Breakfast on Wednesday morning is engineer Paul Benigeri's favorite meal of the week. Why? "I haven't eaten in 60 hours," Benigeri tells Business Insider in a sunlit café in San Francisco, after clearing through a frittata with no spinach and extra goat cheese.
Benigeri and his coworkers at Nootrobox, a subscription service for "smart drugs," or cognition-enhancing supplements, are part of a Bay Area group of biohacking enthusiasts called WeFast. The club believes that intermittent fasting promotes longevity, increases focus and productivity, and leads to a healthier diet.
I recently attended the group's weekly breakfast to find out the appeal of starving yourself.
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The first rule of WeFast is, you eat as soon as your food hits the table.
![](http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/57a3c62bce38f239008b4ebe-400-300/the-first-rule-of-wefast-is-you-eat-as-soon-as-your-food-hits-the-table.jpg)
The group meets every Wednesday morning at an Italian counter-service restaurant. By the time they sit down to break the fast, most members of the group, which formed in 2015, haven't eaten in about 36 hours.
![](http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/57a3c604ce38f235008b4ea3-400-300/the-group-meets-every-wednesday-morning-at-an-italian-counter-service-restaurant-by-the-time-they-sit-down-to-break-the-fast-most-members-of-the-group-which-formed-in-2015-havent-eaten-in-about-36-hours.jpg)
Intermittent fasting is a nascent Silicon Valley fad in which people go without food for anywhere from 14 hours to several days. It's increasingly popular among startup workers.
![](http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/57a3c5b3ce38f288008b4ed3-400-300/intermittent-fasting-is-a-nascent-silicon-valley-fad-in-which-people-go-without-food-for-anywhere-from-14-hours-to-several-days-its-increasingly-popular-among-startup-workers.jpg)
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