July 2012 FASTING THREAD - Please join for support with fellow fasters.

[Aleesha Sattva]

PLEASE... feel free to join this thread any time ... we loooove having new friends to fast with!!!

Here's are the 'rules' of this thread:

Please do not discuss specific food. Feel free to share "My hubby was eating and it was hard for me." Please don't share "My hubby was eating X, Y and Z..."

The reason we do this is so no one ends up getting a craving from a fasting thread. As a faster we can choose to click on a thread which discusses food but we need the safety within this thread to know food is not discussed. Juices are shared, M/C is shared, green smoothie recipes are shared... but not 'chewable' food.

Please join us... by listening to our theme song (http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2539741). We all come together... from around the world to fast together and support each other. Please join us!

There is a great deal of info in this stickie (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=62026). Please take a moment to read it.

And here is a thread (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=61603) where we share our favourite recipes. If you haven't contributed yours, please do!

Here's my commitment:

I'm here to fast. I'm not here to eat. I will fast until I choose to stop but I will NOT stop my fast on a bad day, at night or today. I can choose to break my fast tomorrow in the morning but not today.

I'm here to gain health.
I'm here to gift my body the time and energy to bring my body to a state of health.
I'm here to release - whatever needs to be released. Physical, emotional, conscious or unconscious out-moded things... I'm here to release them all.
I'm here to bring a greater depth to my spirituality.
I'm here to support myself, my super amazing husband Parz, and anyone here who wants support.
I am here to continue to be mindful - focusing on this moment and not anticipating the next one.
I am here to share my experience and gain knowledge from what others share.
I'm here to feel whole. I'm here to give my beautiful, cherished body a break from digesting food!!!

This is the "Fellowship of the Fasters" - unlike the LOTRs fellowship of nine, we are a fellowship of many. We welcome newcomers daily and embrace everyone no matter what they are fasting on or their personal beliefs.

Yes you can prefer green juices to fruit. Yes you can use agave instead of maple syrup or raw honey. Yes you can juice in your Vita-Mix and use a nut mylk bag to extract your juices.

We don't care how you fast... we want to support you... and in turn, we ourselves get supported... so please... join us!!!

Come on everyone.. join in the fun and grab your Elf, Dwarf, Hobbit or Human names for our "Fellowship of the Fasters"... you just make them up, it isn't from the book/movie. (if you want to participate) and put it in your signature line!

Ever wonder how the Fellowship began?

Back when I first began fasting there were the Fasting Bandits. This was a group of amazing people who fasted together all the time. The 'theme' was a convoy of truckers. I was the water tanker! :throwhearts: Over time the Fasting Bandits moved on with their lives and weren't around much at all. A few of the members are still here... but seldom fasting anymore.

I was missing the camaraderie of the FB and was always hoping to find a new group to fast with, find support with and to support myself. The Fellowship of Fasters began because Cathy and I watch the movie Lord of the Rings a LOT and we fast together a LOT as well. We began speaking to each other as though we were Golum - and our juice was our precious.

And then the Fellowship of Fasters was born!

So to be a member... you simply need to choose a name, put it in your signature line and love fasting. You can become a life-time member or one for a short time... it's up to you.

I'm here for the long haul. My water tanker is here beside me - because I'll always be a Fasting Bandit... but now my precious walks beside on a slower path than the truckers... enjoying the grass at my feet and the flowers growing out of the cracks and crevices in the rocks around me.

[Aleesha Sattva]

My vertigo isn't any better which sucks. I was hoping it would magically go away after my Reiki session and attunement yesterday but alas, no such luck. I think I may have to go to a chiro to adjust my back but since I haven't gone to one here (since I moved) it'll cost a lot to get set up with a new guy. Ugh... don't really wanna do that at this time.

I woke up hungry this morning. My tummy was begging for food. Felt odd. Don't usually feel like that while I'm fasting. I just waited for it to pass. Haven't had any water yet (hey perhaps that's it, I usually drink as soon as I wake)... so I'll go do that now.

It's Canada Day here and it's a cold rainy day. I don't think we are ever getting summer. We could sure use some sunshine!

[Parzival Sattva]

Commencing day 14 and the weather is... ok, let's just not talk about the weather and maybe it'll go away...

Had another BM this morning - and far more material than I'd have thought could possibly be in there... hmmmmmm...

I'm feeling less energetic as of late, but I think it's far more to do with the crappy weather blues than anything else. Will the grey ever leave??? (ok, so I'm not good at taking my own advice and ignoring it and perhaps the bad attitude the weather is currently under will pass and it will be happy and with a sunny disposition soon. Here's to hoping!)

Otherwise I'm doing good, feeling good and ready for another week!

[Aleesha Sattva]

*wraps her arms around Nordingul, plants a gorgeous long kiss on his lips and watches him smile*

[oxKatNipxo]

Good day everyone! :) rainy here today on wonderful day 6 :D My scale hasn't moved for two days, knowing its a big no-no to get obsessed with it, somehow I managed to do it. >_< Not gonna let that discourage me though, I'm doing this for healing, I've done damage to by body and it deserves time to heal, i also want to grow spiritually and I can already see that changing for the better. Everything is so much more peaceful and it is easier to be patient. Too many benefits not to fast!! :D

You two love birds are so cute :heart:

- KatNip

[Aleesha Sattva]

Too many benefits not to fast!! :D

I loooove this!!!

And thanks KatNip... we is definitely in deep love

[oxKatNipxo]

I.Can't.Sleep. -___- I don't usually have issues with sleep but the past 6 days have been extremely difficult for me when it comes to sleep. During the day I get tired and during the night I have ridiculous amounts of energy, and my eyes burn from the lack of sleep. lol. HALP! :3 what do? I do notice that when i nap during the day, i wake up exactly 30 minutes after I fell asleep completely recharged. SO, I can tell now I will be needing less sleep than I used to, however right now im desperate to regulate my sleep. I've tried herbal teas before bed. I've gone to bed early, I've gone to bed late and still same results. Also, my scale is stuck for 3 days now (I'm a bit hefty so I expected a bit more movement). I guess my body is just busy and or stressed with the changes perhaps? It's almost 3AM, my eyes burn and I'm starting to get a headache from the lack of sleep. :( Normal? :s fleh.

sorry for being a complainy pants and if I don't make a whole lot of sense. There's all sorts of thoughts going through my head, I can't shut it off. I know it's all part of the process, I can tell by the nature of the thoughts.



- KatNip

[Aleesha Sattva]

1. Stop napping
2. Do something relaxing before bed to quiet your mind like a warm bath, adult activities, a massage etc.
3. Stop having juices earlier and no fruit juices in the the later part of the day.

See if that helps at all. When we are fasting we don't need the same amount of sleep as we do when we are eating. Many people sleep only a few hours a night when they fast. I've certainly gone through periods like that but for the most part I sleep fine when fasting.

As for your weight. If you had a scale like mine you'd see that just because your overall body weight isn't changing doesn't mean your body fat and water levels aren't. Last week I didn't release any "weight" according to the overall body weight. BUT... I released 4% of my body fat and increased my water by 3%. So even though the number didn't change... my body changed.

It's always better to go by measurements when fasting. Take your measurements today and start checking those instead. Inches don't lie!

(((hugs)))

[Aleesha Sattva]

Day 15 for us. We are doing great. Parz FINALLY had a day of detox yesterday. We took it easy even though it was our day with all the kids. We had a relaxed time, playing games and chatting. Went for a nice walk. It was Canada Day but none of us wanted to go see the fireworks so it was a unanimous decision to stick around home (and the toilet).

Here's to another amazing day of healing for us all!

[Parzival Sattva]

*wraps her arms around Nordingul, plants a gorgeous long kiss on his lips and watches him smile*

What's not to like about that?!?!?!?!?!?!

[Aleesha Sattva]

I know eh!

[Parzival Sattva]

Day 15 for us. We are doing great. Parz FINALLY had a day of detox yesterday. We took it easy even though it was our day with all the kids. We had a relaxed time, playing games and chatting. Went for a nice walk. It was Canada Day but none of us wanted to go see the fireworks so it was a unanimous decision to stick around home (and the toilet).

Here's to another amazing day of healing for us all!

I'd actually forgotten what detox feels like! lol... Yesterday fixed that! Lots of BMs and blah feeling. I feel much better today.

Starting week 3. Last week I released almost 3 pounds and 2% body fat. Last week it was mostly weight that dropped, so it's nice to see fundamental changes in my body.

Ready for another week!

[joyfulyogi]

Hey, all!

Day 1 for me! My longest juice fast was 17 days, which I broke when I unexpectedly had to leave town.

We are going on a mini-vacation in 2 weeks, but to a resort that I'm sure will offer some raw foods. I plan to fast for 2 weeks, eat lightly and raw for vacation (about 4 days) then move back in to my juice fast for another couple of weeks.

Happy to be back here! : )

[oxKatNipxo]

1. Stop napping
2. Do something relaxing before bed to quiet your mind like a warm bath, adult activities, a massage etc.
3. Stop having juices earlier and no fruit juices in the the later part of the day.

See if that helps at all. When we are fasting we don't need the same amount of sleep as we do when we are eating. Many people sleep only a few hours a night when they fast. I've certainly gone through periods like that but for the most part I sleep fine when fasting.

