Approaches to eating and dieting span the gamut from strict weight loss diets like the Whole30 diet, which dictates what you can and can’t eat, or the keto diet, which essentially eliminates an entire macronutrient from the diet to more permissive diets that involve altering the way you structure you’re eating but don’t specify exactly what you can and cannot eat.
Examples of the latter include the CICO diet (calories in, calories out), carb cycling, and intermittent fasting.
Another more extreme approach to dieting is water fasting. An occasional 3 day water fast is a fairly common practice meant to help facilitate weight loss and support other health-related goals.
Water fasting for three days can sound completely overwhelming, if not impossible if you have never done it before. However, proponents of 3 day water fasts attest that with a little preparation and mental grit, it’s not only worth it but not that hard to do once you actually try.
In this 3 day water fast guide, we will discuss how to do a 3 day water fast and the benefits of a 72 water fast.
We will cover:
- What Is a 3 Day Water Fast?
- Is 3 Day Water Fasting Safe?
- How To Do A 3 Day Water Fast
- What to Expect With a 3 Day Water Fast: Benefits of Fasting
Let’s dive in!
What Is a 3 Day Water Fast?
A 3-day water fast, also called a 72 hour fast, is an extreme version of water fasting that involves consuming only water for 72 hours or 3 full days.
As the name suggests, water fasting entails consuming only water for the entire duration of the fasting protocol.
With that said, some people who practice water fasting permit non-caloric beverages like green tea, herbal tea, club soda, or very low-calorie beverages such as black coffee during the fast.
It is also common to supplement water with unsweetened electrolyte powders, tablets, or capsules during a 3 day water fast, although strict protocols only allow you to lick pure pink Himalayan salt to attain necessary sodium.
Is 3 Day Water Fasting Safe?
A 24 hour water fast, or water fasting for a day or two, is not particularly uncommon, but a 72 hour fast is fairly extreme and should only be done under the guidance and supervision of a medical professional.
Although studies suggest that prolonged fasting can be safe, water fasting for three days is often not recommended nor safe for some people, and there are usually healthier, less severe alternatives for weight management and perceived health benefits.
These may include a shorter fast, an intermittent fasting diet, a well-balanced program of diet and exercise, etc.
It’s highly recommended that you speak with your healthcare provider before embarking on a 3 day fast and discuss potential safer alternatives.
Fasting for 72 hours may result in adverse health and metabolic changes such as dehydration, a loss of lean muscle mass, hyperuricemia, hyponatremia, protein sparing, sodium and potassium sparing, decreased serum calcium and magnesium levels, and acidic urine.
Additionally, a 72 hour fast can lead to symptoms such as headaches, nausea, vomiting, constipation, the inability to regulate body temperature, muscle loss, lightheadedness, shakiness, poor healing, blurry vision, difficulty sleeping, mood instability, and adverse nutritional deficiencies.
How To Do A 3 Day Water Fast
If you’ve never tried water fasting before, you’re probably wondering, “How do you do a 3 day water fast?”
This question seems simple enough, but it can actually be trying to pinpoint the answer to two distinct questions:
- How do you do a 3 day water fast from a practical perspective? (i.e., what does water fasting entail, what can you eat, what do you have to do to prepare, etc.); and
- How do you fast for 72 hours from a mental/hunger/discipline standpoint?
Let’s address both of these valid questions.
After you get the go-ahead from your healthcare provider, the next steps are to physically prepare your body and mentally and emotionally prepare your mind to fast for 72 hours.
To physically prepare yourself for a 3 day water fast, it is advisable that you practice with shorter fasting intervals before you take on a full 72 hour fast.
Although this isn’t required, it can help your body get used to the physical sensations of not receiving any type of energy intake for an extended period of time.
For example, you might try a 24-hour fast one week before your 72 hour water fast, or you might try several days of 18/6 intermittent fasting (extending your overnight fast for a full 18 hours and then only allowing the consumption of food during a 6-hour window during the day) or a 20/4 intermittent fasting diet for a week.
If your body is not accustomed to any type of fasting or intermittent caloric restriction, it can be quite jarring to suddenly have a complete absence of calories coming in.
Engaging in “mini” fasts will improve your ability to burn fat and use ketones for energy (which will occur after prolonged fasting), which can make your longer water fast more comfortable.
