The fasting journal
QUESTIONS, ANSWERED FROM INSIDE THE FAST
Every fasting site quotes the same studies. This one has something they don't have. A 56 year old currently living the answer. Each article publishes on the day of the fast it describes.
LATEST · DAY 47 · September 16, 2026
Still in Ketosis on Beef Broth
178.3 LB −50.3 LB TOTAL KETONES 16
Day 47 of the 90 day water fast and the first full day after John ended the water only run. He weighed 178.3 pounds this morning, down 0.1 pound overnight and 50.3 pounds below his 228.6 start on August 1. Two days of homemade beef broth have settled his stomach and the nausea that ended the fast is gone. The surprise is the ketone strip. It still reads 16, the top of the scale. He has added unsweetened cranberry juice diluted in water and the weight loss has slowed.
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45 articles so far, one for each day he has lived. Newest first.
DAY 46 178.4 LB −50.2
Why I Ended the Fast
Day 46 of the 90 day water fast and the last one. John weighed 178.4 pounds this morning, a 0.1 pound gain overnight and 50.2 pounds below his 228.6 start on August 1. A sudden episode of nausea on the afternoon of day 45 turned into vomiting that rest and water could not stop. He broke the fast at 10 PM with homemade beef broth and today he ended the fast on camera. Next comes refeeding, broths first, with his doctor in the loop.
DAY 45 178.3 LB −50.3
Halfway There
Day 45 of the 90 day water fast. John weighed 178.3 pounds, down 1.5 from yesterday and 50.3 pounds below the 228.6 he started at on August 1. Forty five days done and forty five to go, the exact middle of the fast. He said on camera he cannot believe he has lost 50 pounds. The day's practical story is gas from a growling stomach and the water schedule he built to quiet it.
DAY 44 179.8 LB −48.8
Broke 180
Day 44 of the 90 day water fast. John weighed 179.8 pounds, down 0.9 from yesterday and 48.8 pounds below the 228.6 he started at on August 1. The scale opened with a milestone. He is under 180 for the first time in over 20 years by his own reckoning. Then he answered two is this normal questions from six weeks without food. A stomach that growls at the quiet parts of the evening. And feeling cold in his arms and legs when he gets into bed.
DAY 43 180.7 LB −47.9
Not for Religion, Not for Weight
Day 43 of the 90 day water fast. John weighed 180.7 pounds, down 0.9 from yesterday and 47.9 pounds below the 228.6 he started at on August 1. A question from his DMs asked whether he is fasting for religious reasons. His answer covers the whole why in ninety seconds. Not religion, even though he is religious. Not weight loss, even though 47.9 pounds is gone. He is doing it to give his cells quiet time to rejuvenate. And the extra large shirt he films in is about to become too big to keep.
DAY 42 181.6 LB −47.0
Quitting Electrolytes
Day 42 of the 90 day water fast. John weighed 181.6 pounds, down 0.9 from yesterday and 47 pounds below the 228.6 he started at on August 1. Six weeks in, he spent the update on a decision. He felt sluggish, took electrolytes two days running and his stomach got queasier with every dose. So he connected the dots on camera and quit them. His reason fits in one line. You gotta listen to your body.
DAY 41 182.5 LB −46.1
Not Hungry, Just Tempted
Day 41 of the 90 day water fast. John weighed 182.5 pounds, down 1.8 from yesterday and 46.1 pounds below the 228.6 he started at on August 1. He took a client to lunch and sat across from a steak salad while drinking water. She offered him a piece. He said no. Then he drew the line that makes the whole day worth reading, which is that he is not hungry. He just wants to eat.
DAY 40 184.3 LB −44.3
At What Point Do I Stop
Day 40 of the 90 day water fast. John weighed 184.3 pounds, down 0.6 from yesterday and 44.3 pounds below the 228.6 he started at on August 1. He is not stopping today. He spent the whole update on the question he has not answered yet, which is what number he should stop on. He did the arithmetic out loud on the water weight that comes back afterwards. Then he handed the question to the people watching.
DAY 39 184.9 LB −43.7
The Shape of a Pear
Day 39 of the 90 day water fast. John weighed 184.9 pounds, down 1.1 from yesterday and 43.7 pounds below the 228.6 start. His ketone strip hit 16 mmol/L, the top square on the chart, after reading 4.0 the morning before. Then he stood in front of a mirror over the holiday weekend and worked out that his top half is shrinking faster than his bottom half.
DAY 38 186.0 LB −42.6
Same Weight in Half the Time
Day 38 of the 90 day water fast. John weighed 186.0 pounds, down 1.3 from yesterday and 42.6 pounds below the 228.6 start. The ketone strip jumped again to 4.0 mmol/L, the fourth square on the chart. Then he did the math out loud. The last time he reached this weight it took him 83 days and this time it took 38. He gave two reasons for the gap and one of them was the avocado.