As for your weight. If you had a scale like mine you'd see that just because your overall body weight isn't changing doesn't mean your body fat and water levels aren't. Last week I didn't release any "weight" according to the overall body weight. BUT... I released 4% of my body fat and increased my water by 3%. So even though the number didn't change... my body changed.

It's always better to go by measurements when fasting. Take your measurements today and start checking those instead. Inches don't lie!

(((hugs)))

Thank you for your advise! certainly will put it into action. How late can i have juice? I'm starting my Ramadan fasts tomorrow (I have to make some lost ones for last year) and sunset isn't until 8:30 PM or so around here. So I will be having Juice right before sunrise and then at sunset. Should I have my fruit juices in the Morning and my green juices in the evening then?

I can see myself only needing a few hours of sleep< even when I'm on the unhealthy side, I cants leep more than 7 Hours (that's on a sleep in day). Naturally my body wakes after 6 hrs and is ready for business. lol.

Tomorrow is measurement and official weigh in day so, I will be able to note the measurement changes, although my clothes already confrim the changes hehe.

Thank you for your support!! :D

Happy Fasting Everyone! <3

- KatNip

[oxKatNipxo]

Hey, all!

Day 1 for me! My longest juice fast was 17 days, which I broke when I unexpectedly had to leave town.

We are going on a mini-vacation in 2 weeks, but to a resort that I'm sure will offer some raw foods. I plan to fast for 2 weeks, eat lightly and raw for vacation (about 4 days) then move back in to my juice fast for another couple of weeks.

Happy to be back here! : )

Welcome!! :D Glad to have more fasters around! Day 7 here :) Hope you enjoyr ur vacation and most importantly, your fasting!

- KatNip

[2 husky girl]

If you don't mind, I would like to join in this month! I will start fasting on July 20. I'm really looking forward to keeping an eye on this post until then to get me ready for another awesome raw Ramadan. KatNip, I totally feel for you! It's so hard to make up for lost days right away, and then before you know it, its back. :-)

[oxKatNipxo]

Asalaam Aleikum!! :D Are you gonna be juicing or just having raw for sahoor and iftaar? I have 14 days to make up, got sick last year. So of course procrastinator waits until right before Ramadan starts. looool.

- KatNip

[2 husky girl]

Wa alikum salam! :D Great to meet you here! I will be doing raw for sahoor (just can't get up early enough) but will try to do more juicing this year in the evening. Are you just juicing? I'm sorry you got sick and have so many days left, but you'll be done in no time! :) Take care!

[oxKatNipxo]

Wa alikum salam! :D Great to meet you here! I will be doing raw for sahoor (just can't get up early enough) but will try to do more juicing this year in the evening. Are you just juicing? I'm sorry you got sick and have so many days left, but you'll be done in no time! :) Take care!

Yep, I'm just juicing. I'm on day 7 of a juice fast. So Juice for me for sahoor and iftar, I plan to continue on after Ramadan as well God be willing. :) I'm aiming for 60 days. It could be more (I really am hoping I can take it further) or it could be less, just depends on how I'm feeling. Taking this one day at a time.

Nice meeting ya here for sure :D

- KatNip

[Gianni]

Hey all,

Still juice fasting. 21 days are almost complete, looking to do 28-30 days in all.

My visit to the in-laws was interesting. While everybody else was eating their regular meals, heavy in animal protein by the way, I was there drinking my pineapple, apple, lime, and ginger juice.

My wife's aunt seemed very curious about my juice fast, no doubt because she has seen the changes in me since she last saw me about a month ago, and I think she has been trying to shed some pounds as well. She had a taste of my juice and was very impressed. She asked, "What's in it?", "How did you make it?" "Did you add sugar to it?"

The following day was orange juice for breakfast and then for lunch I had soup (juice from carrots, tomatoes, cabbage, zucchini, apple, ginger, garlic + tsp of salt)

[Gianni]

Good morning all. It's day 22, and everything is fine. Even though it's winter here, the weather has been sunny and warm in the daytime and following Lady Aehrdale's lead from the June thread, I have been enjoying some nice walks in the sun.

I'm definitely feeling more energy as I am lengthening the distance of my walks. Last night, my dog and I went twice as far as we would normally go (5km as opposed to 2.5Km). My legs got a little tired, but not my cardio.

This fast has come at a good time because I needed to put body back into balance. Juicing a variety of fruits and vegetables is key to nutrition and not getting bored with the fast in my opinion. I must have juiced close to 20 different fruits and vegetables. Yesterday, I juiced a fruit that I had never juiced before: goiaba (guava). I added a small one to the three apples I juiced. It was quite nice.

[2 husky girl]

It's great hearing how everyone's fasting is going, very inspiring! KatNip - Wow, that's awesome you will just be juicing! I know you can do it!

[oxKatNipxo]

Gianni, That vegetable "soup" sounds quite nice :) Keep on going, only a few more days left for you! :)

Today was my weigh in/ check stats day. Scale moved a bit and measurements confirmed changes. 1/2 an inch gone everywhere, nice and uniform. :D My sleep is still bad though, I didn't nap yesterday or consumed juice late, went to be at 11PM... took about an hour to fall asleep and I was up by 4 AM. I'm hoping that today's fast tires me out a bit more since there will be no drinking anything until sunset. Gonna try and go for along walk as well. I don't really feel tired, but my eyes do. I hope I can mange to sleep better tonight, that's for sure!

@ 2huskygirl Jazaak Allah Khair for the kind words. Hope I can make it through! lol it is deffinately a one-day-at-a-time kind of thing.

- KatNip

[Gianni]

Katnip,

Congratulations on losing that ½ inch, there'll be more to come for sure.

As to your sleeping problems, please don't take offense by the suggestion, but an enema or two might help. Many people recommend them during fasting to aid in the detoxification process.

[oxKatNipxo]

no offense taken lol. I'm already doing that. I actually cut one of them out, the night one just in case this was the cause of my lack of sleep. :/ I would like to be more productive during the day, but it's hard to with lack of sleep. It's odd because i've never had issues sleeping. I used to be able to drink a cup of coffee and go right to bed. I feel like my night and day got swapped. The moment the sun comes out I can fall right to sleep...

- KatNip

[Aleesha Sattva]

Katnip, I'd do green at night and fruit in the morning. Remember you can add spices to your veggies (soup) juices.

It's day 16 here in the Sattva home. We are both doing great. Busy but great.

Om Shanti,
Aleesha

[Parzival Sattva]

KatNip - my kids have both had sleeping problems in the past and we suspected their bodies weren't producing enough melatonin (the hormone produced by the body that regulates sleep). So if there's a way to increase it at bedtime that might help. Your local health supplies store might have some ideas.

[Parzival Sattva]

Day 16 and let's not even talk about the miserable weather...

Last night we were up into the wee hours and the hungry grumbles were in huge supply. Nothing like a bit of sleep to have them go away. We're still doing well and going strong for at least 21 days. If we go our ideal 35 for this fast (interrupted due to vacation and class at the end of July) I know on the one hand that we are about to reach the halfway point but on the other I know that we're doing so well that 35 is very attainable. That my first fast was 25 or so days it's good to feel that 35 is well within reach.

[Aleesha Sattva]

It is it is it is.

We can do anything we set our minds to babe. We can!

[Gianni]

Katnip,

Earlier in my fast (first 7-10 days), I wasn't getting as much sleep as I should have. I was going to sleep earlier, but waking up earlier too. I've somewhat normalized that now in that I am going to sleep a little earlier and waking at the same time as before.

You might also try drinking Valerian tea about an hour before bedtime. It is a good way to get a good night's sleep.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerian_(herb)

[PansyLo]

Thinking of starting my 30 days raw challenge with a fast.

Orange juice for the first day or two then water (and herbal tea) for the next few days then ease out with OJ again?

I figure orange juice is an easy thing to ease in and out with as it's liquid but it's give you that extra kick... and it's delicious. I don't know all that much about fasting for a detox so if that doesn't sound right then I'm open to better suggestions.

I've never fasted before for a detox but I'm not the sort of person who struggles without eating regularly (I have to consciously think about when I should eat or I would just forget) so I think I could easily pull off a fast that's longer than a few days.

What length of time would people recommend for a first timer in my position? :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

Ten to twenty one days is a nice starter fast. I wouldn't do it te way you are thinking though. Lots of raw live juices and if you do water no tea. It'll give you harsh heartburn. Water fasts need to be strictly water with nothing in the mouth including toothpaste.

Welcome!

Day 16 coming to an end. Feeling good!

[oxKatNipxo]

Day 8 is officially over. That was one tough fast! i can deal without juice, but no water >_<. I'm starting to feel really good though, emotionally and spiritually.....Im actually a bit afraid of the thought of going back to solid food. Funny how that works.

So, I tried to make myself tired today, Im gonna have some melatonin, had some chamomile tea and some B3. If this doesn't get me to sleep, i dunno what will. It's not the best thing to do while fasting, but Im seriously I need of a good solid 6hrs with no toss or turn, I have a kidlet to care for. Here's to a good night sleep and normalizing of my sleeping patterns so that I may benefit even more from this fasting experience! :)

Aleesha and Parz, whoa 16 days gone, wooohoo!! keep on keepin on! :D :woot:

- KatNip

[Aleesha Sattva]

Thanks Kat - today was a hard one for us both but we are still here... fasting!

Why no water? Did I miss something?

