5 Day Fast – Benefits? Everything you need to know

5 Days Fasting effects | preparing for 5 day fast | ending 5 day fast | 5 day fast benefits | 5 day fast risks

5 day fast? Sounds like a challenge, but getting through the first day is the key to success!

In one form or another, humans have practiced fasting for thousands of years. Some follow a water fast, which excludes the consumption of liquids and meals. During a water-only fast, you won’t consume anything but water for a specific time.

Many people have tried water fasting and found various health advantages, so the notion itself isn’t that odd. However, water fasting might have adverse side effects like any other diet.

Is it beneficial to abstain from food and beverages for five consecutive days, consuming just water? We will answer this question in this post.

How Do Fasting 5 Days Affect the Human Body?

For water fasting to be effective, it must aid the body in eliminating waste products and other contaminants naturally. Here is how the body responds to water fast.

Your liver must have access to water to convert glycogen into glucose (sugar) to use as fuel by the body’s cells. The body must oxidize its stored glycogen if no food is taken in since no sugar is accessible from meals. In other words, insulin can’t connect to cell receptors and permit glucose absorption in cells unless water is present. When you don’t eat, your body will burn through its fat reserves before resorting to its muscular tissue as a fuel source.

The liver will use stored glycogen until it ends up. When this occurs, the body enters a state called ketosis, during which it uses fat and muscle tissue for energy instead of glucose. How long it takes and how it physically feels in a 5 day fast before and after is determined by the ratio of muscle mass to fat mass. Since most of us are composed of fat cells (if we are overweight), a water fast with no calories might make us feel terrible after a few days.

How Long a Human Being Can Go With Only Water

Can you make it for 5 Day Fast on nothing but water? The answer is yes. But certainly, it won’t be comfortable. After a few days of water fasting, ketosis will set in, and you will experience a drastic drop in energy and general unpleasantness as your body burns up its fat supply.

A Guide to Getting Ready for a Water-Only 5 Day Fast

To begin, get your body prepared for the fast. Please see a medical professional before starting a fast if you are pregnant, have cancer, or have other severe health conditions.

Reduce Your Food Intake Gradually

Gradually reducing food intake is the best method to prepare the body for a 5 day fast consisting of only water. Starting with two meals a day instead of three will get you to one meal a day in six weeks. This slow decrease eases into the rapid and lessens any discomfort you may feel at first.

While you gradually reduce your caloric intake, your body has time to adapt to using its stored fuel (primarily muscle and liver glycogen) for energy.

Increasing your water intake is another good idea in the week leading up to the fast. Maintaining an adequate water intake in the first few days will aid in regulating appetite and preventing headaches and dizziness. Likewise, you should store up on vitamins since you won’t be able to take any during the fast’s stipulated five days.

Make It Through The Fast

It’s time to begin the 5-day fast now that we’ve primed our bodies for it. Stick to your routine and give yourself time; the first two days of a fast are often the most challenging. As the second or third day progresses, you may feel tired, get headaches, and lack muscle strength. Listen to your body and give it a break when it tells you to.

Instead of worrying about what to eat, concentrate on maintaining a pleasant mental outlook throughout this time. To help you psychologically prepare for this shift in your routine, consider seeing yourself five days after achieving your weight loss and energy goals.

Techniques for Ending a Water-Only Fast after Five Days

It is best to gradually wean yourself off of a prolonged fast with water. Any other approach raises the danger of refeeding syndrome, a potentially lethal illness.

Start with soup or bone broth if you’ve been fasting for five days. To prevent an adverse reaction from your digestive system, you should slowly reintroduce foods to your diet, beginning with fresh fruits and vegetables and working your way up to higher-calorie meals over the following several days.

You may lose weight while fasting (around 1–2 pounds each day), but if you go from fasting for five days to eating normally for six days, you may gain all of the weight back (and then some) due to your body’s reaction to the abrupt change in caloric intake. One should break a fast as slowly and gently as possible.

