Water Fasting

[Simonc]

Originally Posted by Amadeus

What a wonderful testominial Simonc. If people are unaware of what is going on when you fast and why you are able to heal things that couldn't be healed before, there is a simple explanation. Your body uses a tremendous amount of energy for digestion alone. When you fast, you of course are not consuming any food for digestion. Your body will immediately start working on other parts of the body that needs attention and healing. You free up your immune system which becomes extremely efficient when it is free to work.
This is the primary reason when you are sick you usually lose your appetite. Your body is telling you to stop eating so your body can go to work. It is a very natural form of healing.

Absolutely, Amadeus. That's exactly how I understood it, too.

[Mhimes]

Originally Posted by James Hayden

Could someone please share some credible sources that discuss the energy requirements of digestion? I keep hearing people say that digestion requires a lot of energy. My own experience seems to agree, in that I feel less lethargic when I eat lightly.

Perhaps there's confusion about the term energy? It seems to be used in two capacities, one meaning a subjective feeling of willingness and strength (absence of lethargy/fatigue), and the other meaning the nutrient requirement that the body requires to function.

So making that distinction, my understanding is that digestion causes a surplus of chemical energy, yet creates the subjective experience of fatigue? It just seems kind of paradoxical, without the above distinction, that a function that has a purpose of bringing energy into the body would really have the opposite effect.

Although I can see how our ancestors would have had to fast for long periods of time as hunter-gatherers. Perhaps our digestive system is better conditioned to handle periods of abundance followed by periods of starvation, rather than constant abundance.

If you think about it - digestion is the movement of nutrients throughout the body - each nutrient has a certain amount of resistance to being moved from place to place - be it weight or other factors. Although our bodies are designed to be as efficient as possible with digestion - energy losses in transportation of nutrients are inevitable. Now I think the amount of energy your body uses to digest food varies from person to person - and with what you consume. But the possible load seems pretty clear.

First you have to produce saliva - to break down complex carbs into simple sugars.
next you have to chew and swallow (both require energy)
Then your esophagus involuntarily moves the food to the stomach using paristalysis
Then your pancreas, gall bladder, stomach, Liver, intestines, kidneys, and bladder all work together to break down, dissolve into the blood stream, store, and excrete waste - simply in the process of digestion.

In a fast - you cut out the entire front end of the process and most of the back end - increasing your energy input to output ratio.

I am currently approaching hour 48 of a water fast. it's tough as it's my first - but it's only mentally tough - as I want to eat - but I don't need to eat.

I'm doing this is finally quit smoking - as well as detox. I've been a big fan of food my entire life and recently (within the last two years) I've maintained more or less an organic diet. but the smoking and drinking are cutting too deep for me and I have to cut them out. And I knew I was getting into trouble when I would associate nicotine cravings with meals and drinking - essentially when my body gets slammed with glucose. it seems to me that the best way to fight these cravings is to fast and "reprogram" my head.

While I do not subscribe to an organized religion - it's very reassuring to see so many comments about the need to fast for spiritual cleansing. I think those that freak out about fasting for extended periods of time forget that this practice hinges upon mental focus and in many ways spiritual guidance.

I've never gone this long without eating food - ever. I appreciate all the advice here and I'll keep you all posted.

by the way - I'm aiming for a 7 day water fast and then I'm going to come off it with a few days of juice (carrot and tomato) then I'll move to veggies and tofu - then eventually (weekend of the 18th) back to my organic meat, dairy, poultry, and fish stuffs. hopefully though - i'll have no more psychological cravings for cigs or for copious amounts of booze.

[Spork]

I wondered if somebody might have an answer to a question that's bothering me.

I'm on Day 8 of a full water fast. No lemon juice in the water, nothing.

Now, I'm doing this for a number of reasons... cleaning garbage out of my system, resetting my built-up resistance to harmful foods so I can experiment when I start eating again to determine which I should not be taking in, etc. I've already learned a lot...

BUT, one of the reasons I'm doing this is to lose fat weight.

Now, I've weighed myself every morning of this fast, always under the same conditions. I get up, I haven't had any water yet. I hop on the scale.

For the past THREE DAYS I've weighed exactly the same amount. I'm not running around like a lunatic... I'm doing some sedentary work from home, and occasionally running errands to the post office, FedEx, etc... The only time I'm lying in bed is when I sleep, which is 8-10 hours each night.

How does this make any sense at all? How can I take in nothing but water for three days, and not lose so much as an ounce? This is an accurate scale, so the issue isn't that the needle is getting stuck on numbers or anything like that.

Anyone have any insight into a), how this is even possible, and b), if this is likely to continue, or if I can expect to actually start shedding fat again at some point in the near future.

[stephencp]

I have done several juice fasts.
The hardest thing is coming OFF of the fast. While on it, I always feel great.
Once, I had some meat on the day after a three day fast and I could feel it grinding its way all through my intestines. It was painful and I would often get naseous. Now I always take a couple days slowing building back up to full meals.

Stephen

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[Amadeus]

First let us know your stats. How tall are you and how much do you weigh now.
Simply put, it's not possible for you not to be using something for energy, if not fat then muscle. Just stick with this thing and maybe don't weigh yourself the next few days. You'll probably get on one day in a week and realize that you've lost another 8. It's just how it works.
The first thing that comes in my mind with this is that it shows me how efficeint the human body is and how we need so little to survive.