[Gianni]

Thinking of starting my 30 days raw challenge with a fast.
The detoxifying effects of a fast can be quite intense. I would suggest that you do your fast at the end of your 30 days raw challenge, either after it is over, or for the last week of it because just switching to a raw food diet will probably have some milder detoxifying effects and it will ready you for your fast.

[oxKatNipxo]

Why no water? Did I miss something?

During the month of Ramadan, Muslims don't eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. It is similar to an intermittent fast (I personally consider them an intermittent fast because we go a period of 12-14 hours, depending on the season, without anything in our system). Here's a lil more info on this http://www.ramadan.com.au/faq I got very ill last year and missed about half the month, so I am now making that up. The rest of the Muslims will begin around July 20th.

It isn't only the physical fasting. the purpose is to re-charge faith and take away worldly material things and limit one's desires. There's no Food,Drink, Sex, Smoking, fighting or any of that stuff during these hours, and during the entire month we are to strive to do good deeds and those who have wealth are to give a certain portion of that to the needy. Basically we retrain ourselves, create new and positive habits, and get back into focus during this month so that we may continue these new habits and behaviors during the rest of the year. Hope that helps to bring an understanding of it all :) .

Anyhow, I got some decent sleep last night, not the best. Today I will step out of the house (going a bit stir crazy) and get to the gym for some lengthy stretching and a long walk on the treadmill. Hopefully that will help with tonight's sleep God be willing. :)

Happy Fasting Everyone!! :D

- KatNip

[Gianni]

Anyhow, I got some decent sleep last night, not the best. Today I will step out of the house (going a bit stir crazy) and get to the gym for some lengthy stretching and a long walk on the treadmill. Hopefully that will help with tonight's sleep God be willing. :) - KatNip[/FONT]

Katnip, exercising in the morning helps keep your brain active during the day and helps you sleep well at night. If you can, you might try to hit the gym and do your walking in the morning as opposed to the afternoon or evening.

However on second thought, since you are not taking in fluids during the waking hours this month, that may pose a problem for you. So maybe it's something to consider for the future after Ramadan is over.

[Aleesha Sattva]

I slept till after 11am today. I guess my body really needed some sleep. I'm off for the day...

have a good one!!!

Woke up to Parz making juice:

apple
mint
ginger
lemon
lime
sprouts
kale
with cinnamon

nice juice!

[Parzival Sattva]

In the midst of day 17 and the apple from the juice has aided in a nice BM or two. Feels good to get those out.

I have a bit of a mouth blister in the top left of my mouth, almost in the joint, and that is causing the muscles there to be less stretchy and more stiff. I've been swishing with salt water for the blister and doing a little manuka honey as well. For the jaw muscles I've been clenching and "chewing" to give them a bit of exercise, plus yawning wide for a big stretch, and lastly doing some resistance training (so tucking in my head so my jaw is against my chest then opening my mouth pressing into my body) and that seems to bring the most relief.

It was awesome juicing for my sweetie - I find putting anything more complicated together than apple kale mint (with the old standbys of ginger and lime/lemon) gives me gives me some stress - so to have this one come out so well was very awesome.

[Aleesha Sattva]

You are such a great juicer babe... thanks for our breakfast juice today!

We also had a tom juice for a late lunch with cilantro in it. It was lovely. A change from the norm. I'll put in more cilantro next time - I was a bit nervous about how it would taste.

Later...

[Gianni]

Cilantro is a tasty herb to mix in with certain soups. Wish it were easier to find around here. I'm talking about a plant or seedling to plant in the garden as opposed to paying a 2-3 dollars for a few sprigs of it in a package.

Lady Awen, I noticed you don't seem to list any carrots in your juices. Is that right? Do you not like the taste, think they're too sweet, or are trying to avoid root vegetables?

[Aleesha Sattva]

I really don't like carrot so I tend to hide some in my tom juice but otherwise... no carrots are juiced here. LOL

Parz and I decided to break our fast today. We know we'll be back soon... cause we do so love the fasting highway and the precious does call us.

So a bit of melon and a watered down green smoothie was our fast break this morning. I wish you all the best on your fasts!!!

[Gianni]

Sorry to hear you're both leaving us for a bit, but congratulations on the 2-3 weeks you've made on the fast. No doubt it was beneficial for you both. And it's also nice to hear that you decided to break your fast with something beneficial like fruit. I've seen people on youtube ending their fast with something like bread. You and Parz are doing it the right way in sticking initially to food similar to what you were fasting on.

As to carrot juice, I'm not really a fan of it either, but on this fast I have been combining it with zucchini juice and maybe half an apple, and it tastes okay. The zucchini really surprised me because I had never juiced one before and it combines well with carrots. Also, the soup I have been making usually has carrots as the main ingredient, along with tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage, apple, garlic, ginger, basil.

Well, it's day 24 for me, that makes only 6 more days to go after today. I must say that I'm feeling really good and have very good energy levels. My skin is smooth and clear. I'm sleeping soundly and waking up alert. I'm definitely enjoying the results of this fast, and I'm considering trying to go vegan after I finish my fast. Note that I've been an ovo-lacto vegetarian for about 20 years now, so making the jump might not be that hard especially considering I've been a vegan while I've been doing this fast.

[oxKatNipxo]

Aleesha, congrats to you and Parz for your time spent fasting! Hope you still come around to cheer the rest of us on :D

Giani, wow 6 more days! :woot: That's awesome! I love carrot juice. I have apple and carrot every morning. The soups sounds very nice, I may have to try them soon.

Day 10 here. I'm feeling quite tired, and achy all over. I did a tiny bit of kick boxing this morning and a long 3 mile walk after. I plan to go for another long walk tomorrow, God be willing. Not feeling too enthusiastic today u_u, but had to come check in :) so here I am.

- KatNip

[Gianni]

That's some very good exercise KatNip. Good job, but try to get some rest now as you'll need to recover.

If you're like me, you should start feeling a lot better and will slowly be getting more energy in the days ahead, but you will need to catch up on your sleep first. Detoxing does require a lot of energy, so listen to your body and let it rest when it needs.

[Gianni]

I have apple and carrot every morning. The soups sounds very nice, I may have to try them soon.- KatNip
Do you juice the carrot and apple together, or do you drink them separately?

As to my soups, well it is our winter here, and though we have been blessed recently with some summer like weather, it was on the chilly side a week or two ago, and I really wanted something warm. Now it's a bit of a habit.

[Aleesha Sattva]

As a long time faster (and a fasting coach) I'm experienced with breaking a fast and know better than to eat hard-to-digest items. *ewwwwww*

We had berries for lunch and then some more melon for dinner before heading off to see a movie tonight. Looking forward to another day of fast breaking.

You two keep up the great fasting you are doing. Your body says "THANKS" for each day you gift it. What a gift. Such health!

(((hugs)))

[mynameisboz]

Hi all,

I have just transitioned from a four day juice fast to a water fast- today is my first day on water- and wanted to check up on a few things. I'm doing this fast because I've suffered from chronic fatigue for a good- or rather terrible- 8 years now, and this is my proverbial last resort for kicking it. I did a 7-day juice fast a few months ago and experienced a few days of restorative/refreshing sleep after it i.e. I woke up energised; something which hadn't happened to me in over 5 years, hence another fast seemed like a good idea. My self-discipline wanes every day- TV's great at reminding me on what I'm missing out on- and I think I possibly have a mild obsession with food as I can never seem to block it from my mind- this also happened in my juice fast earlier this year.

My main concern with the water fast is my weight. I already have what I can only assume to be next to nothing in terms of body fat and an athletic physique. I intend to do the water fast for 10 days although that now seems far-fetched, and if I don't think I'm disciplined enough, will do 3 days. My skin smells a bit funky too, similar to the smell you get when you peel a bandage off a cut. Feel like gelatin too., and get extremely cold. It's winter here in Australia. Anyway I guess this is more introductory than inquisitional, so hi, and it's nice to know there's other crazies around the globe doing this too.

[Aleesha Sattva]

Be sure to read the stickie in this section about fasting. It has heaps of info on water fasting.

Lots of people experience healing with raw foods - esp. 100%. So consider doing that after you fast. It'll change your life!

Welcome!

[Parzival Sattva]

Day 2 of the fast break and feeling pretty good. And the weather couldn't be better (perhaps it was waiting for us to stop fasting?!?)

I've been super-concerned with the transition from fasting to eating. I had really really bad constipation on a bad fasting transition - I ate belly-fulls of stuff I knew I shouldn't but was craving - so this time I swore to myself that I would restrain my eating until the transition time had fully come into being. So far so good. I do feel heavier and can feel my digestion working. My jaw is tired and tight from not working and the mouth blister in the corner of my jaw. But things are progressing and the jaw/mouth are healing and getting stronger again. I'm sure a BM is on the docket for today and I believe because this is a gentle break that it will be a relatively easy one.

And as Lady Awen said, we shall both be back, for long and/or for short, shortly.

One last thing - I know I wouldn't be able to do this without the constant support of my Lady Love and I'm blessed to have her in my life! She's an awesome coach, a superb juice chef, and simply amazing.

[Aleesha Sattva]

ah thanks babe. :heart

[oxKatNipxo]

Hi guys.... day 12 here. All I wanna do is sleep. I realized I forgot to check in yesterday Hope all is well with everyone :)

- KatNip

[Gianni]

Hey Katnip,

Are you sleeping any better?

[Aleesha Sattva]

We'll be back on Tuesday. We had our little 'grounding' break so I could deal with my teeth... still need to continue having appts so I may break for them... not sure yet. But all in all... we are coming BACK!

