[JohnR]

Has anyone had personal experience?

[datman]

A little more information is needed.

What kind of fast are you thinking about?  Juice, protein replacement (no food just protein suppliments.) Short, long. 

What is the purpose of this fast?

[JohnR]

Hi datman, in all honesty I didn't really have a very well defined purpose, but it is something that I have run across over the years and has come up a couple of times in recent conversations. (Not online.) I'd be interested in learning more. I have little experience other than a couple of times doing something for charity.

[bside123]

Has anyone had personal experience?

Hi John:

I have about 40 years experience with regular fasting. If you would like to discuss it, please contact me by PM. Best regards, Din Dayemi

[sts9fan]

I think that short one day fasts can be good for you.  I also think these long juice or tea fast are not.  Just my $0.02

[konut]

I have fasted (no solid food) for up to 28 days at different points in my life. Initially under the supervision of a naturopathic physician, then independently. I would not undertake fasting at this stage of my life though. Any specific questions?

[charmerci]

I have found that there really is no good inherent reason for fasting. The usual reason for fasting is to cleanse your system of all the toxins in your body. To me, what is better is just to stop putting junk into your body.

Having said that, I find that fasting is a good way to change your diet. By not eating for a day or two, you can then reintroduce only the foods that you'd like to eat. Or in my experience groups of foods.

Eliminating dairy, for example is often a good way to find out if it causing mucus problems. You can also find out if some foods are causing allergy problems - no, not sneezing and runny noses. For example, I found out that eating wheat (gluten? I'm not sure) was causing my post nasal drip - that slightly itching feeling in my throat which always caused me to clear my throat. Also for me, my sinus passages are completely clear when I don't do dairy.

Well, back to the point. I really don't see any point in fasting more than 3 or 4 days. After that, you're pretty much just wasting away - depending on your size. Also, the body wants to compensate for the depletion and it often wants to compensate by eating a lot.

[bside123]

"Fasting" is a very broad subject. It includes the distinction of fasting "from" something as well as fasting "on" something. Fasting "from" means to eliminate, limit or reduce. Fasting "on" means to intentionally control intake or to introduce certain and specific items for specific periods of time.

The best "fasting" starts with a simple, all-round, healthy diet and lifestyle, which by the way, is rare enough. Health related fasting by simply not eating, or "going off" on juice, etc. is not generally helpful and generally does not reach either the health or psychological benefits that were intended. I believe, as in any good regime, time, place, person, circumstance and prescription must be considered. This is my experience. YMMV 

[Tyson]

I do intermittent fasting for these reasons:

http://www.ajcn.org/content/86/1/7.full

[richidoo]

I've done a lot of fasting over the years, and my experience and research have brought me to believe that fasting is an effective healing method. I do green juice fasting because it deprives fuel and protein like water, but also brings in alkaline minerals which are needed to buffer the acid stored throughout the body, and to recharge cells with minerals after the acid is removed. This is what maintains energy during the fast and prevents feeling sick. A water fast is rewarding after the body is cleansed. The miracle of fasting is that when the fuel and protein are stopped, the body will digest weak and sick cells and other undesirable meat in the body to keep amino acid levels normal in the blood. When the bad meat is all gone, the appetite returns. The first few days are difficult and hungry because the body is using up the sugar reserves. Once that runs out and the body switches to fat, the hunger goes away.  I think raw veganism is also valid cleansing method, because the fiber keeps the colon swept during the major cleansing better than juices alone. But it is hard to eat enough raw greens to get the required minerals into the blood fast enough. A combination of both is probably best, but salad without dressing is not much fun. I also think eating the fiber also slows down the cleansing and lengthens the duration without eating protein. I like to get it over quick and get back to my chocolate and burgers.

My favorite book about fasting is "How to Keep Slim, Healthy and Young With Juice Fasting" by Paavo Airola, now out of print, but available used.

