What Happens if You Eat NOTHING for 3 Days

preview_player
Показать описание
Discover what happens inside your body as you fast for 3 days, 5 days, and 7 days. Intermittent fasting has many benefits, but it also has some drawbacks. Extended water fasting can result in some negative effects. But how long does it take for fasting to cause muscle loss, headaches, and extreme hunger? Find out what happens when you stop eating.

After you eat a meal, your body enters an anabolic state, where food is broken down into simpler molecules and used as fuel so your organs can function properly. An organ in the abdomen known as the pancreas produces insulin which is a hormone that regulates the process of breaking down and metabolizing primarily carbohydrates but also protein. So insulin is the hormone that helps the cells absorb the glucose found in the bloodstream after a meal. Dietary fat, on the other hand, is broken down into fatty acids which are used by the body for energy as well as for many different biological processes like testosterone production for example. Excess fatty acids are converted back to triglycerides and then most of those triglycerides are stored in adipose tissue otherwise known as body fat.

Meanwhile, excess carbohydrates from that meal will first get converted into glycogen which is a string of glucose molecules that can be stored and used later. Glycogen is mostly stored in the liver and your muscles. Since there's a biological limit to how much glycogen a person can store, once that limit is reached the rest of the excess energy is converted into triglycerides and stored as adipose tissue, otherwise known as body fat. This is the routine process that our bodies go through when we eat throughout the day. But what would happen if you chose to stop eating for 3 days straight?

Well after about 6-10 hours of fasting, most of the glucose that's still circulating in your bloodstream will be used for fuel. At that point, your body will start shifting from an anabolic to a catabolic state. Since it's not receiving any new nutrients, your body has to start using its own glycogen reserves to fuel itself. It's at that point that the pancreas secretes glucagon. Glucagon is not the same as glycogen or glucose. It's actually a hormone, and one of its jobs is to signal your body to release glycogen and fatty acids. Also if your last meal was low in carbohydrates your body may start producing ketones as an energy source within this early stage of fasting. Ketones are chemicals produced by the liver when fat cells are converted into fatty acids. So in general during those first 6 hours, your blood glucose levels will start to elevate and then they'll gradually decline. Meanwhile, your ketone levels will do pretty much the opposite. They'll gradually rise, especially after approximately the 10th hour of fasting. (1)

Now before you ever hit that 10th-hour mark, if you’re accustomed to eating three meals per day or you regularly eat a high-carb diet you'll probably experience hunger and low energy levels. If you ignore this hunger and continue fasting for at least 10 hours your body will start to increase the levels of a hormone produced by the pituitary gland called Human Growth Hormone otherwise known as (HGH). Fasting can actually increase HGH just as effectively as exercise, stress, and very low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycemia. (2) HGH plays an important role in the fasting process because it's associated with enhanced muscle growth, exercise performance, better body composition, a faster metabolic rate, stronger immunity, and faster recovery from injuries. (3) Although HGH is unlikely to lead to muscle growth in the absence of nutrients while you're fasting, it's believed to be responsible for delaying the breakdown of muscle. So it helps prevent muscle loss while fasting. It does this by stimulating metabolic processes such as protein synthesis and muscle tissue repair. According to research, the longer you fast, the more HGH you'll produce. For example, a study found that fasting for just two days increased HGH production by 5X. (4)

Now at around 12-16 hours in, depending on how many carbs you normally eat, your body will continue to deplete its glycogen stores, while also increasing its reliance on ketone bodies. (5) The benefits of this initial period of fasting have been well documented because multiple studies have been designed to observe people fasting for Ramadan, which is a Muslim holiday where people stop eating food from dawn to sunset, every day for one month. The studies on this topic all provide an excellent overview of the benefits that fasting for 10-17 hours daily has on the human body. According to the findings, there's great improvement in weight management, digestion, and cholesterol levels. (6). Also, some studies show a significant decrease in inflammation markers associated with a number of diseases such as homocysteine, C-reactive protein...
Рекомендации по теме
Комментарии
Автор

References:
1. During the first few hours of fasting your blood glucose levels will start to elevate and then they'll gradually decline. Meanwhile, your ketone levels will gradually rise.
See Fig 1C

2. Fasting for at least 10 hours is proven to increase Human Growth Hormone (HGH) levels just as effectively as exercise, stress, and very low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycemia.

3. HGH, a hormone produced by the pituitary gland, plays a major role in muscle growth, exercise performance, body composition, cell repair, metabolism, immunity system, and recovery from injury and disease.