See you then!

[Gianni]

we are coming BACK!
Wow! That was a short break. Glad to know you'll be coming back to join us. :dance:

It's day 27 for me, planning on continuing for 3 more days after today.

We've had a bit of rain here, but today is very sunny but not overly warm (18°C or 65°F). We took our dog for a short walk before lunch. Then as the wife and kid ate what they did, I made do with the carrot, zucchini, spinach, and mustard leaf juice that I had made just before our walk.

A few times this past week I have taken the dog for a midday walk of about 2.5 km, and then that same evening we would walk again, but this time about 5 km. I've even started doing a little jogging for about 800-900m of that evening walk. I know it's not much, but considering how out of shape I've been, it's a good start, and it really feels like I will be able to jog even further in the weeks ahead. That is if I continue to eat right.

[Aleesha Sattva]

that is great news!!! congrats. every little bit counts!!!

(((hugs)))

30 days is a nice fast. very nice indeed.

[oxKatNipxo]

Hi everyone :)

Day 13 coming to an end. Gianni, yep I'm sleeping better :) Way to go only 3 more days for you ! :woot:

I'm not feeling well today. I've spent all day in bed pretty much and now i have a sore throat, no biggie though. I haven't really felt like drinking much juice the past 3 days. Is there a certain amount I should be drinking? My guess is no lol, but felt I should ask anyway. I feel fine with water mostly. I think I may cut the juice fast at 30 days, because ramadan is going to be tough. I will still be fasting lol so I will still be here. I'm thinking of just eating raw mornings and evenings, then after Ramadan get back on the juice fast.

Still thinking about it though >_> .

Aleesha, it will be nice having u back! :D

- KatNip

[Gianni]

Thanks for the encouragement, everybody.

[Aleesha Sattva]

I can't imagine fasting where you can't consume anything all day long. It would be tough. The biggest benefit though is that your intake would be pure nutrition and all of it would be absorbed by the body completely... so... in short... you'd get more nutrition by juicing during it than by eating. But of course it's totally your call. I wouldn't want to fast and not drink all day.

(((hugs))) to whatever you decide.

Good to hear you are sleeping!

And yes... we will be back. We would be back tomorrow but we have a huge day out. Oral surgeon and then a dr appt both over an hour apart. So we won't be back home till late and then I have a fasting client starting tomorrow so I'll be on Skype with her. All in all... not a day for beginning a fast. I like to drink a LOT of water in the first three days... so Tuesday is a healthier choice.

And healthier is ALWAYS better!

love you all...
*feels the precious calling... we loves it... we craves it... we wants it... *

[Gianni]

I haven't really felt like drinking much juice the past 3 days. Is there a certain amount I should be drinking?
My opinion is that you should drink as much freshly made fruit and vegetable juice as you desire. If you don't feel like much, then fine. On the other hand, if you are hungry, feel free to have a big glass or two of juice.

And congratulations on your fast, almost 2 weeks now. Good job!

[Aleesha Sattva]

and... if you live in a hot climate... make sure you are drinking enough so that your body is hydrated.

[GoodCat]

Ohhhhhh precious.... It calls us...we wants it...we needs it....

I'll be back fasting this week. I'm doing a liver/gall bladder cleanse. Nothing with salts and such. Just gentle herbal teas and lots of juices.

So from Monday to Friday at least, maybe through the weekend :)

Cathy

[Aleesha Sattva]

ohhhh I love fasting with you sister. We can hold hands and skip through the meadows of fasting together. LOL

[Gianni]

Welcome back, GoodCat http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/images/icons/icon7.png

[GoodCat]

Thank you Gianni... I will be a pleasure to fast with you :)

Will you be fasting with us as well Lady Awen??

The Lady Aredhel... We just finished watching LOTR trilogy. I was me youngest daughters first time... The really liked it :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

Oh nice... so the whole tribe is watching now Lady Aredhel?

We begin tomorrow. I really wanted to do it today but alas, I don't think it's going to work out. I am going to discuss it with Parz when he wakes up though. So... you never know!

[Parzival Sattva]

Oh nice... so the whole tribe is watching now Lady Aredhel?

We begin tomorrow. I really wanted to do it today but alas, I don't think it's going to work out. I am going to discuss it with Parz when he wakes up though. So... you never know!

And then again, you probably already knew... I feel like a giant whale. No - wait - I feel like a giant whale turd. I just feel awful. Let the fast begin!

Our usual start is high water but today will involve a lot of driving, so a bit of water this morning, then juices and such when we're home.

Raising a glass (of apple mint) high, let the feeling good times begin!

[Aleesha Sattva]

*singing* on the road again.... so happy to be on the road again... i love fasting with all of my friends... it's so nice to be on the road again.

It was so funny. Parz woke up and I said, "I really want to start fasting today. I feel so "full" and I really don't like this feeling." he said, "Me too... I don't like this at all."

And that was that. Another fast begins. LOL

[GoodCat]

The Lady Aredhel jumps up and twirls around.... yippy!! I'm fasting with my wonderful sister The Lady Awen and her wonderful companion Nordingul!

Happy ..... Happy.... Happyyyyyyyyy......

So this morning I've had some water and now I'm sipping on some orange/lemon/ginger/garlic... Its actually very good!!

:throwhearts: The Lady Aredhel

Oh Lady Awen.... I hope you day is good and that everything goes well... Quick healing!

[GoodCat]

Oh... and yes.. our whole tribe is watching LOTR nows.. You knows they loves it.... they wants its.. they can'ts waits to watch it agains...

[Aleesha Sattva]

It's time for us to watch it. Nordingul and I have never watched it together - but we do own it. We'll have to do it on the next rainy day which up here... could be any time LOL

It'll be more of a dry fast this morning unfortunately with all the highway driving we have to do. No bathrooms around. But we'll do heaps of water this afternoon when we get home. I have three fasting clients right now... two are starting another fast today. I love fasting with my clients. It keeps me in their zone, I feel like I can assist them better when I'm doing it too.

So *clink* here's to fasting together my sweet sweet sister!

*we loves you... you knows we do... just like we loves the precious*

[Aleesha Sattva]

oh and today is a consult... no cutting in my mouth quite yet. i think we won't be starting any of that until august since we leave on vacation soon.

[GoodCat]

Well then... you have even more time for fasting and juicing and building your body strong!! I bet you will heal so quickly they won't know what happened :)

You definately need a LOTR night together. You can imagine me there with you..lol..

love you too.. I'm so glad you will be fasting with me.

[GoodCat]

So I was wanting something savory this afternoon. Its a bit chilly right now and so I made a tomato/cucumber/zuchinni/garlic/ginger juice.... Oh my!! It is very yummy!!

[Aleesha Sattva]

We've decided to water fast today. We were really craving water and nothing else when we got home. So... it's water for us. IF I need it before my Skype with my fasting client tonight I'll drink some young coconut water. I have two in the fridge.

:D:D:D Oh that would be bliss... let's do it Lady Aredhel!

[GoodCat]

I love young coconuts...mmmmmmmmm...

So, today was good. I'm finishing up some watermelon juice. Its hitting the spot nicely :) I've had about 3 bm's today!

I wonder what tomorrow will bring..

[Aleesha Sattva]

okay so things changed... so we will be fasting starting tomorrow. we tried to today but something came up.

so... let's all pray for tomorrow!

[Aleesha Sattva]

3 bms... nice!!!

[GoodCat]

I'll play with you whenever you are ready :)

I had another good size bm this morning. Things are moving out!!

I've had some water this morning and now I'm drinking some orange/lemon/lime/garlic/ginger juice.. I'ts good :)

The Lady Aredhel~

[halfsleep]

I've started a juice fast today. Went out and got a bunch of stuff. How often do you all usually have to shop when you're juice feasting? I would like to go for about two weeks but I'm sort of on a budget.

[GoodCat]

It depends on how much I buy. I usually shop once a week for some items and once every 2-3 weeks for other items like oranges and apples. That way the produce stays fresh :)

Drinking some herbal tea now....

[Aleesha Sattva]

Okay we are in!!!

Drank one litre so far (water) and sucking on another ...

[GoodCat]

Yeah..... Welcome along :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

two litres down... two bms... and planning our trip to brazil for a body talk course in August.

*dancing around*

[Parzival Sattva]

Day 1 - Started this morning feeling really heavy and uncomfortable. Like yesterday with our fasting misfire yesterday (eh... stuff happens. It's good to be flexible!) Today we're out of the gate and feeling good. Had 2 litres of water so far and praying for BMs - I know once I have them I'll be feeling so much happier!

[Aleesha Sattva]

I'm having a bm with every pee... sorry Parz I know you are jealous... but this feels soooooo gooooood!

[GoodCat]

Thats how yesterday was... Today I've already had two bm.. It is nice to have it out ..lol.. Parz... It will come :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

Just had an interesting juice:

apple/pineapple/raspberries/cucumber/celery/kale/lemon/lime/mint/fennel/ginger and a few pieces of carrot left over from our picnic on the weekend.

It's totally drinkable. Not the yummiest juice ever but still good. Parz calls it "junk juice" cause I tossed in stuff that was on it's way to going bad to get it used up LOL

[GoodCat]

LOL... I like that... Sometimes junk juice can be just what we needed :)

[commoncents]

Hello All, just wanted to drop in and join you all. I am starting tomorrow and I am in bad shape.

