One Year FastOne Year Fast

Week 7

August 2 – August 8, 2026 · Days 43–49 · 7 entries

Days 43–49 of the One Year Fast project, written up day by day: three full fasting days in the week, what happened on each of them, and the weight, blood pressure and ketone readings recorded on those dates. Every figure shown here is measured on the day, not reconstructed later.

Day 43 · Sunday, August 2, 2026

Day 43 — Medjugorje Miracles & MIT's "Jerusalem 2050'

Welcome to Day 43 of my One Year Fast. Reaching this milestone continues to bring new clarity and perspective to my daily reflections.

In today's video, I take a shift in focus to discuss two seemingly disparate, yet deeply impactful topics: the spiritual phenomenon of Medjugorje in Bosnia, and the visionary MIT competition, "Jerusalem 2050."

I examine the history surrounding Medjugorje, a place of reported apparitions, and explore the entry of the "Abrahamic Peace Centre" in the MIT Jerusalem 2050 competition.

  • Medjugorje: Last week's act of vandalism.
  • Jerusalem 2050: Design for Peace: MIT's competition inviting the world to rethink the future of the holy city as a just, sustainable, and shared space.
  • The Intersections: Finding common threads of hope, vision, and human connection within both a spiritual apparition site and a secular urban design challenge.

Day 44 · Monday, August 3, 2026

Day 44 — US vs UK Supermarkets — Additives, Organic Quality & Vegetarian Foods

Welcome to Day 44 of my One Year Fast. In today’s episode, I look into the differences between shopping in US and UK supermarkets, specifically focusing on food regulation, ingredient additives, and the availability of organic vegetarian options.

While fasting gives the body a break from digesting processed ingredients, re-entering eating windows requires careful attention to what goes into our food. We contrast the US food ecosystem—where additive regulations are often more permissive—with the UK's stricter regulatory frameworks around preservatives, artificial dyes, and ultra-processed ingredients.

  • US vs UK Grocery Stores: General differences in layout, product availability, and food standards.
  • Loosely vs Highly Regulated Additives: How regulatory approaches impact what ends up on store shelves.
  • Organic & Vegetarian Options: Navigating plant-based and organic food choices across both markets.

Day 45 · Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Day 45 — Barefoot vs. Footwear. NOHARM Vegan shoes. When to start a 6 Day Fast?

Welcome to Day 45 of my One Year Fast. In today’s episode, we discuss a personal paradox that highlights my ongoing journey toward mindful and ethical living: the contradiction between "earthing" (barefoot walking) and NOHARM (noharm.com), the world's first men's vegan designer footwear brand.

While grounding connects us directly with nature and physical health, human life in modern environments often requires protective footwear. NOHARM was far more than a commercial business—it was a mission-driven campaign to prove that high-end fashion, quality, and craftsmanship could exist without compromising animal welfare or environmental integrity.

Mission vs. Business: How ethical initiatives balance practical everyday needs with core personal values.

  • Discuss Earthing: Exploring the physiological and psychological benefits of walking barefoot outdoors.
  • The Genesis of NOHARM: the world's first vegan designer footwear brand for men.
  • Finding Balance: Bridging the gap between living naturally and operating in a modern, conscious world.

Day 46 · Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Day 46 — Nikola Tesla on Fasting — Energy, Bioelectricity & The Human Engine

Welcome to Day 46 of my One Year Fast. In today's episode, I look into the remarkable bio-energetic philosophy of Nikola Tesla and how his views on consumption, electricity, and human performance align with my year-long fasting project.

Tesla viewed the human body strictly as a biological machine—an energy engine that performs best when freed from the heavy metabolic burden of constant overeating. When we fast, we stop diverting massive amounts of electrical and metabolic bandwidth toward digestion, allowing our system to recharge cellular voltage, trigger autophagy, and repair mitochondrial power units.

  • The Human Body as an "Energy Engine": Why Tesla argued that overeating causes unnecessary fatigue, brain fog, and systemic drag.
  • Bioelectricity & Mitochondrial Power: How cellular membranes act as batteries and how fasting optimizes cellular voltage and ATP production.
  • Autophagy & Cellular Renewal: Clearing out damaged cellular debris to unlock deep mental clarity and peak physiological efficiency.
  • Tesla’s Worldview & Modern Fasting: Bringing timeless energetic principles into a structured 3-day-a-week fasting protocol.

