25 Day Water Fast

[ohbe1canobe]

I've decided to start a 25 day water fast.

Day 1
Well I thought day 1 would be the easy part, after all sometimes I go all day without breakfast and lunch and while not nice it's never felt that hard to do.

Today I have thought about food a great deal, I desire it at a mental level, my body doesn't really feel hungry (after all I'm just 20 hours into the fast) but I have found it really hard not to eat. It's prompted me to think on the link between desire and right living. I guess those successful in life are the people that have the capacity (self discipline, self control, call it what you will) to subvert any unhealthy desires to achieve what is really beneficial for them, or what they *really* want.

I live in a family house and i'm surrounded by food which doesn't help. Hopefully when I get back to work next week there will be less distraction. It has been useful not being at work today and tommorow, about 2 and a bit hours ago I took myself to bed because I couldn't stop desiring food! It seems to have helped and I'm a little more relaxed now.

I'm doing this to kick start my weight loss (I weigh 21 stone at the moment) - and plan to follow a 500 calorie a day diet once I've completed the fast. The other reason I'm doing this is to go back to basics with my life, once I've managed this I think I'll have a different perspective on what I *need* in life, and what I can achieve through self discipline.

From reading others journeys I think day 2 and 3 are the hardest, so I'm looking forward to day 4, that's really the first milestone I've set myself.

If anyone has any comments do let me know! Thanks for checking by.

[martens]

[QUOTE=ohbe1canobe;577885] I guess those successful in life are the people that have the capacity (self discipline, self control, call it what you will) to subvert any unhealthy desires to achieve what is really beneficial for them, or what they *really* want.

[QUOTE]

I like to call it personal faith It is my experience that once you know what it is you want, you may as well give in and devote your time to doing that, because nothing else will satisfy you until you've given it a real shot.

All the best on your fast, I couldn't be happier for you. Keep posting!

[Ekhart]

wishing you the very best xxx

[Nameless One]

The addiction to eating patterns isn't just the result of a character flaw. It's also biological, body chemistry and other stuff. Not to say nothing can be done about it, just that there's a lot of factors and as such the cause doesn't all fall squarely into 1 thing. I believe we are manipulated on many levels into this, its like a war

[martens]

Originally Posted by Nameless One

The addiction to eating patterns isn't just the result of a character flaw. It's also biological, body chemistry and other stuff. Not to say nothing can be done about it, just that there's a lot of factors and as such the cause doesn't all fall squarely into 1 thing. I believe we are manipulated on many levels into this, its like a war

I agree completely with this, Character is built upon personal reactions to outside influences. It's a process which starts when you are a child and continues throughout the lifespan. Its my experience that understanding how you came to be the way you are, and then deciding if that is really what you want to be, is essential to discovering your true character. Most of us have never thought about why we think the way we do, and many even believe that once you have a strong idea about something it can't be changed. The truth is it can, you never have to settle for anything, and doing the best you can to move in the direction of who it is you want to be is all that need be done to change yourself. Monitoring your own thoughts and actions and choosing ones that serve you is a great place to start.

Of course, these things don't happen overnight, but I'm certain that once you start moving toward your true self you'll feel a difference in you that affirms your new choices. Keep on reminding yourself of what it is you are up to, and why.

All the best to you!!! I'm very excited about your efforts and believe they will pay off greatly for you!

[ohbe1canobe]

Thanks for your replies really nice and inspiring reading them.

I failed 23 hours into the fast =( pretty poor effort.

That was on Thursday evening, yesterday I started again with renewed vigour having read the replies. I'm now 12 hours into the fast and determined to hit 4 days which is a milestone I've set myself as I believe from reading other accounts of water fasting by 4 days the hunger craving should stop?

It was really nice to read the comments of people wishing me success and it was provoking and inspiring to read the post that said the addiction to eating patterns isn't just about character flaws, it made me more determined to overcome these patterns.

I'm pretty dissatisfied with my life at the moment, but even during the first day of the fast before I ended it, and again now I've restarted - I feel positive, it feels like you are doing something positive to regain control and that you are taking decisive action in your life - that powerful feeling all from not eating.

I'm also looking to move closer to some connection with spirituality which I think this process if I see it through will inevitabaly achieve.