I have, once again, become addicted to sleeping aids and they are literally killing me.

Have gained over 60 lbs in one year.

So, I begin tomorrow to BE WELL again.

[GoodCat]

Welcome commoncents... You can do this!

[papakraydan]

Hello all,

I am on my 56th day juice fasting, and I feel amazing. This is my first time, and I couldn't be happier with my results. I have lost nearly a pound/day (55lbs), and I have never had more energy or overall mental clarity in my life. I originally set out to do a 30 day fast, but I felt so great at 30 days so I decided to keep going. If this is your first time, HANG IN THERE!!! Of course, I have had some trying times during my fast, but I have learned so much from working through them.

I will be stopping in the next 20-30 days once I'm back down to my normal weight...I was on prescription steroids for headaches, and gained about 70lbs. Despite my Vegan lifestyle and exercise, I couldn't shed the weight. Just the detoxification alone has been worth this journey.

Anyway, I wanted to say "hello", and wish everyone the best of luck. Like I said, hang in there and keep your overall goal in mind. Make sure those who know you're fasting support you. This has been crucial for me.

-papakraydan

[Gianni]

That's excellent papakraydan!!! keep up the good work!

The weight loss during fasting is incredible, but the health benefits are the most important: more energy, clearer skin, mental clarity and awareness, a healthy cardio-vascular system, much better and refreshing sleep while sleeping fewer hours, the ability to exercise harder and longer, and so forth.

On my journey, it's day 30, my final day of fasting. Like you I had started out with the intention of doing a shorter cleanse (7-14 days), but it was going so well I kept extending it, first to 3 weeks, then to 4 weeks, then to 1 month.

I don't weigh myself, but I'd guess I might have lost about 25 pounds. I'm wearing shirts that I haven't worn in years because they used to be too tight. I've started doing some light jogging again, and more importantly my resting heart rate went from 110 bpm to 76 bpm. I suppose that cutting out most of the salt from my diet has played a part in that too.

So again, congratulations on your fast, and welcome to the fasting team. http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/images/icons/icon7.png

[oxKatNipxo]

@papakraydan, wow! 56 days and counting. That's fantastic! :D Thank You for joining the fasters, it's nice to see another person's success, gives alot of motivation. :)

@Gianni, congrats! Last day for you :dance:. Hope you come by and check in every now and the :D

Day 16 here, I can hardly believe it lol. Energy levels are picking up a bit it seems. I got some watermelons 2 days ago and so I added a new juice to my list :) with rind and all, its so yummy. I also had young coconut water yesterday and the day before, so it has been nice to change it up a bit I must say.

Happy Fasting everyone! :)

- KatNip

[Aleesha Sattva]

Congrats to you both. I love the increased benefits from extended fasts. My nice long ones always came with enormous health benefits but the spiritual clarity was mind blowing. That's always been my fav part of extended fasts.

Your fast breaking is more important than your fast Take it very slow.

Hugfest

[Aleesha Sattva]

I hear watermelon spinach and lime is yummy. Going to try it this week

[GoodCat]

Good Morning...

Today is day 3 for me. I 'm doing a gentle/herbal liver/gallbladder cleanse this time around. It seems I'm detoxing more then I have on other juice fasts, but its all good :)

Congrats to everyone here!! 56 days, 30 days, 16 days, oh my.. Great job!!

I'm sipping on my orange/lemon/ginger/garlic juice....

[Aleesha Sattva]

No juice or water yet. We are sitting at the passport office then we will hit the juice bar on our way home. Then heavy water and apple cilantro juice.

[Jaynie]

Hi All!

My husband and I are on our first juice fast. We are using our high speed Kitchen Aid blender and Juicing mostly vegetables, but some fruit to help with the flavor. The second day we attended a party and broke fast for dinner. :( But have been on track since. We started on Friday, July 6, broke fast July 7 for dinner only, and have been fasting since. So I guess maybe we technically started on July 8. So today would be day 4. (July 11) The goal is 10 days and my husband wants to count from friday...

Neither one of us have had a substantial detox :( Last night I was feeling very nauseous! I even had to dry heave a bit. (sorry if TMI)

Another thing is... about once a day we do a juice with almond milk. Are we messing up the fast because of this? I'm thinking of dropping the almond milk, but would we need to start all over?? If we don't have almond milk today, would today be day 1? That would make me sad because I'm just not feeling very energetic...

We want to detox. That is our main goal with fasting. Any advice?

[commoncents]

Well, today I start to restructure my life and give up several things in thought and form which have been holding me back.

Doing water for a couple of days and then will ease into the Master Cleanse and will alternate with water, the MC and juice for the entire fast. My Body, Mind and Spirit really needs this.

Thank you for the welcome GoodCat and thank you all for the encouraging words thus far.

Common.

[Juicin' in Houston]

Hello all!

This is day one for me as well. This is my 2nd fast of the year, back in February I went 28 days. I had a couple of false starts going in to my 2nd one but this post has inspired me and today I woke up mentally in a place to start this fast.

[Aleesha Sattva]

Hi All!

My husband and I are on our first juice fast. We are using our high speed Kitchen Aid blender and Juicing mostly vegetables, but some fruit to help with the flavor. The second day we attended a party and broke fast for dinner. :( But have been on track since. We started on Friday, July 6, broke fast July 7 for dinner only, and have been fasting since. So I guess maybe we technically started on July 8. So today would be day 4. (July 11) The goal is 10 days and my husband wants to count from friday...

Neither one of us have had a substantial detox :( Last night I was feeling very nauseous! I even had to dry heave a bit. (sorry if TMI)

Another thing is... about once a day we do a juice with almond milk. Are we messing up the fast because of this? I'm thinking of dropping the almond milk, but would we need to start all over?? If we don't have almond milk today, would today be day 1? That would make me sad because I'm just not feeling very energetic...

We want to detox. That is our main goal with fasting. Any advice?

Almond mylk while fasting keeps your digest awake. You body doesn't just absorb the nutrition it has to actually digest. So... technically you are fasting but you aren't juice fasting. If you are looking to detox I would strongly recommend you stop the almond mylk (or any nut mylks). Allow your digestion to rest and allow the energy within to do some healing and detoxing.

But it's your fast. If you want to call Friday day one... then do so. If you want to call today day one then do so. YOU are the only one who knows what you believe on this... and really it doesn't matter.

But if you want a nice clean fast... then tomorrow is day one (unless you had no nut mylk today).

(Are you straining your blended juice? Cause if you aren't... then you are 'smoothie fasting' which is good in it's own right. It's better health-wise with a lot of greens added into your smoothies. )

Welcome!

And welcome to common cents and juicing' in houston. It's always nice to have new friends to fast with!

*happy happy joy joy dancing around the room*

Just made pink lady apple/cilantro/lemon/lime/ginger juice. We used almost an entire bunch of cilantro and all together we had 1.5 litres of juice. It was super yummy. I'll do it again!

[Juicin' in Houston]

Hi Jaynie!

Almond milk is good for starting and finishing a fast but you don't want to make it your main ingredient for your juices throughout. High protein drinks such as nut milks slow down detox. And if you are using almond milk you want to make your own.

If your goal is to detox heres a few tips:
-start off your day with a liter of filtered water, it helps curb appetite and set things in motion
-buy organic veggies and fruits or wash the non organics very well.
-plan ahead, although its best to consume juices immediately after making them not everyone has this luxury because of work etc. I usually make a days worth of juice the day before and store it in a tight, dark container.
-don't get discouraged by headaches, nausea, any other ill effects, these healing events let you know you're detoxing, once this passes I can't begin to describe how amazing you will feel.
-continue visiting this forum for inspiration, also there's a lot of great videos on Netflix that I use for inspiration, start of with "fat, sick,and nearly dead" and go from there.
-if you guys are having problems "going" drink an organic laxative tea at night before bed. I would recommend this at the end of day 2 or 3 onward.

I hope this helps Good luck!

[Juicin' in Houston]

Thank you for the welcome Aleesha!

[Aleesha Sattva]

I wouldn't recommend doing a laxative daily. Try a few other things first.

Drink a glass of warm water when you wake up along with your litre of water. This will get you going. If it doesn't... then a litre of straight up freshly made apple juice will usually do the trick. If neither of those works (give it a few hours or the day)... then try a smooth move (laxative) tea.

Also as for when you make juice and store it. It's all about what kind of juicer you have if this is a good and healthy option. Since you are blending yours (and straining) then your juice will totally be fine to store in mason jars (filled to the brim). But if you (or anyone) is using a centrifugal juicer, you need to juice and drink immediately.

I looooooooooove having fasting buddies... :throwhearts:

[papakraydan]

Before meeting my wife 8 years ago, I had never even heard of fasting for health benefits. I had attempted to do a water fast for a few days, bit it was so unbelievably miserable, I broke it on the 2nd day each time. We watched a documentary about an Australian man who was doing a 6-month fast, and it inspired me to give it a go.

I am on my 56th day, and, like I said before, I feel amazing. To be quite honest, juice fasting is almost addicting. I imagine what life will be like when I break my fast, and KNOW that I wont be able to give up having at least two glasses of juice a day. I will take two weeks to properly break my fast and ease into solid foods, and can't wait to start another 30 day fast in another 6 months. I plan on fastiing bi-annually to maintain a healthy detox in my life.

