my first 36 hour fast!
WHEW! If you read my last post on my first 24 hour fast, then buckle up, because I went even BIGGER this time around & can’t wait to share with you here! plus, head to the bottom of this post to learn more about your fasting journey, if you’re intrigued at all!
DISCLAIMER: The contents of this post share my personal experience and should not be taken as truth for everyone. A lot of time, effort and care go into each individual experience with fasting and each body is different. Should you have any questions about fasting for YOUR body, please see the bottom of this post for more info!
Let me start by saying the anticipation, eagerness & excitement for this length of fast was high! I had been thinking about this length of fast for a while now, but knew I needed to work myself up to it before jumping in. This is why (if you read in the previous fasting post) I started with many months of fasting at various lengths (based on my cycle) & getting REALLY comfortable with them (anything from 12 to 17 hours long).
Then, the next step was getting comfortable with a “longer” fast—24 hours, to be exact. As impatient as I was to just jump into the 36 hours, I knew that doing the 24 hours first was the right step. It really helped show me how capable I was and helped bridge the gap between my last long fast prior to this (17 hours). Plus, it also helped me worked on the mental aspect of what a fast can do to you.
So when my window to do a longer fast finally arrived again, I knew I was ready for the 36 hours (remember: always matching fasting to my cycle to make sure I was honouring hormones). Originally, it was going to fall on my hubby’s birthday (much like last month when my 24 hour fast was going to fall on my birthday!), so with a bit of rearranging, I decided to do it two days later.
36 hour fast are interesting because you basically stop eating one night (I chose by 8pm), sleep, wake up and don’t eat all day, sleep, then wake up and eat (8am). It’s also coined ‘alternate day fasting’ for this reason. Plus, I really wanted to do this fast because it’s coined the ‘fat burner’ fast & since having my second child, I needed a bigger body scrub on that level. Now I’ll share the journey with you…
The night before I started fasting, I decided to have a high protein smoothie—much like before starting my 24 hour fast. I would NOT do this again because with the 24 hour fast, I drank this before lunch and had the rest of the day to fast and have it to keep my hunger in check. With the 36 hour fast, I had the smoothie prior to 8pm, felt stuffed, and was going to bed soon, so I didn’t need that sense of “feeling full” like I did with the 24 hour because I was heading right into sleep, not continuing on with my day. I definitely am not one that likes to go to bed feeling full—especially since starting fasting, where I usually stop eating hours before bedtime.
I think the next 36 hour fast I do (because yes, I will be doing one again), I’ll just eat how I normally would and maybe add an extra snack in before my fasting window begins… not a full 50g+ protein smoothie.
When I woke up the next morning, I think I had messed with my hunger cues a bit (due to the smoothie) because around 14-15 hours into this fast, my stomach was already growling, I was feeling hungry, AND it was mentally messing with me. I was a little annoyed, but also thought it was funny, because 15 hour fasts are normally no problem for me, but here I was 15 hours in, struggling, and knew I had 20+ hours to go!
Thankfully the feeling passed. I had some water + minerals and really made sure hydration was my focus, and from there it was smooth sailing. There definitely are ‘hacks’ you can do during fasts (like ‘fasted snacks’ and drinks—coffee, tea, etc), but I wanted to keep this fast very pure, so I JUST stuck to alternating between mineralized water & spring water. That’s it.
I have a Lumen (use code CHARM to get 10% off) which is a device you breathe into and measures whether you’re burning fat (ketones) or carbs, so I utilized that during the day to see where my body was at 1pm, 5pm & 10pm:
As you can see, my body eventually made it over into the fat burning zone. This can happen for some as early as 8+ hours into fasting (depending on your metabolic flexibility… still working on mine ;). I love how this device can confirm for you… but it definitely is not the most accurate to use to track during fasting, but I’m glad I have it as an option (and you can use it beyond fasting… like using it daily to check in on your status!).
I didn’t want to overcomplicate the process (or feel like I needed extra tools), so I worked with what I had and like I expressed above, kept it simple. I also made sure this day was low key. I only made two trips out that day and the rest was spent at home. Since this is a time of deep inner work, I wanted to honour that and knew that resting the body was exactly what was needed.
I almost need a funny meme to insert here on how unglamourous fasting actually is: you drink water, get in your comfies, and maybe take a nap. 🤣🤣
That honestly was what my Monday in a nutshell.
After I made it through the whole day with no food, I thought I was going to be exhausted and want to go to bed early, but no, the opposite happened. I had more energy and wasn;t craving food at all (and this is a good sign that you’ve switched over into your fat burner mode of ketosis). I went to bed shocked that I was already 27+ hours into my fast with less than 10 to go!
Then a weird thing happened… I thought I was going to feel the same way I did during my 24 hour the next morning. With my 24 hour fast, I woke up feeling like I was doing a 15-17 hour fast. It was effortless & easy to make it to the 24 hour mark. With my 36 hour fast, my intention was to wake up and do a workout before breaking my fast, but my body felt heavy and slow, so I knew I had to just wait for my eating window to begin before I did any activity.
I was frustrated that it felt like my body had regressed slightly during the final stretch of my fast. I believe it’s because the body got a spike of glucose releasing (especially during the night when the body is detoxing), which is exactly what I wanted in this 36 hour fast, but it can also result in your body burning carbs again along with fat (thus, why my energy & feeling changed in my body). So although I ended my fast not feeling the greatest, I also have to honour that the body was doing exactly what it was supposed to be doing in this length of fast… releasing stored sugars (which is stored in your muscle, fat and around organs).
All in all, it was a great experience. Challenging in interesting ways. And noting the things I will do differently next time.
I muscle tested my body as I came out of my fast and it really wanted me to break my fast with fats, so I loaded up an avocado with sauerkraut (to help ease the gut back into foods) and flax oil.
I also had a chia pudding made up the night before for the next phase of eating and loaded it up with hemp + pumpkin seeds + raspberries.
After a little bit of food and more mineralized water (really make sure you’re focused on this, especially during fasting), my body was still slightly off, so I muscle tested again, and it wanted a Terrazyme. Once I had that, I felt like I was back to normal!
And there you have it!
So, what’s next? If you don’t know me by now, I’m a guinea pig in my own life before I share + teach anything, and this is why fasting (and increasing my lengths of fasts) has been such a fun journey, but I’m not done yet. I’d eventually love to work up to a 3-day water fast, but for now I know my body wants/needs another 36 hour fast + I’ll throw some 24 hour fast in there for fun, too. And this is where I’d also like to introduce YOU to this fasting lifestyle!
interested in fasting?
I recently became a Fast Like A Girl Certified Coach, which now gives me the honour of working with + helping YOU in your fasting journey. My goal is to work with you on a three month fasting plan based on your wants + needs when it comes to health & fasting. For more info, please use the form below & I cannot wait to chat more with you and help you reach your fasting goals!!
To glowing health,
