72 Hours Of Fasting
A new style of newsletters, lessons learned from fasting, and things I enjoyed this week
I fasted for 3 days straight. Here’s what I learned—
1) It’s a lot harder than I expected. I had done a 36-hour fast a couple of months back and it was a breeze. My energy levels felt great then and my body was not in a lot of pain. A 72-hour fast, however, is a completely different ball game. I walked in taking the challenge very lightly and I paid the consequences.
Day 1 was pretty easy. Cravings were tolerable, hunger pangs were manageable, and energy levels were stable. It was a very zen experience. (Especially being out in the middle of the woods and offline.)
Day 2 beat the crap out of me and then proceeded to take a leak in my eyes. I nearly gave in 4 times and had probably one of the worst headaches I’ve ever had that kept me up all night. Cravings were at an all-time high and my monkey brain would have made me rob a Pizza Hut for a Margherita.
Day 3 is when I assume I entered ketosis. Energy levels were low but there was no pain and hunger. I had some of my best meditation sessions on this day.
2) Fasting is the fastest (no pun intended) way to build mental callouses. As someone who struggles with moderation and self-control, fasting is the best way to discipline oneself. It is easy to power through challenges like “24 hours offline” or “7 days of cold showers.” You can’t power through not allowing yourself to eat for an extended period.
It was a messy-but-delicate dance between my logical brain and my lizard brain— A simulated high-stakes high-reward negotiation. You can’t let one side (the logical brain or the lizard brain) completely take over if you want sustainable growth. Learning to enjoy this fine balance, to me at least, is crucial to keep growing without turning into a droid.
3) Mastery over food and your relationship with food is mastery of yourself. There’s no doubt over one thing— food is crucial to us. However, for people who live in an environment of abundance (like gratefully I do), it is a must to set healthy boundaries.
The capacity of abusing food in environments of abundance is huge. We are still, even though we hate to admit it, slaves to our desires. And, in a world where a need such as food is being weaponized for profit, the ability to delay the gratification of hyper-palatable food is nothing less than the red pill handed by Morpheus.
Something New I’m Trying This Week—
Jordan Peterson’s Self Authoring Program. I started with past authoring first and I’m not even halfway through four days into it. So far, it’s been emotionally draining and challenging to have to revisit old difficult memories and come to terms with them.
A Book That I Enjoyed This Week—
I just wrapped up the third book of the Dune series— Children Of Dune, and boy, oh boy. It baffles me how one man— Frank Herbert, could have possibly woven a story that works in science, mythology, ecology, and twenty other branches of study. A true master at what he did.
A beautiful place to end the ‘trilogy.’ I cannot wait for what comes next for the universe run by spice and a literal God.
A Video That I Enjoyed This Week—
Absolutely genius game crafted by Tom Scott. Kept me hooked for a whole hour, no problem. It almost convinces you you’re learning game theory. This needs a complete Youtube series.