Hang in there. You'll have difficult times. If you're fasting to lose weight and gain a better/healthier relationship with food, fasting is like printing off your own money.

-papakraydan

[Aleesha Sattva]

Oh isn't it though! I looooove fasting as well. Just love it!!!

[commoncents]

For the welcome Aleesha and all your words of wisdom!!!

[GoodCat]

Good morning! Today is day 4... I continue to have 1-2 bms a day. Very nice :)

I'll be drinking some orange/lemon/ginger/garlic soon.. yummy :)

Cathy

[Aleesha Sattva]

Morning all

Feeling good. Slept well with one late night - no it was two late night bms. Odd... but glad to release what needed releasing.

Today I'm going to juice up a watermelon. mmmmm watermelon!

[Jaynie]

Almond mylk while fasting keeps your digest awake. You body doesn't just absorb the nutrition it has to actually digest. So... technically you are fasting but you aren't juice fasting. If you are looking to detox I would strongly recommend you stop the almond mylk (or any nut mylks). Allow your digestion to rest and allow the energy within to do some healing and detoxing.

But it's your fast. If you want to call Friday day one... then do so. If you want to call today day one then do so. YOU are the only one who knows what you believe on this... and really it doesn't matter.

But if you want a nice clean fast... then tomorrow is day one (unless you had no nut mylk today).

(Are you straining your blended juice? Cause if you aren't... then you are 'smoothie fasting' which is good in it's own right. It's better health-wise with a lot of greens added into your smoothies. )

Welcome!

And welcome to common cents and juicing' in houston. It's always nice to have new friends to fast with!

*happy happy joy joy dancing around the room*

Just made pink lady apple/cilantro/lemon/lime/ginger juice. We used almost an entire bunch of cilantro and all together we had 1.5 litres of juice. It was super yummy. I'll do it again!

Thanks for the welcome and very helpful advice Aleesha! And you too Juicin' in Houston!

Yesterday I didn't have any almond milk, only juice. But I felt really fatigued and nauseous. I drank a little hot lemon water to see if I could help things along. By the evening I was feeling pretty good. I drank an avacado, lemon and 2 cucumbers. I even ran 2 miles! and then before bed drank a little more lemon water.

AND then this morning happened........ You guys, I seriously thought I might die! I even googled if people have died on a juice fast! lol, I can laugh at it now because the pain has subsided, but oh.my.gosh. It felt like the worst stomach flu ever. I was shaky, dizzy, couldn't move... finally I felt like I had to go to the bathroom and boy did I go! But I vomited too. Then laid back down feeling a little better, but then it came back! Same routine. If someone asked me to rate the pain on a scale on 1-10, I'd say 9. It was awful.

After this experience, I knew I was detoxing but I still didn't feel much better. I took a nap and woke up. Still felt the same.

Now, I'm a little ashamed to admit this... But the last thing I want to do now is drink juice! I only associate it with this terrible feeling and vomiting. (kinda like the time when you first get sick drinking alcohol and then never want to drink what did that to you again.) Also, I didn't tell you guys this before but I've also been dealing with some very stressful and emotional things outside of fasting. So I decided about 20 minutes ago to break fast. I kinda feel like crying because I feel like I failed. But I just know it's too hard right now. I want to try it again maybe in a few weeks. I just can't handle the pain on top of everything else.

Thanks for all of your support! I'm so glad that this forum is here. And I'm glad to read so many positive experiences with fasting. I will try it again to see if I can experience the awesome feelings after detox.

[Jaynie]

Oh... and I broke fast with an apple, a peach and a little bit of unsalted organic peanut butter. I plan to take it slow for a few days.
We weren't straining the juice either. Next time I will get a nut milk bag. The next one will go much smoother after I've been learning so much from this one.

[oxKatNipxo]

Jaynie, sorry to hear about ur painful experience. Perhaps when u attempt this again, you should enter your fast knowing what to expect. This is a good start http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?3206-Detoxing...What-is-it-and-what-to-expect and also, one can do whatever they set their mind to do! so, take ur time and come back, this time determined to do it no matter what. You will be surprised as to how far u can push yourself, and what kind of things you can accomplish when your mind is set. Fasting isn't just about detoxing and healing, fasting is a way of learning discipline, a way of learning about yourself, it is a wonderful experience. as I've said before, there's just too many benefits not to fast. :D Hope to see you around soon! :)

Day 17 here, got back from the gym a while ago, feeling pretty good :D

- KatNip

[Aleesha Sattva]

Jaynie, I highly recommend you consider hiring a fasting coach before you fast again. Just so you have more info on what to do and what not to do. (((hugs))) Breaking a fast with peanut butter... any nut butter is so hard on your body.

Just had our dinner juice... tom of course. Used a lot of celery and fennel in this one... it was super yummy.

We are truckin' along... enjoying our fast.

[GoodCat]

I thought the same thing about the nut butters...

I haven't had alot of juice today. I've been super busy. I did have a qt. of green lemonade (Lady Awens favorite ..lol.) But I'm feeling like I need more and I'm so tired with no one to juice for me. So I'm sipping on some detox tea and relaxing. Tomorrow night I'll be breaking my fast. It was a nice 5 days :)

The Lady Aredhel~

[Aleesha Sattva]

I always love fasting with you Lady Aredhel.

I'm very tired... but I'll stay up till bed time or it'll mess with my sleep tonight.

[Gianni]

First of all, I want to thank everyone here for the support, encouragement, and advice that you all have given to me during my fast.

As planned, I broke my fast today, having juice fasted for 30 full days.

This morning I got up at 7am, drank some ginger tea, then about 9am, I made a liter of orange juice and blended in 4 small bananas.

It was a nice sunny day, neither hot nor cold, so I decided to take advantage of the weather and took the dog out for a 3km walk before lunch. For lunch I ate one papaya.

In the afternoon, I ate some watermelon then in the early evening went for another walk with the dog, this time jogging for 1Km of the 4km.

In the evening I snacked on a few strawberries, ate an apple, a banana and two tangerines, and later some more ginger tea before bed.


I'll probably still be lurking around here for a bit to see how everybody is getting along. I'm not sure when my next fast will be, but probably sometime in the next 2 or 3 months.

Again, I want to thank everybody for their support, and want to tell those of you who have persevered and are continuing with your fasts that I am proud of you.:dance:

All the Best,

Gianni

[GoodCat]

Great job Gianni... Congrats!

After my last post, I had to have some tomato/veggie juice.. So I went upstairs and made it. It was so good.. Just what I needed :)

I love fasting with you too Lady Awen.. Until next time :)

The Lady Aredhel~

[Juicin' in Houston]

Congrats Gianni!

Hope you give it another try in the future Jaynie!

Just checking in, I hope everyone's fast is going well!

Today I had a strawberry, pear, and orange juice for breakfast and a few kale and cucumbers juices throughout the day. I've had an intense headache for most of the day, I hope this goes away soon...

[Aleesha Sattva]

Try to hold off on the bananas for a few more days. They are constipating when you are breaking a fast and you want things to move not stop moving. Stick with soft fruits.

Congrats on your fast:woot: Aredhel and Gianni!

Had my water this morning and will make some juice. I have a 3.5 hour dentist appointment today. There's a juice bar next door and I ordered a litre of freshly squeezed no-pulp OJ for after I'm done with the dentist. That way I won't have to come home and juice right away. :juicy:

Have a great one!!!

[commoncents]

After a false start, I have made it to Day Two. I absolutely LOVE water fasting and so wish I could do it longer, but alas a couple of days are all I'm able to get in before I am completely bedridden. So, I will do another day and then switch to the MC depending on how weak I get.

Last night was the first night of sleeping without any sleeping aids. WOW!! I did not toss and turn as I suspected I would and had those beautiful fasting dreams that make fasting an enjoyable experience for me.

I have titled this fast a Honest Fast because after fasting about two weeks, I start to see the results I crave in weight loss, sleep and mental clarity and just feel great. I hold a picture in my mind of what I want my life to be like.

So . . . thank you all for posting your stories which have kept me motivated and,

Happy Fasting All.

Common.

[Aleesha Sattva]

Fast on!

[oxKatNipxo]

:eek: can't believe I've made it this far :D it is getting easier by the day. Alhamdullilah (all praise belongs to God).



I have a quick BM question. I'm not getting a BM unless its with an enema. I only do one a day, and I do have some stuff released (it's minimal), but other than that I get the occasional BM, which is not solid, I'm not even sure it should be classified as BM lol, its just the little fibers that slip in from the juice, which is almost none.

The question is, is this normal? o.O I thought that while juice fasting there wasn't much BM going on if at all, but then I see Aleesha's BM posts here and it got me a tad bit confused.

Hope that wasn't TMI. lol.

- KatNip

[Aleesha Sattva]

not TMI at all.

Some people have bms the entire fast. Some don't.

Doing enemas daily is one school of thought, another is to allow your body to do it's own thing without interfering. It's up to you. Do some research (if you want to) and make a choice.

I don't do them myself. Never have, probably never will.

Now to your bm question. That flaky poo is normal. Nothing to be concerned about. I find it usually starts when I'm more 'cleaned out'.

Parz and I are breaking our fasts for a few days. We'll be back!

[Gianni]

@Aleesha - I wasn't aware that bananas could cause constipation, and so I kept away from them today. In any case, I didn't have any problem in shifting the fruit I ate yesterday.

