Fasting has always fascinated me.
Whether it's Karthika Masa Naktalu (evening-only meals), Ekadasi Ekabhuktam (twice a month), or my weekly Thursday fasting ritual, I’ve danced with hunger in different forms. And then came Monk Fasting—where you skip food for a full 36 hours. The idea was floated to me by one of the Educational Units (EUs) of WhatsApp University, and the benefits sounded like something out of a wellness brochure: detoxified digestion, sharpened focus, fat loss, and autophagy (that sci-fi-sounding cell-cleaning process).
Despite years of fasting practice, sleeping with a completely empty stomach? That I could never dare.
☕The Hardest Part: Saying No to South Indian Coffee
Let’s talk priorities. I’m a coffee person—and not just your standard drip guy. My morning ritual involves mixing coffee powder with chicory root (3:1), brewing it in a moka pot, then blending that magic with freshly boiled whole milk and a generous splash of sugar. That, my friend, is South Indian coffee. After that comes mid-morning Indian tea, followed by an evening tea. And yes, the prep is a ceremony in itself.
For this Monk Fast, I ditched the whole routine. No coffee. No tea. Just plain hot water, all day. Energy-wise, I was fine. But by evening, caffeine withdrawal kicked in and I got drowsy. At 10 PM—a whole two hours earlier than my usual schedule of watching the date change—I crashed. Slept like a baby until morning.
📆 The Timeline
- Started fasting: Wednesday 10 PM
- Broke fast: Friday 10 AM
- Total intake: Hot water. And a ridiculous amount of it.
📉 Results (and a Marital Audit)
I weighed myself before and after: five pounds down. My wife, naturally skeptical, supervised the weigh-in like a hawk. Verdict? Certified by the Ministry of Marital Surveillance.
🤔 What I Learned
- ✅ Weight loss: Probably temporary, but satisfying.
- 🛑 Digestive break: Felt like my stomach got a spa treatment.
- 😴 Drowsiness: Could’ve been the lack of caffeine more than the fasting.
🔄 Will I Do It Again?
Absolutely. It gave me more confidence around extended fasting and more respect for my usual caffeine reliance. If you're even half as crazy as I am, take it slow. Choose a day when you don't need to be an unpaid Uber driver or run marathons—and make sure your family’s nearby to make sure you are still alive.
