WHY Fasting???????????????

[misslinda]

* Sharing some thoughts *




Hi all you fasting friends!

I decided to start this thread of WHY FASTING b/c I have been observing and reading many who are attempting to fast to end the evilness of emotional eating,ED's and cycles of other out of control eating habits.

First I want to say that FASTING is a VERY serious topic. For one, we are interrupting the digestive process when we go into a fasting state. Next, how we transition back into foods and what we eat, has extended effects as well.

I am noticing a pattern in some fasters where their initial behavior they are trying to rid thru fasting is tranferring into the fasting itself where he/she is caught in a cycle of yo-yo ing. This in itself is destructive and a continuance of the same habit from the beginning......just adding in a new obsession, fasting.

It is far better to be raw and struggle THAN the cycle of yo-yo with fasting and eating,overeating and eating SAD back to fasting etc etc..........this will for surely weaken your health even more---guaranteed! Stop while you are ahead.........

I have always said, FASTING is at your own discretion. Consider being RAW for awhile before you take on something as concentrated in DETOX like fasting.

We are not trying to hinder or tell anyone what to do and not to do BUT we feel it needs to be addressed in light of people's health and sanity around here.


:)

[PATH301]

Nicely put misslinda.
I especially agree with this:

I have always said, FASTING is at your own discretion. Consider being RAW for awhile before you take on something as concentrated in DETOX like fasting.

We are not trying to hinder or tell anyone what to do and not to do BUT we feel it needs to be addressed in light of people's health and sanity around here.

Never ever do this if you feel uncomfortable, always pace yourself and do as much research as you feel that you need to do, for both going RAW and Fasting. Your body will go through many different types of detoxing just in the raw stages alone. Get comfortable with those stages first before you take on fasting process. Again pace yourself, do your research, know why you want to do it, it will help you to enjoy your journey so much more:D

[misslinda]

* looks up *


Hey, look who's making an appearance......:D

Lots of new people Path........new blog........new fasters. You amy want to reintroduce yourself to the boards :p

[PATH301]

Pffft.... I'm don't post for a few weeks and when I do nobody knows who I am. That's a sad thing and a good thing I guess
Ahhh the search button, it's a great tool:)
Also you can goto anybody's profile and click on all post by that member and check them out and pick up some great information.

[misslinda]

Well if you are talking about "real time," it is off by like 3-5 five minutes from what they have posted and the next thread they are in.......if you noticed. :)

[being]

Misslinda

I am really pleased you brought this up.

The more literature I read on fasting, the more serious my thinking becomes.

A few weeks back I fasted for 5 days on just water and the master cleanse lemonades. In just this short time I was shocked, and honestly quite unprepared, for the emotional volcano that was unleashed.

Fasting is an ancient and very primal, evolutionary adaptation of the human being, and traditionally it has been used as a spiritual practice. Today it seems very perverted, in all the hype about Cleansing and Purity and Health.

I am nowhere near well versed enough to attempt a proper definition of what fasting truly is. I only recommend RESEARCH RESEARCH REFLECTION AND MORE RESEARCH!!!

We can do extensive damage to ourselves, spiritual-emotional-physical violence (as put by Stephen Harrod Buhner in his book The Fasting Path).

I agree that there is a strong probability, even danger, of fasting becoming just another "obsession". Especially with the yo-yo cycle as you mentioned, of disordered eating behaviors. We risk making the situation so much worse when we are not prepared, or perhaps are unaware of the truly intense effects of fasting on so many levels.

Fasting is a period of physiological rest. Dr. Keki Sidhwa's article (http://www.bnhs.ms11.net/bnhs/hygienist1.html)on the British Natural Hygiene Society's website has some great tidbits that deal with this issue....(scroll down to near the bottom)

TOO FREQUENT FASTING?
Altogether too many people attempt to substitute frequent fasting for a hygienic way of life. They think they can live unhygienically and when trouble develops they can take a fast and square accounts.

The intermittent fasting and feasting that grows out of this idea leads them into trouble. They fast so often and so much that they are actually trying to subsist on a famine diet.

This feeding and fasting program is often continued until serious injury results. These fasters may impair their digestive system, develop allergies and various nervous symptoms and become unable to regain lost weight.

Where conditions and circumstances permit, one long fast is far more fruitful than a series of short fasts.

It is almost always safe to take a short fast without supervision, but if a series of short fasts is to be undergone, not merely the fast, but the feeding also should be carefully supervised.

Many of the harmful results that are often said to result from fasting are due to concomitant treatment. (The re-feeding period)

All things, even eating, can be overdone; fasting is no exception to this rule.

THIS SITE (http://www.naturalhygienesociety.org/articles/fasting1.html#4) also has some good thought-provoking information about fasting.

This short piece is excerpted from Dr Shelton's classic book, Fasting Can Save Your Life. Dr Shelton supervised more than 40,000 fasts at his world renowned Dr Shelton's Health Schools in San Antonio, Texas.

A fast should be carried on amid quiet, peaceful surroundings, where the air is pure, the water fresh and uncontaminated, and the people congenial. As it should also be properly supervised by one experienced in conducting fasts, the best place for fasting is an institution in which fasting is regularly carried out.

