Don’t Undo Your Fast: My Post-Fast Playbook

If you are doing the 3-Day Water (& strategic ingredients) Fasting Challenge with Gary Brecka and me, then read and save this post so you know exactly how to transition post-fast. 

However, no matter the type of fasting you are doing/just finished, you’ve given your body a chance to reset, repair, and ignite fat-burning at the cellular level.

But here’s the truth most people miss: what you do AFTER the fast is just as important as the fast itself.

The week following your fast can either LOCK IN the healing benefits…or undo them.

Why the Next 7 Days Matter Most

After fasting, your gut lining is extra sensitive, and your metabolism has shifted into repair mode. Refeeding too quickly—especially with the toxic foods—can cause:

• Bloating, cramping, and fatigue
• Gut disruption and inflammation
• Lost fat-burning and repair benefits

But when you reintroduce food strategically, you:

• Protect your gut and extend autophagy (cellular repair)
• Lock in fat-burning and steady energy
• Maintain mental clarity and focus

Think of it like this: your fast is the spark, but the way you refeed is what keeps the fire burning.

The #1 Benefit of Fasting: Autophagy

The main benefit of fasting isn’t just weight loss—it’s autophagy. This is your body’s built-in “detox and repair” system. During autophagy, your body:

• Clears out cancerous and precancerous cells
• Breaks down and recycles damaged or misfolded proteins
• Removes problem cells that drain energy and cause inflammation
• Creates clean energy by recycling cellular “trash”
  
  

This is why people feel lighter, sharper, and clearer after fasting. You’ve literally dumped the garbage that was cluttering your cells.

So let’s keep that GOING because this is what creates longevity, vitality, and optimal health!

Keep the Clarity: Protect Your Gut-Brain Connection

One of the most surprising benefits people report after fasting is clearer thinking—no more brain fog, anxiety, scattered focus, or ADHD-like symptoms. Why? Because fasting restores gut-brain signaling.

When your gut is inflamed and overloaded, it creates “static” in the communication between your gut and brain. But fasting calms that storm, creating clear communication—focus, clarity, and mental sharpness.

In today’s crazy world, that’s the best gift you can give yourself and your family. 

How to Keep It Going

• 
  Take Omega-3s Daily: Acid-Kicking Omega-3 protects the brain, reduces inflammation, and sustains mental clarity post-fast.
  
  
• Biohack Your Gut-Brain Axis: Use these brain-gut health biohacks to keep your mind sharp and prevent the brain fog from creeping back in.
  
  
• Stay Alkaline: Keep processed sugar and foods out of your diet, at least 80% of the time (I’m a realistic man!). Every acidic bite is like throwing mud back onto your newly cleaned windshield.

Day 1: Gentle Refeeding

Your digestive system has been on vacation, so that your body can do the intensive work of repairing itself. Day 1 is about soft landings only—nourishing, simple, alkaline-rich foods that won’t overwhelm your gut.

Choose any of these light, healing options:

• Bowl of mineral and electrolyte-focused bone broth. (Try my homemade recipe)
• Intensely nutritional smoothies that include Acid-Kicking Plant-Based Protein. (Here are some options)
• Healing soups. (Try these recipes)
• Go wild with your own trail mix. Think: Brazil nuts, cashews, goji berries, shredded coconut, cacao nibs, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.
• Drink Acid-Kicking Minerals and Acid-Kicking Greens (today, and every single day!)

Days 2–3: Add Light, Clean Meals, And Transition into Intermittent Fasting

Now you can layer in more substantial meals, still focused on alkalinity and simplicity. Think:

• Powerfully healing breakfast options: (Try my Chia Warrior Breakfast and Breakfast Buddha Bowl)
• Continue the healthy fats and nutrition through lunch and dinner: (Try Chelsea’s Gut-Loving Teriyaki recipe and our Busy Night: Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Veggies)
• For more ideas (Chelsea has been creating magic in the kitchen lately!), check out all of our latest gut-healing recipes. 

Transition to Intermittent Fasting (IF)

By now, your body is humming along in repair mode. This is the PERFECT time to slide into intermittent fasting (IF)—eating within an 8-hour window (like 11am – 7pm) and fasting the other 16—or whatever time frame works for you.

If you have never done intermittent fasting, you can start with fasting from dinner to breakfast, and then slowly extend your fasting window. 

IF extends the autophagy you triggered during the fast, keeps inflammation low, and helps your body lock in fat-burning as your new normal.

Tools That Protect Your Gut and Brain

Remember that most supplements don’t break your fast—or your post-fast progress. Take these daily to protect your gut, elevate and extend repair, and keep your energy and mental clarity steady:

• Acid-Kicking Daily Greens: Flood your body with alkaline nutrition and extend the repair benefits.
  
  
• Acid-Kicking Daily Minerals: Optimize electrolytes, reduce fatigue, and support deep sleep.
  
  
• Acid-Kicking Coffee Alkalizer: If you’re drinking coffee (organic, black, and NO added ingredients), this is a MUST to neutralize acidity and keep you in repair mode.
  
  
• Daily Omega-3: Lock in the mental clarity benefits and keep your brain firing on all cylinders.

Pro Tips for the Post-Fast Week

• Chew slowly. Digestion starts in the mouth—help your gut by taking your time.
• Hydrate first. Begin meals with filtered water or broth to ease digestion.
• Stay alkaline. Fill your plate with vegetables, healthy fats, and clean proteins.
• Listen to your body. Eat until satisfied, not stuffed.
• Sleep and move. Exercise and quality sleep extend healing benefits.

You’ve done the hard part—completing your fast. Now comes the smart part: refeeding in a way that protects your gut, locks in fat-burning, and sustains your new energy and clarity.

Take the next week as seriously as the fast itself, and you’ll transform a 3-day reset into a lifelong upgrade.

You got this!