Fasting
Fasting
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Fasting
How much weight will I lose?
Weight loss can initially be as high as three to four pounds per day, much of it water, but as the fast continues, the average loss will be one pound per day. If you are juice fasting and not losing weight, the juice is supplying all the calories you need. You may have to cut down on the juices or alternate between water fasting and juice fasting if losing weight is part of your goal. The slower your metabolism, the slower the weight loss.
Will I get too thin?
If you are thin or at average weight and you fast for 30 days on juice or 10 days on water, ribs will show, face will become gaunt, friends and family will notice. It is imperative not to eat a lot after the fast because the body will quickly re-gain the lost weight during the next 10 days.
Instead, ease yourself onto food by gradually incorporating fruit and veg in your diet.
Metabolism is normalized due to the cleansing process. It is very important not to try to gain weight too quickly. The body can rebuild only at a set rate. Overeating will burden the body and undermine the rebuilding process.
Will fasting shrink my stomach?
From years of over-filling the stomach, it is no surprise that the muscles supporting the tummy have lost its natural elasticity, stretched out of shape. People with large protruding stomachs need more food to feel full, out-eating their need. Fasting helps recover the stomach's natural elasticity, restoring a flat stomach. You will be satisfied on less food, tummy in proportionate size to the body’s caloric requirement.
Absence of Food and State
Fasting refers to the complete absence of Food, only Water. Short-Term Fasting
In general, fasts should be conducted for no longer than 28 days, with most fasts 21 days or less.
Long fats (for more than 42 days), are both unnecessary, and potentially dangerous. A prolonged fast, for more than 2-3 months, is called Starvation! Although most of the miraculous' benefits of fasting do result from 3-5 days or more but 7-14 days, that's "healing".
Although days 1-7 are quite benefitial to be sure, days 7-14 are truly tremendous, with the benefits from days 14-21 becoming extreme. Days 21-28 are nothing than a complete regeneration of the body. Literally erasing years of aging. (Where the true "Miracles of fasting" take place).
Medium-Term Fasting
Medium fasts (Between 28-42 days), although certainly possible, and frequently performed by dedicated fasters. The benefits of a 35 day fast are absolutely astonishing!
Fasting and Ketone Bodies
After the third day of a fast, the body begins to make ketone bodies in the liver (Enters ketosis). In the absence of food (Energy), Ketone bodies are produced by the body as an alternate energy source. Normally, ketone levels in the blood are less than 0.2mm.
After several days of fasting they approach 3.0mm, and steadily rise thereafter. Importantly, never eat, even an extremely amount of food during a fast. This will quickly shift the body out of ketosis, back to its normal metabolism of glucose (food), decreasing ketone bodies, decreasing growth hormone and increasing hunger.
Fasting and Hunger Levels
The only challenge to fasting, and a challenge for many it is, is completing the first 1-5 days.
During days 1-5 hunger levels can flucuate from average, to well above average many actually experience their greatest hunger on day 3 (Just prior to ketosis, when both blood sugar, and ketone body levels, are lowest). After day 3, hunger levels noticeably decrease.
After day 5, hunger levels, and the "desire" for food in general (So strong initially), dramatically decrease.
After day 10, hunger levels, for the most part, are non-existent.
Fasting and Energy Levels
During days 1-5, energy levels can flucuate from average to well below average (Feeling light headed, at times, is not uncommon). During days 5-10, energy levels very noticeably improve after day 10, with sharply elevated levels of both growth hormone, and ketone bodies, energy levels are tremendous, as is mental clarity.
Fasting and Weight Loss
Expect (in general) to lose 1 pound each day of fasting!
Fasting and Starvation
Contrary to what many people believe, fasting is not starvation. During the fast, the body is breaking down the non-essential tissue (Fat) for energy. While conserving essential tissue. Starvation, is the point where the body has used up all of its non-essential tissues (Reserves) ,and begins to break down its own essential tissues. This point (The point of starvation), even for the average individual (Of normal weight), takes quite some time to reach (Some 42 days or more).
Fasting and severely restrictive diets
Prolonged, severely restrictive diets are extremely unhealthy, in many cases, even life threatening. Unlike fasting, the body never completely enters ketosis (A fundamental process in sparing essential tissue from breaking down). The result, severely restrictive diets cause the body to lose a much greater percentage of lean body tissue (Essential tissue) than a complete fast. Over time (Once body reserves become dangerously low), lean body tissue (Essential tissue) eventually become used as an energy source. Prolonged, severely restrictive diets, are essentially just a slow form of starvation.
Fasting and Calorie Restriction
Calorie restricted (10-30%) diets are extremely healthy. Unlike severly restricted diets, the bodies energy (Food) needs are restricted just enough to result in sharply elevated levels of growth hormone, while eliminating the need to break down essential tissues.
Recommended Fasting Schedule
Definitely include short-term fasting (1-28 days) into your schedule. Your body will begin to literally "grow younger" before your eyes, especially, after day 10.
Discipline and Determination
Suppressing hunger (During days 1-5), one of life's greatest drives, is not easy for most!
Eliminating food (During the fasting period), one of life's greatest pleasures, is not easy for most! However, those that have the discipline, and determination, wil have tremendous to extreme healthy benefits awaiting them!
