A 48-hour fast is a type of intermittent fasting in which you stop eating for two whole days and only drink fluids with no calories. Intermittent fasting is becoming popular because it might have health benefits. The 48 hour fast is one of the longest fasting methods, but most people fast for shorter times. It might help with losing weight and fixing cells, but it also has risks.
In this article, we’ll talk about how to do a 48-hour fast, 12 Benefits of Fasting for 48 Hours and what good and bad things might happen. We’ll also give some tips to make fasting easier.
What is 48-Hour Fast?
Like other types of fasting, A 48-hour fast restricts you from eating for 48 consecutive hours, you can only consume water and other drinks like black coffee or herbal tea while avoiding caloric beverages. This form of fasting goes beyond typical intermittent fasting, which usually involves shorter fasting periods (such as 16 or 24 hours), and is used by some individuals as a tool for detoxification, weight loss, and overall health improvement.
Let’s learn more about how to do this fasting and what the rules are.
No Calories: During the 48 hours of fasting, you can’t have any meals, snacks, or anything with calories.
Drink Water: You need to drink enough water to stay hydrated while fasting. You can also have herbal tea and black coffee without calories.
Balance Electrolytes: Electrolytes are essential for your blood, muscles, and other body functions. You can get electrolytes from different foods and drinks. To keep them in balance, you can take sodium, potassium, and magnesium supplements.
Watch Your Body: Pay attention to how your body reacts to fasting. If you feel dizzy, very weak, or really uncomfortable, you should stop fasting and eat a small, healthy meal.
Start Eating Slowly: After 48 hours, start eating simple, small meals that are easy to digest. This will be gentler on your stomach.
Talk to a Doctor: If you have any health problems, talk to a doctor or a dietitian before going on an extended fast to ensure its safety.
How the 48-Hour Fast Works
Well in 48=hour fast, your body enters in a state called ketosis in which your body just uses the stored fat in your body to get energy instead of relying on any kind of food intake. This process can help in fat burning and lead you to lose weight in the body. Fasting for two days also allows the body to undergo several physiological processes that can have both short-term and long-term health benefits.
0-12 Hour
For the first 12 hours, your body is still digesting the food you ate before. It uses up sugar for energy and stores any extra sugar in your liver and muscles as glycogen. As your body uses up stored sugar, your blood sugar goes down.
12-24 Hour
After fasting for 12 hours, your body starts using fat for energy. Your insulin levels go down, letting your body start using stored fat. The fat gets turned into something called ketones, which become the main energy source. You might feel hungry during this time, but you also become more focused and clear-headed.
24-36 Hour
Once you’ve been fasting for 24 hours, your body goes into a state called ketosis, where it mainly uses ketones for energy. Your ketone levels go up, and you might not feel as hungry because your body is getting used to using fat for energy. This is also when your body starts cleaning out old or damaged cells, called autophagy.
36-48 Hour
Your body keeps using fat for energy, and ketone levels keep going up. Fat becomes the only energy source for everything your body does. You might have more autophagy happening too, even though you don’t feel it. By now, your body is used to fasting, so your energy and mood might be more stable. It’s vital to drink enough water during this time to stay hydrated.
End of the Fast
When the 48 hours are up, you can start eating again. But is it safe to eat like you did before the fast? Can you eat and drink anything you want? We’ll find out in the next part.
What Is a 48-Hour Dry Fast?
A 48-hour dry fast is another way of fasting for 48 hours where you don’t have anything to drink at all. Water fasting only lets you drink water during fasting, but a 48-hour dry fast is the opposite and doesn’t allow any drinks for 48 hours.
This type of fasting is more intense and can dehydrate you compared to water fasting or other kinds of intermittent fasting, where you can still drink fluids. If you’re thinking about doing a 48-hour dry fast, it’s essential to talk to a professional first to make sure your body can handle not drinking anything for two full days.
The Benefits of a 48-Hour Fast
According to different studies, taking breaks from eating, like a 48-hour fast, can have many sound effects on health, such as:
Delaying Aging and Preventing Diseases
A 2015 study found that more extended fasting, such as a 48 hour fast, might help lower obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma. Fasting can boost autophagy and keep cells healthy, which is suitable for many body functions.
Improving Metabolism and Bodily Functions
Research in 2018 discovered that fasting gives the digestive system a break and helps with things like losing weight, thinking better, lessening swelling, lowering sugar levels and blood pressure, making insulin work better, boosting growth hormone, slowing down getting older, making the body’s defenses stronger, and starting autophagy.
Boosting Weight Loss
A study from 2017 said that intermittent fasting, like a 48-hour fast, can lead to similar weight loss as cutting calories in overweight and obese people. It means not eating too much can be as good for losing weight as fasting.