Well hopefully I'll drop by tomorrow with a positive update 1.5 days in.

Thanks

[ohbe1canobe]

It's quite revealing that it's only when you try not to eat that you realise how addicted to food you really are. I've never been a big eater, I've never been particularly active which is why I weigh what I do, but I do tend to eat the wrong foods - I started eating pasta about a year ago as it's healthy, but I eat it with cheese and sauce which probabally defeats the point, I like crisps now and again, I like chinese maybe once a week, and I used to drink alcohol about once a week (and binge drink alcohol! when I did).

I used to think well I don't really have any issue with food, I know I eat wrong foods but they taste nice etc... It's only when you try to cut yourself off from food that you realise how much your mind craves them.

And at this early stage just 14 hours in I'm sure it is all mental, my body can't really be *that* hungry, yet I'm increasily feeling the temptation to eat.

I think there is so much to be gained from a fast than simply bodily health and weight (which obv is a great benefit). I think it's also a process of self discovery!

[ohbe1canobe]

Really strange thing just happened to me... I was on computer, after fighting the most vicious temptation during prime time tv earlier to eat... i had resisted..

I heard a noise in the garden... I get up go into the kitchen look out window.. nothing there...

a few minutes pass....

I'm back on my computer chatting to a friend...

As I put the last bite of an apple into my mouth.

I can not believe it - I kid you not when I tell you, while in kitchen I've picked up knife, picked up apple, sliced it once slice at a time and eaten while back on computer without even realising what I was doing... until I had an apple core in my hand.

That is the absolute truth with no exageration I can not believe it just happened...

So another 22 hours fasting broken. It was an odd experience.

Of course now I'm thinking I've broken the fast, so can eat again and start again tomorrow.... From a technical point of view if I carried on would it be more or less like I've continued to fast (as it's only 1 apple) or does that practically reset the clock?

Thanks

[MightySunTzu]

Originally Posted by ohbe1canobe

From a technical point of view if I carried on would it be more or less like I've continued to fast (as it's only 1 apple) or does that practically reset the clock?

Hey ohbe1,

Wow, strange unconscious behavior .

In my opinion, well let us be frank, shall we?... by any definition... you have broken the water-only fast by eating an apple, but if your desire was to continue fasting, you could certainly minimize the "re-entry period" and get back to where you were in your progression more swiftly by eating nothing else.

[Nameless One]

Originally Posted by ohbe1canobe

I failed 23 hours into the fast =( pretty poor effort.

If you're like most people you've gotten something accomplished already by not eating 23 hours which is much longer than anyone ever goes. If you continued doing 23 hours at a time again and again, you'd get a lot done. Going a long time between eating, even if it isn't an extended fast, gives the digestive system a lot of rest, and it makes what you do eat digest much better. There is a woman who tried all sorts of stuff to get rid of her massive obesity (except probably a good raw diet, which I'm sure she wasn't ready for) and finally what worked was "intermittent fasting" 1 day eating, 1 day fasting, which on her schedule meant a 36 hour fast every other day (when taking into account breakfast/dinner times).

Nonetheless there is nothing like an extended water fast. Personally I consider a test, a trial. I never got longer than 5 days 4 hours myself, but doing several few day fasts was well worth it, and for most of us, we need all the fasting we can get, even if we barely squeeze any in.

[Nameless One]

Originally Posted by ohbe1canobe

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]I started eating pasta about a year ago as it's healthy, but I eat it with cheese and sauce which probabally defeats the poin

Actually pasta is garbage, even organic whole wheat pasta goes through a lot of processing before it goes in your mouth, but I'd atleast go for that instead of regular pasta. Standard pasta using refined wheat is even worse. Refined grains, like refined sugars, are some of the worst possible foods someone can eat. Standard pasta tomato sauce is junk too, as its been super processed and contains additives, etc. If you're using standard cheese with antibiotics, hormones, pesiticides etc. that ain't so great either.

I know pasta with cheese/sauce is addictive. I used to eat it all the time, usually till I felt really full and felt like drinking a whole bunch of lime-aid, sometimes even 2 big glasses.

