5-day water fast is a prolonged healing journey, which sets its fame for ancient healing strategies. People usually get hungry once they skip a meal, as we are habitual of eating three times a day. Fast is like a daily exercise which is very difficult to do in the beginning but once used, it becomes easier and enjoyable. Can’t live without fast, here means we feel too heavy when consume food than a regular amount. People enjoy fasting when they are habitual.
The method of restricting food consumption, fasting has practiced from ancient times. The abundance of food driving us away from fasting. In these modern days, fast considered a quick way to lose weight. 5-day water fast has health benefits and lowers the risk of chronic diseases. Water fast even comes with health risks as not suitable for everyone. This article navigates you in the way of a 5-day water fast.
Water Fasting
When no solid or liquid stuff consumed besides only water, considered as water fasting. Very less of fasting, prescribed in the medical prescriptions these days. More than 72 hours of water fast, not preferred that too on medical supervision. Water fast followed as a traditional method in many places. People do this for many reasons, some include:
- to detox the body
- to lose weight
- as a religious method or a spiritual way
- to get some health benefits
- while following a medical procedure, etc.
Many people try water fasting to improve their health. Water fast may reduce the risk of heart diseases, diabetes, and other risks of cancer. Most people who suffer from obesity, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, gut health challengers, low neural conditions, stand beneficial from the water fast. Pregnant women, new-borns, nursing mothers, young children, extreme athletes, who suffer from underweight, strictly advised not to water fast.
Preparation ahead for a 5-day water fast
Fasting with water intake at a stretch without practicing makes a person fall ill. A proper diet with the initial start of water fast aids a body to be healthy after 5-day water fast. To improve health, intermittent fasting must incorporate into one’s daily routine. Fasting is one of the best activities that improve the health that prepares a way to approach 5-day water fasting without any risk. The body has to adapt to many metabolic activities so people fine some discomfort when fasting is begin. 5-day water fast is really a challenging deal to the ones who are emotionally addicted to food. To have the best experience with fasting, one should prepare the body and mind to be mentally strong from breaking it.
There are some strategies to prepare for extended fasting:
- Day’s schedule must be stress-free
- Avoid negative people
- Try to avoid kitchen or a food stock zone
- Make yourself engaged
- Accept sunshine every day
- Learn to drink water.
Expectations on a 5-day water fast
Fasting is more followed by our ancestors to get a cure when no medicine present. When we consume food, our body bares tremendous stress mostly on the digestive system. Eating food is stress as said above as the body has to work externally apart from its routine. As food became a daily part of our lives, this became necessary to stress that we are unable to survive without it.
Day 1 water fast
By this start, one should be well familiar too fast. On the first day, the body uses glycogen, stored sugar as a fuel to run the body. Around 550 grams of glycogen, which is equal to 2000 calories, stored in the body muscles and liver. Muscles may contain 400-450 grams whereas the liver contains 100 grams of it. The active people such as athletes more amount of glycogen than less active people. The body does not completely use the stored sugar, it uses 70-75% of it, besides burs body fat and stores the rest.
If a person can do a day one fast, he/she is healing. Day 1 symptoms in a water fast include hunger, cravings, mood swings, mental lethargy, fatigue, disturbance of sleep, and frequent urination.
Fatigue is because the body is not adapted to burn its fat and ketones.
Day 2 water fast
Day 2 starts with diminishing hunger and said to be the most challenging day. It’s the toughest day for the one who practices intermittent fasting as the body, used to consume food soon after the fast earlier. Day 2 symptoms mostly remain the same as day 1 but experiencing more than day 1. The body helps in more detoxification from this day.
Symptoms of day 2 water fast include change of tongue color to white or yellow. Some people experience rashes though very few efface it. Biome in the body and other toxic substances gets starve that triggers histamine and P substance in the skin causing the rash. The body regulates active thyroid hormone down due to the extended time of fasting, to enhance the energy level of the body. This result in cold hand and feet.
Some things that excitingly ramp up during the 5-day water fast are:
- Breaking up of weaker cells and rebuilt the new ones
- Growth hormone of the human body get enhanced, to preserve the muscles
- Increase in new stem cells
- Repairs the damaged cells
- DNA reset- some bad genes promote obesity, allergies, etc in the body.
- Fasting aids a way to detect damaged hormones and rebuilt the strong ones.
Day 3 water fast
Rise of ketone levels goes high on day 3 of fasting. The brain loves to utilize these ketones for energy, as people used to this, and people feel better. More of the symptoms listed above, experienced in day 3. Autophagy, orderly breaks its process of various cellular components, rises with HGH and other stem cells. The body kicks up the healing process and notices the pain reduction.
For the people who still struggle in day 3 can hold on, as they may feel better by the next day of a water fast. The ketones of urine are high in day 1 and day 3 of water fast and gradually see the drop in it by the third day. The body becomes used to the metabolism and feels energetic as other days. The body ketones often rise and fall with respect to the fast period.
Glucose ketone index derives a relationship between blood glucose and ketones. Calculated with the measure of glucose levels, blood ketone levels, and their division. Blood glucose levels, divided by 18 and further divided by the number of blood ketone levels.
Day 4
As people head into day 4 of water fasting, the body adapts itself more to it. People experience great physical and mental energy with clarity of mind by day 4. No more hunger, present by this day, not even strong cravings on the emotional food. If people are more concerned with high levels of constipation, some external supplements can aid them.
Some supplements that support the body include cortisol defense, brain calm magnesium for high levels of stress. Oxy power, preferred by many for constipation to flush out the system and cleans the bowels. There exists fasting stress support, Fasting detox packs to support the body while water fasting.
Day 5
This is the water fast day that rises stem cells high with a tremendous amount of hormone optimization. Fantastic feel, observed today even there are drop-in ketone levels. Continuing more than 5 days of water fast can give benefits but aids with many risks in the lean people and in others when not followed properly. For everyone 4-5 days of a water fast is sufficient and needed sometimes. This helps in lowering the blood pressure.
Break a water fast
Breaking down or refeeding introduces food back to the body. This should not crash the body system. Many tend to refill with harsh foods that harm the functioning. After a long period of water fast, try to fill up yourselves with a protein shake, preferably a bone broth, veggie broth, or fermented drinks. Fermented drinks may include coconut water.
Water fasting, a great, positive experience when done in a proper form. It helps the body to be healthy and satisfies the body as daily exercise does. Do not allow fasting to affect the body negatively, as it has a healing capacity. For more health benefits try the intermittent fasting and alternate-day fasting than a continuous one.
Sirisha B 
Raju Ch