Improving Heart and Brain Health
A study in 2016 showed that a 48-hour fast can make you lose weight, lower heart rate and blood pressure, change the amount of oxygenated hemoglobin, and make your brain work better.
Lowering Inflammation
Research from 2008 found that fasting for 48 hours can reduce stress from oxygen and long-term swelling by letting the body clean itself of unwanted substances when it is not eating.
Reducing Bad Cholesterol Levels
A study in 2010 showed that fasting for 48 hours can lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglyceride levels by:
- Eating less on fasting days helps with losing weight.
- Using up more fat and making less, lowers the production of VLDL.
- Making changes in body fat, including less belly fat.
- Increasing a hormone called adiponectin, which helps the heart, and lowering other hormones like resistin and leptin, which aren’t good for lipids.
- Keeping muscles while losing fat, keeps metabolism healthy.
Decreasing the Risk of Cancer and Neurodegenerative Diseases
A study in 2019 showed that fasting for longer times, like a 48-hour fast, might help lower the chance of cancer and diseases that affect the brain, like dementia and Alzheimer’s, by starting autophagy.
The Side Effects of a 48-Hour Fast
Even though fasting for 48 hours can be really good for your health, it might make some people feel bad, especially if they’re new to fasting. Here are some side effects they might feel:
Hunger and Trouble Sleeping
A study from 2018 found that fasting for 48 hours might make you feel hungry, tired, have trouble sleeping, and feel dizzy, especially if you’re not used to going without food for so long.
Feeling Tired and Run Down
Another study from 2003 found that fasting for a long time can make you feel like you have less energy and make you really tired, which might make it hard to do things during the day.
Risks for People with Health Problems
In 2007, a study found that fasting for 48 hours might be risky for people with type 1 diabetes, low blood pressure, eating disorders, and pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Mood Changes
In 2016, a study found that fasting for a long time can make people feel more angry and moody. That’s why some people feel better and calmer after they eat. Fasting for 48 hours might make some people feel hungry, tired, have trouble sleeping, feel dizzy, lose energy, have mood swings, and feel cranky.
How Much Weight Can You Lose on a 48-Hour Fast?
First, it’s essential to know that it’s not very likely, or even possible, to lose fat with just one fast. When you fast for 48 hours, your body mostly burns stored sugar for energy, and then it starts using fat as the fast goes on.
Some people might notice they weigh less because they lose water, their stored sugar gets used up, and they eat fewer calories. But a lot of the weight you lose at the beginning of a fast is usually just water weight. When you start eating normally again and your body stores sugar again, your weight might not keep going down as fast.
How much fat you lose with intermittent fasting depends on various factors, such as your weight when you start, how fast your body works, how active you are, and how healthy you are overall.
So, we can’t say for sure how much weight someone will lose after fasting. But we can learn about what happens during fasting and how it affects our bodies, so we know what to expect and set goals that make sense.
How to Do a 48-Hour Fast?
Breaking a 48-hour fast is essential, and it’s best to start with small, easy-to-digest meals. Here’s how to do it the right way:
Step 1: Talk to a Doctor
Before you start a 48-hour fast, it’s wise to talk to a doctor or a dietitian, especially if you have health issues. They can tell you if it’s safe for you.
Step 2: Pick a Start Time
Decide when you’ll start and finish your 48-hour fast so you’re prepared and have a plan.
Step 3: Get Ready
A couple of days before you start fasting, eat fewer calories, eat healthy foods with lots of vitamins and minerals, drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, and cut back on caffeine to avoid headaches or other problems.
Step 4: Plan Your Meals
Eat a balanced meal before you start fasting to give your body what it needs for the next 48 hours. When you’re ready to eat again, start with simple, small meals like soup, salad, or lean protein with veggies.
Step 5: During the Fast
Don’t eat any calories during the 48-hour fast. Drink lots of water and other drinks without calories, like black coffee or herbal tea. Stay away from sugary drinks or juices. If you feel really bad, like dizzy or uncomfortable, stop fasting.
Step 6: After the Fast
When the 48 hours are up, start eating again slowly with small, easy-to-digest meals. Eat healthy foods like fruits, veggies, lean meats, and whole grains, but don’t eat too much.
Step 7: Learn and Try Again
After your first 48-hour fast, think about how it went and what you learned. Then, you can try it again and make any changes you need to. You can also ask for advice from experts if you want.
How Often Should You Do a 48-Hour Fast?
Deciding how often to do a 48-hour fast depends on you and your body. Here are some things to consider when figuring out how often to fast:
- Talk to a doctor before you start fasting.
- Think about why you want to fast. Do you want to lose weight, improve your health, or something else?
- If you’re new to fasting, start with shorter fasts and see how your body reacts. Keep track of how you feel. If everything goes well, you can try longer fasts.
