30 Day Water Fast

[Nannie18]

So tomorrow I start my fast. This can be very dangerous I know, but i have an addiction to food or at last feel like I do. I will post how the day went and what all i did and how i felt through this process.

Im 18 and 5'7 and currently weigh 140lbs. Ive heard that with a fast such as this you can lose up to 30 to 40 pounds, which is kinda scary cause i would become very underweight, but last summer I weighed 115 and was a tad underweight, but if i come to that I will break my fast. This fast is not to only lose weight but to cut the addiction process.

Gah wish me luck and I will keep u updated

[Maximus]

)) I'm on my 2-nd day. And I'm not going to keep starvation more than 3 days. Why so long at so young age?

[Nannie18]

[B][I][U]I'm on my 2-nd day. And I'm not going to keep starvation more than 3 days. Why so long at so young age?

Well i would like to try the challenge and would like to lose a little bit of weight, im not happy with the way my body looks at this weight

[Maximus]

So, good luck then. But it's a risky business unless you r a pro. I'd rather start with 7 days, then longer and longer.
And I hope you know how to properly quit long term Fast?

[ginkgo]

Originally Posted by Nannie18

So tomorrow I start my fast. This can be very dangerous I know, but i have an addiction to food or at last feel like I do. I will post how the day went and what all i did and how i felt through this process.

Im 18 and 5'7 and currently weigh 140lbs. Ive heard that with a fast such as this you can lose up to 30 to 40 pounds, which is kinda scary cause i would become very underweight, but last summer I weighed 115 and was a tad underweight, but if i come to that I will break my fast. This fast is not to only lose weight but to cut the addiction process.

Gah wish me luck and I will keep u updated

Do you know the dangers and chances of them? Like you could be killed by terrorists but so can anyone. The biggest danger of fasting is since blood pressure becomes lower than normal, if you get up too fast, you can pass out, fall and split your head open.

So the pro fasters constantly warn people about this. It would really be death by stupidity. Second biggest danger is after fasting 10 days potassium can drop too low and you can die. Chances of this are about 1 in 100.

Then you also need to break the fast slowly. See this site on Fasting / Lemonade Diet for more on this and quotes from 19 different medical doctors about fasting. Also the site explains that you are not going to lose 30 pounds in 30 days.

The thinner you are, the slower you lose the weight. If you were 350 pounds then maybe you could lose that much. A lot of the focus of this webpage is about fasting to lose weight. Have you ever fasted 10 days? Maybe you can try that first. Do not get me wrong. If you are being supervised by a doctor on this fast then you have nothing to worry about. He will monitor your blood and watch over you. Also do not trust things that you heard.

[Nannie18]

DAY 1- Well it's 2:40 and i have seemed to retain from eating. Im hungry but those hunger pains should go away around the 3rd day. I keep researching on these kinda fasts, and went on youtube and there was a woman who went on a 40 day fast for 3 times in a roll, she looked horrible afterwards lol but i hope to lose weight like she seemed to do but stop at a healthy weight.

[Savage]

I hope you have an experienced pro supervising your fast. Going so long w/o supervision is highly discouraged, and many experienced fasters would consider it reckless.

Fasting for 3 days is something you can do on your own. But for more than a week, supervision is key.

[ginkgo]

Originally Posted by Nannie18

DAY 1- Well it's 2:40 and i have seemed to retain from eating. Im hungry but those hunger pains should go away around the 3rd day. I keep researching on these kinda fasts, and went on youtube and there was a woman who went on a 40 day fast for 3 times in a roll, she looked horrible afterwards lol but i hope to lose weight like she seemed to do but stop at a healthy weight.

If possible it is best to get it supervised since there are dangers. Also please do not use slang whether it is English or American slang. What does "40 day fast for 3 times in a roll" mean? In America we can use slang and say went for a roll in the hay.

But that is slang. It is much more clear to say that they had sex. That is what it is slang for. 3 40 day fasts that are consecutive is a 120 day fast.

[Lioness]

i have an addiction to food or at last feel like I do. I will post how the day went and what all i did and how i felt through this process.

Im 18 and 5'7 and currently weigh 140lbs.