DAY 37 187.3 LB −41.3
Turning On Fat Burning
Day 37 of the 90 day water fast. John weighed 187.3 pounds, down 2.9 from yesterday and 41.3 pounds below the 228.6 start. It is his biggest single morning drop since day 3, five weeks ago. His explanation is that his body finally let go of water it had been holding since the avocado incident. The ketone strip backed him up and climbed from 0.5 to 1.5 mmol/L overnight.
DAY 36 190.2 LB −38.4
Barely There but I Will Take It
Day 36 of the 90 day water fast. John weighed 190.2 pounds, down 0.7 from yesterday and 38.4 pounds below the 228.6 start. Six days after the avocado incident the ketone strip finally shows a trace and he logged 0.5 mmol/L. He also explains why the videos changed their wording. Some social platforms have been restricting the content, so the script talks around certain words now.
DAY 35 190.9 LB −37.7
The Metallic Taste Is Back
Day 35 of the 90 day water fast. John weighed 190.9 pounds, down 0.4 from yesterday and 37.7 pounds below the 228.6 start. The ketone strip stayed blank again, though he swears it looked almost pinkish. The metallic taste in his mouth is back and people keep asking about it. So he walks through his three step routine for clearing it, toothpaste, a baking soda paste and a rinse.
DAY 34 191.3 LB −37.3
Four Inches Off the Waist
Day 34 of the 90 day water fast. John weighed 191.3 pounds, down 0.7 from yesterday and 37.3 pounds below the 228.6 start. The ketone strip read zero for the third morning in a row and he is calling the loss mostly water until it turns. So today he measured the fast a different way. His waist went from about 40 inches to under 36, his ring slides on with no fight and his shoes fit again.
DAY 33 192.0 LB −36.6
Losing Again
Day 33 of the 90 day water fast and the scale turned back around. John weighed 192.0 pounds, down 0.6 from yesterday and 36.6 pounds below the 228.6 start. Three mornings after a bowl of broth and a quarter of an avocado the two day gain has stopped and he is losing again. The ketone strip still reads zero. He is waiting on the color the same way he waited in the first week.
DAY 32 192.6 LB −36.0
Back Down to Zero
Day 32 of the 90 day water fast and the ketone strip came back blank. John weighed 192.6 pounds, up 0.6 from yesterday and 36.0 pounds below the 228.6 start. Two mornings after a bowl of broth and a quarter of an avocado his strip reads zero for the first time since the opening week. He is back on water only, waiting for the color to return and not happy about the pause.
DAY 31 192.0 LB −36.6
The Avocado and Broth Incident
Day 31 of the 90 day water fast came with the first upward number of the whole month. John weighed 192.0 pounds, up 1.8 from yesterday and still 36.6 pounds below the 228.6 start. His ketone strip fell from 16 down to 4 overnight. The cause was the small bowl of broth and the quarter of an avocado he ate on day 30. He named it the avocado and broth incident, went back to water only and mailed off his home blood kit.
DAY 30 190.2 LB −38.4
Broth Day and a Third of the Way There
Day 30 of the 90 day water fast landed at 190.2 pounds, down 0.9 from yesterday and 38.4 pounds from the 228.6 start. One third of the journey is done. John marked it by cooking the vegetable broth he promised on day 28, his first taste of anything besides water in a month. He also drew blood at home with a kit he will mail in for a full panel of readings. He signed off with a raised glass and a happy Sunday.
DAY 29 191.1 LB −37.5
The Day the Scale Stood Still
Day 29 of the 90 day water fast held at 191.1 pounds, the exact same number as yesterday and still 37.5 pounds down from the 228.6 start. John thinks he knows why. He put electrolytes and Celtic salt back into his routine yesterday after a three or four day break and his body is holding on to water while it balances out. The queasy stomach that prompted the break gets its explanation too. He signed off with a raised glass and a happy Saturday.
DAY 28 191.1 LB −37.5
Four Weeks Water Fast Complete and a Broth Plan
Day 28 of the 90 day water fast landed at 191.1 pounds, down 1.5 on the day and 37.5 pounds from the 228.6 start. That is a full 28 days water fast, 4 weeks to the day since August 1. John feels good overall but his stomach is still queasy and he has a plan for it. This weekend he may introduce a small amount of vegetable broth from a recipe he worked up himself. He signed off with his usual raised glass and a happy Friday.
DAY 27 192.6 LB −36.0
The DM Questions and the Real Reason He Keeps Going
Day 27 of the 90 day water fast landed at 192.6 pounds, down 36 from the 228.6 start, which is 15.8 percent of John's body weight. Today he opened his DMs and answered the questions people keep sending. What he actually drinks, why he skips exercise on purpose and why he walks the long way around anything that smells like fried chicken. Then he got to the part he calls the magic, autophagy, the reason a 56 year old man is doing this at all.
