How To Prepare For A 36-hour Fast [ 8 ways to get ready]

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• When you fast for 36 hours or more, you enter into enhanced autophagy. You will be in profound ketosis and have more clarity in your life.
• A 36-hour fast is also good for weight loss and lowering your blood sugar.
• When you prepare adequately for a 36-hour fast, you are more apt to be compliant.
• There are 8 ways to prepare for a 36-hour fast which include the following:
  • #1-If you need to, get permission from your healthcare provider.
  • #2-Hydrate adequately before fasting.
  • #3-Plan your fast for a time when you can commit.
  • #4-Plan for rest during a fast.
  • #5-Plan strategies for times of hunger.
  • #6-Plan what you’re going to do with your time ( if you feel up to it).
  • #7-Eat a keto or low-carb diet before your fast.
  • #8-Tend to your chakras

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Improve your compliance with a 36-hour fast by being prepared

Did you realize that you need to be prepared to take on a longer fast? Did you know that there are better times in your life to fast? If not, in this article I am going to explain how to realistically prepare for a 36-hour fast. Overall, the decision to fast can be rewarding; however, there are times in your life when fasting isn’t ideal. After this article, you will know better how to prepare for a 36-hour fast, and you can use these same strategies to help in other times when you fast!

First, I am going to cover common questions related to a 36- hour fast

What does a 36-hour fast do to your body?

A 36-hour fast can be revitalizing for your health. When you fast for 36- hours or more, you enter into the realm of extended fasting. The benefits of this practice can include weight loss, lower blood sugar, ketosis, and enhanced autophagy¹. Now, I am sure that you’ve heard of 24- hour fasts, but with a 36-hour fast, you can take things to the next level. By this point, you are entering into more profound ketosis and will feel so much clarity in your life! My favorite type of fast happens to be for this length of time. It is incredible how good you can feel, and it is just enough time where it doesn’t feel too long.

How much weight can I lose on a 36-hour fast?

Such a great question and the response varies from person to person! According to Reuters Health, the average person will shed about 7.7 lbs on this fast².

Is 36-hour fasting good for you?

Yes, it is! Research into alternate-day fasting finds significant health benefits, including reduced belly fat, body weight, and cholesterol levels³.

What should I eat after a 36-hour fast?

After you are done fasting for 36-hours, you should always break it with a small piece of fruit, avocado, or some other sort of vegetable. When your body hasn’t been consuming anything, it could be hard on the system to break it with a big meal. Unfortunately, I have made this mistake before. I once did a-36 hour fast and ate some delicious flax chips with cinnamon and sugar on them. Boy, were they good! However, the only good thing about them was how they felt going down; after eating them, I felt miserable. For the rest of the day, I suffered from stomach cramps and felt exhausted. So please do not make this same mistake!

What drinks won’t break a 36-hour fast?

When you are choosing drinks during fasting, you want to opt for all non-caloric beverages. If you use anything to sweeten your beverages like honey, sugar, syrup, etc, then that may break your fast. There is some controversy over whether stevia or other artificial sweeteners may break your fast. If you can, try not to use these in your beverages. However, if you think that may help with your compliance, use sweeteners such as stevia, monk fruit, or erythritol. You still will go in ketosis!

Now, for the preparation.

Okay, so now I will go over how to prepare for a 36- hour fast adequately. I will include five things that you should focus on to get your body ready. Fasting is excellent; however, you always want to take on a fast with as much preparation as possible. Preparation is necessary because you may feel hungry, tired, or not very motivated during the fast. Sometimes, when these things happen to you, they will make you want to stop fasting. Trust me; I’ve been there many times! I’ve started a fast, and then something happens, and I break it because of certain factors. One thing you should always keep in mind is that a fast should always be pleasurable. You don’t want to go into a fast and not be happy about doing it. If that’s the case, then you won’t be compliant!

#1- If you need to, get permission from your healthcare provider

The first thing I want to mention for preparation is getting permission from your healthcare provider before starting a 36-hour fast. When you fast for 36 hours, it can alter the dosage of medications, and it also may do other changes in your body. If you are someone with health issues, then this could pose a problem. So always ask permission first before doing a fast for this length of time.

#2- Hydrate adequately before fasting

Next, prior to starting your fast, you need to adequately hydrate your body. The solution to pollution is dilution! When you start fasting, you will pollute your body with toxic material from the detoxification. You see, when you go into a state of ketosis, your body breaks down fat that contains toxins. Harmful material being released is a great thing! However, if you are not hydrated, this will be much harder on your body. So how much do you want to hydrate? Well, I would opt to drink at least 2 liters of water before taking on your 36-hour fast.

#3- Plan your fast for a time when you can commit

Okay, so there is nothing worse than planning a 36-hour fast during a time where you know you won’t be able to stick to it. If you know you have a birthday party, wedding or an important event, don’t fast. Also, if you know you can’t fast around your period, then don’t fast. It’s that simple.

Let me give you an example of when I don’t fast. If you haven’t learned already, I love to fast. However, that being said, there are certain times that I don’t love it. One of those times is five days before and five days after the start of my period. Yes, fasting when I have my cycle does not serve me at all. So I don’t do it! So, yes, that is ten days where I don’t fast in a month! Like I said, if it’s not your time, then don’t do it.