Originally Posted by ohbe1canobe

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]I used to think well I don't really have any issue with food, I know I eat wrong foods but they taste nice etc... It's only when you try to cut yourself off from food that you realise how much your mind craves them.

You and everybody else. Of course it's not socially acceptable to talk abou tthese things, and it tends to lower one's status among people. Feeding the addiction calms down the mind, it's funny to see what happens when it doesn't get its expected dose.

Originally Posted by ohbe1canobe

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]And at this early stage just 14 hours in I'm sure it is all mental, my body can't really be *that* hungry, yet I'm increasily feeling the temptation to eat.

Yes and no. The biggest and most easily understood first lesson someone gets when they try fasting, is that they aren't going to die or suffer any sort of injury from not eating a little longer. Once they've verified this enough, all those fearmongering things that are said about fasting are realized to be ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. Nutritional deficiencies that have shown up in bloodwork, have actually reversed back to normal blood levels after extended fasts.

That being said, cooked foods and particularly refined cooked foods with synthetic chemical additives are addictive to the body and mind. So although the average normal (read: normally sick) person does not suffer from starvation or malnutrition from ceasing to eat, this person's body and mind is suddenly not getting what it has become addicted to. Secondly, this is not all. The body adapts to the constant influx of poisons, it begins retaining a lot of water, putting on fat tissues which hold much of this water and toxins, the muscles even can appear to get bigger because some of the junk is held in there too. The body's chemistry adjusts in adaptation, forming a new homeostasis. It becomes normal to the body to be in such a state. When the body can finally begin cleaning some things out, this homeostasis is no longer maintained and the body is not used to differing conditions, nor is the brain, so it can be quite disturbing and traumatic to suddenly have a different overall bodily chemical state.

Did you know that most people are only awake because they keep stimulating themselves with drugs or intense food, music, or stress? Take away these things, and the body will suddenly do what it's been needing to do for years... GET SOME REST. Take these things away from someone, and it's like pulling a rug out from under them. They have nothing to use to stay awake anymore, they become super tired, because their body has actually been trying to rest all these years and decades, and finally it has a chance. I have a friend who went from sleeping 6-7 hours a day to 17 hours a day just from stopping caffeine intake. Bryan from rawfoodsupport.com also slept 18 hours a day when he stopped caffeine and went to a low fat raw vegan diet. Over 4-6 months he gradually got back to sleeping normal, he took a leave of abscence from his job.

Also, there's detox. As soon as someone stops stuffing their body with more poisons/food than it can manage, it can begin cleaning things out of the organs/tissues which will go into the blood to be transported for excretion, either via lymph nodes, sweat, fecal matter in the lower intestine, kidneys to urine, eats, nose, eyes, mouth, tongue, sexual organs, anywhere it can go out most easily. When these toxins are in the bloodstream yer gonna get dizzy, have headaches, break out into sweats and feel real hot, and other fun stuff. Oh and if you do it long enough you'll start smelling real bad too! Some people begin throwing up rather quickly, some begin throwing up after several days, some don't throw up at all.

Finally there is internal bodily rejuvenation, rest, and reorganization. The fast gives organs a chance to heal and remake themselves ,and a chance for the body to break down crappy tissue and build up stronger more vital tissue. When the body has a chance to do this, it will direct a vast majority of its energy into these projects, leaving one feeling very tired and wanting to lie down all the time, even if they can't fall asleep.

[Nameless One]

Mighty is indeed correct, anything eaten at all resets the fasting clock. Please don't say you did a 25 day fast if you did 25x24 hour fasts. Once you stop eating for 2-4 days, the body enters into a completely new mode of fasting, which continues to evolve as you do not eat for more and more days. In some ways eating resets this. It is true that if someone doesn't eat for several days, has one moderate meal, and then doesn't eat another several days, that they won't be taken as far out of fasting mode, as if they didn't eat 2 days, ate a moderate meal, didn't eat 1 day, ate a moderate meal, etc. still it cannot be called a 14 day water fast.

When someone water fasts long enough, the intestinal tract actually shuts down completely either for extended periods of time, or until food is taken again. I think this takes at least 2-4 days, but can take longer. When the intestinal tract and digestion shuts down, the body burns much less calories as well, the "basal metabolic rate" goes down a lot, meaning it becomes more energy efficient and can last a surprisingly long time without eating... even a few pounds of body fat only, can last weeks, if the person doesn't move around much.