193.5 LB −35.1
Burping, Gas and the Best Sleep in Years
Day 26 of the 90 day water fast landed at 193.5 pounds, down 35.1 from the 228.6 start, which is 15.4 percent of John's body weight. Two stories today. His stomach has turned into a burp machine and he is fine with it, because each one eases the pressure. And his sleep, the thing the fast broke around day 12, is now the best it has been in years. Here is what the burping is about, why it tends to show up on an empty stomach and what changed in his nights.
194.8 LB −33.8
When the Electrolytes Upset His Stomach
Day 25 of the 90 day water fast landed at 194.8 pounds, down 33.8 from the 228.6 start, which is 14.8 percent of John's body weight. The story today is his stomach. The daily Celtic salt and electrolyte glass that fixed his sleep two weeks ago left him queasy, so he paused it, felt better by morning and is now testing an every other day rhythm. Here is what happened, what he is changing and the honest answers on electrolytes, sour stomachs and that metallic taste that will not leave.
195.9 LB −32.7
Advice for Your 3 Day Water Fast
Day 24 of the 90 day water fast landed at 195.9 pounds, down 32.7 from the 228.6 start, which is 14.3 percent of John's body weight. Today's video came from his office, between paperwork and it was written by his DMs. A lot of people watching this fast have started 3 day water fasts of their own. Some are cruising. Some fell off on day one. Here is John's honest advice for the short fast crowd, plus the thing he says is actually the hard part and it is not the fasting.
197.0 LB −31.6
From Obese to Overweight
Day 23 of the 90 day water fast landed at 197.0 pounds, down 31.6 from the 228.6 start, which is 13.8 percent of John's body weight. And the number of the day is not on the scale. It is the BMI. John started this fast at 34.6, class one obese. This morning it reads 29.9 and for the first time in years the category says overweight instead of obese. Here is what the flip means, what it does not mean and why a Sunday of 10 hours of sleep might be the most underrated fasting tool there is.
197.9 LB −30.7
The Smell of Fried Chicken
Day 22 of the 90 day water fast landed at 197.9 pounds, down 30.7 from the 228.6 start, which is 13.4 percent of John's body weight in just over three weeks. The 30 pound line is crossed. The story today is a client lunch at a fried chicken place, a smell that walked right over him and an entire afternoon with one word on repeat. Here is what a craving actually looks like three weeks into a fast and what John did with it.
199.0 LB −29.6
Three Weeks In and the Burger That Is Not Coming
Three full weeks of water only. Day 21 of the 90 day water fast landed at 199.0 pounds, down 29.6 from the 228.6 start, which is 13 percent of John's body weight in 21 days. It is Friday and John opened with the weekend plan everybody else has, a burger, fries, maybe a drink, before catching himself. He also answered the question his DMs keep asking, what happened on his last fast. That one was unsupervised, 265 down to about 185. Here is where the body and the mind are after 21 days.
199.7 LB −28.9
Under 200 Pounds for the First Time in Years
Day 20 of the 90 day water fast and the milestone finally landed. The scale read 199.7 pounds, down 28.9 from the 228.6 start, which is 12.6 percent of his body weight in 20 days. John has spent 20 years trying to get under 200 and says he has only managed it a handful of times. Today he also revealed his ultimate goal for the first time, 160 pounds. Here is what 20 days of water fasting actually looks like on the scale and why this number means more to him than any other so far.
201.0 LB −27.6
A Rash Scare, a Benadryl and a Rule Worth Keeping
Day 19 of the 90 day water fast. The scale read 201.0, down 27.6 pounds total, 12.1 percent of his starting weight and yesterday's stalled scale released with a 1.8 pound drop. But the real story happened overnight. A scratched itch turned into an angry red patch, John went into full panic mode, took a Benadryl on his wife's advice and went to bed ready to end the fast if it got worse. By morning it was fading. Here is the whole scare and the rule that got him through it.
202.8 LB −25.8
Why the Scale Barely Moved Today
Day 18 of the 90 day water fast. The scale read 202.8, down 25.8 pounds total, 11.3 percent of his starting weight. But today's drop was only 0.2 pounds, the smallest of the whole fast and John is honest about being a little upset. Here is why daily weight loss swings from 2 pounds to nearly nothing on an extended fast and why a slow scale day does not mean anything stopped working.
203.0 LB −25.6
Weekends Are the Hardest Part of a Water Fast
Day 17 of the 90 day water fast. The scale read 203.0, down 25.6 pounds total, 11.2 percent of his starting weight. John made it through his second full weekend without food, surrounded by family, friends and plates he could smell from across the yard. Here is how he handles the hardest two days of every fasting week, plus the stretching habit that keeps his muscles quiet.
