-Fasting Thread-

[optionT]

There is a lot of good information that has been brought up in many threads here regarding fasting and how it helps the body repair itself at the cellular level.

Some questions I have;

1.) Is a water fast the best?
2.) I also saw a fruit and vegetable fast, which fruits and vegetables are best to use?
3.) For how long is the usual course, i.e. 2,4,7 days?
4.) Is there a fast that aids in a general healing?
5.) How soon does the detoxification process begin when fasting?

These are some questions that came to mind when thinking about doing a fast. I think a "one stop shop" about fasting could help a lot of people.

[Cebu_4_2]

finishing up on my 1/2 gallon vodka fast, might be able to answer in a day or two.

[mick silver]

let us know when you wake up ...

[big country]

I have an Amish home remedy book and they suggest a fast of lemon juice, water, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper all mixed in a glass. Drink a glass whenever you feel hungry. Its supposed to be a detox type fast. I would imagine it works well, I don't use it as a "fast" so much, but I have a glass in the evening. Make sure you have a LOT of lemons, you burn through them quickly!

I usually mix 2-3 lemons freshly squeezed
maybe 1 Tbs of pure maple syrup
fill the glass with water
then cayenne pepper maybe 1/4 tsp
stir it all up and drink

It doesn't taste bad at all, like lemonade almost with a kick of pepper of course.


I'm going to do it as a fast sometime, but I want to have a week off from work when I do it. I'm not sure how my body will react and I don't want to be at work trying to mix up a drink if I'm hungry :)

I have noticed since starting this that I sleep better and that my crap stinks a LOT more. Maybe it will start smelling better once all the junk is out of my body. I've been doing the 1 glass a day for only a week now, we'll see.

[Son-of-Liberty]

Funny that I am doing a 24 hour fast right now.

If you haven't done fasts before option T I would recommend that you start out with a short one. A day is fine. I usually go from 6pm- 6pm the next day or something like that. I like that setup since I don't have to go to bed hungry either night. I find if I am hungry I have trouble getting to sleep.

The 24 hour fast isn't going to detox you as well as a longer one but it will give your digestive system a rest and if you are planning on doing longer ones it is best to build up as your body will adapt and manage the fast better if you don't surprise it all of o sudden with a long fast.

I usually allow myself water and herbal teas on a fast but nothing with calories though.

[Ponce]

I only do my fasting thingy when I am not hungry......... ;D, heyyyyyyyy it works for me.

First post of the day...........good morning to one and all.

[nunaem]

I fast nearly every single day between 16 and 20+ hours. It's called intermittent fasting(I.F.). The benefits are too numerous to mention them all, here are a few: fat loss, energy, mood stabilization, convenience, better sleep, I can eat until I'm absolutely stuffed and still lose fat, muscle is spared. I recommend that you fast very often. Fasting once a month will do little. Don't fast for more than 36 hours either, nothing good comes of it IMO. Detoxification is mostly hocus-pocus.

Some(ok, alot) info:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-intermittent-fasting/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting-activity/
http://www.leangains.com/search/label/Intermittent%20Fasting%20Primer
http://thesameffect.com/my-experiences-with-intermittent-fasting/
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/intermittent-fasting/fast-way-to-better-health/
http://www.justinowings.com/b/index.php/me/a-low-carbohydrate-diet-mixed-with-inter

[synbi]

Water-fast is the only fast there is. Fruit-fasting shouldn't really be called that, it's just an extreme form of diet. Water, especially distilled water, has no nutrients in it, it's plain liquid, the best kinda stuff for fasting and detox. I say skip the juices and get down to the real thing, saves you time, and you get the best benefits this way.

A few days is good for your first, however, you'll feel miserable all the time if you won't keep on fasting for more than about three days, after which the pressing, empty feeling of "hunger" will quickly fade away and you'll feel better, that is, life becomes bearable again, really. The first few days of fasting feel like a giant hangover, something you've never felt before in your life if you haven't tried it. Yes, a hangover in a sense, only that you'll be aware that there is a quick fix to it, if you'll just get something to eat you know the horrible sensation of emptiness will go away. Sure it will. But no pain, no gain, and like I said you'll get over it in a little time if you can persevere through the first couple of days.