An Hygienic institution located in the country and headed by an experienced supervisor forms an ideal combination for a fast. Fasting is not merely refraining from eating for a required period. It involves rest, sunbaths, bathing, quiet, peace and the care of the patient through the period of recuperation after the fast is broken. All of this requires knowledge and experience.

For most people, fasting is an unusual experience. This is particularly so if it is a first fast. The faster is likely to experience unfounded anxiety, uncertainty, mental perturbation, even fear. In addition, he experiences new feelings and sensations that may disturb him. For these reasons alone, the best place to fast is at an institution, under the guidance of a man of wide experience in fasting.

H.M. Shelton From ANHS' magazine Health Science, 1996.

--------------

I think this is a very important topic/discussion, and again, I am so grateful that you brought it up.

And as Path said "Never ever do this if you feel uncomfortable, always pace yourself and do as much research as you feel that you need to do, for both going RAW and Fasting."

There is that tendency to ignore our discomfort, or minimize it, or rationalize it. When really, all we need do is really pay attention to the wisdom of these bodies we inhabit. :)

[magglepie]

Oh, I am so glad that there is a topic about fasting. I am right now having a discussion with a care2 friend about fasting. She asked me if I was going to start off my detox with a fast and I told her that I wasn't sure, but that I was just going to see how things went for a few days since I have never really done a full on fast before. I told her that part of the reason that I don't just jump rght in is because I am a little scared about it since I never have really done it before. So I just wanted to say thanks for having so much great information so that all of us fasting virgins can have a place to get some great information!

[mershwista]

I agree that fasting is a huge endeavor, and it took me a while to even decide I was ready to fast...or to even BE ready to fast.

[konmai]

I think I've only read 2 sources for fasting. One from freedomyou.com and another a book from Dr. Fuhrman. This is the one that pointed me to RAW after fasting. If I hadn't read the book, I'm not really sure what I would have ate afterwards. :eek: :rolleyes: :cool:

[misslinda]

Hey friends,

Thank you so much for responding on this serious topic. I hope that by having this dialogue with each other, we can help each other workout some emotional/mental issues that engulf some of us to the point that becomes self destructive with fasting. We dont' want fasting to be a negative experience for anyone. If anything, we want it to be a healing experience.

Don't hesitate to share your thoughts,opinions,skepticism,questions,concerns etc.........if we can get down to the heart of the matter, we can experience peace in fasting..

Being~~wowsers and thanks YOU so much for the constructive information and links to expand our library on fasting~


That's a great point Being, the more we research on fasting, it challenges us to really and truly define our purpose/intension on fasting~

So what is it to everyone? Not intellectually but intimately? Why do you have to fast? Why do you have to accomplish it?


I think to alot of degree, myself included, it is a tool to heal~ escape. No great secret that alot of us who have had or deal with food issues find great comfort in knowing that "fasting" exsit and is an option.

Are we attracted to this practice b/c the idea of "abstaining" from food seems "freeing" kind of a ticket to set black or white standards on ourselves b/c we cannot handle the grayness in between--in other words, we go to the "extreme" so we can "hurry up" and get this all out and be done b.c the process is painful in doing it by simply eating?

It makes me wonder if this behavior is recogniszed by those that transfer the misguided thinking into fasting. If you can't handle eating simple foods b/c of out of control eating, what makes one inspired to not eat when hunger and cravings is INTENSE during fasting?

;)

[misslinda]

Konmai, you are so right about that! The post fasting---transition back to solids is not stressed enough in fasting sites. I have researched hours by hours and most give a simple run down......

I believe that the true healing and real essence of fasting is illustrated when the individual transitions back to food. How this person adapts back into their life knowing that when fasting ends, food will need to be eaten again. It's a very emotional experience to take that first bite and feel your whole body/digestive system wake up.

This is the second day I have had fig juice something more concnetrated in a long time and I felt surreal........reality setting in that my digestive system that has been asleep, will be awakened to everything around me. Flavors and textures that I have not had in a lont time, will be rekindled again........some will be welcomed and others may not---another change.

[plainjane]

I would like to know from experienced fasters if and what kind of value do you find in juice fasts? Do you believe a water or other type of fast is better/worse and why? I have only done like a day and a half juice fast. I would like to do a longer fast but am so new that I am unsure of lots!

[misslinda]

I would like to know from experienced fasters if and what kind of value do you find in juice fasts? Do you believe a water or other type of fast is better/worse and why? I have only done like a day and a half juice fast. I would like to do a longer fast but am so new that I am unsure of lots!

Hi there!

Your are new to RFT....most warmest welcome.:)


Personal experience and opinion would be, anyone with blood sugar level or living in toxin enviroment would be better off starting with juice fast. What I mean by juice fasting is low glycemic/green juices all strained and dilluted. ON a juice fast, the body has replenishment of nutrients to detox/rebuild.

Water fasting, I believe ought to be done by more "healthier" bodies and that of course is going to have to be judged by the person themselves. Individuals with certain conditions should not water fast. Water fasting is far more intense than fasting on juices. If one can water fast, it offers the body full attention into using its existing resources to survive and FULLY concentrate on cleansing,detoxifying and rebuild heal~~again, I believe for the most part, most people should opt for fasting on dilluted juices b/c detox itself is intense and on water fasting, it is far greater and is overwhelming to alot of people. they are real sensation in the body and can be overhwelming,scary and unpleasant if not informed.