4. A small study of nine men discovered that fasting for just two days increased HGH production by five times.

5. After 12-16 hours, the body switches to burning more and more fat tissues compared to carbs.

6. During the month of Ramadan, there is a great improvement in weight management, digestion, and cholesterol levels.

7. In addition, some studies indicate a significant decrease in inflammation markers associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors such as homocysteine, C-reactive protein (CRP), and total cholesterol TC/HDL ratio.

8. Ketones production accelerated as blood sugar levels are low and glycogen reserves are depleted.

9. Inflammation exponentially decreases and there is a huge spike in HGH and Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

10. Several factors upregulate autophagy, including caloric restriction and starvation as well as increased levels of GH and BDNF

11. This process has therapeutic benefits for both your lifespan and the aging process.

12. Men will experience a 4-fold greater increase than women in plasma-free fatty acids.
See Figure 1 C

13. Headaches are also more frequent by the first day of fasting and can persist, regardless of hydration.

14. Ghrelin levels, which signal hunger, continue to rise, despite studies showing no subjective increase in hunger.

15. A clinical study suggests that “this increase in ghrelin levels might be another mechanism that stimulates HGH release.

16. “accepted as beneficial due to its role in eliminating 'toxic assets' and promoting cell viability"

17. All the data shows that fasting can improve cognitive deficits, neuroinflammation, memory, and learning.

18. Moreover, a 2015 study’s finding suggests that fasting upregulated BDNF by approximately 3.5-fold

19.  “improvements in mood, alertness, and tranquility”.

20. After 3 days of fasting the processes of disease reversal, autophagy, and cancer protection that were explained continue at a deeper level, and HGH levels increase by 300%.

21. There is also evidence that the body starts creating hematopoietic stem cells which are new cells that regenerate the organism

22. Ketones are produced in greater quantities during the first few days of fasting, and after the fifth day, the levels are more or less neutralized. The rate of weight loss also slows down, with a maximum of 0.9 kg lost per day in the first few days of fasting.
See figures

23. The body is still avoiding protein catabolism and muscle breakdown as ketone levels rise and take over as the primary energy source.

24. But, after the third day, a study demonstrates that the glutamine concentration in skeletal muscles falls by 34%.

25. Negative potassium and nitrogen balances worsen after the third day.

26. Most studies have been conducted on animals, and it remains to be seen whether all the benefits would be the same in humans.

27. "calorie restriction and intermittent fasting help maintain a healthy brain"
See figure one

GravityTransformation
Автор

Who else is here because they are in the middle of a fast?😂

johndoe
Автор

It's called fasting but time goes by slow.

dalecaruso
Автор

I’ve done 3 day fasts multiple times and the benefits are real. Particularly noticeable is the change in skin, weight loss, and the autophagy. It does feel like a total reset and healing of the body in a short time. I think this the way humans always lived and are meant to live. Our bodies were made to thrive in feast/famine but now we are always in “feast” mode with an excess of food everywhere, every day, multiple times a day. On top of that what many eat is pure junk and sugar is the worst for our health. There is healing in famine mode as well!

CheckingINN
Автор

I’m in my 50th hour and this video is giving me motivation to make it to my 72nd hour. My first water fast

Florida_May
Автор

Anyone else like watching fasting benefit videos while fasting? Currently 27 hours and climbing

stannotfound
Автор

I started fasting in June 2022. I was 220 lbs., blood pressure 140/95 and borderline type 2 diabetic. As of today, I'm 180lbs BP 119/75 and no longer on the radar of type 2 diabetic. I'm 47 years old and fasting got me to understand my body especially in what I eat. I now eat 4 hours in a day and every 2 weeks I'll pull off a 48 hour. I will continue to do this until I reach my goal of 160lbs. The best thing about fasting is that it costs nothing to do. No miracle drugs, shakes nothing. I'm living like my great grandfather did.

MrDazana
Автор

I’m on day 4. I haven’t decided how long to go. I lost 25 lbs a few years ago and was in the best shape of my adult life. I let 20 lbs return over 3 years. I needed to get control. I have used Intermittent fasting for years, but I didn’t restrict the amount or kinds of foods and I paid the price. So far, I’m down 8 lbs., clothes fit better, I have more mental acuity, my self-control in other areas has improved, I sleep better, shoulder pain from an injury a couple months ago has subsided, I can get off the couch without having to move slowly because of stiffness discomfort, and my mood has improved. I may go up to 20 days, but will likely stop after 5 and restart after 3 days if limited eating on a IF 16:8 pattern. Thank you for the encouragement and the cautions.

timdefor
Автор

I have done a 21 day fast. the first three days were the hardest, then hunger went away... yes, really. (from day 4: I could be at a table with other folks eating and it did not bother me). blood pressure dropped... cholesterol dropped... leaving type 2 diabetes behind... joint pain disappeared... of course, significant fat loss (260 to 230... more precisely to 260 to 222 to 230)... concentration improved dramatically... able to focus for longer.... irritability decreased (outside of first three days when I was hangry)...

