Fasting- was this effective?

I’m a healthy person in general. Not a full raw foodist but I try to incomporate a lot of rawness in my life. But recently I cant seem to get the idea of fasting out of my head. The other day I went about 20 hours. I didnt feel accomplished because I had a big meal when I ate. (calorie wise) Anyways, I tried to give it another go, and again I felt unaccomplished because it was 17 hours and I KNOW I could have gone longer. but when i did have something it was: detox juiced veg: Beets, Apples, Celery, Ginger (recipe from this site. yum)

food: 2 kiwi- 1/2avocado-dates Apple (1t) natural PB and raisins

then when I came back from work: some crabapples with almonds (another 1/2 t PB) and a little soymilk

does that sound ok? Do you think it was sufficient cleanse/ fast or should I try again this time hold strong(er)

Someone on yahoo said thats not healthy, but i dont think they were really listening to my question because I made a calorie comment (totalL 540 give or take some with the juice)

They said fasting just stores more fat, which made me a little worried because although store fat + eating fats although.. they were veg fats.

anyways.. i dont know why but I feel.. guilty. (I hope im not starting to cross over into eating dissorder or anything like that- I do worry a lot about calories, being healthy, and gaining weight. meep!)

anyways- was my fast sufficient/ healthy? (i’m small too.. if you need to know to help better answer the Q).

I think I trust you guys more than the other site with this kind of issue. thanks

Comments

  • MeditatingMeditating Raw Newbie

    Ask enough people and you will hear any response imagined, right or wrong. I have been very interested in fasting and have read much on the topic the last few months. I just finished sending a message to a physician who specializes as a fasting counselor for a referral on some additional materials. I am convinced that fasting is a natural way for the body to rid itself of many unhealthy issues and to thoroughly detox. This is my opinion only.

    There are medical studies, including several conducted by conventional doctors, that document long-term health benefits from regular, brief fasts of 24 hours, However, what I have read is that your basic detoxing water fast is usually 7-10 days minimum. Another way to measure the time is after you are finished with feeling like crap (3-5 days) and you then feel great on the fast, you have just completed the heavy detox, which is why you now feel better. Many fasting practitioners believe you should stay in this “feel great” state at least 3 days before returning to juices and then eventually food.

    From what I have read about what happens to your body as you fast, it is absurd to think you store more fats as a result. I suspect your source for that info knows nothing about fasting.

    I personally don’t think contemplating a fast is a sign of an eating disorder, although I am sure there are individuals with eating disorders who fast. I am thinking about doing an extended fast for health benefits and I am sure I don’t have an eating disorder.

  • Hey CharmedMoon, i actually JUST did my first water fast which lasted 3 days (i would like to do another one for a longer amount of time, it just wasnt an option last week). i have had this recurring staph infection and terrible yeast infection for what seems like ever now.. i dont remember the last time i felt as good as i did the day after my fast. i woke up with more energy than i have had in a long time and felt clean and not the least bit hungry for days. the other thing that happened was my yeast infection seemed to disappear.. and then it appeared as though my staph infection was clearing up. now, i altered my diet a fair bit at the end of the fast.. but i am 100% convinced that the fast halted those problems.. and changing my diet began to reverse the damage.

    i was at my wits end before i tried this.. antibiotics werent working.. i was incredibly self conscious and depressed about it.. (along with a number of other things in my life) but the fast seemed to give me a spiritual cleaning too.

    anyway..based on my short fasting experience, i cant see how your 20 hour fast hurt you any or was unhealthy.. i think any amount of rest for your digestive system is probably healthy.

    i wouldnt be mad at yourself for taking something on for the first time! be sure you know your reasons for fasting and that youre not doing it purely to lose weight and youll be sure to succeed. be happy you even went so far as to contemplate let alone attempt such a thing as a fast! its not easy and its best to do when you can plan to do little other than rest and focus on yourself. perhaps you have been obsessed with the idea of a fast to get yourself on the way to a healthier diet that includes more raw foods.. maybe plan for that to be your goal and stop beating yourself up about having not gone as long as you think you could have! much love and good luck.. hope this helped just a little :)

  • for what meditating wrote on it being absurd, doesn’t your body go into starvation mode and slows metabolism? Or am I re-living a myth.

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    Very popular myth, that starvation leads to fat gain or “starvation mode”. Maybe I’m being thin-skinned when I get so pissy whenever I hear this, but when my grandfather’s family was sent to concentration camps, the ones that weren’t sent into ovens starved to death on a few hundred calories a day. There is no such a thing as “starvation mode”; it’s a myth formed to control people.

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    Hmmm, I don’t know about this “starvation mode”. I hear it often… then recently I read a post that Cayenne Pepper would prevent your body from going into “starvation mode” and instead allow your body to detox. But, I don’t knot too much about that.

    I recently read The Juice Fasting Bible and it recommended a juice fast over a water fast because your body gets more nutrients it needs while still fasting. I personally think it is more beneficial (after reading the book) and feel it reduces symptoms of detox (headache, nausea). I’m not sure if that means I am detoxing slower… or that my body isn’t as affected by a fast.