No Pain No Gain
With the exceptions of days 1-5, particulary day 3, fasting is not nearly as difficult as one might imagine (In fact, after day 10, quite pleasurable). Remember too, exercise (Discussed next), also associated with some degree of self sacrifice to promote health, pales in comparison to fasting in terms of health benefits. In fact, one could perform 1-3 annual (14-28) fasts, or calorie restrict (10-30%), never exercise again, and achieve a state of health that no form or amount of exercise could ever accomplish.
The good and bad on fasting:
• it focuses the body on burning up and clearing toxins.
• Its great for loosing weight!!!
• Breaks down cancer cells and other illnesses
• Also breaks down....built up chemicals, BODY FAT, and transformed fatty acids.
1. you have to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day
2. you have to stay exercise as your body gets weak
3. You will suffer from dizziness, especially when getting up from sitting or laying down,
4. May cause black outs if you go for a long fast
5. Juice fast can cause extreme bowl movement.
6. Take a multi-vitimin as the body may lack in this area.
***WATER FASTING***
• This will mainly benefit people with a low metabloism, as it gathers lots of energy and then will find it easier compared to lower metabloism who will lose energy and probably feel drowned out.
• Water dieting is one long detoxication, the long detox.
• Water fasting demands mental preperation, clear your calendar for the amount of days your planning to fast for.
• Water fasting is proven to be more difficult then juice fasting as the body is getting no calories or nutrients.
***JUICE FASTING***
• There are alot of nutrients in fresh juice that energizes the body's natural regenerative abilities.
• This system of removing wasteand supply a full spectrum of nutrients has an advantage of over weight loss program
• Drinking less juice supples fewer calories therefore increasing detoxication.
• Juice diet drinks include: fresh juice, herbal tea, vegetable broth, and Barley green/water.
~~FASTING~~
• Water. We absolutely must drink water to survive, and it has zero calories, so there's no excuse to not drink it. As we typically get much of our water content from foods, when we reduce food intake we begin to dehydrate ourselves, which is dangerous. Also, cold water chills the body and may raise metabolism to get warm again.
• Vitamins and minerals. We must have these, too, to survive and so againg there's no reason not to take atleast a daily multivitamin (which may help reduce some cravings as well). Vitamins are vital in keeping our bodies functioning and our skin, hair, teeth nice.
Particularly be aware of electrolytes(potassium, magnesium, salt, along w/ water balance) and calcium.
• Protein. Protein is necessary, particularly if you’re exercising. It maintains and repairs our muscles, including heart muscle, which is (last i heard) kind of a requisite for continued survival.
• Caffeine. While caffeine can be an appetite supressant and can increase your metabolism, it will also act as a diuretic. Drink a glass of water for each cup of tea, coffee, or diet soda you have. Again, dehydration is a potentially serious problem.
• Get plenty of sleep. Steal naps whenever you can and rest when you need to rest. Sleep deprivation increases appetit and makes you age faster.
Fasting Tips
When someone says fasting, I think of three things. A juice fast, a water fast, or inbetween.
There are several different types to do, depending on the organ you want to cleanse, and what effect you want, and the length of time.
Some fasting suggestions:
1) It's hard to begin with. So, set all of your rules and deadlines, and stay with them no matter what. Don't be on the line or still deciding, because it's easier to just let it go and lose sight of what you want to accomplish.
2) A fast should not include things that are not cleansing to your body, such as chemicals (yes, things like no-cal sweetener, kidney killers...) This means no diet soda or the like. Yeah, it's zero calories, but it's also really tough on your liver and kidneys, whether you are fasting or not!
3) Fasting is giving your digestive system a rest. Likewise, it is a period of resting for everything else. Relax. The worst thing to do is concentrate about what you can't eat. Think of it as a break from the subject that plagues you constantly. Why think about food? Use this time to get other things done. If you are all caught up, learn something new, or just sit quietly and reflect.
4) It can be hard when you are surrounded by food. But, when you just know that you are not eating and there's not way around it, then there's nothing to worry about. Food is not an option so it's not worth bothering yourself about.
5) Breaking a fast: If you fast for more than 7 days, the time you take to transition back to eating should be half of the length of the fast, if it is a water fast. Juice fasts, start with raw foods, but nothing processed, and no meat right away.
For example, on day 1 of breaking a 10 day water fast, have a glass of orange juice diluted with water in the morning. continue throughout the day, drinking several glasses.
Day 2: Continue with water and orange juice, and make a vegetable broth later on in the day, eating just a few of the veggies.
Day 3: Have orange juice in the morning, and have the veggie broth, with more of the veggies for lunch and dinner.
Day 4: Have juice in the morning, and have some raw fruits, nuts, veggies, for lunch and dinner.
Day 5: Go back to eating normally, still avoiding dairy, meat, processed food, chemicals, and sugary items, clogging foods, etc.
6) Emotions will arise. They are there for a reason. They are teaching you something. Listen to them, write them down, and let them go.
7) Sleep. You will wake up feeling refreshed.
8) Listen to your body. If you are doing things right, your body will indicate when it is ready to go back to food.
9) Fasting will kick your body (and mind) into detoxification. Be aware that detox-ing is not the most comfortable time, and do not be deterred by it. Juice fasting will be a slow and gentle detox, while water fasting is a quick and rapid detox that can be uncomfortable. If something feels really wrong, then break the fast. However... "Through difficulty, sweetness..."
That's all for now. I hope that at least one person will read this and perhaps make some changes for the better.
HEALTH IS WEALTH!!!!
Here are two really good websites that explain the whole process of water-fasting, step by step.
• http://www.gaianstudies.org/articles4.htm
• http://www.prettythin.com/fasting.htm
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