Hi Sarahz. I had the feelings you describe, probably most people do, but just like any addiction the first few days are the hardest and the symptoms get less as you get used to fasting.

Oh sure it's boring and I am really NOT looking forward to starting my next fast in a week or less, because right now I am eating some fantastic fresh fruit and vegetables and a friend has caught me a fresh brown river trout from a local river in Wales which I will prepare and eat today.

I will really miss those foods, and during my first fast I missed all the junk I used to eat. But after a few days I will get used to it, and I won't feel hungry anymore.

So for me I think of it as physical. During the fast I focus on checking my weight (I am fasting for weight loss), noting any physical changes, and reading up on the science. But you could argue it is spiritual. My new found attitude to healthy food comes directly from the fasting experience.

I don't know about later on, but right now it is definatley a physical thing. Each day has brought a new experience. Day One, I was just so tired from having been up for over 30 hours, Day two was ok, just a little slow, but I did wake up restless at 4:00am (46 hours into fast) which never happens. Day three brought me the worst cramping in my legs - started in my lower back, and here we are at day four. I arose early this morning - I'm usually pining for sleep, and have a hard time getting up early - I always do because my kids are early risers, it's just a constant struggle every day. Today I am up earlier than they are. It is hard to do anything without feeling like I may pass out. My heart is feeling pretty fast, and my limbs feel so heavy. I just keep saying "Do this one more thing and you can sit and rest." Also shaky. Oh, and I have had this cramping in my lower abdomen for 2 1/2 days, that feels alot like period cramps. So for me it is physical so far. I just hope those leg cramps don't come back. They were horrible. I might have overdone it yesterday too though because I had a lot of things to do yesterday.

Hi sarah. Your story is very common. I've completed a number of fasts and gone as long as 30 days but I still have the same trouble. It does require willpower and if I'm too stressed with my life in general it can just be too much for me to fast since fasting makes me attend those stressful feelings all that much more urgently.

Food the way we use it though is an addiction, that is the thing to remember. Breaking the 'habit' of eating too much too often is I think perhaps the very hardest of addictions to break also. The main reason is that social people seem to be 'feeders' and want us to eat at all times, so even if we cut ourselves off from advertising, shopping and food preparation unless we become hermits for the duration of our fasts it's very hard to avoid being offered, sometimes constantly, all types of different foods, some of which are bound to tempt us. The addiction is constant just like the habit of picking up a cigarette, it reminds us when our mealtimes were even when we're not consciously thinking about it. Our senses intrude on us with memories of food from smells and sights, sounds and textures. And our thoughts are our worst enemies most of the time, coming up with all sorts of excuses to eat- most of which won't pass inspection after the first bite!

So you're not alone by any means Sarah. Stay strong if you can! It's only as bad as all that when we think we've failed really. For most of us it's much easier once we break past those initial cravings. It has helped me to allow for 'failures' too. To focus on the whole task of the fasting experience rather than just the days not eating. So if I start a fast I always prepare myself intellectually for the day I'm going to break it and how I'm going to break it. I don't set a time limit for that and whether it's 1 day, 10 days or 40 days makes no difference, if I can break a fast correctly then I have succeeded in my fast not failed in any way.

Good luck. :)

Andrew.