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11-10-2006, 05:20 PM
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 Water Fasting Have many of you experienced water fasting? Of course water fasting is drinking only water and no other substance. No food. I recently went on a 3 week water fast. I lost about 40 pounds (I was heavy to begin with). A couple of weeks before that I went on a juice fast (using a juicer and drinking 100% fruit juices). I'd even drink chicken broth. There are many benefits to fasting. It is a natural human function to fast dating back thousands of years. We are meant to fast when we are sick. This is why we don't have an appetite when we are feeling under the weather. Everyday we use such a great amount of our energy just for digestion, and if you eat a great deal of meat products digestion is even more taxing on your body. One reason we feel good in the mornings is because we haven’t eaten anything in several hours. When you fast your digestive system is resting, which will let your body heal other parts of the body that have not gotten a lot of attention from our immune systems. Some may think that you will go into starvation mode and your body will shut off burning less fat. This simply is not the case. Your body first will burn off the stored sugars. Then it will focus on all the stored damaged tissue land toxins lurking in the body. Then it will go to fat. Research has shown that very little muscle will be burned until your body goes into starvation, which is after your fat stores are used up. Muscle and "good tissue" will be used up at the very end. You will still pass some waste even after a couple of weeks. Basically (not to get too personal) my stool was a plastic looking substance. I am assuming this is dead tissue and toxins that had been building up over years in my body. That is the main purpose to fasting is to rid your body of stored toxins. Your tongue will be coated with the toxin everyday. Just make sure you brush your tongue with toothpaste a couple of times everyday. My blood pressure went down considerably. My energy level was great. The hunger pangs stopped after a couple of days. I never felt hungry to be honest. The first time I water fasted I pigged out after completion. I ate meat, dairy, and other things I shouldn't. I did eat considerably less, to most people's standards, because my stomach shrank. However, this was not a great idea. I started to feel bad after a week so I went to a vegan diet. After a few days everything was back to normal. What you should do after a fast is to drink vegetable and fruit juices for a couple of days. Then you should move to soup, solid vegetables, then to other solid foods. This will be less taxing on your system. I will say I had a lot more success with the juice fast. I didn't gain back much of the weight I lost and I was able to keep it off. You will lose a lot more weight from a water fast, but you will gain a quarter to half the weight back within a couple of weeks. Basically, most of this is water weight you are gaining back. But keep in mind that you are not doing it to lose weight; you are doing it to give your digestive system a rest and to rid your body of stored toxins. A juice fast will also serve to flush your body of toxins and give your digestive system a rest. It just takes longer than the water fast. I need to mention that you will grow spiritually. You'll start to realize how little we need to survive and how much God provides for us everyday. You'll start to realize how blessed we are and how much we take food for granted. You'll be able to enjoy less rich foods and start to have an appreciation for everything. Yes, people will think you are crazy. They will tell you it is unhealthy, but the research will tell you otherwise. Of course I'm going to tell you to do it under doctor's supervision (even though I didn't). No doctor will tell you to do it to rid your body of sickness. However it has been proven that fasting can cure you of allergies, high blood pressure, depression, high blood sugar, etc. How come you don't hear about fasting in the media, doctor's journals, or even in chat rooms? Well how much profit is in it? How much can drug companies and other large corporations make from it? I think you've already answered the question. Don't take my word for it!!! Do your own research on it. Below are a few links that will help you out. Fasting INHS Water Fasting article - What to expect on your first fast      |
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11-11-2006, 03:08 AM
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| I have done 1-day water fasts several times. Most I've done is a 60h fast. There is growing evidence for the health/life extension aspects of fasting. What bothers me are the repercussions on muscle mass from fasting. |
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11-11-2006, 02:24 PM
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| I have done juice fasting twice 5 days each time . The mental clarity that i had on the 3rd day onward was nothing i had experienced before . I 'm planning to do it again with a longer period (eg : 7 days )
__________________ Download free pc games | Play relaxing games |Free car games | Dress up games | Arcade games |
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11-13-2006, 09:48 AM
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| After reading that page on fasting above, I think I'm going to try a weeklong juice fast, with the first and fifth days being water only (This corresponds to my days off work.). I started about eight hours ago and am just now starting to feel hungry. I'll keep y'all posted in case people are interested. I do have one question for experienced fasters ours there. How should one obtain the juice used in a juice fast. Should you juice your own fruit? Or is buying supermarket juice OK? And what about vegetable juices. I ask because I'm not exactly sure how to make juice from anything but citrus fruit. And a real juicer seems too expensive. Maybe I should have figured this out before embarking on this fast, but, oh, well, I have all day today to figure it out. |