Along fast is not neccessary however that's personal decision........sounds like you have something in mind?

I'll bump on the fating 101 thread that has some basic info and links to familiarize yourself into fasting.......

[mershwista]

For me, fasting is like so many other good things in life in that I hesitate to begin them but truly enjoy them while I am doing them. I am the sort of person who is hard to coax out of a room to go to dinner with a friend or on a walk in the park, but once I'm coaxed out, I am so glad I did. The same is with fasting, only I have to be more than coaxed out of my comfort zone...I have to find a way to become truly inspired. Once I am inspired to heal and refresh and relax and regenerate, the rest is easy--I enjoy the freedom I have from solid food, as I struggle with emotional eating and am forced to find other more constructive ways to deal with my stress when I am fasting.

It is only when fasting and I am free from food and all that it does to/for my body that I realize what a burden is lifted when I don't have to worry about eating...no worrying about if a food combination will give me indigestion...no stress from potentially overeating should I find myself in a sticky situation that day...no feeling bloated or fatigued if I happened to eat too much salt or had something that doesn't set well with my stomach.

I have a clearer mind and find I am more productive without the distraction that food can become for me. No obligations to eat enough or to eat right or to eat anything....just to relax and to heal. It's like changing the batteries....resetting the clock...cleaning out the cupboards. I suppose just like any other sort of cleaning, it may not always be the most pleasant, but it needs to be done...and when it is accomplished there is a feeling of great success, peace, and clarity.

[MorningRuby]

Hi all, I just wanted to share my goal. I've been reading about all these juice fasts and master cleanses for weeks now and after so much research, have decided I'm ready to do a 5 day juice fast. I may extend it to 10, but I'm just going at this a little bit at a time. I'll be drinking dilluted juice, lots of water and smooth move tea at night. I'm wondering if I should do the salt water flush in the morning as well??? That is the one thing I'm unsure of as I have done it twice before (the first time did absolutely nothing for me and the second hurt my stomach so bad and...let's just say WOW).
I have been drinking mostly green smoothies for about 2 1/2 weeks now, except for this weekend. For some reason, I let myself have tons of coffee, fried foods...yuck yuck and yuck. I knew ahead of time that I would be fasting after the weekend and I know the detox symptoms may be much worse than they would have been if I had not ingested those things. :(
A few weeks ago when I did the salt water flush that actually...flushed, I quickly lost 5lbs and kept loosing while drinking the green smoothies. :) If I decide to not extend the juicing longer than 5 days then I will most likely go back to the green smoothies for a weeks or so.
My goals are:
1.To regain better control/ clarity over my lifestyle habits
2.To end my addictions to caffeine, nicotine and cooked food.
3.To feel as I am starting my raw lifestyle with a clean slate.
4.And I can't say that the loosing weight doesn't appeal to me.

Thank you everyone for all the information. I am excited and finally ready! :)

[being]

One thing that comes up for me when reading about fasting, whether it be forums here or other sites, web info, popular literature etc... is, as has been mentioned above, is:


What Happens When You End Your Fast

So many people love how they feel while fasting.

Obviously we cannot fast forever.

So are we dealing with our issues(*I dislike this term, but lack a vocabulary that offers me use of a better one) while fasting?

Or are we simply ignoring them/sweeping them aside because we feel so incredible, supra-human, full of life and vigor?

And during the re-feeding we are especially vulnerable. Care needs to be taken to have a plan in place (that we stick to like glue!). I have read for every day of water only there needs to one day of slow refeeding/recovery. There is a WEALTH of info on the internet.


Like MissLinda said "I believe that the true healing and real essence of fasting is illustrated when the individual transitions back to food. How this person adapts back into their life knowing that when fasting ends, food will need to be eaten again. It's a very emotional experience to take that first bite and feel your whole body/digestive system wake up."


I agree. Taking a break from eating does free us, but it's not really freedom if we simply go back to the bonds and chains of all our old beliefs and reactions and patterns.

I would think there is still value in short-term fasting, as a period of rest for the digestive system, and I am of the opinion that this does need to be a period of REST.

I am amazed at the activity level of some fasters. (I'm not thinking anyone in particular, just from a general mass of reading and research)

Our bodies are designed to be fueled with food energy for optimum performance. Our bodies are also designed in a way that allows periods of downtime for healing. The biological and physiological changes that occur during true deep fasting are quite spectacular and awe-inspiring.

But this downtime is meant to be just that. Downtime. Animals also fast, when they are ill and need to heal, by abstaining from eating, and by resting. Laying around, eyes closed, no stimulation or environmental input.

I read about Gandhi's fasts, and he said that he did serious damage to his body when he was on a 21 day water fast and would go for long walks. After this experience he was quoted as saying that he never regained full strength/endurance and his immune system was comprimised for life too. Pretty serious stuff just from walking!

I simply worry that the popularity of fasting as a cleansing will harm where harm is not intended.

Of course, all of us are responsible for our own actions, lives, health etc. So we are all making choices that we believe are best for us. And that is the most important thing.

