In 2025 there's no way you haven't heard about fasting.
Like you, I've heard of fasting and all it's forms: intermittent fasting, prolonged fasting, overnight fasting, water fasting, dry fasting...I've even done tea fasting.
I, myself, grew up christian but many other religions, whether it be muslim, hindu, weight watchers (that's a joke) observe the spiritual and physical benefits of fasting. But gone are the days when one needed to be religious to practice the art.
The benefits are real and many.
First off, the obvious benefit is that of losing weight. Needless to say, the body deprived of calories will start to turn towards whatever's available in the body to keep it's energy going and that is fat.
Consistent intermittent fasting as well as prolonged fasting will bring about that result. As a matter of fact, the fuel the body turns to when it's in the fasting phase is the superior fuel: ketones.
It gives more energy than carbs and without the nasty affects of raised insulin which might lead to insulin resistance.
The second benefit also comes as a by product of prolong fasting. The clean up and reuse of old, broken proteins. This is why I started fasting again...but it's not the life changing result I got. But let me explain.
As the body turns to itself when in starvation mode, 24 to 36 hours in, it will begin to 'eat' unused, broken proteins that are lying in the body. Not only this but plaque lined in arteries will also be a target.
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It breaks these down and discards them and some of it is reused and reabsorbed into the body in a better form. What a wonder the body is!
Anyways, I currently have a few eye floaters. Nothing much to talk about. But I want to get rid of them and fasting was one of the recommended ways to do so. It has to be a prolonged fast though to trigger this breaking down of old proteins (floaters are gel like proteins) in that whole process I explained, called Autophagy.
So I went on a 24 hour fast. I stopped eating at 3 pm Monday March 3rd 2025 and didn't resume eating until 2.30 pm Tuesday March 4th 2025....Okay so it was an almost 24 hour fast. I had to go out at 3 pm and there was no way I'd make it all into the night without eating.
So I went on an almost 24 hour fast and I lost half an inch off my waistline and...I still have my floaters...but!
This is when I experienced the life changing effect!
The next day after I broke my fast, I went to run errands in town. As usual I made my list on my phone because I can't remember anything without a list. Guys, it's terrible. My grandmother laughs at me because I always have to make at least 2 trips to the store because I ALWAYS FORGET something.
So, anyway, there I am in town and I whip out my phone to check my list..and it's dead!
You gotta be kiddin' me. Well, I'll just have to wing it.
I went through the day recallilng my very lengthy list, mentally ticking off things until I was all done. When I'm back home, I figured, I'll see what I missed and plan another day of errands.
Well, I got home...charged my phone....turned it on.... got my list and....I remembered everything.
Wait...what?
I remembered a very lengthy, totally random list of errands.
It wasn't just the list.
I realized I was going through the day calmer and able to mentally process and plan which is BIG for me...I'm always distracted or starting something and getting side tracked and no I don't have ADD or ADHD cause I checked.
I just had brain fog...permanent brain fog which I attributed to being a tired (but lucky) mom of three...
It was just something I figured would be less an issue once I get enough sleep or rest. But guess what...there's not much of either with three rambunctious boys and the schedules that go along with that.
So, what was happening here? Why was I able to remember, recall, prioritize and execute things so clearly?
Remember that word, autophagy? Well, apparantly, it also happens in the brain. The following is from Google's A.I.:
Autophagy in the brain refers to a cellular process where brain cells "clean house" by recycling and breaking down damaged proteins and organelles, essentially acting as a waste disposal system crucial for maintaining neuronal health and preventing neurodegeneration; malfunctions in this process can contribute to several neurological disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
- Function:Autophagy allows neurons to remove old, damaged proteins and organelles, preventing the accumulation of toxic substances that could lead to cell death.
- Importance for brain health:Proper autophagy is vital for maintaining healthy brain function, including synaptic plasticity and cognitive abilities.
Not only this, but it increases Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor of BDNF which helps neurons survive and improves cognitive function. Fasting increases learning, memory and increases the ability to make new brain cells.
New brain cells!
In case you didn't know, the brain begins to shrink in the 30s and 40s (I'm 33) and increases rapidly after age 60.
But baby! Fasting seems to reduce brain inflammation and increase executive functioning of this shrinking brain, not to mention increase of resistance against stress: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550413124002250/
Yall. This changed my life.
I was very stressed. No wonder my brain was always in a fog. I was always eating because I was stressed and these constants kept me in a perpetual loop of forgettfulness and lack of clarity.
I wasn't imagining it. After this almost 24 hour fast, I was thinking clearer, remembering more, planning more thoroughly, sticking to one task at a time. I felt so good I could cry.
So this is why I've taken up fasting again. I used to do it when I was younger on a regular basis during my missionary days. I lost touch with it and all it's benefits. But no more!
I came back to fasting for one reason (which hasn't worked yet -- we'll get back to that) and ended up with benefits that I didn't even know I needed...or...FORGOT I needed. (haha get it?)
The point is,I will be doing prolonged fasting again. Maybe once a week? Because now that I've tasted what it's like to have my mind back, there's no way I can experience anything less.
What about you? Have you ever considered fasting or is it something you're already into regularly or otherwise?
Let me know in the comments!
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