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Fasting has long been used for many reasons. There are those who use fasting as a way to lose weight, as a method of detoxifying the bod and for religious and many other personal reasons. Fasting was even used as a means of political protest, with one example being the Suffragettes and Mahatma Gandhi who undertook 17 fasts during the struggle for Indian independence — the longest of which lasted 21 days.
But what happens to your body if you eat nothing for seven days? Is it all bad? Is it all good? Can it be both? And are there different ways of fasting? This article will explore all of those things.
Let us start with the bad-ish
1. Your body will break down glycogen
OK, OK, we know this isn’t bad because this is what your body does to convert it into energy. So when you begin your fast, particularly in the first six hours, it will do what it normally does so you can function with enough energy until the next meal.
But, when that next meal doesn’t come after about six hours, your glycogen stores will begin to deplete, and you will become hungry and most likely have a significant drop in mood. Needless to say, with the lack of glycogen, you’ll be hungry and ornery, and nobody will want to be around you … leading to loneliness.
