Italy Was Delicious. Now I’m Coming Home to Myself.

On fasting, travel, and the art of the reset

It’s 11 PM and I’ve just finished my final meal in Italy. It was decadent, delicious, out of character, and divine. The pasta, the bread, the gelato, the late dinners. I said yes to all of it, with no guilt and no shame.

I’ll be honest, though. My heart and my mind loved every bite, and my body had a different opinion. I felt bloated, my stomach was upset, and I was in full carb overload. It’s funny, because I’ve traveled through the Mediterranean eating grilled fish, big salads, wine, and champagne, and felt incredible. Italy was a different kind of indulgence, and my gut kept the receipts.

So tonight I begin a 40-hour fast.

This is not punishment. It’s a reset.

I want to be really clear about this. I love food and I love my relationship with it. Pleasure is part of a well-lived life, and I will never apologize for a beautiful meal in a beautiful place. Fasting isn’t penance for enjoying myself. It’s the other half of the rhythm. We feast, and then we rest.

That rhythm is ancient. In my Jewish faith, Yom Kippur begins, a 25-hour fast devoted to reflection, release, and starting clean. Across nearly every spiritual tradition, from Lent to Ramadan to Yom Kippur, people have used fasting to quiet the body so the spirit can speak. Whatever your faith, there’s wisdom in that. When we empty out a little, we make room.

Why I fast when I travel

Travel is hard on the body. Airport food, airplane meals at strange hours, carbonated drinks, cocktails at altitude, dry cabin air, and a clock that no longer matches the sky. My fast starts in Italy and ends in LA, and here’s why that matters to me.

It helps me reset my internal clock. Light is the main signal for our body clock, but food timing is powerful too, especially for the clocks in the gut and liver. Eating at random hours across time zones confuses them. By fasting through the journey and breaking the fast at breakfast time in LA, I’m telling my whole body, “We’re home now.” And honestly, about half of this fast I’ll be asleep.

My gut finally gets to rest. When you’re not eating, your digestive system runs a cleaning cycle called the migrating motor complex. It’s a wave of movement that sweeps through the small intestine roughly every 90 minutes to two hours, clearing out leftover food and bacteria. It mostly runs between meals, so constant snacking keeps interrupting it. Giving it space is like letting the housekeeping crew in.

The bloat and puffiness go. Every gram of stored carbohydrate holds about three grams of water. After a carb-heavy trip, you’re literally holding on to it. As insulin drops during a fast, your kidneys release extra sodium and water. That swollen, heavy feeling often lifts within a day.

Cellular cleanup (autophagy). This is the process where cells break down and recycle damaged parts. Most of the research is in animals, and we don’t know exactly when it ramps up in humans, but fasting is one of the strongest signals we know of to trigger it. I think of it as my body tidying up from the inside.

My energy rises, not falls. This surprises people. In a short fast, your body releases norepinephrine, which sharpens focus, and after about a day it starts making ketones, which many people experience as clean, steady energy and mental clarity. Hunger comes in waves, and if you let a wave pass, it usually does. I use this time to create, reflect, and savor the memories, all while preparing for three days of production the moment I land.

Also, to consider much of the fast becomes easier because it takes place during sleeping hours from the last meal to morning arrival.

Travel wisely, not perfectly

If a full fast isn’t for you, you can still travel smarter:

Hydrate more than you think you need. Cabin air is extremely dry. Add electrolytes, especially if you’re fasting.
Skip the bubbles at altitude. Gas expands as cabin pressure drops, so carbonated drinks bloat more in the air.
Go easy on in-flight cocktails. Alcohol dehydrates you and fragments your sleep, which makes jet lag worse.
Eat on your destination’s schedule, not the airline’s.
Break a fast gently. I’ll start with broth, eggs, veggies, and good protein, not a bread basket.