Fasting, and my irrefultable results.

Wow This thread is fascinating.

So much unprovoked testimonial.
So many of the same things repeated.. Words of wisdom that we should all have been taught in kindergarten.
Chew your food...very slowly, choosing to eat only foods which haven't been disrespected by argibusiness (many reasons), vitamins are ineffective (I once read they contain, "All of the intelligence with none of the wisdom") etc., etc.,

One of the big ones for me is this NO GRAIN movement... I swear out of nowhere has appeared this message of the evils of grain. Not carbs either which has been fashionable in recent history to abstain from, but our most destructive product of agriculture; grain.

FASTING! I'm going to try it... it's so logical it hurts to realize how misled we are as a species... It reminds me of some of the healthiest men I know whom are hard workers which eat maybe once a day (Much to the chagrin of peers, wives etc. [and why?]).

Indeed the biggest obstacle keeping me from fasting would be having to explain myself to my friends, coworkers, girlfriend, etc...I have a hard enough time trying not to sound like a cooky-woo-woo-hippy around my neck of the woods already lol... I'll be trying it though and I'll post before and after pics just in honor of ATS even.

I when for a 5 year time frame and fasted 2 1/2 years of that by fasting every second day. I've pulled back for awhile from that lifestyle but will be back on it again soon. I'd eat normally when I did eat and from it I've got amazing health, metal focus, ect. For those who have a hard time with long stints this may be an alternative to try, works great for me.

I have done several 10-day water fasts, a 7 day and a 20-day, and here are some of the things I experience.

The first thing I will say is that you need to drink, drink, drink as much as you can. If you feel hungry, then you are not drinking enough water. After the first few days (3-4) your hunger will disappear and will not come back (it is said in the reading I have done) until your body is ready to come off the fast. This could be 3-4 weeks or more depending...

You need to keep drinking water to flush out the toxins and keep the body able to function properly.

The first 3-4 days are when your gut is shutting down and the enzymes are stopping because there is no food to process. During that time, ideally you should be getting rid of as much accumulated gunk in your gut as you can by whatever means. Some people have colonic irrigation, some people do enemas, some people dont do anything, but the point is that as you fast, your body goes through a clearing out of old toxic waste. Your organs of elimination, lungs, liver, kidneys, gut, all want to eliminate as much rubbish as they can. This means that you may see all kinds of strange things going on. Just to gross you out, some people have seen worms appearing due to nothing to eat.

In Chinese medicine, the tongue is an indicator of the state of your gut and digestive system (I think). Each time I fasted, I watched my tongue get to a proper pink colour. My breath was pretty smelly for the first few days while the gut shut down too. My wife also said that I smelled differently and it was like living with another guy. As you all know, food plays an important role in our cultural 'smell' so that when you are not eating your normal food, then you will not have the same smell as others still eating. We are all animals at heart really !

* * * * * *

DANGER

* * * *
They say that your stomach will shrink to the size of a large walnut, so when you come off a longer fast >4 days, you should spend at least a week getting back to eating food again. DANGER - PEOPLE HAVE DIED because they do not come off a fast properly. The first day you need to drink 1/2cup fruit juice topped up with water (obviously this is what you drink for the whole day multiple times, not just one cup in the whole day!), next day one cup fruit juice alternated with one cup water, then next day very easy to digest fruit, then gradually more solid food. The people who have died because they ate stupidly and if you think about it, your body needs time to start producing the enzymes it needs to start digesting food again.
* * * * * * DANGER * * * *

Where I am, I can only drink bottled water and currently I can only go about 10 days without being sick from the water. I believe this is due to my body becoming purer and rejecting the water or the stuff they put in the water to purify it. I have tried distilled water and this has the same effect, so now I just do as long as I can and then stop the fast.

In the 1920's there were loads of clinics which used fasting to cure people of all kinds of diseases and illnesses but gradually the medical authorities have closed all these down - partly I believe, because it is bad for business and partly due to the fact that the medical profession needs to remain in control of our bodies. Fasting, done correctly and safely, is a natural way to overcome almost any disease - as long as yoyu have not become too weak before going on the fast. Some people wait until they have tried all the other treatments, such as chemotherapy. (which destroys the immune system as well as possibly the cancer) One of the first signs that an animal is ill will be that it does not eat, so this is a natural reaction to illness.

