I started feeling a bit ill late Friday, so I decided to do a water-only fast on Saturday. Generally, animals fast when ill, and I try to follow this model. I also skipped breakfast and lunch on Sunday, and so I ended up going without food for around 40 hours.
This is interesting for me, because a few years ago I wouldn't have been comfortable going without food for this long. I wouldn't have voluntarily have gone without food for a day, and not when I was ill, either. However, this fast was fairly painless, as I didn't have much of an appetite over the weekend to begin with.
It's amazing what the body can do when it has to. I've read research on subjects doing a water-only fast for 30 days without any negative effects (not that I would recommend this!). When food isn't available, the body simply draws energy from stored body fat and other sources.