#4- Plan for rest during a fast

So, before preparing for your 36-hour fast, I would plan a time to rest. Some people do fine with fasting and working or being busy. For example, my husband does very well fasting and working at the same time. However, not all of us are that fortunate! So, that being said, I would plan to take it easy when you’re doing your 36-hour fast. If you don’t have to go anywhere, then don’t. I would skip out on exercise, too, if that’s feasible. Some people do good with physical activity during fasting, but some don’t.

You have to learn your body. Once you get used to fasting for this length of time, you may be able to do things like that. However, if you are new to the world of fasting, I would plan to rest. If your only time to rest is the weekend, then take that time for your 36-hour fast. Maybe start the fast on a Friday and end it on Sunday? You have to figure out what works for you! And again, make sure there are no significant events planned!

#5- Plan strategies for times of hunger

Alright, so another big challenge with fasting is obviously hunger. We’ve all been there when it comes to this topic. We can be feeling so good and loving our fast and then, ” Boom! A hunger pang hits.” Once this hits, it’s like we get a big desire to eat. Sometimes, we cave because we can’t fight this feeling! I understand because I’ve given in too! So, that is why you need to strategize what you’re going to do about hunger.

Recently, I wrote a good article about how to deal with hunger pangs during fasting. You can click here to read it. I would review all of these strategies and then write down what you’re going to do when hunger strikes. When I have a hunger pang, I typically like to drink water, meditate, take a bath or get in the sauna. Usually, these things help, and then the hunger pang dissipates!

If you are doing your 36-hour fast with bone broth, you can drink bone broth to help. However, if you are doing a 36-hour water fast, then that can be a little bit more challenging( even though it is possible)! You would plan on drinking extra water, meditate and do some of the other things that I mention in the article. You can read more about a bone broth fast versus water fast here.

#6- Plan what you’re going to do with your time ( if you feel up to it)

So, part of “how to prepare for your 36-hour fast” is figuring out what you will do while fasting. As I mentioned before, it is always essential to plan to rest(especially if you’re not used to fasting). However, if you feel up to it, also plan out what you’re going to do with your time. This time preparation means YOU need to figure out what you can do with your time, so you don’t think about eating. If you feel cleaning out your closet will help, then do it. Maybe organize your file cabinet? Plan out a list of things that you want to conquer to get your mind off food. However, keep in mind to pace yourself because you might get more worn out or hungry if you overdo things. When I fast, I try to get as much done as I can, but I also prepare for rest like meditation or sitting outside.

Another thing that helps me is journaling and writing down how I am feeling during fasting. Of course, as a blogger, I try to plan all my writing during a prolonged fast. The reason for this is because I feel like I write better when I am in ketosis. Sometimes, I don’t feel like doing anything when I fast, and I find that a good book helps make the time go by faster.

#7- Eat a keto or low-carb diet before your fast

Before you take on a fast, it is essential to eat keto or low-carb before delving in. In the 2 or 3 days before, eliminate any processed foods, sugar, white flour, and wean yourself off any caffeine products⁴. By removing these items, you will start the cleansing process, and it will make it easier for you to fast. Also, if you eat keto or low carb, you will experience fewer hunger pangs when fasting because you are already in ketosis. 

I have found that it is easier for me to fast when I am in deep ketosis. I usually opt to have my ketones around 1.0-1.5 mmol/L prior to taking on a fast. Now, your ketones do increase during fasting, however, I have found that if I am in good ketosis then my hunger pangs will not be as intense during a fast.

#8- Tend to your chakras

Before taking on a 36-hour fast, you need to be emotionally stable. By this I mean, your chakra centers need to be somewhat aligned. I am not saying they need to be perfectly aligned; however, if you feel a chakra is off, you tend to it. For example, let’s say that you struggle with feelings of security in your environment and don’t trust anyone. Then these feelings could mean your Root Chakra needs balancing. In this case, you would do things to help balance your Root Chakra before taking on a fast. These things may be grounding with nature, hiking, meditating, or yoga.

An important chakra center to especially tend to when fasting is your Solar Plexus Chakra. The reason for this is because your Solar Plexus Chakra governs your willpower center and your ability even to be compliant with a fast. If this is off-balance, then you will struggle with fasting.

If you would like to learn more about balancing your chakras and the keto diet, I would encourage you to listen to my podcasts. I start the podcasts out by explaining how the keto diet and chakra balance go hand in hand, and then I go over each chakra and how you can balance each one of them.

In Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and now feel like you can know how to prepare for a 36-hour fast or any fast for that matter! Fasting is so beneficial, but I truly believe that timing and preparation are everything for this lifestyle. When you pick the right time and prepare, your fast will be much more rewarding, and you will get more benefits. If you liked this article, then I would encourage you to subscribe to my email list. I will send you updates on keto, chakra balance, fasting, holistic health, and more!

Namaste!

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https://keto-mojo.com/article/extended-fasting-benefits/¹

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-fasting-idUSKCN1VH2HW²

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/is-fasting-on-alternate-days-good-for-your-health³

https://www.allaboutfasting.com/water-fasting-tips.html⁴

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