The fasting journal · matched to fast day 25
Day 25. When the Electrolytes Upset His Stomach
Day 25. Back at the gazebo, gnome in one hand, water glass in the other and a small experiment running. The daily electrolyte glass is on pause.
194.8
The scale said 194.8 this morning. Started at 228.6, so that is 33.8 pounds gone in 25 days, 14.8 percent of my starting weight. Another 1.1 pounds since yesterday. BMI is down to 29.5.
How do I feel? I feel good. I feel alright. But there is a story behind that alright.
The sour stomach
I did have, however, like a sour stomach. I was feeling a little queasy yesterday morning.
Quick recap for anyone new. Around day 12 I started adding Celtic salt and electrolytes to one glass of water a day, because I kept waking up at night. It worked. Sleep fixed within two days. It has been part of the routine ever since and I even moved it to the morning on day 14 when the timing was waking me up at night.
So when my stomach went sour, that glass was the obvious suspect. I decided to hold back on the Celtic salt and the electrolytes, just for a day. See how I feel.
Better by morning
This morning I woke up feeling a lot better, with my stomach that is. So I decided not to take it again today, just to let things settle even more.
The new plan. Maybe taking it every day, change that up to maybe every other day. We will see how that goes going forward. Same method as everything else in this fast. Change one thing, watch what the body says, adjust.
The metallic taste is still here
I still continue having the metallic taste in my mouth. That is the ketones that are leaving your body. I mentioned that earlier, back on day 11 and two weeks later it has not gone anywhere. The strips still read at the top of the chart, so the taste and the chemistry agree with each other.
Day 25 done
Twenty five down, sixty five to go. Stomach settled, electrolytes on a new schedule and the fast rolls on.
That being said, I am going to let you guys go. You guys have a great day and I will see you next time. Cheers.
Quick answers
Do you need electrolytes on a water fast?
On a fast where nothing but water comes in, the minerals the body normally gets from food, sodium, potassium and the rest, have to come from somewhere, which is why extended fasters talk about electrolytes so much. John went the first 11 days of his fast on plain water, added a daily glass with Celtic salt and electrolytes on day 12 when broken sleep pushed him to it and it fixed his sleep within two days. What day 25 shows is the other side. The right amount and rhythm is personal, his body pushed back on the daily dose and he is adjusting. He does all of this with a doctor watching his bloodwork monthly and anyone considering an extended fast should have the same conversation first.
Can electrolytes make you nauseous on an empty stomach?
That is exactly what John suspects happened. Salt and electrolyte drinks that sit fine with food can feel harsh when the stomach has been empty for weeks. He woke up queasy on day 24, described it as a sour stomach and connected it to the daily Celtic salt and electrolyte glass. He paused it for a day, woke up feeling a lot better and skipped it a second day to let things settle even more. He is not claiming a diagnosis, just reporting the experiment. One variable changed, the symptom eased and now he is retesting at a lower frequency.
How often should you take electrolytes while fasting?
John's honest answer from day 25 is that he is still finding out. Daily worked for his sleep but eventually bothered his stomach, so his next move is every other day and in his words, we will see how that goes going forward. That is the pattern he has repeated the whole fast. Change one thing, watch the body's response, adjust. It is also the kind of question where his standing line applies. His fast is doctor supervised with monthly bloodwork and the safe frequency for anyone else is a conversation with their own doctor, not a number borrowed from someone else's fast.
Why does your mouth taste metallic when fasting?
John first reported the metallic taste on day 11 and on day 25 it is still with him. His shorthand on camera is that it is the ketones leaving your body. The fuller version is that deep in ketosis the body produces acetone as a byproduct and some of it leaves through the breath, which many fasters experience as a metallic or fruity taste. His urine strips have read at the top of the ketone chart since day 8, so the taste matches the chemistry. It is one of the standard signs of a body running on fat, odd but harmless in his experience and it has not slowed him down.