Good intentions can cancel out negative results, to some extent anyhow, IMHO. :p

Best of Spring to all those Fasters out there right now. I'm greening it up with lots of green smoothies and blended salads. It's been a lot easier to really be intouch with what foods my body wants even after a short 5 day fast a few weeks ago. I stop and 'listen' and almost always reach for RAW!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"A 'No' uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble.”

~ Mahatma Gandhi

[mershwista]

I agree. Taking a break from eating does free us, but it's not really freedom if we simply go back to the bonds and chains of all our old beliefs and reactions and patterns.


I agree. One reason, though, that being able to take a break from food IS beneficial, to me at least, is that after taking a break, it's easier to re-form the good habits that keep me healthy in the long run. It's like a system reset or something, and an automatic fresh start when it's completed. Sometimes that period of freedom is what I need to become inspired to restart a pattern of good habits.

[being]

I like that, "system re-set" ... ;)

[dextera3]

Good thread Miss Linda! :)

When I discovered this lifestyle (very recently--only a month ago) I was doing a lot of reading on fasting and cleansing. I almost wanted to do a fast...and a colon cleanse...and everything out there... right away and get that mucousy gunk OUT of my body! :eek:

I'm taking it one step at a time though...my transition to raw is cleansing enough for right now! Once I've been raw for several months, then I'm going to reconsider a fast. :)

[mershwista]

That's probably a good idea...my first attempts at fasting were borderline dangerous because I wasn't ready at the time and didn't have a clear idea of my goals...Finally I just put the idea out of my head for a while and told myself that fasting was not an option at that time and that I'd have to just take things at whatever pace I could go. I figured I'd know when I was ready for more, and I did. It came to me almost as an epiphany...when I become truly inspired that I must do something, I am able to stay motivated long enough to see it through, and only then. It took me longer than I wanted to get to that point, but our bodies tend to know when a good time is for just about everything, if only we will listen.

[misslinda]

One thing that comes up for me when reading about fasting, whether it be forums here or other sites, web info, popular literature etc... is, as has been mentioned above, is:


What Happens When You End Your Fast

So many people love how they feel while fasting.

Obviously we cannot fast forever.

Like MissLinda said "I believe that the true healing and real essence of fasting is illustrated when the individual transitions back to food. How this person adapts back into their life knowing that when fasting ends, food will need to be eaten again. It's a very emotional experience to take that first bite and feel your whole body/digestive system wake up."

I read about Gandhi's fasts, and he said that he did serious damage to his body when he was on a 21 day water fast and would go for long walks. After this experience he was quoted as saying that he never regained full strength/endurance and his immune system was comprimised for life too. Pretty serious stuff just from walking!

I simply worry that the popularity of fasting as a cleansing will harm where harm is not intended.



So true Being as your thoughts have stimluated me even to higher and deeper levels.

You quoted me above and that is somethng I podered as for myself, I had that light bulb that looked all around and it sunk in...........fasting can't be forever........the real work begins and welcome back home Linda! It can be a little scary,emotional and overwhelming to a degree.

That Ghandi story is one to take seriously and one that I will badge when curtailing out of this fasting....the human body is so delicate yet we expect so much from it during such delicate moments.

Yes, when I research fasting sites, often times it comes up as a new weightloss gimmick :rolleyes:

I hope that at least here on RFT, we can harbor a more sacred tradition of the art of fasting.........quiet,tranquil and nurturing.

Mershwista, you seem really aware of your fasting intensions. Do you find that you play the flute better while fasting? that's got to be a serence replacement.

[mershwista]

MissLinda, I don't know that I play the flute better so much as different...the things I notice about what I am playing are different than normal, and my attitude changes toward music in general. It's hard to describe exactly how...but one example I can cite is that I'd be more likely to take out the flute and play something completely improvisatory rather than work out the difficult technical aspects of a piece I'm working on...yet somehow, I manage to get around to both improvisation and technical practice work, as it's not as difficult as usual to coax myself to sit down for a long period of time and work on the technical stuff.

I do, however, need to maintain enough energy to frequently perform, and for that I am attempting a juice fast and not a water fast. Perhaps someday if the time ever seems right I may try an extended water fast (longest I ever did of that was 5 days), but as for now, I am perfectly happy with what I am doing and definitely enjoying the benefits of it for what it is.

[magglepie]

MissLinda, just curious.. what's the longest you've ever fasted? I am slowly learning more about fasting, etc, but as I said earlier in the thread, not quite ready for it yet. Do you think that shorter fasts ( like 24 to 48 hours or so) can be effective or do you think that in order to truly cleanse your body, you need to fast longer?

[Dj 247]

I have never fasted, but I have been reading up on the subject. I plan to do a weekend fast after 6 months of eating raw. I don't want to flood my system with toxins from eating SAD food for over 40 years. I sometimes think that some people get so excited about fasting and just jump into it not knowing the right way to do it or even why they are doing it. :eek: Sorry, but that is just how I feel after reading some posts and journals. When I decide to fast it will be the right way and for the right reasons! I am just not there yet. :p

[misslinda]

MissLinda, just curious.. what's the longest you've ever fasted? I am slowly learning more about fasting, etc, but as I said earlier in the thread, not quite ready for it yet. Do you think that shorter fasts ( like 24 to 48 hours or so) can be effective or do you think that in order to truly cleanse your body, you need to fast longer?


