I just completed a 36-hour fast the other day. Before I started fasting if you were to say to me “Hey, try going without food for 36-hours” I would have thought you were crazy. After doing it many times I now know it’s definitely doable. At the same time, it is difficult and definitely tests your will power and commitment.
Fasting is one of the biggest tools in my fat loss tool belt. I am a big proponent of intermittent fasting and follow a 8:16, feast:fast window. I would say 90% of the time I perform intermittent fasting.
Sometimes regular intermittent fasting isn’t enough and I will step things up a notch and perform a 36-hour fast. I do these right after a cheat day. The idea is if I am eating healthy and I am in a caloric deficit, eventually my metabolism is going to slow down too much and halt any fat loss progress I am having. Scheduling a strategic cheat meal once a week or two, helps to spike the metabolism back up. With a higher metabolism comes accelerated fat loss. By following a cheat day with a 36-hour fast, you can take advantage of your heightened metabolism. Combine a faster burning metabolism with 0 calorie intake and you have the perfect recipe for burning fat and getting ripped.
During the fast, the toughest time of the day is right around dinner time. It’s when I feel the hunger the most. Its when you will have to rely on your finite stores fo willpower to get you through. The hunger doesn’t last all day fortunately. In fact , when I wake up the next day (around hour 24-32) I no longer have much desire for food. I also feel a lot calmer and grounded after a prolonged fast. It seems to make sense to me why religions often have some sort of fasting protocol after experiencing the feeling of a prolonged fast. In the future I would like to push the 36 hour fast for another day or two to experience this feeling more.
36-Hour Fasting Tips
When I am doing my 36-hour fast I like to start my day with some black coffee and throughout the rest of the day I like to drink green tea with nothing in it. Drinking coffee first thing in the morning helps to suppress my hunger. Once I start to feel hungry again I switch to green tea which has far less caffeine and also contains L-theanine which is known for its calming effects.
Another tip would be perform a 36-hour fast when you are busy. The busier you are, the more your mind will be on the task at hand rather than your hunger. For some who have demanding jobs you might find this difficult. Although, there is definitely a unique type of focus that your mind is able to achieve while in the middle of the fast. This relates a little bit to what I said previously about feeling grounded and calm while fasting.