I've only seriously fasted once, that was for a week. I could have gone on, it didn't kill me. Nowadays I don't mind being without food for even a few days at a time, I know it won't kill me and I've gotten to like that funny sensation you get when your stomach is empty. It actually feels HEALTHY. Don't fast more than a week if it's your first, guys, and also, no exercise or work while you're fasting. Reserve a few days after the fast for your "recovery" period, you'll still be feeling weak those few days you've started eating again.

If you haven't done any research yourself, believe me, it's easy to get yourself killed if you fast for a month and decide it's time for a binge through the biggest restaurants in town. No, fast for a month and even half a bar of chocolate for a first meal is said to kill a man. When your fasting ordeal is done, start slowly with orange juice. No store-bought glucose syrup poisons, just ordinary oranges bought from the vegetable stand or something and squeezed into juice by your own hands. Buy lots of oranges, then have half a glass of squeezed orange juice every hour or so, the next two day full glasses every few hours. After that you can include some vegetables like carrots and salad (don't swallow no big chunks! Use your teeth) and meat soon after that. If it's only a week of fasting you can be more haphazard, like start eating meat the second day after your fast has ended, because that won't really hurt you. Your body hasn't turned off its digestion system completely just yet, which happens when you've been fasting for like a month. But be careful and be sure to resist the urge to start eating big meals right away.

I reckon water fasting aids in general health, it did in some respects for me, though I had hoped it'd done something to aid my poor vision, yet I didn't see any improvement in that. Might have to try a longer one next time! Also, I'm not responsible for anybody out there hurting themselves following my advice. Be diligent and do your own research...

One more thing - if there's any kind of food in the world you hate, eat a bite of that the first thing when you finish your fast - you'll never hate that food for the rest of your life ;D

[nunaem]

If something causes misery and weakness, it can't be good.

[TheNocturnalEgyptian]

After a few days of fasting, I feel vibrant and healthy as my bodies become used to it. Really it's just the first 48 hours that are painful, and that is mostly because people dive right into fasts instead of transitioning into them. A lot of individuals practice caloric restriction or try to transition into a raw diet for a week ahead of the fast. Some fasts (like those which specifically target the gall bladder) will have individuals drink raw apple juice for a week ahead of time to soften the gall stones (The goal of the fast is to pass these stones).

Furthermore complete fasting is not the only modality out there. Studies have shown that simply practicing caloric restriction is something the body can get used to just fine, and that it slows the aging of cells. Individuals who eat a high protein / high fiber diet in the range of 500-1500 calories/day can usually become used to it in short order, even retaining strength and being able to work out every single day. The cells in your body age more slowly on caloric restriction diets, with less food they go through their metabolic processes fewer times, and go through mitosis at a slower overall rate. There was an documentary on this on PBS about 10 years back. It was about a 90 year old man who was practicing caloric restriction for the last several decades and he looked like he was around 55. He swam a mile easily (daily) at the YMCA and lifted weights.


It is never wise to just dive into a fast, but I have found that when I think about it a lot ahead of time, my body is usually okay. There are short fasts which are more like cleanses, meant to target individual organs; 12-48 hour fasts which cleanse the gall bladder, the liver, the small intestines . . . most of these are based around elimination. Google "Gallbladder flush" "Liver Flush"


The longer fasts, juice and water fasts, I have done both of these, and each time chronic issues in my body went away for good. Sometimes when I feel my body issues stagnating, or when I feel like there is a lot of gunk in my body that I am having a hard time expelling, I plan a fast.

There is a thread in the health section about the cayenne/maple/lemon fast, which is a very powerful cleansing drink.

Traditional fasts subsist more on things like water, tea, vegetable broth. At first it's scary not avoid calories/protein/carbs, but after just 48 hours your body gets used to it.


Unlike the caloric restriction above, one of the points of true water fasting is to physically give your organs a break. So much of your energy requirements come from the process of digestion. They are constantly STUFFED with food. You have over ten pounds of partially digested food in you. If you started fasting now you'd keep pooping for days. The organs are working pretty much 24 hours a day digesting your food, and it is a very demanding activity. Because of this, when you don't eat, your caloric requirements go down drastically, because the organs are not always in constant action. Instead of constantly being stretched the organs have a chance to rest and this extra energy that you are no longer using is used to repair your body instead of powering the organs.

Fasting is acting in two ways. It is extreme caloric restriction, slowing mitosis of cells drastically, and it is also physically giving the organs a rest, letting them regain their elasticity after being stretched for so long. When the organs have no food to digest, they instead opt to repair themselves!

