Water fast

[MOTH]

I started a water fast last night after juicing for a few days. I consider this a spiritual journey!

Anyone else feel like joining in? I'm just taking it one 24 hour segment at a time.

[spicyfull]

I wish you the Best on a Water Fast and I think its Good to take it one 24 hours at a time. I will think of you but not join you in this Journey. Go for it...

[oai]

although i've done plenty of short water fasts and some long ones, heck, i go at it a couple of minutes at a time. :) you can do it! just keep going. keep going. keep going.

i sometimes have internal conversations with myself. no one has to know. ;) it's one of the techniques that have helped me.

let me know how you want to keep in touch while we're water fasting. :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

I'm here for ya... in spirit!!!

I love the concept of one 24 hour period at a time. So... when you decide to stop fasting will it be effective the next morning... or do you have a time specifically that your 24 hour clock resets itself.

[MOTH]

Thanks for the support! :)

I started my fast at 10pm last night...so everyday I get to 10pm I will know another 24 hour segment has passed.

[Ilse W.]

I'm on day 4 of the fast that will lead to a water fast. I currently still have about 3 cups of carrot/celery/beet/apple juice per day watered down a lot. I have a few things to do in the near future, so I can't go on my extended water fast yet. I want to do a therapeutic fast, and I will check in here a lot, because I don't have the money for a "professional supervisor", which is what natural hygiene teachers insist one needs. Anyway, so far it's going well, even my eyes seem to be getting a little better, so I can even drive a couple of miles without hitting anything. :D

[rawviveyourself]

Good luck! Definitely let us know how it goes. I have only done 1 day water fasts, but at some point would like to go longer....

[Aleesha Sattva]

oh emma that is wonderful news!!! so glad your eyes are benefiting from this fast. (((hugs)))

when i did my 15 day water fast... i didn't feel any different than when i juice fasted except i was fortunate enough to do some more detoxing, which pleased me since i had stopped detoxing at the time.

[oai]

i think the hygienists recommend professional supervising for legal issues mostly in their books. i could definitely do at least 14 days without one. i'm not sure about more than. we shall see, hehe. :p

as for the eyes, this fast has definitely aimed there it seems. before i had tmj, so the energy was going there. i had corneal abrasion in my left eye years ago starting this fast, it starts hurting like... OMG! :eek:

definitely check in here more often. would love to compare notes. ;)

[MOTH]

A few weeks ago I developed some sort of strange lump on the side of my face, by my eyebrow. It wasn't a pimple or anything - I didn't know what it was and it wasn't going away. It concerned me, as it was hard and I even fancied it might be a tumor. I started fasting again recently and just saw last night that the lump is completely gone and whatever had been filling it up was completely released.

[oai]

wow. so you didn't do anything to it at all, right? just left it alone?

i have a pimple on my nose. :p well, on the side, so it's not very noticeable. :) my neck has been hurting a lot during this fast. this is the first fast i'm doing during winter. usually, pain anywhere doesn't last this long except for during my bout with tmj.

[Ilse W.]

Good morning fellow fasters. This should be day 6 of fasting for me. I'm down to about 36 oz. of carrot/apple/celery/beet/ginger juice a day, watered down with warm water. I hate cold drinks. I also drink several cups of warm water between juices. I know it will be fairly easy to switch to pure water. I'm not really very hungry during the day, but do feel hungry in the late evenings. I just have some more water and go to bed. I sure sleep well! My eyes seem to be getting a tiny bit better every day. I'm back to being able to knit. There is still a lot of stuff floating around in my eyes, it really does look like a very dirty fish tank. I'm hoping that all of it will eventually be cleaned up. I'm feeling kind of weak, but still try to take my dog for at least a 1 mile walk, but prefer 2-3 miles. At least I don't have to go to work. My weight seems to be dropping by a pound per day. At this rate, I'll be down to my lowest weight ever by Christmas. From my reading on fasting I know that the body drops well below ideal weight on a water fast and then gains back weight to ideal, once (healthy) food is reintroduced. I know I'll have a hard time mentally once I'm getting below a certain weight, because weight loss in my mind, at least fast loss, is associated with cancer. Of course my fellow forum members will be talking me out of that notion once the time comes.:D

[Aleesha Sattva]

oh yes we will!!!

[Sacristia]

I am currently on day 10 of water fast and I am feel the detox symptoms harshly. I am doing my water fast for spiritual reasons as well, so the weight loss is not much of a concern for me, but it is a nice benefit.

How are you doing on your fast so far, Moth?

[freshlight]

how do you do it with your 10 days fast? do you keep going to work or do you take time off work and relax a lot? Are you full of energy? or do you feel tired all the time? My longest water fast did also take 10 days and I remember I started drinking orange juice on the 11th day not because I was feeling hungry but because I nearly couldn't get out of bed. Is there anything you can do about it?

[Aleesha Sattva]

i found that when my iron levels were low... i had no energy on a water fast... but when my iron levels improved... so did my energy on a water fast.

the other difference was: i had lots of detoxing to do on my first water fast... and little do by the time i did my second.

so either one or a combo of both may have made a difference.

[Sacristia]

I am currently on day 17th on my water fast. Fasting is never easy, but when the body urges you to do so, you will be able to bear it much easier if then if you try to force youself. The longest I ever fasted was 55 days in 2006 during the Lenten Season.

I work two jobs so fasting can be hard for the first 5 days, until my body gets into gear about burning fat and cleaning my body out. I do relax a lot when I can. Since I am single and have no children, I think it is easier for me to fast then other people at times. I am sure if I had children or a husband, it might be very hard to stick with it. On my days off I try to sleep more so my body can rest and fix itself.

I have alot of energy now, but the first 5 days my body didn't want to get out of bed, but I pushed msyelf. When I do get a very extreme of weakness and I feel like I can't go on anymore, I do take one tiny sip of natural cranberry juice to give myself a bit of sugar, because the weakness you are going to feel is your body needing some type of natural sugar and trying to pull all the energy to run your body from the fat you hve. It helps me but I dont' use it very often, I don't have to.

I believe that I read about the cranberry juice from one of Dr. Shelton's books regarding fasting.

Keep yourself busy either reading, or watching tv or sleeping when you have time to yourself. It makes the time pass quicker and you don't think about fasting and not eating so much.

Good luck on fasting!

[freshlight]

thanks for sharing, Sacristia. You sound so beautiful! Fasting is the most peaceful experience of all, isn't it? When I fast I still have to prepare meals for my children but that's all right........it's just all the energy you need ALL the time also after work,-you can't just go to bed and relax whenever you want to.....

btw:I love Shelton's books.

Enjoy this blissful time.

Eva

[RawHeaven]

Sacristia, you're inspiring and thank you so much for sharing. I really resonate with what you share about it being easier to fast when your body is signaling you to do so. I am spontaneously water fasting at the moment. I'm in the beginning stages, but it's one of my easier fasts because my body is in total partnership with me. Or maybe it's the other way around! I just didn't feel hungry the past few days and just decided to skip grocery shopping. I just wanted to thank you for sharing your beautiful light and energy here - you're demonstrating to me exactly why I want to fast right now. I appreciate the cranberry juice tip, I will consider if if my energy begins to dip. I didn't know about that.

Wishing you well on your fast.

Much peace,

Crystal

[freshlight]

thank you for this beautiful post.....I just can't believe what an amazing place this is: it's full of LOVE , LIGHT and BEAUTY!

RawHeaven, enjoy your fast :) and take care

Eva

[RawHeaven]

Thank you so much Eva! I feel so wonderful so far.

Blessings, love & Light. :)

Crystal

[SparkleMichele]

Deleted question as I realized the answer.

Hope everyone is doing well on their fast. I am starting today.

[Aleesha Sattva]

no question is ever a dumb question.

i don't drink water which is chilled as it's hard on the kidneys. so i have my brita on the counter. i also like warmed water when i'm fasting to warm me up.

so any temp you prefer is best! :D

[Ilse W.]

