Today I hated fasting. Properly hated it. Day 65 of my Rhythm Reset, and for the first time in weeks, I wanted to throw the whole thing in the bin.
Not the gentle “I fancy a meal” feeling. The proper “what am I doing to myself” kind. Four hours of sleep. A forty-two-hour fast. And a day that felt like dragging myself through treacle. This is the bit nobody puts in the Instagram reels. The bit where fasting isn’t elegant or empowering – it’s just hard.
I could have edited this day out. Made the challenge look seamless. But that’s not the deal. If you’re thinking about fasting, you need to know this happens too. Some days work. Some days don’t. And today? Today was a slog.
When Sleep Meets Fasting
Went to bed at eleven. Couldn’t sleep. Mind racing about nothing in particular. Got back up at midnight to try and tire myself out. Two in the morning before I finally felt sleepy. Awake again just before half six.
Four hours of sleep. Maybe.
And I was already twenty-four hours into a fast. That combination – broken sleep and extended fasting- t’s like trying to drive a car with no oil. You might get somewhere, but you’ll feel every bump.
I’ve noticed this before. When sleep goes, everything gets harder. The hunger waves feel sharper. The mental clarity I usually get from fasting? Nowhere. Just a fuzzy sort of focus where I could work, but it took twice the effort.
The Breaking Point
Hour twenty-four of the fast, I started feeling properly broken. Not hungry in the normal sense. Just… off. Low mood. Low energy. That flat feeling where nothing sounds good.
By hour twenty-eight, I was having a full argument with myself. “Just break it. Have some soup. Stop being ridiculous. You’re not proving anything.”
But it’s the last week of the Rhythm Reset Challenge. Day sixty-five of seventy. And I’m stubborn. So I ploughed through.
Looking back, I’m not sure that was the right call. Sometimes stubbornness is discipline. Sometimes it’s just being bloody-minded. Today felt more like the second one.
Pushing Through Day 65
The day itself? I got through it. But I paid for it.
Mood: five out of ten. Not terrible. Not good. Just flat.
Energy: six out of ten. Enough to function. Not enough to feel human.
Steps: eight thousand. And I felt every single one.
Mental clarity held together. Just about. But I work for myself, and I’m bloody glad I didn’t have to be client-facing. If I’d had meetings or phone calls, I’d have been masking the whole time.
Broke the fast at half eleven. Closed the eating window at half six. Sixteen plants. Fifteen hundred and fifty-eight calories. Pâté, red pepper soup, sesame chicken schnitzel. Real food. But eating it felt like going through the motions. No joy. Just refuelling.
The Pattern I’ve Noticed
Here’s what’s interesting and a bit frustrating. This has only happened since the twenty-one-day fast. Not every time I fast. Not even most times. But sometimes, after I cross that twenty-four-hour mark, I just feel broken.
It’s not consistent. Some forty-eight-hour fasts go brilliantly. Some wreck me. I can’t always predict which way it’ll go. And that unpredictability? It’s annoying.
I wonder if the long fast changed something. Like my body’s relationship with extended fasting shifted. Maybe I depleted something I haven’t fully built back up. Maybe it’s cumulative fatigue. I don’t know yet.
But I’m tracking it. Because patterns matter. And if this keeps happening, I’ll adjust.
Why I’m Sharing This
I could have left this day out of the challenge. Filmed something else. Made it look easy. Plenty of people do that.
But that’s not the deal we’ve got. The honesty is the point.
If you’re following along with this challenge, you need to know that fasting isn’t always smooth. It doesn’t always feel good. Some days you’ll hate it. And that doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means you’re human.
The difference between sustainable change and burnout? Knowing when to push through and when to ease off. Today I pushed. Maybe I shouldn’t have. But I learned something.
And if you’re thinking about starting your own rhythm reset, here’s what I’d say: start smaller. Don’t jump straight to forty-two-hour fasts. Build up gradually. Test how your body responds. Because not every day has to look like this one.
🎯 Key Takeaways
- Sleep deprivation amplifies fasting difficulty significantly – Four hours of sleep made a forty-two-hour fast feel brutal, not empowering.
- Extended fasting isn’t always smooth – Since the twenty-one-day fast, some longer fasts feel harder than they used to, unpredictably.
- Honesty matters more than perfection – Sharing the difficult days builds trust and sets realistic expectations for anyone starting their own journey.
Ready to Start Your Own Rhythm Reset?
If you’re curious about fasting but want a gentler introduction than the day I’ve just described, the free Fourteen-Day Rhythm Reset Guide walks you through a progressive approach. No forty-two-hour fasts on day one. Just gradual, sustainable steps.
👉 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
Today I hated fasting. Properly hated it. Day 65, and for the first time in weeks, I wanted to throw the whole thing in the bin.
Last week of the Rhythm Reset. Forty-two-hour fast. Four hours of sleep. And a day that felt like dragging myself through treacle.
Went to bed at eleven. Couldn’t sleep. Mind racing. Got back up at midnight to try and tire myself out. Two in the morning before I finally felt sleepy. Awake again just before half six. Four hours, maybe.
And that broken feeling… it started around hour twenty-four of the fast. Hour twenty-eight, I was arguing with myself. “Just break it. Have some soup. Stop being ridiculous.” But it’s the last week of the challenge, so I ploughed through.
Paid for it all day. Mood a five. Energy a six. Did eight thousand steps and felt every single one. Mental clarity? Held it together. But I work for myself, and I’m bloody glad I didn’t have to be client-facing.
Broke the fast at half eleven. Closed the window at half six. Sixteen plants. Fifteen hundred and fifty-eight calories. Pâté, red pepper soup, sesame chicken schnitzel. Real food. But eating it felt like going through the motions.
Here’s the pattern: this has only happened since the twenty-one-day fast. Not every time. Not even most times. But sometimes — after twenty-four hours — I just feel broken. And it’s not pleasant.
I could have edited this day out. Made it look easy. But that’s not the deal. Some days fasting works. Some days it doesn’t. Some days you hate it. And if you’re following along, you need to know that too.
The honesty is the point.
If you’re thinking about trying this — start smaller. The free Fourteen-Day Rhythm Reset Guide walks you through a gentler approach. Link’s below. Because not every day has to look like this one.
Day sixty-five. Still here. Still tracking. But today? Today was a slog.
⚠️ 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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