The First Proper Night’s Sleep in a Fortnight
Day 5 of refeed. And for the first time in over two weeks, I slept through the night.
Eight hours straight. No tossing. No waking at 3am staring at the ceiling. Just proper, restorative sleep.
I woke up feeling like a different person. Digestion behaving itself. No hunger clawing at me. Two solid bowel movements. Energy steady all day.
Physically, everything’s ticking along. Mood’s been brilliant too — sunny weather helped. I sat outside for a bit, took a gentle walk, probably should’ve drunk more water and stretched my legs properly, but you take the wins where you get them.
But here’s the thing: even with all that progress, old habits still knocked on the door. And I let them in.
The Crisp Incident (Again)
I had crisps. More than a fair portion, if I’m honest.
It wasn’t hunger. It was habit. Boredom, maybe. Comfort, possibly. That automatic hand-to-mouth reflex that doesn’t need hunger to trigger it.
I thought — hoped, really — that a 21-day fast might break those patterns. Reset the wiring. But the triggers are still there. Awareness doesn’t equal immunity.
The food itself was spot on today:
- Morning: Red pepper soup and fennel, leek, and cabbage soup
- Lunch: Cheese, crackers, kimchi, sauerkraut
- Dinner: Thai steak salad with garlic rice (went back for seconds)
All nourishing. All within the 10% Rule framework. But the portion anxiety surfaced. That fear of just keeping going, plate after plate, because the old pattern says “eat while you can.”
Weight’s holding at 13st 7. No movement there. Body’s recalibrating.
What Your Body’s Actually Doing During Refeed
After an extended fast, your hunger hormones don’t just flip back to normal overnight.
Ghrelin (the “I’m hungry” hormone) and leptin (the “I’m full” hormone) are adjusting. Your gut-brain connection is recalibrating. Which is why cravings and portion control can feel unpredictable, even when physical hunger is low.
It’s not weakness. It’s biology catching up.
Your system spent three weeks in ketosis, running on fat stores, autophagy doing repair work. Now it’s learning to process food again, rebalancing insulin, rebuilding gut bacteria with every fermented spoonful.
Those old emotional triggers — boredom, stress, comfort — they’re still wired in. Fasting doesn’t delete them. It just gives you space to notice them more clearly.
The Lesson I’m Learning (The Hard Way)
If I could tell my future self — or anyone reading this mid-refeed — one thing, it’d be this:
Be careful about the foods you bring back in. And even harder: don’t eat just for eating’s sake.
The habit of using food as distraction or comfort is strong. Decades strong, for some of us. It takes time and patience to shift.
Fasting gives clarity. Refeed tests discipline.
The challenge isn’t the fast. It’s what you do when food’s back on the table.
🎯 Key Takeaways
Mindful eating requires practice — Noticing the pattern doesn’t automatically stop it
Sleep is recovery’s foundation — First full night in 14 days changed everything
Old habits don’t vanish overnight — Fasting creates awareness, not automatic immunity
Portion anxiety is real — The fear of overeating can trigger overeating
Hunger hormones adjust gradually — Ghrelin and leptin recalibrate during refeed, not instantly
Ready to Start Your Own Rhythm Reset?
If you’re navigating post-fast glucose spikes, refeeds, or any other metabolic surprises, the 14-Day Rhythm Reset walks you through the body’s repair logic — not just the textbook version.
👉 Get the 14-Day Rhythm Reset Guide (free)
💪 Want ongoing support? Join Rhythm Club for £30/month (includes FREE app access, community, and weekly accountability calls)
🔽 Read the Video Transcript
0:00Hello everyone. It’s day five of my
0:02refeed journey and today felt like a bit
0:05of a turning point. For the first time
0:06in over two weeks, I actually managed a
0:08full and broken night’s sleep. Eight
0:10hours straight. Honestly, I woke up
0:13feeling like a new person. Digestion’s
0:15been good. No hunger or cravings to
0:17battle with and two solid bowel
0:19movements. No negative symptoms to
0:21report. So, physically, it’s all ticking
0:23along quite nicely.
0:25Moodwise, I’m feeling great as well.
0:27Steady and positive all day. the lovely
0:29sunny weather made it that bit easier.
0:32Um, I took a break to sit out in the
0:34sun, went for a gentle walk. I’ll admit
0:36I probably could have done with drinking
0:38fair bit more water today and definitely
0:41stretching my legs on a longer walk,
0:44but you take the wins where you can get
0:46them. Um, sleep and rest were way main
0:49ways of supporting recovery today
0:51alongside some light movement as I’ve
0:53just mentioned.
0:55On the challenge front, I did end up sec
0:57succumbing to the law of crisps and I’ll
1:00be honest, I had more than a fair
1:02portion. It’s a little reminder that old
1:05habits can still creep in even with the
1:07best intentions.
1:09Food wise, it’s been a nourishing day
1:11overall. Two different soups this
1:13morning, red pepper and fennel leak and
1:14cabbage. For lunch, I had a small snack
1:17of cheese and crackers with a side of
1:18kamichi and sauerkraut. And dinner was a
1:21lovely Thai steak and salad with garlic
1:23rice. which I’ll admit I did go back for
1:26seconds only a little bit. Weight wise
1:29um I’m now holding steady at 137 so no
1:32changes there. Um what’s come up for me
1:36today is that despite everything I still
1:38have a fair bit of anxiety around
1:40portion control. It’s so easy to fall
1:43back into old patterns and just keep
1:45eating.
1:47Sometimes for comfort, sometimes out of
1:49boredom.
1:50I thought and hope that a 21 day fast
1:53might break that, but those triggers are
1:56still there and it’s something I
1:58definitely need to stay aware of.
2:01If I could say something to my future
2:03self or to anyone else in this journey,
2:06it’d be this. Be careful about the foods
2:08you bring back in.
2:10And hard as it might be, try not to just
2:13eat for eating sake. The habit of using
2:16food as comfort or distraction is a
2:17strong one. And it definitely takes time
2:20and patience to shift.
2:24During refeed, your body is still
2:26recalibrating, especially after a long
2:28fast. Your hunger hormones like grein
2:30and leptin and your gut brain connection
2:32are adjusting, which is why things like
2:35portion control and cravings can feel a
2:37bit unpredictable.
2:39It’s perfectly normal for those old
2:40habits and signals to flare up, even
2:43when your physical hunger is low.
2:45Staying mindful of this and listening to
2:47both your body and your emotions is key
2:50as your system finds its new balance.
2:54If you like this video, please hit like
2:56and subscribe. It really does help to
2:58get the message out to more people. And
3:00I’ll see you tomorrow on day
⚠️ Important: This is educational content based on evidence and personal experience. It is not medical advice. Speak to your GP before making changes to your fasting pattern, diet, or medication.
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