30 Days in! by exposure Blog entry

Blog: Comfort in my Longest Fast
by exposure

30 Days in!

Introduction to my easiest fast and to my experience as a faster

Date: 5/16/2011 12:33:14 AM ( 13 y ) ... viewed 23505 times

Hello all,

I wanted to start a blog for a number of reasons, to re-count, reflect and give me a place to also record and communicate to others my own fasting experience.

I've been fasting for many years now, and have experimented with a lot of different methods over the last 12 years or so. One thing I've found is that we are in constant flux, and that what works well for me at one time, one age, one season or when my energies are in a particular state may not necessarily work well again at a different time and condition. What I can say I've learned through all these years is to know myself and listen to my body. Fasting has so many variations - and there is a lot of information out there about it. People also fast for different reasons and health issues, for me - fasting is a way to take hold of my own health, weight, diet and it has taught me so much about myself as well as our mind set about food over the years.

I started this particular fast a month ago now, very unconventionally - I was keen to begin a fast, and trying to decide when to start the 3-5 day process which is intrinsic for me, of weaning myself off refined sugar, caffeine and food - without which I know I will suffer headaches, hunger and all sorts of difficulty. Every time I prepare for a fast in this manner, I do fine and rarely experience any negative effects.
This time however, my whole household got stricken with a very aggressive contagious Gastro - LOL, and after that cleaned me out completely, and I spent 3 days unable to eat and totally emptied, I realized there was no better time to start than the present and had been perhaps not so easily but conveniently set upon my desired course already!
No detox days needed, this was all done for me - too easy, and no need for a SWF.

I've done SWF many time in the past with fasting, until coming across some literature from a fasting expert who had helped many people with fasting and had used them for years before finding out for himself that they were not necessary. I like to do SWF from time to time and have got a lot out of them, its a great feeling when you're body's receptive, after flushing you can feel wonderful - though the process of drinking down all that salt water is never exactly pleasant. More recently I did a fast where the SWF caused me to faint, and so have not chosen to carry this on this time round. There is a lot of info out there about the need to flush and do colonics or something when fasting as otherwise you will not be able to liberate all the toxins coming out of you etc - I believed this must be the case for a long time, but finding out it wasn't necessary I can attest to that it's made virtually no difference to how I feel or progress in my fasts, or to the coating on my tongue which any chinese doctor will explain indicates how you are detoxing. If I wasn't liberating all the toxins freed up from the fast, I'd expect to be experiencing headaches, weakness, and associated kinds of feelings - but this has never been the case when I left off the SWF. As this is the part of the master cleanse most people struggle with - its suprising there isn't more info out there letting people know they don't really need to do this.

One of the hardest things I find with fasting these days, is how difficult it is to tell people that I am healthy and haven't eaten for a month and am not crazy or anoerixic! Lol - fasting is not something most people have any interest in or knowledge about, and being a faster, seeing the concerned looks you get from time to time when you mention it to a friend in the spiritual community or someone you imagine might understand, etc... well - I'm sure many of us have been there! This is a big part of why I wanted to write this blog - just to be able to do so in a place where those interested in and knowledgeable about fasting could read or comment as they liked. I love fasting, and after 12 years I don't think I'll ever look back. Every fast has been different, and I and my energies change as I grow - starting this blog here might be the first chapter in a long book lol. Hopefully I'll get to know a few other of you fasters in the process.

My disclaimer : Now, having said all that, I'll say here before people continue, that for me fasting is a very personal experience one chooses to go on for their own reasons. It is not something there is a complete rule book for, and there are so many choices within it.
I know there are various methods and fasts and schools of thought and that people can be extremely insistent on fasting one way or another. In this blog, while I'm very interested in people's experiences and support and information, I'd like to say that for me, there is no right or wrong - and that what's most important is that one finds a way to achieve experience and success in their own personal goals. Please feel free to be open on this blog and offer but not to preach. Fasting can be anything from restricting types of food to times of consuming to a liquid fast to a water fast etc. It would be my intention here to share experience without ever telling anyone else how they should or shouldn't go about their own experiences. We all have different bodies and minds, and journeys - but its nice to hear what has worked for us all and what issues and difficulties we've had.

I've not been able to complete any real water fasts myself, I tried for a few days, while deep into a Master Cleanse maybe 2 years ago and just became so dehydrated - my skin cracking and drying out like a desert especially on my face I tried drinking lots more water but it didn't help and felt I couldn't continue and went back to the Master Cleanse drink at the time.