[Spork]

Thanks for the reply, Amadeus.

I am 6'2". I was 205 when I started the fast. I am now, as of this morning around 187. (As of this morning I'm suddenly showing lower on the scale for the first time since day 5. Today is Day 9.)

That's true, about needing very little to actually survive... I was lying in bed thinking about that a little last night. It's pretty amazing, really.

The MAJOR discovery I've made, which I've been reticent to share in public, is that the extreme depression I was feeling coming into this fast is gone, which indicates to me pretty strongly that there was something in my not-atrocious-but-far-from-perfect diet that was affecting my mood regulation pretty severely. After some research, it seems like the likely culprit (or one of them, in any event) is aspartame (aka NutraSweet). My usage of it was pretty consistent (and relatively high) for years, as was my depression, but my use of it (and the depth of my depression) increased markedly over the last two years when I started working from home full-time.

If that is, in fact, the culprit (or, again, one of them), I'm relieved more than words can express that I didn't do a Crystal Light fast instead of a water fast, as I was originally planning. That probably would've been disastrous, assuming my tentative findings are correct.

I miss food, though my body is not hungry per se. Last night I was fairly tense thinking about how little progress I'd made in the weight loss department over the previous three days, and that maybe I should just take the depression lessons and break, and start experimenting with a new diet... but honestly, in the light of morning, after some sleep, I feel like this just indicates that my strong emotional connection to food/taste hasn't diminished enough for me to stop yet. I don't know if I can break it entirely, but I need to not seek comfort/solace from what I eat if I can help it. It seems to me that that's more likely to bounce me right back up to my old weight, with higher fat and lower muscle content than before.

I'm still baffled by the readings on the scale, though. My body must've been using SOME energy... I mean, I wasn't stationary, you know? I was even perhaps doing more each day than I should during a fast... and yet, no movement on the scale until this morning.

[Amadeus]

The most important part of the fast is when you get off the fast and not the actually fast itself. Trust me when I say you can gain all this weight back pretty quickly. As I matter of fact I guarantee you that you will gain 10 to 15 pounds back within the week after the fast. Most of it is water and your colon and digestive track filling back up with food. Don't get discouraged by this though. A fast will teach you how to be disciplined with it comes to what you put in your body.
I would go at least one day on juice only after your fast. Then I would eat soup and V8 the next day. I would also go on a vegan diet a few weeks after your fast. Be very careful. You'll have the tendancy to go hog wild after your fast. Don't be tempted. You can do some serious damage.

[Spork]

Understood, Amadeus. That's going to be a real bummer, putting 10-15 right back on, given how hard it is to take off. I might over-shoot my target weight with that in mind, barring any danger signs.

I fully expect to spend a week eating nothing but relatively thin soup, building up to vegetables and grain. We'll see.

Hopefully I can get far enough in that the emotional connection to food gets broken down a bit, so I can prevent myself from going nuts. Lord knows I miss just about every taste under the sun right now.

The hardest part is not being able to talk about it with people. Most people aren't what you'd call open-minded. If they've had some falsehood drilled into their minds for years, they accept it as fact without bothering to read (or listen to) research. So to avoid all the "OMG U CAN'T JUST NOT EAT, UR GONNA DIEZORSS!!!!111!!" crap, I've only told a few close friends who can be trusted to handle it (and keep it to themselves).

[Spork]

On another note, anyone have any tips for getting over the powerful craving for TASTE of any kind? I'm so tempted to have a cup of broth or tea just to not feel so deprived... I know it might just be my emotional connection to food...

Do you guys think it'd help me get over this (psychological) hump, or will it just make the cravings worse?

[Amadeus]

LOL!!!!! That was the biggest problem with me. I couldn't stop talking about food with my coworkers. I continue to ask them what they were going to eat every day. I would imagine myself eating their food.

[Spork]

Well, here's my experience from the last 90 minutes or so.

I was getting myself tied up in psychological knots over this... which I guess is to be expected, and I tried to tell myself was part of breaking the emotional attachment to comforting foods, etc. I was desperate for ANY taste at all. I could probably have eaten a slice of dirt pie and said "omg, this crust is TO DIE FOR, 10 out of 10."

But then my stomach started getting in on the act. It started out just as it has for the last 9 days: getting acidy and bitchy, grumbling for something to do. I fed it a glass of water, which has, up until today, placated it nicely. Ten minutes later, it's still complaining. I feed it another half a glass, which is as much as I felt like I could give it without it... um... coming back up. It continues to complain.

I thought I'd heard that this was a sign that the body is no longer keen on the whole fasting thing, so I decided to bite the bullet, feed my craving, and have a cup of slightly diluted chicken broth. It's high in sodium, which means I'll now retain water, but it's only 5 calories, so I figured it probably wasn't sufficient to throw the whole ketosis lever into full reverse.

Made a HUGE difference. My mind isn't tied up on the flavor, and my stomach has ceased acting like a petulant badger.

