When you can’t find it on Google.

Fasting for a week

I am starting a water, juice, and herbal tea fast today that I plan on continuing for at least a week. The five W’s after the jump…

Who: Just me, unless you want to join in.

What: A solid food fast. I’ll mainly be drinking water, with juice and tea. I don’t look forward to this aspect of it, but I’ll also need to do a salt water cleanse once a day or so.

Where: Probably the most logistically-challenging aspect of this will be deciding what to bring to work. I don’t have a juicer, so I’m going to rely on 100% juice products, although I know that’s far from the ideal way to do this. It’s the poor-man’s technique.

When: Monday (yesterday) through Wednesday – 9 days.

Why: This is the big one, of course. Can’t give you a great reason, really. I don’t even think it’s related to last week’s post about the limits of the body, although that has always been an interest of mine. I believe that I’ve fasted for a few days in the past for religious reasons (it’s a coincidence that I’m doing this during Ramadan), but this time I think it’s mainly for discipline. I’m not doing it for weight loss, either. Physical self-discipline has always come fairly easy for me, so I’m interested to see the physiological effects of fasting on my own mind and body. It’s a personal exploration as well as a way to share and relate to others doing the same.

I recognize the dangers of fasting without food, so I’ve read a good deal on this controversial subject. I may use my stationary bike if I’m feeling good, and I’ll take walks around the block at work, but I won’t be lifting weights. If I feel bad for more than a day, I’m not going to kill myself to stay on the program. Apparently, the first two days are the most difficult – I think I can handle that. I apologize in advance for the side effects of bad breath and body odor. I’ll probably look a little pale and gaunt next week, but I’ll gradually work my way back into regular meals by the end of the week.

I haven’t been online much in the past week for whatever reason, but I may be tweeting about this experience!


Posted

by

Comments

4 responses to “Fasting for a week”

  1. Ledcrowe Avatar
    Ledcrowe

    A word of advice… Avoid drinking juice right after brushing your teeth or chewing minty gum during a fast. I drank some apple juice right after brushing my teeth during a fast one time and ended up getting sick on my lap on the drive in to work. Fortunately I had a plastic bag with me in the car. Unfortunately the bag had a couple holes in the bottom. Nuff said.

  2. ledcrowe Avatar
    ledcrowe

    A word of advice… Avoid drinking juice right after brushing your teeth or chewing minty gum during a fast. I drank some apple juice right after brushing my teeth during a fast one time and ended up getting sick on my lap on the drive in to work. Fortunately I had a plastic bag with me in the car. Unfortunately the bag had a couple holes in the bottom. Nuff said.

  3. zepfanman Avatar

    Whoa. Interesting! What was your fasting plan?

  4. ledcrowe Avatar
    ledcrowe

    I was doing a 24 hour fast. I stopped eating after lunch one day and planned on fasting until lunch the following day. I skipped dinner and breakfast, and snacks. I drank juice, tea, and water only.