If you practice fasting...

[PeachyDoodle]

If you practice fasting, would you mind answering a few questions?

 

1. How long have you practiced fasting?

 

2.  What is the typical duration of your fast?

 

3. How often do you fast?

 

4. What do you do during the times you normally would be eating?

 

5. What benefits have you derived from fasting?

 

I am thinking mostly in terms of fasting for health and/or weight management. However, I'd be interested in religious/spiritual perspectives too.

 

[umsami]

Well, Muslims fast for at least a month each year from before sunrise to after sunset.  You have to abstain from all food and liquids, which is tough.  Many Muslims fast throughout the year too.... usually twice per week on Mondays and Thursdays.  There are also other days throughout the year when fasting is recommended. 

 

The weird thing about Ramadan is it feels like we're always preparing for the next meal (at least to me.)  So every night during Ramadan, my local mosque has a community dinner...basically a pot luck.   I need everything to be ready at sunset, so I usually start cooking three or so hours beforehand.  Because I'm cooking big time quantities every day, I shop more often during the month, too.  It seems like Costco puts out their best sample ladies during that month. ;)  I also get up around 3:30 a.m. to prepare suhoor/breakfast and to make sure I can drink enough water.

 

ETA: A lot of people sleep during the day if their job allows it or if they're in a Muslim country where the working hours are changed because of Ramadan.  Kids who are old enough to fast (puberty) will often come home from school and sleep all afternoon until it's time to go to the mosque.  Of course, part of this is because people stay up late during Ramadan.  It's kind of like a party month.  Going to bed after midnight or 1 a.m. is not unusual....or people stay up through sunrise....and then sleep after.

 

For me, food is not as difficult as water is.  I'm limited to how much I can eat or drink at a time due to a reduced stomach size, so I always prioritize liquids over food. 

 

I find the community aspect of Ramadan makes fasting 1000x easier than trying to do it any other time.  As much as I hate the giving up liquids aspect, it really does make me appreciate a good, cold glass of water.... or just having clean water.... potable water from the tap, etc.

 

I've tried intermittent fasting too, but found the limited calories harder than abstaining from everything.  I lost a little weight, but it did not stay off.

Edited May 5, 2016 by umsami

[PrincessMommy]

Orthodox Christians fast from certain food throughout the year.  This is always coupled with prayer and almsgiving.   We also fast on Weds. and Fridays.  Weds. to remember the day Christ was betrayed by Judas and Friday to commemorate the day He died on the cross. 

 

The longer fasts are in preparation for important Feast days - such as Christmas and Easter/Pascha.  Those are the times we are most encouraged to add more prayer and almsgiving..so it's not just a diet.    So with these back-ground information here it goes:

 

1.  about 10years. 

 

2. It varies - We have Four major fasting periods in the year:  two fast periods are 40days long.  One is 14 days long and the last is variable depending on when Pascha occurs (this year it is less than a week, I think)

 

3.  Explained this above.

 

4.  I still eat, I just don't eat  quite as much and my diet is restricted (Orthodox fasts are vegan but not everyone can eat that strictly...it depends on your health and family needs).  But I do try to add more periods of prayer and concentrate on more almsgiving.   I rarely succeed at this.

 

5.Fasting is seen as a means to an end.  The end is to be more Christ-like: to be more humble and loving towards all people.  Believe it or not, fasting acts like a little spotlight shining on those areas that I/we need to work on.  Areas where we miss the mark at being Christ-like.   This is all done with the help of our priests as we are expected to go to confession during the fasting periods to work through some of the issues we're struggling with (confession in the EO church is not anything like what people see in Catholic confession on TV).  I *hope* I'm slowly slogging towards that goal.   It's always a struggle.. it's not easy.  I'd rather look away at my own shortcomings, truth be told.  I guess that's why the Church prescribes these times, because She knows we'd rather not face ourselves sometimes. 

[Georgiana Daniels]

Like Princess Mommy, we're Orthodox. Let me just say, this has been a struggle for our family! We've only been doing it a little over a year. Since the goal is to be more like Christ, we also try to practice the prayer and almsgiving. Like I tell the kids, fasting without prayer is just being hungry :laugh:

[Guest]

Since you asked about the spiritual side of it:  

 

When I was Presbyterian, I fasted during Lent.  Sometimes it was from coffee, sometimes from booze, sometimes from TWTM boards.  

 

My Presbyterian pastor gave a to-the-point reason for fasting:

 

"We fast to deny ourselves the anesthetics we use to hide the pain of our sin."