The soil and health org is an excellent resource for all the old fasting books which - if you are serious about doing it, you should read at least 3 different viewpoints from the doctors who ran these clinics. ( soilandhealth.org... )

Also curezone has some useful information but you have to pick and choose who you believe.

Originally posted by Isabelx
I love this thread, S&F!

I do have one question for you, if you will; at anytime during your fasting period, have you ever been nauseated and/or vomiting?

A few months ago, I fasted for 3 days.. and on the 3rd day, I woke up vomiting repeatedly. I could barely get out of bed, that's how terrible the nausea was.. this scared me off of longer-term fasting until I can feel confident enough to handle this should it arise again (though, I still do fast 24 hours at least once per week).

I haven't seen many others stating that they felt this way.. only energetic and stronger instead.

edit on 14-6-2012 by Isabelx because: (no reason given)

This is natural, this happens when your body starts getting rid of the toxins you have accumulated for all your life.

I used to fast as well, but for a week instead of two.

You have to listen to your body. Everybody is different and your body might react differently than mine, or the OP's.

There are people who think that people who fast don't do anything. But I worked like normal, worked out, and felt great, after the first three days. At first you will shake a little, be weakened a little, and then you will start vomiting all the toxins. This is the reaction of your body cleaning itself of toxins, whihc is why you feel weak at first, and have the shakes.

At first you might have a problem sleeping in the first 2 or 3 days and only sleep about 5 hours or so, but later it gets better and you can sleep like a baby.

Also, to break the fasting you have to do it slowly, first by eating soups, or protein shakes twice a day and such for a day or two, then gelatin dessert or yogurt twice a day and such for the next day or two, and slowly making your diet from liquids to stronger stuff. About the 4th day or so you can eat stuff like rice and beans with a boiled egg or two for a day or two, and the next day a steak, if you want, and a salad.

Contrary to popular belief salads are hard to digest, just like meats.

Originally posted by imagineering
My very own doctor demonized the notion of refraining from food, he was fat by the way.

You get a star just for that line right there!!

Congratulations! Most Americans are too addicted to grains or sugar to even consider fasting!

People need to realize that in the wild, you don't get to have access to food and chips and sugary sodas any time your little heart desires! There are times you might go for a week or more without food or very little food!

This is the time your body repairs itself, because digestion is second in line for energy consumption after the brain! If you eat all the time, your immune system suffers!

I have fasted myself and felt fantastic. I was able to sleep without medication too!! It was amazing!

When you aren't fasting, consider this man's way of eating. I feel amazing eating by his guidelines. (I just can't find raw milk.. )

I don't recommend exercising while fasting. If you exercise during fasting, you'll burn even more calories due to exercising, in addition to the ones from the fast(hence the OP was able to lose 50 lbs). You say, what's so bad about that? Well, let's say you want to treat a disease like cancer, then you'll want to be able to give the body as much time as possible, as the body only cleans itself while you sleep(and it cleans the side that is opposite to the side that you lie on.) You want to give the body as many days as possible, until it eventually finds the cancerous lump and cleans it out.

Without enough fat reserves, then you cannot fast for too long. In fact, you can only do a long fast(30+ days) once. In order to fast like that again(at least on exclusively nothing but water), then you'll need to store up enough fat to do that. The thing is, if you start eating healthy, then the body won't even store that fat. So you can see that if you lose too much stored fat too quickly, it can actually "harm" you, in the sense that you cannot repeat this process again, unless you voluntarily eat unhealthy again.

As far as burning your organs, well, it's said that as a last resort, and by that I mean absolutely last resort, as in it has nothing else to burn, then the body will burn the heart muscles. Basically, without anything to burn, the body burns itself.

Re-reading through these comments, it reminds me of what I read before when I first looked into fasting.

Animals, when they are sick, do not eat. They purge themselves of the toxins in them. They wait until all the illness has gone before eating again but they do drink.
For some reason, humans are under the belief that eating will make you well again.
If it works for animals...?

