Fasting is the process where you abstain from food and/or water for a period of time. In water fasting, you don’t eat but you are free to drink as much plain water as you want. A popular form of fasting is juice fasting, where you consume nothing but juices (such as greens or fruit juice).

Starving happens when fasting ends. The amount of time one can fast without going into starvation mode depends on the individual, such as their percentage of body fat, their body, body condition and so on. Believe it or not, the average person can last 40 days (!!) just by drinking water alone (please do not attempt to do this yourself without doing due research).

The Experiment

The parameters of the experiment were as follows:

• Fast for 2 full weeks; 16 or more hours of fasting and an 8 hour or less eating window
• Consume approximately 2,000 – 2,500 calories per day and use the myfitnesspal app to track my food intake. For me and my activity level, this would allow me to maintain my current weight
• Use the Zero app to keep track of my daily fasts
• Eating window: 12:00pm – 8:00pm (try to stay consistent at least)
• No alcohol permitted
• Try to keep a consistent macro split; 50-protein – 30 carbs – 20 fat

The Experience

In terms of benefits, I didn’t experience a clearer mind or any further weight loss compared to the 12-14 hour fasts I’d been doing over the past several months. I love not having to worry about eating in the AM and waiting for my food to completely digest before hitting the gym. I’ve had so many bad experiences eating too many calories (following the common advice, eat your biggest meal in the morning) before my workout. Eating a bowl of oatmeal with yogurt, berries and some nuts is just too much. I feel bloated and get bad cramping. If I am going to eat prior to a workout, a banana is the only food that will suffice – it provides a slow release of energy.

The first few days took some adjustment. I have the luxury to create my own work schedule, but with that being said, there are some days where I have early morning meetings and need to get my workout done first thing in the morning. I’m talking EARLY (between 5:30-7:30am). I found the 16:8 to be very difficult to maintain with my fluctuating workout schedule.