Fasting until breakfast tomorrow, lend your support!

[Leigh 87]

I am fasting from now until breakfast. I have never fasted before and it will mean a lot to me if I am able to do it.

 

PLEASE can you offer me your encouragment for the next 20 or so hours, so that I can hang in there and do it.

 

 

 

I have never fasted before, so this is going to be one of the hardest things I have had to do; besides getting my wisdome teeth out, all four of them at once haha.

 

I am a wimp and am not good with discomfort, but I know I have it in me TO BE STRONG, and so it WILL MEAN A LOT to me, personally, if I can proove myself wrong. I have wanted to fast for a long time, both and for health reasons and ethical reasons.

 

First of all, I really want to do it to give my body a break from digesting food. I am about to study nutrition in feb, and I want to become a Pilates matt teacher one day, and attaining optimal health through diet and exercise is who I am. I have not researched much about fasting, however, I know it must be good to give the body a rest from food every once in a while.

 

I eat healthy foods, but due to night eating in the past ( which was because I binged at night when I was underweight) - I still eat at night. My body has grown to expect food to sleep.

 

I do not have any work committments tomorrow, so I can afford to noto sleep well, due to the fast.

 

I have SO many magazines, with various pages unread, so I am going to go through ALL o fthem, and read the unread articles, and then cut out pictures I fancy and stick them in my collage book.

 

I am a lazy person and am not disciplined at setting and sticking to goals soo it would mean A LOT to me if I am able to fast until breakfast tomorrow.

 

I also want to do it to put things in perspective; there are starving people or people with little food, yet I have had a history with body image and food related mental illnesses.

 

I want to proove to myself that it is ONLY FOOD, and I can manage without it. I am a true hedonist, and I love expensive red wine and cheeses.

 

While it is good that I enjoy food and that I am very thankful for it, I want to be able to know what it feels like to have to go WITHOUT food. Just for about 20 hours.

 

I am a healthy weight ( 114.5 lbs 5 ' 5) and eat nutrient dense foods, and I have never fasted before, and I have already eaten 1500 caloris today; so I have fuel to sustain me until tomorrow:)

 

It is 2. pm and I ate my past meal about half hour ago. So I am only really skipping my dinner and evening snack:) AND I have already eaten my calorie requirements for the day.

 

 

 

 

PLEASE cheer for me, I have NEVER fasted before, so i will feel so good about myself if I am able to.

 

I had disordered eating in the past, but I never fasted, and I never underate; I was just obsessed with food and my weight.

 

 

I am going to a Pilates class at my gym later I think, and that is it. No exercising.

 

 

 

If I can sucessfully fast, I am going to treat myself to a full head of foils ( it is summer in Aus), and an eyebrow wax.

[Surrealist]

Leigh

 

I'm assuming this fast is complete abstinence from any kind of food or juices, with the exception of water? If not, correct me.

 

I have done a > 4 consecutive days water-only fast a long time ago. I knew someone else who could do it for 10 days straight while working a pretty physical job - crazy. The reasons for these such fasts back then were for spiritual reasons, but frankly I didn't feel it accomplished anything for me personally.

 

Anyway, what I use to tell myself when the hunger pains would strike is, it is only just that - a bit of pain, hunger pain but its not agony.

 

Drinking lots of water helps and besides, it flushes out the system a bit. No need to go crazy with the water though and give yourself hyponatremia (aka water toxicity).

 

Good luck with it.

[Leigh 87]

Thanks Steve, I am doing this fast for my own personal reasons, and for these reasons it is very important to me that I am able to fast.

 

I am not a spiritual person, I just want to be able to take a bit discomfort not and again.

 

I also eat at night, and want to just give my body a break from digesting food. It only gets to rest for 7 hours at the most, my body does, seeing as I eat at night.

 

I no longer eat because I am hungry at night, either lol.

