New to fasting -- help?

[daylene]

Hi everyone. I've been eating mostly raw (80-90%) for more than 6 weeks now and I have yet to experience the significant detox symptoms that I hear people talking about. I'm also obese and have lost about 20 pounds, but my weight loss came to a confusing halt after the 3rd week. I know I'm not over-eating; in fact I've been astonished lately at just how LITTLE I really have to eat to satisfy my hunger.

Anyway, I've heard some great things about fasting, and I'm wondering if that would be a good thing for me to try. I'd like to keep losing weight and I'd also like to know that my body has flushed out some of those nasty toxins.

I need some tips from experienced fasters out there. I don't have a juicer, so it will probably have to be a water fast. How long should my first fast be? How do I come off a fast? How much activity should I try to engage in while fasting? Help!

[cornvalley]

I don't have a juicer, so it will probably have to be a water fast. How long should my first fast be? How do I come off a fast? How much activity should I try to engage in while fasting? Help!

Yes Help!!! :D

This could be a wonderful thing for you, or could be a nightmare. It is so individual, the response to water fasting, having specific answers is like offering a set of clothes to someone whose size is still unknown.

Maybe reading a bit first and finding case histories that mirror your's. The fasting process is nothing short of amazing when allowed to proceed unhindered by superfluous therapuetics. Nature designed this process with more wisdom than any guru of health you could name.

My humble recomendation would be to study a bit, get a feel for the kinds of experiences others have had. My preference is for the Natural Hygiene approach but there are many more with extra therapeutically inclined inducements that many find appealing.
I like this literature very much and their Retreat offers a haven for taking away the uncertainty that can plague you if you get into heavy symptomatic behaviors of detox.

http://www.healthpromoting.com/Articles/articles.htm

[lovinglif303]

iwas just wondering how to fast liuke what do u do? and what kind of tea or juice??

[ashleyoak87@adelphia.net]

I just got started with raw food a month ago, but I have lots of experience with fasting. I've done water fast for only as long as four days, not as long as other but I did them about 10 or more times last year.

I knew nothing about fasting; only that it was good for you and other Christians I saw on TV were doing it. I didn't research it until months after I started doing it.

The advise I have for you is first try fasting for half a day, pick a day in the middle of the week like Thursday and don’t eat until dinner, it sounds strange but it gets your mind used to fasting. Water fasting for me was as much as a mental challenge as it was a physical challenge because I work in a restraint and had to fast well serving and selling food.

After that try fasting for a day then wait about two weeks then try it for two or three days. You problem know that fasting is hardest the first two days and its true, so don’t get discouraged if well your doing all this its really, really hard and uncomfortable.

You might want to just dive in, and do it for a week. I did, but found I couldn’t even do two days. I’d try then after a day fail, a month later I’d try then after two days fail. But as I kept trying I was able to do better and better each time, which is why I recommend starting with 1/2 day and working your way up.

Good luck, I’ll pray for you, I believe by the bible verse I read that your a Christian, but if your not please still feel free to email me for support.

I have one last tip, don’t fast if you have any kind of eating disorder, that goes for binging or anorexia...or what ever, don’t turn something good for your body into an excuses to starve your self, and self destruct. Or binge on tons of food after your fast! The key is to nurture your body not self abuse it.

God bless,
Ash

[cornvalley]

No offense to you Ash, your heart is obviously in the right place. Excepting the advice in the last paragraph it is not wise to practice many short fast if the goal is appreciable health improvement. The body adapts to the fast better in the long term than the short term. Meaning, the first fews days of a fast are somewhat demanding on the protein stores of the individual whereas the later stages is when protein sparing goes into effect (ketosis) and is more productive in terms of deeper detoxification. This is the stage that never develops on mini fasts (4 days or less) as the body breaks down amino acids for fuel with it's glycogen stores. This is also true of 'fasting' with juices. Never get very deep.

Fasting is a wonderful tool for healing and rebirth. It shouldn't have to be undergone seriously ( 30 days or more) for more than once in your life if the lifestyle following it is properly developed. But the world we live in and how we choose to live it seems to necessitate fasting maybe on the order of once a year for about a week. I'm referring to water only fasting which is superior to anything else.