Forty-eight hours is the longest time without food that is recommended for intermittent fasting. Despite all the health benefits of such a long fast, take into account its disadvantages.
VIDEO TIP: Intermittent fasting step by step with Petr Havlíček
Intermittent fasting step by step with Petr Havlíček • VIDEO: Video editing for women’s websites
48-hour fast: How to do it?
The principle of a forty-eight-hour fast is very simple. You practically take a two-day break from eating. One of the most common ways is to stop eating after dinner (the first day) and only continue with dinner on the third day.
You can drink zero-calorie liquids such as water, black coffee, and tea while fasting. It is very important to follow the drinking regime in order to avoid dehydration of the body, which is a potential risk of prolonged fasting.
It is also important to follow up on the original diet gradually! In this way, you avoid excessive stimulation of the intestines, which could lead to bloating, nausea and diarrhea. Your first meal after fasting should be very small, eg a handful to two almonds. Then, after one to two hours, include a smaller full-fledged meal.
How often?
During non-fasting days, you should stick to healthy eating habits. Avoid high-calorie foods so that intermittent fasting does not result in overeating combined with starvation.
A forty-eight-hour fast is most commonly performed once or twice a month. While common fasting methods are applied once or twice a week, longer fasting promises greater health benefits, but may not be suitable for everyone. Therefore, first try intermittent fasting with shorter breaks from eating to first find out how your body reacts to the lack of food.
Health benefits of two-day fasting
Although the health benefits of intermittent fasting are well documented, specific research on this type of fasting is limited and information is based on multiple studies.
1. It slows down aging
2. Reduces the risk of inflammation
We all experience temporary inflammation, but chronic inflammation can have serious health consequences, such as cancer, heart disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. Fasting for longer than twenty-four hours can reduce inflammation by reducing oxidative stress in cells.
3. Lowers blood sugar
Longer fasting improves insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels. During twenty-four or more hours without food, glycogen is depleted and insulin levels are reduced. This allows your body to burn fat as energy, so it specifically taps into fat stores.
Many studies report that various types of fasting, including forty-eight hour fasting, can lower insulin levels. Additionally, insulin sensitivity increases, allowing your body to transport blood sugar more efficiently.
One study in ten people with type 2 diabetes found that a twelve- to seventy-two-hour fast lowered blood sugar much more than fasting in those who fasted for shorter time windows.
Fasting and weight loss
Although studies focusing on weight loss during a forty-eight-hour fast are lacking, weight loss can be expected. You will reduce your monthly intake by at least eight thousand calories. But you must follow a healthy diet during the non-fasting days, otherwise the deficit could disappear in the sum of so many days.
Fasting has also been shown to increase your metabolic rate by 3.6 to 14 percent, increasing your daily calorie intake by 100 to 275 calories. However, if you fast for longer than seventy-two hours, this effect is greatly reduced.
Forty-eight hour fasting is an ideal choice for those who want to lose weight but do not want to fast more than once or twice a month.
Disadvantages of 48 hour fasting
The longer the time without food, the greater the potential for side effects. Therefore, a forty-eight-hour fast may not be suitable for everyone.
Hunger and nausea. The biggest problem during fasting can be considered hunger, which passes for many, but which can bother others throughout the fasting period. In one study of 768 people, 72 percent of them suffered from fatigue, hunger, dizziness and insomnia. Therefore, it is better to start with a shorter fast and gradually increase the fasting time.
Exhaustion and malaise. After twenty-four hours, the sugar is depleted, so you may experience a sudden drop in energy after this time.
It interferes with catering in the company. Any type of fasting can interfere with so-called social eating, such as eating together with friends, work colleagues or family. So consider carefully whether you are willing to limit yourself in this regard. In this case, however, a longer-term fast is more feasible than a short-term one, as it takes place at most twice a month.
At-risk part of the population:
People with type 1 diabetes.
People with low blood sugar.
Malnourished individuals or those who have struggled with eating disorders in the past.
Pregnant and lactating women or those trying to conceive.
Persons on medication for whom it is necessary to follow a normal diet.
How to avoid these disadvantages?
Several of the side effects of long-term fasting can be avoided with an easy strategy. Focus primarily on the drinking regime, as insufficient fluid intake would prevent you from receiving the necessary electrolytes.
Sodium, magnesium, potassium, and calcium are essential electrolytes that you can easily become deficient in during starvation. Therefore, you should add them to your body in another form.
Tips and tricks:
Drink water with a pinch of salt or named minerals in the form of effervescent tablets.
Drink coffee and tea to reduce hunger.
Flavored water without calories is also one of the solutions not only to hunger, but also to taste.
Keep your mind busy to distract yourself from hunger. Watch a series, movie or read a book in your spare time.
