The fasting journal · matched to fast day 12
Day 12. My Stomach Started Growling With No Food In It
Twelve days without food. 22.3 pounds gone. And last night my stomach decided to strike up a conversation.
22.3 pounds in 12 days
The scale said 206.3 this morning. We started at 228.6, so that is 22.3 pounds in twelve days, about 9.8 percent of me. Another 0.9 pounds since yesterday and the two hundreds are getting shorter every morning.
The quiet numbers keep working too. Body fat percent is down from 42.3 on day one to 36.2 today. Muscle percent went up again, from 34.5 at the start to 36.0 now. Twelve days with no food and the muscle share of me is still climbing. Every reading lives on the bloodwork page.
How do I feel? I feel good. Energetic, not a problem.
The stomach that talks
Here is the strange part of day 12. I was watching TV at night and my stomach started growling and it was almost like it was talking to me.
Twelve days with nothing in it and it still has things to say. That sound is not food being digested, because there is no food. The gut runs its own cleaning waves on a schedule, sweeping air and fluid through and when everything is empty the sound carries. Doctors have a name for it, borborygmi. I have a simpler one, my stomach telling stories.
The ketone strip stayed pinned at the top of the chart again this morning. The engine has not changed fuel. It burns fat all day, growling soundtrack or not.
Celtic salt joins the water
I recently increased my water intake because I was feeling a little bit dehydrated at the end of the day. Today the second half of that plan starts. Celtic salt in the water and electrolytes in the water too.
The plan is simple. Once a day, in the middle of the day, at some point. Twelve days of water only means twelve days of almost zero sodium in, while the kidneys keep flushing it out. More water without minerals can stretch you thinner, so the minerals go in with it. The monthly bloodwork is the referee on whether it is working.
Day 12 done
Twelve X marks on the calendar. Seventy eight days to go.
Have a nice day and I will see you next time. Cheers. 💧
Quick answers
Why does your stomach growl during a water fast if there is no food in it?
Because growling is gut activity, not food processing. The stomach and intestines run regular waves of muscle contractions that sweep air and fluid through the tract and that movement is the sound you hear. Doctors call the sounds borborygmi and they happen with or without food. On day 12 John's stomach started growling at night like it was talking to him, after 12 days of water only. Nothing was wrong. The plumbing was just running its cycle.
Does stomach growling mean you are hungry?
Not by itself. Growling gets louder and more noticeable when the tract is empty, because there is nothing inside to muffle the sound but the waves run on their own schedule either way. John's version of it came 12 days into a water fast, long after his hunger had faded. He heard it, laughed at it and did not feel driven to eat by it. If growling came with real hunger pain, dizziness, or weakness, that would be a different signal worth acting on.
Why add Celtic salt and electrolytes during a water fast?
On a water fast you take in zero sodium, potassium and magnesium from food while your kidneys keep flushing them out and drinking more water alone can stretch them thinner. John felt a little dehydrated at the end of the day, raised his water intake and then started Celtic salt in his water plus electrolytes, once a day in the middle of the day. His fast is doctor supervised with monthly bloodwork, which is the safety net behind changes like this.
How much weight can you lose in 12 days of water fasting?
John's number is 22.3 pounds in 12 days, from 228.6 down to 206.3, about 9.8 percent of his starting weight. The pace has settled to just under a pound a day after the big early drops. Body fat percent has fallen from 42.3 on day one to 36.2 today, while muscle percent climbed from 34.5 to 36.0. Every daily reading lives on the bloodwork page.