Hi

Missagonie since fasting isnt widely practiced there are a lot of misconcenptions about it.

Yes fasting once a year is widely practised across many nation, again that you were surprised echoes my sentiments that fasting is not known by many hence widely misunderstood. The religious month long fast Ramadan is practised worldwide by Muslims once every single year and has not been reported to cause obesity.In fact fasting once a year is very benefical for your body as far as dumping toxins in most industrialised nations and a period as long as 21 days effectively begins to get to deep cleansing but if you cant go this long even a short cleanse will suffice and still yield great benefits.From your response I'm not sure if you misunderstood and thought I fasted continuosly for 2 years in a row. Not that its humanely possible but I'll clarify I did a 21day fast one year then 24 day the second year.But yes many people fast once a year for a variety of reasons just not too many people know about it although I would say Ramadan is a widely publicized example some US president have hosted a feast at the White House to honor the breaking of the Ramadan fast, also on college campuses Muslim and non Muslim students share and enjoy this feast together. I'm not Muslim but it was through Ramadan I discoverd and did my first fast along the billions across the world and it was how I discovered the health benefits of fasting.Both fasts other than regaining 5/so pounds I didnt gain weight let alone become obese. I ate healthy so I maintained my weight.

Fasting does not cause obesity, eating unhealthy food does.A year after my 2 fasts I was just fine then I started eating nearly every meal in a restaurant where the foods are very fattening now couple that with eating this food daily, next add that to eating chocolate for breakfast,with cashews & macademia which although healthy should be eaten in limited amounts, then before bed more chocolate,nuts and french fries this was done on close to a daily basis. There was barely any food in my fridge as franlkly I ate every meal at a restaurant and if I didnt it would be delivery. The only stuff I shopped for was junk and hardly in a grocery store I'd just pick these items up at the gas station as for the french fries I got from a chinese-american restaurant. Other than veggies from the restarant the only other veggie I madefor myself were sweet corn and squash and it was my friend that brought them for for I barely frequented a grocery store. All this mindless eating started first because I was no longer home and I thought eating out was a convenience I was health concsious so at at really expensive restarants but trust me just cause is expensive doesnt mean its healthy your'e just paying for the name, as for the candy I dont even remember how it started but I went through a really traumatic experience I was just numb and somehow I started eating to shut the pain or something cause where as before I ate extremely healthy was into detoxing my body for optimal health, exercised I stopped. My body must have been healthy cause for six month of bad eating and no exercise my weight was stable, then as these habits got worse the weight came on till I was obese.The list of foods I descibed are known to cause weight gain eat those like I did and you sure will end up fat. If fasting was supposed to cause obesity then I should have been fast within weeks/months of my fasts but I wasnt.

In fact the opposite itself is true fasting itself results in weightloss, like I told you in another post we should not blame fasting for weightgain we should bame ouselves for how we eat. After a fast we are cautioned to go slow if we do that we dont regain the weight, dont do it and the weight piles up.Its cause you overate not cause you fasted. Its no different, go on any other diet then go on a bienging spree you gain weight. Its eating the wrong foods that causes weight gain.

In fact if broken properly many people continue to loose weight after a fast cause the body's more effiecient. These past few months when I broke my fast each time I 'd quickly regain water weight a few days later I'd start to loose weight again all the while eating but very healthy with occasional treats. One month I could fast but lost 14 pound in 3 weeks whilst eating.

I know there a lot of information loosely thrown around about fasting out there and all by people who have never fasted before or didnt fast properly. So its understandable that you would think this way.

In mid July '07 I was 220lbs and not even worried cause I knew I could easily get back to normal mid to end of December I was a very lean 130lbs and more importantly reduced my risk of obesity related diesease all from fasting. In my faasting update for today I mention how I fasted in January not for weightloss but cause I didnt have all the tools I felt I needed to break a fast correctly, after all this fast was way different from my other fasts. I have always broken a long fast correctly its critical so now will be no different. I know I wont gain because because I respect how to beak it. What I would gain weight from is unhealthy eating.

I have fasted succesfully before and that is why earlier I stressed starting think about how you would break you fast. In the fast I took 3 weeks to slowly transition to solids and ate healthy and was fine.In past I ate my way to obesity but it is fasting that brought me back to health and I'll be glad to be here to share my post fast experience to dispel such fasting myths. Besides there plenty who post about steady weight maintance and I've not heard of people saying I ate well and got fat rather after being warned/advised to break a fast properly many return in despair because they ate unhealthy and gained weight. We ignore the eating part and just attack fasting.

I could go on but really we shouldn't give fasting a bad rep, its us with the problem.

Oh I'm not upset at you but everytime such mis statements surface on the board its best that they are dispelled many people dont post but they watch these boards and want to learn about fasting, we dont want to scare them away with false statements and have them possibly miss out on the best natural cure known to man. So that is why I went to lengths to clarify my situation and personal experience.