This is one of those things you need to feel to believe. Lots of people have done it safely and some have done it unsafely. Reading about it and mentally preparing is important, but it can be done with little danger. For a while I was doing one fast per year but I haven't done one in two years - I've been training too much - making too much progress in yoga and kung fu.

When I fast I move my training into light mode, and I prefer to make my time my own. It is SO INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT to fast and still go to work at a jobsite.

[TheNocturnalEgyptian]

1.) Is a water fast the best?
Water fasts bring on the most drastic healing. They require the most stored nutrients in the body, and the most supervision and guidance. They tend to shut the digestive systems off completely, and reports have shown individuals who have taken nothing but water for roughly thirty days. Read water fasting journals to understand what people go through. The biggest healing crisis I have heard of is on the 25th day of a water fast, a man puked up two pounds of black sludge. He does not know where it came from but afterwards he was a completely different person, for the better. Water fasts can bring on VERY intense healing crisis like this. Most everyone who does a waterfast will experience some type of healing crisis, but maybe not on the first fast. Most water fasts are done for short periods of time by experienced fasters.

2.) I also saw a fruit and vegetable fast, which fruits and vegetables are best to use?
Apple Celery juice is a common fast. So is lemon/maple/cayenne. Nothing processed.

3.) For how long is the usual course, i.e. 2,4,7 days?
Yes, most juice fasts go 3, 5, 7, 10, 21, 30, 40 days, I'm not sure why, it's just the number people settle on.
Reports have shown at least a few individuals who have done juice fasts for just under a year, although an amateur should probably start with 3-10 days.

4.) Is there a fast that aids in a general healing?
Most fasts target the entire body, and heal all systems simultaneously. If you do a juice fast, what you choose to still ingest will determine (to some degree) where your detox is. For example, Cayenne Pepper is a cardiovascular stimulant which normalizes blood pressure, reverses ulcers, and stops heart attacks. It stimulates mucus production in all the organs of elimination. Properly adding cayenne will cause a lot of very safe detox.

Celery is a nerve tonic. Apples help the sludge fall off the inside walls of the body. Some people incorporate Senna tea to aid in bowel elimination, and others use peppermint tea to quiet that same area.

Generally we are not going to want to be taking any pills or 'supplements' while fasting. You usually find one protocol and stick to it for the duration of that particular fast. As noted in my above post, different fasts can target different organs but most fasts have a general healing effect on the entire body.

5.) How soon does the detoxification process begin when fasting?

It starts at day 3. Day 1 and 2 are your body wondering what the hell is going on. Day 3 your body starts to get it and by Day 5 you are in heavy detox, feeling very productive. You are thankful for whichever fasting aids you have chosen - by now a simple cup of tea tastes extremely filling and sustaining. You are not hungry at all and your tastebuds are beginning to grow back after being constantly ground down daily for your entire life. By day 8 you are much thinner, having eliminated much of the backmatter in your organs. You still feel, not full, but not hungry, all the time. Day 8 is the earliest day in fasting that you would truly benefit from a good long massage, at least one hour or so. This will cause even more elimination. By day 10 you will have noticed that you feel as though it is time to perhaps break the fast, or perhaps go farther. You decide that you could do either and you feel completely unanxious about being able to return to this state - you have a sort of confidence that you understand something new about the human body. You are also noticing how much time society in general spends preparing to eat, or making plans, or actually doing the act.

By day 14 your body starts to cannibalize scar tissue.

Scars disappear after multiple 21 day fasts. I know it seems involved and maybe it's not worth it to you, but at least you know it's possible. It's out there. You're not 'stuck'.

[JDRock]

ive fasted with water for soo many days in my life i dont even get weak or a headache anymore like when i started back in '96
i hope its doing some good.

[TheNocturnalEgyptian]

ive fasted with water for soo many days in my life i dont even get weak or a headache anymore like when i started back in '96
i hope its doing some good.


Don't some people do this (water fast) one day a week? How do you do yours?

[Road Runner]

Thanks for this thread, it has motivated me to do one again!! Also the good recipes and information from all of you. I would just add one thing: If you haven't fasted before and your diet has a lot of caffeine, sugar and fats in it, it could be advantageous to cut those things way down or for several days before you start your fast. The headaches and symptoms of detoxing might be less severe.

Good luck to you...

[TheNocturnalEgyptian]

Great advice! One must cease all addictions prior to a fast, and normalize in that new headspace. You don't want to be going through a fast having coffee withdrawals as well!