I drink all my water heated. It makes me feel satisfied, like I just had a cup of tea or coffee.:D

[cherry.chops]

Just a question, as im new to fasting.
Isnt water fasting dangerous? Because i know people have died after not eating for 3 days...??

[freshlight]

Just a question, as im new to fasting.
Isnt water fasting dangerous? Because i know people have died after not eating for 3 days...??

oops! I know lots of them who died from eating. Read Sheltons and Paul Braggs books if you want to know more. Fasting is everything else but dangerous :)

[Ilse W.]

I dare you to name just one person who died from not eating for 3 days (from not eating, NOT from other causes). Oh, BTW, I must be dead!

[oai]

i've been water fasting for over 20 days, and yes, i'm typing from the beyond. :p

[RawHeaven]

I broke my water fast this morning with some wheatgrass juice. It seems my body wants to fast for 2-3 day increments every other week. I'm noticing a very interesting change in my body. It's bbrrrrrr freezing cold and in the the pre-raw days I would be eating everything in sight! But now I really don't have much of an appetite. It's like my system is hibernating. Just like what Oai brought up in the other thread about being a bear now. hahaaa. I really do think there is some truth to this for me. The colder it gets the less I want to eat - my body just wants to slow it down.

Happy fasting everyone.
I hope you experience continued inspiration.

Blessings,

Crystal

[RawHeaven]

i've been water fasting for over 20 days, and yes, i'm typing from the beyond. :p

haha...love it..."typing from the beyond". Hope you experience continued bliss. :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

how'd the wheatgrass go down? i find my body either loooooves it or dislikes it strongly... no real inbetween for me LOL right now i'm in a lovin' phase!

cherrychops, chances are whoever died... died of something else. lack of food for three days wouldn't cause death unless perhaps they were very young, very sick etc. but as with everything... it's important to do research and learn about things before you do them. feel free to read the many fasting threads on this forum and you'll find links within them to great information and other forums as well. research research research that's my motto!

[oai]

i've been interested in wheat grass for quite a while but have not been able to plunge in because

- I'm thinking "grass" :confused:
- & i don't want to spend significant $$ on a kit

so now i have questions. :) do those powder forms or cube forms taste close to the real deal? i'd like to get a taste first & see how it goes. or does whole food sell wheat grass shots?

my experience with water fasting without exercising .. that even after the fast, my appetite diminishes quite a lot.

now with the winter, the need for sleep has decreased as well. :confused: maybe i'm going back to caveman days where there was probably not a lot of eating or sleeping (being aware of predators). just a thought. :p

[Aleesha Sattva]

fresh wheatgrass is the only way to go. it's sweet and fresh tasting... like chewing on a grass when you were a kid. go to a juice bar and buy a shot. oh heck get a double shot!!! just don't overdo it... start slowly and work your way up with the shots...

i have the powder... no it's NOTHING like fresh wheatgrass shots

[oai]

i never chewed grass as a kid. :p but i did eat paper. :confused:

so the powder & cube don't taste like it at all, right? i'll go try out some shots then. :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

i've never tried the cubes... only the powder. :)

[RawHeaven]

how'd the wheatgrass go down? i find my body either loooooves it or dislikes it strongly... no real inbetween for me LOL right now i'm in a lovin' phase!

Oh the wheatgrass went down great. It tasted sooooo good. I actually didn't have wheatgrass juice, but put wheatgrass powder in a glass of water. I was buzzing around all day. Had a fresh juicy orange for lunch and treated myself to some raw coconut curry soup at cafe gratitude for dinner. All n' all a very good day. :D

[RawHeaven]

Just a question, as im new to fasting.
Isnt water fasting dangerous? Because i know people have died after not eating for 3 days...??

It's probably more dangerous to eat at McDonald's.

I think what you're thinking of is if you don't drink water you risk getting ill or dying. Most people can survive, especially westerners, without solid food for several days. I know I have enough padding on my bottom to last at least a month. Just kidding. But you do need water in your system. I believe the average number of days you can go without water for survival purposes is 3 days before you get into dangerous territory. Perhaps this is what you're thinking of? There is such a thing as dry fasting where people don't eat or drink anything - I don't know too much about it and would have to research it. But I guess they do okay too. You probably have to monitor yourself very carefully if you're dry fasting I'm guessing.

I have water fasted for 14 days successfully. Some people have done it for 40 days. No worries, we're all still here, living and breathing.

But as Aleesha mentions above you should do alot of research if attempting a water fast for anyone reading this thread. Or do it with supervision if you have a lot of questions.

[Sacristia]

I must really be deceased since I water fasted for 55 days in 2006.

cherry chops might be thinking if a person doesn't drink water for 3 days, that death might occur. If a person has water, they can survive for a while. If they dont' have water to drink, a person's life could cease.

Just remember all the survivors of plane crashes in the wild or where people are stranded in their cars for days, weeks in snow bound places. They normally don't don't have food at hand. But they do have water. They lose weight, but they don't lose their lives.

Water fast is very health for a person. It allows the body to stop using all the energy to run the digestive system constantly and use that energy to fix cells, wipe out abnormal cells that might form into cancer, and use up stored fat, reset chemical levels. Water fasting allows a person's body to refresh, renew and reset itself. It allows the body to clean up all the junk that we put in out bodies, such as medicines that leave residual traces in our cells, and are never expelled, flushing out fat that we over store, do to our bad eating habits and so forth.

Anytime I have ever fasted, I am come away feeling and looking like a new person. It can be a very life changed event in a person's life to fast.

:o)

[oai]

also, a fear of fasting and thinking it will kill you... will kill you, too.

there are tons of info. on fasting over at soilandhealth.org. also, i think there's at least 1 girl & 1 guy on youtube who have fasted. the guy went at least 40 days! :eek:

oh and another thing about completing a fast is that oh my golly, your body's tolerance level to mistreatment is way down! it could be a good thing. :D

[Ilse W.]

Well Oai, I am finally joining you on the water fast. Are you still fasting? I just finished 21 days of juice fasting (no more than 1 qt. of carrot/apple etc. juice per day and lots of water) and am on my first day of water fasting. No difference from juice fasting for me, really. So I'm quite pleased. I am reading Shelton's book on fasting right now and will keep close watch on the coating of my tongue, and will also NOT pay attention to my stomach. It will be interesting to find out what REAL hunger feels like (which he talks about a lot). I still have a good 20 pounds I can lose before I start going into the negative, but I have educated myself enough that it won't freak me out to go a few pounds below where I should be at a minimum. I'm looking forward to feeling even healthier, being able to see without feeling like I'm sitting in a dirty snow globe, and being skinny. What a feeling, I haven't been skinny since 1977! Can't wait to get to the point where I can work on building muscle!

[freshlight]

oh you sound good! I love Shelton's book too. It will definitely keep you motivated. Enjoy this peaceful time and take care, Eva

[Aleesha Sattva]

emma, why are you waiting to build muscle?

[cherry.chops]

hey, im not disrespecting any of you, i wasnt nasty, so dont be narky with me, im simply want to know more. I thought you fasters would be the best able to provide me with infomation......?
people who havnt eaten for 3 days, such as models have died. So im just curious as to how the body can function on just water.
And wow, 20 days...you must have strong will power!

[cherry.chops]

thank you Rawheaven and Sacristia for some info

[Sacristia]

If models are dying because they aren't eating for 3 days it is because they have been not eating for longer then their body can handle. When a person fasts, your body WILL tell you when you need to start eating again, or you will die.

Most models don't have enough fat on their bodies to properly fast. There is usually nothing to correct in their bodys as of melting fat away, because they are stripped of it all by their eating habits, which usually means they are severely lacking the proper vitimins and minerals they need for their body to function right.

So fasting isn't what killed them. It was because of their life style and how they fed their body when they did eat. I read once that a model died after eating tomatoes and diet coke for 2 straight weeks. She was already skinny and those items she ate were not providing the nuterients that her body needed. She was killing herself by not eating what her body needed, so it shut down completely.