But, tonight's experience has made me think that now is not a bad time to end the fast, and start ramping back up. A couple days of one cup, then two cups, of chicken broth, then beef broth perhaps, then an over-cooked (mushy) vegetable like corn for a day or two, then perhaps toast and soup. Then some Ramen noodles or something. Then, if I'm feeling adventurous, a can of soup with bits of meat in it. In other words, slowly make my way back to a normal (well, okay, hopefully drastically improved version of normal, with much less junk) diet.

I've learned a ton on this fast, which really surprised me. I thought maybe I'd lose some weight and gain some willpower, which I of course have. But I've also learned a), something in my previous diet was having a severe adverse affect on my brain's ability to regulate my mood properly, b), examined my behavior and relationships a great deal, gaining insight that somehow missed me when I was eating, and c), experienced the fact that fasting is not an "OMG, YOU NEED TO TOTALLY HAVE WHOPPERS EVERYDAY TO BE HEALTHY" death trap the way some nitwits insist on portraying it.

Am I being unreasonable? Am I just chickening out? I don't think so... as I told a friend, it feels intuitively correct to me for some reason, and continuing for weeks more—and, indeed, going camping while fasting with people that would be eating normally—never quite did.

Any thoughts? I've read your input on this entire board, Amadeus, and taken much of it to heart, so I'm curious to hear what you think.

[stephencp]

If you want to stop, stop. Why beat yourself up?
What was your objective going into the fast? Has it been accomplished?

You're plan for coming off sounds OK, though I like the vegan idean for a week or two. (BTW, corn isn't all that easy to digest though.)

Go with juices for a day or two, fruit in the morning, vegatable in the afternoon then back to fruit. This isn't a big rule, but just don't mix the two.

Stephen
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[Simonc]

Originally Posted by Mhimes

If you think about it - digestion is the movement of nutrients throughout the body - each nutrient has a certain amount of resistance to being moved from place to place - be it weight or other factors. Although our bodies are designed to be as efficient as possible with digestion - energy losses in transportation of nutrients are inevitable. Now I think the amount of energy your body uses to digest food varies from person to person - and with what you consume. But the possible load seems pretty clear.

First you have to produce saliva - to break down complex carbs into simple sugars.
next you have to chew and swallow (both require energy)
Then your esophagus involuntarily moves the food to the stomach using paristalysis
Then your pancreas, gall bladder, stomach, Liver, intestines, kidneys, and bladder all work together to break down, dissolve into the blood stream, store, and excrete waste - simply in the process of digestion.

In a fast - you cut out the entire front end of the process and most of the back end - increasing your energy input to output ratio.

I am currently approaching hour 48 of a water fast. it's tough as it's my first - but it's only mentally tough - as I want to eat - but I don't need to eat.

I'm doing this is finally quit smoking - as well as detox. I've been a big fan of food my entire life and recently (within the last two years) I've maintained more or less an organic diet. but the smoking and drinking are cutting too deep for me and I have to cut them out. And I knew I was getting into trouble when I would associate nicotine cravings with meals and drinking - essentially when my body gets slammed with glucose. it seems to me that the best way to fight these cravings is to fast and "reprogram" my head.

While I do not subscribe to an organized religion - it's very reassuring to see so many comments about the need to fast for spiritual cleansing. I think those that freak out about fasting for extended periods of time forget that this practice hinges upon mental focus and in many ways spiritual guidance.

I've never gone this long without eating food - ever. I appreciate all the advice here and I'll keep you all posted.

by the way - I'm aiming for a 7 day water fast and then I'm going to come off it with a few days of juice (carrot and tomato) then I'll move to veggies and tofu - then eventually (weekend of the 18th) back to my organic meat, dairy, poultry, and fish stuffs. hopefully though - i'll have no more psychological cravings for cigs or for copious amounts of booze.

Excellent! Excellent! May I also recommend celery to cut down cigarette cravings, as well as repeating to yourself whenever you feel teh craving and at other odds moments: "I am urged not to smoke." I'm not sure exactly why but it works. That's how I gave up smoking.

Bear in mind that to be of maximum benefit, fasting should ideally become a way of life--at least for a year or so. What I am currenctly doing is fasting at intervals of several weeks, and plan to continue this throughout the rest of this year and hopefully next year as well. Now that I've got into the rhythm of it, I'm thoroughly enjoying it and feeling better and better with each new fast. Currently I'm in the second day of a new fast. What a joy it is to eat a suptuous repast of delicious salads etc after a fast! It's worth fasting just to savor that pleasure.









.

[Simonc]

Originally Posted by Spork

I'm still baffled by the readings on the scale, though. My body must've been using SOME energy... I mean, I wasn't stationary, you know? I was even perhaps doing more each day than I should during a fast... and yet, no movement on the scale until this morning.

Firstly, although you cannot but inevitably lose weight on a water fast, I don't personally recommend it as a method on its own for rapid weight loss, especially if you're not thinking of fasting on a periodic basis. In my experience, it doesn't work bu itself as well as other methods for that purpose. What fasting is espeficially good for is detoxifying your body and thereby ridding it over time from both the risk of disease, and from disease itself. In that respect there is nothing to beat it.