Nannie, you are not fat!! Yes, you would look and feel better if you lost a little. I implore you to change your mind about fasting
because (in my experience, and many others) it will only make your addiction WORSE. See my post on the 40 Day Water Fast thread. You lose weight on a fast, but the weight is mostly muscle mass and water from your tissues metabolizing protein, NOT FAT. You will wind up higher in bodyfat, lower in muscle mass, slower metabolism, AND MORE OBSSESSED WITH FOOD. A short fast for a few days to cleanse your body and renew your spirit is OK. But to stay fit and thin for life, fasting absolutely BACKFIRES.

Your body assumes you have been starving and kicks your appetite and cravings into high gear. The deprivation will also set you up for even more emotional bingeing. WHAT GOOD IS IT TO LOSE 20 lbs. AND GAIN BACK 30?

My advice ( I know, who asked me?): Do a daily exercise program, eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies, less processed foods and soda, eat only when you're truly hungry, stop when you are near full and the fat will stay off permanently. WORK WITH YOUR BODY, NOT AGAINST IT. Look at the website normaleating.com. Watch how naturally thin people (not dieters) eat. They'll get the occasional cheeseburger and fries, but they leave food on their plate. They eat slowly and enjoy their food leisurely, not wolfing it down. They stop when they are full. They listen to their body's own wisdom. They are usually active and into at least one sport or dance activity. They do not obsess on a number on a scale. AND THEY DO NOT STARVE THEMSELVES. Much luck to you, whatever you decide to do.

[harmonysr]

Originally Posted by ginkgo

If possible it is best to get it supervised since there are dangers. Also please do not use slang whether it is English or American slang. What does "40 day fast for 3 times in a roll" mean? In America we can use slang and say went for a roll in the hay.

But that is slang. It is much more clear to say that they had sex. That is what it is slang for. 3 40 day fasts that are consecutive is a 120 day fast.

I think the original poster made a typo and intended to say "3 times in a row." I remember a user on Youtube keeping logs of her 40-day water fasts, she did at least two but I'm not sure if she did 3. However I do remember hearing that she tragically died at the end, which is terribly unfortunate. She said she was fasting for spiritual reasons, so it is possible she didn't listen closely enough to her body, but I do not know the details. Overall, the point I'm trying to make is that fasting has a very high risk factor. If you have never done a fast before, it is for your own safety that everyone in this thread recommends you be supervised by a professional. Have you told anyone whom you trust of your intentions so they know what you plan to do? Please be careful.

[ginkgo]

Originally Posted by harmonysr

I think the original poster made a typo and intended to say "3 times in a row." I remember a user on Youtube keeping logs of her 40-day water fasts, she did at least two but I'm not sure if she did 3. However I do remember hearing that she tragically died at the end, which is terribly unfortunate. She said she was fasting for spiritual reasons, so it is possible she didn't listen closely enough to her body, but I do not know the details. Overall, the point I'm trying to make is that fasting has a very high risk factor. If you have never done a fast before, it is for your own safety that everyone in this thread recommends you be supervised by a professional. Have you told anyone whom you trust of your intentions so they know what you plan to do? Please be careful.

My site on fasting has the recommendation of getting a fast supervised. So what does 3 times in a row mean? Non stop means 120 days. If I eat 3 hot dogs in a row, that means non-stop. It does not mean one today and another next week and another the week after.

If I do 3 push ups in a row, it does not mean resting an hour in between each one. Is a 30 day fast, 30 one day fasts in a row????????? Or is it 6 five day fasts in a row??????

[ginkgo]

Originally Posted by Lioness

Nannie, you are not fat!! Yes, you would look and feel better if you lost a little. I implore you to change your mind about fasting
because (in my experience, and many others) it will only make your addiction WORSE. See my post on the 40 Day Water Fast thread. You lose weight on a fast, but the weight is mostly muscle mass and water from your tissues metabolizing protein, NOT FAT. You will wind up higher in bodyfat, lower in muscle mass, slower metabolism, AND MORE OBSSESSED WITH FOOD. A short fast for a few days to cleanse your body and renew your spirit is OK. But to stay fit and thin for life, fasting absolutely BACKFIRES.

Your body assumes you have been starving and kicks your appetite and cravings into high gear. The deprivation will also set you up for even more emotional bingeing. WHAT GOOD IS IT TO LOSE 20 lbs. AND GAIN BACK 30?