Hey Magglepie, this Month on the last day will mark 76 days. I didn't do pure water fast. I started with dilluted juices and worked into pure water and then back to on edilluted juice a day with ret of water.

I'll answer your question like this.......

Truly Cleanse? The body is always cleansing and detoxifying. Whether you go the eating route (RAW) or the fasting route---fasting is a concentrated form of cleansing and repairing the body in the astinence of solid food vs doing it thru eating. There are various reasons one feels inclinced to do it by means of a concentrated manner --like fasting.

I believe that you will find in creased benefits with those shorter fasts in conjuction with your raw lifestyle but I have to say that shorter fasts of any length, offers the body that much more rest to your dietary lifestyle to cleanse,detoxify,repair and heal. There's no harm in doing if done with care.....

For those that do shorter fasts on a more chronic basis, it is only effective if it is in a "good habit" dietary cycle. What I mean is, that the shorter fasts are not a tool to repair or disguise times when they have eaten bad. Not assuming this is you but wanted to shed light in case someone else my identify themselves in this desstructive pattern.

First time fasters, start off with a day or two and if on the first day, you find yourself overwhelmend, do half a day.....it's not etched in stone that you have to fast for X amount of days.


DJ247, I agree, in some cases depending on illness/condition etc, jumping into fasting seems to be the most benficial route BUT fasting approached when health of the body has been built, is the most effective/ideal way. I wish you all the best on the fined day when you should do so.........:)

[LightLover]

Hi Miss L!

Are you not afraid for undernourishment as a result of long fasts?
Or do ya think the healing aspect ways much heavier? (probably the last...)
Maybe this has been asked before, but sometimes it's difficult to remember
wheather something has been read or just is a thaught.

LL ;) ;) ;) ;)

( I am sorry, the board only allows to include 4 "winks")

[misslinda]

Hi Miss L!

Are you not afraid for undernourishment as a result of long fasts?
Or do ya think the healing aspect ways much heavier? (probably the last...)
Maybe this has been asked before, but sometimes it's difficult to remember
wheather something has been read or just is a thaught.

LL ;) ;) ;) ;)

( I am sorry, the board only allows to include 4 "winks")

Only 4 winks? I still adore you <<< WINKS >>>

Hey, I read your question the other day and I have a response but it touches upon a little of everything. When I finish, I will respond. Meanwhile, if anyojne else has personal opnions as well, feel free to share.........


I'll post it tomorrwon Lightlover.........btw, what if I change my ID name to LoverlighT?

[magglepie]

MissLinda! Thanks for the response. I am glad that there are people here who know much about fasting and about the raw and living food lifestyle, as it makes this transition much easier!

[misslinda]

For those that have food issues and are tempted to fast or using fasting to deal with food issues, join in the discussion!:)

[magglepie]

Miss Linda, it's great to see you back! How was your little hiatus? Restful and restorative I hope.

[misslinda]

Miss Linda, it's great to see you back! How was your little hiatus? Restful and restorative I hope.


Heya Magglepie!

FIrst of all, your name tickles me--please expain the idea of it?

Yes, very much enjoyed and restored!;)

[LightLover]

Only 4 winks? I still adore you <<< WINKS >>>

Hey, I read your question the other day and I have a response but it touches upon a little of everything. When I finish, I will respond. Meanwhile, if anyojne else has personal opnions as well, feel free to share.........


I'll post it tomorrwon Lightlover.........btw, what if I change my ID name to LoverlighT?
***
..Sending countless spiritual winks...
Glad you went away but didn't leave us, Missl
You know that line: you can go away, but can never leave me..?
Please keep your ID, I can't change mine to LMiss I guess, love you anyway
Curious if you worked something out?


LL

[misslinda]

***
..Sending countless spiritual winks...
Glad you went away but didn't leave us, Missl
You know that line: you can go away, but can never leave me..?
Please keep your ID, I can't change mine to LMiss I guess, love you anyway
Curious if you worked something out?


LL


Lightlover! Well *laughs * I guess my idea of changing my name to Loverlight would be outta the question?

I did indeed. I typed it to myself b/c I wanted to answer it rather thuroughly from a persona persepctive. I will find it in my email that is 118 messages long---but only for you :rolleyes: :D

[FirstGarden]

Hi Miss L!

Are you not afraid for undernourishment as a result of long fasts?
Or do ya think the healing aspect weighs much heavier? (probably the last...)
Maybe this has been asked before, but sometimes it's difficult to remember
wheather something has been read or just is a thought.

Lightlover - Since M.L. invited other responses, I thought I'd venture in. The body can withstand some incredible things..nature is amazing in its ability to rebound. Getting a good concensus of opinions is wise in such an undertaking. That's why it's a good thing to have a few books on the subject. For the fully developed adult, I don't believe that extended fasting is undernourishing in any serious way. Extended fasts are well documented by fasting experts, and the case history is very impressive. However, this is a time of vulnerability (the story of Ghandi is concerning) and one should be able to rest with no demands upon them.