203.7 LB −24.9
Autophagy, The Real Reason John Is Doing This
Day 16 of the 90 day water fast. The scale read 203.7, down 24.9 pounds total. John explains the two reasons he is fasting, the fat burning everyone can see and autophagy, the cell recycling process that won a Nobel Prize in 2016. Here is what the science actually says.
204.3 LB −24.3
Black Coffee On A Water Fast, The Honest Version
Day 15 of the 90 day water fast. The scale read 204.3, down 24.3 pounds total. John admits the half cup of black coffee he had yesterday, explains why the morning electrolyte switch fixed his sleep and answers the most asked DM of the week, whether this is his first fast.
205.0 LB −23.6
Two Weeks Of Water Fasting, And What The Results Actually Look Like
Day 14 of the 90 day water fast. Two full weeks without food. The scale read 205.0, which is 23.6 pounds and just over ten percent of John's starting weight. He explains how two weeks of water fasting actually feels and the one adjustment he is making to his electrolyte timing after another night wake up.
205.6 LB −23.0
Ten Percent Of Me Is Gone, And How Much Salt I Actually Take
Day 13 of the 90 day water fast. The scale read 205.6, which is 23 pounds down from the 228.6 start and just past ten percent of John's body weight. He answers the number one DM question, how much salt he takes on a water fast and explains why the new salt and electrolytes woke him up at night.
206.3 LB −22.3
My Stomach Started Growling With No Food In It
Day 12 of the 90 day water fast. The scale read 206.3, which is 22.3 pounds down from the 228.6 start. John's stomach started growling at night like it was talking to him, even after 12 days with zero food. He also started Celtic salt and electrolytes in his water after feeling dehydrated at the end of the day.
207.2 LB −21.4
The Metallic Taste That Means The Fast Is Working
Day 11 of the 90 day water fast. The scale read 207.2, which is 21.4 pounds down from the 228.6 start. John has a metallic taste in his mouth that will not leave and it is actually a sign of deep ketosis. He also caught himself getting dehydrated, raised his water to a gallon and a half and is starting electrolytes with a pinch of salt.
208.7 LB −19.9
Twenty Pounds In Ten Days, And The Night The Hunger Came Back
Day 10 of the 90 day water fast. The scale read 208.7, which is 19.9 pounds down from the 228.6 start. Then the real story. John forgot to drink water for a day, the hunger roared back in the evening and he sat down and rode the wave until it passed.
209.4 LB −19.2
Under 210, The Strip Stays Dark, And The Morning My Joints Went Quiet
Day 9 of the 90 day water fast. The scale read 209.4, which is 19.2 pounds down from the 228.6 start. The ketone strip held at 16 and John woke up with almost no joint or muscle discomfort, the first clear sign that the inflammation in his body is coming down.
211.4 LB −17.2
The Cranky Phase, The Highest Ketone Reading Yet, And What I Actually Drink
Day 8 of the 90 day water fast. The scale read 211.4, which is 17.2 pounds down from the 228.6 start. The ketone strip logged 16, the deepest reading so far. John talks about the crankiness that always shows up for him around this point and answers the DM question about what he actually consumes.
212.5 LB −16.1
One Week Without Food, The Appetite Switch, And The Sleep Question
Day 7 of the 90 day water fast. The scale read 212.5, which is 16.1 pounds down from the 228.6 start in exactly one week. John's hunger has switched off, his sense of smell has gotten sharper and he answers the DM question about whether he just sleeps all day.
214.0 LB −14.6
14 Pounds In Six Days, Leg Cramps, And The Water Question
Day 6 of the 90 day water fast. The scale hit 214.0, which is 14.6 pounds down from the 228.6 start. John got leg cramps overnight, a signal he was not drinking enough and answered the most asked DM question, how much water he actually drinks.
216.0 LB −12.6
Officially In Ketosis, And The Baseline Labs Are In
Day 5 of the 90 day water fast. The ketone strip went from blank to a clear positive in three days, the scale hit 216 and the baseline bloodwork came back with a fasting glucose of 106. The before photo, in lab numbers.
218.0 LB −10.6
The Edge Comes Off And The Energy Comes Back
Day 4 of the 90 day water fast and the wall is gone. Down 10.6 pounds total at 218.0, less anxiety, more energy, a ketone strip starting to turn and an honest answer to the sleep question from the DMs.
220.6 LB −8.0
Hitting The Wall And Switching Fuel
Day 3 of the 90 day water fast was the first tough one. Sluggish, anxious, 8 pounds down and a body switching from sugar to fat. This is what the wall feels like from inside it.