The fasting journal · matched to fast day 3
Day 3. Hitting The Wall And Switching Fuel
Every fast has a day where the fun wears off and the work starts. For me, on this one, it was today. Day 3. Here is the honest version, numbers first, feelings second.
The scale said 220.6
Good news first, because I needed some today. This morning I weighed 220.6 pounds. There is the scale, so you do not have to take my word for it. I started Saturday at 228.6, so that is exactly 8 pounds in 3 days. Yesterday I explained where most of that comes from. Glycogen leaves and takes its water with it. So no, I did not burn 8 pounds of fat. But the direction is right and the body composition numbers agree. My body fat reading went from 42.3 to 40.1 percent in three days and BMI dropped from 34.6 to 33.4. Every number is on the bloodwork page if you want the full log.
Then the wall showed up
I am not going to dress this up. Today was tough. The first tough day of this fast.
I felt sluggish from the morning. Low energy, like the power company cut me down to half service. A little anxiety humming in the background and I could feel my body being stressed. Nothing sharp, nothing scary, just heavy. On my 83 day fast I knew this visitor well. He usually shows up around day 3 and he does not stay long.
Here is why it happens. By day 3 the easy fuel is gone. The body is standing between two gas stations, sugar behind it and fat ahead of it and the switch does not flip instantly. Fat burning is ramping up and ketone production is just getting started. I tested this morning and the strip came back blank. Zero ketones. While that machinery warms up, you feel the gap. That gap is the wall.
I will keep testing every morning and watching this strip change color over the next few days is going to be the proof that the switch happened. When it does, you will see it here.
The battle nobody warns you about
The strange part is I am not hungry. I mean that. No stomach growling, no emptiness.
But there is a battle going on between my body and my brain. My body wants the cookies. It wants the pizzas, the burgers, the sugar. Not because it needs them. Those are habit loops firing, the brain replaying its favorite rewards exactly when things get uncomfortable. My mind knows what this is, so the answer stays the same. You do not give in. Not to the food, not to the feelings. You drink your water and you let the body finish its work.
That was the whole message of today’s video. Do not give in. If day 3 finds you on your own fast, that is the sentence to hold onto.
And yes, the gnome from the video is real. He holds my microphone and he judges my cravings. He works for free.
Day 3 done
Three X marks on the calendar. 87 squares to go. That wall calendar might be the most honest chart in this whole project, because there is no way to fake an X.
Tomorrow should start tipping me into real ketosis and if the last fast is any guide, the energy comes back with it. The doctor has my numbers, the baseline bloodwork is at the lab and the first results get published here as soon as they land.
Day 3 done. Water up. 🩸
Quick answers
Why is day 3 of a water fast so hard?
Around day 3 the body is between fuels. Glycogen is nearly spent and fat burning has not fully ramped up, so energy dips and mood can get edgy. Most fasters report this passes within a day or two as ketosis takes over and energy often comes back noticeably after that.
What does hitting the wall feel like when fasting?
John's day 3 version was sluggishness, low energy, mild anxiety and a wired but tired feeling. Notably there was no real hunger, just food thoughts. Cravings for specific foods like pizza or sweets are the brain's habit loops, not the stomach asking for fuel.
Is losing 8 pounds in 3 days of water fasting normal?
It is common at John's starting size but most of it is water released as glycogen burns off, not fat. The scale drop slows sharply after the first week. Some of the water weight also returns when eating resumes, which honest fasters say out loud.
Why do cravings hit if you are not hungry?
Hunger and cravings run on different wiring. True hunger fades in waves during a fast, while cravings are memory and reward loops that fire hardest exactly when the body is stressed, like day 3. They pass without being fed.