Fast for 1 day?

[blueberry]

I have read before that it is good to fast for an extended period of time to accomplish a deep level of detox...what benefits are to be had from doing a one day fast?

[tglasco4]

I fast one day per week as a maintenance thing. To keep my appetite under control, keep my system clean and give the digestive tract a rest. Fasting for one day will do the body good, but if only done that one time the benefits will be limited. If you were to fast one day per week, every week, the accumulation of time (with a good diet and exercise) will be a blessing that will be seen and known. The first 1-3 days of a fast are usually the hardest. I would recommend a fast on juice for at least 10 days (preferably 14 or more) followed by once per week water fasts. This would clean out the system and establish a healthy foundation upon which to build. Just a suggestion.

Peace.

Todd

[Curtis]

Paul Bragg fasted one day a week for his whole life, he lived to be in his nineties. I haven't started this myself yet but makes sense, the digestive system is one of the few things we don't let rest.

[blueberry]

Thanks Curtis and Todd!

Todd,
have you ever done a water fast or just juice?

[Sharon in Colorado]

I used to be an avid faster, and my longest fast was a juice/liquid and water fast for 14 days. The first 5 days was on water. I do not recommend water fasting for more than a day *until* you are used to it and in good health and firmly planted in a clean diet. Water fasting causes heavy detox.

I also used to do the once a week 24 hour fast. I would like to pick up fasting again after I am solid on raw food and have cooked cravings under control, because going off a fast could be trouble if I'm still hanging on to just a little cooked cravings.

Expect physical and emotional highs and lows. I experienced a ton of lethargy and pain one day and the next I was on top of the world. Sometimes I felt the peaks and valleys within the same day as well. As long as you expect it, it's all good, but in no way should you come off an extended fast all of a sudden with a ton of food just because you feel bad. That has been the pitfall of many people, and can be dangerous.

I highly recommend "Miracle of Fasting" by Paul Bragg, but start with juice (he's from the old school of water only fasting) and then work your way up until you feel comfortable using water. Also "Fasting to Freedom" by Ron Lagerquist and Tom McGregor available through the www.freedomyou.com website.

[tglasco4]

Hi blueberry,

The 40 hr per week fasts that I do now are water fasts. I am planning a 10 day water fast in the next couple of months. I did a 30 day fast on juice in September. As Sharon alluded to, the water fast is a serious cleanser. I would recommend an extended fast on juice prior to it. That will eliminate alot of toxins. The once per week water fasts are great on a cumulative level. After about 4 weeks of doing it consistently you will feel a world of difference. But a jump start with a juice fast is best.

Peace.

Todd

[blueberry]

It makes a lot of sense to start with juice first before water if you have never done a fast before. I guess I just want to detox right away since my diet hasn't been the greatest and I feel like fasting would be the perfect thing to help me balance out and start fresh.

Sharon-
As far as waiting to fast until you get your cravings under control from cooked food...won't fasting help you get rid of those cravings since it will flush those foods out of your system? That's why I wanted to do the fast to help me get rid of cravings and to detox from the cooked foods to start my raw journey fresh.

[tglasco4]

Thats absolutely true Blueberry. At least that has been my personal experience. After I finished my juice fasts, my cravings for cooked diminish greatly. I have done 3 of them this year and I am at the point where cooked doesn't faze me at all. My wife is cooking delicious stuff every day and I am able to appreciate the smells but not be tempted in the least to eat it. So yes, the juice fast would be the ideal way to jumpstart the raw lifestyle while at the same time cleaning out the junk that is in your system from cooked.

Todd

[Sharon in Colorado]

Blueberry - you know, it all depends on the person. I think maybe if one is more disciplined about their diets (yes, that's you Todd! lol) and are absolutely certain that they won't eat anything cooked after a fast, then yes, it would be helpful.

But when you fast, you are in a completely different world than when you are in the world of eating. Many people binge a lot after a fast which is so hard on the digestive system. I knew a girl who fasted and out of nowhere, fixed herself a ham sandwich, gobbled it up and immediately threw up afterwards. I read in a cleansing book about a man who broke his fast on a steak dinner and died shortly after. Even eating too much raw food could be harmful after a fast when your digestive system has been asleep. It would be like someone slapping you across the face to wake you up from a deep sleep.

Fasting, when done with a clear mind, and open to listening to your body, can be wonderful and beneficial, but at the same time can be detrimental. So, I say, proceed with caution, and be firmly planted in your diet.

In the book Fasting to Freedom, the authors recommend doing 30 days raw, 30 days juice fasting and then 30 days of raw again. For first timers, I would not recommend that long a fast but it makes sense about being raw for that long first. I personally will not start fasting longer than a day until I am comfortable with raw with no strong cooked temptations.

So my advice is to try it, just a day on juice and see how it goes. Extend it to 3 days the next time, and so on. Usually the first 3 days of a fast are the hardest, with hunger pangs, etc. After that, you really lose your appetite, but when you break the fast is sometimes when you just want to eat everything in site!

Hope that helps.

Sharon

[Fragola]

I can confirm what Todd write!! After 11 days of juice fast and 3 of water fast I have completely changed my taste buds!! I am so surprised to notice that I crave greens and salads, which I didn't like so much before! And I am not tempted by cooked foods, because I am finding raw foods so tasty and filling!!
I will now try to fast a day a week. I am so happy about the fasting experience!

[blueberry]

How have you broken your fast? I am worried because I started the juice fast today and would like to continue through till Friday. On Sunday I am going to a get together for Thanksgiving and that would make it the second day after breaking the fast. I won't be eating cooked but I don't want to eat too much raw either because Sharon said that it wasn't good either.

So what foods do you choose to eat when breaking your fast?

[Fragola]

during my fast I planned to break it eating mono meals of fruit, but then I felt so much for salads that I have eaten a lot of them, even for breakfast (and I have never loved salad so much). So I have been eating lots of greens, tomatoes, sweet corn, some avocado, and maybe 3 fruits during the day. I haven't had any nuts, or dressing in my salads, but I have been eating olives and 5 or 6 dates a day, which I don't think it is a good thing, but it is been the only "heavy" stuff that I have had.
I started my period today, and it seems that everything is going okay, I am not having any pain for the first time in months!!!!

[blueberry]

That is so wonderful Fragola!!! I am glad that your appetite is shifting to greens and more greens!!! I figure a four day fast is good for a first time faster because I have heard that the first three days are the hardest so if I can get past the first three days and do one more, I will be over the hump and get into more detox. I definitely can't do a 14 day fast like you did just yet! Congratulations on that!

[smasty]

Great posts here that I agree with! I started my raw journey with a 21 day juice fast and I swear that's why it's been SO easy for me to stay raw. I entirely eliminated any addictions and cravings during that time, and ended my fast VERY slowly. I just finished a mini juice fast (3 days) that felt wonderfult! I definitely want to start the once a week program with Todd and Curtis.

[tglasco4]

Smasty you look terrific! I didn't know you also started with a juice fast of that duration. It seems to be a key to really getting rid of major cooked cravings. Well, I fast every Monday so if you want you are certainly welcome!!