Coming Out Party: How to Safely Exit a Dry Fast
Refining the art of sipping... and being prepared for a massive crash.
About last night. The final hours of my 9-day dry fast leading to my much-anticipated 5 a.m. reunion with water, felt like watching paint dry… if paint were my willpower. I didn’t sleep. Not even a little. It’s hard to sleep while fasting, period (I averaged two hours per nights the last 8 nights) but last night was something special. When I wasn’t staring at the ceiling like an unhinged contestant on Survivor, I was watching the clock compulsively, then a movie (Wild Robot). I texted family in NY. I cursed every life choice when 3am turned to 4am and I realized I wasn’t going to get any rest, period.
And then, it arrived: 4:58am, and relieved (understatement) I did something that felt both deeply profound and completely mundane: I sat up, steadied myself, and filled my kettle.
While I waited for the water in it to “get hot but not boiled” (as per Dr. Filinov’s instructions), I brushed my teeth with water only (again, as per instructions). Having not brushed in 9 days, I have to say this basic task was thrilling, until I spat into the sink and saw what can only be described as yellow ectoplasm. Super gross. But also? A rare occasion where spitting was clearly the right move.
At exactly 5:00 a.m., I took my first sip of water. I wish I could say it was orgasmic, but in reality? It was meh. Warm water isn’t exactly refreshing but that’s the point—you aren’t supposed to gulp it down like a college kid at a keg party.
EXIT RULE #1: Sip, don’t chug. Dr. Filinov recommends taking two hours to finish one liter of water.
So, I sipped like a refined lady at high tea, even if, internally, I was an animal during a drought at a watering hole. Next, I washed my face. I brushed my teeth again, this time with a homemade baking soda and bentonite clay paste because after a long fast, your body is ridiculously sensitive to chemicals.
EXIT RULE #2: Avoid all chemicals and commercial products—because after nine days of deprivation, your liver is in no mood for drama.
At this point, I considered showering. But first, I climbed back into bed with my water bottle, listening to a Joe Dispenza meditation. I’m glad I made this choice. Taking time to thank my body for surviving; praising my spirit for staying game; cheering for the instincts I let myself trust in attempting this journey at all—well, even it sounds too woo-woo for some of you, it was an empowering, necessary step in the healing process.
When my moment for spirituality concluded, I made a bee-line the shower. If my first sips of water were disappointing, my first shower was pure ecstasy. I spent a solid 20 minutes scrubbing myself with corn flour, coconut oil, and salt, using baking soda instead of shampoo, and having a deep, emotional moment with my loofah.
As clean as a newborn, I dressed for my 8:30 yoga class but first, at 8:00 a.m., it was time for BOLOTOV WHEY—a homemade Russian probiotic drink that reactivates your gut.
Like anything fermented, it tasted and smells like pickles. Drinking it on my empty stomach was like doing a workout you know is great for your but still makes you want to throw up. But I got it down my gullet, aware that it was a special opportunity to replenish my gut, and a lot easier than getting a fecal transplant.
EXIT RULE #3: Two hours after starting water, you need to replenish the gut with Bolotov Whey. If it isn’t available, drink kefir.
Which brings me to a confession: I used to be terrified of kefir. Something about its thick, tangy, fermented-ness made me assume it would destroy my will to live. But guess what? I’m a convert.
Kefir—whether coconut, dairy, or water-based—is loaded with 30 strains of good bacteria, making it the very best probiotic you can choose. Kefir boosts immune function, fights harmful microbes, supports bone health, and—best of all—doesn’t make me gassy (a legitimate concern as an Ashkenazi Jew). Turns out, kefir actually helps break down lactose, making it easier to digest than milk. Huzzah!
So. What happened next on this critical Day #1 dry fast exit? Around lunchtime, I graduated from water-only, to fruit compote syrup—a dried prune, dried apple, dried apricot, and raison-infused elixir that tastes like the nectar of the gods. I had doubts. My gut doctor cautioned me to avoid sugar like a toxic ex, but Dr. Filinov insists drinking this sweet gift is crucial for reactivating the pancreas. And honestly? Who am I to argue with the man who just helped me survive nine days of no food or water?
As the day progressed, I realized that my body felt like it was filled with concrete. So, after my daily cupping session, I skedaddled up to my room and more or less passed out. Still couldn’t sleep, but, by god, did my bed feel like the best place to be on earth.
Finally, 7pm rolled around and with it, my first solid food of the day. It was… the most basic vegetable soup you can imagine. (See recipe below). And, you know what? Who cares that there was no salt (which you can’t have for a while as it can cause severe swelling post fast). I’m telling you, that soup was breath-taking. Epic. God bless that soup.
EXIT RULE #4: Do not touch salt, not only on Day 1 of exit but for the next few days.
My dry fast exit will last another 4 days. Technically, you need to eat very carefully for 2 weeks following a fast but I’m fasting again soon so my main goal is to try to regain some of the 15 pounds I lost since I got here. I haven’t weighed this little since my Bat Mitzvah but my understanding is that you gain your weight back in no time at all as soon as you start drinking again. (And how fun will it be to have to bulk up when I get back? Woo hoo!!)
My Dry Exit take-away? Breaking a dry fast is like getting out of a bad relationship—you take it slow, keep it clean, and avoid anything salty. It’s as crucial to follow the rules on your exit as it is to follow the rules at any other point of this journey. You can’t kid around. This protocol is serious business.
And now, some recipes for you.
BOLOTOV WHEY RECIPE
Pour 3 liters of cold (previously) boiled filtered, well or spring water in a clean glass jar. Dissolve 1 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of raw good quality sour cream in the water.
Take half cup of Celandine herb (it could be either fresh or dry, but it must be clean, without the mold).
Place Celandine herb in a cotton gauze fabric bag (cheesecloth) and drown it at the bottom of the jar using a heavy sinker (the point here is to always keep Celandine herb at the bottom of the jar).
Cover the jar with 3 layers of cotton gauze fabric.
Store the jar with whey in a dark place at a room temperature for entire 2 weeks.
You have to watch the jar and remove the mold from the top and filter the sediment that could appear in time.
After 2 weeks, remove 1 liter of ready whey from the jar and store it in clean glass bottle with cover. This portion is roughly for 3 days. Fill back the jar up with 1 liter of clean water with 1/3 cup of sugar.
The whey will be ready in 3 days again.
You can repeat this step for entire 2 months without changing Celandine herb and by adding only water and sugar. Please keep removing the mold.
DRIED FRUITS COMPOTE SYRUP
Ingredients: dried fruits 150 grams (apples, dried apricots, raisins, prunes), water 3 liters.
Instructions: Rinse the dried fruits well, put them in a pan and add water. Bring water to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let it brew for 2 hours.
VEGETABLE SOUP
Ingredients: water 2.5 liters, 3 potatoes, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 tomato, 1 bunch of green herbs (dill, parsley, coriander, green onions).
Instructions: Boil the water, chop vegetables coarsely. Put potatoes, carrots and onions in boiling water, cook for 15 minutes, then put a tomato, cook for another 5 minutes. Season the soup with herbs, turn off the heat and allow it to brew for 15 minutes.
You crack me up. Brava! What a journey.
Congratulations!!! Impressive journey you are on 🌟