I probably should have stayed on fruit today as well, but my daughter and I almost always go out to lunch at a buffet restaurant on Fridays, but I haven't taken her for the last month because of my juice fast. So today we went there and I ate from the salad options.


@KatNip - Congratulations on making it to day 18 and on your feeling the benefits of your juice fast. Well done!:excited:

I think Aleesha was having a lot of BM's because she had just started fasting again. That's pretty normal at the beginning of a fast. However, since you are doing an enema daily, I wouldn't expect to have many BM's in addition to that. Otherwise, it's normal to have soft stools during a juice fast because you are taking in almost no fiber.

Personally, I did enemas about once every 3 or 4 days starting from day 10, although in hindsight I wish I had started them earlier in the fast.

[Aleesha Sattva]

Why? (enemas sooner)?

[Aleesha Sattva]

And I've had bms throughout my extended fasts. 45 days 84 days and 209 days. All without the aid of enemas.

So it wasn't simply because I was at the beginning of a fast.

[Gianni]

I wish I had done them in the first week of the fast when I was undergoing most the effects from detoxification, i.e. mild headaches, lethargy. I didn't start sooner because I had bought the bags over the internet and wasn't that familiar with it. It took until day 10 for me to take it out of the package.


So it wasn't simply because I was at the beginning of a fast.
Oh okay. I was thinking of your posts when you and Parz were restarting your fasts, and thinking of how in general the intestines empty out in the first days of a fast.

[oxKatNipxo]

Thank you Gianni and Aleesha for your input :)

I actually am not doing enemas for the bowel movement part, and my enemas are small, no more than 1Qt of liquid. I'm actually doing coffee enemas, as I am partially following the gerson therapy, I just didn't wanna bring it up or get too into detail because i did some searches and it looks like its a bit controversial on this forum. I decided to go on a juice fast to speed up the detox a bit and to get rid of several habits I've had, and clean up toxic pharmaceutical drug residue. I've been on a mission to clean up my act all year long, and I felt I should kick it up a notch. I've contemplated all this for months now and have read almost every angle of the subject, not just on enemas, but detoxing and a number of other things. I also study nutrition, have been for a few years now so I just really felt this is the proper route to take at this point in my life :) Different things work for different people and everyone is in a different place in their journey, our common ground here is the fasting, which is not easy to do for most people. I'm all for people bettering themselves and I see alot of that here, which is why I joined :D

Almost day 20!! :D woohooo! I tried a new juice today. Cucumber and Cantaloupe. It was delish!!I may have to add a bit more cucumber next time though because it kind of got lost in the melon. lol.

- KatNip

[commoncents]

Congratulations Katnip for making it to day 20. What a great accomplishment! Your juices do indeed sound yummy.

It is Day Three here and I am very weak. After getting home from work yesterday, I went straight to bed. I slept and then woke up full of energy. Anyway, I am loving the dreams and the feeling that I am finally doing something good for myself after the past year of abuse.

Trying to learn to be kind to myself and enjoy my time with myself. Tonight I am going to a play by myself. I started not to go, but am trying to honor ME in my walk through this world.

Will probably switch over to the MC tomorrow. Have a walking date with a friend and will need some energy.

Happy fasting all.

Common.:dance:

[janem]

Hi All! Starting 21 day - OR More..... tomorrow:dance::dance: I absolutely can not wait!! You all are so inspiring!! Aleesha - you are as always amazing!!
Katnip - day 20!!!! Awesommme!
Commoncents - getting to day 3 is greattt - those are the 3 hardest days!!
Cant wait to join all of you!!

[Aleesha Sattva]

So glad we gently broke our fast last night. I didn't detox at all today and it was a really huge day for us. We worked at a BodyTalk clinic doing session after session after session. It was amazing!

We'll be back fasting on Tuesday!

See you all then!!! (((hugs)))

And welcome to the newcomers!!!

[oxKatNipxo]

Hi guys :) just coming to check in for the day. TODAY is day 20 for me looool, yesterday I was just anticipating today. hehe.

@Janem- Did you start today? Welcome! glad to have ya on board.

@Common- you should be on day 4 now correct? How is it going for you?

@Aleesha- Lookin forward to having u back on Tuesday!


- KatNip

[Juicin' in Houston]

Hey everyone! I'm glad to see your fasts are going well
Congrats KatNip! How long are you going for?

Been a busy couple of days but everything is going good in my neck of the woods! The headache and low threshold to pain has gone away, my skin is feeling better, and the energy and mental clarity are amazing.

[janem]

Katnip - day 20!!!!!!! You are awesommmme! That is a great accomplishment! I finally did begin my fast:) - I am so scarred! - Silly emotion but I really want to last for 21 days and I feel like I am walking on a tight rope and could fall any second - like i usually do on "diets" I managed to make dinner for the family with out taste testing anything - huge first step for me! They are supportive of the fast - but still want meals cooked - lol!! I work long days - usually leave by 6 and get home around 6pm. Dh and i work and commute together - I have to make sure that I make juice as soon as I walk through the door - if i start preparing food for them Im asking for trouble! I made plenty of juice to bring to the office tomorrow - have to stay ahead of the game here!
Keep up the great work everyone!

[wannabegreen]

HI everyone! I'm new to this site and everything! I am looking for support in my lonely battle to become healthier and live healthier! I have been suffering from what seems like an addiction to SAD foods and it has brought me into a bad depression and has made me distant from friends and has made me obssess about food 24/7. I have looked into the raw food diet and thought it sounds like an amazing lifestyle. I have tried to get into it but it has been so hard! I'm hoping perhaps a 7-10 day green smoothie fast might help cleanse me and help my taste buds appreciate real food? Does anyone know if that will be long enough or be worth it at all? Will it be beneficial? hoping to get some support and gain some knowledge! :) THank you! Please message me or whatever you do on here haha. I don't want to be alone in this!

[Juicin' in Houston]

Hello wannabegreen and welcome!

You are definitely not alone here and you will find a wealth of information on this site. I personally stumbled upon this site by googling very specific questions about fasting. You will find there are many people here that are/were dealing with the same issues with addiction and depression.

10 days seems to be the most common length to start and should make for a good detox. If I were to do it different my first time around I would have went for longer though, but everyone's body is different. It will def. be beneficial, you're giving your digestive system a break from its normal job to do maintanence and repair. Theres even and alternative cancer therapy based off organic juice fasting (gerson therapy). Some other benefits include more energy, mental clarity, and weight loss.

If you're looking to start fasting set a date in the future and mentally prepare yourself for it. Catch the fasting/raw food buzz by visiting alissa cohen's site and this site often, looking up YouTube juice fast videos, and doing research on the Internet. There are many people here who provide coaching if you need more help.

[oxKatNipxo]

Hello everyone :) checkin in, one more day marked off. :D

@Janem you can do it! :) just set your mind to it. I have t cook daily as well, so I feel ya!

@ Juicin', I'm planning to do 60 days or more. God be willing. :)

@wannabegreen, I think juicin' have some good advice actually. If you want to give your digestive system a rest, I'd go for a juice fast rather than a smoothie one. Although both are beneficial, you'd get more results from a juice fast. Either way, they are both a great way to rid yourself of bad eating habits and begin a new journey to eating better. You may even be encouraged to prolong it once you reach the 10 days. You never know until you try right?

- KatNip

[Juicin' in Houston]

Katnip Congrats making it to 3 weeks! That's amazing!

[janem]

So glad to catch up!!
Katnip --WOOTWOOT!!! You rock! Keep up the phenomenal work!! Selfishly I am thrilled you are going for 60 days!! I so look forward to following your daily posts! Thanks for the encouragement regarding cooking:) What are you juicing? Do you have a favorite? I stick to green lemonade but will increase the fruit juices the longer I go.
@wannabe - you are on the right track! I can 100% relate to what you wrote and I can tell you that fasting is what allowed me to finally start losing weight and stop thinking about eating 24/7! Stay focused - the rewards are so worth it!!
@Houston - love what you wrote - so glad you are here!

OH!!! I didn't mention my awesome day of liquids!! Energy started to decrease a bit late afternoon, I did not get to go running -aaarrggghhhhh! -that always stresses me when I miss a run!
Looking forward to another good day tomorrow::))!!

[chrisfires]

Hi everyone - new here - and am on day 7 of a juice fast. I'm going to try and do a long haul - at least 60 days!
My motivations are numerous - but health primarily. I have Myasthenia Gravis & Rheumatoid Arthritis. I've always managed to keep healthy & fit in spite of these genetic prizes (ha!), but as I've gotten older, they've started dragging me down, limiting my movement - and creating a spiraling cycle of unhealthy that I am trying to pull myself out of.
Prior to starting my juice fast, I had already mostly switched to a whole food plant based & raw diet.
But I then hit some bumps this month with a best friend dying :( and did some way off track stress eating..
However - I came out of that little pity party re-motivated, and decided darnit I am ALIVE! And jumped into the juice fast..

So far it's been okay - but wasn't feeling especially great or especially bad, just have felt a bit spacey & dopey.
But today, hoorah.. Something finally shifted, and I felt myself going into that special fasting gear! I feel good!

Anyway.. that's me for now!
Christina G

[Aleesha Sattva]

ah you've reached the magic number... after 21 days the spiritual benefits of fasting multiply! enjoy the ride!!!

welcome to all the new fasters. it's such a treat to fast with you all. parz and i will be back for a short 2 or 3 day fast starting tomorrow. we are doing short fasts till we go on vacation next week.

i have a watermelon on the cupboard waiting to be juiced in the morning! till then....