However obesity is also a form of a disease. And water fasting will help in the long term to rid your body of the barriers to weight loss. It's just that, unless you're thinking of undergoing periodic fasts, you really need to couple it with another method for maximum effect. As Amadeus pointed out (listen to that person!), breaking the fast is hte hardest part ofit,because of the need to exercise steel like self-control, and here I have often failed.

One of the reason for the slowness in losing weight on a water fast is that the body goes into starvation mode. Tom Venuto explain this in detail in his book, 'Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle'. [See my sig for further details about the book].

I recommend that you combine water fastingt with another approach that I recommended to a friend of mine from Virginia, USA. She took just this advice and not only has she lost a large amount of weight but is also down to a quarter of the amount of insulin she was taking for her diabetes just a year ago! She also says that she feels on top of hte world and has several job offers whereas before she couldn't get a job.

Here's what I told her:

QUOTE:

Let's weigh up need versus want.

We know that the body doesn't need as much food as we usually want to feed it, assuming we're overweight. So here's my theory:

When we feel hungry is this a hunger for food? Yes, but not because the body needs all of that food. It needs some of it, yes, but mostly it needs the
water in the food.

So while our minds are focused on food, the body itself is in reality more
thirsty that it is hungry. The reason we crave food so much, when we really
need mostly water, is simply because water tastes better in food and we also
get used to sourcing our water that way. And to get all the water our body
needs from food, we have to eat a lot more food than our body actually
requires. Okay, that's a simplistic model because there are other factors at
play such as blood sugar etc. but this is probably good enough for most
purposes.

So the way to deal with that is to drink lots of water on rising and in the
early part of the day, in fact all day if possible, so that by the time we
feel like eating we won't need to eat so much food since we'll have
already satisfied most if not all of our water needs for that day at least.

Whales cannot drink water like we do. They get their water from the food
they eat, mostly squid. A whale that lost its way and went up the River
Thames in London recently actually died of thirst, because it had strayed
from its usual feeding grounds: the Atlantic Ocean.

Human beings can do both: draw off their water needs from the food we eat
and by drinking it neat or in other beverages. That's where the problem
mostly lies: that water is easier to take in food and/or fattening beverages
than neat. But knowing that at least allows us to understand what we need to
do, which is to train ourselves to drink lots more water neat. I'd always
noticed that people who did that (such as my dad and my eldest sister) have
never been overweight.

As the body is 80% water it stands to reason that it's staple diet is
actually water.

I hope this helps.

Simon

[Simonc]

Originally Posted by Spork

Am I being unreasonable? Am I just chickening out? I don't think so... as I told a friend, it feels intuitively correct to me for some reason, and continuing for weeks more—and, indeed, going camping while fasting with people that would be eating normally—never quite did.

Spork, what I have found with fasting is that it isn't a good idea to push yourself too far because 1. It will make it harder for you to control breaking the fast, 2. it only tends to build up emotional resistance to fasting in the long term., and 3. it's too stressful for the body.

I would personally recommend anyone who wants to fast, to take it step by step and as Steven pointed out, NOT to push yourself beyond reasonable limits. Fasting is like a muscle, In time you will find it easier and easier to do. You will also find, if you fast periodically, that as you detoxify more and more over time, the fasting should become easier and easier to tolerate abnd less and less stressful.

There's no need to force yourself, set stringent goals, or go to extremes. There's no deadline to reach. Take it step by step and in time you should find yourself fasting for longer and longer periods at a time. If you feel the need to stop, stop. Don't set goals that your body finds it unduly strenuous to fulfill. That's probably good advice with anything we do in life.

[Danushka]

Hello to all!
I'm new to this forum, having found it whilst browsing for articles on water fasting.
I'm currently on day 4 of a planned 14 day water fast, but I believe I will be doing it through to 21 days .
I am not being supervised by any doctors, etc..just trusting the process totally and believing it's the best thing I can do for my physical body.
I'm not new to fasting as such, having done a 30 day juice fast yearly for 7 years (but not for the last 2 years) as well as the master cleanse and the "Cleanse and purify" fast/cleanse. These fasts have always left me with increased energy and joy.
So far, this has been an amazing journey as I learn all about my body from its own point of view.. (without me adding to the toxic load, doing whatever i want with it!!!)
I am a raw foodist as well.. I think this helps with the process too.
Feeling a little light headed and nauseous today so having plenty of rest.

regards to all.
Danushka

[Corvidae]

It was this topic that encouraged me to go ahead and join this forum, believe it or not.
I'm not going to preach and say that fasting is 100% safe and amazing, because it's not; however, there is a line, if a fine one- in some people's opinions-, between starvating yourself and fasting.

I'm 16, I'm quite over-weight for my height (I'm 4'10 and around 10 stone, 65 kilo), and I'm on my sixth day of water fasting.
I did a juice fast a couple of months before this one, and it left me feeling weak and tired 24/7. This water fast, however, has left me feeling superb (so far) and I never seem to feel energy-drained.

I did months of research on fasting before I even considered doing one. I looked at the pro's and con's, what I'd have to put up with, professional opinions on the matter, etc..
However, I haven't experienced most of the symptoms, except for sore legs and aches in my lower back every now and then. Obviously, dizzy spells when I stand up too fast, too.
My sleep has been a lot more restful, and instead of my normal 8-10 hours, I've been sleeping through 6-7 and feeling better.

