The Wilderness Fast…
Sometimes a sense of loss, or frustration pushes you into a different sense of purpose you’d never normally consider — this was one of those moments for me.
Disclaimer: This blog talks about my personal experience of an extreme fasting principle. This is not recommended for any person who has an eating disorder, who has Type 1 diabetes or a similar metabolic condition, or women who are pregnant. Any fasting principles should be discussed with a suitable medical practitioner.
What Pushed Me Into This?
I’m not really sure what got into me, to be honest – the week before I’d had a bit of bad news about a business development. I was cheesed off with the world. There were really annoying aches and pains I’d been feeling in my body all year to date. The car had broken down a month before, en route for a short break away, requiring an incredibly hefty bill. It’s just one of those years’ when many things don’t seem to be working out the way you wanted.
Four weeks ago I needed a new purpose, so I decided to experiment with something I’d never normally consider in my life – extended fasting.
Someone else I know, for health reasons, was having to go through a longer period without certain food and drink – which made me think, ‘If they can survive with less… why not me?’ It felt like a good resilience-training test.
Earlier this year, I had played with a full 24-hour fast – no food, just water. It was an extension of the small bouts of intermittent fasting (e.g. 14 hours) that I often do once or twice a week with no hard efforts.
The 5:2 diet, Dr Jason Fung, Michael Mosley, Thomas DeLauer, Dr Yoshinori Ohsumi… even Rishi Sunak… are among many names affiliated with the benefits of fasting protocols.
Twenty-four hours seemed enough at the time. That was then – but this time I was asking myself to complete a full 72-hour (4-day) fast. No eating, just water and occasional electrolytes to balance out the losses. I’d read and heard from medical professionals that fasting like this (unless you have an eating disorder) helps the body reset itself. Dr Ohsumi won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Medicine after discovering that the human body, during periods of fasting, can begin consuming damaged cells and trigger a cellular reset called autophagy.
Why Now – what got into me?
My weight and inflammation levels at the beginning of 2025 were nothing like what I’d wanted. Something was amiss in 2024 – as if a switch had been flicked, and for no reason my body was clinging to a much higher weight set point – the first time in over four years. More annoyingly, post-viral muscular aches and pain symptoms linked to Long Covid – fatigue, as well as a really strange new immobility/tightness – seemed to be affecting my body much more this year. I was sick of it.
My usual enjoyable athletic pursuits had not been enjoyable as a result. Massage therapists and physios tried to release it, give their opinion, but when the body says no… it really says no. Ten minutes with a doctor? It’s simply not enough time to look for and rectify a root cause. It’s not what modern medicine appears to be about these days.
With inflammation clearly higher than normal — and after some nutritional advice about autophagy — I decided to give a proper extended fast a go.
What was it like – 72 hours without food?
On the first day of his fast - Paul wasn’t quite his normal self…
Err… it ended up being 88 hours. I blame my Thursday morning clients that week… : ) - I had four back-to-back appointments. The fast was meant to finish around 8 p.m the night before… but then I thought, what’s the point of eating when I have to go to sleep within an hour? I added another 16 hours. When you’re up and out of the house at 6 a.m. and don’t really have time to stop for breakfast… well, I thought, why not hang on until 12 p.m? So, it ended at 88 hours.
No, it wasn’t easy. My partner in crime said I wasn’t too wingey considering the task. I usually love my food! If I don’t have any, I get a bit grouchy – my low-glucose ghrelin-gremlin moment. I feel tired, hungry… a bit desperate to eat. They call it being ‘hangry.’
This time, there was no choice but to just ride the waves and simply deal with those ghrelin (hunger hormone) gremlins.
Day 1 (Monday) – ok, I was already used to this length.
Day 2 – surprisingly ok.
That week I’d planned no exercise, but on…
Day 3 I went to Tai Chi. I felt more alert. My energy levels were actually better than I’d thought. By the evening I did a Zone 1, 20-minute row on the Concept 2. It went surprisingly fine. ‘But sports-science rules always stipulate you should have some glucose/energy before a workout?!’