This is a great video for concise delivery of info... based on my experience (no, i am not a Dr. and I am only one data point) I think it mistakenly undersells longer (week or more) fasts (particularly for those with more fat) because I felt great for most of the 21 days. I got a headache on day 21 and decided to stop (not sure if headache was caused by fasting... it could have been... so that is why I stopped... if it was not, I wish I had kept going...).

This may sound strange to someone who has not done a fast, but it felt great to be on that fast.... and great when it was over (very important based on my experience: slowly re-introduce easy to digest foods if you go that long... i limited to clear broths and vegetables for first few days)... i have done other, shorter fasts (mostly in the week long timer frame... one was two weeks) because of the success of that fast...

For me, there is lots of weight loss in the first few days, and then it slows down. After multiple fasts, I think the real weight loss for me is about a pound a day (becasue you do put on some weight when you start eating again)... but the real victory is the increased energy, happier persona, lower blood pressure, no more type 2 diabetes medication, no more ADHD medication, no more ibuprofen every day, and real food tastes great again (my taste buds were reset so fruits and vegetables taste better than processed foods... ).

Note: I also gave up caffeine during that time and that was harder than the first two days of the fast (vicious caffeine withdrawal headache on day 2, then went away on day 3).


I could write a lot more... but his is probably already too long to read

wkbutcher
Автор

I just finished a 72 hr fast. First time trying anything more than 24 hrs. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. Day two dinner was quite tough to get my mind off of but once that hump was gone I was almost there. My body looks amazing afterwards. My muscles are popping out, I lost 7 lbs. my skin seems better and I feel like I was able to reset and heal my body. Definitely recommend trying it.

guinessbeer
Автор

I am at 28 hours of water fasting. This video gave me motivation to complete. Thank you. Who else.

Sam-rlok
Автор

I've seen numerous videos and read several books on fasting. This video is by far the best detailed video on fasting. You covered everything from A thru Z. Great Job, I'm going to pass this on to all my friends who are intrested in fasting.

rayperez
Автор

Maaan, I've watched a lot of these explanation videos by all the big fasting/keto influencers, both this one is by far the most detailed one! Well done

tnen
Автор

I like to do it for a whole weekend. My last meal is Friday night and my next meal is Monday morning. I make sure that the kitchen is super clean on Friday night and then I enjoy the fact that my kitchen never gets dirty for the entire weekend!

boblatkey
Автор

This is the best video I’ve seen after reading 10 years about autophagy. Congrats. I did autophagy for the first time in September 2021 with a burn out after covid. I was gonna go for 3 days. The first 2 days were a bit tricky but after 36 hours you can really feel the autophagy kicking in. I had never felt so much energy in my body ever since I’m born (all the contrary one would expect). Clear thinking, laser sharp eyes, even your smell becomes so sharp. The next thing I found myself doing push-ups and took the kettle bell and then took my mountain bike for a ride. So then I decided…wow that goes well, let’s extend to 7 days. The only reason I broke the fasting after one week is social pressure (friends employees and family being in disbelieve). So u need to be careful when you reboot your system. I did it again one month ago (7 days) and decided to remain in keto mode. It’s simply amazing since I don’t crave for snacks or stuff and I eat once or twice a day. Constant energy levels are the secret since your insulin levels keep down. That means that I keep on loosing fat while my intake of proteins promotes my muscle mass. This video is real, I can testify. And I’ve already sent it to numerous friends. Thank
You for doing this

micheldebievre
Автор

A really great video on fasting. A huge amount of concentrated, detailed and really useful info given at a great speed. Excellent, Thks

williamgoss
Автор

Very impressed by the amount of information that you're giving out. Very well organized and explained. It's no wonder you have almost 6 million subscribers!

RamiAgonistes
Автор

Just in the first 1min of this video you have given a very easy understanding crashcorse that others took 20mins to explain. This video is very well made and fast pace to keep you engaged. Keep it up! Love it!

orangedragon
Автор

Excellent, no fluff presentation. Packs a tremendous amount of good information into a small time slot. Thanks to the creator.

bobkelly
Автор

This video is perfect. Not too long, but deep enough for clarity and understanding. jus what I was looking for. Thank you Sir...

troyharris