3 Day Water Fast Challenge

Tackle The 3-Day Fast With Me!

Coach Austin here with Fit One Five. I’m taking on a 3-day fast and I want you to join me! But before we jump right into the fast, let me lay out the why, what,and how for the best ways to understand fasting. Consult your primary care physician to know if fasting is right for you.

Why should you fast? 

Reasons for doing a fast are different for everyone including reducing body fat, “cleansing the system”, or simply to just feel better. I myself like to indulge in a fast 2-3x per year. Personally, I appreciate the disciplinary challenge it requires to avoid the temptation of eating when I really-really want to. I also like to stimulate my body to reach a state of autophagy, which is a fancy word for cellular recycling. Essentially, it’s a way your body can take a break from the grind of processing the food to focus on clearing out old or dying cells in your body – A.K.A. cells that could turn cancerous.

With fasting comes a trove of benefits. Here are 8 primary benefits, just to name a few:

• Promotes blood sugar control by reducing insulin resistance 
• Decreases inflammation
• Improves overall heart health
• Prevents neurodegenerative brain disorders
• Increases growth hormone secretion 
• Aids in cancer prevention
• Stimulate weight loss and increased metabolism
• Can improve overall quality of sleep and recovery

What to do to prepare for your fast.

Right away, to get started, it’s time to start cutting back on processed foods and sugar. As much as you can, you want to begin to eliminate this from your diet. Regular consumption will continue to stimulate cravings for go-to sugary options. Slowly reduce if you are a heavy consumer. If you’re a coffee/tea drinker, remove any cream, sugar, honey, artificial sweeteners, etc.

Next, begin to replace those foods with whole fruits and vegetables, uncooked. Proteins should be as lean as possible – chicken, white fish, shellfish, legumes, and bone broth are perfect choices. Carbs should come from your vegetables (1-2 cups of cooked basmati rice will be okay too). You can also maintain your normal protein shakes leading up to the start of the fast. 

Water is going to be the most important element to this challenge. The goal is to be able to consume 3-4 liters of water every day. Four liters is equal to one gallon. This may seem excessive, but actually 3-4 liters of water per day is an optimal amount of water to consume for your body, especially if you’re engaging in regular vigorous exercise. More about how water + protein priority helps shred body fat.

On the day before you begin your fast, you should have your typical daily caloric intake reduced to half. You’ll likely be hungry, so start drinking water to help curb any appetite. 

What to Purchase

1. Water (duh): To make your life easier, you can buy 3, 1-gallon jugs of purified drinking water at any local grocery store. If you prefer water bottles, that’s fine too. We supply 1 liter Fiji bottles at the gym if you need to come in and grab a couple. I do recommend having a water bottle on hand as you’ll need it to add-in your electrolytes.

2. Electrolytes: This is essential for your body’s cellular function. Without electrolytes, you will likely suffer from “brain fog”, experience muscle cramps, or just feel really tired on day 2. We supply flavored LMNT Salts at the gym. You’ll need at least 1 for each day.  LMNT has the perfect balance of sodium, magnesium, and potassium, which again, are essential for cellular function.

3. Bone broth. This is going to be your “food” on day 2 and 3. You’ll need to get a couple boxes. I highly recommend Kettle & Fire. You can actually get this at Walmart. Bone broth will supply you with protein and calories to get you through the challenge, especially if you plan to maintain your workout program. 

How to conquer the fast.

Here I’m going to lay out what your 3 day schedule should look like to make this as simple of a process as possible. The 3 essentials for this fast are water, electrolytes, and bone broth. 

No food, no shakes, no caffeine.

1. Day 1.
   1. WATER + ELECTROLYTES
      1. Drink 1 liter of water between 2 hours from when you first wake up. 
      2. Drink 2 liters of water spaced out over the next 6 hours
         1. Add 1 pack of LMNT to 16-32 oz of water and try to finish before your final liter for the day.
      3. Drink 1 liter of water 1-2 hours before bedtime. Why? You want time to be able to empty your bladder before bed so you don’t wake up in the middle of the night each night. (Ideally you should finish about 8oz of water just before you crawl into bed)
2. Day 2 & 3
   1. WATER, ELECTROLYTES, BONE BROTH
      1. Wake up and immediately drink 16oz water
      2. Breakfast: 16-20oz bone broth.
         1. Treat it like soup – warm it up. Throw it in a thermos for an on-the-go meal.
      3. Once you finish the bone broth, finish your remaining 16 oz water to complete your first liter for the day.
      4. Drink 2 liters of water spaced out over the next 6 hours
         1. Add 1 pack of LMNT to 16-32 oz of water and try to finish before your final liter for the day.
      5. Lunch: 16-20oz bone broth
      6. Drink your final liter of water 1-2 hours before bed. 
      7. Dinner: 16oz bone broth

Breaking the fast

Congratulations! You made it, now what’s next? It’s time to break your fast. What not to do is head to the nearest fast-food drive thru. What you need to do now is begin slowly adding foods back into your diet. Immediately begin the diet you had on the day before the fast started. Remember: lean proteins, lots of vegetables, even rice for your carbs.

The following days you can start adding coffee and your regular routine foods. If you do not normally have a clean diet, don’t waste that hard work you just put in. Now is the most opportune time to keep your diet neat and tidy. If you’re at a complete loss where to go now, the best thing to do is meet with our nutrition coaches, Ashley or Emma. We can help you put together a sustainable game plan for a realistic daily diet. 

Simple as that. You’re now ready to tackle this fast! Good luck and follow along with me on Instagram  @agfitlife. 

For questions, email me at [email protected]