I'm posting this here cause it's kind of urgent and the other forum is slow...

I'm on day 10 of a fast. yesterdayI only juiced citrus and by the time I wanted to go get more we got a storm out of nowhere. So i only had 300 calories and went o bed starving and woke up starving.

This morning Im really faint, dizzy, starving... etc. Juiced apples and grapes and it didn't help. Every few feet I get a dizzy spell. My heart is in my throat and in my ears when i stand up. My arms r going numb typing on a laptop..im still feeling like major hunger pains too. And I know its only cause i only had 300 when i usually have at leaast 600

What the heck? Ive never had a reaction like this ever.

I even ate like a cup of grapes to get food/sugar into me but didnthelp..

I can take a stupid prescription pill to quicly get rid of it if its anxiety attack but I don't know if it's that. I don't see how id get one of those from what caused it. Seems like something else. like why would starving cause anxiety.

Hi LikeItOrNot,

I don't know what to say. My Sister-in-law had a similar experience when she tried fasting on Orange Juice last summer. She is normally a cooked fooder though. She ended up going to emergency (hospital) she was so worried, and drank a gatorade, ate 1/2 a chocolate bar and then fell asleep. When she woke she was tired and weak but no more numbness and dizziness.

Sounds like you've already broken your juicing fast with grapes. Perhaps you should try and eat a little more fruit, and lye in bed and rest. Let your body know you are giving it calories again and take it really easy.

I've fasted on Orange Juice a few times and not had any problems with it yet. Perhaps it's a healing crisis? Regardless, I'd eat some more fruit and rest.

Keep us posted (o;

Sunflower
Raw Food Chef and Writer
Comfortably Raw
[www.comfortablyraw.com]

I had that happen to me during my first Master Cleanse and it was very scary. I was also pretty toxic (vegetarian, filling all the holes in my life with cheese), didn't know what to expect, and "solved" the problem by breaking the fast with storebought orange juice. -.- Haha.

I didn't REALLY feel better until I made a lentil soup with some vegetables. I remember how grateful I felt for that meal... and I had only been on the MC for four days. I was fine. Part of it could have been fear, part of it could have been detox... I have no idea. I just felt very odd and unsure, so I stopped.

Anyway, I went vegan after that, started cleaning up my eating habits, and had total success with another fast the next year around.

Is this your first fast? You may need to prepare more (physically, mentally, emotionally) for something so intense. I still find pure water fasts way too draining and fast-acting, so I stick to mono-eating or short fasts when the time calls.

Take it easy with yourself! In the long run, it's better to improve what you are eating on the everyday, instead of pulling one extreme fast. Just my experience, hope all is well!

I have been on orange juice for a while now

erm.. only thing I could suggest would be green juice, coconut water and plenty of rest

keep hydrated...since you already broke your fast, continue with juicy fruits

ten days is nothing to shake a stick at
a huge accomplishment

Right. People need to set goals for fasting length....but to be prepared to break the fast the minute they start to experience ANY acute anxiety or discomfort. The power of fasts is that they are done often - not in their length (unless you are trying to heal some acute physical problems that have not reacted to any other treatment). Just my opinion.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Drink water
lie down and rest
99% certain it will pass
Most likely you broke your fast during some important detoxification, because the number 10 seemed like a good round number to your conscious mind.

The best time to break a fast is when you are feeling good.
When fasting take note of the ups and downs and break a fast during an "Up".
Your body may want to fast for another day or two, in order to complete a specific detoxification process. When we fast we surrender to Mother-Nature.
Fasts should be broken extremely slowly, and the faster should continue to get a lot of rest the first few days.
For every day one fasts it takes 2 to rebuild--for a 10 day fast that would be 20 days--do not hurry to put weight back on--else many benefits will be wasted.