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11-13-2006, 10:53 AM
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| Juice and Juicers Quote:
There is another question you wouldn'y mention. That's the amount of juice to drink durink fast. There are lots of books written on the subject. I would say the optimum is to have a 200-300g glass of juice 3, 4, or 5 times per day. Edit: DO NOT try to save money on drinking canned (pasterized) juice. Buy fressly pressed, or juice it yourself. If the price of buying freshly pressed juice seems big, remember that you would have spent the same amount on your regular food  Last edited by andrius : 11-13-2006 at 10:58 AM. |
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11-13-2006, 02:16 PM
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| Juicer I'd recommend getting a juicer, but you'll need to pay at least over $50 to get a halfway decent one. The best one cost around $200 though. Remember that you will make the money back in not eating and health costs in the future. You can get a good one at Wal Mart for about $60 though. Better yet go to the newspaper or craigslist.com wanted ads for a used one. I'll guarantee you that the ones you find there will probably only been used a couple of times. I speak from experience when I say it takes time to juice your fruit and vegetables. It leaves a slight mess and it will take you easily 20 to 30 minutes after cleanup to make your juice. Some people get fed up after a few times. I feel strongly that it is worth the wait! Yes, you should drink vegetable juices as well as fruit. I even drink chicken broth in the evenings. Trust me when I say that your chicken broth will be the best thing you think you ever tasted in your life. You can buy juices from the store as long as it says 100% fruit juice. Off the top of my head I know that a great deal of grape, orange, and apples juices are made 100%. Motts makes a lot of mixed 100% juices too. Trust me when I say you will want to mix up your juices for variety. You'll get bored quickly. I personally think you can drink as much juice as you want. Remember, you are not doing this to lose weight but to detox your body. However, even if you try to drink as much as you can, you'll still lose weight. It will take discipline, trust me. Carry water with you everywhere you go. Juice will get old, and you'll probably want to drink only water some meals. Please, please, please remember to get off your fast SLOWLY. Do not start eating pizza and chips after the fast. Your body will let you know! It can even cause death if you've been fasting for a long time. This is how a lot of anorexics die. They gain weight back too quickly once in the hospital. They have to be monitored closely. |
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11-13-2006, 02:49 PM
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| This sounds like a great idea, and I think Im going to try a water fast, just two questions A) does it make it harder to exercise? B) Could you feint from lack of energy if subject to strenuous competitions?
__________________ "Never violate a woman, nor harm a child. Do not lie, cheat or steal these things are for lesser men. Protect the weak against the evil strong. And never allow thoughts of gain to lead you into the pursuit of evil" The Iron Code of Druss the Legend (David Gemmel) |
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11-13-2006, 04:00 PM
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| OK here's a question... Has anyone tried to continue a regular job while fasting? I have a great job, it's very meaningful and although one day I will probably move to something else, this is not the sort of job I would want to be "free of". At the same time, it takes a lot of attention, focus, energy for at least about 8 to 9 hours per day. Anyone try juice fasting for an extended period of time while working an active job or continuing to do usually active types of activity? I might try a weekend juice fast before launching into a longer experience, but just would like to hear some feedback on this. Thanks! Ati
__________________ Ati A Musica Cura Saudade |
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11-13-2006, 04:02 PM
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| another question I have moved towards sort of a biphasic sleep pattern, I think--I get up at 3:45am to practice my music before heading off to work. Generally take a nap in the afternoons. Would a juice fast fit with this? thanks again
__________________ Ati A Musica Cura Saudade |
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11-13-2006, 04:23 PM
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| To be honest, I think it will help you to fast while working on a job that is demanding mentally and even physically. It will distract you from the psychological effects of not eating. If you have a job that will allow you to daydream you will be in danger of dreaming about food all day. The energy will be there. Remember, your body is still getting fuel from dead tissue and fat. Your body will not be spending so much energy on digestion and you will get better rest from your sleep. |
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11-13-2006, 04:28 PM
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| Thanks, do you try to drink every hour or so? Or do you follow hunger? Seems like a preventative approach makes sense, rather than waiting for hunger to kick in... thanks so much, I might just try this the next few days, bring my juicer into work and a bag full of fruit....