If models are dying it isn't because they are trying to better themselves by fasting. They are trying to stay skinny by not eating, which is clearly a eating disorder. There is a big different between a faster and a eating disorder. A faster fasts in order to correct the body and to learn how to listen to the body, so a person know what correct foods to eat so that the body can function on its top level. A faster will eat foods after a fast. A person with a eating disorder will be afraid to eat and refuse to eat, bcause of the fear of gain weight.

Two major differences. Fasters do it to correct, revive and learn from their bodies. People with eating disorders sometimes fast because they want to control their weight and how they look, because how they look at themselves can be a litle warped due to how society see what they consider to be beautiful.

There is a difference. Just read up on some Dr. Shelton books and other books on fasting. And you will learn the truth.

[freshlight]

For me fasting has got nothing at all to do with will power or weight loss. In fact, the more often you fast, the less weight you lose. Last time I did a 5-day water fast I didn't lose any weight at all.

The inner strength and the spiritual experiences you go through when you fast are beautiful and strong.

I don't think we would die from fasting if our inner energy (TRUST) is strong enough. Everyone can feel his own level of that life-energy and act accordingly,-we are safe :)

[oai]

i have some unexpecting turn of events to report about my current water fast. :o i've gone over my initial 14 days. i'm only used to 14-day water fasts.

at day 20, i was over the moon! no cravings. clear minded. all the things i read about it. on days 23-25, it was like all the clouds got dark! i felt so downright sad and hopeless! i have no idea where it came from. some fat somewhere must have been released with some serious toxins, because for a long moment, i was considering the point of life. i wasn't suicidal, but i had suicidal thoughts. :eek:

so i go to bed shivering and scared to death! b/c i don't know, i was just scared and cold--freezing! i woke up scared and listened in for my mom or brother to wake up, b/c i was that scared!

i sat up in my bed, hugging myself and putting my head into my arms. i felt like crying, but no tears would come out.

i felt slightly better as the day progressed. by night time, i was more aware of my surroundings and knew i was safe but felt scared. i thought about not going into work for the week.

this morning, i woke up like nothing happened. :eek: i felt all better and warm and fuzzy. i was hopeful and clear-minded.

oh man. had i gone to a shrink, i could be labeled bi-polar at this point.

[Aleesha Sattva]

oh ya.... fasting can be a roller coaster ride indeed! it so important to remember that while you are fasting you are releasing.... mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, consciously and sub-consciously.

so when you are feeling "out of sorts" remember... this too shall pass!
sending hugs to you (((hugs)))

[oai]

remember... this too shall pass!
sending hugs to you (((hugs)))

thank you. :)

as i was sitting in bed completely out of my mind and scared, i was thinking about whether it's going to pass! just like my tmj, i was worried it's not going to be gone. and alas, it came and went like the wind. :rolleyes:

any day now, i'm going to remember this and stop second guessing myself. :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

perhaps today IS the day! (((hugs)))

[freshlight]

oai, wow! It looks like you are going through an emotional detox, congratulations. You'll be fine, don't worry :)
Take care, Eva

[oai]

Thanks guys! If only you two were around, I would have wanted a big hug until I fell asleep. Really, I was a crazy chic! :p I needed a WHOLE LOT of attention than an army of cuddle bears could provide.


Well Oai, I am finally joining you on the water fast. Are you still fasting? I just finished 21 days of juice fasting (no more than 1 qt. of carrot/apple etc. juice per day and lots of water) and am on my first day of water fasting. No difference from juice fasting for me, really. So I'm quite pleased. I am reading Shelton's book on fasting right now and will keep close watch on the coating of my tongue, and will also NOT pay attention to my stomach. It will be interesting to find out what REAL hunger feels like (which he talks about a lot). I still have a good 20 pounds I can lose before I start going into the negative, but I have educated myself enough that it won't freak me out to go a few pounds below where I should be at a minimum. I'm looking forward to feeling even healthier, being able to see without feeling like I'm sitting in a dirty snow globe, and being skinny. What a feeling, I haven't been skinny since 1977! Can't wait to get to the point where I can work on building muscle!

Yea. I am. :o

I'd have to honestly say that I do not like how I look while fasting. Although, granted, I lose a lot a weight and probably gain back at most 5 lbs. after every fast, I DO NOT like how I look at all while fasting. It seems that I only look good (to me anyway), when I'm back to eating after the fast.

So I just wanted to let you know. You might not like how you feel or look during a fast, but dang, that clean out gives you a nice clean body for nutritional food to finally rebuild now.

I mean you can put as much nutritional food you want into a compacted body, but it's going to take longer to feel good and look good as one would just cleaning out with a fast and THEN rebuilding the body.

[Aleesha Sattva]

funny i'm the opposite. i love how look when i'm fasting. my skin looks amazing... it just glows... my tummy is so flat... i just love it. then i eat and fill up my intestines again and wham... i lose that slimmer look.

ahhhh i love how unique we all are (((hugs))) *that's a sangha and a half of hugs!*

[oai]

hehe. yeah. we're all different. it's great for those who love how they look & feel during a fast. it can be one of the reasons to keep you continuing the fast.

for those who don't look or feel good during one, don't give up b/c of it. the visible results of looking and feeling good comes after the fast. :D it's amazing & kind of weird. :p

although despite my stinkiness, i find that more people gravitate to me while i'm fasting. that is also weird.

[Ilse W.]

Oai, how are you doing? Are you still on water only? I'm on day 6 of water, after 21 days of juice fast. I'm releasing a lot of mucous, which would be weird except that I just recently read that most of our diseases come from inflammation caused by mucous deposits all over the body. So I just have to rinse out my mouth constantly, no biggie. I keep checking my tongue's coating, which was really gross (babypoop yellow) yesterday, but now whitish and turning back to pink along the edges and on the tip. I'm not feeling hungry yet, though, so I will just keep going. I'm still losing about a pound a day, which is also a sign that I'm not there yet. A couple of days ago on a special report on TV regarding new discoveries for cancer treatment, some doctor said that we should try to weigh no more throughout life than we did when we were 18 (I guess that wouldn't apply to today's young who all seem to lean towards overweight/obesity already). I weighed 60 kg (132 lbs) when I was 18. Yesterday I weighed in at 142.5 lbs. so pretty soon I'll be there. My stomach growls at times, but they say the real hunger is felt in the mouth and throat. I also read in one of the books what to eat/drink (it was something specific) to get the intestins to shrink down to healthy size once the detox is finished. I have to go back and search through all the books I have read in the last couple of months. I'll post it once I find it.
It's going to be a watery Christmas.:D

[roo]

Oai, how are you doing? Are you still on water only? I'm on day 6 of water, after 21 days of juice fast. I'm releasing a lot of mucous, which would be weird except that I just recently read that most of our diseases come from inflammation caused by mucous deposits all over the body. So I just have to rinse out my mouth constantly, no biggie. I keep checking my tongue's coating, which was really gross (babypoop yellow) yesterday, but now whitish and turning back to pink along the edges and on the tip. I'm not feeling hungry yet, though, so I will just keep going. I'm still losing about a pound a day, which is also a sign that I'm not there yet. A couple of days ago on a special report on TV regarding new discoveries for cancer treatment, some doctor said that we should try to weigh no more throughout life than we did when we were 18 (I guess that wouldn't apply to today's young who all seem to lean towards overweight/obesity already). I weighed 60 kg (132 lbs) when I was 18. Yesterday I weighed in at 142.5 lbs. so pretty soon I'll be there. My stomach growls at times, but they say the real hunger is felt in the mouth and throat. I also read in one of the books what to eat/drink (it was something specific) to get the intestins to shrink down to healthy size once the detox is finished. I have to go back and search through all the books I have read in the last couple of months. I'll post it once I find it.
It's going to be a watery Christmas.:D

It's interesting following your progress Emma. I'm on day 20 of my juice fast and tomorrow may be my last juicing day so I can try water only. I haven't decided yet. I've never done water only and I'm not sure I want to. Do you have to spend much time in bed? That sounds pretty depressing to me at the moment. I'd love to have a stronger detox happening though. I don't feel like I'm detoxing much at all on this juice. (my tongue doesn't get coated at all) So I'm torn. Maybe I'll try a day or two and see how I feel. I always know exactly when I'm ready to juice fast. This water fasting business isn't quite so clear to me.

