Water Fasting During a House Sit: What Solo Sits Made Possible

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Solo house sitting gives you something most people never think to mention when they talk about the lifestyle: an enormous amount of unstructured time and total control over your own space. No shared kitchen smells, no shops to visit, nothing beyond the animals to actually take care of. I have used that time, on three separate house sits now, to do multi-day water fasts. This is not a guide telling you to do the same. It is what I have noticed, physically and mentally, and why an empty house with nobody else in it turned out to be exactly the right place for it.

Caro is currently visiting her family, which means I am on my own here in Portugal, looking after one cat and four chickens, and I am two and a half days into a water fast as I write this. It is my third. The first was in Ostuni, the second in Kefalonia, and I want to be upfront from the start that I am not a health expert and this is not something I am recommending anyone replicate without doing their own research and speaking to a doctor first, particularly if you have any underlying health conditions. What follows is genuinely just what I have experienced.

If you are considering solo house sitting yourself, our guide to getting started in house sitting covers the basics of what a sit like this actually involves before you take one on alone.

Why a House Sit Specifically

I have done intermittent fasting on and off for years, five or six times in various forms. But the multi-day water fasts specifically have all happened during house sits, and there is a real reason for that beyond coincidence.

When Caro travels and I am solo sitting, the responsibilities shrink down to the absolute basics. Feed the animals, keep the house in order, and that is genuinely it. There is no shared kitchen to navigate, no food smells from someone else cooking, no need to go shopping or plan meals. I already tend to think of a house sit as something close to a holiday, since the logistics of daily life are simplified compared to running a normal household. Take away the need to cook entirely, and that space opens up even further.

I suspect a lot of solo sitters end up in a similar position without necessarily framing it this way. If you are looking after a home by yourself, the bare minimum required of you is animal care. Everything beyond that is genuinely yours to structure however you want. For me, that has repeatedly meant using the time to look after myself in a different way.

Our guide to what house sitters usually do covers the actual scope of daily responsibilities, which is exactly why that extra time exists in the first place.

The Three Fasts

My first was in Ostuni, and I eased into it with three days of a very restricted sardine and olive oil intake before moving into four full days of water only. It was an unexpectedly easy experience. I felt relaxed, light, and my joints felt noticeably loose in a way that genuinely appealed to me.

The second was in Kefalonia. That one started almost by accident. I woke up one morning without any real interest in eating and decided to just continue that way. Four more days of water only. I broke that fast with a chicken bone broth I had been slow-cooking for six hours on low heat, and it remains one of the best things I have ever eaten. I went through two full pots of it over the following days.

The current one, here in Portugal, is at day two and a half as I write this. Caro being away is the reason I started it now. I am planning to continue at least another day, possibly longer, though the heat here is genuinely testing that plan, more on that below.

What I Have Actually Noticed

Physically, the most consistent thing across all three fasts has been a strange, pleasant looseness in my finger joints and knuckles. I don't know if it's inflammation reducing or something else entirely, I am not qualified to say, but it happens every time and it is one of the things I find myself genuinely looking forward to.

Energy-wise, I tend to feel more productive during a fast, not less, at least until around day three when a bit of sluggishness sets in. I find myself drawn outside more than usual. Here in Portugal that has meant more time in the garden, tidying up, sitting with the chickens, giving them water in this heat. There is something calming about being around the animals during a fast specifically. I notice myself being far more present with them than I might be otherwise. 

Our guide on house sitting with chickens or ducks covers what that daily animal care actually looks like here in Portugal, which is a genuinely light responsibility that leaves plenty of room for everything else.

Mentally, the word that keeps coming up for me is grounded. Four days of just my own company, pushing through something my body doesn't experience often, has a genuinely centring effect. I feel more in touch with nature, more inclined to be outside, and if I'm honest, more spiritual than I would describe myself as day to day. That's not language I use casually, but it's the most accurate way I can describe it.

Breaking a fast has its own distinct pleasure. After Kefalonia specifically, my appetite came back with real intensity, but for quality food rather than volume. A fresh salad, a single fresh egg, that chicken broth, all of it tasted more vivid than food normally does. I was in a genuinely good place afterward, calm and clear, which is a large part of why I keep coming back to this.

When to Stop: The Heat Problem

I want to be honest about something happening in real time. It is 39°C outside as I write this, and I have two fans running on me just to stay comfortable. The heat is making this particular fast considerably harder than the previous two, and I am seriously considering breaking it early because of it.

I think this matters more than the parts where everything went smoothly. Fasting is not something to push through regardless of circumstance. Climate, the physical demands of the sit itself, and how your own body is actually responding on a given day all matter more than sticking to a number of days you decided on in advance. If you are on a sit that involves genuinely active responsibilities, running after dogs, multiple daily walks, physically demanding animal care, I would not recommend attempting a multi-day fast at all. This has only worked for me on sits with outdoor cats or, now, chickens, where the animal care itself takes very little time or energy.

Our house sitting Portugal guide covers the day-to-day rhythm of this particular six-month sit in more detail if you want the fuller picture of what a low-maintenance long sit actually involves.