- Usually, people don’t fast for 48 hours more than once a week. But everyone is different, so it’s up to you and your goals. Give your body time to rest between fasts.
- Drink plenty of water and eat healthy meals before and after fasting to keep your body healthy.
- If you have more body fat, you might be able to fast more often because your body has more stored energy.
- Stress and lack of sleep can make fasting harder, so you might need to wait longer between fasts.
Some experienced fasters try a 48-hour fast once or twice a week for short periods to reach specific goals, like losing weight. But they don’t do it all the time. Afterward, they might go back to regular eating habits.
Once a Week: Fasting for 48 hours once a week is common, but some people only do it once a month. It’s up to you and what works best for your body.
Twice a Week: Some people try fasting for 48 hours twice a week for a little while to reach certain goals. But it’s not recommended to fast more than once a week unless your doctor says it’s safe for you.
48-Hour Fast and Autophagy
Extended fasting, such as a 48-hour fast, can activate and sustain autophagy. Autophagy, which means self-eating in Greek, is a process where cells clean and recycle damaged or dysfunctional parts to rejuvenate themselves. This process helps with cellular repair and longevity and can prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
How to Break a 48-Hour Fast?
Start Slowly: Ease into eating with simple, low-fiber meals like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and easy-to-digest carbohydrates.
- Rehydrate your body by drinking water before eating. Herbal tea or diluted fruit juice are also good options.
- Chew your food slowly and thoroughly to aid digestion and prevent discomfort.
- Listen to your body’s signals of hunger and fullness to prevent overeating.
- Choose nourishing whole foods to break your fast.
Foods to Eat after a 48-Hour Fast
- Easily digestible fruits like watermelon, cantaloupe, or berries.
- Lightly cooked vegetables such as spinach, carrots, or zucchini.
- Skinless chicken, turkey, or tofu.
- Whole grains like brown rice or quinoa.
- Clear broths or simple vegetable soups.
- Yogurt with live cultures or probiotic supplements.
- Small servings of nuts and seeds in moderation.
Foods to Avoid after a 48-Hour Fast
- High-Fiber Foods
- Fatty Foods
- Caffeine and Alcohol
- Spicy Foods
- Large Meals
- Sugary Foods
Pro Tips for a Healthy 48-Hour Fast
- Choose a suitable time and let your loved ones know about your fasting plans.
- Drink enough water or herbal tea during fasting to stay hydrated.
- Add some salt to your water or drink an electrolyte solution.
- Gradually transition in and out of fasting with light meals.
- Break the fast if you feel unwell.
- Engage in activities to distract from hunger.
- Stick to gentle activities like walking or yoga.
- Get advice before taking any supplements during fasting.
- Keep a journal of your fasting experience.
- Manage stress with meditation or deep breathing.
- Seek encouragement from friends or support groups.
- Start with small, balanced meals to avoid digestive issues.
- Start with shorter fasts before trying longer ones.
Considerations
While a 48-hour fast can have various health benefits, it may not be suitable for everyone, especially those with underlying health conditions, pregnant or breastfeeding women, or individuals with eating disorders. It is always recommended to consult a healthcare provider before attempting extended fasts.
My Personal Reviews on 48-Hour Fasting
- Weight loss: I lost 4-5 pounds during my 48-hour fast, and the weight stayed off. It was tough at first, but the results were worth it!
- Mental Clarity: I was surprised by how sharp my mind felt after the first 24 hours. My energy levels were stable, and I was able to focus better than ever.
- Improved digestion: My digestion feels so much better after fasting for 48 hours. I’m not bloated anymore, and I feel lighter.
- Energy boost: I felt sluggish for the first 24 hours, but after that, I felt amazing! My energy surged, and I felt mentally clear and calm.
- Reduce pain: After fasting, my joint pain was significantly reduced. I’ve struggled with inflammation for years, and this fast seemed to help.
However The first 24 hours were brutal. I felt exhausted, irritable, and constantly hungry. It was hard to stay motivated. I had a hard time controlling my appetite after the fast and ended up overeating, which caused bloating and discomfort.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a 48-hour fast can offer a variety of health benefits, including weight loss, improved insulin sensitivity, enhanced mental clarity, and cellular repair through processes like autophagy. By giving the digestive system a break and allowing the body to switch to fat-burning mode, extended fasting can contribute to better overall health and well-being. However, it’s important to approach such fasting practices with caution and ensure that they are done in a safe and sustainable manner. Consulting a healthcare professional before starting a 48-hour fast is recommended, especially for those with underlying health conditions. When done correctly, a 48-hour fast can be a powerful tool for enhancing physical and mental health.
Also Read: Why Carnivore Diet is Bad: Health Risks and Long-Term Concerns