Very interesting reactions...

jenergyjenergy Raw Newbie

I’m 8 hours into a 24-hour water fast right now, and while I wouldn’t exactly say I’m struggling, I am having some really interesting mental stuff going on. I attempted this last weekend, but only made it about 5 hours before I kind of panicked or something and binged big time. I’ve been reading about fasting and contemplating it for a long time but haven’t ever decided to really do it for real. So what I’m noticing is that the physical sensation of being hungry isn’t actually that bad, but the little voice in my head telling me to EAT SOMETHING RIGHT NOW is getting very insistent. Honestly, it’s kind of taking me back to the days when I was drinking and struggling to stop. I’ve been sober for almost 4 years, and I know on an intellectual level that the cravings will stop, but emotionally I’m feeling a little freaked out. I was expecting this from last weekend’s attempt, so I’m able to deal with it this time and just sit with it and experience it instead of being weirded out by it… but boy is this harder than I thought it would be. Do any of you with water fasting experience have any thoughts to share? I think I’m not looking for advice so much as just what it was like for you. Is the mental battle this hard every time, or does it get easier? I’m determined to do this. I keep thinking about all the people who don’t have enough to eat, like EVERY DAY, and how much food I usually consume, and how I’ve never in my life been REALLY hungry… 24 hours isn’t going to kill me, and the cleansing benefits are so worth it. OK, I admit, basically I’m just obsessing about food, LOL!

Jen

Comments

  • jenergyjenergy Raw Newbie

    Thanks for the input, guys! I did spend all last week eating like you describe, lauraj – fresh, simple fruits & veggies, and I had two green smoothies yesterday before starting the fast. So I kind of eased into it. I don’t have a juicer, but I’m wondering if blending greens and fruits would have similar effects. More like eating, I know, because of the bulk, but still fresh and raw. I’m planning to break my fast with a green smoothie, heavy on the greens and light on the fruit. I cut up a couple of nectarines and popped them in the freezer this morning just for that.

    So… 20 hours and counting! I can’t believe I’m actually, really doing it. This morning when I woke up I had a pretty bad headache, but I don’t feel hungry anymore. It’s so interesting how that happens. Last night I felt like I was starving, and today I don’t even feel hungry. Weird. I do, however, feel very tired and my mind keeps wandering in the middle of things… scatterbrained! Hah.

    Jen

  • Good for you Jenergy. way to go! Your fast and getting past that initial hurdle is inspiring. I’d love a final update on how you felt throughout the whole thing once you’re done.

    LauraJ—Have you ever considered filling an empty winebottle and then pumping out the air? You’d also need a funnel I suppose. And then cleaning the wine bottles might be a bit tricky. But it would certainly limit oxidation. (To give credit where credit is due this was not my idea. I think I read it in one of Aajonus vonderplanitz’s strange books.)

  • Please tell us what happens. I have to sheepishly admit that though I’ve read a decent amount about the biochemistry of fasting I’ve never tried it either.

    When you say 24 hours is that counting sleep from the night before?

    You might enjoy an article I posted before on what happens to the body during the first few days of fasting. hmm… let’s see if I can link within the website here… water fasting post

    Basically the body uses up the glucose. then glycogen. then protein into glucose for a day. and then turns largely to fat stores.

  • kandacekandace Raw Newbie

    Hi jenergy,

    Please do let us know how the fast goes. The sensation of wanting to eat during a fast (but not necessarily being hungry) is pretty familiar. I found that going out for a long walk during regular meal times helps quite a bit.

  • From my own experience and everything I have read, it is best to start out 1 week prior just simple raw fruits and veggies (no nuts or fatty foods), then start a juice “fast”. Juicing fruits and veggies and greens is, in my opinion, the only sane way to cleanse. I, for one, cannot simply jump into a water fast. But juicing is different. It takes about 3 days before the hunger disappears via drinking as much fresh juice as you need, and after 1 week of this, you just kind of get into the zone and it becomes easy. Detox definitely occurs while juicing but will be more tolerable without the harsh side effects of water fasting, but detox is detox and I definitely feel it especially at first. Tongue gets coated white, you feel like crap and may be tired or irritable and just feel unwell, and you can literally feel the toxins running through your body like electricity. Skin takes on a pallor at first and may have a few breakouts. This is the time to rest and take it easy and drink a lot of juice. But eventually these symptoms disappear and you will start to feel much more detoxified, cleaner, lighter, happier. Weight loss can be as much as 3 lbs a day for the first few days then tends to drop to .5 to 1 lb a day after that while juicing. I recommend you research this on FreedomYou.com. I also want to add that although some enzymes are supposedly lost this way, I ALWAYS prepare my juice the night before, because if I wake up and don’t have fresh juice ready for me to drink, I might decide to grab the first thing available, and trust me, it won’t be juice. Also, on days you are really experiencing the detox blues, you might just feel too crappy and weak to make the juice at all, so you’ll want it ready each day. I put my fresh juice into a juice container the night before with the lid on it, then cover the top with tinfoil and a rubberband to seal it very well. Then the next day I will add water to dilute it before I drink it. It stays better if you don’t add any water to it the night before. Anyway, it works for me. Carrot juice helps when I am detoxing hard. Cantaloupe juice is also very stabalizing.

