I Went On A 50 Day Water Fast And Lost 120 Pounds

I use to feel like I could never stay away from the chocolate glazed donuts, chips, and daily trips to the drive thru at McDonalds.

It’s not that I couldn’t afford to buy the “healthy stuff” or I didn’t like how vegetables and fruits tasted. It’s because when I was hungry, I was hungry and didn’t want to wait.

Every day was a good day when I was able to go to Walmart so I could pick out my favorite gummies, cookies, and chips. After I did this, I would then pull up to my favorite fast food place — McDonalds. A bad day would be me hearing the words “ our milkshake machine is down for the moment” or I recieved cold fries.

So…What Changed?

Around my junior year of college, I booked a flight to visit my parents during spring break because I hadn’t seen them in two years. I remember being so excited because the last time I flew, I was a freshman in high school. After the plane lifted off, the gentleman next to me kept shuffling in his seat and at one point, I thought he was giving me death stares. Eventually, the flight attendant walked down the aisle and the passenger quickly signaled his hands to get her attention. The next thing I knew, the guy removed himself from his seat with his belongings and was directed towards another seat on the plane. As the gentlemen walked off, I heard one of the passengers across from me whisper “it’s because she’s too fat.” I was mortified and wanted to be anywhere else but in the air with people gossiping about my weight. Did he really just get up because of me? I had to be honest with myself during that 5 hour flight. As I arrived at my destination and walked off the plane, I knew things had to change.

So, What In The World Made You Decide To Do A Water Fast?

This photo is me hiding from an AT&T employee who thought it was a good idea to have this picture be the first photo taken on my new iphone. In this lovely photo, I am 300lbs and didn’t like taking pictures because I already had a hard time looking at myself in the mirror. Having an actual picture of me on my phone would be a constant reminder that the only person responsible for my unhealthy lifestyle was me.

I could have chosen so many diets and programs. I even signed up for Weight Watchers but never went through with it. I turned to fasting because I wanted to challenge myself. For the first time, I wanted to go for a goal and actually follow through with it.

How Was I Able To Stay Motivated For 50 Days?

The first day was rough. I only lasted 10 hours and then I went sprinting to the kitchen. After I ate all the junk food and tasty treats I could find, I immediately felt awful because I failed. I was mad at myself for not taking my goals seriously and started to question whether or not I was going to fail at anything I attempted to pursue in life. After beating myself up, I knew my habits had to change. I knew I needed to stop being a victim and start becoming a survior. When I woke up the next morning, I had a plan. I set an alarm for the times I would have needed to drink a jug of water and I even went out to the store to purchase a journal so I could write about my feelings and the journey I was on. It was hard in the beginning, but I needed to prove to myself that I can set goals and follow through with them — so if I said I was going to do something, I needed to do it. No excuses. As each day passed, the less temptations there were. I was surprised on how quickly I didn’t think about my next drive thru meal or my next trip to Walmart. I saw a vision and stayed with it.

Didn’t Your Doctor Tell You NOT EATING For 50 Days Was Unhealthy?

To answer this short….yup. My doctor highly suggested to me that she would have preferred me to do intermittent fasting instead. My physician was 100% against me doing this water fast because she listed so many things that could have gone wrong for me. I told my physician because I wanted her to know what I was doing. I knew she would look at me like I was crazy and then go through all the risks my body could face. At the end of my visit, my doctor even wrote down some therapists to call because she was concerned about my physical and mental health. Anyone who approaches me about wanting to do a fast (no one ever approaches me about a 50 day fast), I always talk about my experience and then I tell them to consult with their doctor because fasting is not for everyone. Although I ignored all doctor orders, I would never want anyone to suffer any bodily harm because of my results. I went against doctor orders because I knew my body and if I needed to eat, I would have eaten. I knew my body well enough to know when enough was enough.

My ending point was 50 days and I’m glad I did it. It was the first time in a long time where I went for a goal and followed through. My current weight is 180lbs and I have managed to maintain this for over a year. I’m glad I did this because this journey changed me. I am no longer fearful on taking on dreams I would have laughed at years ago. Many of my visions have become realities and if that airplane incident didn’t happen, I honestly wouldn't know where I’d be today.