Breaking a Fast: Why It Matters as Much as the Fast Itself

Before each of these fasts, I have gone deep into research, using AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and DeepSeek alongside regular Google searches, explaining my own health background and how I was feeling at each stage to get guidance specific to my situation. I think this is a genuinely good use of AI, it works like a knowledgeable starting point you can talk through your specific circumstances with, rather than a generic article written for nobody in particular. But it is exactly that, a starting point. I always double check anything I learn against other sources, and if anything feels off or my health deteriorates, that is a moment to speak with an actual doctor, not lean further on an AI conversation.

What that research consistently pointed to, and what I have followed each time, is that how you break a fast matters as much as the fast itself. Reintroducing food too quickly or with too large a meal is not just uncomfortable, it can genuinely be a medical emergency in some cases. The body needs to ease back into digestion gradually.

What I have actually done each time: a fresh organic egg with miso soup or a light chicken broth to start, nothing more. That small amount is enough to get your digestive system working again without overwhelming it. A few hours later, another small egg-based meal. Nothing heavy, nothing large, for at least the first day. From there, food is reintroduced gradually over the following day or two rather than jumping straight back into normal-sized meals.

Right now, as I write this, I am genuinely weighing up whether to break my current Portugal fast earlier than planned. The heat has meant a rougher few days than my previous two fasts, and while some ups and downs are normal during any extended fast, this one is being affected by the temperature more than I expected. I am drinking plenty of water and paying close attention to how I actually feel rather than pushing toward a predetermined number of days. That, more than anything else in this article, is probably the most important thing to take from my experience. Listen to what your body is telling you in the moment. The plan you started with is far less important than how you are actually doing.

This Is Not Advice, It Is a Possibility

I want to be clear about what this article is and isn't. I am sharing what I have personally experienced, not telling anyone what to do with their own body. If any of this interests you, please do your own research and speak to a doctor before attempting an extended fast, particularly if you have any existing health conditions. This kind of thing is genuinely not for everyone, and the honest answer is that even I am reconsidering my current one because of the heat.

What I do want to put out there is the broader idea. House sitting, particularly solo sitting, creates a kind of space that most people don't think to use this way. I have also used this current six-month sit to go entirely without alcohol for the full duration, which is its own version of the same idea, using the stability and structure of a long sit to do something genuinely good for your body that might be harder to sustain in a normal, busier life. Our guide to house sitting as a remote worker and our piece on slow travel through house sitting both touch on this same idea from different angles, using the stability of a long sit for something beyond just travel or income.If you are a solo sitter with time on your hands and a straightforward animal care routine, it is worth asking what you might do with that space, beyond simply resting or working. For me, it turned out to be this.

If you are a solo sitter with time on your hands and a straightforward animal care routine, it is worth asking what you might do with that space, beyond simply resting or working. For me, it turned out to be this.

Have you used a solo sit to do something for your own health, physical or otherwise? Drop it in the comments below. I read every one.

Caro and I have completed 20 house sits across 12 countries, driven 19,000km across Europe in our 1998 VW T4, and saved over $26,500 in accommodation costs over three years of house sitting. If you have questions about solo house sitting or how we structure our time, send us a message on Instagram, we read every DM.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is it safe to water fast during a house sit?

  This depends entirely on your own health and the demands of the specific sit. It is not medical advice, and anyone considering an extended fast should speak to a doctor first, particularly with any existing health condition. It is also not appropriate for every sit. Active responsibilities like multiple daily dog walks are a reason to avoid it. A sit with low-maintenance animals, outdoor cats or chickens for example, is a very different proposition.

• Why fast specifically during a house sit rather than at home?

  Solo house sitting removes most of the daily logistics of normal life. No shared kitchen, no food shopping, no cooking for anyone else. The only real responsibility left is animal care. That combination of solitude and simplified responsibility creates genuine space to focus on something like this in a way that is harder to find in a normal routine.

• What physical effects have you noticed from water fasting?

  Personally, a noticeable looseness in my finger joints and knuckles during each fast, a calm and generally productive mood until around day three, and a heightened sense of taste when breaking the fast afterward. These are my own observations, not a general claim about what fasting does, and effects vary significantly from person to person.

• How do you know when to stop a fast?

  By listening to what your body is actually telling you rather than sticking rigidly to a planned number of days. During my current fast, extreme heat has made continuing considerably harder than my previous two attempts, and I am genuinely considering ending it early because of that. Circumstance and how you feel in the moment matter more than the original plan.

• How should I break a water fast safely?

  Gradually and gently. A small, light meal, an egg with miso soup or a light broth, is enough to start reintroducing food after a multi-day fast. Breaking a fast with a large or heavy meal can cause real digestive distress and in some cases becomes a genuine medical concern. Food should be reintroduced slowly over a day or two rather than returning immediately to normal eating. Researching this properly beforehand, including using AI tools to work through your specific situation and then verifying that information elsewhere, is worth doing before attempting any extended fast.

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