[Ponce]

Well, all that you guys have done is to inpired me to go to Costco and buy more food......you guys must be trainning for WTSHTF and there is less food.

[cthulu]

I have a question. Would multiple 7 day fasts have similar effects as a continous 30 day fast or do you start over when you eat)

[madfranks]

It is SO INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT to fast and still go to work at a jobsite.


The one time I did a five day fast I noticed that my job performance began to suffer, because I didn't anticipate how tired and low energy you feel when you don't take in any calories. That was the hardest part for me, the fatigue. If I ever do a long fast again, I will make sure I can rest for most of it.

[JDRock]

ive fasted with water for soo many days in my life i dont even get weak or a headache anymore like when i started back in '96
i hope its doing some good.


Don't some people do this (water fast) one day a week? How do you do yours?


when im working, i fast noon to noon. at first headache and other symtoms appear, but go away as the poisons are flushed from the system. ive had to cheat before by drinking some coffee in the morning, but overall i feel great.

one day a week is how ive done it.

[Awoke]

There is a lot of good information that has been brought up in many threads here regarding fasting and how it helps the body repair itself at the cellular level.

Some questions I have;

1.) Is a water fast the best?
2.) I also saw a fruit and vegetable fast, which fruits and vegetables are best to use?
3.) For how long is the usual course, i.e. 2,4,7 days?
4.) Is there a fast that aids in a general healing?
5.) How soon does the detoxification process begin when fasting?

These are some questions that came to mind when thinking about doing a fast. I think a "one stop shop" about fasting could help a lot of people.


1) Yes.
2) None.
3) Actual healing will not take place until about the beginning of the 3rd week
4) A strict water fast (Distilled)
5) Almost exactly 48 hours after you stop eating. It hits hard and only lasts a few hours.

Ask me anything else and I'll try to answer.

[Antonio]

Great advice! One must cease all addictions prior to a fast, and normalize in that new headspace. You don't want to be going through a fast having coffee withdrawals as well!


Addictions are usually multiple years-long fasts, sometimes entire lives are spent fasting (between you an me ;) )

[Awoke]

I have to disagree with you guys on that.

Addictions are more easily overcome with a sudden and serious water fast. Studies have been carried out aon cigarette smokers and alcoholics that show an amazing sucess rate for staying off the addictive substance even after the fast is concluded, and the studies show that the "addicts" have little or no trouble with cravings when in true fasting mode.

Even myself, as a serious coffee drinker, did not experience any headaches from cafeine withdrawl, and I drink a crap load of coffee every day.

Now, OptionT, if you're still around here, when the FMC controlled GIM was closing down we had one day to save things we wanted.
The fasting thread was one ofthe threads I saved. I can't post the entire thing, because it was 9 pages long, but I will look for some tidbits.

[Awoke]

Here in this GSus thread I made a very detailed post on water fasting and the healing process.

That is why my original reply to your questions was short and to the point, because I knew I had posted this information somewhere and didn't want to re-type it.

This link should take you to post #49 (http://gold-silver.us/forum/general-discussion/the-end-of-the-leyend-of-ponce-or-the-beginning/msg126650/#msg126650) that I put up. Read it, and then ask me any questions you have.

[Antonio]

I have to disagree with you guys on that.

Addictions are more easily overcome with a sudden and serious water fast. Studies have been carried out aon cigarette smokers and alcoholics that show an amazing sucess rate for staying off the addictive substance even after the fast is concluded, and the studies show that the "addicts" have little or no trouble with cravings when in true fasting mode.

Even myself, as a serious coffee drinker, did not experience any headaches from cafeine withdrawl, and I drink a crap load of coffee every day.

Now, OptionT, if you're still around here, when the FMC controlled GIM was closing down we had one day to save things we wanted.
The fasting thread was one ofthe threads I saved. I can't post the entire thing, because it was 9 pages long, but I will look for some tidbits.





Awoke, we disagree and fight all the time but I respect you.
Let me say this in earnest respect: cigs and coffee are not addictions, they are bad manners.
To call tobacco/coffee use and addiction is like calling a pimple melanoma.
Exceptions to this rule are opioid addicts, especially in withdrawal, they WILL kill for a cig or even a cup of coffee.
The price of 1 cig in NY jails is 40$, 20$ if one is very lucky.
Why is that? Because 30% of NY prison population are dopers.

[Awoke]

Quitting smoking is more difficult than quitting opiates, or at least "so I have heard".

