fasting how do you do it? tried to fast failed

[lori ann]

Hello

First of all I will tell you I am about 75-80% raw trying to do more, but I have such addictions to foods. Anyways, yesterday I took a personal day off work and thought it would be a perfect day to try fasting since I never have before. Well, I juiced two times and drank water and by 3:00pm I was having cravings for sad pizza which I am totally trying to give up and my husband who still eats sad happen to order one that night and I broke down and eat about half of it!!! I know how bad it is for you and how good fasting is to give your digestive system a break. I was so disappointed with myself. So is it mind over matter or strong willpower or what. Please advise. Thanks

[beckx]

honestly, i would advise you not to fast unless you feel confident that you can break the fast well. i made this mistake lots of times and always ended up feeling so much worse after the fast than when i started. breaking fasts badly also messes with your metabolism.

successfully fasting is about willpower to an extent... its also about making sure that you're in a supportive environment when you're feeling most vulnerable to cravings and about having things to do to keep your mind off of food. drinking more green juice really helps with cravings and drink as much juice as you want while fasting.

[Blazin'Jane]

I have done some fasting on a minor scale, compared to what I see others doing. I fast one day a week. For me it works best to do water only. If I keep "teasing" my taste buds with juice, etc., I just want more. It works better for me to just say, no, I'm not eating today. When I wake up in the morning I'll have breakfast.

[rawstrength]

You may be detoxing too quickly. Perhaps you simply aren't ready to try fasting yet.
Begin with some more gentle forms of detox, such as skin brushing followed by a warm epsom salt bath before bed.
Gradually increase the amounts of citrus fruits (especially lemons and limes) and greens in your diet.
Once your body is cleaner, it will be much easier to fast because you won't have to deal with a ton of toxins flooding your system at once.
The cravings for SAD pizza that you experience may well be toxins from the sad pizza you used to eat resurfacing.

[Bananna]

I am having the same problem as you.
I have learned that psychologically, I don't want to leave my comfort zone and feel I have already been through enough. :) Discovering this about myself has really been helpful....because it was so deep rooted I didn't even recognize it. Now I can talk to myself a little more appropriately, I can address that fear of pain I guess. Not that fasting is painful, but it is kind of in the sense that you are out of a comfort zone.

Anyways, since then, I am really losing my appetite and addiction to food. So I am going to try fasting again, I think my body actually wants to rest in that sense, and now my mind is feeling a lot more....heard I guess.

I think that if you want to do this, eventually everything will align and it will just work out when it was supposed to. Just keep pluggin away at it.

:)

[michigan roman]

fasting is kinda like running a marathon , the first time its like you never ran before . and your gonna be tired out by a mile , and 26 miles seems impossible . but youve got to keep building up on a regular schedule , no matter if the fast is just 12 hours , til you get in shape and lean the ropes just like maratrhon running . thats how it went for me , step by step getting in shape . like first one was 36 hours , next 36 , next 48 , next 3 days , about 4 3 dayers , then a 6 , then a 10 day water , which gave me great confidence til eventually getting to 20 days . and the biggest factor was support , great up beat pleasant people like misslinda , path , firstgarden that all previously or currently post here that raised my spirits out of the 'grumpy wanta throw a chair thru the dining room window mode :D ' .

also helping was finding fasting sites and storing them on my favorite list to read when fasting , sites like www.falconblanco.com (have to dig around for its good fasting section) , www.drbenkim.com , and i cant right now recall this excellent raw doctor from texas of like 50 years ago whom has some great writings , i'll return with his site .

and i also used green tea to quell appetite , not raw but only a simple clear natural liquid that greatly helped me to fast .

[michigan roman]

heres a good link =

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geu8Q69rxHLRkAxV5XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE4a2Rvc3I 3BHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDNwRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkA00wMDJfOTIEb ANXUzE-/SIG=11avh09j7/EXP=1203652538/**http%3a//www.fasting.ws/

[michigan roman]

BINGO :D , i remembered the guy = HERBERT SHELDON .

this following link may be my favorite collection of health
related info , herbert sheldon was a very bright individual
and totally into raw and fasting . link =

http://www.soilandhealth.org/02/0201hyglibcat/020127shelton.III/020127.toc.htm

[StarFire]

For me... fasting was a 'mind set' .... yes and like a marathon. Those times that I have fasted... I felt very CONVINCED that this is what I needed to do. I wasn't 'fasting for the weight loss' ... I wasn't fasting cuz everyone else was.... My purpose had to be VERY CLEAR... and deeply planted within me.

