Water a few days. Coffee a few minutes.

Don’t forget the kidney stones you’ll likely be dealing with after such severe dehydration

Survive? Maybe 3 days without water. I won’t be much good after a day because I’ll have gout from dehydration.

3 minutes w/o air
3 days w/o water
3 weeks w/o food

Without food just to the point where the weakest among you succumbs....

If three days without water seems easy, try it..

Just reading this thread is making me pretty thirsty and hungry.

Depends on conditions and exertion.
Hot day North of 90 and heavy physical exertion, the lack of water is a killer, no more than 3 days maximum effort.

Doing nothing, in the shade a lot longer.
I've seen people dehydrate in a day and pass-out requiring IV.

Proper amount of salt helps.


Food, I can go for quite a while, I have a slow metabolism and have gone a solid week without food. Currently, I can roitinely go 3 days without food with no degradation.

Although I like to eat, I find it a chore sometimes and can easily pass on a meal.

So, temperate condition, little to no activity, 5 days no water, 2weeks no food. I would adjust my activity to maximize time without.

I know from experience, hot days, intensive activity, one day and I'd be in trouble with lack of liquids. Need H20O! Everything else is just comfort.

In May and June while hospitalized, I went almost two weeks without food and a third week eating almost nothing. This was due to the cancer-related GI bleed and concerns about further damage to my duodenum. I was fine.

Water? Every few hours for me.

Without water? Depending on conditions, maybe 5 days. Without Dr. Pepper, maybe 24 hours.

Really depends on where I am going without water. lower humidity/higher elevation will account for quicker dehydration. 9000 feet with 12% humidity vs sea level an 90% humidity. Out in Utah this summer I would get dehydrated a lot quicker at 5000 feet.

Food on the other hand, I could go a pretty long time. A hungry dog hunts best!

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Six and a half days



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I;ll give you my answer in six and a half days.

Or will you ? On day 3 or so maby one of us should stop by and check on you.

Four years ago my mother died from complications from a stroke. She was 86. She lost the ability to swallow without getting food/water into her lungs. She didn’t wish to have a feeding tube and there was really no reason to as she had other complications that precluded any recovery. She went on hospice and basically didn’t have any liquids or food. She lasted 10 days, before her body shutdown. My guess is health has a lot to do with it, but you might get along better than you think. I wouldn’t suggest anyone try it for fun’s and giggles. It doesn’t look like fun. I can tell you from experience.

You have to be naked and afraid first.

In my own 20s as part of a diet/nutrition/physiology of digestion class I worked up to a 29 day fast (lost 27 lbs)....unsure in total food deprivation but based on that I'd estimate 'months' before kwashiorkor or mirasmus got me.

Water, maybe a few days.

My own experiment with sleep deprivation demonstrated without sleep or water food is of little interest.

This goes against conventional wisdom. However, this was my experience.

In July 1969, I was Medvac'd from the field to LZ Oasis and then transferred the next day by field "ambulance" to the 71st Evac. Hospital, Pleiku, RVN.

They put in an IV and started treatment for falciparum malaria. However, I would immediately vomit any and all water, fluids, food, and even Barium when swallowed when taken for x-rays.

After three days, the "physician" decided I was faking it, so he removed the IV and a nurse monitored any attempt to drink, etc. Once, she ordered me not to hold my nose when I vomited - this keeps the vomit from going into your sinuses (I learned by accident). I put my arms down by my side and vomited on her. After seven days, he stopped even the malaria medication (pills).

Regarding my "faking it": the following two afternoons, they had to pack me with ice when my temperature spiked.

After 21 days without retaining any food or water, my weight had dropped from my field weight of 215 lbs. to 173 lbs. - 42 pounds. My body was cannibalizing itself.

On the 22nd day I was able to start eating and retaining small amounts and was discharged on the 28th day. I spend three weeks at Camp Enari regaining my strength sufficient to return to the field.

If I ever run across this "physician", I will shake his hand and thank him, then I will kick his family jewels about four feet up his body cavity.

The thanks will be for keeping me at the 71st and not sending me after seven days to the Cam Ranh Bay 6th Convalescent Center hospital for malaria treatment and recovery - SOP. I would have been there about seven days when NVA sappers tossed satchel charges into the Malaria Ward, wounding everyone.

The jewel kick would be for his incompetent treatment that nearly killed me.
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Water is a big deal obviously and a huge variable depending upon the conditions and exertion amount.

Food (for anyone with any sort of body fat) is hardly even a factor worth mentioning except in extreme long term cases. The longest fast I am aware of was a 400+lb man who went a little over 1 year.

Anyone who isn't rail thin to start should be able to go a month+ no problem. It is only starvation when the body fat gets so low the body starts to canabalize healthy tissue, below 4%-ish for men.

On this season of Alone, the winner went 60 days, but he came in 70lbs overweight to start. Smart move!

Edit: me personally, I probably could do a week w/o water assuming very little activity. 2+ months food.

Skip lunches now and then, but going w/o water or food for more then a day, day(s), is a scary thought to me....not one I would want to test out.

I don't know, don't want to find out, so I prep a bit.

I have no problems forgoing meals when I'm busy, one meal a day is easy. But no food would certainly be a test I would like a pass on.

Personal circumstances, one years ago, one more recently, have caused me to go days/ weeks at a time with either no food or when calories were available no more than 200 per day.

The human body will eventually adjust to not eating but it is a difficult process that, at least in my case, takes around 7 to 12 days. Until the adjustment period I saw little weight loss, but once my body adjusted to consuming my fat reserves I was losing 1/2 lb. to 1 1/2 lbs. per day, depending on activity level. In my case I was overweight and so had reserves to burn.

I'd guess that individual responses to prolonged periods of not eating vary, but the side effects that I experienced included persistent headaches, little to no energy and a general lack of motivation to do even the simplest tasks and also difficulty in focusing, and diarrhea . I also noticed that I felt cool temperatures more readily when those same temperatures would have been comfortable to me had I been eating. Interestingly, several of these are the same symptoms I experience at high altitude.

I went to bed hungry and woke up hungry, frequently couldn't sleep and the times I was able to sleep I often awoke to sounds my belly made. I frequently found myself focused on thoughts of food to the exclusion of other things, but found that distracting myself with tasks helped for a short time.

For those that are planning on going without food for extended periods it is a rapid way to lose weight once your body adjusts. Although weight loss wasn't my goal in my case I found that losing 20-25 lbs. had a significant positive impact in improving my mobility and energy levels, and allowed me to further expand my activity level. A word of caution though in that, until your body adjusts to not eating and consuming your reserves, your energy level may fade quickly and unpredictably so I wouldn't recommend pushing the activity level too far until you see how your body reacts. In a couple instances I had walked from home and a sudden loss of energy had me doubting whether I could actually make it back home I was so weak.

If you are on any prescription meds I would strongly suggest you talk to a doctor first before stopping eating. A lack of food, lack of water and prescription meds while not eating can put you on the floor FAST!

I haven't gone more than a couple hours without any water so I can't say from experience how long I could go without water, but I tend to dehydrate quickly and living at high altitude in a dry climate I can't imagine going very long without water...I'm not even sure I could last 3 days without it.

Going without eating for prolonged periods is not fun but a healthy human body should be able to go a few weeks without eating. Going without water for even a couple days would be pure hell.