Day 47 · Thursday, August 6, 2026

Day 47 — Not in Ketosis After 20 Hours? Using a breath based Ketone Reader

Welcome to Day 47 of my One Year Fast. In today’s video, I test out my new breath-based ketone reader. After completing a 20-hour fast, I blew into the device expecting to see clear evidence of fat adaptation and ketone production—only to be met with a reading showing I’m not in ketosis!

Breath ketone analyzers measure acetone (a byproduct of acetoacetate), which can behave differently than blood ketones depending on your hydration, breathing technique, or metabolic state. Rather than writing off the result, I'm putting the device to a deeper test: I’ll check in again at approximately the 44-hour mark of my fast to see if breath acetone levels finally register.

Breath vs. Blood vs. Urine Ketone Testing: Understanding how breath acetone differs from blood beta-hydroxybutyrate.

  • First Impressions of the Breath Ketone Reader: How the device works and why I decided to add it to my tracking toolkit.
  • The 20-Hour Surprising Result: Why a low reading occurs and what might be happening metabolically.
  • The 44-Hour Fast Strategy: What I expect to see as glycogen stores deplete further and deep fasting mechanisms kick in.

Day 48 · Friday, August 7, 2026

Day 48 — Fasting, Copper Water Benefits & The 25,550-Day Reality Check

Welcome to Day 48 of my One Year Fast. In today’s episode, I look into two powerful themes that intersect during a fasting journey: the ancient practice of drinking water stored in copper cups (Tamra Jal) and the sobering perspective of human longevity.

When you fast, hydration quality becomes paramount. Storing water in pure copper vessels is an ancient Ayurvedic practice supported by modern research into copper's natural antimicrobial properties, trace mineral benefits, and role in cellular energy function.

  • I also share a striking perspective on time: an average lifespan of 70 years equals just 25,550 days. Realizing how finite our time is brings longevity, biological optimization, and intentional living into sharp focus.
  • Fasting & Copper Vessels: How copper-infused water may support digestion, immunity, and trace mineral balance during fasts.
  • The Antimicrobial Power of Copper: Exploring the science behind copper's natural purifying capabilities.
  • The 25,550-Day Reality Check: Why quantifying life in days changes your approach to health and longevity.
  • Intentional Hydration: Making every day and every habit count during an extended fasting protocol.

Day 49 · Saturday, August 8, 2026

Day 49 — How Human Growth Hormone (HGH) Surges During Fasting

Welcome to Day 49 of my One Year Fast. In today’s episode, I tackle one of the most persistent myths in fitness and health: the belief that fasting inevitably causes your body to burn through hard-earned muscle tissue.

In reality, human physiology is far smarter than that. When food becomes scarce, insulin plummets and your body unleashes a powerful hormonal shift—specifically a dramatic surge in Human Growth Hormone (HGH). As liver glycogen depletes, HGH elevates up to 2–3 fold at 24 hours, and up to a massive 5-fold increase at 48 hours.

This anti-catabolic shield forces your body to burn stored fat for fuel while actively defending lean muscle mass, aiding tissue regeneration, and protecting against sarcopenia as we age.

3 Ways HGH Protects Your Body: Preserving lean muscle, mobilizing stored body fat, and supporting joint and collagen maintenance.

Hormonal Optimization vs. Wasting: How short-to-moderate fasts optimize your endocrinology for strength and longevity.

  • The HGH Timeline: How fast HGH spikes from 12 hours up to 48 hours of fasting.
  • Fasting, Strength Training & Sarcopenia: Why pairing resistance training with fasting windows keeps muscle preservation signals high.

Readings shown on each entry come straight from the health dashboard data logged on that date. The exact procedure, device and known limitations behind each measurement are documented on the methodology pages. For definitions of any term used above, see the fasting dictionary.

Written by Alfie Hammersham — founder of One Year Fast, who is fasting three full days a week for 52 consecutive weeks and publishing every biomarker openly. Not a doctor; every physiological claim on this site is referenced to published research, and lived experience is labelled as such.

Physiological claims on this page are cited to peer-reviewed studies; first-hand readings come from one subject and are labelled as personal experience. See the editorial & sourcing policy for how this is written, reviewed and corrected.

About the author · Editorial policy · Corrections & contact · Medical disclaimer