Now I fast regularly - at least 4 times a year - I will do a prolonged fast (21 plus days or so).... and then often times, I will fast maybe one day a week, or maybe even one meal -- to give my body a break.... but there is a purpose beyond just fasting to fast.

I truly believe in the cleansing effects of fasting - and I always feel so amazing after a fast....

I think in time - when you find that conviction within yourself - and your REASON for starting the fast becomes A FIRM RESOLVE within you -- it does get easier and easier... and it really is true that it is so much easier when you are in a very supportive environment. I am very blessed to that my dh is very considerate and caring when I am fasting.

Perhaps you can start with a small fast. maybe one meal a day and go from there...

but remember.... your reason for fasting must be very strong... and if it's simply for the weight loss - that's not a good enough reason and the fast becomes 'starvation'.... and thus - becomes easy fall away from the fast.

good luck!

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/ShowLetterlllllllllllllll.gif

[jolie8558]

Hi all,
I was considering doing a fast as I am finding that I am very addicted to sugar at the moment and am hoping that some time away from food would help me to kick the habit. I am wondering what your experiences were like regarding your metabolism after that fast. Can a fast mess up your metabolism? This question is especially those of you that have mentioned 10 and 20 day fasts. Also, how do you resume eating afterwords to not shock your body? Thank you so much!

Jolie

[StarFire]

Aloha Jolie... yes... the Master Cleanse Can help you kick habits such as sugar, caffine, alcohol, cigarettes.... it will clean you down to the cellular level.... and it will get all the gunk out of you so the 'physical craving' is gone... but the battle of the mental cravings still have to be dealt with.

but somehow - for me -- not having to battle both the physical and the mental at the same time made the battle easier to win (for me anyway!) Once I got the nicotine out of my system... then I just had to have the firm mental resolve not to cave into what was once 'habit'...

breaking a fast is just as important as the fast itself. There are many theories as to how to break a fast -- some say fruit juice (orange juice specifically)... however - I have problems with 'sugar' so I didn't want to reintroduce sugar into my now clean system ... even if it was natural sugar from fruit. So I opted to break my fast using cucumbers... it was very gentle on my system.

You can do a google search on the Master Cleanse and the potion is very easy to make --- it's just fresh squeezed lemons, grade B maple syrup, water and cayenne ... it's quite delicious and I love to drink it everymorning --- (better than coffee!!) raw, natural and delicious!

My metabolism was just fine after the fast - I continued to lose unwanted weight, I felt great, very clear, and it was wonderful knowing that a lot of junk and gunk was cleaned out of my system during the fast.

good luck!

Oh -- you can also do a banana search here on RFT... (at the top of the page you see the banana?) you can do a search on the Master Cleanse -- it might be a little overwhelming though - cuz there are A LOT of threads on the MC!! That's why I suggested the google search --

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/Summer.gif ...keep us posted!

[NYbutterfly]

When I fast (I have done a 22 day, 10 day, 8 day and am gearing up to start one tomorrow) the one phrase that helps me during times of temptation and mental weakness is "The food is not going anywhere". It eases my mind right away.

As for breaking a fast, I stick to watery, no fat foods... just fruits and veggies in very small portions and lots of juice for about a week, then ease my way into a 100% raw food diet that includes nuts, seeds, oils, and some dehydrated goods. When I break my fast my metabolism just seems to rev up and I continue to lost lbs!

Best of luck to you!

[lori ann]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for all the responses and resourses. I believe I can do this-I just have to start small, keep plugging away, use my resourses and have support. My husband at the moment is still totally eating sad, but very supportive of my life style choices with all of this. He did not know that day that I was trying to fast. Again, thanks.