I woke up Tuesday morning feeling off.
Brain foggy. Lethargic. Not recovering well from workouts.
Normally I bounce back quickly.
But lately, nothing felt right.
My body was telling me something was wrong.
I’d been here before.
This feeling usually means I need a reset.
Not a new diet.
Not more supplements.
A complete metabolic reset.
So I decided to do a 62-hour fast.
No food from Monday evening until Thursday morning.
Just water, electrolytes, and Matè (spanish drink, like green tea, I got addicted to when living in Argentina).
People think I’m crazy when I tell them this.
But done correctly, it’s one of the most powerful tools for metabolic health.
Done incorrectly, it’s useless and potentially harmful.
The difference is knowing HOW and WHEN to fast.
Let me tell you what happened and what I’ve learned.
Monday Evening (Last Meal – 7pm):
Had my normal dinner. Protein, fats, vegetables. No carbs.
Went to bed at 10pm.
Tuesday morning, I woke up at 6am.
Already 11 hours fasted. Not hungry yet (expected).
Tuesday (Hour 11-35):
This is usually the easy part.
Morning fasting feels natural. Your body hasn’t woken up to being hungry yet.
I drank water with electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium).
Worked normally. Coached inside the FFA community. No issues.
Around 2pm, I felt the first real hunger pangs.
The leptin monster waking up.
(Leptin is your hunger hormone. It gets aggressive when you haven’t eaten.)
Drank more water. Stayed busy. Hunger passed after 30 minutes.
Trained at 4pm. Light workout. Just movement, not intensity.
Evening was harder. Habit of dinner kicked in.
Went to bed early to avoid thinking about food.
Wednesday (Hour 35-59):
Woke up feeling good
Not hungry. Mental clarity was sharp.
This is when fasting gets interesting.
Your body has fully switched to fat-burning mode.
Ketones are being produced for brain fuel.
Autophagy is activated (cellular cleanup and repair).
I felt focused. Energised. Calm.
Worked all day. No issues.
Evening hunger came back around 7pm.
Wanted to eat more out of habit than actual need.
Drank water. Added some essential amino acids (prevent muscle breakdown).
Went to bed.
Thursday Morning (Hour 59-62):
Woke up at 6am.
Broke the fast at 8am. 62 hours total.
Now, here’s where most people RUIN the benefits of a fast…
They binge immediately after.
Because leptin (hunger hormone) is raging.
If you break a fast with lots of carbs, you’ll spike insulin and leptin simultaneously.
That one meal turns into two… three… four meals in quick succession.
I’ve seen people undo a 48-hour fast with a 3,000-calorie feast.
All the metabolic benefits gone.
Here’s how I broke the fast correctly:
First: Half a kiwi. Easy on the stomach and contains digestive enzymes.
(Yes, a Kiwi contains sugars, carbs, but it’s very low and does not have the same hormonal affect as a bowl of pasta.)
Waited 30 minutes.
Then: Proper meal. Protein, healthy fats, starch free vegetables.
ZERO carbs.
This gave my body nutrition without spiking insulin or leptin.
No cravings. No urge to binge.
Felt satisfied with normal portions.
The Benefits I Experienced:
Within 24 hours of breaking the fast:
- Mental clarity returned (brain fog gone)
- Energy levels restored
- Recovery improved (slept better)
- Inflammation reduced (felt less puffy)
- Training performance back to normal
It was like hitting a reset button on my metabolism.
But Here’s The Key Thing:
Fasting is a TOOL, not a solution.
It’s great for:
- Periodic metabolic resets
- Breaking through plateaus
- Improving insulin sensitivity short-term
- Mental clarity and focus
It’s NOT good for:
- Primary weight loss strategy (you’ll just rebound)
- Replacing proper nutrition
- Daily fat loss approach
- Building muscle
If you want to lose belly fat, fasting alone won’t work.
Because the problem isn’t food intake.
It’s metabolic flexibility.
Your body needs to be able to burn stored fat.
If you have insulin resistance, your body can’t access fat stores efficiently.
So you can fast.
But when you eat again, poor insulin sensitivity means you’ll just store it as fat.
The solution is this:
- Fix metabolic flexibility first (improve insulin sensitivity through carb timing)
- Build muscle (improves insulin sensitivity permanently)
- Use fasting occasionally as a reset tool (not primary strategy)
Here are my fasting guidelines if you want to try:
Start small:
- 12-hour fast first (dinner to breakfast)
- Work up to 16 hours (skip breakfast)
- Then 24 hours (dinner to dinner next day)
- Only try 48+ hours if experienced
During the fast:
- Water with electrolytes (essential)
- Black coffee okay
- Essential amino acids if going 24+ hours (preserves muscle)
Breaking the fast:
- Start with small portion of easy-to-digest food (kiwi, date)
- Wait 30 minutes
- Then eat normal meal with ZERO carbs (protein, fats, vegetables only)
- This prevents leptin-driven binge
Timing:
- Best to end fast evening of day before, not night of (avoids late binge temptation)
- For example: Start 7pm Monday, end 7am Wednesday (36 hours), or 7am Thursday (60 hours)
Fasting can be powerful.
But only when combined with proper metabolic foundation.
Here’s to your Fitness Freedom!
Coach Adam
Founder, Fitness Freedom Athletes.
P.S.
I do a 24-48 hour fast about once every 3-4 months. Not for weight loss. For metabolic reset and mental clarity. It’s like rebooting your computer when it’s running slow. Clears everything out. But I wouldn’t do it weekly or even monthly. That’s excessive for most people.
P.P.S.
The electrolytes during fasting are crucial. Without sodium, potassium, and magnesium, you’ll feel terrible. Headaches, weakness, irritability. I use plain electrolyte powder (no sweeteners or flavours). Makes a huge difference.
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