 

Here is my plan starting from tomorrow:

 

BREAKFAST: Always a green smoothie ( big of raw greens blended with frozen fruit, with a few raw walnuts or almonds sprinkled on top)

 

SNACKS ( I prefer breakfast, snacks, then dinner, rather than 3 large meals)

 

- two boiled eggs

 

- small tin of tuna or salmon

 

- Sweet potato cut into french fries, dipped in goats yogurt or nut butter

 

- nut butter, up to 3 tbsps, alone or mixed with a teespoon of honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar.

 

- Sprouted rye essene bread ( although I am going without grains until X mas because I have overloaded on them this year and want a brief rest off of them)

 

- 2 glasses of red wine ( do prefer to do it less often, but have two glasses instead of just one)

DINNER OPTIONS:

 

- palm sized portion of red meat, fish, or chicken, with a hand full of greens if I fancy.

 

 

EVENING SNACKS ( a 10 pm small snack may help stop my urge to eat at 1 pm lol)

 

- ONLY OPTION is plain raw nuts LOL - that way I am eating out of HUNGER, and not cos I want to use food as a means of enjoyment. I have pkenty of time for the during the day:)

 

- OCCASIONALLY a glass or two of red wine is fine at night, too.

 

 

 

 

If I eat like that, then I will expect to see improvements in my skin and body: I already exercise and avoid sugar and chemicals in foods, so stepping up my diet even more will hopefully work well.

 

 

For me, it is no effort to eat the ideal foods; the only weakness I have is for raw organic chocolate - as I crave it during stressful times.

 

Besides chocolate, I only crave and feel like meats, sweet potato, fruit smoothies, and I LOVE nut butters.

 

 

So that should help me stick to my new diet.

[Green]

Good luck with your fasting. Make sure you just sip on water through out the day... just make sure you don't drink to much water like surealest said... but slowly sipping on it should help with the hunger.

[Seamless74]

I dont get it,,,

[Green]

Aren't you a recovering anorexic? Shouldn't the last thing you be doing is fasting? =/

 

I think she said multiple times she was never anorexic. Nothing wrong with fasting for one single day don't tell me you've never done it

[sweetjasmine]

however, I know it must be good to give the body a rest from food every once in a while.

 

Why do you believe that?

[Green]

Why do you believe that?

 

why don't you believe it. The psychological and physical rejuvinating effects of fasting is one of the most widely held beliefs in this world incorporated into the 3 major religions. Not to mention scientific studies that show fasting promotes good health. (when controled of course) (extended fasting of course is bad)

[Seamless74]

uh... thats great but what if you dont believe in the 3 major religeons.. I dont see how that can be good for you.

[Green]

uh... thats great but what if you dont believe in the 3 major religeons.. I dont see how that can be good for you.

 

do you believe in scientific research? Do you believe in a person being able to TRY something like this and see for themselves how it makes them feel?

[Green]

The only time I have fasted is for medical reasons, usually for lab work. Other than that I do the usual burn more cals than take in. I enjoy food too much to fast even for the heck of it.

 

It has medical and psychological benifits. It doesn't make you anorexic to fast for the amount of time she has planned.

 

Fasting for medical reasons is required as surgery carries risk of vometing and blood work some how gets effected by food... which right there shows you scientific reasons for fasting so why is it so hard for you to imagine there are more.

[Leigh 87]

I was anorexic about 5 years ago, for a very brief period ( 5 months or so).

 

Since that time, I have just had a disordered relationship with food, but not anorexia.

 

I have never fasted before. The past four years I have been a tiny bit too slim for stints, but not damgerously so at all - but I ate the recommended amount of calories to maintain that slim weight - I did not eat under what is recommended. I wa sjust a little too thin.

 

I never fasted though. I just ate a normal amount, but to maintain a weight that was a tiny bit too thin for me ( 110 lbs for a 32 D 5 ' 5 women).

 

I have no idea what it is like to go without my dinner, let alone what it is like to go a full 24 hours without food. As I said, I have been a few lbs below my healthy weight range, but I never restricted calories or fasted.

 

 

I wonder if I will be able to even sleep one hour lol. Doubt it. I actuallly am due for my period ( albiet, a very light artificial period, as I cannot get hem naturally due to PCOS and my hormones are ruined from being too thin in the past).

