Painfully Honest Truth: Healthy Living Without Food — My 24-Hour Fast Gone Wrong

Before starting a health journey, ask yourself: Do you have food? Discover the eye-opening experience behind trying healthy living without food and the lessons no influencer tells you.

The Illusion of Health Trends

In the age of #FitnessGoals and intermittent fasting challenges, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that the next health trend is your breakthrough. You scroll through Instagram, see someone glowing after a 72-hour fast, and think, I can do that too. But here’s a little truth no one tells you: before you do anything healthy, ensure you have food.

Sounds obvious, right? You’d be surprised how many people, like myself, ignore that little detail.

The First Question Before Any Wellness Journey — Do You Have Food?

This isn’t about eating clean, going keto, or meal-prepping your way into an aesthetic. It’s about having food. Period. How are you attempting 24-hour water fast when you’re breaking it with garri and no milk?

Healthy living is not a luxury trend. It’s rooted in physical, mental, and financial stability. Without that foundation, your wellness journey becomes a slippery slope of burnout disguised as discipline.

The Social Pressure to Push Limits: Influencers, Doctors & Inner Voices

We’ve all heard it:

• “You just need to push your limits.”
• “Discipline equals freedom.”
• “You don’t know what your body can do until you try.”

It’s seductive, especially when fitfluencers and wellness gurus package it. But they don’t show what happens when you push on an empty stomach.

And if you’re like me, you might also have that teeny, weeny voice in your head cheering you on like a motivational speaker on steroids.

Monday Begins: Jogging 7 km on an Empty Tank.

It all started with a spark of motivation. I decided to do a 24-hour water fast purely for physical and spiritual enlightenment. Monday morning, I laced up and jogged 7 kilometers, feeling like a monk warrior on a quest.

By noon, I was hungry but focused. By evening, I was meditative. There was a strange stillness, almost euphoric.

I may have unlocked the third eye. Or maybe it was just mild hypoglycemia — who knows?

Water became my best friend, my anchor, my illusion of nourishment. I sipped it like an elixir, convincing myself I was thriving.

Tuesday Morning: A Full Crash Course in Starvation

The following day, I decided to keep the momentum going. I went for another jog. Why not? Healthy living, right?

I hadn’t even reached Blenco along Addo Road when reality hit. The headlamps of oncoming vehicles suddenly looked like vintage Elizabethan chandeliers — blurry and floating. I stopped.

Took a breath.

Blinked.

Nope, still spinning.

When Your Body Sends You the Final Memo

I turned around, half-ran, half-jogged back to Ajah Bridge, where those women come early from their farms. I bought some waterleaf and ugu.

See!! My soul felt like it was packing its bags.

Thank heavens, I had 3k in my account. I bought Waterleaf 500, Ugu 500, Smoked Panla 1k, and Iru 500; good thing I had garri and little oil at home.

I don’t think I’ve ever been so close to crying — not from pain, but from pure hunger.

I was going full blast with eba and vegetable soup that morning because na wetin sef?

AHHH!!

And here’s the punchline. After 24 hours of self-imposed starvation, my first “meal” was sipping garri—bare, unadulterated garri.

It was poetic.

A metaphor for how we jump into health routines without the basic resources to support them.

Your body isn’t a clone of that influencer or that YouTuber.

What worked for them might send you into a daze. Personalized health is actual health.

You Can’t Biohack Hunger — You’re Not a Robot

You can intermittent fast, ketogenic your way to ketosis, or drink celery juice till the cows come home. But you still need calories. No amount of mental strength can override biological needs indefinitely.

Yes, there are real benefits: improved insulin sensitivity, mental clarity, and cellular repair. But it only works with proper prep, hydration, and nutrient-dense food before and after.

Dangers of Extreme Fasting Without Preparation

Unsupervised fasting can lead to:

• Electrolyte imbalance
• Muscle loss
• Dizziness, fainting, or, in my case, existential hallucinations

It’s not about being weak. It’s about being wise. Social media can’t feel your hunger pangs or dizziness. Your body is always the better influencer. Trust it.

Real Healthy Living Starts With Food Security

You can’t start a journey of wellness when your pantry is empty. Eating is not laziness; it’s survival. Build from there.

Before doing anything drastic, ask: What’s in my kitchen? If it’s only garri, postpone that 3-day detox.

You Need Food Before You Need Fitness

Healthy living isn’t about how far you can push your limits but how well you care for yourself. And that begins not with a water bottle or a yoga mat but with food on your plate.