It's gone now. I'm not sure it had anything to do with the fast. I've done fasts before and never had anything like this happen. It was some kind of crazy anxiety attack and I took some stupid pill to get rid of it. I told my mother my heart was in my throat and ears when I stood up and she said she's had that heart thing before and it was an anxiety attack. The juices I already drink that morning including the grapes I ate didn't help whatsoever. By the time I took the pill, I couldn't stand or walk and I didn't have anything else in the house to eat.

I'm just lightheaded now. And I'm back on my fast. Those grapes I ate didn't even settle right so they'll probably just go right through me. I've been dead set going at least 3 weeks and that's what I'm going for..unless of course something else happens. I've felt great until this day..I'll just never try a day of just citrus (3grapefruit) and wheatgrass juice (only had 8oz total) and only 300 calories definitely isn't enough.

Ugh. That sucked. It doesn't make sense that not enough triggered it but it's the only thing that makes sense because of the hunger pains I had.(those usually go away with enough juice)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2008 07:05PM by LikeItOrNot.

Eating during heavy detox, pulls the body in 2 different directions, you probably could have easily puked except your body probably didn't want to waste the energy or the water...

only "anxiety", "hunger" and "dizziness"--heck you got off easy
for "dizziness" lie down
for "hunger" drink water
for "anxiety" lie down and breathe: slowly, evenly = even inhale & exhale ( count silently to make sure ), smoothly, deeply, quietly. Become aware of the rise and fall of the abdomen. Notice if over time the breath continues to slow and see if you can gently increase the count for each inhale and exhale by one number. Then stay with that number for awhile...
and trust the healing process

I've had at different times; rashes, 1-3 day headaches, alternating hot flashes and cold chills for hours, extreme exhaustion, and nausea.

------

here is some information on fasting I wrote:

.....Whenever toxins are being cleaned out they go into the bloodstream before being eliminated by the kidneys. The blood with the toxins circulates through the whole body including the brain - hence headache. These aches can come and go at anytime according to what is stored in the cells and according to the body's methodology of cleansing and auto-digestion.
.....Unless a person has done many fasts, eaten a pure diet for years, and lives in a jungle they will always be vulnerable to some unpleasant sensations when certain toxins are released. I have experienced rashes as well as headaches.
..... As you may already know from your reading: fatigue, back ache, & headaches are the most common and vomiting unusual. Other symptoms are also possible. Being symptom free is also possible. Juice "fasting", and other forms of detox diet are considerably slower in detox rate, but do not make one immune from suffering. The body accomplishes numerous tasks during fasting, ( immagine all the reorganization of millions and millions of cells that must take place when a streached skin and colon are shrunk! - and all the nutritional reserves that are used up in the process - which limits the lenght of the fast - minerals in particular may be a limiting factor, so a fast may end long before cleansing is complete in terms of eliminating toxins - thus having done one fast does not gauranty that the next one will be symptom free). When we fast we roll the dice. Energy level can vary dramatically.
.....During a period of heavy elimination it is recommended to make extra sure one is drinking enough water - perhaps temprarily increasing the amount. Whenever possible rest is recommended, when fasting for health reasons, so that the body can focus all it's energy on healing.
...Wise fasters reframe the sensations and symptoms as something to be grateful for because they are signs of cleansing and progress.

please read up on breaking fasts...easy does it

If you wish to continue, up your calories and get enough juice

that lightheaded feeling will GO

perhaps check out juicefeasting.com free forums, for a tonne of info on getting your daily calories from juice

HAPPYWAY is right...*Whenever possible rest is recommended, when fasting for health reasons, so that the body can focus all it's energy on healing. *

this is of supreme importance, esp while undertaking a long fast.

specifically:
discontinuing work and activity
lying in bed with the eyes closed
avoiding all stress and excessive noise

some light stretching and reading ok for some
esp books on fasting

Yes... sleep! rest!! heal...

You may do better with fasting on more water, instead of juice.

Maybe shorten your fasts.

And do read up on it! It is no game




Have you heard of the Master Cleanse (or raw version?