EDIT to add that the studies I was referring to also included drug addicts, but I used coffee and cigarettes as examples because the members here are not junkies. Even the ones that pretend to be.

[Hatha Sunahara]

I started reading this thread on 02/06. On 02/07 I woke up 8am and had nothing to eat but water and two cups of green tea until 02/08 at lunchtime. It was a 27 hour fast.

I started to feel hungry about 3 hours into the fast. Drank some water. Did that repeatedly until the hunger went away. That was about 12 hours into the fast. I drank water after that only when I got thirsty. I spent hours 18-24 of the fast asleep. Woke up hungry. Drank water. At hour 27, I broke the fast by eating 1/2 slice of pizza and lemonwater. That was lunch. I felt weak in the last hours of the fast. I thought I could eat a normal sized dinner afterwards, and I did. About twenty minutes after dinner I started to get dizzy and my vision got blurred and spotty. That lasted for about an hour. I presume it was from a sudden rush of nutrients and a bodily feeding frenzy. It is now 24 hours after I ended the fast, and I feel sorta normal.

But I have faith that fasting is a very effective form of detoxification. Mostly because it is natural, and it costs absolutely nothing in terms of money. I don't think mankind could have survived so long if they had not gone through periods when they would severely cut their food intake for short periods of time. Either because there was no food, or because their religion told them to do it

I quit smoking 18 years ago. Cold Turkey. Quitting food seems to be similar. Like inducing a crisis in the body to shock it back to health.

I'm going to keep experimenting with fasting. I need practice for what I see is coming.

Hatha

[Awoke]

Hatha, don't cheat your self.

You are wasting your time by not adhering to a strict water fast.

A) You remain hungry because your stomach never shuts off
B) You will not detoxify because your stomach never shuts off
C) You will not heal because your stomach never shuts off, so your body will not have the excess energy to use in healing your body everywhere on a cellular level.

Please read the post I linked to spare me from repeating myself.
...or just tell me to shut up.

[Antonio]

Quitting smoking is more difficult than quitting opiates, or at least "so I have heard".

EDIT to add that the studies I was referring to also included drug addicts, but I used coffee and cigarettes as examples because the members here are not junkies. Even the ones that pretend to be.


When opiod junkies hear on TV that smoking and junk food is as hard to quit as heroin, they get their only good laughs that life gives them.

[nunaem]

If you want to succeed at your first prolonged fast I strongly recommend you do a ketogenic diet beforehand. This will condition your body to burn fat for fuel and diminish your hunger when you do the fast, making the fast far easier to perform. Your body inevitably goes into ketosis during a prolonged fast. I believe that this is the source of the purported benefits of fasting not the fast itself, but anyhow, going into ketosis is far easier physically and psychologically in the presence of food than in the absence of it and once you are in ketosis fasting becomes easy.




I quit smoking 18 years ago. Cold Turkey. Quitting food seems to be similar. Like inducing a crisis in the body to shock it back to health.



It's not 'food' that you are likely addicted to, it's carbohydrates. It's better to quit your carb addiction before you do a fast.

[Antonio]

If you want to succeed at your first prolonged fast I strongly recommend you do a ketogenic diet beforehand. This will condition your body to burn fat for fuel and diminish your hunger when you do the fast, making the fast far easier to perform. Your body inevitably goes into ketosis during a prolonged fast. I believe that this is the source of the purported benefits of fasting not the fast itself, but anyhow, going into ketosis is far easier physically and psychologically in the presence of food than in the absence of it and once you are in ketosis fasting becomes easy.



That`s all I ate when in my peak shape, tons of protein and mega tons of animal fat, little carbs. It causes ketoacidosis though.

[nunaem]

If you want to succeed at your first prolonged fast I strongly recommend you do a ketogenic diet beforehand. This will condition your body to burn fat for fuel and diminish your hunger when you do the fast, making the fast far easier to perform. Your body inevitably goes into ketosis during a prolonged fast. I believe that this is the source of the purported benefits of fasting not the fast itself, but anyhow, going into ketosis is far easier physically and psychologically in the presence of food than in the absence of it and once you are in ketosis fasting becomes easy.



It causes ketoacidosis though.


No, not unless you have a damaged metabolism. The Inuits survived their entire lives on nothing but meat.

