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_(Originally published on_ [_my newsletter_](http://www.leade.rs/loicnewsletter) _— here are_ [_previous ones_](https://medium.com/@loic/loic-s-new-startup-newsletters-858fa634d270#.ema799prr)_)_

As you know, I love experiments, especially with myself.

Last week, I wrote about [Wim Hof, the Ice-Man](https://medium.com/@loic/meeting-the-superhuman-ice-man-10db05203cd8#.8spm2sor0), and he told me he ate only once a day. I did some research on intermittent fasting and found [only](http://www.allaboutfasting.com/benefits-of-fasting.html) [benefits](http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-benefits-of-fasting-that-will-surprise-you.html).

Scientific research finds that [fasting can regenerate your immune system in only 3 days](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/03/12/fasting-for-three-days-can-regenerate-entire-immune-system-study/). Yoshinori Ohsumi just won the Nobel Prize for his studies on “autophagy.” He found that [cells regenerate entirely and destroy invading viruses and bacteria during starvation](http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/10/04/science/yoshinori-ohsumi-nobel-prize-medicine.html?referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F). It can help fight cancer, infectious diseases, immunological diseases, neurodegenerative disorders and aging.

I decided to try intermittent fasting and just gave up eating anything except dinners.

I was quite hungry the first two days. I was a little grumpy, too. I had some troubles to focus my brain in the afternoon. Then the third day my body got used to it and no signs of hunger so I did it for 6 days in a row. I felt fantastic and lost quite a bit of weight. I lost mostly water, I know.

More friends told me I should do a real fast, so I tried that too.

I just fasted for 72 hours in a row! I had no idea I could even do that. Thanks to the 6 days of intermittent fasting, my body got used to it. I ate nothing and only drank water for 3 days. I felt very clear and light. I’m back to eating dinner only again. I don’t seem to need breakfast or lunch anymore.

I lost 6kg (about 13 lbs) in 8 days. Those can come back fast.

I remember when I did my [10 day silent meditation](https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/about/vipassana) retreat we only had one meal per day and it was great for keeping your mind and body quiet. I really want to do another of those retreats.

Speaking about experiments, exactly one year ago I began this experiment with [my very first newsletter](https://medium.com/@loic/email-1-the-space-i-m-working-in-293eb6336b0f#.swi6azhyy). I wrote [32 emails](https://medium.com/@loic/loic-s-new-startup-newsletters-858fa634d270#.uwixu77rq) in one year. I had no idea I would write today for 20,000 people with an open rate of about 35%. Thank you for following me.

I wish I would have started earlier. This email is now my primary way of communicating with my friends and my community.

I thought email was dead and everything was going to move to social networks. It’s amazing how much I was wrong. When I give a talk to students the first advice I share is to start a newsletter.

I started this newsletter to share how I am building my new startup but it’s become much more for me. It’s become somehow my public diary with the feedback of many friends. It forces me to stop every week or so and reflect on what I have done, what I am doing and what I am planning to do.

P.S. Let me know if you had good experiences fasting, why don’t you leave a comment on my post? You can also just hit reply.

P.P.S. We have some room at our [Mindfulness and Meditation event in San Francisco on Dec 6th](http://events.leade.rs/) and switched our [April 11–12 Leade.rs Paris event to invite only](http://www.paris.leade.rs/#about-1). Let me know if you want invite.

Thanks!

Loic

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I’m fasting to prevent cancer and be healthier

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