I've read through the majority of posts here, and it's nice to see a varied opinion

[jenjen27]

I am on day 7 of a water fast. I have lost total of 11lbs I weighed 154 to start with. I have tried to lose weight all kinds of ways and I even eat right. I used to smoke before I gained my weight and had my 3rd and 4th child. Since then I have had a terrible time losing it. I have exercised and everythign so no trying to detox my body from those 15+ yrs of smoking and anything else that can be preventing my weight loss.

I am doing this as long as I think I can do it physically. I have 4 kids total, one is moved out, two at school and one in daycare 3 times a week.

I get weak at times and if I rest I get energized. I am very dizzy in the mornings, especially in the shower. I dont think I will be able to handle it the rest of my fast, I will be resorting to a short bath instead. I work at home at computer and can only take so much. My eyes are glazed, tongue yellow, got a skin erruption on my face. So I am detoxing. Just feel weak for the most part. At times I feel like my lungs are gonna come out of my chest other times I feel just fine.

Anyone else having/had some of these symtoms. I would like to work to at least 21days but dont know if my body will be able to handle it.

I have read that I am going into a healing crisis and my body is not ready for it... is this true or am I just fine. I feel okay for the most part. I take a little bit of french grey sea salt each day for minerals and I drink ALOT of water. I rest for a hour or more during the day doing NOTHING, then at night I sit and relax as well til bed time. I sleep okay but I toss alot too not being able to get comfortable and have very very strange dreams LOL

Thanks!!
Jen

[Amadeus]

Your body is going through strong detox, probably because of the years of smoking. If I were you I would buy a juicer at walmart and complete your 21 day fast with fresh squeezed juice and chicken broth. You'll still detox, juicing just slows the process down some. Remember to go off your fast very carefully.

[Simonc]

Originally Posted by Corvidae

It was this topic that encouraged me to go ahead and join this forum, believe it or not.
I'm not going to preach and say that fasting is 100% safe and amazing, because it's not; however, there is a line, if a fine one- in some people's opinions-, between starvating yourself and fasting.

I'm 16, I'm quite over-weight for my height (I'm 4'10 and around 10 stone, 65 kilo), and I'm on my sixth day of water fasting.
I did a juice fast a couple of months before this one, and it left me feeling weak and tired 24/7. This water fast, however, has left me feeling superb (so far) and I never seem to feel energy-drained.

I did months of research on fasting before I even considered doing one. I looked at the pro's and con's, what I'd have to put up with, professional opinions on the matter, etc..
However, I haven't experienced most of the symptoms, except for sore legs and aches in my lower back every now and then. Obviously, dizzy spells when I stand up too fast, too.
My sleep has been a lot more restful, and instead of my normal 8-10 hours, I've been sleeping through 6-7 and feeling better.

I've read through the majority of posts here, and it's nice to see a varied opinion

That sounds about right. You shouldn't really feel too much discomfort on wa water fast because of your youth. Don't dismiss the value of the juice fast, however. As you're only 16, it's likely that the water fasting you did was only made easy because you succeeded in clearing away the worst of your accumulated toxins on the initial juice fast, which, being also completely new to you, would have taken some initial adjusting to.

[Simonc]

Originally Posted by jenjen27

I am on day 7 of a water fast. I have lost total of 11lbs I weighed 154 to start with. I have tried to lose weight all kinds of ways and I even eat right. I used to smoke before I gained my weight and had my 3rd and 4th child. Since then I have had a terrible time losing it. I have exercised and everythign so no trying to detox my body from those 15+ yrs of smoking and anything else that can be preventing my weight loss.

I am doing this as long as I think I can do it physically. I have 4 kids total, one is moved out, two at school and one in daycare 3 times a week.

I get weak at times and if I rest I get energized. I am very dizzy in the mornings, especially in the shower. I dont think I will be able to handle it the rest of my fast, I will be resorting to a short bath instead. I work at home at computer and can only take so much. My eyes are glazed, tongue yellow, got a skin erruption on my face. So I am detoxing. Just feel weak for the most part. At times I feel like my lungs are gonna come out of my chest other times I feel just fine.

Anyone else having/had some of these symtoms. I would like to work to at least 21days but dont know if my body will be able to handle it.

I have read that I am going into a healing crisis and my body is not ready for it... is this true or am I just fine. I feel okay for the most part. I take a little bit of french grey sea salt each day for minerals and I drink ALOT of water. I rest for a hour or more during the day doing NOTHING, then at night I sit and relax as well til bed time. I sleep okay but I toss alot too not being able to get comfortable and have very very strange dreams LOL

Thanks!!
Jen

Like Amadeus said. It's certainly possible that fasting when you have accumulated toxins over many years through smoking etc. can produce such high levels of detoxification that it would be wise to stop for a while.

Whether you slow it down through juice fasting or stop altogether and go onto solids, do whatever feels "right". Your own body will guide you on this. In fact it will tell you exactly what it needs if you but listen to it.

