No Eating for 3 Days: What Happens in the Process

Doing longer fast is usually recommended in traditional medicinal practice such as naturopathy and should be done under the guidance of a qualified doctor.

However, if you want to try not eating for 3 days at home, then some preparation is required. The first thing is to prepare your mind for the fast. It is advised to get guidance of an expert in the field before attempting a 3 day fast. Moreover, there is plenty of reading material available on natural healing that describes fasting and its health benefits. It is beneficial to understand the basic principles of fasting, the reactions of the body to the process and its benefits. You can also read the testimonials of those who have taken long fasts as this will give you confidence.

A normal human body can survive for weeks without foods. Hence, not eating for 3 days is not a difficult task. However, if you suffer from a serious medical illness, consult your physician before you attempt fasting. Long term fasting is contraindicated in diseases such as tuberculosis and some deficiency diseases. Pregnant females should also avoid doing long term fasts.

Also, after fasting for 3 days, you will require at least 3-4 days to gradually come back to your regular eating habits. Hence, planning should be done for 6-7 days in advance.

In a 3 day fast only water should be drunk for 72 hours. No solid food is allowed. You can either use simple pure mineral water or boiled and cooled water. You can drink between 1-1/2 to 3 liters or more of plain water in a day, according to your capacity.

What Happens When You Don’t Eat for 3 Days?

If you are doing a 3 day fast for the first time then your body may show some reactions which you should be prepared for in advance.

Due to sudden lack of intake of food you may feel symptoms of nausea, dizziness, weakness, all of which are quite normal. You may sometimes feel much energized; however, you should not exert much during this time. You may feel weak the very next moment. These fluctuations in energy are normal and quite common. There may be slight headache sensation and some drop in blood pressure. You should lie down or take rest when these reactions occur. If these reactions become intense, consult a physician.

You may feel a sudden bout of hunger. This happens because after just a few hours without food your body has already burned most of its readily available supplies of glycogen, which is mostly stored in the muscles and liver. During the next 2-3 days of fasting the entire stores of glycogen in the body are used. You may also feel craving for food. You may start thinking of various types of food, imagining and day dreaming about food.

During fasting the body is getting cleansed both at the physical and mental level. The body throws out toxins via the intestines. This can lead to formation of a thick white coating on the tongue which will not go away even after scrapping the tongue. The toxins from the body are also eliminated through the lungs. This can lead to a foul breath during this period, which may last for a day or two.

The important point is to understand that all these reactions are normal. Continue to keep not eating for 3 days with courage. Keep the mind in peace. You can practice slow deep breathing during this time to make mind calm and peaceful.

What Others Have to Say about This

It is possible to lose between 5-15 pounds if you stop eating for 3 days. Most of this weight loss is body fluids and as soon as you will start eating again it will come back. During the time when you are not consuming any calories or food, your body will come very close to starvation mode. If this is your first time, you may experience symptoms of abdominal cramps, nausea, extreme hunger pangs, and lightheadedness, severe lack of energy or fatigue.

I read some studies suggesting the positive effects of fasting recently. I decided to try a 3 day fast on a trip to Hawaii. Since I was jetlagged on the first day I did not have much appetite and the real hunger started to kick in the next day. The second day was difficult but not unmanageable. I drank large quantities of water. On day three I felt no hunger at all. I ended the fast with a banana. The lessons I learnt were that you can do a 3 day fast without any physical problem; it has to be done in a stress free environment; it is not possible to do any mental work and you will learn the way to suppress hunger.

When you don’t eat any food for 3 days, your body becomes sort of used to it. Your digestive fire slows down. The digestive fire has to be gradually increased and brought back to normal.

Drink orange juice or lemon juice to break the fast. You should only take lemon or orange juice around 3-5 times a day. If you feel hungry, add ½ spoon of pure honey to the juice so you can get some calories.

On the second day, you can take coconut water, light vegetable soups or fruit juice with honey around 3-5 times in a day. You may also take some milk mixed with water.

On the third day you can have boiled vegetables and fruits as they are easy to digest.

On the fourth day onwards, you can go on your normal diet. However, take care to not overeat or overload your stomach. Eat smaller meals at regular intervals, instead of eating one or two large meals. You should eat in moderation and gradually come back to your regular food habits.