This is my 3rd juice fast and the first one that I haven't been craving cooked food. I'm not really craving any food at all but if I do think of food, it is only raw fruits and veggies, and some nuts. I'm making progress! :)

Please keep posting about your experience Emma. I'm right behind you!

[Aleesha Sattva]

one nice thing about water fasting during a juice fast... if you feel the water is too much, just grab a litre of juice and enjoy! no problem at all. not hard on the system... no ill effects at all.

:D

[Ilse W.]

Roo, I don't work (currently retired) so I can just sit in my comfy chair all day and knit. That takes no energy at all. I've knitted 8 pairs of socks in the last 3 weeks. I have my cup of warm water next to me and all is good. I have a 200 ft. driveway, and I have to walk it slowly to get to the mail box. The hardest part is carrying wood in for the stove (I only heat with wood). That's when I feel like a real weakling. Also when I try to throw the ball for Max the wonder dog, he must think I'm a total failure. As far as hunger, my stomach growls a little every now and then (it didn't do that at all on juice), but I take a couple of sips of water and it goes away. Give it a try, can't hurt. As Aleesha says, you can always go back to juice if you don't like how you feel.

[freshlight]

I feel really "perfect" during a water fast, it really is fascinating how different we are :)
On the other hand: each fast is different. My first one was in the vegetarian but cooked times and I didn't feel as great as I do now, but it did still feel marvellous.

Emma: you made me laugh with your 8 pairs of socks,-how cute! I could nearly see you sitting there and knitting ;)

As for myself-it's such a special time that I prefer going through it consiously, without any distractions, enjoying each second of it.

well, perhaps your knitting is a kind of meditation, no?

I love you all for being so inspiring!! Thank you.

Take care, Eva

[oai]

emma -- i'm doing fine now. thank you. :) compared to my last fast, my family actually thinks i'm more sane during this one. :eek::D

when i was really down the last few days, i was in my room the whole time. so the family had no idea. my mom was just asking yesterday why i didn't do my laundry over the weekend (which i usually do). i just went hm.... haha. she figures i was just procrastinating. that works for me. i don't want her to worry.

my hunger isn't back. my tongue is okay i guess. no thick coatings. a very light one in the mornings but ok. i do stink. :o i try to maintain my distance from people, but they seem to gravitate to me with smiles and everything. must be the holidays. not sure if i can attribute it to fasting.

i've never done a really long juice fast. i'll probably just do a smoothie fast some time.

[Ilse W.]

I'm down to 140 lbs. this morning. Still 8 lbs. away from my super-healthy weight. I'm sure I will go quite a bit below that before my body will tell me that it's enough. That scares me a little, but I've read enough books now written either by people who did therapeutic fasts to get over life-threatening diseases, or by doctors (Shelton etc.) to know that it's ok. I do feel inclined to set a low limit for myself, though, maybe 120 lbs. That would really feel like at the edge of starvation. I hope my body will tell me to eat again before I reach that weight.
This morning I switched on the llight on my nightstand to get my eyes used to the light before getting up, and after a while I was looking up at the ceiling, white painted wood planks and beams, and I could see it clearly including little imperfections. The lines of the boards and the beams also weren't distorted. That gives me great hope that my eyes are getting better and the cataracs are getting smaller.
Yes, knitting is my meditation. It involves counting and rhythms, and certain patterns turn into melodies in my head. So you could say I have been meditating a lot lately.
This morning I visited with my daughter and grandkids in Germany via webcam, and 3 of my sisters and a niece were also there. It was great seeing them all. They all said I look fabulous, which is great because the last time they saw me at this weight I had cancer and looked terrible. It was very encouraging to hear them say it. I also saw myself, of course, and I must agree with them. I could really see how slim my face has gotten. Cheers to me!

[oai]

agh. speaking of webcams. i really want to have one set up so i can watch my pups from anywhere. :D:o i'm not crazy. :p

i may start tinkering with my vision Rx myself. there have been days where i left my place without my glasses, b/c i don't know. i forgot. i have astimagmatism and am about -4 in one & -5 in the other.

what's your height, emma?

[Aleesha Sattva]

cheers to YOU Emma!!!

[RawHeaven]

I'm down to 140 lbs. this morning. Still 8 lbs. away from my super-healthy weight. ----------------------------------Cheers to me!

Woo hoo! CONGRATULATIONS Emma!

[PamRaw]

Helllo everyone. May I join this party? I am on Day One of a water fast. It's my first ever. I started with the Master Cleanse on Sunday but I just wasn't feeling it... probably because I did a 30 day Master Cleanse in November.

So, now here I am doing water only. I feel this need to deep cleanse and after reading volumes on water fasting decided I was finally brave enough to do it. I was a little concerned about my thyroid med because I can't stop taking it. My hypothyroidism is medically induced and is not likely to correct itself. But I did some research and decided that I could safely fast while continuing to take it.

I've had a low-grade headache most of the day, but I just keep drinking my water. I did oil pulling, a light workout, body brush, and took a warm shower followed by a cold one (which, although it was brutal while I was doing it, had the effect of warming me up for a couple hours afterward).

On an up-note, my skin and eyes look fabulous today... LOL. I have that "changing face of detox" that someone mentioned, I think, on this forum or on goneraw.com.

I'm going to try to go 20 days. I have no doubt that I can do it, but it's hard to commit to right now because a social or work obligation may cause me to stop earlier. But I know I can go 12.

I don't have much to lose and my body stubbornly hangs on to what I do have, which to me is a sign that this last bit of fat is just packed with toxins.

Anyway, wish me luck... and happy holiday season to all.

Pam

[Ilse W.]

Oai, I'm5'9"

PamRaw,welcome to Just Water! I was worried while I was still on the juice fast that water was going to be hard(er), but I'm doing just fine.

Merry Christmas to everybody! {{{HUGS}}}

[freshlight]

Welcome, Pam :) Enjoy your water fast!

Emma,-well done! Congratulations :D

and Merry Christmas

http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/christ-htm/images/greenery/basketofholly.gif

[PamRaw]

Thanks EmmaT and Freshlight! Day TWO... I feel weak this morning but I think it will past once I get rehydrated. I'm sitting on the sofa wrapped in a blanket with everything I need within arms link.

EmmaT, how long do you think you'll continue? I know Sequim. I'm originally from Seattle. :)

[Ilse W.]

I'm doing a therapeutic water fast for health reasons, and you usually continue them until your tongue clears (all the coating is gone and tongue is pink) and you feel an intense hunger in your mouth and throat (not in your stomach). I have a feeling it will be at least another 2+ weeks. I feel weak all the time, that's why it's good to be able to stay home and do nothing.

[Aleesha Sattva]

i'm not so sure about this "feel intense hunger in your throat and mouth not in your stomach" part. when i did my 12 week fast, my 45 day fast and other shorter fasts i never experienced that.

this 'true hunger' that i read about... all i could equate it to was that i got to a point where i began thinking about food all the time. i went from fasting mode to a space where all i wanted was to eat. it wasn't the usual 'food cravings' i had in the earlier days of my fasts... this was an all insatiable fixation type of thing.

but feeling it in my throat and mouth??? nope never experienced that. (that i'm aware of)

i'm about to start another fast... so perhaps i'll experience it in this one. i'll watch for it. ;)

[PamRaw]

I know that during my 30 day Master Cleanse my tongue never cleared and hunger didn't really return. In fact, at the end of 30 days my tongue was VERY furry... which is why I started really thinking about doing a water fast. I weighed in this morning at 124 lbs. (I'm 5'7") so I'm not sure if I can go much beyond the 20 days I plan. I'm hoping the weakness will subside some once I get into the fat-burning mode after my third day. We'll see!

