21 Days Liquid... tips?

[DovesEyes]

I'm fasting for twenty-one days on liquids, starting today, but i don't think i have the money to do only live juices. Can anyone give me some advice on what to do? Are soups okay? And what about dairy? Any tips--even if they have nothing to do with my questions--would be much appreciated! I'm basically clueless on how to fast in a healthy and safe way.

[SamL]

its up to you, personally what you want to achieve from a juice fast..

but please stay away from dairy. It wont assist in any healing.

If you want to do a live juice fast, great! very healing and good for you.

Processed juices are inferior to live juices.

Soups? if you want to include soups, then you are ok with adding some fibre into your fast. Thats ok if thats what you want, if you want to have soups, consider the healing benefits of smoothies too. Both offer the fibre that 'just juice' doesn't.

The purpose for 'just juice' is to give your digestive system a rest from digesting the fibres in vegetables, while your body benefits immediately from the pure raw nutrients of juice, which assists in faster healing.

So it's completely up to you what your wanting to achieve from your liquid fast.

Good luck..

[Ireland]

First and foremost, if this is your first fast, I would not recommend doing such a long fast. You have no idea how your body will respond.

From everything I've read on the subject, it's a good idea to do maybe a three day fast first, then a seven, then a fourteen...and then on from there.

I'm sure you'll get a lot of great advice here as there's a number of seasoned fasters. :)

The best to you on your journey.

[MoniDew]

well, sure you could do blender soups, from fresh live foods, and get nearly the equivelent benefit of juicing. You could also do nut milks or fruit/nutmilk smoothies. You could make something called Rejuvelac, which is a slightly fermented grain beverage that is loaded with enzymes and pro-biotics. You could do whatever you little heart desires

And have fun with it!

[Beanie]

Great subject since I've been interested in this myself.

I've been reading stuff that says that juicing is no more effective than eating the whole fruit/vegetable since that rids toxins from your system and that for your body to rest, water fasts are only effective. But I have a terrible time going hypoglycemic. Does this pass? I get so irritable and feel like I HAVE to eat. Is it because I am thin? I read water fasts are the best to cure hypoglycemia and allergies, cravings. That its just the toxins being released when your blood sugar drops and this passes.

I read that after 2 days, the hunger subsides totally. So should I start with a one day fast? 3 or 4 days? Juice only? I can only go to 4Pm before I've got to eat. I want to get rid of my bread cravings, stabilize my blood sugar, clean myself of all toxins and feel great! Also I worry over doing this since I'm thin. But I read that your assimilation improves dramatically after a fast and you heal quickly whatever is wrong.

I hope you guys have some helpful responses! ;)

[dhammala]

I would agree. If this is your first fast, take it slow. Three days would give your body a great rest, and might even provide a little detox.. but it will sure show you how much mental control you need to get over the desires!

Yes, after day two, your body is not asking for food so much. It is when ketosis kicks in. By day 3 ketosis is in high gear. You can buy test strips at your local pharmacy. Fun to watch!

DovesEyes, have you thought about doing the mastercleanse? It is pretty cheap and you still get some nutrients and detox effect.

[Beanie]

So do you put the test strips in your mouth and it turns acidic?

Any hints on what to do when your blood sugar goes down? Lie down, LOL! Probably the obvious answer. And how many cups of water do you need to drink a day? I probably don't drink enough.

Wow, three days sounds short but I'm sure it will be looooong for me!! Well, it may not be that bad..... ;)

Oh yeah, I read its better to do a water fast since its protein sparing. SInce I don't want/need to lose ANY muscle, thats why I'm thinking about a total water fast.

[dhammala]

Um, well it measures ketones, a product of the liver.. and so those don't come out in your mouth, they come out in the urine. :P

By all means, when you can make it the three days and are feeling good and with it, keep going!

Have you read up on detox symptoms?

[Beanie]

Yes, I've read on detox, probably not enough but some.....I'm SERIOUSLY thinking of doing a three day fast starting this Monday! I'm working TWO jobs now and went back to school for graphic design. So I'm work-work working nonstop and keep telling myself I'll be 100%, 100% of the time when things setting down. I finally decided to have one day off from work and school so that I could sleep, rest and catch up in school. I thought I was getting sick and felt irritable and my diet was falling apart at times! So now I want to start to take this seriously!!

I think I have celiac disease and can't eat gluten now or wheat. My sinuses swell after a half hour from eating this stuff and it totally affects my mood, energy level and thinking.....I'm also ADD but stopped the meds since going raw. But for some reason, when I do cheat on raw, I go for the breads still. Always craving breads!! I start tasting the yeast I guess in my mouth and go crazy over it. People tell me that you are addicted to what you are allergic to. I end up just craving even one bite and obsessing over it, then it sends me into more cravings if I just "sample". So I was thinking a short fast might help. And help with hypoglycemia, which has improved a lot, but is still there. But I am rather thin so I'm not sure if my blood sugar drops because of that if I don't eat.

Humm.....if I could do a three day fast even, maybe then I could do a 30 day challenge? Thinking about it but scared to for some reason.......if I do do this, I will need LOTS of support!! One of my jobs is at a raw food company, so that helps, but when I'm tired and come home late, I cave at times for cooked foods. Just my body now says major ICK when I eat cooked! So I'm dommed to go raw all the time whether I like it or not, LOL!......just always want "one more meal." Hard to let go..... Even though I'm thin, I'm still an emotional eater, non eater at times. I like to comfort myself with food and so I'm always drawn to the grains.

Well, I better get some sleep now! If you have a list of symptoms, post it, OK? The hard part will be the irritability and possibly dizziness.
Thanks!
;)

[angeldoll]

You know the Rainforest fruit and nut mix. I am doing that today and juice , If I get hungry , Baked fish a palm size that is all gives me energy.

[Beanie]

Well, I'm vegan, so fish is definitely out for me. I was thinking of starting juicing/blended drinks this weekend of only fruits and veggies, start Monday on a water fast for 3 entire days. I have been fasting on water until 2-4 PM the last 2 days. This morning I got extremely irritable and couldn't even think straight. Then about noon it seemed to subside. So I think I'll try to ride it through and I'm easing into it so its not a shock on my system.

But if I start to feel like I'm going to faint, what should I drink? Lemon juice with water? Coconut water? Broth? OJ and water? Just want to have something to make me feel more comfortable just in case......don't want to pass out!

I"m on day 7 of 100% raw, my longest was 9 days, so I want to keep this going and hope that the fast will take away my cravings.

[Mom of 3]

I'm at the end of day 7 also. Funny about the fainting thing I keep reading. Last month I hadn't even started a fast, just cut out fruit to combat yeast in my system and had the feel like fainting thing really bad so went to the emergency room. Would you believe my blood pressure was OK and blood tests came back normal, even the iron levels. I didn't tell the doctor "Wow, and I don't consume much meat at all!" Anyway, I read later that it is a healing crisis symptom. I've continued to feel that way on a much lesser degree throughout this juice fast. Just keep reminding myself that it's my body healing! Happy fasting.