__________________ Ati A Musica Cura Saudade |
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11-13-2006, 04:35 PM
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| Prepare your drinks before you go into work. Trust me when I say there will be a big mess to juice. It takes several pieces of produce to make one drink. Drink it within one day though, because it will start to look and smell nasty. You will lose your hunger pangs. Trust me when I say you will be surprised at how easy it becomes after a few days. You won't even think about it. |
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11-13-2006, 05:11 PM
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| I have done a few 1-day fasts in the past (water/juice), but I haven't in quite a while, and I was inspired to start one after reading this post. Sunday I had only water, fresh OJ with some lemons thrown in, and a cup of mint tea. Monday (today) I wasn't planning to continue the fast and started by having a banana for breakfast, but then stopped before getting to my bowl of cereal, thinking it might be beneficial to continue the fast longer than 1 day. I haven't had any coffee, and I've had a dull headache all morning. Feeling very sluggish. When does that mental clarity kick in? I've been putting a lot of junk in my body lately, and haven't been exercising, so this should do some good - I hope. |
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11-13-2006, 05:32 PM
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| One day is not enough time for your body to be healed extensively. It usually takes 24 hours for the sugar to completely leave your body. You will start feeling great after about 3 days. Remember the longer you fast the longer your body has to detoxify your system and thoroughly clean it. |
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11-14-2006, 07:48 AM
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| This is really interesting to me....I might try to do a 7 day juice fast starting next Friday because I have some time off of work. I'm wondering about my exercise though. Will I still be able to jog as far?
__________________ Spiritual River |
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11-14-2006, 05:29 PM
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| Well I'm on day 3. My head still aches, but not half as bad as yesterday! My wife thinks I’ve lost my mind. Tried chicken broth last night, and though it tasted great, I kept burping afterward. Tried some fresh orange/lemon/grapefruit juice this morning on an empty stomach, and that turned out to be a bad idea. I was immediately overcome by horrendous nausea and a hangover-like feeling. Other than the fresh juice, I’m just drinking water and herb tea (mint & chamomile). I’ve cut alcohol and caffeine completely. I feel a bit tired, lightheaded, and weak, but surprisingly I’m not really hungry. When I get home from work, I look in the refrigerator over and over, but I think I am just in the habit of snacking when I get home, and it’s just out of habit (not hunger) that I’m doing this. Any advice on how long to keep this up at a minimum to realize some real benefits? |
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11-14-2006, 07:35 PM
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| advice Yes, I have some advice. Either start making yourself drink more juice or stop this fast. Try some V8 tomatoe juice. You probably did get some health benefits from it even after 3 days. Make sure you don't overeat though. I will tell you that it will get easier and easier, not harder if you do continue. I would not recommend for the first time to go longer than 2 weeks on a juice fast. I would only do a water fast for 1 week the first time. After the fast rest and eat healthy for 2 weeks, then maybe aim for a longer period of time. You are probably getting headaches because you stop drinking caffeine. Don't start now though. Caffeine actually contributes to the toxins stored in your body that you are trying to get rid of by fasting. Last edited by Amadeus : 11-14-2006 at 07:39 PM. |
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11-14-2006, 09:15 PM
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| Well, I failed it. My previous try of a water fast, I failed in 16 hours (I know, I suck). The failure was Monday morning. After going to one of my friend's houses and being handed (out of the blue) a juicer that his wife's mom just gave them (a definite synchronicity), I've decided to try a juice fast instead. I last ate last night at 4AM (I work second shift.), so I have officially made it twelve hours. I'm about to go start juicing. On my way home I invested in a whole bunch of veggies (oranges, apples, carrots, brussels spouts, and cabbage were all on 50% off sales! Synchronicity again. Especially on the carrots, of which I was only able to get 6 lbs (2kg), but the produce monkey said they'd have more in tomorrow, at an even lower price. |
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11-14-2006, 09:20 PM
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| I drank too much carrot juice after the first juice fast. I bought several gallons worth at the local Publix for $15. I didn't want them to go bad so I drank them up. I didn't want to see another carrot for several weeks after that. |
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11-14-2006, 09:41 PM
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| Quote:
The American Heart Association has this to say... American Heart Association Guidelines for Selecting a Weight Loss & Maintenance Program Quote:
__________________ Jim RunFatBoy - Exercise for the rest of us. "The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes 'Awww!'" -- Jack Kerouac |
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11-14-2006, 10:04 PM
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| Fasting is a really interesting idea that I have never really considered before reading this post. Although I am not religious, it seems like it would have a lot of spiritual benefits in addition to the health ones. I might have to give it a try. However, I totally agree with Jim that we need to check our sources and make sure we're reading scientifically sound stuff. I did a quick search and read over this article which in turn sites other sources. The Health Benefits of Fasting Its tricky when you get away from mainstream science because there is usually much less quality research available. At the same time, we all have seen so many times that mainstream "science" has just been a form of advertising for corporate interests, particularly in the realm of one's health. I was just thinking today about how totally dependent we are on authorities, especially when it comes to our health. At least most of us have moved beyond leeches and other harmful remedies. |