[Antonio]

If you want to succeed at your first prolonged fast I strongly recommend you do a ketogenic diet beforehand. This will condition your body to burn fat for fuel and diminish your hunger when you do the fast, making the fast far easier to perform. Your body inevitably goes into ketosis during a prolonged fast. I believe that this is the source of the purported benefits of fasting not the fast itself, but anyhow, going into ketosis is far easier physically and psychologically in the presence of food than in the absence of it and once you are in ketosis fasting becomes easy.



It causes ketoacidosis though.


No, not unless you have a damaged metabolism. The Inuits survived their entire lives on nothing but meat.


Here you know more than I do. I suspect that my low carb,high nitrogen,ultra high fat diet slowed down my gains in my teens. I felt deep bone hunger and instead of allowing myself some sugar, would eat a pound of sour cream followed by a liter or kefir/sour milk+ some wholesome black bread.

[nunaem]

If you want to succeed at your first prolonged fast I strongly recommend you do a ketogenic diet beforehand. This will condition your body to burn fat for fuel and diminish your hunger when you do the fast, making the fast far easier to perform. Your body inevitably goes into ketosis during a prolonged fast. I believe that this is the source of the purported benefits of fasting not the fast itself, but anyhow, going into ketosis is far easier physically and psychologically in the presence of food than in the absence of it and once you are in ketosis fasting becomes easy.



It causes ketoacidosis though.


No, not unless you have a damaged metabolism. The Inuits survived their entire lives on nothing but meat.


Here you know more than I do. I suspect that my low carb,high nitrogen,ultra high fat diet slowed down my gains in my teens. I felt deep bone hunger and instead of allowing myself some sugar, would eat a pound of sour cream followed by a liter or kefir/sour milk+ some wholesome black bread.


Those aren't exactly low-carb foods, especially the milk and black bread. You probably weren't in ketosis. But you are right that very low carb diets limit your gains, one of the major precursors to muscle growth is insulin which is elicited by carbohydrates. This is why I started a moderate carb diet recently to make lean gains.

And thanks for reminding me that I need to find a good loaf of pumpernickel. I'm going to make some greek yogurt too.

[spt_r1]

Thanks to Awoke and others for providing some good info here.

My question though is when in the middle of a fast to detox or whatever, what's your suggestion for dealing with those moments/episodes that make you want to snap and just thrash your head against the wall resulting in breaking the fast/detox?

I realize everyone is a little different and no one solution will work for everybody but suggestions are welcome.

[Awoke]

When I detoxed, it hit me suddenly and only lasted a couple hours. I just sat in a reclining chair and slept, between waves of nausea and profuse sweating/cold chills.

After the detox was done, I didn't experience any setbacks, or frustrations.

One thing that my wife and I did while we fasted was cooking. We prepared a lot of meals together, and froze them for after our fast. It brought us closer together. In fact, I have to say that fasting actually rejuvinated our relationship in every way. We were like newlyweds!

But tempers can flare, and patience can be short as well, so you just need to bear that in mind and you should get through those short times where you want to bang your head off the wall, as you say.

[Ponce]

Well, all that you guys have done is to inpired me to go to Costco and buy more food......you guys must be trainning for WTSHTF and there is less food.


Because all that I am reading this morning about food I now believe that you people are doing the right thing by practicing not eating.........pretty soon you will be able to put your trainning in practice..........sorry to say.

[optionT]

Thanks for all the great info here and thanks AWOKE for your thoughts.

I attempted a 24 hour fast and fell short by going 22.5. The smell of food overwhelmed me at that point and I ate food! My problem was that I went to the gym for an hour and a half and I felted very fatigued and weak once I got home.

AWOKE:

1.) Do you think a 24 hour fast once a week is beneficial and a good idea?

2.) What would be a good yearly maintenance fast, 3 days, etc.?

Thanks for help!

[sunshine05]

Thanks to Awoke and others for providing some good info here.

My question though is when in the middle of a fast to detox or whatever, what's your suggestion for dealing with those moments/episodes that make you want to snap and just thrash your head against the wall resulting in breaking the fast/detox?

I realize everyone is a little different and no one solution will work for everybody but suggestions are welcome.


I did the lemonade fast a few months back and on the middle of day 5 I felt so weak that it scared me. I had the kids, my husband was away and we had sports games to get to, etc. so I ended up stopping and getting a granola bar and orange juice. I want to make it 10 days next time and plan to do the fast when I know he will be in town to help. Even though I only made it 5 days, I did notice improvements.....more energy, less aches, clearer sinuses, clearer thinking.