Reply to post by imagineering

Eating wrong isn't my problem with weight, its this damned internet lol.
Im not over weight but I have gained since i became addicted to reading ATS. :p

I mostly eat 1 meal a day so basically were you fast for 2 weeks and then eat right (3 meals a day?) For the next 2 weeks, I balance it out. I havent been sick for a few years, not even a sore throat. The worst i've had was a running nose here and there through the years, but I don't believe this has anything to do with the way I eat, I just have an excellent immune system.

If I replaced internet with exercise, like I should be doing, I would have the results like you listed in your OP


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

reply to post by imagineering


You mean you just drink water for two weeks and don't eat? I could see losing 50lbs. that way, although I wouod be extremely hungry fasting and would not be sure if it would be worth the trade-off. I don't kow if you're female of male but with males you want to be as big as you can or other guys will kick your @ss and steal your wife from you. Fasting will turn any man into a stickboy who will then be bullied. I guess clear thought would be great in that scenario, you would then know to run for your life from the guy who has 135lbs. on you. Smart!

Originally posted by knightsofcydonia

Originally posted by CosmicEgg
reply to post by knightsofcydonia

 

Who in their right mind would post photos of themselves like that for total strangers? I know I wouldn't. You guys are like a wake of buzzards. You'd tear the poor sod to pieces.

DON'T DO IT.

I guess we'll never know...

I have no issue with posting pics, but, if people would attack me it makes me think twice. If someone can U2U me on how to load pics that would be great thanks.

I used to do martial arts and fasting was part of a practice that would be done in our circle. It would last between 7 to 10 days and would be done alongside special breathing exercises and meditation. Here is something I noticed which I thought was very interesting. Everyone in the class agreed to go on a fast for 7 days (just water) and they had to be truthful if they broke it. Out of everyone in the class (all adults) the ones that could not do it all shared something in common…they were all overweight individuals.

Now this I thought was interesting because their body had more stored energy yet they could not make it through the fast. They all complained that they felt too weak and needed to eat. And yet there were some really skinny guys who did the 7 day fast and had little in the way of stored energy!

Originally posted by kat2684
OP, any tip for overcoming temptation? I'm not out of shape, but I want to test the waters with diets. I have a love affair with food, not sweets, I small meals constantly. I couldn't begin to pry myself away from food for so long, how did you do it?

Ah temptation...I remember all to clearly, I experienced such things during my handful of test runs, during that time I had to work up a resistance to things that tempted me. Expect to fail at first and do not be hard on yourself, but at the same time failure needs to lessen and the frequency of it should eventually come to be zero. I learned about myself in many ways when I began this adventure, I discovered how long my periods of temptation lasted, for me about 30 minutes, so during that time I would get as far away as possible from where my food was, and I would go for a long walk. This was a method I found worked for me.

I am still trying to catch up on some other questions to, but I appreciate all those who have added their opinions and fact based knowledge here.

Originally posted by Phenomium
reply to post by imagineering

 

You mean you just drink water for two weeks and don't eat? I could see losing 50lbs. that way, although I wouod be extremely hungry fasting and would not be sure if it would be worth the trade-off. I don't kow if you're female of male but with males you want to be as big as you can or other guys will kick your @ss and steal your wife from you. Fasting will turn any man into a stickboy who will then be bullied. I guess clear thought would be great in that scenario, you would then know to run for your life from the guy who has 135lbs. on you. Smart!

Very funny, well before I started fasting I was a fat, weak, unhealthy man. Right now I am in the best shape of my life and my wieght loss has revealed that underneath all the blubber I had a healthy set of muscles.
I truly have not experienced some of the things many people have poste here, but the opposite actually.
I feel great.
Im stronger.
My endurance is, well seems un-ending.
Though I do not disagree with some of the results people here have had, passing out, vomitting etc.
I just plainly have not experienced any adverse side effects from my fasting. Fasting has been the key for me, to break away from so many other things that have held me back mentally and physically.
I would tell anyone to give fasting an honest try for atleat a week and then I am sure that they will be seeing through the eyes of an amazing clarity.
The fast-food fog will be gone!!

reply to post by imagineering


Wow you alternate two week eating to two weeks fasting? Impressive ...