Since we are talking about fasts, I've never done one... Anybody have any suggestions? I had been considering the Master Cleanse, but then I had heard some people debunking it, so I don't know what to do. What's a good starter fast? Something where I don't have to take off work?

Yes. Do many small ones FIRST. A good starter fast is one meal if you are totally worried....or one day if you are not. Another good starter fast is 3 days of varied vegetable or fruit juices....as much as you want. This is more like a 'cleansing period' than a water fast....which throws the body into deep healing mode almost immediately. Many are not ready for that level of healing...and need to focus more on cleansing first. I mean, heck, if you haven't adjusted your lifestyle and thoughts to live in a cleaner way....and are comfortable with that.....for a lifetime.....then no cleanses (or fasts) are going to help in the long run.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Thanks for the info!

So, let's say I do like a weekend, and I have a good juicer and the vitamix, so I can drink all the juiced veggies and fruits I want but no solid food? And I'm assuming no pulp, so I will just be using the juicer, not the vitamix? Do you think I can expect to lose any weight? I am already pretty healthy, eating mostly smoothies and salads, but still some cooked foods.

Your body will clean/heal what is most important first.

So, if your body decides that excess weight is your most serious burden and NEEDS to go, it will start cleaning that out. If you have some more severe issues happening internally, though, you may not see the changes as easily--but if, say, liver repair is more important than losing weight, it's all part of a bigger picture that will help you toward a better level of health, provided you keep up your end of the deal (living healthfully), and the weight/cosmetic changes will come in time.

Exercise, sunshine, staying happy, eating well, with occasional periods of fasting at the style/rate you are COMFORTABLE with will all bring awesome health (including weight loss!) over time. You can't rush the process, but you can choose not to get in its way. =) Good luck!

planetjahne

From the point of view of Natural Hygiene the "Master Cleanse" is (to use one Herbert Shelton's great words) an abomination !

It makes use of 3 poisons to force the body to do the will of the ego.

The poisons are sugar (maple syrup), burning hot cayenne pepper, and salt.

In my opinion it is popular because it avoids real fasting, it gives the personality or ego a feeling of "Being In Control" and DOING something ( all those forced evacuations, (from the salt flush at night) ) and a sense of discipline from consuming those scheduled concoctions on time.
It is not a real fast, instead maple sugar and citrus (lemon or lime) juice are used as a substitute for "real" food. This is done for weeks by some people.

However people do survive it and seem to get some benefits.
Maybe this is because they were in such terrible shape to start with?

I would never do it to my body though.
I know how to water fast & juice fast with fresh organic produce & eat sensibly & work with Mother Nature,
and that's enough.

You are experiencing symptoms of protein starvation. You need to add grass juice to your fast. It has a great many different nutrients that would be helpful, especially all the amino acids it contains.

In my experience / opinion fasting is the WORST way to lose weight. It slows the metabolism...which is the LAST thing you want. Remember: Juice fasting for cleansing (along with mono-fruit fasting) and water fasting for deep health. A person should definitely seek cleansing to eliminate basic blockages before engaging in even a short-mid term water fast. Just my opinions.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

IMHO, you are getting dizzy because of the toxins being released too quickly in your system with your juicing. My friend thought that with the toxins, the pH level reduces dramatically.

I am often weak and dizzy during a 10-day water fast. I have to get up slowly and it even is a great effort to hold my hands above my head to shampoo my hair. In fact, my hair even feels to heavy at times and I felt like cutting it off but I didn't.

If you want to slow down the cleansing, you will need to eat solid foods like veggies which don't cleanse the body as quickly as fruit/fruit juices.

Good luck. Therese

also be careful of all the rhetoric in the raw nutrition world. raw-foodies gain so much insight into personal health. although there are those who, while very inspired, think they figured it out for everyone, or emotionally react and/or cling to the formed opinions of others. know for yourself whats "the BEST EVER"!