Hi everyone and Happy Wednesday! Today’s post is part of my “What/how I’m _____ …Wednesday” series. I figured I would share something my husband and I are trying- hence, What I’m trying Wednesday!
Recently, given my sister-in-law’s glioblastoma diagnosis, our family has been more in tune with things we are putting in and on our bodies. We are constantly exposed to so many toxins it seems they are everywhere, that it is virtually impossible to avoid, but we are trying our best to control what we can control. One area that intrigued my husband and I was the thought of multi-day fasts to help our bodies on a deeper level.
My sister-in-law has changed her diet completely – going keto as well as fasting. I thought it would be good for us too to limit ourselves to the luxuries we have, that she doesn’t have, by pushing ourselves to do a 72 hour fast. My husband has done this fast before and told me it would be tough, but our goal is to do this together and “offer it up”.
The purpose of this fast for us is twofold. First, a spiritual practice – to suffer a little and offer it up to God. Second, is to focus on a deeper cellular level cleanse – autophagy. I’ve seen a lot of research that shows how autophagy fasting can clean out dysfunctional parts/cells in the body and promote healthier cells. There are also studies that suggest that this form of fasting can fight pathogens and is linked to preventing cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
While this type of fast requires a little more prep and can be tough on the body, our goal right now is to do it once a month. I just attempted to make it to 72 hours last week, but fell short breaking my fast with food at 43 hours.
I was proud of myself at this initial go around and also proud that I listened to my body and went easy on myself. Starting at 39 hours, I started to feel a little strange – so I decided to stop as I didn’t want to overdo it and eased back into food starting with electrolyte water and organic bone broth. I was able to have my favorite banana peanut butter protein smoothie 4 hours later.
We plan to do our next autophagy fast next month – and hopefully I can share more insights then. In the meantime, here is what I plan to do in prep for the next fast. Heavy hydration leading up to it – electrolyte water. Better food choices to nourish my body before the fast – healthy fats and proteins and little to no sugar or carbs prior to the fast.
Would love to hear if you’ve ever done an autophagy fast or how you fight through when the fasting gets tough!
Follow me on Instagram @lisastwocents
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/mytwocentsblog/
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Hi there! I’m a new follower and this post peaked my interest as I’m in healthcare (RN) and also believe in the benefits fasting has for our bodies. First and foremost, I’m so sorry for your sister-in-law’s diagnosis and her will be praying for journey to recovery and ultimate healing. It sounds like she’s taking a very pro-active approach based on her lifestyle changes which is awesome. Cancer or no cancer, we can all stand to be eating less sugar and eating less often!
A few thoughts on autophagy. I’ve been following an IF (intermittent fasting) lifestyle for a few years now, not for weight-loss but for the health benefits. There is very strong research supporting the many benefits of autophagy regarding cellular turnover or “recycling” as I’ve also heard it described. One thing I did want to share with you is that I’ve also learned that there is no “on/off” switch with autophagy. Think of it more as a dimmer switch that dials up/down depending on our fasting state. While prolonged fasts over several days certainly help to promote autophagy, research illustrates the process actually begins around 18-19 hours fasted and is therefore attainable without having to put your body/mind through the stress of a multi-day fast. Essentially you can achieve some degree of hormetic stress with even a daily fasting window without “overdoing it” so to speak.
Hormetic stress refers to beneficial, low-dose exposure to stressors like exercise, cold, or fasting that trigger adaptive responses, enhancing cellular resilience, strength, and overall health, unlike high-dose stress which is damaging. This “sweet spot” builds the body’s ability to cope with future challenges, improving physical and mental function through processes like accelerated cellular repair and enhanced antioxidant defenses.
There are lots of great resources about the benefits to a fasting lifestyle and if you haven’t already, I’d suggest checking out Dr. Jason Fung and Gin Stephens.
Will be keeping you, your sis-in-law and your whole family in my thoughts and prayers. Hang in there!
Hi Megan! Thank you so much for sharing this – definitely helpful! I will check out the resources you sent thank you! Ultimately, I agree with you – I don’t want to over do it and feel reassured that 18-19 hr fast is just as beneficial. I even told my husband after this past fast – 24 hr fast is doable a little more frequently. I researched a lot and saw the suggested timeframe for the more deep cellular cleanse and renewal occurs starting at 24-36 hrs, but am curious to look more into if it’s not really necessary. Appreciate your comment, thoughts and prayers so much!