You're doing exactly the right thing to ask questions. You should also ask yourself questions, such as "Do I feel strong enough to continue?" "Is this too stressful for me?" "I'm going go break my fast. Should I eat, or would it be ok to go on a juice fast first?" etc. Even ask yourself questions such as "Does my body need protein? minerals? sugar?" "Am I thirsty right now?" In this way you can tailor your fasting program to produce the best possible results. We became unhealthy in the first place because we ignored what our bodies have been telling us all along.

I can't stress enough how important it is not to look at fasting as a one time deal. One fast won't achieve perfect health. It's only after repeated fasting over months and even years that you will begin to see some real long-term benefits. Bear in mind that it takes 11 weeks to completely renew the blood stream, 11 months to renew the soft tissuses and 7 years to replace the hard ones.

Your biochemistry will change in subtle ways. If you had asthma, you will no longer be so prone to it. If you had a lump in your throat it will have permanently subsided to some degree or the other. If you had diabetes your pancreas will now be functioning at least a little. If you had glaucoma, you will no longer need any medication as the pressure will have permanentatly dropped to near normal levels. And so on.

And the more you repeat these cycles, the more you will permanently change for the better what were previously supposedly intractable health issues.

In other words, to recover from (so-called) permanent health issues, you need to make permanent changes, and this is only possible via a long-term periodic fasting regimen.

So if you feel the need to break the fast, go ahead and do that. Don't feel that you have to achieve all your health objectives in just the one fast. Fasting should be viewed rather as a single long term process punctuated by periods of eating.

Just make sure you schedule a period of fasting to commence some days or weeks later. I myself try to fast at least once a month for a week or so. It may only be two 3 or 4 day fasts some months; it all depends on how I feel and what might be going in my life at the time. There's no race to win unless you have been diagnosed with a terminal condition, and even then a series of short fasts can quite quickly begin to arrest the course of the particular disease and hold it in abeyance.

[jenjen27]

I am on day 12 of my water fast. I have added lemon juice to my water to help in the detox. I am doing the enema to clean out. I have read that you want to have one long fast instead of many short ones too close together for its hard on the body. I dont expect this to totally cure me of everything but I am shooting for total detox right now. Waiting for my tongue to go back pink. If it doesnt happen by the latest 21 days I will be ending my fast and will do it again in a few months or year.

Most of my symptoms I was having went away. The first 3 days I felt great pretty good.. then day 4 I started getting tired my early afternoon.. that happened for a few days.. then by day 7 I was very very weak. I had to rest ALOT!! I felt better and better since days have went on til now. Today I feel great!! I will tire by 3 and take it easy.. then around 4-6pm I will have some energy again and I usually cook the family dinner.. then I go and rest usually til bedtime. I still get dizzy in shower but that happened even when I was pregnant so I manage with that. Seems if I drink before I shower its easier and not as bad.

Since I am starting to get energy back and getting to feel almost normal.. how long usually til my tongue would turn pink.. does it depend or am I close or could it be longer? Just wondering if anyone elses experiences with symptoms might have some idea.

I have read so much about fasting to educate myself on this BEFORE I even started. I had to know what I was getting myself into and the dos and donts.. and I have felt bad.. but not TOO bad. I am welcoming it all because I know it is going to make me feel so much better!! My chemical balance is off I do know that and all those chemicals from that smoking I used to do. Hormonal imbalances from pregancies.. I am totally welcoming it and keeping the fear away. Fear can do so much harm while on a fast.

I will be ending it slow. I have bought some fresh broccoli, juice, broth, and will get some fruits since they go bad so quickly when I get closer. For raw veggies.. are carrots okay too? I dont like a whole bunch of raw veggies and not much of a fruit eater. I love cooked veggies lol. But I know I need raw to start out with.. I like broccoli and carrots, also bananas and apples, and I like apple, grape, and pomerante juice so getting that. Heard Orange juice isnt really best for fasting.

Okay best go
Thanks
Jen

[jenjen27]

Originally Posted by Spork

Thanks for the reply, Amadeus.

I am 6'2". I was 205 when I started the fast. I am now, as of this morning around 187. (As of this morning I'm suddenly showing lower on the scale for the first time since day 5. Today is Day 9.)

That's true, about needing very little to actually survive... I was lying in bed thinking about that a little last night. It's pretty amazing, really.

The MAJOR discovery I've made, which I've been reticent to share in public, is that the extreme depression I was feeling coming into this fast is gone, which indicates to me pretty strongly that there was something in my not-atrocious-but-far-from-perfect diet that was affecting my mood regulation pretty severely. After some research, it seems like the likely culprit (or one of them, in any event) is aspartame (aka NutraSweet). My usage of it was pretty consistent (and relatively high) for years, as was my depression, but my use of it (and the depth of my depression) increased markedly over the last two years when I started working from home full-time.

If that is, in fact, the culprit (or, again, one of them), I'm relieved more than words can express that I didn't do a Crystal Light fast instead of a water fast, as I was originally planning. That probably would've been disastrous, assuming my tentative findings are correct.

I miss food, though my body is not hungry per se. Last night I was fairly tense thinking about how little progress I'd made in the weight loss department over the previous three days, and that maybe I should just take the depression lessons and break, and start experimenting with a new diet... but honestly, in the light of morning, after some sleep, I feel like this just indicates that my strong emotional connection to food/taste hasn't diminished enough for me to stop yet. I don't know if I can break it entirely, but I need to not seek comfort/solace from what I eat if I can help it. It seems to me that that's more likely to bounce me right back up to my old weight, with higher fat and lower muscle content than before.

