Have you considered fasting on water only? As of today, I have fasted on water eight times. I am 37 years old. The cover image on this blog post demonstrates the water fasting results I achieved last month, May 2020. In the water fasting journal published yesterday, I shared not only my results but also the health benefits of water fasting. To learn more about me and understand my food-related emotional struggles, as well as their origin, read “Getting to know Anna Szabo.” Below are all of my water diet results. My before and after pictures from 2018 are included.
Introduction
I fasted on water for five days in 2018 for the first time. To be clear, it was my first water fast ever, as far as any duration. The reason for it was to help me transition from eating a lot of meat, cheese, and sweets to adopting a plant-based diet. I was recovering from depression and needed to boost my health. Also, from all the dairy consumptions, I had acne.
My journey was documented in a vlog on YouTube. I was hoping to help others. It was a good idea! Those videos did help people all over the world. I’m giving you all the video links below.
The first time I fasted on water was in March of 2018. My primary expectations were weight loss, allergy healing, depression recovery, mental clarity, cognitive improvement, brain health, reduction in food cravings, and acne cure. I finished my first water fast on March 31st, 2018. Below are my water fasting vlog videos.
Initially, I drank fruit-infused water because I didn’t know much about fasting. Today, I recommend drinking pure unflavored water. I had a strong feeling of thirst, low energy at the beginning, food dreams, intrusive thoughts about food all day long, intense hunger, and some other challenges. Yet, I did experience tremendous water fasting benefits as well. On that first water fast, I continued working out and do all my daily chores, so I was not fasting and resting.
Overall, while it was hard, I had fun exploring what was possible for my health optimization and I accomplished excellent results getting my weight down to 119.9 lb at 35 years old. My starting weight was 130 lb. I learned a lot, too, so next time, I prepared before doing a five-day water fast.
Five Day Long Water Fast Vlog One – March 2018
- Water Fasting Vlog 1
- Water Fasting Vlog 2
- Water Fasting Vlog 3
- Water Fasting Vlog 4
- Water Fasting Vlog 5
- Results
I did my second water fast in July of 2018 and got to 110 lb. I absolutely loved how I felt: light, slim, fit, cleansed, detoxed, and empowered.
Reasons reap results, so I wrote out all my goals and stayed true to them. However, I continued adding fruit to my water, which I do not recommend today.
Of course, today I know a lot more!
On my second water fast, I was vomiting bile from my gallbladder (I did a dedicated video about it, see below Day 2). I was working out, just like on the first water fast, so I was not fasting while resting.
Overall, between my two fasts in March and July, I went from 130 lb down to 110 lb, so I lost 20 lb.
Five Day Long Water Fast Vlog Two – July 2018
- Preparation
- Water Fast Vlog Day 1
- Water Fast Vlog Day 2
- Water Fast Vlog Day 3
- Water Fast Vlog Day 4
- Water Fast Vlog Day 5
The results of fasting on water go way beyond just weight loss, so let me elaborate on all the water fasting results I personally experienced in the last two years. Keep in mind that I just finished water fasting this week, and in 2020, I lost 20 lb again. I had gained weight after being rear-ended in a car accident in 2018. So, this year, I reclaimed my health!
Water Fasting Results
When fasting on water in 2018, I was dealing with many mental health challenges due to my prolonged suicidal depression, which resulted from narcissistic relationship abuse after my wedding in 2016.
So, I grouped all the results based on health categories. Also, below I am giving you a video to where I describe all my water fasting results from 2018. Added to the list below are also my results from fasting on water in 2020. Some of my emotional struggles with food persisted after the car accident and the death of my Red White Cocker Spaniel Bruno.
So, what water fasting results have I experienced?
Below are the three categories of results.
Physical Health
- Cravings reduction. I had regular temptations to consume for chips, steak, eggs, milk, sour cream, and other food that in 208 I decided to stop eating. Water fasting helped me get rid of my cravings.