[Aleesha Sattva]

you may be surprised. my weight release slowed tremendously on my extended fasts. i would release for the first weeks and then i even gained weight at times LOL yup only a few pounds but i was actually gaining while juice fasting.

trust your body... it really does know what it's doing. after all, when was the last time you had to remind it to breathe, pump your blood or instruct your muscles to move at the exact right moment?

heck i don't even think about blinking!

i think our bodies can handle the whole... 'how much should i weight' thing just fine. but that's simply my opinion on this... doesn't make me right.

[PamRaw]

Aleesha, I lose relatively small amounts on the Master Cleanse, but I'm wondering if the water fast will be different. But, at any rate, despite my weight I DO think I have a lot of toxic fat stored up. I'm just excited and happy to be doing this. My brother was hospitalized Monday with a blood clot that they initially thought was a heart attack. And many of my friends in their 50s like me are suffering from ill health. I would really like to be an example of what good health looks like.

[Aleesha Sattva]

water fasting does kick start the weight release, no doubt about that! but when i did my 15 day water fast during my 12 week fast... i released a lot for the first few days but then stopped releasing LOL

but hey, that's me and my weirdly unique body LOL other people do release heaps of weight. i think it's just up to your body and what IT wants...

[Ilse W.]

Aleesha, I'm not sure about that hunger thing myself, it's just what Shelton and others say. I can imagine that it's more what you experienced. So far I sometimes think of the bread I made last week that is waiting for me in the freezer and the sauerkraut I'll put on it. Since yesterday's cool veggie haul, I'm also thinking of a radish salad. All in all though I'm not hungry and not fixated on food, so I'll wait. I did set myself a lower limit for weight loss, though, even if my tongue is still a little coated. I wish I had a naturopath close by who has some experience with water fasting. My insurance pays for naturopaths, but mine is in Seattle, far enough away to cost me over $50 every time I have to travel there. So I wing it.

[Aleesha Sattva]

and remember... you can stop fasting... eat and then do another fast! there is no limit to what you can choose to do to improve your health.

this philosophy really assists me when i'm fasting... to know that i can stop and start again later. i don't have to do it all right now! LOL

i support you 100% in whatever you choose emma - i know you to be a very intelligent woman who researches what she does... (((hugs))) you don't just do it to be one of the cool kids LOL

[Ilse W.]

Thanks Aleesha, I needed that. I'm such an all-or-nothing person and it helps for someone to tell me every now and then that my life is not about impressing anybody.:p

[Aleesha Sattva]

sooooo true, it's only about impressing your Self! i know that some people in my life don't understand why i am fasting so often. the word "anorexic" even came out of a friend's mouth the other day. i laughed... oh i love to eat and will happily... fasting is about going into a deeply spiritual place for me. i find my meditations are deeper, my life is calmer and the ease of drinking my meals instead of having to decide what to eat and then prepare it... ahhhh what a nice break from 45 years of eating!

and i meant it when i said i support you 100% emma... 100% girlfriend!

[freshlight]

I noticed that too: the longer experience you have with fasting, the less weight you lose. Sometimes you don't lose any weight at all but the experience is so AMAZING! You are suddenly full of that creative energy,-I call it the power of LOVE,- and enjoy life no end. Have fun, you fasters :) it's such a special time: enjoy each bit of it!

[Ilse W.]

Eva,
How are your B-12 deficiency symptoms doing? Do you take sub-lingual B-12? Can you get those in sufficiently high doses in Germany? I send one of my sisters who is vegan Jarrow B-12 5000 micrograms on a regular basis, one of the best out there. I know that with Codex Alimentarius a lot of supplements can only be gotten through doctors (most don't know anything about them though), and the dosages are very low. Send me a private email, if you need help getting some. My son-in-law is stationed in Stuttgart. One of my sisters lives in Frankfurt, one in Stuttgart, one in Konstanz, one in Erlangen. I also have a brother somewhere near Tuebingen. Ich wuensche Dir froehliche Weihnachten!
Ilse (my real name):D

[Aleesha Sattva]

well that little bit of info... (ilse is your real name) explains the christmas card i got! thanks!!! (((hugs)))

[Ilse W.]

You are so welcome, girlfriend!

[freshlight]

oh thanks so much, how caring of you!!!
WOW, how many sisters do you actually have??? ;)

I did order the vitamins here:

http://organicpharmacy.org/search.php?searchterm=methylcobalamin&x=12&y=14
and after spending a fortune on them without any results,-in contrary, I started feeling worse every day,-
I did a water fast and all my symptoms disappeared. I did 5,5 days only and it helped.It was unbelievable because I couldn't feel my hands for 8 months!

and the doctor did even sugguest I have a(n) MS (oh man, was I devasteted because I believed him, silly me!)

At the end of the 1st day of the fast I started feeling my hands again....oh the JOY of it...! I don't take any supplements anymore.
What I've learned out of this is: our inner healing energy is always with us. If we let it free, it will work for us. Isn't that great news?


But thank you very much for your offer to help: I do appreciate it.

Take care, dear Ilse. BTW: we live near FfM :)

[Ilse W.]

Yep, that's what I believe. It's Natural Hygiene, a quite old medical belief system that basically tells us that anything, drugs or supplements, interfere with our body's natural ability to heal itself. All we have to give it is good, raw, natural food, exercise, sunlight, sleep. When something does go wrong, do a water fast. That's it. Isn't it reassuring?
I have 4 sisters and 1 brother. I'm all alone here in the US, exccept for my son who lives over in Seattle, about 2 hours drive from here.

[Aleesha Sattva]

You are not alone... you have me! (((hugs)))

[freshlight]

All we have to give it is good, raw, natural food, exercise, sunlight, sleep. That's it.

well, in your case I would add "and knitting" haha :D Sorry, couldn't resist...perhaps I could learn knitting too.....I might do, one of these days......Take care, Eva

[PamRaw]

I have a bag of yarn in the closet purchased last year with the intention of making a bunch of scarves and dishcloths (which stretch my knitting talents to the limit!). Maybe I"ll pull it out. Not exactly socks like EmmaT, but counting stitches is too hard for me. My mother said after an attempt at teaching me to crochet an afghan that I, in fact, can't count. :rolleyes:

Day Three... woo hoo!! Going strong (well, maybe not strong but I'm hanging in there)...

[Ilse W.]

Yep, knitting for me is definitely part of the healing process. I was devastated when the uveitis in my eyes got really bad and I couldn't see anything. I couldn't knit at all. Once it got better, I started up again, but boy did I have a lot of trouble with dark yarns if I happened to make a mistake or dropped a stitch. I just about couldn't pick it up again. Luckily I don't really have to look at what I knit. I watch TV and glance down every now and then to make sure I'm still ok. Plus I finally have better glasses, that helps.
PamRaw - A bag of yarn? I designed hanging shelves that hang from the rafters in my living/dining room, spanning about 22 ft. On those I have the very big baskets from IKEA along with wooden crates, 18 in total, filled with yarn. I can spend the next 10 years knitting and not run out of yarn, specially since I add to it whenever I have some extra money, LOL.
Aleesha, thanks. I truly don't feel alone! {{{HUGS}}}

[freshlight]

Hey Pam, congrats on your 3rd day,-well done! :) Emma, your posts carck me up, haha.Well this knitting business seems to be contagious, eh? ;) Enjoy your fasts, you two

[Aleesha Sattva]

i knitted a sock once... it is beautiful. unfortunately i forgot how to knit before i got the second one done LOL

so i have one sock... ready for whenever someone has a sore foot and can't wear a shoe... i pull out the sock and VOILA they are taken care of LOL

[PamRaw]

EmmaT, I only get a hankering to knit every 10 years or so. Usually I buy the yarn then keep it for about 2 years and then donate it to Goodwill. Last year I got in the mood then out again! But I swear I'm going to go get that yarn out of the closet when I get a round tuit. Does anyone have a round tuit?

Freshlight, THANKS. I know I can do it, but I get surprised with each new day. I'm dizzy today, though. Fortunately I don't have to work outside my home for a few weeks.

