How long can you survive without food?

[anotherlife]

Usually it is taught that people can survive without food for 3 weeks. But is most texts, where extreme fasting almost starvation is described, it is always 40 days. So, how long can humans survive without food?

For e ample Jesus went without food in the desert for 40 days. Buddha too fasted for 40 days before he got his grain of rice to save him. And I think Mohamed has a 40 day fasting scripture too. So what is the real number?

How long can people survive without food?

 

[occupied]

Seems like something that would be dependent on many factors. People can starve to death much faster if they are having to work or endure cold weather. Much slower if they are fat and can avoid activity.

 

[westwall]

Seems like something that would be dependent on many factors. People can starve to death much faster if they are having to work or endure cold weather. Much slower if they are fat and can avoid activity.

Exactly. The biggest determiner of life expectancy in survival situations is ready access to clean water. If you have that you can stretch out the lack of food for quite a while so long as there is little physical exertion. Given optimal conditions it is probably 40 days. But optimal conditions is going to be pretty rare.

 

[CarlinAnnArbor]

Usually it is taught that people can survive without food for 3 weeks. But is most texts, where extreme fasting almost starvation is described, it is always 40 days. So, how long can humans survive without food?

For e ample Jesus went without food in the desert for 40 days. Buddha too fasted for 40 days before he got his grain of rice to save him. And I think Mohamed has a 40 day fasting scripture too. So what is the real number?

How long can people survive without food?

Would depend greatly on your physical health before going in.

I believe 40 days is probably the limit for the most healthy, while 2 weeks would probably kill most of us, and permanent internal organ damage would occur in most of us.

The 40 day fast seems to lead to a spiritual awakening but I'm not willing to go that far. I've fasted 7 days once and it does get easier after the 3rd or 4th day. Toxins seem to start coming out after the 3rd day and you feel like you're gonna die. By the 7th day I actually felt GREAT. I felt "clean" inside and light and energetic.

I havent fasted in decades, but I can remember vividly how good it felt.

 

[Unkotare]

A better question is how long would you want to? After about a week and a half your attitude gets pretty grim.

 

[miketx]

A better question is how long would you want to? After about a week and a half your attitude gets pretty grim.

I think that most people would keep trying to survive and hope they would eventually make it.

 

[JGalt]

3 hours. Sooner if I see a KFC commercial on the TV.

 

[occupied]

Seems like something that would be dependent on many factors. People can starve to death much faster if they are having to work or endure cold weather. Much slower if they are fat and can avoid activity.

Exactly. The biggest determiner of life expectancy in survival situations is ready access to clean water. If you have that you can stretch out the lack of food for quite a while so long as there is little physical exertion. Given optimal conditions it is probably 40 days. But optimal conditions is going to be pretty rare.

People have endured starvation far longer than 40 days. OP is also asking about the religious fast. That has never involved totally abstaining from food no matter what anyone says. When the ancients used to say something lasted 40 days they were really just saying something took a long time. It was about how long it took to be given up for dead in a world where hardly anyone ever traveled more than 25 miles from their home.

 

[Unkotare]

A better question is how long would you want to? After about a week and a half your attitude gets pretty grim.

I think that most people would keep trying to survive and hope they would eventually make it.

Or hope the fat guy next to them didn't.

 

[ClaireH]

Usually it is taught that people can survive without food for 3 weeks. But is most texts, where extreme fasting almost starvation is described, it is always 40 days. So, how long can humans survive without food?

For e ample Jesus went without food in the desert for 40 days. Buddha too fasted for 40 days before he got his grain of rice to save him. And I think Mohamed has a 40 day fasting scripture too. So what is the real number?

How long can people survive without food?

Those Breathaterians are a pretty wild lot with their living on air alone attempts...key word attempts.
Not something I'd ever want to try out on purpose or otherwise.

People doing this stuff on purpose: "The 65-year-old, originally from Birmingham in the UK, has been consuming just water and "one, maybe two cups of tea a day" for the past 41 days, losing 30lbs in the process. Other people have previously claimed to be able to survive without food and and water, although no one has ever proven it to be possible and some have died attempting it."

