Fasting

[GZA]

I've heard that some people use fasting as a form of detox. Apparently fasting for one or two days with only water or non-sugary fruit juice can give your organs a break from digestion and can force your body to use the tissue and nutrients from damaged cells, causing your body to become more efficient. Apparently it also has some spiritual and psychological effects like clearer thinking and stress relief because you are not exposing yourself to high sugar and fats commonly found in our modern diet.

Is this true, and have any of you tried it yourself?

 

[celesul]

I've heard that also actually. I've fasted for Yom Kippur (but we eat a lot before and after, so that doesn't fit what you're saying) but also have forgotten to eat at times. I've had a few times when I've eaten only a light, healthy breakfast, and then forgotten to eat again until the next day for breakfast, although I drank a lot of water. And yes, it actually isn't bad. I don't do it often, I'm a complete foodie, but sometimes I forget. I'd be crabby if I didn't eat breakfast, but once that's done (and that can be as light as a piece of fruit) fasting til breakfast the next day can feel cleansing and refreshing.

But I suspect that doing it too frequently would make one very crabby.

 

[Randomnity]

I'm inclined to dismiss it as unscientific BS, especially since it intuitively makes sense to keep your body supplied with food regularly....your organs have adapted specifically to digesting regular meals. They don't need a break any more than your heart does. But hey, I haven't actually researched the topic. Maybe there is some logic behind it that I'm just unaware of. I wouldn't try it myself though, without a valid reason.

High sugar and fat absolutely are not good for you, especially in excess, but you don't need to stop eating all food to stop eating those...

 

[GZA]

About eating before and after, I heard about a study on mice where the mice could eat only every other day, and they ended up pigging out the days they could eat and obviously didn't eat the other days because no food was offered. The study showed these mice lived longer and were more resistent to disease.

Of course, mice arn't people, but it gets you thinking.

Another thing I was thinking was the difference in our modern diet to how our bodies are designed -which is not neccesarily to eat every day. Being able to eat every day and eat well is a very, very new thing in human history. This whole three meals a day at set times is very different than how we once lived, which was just getting whatever food could be found/hunted and eating it as soon as possible. Its interesting to think that perhaps occasionally witholding food for short periods of time (i.e. a day or two) could be beneficial to your body, and this idea seems consistent with how our bodies developed biologically. I almost wonder if eating so consistently could be slightly harmful.

 

[GZA]

I'm inclined to dismiss it as unscientific BS, especially since it intuitively makes sense to keep your body supplied with food regularly....your organs have adapted specifically to digesting regular meals. They don't need a break any more than your heart does. But hey, I haven't actually researched the topic. Maybe there is some logic behind it that I'm just unaware of. I wouldn't try it myself though, without a valid reason.

High sugar and fat absolutely are not good for you, especially in excess, but you don't need to stop eating all food to stop eating those...

It does intuitively make sense your body is designed to intake food regularly, but it also intuitively makes sense that it adapted to be able to healthily live without food for short periods of time, and perhaps even make these short periods of no food beneficial.

 

[FDG]

Just try it. Personally, I just get hungry.

 

[Geoff]

I've heard that some people use fasting as a form of detox. Apparently fasting for one or two days with only water or non-sugary fruit juice can give your organs a break from digestion and can force your body to use the tissue and nutrients from damaged cells, causing your body to become more efficient. Apparently it also has some spiritual and psychological effects like clearer thinking and stress relief because you are not exposing yourself to high sugar and fats commonly found in our modern diet.

Is this true, and have any of you tried it yourself?

Detoxing in general seems to work... but it seems to be better if one keeps a few healthy things on the go.. some high fibre veggie stuff and lots of water for a day, in modest quantities. Entirely fasting doesn't seem so hot.. mainly because at the end of it you'll savage your chocolate collection.

I have to say, though, that having a clean/detox day or two definitely makes me feel better as a break from the bad stuff.