 

Anyway, you are getting good answers here, and so I'll buzz off.  I just thought that sentence might give you food for thought.  (haha)

 

 

 

 

[Emba]

I sometimes fast for religious (Christian) reasons.  Sometimes from supper the night before to sunset of the next day (ex. from after supper on Sunday to sundown on Monday evening).  Sometimes for a full 24 hours, never longer.  Sometimes I allow myself only water or unsweetened tea during the day, sometimes I allow myself juice or other liquids.  I have found that drinking broth makes the hunger pangs worse, but juice doesn't seem to have that effect.  Sometimes fasting gives me a headache.  Most of the time, actually, I guess. 

 

I don't do this on a regular basis, just when I feel a need for focus and clarity.  During mealtimes I leave the kitchen  (where everyone is eating) and go to another room where I pray or read my Bible.

 

Since I do this for spiritual reasons, the benefits are spiritual ones to me.  I feel like a gain focus on what is important and gain practice at self-control.

 

I've also "fasted" from sugar for a month once, and really, that was very hard for me. 

[Pegasus]

I highly recommend Dr. Jason Fung's blog.  He's a big proponent on fasting for health reasons. You can also find lots of his videos on youtube.

 

https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/

.

[SereneHome]

 I do it twice a year for religious reasons and unfortunately it is not working, i.e. I think about food all.day.long.  They are 25 hr fasts.

 

 I worked with a lady who was/is a Christian and her church did a special fast every January.  They had very strict rules on what to eat each week.  Started with very minimum 1st week and increased each of the following weeks.

 

I am not a big proportion of fasting or detox for weight loss, although as fat as I am - sometimes it's very tempting to do

[TianXiaXueXiao]

If you practice fasting, would you mind answering a few questions?

 

 

 

1. How long have you practiced fasting?

2. What is the typical duration of your fast?

3. How often do you fast?

4. What do you do during the times you normally would be eating?

5. What benefits have you derived from fasting?

I am thinking mostly in terms of fasting for health and/or weight management. However, I'd be interested in religious/spiritual perspectives too.

Another Orthodox Christian here. I'm going to talk about the health benefits of Orthodox fasting, however.

 

There's an Orthodox Christian nutritionist named Rita Madden who has an excellent podcast and a book titled, "Food, Faith, and Fasting" which is intended for a broad audience, not just Orthodox Christians. I recommend you check out her work as it is much more in depth and compelling than what I can speak to. http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/foodfaithfasting

 

For starters, as other EO boardies already stated, Eastern Orthodox Christians fast roughly half the year. This includes almost every Wednesday and Friday in addition to the 4 extended fasting periods. During fasts, we avoid rich and fatty foods including oil, meat, dairy, and eggs. Sometimes we can have fish during certain fasting days, and usually weekends are relaxed to include oil and wine. Not only do we limit the kind of foods we eat, but we also stop eating when we still feel just a little bit hungry, never letting our bellies feel stuffed.

 

During major fasting periods, it is not unusual to lose weight and gain a brighter and clearer complexion. One way to get the growling tummy to quiet down is to drink water (and pray!) whenever the urge to snack comes on. The benefits of reduced fat and cholesterol intake coupled with increased water consumption is that many toxins get flushed from the body resulting in a leaner and healthier body, healthier heart, lower incidences of heartburn and acid reflux, lower chance of type 2 diabetes and other diet related health problems.

 

During normal, non-fasting periods, we keep the Wednesday and Friday fasts which help us to maintain the health benefits gained during extended fasts. In the diet world, this is known as intermittent fasting. See the "fast diet"

http://www.abebooks.com/FastDiet-Lose-Weight-Stay-Healthy-Live/11350934096/bd?cm_mmc=gmc-_-new-_-PLA-_-v01&product=COM9781476734941NEW

 

 

There was more I wanted to say but I am so tired from taking care of sick kiddos that I lost my train of thought. I will come back if something jogs my memory.

 

I hope these resources and perspective are useful in your research.

Edited May 6, 2016 by TianXiaXueXiao

[Laurie4b]

I have followed a 12 hour fast with not perfect, but high, adherence for several months after reading it was one of the interventions in the small case study of people who had cognitive decline/early Alzheimer's reversed. http://www.impactaging.com/papers/v6/n9/full/100690.html   There is more explanation here of specific interventions: http://www.anti-agingfirewalls.com/2015/02/18/a-simple-comprehensive-plan-to-prevent-or-reverse-alzheimers-disease-and-other-neurodegenerative-diseases-part-1-the-plan/   With a strong family history of Alzheimer's, I'm looking over the list for what things seem most reasonable to me to institute and a 12 hour fast to stimulate cell trash pick up seems reasonable. (Also means not eating within 3 hours of bedtime.) 

