05/11/2026
Reflecting on my 48-hour fast last weekend:
I did this as an experiment to see what I noticed, and how I felt. It was NOT an attempt to lose weight and I did not intend to make fasting a regular habit.
Let me start off by saying:
I didn’t make it 48 hours ⏰ 🗓️
We had a birthday party for my mother-in-law and I thought we would be able to push through it without eating any dinner or dessert. 😅
So, we made it 24 hours, ate dinner and dessert with the family, and then did another 24 hour fast until dinner the next day.
It wasn’t bad until we were around the smell from the food cooking. Once I ate, I had a big helping of pasta, FOUR pieces of garlic bread, and two pieces of cake. 🍝 🍞 🍰
And I could’ve kept eating.
What I noticed during the fast:
- My skin was clearer and less inflamed.
- My gut felt more comfortable: less bloating, water retention, and gas.
- I felt weaker but still a good amount of energy and didn’t feel fatigued.
- I was actually craving vegetables throughout the day and not junk food.
What I noticed when I ate food again after 24 hours:
- I couldn’t shove food in my mouth fast enough. It’s like my body thought I was going to die if I didn’t eat, and I needed to just eat as much as possible while I had the chance.
- I actually felt a little bit of an energy boost but fatigued at the same time. My body needed the calories but then felt like it was time to nap.
- The indigestion and gas came right back. Probably because I had so many carbs in one sitting.
- I was NOT prioritizing protein
Here are my biggest takeaways from this fasting experience:
1. I don’t like fasting 😂
2. I feel like it feeds into the restrict and binge cycle. Here’s what happens with aggressive fasting for a lot of people:
You restrict hard → hunger builds → cravings explode → you binge → guilt kicks in → you restrict even harder the next day.
Your body is smart. When it thinks food is scarce, it ramps up hunger signals, cravings, and food focus. Then people blame themselves for ‘lacking willpower’ when biologically, their body is doing exactly what it’s designed to do.
3. You’re definitely not getting enough protein in that one sitting. Most people already struggle to hit their protein targets. Then they shrink their eating window down to 6–8 hours and somehow expect to magically fit in enough high-quality protein to build muscle, recover properly, support hormones, and control appetite.
It doesn’t work well for a lot of people.
What usually happens?
They break their fast starving, under-eat protein early, overeat hyper-palatable foods later, and wonder why they’re losing muscle, feeling tired, craving sugar, and not getting the body composition results they want.
4. Fasting is not a good long term weight loss strategy. It’s just another way to eat less food. Why? Because the harder you try to ignore hunger, the louder your body fights back.
People start fasting, lose a few pounds quickly from eating less and dropping water weight, then eventually:
- Energy crashes
- Workouts suck
- Cravings increase
- Nighttime overeating starts
- Muscle mass drops
- Metabolism adapts
Then they blame themselves when the weight comes back.
I’ve said a lot against fasting, BUT, when used appropriately, fasting CAN have benefits:
- Can improve awareness of true hunger vs emotional eating
- Gives digestion a break for some individuals
- Can increase mental clarity and focus for some people
- Helps some people stop mindless snacking
- Can create structure and boundaries around food
But here’s the big caveat…
Fasting works BEST when:
✅You still hit your protein needs
✅You strength train consistently
✅You’re not using it to punish yourself
✅Your hormones, stress, and sleep are in a good place
✅You’re not binge eating after the fast
Can fasting work for some people? Sure. But if fasting makes you obsess over food, overeat at night, raid the pantry, or feel out of control around meals… it’s probably not helping your relationship with food or your metabolism long term.