 

[CzeCze]

Yeah, I've fasted. I did the crazy sounding 'lemon juice/maple syrup/cayenne pepper' fast. I used 'gourmet hippie' maple syrup -- the same brand Beyonce used to drop sizes for her role in Dream Girls -- thus blurring the line between 'fast' and 'eating disorder'. Hey, at least I acknowledge it. Fasts are a culturally ok way for celebrites and their emulants (yes that's a word - I made it up) to basically not eat for extended periods of time.

I've done the lemonade fast for 15 days and a straight up fast with only water and occasional juice for 10 days.

The first time I felt very energized, stayed very active with yoga and rock climbing and an active social calendar. Actually, I had to sneak in chai tea (caffeine is a no no durnig fasts) and vegan cookies in the last few days to help me keep up with all the activity. And I drank A LOT of fluids.

Second time round, didn't drink enough fluids and I was so tired I literally slept 12 hours straight and up to 16 hours total a day. I was exhausted. The first time, I didn't lose weight (nor did I intend to, I wanted to see what 'detox' was), but my skin cleared up beautifully. The second time, I dropped 10 pounds on the scale and my skin looked the same and I remained sluggish for a while. I really did not fast right the 2nd time.

Did I FEEL better?

When you do it right, you feel very light and energized and clear headed. Proper fasting is attributed to many miraculous effects including lowering your blood sugar levels to non-diabetic levels, curing phantom pains, helping with allergies and depression, etc.

I do buy into the detox thing with a grain of salt, though many experts will tell you detoxing is a myth, and that in fact your body is meant to live and even thrive with all kinds of pathogens, germs, and junk in your system and or that eating the proper kinds of foods is what detoxes you and fasting is too jarring on the body. People who believe modern living and foods are 'toxic' and that the human body is based on a prehistoric blueprint will tell you your body DOES need a break from all this modern junk.

When done right, fasting does NOT make you feel hungry (except late at night ), after 2 or 3 days you lose those sensations of hunger.

Every time you do it, you learn new things about yourself, your relationship to food, your reaction to food, you becom strangely aware of things, you lose and gain allergies.

I could get truly hippie dippie here but I'll stop. Unless you want more hippie dippie perspectives on it.

 

[pure_mercury]

Fasting also make your hearing a lot sharper (in the short run, of course), so make sure to have some soothing music around, and try to avoid sudden, loud noises.

 

[spirilis]

A coworker tried it and he said he could tell his skin was feeling nasty and smelly after the 2nd day, and he had to shower a couple times a day to stop it.

I tried fasting for 3 days once, using only low-sodium V8 (the small cans, once a day)... can't say I experienced that, but one thing I did notice was the benefits of low metabolism--my brain just "felt" quieter, like a lot of metabolic noise (for lack of a better term) was silenced.

Also, external heat didn't make me sweat as much. 85F outside with the sun out, and I was just fine keeping my windows closed. The baking hot sun actually felt good--it felt like my body was actively absorbing every ray, no sweating.

On the downside, I occasionally became a tad dizzy, which was distressing to say the least. I don't plan on making fasting a routine.

 

[nottaprettygal]

I think that the benefits of fasting were invented by anorexic teen girls.

 

[sriv]

Fasting was considered a overcoming the pleasure of gluttony by eastern culture. It is respected in India and the Middle East. Anorexic teen girls just use Hinduism as an excuse if they are smart enough to.

 

[spartan26]

I'd be crabby if I didn't eat breakfast, but once that's done (and that can be as light as a piece of fruit) fasting til breakfast the next day can feel cleansing and refreshing.

But I suspect that doing it too frequently would make one very crabby.

I'll get real headachy and angry. I hate to do it but will as a spiritual discipline. Last fall I did what is referred to as the "Daniel fast." That time I definitely had a detox experience. I mean serious dt's. I was utterly miserable at times. I definitely had a lot of prayer involved and self examination. My whining and lack of appreciation were areas brought to my attention that I guess I didn't think I needed to address. "Oh no, Father God, it's all of those selfish people out there that are the problem, not me!"

