water fasting
/ˈwɔː.tər ˈfɑː.stɪŋ/
CommonA fast where only water is consumed, lasting anywhere from 24 hours to multiple days.
Extended water fasts (72 hours or more) carry real medical risk and the online communities around them range from medically informed to dangerously reckless.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 72 hour water fast done. first solid food in 3 days hit different | After 72 hours of only water, the first meal was notably satisfying. | reddit, 2024 |
| 02 | day 2 of water fasting and i have transcended hunger | The intense hunger of day one has passed into a strange calm state. | x, 2023 |
| 03 | please refeed correctly after a water fast. i made that mistake once | A warning based on personal experience with improper refeeding. | |
| 04 | 5 day water fast lost 9 lbs but gained 4 back in the first week. mostly water weight | Short-term weight loss from a water fast is largely water, not fat. |
Use it when
- Describing a complete food fast where only water is consumed.
- Discussing extended fasting of 24 hours or longer.
- Referring to water fasting as a weight or health intervention.
Do not use it when
- You mean intermittent fasting with a normal eating window.Use “intermittent-fasting” instead.
- You mean a juice or liquid diet.Use “juice-cleanse” instead.
- You mean dry fasting, where no water is consumed either.Use “dry-fasting” instead.
Water fasting vs dry fasting
water fasting
Water fasting allows unlimited water, nothing else.
VS
dry-fasting
Dry fasting eliminates all liquid including water.
Origin and context
A practice with ancient and religious roots that became a modern wellness trend through online communities, particularly Reddit's r/WaterFasting, starting around 2016.
- First seen
- 2016
- Confidence
- low
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/water-fastingUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0