Fasting newbie Advice sought

[doubledaddy]

Hello people, I am totally new at fasting and have just started a fast on a whim. I am in my third day of no food, and have been taking lots of water. I feel no hunger and want to carry this on as long as i can, but I have a few questions. I'm not a raw food eater, just thought this forum looked very knowledgable and active on the subject of fasting, But before the fast I was eating my normal healthy homecooked diet.

Its Sunday now and I have work on monday, I have a manual job, but managed the first two days of fasting doing hard manual work for 8 hours a day. Should I continue into the next working week, or will I experience much fatigue ?

Also I have a practical exam at college on tues. This will last all day, and I will be working with live electricity in front of an examiner. Will my mind be sharp enough after 4 days of just water ?

Any advice would be great, thanks guys :D

[Draginvry]

Its Sunday now and I have work on monday, I have a manual job, but managed the first two days of fasting doing hard manual work for 8 hours a day. Should I continue into the next working week, or will I experience much fatigue ?

I had an extremely physical job in college. I managed a 21 day water fast. The first few days were hard, but I actually experienced increased energy later in the fast. If you feel too fatigued, drink some juice or eat some light fruits.


Will my mind be sharp enough after 4 days of just water ?

My mind is always sharper when eating less. However, you may get a headache during the fast, which could be distracting. Otherwise, I find that the brain always benefits from fasting. Beware of lightheadedness if you've never fasted before.

[doubledaddy]

Cool, this seems like good advice.
I have completed day 3 now, and had a few hunger pangs today. think that was mainly because I chose to cook for my familly today, as an exercise in discipline :)
I have been managing about 8 pints of water a day, and have had my first feeling of lightheadedness today. Well, feel pretty floaty in general to be honest. But some fresh mint tea seemed to combat the dizziness.

It's all good though, I can see how I could carry on further. Think my goal will be a week. Hoping to improve my digestion and maybe lose some weight.

Would a week be enough to rid my bowels of anything left hanging around ?

[doubledaddy]

I would greatly value some advice and encouragement as my 4th day of fast has been difficult. I have been very irritable, unlike the last 3 calm days. Also I have been getting a lot of acid reflux today, my chest and throat have been burning quite a bit.
I have been sticking to water, with occassional fresh mint tea.

I am very tempted to give up, as food is dominating my thoughts, although hunger is not an issue, and have no indication of any positive benefits yet.

should I be worried about my acid ?
And what benefits should I expect if any ?

[Draginvry]

Would a week be enough to rid my bowels of anything left hanging around ?

According to Shelton, after seven days all digestive action has ceased functioning and the bacteria is eliminated from the alimentary system. However, it may take longer to completely rid the intestines of waste, particularly in cases of impacted colon or IBS.


my 4th day of fast has been difficult. I have been very irritable, unlike the last 3 calm days. Also I have been getting a lot of acid reflux today, my chest and throat have been burning quite a bit.

Day four and five are often the most difficult during a water fast. If you aren't hungry, you may want to try to continue the fast for another three days to see if it gets any better. Consider switching to fruit and vegetable juices instead of water. These will help stimulate peristalsis, so they might help with the acid reflux.

Just be carefull with juice on a fast, since it can often cause diahrrea :eek:

[doubledaddy]

This is great advice, thanks :) really encouraging. Everyone I speak to about it seems to think i am crazy. "why would you want to do a thing like that?" is the common response.
In short, I am not really sure. Just thought it would be an idea to try it to see what changes came about.
For the last 2 months I have been very tired, at work, at home, and sometimes falling asleep at 8pm, and sleeping through for 11 hours.
Since fasting, I am already more energetic and alert, with a sense of calmness pervading my thoughts and actions. Like I am acting more deliberatley, instead of sluggish thought leading to automatic actions.
If this feels this good all the way through, then I will continue till I feel I have done enough. My willpower has already amazed me, I didn't think i would last 2 days !

[cibra]

I know how it is when friends don't understand. I think sometimes its best to keep it to myself.

For the acid reflux you might want to try lemon with maple syrup ... the master cleanse. I add fiber and clay to really cleanse my colon. I don't drink a lot of lemonade just enough to take the fiber and clay but it takes the edge off.

I did a water fast once but I only made it 7 days. I felt like I wanted to die, I was so weak I could hardly get out of bed. Looking back I wish I would have stuck to it a few more days as I am sure I was in detox.
I stopped fasting because my friends were worried about me.

Hang in there Cibra

[LifeNourishment]

If you're experimenting with yourself and have come to find it very exciting then I highly recommend checking out the following two books if haven't already:

Rational Fasting: For Physical, Mental & Spiritual Rejuvenation
ISBN:1-884772-01-3
It can be found at the following website or do a search for the ISBN to find it other places: http://arnoldehret.org/healthclub/books.htm

and also the masterpiece by Herbert M. Shelton:

Fasting For Renewal of Life
ISBN: 0-914532-38-3
And this book can be found here as well as other places online: http://www.healthscience.org/content/view/241/231/

Both Arnold Ehret and Herbert M. Shelton are two of the most experienced men in recorded history when it comes to fasting. So it's highly encouraged that one reads what they have to say about their experiences with fasting.

[Draginvry]

For the last 2 months I have been very tired, at work, at home, and sometimes falling asleep at 8pm, and sleeping through for 11 hours.


If the fatigue isn't caused by depression, the next thing to look for is physical source. You may want to eat a lighter diet, as fatigue usually means your body is "weighed down" because all of your energy is going to digesting foods.

Contrary to popular belief, eating more does not give you energy. Eating more only causes more blood to be pumped to the stomach, and more enzymes get diverted to the stomach. The trick to having more energy is in eating less. Less is more.

Eat light foods that are easy to digest, like fruits and vegetables. And never eat when you aren't hungry. That's the first step to having a cleaner body.

[doubledaddy]

Great advice draginvry. I hope this fast to be the start of a new eating regime for me. I will definately be eating a lot more fruit and veg, having started my first ever veg plot in my garden this spring :)
spring onions, carrots, spinach, pak choi, courgettes, and butternut squash are all on the way, as well as my new herb garden.
cibra , thanks for the kind words, very encouraging
lifenourishment , I will definately look those books up if I fast again in the future, thanks.

[doubledaddy]

So I did it !! 7 days on water have been completed. I had no idea I could last so long ! I have supplemented myself on days 6 and 7 with a litre of 100% pure orange juice each day. This helped combat my weakness and acid reflux.

The thing is, I don't know whether to carry on or stop. I planned 7 days because I thought I would be eating my own arms off by then. But i don't feel any hunger or compulsion to eat at all. Day 7 has brought me unbounded good feeling and energy. I have worked my manual job all week with no problems, and passed a 5 hour exam today with a distinction. So my mind and body are sound.

My body doesn't seem to have purged much waste though, and this would be the only reason I would carry on. I'd like to give my digestive system a "clean start", so I may look up this master cleanse recipe I hear so much about, or take some laxative type food like dried apricots. Just to see if I could flush anything out.