I want to do a 3 day fast sometime soon. I am wondering if anyone can show me to some information on how to prepare the right way. Also some information on whats good to eat on the 4th day to break the fast.
Thanks everyone!!!

Posted by: Jgunn (IP Logged)
Date: August 24, 2007 06:08AM


this was a good article on fasting:

Fasting : Nature's Cleanse by Loren Lockman
Published in the September 25, 2002 Just Eat an Apple

There are over 25 million animal species on the planet, and virtually all of them fast when not well enough. You may have witnessed this first hand if you've ever had a cat or dog. Like other animals, when they are ill or injured badly enough, they will lie down and refuse food, not moving until they have substantially recovered.

Often, when people are sick, they lose their appetite. In our culture, we often encourage them to eat to 'keep up their strength.' Unwittingly, we are further teaching them to Not follow their instincts and intuition.

Unlike medicine - both conventional and alternative - fasting is about actually healing the body, rather than simply treating symptoms. It's not that fasting actually 'does' anything. It doesn't. Healing is an inherent power of every living organism. Fasting simply provides the body - any body - with the optimal conditions and opportunity to cleanse itself of accumulated toxins, and heal any prior damage. In this way, it's evident that fasting is the best way to deal with almost every condition.

Though there is much misinformation out there, the body will never injure itself when fasting. It knows exactly what it is and is not capable of handling, and though we sometimes detoxify faster than we might like to, this is rarely if ever dangerous.

There are, of course, some potential dangers while fasting, though they are few and far between. There are many symptoms which may arise while fasting, and a few that almost certainly will: lowered blood pressure, lowered body temperature, and coated tongue.

Blood pressure is virtually guaranteed to drop while fasting, and will stay lower if intelligent lifestyle choices are followed after the fast. This is great news for the 50% of Americans who will die of the ravages of high-blood pressure, heart disease, or stroke. It's worth noting for all fasters because below-normal blood pressure, while not inherently dangerous or problematic often results in orthostatic hypotension (standing up too fast and getting dizzy, in English).

This dizziness occurs when lower-than-normal blood pressure fails to provide enough blood to the brain upon rising. To insure that this doesn't occur, rise slowly. From a lying position, sit-up first, standing-up only after you feel a sense of equilibrium.

Should you stand up too quickly, or feel dizzy at any time, drop to a sitting or kneeling position immediately, and lower your head between your knees. This will insure ample blood supply to the brain, quickly eliminating the dizziness. Rise again slowly after insuring equilibrium.

Your body temperature is also virtually guaranteed to drop while fasting. Again, this is not inherently a problem, though it means you will need to take extra precautions to maintain your body temperature, especially when fasting in the winter. Don't wait until you're chilled to warm up. Doing so means that you are wasting your body's precious energy - energy that could be used for cleansing and healing. Rather, seek to stay warm. This may mean wearing more clothes than you would if not fasting. Keeping warm is generally not a problem when you are in bed and wrapped up in a comforter/blankets.

Your tongue will almost certainly become coated during your fast, possibly at the onset, and will likely remain coated during your entire fast. This is normal and is thought to indicate the degree of sludge in your colon. It has been said that once the tongue clears, the body is done fasting. Our experience is that the tongue will sometimes clear, and within a day or so become coated again, likely indicating that the body is working through pockets or layers of material. You can scrape your tongue, or brush the coating off with a wet toothbrush (no toothpaste). Don't be surprised if it returns fairly quickly.

This coating will color your taste buds, and you may find the water tastes good one day, and not-so-good the next. It is not the water that has changed, but your perception of taste.

You will note that we mentioned in the first paragraph that animals routinely lie down, ceasing all activity until they feel well again. 25 million species can't be wrong, and this is the ideal way to fast. Fasting is often thought of as abstaining from food, but this is really only part of the picture. To provide the body with the optimal conditions in which to heal, it's important to provide complete rest. Because the digestive tract uses approximately 50% of the body's daily energy, complete rest necessitates not eating. It also necessitates minimizing unnecessary brain function, as the brain is the second highest consumer of the body's energy, using about 35%. You can certainly read, write, and think if you choose to, but your process will be more effective if you don't do any more of these things than necessary.

Though you won't be able to sleep all the time - unless your body actually needs that much sleep - you can give yourself the next highest possible states of rest in two ways; First, you might want to meditate throughout your stay. We offer two groups meditations in the library daily, and you are welcome to participate in both. Of course you can meditate any time on your own as well.