- Fat loss. My lower belly pooch disappeared after I fasted on water. I was bloated and felt heavy but at the end of my fast, my stomach was flat and defined.
- Feeling of lightness. I was feeling light and comfortable in my own body after fasting. Carrying extra-pounds was not adding to my confidence. Once I lost weight, I felt confident again.
- Acne cure. I began suffering from acne after I got married in 2016 and endured abuse. Acne was caused not only by stress and hormonal challenges due to depression but also by dairy. During water fasting, my acne disappeared.
- Binge eating relief. Overeating and binge-eating became a problem for me during that abusive narcissistic marriage. I’m working on a separate blog post dedicated to emotional eating but for now, I want you to know that fasting on water helped relieve my binge-eating tendencies. Though, after the car accident, they returned, and you can witness my current situation with binge-eating by reading my water fasting diary.
Mental Health
- Anxiety attacks replaced with peace. Because of narcissistic abuse, I had developed anxiety attacks and was even diagnosed with Complex PTSD during my marriage with the narcissist. Water fasting is a practice that repeatedly brings more peace into my life. It makes me feel harmonious and serene.
- Suicidal thoughts of hopelessness replaced with enthusiasm about life. Fasting on water changes the bran, the hormones, and even the genes in a significantly positive way. I was able to soar again after my narcissistic abuse recovery that followed my divorce.
- Depression replaced with joy. Water fasting boosted my immunity and excitement about life, so that suicidal depression I was suffering from was replaced with genuine joy.
- Insomnia replaced with restful sleep. During my marriage with the narcissist, I developed insomnia due to sleep abuse imposed on me almost every day. Fasting on water brought peace, serenity, relaxation, and restful sleep back into my life.
- Fear replaced with faith. Because of my C-PTSD, fear was dominating my emotions, especially because the narcissist threatened me several times and then went around telling people that he would divorce me to date me again. After our divorce, indeed, he sent me a calendar invite to meet 1:1, which I refused to do. His stalker-talk caused my fear to increase. While fasting on water, I had to rely on God and strengthen my faith, which helped conquer my fear and set me free.
Spiritual Health
- Stronger confidence in God’s promises. While fasting on water, I learned from experience that I can do all things through Christ.
- Closer relationship with Jesus. As I had to trust in Christ and lean not on my own understanding while fasting on water, our fellowship got stronger and unshakable.
- Answered prayers. While fasting on water, I had two life-changing events happen, which were God’s answers to my prayers. So definitely my water fasting was life-changing.
- Increased clarity of mind. As a victim of narcissistic abuse, I was mentally manipulated daily, which caused foggy-mindedness and confusion. Fasting helped clear my mind and improve my overall cognition.
- Sharper focus of attention. I explained on this blog in various articles the outcomes of the mental cruelty of narcissistic abuse, one of which is a cognitive decline experienced by the narcissistic victim from gaslighting, projection, devaluing, discarding, and other abusive tactics. Fasting on water helped sharpen my focus.
- Better memory. Water fasting combined with exercise positively impacted my brain’s hippocampus, which is responsible for short-term memory, learning, and other critical cognitive functions, which all improved on my water fast.
Fasting on Water for Weight Loss
I lost 20 lb by fasting on water in 2018 and in 2020, so I’ve done it twice and it works. That being said, it was not just the water fast but exercise as well. If your only goal is to avoid exercise by fasting, you will be tortured and disappointed.
If you are not looking to optimize your overall lifestyle and daily habits, water fast will be a waste of your time. fasting on water for weight loss only is a vain goal. I recommend choosing a long-term health improvement goal. Having a strong why will encourage you to keep going. Weight loss alone is not a big enough why. Plus, you will gain your weight back in your have no long-term wellness goal in mind. That being said, here are my water fasting weight loss results in pictures from both 2018 and 2020. May my story inspire you to think long-term!