 

Even without a natural or heavy period, I still fel more bloated than usual when I get my " artifical", pill induced period. So perhaps because I am feeling a little " periods like", and a little bleugh, not eating until breakfast will appeal more to me, seeing as I am already up in water weight lol.

 

 

Honestly though - people talk about how they can fast for A DAY OR MORE - yet, here I am, and I cannot even fathom being able to GO WITHOUT DINNER, and WITHOUT NIGHT EATING until breakfast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

I think part of my aversion to ever going without food, and having to have a small snack at night, stems from the fact I HAVE been slender the past few years; some times healthily slender, other times a few lbs below what is healthy for me.

 

I have felt that because I am in the low end of my healthy range ( still healthy but the LOWEST healthy weight, no weight to spare really), that I some how need food more regularly than the people in the MIDDLE of their healthy weight ranges.

 

 

 

I guess I want to end my paranoia, and I also want to use this " fast" as a way to proof to myself that even though I am iron deficient and feel fragile about it, that I CAN even withstand a small fast - that my body is not in fact, weak.

 

 

I Just remember back to when I was slightly underweight. I felt weak and I felt that I needed food at night, to sustain me to the next day.

 

 

I am definitly too slender to fast for long periods, but 24 hours should be fine. Although my frist attempt will be more like............ What is 2 pm until 5 or 6 am in the morning? I hate maths. Although I was never bad at it.

[Leigh 87]

Hahahaha - I suck at fasting.

 

I went to the gym, did a Pilates class, and went for a half hour run.

 

got home, was not hungry, but had a frozen raw food bar - Got back at about 9.20 pm.

 

I should have had an egg and spinach omlette, but I was hot from running ( not that I call 11 kilometres per hour RUNNING lol!), and I felt like a frozen raw food bar - literally frozen in the freezer.

 

 

 

SO I ended up using common sense, and just ate healthily and exercised, instead of fasting.

 

I just cannot fast. I am not working or studying, so it is hard for me to distract myself from food.

 

My aim in life is to NOT think of food unless I am hungry and need it - so fasting is not something I have ever been able to do. i would rather not be hungry, and eat, and not think of food.

 

So I had a very clean vegan day today - I am not a vegan, but I ended up eating that way.

 

I had :

 

Apricots

 

Apples

 

Sweet potato baked in olive oil

 

Large glass of green smoothie ( raw spinach, sprouts, with frozen raspberries

 

And two raw energy bars over the day ( for protein )

 

I also drunk a bottle of water.

 

 

And I:

 

Went for a walk with my dad in the sun ( good for skin)

 

did Pilates, and went for a run for 30 mins.

 

 

Weighed myself and have not gained any weight

 

 

Tomorrow I WILL have protein for dinner though - I am having organic steak. - I do not like to eat vegan all the time.

 

 

 

 

 

I simply cannot fast - I do not like to have to think about food, and when I have tried to fast before, it just makes me think of food more.

 

 

So I just worked out, and ate a healthy snack at dinner.

 

And I guess if I am hungry at night, I will put 100 calories of raw nuts nexct to my bed, so that way I will not go eating to kill boredom at night if I cannot sleep. Because I will only permit myself to east raw macadamias which r boring lol. Tasty,. but not like expensive cheese and red wine I have enjoyed at midnight in the past.

[knaveman]

Hahahaha - I suck at fasting.

 

I went to the gym, did a Pilates class, and went for a half hour run.

 

got home, was not hungry, but had a frozen raw food bar - Got back at about 9.20 pm.

 

I should have had an egg and spinach omlette, but I was hot from running ( not that I call 11 kilometres per hour RUNNING lol!), and I felt like a frozen raw food bar - literally frozen in the freezer.

 

 

 

SO I ended up using common sense, and just ate healthily and exercised, instead of fasting.

 

I just cannot fast. I am not working or studying, so it is hard for me to distract myself from food.

 

My aim in life is to NOT think of food unless I am hungry and need it - so fasting is not something I have ever been able to do. i would rather not be hungry, and eat, and not think of food.