Aleesha, now you see? This is another reason why I try not to knit anything too complicated!

[Aleesha Sattva]

oh yes... I totally understand! I'm crocheting squares right now. Not a big deal, no huge commitment, works for me LOL

(perhaps one day i'll get a pair of socks from emma in the mail) *giggles and runs from the rooms*

[Ilse W.]

Tell me your shoe size

[Aleesha Sattva]

size 8 :)

my post was too short so i'll add some text to make it long enough for the censors to allow it to go through LOL

[Ilse W.]

That's because you have small feet :D:D:D

[Aleesha Sattva]

giggling... they have gotten smaller by two sizes since releasing weight!!!

[freshlight]

seriously? wow!

[Aleesha Sattva]

yup!!! all of my old shoes no longer fit me. my birkenstocks... can't wear them anymore they are huge on me LOL

[freshlight]

there should be a book called s-ing like "everything raw can do to you",-your feet would become famous then :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

soooooooooo true!!!

[PamRaw]

Aleesha, that's great. Now you can go shoe shopping crazy! LOL. I thought I was the only one whose feet got smaller when they lose weight. Both my hands and feet are kinda chunky looking even at the upper end of a "normal" weight range.

[Aleesha Sattva]

my fingers are very slim now as well. i looooooooooooooooove being smaller!!!

[Ilse W.]

Mine too, mine too...I always loved my hands, but for the last 20 years or so they've looked really pudgy, even when I thought I had lost weight. I don't think any of my rings would fit me now, but I've long ago given up wearing jewelry. As for the feet, I hope mine don't change. I went shoe crazy shortly before I retired about 4 years ago, and bought probably 30 pairs. I'd hate if they didn't fit anymore. On the other hand, all I wear these days are Tevas (with wool socks in winter) and Landsend Squall boots, plus my tennis shoes. What's worse is the fact that my smallest pants make my rear look like an elephants, all in folds. Once my belly is totally gone, I won't be able to wear those any more, either. I think I have a consignment shop in town, must look if they have anything I can use. Trouble is, I have long legs, a 34" inseam, and most stuff at the stores (and I'm sure at the second hand store) are for "regular" people. I always knew I was an irregular, LOL. I told my sisters in Germany to send me a decent fashion magazine so I can start sewing for myself again. Of course I can knit all the sweaters (and socks) I want.

[Aleesha Sattva]

i loooooooooove sweaters. i am a sweater-aholic. i am. i gravitate towards them in stores LOL

[Ilse W.]

Sorry, it's gonna be socks!
I'm going to be unraveling a few sweaters I just recently made. Really NOTHING fits. It happened so quickly that I just couldn't even plan for it.

[Aleesha Sattva]

no silly i wasn't asking you for a sweater i was saying i looooooove sweaters LOL i'm super fussy about my sweaters and how they fit. no one could make one for me, cause honestly if i tried it on after it was made, there's a chance i wouldn't like it and i would never do that to anyone (((hugs)))

[Ilse W.]

Then I just hope you aren't super picky about socks. :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

nope, not at all!!! i looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove warm happy feet!!! especially when they are covered up by a sock made with love.

[Ilse W.]

Good! I will put nothing but happy thoughts in them!

[Aleesha Sattva]

and love!!!

[Ilse W.]

without question!

[MOTH]

Hey everyone,

I'm on day nine water only (distilled) right now. I'm in this one for the long haul and just wanted to say hi.

[Aleesha Sattva]

wow day nine... congrats on the wonderful gift you are giving your body!

[MOTH]

Thank you Aleesha...you are a beautiful person and I enjoy hearing about your adventures in life and fasting. I read your blog.

I just crossed over into day 10. Days 8-9 were rough but I hung in there and I'm glad I did. It always gets better on a fast if you stick with it. I did about 20 minutes of yoga and meditated and now I feel like a million bucks. I have a serious commitment to this thing. I will see it through.

Will report back again in a few days
take care everyone.

[Aleesha Sattva]

moth, i totally resonate with you - i too have a difficult time around the day 7 or 8 mark. if i remember correctly the early 20's can be a bit tough as well. but the days in between are like floating on a cloud of bliss. ahhhh isn't fasting the BEST! :)

please do check in here and there... i'll be thinking about ya (((hugs)))

[PamRaw]

Hey felllow fasters! I'm having a rough time of it but I'm still hanging in there on day 6. I am soooo weak and tired, all I want to do is sit and recline. And getting from one position to the other is usually too much bother! I need to go get more distilled water today and I can either go to the convenience store right next door and pay $2.59 for less than a gallon or walk a block to Walgreens and pay $1.59. I'm trying to talk myself into walking that block. It's not the walk, it's carrying those suddenly too heavy gallons of water home again!

I guess I wonder if this weakness is normal. Am I just the biggest baby or what?? I'm reading The Miracle of Fasting and Paul Bragg talks about strenuous mountain hikes while fasting. I can barely manage to brush my teeth!

So enough of my moaning. How is everyone else doing?

Pam

[freshlight]

it's absolutely normal to feel as tired as you do if you are not very experienced and your body is not that clean yet (perhaps). Just take it easy and have a lie down or go off to sleep. Ask someone to help you with the water or take the shorter way,-jmho.

Take care and keep warm :)

Eva

[PamRaw]

Thanks, Eva. Before I read your post, I put on my big-girl pants and took the long way with my little city dweller wheelie grocery cart. (By the way, the long way was not Walgreens but actually a store that is 5 blocks away.) Well, I bought 4 gallons of water, put them in the cart (which is cloth, not wire, with 2 wheels like a suitcase and doesn't provide much structure so you feel much of the weight, which, by my calculation was 32 pounds). How bad could it be, right? I drug my water home, hoping against hope that some homeless guy would offer to help for a couple of bucks. No such luck. It was grueling. I had to stop every few steps. But I made it. I won't be doing that particular stupid thing again! I'll find some other stupid thing to do...

I do hope I will be able to water fast more successfully in the future. I'd like to do a 10 day fast 3 or 4 times a year and that's not going to happen if I can't function. But I think I'll start with 3 or 4 days and work up from there.

I guess I'm happy to be going through this because it tells me how much I needed to deep clean and that my 30-day Master Cleanse in November wasn't as effective as I hoped!

[Aleesha Sattva]

If you are this weak, perhaps it is time for you to switch it up to juices. There is no succeed or fail in fasting, --- it is what it is --- so allow yourself to listen to your body. In my opinion, your body is telling you it's time to start adding something into you.

If you don't want to switch up to juices, have some raw honey on a spoon. That's what I do when I need some extra energy while fasting - it's yummy and sooo good for you.

Congrats on water fasting for the last 6 days!!!

[oai]

Hey everyone,

I'm on day nine water only (distilled) right now. I'm in this one for the long haul and just wanted to say hi.

distilled is great. :) i actually walk for miles to get a gallon or 2 myself. about 2 miles there and ~2mi back.

and for a person who hasn't smoked, drank or taken a lot of OTC or Rx drugs, man, my body is still not clean. golly! but it's ok. i did eat a lot of fast food back in the day. 7-eleven pizza at midnight... errr!!!!

[PamRaw]

I hear what you're saying, Aleesha. However, in all the books I've read, I keep getting bombarded with the "this too will pass" message. So, I'm going to hang in there at least until my weight gets to the point I've determined I shouldn't go under. Also, I've read about the benefits that accrue between day 7 and 10... and I want those benefits! Fortunately, I have planned this week with no social or work obligations, so I CAN just be a couch potato. Of course, the last thing I want to do is put my health in danger, so I'm listening carefully to my body. I still feel like my body is telling me to continue. I can still walk a bit of a distance (without water bottles) so I think I'm okay!

[oai]

However, in all the books I've read, I keep getting bombarded with the "this too will pass" message.

lol. i really wish i would heed their message, too! there have been at least 2x, when i was so scared it wouldn't pass. one of them was when i had TMJ (lock jaw). during the whole fast, i was so worried about it that instead, i could have just believed in the process and allowed more healing. i'm sure my being scared probably deviated from the healing quite a bit. and the second time is when i was just downright depressed and hopeless, i was so SCARED again! anyway, the TMJ and depressive feelings went away like the wind. :rolleyes:

so yeah. i definitely agree. "this too will pass."

i can walk miles while on a water fast, too. there are some days, where i do have to stop and sit.

