The physical and mental advantages of water fasting are much more than the INCREDIBLE BENEFITS OF DRINKING WATER. For some of us, the notion to drink only water for a week or 10 days looks irrational at first. However, water fasting detoxifies our body and soul.
We need to consider the following things before moving any further:
- Keep in mind to do a 1 week or 10 day water fast only after having done other shorter-term fasts. Fasts like 8 or 16 hours intermittent fasting; and up to 5 day water fasting.
- If at all uncertain, take medical advice or practice longer term water fasting under the supervision of a medical practitioner.
- Get to know about water fasting through research and visiting online fasting communities.
What are 1 week Water Fasts and 10 day Water Fasts?
We know water fasting means not consuming anything except water for a predefined period. We call it 1-week water fast when the period is 1 week. We call it 10 day water fast when the duration is 10 days. Keep in mind water fasting consists of shorter and longer periods, like 5, 7, 14 and 21 day water fasts.
These fasts are categorized as medium-term and longer term water fasts. Their objective is to get immense mental, spiritual, and physical benefits.
Benefits of Medium-term Water Fasting
Undertaking a medium-term fast of 1 week or 10 days requires patience and intention. In return, we get the following benefits:
- We get relief from chronic health issues such as loss of appetite, colic, dyspepsia, diarrhea, sinusitis, bowel inflammation, and gastritis. It also helps with skin problems, migraine, diabetes, gas problems, pain in joints, and constipation.
- It improves immunity and improves our lives.
- The 7 day water fast benefits include improvement in the glow and texture of our skin.
- It removes toxins from our body and boosts energy levels.
- A medium-term fasting rests our digestive system which heals and repairs different organs of our body.
- Anyone suffering from phobias, depression, and obsessive compulsive disorder may show noticeable improvement.
- This is one of the easiest ways to lose weight. If your weight is the problem, water fasting is the solution.
- We get a clear understanding of our eating habits. It helps us to monitor and manage our diet even after the fast.
- When we do it for spiritual reasons, water fasting assists with emotional cleansing.
Water Fasting Cautions
Despite the numerous benefits, water fasting is not for everyone. Rather don’t do any of the medium to long term fasting if:
- You are dealing with any serious health issues, unless medically prescribed.
- You are suffering from any deficiency disease such as lung infection, etc.
- You are still a child unless you are fasting with guidance.
- You are pregnant and you do not have fasting experience.
How to prepare for 1 week or 10 day water fasts?
Water fasting for a week or 10 days is easily done when we are cautious and logical. We need to prepare our minds for a week-long or 10 days cleansing process. It requires overcoming apprehension related to medium term fasts.
Another suggestion is to consult fasting experts for guidance and to understand the basic principles of water fasting. Such a discussion with an expert also provides a deeper understanding of different bodily reactions we may experience while fasting.
A lot of information and reviews about water fasting are available on the Internet and book stores. Reading about fasting provides us with confidence to do a 1 week or 10 day water fast. It is also a good idea to monitor our blood pressure, blood sugar, and other important metrics during the fast.
What happens during 1 week or 10 day water fasting
Note 1: The information mentioned below is only suggestive. And does not advocate that everyone practicing a 7- or 10-day water fast would have the same experience. The results of these fasts differ from person to person.
Note 2: Have salt in your water to provide energy when your energy levels are low.
The first seven of 10 day water fasts are similar to those of 1-week water fasts. Below is the combined experience of both fasts:
Day 1: The first day is going to be easy. Though our stomach demands food, remember to drink water to still the hunger.
Day 2: This is the day when the process of removing toxic elements picks up speed. The second day is the beginning of a rough phase. We may experience hunger, slight weakness, and splitting headaches, and consequently might even want to give up.
Day 3: The rough phase started on the second day continues into the third day. We may still suffer from hunger pains and headaches, and even panic.
Days 4-6: The most difficult phase of the fast is now over. By this time hunger pains have mostly disappeared and our digestive system started shutting down. A thick white coating develops on our tongue which is a normal symptom of the cleansing process. This is also the period when we feel connected to our body and soul.
Day 7: By this time, we may start feeling great, develop clear thinking, and overcome hunger. This is the last day of a week long water fast.
Day 8: Some of us might have completed a week long fast and are ready to break it. As our digestive system stopped functioning from the third day, it takes a few days before everything returns to normal. We now slowly introduce light foods to our digestive system.
