FASTING EXPERIENCE - DAY 3

(Sunday, Jan 4, 2026. I forgot my laptop at church this morning so I am writing this on paper so that I can keep my daily writing habit going. I will transfer it to the blog tomorrow when I get it back.)

As I write here about my fasting experience, I realize that it could come across like I'm boasting about something which Jesus told us to do "in secret". 

That's not my intention. My purpose for writing about this here is, first, for myself - to record and process the experience - and, second, for others - to encourage more believers to give fasting a try. 

It's something that gets a little easier each time you do it.

My present fast is mainly for physical benefits. (But fasting always has a spiritual dimension to it.)

I have been putting on weight at a slow but steady pace for the last five years. I started this fast Friday at 205.2 lbs. That's the most I have weighed since I hit my peak weight of 220 in the early 2000s. My lowest in that timeframe came while we lived in Haiti, where snack food was hard to come by. I remember hitting 170 there for a while. 

But none of that was muscle. I've built up a tiny bit of muscle since then and would be glad to be in the 180-185 range again. Mainly because I think that is a weight which would signal I am eating healthy again. 

My other physical motivation for this fast is a near constant experience of "brain fog". 

For the past five years, coinciding with my weight gain, I've had a daily, general sleepiness and a haziness in my thinking. And I think it has slowly grown worse.

I strongly suspect this is tied to my diet, but I don't know if there is one specific culprit - sugar? caffeine? some additive? - or if my problem is eating a Standard American Diet in general. 

(Or, worst case scenario, it's just my age.)

So, 3 days in, here's my experience on both fronts.

First, weight loss. 

1st Morning (Friday) - 205.2

2nd Morning - 201.2

3rd Morning - 198.4

That's progress, but keep in mind that at least 3 pounds of what I have lost so far is merely water weight. I was up several times that first night to visit the restroom. So I know I haven't actually lost a true 7 pounds in 3 days. 

I've heard it's possible to lose 20 lbs in a week of fasting, so I'm curious how much I will truly drop when all is said and done.

As far as the brain fog goes, the first two days I was pretty headachy and a bit restless. So I don't know if there was any immediate improvement. But this morning I woke up 3 minutes before my alarm sounded and felt NOTICEABLY clearer in mind. (And that's a helpful thing for preaching.)

Tomorrow is day 4 and a workday, so it should be interesting. I don't think I have actually fasted beyond 3 days since my time at Asbury, where I was first introduced to fasting and joined a friend in a 7 day fast. That was in the late 90s.

As for hunger these past 3 days, it hasn't been a huge problem. More of an inconvenience. The bigger issue for me is boredom. I think most of my eating is for entertainment rather than nutrition.