 

So I had a very clean vegan day today - I am not a vegan, but I ended up eating that way.

 

I had :

 

Apricots

 

Apples

 

Sweet potato baked in olive oil

 

Large glass of green smoothie ( raw spinach, sprouts, with frozen raspberries

 

And two raw energy bars over the day ( for protein )

 

I also drunk a bottle of water.

 

 

And I:

 

Went for a walk with my dad in the sun ( good for skin)

 

did Pilates, and went for a run for 30 mins.

 

 

Weighed myself and have not gained any weight

 

 

Tomorrow I WILL have protein for dinner though - I am having organic steak. - I do not like to eat vegan all the time.

 

 

 

 

 

I simply cannot fast - I do not like to have to think about food, and when I have tried to fast before, it just makes me think of food more.

 

 

So I just worked out, and ate a healthy snack at dinner.

 

And I guess if I am hungry at night, I will put 100 calories of raw nuts nexct to my bed, so that way I will not go eating to kill boredom at night if I cannot sleep. Because I will only permit myself to east raw macadamias which r boring lol. Tasty,. but not like expensive cheese and red wine I have enjoyed at midnight in the past.

 

I've only fasted a couple of times and only for 24 hours, but my advice would be to not give up and keep trying. Try not exercising next time and instead focus only on fasting, do one thing at a time. Drink lots of water. If you want to try this again I, and maybe others, could fast along with you and offer support.

[Leigh 87]

CAn we arrange a day when I am not working, where I can fast together?

 

I would really appreciate a fasting support group!

 

 

I just really like the idea of giving my body a full 24 hour rest from food! I really, really want to do it.

 

I would be able to do it if others did it with me, for sure.

 

I work every day for the next two weeks, but I have next MONDAY OFF.

 

 

Any one up for fasting on Monday?

[Leigh 87]

Come on guys! Lets do a 24 hour fast, from Sunday Lunch time, until Monday Lunchtime.

 

I work Sunday, If I ate lunch, I would be able to still work that day without feeling hungry lol.

 

 

please please please guys I would so love to do this together!

 

Seriously - i have neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeever fasted before, and feel pathetic for not being able to do it loL!!

 

It would be a real personal achievement for me if I fasted 24 hrs!

[knaveman]

CAn we arrange a day when I am not working, where I can fast together?

 

I would really appreciate a fasting support group!

 

 

I just really like the idea of giving my body a full 24 hour rest from food! I really, really want to do it.

 

I would be able to do it if others did it with me, for sure.

 

I work every day for the next two weeks, but I have next MONDAY OFF.

 

 

Any one up for fasting on Monday?

 

I'd be up for that, but I work on Monday. My support would be limited to Sunday and that's it. I would be up for a Sunday fast if you have one coming up soon. Either way, I'm flexible.

 

This would be a great warm up for my vegan/vegetarian month I'm planning.

[Leigh 87]

Sunday is fine - I work Saturday and Sunday ( I THINK?) and I will try to make my last meal during work on Saturday, and then fast until that same time the following day?

 

 

I will find out and confirm my working hours, how does sound?

 

Have you ever fasted before? I haven't, but I would feel a great sense of accomplishment if I suceeded!

 

 

 

I am not going to eat tonight at night - I ate extra today, a little over what I need ( perhaps 300 caloris above what I need to maintain 114.4 pounds?)

 

So yeah. Get back to me on the fasting! It would be so helpful if you did it with me!

[knaveman]

I really want to do this but this weekend is looking worse and worse for me. I'll let you know about next weekend if you like. Maybe we could take a week and drum up some more support.

[loverofloveandstuff]

I will fast with you! Actually there are some really great fasting forums online which offer a whole network of support. You might get better advice than on this forum as there are people who are knowledgeable on fasting for health whereas ls seems to be home to many fasting skeptics. It's usually those who know absolutely nothing about it and haven't tried it that knock it. I am open to all opinions as long as they are informed ones.

 

I love to watch youtube videos of others fasting for motivation when I'm on a fast. I remember I came across this girl at the start of the year, this is an example of when fasting goes TOO far. This woman is crazzzyy, she is fasting for God or something.

