Man who gave up food for 30 days and only drank water reveals what it did to his body

A man who only drank water for 30 days has revealed the terrifying effects it had on his body.

While fasting is a practice that goes back thousands of years, most people only end up going without food for a number of hours at a time, rather than days on end.

Going without any food for numerous days is something health professionals advise against, as it could have serious health consequences and in extreme cases even lead to death.

The man survived on water alone for 30 days. Credit: Viktoriya Skorikova/Getty Images

According to VeryWell Health, experts indicate that people begin to become weak after 30 to 50 days without food, and can die in 43 to 70 days.

How soon a person succumbs to the effects of not eating vary from person to person, with many factor affecting it including sex, age, their starting weight, as well as the amount of water they are intaking.

The body fights starvation by producing glucose and breaking down fatty tissue, before moving on to breaking down muscle before a person ultimately dies from lack of food.

Despite the warnings, one social media user documented their attempt to go 1,000 hours without food - or 42 days - but ended up finishing their challenge early after 30 days.

X (formerly known as Twitter) user @maru.eth charted their progress after giving up food over Christmas, until they broke their fast on January 23 after 30 days.

He posted on December 26, at the start of the challenge: "Updating this thread with my 1000-hour (42 days) water fast progress that I started after Christmas dinner.

"I'll only drink water and supplement electrolytes (sodium, magnesium, potassium)."

The man, who is 6'4" tall, revealed that his weight on December 24 was 97.85kg (216lbs).

He then shared regular updates on how the water fast was going, revealing that the first 72 hours were the hardest as he felt the most hunger pangs during this time.

He explained: "The first 72h are the toughest because your body is constantly signaling you to eat. it gets way easier after that initial period."

After a week, he revealed that he had dropped to 92kg (203lbs), but struggled to stick to the regime over the New Year celebration.

He explained: "Spending NYE without any yummy snacks or drinks was tough, but I made it, I'm alive.

"Slept pretty well and feeling good overall, but I can't shake off the feeling that this fast feels considerably different than my other ones... somethings up and I'm not exactly sure what."

He added that while he never found sleeping difficult, the morning were "rough", adding: "I lose approximately 300g each day if I keep my sodium intake constant. I still lost actual fat but you don't see that on the scale because of increased water retention."

The man supplemented the water with vital electrolytes. Credit: d3sign/Getty Images

Of course, if a person is not consuming any food, one might assume that they would stop needing to poop, too.

However, despite not having eaten anything, @maru.eth revealed that he was still producing some excrement almost two weeks after existing on only water.

He explained that his stool was "very long and that there's residue coming out even after 13 days of not eating anything", and on January 17 revealed that he'd had his first poop in 12 days.

He revealed: "need to log this. I just pooped for the first time in 12 days. consistency was not at all what I had expected. regular logs, almost a normal amount of poop as well. where is this coming from? it's crazy how much stuff can still accumulate from the colon..."

Towards the end of the fast, he reported noticing a "serious decline in mental capacity" meaning he could "no longer trust [his] decision-making".

On January 23, he revealed that he was ending his feat early, having dropped an enormous 15kg (33lbs), and now weighing 82.9kg (183lbs) - and vowed never to attempt something so extreme again.

He told his followers: "I'm finally done. 30 days without food, just water.

"I didn't quite reach the 1000 hour mark as I initially planned but I'm still proud I kept at it for so long. I did this to challenge myself and for no other reason! never fasting for so long ever again."

He also revealed that he'd broken his fast with a small bowl of soup, as the body needs time to readjust to eating small portions again, rather than overloading with a large meal in one go.

Needless to say, this is definitely not something anyone should ever emulate as the risks far outweigh any perceived benefits, and the electrolytes in the body must be kept within safe parameters.

The best advice from medical professionals is to maintain a healthy, balanced diet and incorporate exercise into your daily life to ensure you live a long and healthy life.

If you or someone you know is battling an eating disorder, please get in touch with the National Eating Disorders Association's helpline at (800) 931-2237 or visit https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline

Featured image credit: Viktoriya Skorikova/Getty Images