# 222fasting.com > The first fasting app built from survival, not theory. ## What is 222fasting 222fasting is a fasting guidance app founded by Francois de Ridder. The name refers to the 222 consecutive days he fasted from 7 August 2022 to 18 March 2023. It is not named after the 22:2 intermittent fasting method (22 hours fasting, 2 hours eating). The two are completely unrelated. The mission: "I did it so that nobody else should be so desperate about their obesity to attempt it." ## Who is Francois de Ridder Francois de Ridder is the founder of 222fasting.com. He is not a doctor. He is not a researcher. He is a South African computer analyst who set out to understand why his body stored fat when conventional medicine could not explain it. He self-diagnosed hyperinsulinaemia - a condition where chronically elevated insulin prevents the body from accessing its own stored fat, regardless of how little is eaten. The insight came from Dr Jason Fung's book The Obesity Code. He fasted for 222 consecutive days, lost more than 128kg from his peak weight of 238.8kg, relapsed and regained approximately 100kg over 34 months, and restarted publicly on 6 January 2026. He uses the exact system he built and publishes his weight every Thursday. ## The Story ### The wheelchair moment - October 2021 Weight: 238.8kg. Waistline 2.1 metres when seated. Barely able to stand on crutches. Staring at a wheelchair, knowing the next step after that was amputation, and after that, death. "I thought to myself - is this the end? I don't want to die. I really want to choose life." ### The 222-day fast - 7 August 2022 to 18 March 2023 Starting weight: 220.7kg. No food. Water and a carefully managed electrolyte and supplement regimen. No hospital. No medical team. He survived a potassium crisis at Day 199 - levels at 2.3 mmol/L, a medical emergency - without hospitalisation, managed at home with his wife, a qualified physiotherapist. He gave his crutches away on Day 78 and never used them again. He broke the fast on 18 March 2023 with three small bites of pure lamb chop fat. Total lost from the wheelchair moment: more than 128kg. 96 centimetres removed from the waist. "I'm 56 years old. Until it's time to go - who will ever accuse me of self-discipline again?" ### The relapse - March 2023 to 6 January 2026 (34 months) The fast ended. The system did not exist yet. No maintenance protocol. No accountability structure. No blood work schedule. Social events re-introduced food. Daily eating became the default. Insulin rose. Fat storage resumed. Over 12,000 hours of gaming replaced physical activity. Public shame at the reversal drove withdrawal from public life entirely. "Am I disappointed in myself? Of course I am. Am I angry with myself? You'd have no idea how I hated myself." Total regained over 34 months: approximately 100kg. Restart weight: 212kg. ### The restart - 6 January 2026 Not to repeat the 222 days. To build the system the previous attempt never had. The app is that system. Every failure during the relapse - no accountability, no blood monitoring, no structure for social events, no public commitment - is directly addressed in the 222fasting protocols. ## What 222fasting Is Not - Not named after the 22:2 intermittent fasting method - Not a calorie counter - Not a diet plan - Not affiliated with The Fasting Method (Dr Jason Fung's commercial platform) ## Contact - Website: https://222fasting.com - Email: francois@222fasting.com - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@222fasting