The fasting journal · matched to fast day 26
Day 26. Burping, Gas and the Best Sleep in Years
Day 26. Gazebo, gnome, water glass. And a man who opened his video by announcing that burping is good.
193.5
The scale said 193.5 this morning. Started at 228.6, so that is 35.1 pounds gone in 26 days, 15.4 percent of my starting weight. Another 1.3 pounds since yesterday. BMI is down to 29.3, fourth day out of the obese category and still moving.
The burp report
I am having a lot of burping these days. So the burp builds up and I let it out. It gives my stomach, I guess, a little bit of ease. I guess I got gases locked in there or something. It is coming out.
Burping is good.
That is the whole story and he is sticking to it. Worth noting the timing. This is day two of the new electrolyte rhythm, the every other day plan he set up after the daily glass left him queasy on day 24. Stomach routines are shifting and the burps are part of whatever settling is going on in there. Nothing hurts, nothing is wrong, the pressure just finds the exit.
The strip still reads at the top of the chart, same as it has since day 8. Whatever the stomach is doing, the engine underneath has not changed.
Sleeping like a rock
Sleep like a rock. All night through. Not a problem. No issues. Some of the best sleep I have had in years.
Anyone who has followed this fast knows that line was earned. The salt and electrolytes he started on day 12 were waking him up at night and it took most of a week of adjusting, moving the glass to the morning, changing the dose, to get his nights back. Now, at almost four weeks without food, he sleeps better than he did before day 1.
Day 26 done
Twenty six down, sixty four to go. Burps out, sleep deep, 193.5 on the scale.
That being said, I am going to let you guys go. Have a good day. Cheers.
Quick answers
Is burping normal on a water fast?
Burping is the body releasing swallowed air or gas from the stomach and it happens with or without food. John's report from day 26 is that the burps build up, he lets them out and his stomach feels a little easier each time. On a long fast the stomach is empty for weeks, so any gas that collects has nothing to mix with and tends to be felt more, which may be why he notices it now. His words are that burping is good and for him it reads as pressure relief, not a problem. He is not treating it as a symptom, just reporting it and his doctor sees his numbers monthly.
Why does gas build up when you are not eating?
Most stomach gas is swallowed air. It comes in with talking, drinking and just living and on a fast it still comes in even though no food does. John's own theory on camera was simple, I guess I got gases locked in there or something, it is coming out. There may also be a connection to the electrolyte change he made this week. He paused his daily Celtic salt and electrolyte glass after a queasy morning on day 24 and is moving to every other day, so his stomach is adjusting to a new routine. One thing at a time, watch what the body says. That has been his method all fast.
Does fasting improve sleep?
John's fast broke his sleep before it fixed it. Around day 12 the salt and electrolytes he added were waking him at night and he spent several days adjusting the timing until it settled. Two weeks later, on day 26, he reports sleeping like a rock, all night through, some of the best sleep he has had in years. That is one person's experience, not a promise. Sleep on an extended fast clearly can go both ways, his own first two weeks prove it but at almost four weeks in his nights are better than they were before the fast started.
How much weight can you lose in 26 days of water fasting?
John has lost 35.1 pounds in 26 days, going from 228.6 to 193.5 pounds, which is 15.4 percent of his starting body weight. The pace has not been even. He dropped 16.1 pounds in week one, when a lot of what leaves is water weight and the dailies since have mostly run between half a pound and a pound and a half, like today's 1.3. His numbers come off the same scale every morning and go straight into a spreadsheet his doctor can see. He is a 56 year old man who started at 228.6 pounds and a smaller or leaner person fasting would see smaller numbers.