On day 1 of fasting, glycogen is eliminated from the body. Your insulin drops on your first day of fasting, allowing you to tap into your fat reserve.
Electrolytes, trace minerals, and B vitamins can be very beneficial during prolonged fasting, especially if you haven’t built up a reserve of these nutrients. You can drink tea and coffee without cream or sugar and have water with lemon during your 5-day fast. Plenty of sun, long walks in nature, hot and cold therapy, and HIIT can also enhance the benefits of prolonged fasting.
On day 2 of prolonged fasting, you get deeper into ketosis, which means your body burns fat for energy. Autophagy typically begins on the second day of prolonged fasting. This is the process in which the body recycles damaged proteins and uses them for fuel and new tissues.
On day 3, brain function and mood continue to improve. BDNF is stimulated, which helps support brain cell regeneration and increases your learning capacity.
You also enter a state of deep autophagy, which helps repair mitochondrial damage and clean up intracellular pathogens. On day 3 of a prolonged fast, your immune system essentially resets.
Prolonged fasting supports the growth of the thymus gland and allows the gut lining to regenerate completely. People often experience a massive spike in growth hormone on day 3, which protects against muscle loss.
On day 4, hunger is gone, and maximum fat burning occurs! Bone broth can be beneficial if you’re struggling through a 5-day fast or experiencing a stressful event.
Longevity and protective genes are heightened, and your antioxidant networks are strengthened during prolonged fasting. It can also help diversify your microbiome.
Slowly begin the refeeding process with around ¼ of your typical calories. Try an egg with sauerkraut, and then wait a few hours before consuming something like a small amount of soup with avocado. After a few more hours, consume berries and nuts. Wait before introducing a full meal and avoid sugar and carbohydrates. High-quality food is vital at this time!
After a 5-day fast, your skin, muscles, joints, and brain will show significant improvements! Regular intermittent fasting can help prepare you for a 5-day fast.
Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:Dr. Berg, age 60, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals and author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.