    I know what you mean about eating a regular meal after a fast. I felt a similar way (after doing a long fast) about breaking a fast and crossing over the eating disorder… because I wanted to do the fast again! I only did it for one day instead of three … but, I do feel good about doing it. And, at times, feel the difference. Although, I did do a grape feast (fast).

    The book recommends to eat raw foods before a fast and break a fast with raw foods. I think this is a good idea (for the non-raw fasters). Maybe this will ease your mind about your first meal after a fast.

    If you go longer, just remember those essential nutrients you need… and electrolytes, etc. Important.

  • A juice fast isn’t a fast at all, germin8.. The point of a fast is to actually give your body a break. You can safely do a water fast for up to 40 days, provided you are supervised and are in a state of complete rest.

    Your body for sure isn’t detoxing as quickly when doing a juice fast.. because you are getting lots of things other than nutrients from those foods going into your juices. Particularly if they are not 100% organic.

    Dont get me wrong, you can get tons of benefits from doing a juice cleanse, but after reading just 1 book, i don’t think it is fair to entirely discredit water fasts as not being of benefit to many people. i for one was overwhelmed with what i experienced after just 3 days, and i was quite skeptical going into it!

    I would recommend anyone interested in doing it at all, to do a lot of research before taking one on.. Be sure you are confident going into it that you can allow yourself the time and rest needed to complete one, and know what your goals are at the end of your fast.

    Type in water fast to google and you find pages of articles.. all of which I would recommend reading before you make your own decisions and conclusions.

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    Looring, I’ve been practicing water fasting for 20 years ago. And have read about it. Only recently, (within the last several years) have I been doing juice/fruit fasts/feasts. Yes, my opinion was based on the last book that I read (written by Sandra Cabot, MD). And, when I said “I personally think it is more beneficial”. That is a personal statement based on my personal experience and from what I read. It is not a fact. Thus the words “I… think”. Every body is different… every body needs different ‘things’. I’ve done a water fast for 3 days and I’ve done a juice fast for 3 days. I can’t say I’ve felt a big difference. But, I know they are beneficial. I did feel more of a difference in a grape feast for 3 days, though. But again, every body is different.

  • bq.(i cant see how your 20 hour fast hurt you any or was unhealthy.. i think any amount of rest for your digestive system is probably healthy.)

    good point! thanks guys, i had a feeling I would get a much different response here.

    i actually did do research on water fasting before I did it as well. One site mentioned how people find themselves al ittle bored when fasting. have you ever noticed how when people want to hang out they always say “wana go out to eat?” dont get me wrong foods great and fun to make but come on now, lets think of something else to do lol

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    I recently did a six day water fast and found it to be incredibly beneficial. After the fourth night I felt better than I ever had. It was amazing. The detox was painful and rather unpleasant but the result was equally opposite. I highly recommend doing any water fast that is longer than four days. What meditating said was very right on. I didn’t know that it’s a good idea to keep going after you feel good but it makes sense. I’ll do that next time.

    Oh, and a twenty hour fast is just fine. You probably gave your digestive system a nice break. However, it takes a much longer fast to do anything significant.

  • I enjoy fasting and just came off a 20 day juice/water fast. IMHO, 20 hours won’t give you a whole lot of detox-but it is a starting point. I have been able to build up to 34 days. (this one was shorter due to the high energy demands of my 4 dc. I wasn’t effectively meeting their needs.) When I lived with The Twelve Tribes for awhile (twelvetribes.org) we fasted from dinner on Thurs til dinner on Friday. It was difficult for the 1st few weeks, but then it got easier. I have also found that if you have been raw for even a FEW WEEKS, you may have facilitated enough detox to make fasting easy and pleasant. You may need to build up to it. I would suggest by juicing for a weekend, when you don’t have a lot going on, or juicing for a week, but eating a salad for dinner, etc. You need to ease your body into it-if you really want the benefits of deeper detox. I will tell you that it can uncomfortable and down right PAINFUL at times. One time my body was scavenging scar tissue on a surgery site and another time I thought I was having an anyeurism (probably detoxing Ambien). But I suffered thru and as the other poster said, the benefits FAR outweighed the pain in the end. Good Luck!

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    zaphira-sheesh! You’re so much stronger than I am!

    I should mention that I seriously thought I was going to have brain damaged on the third night of my fast. That’s how painful my detox was. But the next day I felt so amazing(even after not sleeping at all) and wasn’t even tired.

  • personally, i believe that a water fast is unhealthy. when you fast you’re metabolism already slows down, and because there is a lack of energy involved in a water fast, you’re losing a lot of muscle mass.

    Most likely, you’ll also gain everything back that you’ve lost, after all, its water weight.

    I have juice fasted and have done the master cleanser twice every year for the last three years. Everytime, I have the energy to go on hikeful explorations and still be very relaxed.

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    meloe-well the one thing that water fasts do provide is a complete detox. absolutely not toxins are going into your body and all the stored toxins are coming out. I know juice fasts are very beneficial(I’ve done a five day one before) but the detox was nothing compared to my water fast.

    I did lose seven pounds of probably water weight but that wasn’t the point of the fast. Of course I gained it back(which I’m quite glad as I”m not over weight) but I do know I never felt more pure or fresh.

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