My advice ( I know, who asked me?): Do a daily exercise program, eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies, less processed foods and soda, eat only when you're truly hungry, stop when you are near full and the fat will stay off permanently. WORK WITH YOUR BODY, NOT AGAINST IT. Look at the website normaleating.com. Watch how naturally thin people (not dieters) eat. They'll get the occasional cheeseburger and fries, but they leave food on their plate. They eat slowly and enjoy their food leisurely, not wolfing it down. They stop when they are full. They listen to their body's own wisdom. They are usually active and into at least one sport or dance activity. They do not obsess on a number on a scale. AND THEY DO NOT STARVE THEMSELVES. Much luck to you, whatever you decide to do.

im·plore (m-plôr, -plr)
v.tr.
1. To appeal to in supplication; beseech: implored the tribunal to have mercy.
2. To beg for urgently; entreat.

Why are you urgently begging this person? It sounds like fear to me. Dr. Charles Goodrich of the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, who has fasted many times said "People don't realize that the chief obstacle to fasting is overcoming the cultural, social and psychological fears of going without food. These fears are ingrained. . . .However, fasting is not starving, not even in a medical sense or the natural sense."

Someone says 'I heard' and it starts a rumor. That is how you heard what you heard. It is from people hearing it (reading it) from someone else who does not know.

But if you look at an authoritative source like a book on fasting you can learn what really happens with fasting. For example:

Dr Cott (M.D. and psychiatrist) says "the rate at which you lose weight is generally in proportion to the degree you are overweight. Most people who fast for a week can expect to lose up to 20 pounds." "But when you fast, it is not unusual to lose 4 or 5 pounds the first day and up to 10 pounds in 2 days." The general rule is that fat people lose weight at a faster rate than thin people during a fast.

Dr Cott says (page 57 of his NY Times best-selling book Fasting: The Ultimate Diet) "But Dr. George F. Cahill, Jr., of the Harvard Medical School, has noted that 'man's survival [of long abstention from food] is predicated upon a remarkable ability to conserve the relatively limited body protein stores while utilizing fat as the primary energy-producing food.' "

What about a famous doctor like Dr Oz (Oprah's doctor). When he has someone very obese he sends them to Dr Fuhrman (MD) to be fasted.

My site on on fasting has quotes by 19 different MDs. The New England Journal of Medicine-- "Fasting is a valid experience. It can benefit any otherwise healthy person whose calories now have the upper hand in his/her life."

Joel Fuhrman, M.D. (has fasting center in NJ) says in his book "In my practice I have seen fasting eliminate lupus and arthritis, remove chronic skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema, heal the digestive tract in patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, and quickly eliminate cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure and angina. In these cases the recoveries were permanent." Please note that I am not urgently begging you or imploring you to stop urgently begging or imploring people.

[Amandaaa]

I second what Steve said.

(Maybe you should stop at 5 days, just to test this out?)





Keep in mind that it's extremely hard to break a fast the right way... especially if you weren't eating a very healthy diet beforehand. If it's your first time ever breaking a long fast, then it can be extremely difficult. You have to be really prepared and experienced to understand how to break it, and to have the emotional maturity & tenacity to handle it all without slipping into the wrong mindset.

(When I was 18, I did a 40-day water fast, and broke it unintentionally with some sunflower seeds and trail mix. I ended up crying in a ball on the floor for the rest of the night, bent over double from the excruciating pain of being unable to digest anything. Also failed an exam because the pain was so intense that I had to run out of the classroom in tears. Even eating a salad was very hard for me and really painful. ...Soooo you definitely don't want that to happen to you! Make sure that you break it the RIGHT way, with light juice or some kind of gentle, fresh fruit.)

And be prepared for a lowered metabolism after the fast is over, because if you're not aware of that, you can pack on the pounds in warp speed time.




I hope that you don't think I'm being discouraging, (because I completely agree that fasting can be beneficial ) -- but I just want you to be sure that you do a lot of research and talk to a lot of experts before embarking on a 30-day fast with nothing but water. Make sure you research the physiology of fasting, too, so you understand exactly what happens in your body, and how certain foods affect it.



(If I were trying to break a food addiction though, I would probably do something a little more gradual... like a 3-day "fast" with nothing but tea, and then a week or two of eating nothing but 2-3 kinds of fruit. Then I would start eating more vegetables, while eliminating all bread, wheat, and flour products to start feeling lighter and healthier. That's usually enough to turn things around and break my little addictions. And it's easier, because your digestive system never really shuts down.)