[WorkitSmart]

25 day fast sounds super dangerous.. Seems like you could pass out while driving or something? No?

[MightySunTzu]

Originally Posted by WorkitSmart

25 day fast sounds super dangerous.. Seems like you could pass out while driving or something? No?

Hey there Workit,

It is certainly possible to feel too weak to drive (too weak to sit instead of laying), or too weak to walk to the car, but in any fasting i have done, whenever i have driven i have never come close to passing out... In other words, if i can make it to the car, i can drive .

Lightheadedness caused partly by a good many toxins in the bloodstream preparing to exit the body and in some cases also by a lower than usual blood pressure, has only been a problem primarily when getting up quickly... especially from laying to standing and to a lesser extent from laying to sitting or from sitting to standing. Once your body has adjusted to the change in position, there has been, at least in my experience, no chance of fainting whatsoever.

The primary danger in a long fast (along with getting up too quickly and fainting, which is always avoidable with enough patience) would be the possibility of running low on a key nutrient within your internal reserves, something the body will very agresssively warn a faster against in the siren-blaring form of ferocious genuine hunger.

[MightySunTzu]

Originally Posted by Nameless One

Actually pasta is garbage, even organic whole wheat pasta goes through a lot of processing before it goes in your mouth,...Refined grains, like refined sugars, are some of the worst possible foods someone can eat. Standard pasta tomato sauce is junk too, as its been super processed and contains additives, etc. If you're using standard cheese with antibiotics, hormones, pesiticides etc. that ain't so great either.

I am in total agreement with you on all points.

Originally Posted by Nameless One

Nutritional deficiencies that have shown up in bloodwork, have actually reversed back to normal blood levels after extended fasts.

A great attribute of fasting. The ability to allow a body, previously unable to properly assimilate certain nutrients, to cleanse and heal itself to the point of being able to assimilate them just fine. As an extention of this, chronically underweight people are able to gain healthy weight and muscle building in general can become a lot more uninhibited.

Originally Posted by Nameless One

So although the average normal (read: normally sick) person does not suffer from starvation or malnutrition from ceasing to eat, this person's body and mind is suddenly not getting what it has become addicted to.

Agreed again. It's not just mental. The belly is definately sending physical signals of hunger. All we need to be aware of is that this is not to be confused with "genuine hunger" something that will hopefully be reached by the end of the fast.

Originally Posted by Nameless One

Finally there is internal bodily rejuvenation, rest, and reorganization. The fast gives organs a chance to heal and remake themselves ,and a chance for the body to break down crappy tissue and build up stronger more vital tissue. When the body has a chance to do this, it will direct a vast majority of its energy into these projects, leaving one feeling very tired and wanting to lie down all the time, even if they can't fall asleep.

Agreed again. Good post .

[Nameless One]

What's most fascinating is that the nutrient "deficiency" reverses, before even resuming eating

[TheSpaceBetweenTheStars]

Okay, I have a query.

I can see how not eating for a short period of time could do your body some good, and I can see the addictive side. It's the addictive side that worries me. I've done fasts before, and reading about them so much here is making me want to give it another go. But the problem is that my moods become *terrible* if I don't eat. It's noticeable if I skip a meal, but if I skip several meals... well, it's frankly appalling. The longest fast I ever did was two weeks, and by the end of it, I'd lost my boyfriend and my job, almost got kicked out of my house by my mother and nearly lost my place in university. Before I started the fast, I'd been sailing through life fine.

Now, my past experiences are enough to tell me that there's not a chance in hell I'm even considering a fast until my exams are over, because I'm not risking messing up 3 years of seriously hard work. But even if I were to consider trying it later down the line, it's a roadblock. Is the idea of my body working a bit better really worth a potentially completely destroyed life? I realize that this may make me sound like a weak and out-of-control raving loony, but it's what happens to me if I don't eat. I also have something akin to bipolar, and only only way I can describe how I felt at the end of that two weeks was that my mood took the worst parts of both extremes. If you were trying to quit any other addictive substance I'd say cut down slowly father than facing it cold turkey. Wouldn't this be more healthy for your body, too? Slowly reduce intake of processed or hard-to-digest foods, then gradually cut down others until you're eating nothing (which may take quite a while), retain food intake at 0 for as long as you feel able, then gradually begin eating more again until you're at the level you want to stay at.