I had a good sweat out – even at a low to moderate intensity, but I wasn’t exhausted. Some occasional, fasted exercise might not always be a bad thing – if you’re sensible.
Day 4, I broke the fast at lunchtime with a small soup (it’s advised that you don’t eat a big meal straight away after a longer fast). Later, I went for a short 5k jog. Energy was still okay.
Generally, I slept okay (more on days 1 and 2), but my energy levels were fine.
What I experienced in those 4 days was not what I’d imagined. Yes, admittedly I was counting the days down - and it wasn’t easy. Yes, there were periods of over-riding my body’s signals and demands for food. But this was part of the resilience test. I realised my desire for food was purely a state of mind - it’s what I’ve been conditioned into for 50+ years! Interestingly, it brought me towards a better state of mindfulness - less rush. It helped me realise how much we’re affected by the people around us too - the noises, the sounds.
E.g. When you realise your diminutive partner in crime is a bit of a carb and snack muncher throughout the day… you can’t help but notice every toaster moment, every rustle in the fridge for a bit of cheese. Weirdly, it’s only these moments that temporarily seem to frazzle my brain – ‘Gimme some food… please!’ But they were just words in my mind, rather like limiting beliefs – words that have been planted there but don’t actually serve us well.
I had also expected to feel drained - extremely low in energy; but this was far from the truth. By day 3 - I actually felt fine. I’m sure if the fast had carried on beyond 4 days, then the pendulum would have eventually swung, but there was a window in which my body was surviving perfectly fine. It was obviously getting energy from somewhere - and did I really need to keep eating to providing the source…
Specialists in this field describe this moment as overriding the programming wired into our brains – a bit like conquering a rogue programme, an Agent Smith in The Matrix. Your body can actually survive for long periods without food and drink. Many years ago, in our Captain Caveman days, we didn’t always have food on offer. Our ancestors ate whenever they could and then went hours/days before the next meal turned up.
That week, I peed a lot. I lost 11 lbs of excess weight. Shouldn’t we be questioning the science of fat loss? Are we just storing excess inflammatory water weight in our bodies - not just fat?
The cortisol was dropping and there was obviously less need for excess insulin. There’s a high possibility I was starting to break into fat stores too. It helped me break my weight-plateau set point which had been stuck for a few months. It reminds me the body clings onto unnecessary energy stores – we simply don’t need it all, beyond what our liver and muscles can hold. (Biologically speaking for every gram of glucose stored – we store approximately 3 grams of water. Do we need to consume so many carbs in our modern lifestyles? When is ‘too much’ insulin production, not so great for the body?)
How do I feel 4 weeks on?
My weight has stabilised at the lower set point. I feel more creative, with more clarity of mind. Did it reduce all the inflammation? No – but Covid is a complex disease with post viral outcomes that we are still trying to explain and understand. Some of the aches and pains did drop, however. It was another step closer to feeling happier and a bit more able. Most of all - a personal sense of achievement.
Since that long fast, I’ve decided to carry on with a fortnightly ‘monk fast’ – 36-40 hours at a time. Admittedly, it’s not fun going through the process – especially if you love food. But if it doesn’t cause harm to the body, and the fact that fasting could or appear to:
trigger autophagy – cellular cleanup
reduce ageing
provide clarity
boost energy
lower aches and pains
reduce long-term disease risks
help tap into ‘proper fat-loss’ and reduce excess weight
… then why not? Perhaps it’s my new way of life.
Key Takeaways
Extended fasting definitely challenged my assumptions and beliefs about hunger and energy.
The mental side was harder than the physical side.
Fasting helped reset my stubborn weight plateau.
Some inflammation reduced — not all, but it was enough to make a difference.
It was a reminder of how adaptable the human body truly is.
Fasting won’t be right for everyone, and it should always be approached with research, care and medical guidance.
Want to Learn More?
Want to learn more about nutrition, weight-loss, fasting, insulin, leptin, ghrelin — and what it all means? Get in touch.