This is nature's operating table by which she sorts out all things. In such a time, nourishment is the impediment rather then the help, that is, when the body is in full fasting mode. In fact, there is no sensation of hunger for most people after 3-5 days. Our bodies do talk to us, and genuine hunger pangs may set in after a few weeks on pure water. It differs per person (depending on the amount of debris in the body), but the average is around 40 days.

However, anyone wishing to attempt this, and are apprehensive or laden with concerns about it, should seriously consider do so under the supervision of a natural therapist.

Hope that helps. ;)

ML - Since you walked thru this yourself, it would be good to hear more of your experiences, when you're ready to... i.e. regarding hunger pangs, other body signals, the quest of total cleanout and the nourishment factor. :cool:

[LightLover]

Lightlover! Well *laughs * I guess my idea of changing my name to Loverlight would be outta the question?

I did indeed. I typed it to myself b/c I wanted to answer it rather thuroughly from a persona persepctive. I will find it in my email that is 118 messages long---but only for you :rolleyes: :D


**
I am afraid Misslinda, that if you change your name to Loverlight, all
the people on this forum, which are searching for your help and care can't find you back and will feel lost and forgotten like puppies tied to a tree...

What about MissLinda/Loverlight??
Then we are joined in language! (Plato is winking...)
(also new for me, but hey, everything in my life is renewing right now)

Hey, if they ask how you became so loving and caring just say you experienced a heart-enlargement, and that it is much better than al this
cosmetic surgery that is going on. :D

If you wanne share your fasting experiences: I have an emailadress in my profile (hinting and winking..) :p

LL

[LightLover]

Thanks Firstgarden, I will definitely do a fast this year on this forum.
I did do one last year (7-10days) but more for fun, not to serious.

LL

[magglepie]

Heya Magglepie!

FIrst of all, your name tickles me--please expain the idea of it?

Yes, very much enjoyed and restored!;)

Just saw this post! It all started because my youngest brother took my real name, Maggie, and started calling me Maggle. Then, I just thought it was so funny that he called me that that I added a pie on the end, and now magglepie is my sign on name for just about everything.

[tweety]

Hi Miss Linda,
GREAT Thread!!!

I've been contemplating my reasons for fasting and there is some great info that a lot have shared.

Being - I really enjoy your posts! you touched on a few things I didnt really think of before. You are right. RESEARCH is sooo integral!

Right now Im easing my way into the Master Cleanse with gradual food reduction since this is going to be my first REAL fast.
My goal is to transition to a juice fast afterwards before going full solids and transition with gradual adduction the same way i am going INTO the fast, so I hope these are tools that will make me more successful.

plus journaling... i think this will be helpful.

A few reasons why i want to fast:
1. Health - I have too many muscle spasms holding toxins from an accident 1 year ago and i need this to heal
2. Weight - for vanity reasons and the weight also ties into health
3. Address and resolve Emotional Eating to eating for no reason at all
4. Mental/Spirutal Clarity
5. Address and resolve my frivolous $pending habits and the real reasons behind it
6. Strengthen and focus on my self-discipline

#6 makes me think of Jesus and how he fasted for 40days/40 nights. He was tempted many times during his journey. I think that also ties into a lot of the other ones... I have to prepare myself for temptation ... of any kind... be it food, money, gossip, jealousy, whatever.... This is a holistic approach i guess, I want to be a better person.

I am excited and fascinated and even scared of this experience, but I already feel it is going to be a very positive one for me.
so for now I'm really starting to "eat like a bird" :D
Tweety

[mershwista]

Strange how it takes us so much adjusting to get used to a change for the better....even one in line with our goals. For example, when I first started to lose a bit of weight on raw, I was subconsciously hanging on to really fatty foods because I was subconsciously afraid of losing weight! And I'm not terribly skinny, so imagine that...I recognized the psychological reversal, but I'm STILL to this day tempted to eat when I'm not hungry because I find some random reason I think I ought to...and it's hard not to when that occurs.

[mershwista]

MissLinda,

What are your thoughts on those with food issues who choose to fast? As someone who intermittently struggles with them myself, I try to only to what I know I'm capable of--eg, a short juice fast when I feel the need to--and make sure that when I embark on it, I know WHY I am doing it.

[misslinda]

MissLinda,

What are your thoughts on those with food issues who choose to fast? As someone who intermittently struggles with them myself, I try to only to what I know I'm capable of--eg, a short juice fast when I feel the need to--and make sure that when I embark on it, I know WHY I am doing it.


Hey Mershwista,

That's a loaded question that I will offer my own personal thoughts. To answer that from a personal perspective.....

In my observation of members here on this site and other fasting forums, I realized that a very small percentage is fasting "just because." I would guestimate that 90% percent are fasting to lose weight/heal.

One of the misconceptions that I read over and over from posts, is that one believes that he/she is [seeking] the fasting to "resolve" the inner core food issues but fails to realize that the external "symptoms" are being sloughed rather than the underlying problem in order to change the pattern and self distructiveness. Example of a kind of post that comes up quite frequently, "I have overeating issues and eat all the time.....I'm starting a 15 day fast tomorrow." It's a clear sign of replacing one negative habit for another. I've seen, received emails about chronic yo-yo fasters that never break the cycle. It's true but sad......at the most, destructive. There is one member (without mentioning name), had emailed me to disclose the heartaching habit of yo-yo fasting in conjuction with SAD eating and til this day, had not broken that cycle. The last I heard, she was having stomach problems and a new doctor's appt.

