I took one of Chris Hemsworth’s “Limitless Challenge” and FAILED

I cannot recall when/where I first met the ad of Disney+ new series “Limitless with Chris Hemsworth” created by National Geographic but for sure it grabbed my attention. I didn’t have a Disney+ account so I registered for 1 month only to watch this one and honestly I think it worth it. In this short series “Thor” is looking for ways to increase his health to live a longer and happier life. About the series I think the concept is exciting however the episodes are to “Hollywoodish”. In each episode the concept is shared, our hero takes the challenge and fail for the first time. There’s always someone who tells him he can do it and of course he manages to succeed at the end of the episode. They don’t really go into details, so it’s more like for entertaining rather than teaching but if you willing to take some time you can find the takeaways behind all the advices.

Those who knows me know that I like challenges. I’m quite a competitive guy and since I’m not participating sport competitions due to my injuries I like to find other challenges. I also like to explore things on myself. After watching Game changer on Netflix, I was vegetarian for 4 months (and still I’m a flexitarian since then). When I heard about Wim Hof I read his book and started doing ice baths (and I’m still doing).

So back to National Geographic’s “Limitless”, in one of the episodes Chris did a 4 days fasting. Only water. Nothing else. I was like okay, if an actor who is almost double size as me, eating 5-6.000 calories per day while I approx. just 2.500-3.000 I can do it as well. So on a shiny Wednesday I bought 10 litre water and decided to start my journey on the next day (this was my first mistake). I didn’t take the time to prepare mentally or physically. My first day was quite tough. I usually have breakfast around 6.30 and all my colleagues know that I got frustrated if I cannot have my lunch at 12.00. I was okay until 3 p.m. but then I was thinking about food more and more. But water helped me a lot. On the first day I drunk 9,5 litres. Chris was telling each day that he dreamed about food, I don’t. My first evening was relaxing however I woke up several times to visit the bathroom.

The second day I woke up refreshed, fully energized. I didn't feel any significant difference than other mornings and I didn’t miss my breakfast. I felt light and I had a productive day. Getting closer to the night I decided to do a quick workout (as Chris did the same and I didn’t want to lose muscle mass). The workout was just like the others; I did my bodyweight training what I would do anyway (this was my second mistake) and it went amazing. I didn’t feel and difference about my performance which was a huge surprise. I drunk less water on the second day it was about 8 litres (I simply couldn’t drink more). The night was just like the previous one, relaxing with couple of visits to the bathroom.

Then the third day… I was so tired when I woke up. I just didn’t understand that the day before I was full of energy and now I was so tired as if I hadn't slept a minute. As it was Saturday we had to go to the grocery shop, buy some food which was a huge mental challenge. When you smell the fresh bread, fruits, vegetables. Oh gosh… My sense of smell became much more vivid by the third day. The scents were intense, I felt like I had a new superpower. But I couldn’t recharge myself and the hours were dragging. During the afternoon I was just sitting on the couch and watching in front of myself. My wife told me a couple of times that I should eat something because I don’t look good. After 70 hours I felt I just cannot take any longer and I need some energy. I only ate some vegetables and as slice of bread. The taste of the food was amazing. It was so intense, so delicious that I only experienced in the finest restaurants (and I was just eating vegetables). After like 30 minutes I was way better, only disappointed.

Okay, so the takeaways that I have to prepare both mentally and physically. I shouldn’t do the same workout what I do when I eat 3.000 calories, and I have to believe in myself. Was this a failure for myself? Absolutely. Will I try it again? Of course I will! Next time I’ll be smarter, and won’t just do it, but plan it before. I see the benefits of fasting for my health and in the upcoming months I would like to learn more about it.