A tribute to Famine 30: My 72-hour Water-only Fasting Journal
Even if I’d like to dedicate my 72-hour fast to this nostalgic event that resonates with my childhood, I know the nuances — I signed myself up for “famine”, and the starving kids “got signed up” right from the start. I understand all too well the shitty feeling of having an empty stomach for an excruciatingly long period of time. Say 72 hours.
I have to admit that I did not initiate this 72-hour fast for Famine 30 at first.
During the course of my fast, I was made aware of “Famine 30” , one of the fundraising campaigns under World Vision, aiming to raise public concern over the issue of food insecurity in less privileged countries.
Famine 30 is slightly different from other fundraising campaigns. Apart from donations, people can show their charity through engaging in a hands-on “famine” experience themselves.
It immediately resonates with my childhood memories back when I was in primary school. At that time, it was designed as an exciting event to lure young kids like myself to partake in.
Participants were asked to draw their own “fate”, chances are 50% the poor or 50% the rich.
Our lunch depended on it.
I literally have no idea how many times I was part of the event, but I am certain that I was always the unlucky half.
I ended up sitting on the floor in one corner of the school hall, surrounded by my pathetic fellows.
Even though it was just a game, still it was quite a brutal scene to recall: “The rich” feasting on a buffet, while “the poor” (Yes, me) munching on a fist-sized bun and drinking from a bottle of water.
As much as I could relate to Famine 30, I donated my share of care to those kids who to this day still cherish enough a small bun and a bottle of water as long as they are clean.
Even if I’d like to dedicate my 72-hour fast to this nostalgic event, I know the nuances — I signed myself up for “famine”, and the starving kids “got signed up” right from the start.
I understand all too well the shitty feeling of having an empty stomach for an excruciatingly long period of time. Say 72 hours.
Despite the circumstances, I can relate.
After all, we are human beings somehow struggling in life, for different reasons.
Our skin might be of different colors, but our blood is red.
We all deserve love and care from one another.
I wish my love will occasionally land somewhere, on someone’s heart.
Day 1
I’d like to begin this fasting journal with this poem.
You Are The Medicine by María Sabina
“Cure yourself with the light of the sun and the rays of the moon.
With the sound of the river and the waterfall.
With the swaying of the sea and the fluttering of birds.
Heal yourself with mint, with neem and eucalyptus.
Sweeten yourself with lavender, rosemary, and chamomile.
Hug yourself with the cocoa bean and a touch of cinnamon.
Put love in tea instead of sugar, and take it looking at the stars.
Heal yourself with the kisses that the wind gives you and the hugs of the rain.
Get strong with bare feet on the ground and with everything that is born from it.
Get smarter every day by listening to your intuition, looking at the world with the eye of your forehead.
Jump, dance, sing, so that you live happier.
Heal yourself, with beautiful love, and always remember: you are the medicine.”
This is a beautiful poem, como una canción, composed by a Mexican healer who entrusted the medicinal power of nature, particularly through “the magic of mushrooms” to cure people with her “down-to-earth” treatments.
This poem speaks to me personally, as I’m a strong believer and an exhibit A in the now seemingly undervalued, yet fascinating healing power from within and the food in nature.
Plant foods. Mesmerizing. I have to admit that I appreciate food more than ever before, essentially after I have decided on a whole food and plant-based “diet” (or lifestyle if you will).
But here I’d like to call for more attention on the idea of healing from within.
Speaking of self-healing, fasting is one of the best ways to go about it (in fact I can’t think of any other better ways).
The history of fasting is deep, excruciatingly deep. And pragmatic.
Our love and peace icon, Gandhi, used to fast a lot. It wasn’t purely for the sake of protests and demonstrations that he sacredly adhered to fasting, there was something else.
In the sea of merits of fasting (both scientifically and anecdotally-evident), I’m most captivated by the whole deal of “cell repair and regeneration”, that when we empty the stomach, “doing nothing ourselves” to allow our body to work its own magic.
Our body empowers our power. From the inside out.