[Ponce]

Many times all around the world I have gone hungry and all that it did was to put my guard down, because it was when I should have been the most alert to me it was a death threat.

After I am dead I'll try this practice of no eating deal......

[Awoke]

Ponce, I do it for health purposes. It is obvious you haven't read up on the benefits of long fasting, and it is obvious that you aren't interested in it, so no need for you to take an active roll in this thread.

I'm not telling you what to do, I'm just sayin...




Thanks for all the great info here and thanks AWOKE for your thoughts.

I attempted a 24 hour fast and fell short by going 22.5. The smell of food overwhelmed me at that point and I ate food! My problem was that I went to the gym for an hour and a half and I felted very fatigued and weak once I got home.




I am happy to help as much as possible on this topic. I believe that proper fasting can conquer absolutely any disease. If more people learn the truth about fasting, we can tear the wheels off of the big pharma industry that is trying to kill off our people.





AWOKE:

1.) Do you think a 24 hour fast once a week is beneficial and a good idea?

2.) What would be a good yearly maintenance fast, 3 days, etc.?

Thanks for help!


1) To be blunt, 24 hours is totally pointless unless you're doing it for spiritual purposes.

2) I fast for 15-20 days in the spring and 15-20 days in the fall. It is important that you space your fasts apart from each other, because your body will need time to rebuild it's reserves on a cellular level.

Other people fast more aggressively than that, but I personally don't recommend exceeding the timeframe I posted unless you are battling with cancer or serious arthritis, etc.

This is a post from old GIM in that fasting thread.




Good luck, Awoke! I fasted for a total of 3 months last year. My longest was 35 days. I'm not sure I will do it again -- a long one, that is -- because I believe I have detoxed as much as possible using this method.

My recommended reading:

"The Science and Fine Art of Fasting" - Herbert Shelton (most thorough)
"Fasting and Eating for Health" - Joel Furman (most contemporary)
"Therapeutic Fasting" - Arnold DeVries (most concise)






I did the lemonade fast a few months back and on the middle of day 5 I felt so weak that it scared me. I had the kids, my husband was away and we had sports games to get to, etc. so I ended up stopping and getting a granola bar and orange juice. I want to make it 10 days next time and plan to do the fast when I know he will be in town to help. Even though I only made it 5 days, I did notice improvements.....more energy, less aches, clearer sinuses, clearer thinking.


Sunshine, you felt weak because you were taking in Lemonade, and that stopped your stomach from turning off, therefore you were not taking the needed reserves from your cells, and you were not getting the needed reserves from your stomach.

I can not stress enough how important it is to stict with a STRICT water fast.
Water means water. No tea, no lemonade, no chewing gum, nothing.

Otherwise you are pointlessly suffering and not healing or purifying. Once you commit to this, and your stomach shuts off, you will NOT BE HUNGRY, and the healing and detox can take place.

Other people extol fancy fasts with tea or berries or whatever, but that is not a fast. That could be considered a cleanse, but nothing will cleanse every single organ in your body like a water fast.

[optionT]

This is an excerpt from the book "Fasting: The Ultimate Diet" by Allan Cott.


http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=jMdZPlcx07UC&pg=PA34&lpg=PA34&dq=Dr+Yuri+Nikolayev+fasting+moscow+psychiatric+in stitute&source=bl&ots=Ygcn0sYVqC&sig=1CLXFycSLhWy76fTbapt_FG8fSg&hl=en&ei=-HVRTYf7DIqLhQf_v8GMCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Dr%20Yuri%20Nikolayev%20fasting%20moscow%20psych iatric%20institute&f=false

EDIT: If you scroll down to page 35 read about the 19 year old schizophrenic and how he got cured, incredible. His water fast lasted 4 weeks and he was feeling normal again, even four years later! I doubt they are doing this now in these institutions, just give a cocktail of pills and call it a day.

[spt_r1]

What are some thoughts about "fasting clinics" ?

In case someone just can't get themselves through the first (most difficult) three days wouldn't checking in to a water only fasting clinic make some sense? I've seen some that you can check into and they monitor your vital stats and don't let you off their campus for the duration of the fast. Sure it'll cost a chunk of change but if you're trying your first extended fast and can't seem to do it on your own a fasting clinic might be a good option.

Does anyone have any opinions or even recommendations of a good fasting clinic.

[gunDriller]

i have practiced a committed Potato Chip Fast for many years now.

no potato chips for ... a few years.

how's that for commitment ?

