Fasting

[Apple]

I'm not sure exactly how much weight, on another site it said between 1-4 pound per day, depending on your weight and metabolism. I'm not sure if I believe that though. Weight loss would be more at the beginning of fast, then it'll slow as my metabolism slows. Also, the amount of weight loss would depend on how much exercise I do. Keep in mind, that some weight gain will occur after starting to eat again, probably, but hopefully not.

Vital tissue would not be broken down for energy until my fat storage is gone. Then vital tissue would begin to brake down, for my survival.

I have looked at a few different types of fast, I don't think they would help as much, with regards to all my goals. I noticed that when I have anything except water and diet pop, my hunger increases. I think another sort of fast would be more difficult, which is reverse than most people. I'm still researching though, but so far a water fast seems best.

Oh yeah, my mom is a nurse so I'm sure she be watching me closely with any fast, if I let her know. She has a problem of being over protective, so sometimes doing stuff without her knowledge is for the best. She does know I'm considering a fast though, and that I did a 24 hour one.

[Seadolphin]

I can see how fasting would be good, but I'm scared if I tried I would turn out like Alison, waking up the next morning entirely too weak. When I dont eat for an extended period of time I get really severe headahces which pretty much prevent me from being productive til I've eaten something.

[Thalia]

Originally posted by Seadolphin
I can see how fasting would be good, but I'm scared if I tried I would turn out like Alison, waking up the next morning entirely too weak. When I dont eat for an extended period of time I get really severe headahces which pretty much prevent me from being productive til I've eaten something.
I can get hypoglycemic and very nauseated from not eating. I feel like I am going to pass out. This is from not eating for maybe 12 hrs or so.

[Herself]

Well Apple, when and if you do this fast, will you start a thread on it and keep us updated on it? I must admit I don't know much about a water fast, but the idea scares me.

[Apple]

Sure, as long as I get replies. I hate getting no replies. I'm almost positive I'm going to do the water fast. I'm hoping to do some more reading on it, though. I'm probably going to start on a Friday or Saturday, in maybe two, to three weeks. I don't want to set a definite date, cause it's more pressure, for some reason. I do much better if I do on a spare of the moment decision.

[MsRuthieB]

I can't tell you why, but I don't like the water fast idea. I'm sure you'll be mindful of your health and all and be smart about it. I just can't seem to get it out of my head that the body needs fuel to run for a reason. Water diets worry me.

[magates]

Alot of christians fast for up to a month at a time but they often drink whatever they want getting up to alot of calories doing so... I think there is alot of intresting things to fasting. Alot of ancient religons suggest it opens the mind. I would say that lowering your caloric intake by 30-4-% would have the same mind opening affect and we have all heard of the life extending properties of a low calorie diet.

[J Fizzle 81]

On Monday I did a juice fast. I had I think 3 or 4 glasses of juice that day, water, and that was it. I was only planning one day anyway but when I fell asleep I was weak but when I woke up it felt like a normal morning. I went to wkr and was there for 2 hours too before I even ate anything and I honestly wasnt hungry. In my opinion the first day is harder then the 2nd or 3rd. After the 3rd Id bet it would get harder though.

Also, what is this Master Cleanser you guys are talking about?

[WyldFyre]

Originally posted by Brake4Squirrels
Increases blood pressure, decreases energy levels and its a risk for heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

:wayne: :wayne: :wayne:

[WyldFyre]

We had a board fast like two-years ago on VO during the superbowl. Not a lot of people participated of course ie:super bowl. I ended up doing a four day just water fast and I say it makes you weaker and stronger because yeah I felt low energy but I also did some strength stuff on rings that I had never done before on that fourth night.

[Apple]

I found that the first 12-15 hours, are the hardest, for me at least. Once I get over that first wave of hunger, it's much easier for me. I just ate the next day, out of habit, wasn't really hungry at all. Although, I hear that on the third or fourth day, your hungry kicks in, big time, and it then dies down again.

The first time I decided to attempt fasting, around the age of 9-10, I got sick to point of puking, within about 15 hours. The first time I successfully completed a fast, a couple weeks ago, I was a tad weak and slept most of the day. My second fast, my energy shot through the roof.

I've been experiencing stomach problems, as well as other problems. The less I eat, the better I feel. So, I think fasting is good thing for me, whether an all liquid fast, or just water.

[WyldFyre]

Exactly as Apple said. Once you get over that first hunger wave its all downhill. Ive actually found sometimes ,on that and other lesser fasts that the eating at the end or when your ready to 'break your fast' is the hard part for me. I get to the point where I really dont want to eat and I have to snack for a day or two b'fore I get my hunger back.

Y'all need to be talking to Zoebird about this. I think she claimed a thirty day personal fast. Or maybe she was talking about Yogi's ,but Im pretty sure she was talking about herself.

[WyldFyre]

Originally posted by Herself
I fasted for seven days, but I used the Master Cleanser. Using just water could literally kill you. Be careful! :(

We had a debate about water not to long ago. We were using short term large volume water comsumption as our control group. But in fasting I think it might be the same thing since you are consuming water with no food over a long period of time.

There is a condition called 'Hyponatremia' which is basically the desalinization of you cells. Drinking large volumes of water with no salt or through vigorous exercise and sweating out all your salt and only replacing it with water.

Syptoms are dizziness ,confusioun ,later vomiting and/or incontinence leading to coma and/or death.

So as long as you mix salt with at least one to two glasses of water each day you should be alright.