What I feel about this however is not that it might never work for me, perhaps at that time it was not a good thing to press forward with. I've also been interested in Chinese medicine for years, and I imagine if the condition is too much heat in the body for example, this sort of thing could happen. Our bodies go through changes, and our energies - and beyond this we are very effected by the seasons and out environments.. So who's to say what is right for us at any given time, other than we try and listen and find out and experiment and discover what works and what doesn't.

For me there are all sorts of reasons I do what I do when I'm fasting, this time round, and generally I've been discovering this over the years - I know what I personally will and won't find myself able to continue with. A lot of people who are purists and have very strong ideas about how one should fast would find fault with this.. But afterall, its working beautifully for me and I'm not here for approval... if it benefits others I'll be very pleased. Fasting for me is not only about how much I can deny myself or how perfectly I can adhere to rigour. It is about accomplishing the aim, which takes time - and doing so in a way that is gentler.

I have done the Master Cleanse many times, but can no longer stomach the lemon juice drink all day long... Its very hard on the teeth for one, and can really promote a lot of cavities - its just hard to get down as well, I've enjoyed it in the past, but have to say it's not the way for me currently. I think the mix of things in it is great - and when I fast I generally aim for a liquid fast while using some sugar similar to maple syrup to keep my blood stable while I reduce and detox and close the doors of digestion. I now find myself wondering really though, why people make such a fuss about how one must fast and what must be adhered to - what I've found and I suppose any sort of doctor would probably be able to confirm this - is that when the stomach is allowed to rest, by stopping solids and doing a long liquid diet - detoxing will occur, as well as weight loss so long as the calories of that liquid diet are not excessive. A water fast would facilitate a much more rapid state of detox and reduction, but at the end of the day, if your goal is to give the body a break, lose weight, detox and regenerate your energies, a liquid fast need not be so restrictive. It really depends on you, what works for you, how long you want to continue and so forth.

The occasional bit of milk or cream in my hot beverege is something I've found I can't live without very long - so I have this, and it makes the fast very easy for me - having said this, I don't ever drink a glass of milk - and try to only use a small amount if I'm having a hot cup of decaf tea or cocoa. Sometimes I will not have any dairy like this for a few days when I want to deepen the fast and will focus more on clear drinks. Sometimes I will have a mineral broth I make out of seaweed and a bit of veg and dashi - this is another great thing to have occasionally and when you become dehydrated or perhaps flat due to not having enough nutrition in the form of vitamins and minerals. I go easy on this though, only having it from time to time during a long fast and then going through times without it again.

Most of my drinks are warm - I'm currently in Australia and doing a fast in Autumn which is pretty cold weather. I don't really use juice unless I've become dehydrated, which doesn't happen much at all - this fast I did discover some additive free natural coconut juice in local asian grocers and had that on days i was out of the house and knew I wouldn't be able to mix up my own hot drinks - not wanting storebought things full of refined sugar etc.

I try to stay away from refined sugar for the most part, using wholefood sweeteners - though if I end up dissolving a piece of chocolate in my mouth or having a hot drink out with a friend somewhere and putting sugar in it I don't worry about it. I'd love to have a world full of alternative sweeteners without aspartame, saccharin and refined to the point of being illness causing lol, but you live in the one we've got so sometimes you just do the best you can. I think the best thing is to have a 90% rule, the rest will work itself out - though with something as horrid as numbered neurotoxins I do have a 100% no rule and wouldn't touch the stuff!!! As always, natural and whole is the way we should go - move towards and aim for.

30 days in and so far its been the easiest fast ever for me, I've lost nearly 20 pounds so far and am feeling worlds better about my bod and turning more heads lol.. I'm 36 now and after 5 years of working very hard starting up my own business and a very draining and difficult relationship I had picked up too many excess kilos and hit a bit of a wall at one point energetically and just got older and didn't bounce back as I once would have. I've since done a big spiritual retreat in India for about 4 months and re-gained my energy and have come back from that whole experience realizing I must live with balance now and not just push myself to the absolute edge as i did all through my youth. I've never really fasted beyond about 21 days before, and this time I want to keep going, I've got 60 days in mind and longer slower easing myself back onto food - we'll see how I go through the next month, and whether or not I get there or want to keep going when I do. At this point, my body is telling me its loving it and wants to keep going and I have no intentions of stopping something thats going so well. I'll write more here as I go, there is a lot to say about how fasting is for me - hope you enjoy the read :) Good luck to all the others out there taking their own health in hand!