I'm still baffled by the readings on the scale, though. My body must've been using SOME energy... I mean, I wasn't stationary, you know? I was even perhaps doing more each day than I should during a fast... and yet, no movement on the scale until this morning.

I lost 12lbs the first few days... now I am only losing like half pound a day. YOu always lose approx 2-5lbs a day starting out then you slow down to a few ounces to 1lb a day as the fast goes on.. thats what I have read and that is what is happening to me. I am now 15lb lighter

Jen

[jenjen27]

I ended my fast today 13th day. Started with some Broth, some apple slices, and had a baked potato with sour cream. I feel great. I couldnt go anylonger. Had a sore throat last couple days. I lost a total of 16lbs. I have read you can keep off the weight if you change your eating habits and portions. Many have done it. So that is what I am shooting for and by doing so will give me something to do and more control getting back into eating again. I went to the store and stocked up on some fruits and veggies and fruits. I will wait a few days before I add any meats of course. I heard ezekial bread is good for you too.

Hope everyone is doing well
Jen

[NotesMaeve]

Not to pry, but where was your weight before? I'm slim, and I'd be emaciated 16 lbs. later. Wow.

[jenjen27]

I was 154 to start with and now 138. My goal is 125. I used to weigh 115-120 when I was smoking 6 yrs ago.. after I quit I got pregnant and gained. I would even be happy with 130 right now. So I am close to my goal weight. I just have to start eating right and controlling portions etc. I really hope cleaning out my system will clear up my complextion as I had worse acne over last 6yrs, sweet cravings, sluggish, metabolism went down (I exercised for a couple months and nothing happened), energy down, I wear hearing aids and had like a fugus or something in my ear doc said it would go away and it didnt had it for almost a year the fasting dried it up. My face got more aged in the last year than anything.

Over weight people will lose more than slim or underweight

I think a slimmer person would do shorter fast, you will get thinner but once you start eating again your body will normalize to its desired weight. For those overweight more energy and less appetite, for skinny people you might end up gaining a little extra weight. Might be something going on that makes you too skinny for you. Or back to the original weight you were. Just depends on what is going on in your body.

The trick for overweight is your "used" to eating alot and it becomes a habit. Have to break out of that. I have read overweight people can lose after a fast because you got rid of toxins in your body that were giving you cravings, have to listen to your body and eat healthy.

[Addict]

I haven't really considered fasting before, but I'm thinking it might really help for detox. It certainly would be a great experiment to try on my blog. It fits right in with the Paleolithic diet as you have to assume our ancestors constantly went through short periods of fasting. If the body evolved to expect these periods, almost depend on them, then it makes sense that incorporating them would be healthy. Our ancestors certainly didn't eat three square meals a day. Art De Vany has a great post about intermittent fasting:
Art De Vany: Intermittent Fasting

I'm sure someone already addressed the following quote, but I feel a need to respond.

Originally Posted by starlike

Where do you guys get this from?
I mean, it would only take a night or two for a scientist to disprove of these methods. I'm not talking to the fasters, they are probably not within reach but to the dubious crowd. Don't fall into mass psychosis!

You give no sources, no experience, and no reasoning either. It appears you are the only one not in reach here, since you have already made up with your mind with no evidence at all. I don't know if fasting is effective. That's why I plan on trying it!

Originally Posted by starlike

No, I will not. I don't strive to prove anything. I'm just making a statement.
But I urge people to investigate this using a scientific approach.

A scientific approach you say? How about trying it out for themselves? I hope that is what you mean by a scientific approach and not making conclusions with no evidence...

[phoenixfire25]

Many of the people's posts I am finding myself drudging through are filled with misinformation, regurgitated "facts" they have read on the internet, or simple ignorance. They themselves have clearly never been part of a fast, or personally contributed to a fasting experiment upon others. Therefore, their statements hold no more water than those of a pre-pubescent child telling me that red wine is bad for you.

I won't cite any sources, or tell you of any studies I have done on the 50 year long term effects of water fasting. However I will tell you of my 57 day water fast. This fast was done unsupervised, and was Strictly water until the 20th day in which a multi-vitamin was incorporated on a daily basis. The fast was undertaken for weight loss, cleansing, and to a lesser extent, spiritual purposes. I had undertaken a number of other fasts over the course of a couple of years ranging from 4 to 25 days.

I do not advocate fasting for those of an already healthy weight or those who are underweight as I am not at liberty to comment on the consequences nor the benefits of such a fast. I also do not believe fasting is for everyone. Those who are so addicted to food that they have lost all measure of self control and willpower will find only frustration and dissatisfaction with trying this. Those who are not intent on seeing it through will not last. Those who are involved regularly in vigorous activity, be it physical or mental would likely be better off with a juice fast.

I myself started my extended fast as a 6'1 295 pound male (approximately 80-90 lbs overweight for my body type). Over the duration of the fast I never Forced myself to drink, only when my body told me to did I consume water. This usually resulted in anywhere from two to five glasses of water per day.

