Your body has an amazing capacity to clear out and repair itself.
It is most active doing this when you are at rest. This means when sleeping and also when digestion is at rest.
Ideally, the body has that opportunity every day – between the time of your last meal of the day and the first meal of the next. A window of 12 to 16 hours or more can do wonders for you. However, in our society with such an abundance of food – specifically snacks – people rarely get that chance.
But deliberately fasting – abstaining from food while managing hydration – can have far reaching effect. I find that patients wildly underestimate the ability of the body to clear out and heal itself. And I am amazed over and over again when I hear the science and the experiences of patients while fasting.
While a varied schedule of resting digestion helps you clear out and repair, you can also fast for a specific purpose.
To help you appreciate the wonders of the ability of the body to heal while fasting, I present this science-based walk through what happens at certain time intervals after you have stopped eating to see the varied results of the fast. This helps you choose the length of your fast depending on the purpose you aim to achieve.
I present this so that you see the possibilities, not that you jump in irresponsibly. I join Dr. Mindy Pelz in cautioning you, and I can help you prepare for these longer fasts. What it takes is getting your metabolic switch efficiently working and knowing what to look for as you fast.
Here is a summary:
12 – 16 Hours: Intermittent Fasting
- to help lose weight
- to clear brain fog
- to regain energy
17 Hours and longer Autophagy Fasting
- Detoxification
- Improve brain function and cognition
- When you feel you are coming down with something to prevent it from progressing
- Balance sex hormones
24 hour Gut Reset Fast
- Recover from antibiotic use
- Offset the use of hormonal birth control pills
- Help balance microflora in the small intestine
36 Hour Fat Burner Fast
- Release sugar stored in the muscles, fat, and iliver
- Helps reduce cholesterol
- Minimize weight loss resistance
38 Hour Dopamine Reset Fast
- Reset dopamine receptors that have become dysregulated from overstimulation from social media, highly palatable food, and more
- Lower anxiety levels
72 Hours and more Immune Reset Fast
- Ease or prevent chronic conditions
- Alleviate pain and stiffness in joints and muscles
- Help repair and prevent musculoskeletal injuries
- Slow down the effects of aging
You can find the references for the effects of different lengths of fasting at the back of Dr. Mindy’s book Fast Like a Girl.
I am certified by Dr. Mindy Pelz as a Fast Like a Girl Coach to tailor fasting for women at our various stages of life.