 

Additionally, I found it was easier for me to lose weight eating a diet that focused on very high levels of nutrition (thoughtfully giving my body what it needed; not giving my body stuff that could harm it) if I fasted from dinner once or sometimes twice per week. I just skipped it. I didn't substitute other foods. 

[katilac]

I have followed a 12 hour fast with not perfect, but high, adherence for several months after reading it was one of the interventions in the small case study of people who had cognitive decline/early Alzheimer's reversed. http://www.impactaging.com/papers/v6/n9/full/100690.html   There is more explanation here of specific interventions: http://www.anti-agingfirewalls.com/2015/02/18/a-simple-comprehensive-plan-to-prevent-or-reverse-alzheimers-disease-and-other-neurodegenerative-diseases-part-1-the-plan/   With a strong family history of Alzheimer's, I'm looking over the list for what things seem most reasonable to me to institute and a 12 hour fast to stimulate cell trash pick up seems reasonable. (Also means not eating within 3 hours of bedtime.) 

 

Additionally, I found it was easier for me to lose weight eating a diet that focused on very high levels of nutrition (thoughtfully giving my body what it needed; not giving my body stuff that could harm it) if I fasted from dinner once or sometimes twice per week. I just skipped it. I didn't substitute other foods. 

 

Thanks for the links, very interesting! 

 

I've been doing the 12-hour eating window (sometimes 10) since reading about it here a while back, and it's been helpful with weight loss and healthier eating - I definitely have fewer cravings and false hunger pangs.

 

When I do an early window and stop eating by 7 pm, my chronic heartburn pretty much disappears, which leads to better sleep as well. However, I like that I can go later if there's a special occasion or simply if I still feel hungry, and just adjust the next morning. 

 

I do have to eat something fairly close to 7, because if I don't feel full my willpower disappears. I'm sure this is hugely psychological. 

[PeachyDoodle]

I highly recommend Dr. Jason Fung's blog.  He's a big proponent on fasting for health reasons. You can also find lots of his videos on youtube.

 

https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/

.

 

It was actually this blog and the recent thread here about the Biggest Loser contestants that led me to research intermittent fasting for weight control. DH and I each lost over 80 lbs a couple of years ago, but through the past several months, we've started to see indications of what those contestants experienced (weight loss plateauing or even beginning to gain, despite no change in diet and exercise).

 

We tried our first 24-hr fast yesterday and did well. We're going to implement a 5:2 schedule for a few weeks and see how things go. I was down 1.5 lbs this morning, and dh was down 2 -- although of course it's to early to tell if those results will stick. But I *feel* much better than I have in quite a while!

 

 

Another Orthodox Christian here. I'm going to talk about the health benefits of Orthodox fasting, however.

 

There's an Orthodox Christian nutritionist named Rita Madden who has an excellent podcast and a book titled, "Food, Faith, and Fasting" which is intended for a broad audience, not just Orthodox Christians. I recommend you check out her work as it is much more in depth and compelling than what I can speak to. http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/foodfaithfasting

 

For starters, as other EO boardies already stated, Eastern Orthodox Christians fast roughly half the year. This includes almost every Wednesday and Friday in addition to the 4 extended fasting periods. During fasts, we avoid rich and fatty foods including oil, meat, dairy, and eggs. Sometimes we can have fish during certain fasting days, and usually weekends are relaxed to include oil and wine. Not only do we limit the kind of foods we eat, but we also stop eating when we still feel just a little bit hungry, never letting our bellies feel stuffed.

 

During major fasting periods, it is not unusual to lose weight and gain a brighter and clearer complexion. One way to get the growling tummy to quiet down is to drink water (and pray!) whenever the urge to snack comes on. The benefits of reduced fat and cholesterol intake coupled with increased water consumption is that many toxins get flushed from the body resulting in a leaner and healthier body, healthier heart, lower incidences of heartburn and acid reflux, lower chance of type 2 diabetes and other diet related health problems.

 

During normal, non-fasting periods, we keep the Wednesday and Friday fasts which help us to maintain the health benefits gained during extended fasts. In the diet world, this is known as intermittent fasting. See the "fast diet"

http://www.abebooks.com/FastDiet-Lose-Weight-Stay-Healthy-Live/11350934096/bd?cm_mmc=gmc-_-new-_-PLA-_-v01&product=COM9781476734941NEW

 

 

There was more I wanted to say but I am so tired from taking care of sick kiddos that I lost my train of thought. I will come back if something jogs my memory.

 

I hope these resources and perspective are useful in your research.

 

Thank you for sharing this. I'm going to check out the podcast -- sounds fascinating!