Days 1 through 5: These are the most difficult. I felt weak, was stricken with headaches and sometimes dizziness and the desire for food is very, very strong at times. Quite tired, sometimes slept 12 hours in a night. Weight loss is very drastic over this period, approximately 20 pounds lost.

Days 6 through 15: The cravings become much less demanding. The headaches disappeared for me when I woke up on the 6th day and rarely showed up again for the duration of the fast. Still dizzy at times when rising too fast, or exerting myself. Some weakness and drowsiness still apparent, often sleeping 9 to 12 hours in a night. Weight loss slows down. From approximately 2 pounds per day for the earlier portion, to 1 pound a day for the latter.

Days 16 through 40: Appetite almost completely gone. Rarely had a craving for food other than times sparked by a visual or olfactory cue. Thoughts seemed vivid, my vision seemed to miraculously improve (I have been squinting at televisions and books for years). Sometimes I felt as though I had more energy than I did when I was a teenager. Weight loss continues at a rate of about 1 pound per day.

Days 41 through 57: Nothing too astounding to report other than the fact that my appetite returned with a vengeance on day 51. And although I did not yet consume anything, I had a feeling my fast may soon come to an end. And so it did on day 57. It was broken with a half a cup of room temperature broth. No nausea was experienced, only a heightened sense of the need for food. I wanted to eat anything and everything I could, but maintained my discipline and did not. Let it be noted that many sources claim that eating large amounts of food or even solid food in moderation at the break of an extended fast may cause death. Obviously I can not make a clear assertation as to the validity of this, but I felt it wise to take heed. Weight loss varies from 1 pound a day to no numerical change on other days.

72 pounds were lost over the course of my 57 day fast. I decided to maintain a healthy diet and lose the rest of my weight via proper diet and exercise.

I continued consuming only liquified and geletin calories over the course of 3 weeks after breaking the fast. No negative side effects, nor weight gain occurred.

I have been eating solid foods in moderation on the following plan: 45 carbs, unlimited protein for breakfast, 15 carb unlimited protein snack 2 hours later, 45 carb unlimited protein lunch, and so on up through dinner and a 3rd snack.

My current weight approx 2 months after the fast is 213 lbs, another 10 lbs lost since the fast concluded.

This is my personal experience, as a former obese man who needed an alternative to surgery. I advise anyone who wishes to undertake fasting to approach it with caution and after researching thoroughly. I advise starting with short fasts, from 1 to 2 days with a week or more of normal dieting to follow, and gradually increasing the duration. Do this at your own discretion. You will find naysayers all around you, in real life, and online as you can clearly see. That is why I think the biblical advice is some of the best advice you will receive, keep your fasting to yourself and do not divulge others of your undertaking.

Goodluck.

[Dayy]

As a Christian I have tried to fast and yet I know that the whole day ends up being consumed about what I'm going to eat at the end of my fast. I've never fasted for more than a day - even then I've always eaten something at the end of it.

Last week I attempted the lemon water fast -- lasted a day then found myself eating all the garbage you can think of. I eat food for comfort (crazy!) and I feel even more down when I realise that I dont have any self control. Today I tried again - managed for most of the day. Temptation came when I had to make supper for my 6 year old con (which he didnt eat coz he doesnt like brown rice!). I ate a bit more than I should have and it is still sitting in my tummy 5 hours later!

I have promised myself to start again tommorow morning. I am doing this fast for health and weight loss reasons. Over the past few months I have gained almost 25 pounds just from eating as unhealthy as possible. I feel exhausted, but can hardly sleep. A short climb up the stairs leaves me breathless, am bloated, neausous, has breakouts on my face. I have started drinking coke again and just feel plain crappy.

I need a lifestyle change, no alcohol or unhealthy foods! Oh and somehow I seem to be missing my monthly as well. I am going to go in to see the doctor about that - somehow I think that I have let myself go a bit too much.

So my starting weight is 154pounds. My goal is 130pounds which is where I was before the stress of juggling single parenthood, school and work got me running to food!

I would like to go back to God! I feel a need to get back in touch spiritually becuase I truly feel very seperated from Him right now. It might be all the letting myself go - not running to Him but to the food.

So here goes. Tommorow I will start a 3 day water fast. I'm hoping that I will be disciplined enough to see it through.

Can I eat some dry lettuce leaves or green staff at ll in the night time? Am I allowed to scoop some of that protein powder into my water 1st thing in the morning?

Eating solids wasnt such a good idea since it seems to be still lodged somewhere in my chest - urgh!

[Andypants]

What a crazy idea! You guys really fast yourself for so long!?
Last year due to lack of funds i went on a noodle diet. I ate 1 pack of noodles a day for 1 year.
I have never been so physically and mentally strained...
But i will try this "fasting" of which you speak.
5 days i will attempt.
2 days of only water, perhaps a hint of lemon.
Then 3 days of Fresh Juice.
You see, i have recently quit smoking Cigs and drugs after several years of use, and i can feel my body is going through some serious physical and mental changes. Adapting to this new substance free me.
If ever there is a good time for detox its now.
Wish me luck! The fun starts now.

My starting weight is 78kg.