  • jenergyjenergy Raw Newbie

    Well, I did it. I actually completed a 24-hour water fast, I can hardly believe it. I feel a sense of accomplishment, and I’m proud of myself for sticking with something that was really hard for me. I’m glad I did it because now I’ve had that experience and I don’t have to wonder what it’s like anymore. Whether I’ll do it again or not… eh, I don’t know. I’m not sure at the moment if the benefits outweigh the discomforts or vice versa. By the time I made my break-fast smoothie yesterday (which, by the way, tasted more wonderful than anything I’ve ever ingested, LOL) I was in this kind of mental fog, and I felt like I was moving underwater, or in slow motion or something. I literally reached a point where I couldn’t think straight, I was so spaced out! Overall my reactions were varied… I lost 5 pounds, my face broke out, I had a crying jag for no apparent reason, my almost continual state of abdominal bloating is completely gone, and I’ve never felt as bone-weary exhausted as I did before I crawled into bed last night. So I’m on the fence regarding water fasting. I like the lighter feeling I have now, but really didn’t like the exhaustion and crazy emotional roller coaster. Also, the inability to focus my attention was extremely annoying. I probably should have tried to sleep through more of it, but with a 9-year old and a husband and a busy weekend schedule that’s pretty hard for me to do. I think next time I’ll try a 24-hour mono-meal experiment, probably watermelon.

  • Several religious rituals require a fast of several hours or even days, some fast all day and only eat after sundown etc. People in some countries generally only eat once or twice a day. Of course there are many millions of people who just don’t have food and wish they had your problems. Fasting is a good way to connect with your inner psyche, when I was struggling with health I fasted several times for 48 hours up to 72 hours with only water and a book to read. At first you tell yourself you are not hungry then it seems like you can stay fasting for days or even weeks. A couple of things however, as opposed to the advice of Kandace (sorry) you shouldn’t go on a walk when you are fasting. The idea is to give your body nothing to do but heal. Once you use your muscles to walk or do any other physical task you are taking the healing power away from the places that need to heal. The best thing to do is to read a book in your room at a table or couch. Take naps as often as possible and try to sleep as many hours you can. Every 2 hours you should drink 8 ounces of purified water. If you are sleeping then drink more when you rise.

  • jenergyjenergy Raw Newbie

    Thanks for the advice, SocaL. You know, while I was fasting I kept thinking about how so many people in the world don’t have enough to eat. It breaks my heart, especially children. And when I think about how privileged and pampered I am in comparison it’s almost sickening. Definitely humbling, anyway. I mean, here I am in my privileged life in my privileged country, going on a water fast “adventure”, pretty much just for kicks, knowing full well I can walk into my kitchen, open the fridge and start gorging any time I want, and going through so much angst over it. It’s gross. I totally get your point.

    I wonder if I would have a different experience if I tried it again and came at it from a spiritual perspective instead of just obsessing about the fact that I’m not eating. Well, duh.. of course I would. My mindset would be completely different. Hm. There’s something to think about.

    Jen

  • Congratulations of finishing the fast! I think it would be nice to do one out in the woods camping. I didn’t have anything except water for three days a couple years ago. It wasn’t that hard but like you said I was pretty spaced out and had to do a lot of stuff which made it pretty uncomfortable. I had a craving for goldfish crackers but when I ate them they weren’t good at all. I have done several others but like you said I haven’t been able to just stay home and do it the best way. Anyone trying this should really take it easy and have the best experience possible. Also celery juice and honey can be drunk to kill the appetite so it should be started off like that if hunger is going to be a big issue. Also celery is a really good nerve tonic and relaxer so it is recommended anytime really to calm the mind down. It’s a good thing you brought this up!

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