[woodman]

I seem to remember Keef, from the old GIM, posting about a freind of his who was a junkie. The way his freind quit heroin was by a very long fast. According to Keef he almost died but came through and ended his heroin addiction forever.

Keef was an interesting poster. Wonder what happened to him. Is he at the other site?

I have only fasted water only for 4 or 5 days. I wasn't working at the time. I don't think a fast and work would be compatible.

[Ponce]

I do my fasting only when I am not hungry.....besides, plenty of time to fast will when I die.

[Kali]

Water only fasts are where its at.

"Fasting and Eating for Health" by Joel Fuhrman - BUY IT.

[dys]

I seem to remember Keef, from the old GIM, posting about a freind of his who was a junkie. The way his freind quit heroin was by a very long fast. According to Keef he almost died but came through and ended his heroin addiction forever.

Keef was an interesting poster. Wonder what happened to him. Is he at the other site?

I have only fasted water only for 4 or 5 days. I wasn't working at the time. I don't think a fast and work would be compatible.


Sort of OT, but I wonder about Keef a lot. I often disagreed with him, but I appreciated his style and his ability to articulate his perspective. He was pretty much a cool dude, and I miss him.

dys

[Neuro]

I consider doing a complete water fast, at this point. I have been having this cough now for 3+ weeks, and yesterday I was coming down with what I believe is pneumonia, heavy feeling in the lungs, deep cough, and 39.1 C or more fever (I guess around 102-103 F), feel better today after sweating it out, but I still have the cough. I did 2 complete water fasts more than 10 years ago, for 5 and 7 days respectively. I don't remember feeling less hungry after 3 days, but my sense of smell became incredibly acute, I could smell a bakery 1/4 mile away, and I couldn't walk past a restaurant without studying the menu... LOL

[learn2swim]

If you want to succeed at your first prolonged fast I strongly recommend you do a ketogenic diet beforehand. This will condition your body to burn fat for fuel and diminish your hunger when you do the fast, making the fast far easier to perform. Your body inevitably goes into ketosis during a prolonged fast. I believe that this is the source of the purported benefits of fasting not the fast itself, but anyhow, going into ketosis is far easier physically and psychologically in the presence of food than in the absence of it and once you are in ketosis fasting becomes easy.




I quit smoking 18 years ago. Cold Turkey. Quitting food seems to be similar. Like inducing a crisis in the body to shock it back to health.



It's not 'food' that you are likely addicted to, it's carbohydrates. It's better to quit your carb addiction before you do a fast.


That idea has merit, thanks..

[Hatha Sunahara]

This morning I ended a 10 day Master Cleanse lemonade fast. I'm just amazed at how easy it was. Today I'm eating oranges and other fruit. Tomorrow I'll be eating vegetable soup, and after that slowly easing back into a healthy diet.

I only felt hungry for the first two days. Overall, I lost 8 pounds in 10 days. I never felt weak or exhausted. I maintained my usual daily routine without too much difficulty. I took a laxative tea each day, and did one salt water flush on the third day. I estimate I was taking in at most, 450 calories a day. I would imagine that a water only fast would be much like this lemonade diet, but I thought it would make me feel weak and exhausted so I didn't try it.

There is something in the lemon juice that cleans you out and makes your system optimally alkaline. I feel really good now--much better than before I started.

I am really amazed to discover something about my own energy economy. I'm also amazed at what portion of the energy content of food goes into fueling the body to digest the food itself. We use a lot of energy to digest our food. I would think it takes up to half the food we eat just to digest it. It's possible to conserve energy by shutting down the digestive system.

I'm glad I did this. I feel cleaned out and fresh. I'm not planning to go back to a highly acidic diet. I might just turn into a full bore vegetarian--maybe even a vegan.

Hatha

[MAGNES]

I grew up with this, know a lot of healthy old people as well,
these people must be doing something right, they are healthier
as a group than the average in the population, my grand aunt
just passed away, she was 99 maybe even 100, and she looked
good too, even in her casket.

Fasting
http://greekfood.about.com/od/festivalsholidays/a/greatlent.htm

Greek Orthodox Lent is a time of fasting, which means abstaining from foods that contain animals with red blood (meats, poultry, game) and products from animals with red blood (milk, cheese, eggs, etc.), and fish and seafood with backbones. Olive oil and wine are also restricted. The number of meals on each day is also limited.