 

Anyways, fasting IME is great. It gives your digestive system a rest which enables your body to heal if need be. That's why people lose their appetite when they're sick. The body is trying to put it's energy into healing rather than digesting food. My skin is always so radiant after a fast!

 

I prefer juice fasting to dry or water fasting. The process of detoxification is a lot slower but I can sustain it for a longer period of time.

 

I have also tried intermittent fasting - eating one large meal a day. Leigh, maybe you could try this before you start a juice/water/dry fast. There are many great benefits and it supposed to promote health and long life. Do some googling if you're interested.

[Leigh 87]

Tomorrow I am fasting, from breakfast time early morning ( I need energy for my yoga class), until lunch time the next day.

 

 

Does the hunger become tollerable after a while?

 

 

I am a weak and lazy person and I do not deal with pain or discomfort well. I will not like the hunger at first, but is it something that you get used to towards the end of the fast?

[PegNosePete]

An ex-alcoholic would not go on a 24-hour drinking binge, even after 5 years sobriety.

I think an ex-anorexic going on a 24-hour non-eating spree is a really, really bad idea.

[Els]

It has medical and psychological benifits. It doesn't make you anorexic to fast for the amount of time she has planned.

 

Fasting for medical reasons is required as surgery carries risk of vometing and blood work some how gets effected by food... which right there shows you scientific reasons for fasting so why is it so hard for you to imagine there are more.

 

Medicine has never advocated a 20-hour fast for health to 'give the body a break from digesting food', quote the OP. FYI, the only reason you fast before a blood test is because eating temporarily raises blood glucose (which you physiologically NEED). Fasting blood glucose levels are easier to standardize than random/postprandial blood glucose due to variable level of glucose in food, thus you are merely fasting to obtain a more accurate result.

 

I repeat, fasting has never been accepted in modern medical science as beneficial to health. A healthy, balanced, controlled diet is - but not fasting.

 

On the other hand, I do know people who have derived significant spiritual benefits from fasting, and assuming that the OP has no medical conditions which would contraindicate a fast, there should be no physical harm done by her fast. All the best, OP.

[Els]

I will fast with you! Actually there are some really great fasting forums online which offer a whole network of support. You might get better advice than on this forum as there are people who are knowledgeable on fasting for health whereas ls seems to be home to many fasting skeptics. It's usually those who know absolutely nothing about it and haven't tried it that knock it. I am open to all opinions as long as they are informed ones.

 

I've been through 4 years of pharmacy school; bf is a practising doctor and agrees with my viewpoint. What's your source/credentials?

[Leigh 87]

Thanks so much for your opinions guys!

 

LOVEOFLOVEANDSTUFF - I will do a fast with u, that would be awsome! How about a post X mas fast? Although I will not eat outside of the norm on X mas any ways - so I do not need to detox or anything haha. but you might?

 

Let me know when ya wanna fast:)

 

REGARDING ANOREXIA- I had anorexia over 4 years ago, and I was anorexic for less than 5 months. My weight did not get severley low.

 

I suffered from a disordered mentality AFTER the initial encounter with anorexia, but I was NEVER badly anorexic, and have not been for years.

 

 

 

ELSWYTH - Thanks a lot for sharing you and your parttners viewpoints - a lot of experts also agree with you... On the other hand, many people feel food after they fast, and feel that they benifit from it when they do it occasionally.

 

Although there are people who fast for DAYS at a time, and claim that it is such a good thing to do; I WOULD DIE. Literally. I have a muscular, medium body frame, and I am slim for my frame..... and if I fasted, I would literally not have enough reserved to last for more than a couple of days I dont think haha! I am far from skin and bones, but my body type is naturally not skinny, so I AM at the " skin and bones point" for MY body type.

 

 

I only want to fast to see if I feel any benifits from doing it oncer every couple of months. The SOUL reason I want to do it now, is so I can reinforce the notion of only s eeing food for what it is; fuel to be enjoyed, but that should not be something I use emotionally very often.