For two weeks, try eating just modest meals. Stop eating until you feel better, and see a doctor if necessary if you become nauseous or dizzy throughout this procedure.

Why Is A Five-Day Water-Only Fast So Beneficial?

Several 5 day fast benefits have been shown by scientific studies.

Reduces Body Fat

An average of 10 pounds may be lost in the first week of a water-only fast if we talk about 5 day fast weight loss results. Extreme calorie restriction, such as that seen during a water fast, is known to promote rapid and significant weight loss, so this is to be anticipated.

The problem is that the weight loss may be due to water, carbohydrates, or muscle. In the risks section (discussed below), we’ll look closely at why a water fast lasting for 5 days isn’t a healthy way to lose weight.

Activates Autophagy

Through autophagy, your body can recycle and eliminate damaged or dead cells. Animal studies and human experiments have shown that it declines with age.

While eating regularly, autophagy may occur; however, it is more common when a person restricts their caloric intake by as much as 30%. Research has also shown that water fasting may stimulate autophagy. 

Autophagy aids in the avoidance of dangerous diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s, and cardiovascular disease. In addition, this method can increase a person’s longevity.

Possibly Boosts Insulin and Leptin Sensitivity

When fasting, hormones like leptin signal your body to cease eating, and insulin facilitates glucose entry into your cells. Water fasting is based on the premise that depriving the body of sugar forces it to use fat reserves for energy instead.

Consequently, your body’s sensitivity to leptin and insulin will increase and show. When your body responds better to insulin, it can lower blood sugar levels more effectively. However, if your body is more sensitive to leptin, it may better handle hunger signals, reducing the likelihood of becoming overweight.

Hypertension Reduction

Research shows that people with hypertension (high blood pressure) may benefit from a water fast by reducing their blood pressure. The majority of these investigations focused on fasts lasting more than 10 days.

Risks of a 5-Day Water-Only Fast

There’s something you need to know before celebrating the success of your 5-day water fast. Protracted water fast may lead to severe complications, such as:

Atrophy or the gradual weakening of muscles

Any weight reduction is not always beneficial, and a 5 day intermittent fasting might have serious consequences.

Your body will start breaking down your muscles for energy to function without eating. When you fast and lose muscle, your metabolism slows, and you’re more likely to gain the weight back.

Inability to Focus, Memory Loss

If you’re undergoing a water fast, you’re probably aware that it harms your mental performance. Low blood glucose levels are likely to blame for this.

Orthostatic Hypotension and Dehydration

Some unpleasant signs of dehydration are weakness, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, and more. The undesirable effects of water fasting may be avoided by drinking water regularly. You’ll need to drink extra water to make up for the water you get from meals. As per studies, this food moisture is around 20-30 percent of total water intake.

Orthostatic hypotension, sometimes known as “standing dizzy,” occurs when your blood pressure quickly drops as you stand up. You are more likely to faint while fasting.

Possible Health Consequences

Long-term water fasting may severely disrupt the acid/base balance of the body in those with specific disorders. Water fasting is not recommended for those who have diabetes, renal disease, hypothyroidism, persistent infections, or ulcers. Talk to your doctor before beginning a lengthy fast if you are on any drugs or have a chronic health condition that needs medication.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, it is no picnic to abstain from food and drink for five days straight. You should take proper precautions before attempting a 5 day water fast due to the numerous potential health complications that might arise.

However, it has substantial potential advantages, including autophagy and enhanced insulin sensitivity. Talk to your doctor and give it some serious thought before determining whether or not a 5-day water fast would help you reach your weight loss goals.

I recommend starting here to learn more about these types of fasting which are the MOST popular, starting with 16/8 Fasting, click on these guides below to learn more:
16/8 Fasting Guide, 14/10 Fasting Guide, 18/6 Fasting Guide, One Meal a Day Guide.

Also need help fasting? Check out these Top 6 Fasting Mobile Apps we recommend to help you on your journey.