I could not eat for 3 days and not waste away to nothing.

In fact, the longer I fasted, the less hungry I became.

Since my fast, I’ve been skipping my mid-day snack which usually results in a mid-day nap. Instead, I’m lying down if I feel tired, but not eating until all my work is done for the day.

Energy levels:

The second most interesting aspect of this experiment was how much energy I had throughout the entire fast. Mentally, I felt like I was in hyperdrive.

I felt inspired and as if all my thoughts were urgent — which caused me to get many things done I had been avoiding.

With that said, my physical energy peaked around the 48-hour mark and I started to feel weak as I moved closer to 72 hours.

Mental health:

Although not as long, I’ve fasted in the past. So, I expected a lot of what I experienced. But, what I didn’t expect was such a long-lasting sense of calm.

Even now, as I write this, I feel an afterburn of mental lightness. It’s new to me but I would categorize it as focused inspiration. Since my fast, I’ve felt incredibly inspired to work and motivated to get things done.

I’ve found myself cleaning, looking for chores to do, and ticking off items that normally sit on my to-do-but-never-done list.

All of this, without anxiety attached to the outcome. I can make decisions quickly and feel very clear. It’s hard to pinpoint correlation vs. causation as my life may have simply taken a coincidental positive turn.

The challenges:

So, although I feel very positive about the experience as a whole, it was definitely an intense one. And, there was no shortage of mental hurdles to overcome.

For starters, I probably drank too much caffeine, which made me feel anxious nearing the end. And, because I wasn’t sleeping as much, I needed to take a few days to recharge once I started eating again.

Other than that, it was a great mental/physical reset.

Final thoughts: if you’re curious, explore.

In life, it’s easy to get caught up in ifs, ands, or buts.

And, if this experience has taught me anything, it’s that you can’t plan for the future.

Initially, I set out to fast to shed a little bit of winter weight. And, one potential roadblock was my concern of not being able to keep up with my work. But, in hindsight, my experience was the complete opposite.

My work productivity skyrocketed whereas I feel as though I could have lost just as much weight by slightly reducing my calories for the week.

To summarize — my 72-hour fast was a win. I feel:

• Focused
• Rejuvenated
• As though I gained many new perspectives

In life, it’s often funny how unrelated motivations can intertwine with unexpected outcomes. So, although a 72-hour fast may not be right for you, my final advice is this.

If you’re interested in something, try it. You never know where it may take you.

Hi, I’m Hudson. I write about living healthier, happier, and more mindfully. To see my stories pop up on your feed, I’d love for you to follow me (Hudson Rennie). And, to have stories sent directly to you, subscribe to my newsletter.👇

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