[PamRaw]

That's interesting about the TMJ, OAJ. On my first Master Cleanse, around day 10 or so I decided that I was going to break the fast early (I had planned to do 15 days). I didn't really have anything to break it with and I tried to eat some cucumber slices. My jaw cramped and then locked up while I was chewing! That was a pretty strong message to me that it was NOT time to stop... LOL.

[Aleesha Sattva]

only you know when it's time to stop and i'm glad that you are trusting yourself. just wanted to remind you that you can switch it up to juices if needed.

when i did my first water fast, i couldn't stand up. i was grey. literally, my skin was grey. i didn't want to stop and finally i gave in. in retrospect i realize i should have/could have switched it up to juices sooner and still received the benefits without all the discomfort.

but i agree... there are many benefits of fasting... for me personally (not telling you what to do just sharing my thoughts here)... i know there's always another fast around the corner. i don't need to heal/cleanse/release everything in this fast.

but that's mostly cause i fast a lot - and so i know another fast is going to happen within a few weeks of stopping the last one (or within a few months max) so no worries on that end. LOL

i'm rambling... ignore me

[Ilse W.]

One of the unusual things I own is a distiller. Makes things soooo easy. Lately I've had to do a gallon at least once a day, sometimes more often. Anyway, I got extremely weak on the water fast, but I had already done a 21 day juice fast with just 1 qt. of juice a day and a lot of water. The water only really kicked my butt. I spent most of the time sitting in my chair. Getting the 20 feet from chair to kitchen took a while. I did the water for 8 days and then added the juice again. After a day I had energy back, and today I did all sorts of stuff without even thinking about it. If you want to continue fasting, but think the water fast is just too hard, add juice. You get almost the same benefit without falling off your shoes.

[PamRaw]

Thanks Aleesha, thanks EmmaT. It's good to hear other people's experiences. I guess I really want to stick with water. I've read so much about the benefits. One in particular is that water fasts cause the body to burn mostly fat after the 3rd day when the body has used up its glycogen stores. I've read this from many sources. This doesn't happen with juice fasts since the body burns the juice for fuel. I think there are great benefits... just not the ones I'm looking for.

I am concerned with burning fat because I think that one of my main health issues (being prediabetic) is tied to the amount of body fat I started carrying within the past few years. I have been unable to get my body fat into what I consider a good range since my mid 40s. Even when I was working out with a trainer 5 days a week, I still didn't think my body fat was where it should be and I was 120 pounds at 5'7". My main goal for the fast is to get my blood sugar levels down. My research on diabetics suggest that they should be slightly underweight (and definitely not over-fat) for best health.

I know I don't have to do everything with this fast, but the idea of doing another long fast to get to that 7 to 10 day mark when benefits really start to accrue is daunting. Also, I conduct workshops so I need to do this when I'm not facilitating all day or racing through airports.

I have done several Master Cleanses, usually 3 or more a year. On the Cleanse I have energy to spare. The last one was 30 days in November, just never had the guts to water fast. I can still walk around on water only, but I'm not dancing on the ceiling yet like some people!

The other thing is that juice fasting REALLY doesn't agree with me. I'm not sure it's a good idea with my blood sugar issue, plus I get hungry. I can't seem to get through a day of juice fasting. It makes me want to eat! Although I could probably dilute the juice.

Tomorrow (or rather the rest of today... my schedule is all screwed up) is another day. Let's see what it brings.

Thank you both for your support and encouragement.

[freshlight]

well done, Pam! You are doing great and that book is the best read ever! I love Paul Bragg! Did you know that he died couple of years ago at the age of 85 because of a surf accident? He did fast nearly every week, that's why his body was very clean and he was always full of energy.
Happy fasting time, everyone :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

good for you pam... listening to your body and your needs. that is really what it's all about. there is no 'one right way' in fasting... and the posts in this thread shows us all that. (((hugs)))

[PamRaw]

Bad news bears! Sorry to say I didn't listen closely enough. I got up this morning and my heart was RACING... like 115 beats per minute. (It has been on the way up for at least a couple of days, but I thought it was because I needed to reduce my thyroid med. I read in one place that you should continue to take it and in another that you should cut back. I probably should have started to cut back BEFORE the fast.) I made the decision then and there to break the fast and made my way to the kitchen. I thought I could do my oil pulling first. BIG mistake! As I took the sip of oil the world went very dark. I made it to the bathroom to spit it out and back to the kitchen. As I was groping around the cupboard for some honey, half blinded by my vision fading in and out, I fell backward, sitting on my butt for a second until I could ease my way down on my back. I lay on the kitchen floor until the dizziness passed, then opened the refrigerator to retrieve an orange. I'm still seated on the floor but I managed to get up long enough to cut the orange then back down on the floor I went! Sorry for the melodrama but this is how it happened.

I'm feeling much better now, only I sprained my foot badly. I can barely walk. My heart rate is still elevated when I move, though it stabilizes when I recline... which is no problem with the aching foot.

So lesson learned! I think my potassium levels are very low, so today I'm eating oranges and grapefruit, taking a little Braggs ACV, and drinking water. Tomorrow I will be out of citrus, so I'll take it from there. I do have a head of romaine that held up well in a Green Bag, as well as some frozen fruit. Also, I THINK I can get Whole Foods or another grocery store to shop and deliver.

Poking around some on the internet this morning and reading the signs of potassium shortage in the Bragg book, I think that the continuing weakness should have been my first indicator of potassium shortage followed by the rising heart beat. You live and you learn!

Moth, thanks for the information on Bragg. I knew he had passed but I didn't recall why and his age. Amazing man. I'm going to do the weekly thing.

Aleesha, you are such an inspiration. Thanks again for your encouragement. Hugs back to you!

Thanks everyone for the support! This hasn't discouraged me; rather it has taught me more about my body. Could be that the water fast was too close to the lengthy Master Cleanse for me to have good reserves of potassium. At any rate, next time I'll know more what to look for.

Pam

[roo]

Wow Pam, that's scary! I'm so glad you didn't hit your head when you went down. I agree with you that you probably did your fasts too close together. I've read that you need a good amount of time in between to make sure your reserves are back up completely. Take it easy and keep off that sore foot.

I've been checking my vitals a couple times a day since going on water (4th day) and my numbers are all going up. Nothing drastic but still something to keep a close watch on. My resting pulse rate is usually in the 50's and now it is in the 60's. Still very safe for fasting.

I'm sure the amount of time you were able to achieve on water was very beneficial to your body. I'm sorry that ended so badly for you. :(

Please take care and let us know how you're doing.

[Aleesha Sattva]

wow that is scary, so glad you are okay.

i hope when others read this they learn that... when you are super weak... this is NOT what fasting on water or juice is about. when you feel like this... it's your body saying "I NEED MORE!!!" so be sure to introduce more. that means if you are water fasting, get some juice into you. if you are juice fasting... up your juices tremendously... go into a juice FEAST which means 1 gallon of juice per day with 1 gallon of water. if that's not enough... then start to break your fast.

sending you huge hugs... huge hugs.

[Aleesha Sattva]

what i want to add to this is:

don't try to push through being weak. it is not going to get better. once you are weak... you only get weaker - i am speaking from my experience here - personal hands on experience. you must change it up and add MORE.

please heed this message and learn from pam's experience. she wasn't wrong in doing what she did, she learned a valuable lesson - we all did... thank you soooooooooooooooo much pam for allowing us to experience this with you. (((hugs)))

[PamRaw]

Roo, thanks, I feel better. Yes, it was scary. The heart rate is still elevated but I think it's on the way down. Good luck on your fast. I'll try it again it the spring.