That is why, these days, I have addressed the POST FASTING stage as needing to be addressed and practiced with more precision and clarity as much as the fasting itself is addressed. We can strap anyone down and handcuff them on their bed and make them fast for 20 days BUT what happens when we let them go? Post fasting is critical in reprogramming ourselves: body,mind and spirit in order to BE and practice who we are NOW, b/c of fasting. Our senses are re-awakening and we are introducing ourselves back into the daily life of food,people,places and things.

The body/system in fasting mode, makes our senses that much more sensitive and how we introduce ourselves back into the "real" world beyond fasting, will either enable us to re-learn what is healthy and move forward or shock ourselves and revert back to behaviors that we know how to repsond/react in our imbalances.

I would highly suggest those with food issues to ask themselves WHY is food their love/hate relationship? There needs to be a consistent dialogue with themselves and their body in order to let go of the many many deep layers of mental/emotional attachments,detachments,associaton and misconceptions that entrap them. Fasting itself will NOT resolve this cycle.

Yes, imbalances can be helped thru the removal of toxins via fasting BUT we are more than just physical beings, We have the physical,emotional,mental,spiritual,conscious and sub-conscious aspects of ourselves to work with thru fasting. That is a process in itself. Fasting is a process within a process.

Ultimately, those with chronic food issues are best to fast shorter periods with awareness of what is taking place mentally/emotionally.

So my question to you is, WHY do you feel you have [intermittent] food issues? Is there a pattern you notice?

[mershwista]

I know that I have those issues because I struggle with anxiety and depression, and I unintentionally have conditioned myself to use food to cover up stress and sadness. If I want to procrastinate, the easiest way, unless I stop myself, is to go prepare food and eat it. Of course, I ought to just ignore that and get going with whatever it is, because I can waste a lot of time I don't have doing that.

I just remember my whole life never knowing when to stop when it came especially to sugar, and it's the only way I know of, aside from dreaming, to get rid of stress sometimes. I'm much better than I used to be. It used to be very serious. Now I only have intermittent periods when I struggle--and those are usually only when refined sugar slips into my diet. I try to avoid refined sugar because I know how badly it affects me. But with my terrible willpower, that doesn't always happen.

The obvious fault with using food to cover up emotions is that it does not cover them up but only replace them with a different breed of negative feelings--feelings that I am not taking very good care of myself, and feelings of depression in general. I am very glad, as I said, that these struggles are today only intermittent.

[luckitri]

OK Mershwista you did not unintentionally condition yourself - our whole society heals emotions with food. TV ads, movies, reminiscences on radio about Mom's cooking. I just hate to see you owning something or blaming yourself for something that you did not do to yourself.

Think of the TV commercials that you most likely grew up with. The kids food culture always shows the kids being very happy when they receive the food/drink that is being peddled. Eat this food and be happy and have lots of friends is the message.

[mershwista]

You're absolutely right...but still, since I see how I developed certain tendencies and many others around me did not...I guess it's easiest to not necessarily blame myself but at least my surroundings.

But then again, like I said, a lot of people have the same issues but don't necessarily react to them emotionally like I do. And some people don't have them at all.

I have to wonder about the average "happy" person in normal culture--this perosn never seems to show or even possess any emotions. It's bad to be weak, sad, too happy, or really, "too" anything. Sad, isn't it? We're human creatures, and how can we attempt to get rid of parts of us because we've deemed them "primal"? (And then keep around those "primal" parts that are done by so many that they are accepted--like irresponsible sex, excessive partying, etc.)

I'm Myers-Briggs type INTJ, and I read once online that my type gets frustrated that people "don't make sense"--I do that. People don't make sense!

[FirstGarden]

I saw this info today, apparently written by one of the early American fasting pioneers Dr. Henry S. Tanner or Dr. Edgar H. Dewey. The website did not indicate just who wrote this, but I thought of the "Why Fasting" thread when I read it.

I believe that the original design for fasting was for healing from disease and wonderful physiological restoration.

Another benefit is that of breaking with physical addictions. Physical, I say, because the deeper rooted addictions or bondages of the soul, i.e. overeating, or psychological addictions are commonly known to be emotional in nature, or soulical (the human mind, emotion & will). Fasting is powerless, in and of itself, in addressing soulish or spiritual issues. That's because fasting is essentially a physical exercise. Fasting is a tool, a means to an end, never the end itself.

Fasting is also useful, as a tool, in clearing the mind -- in gaining mental clarity -- because the brain is so befuddled with toxins these days as to stagger the imagination. And how good we feel after a thoroughgoing cleansing... like children again.

Likewise, fasting is also useful in certain crisis situations, for the sake of utmost spiritual vigilence and prayer.

Fasting itself is often thought to be "spiritual," and I don't think that's a bad thing. The truth is simply that *we* as individuals are spiritual, or becoming spiritual, and emotionally set free. The fasting itself doesn't do that, but we can seek that, and our seeking spiritually and inwardly may be very enhanced by fasting.