Examples of slowly introducing foods and drinks are that we have juice for the first one or two days. Then we may consume easy-to-digest soups, fresh fruits, and steamed vegetables for the next couple of days. The consumption of hard to digest food directly after the fast may lead to discomfort. It may even lead to being hospitalized in severe cases.
If we are on a 10 day water fast, the above two paragraphs do not apply to us. The eighth day of water fasting is going to be easy, almost similar to the fourth and fifth day.
Days 9-10: These are the last two days of a medium-term water fast. This is almost the same as what we experience on days 6 and 7. By this time we gain lots from fasting. We move closer to our soul, may lose a significant amount of weight, and even start healing our health problems.
During these 10 days, we may observe a weight loss of ½ to 1 pound every day. Thereby losing 5 to 10 pounds (or up to 4 kilograms) by the end of the 10th day. You may even sleep better during the medium term water fasting. These are often the common benefits we experience while fasting.
How to break a 7 day water fast and 10 day water fast?
Breaking the 1-week or 10 day fast is as important as practicing it. It usually takes 4 – 5 days to stabilize our eating after the fast. If we practice a 1-week water fast, it takes around 11-12 days to return to our regular routine. In the case of 10 day fasts, it takes around 14-15 days to get back to our regular diet.
A gradual approach, like drinking lemon or orange juice, is the most successful way to break a water fast. We may also mix half a tablespoon of honey in the juice because it provides extra calories. This routine is best when followed for a few days.
We may introduce coconut water or light vegetable soup 4-5 times on the third day.
Our body is ready to eat easy-to-digest fruits and vegetables on the fourth day. Instead of raw vegetables, boiled ones are easily digestible.
The back-to-normal day is from the fifth day. We may start eating our normal diet along with easy to digest fruits and vegetables. This is also when we may overeat and put an extra burden on our stomachs, therefore be vigilant and remain cautious. Experts advise to eat smaller quantities many times rather than eating a larger quantity in one go.
Frequently Asked Questions
No matter how thoroughly we collect information about medium-term water fasting, some questions remain unanswered. Here are answers to a few questions related to 1 week or 10 day water fast:
1. How different are 7 day water fast results and 10 day water fast results?
The results of 1-week and 10 day water fasts are almost similar. You may experience a minor difference in the amount of weight loss. For instance, losing approximately 6 kg during a 7 day fast, and 8 kg or 15 lbs during a 10 day fast. However, the exact result varies from person to person.
2. The significance of a 7 day water fast weight loss, and a 10 day water fast weight loss
Both these are medium duration fasts free from any side effects. They are also the cheapest and one of the easiest ways to shed those extra kilos we carry.
3. Are sugar and health problems curable with water fasting?
Water fasting lowers the level of blood sugar and decreases insulin resistance. Fasting is a sound practice to cure several health problems like diabetes, breathing difficulties, and more.
4. Would drinking hard water cause health problems?
Our inexperience often lead us to ask questions like would hard water cause health problems and purchase water softeners. A report on the Hardness in Drinking-water was released by the World Health Organization (WHO). It reflects that there are no known negative health effects of hard water. Some studies even reveal that drinking hard water is advantageous when our body requires higher levels of magnesium and calcium.
5. Would continuously eating ice cause health problems?
Eating or chewing ice does not cause health problems. However, the practice of compulsively eating ice cubes means there is very likely some underlying health problems like pagophagia.
6. What is the relation between tooth decay and fasting?
We know that calories from added sugar deteriorate our tooth enamel and is the cause of several oral medical conditions. They are present in a high sugar diet, sugary drinks, and different types of sugar. If we are not aware during fasting, it may continue affecting our oral health.
It may lead to dehydration which triggers further common oral health problems. The production of saliva decreases and tartar as well as plaque builds-up during the fast. This often leads to oral health issues like dry mouth, tooth decay, and gum disease.
The Bottom Line
A medium-term water fast is challenging though the benefits we get make it worthwhile. The immediate benefits include improved digestion, reduced blood pressure, arrest weight gain and promotes weight loss. One week or 10 day water fast also minimizes the risk of heart disease and some types of cancers. Often the experience is so good that we may feel like doing it repeatedly, which we should!
1 Week and 10 Day Water Fasting Examples
After practicing water fasting of 1 week or 10 day, some people Post their fasting journey on the Internet. This helps us understand fasting better and have references during and after our fasting. Here are some of them:
