Should I Fast for More Than 24 Hours?
15 Dec 2025 · 7 min
This is a podcast episode of Ask the Health Expert hosted by JJ Virgin, centered on the question “Should I fast for more than 24 hours?” The episode includes a guest interview with nurse practitioner and intermittent-fasting expert Cynthia Thurlow who advises that fasts longer than 24 hours should be considered case-by-case, recommends working up to 18-hour fasts before attempting 24-hour fasts for beginners, and suggests using longer fasts strategically for experienced practitioners. The episode also contains multiple sponsor advertisements (Wayfair, Earth Breeze, Buffalo Trace, Monarch, Ray-Ban/Meta) and a closing book-podcast promo by Anne Bogle.
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Should I fast for more than 24 hours? This is JJ Virgin, four time New York Times bestselling author, celebrity nutrition expert, and Fitness hall of Famer. I've been on a lifelong quest for answers to the toughest health questions and now I'm sharing what I found with you. Welcome to Ask the Health Expert. Amanda from Instagram asks, should I do fast for longer than 24 hours? Hey, it's JJ and I've got the perfect expert to answer this question. Meet nurse practitioner, nutrition and intermittent fasting expert Cynthia Thurlow. Her TEDx talk on intermittent fasting has been viewed over 5 million times. She's a former varsity field hockey player who's been known to read four to five books at a time. We'll be right back with the answer. Hey, it's J.J. here. Now, let's be honest. The holidays are basically a financial ambush. Travel, hosting gifts, surprise holiday school things. Suddenly you're wondering how December turned into a spirit spending spree. If you want to keep your finances under control this holiday season, you need to be using Monarch. It's rated the Wall Street Journal's best budgeting app of 2025. Monarch is the all in one personal finance tool that brings your entire financial life together in one clean interface on your laptop or your phone. What really grabbed my attention is how fast those little holiday expenses pile up with Monarch. Seeing everything in one place makes it a lot harder to accidentally overspend. And honestly, I appreciate anything that keeps me from starting January with a money hangover. You'll love exploring the holiday spending category. Imagine how good it will feel to actually see what's happening before your credit card statement does that whole dramatic reveal thing. Monarch basically shows you exactly where the money is going in real time, and that level of clarity could change everything, right? Don't let financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use the code virgin@monarch.com in your browser for half off your first year. That's 50% off your first year@monarch.com with code Virgin.
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Hey Amanda, thanks for this question. You know, I really think that fasts longer than 24 hours. It really should be taken on a case by case basis if you're a newbie to intermittent fasting. A longer fast up front, if you are amenable to it, can help you really dial in on cravings and can help fuel a little bit of extra fat loss. But when people are just starting out, I like them to really work their way up to 18 hour fasts before trying a 24 hour fast. I do think a 24 hour fast can be beneficial when more experienced intermittent fasters are looking to integrate some additional strategies. Meaning not doing the same amount of fasting every day that maybe they do one 24 hour fast twice a month and maybe they're doing some 168 and maybe they do a longer fast every quarter. So a 24 hour fast can definitely be incorporated into newbies as well as more experienced intermittent fasters. But it really depends on your goals, really depends on what you're looking to get results wise. And is also critical to be working with someone that can help kind of steer you and guide you with regard to which strategy will work best for you.
This is JJ with Ask the Health Expert. I do this five times a week, so make sure you never miss a show by going to subscribetojay.com.
Hello listeners, this is Anne Bogle, author, blogger and creator of the podcast what Should I Read next? Since 2016, I've been helping readers bring more joy and delight into their reading lives. Every week I check all things books and reading with a guest and guide them in discovering their next read. They share three books they love, one book they don't, and what they've been reading lately. And I recommend three titles they may enjoy reading next. Guests have said our conversations are like therapy troubleshooting issues that have plagued their reading lives for years, and possibly the rest of their lives as well. And of course recommending books that meet the moment. Whether they are looking for deep introspection to spur or encourage a life change or a frothy page turner to help them escape the stresses of work, school, everything. You'll learn something about yourself as a reader and you'll definitely walk away confident to choose your next read with a whole list of new books and authors to try. So so join us each Tuesday for what Should I Read Next? Subscribe now wherever you're listening to this podcast and visit our website what Should I read next podcast.com to find out more.
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