I fasted yesterday for the first time in a really long time. Completely fasting from everything except water. I even had an approximately 3 mile walk. My husband was pestering me why I was fasting. In part it was because I'd made some poor choices food wise on Saturday, but in the end really it was about getting my head back in the game. I've been floundering a bit these last few weeks....2 good days, 1 so so day, 1 bad day, 2 good days....etc... so I wanted to spend a day and not eat.
The results: I did not feel particularly hungry until about 5PM or so, when I went for a walk...then a little more around 7PM and that's it. I think I am going to try to fast one day per week (on Sunday) because that seems to be one of the hardest days for me to stay on track. (usually because we are all home most of the day and its easy to snack - easy to say "lets get pizza"). I actually felt great all day and even this morning
There's mixed advice on the web about fasting. Some sites say that it doesn't do any good unless you do it more than 24 hours. Others say don't do more than 24 hours. Regardless, I do believe it is good to rest our digestive tracts for a bit. And I would like to explore the spiritual side of it more. The Bible talks a lot about fasting and praying going together.
So Do you fast? How often? What are the results?
In the past, I have done the water/tea fasting thing - once for four weeks, once for two. Back then it was for spiritual reasons, and I definitely wouldn't advise it for weight loss. Maybe not eating a day is not that bad, but I am not sure I would want to have my body get used to it.
ReplyDeleteI have fasted for spiritual reasons before, but not often. I think the longest I've done is 3 days. I've been told that metabolism drops 40% after 12 hours without food. I don't want to bring my metabolism down at all. My opinion is that once per week is too often and I don't think I've ever fasted for non-spiritual reasons. In my mind, it just doesn't seem healthy to deprive the body of food to receive nourishment. In the Bible, most fasts were conducted during a time of mourning.I have also done a "modified" fast where I just refused to eat certain things. Anyway, I'm NOT an expert--that's just my opinion!
ReplyDeleteI have absolutely no experience with this, but to me it sounds a bit scary. Food is .. so good.. :p
ReplyDeleteI haven't fasted for years, and then I did it with juice made from fresh fruit. I may give it a try again, just to get myself on track.
ReplyDeleteHave you thought about talking to your doctor about this to find out if there are any health benefits to really doing this? You mentioned about giving your digestive system a rest, which is something I never even thought about.. but I wonder if it really does need a rest? I assume you want to fast to try to curb unhealthy eating habits that occur on the weekends.. could fasting be more detrimental? I don't know... I'd be interested to hear what a doctor has to say on this.
ReplyDeleteI saw this when you posted and meant to comment ASAP. I have only fasted for spiritual reasons and up two three days in a row. Its the hardest thing I've ever done, but it's always a great time of prayer and direction from God.
ReplyDeleteI've heard fasting isn't the best thing for the health because of how it messes up the metabolism.