The act of fasting itself is not inherantly spiritual, or otherwise, anyone who simply chose to fast would become spiritual.

And, our point of reference in fasting sets the stage or tone for our fasting. In other words, our fast will rise no higher than the mountain we choose to climb. And if that is in relating to a Higher Power, and becoming attuned and focused therein, enormous spiritual benefits may be joyfully attained from the Creator and Architect of our souls, Who knows us best and how we were meant to function and live... and Who has unspeakable Love for us, and delights in giving good things to His/Her children.
The following is a bit archaic in style, but worth the read.
Enjoy!
:)

http://www.scientificfasting.com/the-pioneers-of-therapeutic3.htm

WHEN AND WHY TO FAST

THE TIME TO FAST IS WHEN ONE IS ILL:
THE BODY GETS SICK AS A WHOLE:
GENERAL HINTS ABOUT FASTING

FASTING is indicated only when illness impends or is in actual evidence. No need exists in health for the employment of measures for the alleviation of pain and distress for these signs are non-evident when physical balance is the rule. Remedial means are necessary only in illness, impending or actual, and then alone should the fast and its accessories be applied.

[Except, perhaps in a crisis situation, which certainly has historical application.]

In disease nature is in process of purifying the body--is casting out its waste, thus cleansing the system in preparation for active, healthy rebuilding. The fast as an eliminative measure is comparable to no other agency known, but before entering upon a period of abstinence from food, the subject, whether under guidance or conducting his own case, should fully comprehend the details of the truth that physical lack of balance is due to a single cause. The symptoms that then are present, or that may arise thereafter during the fast or upon a dietary regimen, need occasion no alarm, for their source is understood and their meaning is rightly conceived as therapeutic in character. Omission of food permits the eliminative organs to act unhampered by intake, and in this omission and in the employment the essential hygienic accessories is discovered the sole means of assistance that will assure permanent relief. Alleviation of symptomatic distress may, however, be accomplished locally through simple measures--dry heat, hot fomentations, cold applications, sunlight, fresh air, body manipulation, vertebral adjustment, and the baths and the enema.

Illness never occurs at the convenient moment. Its warnings may develop in any season of the year, and they should promptly be heeded regardless of personal inconvenience or of climatic situation. To wait until disease develops locally is always disastrous, and in the therapeutics of nature diagnosis is unnecessary, for natural measures for relief in any and all illness are identical in essence, varying only in minor details. During a fast, because of the absence of food stimulation, of the heat-producing chemical reactions normal to health, the body is easily chilled, hence it is at times suggested that the fast wait for the warm weather of summer. But, again, the time to fast is when ill, and one should never be deterred from undergoing treatment because the season is not propitious. Artificial means of maintaining indoor temperature are always available, and the needful hygienic requirements may be utilized with equal facility and success whether outer air be warm or cold.

It is to be noted that the winter season is nature's time of rest and recuperation. Then trees and plants are dormant, many animals hibernate, and all nature prepares for the growing period, the resurrection of the spring. Man, because of artificial environment and custom, and with the thought that the body heat is derived solely from fuel consumed, from food ingested, eats more heavily in winter and approaches spring with a system overloaded with waste. Spring fever and spring tonic are reciprocating terms, and epidemic disease is more prevalent then than at any other season.

The symptoms by which disease is exhibited may be specifically named and classified--it may be said that the subject suffers from Bright's disease, from eczema, from diphtheria, or from small-pox, but behind the symptom lies the cause, and, as before stated, the body is not to be thought of as ill in a specific locality or in an individualized organ. It is sick as a whole, though the signs of physical unbalance are more visible, more severely expressed, in one part or another. Illness results when equilibrium no longer exists between nutrition and elimination, resulting in a blood current vitiated at its source, powers of resistance lowered, and soil for germs produced. One remedy alone may cope with this condition, and it is that which nature indicates and employs--elimination of the toxins that cause disease, and rest for organs that have been functioning under stress.

Nature inevitably focuses her efforts at cure upon the point or points of least resistance, upon those outlets of the body that are least able to withstand the pressure exerted to expel material noxious to the system. In health the latter is discharged through those channels that are especially designed for the purpose. The simplest forms in which illness is manifested are colds, headaches, and rashes that appear upon the skin. Because of injudicious feeding, of congestion and overwork, the digestive organs are hampered in function. Elimination through bowels, kidneys, lungs, and skin is naturally continued to the limit of the power of these organs. When any one of them is overtaxed, a portion of its labor is necessarily thrown upon the others. They respond, and in responding they too show distress. When the skin is thus called upon for work beyond its limitations, pimples or rashes appear on its surface. Likewise when the breathing apparatus labors with excess of toxic matter, the latter appears as a discharge from the mucus membrane of the throat and the nose, and, if these organs are unable to cope with their unaccustomed task, the lungs in turn are called upon, and, unless speedily relieved, they become clogged and inflamed, a condition dangerous in the extreme. Normally equal balance should exist among all of the organs of elimination. Each should perform its allotted task proportionately with the others. The arms of the scale of intake and outgo should constantly remain at level, and this they do when health is the rule.