The first time Mercy Ndichu heard about water fasting, where one drinks only water and avoids solid foods to lose weight, it was in 2020. She had been inactive for about eight months, and her body felt heavier than it should.
When she stepped on a weighing scale and saw 74 kilograms staring back at her, panic set in.
“I bought a skipping rope and would do even up to 1,500 reps (repetitions) a day,” she recalls. “But my calves and knees were not having it.”
In search of a more sustainable way, she got in touch with a friend who fasted regularly for religious reasons.
Mercy Ndichu during an interview at Nation Centre, Nairobi on January 7, 2026.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
Years later, Mercy has attempted the fast, four times.
Her first attempt was overly ambitious and poorly-planned, seeing her going into a 72-hour fast, a day after discovering the concept.
“I drank so much water, I practically lived in the toilet for short calls for the first 24 hours,” she says, laughing.
“I tried to push the fasting to last longer, but I was starving and ended up waking up at 2am to make pancakes.”
A little guilty of the slip-up, she promised herself to try again. Seven months later, she did, this time lasting 36 hours, still short of her 72-hour goal.
The third attempt, however, was different.
“By then, I’d read more about it, started going to the gym, and changed my diet,” she says. “I also wasn’t surrounded by many people, so I had a real shot.”
She reduced how much water she drank, flavouring it lightly with herbs or slices of lemon and cucumber, and only drank when hunger arose and after waking up in the morning.
The first day passed quietly, but on day two, her hunger peaked, followed by shivers.
“My father used to say that warmth comes from the stomach, but my stomach was empty,” she recounts.
“My skin was lighter, I had some mental clarity and was generally feeling internally clean and refreshed, but I was so cold.”
Sleepless, she only managed a couple of hours out of exhaustion, but woke up renewed.
“I was feeling good,” she says. “I wasn’t hungry anymore, and my body looked toned. I even went for a mountain hike.”
The experience, she says, was like being born again - not spiritually, physically.
Emboldened by this victory, she endeavoured to fast again, which she successfully did from December 31, 2025, to January 3, 2026.
Water fasting for weight loss
Initially drawn to water fasting for weight loss, Mercy is careful to emphasise that weight lost during the fast often rebounds quickly if one does not totally change their lifestyle habits.
“I lost four to six kilos the first time, but I gained about six to eight kilos days after it was done,” she says.
“I learnt from my first two attempts, and now I know that a water fast cannot work on its own for weight loss. You have to blend it with your lifestyle and diet.”
Which is what she did in her latest attempt, and ended up dropping from 64kg to 58kg.
“I run a tight regime now,” she says. “Along with consistent workouts, there are foods I only allow myself a few times in a year, and others I no longer eat at all; that’s basically anything I can’t grow or cook in five to ten minutes.”
Beyond the weighing scale, Mercy lists other benefits she attributes to fasting, carefully framing them as personal experience, not medical fact.
Her cravings disappeared. Her skin, hair and nails appear healthier. Years of digestive discomfort have eased. And mentally, she feels more focused and disciplined.
“Discipline with food spilled into everything else,” she says. “My goals, routines, work — everything.”
She also credits fasting with helping her recover from disordered eating habits, saying it forced her to confront how food affected her emotionally and physically.
Still, Mercy is firm that water fasting is not for everyone.
“If you have diabetes, underlying medical conditions, or a job that requires constant physical energy, don’t try it,” she warns. “And don’t do it without planning. Every time I failed, it was because I hadn’t planned.”
For the curious, she recommends a small start: 12, 18 or 24 hours, and seeking medical advice if unsure.
Today, water fasting is no longer a weight-loss hack for her, but an annual reset she schedules between late December and early January.
Water-fasting involves restricting intake to water alone from 24 hours to several days.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
Moses Gathogo, an actor and digital creator, is another Kenyan who has seen its gains, but more mental than physical.
“I stumbled onto water fasting in April last year when I was looking for a big self-development challenge,” he says. “I felt like I needed a reset in my life.”
Fired up from watching a YouTube video, he jumped into a 48-hour fast.
“I got through it without folding, but that was the only win,” he admits. “It was painful. I was cold and shaking, and just wanted to eat.”
His second attempt, also 48 hours, was more intentional.
“I isolated myself, added a little salt to my water, and approached it as a meditation,” he says. “I could actually feel my body reset.”
During our interview, Moses was on the second day of his third fast, a 72-hour one.
“My body is weak,” he says. “But I’ve gone this far before. I want to see the difference at 72.”
A fasting day for him means pausing workouts, limiting social interactions, and sipping from a five-litre water bottle when necessary.
“The first day is chilled,” he says. “You’ll feel hungry because your body is used to being fed, but by day two, it's bearable. It’s like you become a different person with no interest in food.”