[Aleesha Sattva]

I'm hoping perhaps a 7-10 day green smoothie fast might help cleanse me and help my taste buds appreciate real food? Does anyone know if that will be long enough or be worth it at all? Will it be beneficial? hoping to get some support and gain some knowledge! :) THank you! Please message me or whatever you do on here haha. I don't want to be alone in this!

We don't have private messaging on this forum. So all our support will be coming to you via this thread! (((hugs)))

A ten day green smoothie fast will do great things for you. Try ten and if it feels doable, do more! You'll have to push through your feelings of "I wanna stop NOW". Every fast has them... every fast. No matter what. (Unless you stop before they come).

Trust your body. It'll heal itself if given the change. A fast won't heal everything... but it's amazing what the body can do if given the chance to do it.

[Juicin' in Houston]

Welcome Christina!

That shifting gears is just magical! Looks like we might have started within a few days of each other.

[Juicin' in Houston]

Ahh wrapping up another day...

Today's juicing highlights:
-Had a delicious juice for breakfast, orange/carrot/tomato/pear.
-Picked up a weeks worth of produce, now my fridge is busting at the seams with veggie goodness :^)
-Faced a challenge today, i went to dinner with a friend and went out afterwards, surprisingly it wasn't a challenge at all! I just sipped water and enjoyed the company.

Hope all is well for everyone!

[Aleesha Sattva]

We are ready... water in hand... to fast today. We are only doing two or three days but it'll be a lovely two or three days!

Watermelon juice will happen later in the day.

[oxKatNipxo]

Hello everyone :) just coming by to check in, almost forgot lol. On my way to catch some zZzZz's . Today was my weigh-in and measuring day. Although this isn't my primary focus, i can't help but to keep track weight is just coming off so effortlessly! I do plan to go get my hemoglobin, red blood cell count and a thyroid check after the fast, as those are my main concerns along with other stuff, but those are more difficult to keep track of so I can't share just yet. Anyway, for those of you needing a little push or motivation I'll tell you my stats so far :)

Hips: - 2.5 inches
waist: - 3.5 inches
bust: - 2 inches
neck: - 2.5 inches
Left Arm: - 1.5 inches
Left Thigh: - 1.5 inches

so, it seems a minimum of .5 inches per week is being released, which is quite amazing. The scale doesnt move as fast, but Im not complaining cuz, seriously, this is great. I've dropped 22lbs :) so far. Alhamdullilah (all praise is due to God). Not to mention the change in character. The little things that once bothered me to no end have become unimportant lol. I find myself spending much more time with my daughter, and overall just more quiet and serene. Considering that i was having huge anger bursts prior to the fasting, all I can say is WOOOOHOOOO! improvements across the board. :)

Anyway, enough parading, I gotta go to sleep. My body seems to want its 8 hrs no matter what i do. funny cuz at the beginning it refused sleep all together :p.

Happy Fasting everyone!

- KatNip

[Aleesha Sattva]

Congrats on all the changes you have and are experiencing Kat. I'm super happy for ya!

And as for your sleep... I always tell people to be patient and trust their body. Allow it to work things out on it's own first and then if needed, step in.

If I'm remembering correctly your body corrected itself (sleep-wise) on its own.

We ended up not fasting today and we are away on vacation and more BodyTalk courses soon. So we'll be checking in again in August and fasting with you all then.

Enjoy your fasts!

[Juicin' in Houston]

Wow Katnip that's amazing! thanks for sharing your stats.
@Aleesha see you in August!

[Gianni]

@KatNip - Those are great numbers and in only 3 weeks! :excited:

You are truly feeling the benefits of your fast. Keep up the good work!

[Juicin' in Houston]

Hey everyone! Just checking in...the fast is still going great! It seemed to take alot less time to not care about eating this time around. I attribute that to this forum :)

[Gianni]

Keep up the good work, Juicin' in Houston! http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/images/icons/icon7.png
You're doing a a good job on not missing solids. It's definitely easier when a person juices a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

Personally, it's been one week since I ended my 30 day fast. For the most part, I am sticking to similar foods to what I had juiced during my fast. I have not gained back any weight. In fact, I believe I am still slimming down, though at a slower rate.

Before I started my juice fast, I was a vegetarian who had let junk food creep into my diet. After my fast, I have eliminated all junk foods, I have little or no desire for them, and I am now trying to switch to the vegan lifestyle.

[Aleesha Sattva]

very nice Gianni!!!

juicin... good to hear!

[Juicin' in Houston]

Thank you for the encouraging words Gianni and Aleesha!

I'm going to break my fast on August 3rd for an event the next day and will continue to eat through that weekend but will start back up the next week.

@Aleesha I like your mantra for breaking a fast (ie. I won't end my fast on a bad day..) Is there anything that you recite to yourself to get motivated to start a fast?

[oxKatNipxo]

Hi everyone! :) sorry I haven't dropped by in a few days. Ramadan is here and I've been trying to adjust and all. Still trucking along! :D

@Gianni, thank u for the support! Glad your fast breaking is going great! :D

@ Juicin' for motivation, I know u asked Aleesha, but I wanted to give my two cents. Just think of all the benefits of fasting. Not only physical ones but remember this helps build good character because of the discipline it takes. It helps you gain patience, which most people dont have now a days and a whole list of other benefits :D That should get you started up again! I'm sure Aleesha has some great input of course :)

Happy Juicing everyone!

- KatNip

[Gianni]

@Juicin' in Houston - I'm not sure what event you are going to. Is it a wedding?

Well because you will be breaking your fast on a Friday and then resuming it on Monday, I would try to continue juicing one or two meals a day during this time. Perhaps something like a liter of orange juice (or a smoothie) for breakfast, fruit for lunch, fresh juice as an afternoon snack, then fruit or salad for dinner. You will find that you will fill up on less food than before your fast so try not to overindulge.

[Gianni]

@KatNip - Keep on Truckin'!:woot:

How is fasting during Ramadan? How have you adjusted and is it much harder?

[katanne92813]

been gone for a while and I guess wasn't truly ready to change before. I am now and today is my first fasting day. It's different this time - I am ready for a change now. After fasting I am going to be changing to a raw food diet. After reading a lot of posts I realize it fit my life so much better...I'm sick of feeling sick and depressed after eating all this processed food. Anyway today is the first day of my journey and I'm looking forward to see where i end up.

Good luck to everyone else who is fasting!

[rawmom2006]

This is day 1 of a new water fast. I have just been doing juices after my last water fast. I had to go help a sick friend so had to switch to juices but today
is my first day back on just water. I am loving the sun and getting a chance to swim. I hope everyone is doing well. Have a great fasting day.

[Juicin' in Houston]

@Katnip Thanks for the tips! I'm going to refer to your post when that time comes

@Gianni Thank you for your feedback as well! They're having an appreciation event for us at work.

As supportive as you all are I think that's all the motivation I need!

[Aleesha Sattva]

Juicin'... here's my advice as someone who has fasted a lot over the past 5 years.

If you break your fast for the weekend you will not be able to restart. You will try... but your digestion will say "ummm. NO" and you will end up having such a struggle to fast that (chances are) you will end your fast. AND... because of the way you broke for a meal and then struggled the chances are very high that you won't break in a healthy manner.

My advice to you is this:

either fast through your appreciation dinner. There will be other dinners and you can always eat an identical meal once you are done fasting. Go to the event, bring lots of juice and enjoy the conversation. Feel the empowerment of fasting through an event (it's a very cool experience!).

or

break your fast a few days BEFORE the event. Give your body a chance to get back into solids before ending up at an event where food is soooooo abundant and 90% of the choices are not good fast breaking choices.

bottom line: do whatever you want... just giving you my thoughts from my experience.

and you asked me how I motivate myself for a fast. I talk about it. That's it, that's all. I simply talk about fasting, how it makes me feel and VOILA I'm in the mood for a fast! (I'm in one now but leave on vacation in a couple of days).

Everyone... enjoy your fasts! (((hugs)))

[Hippo2Hippie]

Alesha- I'm planning on starting aug 1st and I'd love to read (link, sticky?) about how the asts make you feel!

[Gianni]

@Hippo2Hippie - There is a link to a free ebook on fasting here: http://www.quickfasting.com/
This is more specific to a water fast although the majority of the information can be applied to a a juice fast as well.

@katanne92813 and @rawmom2006 - Good luck on your fasting journeys. :excited:

[Aleesha Sattva]

Every fast is unique. So people experience different things. From a deeply spiritual connection - to a time filled with detoxing and everything in between.

And there's a stickie in this thread about fasting. A must read for anyone embarking on a fast.

[Hippo2Hippie]

thank you Aleesha and Gianni! Can't wait to check out the e-book, and I did order a couple books as well. :)I'll check out the sticky too!

[oxKatNipxo]

Hello everyone :)

Just came to check in. I finally made it to day 30! how awesome! :D I plan to keep going. Here's for another 30 days! :D It's been very quiet around here lately, hope everyone is doing well on their fasts.

- KatNip

[Hippo2Hippie]

I was going to start the first, but decided to start today. I'm ready!

[Juicin' in Houston]

Hey KatNip Congrats!!

Hippo2Hippie, if you want to start before your scheduled start date that's a good sign!

I've been away for a couple of days, went to visit family. The fast is still going good! :)