[myjourney11]

Fasting is not your answer and even if you lost some weight, do you think you will keep that weight off? Your body needs food to keep it healthy and I'm sure you've heard that your metabolism will come to a halt and this will back fire on your quest to lose weight. Not to mention what other damage you'll be doing by not having the proper nutrition.

Take my advice as I have been there. 4 years ago I made a conscious decision to change my appearance but had no set goals in mind and I gave my body the respect to lose as much weight as it needed. Within one year, I had gone from 143 to 110 lbs and have kept it off. HOW? I stopped eating junk food. No word of a lie…. I have not put one bit of that garbage in my body in 4 years. My motivation is simple… I ask myself "how will this benefit my body"?

In time, cravings will subside.

Take the time to respect your body and you will see a transformation occur.

[Barcs]

Depending on your diet, it's not that hard to gain the weight back after you fast. You'll probably gain at least 10 back within a week or 2. Just be careful if you lose too much and be sure to listen to your body.

[Kasha]

Don't mean to discourage you, but I personally have gained weight following every fast I ever tried doing. The best reason to fast is to ground yourself and tune into your spirit. I think it requires a great deal of maturity and experience to be able to do this successfully.

[ginkgo]

Originally Posted by Amandaaa

I second what Steve said.

(Maybe you should stop at 5 days, just to test this out?)

Keep in mind that it's extremely hard to break a fast the right way... especially if you weren't eating a very healthy diet beforehand. If it's your first time ever breaking a long fast, then it can be extremely difficult. You have to be really prepared and experienced to understand how to break it, and to have the emotional maturity & tenacity to handle it all without slipping into the wrong mindset.

(When I was 18, I did a 40-day water fast, and broke it unintentionally with some sunflower seeds and trail mix. I ended up crying in a ball on the floor for the rest of the night, bent over double from the excruciating pain of being unable to digest anything. Also failed an exam because the pain was so intense that I had to run out of the classroom in tears. Even eating a salad was very hard for me and really painful. ...Soooo you definitely don't want that to happen to you! Make sure that you break it the RIGHT way, with light juice or some kind of gentle, fresh fruit.)

And be prepared for a lowered metabolism after the fast is over, because if you're not aware of that, you can pack on the pounds in warp speed time.

I hope that you don't think I'm being discouraging, (because I completely agree that fasting can be beneficial ) -- but I just want you to be sure that you do a lot of research and talk to a lot of experts before embarking on a 30-day fast with nothing but water. Make sure you research the physiology of fasting, too, so you understand exactly what happens in your body, and how certain foods affect it.

(If I were trying to break a food addiction though, I would probably do something a little more gradual... like a 3-day "fast" with nothing but tea, and then a week or two of eating nothing but 2-3 kinds of fruit. Then I would start eating more vegetables, while eliminating all bread, wheat, and flour products to start feeling lighter and healthier. That's usually enough to turn things around and break my little addictions. And it's easier, because your digestive system never really shuts down.)

You cannot blame a fast for you doing it wrong. How do you break the fast unintentionally. If you unintentionally kill someone, you may be executed. Breaking a fast can be deadly. But eating, exercise and drinking water can be deadly but they are not bad for you.

If you would have broken your 40 fast with a Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and the works, you probably would have died! Food like that can kill a new born baby and after a fast, your digestive system is like a baby's digestive system. If you have not exercised in years then DO NOT EXERCISE NOW, until a doctor okays it.

One guy died from drinking too much water unintentionally! So how did he do it unintentionally? He was insane! Being insane is bad for health also.

[FazK]

Good luck with your fast, although it seems like your are looking for a quick solution. If you really are addicted to food you need to address that problem by going deep within yourself and finding what caused it.

You need a deep level change. Fasting is just a surface level solution and you will probably just gain the weight back after your fast

[Aleksander Krstic]

I used to think water fast meant that you have to not drink water for 30 days.

[ginkgo]

Originally Posted by Aleksander Krstic

I used to think water fast meant that you have to not drink water for 30 days.

In Dr Shelton's 500+ page book on fasting he says that that is what it originally meant. But the meaning changed. Just like "gay" no longer means being happy. So a 10 day bread fast meant no bread for 10 days.