Whether or not you decide to try shorter fasts to prepare your body, it’s a good idea to be deliberate in your food and beverage choices in the 48 to 72 hours before you begin your water fast.
Eliminate alcohol, soda, excessive caffeine, and processed foods high in sugar, salt, hydrogenated oils, and artificial sweeteners, as these can trigger appetite.
Instead, focus on eating nourishing, unprocessed foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, nuts, seeds, eggs, and fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and tempeh.
It’s also wise to resist the urge to “stock up“ or overeat with a big meal heading into a 72 hour water fast. Binging can throw your insulin and blood sugar levels into haywire and can also compromise some of the potential health and weight loss benefits of water fasting that you’re ultimately aiming for.
Once the 3 day water fast begins, you will drink only water (and potentially herbal tea or black coffee if you choose) for a full 72 hours.
You cannot eat any caloric food or beverages, and most people avoid all artificial sweeteners as well.
In terms of the second question about how to mentally do a 3 day water fast and control your cravings and manage your hunger, it helps to come up with a few strategies you can employ when things get tough.
There’s no “secret” or magic solution that will make fasting for 72 hours feel easy.
However, some people find things like mindfulness meditation, journaling, praying, taking walks, doing some kind of art, playing golf, listening to audiobooks and podcasts, or doing needle crafts can be a good way to ground themselves when they feel overwhelmed with cravings.
It’s important to state that if you experience any type of concerning symptoms, you should consult your doctor immediately.
What to Expect With a 3 Day Water Fast: Benefits of Fasting
There are a variety of different benefits that can potentially be enjoyed by occasionally doing prolonged fasts or engaging in intermittent fasting with more regularity.
Some of the reported benefits of fasting include the following:
- Supporting weight loss and a reduction in body fat percentage because you are creating a caloric deficit.
- Improving blood sugar regulation and reducing insulin levels. For example, studies investigating the effects of intermittent fasting on blood sugar and insulin levels in people with pre-diabetes have found that intermittent fasting can reduce fasting blood sugar by 3-6% and fasting insulin levels by 20-31%.
- Promoting autophagy and improving cellular health.
- Reducing the risk of heart failure by as much as 70%.
- Increasing the secretion of human growth hormone (HGH).
- Reducing the risk of various diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
While this list of benefits of fasting is impressive, many of these benefits are achievable with more conservative approaches to fasting, such as intermittent fasting diets and periodic 24-hour water fasts.
You might not need to do a full 3 day water fast to achieve the results you are looking for, so it often makes sense to review your options with your healthcare provider.
With that said, some people who do occasional 3 day water fasting find that it’s a powerful physical and mental reset that helps them feel much more vibrant, focused, and healthy afterward.
The response to prolonged fasting is quite individual, so work with a healthcare provider you trust, and try to be open to experimenting to find what works best for you.
To get started with a 24-hour water fast, check out our guide here.
Very helpful. I decided to do a three-day yesterday with one exception. I had a small orange yesterday morning and had two slivers of honeydew this morning. I’ll probably do two more slivers tomorrow. It helps with any symptoms of deprivation and keeps the digestion system and motabolism active. Stay as active as you can during the fast, but tack naps when you feel the need. I’m also drinking a vitamin / mineral / electrolyte mix to keep the micro-nutrients coming. Fasting also helps to shrink the stomach so you don’t feel as hungry. I’m near 70 and about 40 pounds overweight and decided I’m just too darned fat. Almost through day two and doing even better (had a rare slight headache) than day one. Treat it like an adventure with no comprimises.
Just FYI – You’re eating fruit sugars – thereby reducing any benefits of the fast !
Even1/4 of an orange will release significant amounts of insulin. Within a half-hour, your ketones (if you have any) will plummet to zero. Instead of moving from a metabolic state where you are breaking down and releasing fat from fat cells, you are moving into reverse. It’s so simple. Measure w/ meter, blood glucose (BG) and with a meter ketones.
Let’s say your BG is 100, and your ketones are 0.6 (a sort of average, overweight young person’s numbers). Eat one single “wedge” of orange. Wait one hour, remeasure. You’ll see BG up to 120, and ketones down to probably zero.