Research has proven the amazing benefits of meditation, which provides a level of rest that is in some ways, deeper than sleep. Please note, meditation can never replace sleep, which is a physiological necessity. If you don't know how to meditate, there are simple meditation instructions here in the book.

The second way to achieve very deep levels of rest when not sleeping is to emulate the other species: lie down and close your eyes. Doing so dramatically reduces the body's energy consumption, providing very deep levels of rest. When we lie down and close our eyes, the heart rate slows down, the respiratory rate slows down, and brain waves become more normalized and uniform. These physiological changes show us that the body is in a resting state, and that energy has been freed up for cleansing and healing.

Closing our eyes is important because we take in 70% of the body's information through the eyes, and as long as they're open, we're expending a lot of energy processing the information they provide to us. Remember that we are attempting to allow the body to use all available energy for cleansing and healing, rather than shunting energy aside for other purposes. Any unnecessary activity consumes energy, making it unavailable to the body.

Your body goes through several distinct phases when you begin to fast. After your last meal, the body looks to your digestive tract for any nutrients or calories that it might need. This source of nutrition might last for 8-12 hours. Once your body has depleted this source, it goes to the liver for glycogen stores there.

Of all the nutrients available to the body, the only one that the body must have 24 hours per day is glucose, and glycogen is a glucose precursor, so the body converts it to glucose. The body goes to the liver stores first, because it always seeks to be as efficient as possible, and the liver provides the most readily available source of glucose.

The liver's glycogen stores will last between 8-12 hours, at which point the body, maximizing efficiency, goes to the next most readily available source of glucose - muscle tissue. In a process called neoglucogenesis, the body converts muscle tissue to glucose. Don't worry -- if you're fasting correctly and minimizing your activity, (and therefore your caloric needs), you won't consume much muscle tissue during this stage of the process.

And in fact, your body doesn't want to lose any more muscle than it 'feels' it can afford to, so as your fast continues, the body will switch over to a less-efficient, but safer long term source of fuel: adipose tissue, or long-term fat stores. How long it takes for this switch to occur depends on your body composition; the higher your muscle/fat ratio, the longer the body can 'safely' consume muscle tissue. In order to minimize the consumption of muscle tissue throughout your fast, it's important to minimize your activity. Though this may seem counterintuitive, as your activity levels increase, your body's caloric needs increase too, and your body will consume more muscle - a more efficient source of fuel - to more easily meet the higher demands.

The switch from consuming primarily muscle (with some fat) to consuming primarily fat (with some muscle) is very important for two reasons: first, we store toxins in the body primarily in our adipose tissue so wholesale cleansing doesn't begin until this stage of the process, and second, because the switch only takes place in the complete absence of all nutrients. This means that 'juice fasting' (which is a misnomer as juices supply both calories and nutrients) is far less effective than true fasting, because the body never moves into the most beneficial part of the process.

People sometimes have suggested that juice fasting is much more gentle, and this is true. The reason for this though is simply that it is much less effective, in much the same way that using a sponge to smooth a piece of wood is much more gentle than using a piece of sandpaper.

Rest assured, that fasting - done properly - provides the body with the optimal conditions in which to heal itself, and there is nothing better that you could do for yourself.

The keys, as mentioned earlier, are to eliminate or minimize all unnecessary activity, to provide your body with the deepest levels of rest possible, to drink enough water (covered later in the book), to maintain your body temperature, to rise slowly to minimize the likelihood of passing out, and to relax in the knowledge that you are providing yourself with an amazing gift.

The benefits of fasting are numerous and include not only a much higher-functioning physical body, but also more mental clarity, and a deepened sense of connection to all life.




Posted by: Jgunn (IP Logged)
Date: August 24, 2007 06:16AM


this is a decent how to break a fast ... and for those of you non-religous just ignore the god references

How to Break a Fast

by

Ron Lagerquist



You have completed a thirty-day fast. It has been a wonderful spiritual retreat, a time of refreshment with God. A withdrawal from the temptations of this world. A period of inner reflection, quiet meditation and prayer, lifted out of this world into a lofty realm where there are no earthly distractions from communing with your Father.

But now the fast has ended. It is time to return to the world of eating, a world that may have represented addiction, bondage and control.