Water Fasting Weight Loss Results
In 2018, I lost 20 lb and went from 130 lb to 110 lb at 35 years old. In 2020, I lost 20 lb again and went from 136 lb to 116 lb at 37 years old. Why did I need to lose 20 lb again?
In August of 2018, I was rear-ended in a car accident and sandwiched in my little Prius between a huge Jeep and a Ford SUV. That season was hard: I was in bed, I had some injuries and a concussion, I was unable to work for a month, and I became immobile. That accident resulted in plantar fasciitis for me, which led to me living for a long time with severe foot pain.
Additionally, after being a plant-based vegan, I started eating animal products here and there, my cravings returned, and overall, the car accident hijacked my health in many ways. I struggled to find the balance between working out and keeping my foot pain down for some time. When I was getting into a routine, my dog Bruno died, and I stopped getting out of my home. Needless to say, I had gained weight.
In 2020, I decided to reclaimed my health.
I fasted and lost weight.
The pictures you see below are from 2020.
Water Fast Results Before and After
The first image below represents my water fast results before and after pictures from 2018. Next to it is an image with the before and after results from fasting on water in 2020, this year.
I am 37, and my hight is 5’10”.
When you look at the before and after pictures, consider that belly fat is the ultimate promoter of cancer, so reducing belly fat and losing weight significantly decreased my cancer risk and improved my overall health.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fasting on water helps your body detox, cleanse, and renew. Not eating any food activates the phenomena of autophagy, which means your cells eat themselves. How is this good? It’s healing because your good cells get rid of your junk cells, so you end up new and healthy. Fasting also impacts epigenetics, meaning it turns on your good genes and turns off aging. Water fasting enables you to experience ketosis and burn fat for fuel, so not only do you lose weight, you actually lose fat, which reduces your risk of cancer, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Fasting on water helps you lose weight by mobilizing your fat for fuel, even while you are in a resting state. Some of the weight you lose is water weight and will return. But you can also lose actual fat if you fast for more than 72 hours and activate ketosis.
To drop 20 lb in a healthy way, you may try fasting on water and not eating for a few days. You will enter a state of ketosis and leverage your already stored fat for fuel. Water fasting is not for everyone so be wise when deciding to do or not to do it. Consult your doctor.
Fasting on water helps lose belly fat. See my water fasting results before and after pictures to witness how I lost 20 lb and belly fat at 35 and 37 years old through prolonged fasting on water only.
Conclusion: Water Only Fast Results
In this article, I shared with you my water only fast results: weight loss, cognitive improvements, spiritual breakthroughs, mental health optimization, acne cure, sleep enhancement, and increased satisfaction with the quality of my life and wellbeing.
My prayer is this:
Dear God,
May the woman reading this blog post be inspired by my water fast results and encouraged by knowing that with Christ all things are possible! Father God, bless the woman who is reading this content. Give her a passion for long-term health. Stir up on the inside her desire to live a healthy life. Help her see herself the way you see her: beautiful, healed, healthy, confident, and worthy!
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
READ NEXT:
- Self-Care Tips
- Reading Challenge: 12 Books In 12 Months
- Healthy at Home: Self-Care Ideas
- 10000 Steps Self-Care Challenge
- Picnicking Self-Care Challenge
- Travel Adventure Self-Care Challenge
- Kayaking Self-Care Challenge
- Hula Hoop Workout Self-Care Challenge
- 100 Squats a Day Self-Care Challenge
- Meditation Self-Care Challenge
- Hiking Self-Care Challenge
Anna Szabo is the founder of Online Discipleship For Women, a Christian ministry committed to helping alleviate suicide among women globally by sharing hope in Christ. Anna teaches how to create a joyful life by embracing God’s word based on her six pillars of joyful living: faith, food, fitness, finances, felicity, and fortitude. She is a Christian speaker, YouTuber, artist, poet, and blogger who created 2,000,000 words of Gospel-focused content to encourage and empower you. Donate to show your support.