"In 2003 American illusionist David Blaine survived 44 days in a glass box without food, while last year a Swedish man claimed to have survived two months in his car eating just handfuls of snow."

Living on light: woman attempts to prove humans can live without food

A 65-year-old Seattle woman is attempting to go 100 days on just water, shunning all medical advice in the process

www.theguardian.com

 

[JGalt]

Seems like something that would be dependent on many factors. People can starve to death much faster if they are having to work or endure cold weather. Much slower if they are fat and can avoid activity.

Exactly. The biggest determiner of life expectancy in survival situations is ready access to clean water. If you have that you can stretch out the lack of food for quite a while so long as there is little physical exertion. Given optimal conditions it is probably 40 days. But optimal conditions is going to be pretty rare.

People have endured starvation far longer than 40 days. OP is also asking about the religious fast. That has never involved totally abstaining from food no matter what anyone says. When the ancients used to say something lasted 40 days they were really just saying something took a long time. It was about how long it took to be given up for dead in a world where hardly anyone ever traveled more than 25 miles from their home.

That's true. In ancient times, their days were only three hours long. So 40 days was actually 5 days or something like that.

I could go five days without food, until I saw a Wendy's commercial. Then I'd probably gnaw someone's foot off.

 

[occupied]

Seems like something that would be dependent on many factors. People can starve to death much faster if they are having to work or endure cold weather. Much slower if they are fat and can avoid activity.

Exactly. The biggest determiner of life expectancy in survival situations is ready access to clean water. If you have that you can stretch out the lack of food for quite a while so long as there is little physical exertion. Given optimal conditions it is probably 40 days. But optimal conditions is going to be pretty rare.

People have endured starvation far longer than 40 days. OP is also asking about the religious fast. That has never involved totally abstaining from food no matter what anyone says. When the ancients used to say something lasted 40 days they were really just saying something took a long time. It was about how long it took to be given up for dead in a world where hardly anyone ever traveled more than 25 miles from their home.

That's true. In ancient times, their days were only three hours long. So 40 days was actually 5 days or something like that.

I could go five days without food, until I saw a Wendy's commercial. Then I'd probably gnaw someone's foot off.

Do what??

 

[Lastamender]

A better question is how long would you want to? After about a week and a half your attitude gets pretty grim.

You are not talking about giving up. are you?

 

[toobfreak]

Usually it is taught that people can survive without food for 3 weeks. But is most texts, where extreme fasting almost starvation is described, it is always 40 days. So, how long can humans survive without food?

For e ample Jesus went without food in the desert for 40 days. Buddha too fasted for 40 days before he got his grain of rice to save him. And I think Mohamed has a 40 day fasting scripture too. So what is the real number?

How long can people survive without food?

Depends on the circumstances and the health of the individual.

Prof. Arnold Ahret, who was an expert in health and fasting is said to have once fasted for 105 days.

Arnold Ehret - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

.

 

[Unkotare]

I've done a week or so while training just about as hard as it's possible to, usually wearing plastics, and spending 1-2 hours in a sauna - several times a month for years. It makes you...cranky.

 

[Unkotare]

A better question is how long would you want to? After about a week and a half your attitude gets pretty grim.

You are not talking about giving up. are you?

I'm talking about getting irritated.

 

[toobfreak]

Exactly. The biggest determiner of life expectancy in survival situations is ready access to clean water.

I could go five days without food, until I saw a Wendy's commercial. Then I'd probably gnaw someone's foot off.

 

[JGalt]

Exactly. The biggest determiner of life expectancy in survival situations is ready access to clean water.

I could go five days without food, until I saw a Wendy's commercial. Then I'd probably gnaw someone's foot off.

View attachment 462484View attachment 462485

Dammit!

 

[skye]

I don't know how long. I have never tried.

 

[JGalt]

I don't know how long. I have never tried.

Don't try it. It just makes you hungry and grumpy.