I water fasted once for a week. I know that probably seems like nothing to you but it was a major accomplishment for me. Fasting I find is very difficult. I started numerous fast only to give in on the 3rd or 4th day. When I finally made it a week I was proud of my self control. I simply can't imagine doing a 2 week fast every 2 weeks

Oh yeah I had to stand up slowly unless I wanted to lay down quickly

Originally posted by JRedBeard

Indeed the biggest obstacle keeping me from fasting would be having to explain myself to my friends, coworkers, girlfriend, etc...I have a hard enough time trying not to sound like a cooky-woo-woo-hippy around my neck of the woods already lol... I'll be trying it though and I'll post before and after pics just in honor of ATS even.

I busted out laughing when I read this, so true my friend. So I eventually came to a place where I only let my wife know, she gets upset sometimes because during the time I fast we get invited to many dinners and we have to decline or she goes alone.
My wife is enjoying the new energy now and the revealing of a "new" body. No longer is she snuggling the nutty professor....

Originally posted by MegaMind
reply to post by imagineering

 

Wow you alternate two week eating to two weeks fasting? Impressive ...

I water fasted once for a week. I know that probably seems like nothing to you but it was a major accomplishment for me. Fasting I find is very difficult. I started numerous fast only to give in on the 3rd or 4th day. When I finally made it a week I was proud of my self control. I simply can't imagine doing a 2 week fast every 2 weeks

Oh yeah I had to stand up slowly unless I wanted to lay down quickly

edit on 15-6-2012 by MegaMind because: (no reason given)

I respect anyone who can go a week, even a few days. Its hard to do, and not many people can do it.

S&F for this incredible post OP! Before reading this, I never knew such a thing was possible. I was too brainwashed by the medical sciences, claiming that nutrition should be either 3x big meals a day or multiple time (10x or more) small "snacks" throughout the day and that it was an absolute necessity.

I really want to try this because of the obvious benefits described in the OP but I have a big problem.
I am underweight (about 7-10kg underweight - Thats 15-22 pounds!) and I fear doing this will make that even worse. I can't seem to gain weight no matter what I try. It's driving me crazy!

I want the positive mental attitude change achieved by the OP but I do not want to become even more under-weight. If possible, I want to gain around 12 kg (25 pounds) and reach my healthy weight and at the same time make the positive mental/energy switch.

Any advice PLEASE?


IT---

Originally posted by imagineering
1. I lost 50lbs.
2. The "fog" that consumed my mind went away, I got off my anxiety medication.
3. I feel stronger, and I can run for over an hour, jogging pace.
4. My over all health improved in all respects.
5. No more high blood pressure medicine.
6. I look great.
7. I sleep very very good, no more insomnia or waking up 50 times during the night.
8. My endurance in the bedroom is limitless it seems (wife loves this)
9. My mental powers, reasoning, problem solving, contemplation, emotional stability are 100 times better.

Given the diet of most Americans, it's hardly surprising eating nothing - in lieu of shít - would make one feel better.

But, that's hardly an endorsement for depriving one's body of fuel and nutrients.

reply to post by edog11


You may be underweight for the same reasons others are overweight. Every body reacts differently because we are not struck from the same mold. What's right for one may not be right for another at all, even to the point of fatality.

Fasting doesn't deprive your body. It gives your body a chance to rest and heal. No one starves to death during fasting. I defy anyone to find evidence of any rational being having that result. You will not be deprived of any nutrition. Your organs store an amazing amount of survival stock. You will be just fine.

The reason for your being underweight may be parasites, which fasting will definitely bring to the surface, so to speak. It could as well be an illness that you're hitherto unaware of that is sapping all your reserves. Or you could just be naturally slim and you'll need to bulk out deliberately to fit some preconceived idea of how you "should" be. Do you have any problems with food at all? Is your bowel function normal? Stools are normal?

My own children were always considered underweight and still are, but we eat exceedingly well so there is no problem with their health. They just don't fit in the "normal" range. We don't get sick either, and medical science doesn't like that much.

You can fast without any worries. It may help you, as I said. Try it and find out!

Originally posted by Sablicious

Originally posted by imagineering

But, that's hardly an endorsement of depriving one's body of fuel and nutrients.

edit on 15-6-2012 by Sablicious because: (no reason given)

Your opinion is duly noted. My results are here and real and have worked very well for me. Thank you.