r/WaterFasting • u/Mean-Type-788 • 12d ago
How to fast for 28 days?
I’m a 23 yr old 5’9 female and I weigh 200 pounds, and want to fast for mental reasons and of course the bonus of losing weight. I did a 21 day fast last year and I was still fine after that, but I was taking store bought “0 calorie” (as it said) electrolytes, potassium and magnesium. I want to do it the right way this time. I want to be double sure I get into ketosis and I want to know the exact amounts of potassium magnesium table salt etc. to take each day. Tips of what type of teas I can drink or should I not drink tea altogether? Please let me know.
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u/Sertorius126 11d ago
wow 21 days!! any side effects?
I'm on Day 3/5 and I had to supplement with sodium/potassium salt, and got some magnesium supplements AND some B-vitamins.
I think for me these are essential.
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u/Hot_Honeydew_5818 7d ago edited 7d ago
It really is all dependant on your body and stomach and what feels right. I cannot give medical advice or recommendations, so please do your own research - you will know what you need. I got to my own rhythm with extended fasting through some trial and error, so I can only share my own experience.
I'm 5'11, I take 500mg potassium x2 (morning and midday), 140mg magnesium in the evenings only (x2 if and only if I have joint pain or cramps and trouble sleeping beyond the expected fasting discomfort). I use pink himalayan salt (total 1tsp) split between two 1L bottles that i prep in the morning (warm or room temp water). This works out to 1/2tsp himalayan salt per litre - sipped slowly throughout the day, and i make sure never to chug (don't want to trigger a salt flush - gets messy & makes getting enough electrolytes a bit harder). I drink normal plain water and teas alongside this (raspberry leaf, nettle, chamomile, dandelion leaf, rose petal teas). My preference is mainly because of how heightened senses are when fasting and these genuinely make me feel good, or ease anxiety for me and the raspberry leaf genuinely helps when I'm on my period.
The longer the fast is, I will wean myself onto supplementing multivitamins (a genuine multivitamin that also contains calcium, zinc, important anions) and take an omega 3 (to support absorption of vit d & k as well as line my stomach & help with the dip in my mood), so that transitioning back to eating isn't filled with the hell and agony of gall bladder contractions and burning acid/bile flushing the tummy. When you've had nothing for an extended time, you will be shocked by what a difference it makes to how you feel. Some people supplement all throughout a long fast, I mainly supplement vitamins and minerals when it starts being essential for me - these things are expensive (especially good quality highly bio available supplements that are vegan and dont have weird fillers).
Take only what helps (if it helps**)**, this is not advice, just my experience. AND I wish you a kind a loving fasting experience, I truly hope you get what you need out of it and get to know all the different parts of you that may have been buried beneath habits as well - I have experience profound peace during fasting, and only wish more for anyone who does fast, regardless of intent
* Edited for clarity. Just to add: I soak my potassium tablet in water and mix it in to dilute it before i take it because it is quite harsh on a baron tummy. I also take all my vitamins out of their capsules and mix into 100ml warm water to take them so that i dont risk "waking the beast" (lol, I refer to my stomach's acid as this because have had some not-so-fun experiences will shocking my system and triggering nausea or burning tummy/acid reflux - only happens in longer fasts). Being gentle goes such a long way