While weight loss is visible during the fast, he says the deeper transformation is mental.
“Fasting changes your brain chemistry,” he reveals. “I had serious brain fog coming into 2026, which is why I wanted to do this fast and clear it.”
He also describes it as a dopamine reset, making everyday experiences feel pleasurable again, and addictive tendencies easier to manage.
“Everyone else keeps living normally,” he laments. “And then there’s the body weakness, and the knowledge that you can end the suffering with a single bite.”
Before fasting, Moses gradually reduces meals to one a day, and breaks his fast with soups, proteins, and fruits.
“Carbs (carbohydrates) are heavy, so it’s advisable to avoid them, but age matters too,” he says. “The older you are, the gentler you need to be when reintroducing food.”
From the experience, he says he has gained resilience, mental clarity, healthier skin, a calmer gut, and an adaptable body.
Dennis Githu, known in his circles as ‘the cycling rasta’, came into water fasting in search of mental, physical, and spiritual clarity.
“I heard about it through wellness conversations in my cycling and creative circles, and later from reading about ancestral and spiritual cleansing practices,” he says.
“Cycling teaches you to listen to your body, and sometimes I feel the urge to strip everything back to basics.”
Over the years, he has completed several 24 to 72 hour fasts, intentionally keeping them short. “It is about alignment, not punishment,” he says.
His fasting days involve taking two to three litres of water, gentle walks, stretching, journalling, meditation, and minimal social stimulation.
“I sip plain water consistently throughout the day, listening to thirst rather than forcing volume,” he says.
His process begins with hunger waves and low energy, before giving way to lightness and mental stillness. The real battle for him is the social and habitual side of eating.
Dennis Githu, also known as the cycling rasta, practices water fasting for mental, physical, and spiritual clarity.
Photo credit: Pool
His benefits are similar to the others, but he also adds that fasting reminds him that he doesn’t need excessive food to function well.
Negatively, he has experienced fatigue, dizziness, and irritability, but only when preparation has been poor or when he has ignored his body’s warning signs.
“Preparation starts days before, with lighter meals, more hydration, less sugar, and caffeine,” he notes. “While breaking the fast comes slowly, with clean foods, small portions, and patience. Rushing back is a mistake.”
Framing fasting as a tool, he urges caution.
“Wellness is personal; what works for me may not work for you, so I recommend awareness before action,” he says. “If you feel called to it, do some research, start small, and listen to your body.”
For Sharon Oballa, owner of Urgent Top Cleaners, water fasting is deeply spiritual.
“I’ve been living a fasting life for about four years,” she says. “I had done other Biblical fasts - Esther, Daniel, Ezra - but I felt the urge to go to the next level.”
Daniel fast is where a person removes certain foods from their diet, especially the ones they crave most. Therefore, one can eat fruits and vegetables.
Esther’s fast is referred to as a dry fast, no water or anything else. The "Ezra fast" is often modelled after the Daniel Fast, which involves abstaining from specific foods.
That next level for Sharon was a water-only fast, inspired by the biblical account of Jesus’ 40-day fast. Since then, Sharon has completed two 40-day water fasts, after an earlier 21-day one, all of them, she notes with pride, without cheating even once.
Water-fasting involves restricting intake to water alone from 24 hours to several days.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
Not much changes in her life during her fasts. She continues working and interacting with her family, drinks up to five liters of water in a day with added electrolytes, and devotes time to prayer and scripture.
“My work isn’t physically demanding. It mainly consists of parcelling items and co-ordinating cleaning staff,” she says. “If you do hard labour, it won’t be easy.”
“I undergo medical tests before and after the fast to check blood sugar levels, weight, and overall stability. During the fast, I check in every two weeks and ensure I’m okay,” she says. “This is mandatory.”
Preparations begin six months in advance with meals rich in nutrients and minerals such as herbs and sea moss gel.
She breaks her fast gradually, starting with green juices, then broth, then smoothies, before eventually having solids.
“You cannot go from drinking water to solid food,” she warns. “You’re like a baby again, so you have to go slowly.”
She credits fasting with spiritual sensitivity, heightened clarity, freedom from addictions, and vivid, meaningful dreams and spiritual encounters.
Weight loss, she says, is inevitable, but potentially dangerous without supervision. She reports losing close to a kilogram a day during her fasts.
“That’s why you work with a health provider,” she insists.
Despite her experience, or maybe because of it, she does not recommend 40-day fasts to others.
“If you feel the calling, that’s different. But shorter fasts are safer.”
She suggests alternatives such as three-day fasts, fruit and vegetable fasts, or faith-based fasts that allow limited meals — options she says can be suitable even for people on medication.