[SJD715]

Originally Posted by Nannie18

[B][I][U]I'm on my 2-nd day. And I'm not going to keep starvation more than 3 days. Why so long at so young age?

Well i would like to try the challenge and would like to lose a little bit of weight, im not happy with the way my body looks at this weight

If your purpose is to lose weight, a water only diet can cause the exact opposite. Yes you will lost weight but your body will gain it back as soon as you eat any food again.

Are you overweight or just need to lose a few pounds? When have you had your last physical exam. You should know your cholesterol levels and other health info first before doing things like this.

[ginkgo]

Please help me. It appears that my computer is lying to me. It says that Nannie18 started this fast at 8/20/09 at 12:11 AM. It is now 10 days later. My math says that 8/30 minus 8/20 is 10 days but my computer has no posts from her during this time except the following:

At 8/20 at 3:45PM Nannie88 says "Day 1" That is the last post I have from her so I guess she did a 1 day fast. Or is she going to wait until the 30th day and say "fast completed!"? One woman (greentara) started a 40 day fast and then said that she would stop posting. Maybe I should declare that I will do a 50 day fast and then abandon the thread.

This shows the 4 threads that nannie18 has made ever! http://www.stevepavlina.com/forums/s...earchid=986363

[Lioness]

Hopefully Nannie is OK and will give us an update soon.

To Ginkgo: I used the word "implore" because I did want to appeal to Nannie not to set herself up for a possible lifetime of the miserable fast/feast vicious cycle. I empathize with her and was really hoping she would benefit from my and other's experience and not have to go through it herself.


There is a difference between someone who is simply overweight and one who is a compulsive or binge eater. I stand by my belief that fasting only makes an eating addiction worse. In the past, I followed many Dr.s advice; Dr. Atkins, Dr. Stillman, Dr. Tarnower, Dr. Linn - anyone remember drinking red goo for a month? I think the best advice for someone with an addiction comes from people who have had long-term success in beating it, not necessarily an MD. As for Dr. Oz' morbidly obese patients, these are people who are in danger of dying and have to take drastic action. That is a whole other subject and is not the case with Nannie.

Fasting may be good for cleansing/detoxifying and other health benefits. You can lose a lot of weight, but for those of us who have food issues, it won't stay off. And isn't that the whole point?

[ginkgo]

Originally Posted by Lioness

Hopefully Nannie is OK and will give us an update soon.

To Ginkgo: I used the word "implore" because I did want to appeal to Nannie not to set herself up for a possible lifetime of the miserable fast/feast vicious cycle. I empathize with her and was really hoping she would benefit from my and other's experience and not have to go through it herself.


There is a difference between someone who is simply overweight and one who is a compulsive or binge eater. I stand by my belief that fasting only makes an eating addiction worse. In the past, I followed many Dr.s advice; Dr. Atkins, Dr. Stillman, Dr. Tarnower, Dr. Linn - anyone remember drinking red goo for a month? I think the best advice for someone with an addiction comes from people who have had long-term success in beating it, not necessarily an MD. As for Dr. Oz' morbidly obese patients, these are people who are in danger of dying and have to take drastic action. That is a whole other subject and is not the case with Nannie.

Fasting may be good for cleansing/detoxifying and other health benefits. You can lose a lot of weight, but for those of us who have food issues, it won't stay off. And isn't that the whole point?

As far as "implore", the Bhagavad Gita says to not be attached to the fruit of your actions. This means that say you want the government to make trans fats illegal since they are so harmful. There is nothing wrong with trying your hardest. But it is not good if they decide not to that you get so upset that you kill yourself or set off a bomb killing thousands of people as a protest.

That is the difference. See effort in what you believe in is good. Getting upset for any reason is never, ever good. It is good to try to be healthy but not good to worry about it.

Jesus says about anxiety, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?.... Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself (NIV bible-- Matthew 6:26). The line in red is in both Matthew 6:27 and Luke 12:25."

As far as losing weight and fasting my site has a lot of information on this like:

The New England Journal of Medicine-- "Fasting is a valid experience. It can benefit any otherwise healthy person whose calories now have the upper hand in his/her life."

Dr Cott says "When anyone abstains totally from food, profound changes take place. These changes revise attitudes about food and put appetite into alignment with the body's real need for energy."

It also tells about the Lemonade Diet that is a great way to lose weight.