[nonoise]

Fasting can be beneficial if done in a controlled manner. This PhD was on 60 minutes a couple of decades ago and he fasts twice a week and claims that with the proper diet, life expectancy is greatly increased.
See here:http://www.grg.org/resources/walford.html

I, myself, went on a 30 day diet of just liquid protein when in my 30s and had not one negative effect. I ran 2-3 miles a day and never felt better. I don't think it was a fluke as I was in pretty good shape to begin with. YMMV so check it out thoroughly before trying something that extreme.
But fasting once or twice a week will not hurt you. Though not in the article I remember him and others talking about how when one over eats, the amount of heat/damage generated by digesting is just as damaging to DNA repairing itself (at night, as we sleep) as smoking and drinking.

[jqp]

Fasting in moderation can be good for you - physically, mentally, spiritually IMO.

Some Jews in New Testament times would fast weekly for spiritual reasons. Many other religions have some who fast from time to time.

If you eat a balanced diet, there should never be any harm from a brief fast. Who hasn't missed meals because you are doing something that requires your undivided attention, you aren't hungry anyway sometimes.

Fasting clears your head, helps you focus - this is physiological as well as mental. It may take a couple of days to get to a point where you feel clear headed and not hungry.

The longest I have fasted has been a week. Yes you can do it, after 2 or 3 days its not hard to keep going, as your bodies natural systems begin to burn the fat after you use up all your glycogen (carb storage). Now I haven't done a total fast for years, but I have done several fasts.

It is not good to abuse your body via fasting!

Currently I am 'fasting' from carbs - I am limiting myself to green vegetables, a little bit of heavy cream in my coffee, the minimal carbs in 3 eggs, a bit of cheese, etc, plus the proteins and fats that you get in fish, chicken, beef, lamb, pork. Its about 30-40 grams of carbs per day (kind of like most of our ancestors used to eat, right?), plenty to have the energy to work, do gardening and even excercise. Soon I will gradually increase my carb intake some.

I am doing it for 2 reasons - to lower my blood sugar and to lose my excess weight. Also probably helps me with some kinds of food allergies I may have, not sure. Is it working? Today my blood sugar was 108 in the late afternoon, much much better. I am also losing weight. It's certainly a good diet for someone who is overweight and a type-II diabetic.

What is normal when you fast? You will feel a little lack of energy for a while. Not that you can't muster some energy when you want to, but you will not have lots of carbs and glycogen available for that high on sugar feeling. Your digestion will change some, you may not be regular after a while (your not taking in solid food). Don't drink more than 2-3 ounces of water at a time, but stay hydrated.  Your body will begin to burn fat to produce glucose after a while (different depending on your situation) so wait for that - you will feel very at ease and steady when that happens.

Fasting is not a time for running a marathon or lifting weights, nor is it a time for being lethargic. For me the purpose of fasting is a time to clear your head, focus on something, make a decision, etc. (after you have been on the fast, away from eating and digesting for a while), as well as for any possible physical purposes.

Fasting is something that is supposed to be temporary, not part of some ascetic lifestyle, or food/behavioral disorder, nor a "drug". It can make you feel good, better than you have in a long time. But living means eating a balanced diet.

Remember, we fast every night, and we breakfast in the morning

Also remember that in times of famine (we have no concept) we live off our body's stored fat - that's the way the body works.

Also don't drink more than a few ounces of water at a time when you are fasting, but don't get dehydrated at all.

[Tyson]

I was reading a study recently that showed that the largest insulin spikes of the day are after breakfast.  Even if you eat exactly the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, our bodies spike insulin the most in the am, and less and less in the afternoon and evening.  To me, it suggests that breakfast should be heavy on protein and fat (spinach and tomato omelette, ) and light on carbs, while lunch and dinner are amenable to more carbs (like sweet potato oven fries, yum!)

[jqp]

I try to eat more of my carbs in the morning or at lunch so I have time to burn some of them off before sleeping. I definitely believe in big breakfast, big lunch, smaller dinner.

My insulin had been spiking in the late evening, and was fairly high in the late afternoon too. But I am type-II. Mostly the way my body handled me eating too much carbs all day.

[TONEPUB]

Not so much hardcore fasting per se, but I do go through a liver/gallbladder purge once a year and do a system cleanse (in a box from whole foods) twice yearly and I've been feeling a lot more perky the last few years.  Used to have a pretty severe dust allergy that required a steady diet of Claritin, and since I did the first liver purge, it hasn't bothered me...

[Eric]

I do one for spiritual reasons once every one to two years. The longest I have gone is 3 weeks water only