I did something this week that might sound a little extreme. 

I didn’t eat on Wednesday.

Not because I forgot. Not because I was too busy. I chose it. It’s become my new “hump day” ritual … a 36-hour fast that runs from Tuesday afternoon’s meal through Thursday morning’s meal.

For me, it ends up being more like 40ish hours extending the healing benefits while maintaining my normal schedule.

I’ll be real with you … I’ve been doing this long enough that it doesn’t feel dramatic anymore. When those food thoughts pop up mid-Wednesday, I just say, “Not today.” And I keep moving.

But here’s what is dramatic: what’s happening inside my body while I’m doing it.

Your Body Has a Self-Cleaning Cycle … and Most of Us Never Let It Run 

We are so conditioned to eat. Three meals, plus snacks, plus “just a little something” before bed. Our digestive system rarely gets a true rest. And when it never rests … it never gets the chance to repair.

Around the 16-hour mark of a fast, something remarkable begins. Your body, having burned through its stored glucose, flips what researchers call the metabolic switch. It stops running on sugar and starts mobilizing fat … breaking down stored fatty acids from adipose tissue and converting them into ketones for fuel.

Yes. Your body starts burning its own fat stores. 

By hour 24 to 36, this process is in full swing. But the even more fascinating story is happening at the cellular level.

That process is called autophagy. It’s your body’s internal cleanup crew … literally consuming and recycling damaged proteins, worn-out organelles, and cellular debris that accumulate over time. Think of it as a deep purge of everything your cells no longer need.

Research published in Nature and confirmed by multiple peer-reviewed studies has found that autophagy increases by as much as 300% at the 36-hour mark compared to baseline. That is not a small number. And it’s one reason why a single 36-hour fast is so much more powerful than a typical 16:8 fasting window. 

The science on what else shifts during this window is striking:

 Free fatty acids rise significantly as stored body fat is actively mobilized … and not just released, but used

 Human growth hormone can surge dramatically … helping to preserve lean muscle mass during the fast

 Insulin drops to its lowest baseline levels … which improves insulin sensitivity and reduces the metabolic resistance so many midlife women battle

 Inflammation markers begin to decline … and the gut enters what researchers describe as a rest and repair phase

Why This Matters Especially in Midlife 

Here’s what I want you to understand. This isn’t just a trendy fasting protocol. For women navigating hormonal shifts, elevated cortisol, and stubborn belly fat that won’t budge no matter what you try … the 36-hour fast addresses the root.

When we reduce insulin, we reduce the signal to store fat.

When we activate autophagy, we clear cellular damage that contributes to aging, inflammation, and disease.

When we give the nervous system a break  from the constant work of digestion, it gets a chance to shift out of survival mode.

This is not about deprivation. It’s about strategic rest.

Is It Hard? 

Less than you think … especially if you stay busy and you’ve built up to it gradually.

I always recommend starting with consistent 16-hour windows. Next, get comfortable with OMAD … one meal a day. At that point, a full 36-hour fast isn’t much more of a stretch.

If you find that you’re feeling weak, salt and water are your best friends. A pinch of quality mineral salt in your water helps manage any fatigue or headaches as your body adjusts.

The 36-hour fast is actually more sustainable for most people than a 3-day extended fast. It’s one day.

You can do one day. Right?! 

And the benefits? They can last for weeks.

A Simple Framework for Building It In 

If this resonates, here’s how I think about it. The goal isn’t to fast every week forever on a rigid schedule. It’s to introduce variation into your eating pattern … and a 36-hour fast once a week … or even once or twice a month … is a powerful tool in that toolkit. 

The body responds to variety. Rhythm. Cycles. Just like nature.

Inside the StressLess Sanctuary, we look at fasting as one of the nervous system tools available to us … not a punishment, not a crash diet, but a practice that works with your body’s intelligence, not against it.

Because your body already knows how to heal. 

Sometimes we just need to get out of the way … and let it.

 If you’re ready to stop fighting your body and start working with it, come see how we do it inside the StressLess Sanctuary.