I will do it before making major or somewhat major decisions. The answers have come to. Sometimes I'll do it as a form of lamenting and solidarity with one who is suffering.

I'll generally do shorter periods of absolute fasting. But they are generally quite the misery inducers for me. Like real bad hangovers but maybe after a nap, I'd feel OK. There were times I'd get like the huge grand slam type breakfast afterward, which almost served like a reward. Now, I'll just down a lot of water and eat whatever I normally would. I don't generally have a refreshed feeling when I'm done but maybe a stronger sense of focus.

 

[CzeCze]

Actually, I'm surprised things went over well with the V8, but I guess whatever liquid that doesn't have too much 'gunk' in it.

And when you fast, you get cold EASILY. I did a lot of Bikram (sauna-esque) yoga durng my first fast and it was perfect. I did it in the fall/winter the second time and was freezing all the time. Your body temperature drops, so yeah, the heat feels GOOD.

And the smelling bad and 'purging' is considered normal (for some people) as all the junk in your body escapes. But, them's one of the benes of fasting.

And I think the responses on this page a nice slice of real world attitudes to fasting. It's true like I alluded to before fasting is Hollywood-ized as a legit way to starve oneself, it's a blurry line. However, fasting really has it's roots and as a spiritual exercise or evn act of penance or contemplation in many major world religions. Aside from straight fasting, the idea of ascetic living and very very simple living as well as simple (vegetarian) meals are common expectations even for lay people.

And yes, it is true fasting can really help you to examine certain issues and your life. Not just issues with food, but overall practicing mindfulness, 'being in the moment' (ha, I just realized from reading some MBT books that 'being in the moment' is such a classic 'SP' thing and common in hippie-dom, which is also a classic 'SP' thing) and being rid of distractions. Simplifying. With the spiritual component of fasting, it's not just about 'starving' but about meditating, journaling, even exploring the outdoors.

I know saying 'food is a distraction' does definitely sound anorexic considering pop culture, but the opposite of being neurotic and obsessive about food, it's supposed to help you become more self aware and build healthier, more satisfying relationships to things and people in your life.

 

[pure_mercury]

I consume nothing but water and maybe some juice or vitamins 3-4 days a year. I find that it's good for flattening the stomach a bit, and it is actually kind of nice in the summer, as CzeCze said.

 

[spirilis]

Yeah, what prompted my fasting back when I did it was the fact that every time I ate, my body just didn't quite feel right... like I was constantly overstuffed. I had eaten more food than usual for the past week beforehand (being taken out to lunch at work, dinner parties, etc) that I decided it was time to balance it out. It definitely fulfilled its purpose. I may consider doing it again in the future, just during times when I don't have much to do (so any mild dizziness won't affect my day-to-day tasks)

 

[swordpath]

I have never fasted, nor will I ever. I need food to live and I enjoy it so I don't plan to give it up for an extended period of time if I don't have to.

 

[LucrativeSid]

I've done it before. I like experimenting. I lost some weight and muscle mass, but those were the only differences I could actually find. Beyond health reasons, it's fun for discipline. And the perfect time to fast is when you're already broke!

 

[celesul]

I'd be wary of doing it for a long period of time. I'd be crabby, and I'd not fast when I need to do anything that exerting, or when I need to concentrate that day. Maybe I'd fast the day before I needed to concentrate. ^.^

But about not feeling good after eating, I'd think it also depends on the food. I hate normal American food, as it makes me feel rather ill, but other food is good. I avoid greasy food, but I feel good after eating sushi, or food like that ^.^

 

[Lark]

I've been reading about this too, a book called rational fasting, its seriously dated but I bought it out of interest more than any intention to follow it but then I discovered that there was some two days a week fasting diet which has been popular.