Of course Ive felt dizzy and confused sometimes when fasting but I dont beleive it was hyponatremia. But now Im getting into the spiritual side of it and that neednt be rehearsed.

[Herself]

Wyld Fyre- The fast I did said you can do it for more than 30 days. I don't doubt it.
That makes sense about the salt. I drank a quart of salt water every morning of the fast and the book I read explained how it goes through your body. What about calories, vitamins, minerals, etc.? What happens when your body goes without it for that long?

[soilman]

LC writes
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I went only about 16 hours withought eating a few days ago and my stomache was aching really bad.
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I get a headache after about 16 hours. An awful awful one, that doesn't go away for the next 2 days, no matter what i do, once it starts.

apple writes:
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I found that the first 12-15 hours, are the hardest, for me at least. Once I get over that first wave of hunger, it's much easier for me.
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I don't develop hunger at all, after 12-15 hours. If I go without food for about 6 or 7 hours, I get ravenously hungry. If I go another 6 or 7 hours, I start getting that awful headache I described above, along with absolutely no hunger. The headache can get to the point where it feels as bad as if someone is sticking 2 icepicks into my head, one ice pick thru each eye. I don't think I'm exaggerating. And once it starts, it is too late to do anything about it -- I'm stuck with it for another 24 hours or more, whether I eat, or don't eat -- it doesn't make any difference -- head pain for 24 to 40 hours. Sometimes more. I also tend to feel profoundly depressed.

[Apple]

I never heard about the salt before. Is it to help prevent an electrolyte imbalance?

Herself: When your body goes without calories, you begin to burn fat, every pound of fat is 3,500 calories. Fat soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, and K) are dissolved in fat and stored. Water soluble vitamins (B and C) are dissolved in water, and any excess is excreted in urination. I imagine the only vitamins you may lack are B and C, during a fast. I haven't really looked in that, should of, so I'm just speaking from what I learned in my health course. I have no idea about minerals, but I plan on looking into all this further so I'll tell you if I find anything. Oh wait, was your question directed towards WyldFyre? ;)

I heard something about your body breaking down fatty acids, and then using ketones. I'm not sure what all that is about, yet.

[Apple]

Also, pardon my language, but if someone was a ****ty eater, all there fat could of been just empty calories, which have no nutrients.

[WyldFyre]

Im glad Apple answered that for me except youre wrong about one thing. Your body will start to burn off muscle before the fat. Both will go of course but ,unfortunately, youre going to lose more muscle than fat.

Yeah Apple something about electrolytes. But what actually happens is when your cells run out of sodium they become (I think this is the right word) insolvent ,the cell walls will break down and then youre cells will run together.

I put fasting into yahoo's search engine and found some promising links but they dont want to give up the goods for free and Im not ready to give up my credit card to an online entity.

[Apple]

Originally posted by WyldFyre
Im glad Apple answered that for me except youre wrong about one thing. Your body will start to burn off muscle before the fat. Both will go of course but ,unfortunately, youre going to lose more muscle than fat.

Hey, I was bored. ;) You can answer the mineral part, cause I have no idea on it. :)

I found an interesting link on the subject...

http://www.lifestylemanagement.com/lma/books/diets.htm

[WyldFyre]

If youre worried about the minerals then drink Dasani which is fortified with minerals or get some iodine tablets from the local sporting goods store (some even come with iodine flavor removers) and purify youre water from a local creek or stream.

For myself ,the fact that people have succesfully fasted for more than 30 days is enough for me not to worry about it.

[soilman]

wf writes:
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Your body will start to burn off muscle before the fat.
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??. I don't think so. If you are talking about absolutely no food, just water, being ingested, and you have fat stored (the abdominal cavity, around the intestines, has lots of fat) your body will only use muscle to replace needed nitrogenous materials such as hormones (proteins) and nucleic acids, which are need to by synthesized in small amounts; for energy, it will rely mostly on fat, which it will convert to water and carbohydrates (glycogen). Only after your fat supplies get really low, will muscle protein start being broken down to supply energy. And I'm pretty sure some of it may be converted to fat first, before being converted to carbs. Protein is not as efficient a supplier of energy as fat or carbs (it takes more energy to spark the reaction) and produces metabolic products that are more toxic, and more strain on the kidneys.

[MsRuthieB]

I never really knew that. But it makes sense now that I think about it. I alway believed along the line like LF does. I never really knew why but believe it is because I had heard so many say it I just assumed it to be true.

[magates]

fasting is probably the worst way to lose weight.... When you fast your body goes into starvation mode. It conserves energy like crazy and your metabolism drops from around 2500 calories to 1200 calories or so depending on weight. And these effects stick around for a while after the fast as well. You still burn about 1200 calories the one day of the fast but just cutting out 600 calories and burning another 600 with exercise is much better in the long run.

[Apple]

magates / or anyone (maybe soilman):

Someone was telling that the body goes through four different stages when denied food. The first stage is hunger, then dizziness, which is followed by stage three when symptoms from stage one and two disappear. Stage four occurs when all fat cells have been depleted, and you can only survive by muscle and vital tissue being broken down for protein/energy. Stage one and two can take three weeks, depending on current weight. It isn't until stage three where your metabolism drops, but still you begin to lose excessive amount of weight. Anyone, have information on this and/or have some input?

[magates]

I am extremly sure that when your not eating regularly your metablosim drops; however, It maybe that it drops into nothing later on and your body litteraly starts to shut down.