[Nameless One]

Space I wish I could spend some time with you for a few days or weeks and have a long conversation about this

[MightySunTzu]

Originally Posted by TheSpaceBetweenTheStars

... But the problem is that my moods become *terrible* if I don't eat. It's noticeable if I skip a meal, but if I skip several meals... well, it's frankly appalling. The longest fast I ever did was two weeks, and by the end of it, I'd lost my boyfriend and my job, almost got kicked out of my house by my mother and nearly lost my in university. Before I started the fast, I'd been sailing through life fine.

Given your history with this, you would have to decide which aspects of your life you want to protect and devise a strategy for how you would accomplish this. As an example, it might be necessary to fast while school is not in session and while taking a break from your mother and your boyfriend, letting them know ahead of time that you will not be able to talk to them for the duration of the fast.

I do know what you mean though. While generally having a quite peaceful demeanor in a fast, i have zero tolerance (for the most part) for strong disagreements... i would say that i have no energy for them (the disagreements) so they become 100 times more frustrating... and so i have to do everything within my power to avoid them altogether. Once 10 days into a fast i had a fierce argument with my then girlfriend and my heart deep in rest started beating out of my chest like i just sprinted 100 yards. In my situation, she was the one person in particular i had to keep away from during any fast.

Originally Posted by TheSpaceBetweenTheStars

Is the idea of my body working a bit better really worth a potentially completely destroyed life?

No and this is why in your specific situation you would have to plan any fast carefully... though i do disagree with you on the body working only "a bit better" part .

Originally Posted by TheSpaceBetweenTheStars

If you were trying to quit any other addictive substance I'd say cut down slowly father than facing it cold turkey. Wouldn't this be more healthy for your body, too? Slowly reduce intake of processed or hard-to-digest foods, then gradually cut down others until you're eating nothing (which may take quite a while), retain food intake at 0 for as long as you feel able, then gradually begin eating more again until you're at the level you want to stay at.

Actually yes this is the model that is generally best adhered to. Ease into a fast gradually and gradually ease out.

[TheSpaceBetweenTheStars]

Originally Posted by MightySunTzu

Given your history with this, you would have to decide which aspects of your life you want to protect and devise a strategy for how you would accomplish this. As an example, it might be necessary to fast while school is not in session and while taking a break from your mother and your boyfriend, letting them know ahead of time that you will not be able to talk to them for the duration of the fast.

I do know what you mean though. While generally having a quite peaceful demeanor in a fast, i have zero tolerance (for the most part) for strong disagreements... i would say that i have no energy for them (the disagreements) so they become 100 times more frustrating... and so i have to do everything within my power to avoid them altogether. Once 10 days into a fast i had a fierce argument with my then girlfriend and my heart deep in rest started beating out of my chest like i just sprinted 100 yards. In my situation, she was the one person in particular i had to keep away from during any fast.

Glad it's not just me being a crazy lady!

I probably do need to establish some kind of more comprehensive plan before I even attempt it. Perhaps this is also just a poor point in my life to be thinking about taking on the challenge of fasting, when I'm doing exams, looking for my first job, trying to move out for the first time etc. However, it wouldn't almost certainly do me good mentally to attempt it again at some point, since I can recognize I have an addiction to food.

Thank you for your advice

[rawxstasy]

This sounds very unhealthy. And even trying to maintain 500 calories a day after the fast is going to be nearly impossible. I'm not trying to be negative. I have only heard of people doing a water fast for one week at most and they don't work and basically stay home and rest. How could you carry on with your life?

Instead of trying to lose weight quickly try looking at your relationship to food. I believe that many people (myself included) are addicted to food to deal with emotional pain. Try to find the motivation behind your eating. You didn't get to 21 stone overnight and you won't lose it overnight either. I have lost 8 pounds over the past six weeks by just eating healthier and journaling about my feelings. I really came to recognize how I am using food to deal with stress, boredom, sadness and anxiety.

It is easier to keep the weight off if you do it slowly. Just my two cents.