Aleesha, you're so right. The ego it me wanted to keep this to myself, but I want others to learn from my experience. All the books say that a longer water fast should be supervised so they don't tell you much about what to look for. I ignored 2 crucial signals. The first was that once your heart rate elevates, the fast should be terminated because something's not right. It isn't going to come down. The second is that I underestimated how extreme weakness feels. It's all relative, I guess. I felt that if I could still walk a few blocks and lift my arms without getting tired, I wasn't extremely weak and that I was just a day away from turning a corner. Next time I'll know, and I hope others pay particular attention as well. I'm potassium loading now and hope to feel much better tomorrow. Thanks for reading all my REALLY long posts... LOL.

Freshlight, I meant to thank you, not Moth, for the info on Bragg! So, thank you. He was an inspiration. I wish I could surf now, let alone at 95.

Pam

[Aleesha Sattva]

Pam, I am sending you the biggest warmest hug... can you feel it?

((((((((((((((((hug)))))))))))))))))

[freshlight]

phew, Pam! You gave me a fright! Hope you are doing MUCH better now! Trust your body, your inner voice.....you could call it the nature or God,-this is the only right way to go for YOU. Take care and have a good one :)

((((hugs)))) Eva

[PamRaw]

Careful Aleesha! I'm fragile... :D (((hugs)))

Freshlight, I'll never frighten you again. I promise. Lesson learned! (((hugs)))

Safe and Happy New Year to everyone!

[Aleesha Sattva]

more gentle loving hug

(hug)

[PamRaw]

Thanks, Aleesha!

[Aleesha Sattva]

anytime!!!

[MOTH]

hey everyone! Just popping in for an update:

Day 14 - water only

Wow, can words describe how I feel right now? Nope. No they sure can't. I reached a turning point in my fast around day 12. I started to get MORE energy then I had at the beginning, and it's only intensifying. I am still detoxing, tongue still heavily coated, still some weakness, occasional aches and pains...but oh my god...

I can't describe it. It is wonderful. I am on a creative surge that won't quit and i don't want it to. I am in a place of emotional release, and the euphoria is unreal. I often just giggle to myself for no reason. I am at the brink of tears writing this, because I just feel so so appreciative and thankful to be alive, to be human, to be having this experience.

I started meditating several times a day a few days ago. Aleesha inspired me with this. I just sit for a few moments, as long as I can. I find this very rewarding and fun. It brings me such peace. I'm sure that's helping big time.

Anyway...I really can't wait to see where this continues to go. I am in awe, quite simply...so thankful for my being...

thank you everyone, for being you. :::heart:::

[Aleesha Sattva]

i loooooooooooooooooooooooooooove where you are and what you are living right now. what a gift to us for you to share it.

namaste'
Aleesha

[freshlight]

oh Moth, how wonderful! I feel exactly the same when I fast,-isn't it beautiful? Enjoy this eternal inner PEACE !

[freshlight]

If you don't want to switch up to juices, have some raw honey on a spoon. That's what I do when I need some extra energy while fasting - it's yummy and sooo good for you.

ooops! don't want to hijack this thread but,-honey? I thought this is a vegan board? or was it a joke ;) Take care. Eva

[Aleesha Sattva]

it's raw vegan but people do talk about honey and bee pollen. ;) they also discuss maple syrup which is not raw... so there are allowances. just no meat talk allowed. ;)

[Aleesha Sattva]

I just found it for ya:


6. No discussions of animal products such as dairy, eggs or meat. We realize that for some, honey should be among that list but we are not opposed to honey so please do not start up discussions about why we accept honey if we’re vegan. There are discussions where the subject of honey was brought up and talked about so feel free to do a search for it to see the various sides of that. But aside from honey, no discussions in favor of consuming other animal products are to be discussed here.

[freshlight]

ah ok, thanks a lot, Aleesha........doesn't make much sense to me, but rules are rules :) ok, back to fasting

[Aleesha Sattva]

the rules are posted... so in the future you can check them out first ;) i don't care that you asked me.. so don't take it that i'm upset... but everyone who posts here should read the rules at least once. ;)

[PamRaw]

I want what she's having! Moth, I am so envious of your success. I'm going to figure out how to do a water fast somehow. I think I need help from a naturopath or somebody, though

[roo]

Moth, your post was EXACTLY what I needed to read today!!! Thank you for being such an inspiration!! :)

[MOTH]

Oh you're welcome...I don't feel like I am the one doing it though. ;) I owe it to Universe, GOD, the Divine Intelligence...Nature...I don't know. I feel like I'm doing nothing! Just watching it all happen...it's so very interesting...to just watch...be...I have never experienced this before. I feel so absent from all of it, I am not the one doing this, yet am intensely fulfilled by it. It is not me, that's how it feels! This is such a new feeling.

I am very curious to see what happens next. Excited. I'll report back in a few days. Take care, everyone! Much love...good fortune and safe travels in all of your endeavors!

[trinity082482]

I am thinking of starting a water fast my self. I think my body need the hydration and my system needs to relax. ;):p

[MOTH]

Go for it! Wishing you the best.

Day 17 - water only.

I went through a healing crises yesterday and it was not pretty. Big time emotional detox. Severe nausea, dizziness, migraine. I couldn't 'taste my tongue' without gagging. Some nasty shit being released. Brushing my tongue with baking soda and water really helps and though I hate the taste of baking soda, it was preferable and helped to neutralize the horrible taste.

Still recovering, but I am feeling pretty awesome compared to yesterday. Energy is returning, no more dizziness. My spirits are high.

Pushing on! In it for the long haul! :) I have only a few days until my goal (21 days). After that, I'll reevaluate and possibly continue to push on. I feel like I couldn't break my fast or eat now if I tried. My stomach/mind isn't interested.

[Aleesha Sattva]

Have you tried brushing with celtic sea salt? That's what I do. You are doing GREAT. Think of everything that is leaving you!

[freshlight]

wow Moth, you are amazing! Keep up the good work and enjoy the beautiful results :)
Eva xoxo

[oai]

I feel like I couldn't break my fast or eat now if I tried. My stomach/mind isn't interested.

yep. i'm in the same boat.

i also experienced some far out negative emotions around the same time as well. i forget exactly when, but i journaled about it. it lasted about 2 days and went away like the wind. :rolleyes: the first day was pretty intense. i was also shivering -- teeth chattering.

i'm trying to patiently wait until my hunger comes back and trusting in the process. i feel like i've been at it for a long time, but it's just a psychological thing at this point. i'm thinking "hm... it's been a while. when do i stop?" no real hunger though. :cool:

[Aleesha Sattva]

oai, i love your blog.

[MOTH]

Breaking my fast today

What a journey. 18 days

It's time...a few days ago the thought of food made me sick

Now I am getting a voracious hunger.
My tongue is almost clear. My breath is smelling pretty sweet. I've been fantasizing about lettuce all day. I blacked out in the bathroom at work. I feel like my body is telling me something. I feel like it's time. I don't want to push on just for the sake of my ego.

I feel so emotional about breaking my fast. Letting it go is hard. It feels scary.

I'll be in the company of close friends when I do it. Breaking it on diluted, strained fresh OJ.

[oai]

oai, i love your blog.

thanks. i follow yours. :p

Moth -- congrats! fresh OJ sounds great! enjoy. :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

moth,

it such a personal emotional time when we choose to break our fast... know that i am here, holding the light with you.

love,
aleesha

[MOTH]

Thank you so much...I didn't expect to feel so emotional about it...but I am. Even now...

I broke it on 50/50 fresh strained orange juice and water. It tasted like GOD. Beyond anything I could have expected. I only took a few sips, every hour or so until it was gone.

I feel incredible. My friends said I was glowing. Filled with graciousness. I have tomorrow off to relax while I focus on gently reintroducing nutrients.

[Aleesha Sattva]

It's amazing how emotional it is to break a fast. I know it is for me as well.

[freshlight]

You sound so beautiful, Moth! Congratulations on your amazing spiritual experience. Those things are so powerful, aren't they? Enjoy your day :)

[oai]

food taste so much better after a fast. :)