Weekend Fasting

[Nectarine]

Hello all :cool:,

How long does one fast for? Is a one day weekend water fast (with wheatgrass in the morning) okay? Thanks.

[star1919]

Hi Nectarine... Welcome to this site! :D

I've done one day fasts and longer fasts... they all have healing benefits. If you want to read more about fasting... there is a thread on this section called Fasting Support. If you click on the 1st page, 1st post of that thread... you'll see lots of links for a variety of fasting information.

Wishing you a good fast!

[Nectarine]

Thanks for the pointer star1919. I think a one day fast is all I could handle since I really don't have much extra weight to play around with, and I lose weight very quickly if I, say, miss having dinner a couple of nights in a row.

Thanks again! :)

[Nectarine]

Well, I decided to fast every weekend, and I'm currently doing my first. I take one cup of lemon water in the morning, and then nothing but water for the rest of the day. I would have added cayenne pepper to my lemon water, but I couldn't get to a healthfood store to buy the organic variety in time for my fast (non-organic cayenne pepper is treated with irradiation). So, I began my fast at 1.20pm Saturday 27 January, and will come off it at 1.20pm on Monday 29 January. It's currently 11.24pm Saturday, so I've been fasting for 10 hours or so (not including sleep time before the day my fast began). I don't know how you lot that do extended fasts do it!!!! You must have ultra slow metabolisms or something. I have a nuclear reactor in my belly, and right now I AM HUNGRRRRYYYYYYYYY! I also feel slightly unbalanced in my head, like when I went for a walk, I felt somewhat dizzy, but I also felt (and feel) very sedate in my emotions too. There's a guy who lives above me, and he's been cooking Indian food all **** day, which is annoying because I just happen to love the smell of Indian cooking, and I've never smelt him cooking food before :mad: It's just intensifying my hunger! Anyway, just felt like typing this out for whoever, wherever, whenever...

[Nectarine]

It's 3.59pm, Sunday 28 January here (at the time of writing this), and it's been 26 hours and 39 minutes since I began my fast, and what do you know, it actually gets easier after the first 12 or so hours. I don't feel that hungry at all, and my stomach is so flat, it's curving inwards toward my spine! I was even able to engage in some light exercise this morning, and had much more energy than I predicted I would. The guy upstairs was cooking again this morning, but his cooking merely smelled pleasant, and gave me something nice to focus on while I rested after exercise, without exciting wild hunger in me like yesterday. My mind has achieved a level of crystal clarity that I have never known before. All the mental chatter has quietened down, and I feel so emotionally anchored. Nature came-a-knockin this morning, which I'm happy about, since that means any imbalance between 'incoming' and 'outgoing' in me is being addressed. If that happens every weekend (and there's no reason it shouldn't since I have no problems in that department) my GI system will be in spectacularly good nick :cool: Right now, I feel like I could go for 3 days, but I will stick with the plan, and just fast on the weekends. I read that more than 3 days, and you really should be supervised. Anyway...going good so far. I would even go as far as to say that I'm starting to enjoy the experience...

[Nectarine]

My legs and arms have started aching real bad. I understand this is due to the body releasing large amounts of toxins into the bloodstream at the same time, and that this occurs more aggressively with water fasting than it does with juice fasting, so I am somewhat happy that this is occuring, because physical and emotional detoxification (together with enhanced spiritual insight, and thus enlightenment) are what this is all about for me. It does hurt right now though. Both my legs are hurting, while my left arms aches more than my right. Just under my right eye recently swelled up a little aswell, and when I get up after lying down, I feel like I'm going to blackout. My vision goes all blurry and I have to lean against something. I'm glad I'm indoors right now. I'm going to bed real early tonight...

[Nectarine]

Up 6.00am this morning, Monday 29 January, and feelin' good!! The pain in my legs and arms has disappeared, although my lower back is aching slighty, it's nothing compared to the pain in my legs last night. Only a few more hours to go, and I'll ease myself into solids again with some bananas for a late breakfast. I understand that regular short fast eventually come to exert the same level of benefit over time as that of an extended (10+ day) fast once or twice a year. As I said, this is going to be an 'every weekend' deal, so I'm looking forward to the long-term health rewards. The short-terms benefits, however, I am already reaping: that being heightened self-discipline, to see a goal that I've set myself to the end. That used to be a big problem for me, although it has become a lesser one as I've matured over the years. I used to be extremely subject to whimsy, and would flit from one thing to another without finishing anything. I feel like I have made some more progress in this regard, as short as the fast was. Anyway, all-in-all, a good, instructive, confidence-building, first fast! :cool:

[Nectarine]

Addendum:

I had my first meal in 48 hours at 1.25pm Monday 29 January, which consisted of bananas, water melon, apples, and pears, and it's very true what they say about how one's sense of taste becomes more acutely sensitive than usual. The water melons (which were the first thing I ate) tasted like honey from the gods :D I couldn't eat it fast enough, and made a pig of myself with juice all down my chin hehehe :cool: Those sublime 10-15 minutes in which I ate my breakfast, alone, made the 48 hour fast well worth it, and I felt an increased sense of gratitude for the food I was eating, when so many others don't have anything to eat. I strongly feel that this is something I should follow up on, and I intend to with all my heart. I'd like to sponsor some children I think. Isn't it incredible how God talks to us, and encourages us to grow? Awesome!