Worse, dropping your ketones just took away the one tool to offset cravings/hunger. Now you are more hungry. Fast enough to increase ketones to 1.4 or ^ and *poof* NO hunger. That is the magic of ketones.
Sadly, you are not on any fast. Keep it up and in your own words: you’ll be “too darned fat.”
Correct. 48 hours into a 3 day now & Only water & black coffee. Feel delightfully empty & GREAT!
I’m on Day 2 and have a smashing headache with nausea and a sore stomach. I ate enough fruit to take ibuprofen. But now the headache is coming back. I felt crappy all day.
Take it with a tablespoon of fat is enough in your stomach – fruit is not necessary. And you could add tspn of ACV to a glass of water with the fat/butter and the medication with no upset to the stomach plus the ACV helps with the headache as well.
I am at hour 38, started at 8pm Tuesday evening and it is now 10am Thursday. I had some hunger pains and growling stomach yesterday but today I feel fine. Stomach is empty and not expecting food so it stopped complaining.
I’m drinking half my weight in ounces of water with some Himalayan salt. Aside from missing the comfort and ritual of eating meals I am feeling ok.
I’m doing a Christian 3 day fast with only water. I’m at 48hrs. There have been moments where I wanted to give in and eat, but I prayed a lot and focused on other things. Music, doing household chores, reading, and taking a semi-long shower helped a lot. I personally feel like this has helped me with my faith and trust God with this fast. I recommend it, but be sure to stay hydrated and keep yourself busy.
on day 2, feeling fine, I am intermittent faster, and once a year I do a 10-day cleanse, so my body doesn’t typically get shocked when I try these things. Have had black coffee in the AM, 1 cup instead of my usual 2, and water throughout, although I haven’t done the sea salt, I will when I get home, see how that goes. I have been particularly abusive to my body this summer eating and drinking alcohol, and recently hurt my back so haven’t been able to go to the gym, so hoping this will be a nice little reset.
i started a 24 hour fast. i had no issues so i extended to a two day fast. i am now at 42 hours and think i might go for the third day. It has been so much easier than i thought it would be. i am going to add some Himalayan salt. i am a bit worried about electrolytes. So far i have not had any symptoms except a headache which i had before the fast started. No change in intensity. So, i think i will push it to three days.
These stories sound so inspiring! I just started my fast I haven’t had anything but water, tea, and coffee (black) so far. Started around 9pm last night 08/14/2023, hoping I can feel better and re-charged and just overall healthier after all this. This is my first time fasting so I’m pretty excited! Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Are vitamins ok to take during a fast such as iron, magnesium, etc…?
Doing a Christian fast on my 3rd day of my water fast. On the 3rd morning I drank coffee and feeling much better… but have been experiencing lack of sleep on the 2nd day but that has help with meditating and prayer of the word of God. Not feeling tired. It’s been a great fast. I intend to fast once in a week so I feel good about this 3 days fast I took.
This is my second time doing this 72 hour fast. The first time, one month ago, made me feel so good that I decided to do it again. Felt a little shaky early this morning (3rd morning) but after a glass of water and a cup of black coffee I feel great. Even did some exercise, Tia Chi, and a little gardening.
Hello it is been 28 hours since I started my 3 days fasting, feel bit tired but didnt have any hunger issue yet. i just had lt bit of salt one hour ago, and water all day long. hope to see what will effect in my health and will keep you posted.
On day 3 (hour 70) first ever water fast. Black coffee and water with electrolytes. Whole body is achy, headaches, hunger but not terrible. Excited for the fresh salad and fats tonight.
Good for you… but this article is somewhat alarmist and misleading. EG, you won’t lose any lean muscle mass, that’s just none sense, and the statement “a 72 hour fast is fairly extreme and should only be done under the guidance and supervision of a medical professional.” Way over the top fear mongering. Humans are well evolved to tolerate intermittent periods of fasting. Eating three meals a day isn’t evolutionarily normal.
I thought the same thing, I’m on day 2 and came across this article and thought maybe I should quit? I feel totally fine. Only water, no salt or anything. I don’t want to lose muscle mass just want to clean out my body and reset. All the comments encouraged me to finish the 3 days. Thanks Y’all!