I just broke a fast today. 14 days - my longest by far. I never really felt any negative side effects until yesterday, when I started to get lightheaded; but that was probably more due to dehydration than anything else.

I learned a lot this fast, and I think it helped me be in the right state of mind to do a lot of healing; both body and soul healing. It really was a time of restoration for me. Plus, as a bonus, I lost 15 lbs, bringing me down to 195lbs. I haven’t been this trim since probably high school.

Some good notes on how to perform a successful long fast:

• Drink a shot of pickle juice every day. Has no calories and won’t break your fast, but the acetic acid is really important for cellular regeneration.
• Take electrolytes. You have to have potassium, magnesium, and sodium. Your body needs these things, and not having them will lead to headaches and other terrible side-effects.
• Drink lots of water. Lots, like at least a gallon a day. You need extra water to be able to process your fat and remove any stored toxins that get released.
• You can and should drink tea and coffee. My wife says that drinking fruit herbal teas will break your fast as it causes insulin spikes. I am hyperglycemic and didn’t experience any massive blood sugar drops from drinking herbal teas, so I don’t know if it’s true or not.

That’s pretty much all you have to do. Once you get past day two, the whole not eating anything shouldn’t be a problem for anyone that has a modicum of self-control.

To be fair, I think I was in much better shape to fast this time around than other times I have tried. In the past my longest fast was around 4 days, and then I would start to have blood sugar crashes. I weighed about 235lbs then, which is overweight for 6'2", but not obese. This time when I started I was 210lbs, and my health is definitely better.

I highly recommend fasting, it is really great for flushing out deeply held toxins in your bowels and fat, causes autophagy in damaged cells, and induces the release of stem cells. I doubt that the weight loss will hold, but who knows - perhaps my body adjusted and hit a new weight threshold. I would love it if I stabilize at 200lbs.