The results of fasting are self-explanatory. My experience with fasting is with love and hate.
I intend to use fasting to reboot and upgrade my system (aka “cleansing” or “detoxing” the body). The longest fast I have attempted thus far is 30+ hours, it wasn’t easy. Not at all.
I fancy food. I fancy preparing and cooking my own food. I fancy the whole experience.
So, fasting is painful.
Until recently I’ve been doing it subconsciously, usually enjoying my food within a 8-hour window, leaving sufficient time for digestion before resting at night.
But this time, I am trying to push my limits, going out of the way, in an attempt to unleash my power from within on a much deeper scale and get a taste of it.
I am doing 72 hr+ fast, starting at 5 p.m. today on 6 August, 2021.
A mix of anticipation, nervousness and excitement. Complicated.
But I am on it. Wish me luck.
Day 2
Now a little details about my fast:
Yesterday I ate quite light, some pancakes in the morning, some nuts and fruits, and my “last supper” was some leftover Bak Kut Teh (vegan version) and some sautéed veggies.
Just some simple and clean foods to start the fast.
The feeling of not eating for the few days that followed reminded me to chew more meticulously.
So, I was mindfully masticating each and every ingredient in my bowl. Maybe 30–50 counts per chew. (Just saying, chew count perhaps opens the door to mindful eating.)
Basically, I am doing a “pure water” fast, no tea or coffee to “cheat” me through it.
But I might add some salt (that acts as electrolytes) to my water in case I feel “not very me”.
This morning at around 6:45, I felt my stomach was already empty.
As restless as I am anytime around, I was making a poem when I was still in bed.
Próspero y Dejo que vivan (Thrive & let live) | by Susannah L. | Aug, 2021 | Medium
My first Spanish poem. My first poem to be exact.
After simple stretching at home, I took a stroll in the park nearby for an hour or so, listening to a podcast about fasting.
The podcast was hosted by Dr Rupy Aujla, a medical doctor, whose endeavors I profoundly appreciate. He is a strong believer in food and lifestyle as medicine. Vibe checked!
His works are absolutely inspiring and informative (his sexy British accent is a plus). Lately, I’ve been listening to his previous podcasts on a daily basis.
Despite being a health nerd for quite some time, I must admit that the more I learn, the less I know. Food from nature and lifestyle have so much to offer for the sake of our well-being, if we dare to dig deeper.
When it came to bedtime, I practiced yoga and meditation to calm my mind.
Here’s my “yoga teacher”, Kassandra & her amazing work:
(1) 5 min Guided Evening Meditation with Positive Affirmations — YouTube
Her loving and gentle demeanor drew me in. She really did serve her purpose, putting me into the exact mentality I needed.
Overall, my energy level today is doing pretty good. A milestone to get through the first 24 hours of my fast.
That said, tomorrow is the real game.
Day 3
I’ m still alive.
In the fasting world, day 2 (i.e. 48 hours) is the hardest. But after 48 hours of fasting, I feel pretty good, in the sense of not feeling dizzy, fatigued or whatsoever.
Nor have I felt grumpy about not eating (aka hangry). My desire for food is under pretty good control. I even watched a food documentary about “melaka sugar” (i.e. coconut sugar) yesterday night. (I die for everything about coconut. )
Compared to the previous 30 hour + fast I had (when I was still an omnivore), this time I fare much better, in terms of physical strength and mental clarity. Some researchers literally suggested that plant foods, that put less stress on body in general, can ease its way into fasting.
This morning I woke up feeling my whole body a bit heated up (not to the extent of fever). I knew my body has already entered the “energy saving mode” 省電模式. I love the term so much, haha.
As usual, I did stretching and strolling. I realized I didn’t need to minimize my physical activities as much as anticipated. My energy level is desirable. I feel sharp.
I always reserve my afternoon time for self-study and inviting inspiration.
Living alone means you have to do all the chores on your own. The least fun part. Luckily, I was still capable of all those.
