The Rich Man’s Gym’s 72 Hour Water Fast Protocol
Here’s the basics upfront and I’ll break it down after.
72 Hours Water Fast Day 1: Easing Into It
- Have your last meal the night before or around 6-7pm.
- Drink at least 1 gallon of spring water throughout the day adding electrolytes morning, noon and night.
- Use Hydrogen water if affordable [read up on hydrogen water]
- Morning take 1 serving of Essential Amino Acids
- Afternoon take 1 serving of Essential Amino Acids, Creatine/HMB, plus Exogenous Ketones
- Evening 16oz organic bone broth
- Sipping organic black coffee and/or green tea is OK
72 Hours Water Fast Day 2: Getting Through It
- Drink at least 1 gallon of spring water throughout the day adding electrolytes morning, noon and night.
- Use Hydrogen water if affordable.
- Late Afternoon [optional, based on energy levels] take 1 serving of Creatine/HMB, plus Exogenous Ketones.
- Sipping organic black coffee and/or green tea is still OK 🙂
72 Hours Water Fast Day 3: The Home Stretch
- repeat day 2 until….
- break fast at 72 hour mark (around 8-9pm) with 16oz organic bone broth
- if hungry, have some easy to digest proteins: egg, 2% Greek Yogurt, 2% cottage cheese but nothing heavy and definitely nothing starchy or sugary.
Day 4: Begin or return to Intermittent Fasting.
72 Hours Water Fast: The Details
OK, so that’s the nuts and bolts, simple breakdown and protocol, let’s go into the details.
Let’s cover the why first with a short list of benefits. Feel free to research all these on your own… and keep in mind, I’m not a doctor and you should always consult with your doctor before embarking on any diet and exercise journey.
7 Key Benefits of Fasting
- Autophagy leading to better cellular health
- Positive hormonal and metabolic changes
- Weight loss and fat burning due to
- Improved blood sugar regulation
- Lowering the bad cholesterol
- Decreased inflammation
- Reduced risk of major diseases
The main reason I did this 72 hour water fast was for the metabolic reset and to get back into ketosis where fat is my body’s primary source of fuel as it was in the beginning. We’re all born in ketosis and our first “diet” as babies is keto. Breast milk is water, fat and protein. Anyway, I’ve got some body comp goals and this is how I’m getting there.
Another reason is the mental toughness and discipline required to resist the urge to eat and to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Comfort is death. Fasting is a mental and spiritual exercise before it is a physical one.
Who Started It?
I’ve been fasting off and on for years now. My first introduction to fasting outside of my Catholic upbringing was in The Warrior Diet by Ori Hoffmekler and of late has been Gary Brecka from 10X Health and The Ultimate Human.
We did one in December of 2023 and then we just finish the second one.
I followed Gary Brecka’s protocol with a couple minor adjustments. So let’s go over what happened, what worked and what I’d like to do better next time.
Monday Night.
I weighted myself at 184 pounds, I got in a good workout, a light ruck and had a ribeye steak with brussels sprouts and asparagus for dinner with 2% Greek Yogurt and Tart Cherrys for dessert at about 8pm.
Tuesday June 25th.
Brewed half a pot of organic decaf black coffee. Had a glass of hydrogen water mixed with one serving of LiveGood EAAS. Continued drinking Hydrogen water all day and sipping decaf black coffee. In the afternoon I did another serving of EAAS but I also mixed in LiveGood’s Creatine/HMB and some exogenous ketones.
Around 4:30 I went for a 3.68 mile ruck and then had 16ounces of organic beef bone broth for “dinner”.
Went to bed at 10:30pm feeling good but with a mild headache.
Wednesday June 26th.
Continued with the Hydrogen water mixing in electrolytes from my friends at CardoMax. Still sipping organic decaf black coffee throughout the day. Around 4pm I had one serving of LiveGood’s Creatine/HMB and Exogenous Ketones which is also packed with electrolytes. I also started drinking sparkling mineral water for some variety and besides, who doesn’t like bubbles??? Bed time was at 10:30.
What’s the deal with the Creatine/HMB? Creatine and HMB helps to improve and preserve muscle mass, recovery, endurance and stamina, sleep, hydration and even brain function.
What’s the deal with the exogenous ketones? I take a ketone salt blend of BHB (Beta-Hydroxybutyrate) from Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, & Potassium. Lot’s of electrolytes and primes the keto pump if you will and adds a little energy/fuel when you feel like you’re starting to really drag some ass. Neither of these will break your fast, unless you’re a purest.
Warning: The combo of these two do NOT taste good and unfortunately should be sipped as too much at once may contribute to disaster pants.
NOTE: This was the hardest day because whatever glucose I had left officially ran out and you feel that. Was waiting for that ketosis to kick in so had some mild brain fog and a headache but not so bad I needed asprin or anything. I stayed motivated by thinking about David Goggins and those crazy people who do Naked and Afraid. I kept reminding myself that for my ancestors this was normal living. What a luxurious first world problem it is to be able to deny yourself food with full knowledge that you can eat any time you want. That is not the reality for a whole lot of people on the planet throughout history and even right now.
Thursday June 27th.
Repeating day two but without the headache and felt more energy because I woke up in ketosis and knew it.
Felt clear and confident with decent energy.
At 9pm, the 72 hour mark, I broke the fast with 16oz of bone broth, 2 hard boiled eggs and some cottage cheese. Weighted in at 179, so I lost 5 pounds.
Aftermath and now what…?
We now return you to your regularly scheduled intermittent fasting with a side of keto. So for me moving forward indefinitely I will be focused on a daily 16 hour intermittent fast. When I do eat it will be a modified paleo/keto leaning style of eating where healthy fats and organic meats take priority with high fiber veggies and small amounts of low glycemic fruits in second place. Fermented dairy only. Roots, starch, sugar will be super rare. Anything overtly processed is just a big fat no-no. Even “keto-friendly” processed is out. Treats would be things like tiny amounts of dark chocolate, nuts, and fruits.
The current target is 175 pounds on the scale weight with the ultimate goal of getting just below 170 with single digit body fat.
If I can walk around at that, then I know if ever Dana White needs me to sub in at Lightweight, I’ll be ready. LOL!!!
Next time I do this as well, I want to take it deep into day 4 and I’d like to mimic more of that hunter / gatherer lifestyle and see how I can hold up.
This would involve more movement and light exercise while stying in that fasted state. For example, if I did a 3 mile ruck each day plus some yoga and stretching.
Thank you for staying to the end and if you have any questions, please let me know in comments…
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT THE FOLLOWING SITES:
10X HEALTH: https://richmansgym.com/10xhealth
Hydrogen Water: https://richmansgym.com/hydrogen
LiveGood: https://richmansgym.com/livegood
Exogenous Ketones: https://amzn.to/45SSGwQ
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