Last week I got sick. Fever, fatigue, congestion—the works.
And something interesting happened: I didn’t feel like eating.
So instead of forcing food down because we’ve been taught that we need to “keep our strength up,” I listened to my body.
I ended up going 60 hours without food.
But here’s the part people sometimes misunderstand: not eating doesn’t mean your body has no fuel.
As fasting continues, insulin falls and your body increasingly turns toward its stored energy. Fatty acids are released from body fat, and your liver begins producing more ketones that can be used as fuel—including by the brain.
Fat itself is incredibly energy dense: about 9 calories per gram compared with about 4 for carbohydrate. That doesn’t mean fat automatically gives you “more energy,” but it does mean body fat represents an enormous stored energy reserve.
Fasting also affects some fascinating biology. Nutrient deprivation can stimulate autophagy—the cellular recycling system that helps remove and reuse damaged cellular components. Fasting also changes inflammatory signaling and immune-cell metabolism.
Does that prove that my 60-hour fast made me recover faster?
I think so. But from a “scientific standpoint,” there isn’t enough human evidence to make that claim.
But there’s something remarkable about realizing that I went 60 hours without putting energy into my body from the outside—and my body wasn’t without energy.
I was carrying it with me the entire time.
Sometimes body fat isn’t the problem.
It’s the fuel tank.
Be aware.
Other links related to this post:
PS Links on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, and Notes.
Doing a live banded workout event on Saturday, October 3rd at Legions Park in Miami, details coming soon.