These days I don’t expect myself to achieve much, my “main goal” is simply maintaining stillness and calmness on the inside.
Stillness can be referred to as no emotional fluctuations, but it doesn’t mean that I felt no joy. Stillness is a joy per se, personally speaking.
At the end of the day, we are human beings, not human doings. We can love what we do, and we should love who we are, just our beings.
I don’t desire to do much, or to be exact I don’t desire much ever since I’ve become a vegetable 植物人 (hope isn’t too bad as a joke).
I’ve become different in so many ways. My diet. My desires. My perspectives. My belief system. My worldview.
“Próspero y Dejo que vivan (Thrive and let live)” is the poem I created yesterday. It mirrors the deepest side of me at this very moment that -
I’m just a human being on my journey to seek my own humanity.
Day 4
Finally, I put a full-stop on my 72+ hours fast, on a good note. A record of 72 hour fast accomplished.
I was wondering if I could prolong a bit longer, but my body had already started to complain since this morning. “Listen to your body”. Period.
Today I was heavy-headed at times, and struggled a little. Given that Monday is the busiest working day, I managed to get myself through the day with some rest and a little salt. Not that bad though.
How to break-fast?
The “refeeding” part is crucial, especially for the prolonged fast (i.e. over 48 hours) scenario.
There’re plenty of options to break a fast and the baseline is to introduce foods in small amounts that go easy on the stomach.
I chose to break mine with 20ml ACV (apple cider vinegar as recommended) diluted in 200ml water & an avocado. The ACV sensation on the stomach was pretty bold, but not a big deal.
The avocado wasn’t perfect (slightly overripe with some black fibers), but it’s arguably the most coveted avocados I’ve ever had.
It was soft, buttery, moisturizing with a nutty scent, and an earthy note. Bonito.
I ended up spooning my avocado for 15 minutes.
My verdict after a 72-hour fast
The benefits of fasting are obvious. It saved my grocery money, utilities, time, floss… to name a few. Side effects? A blooming appetite can be the one if you’re concerned with weight loss. Meanwhile, I can’t rule out the possibility of my hormonal influence being a woman.
I take it as a good sign though, and I eat as much as I like as long as it’s right for the gut. Take care of your gut, your gut takes care of your whole body. After all, it’s our gut feeling. (Do check out my articles on gut health, REALLY recommended).
Fasting can be a powerful tool, but is also a two-edged sword. It might do more harm than good for people with eating disorders and avid dieters who deem fasting as a quick fix for weight management.
Above all, having a healthy relationship with food is golden at all times. Food is a source of nourishment and joy rather than just a lumpsum of calories and macro-nutrients.
Eat right for the gut, keep those endorphins flowing, sleep through sufficient and regular hours. My diet and lifestyle have been up to par, so it’s normal that I didn’t notice any magical improvements within my body.
But when I look at myself in the mirror these days, my skin is utterly refined and sleek, up a level. As a matter of fact, fasting does contribute to anti-inflammation and anti-ageing. Wow!
Truth to be told, my skin’s been stable and calm since I started living my plant-based lifestyle. Not only food, I literally ditch any “non-natural” products including skincare, cleaning detergents, washing powder.
For the other commercial products I’m still using, I’ll find ways to DIY myself once they’re finished.
I am striving to live as close to nature as possible.
Green is my new normal.
Will I attempt another prolonged fast (i.e. over 48 hours) in the future?
Fasting can be brutal as much as I see food as a reward and I claim it every day.
The deprivation of rewards doesn’t feel good per se but the feeling of having the first bite of that avocado is vitalizing.
It was a godsend.
“Heal yourself, with beautiful love, and always remember: you are the medicine.”
The healing power from within remains fascinating and mysterious.
I believe I’ll do it again, somewhere down the road.
In the meantime, I continue on eating right for the gut, keeping the endorphins flowing and meditating myself to sleep. Live a calm, happy and stress-free life. Live in the present.
The bottom line is to take good care of the body, cause our body is no traitor, and every day counts.