Breaking an extended fast can be difficult. This is especially true if you were in bondage to food. It is often a period of attack. Satan wants control over your life and food has been a powerful lever. Is it possible to enter back into the world of eating and remain self-controlled? The answer is yes! Fasting was never meant to be an escape from Satan's kingdom, but a springboard to equip you in overcoming. Fear not--God has developed within you the Spirit of self-control, authority to say no!

When waking up a slumbering digestive system, the desire to eat will be intense. The flavors and textures of food will be enhanced by super clean nasal passages. Eating will be a brand new experience. This is the time to flex your new-found muscles of discipline and self-control. As the body screams, I want more, wisdom whispers, you have had enough. Fasting has schooled you in the fact that contentment does not come from a full belly but maintaining spiritual fellowship with the Bread of Life. My food is to do the will of him who sent me (John 4:34).

Eating small amounts of raw fruits and vegetables for the first five or six days will allow the body to gently wake up the digestive system. The body will continue to detoxify and cleanse during this period. Any toxins that have accumulated will begin to move due to the sweeping action of the soft fibers of fruits and vegetables.

1. For six days gradually increase the amount of raw fruits and vegetables in your diet. To break a fast and gorge on meat, bread or junk food will be disaster. Jarring the system this intensely when the digestive system is in a sensitive state can cause stomach cramps, nausea and weakness, negating much of the benefits of the fast.

2. Eat slowly and chew your food well. Saliva has enzymes that assist in digestion. Up to 80 percent of the starch, 30 percent of the protein and 10 percent of the fat can be digested by the enzymes in saliva.

3. Do not overeat! Discover the amount of food that your body needs to live a vibrant, healthy life.

4. Make juices during the breaking period. Juices are gentle nourishment to the body. Most continue to include juice in their daily routine, for the rest of their lives.

5. Continue in the same prayerfulness you had during the fast. God should be just as much a part of your eating as He was part of your fasting.

6. Educate yourself on how to begin a lifestyle of healthy eating. Fasting is a wonderful new beginning, a foundation for a lifelong, healthy diet.

7. Discern the difference between cravings and hunger. Never feed your emotions.

8. When breaking a fast over ten days, the break-in period should be extended one day for every 4 days of fasting.

An interesting phenomena occurs after a fast. The years of conditioning your body to tolerate unhealthy foods is reversed. The body is as clean as a new-born baby. Try feeding a new-born baby Grandma's apple pie.

When the body is full of toxins, its defense systems are not able to operate effectively. After a fast the natural defenses are able to perform the way God intended. Sensitivity to unhealthy food is increased. You will feel satisfied with smaller amounts of food and sluggish and tired when overeating. Rich foods, full of fat, salt, and processed sugars will cause nausea, headaches and weakness. A handful of fruit will be thoroughly satisfying. Because the digestive system has to work less, there will be boundless energy to spare

...Jodi

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Thanks for all the information! That was great! Im looking forward to this. One last question....If anyone has done a 3 day fast, how much weight dropped off of you, and in which areas was it most noticable? Thanks again!!!

hmm probably in my face .. or boobs lol .. probably not the answer you wanted to hear lol

but hun if you are trying to lose weight by fasting please go another route .. the weight comes back when you introduce food ..fasting is for cleansing , not weight loss

any loss in 3 days will be likely retained water and negligible at best and it *will* come back

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Ya i kinda figured that...the weight coming back i mean, not the boobs haha. Im not even overweight, i just wouldnt mind toning down, im only 5'4 and kinda stalky so even losing some muscle would be a good thing. But ya, this fast is going to be my intoduction to being 90%+ raw again. That will tone me up again ha. Thanks!

There is a 3 day fast starting today, posted on the main forum. If you would like to join us there, you are welcome!

All the above info is excellent..and a fast should be used for cleansing, not for weight loss. Staying hydrated during the fast in important.

Love,
Prism

Actually, I've read that fasting is great for weight loss, IF you do it the right way. If you do an extended fast that really cleans you out, afterwards you will maintain your ideal weight. So if you were too skinny before, you'll gain back some weight, but if you were too heavy, you'll stay slimmer. Of course you have to transition back to eating very carefully, as stated in the article.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

i work in a retail store doing sales and things and am on my feet all day. is it still ok if i fast on days that i work too? or that too much exertion ?? it's just that i don't really have any other time.

applebaby--
It's pretty hard to water fast while working, but juice fasting is quite easy for most people.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]