Chris is great that way :).

This is her expanded statement for "Day 34 - 2nd consecutive 40 Day Fast: 75th Day of Water Fast (41 days + 34 days)", from the top right of the page. I will wait to comment until after she has finished fasting, and perhaps a bit longer. I included the keywords (tags) she used at the end, this is not part of her statement:


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" I am posting this as an update. The other videos will be online soon.



I have finished the 34th day of a 40 day fast. This is my second consecutive 40 day, water only fast. (A Water Fast is one in which only water is consumed.) These two Water Fasts have been separated by approximately 7 days of eating - (the days of Passover Week) - so the 2 fasts consist of a 40 day fast before Passover Week and a 40 day fast immediately following Passover Week. While breaking the fast during Passover, only "Kosher for Passover" foods were be eaten. I post this information with every video.

I am fasting for spiritual reasons, the primary motivations being to become the woman G-d wants me to be, to know and do what He wants me to do, and to, in general, become the person He wants me to become. I am NOT doing this for the purposes of weight loss, cleansing, experimentation, record setting, health, or for any other non-religious alterior motive. Nor am I doing this for anyone else, though other individuals have asked me to pray for certain things during this time.

During the 1st fast, I fasted up until Passover week began, (the evening of April 8), which made it ~41 days of fasting, since I had last eaten on February 26, at 11:58pm. I ate during passover, as instructed in the Torah, and then began this second 40+ day fast, which will end with the beginning of Shavuot (Pentecost) on May 29.

I believe this is called a "Moses Fast" or "Passover Fast" because Moses fasted for 40 days, then after finishing that fast, fasted another 40 days. The Bible says Moses did not drink water, however, and in contrast, I will be drinking water on a regular basis. Also, it can be referred to as a "Passover Fast" because you fast 40 days before Passover, eat, as commanded during Passover Week, and then fast ~40 more days until Shavuot/Pentecost.

I ate no food and drank only water for 40 days, until Passover began. At which time, I broke the fast by eating the Passover meals and matzah bread (unleavened bread or bread without yeast) and foods allowed during the passover week, (equivalent to approximately one meal or less a day, all in total). Immediately following that week, I began the second 40 day fast, which will end on Shavuot (the day of Pentecost), so, in actuallity, it will be an additional 42-43 days of fasting. In total, I will have fasted 84 days, when the 2nd fast concludes on May 29. Though no one has ever gone more than 63 days without eating before death, I feel confident that with eating the passover meal/food each day during the Passover week, and with G-d's protection, I will be able to finish this second 40 day fast. I assure you, I will NOT risk death. If at any time I feel my life is in danger, I will stop without hesitation.

This type of fast (a water only fast) is identical to the fast Moses, Jesus, and others have achieved, which means consuming nothing but water. However, Moses did not consume water, and Jesus did only one 40 day fast. Fasting for 40 days at least once was what I was initially striving for, but on the last day of Passover Week, I did not feel my health to be in danger, so I am fasting for 40 more days, thus completing two 40 day fasts.

I am aware of the admonitions to keep fasting private, along with the consequence of losing rewards for not doing so. I am normally a very quiet and private person. However, I feel information like this, being made available to the public, could be both motivational to the Spiritual, and informational to the Scientific. I searched for specific knowledge on fasting, but found few details concerning fasts lasting longer than a week or so.

I want my fasting to benefit both myself and G-d, but also others who may be helped by deciding to do the same thing. For these reasons, I will provide information on both the physical aspects and spiritual changes I experience daily, during these two 40 day fasts. This will include levels of hunger, energy, spiritual perception, weight loss, and both problems and benefits I experience. Weight amounts are only being publicly disclosed to confirm the validity of the fast itself.

In the interest of full disclosure, and at my husband's insistance, I am taking multivitamins, which commonly include vitamins/minerals such as iron, potassium, sodium, B12, etc., one - three times a day. I have made entirely sure that these contain NO calories, protein, or sugars in any form. This is to ensure that, though I am drinking nothing but water, the risk of injury is at a minimum, and that the stringent definition of 'fasting' is not violated.


This fast, (the 2nd one), started April 16, 2009, and will end on May 29, 2009, (the beginning Shavuot/Pentecost.)

The 1st fast started at 11:58 P.M., February 26, 2009, and ended the night of April 8, 2009.


If you have done this before, or have questions, please comment and leave your suggestions.
Category: People & Blogs
Tags:
2nd 40 Fast 34th day fast not eating water only fasting hunger hungry starvation starve diet dieting nutrition food breakfast lunch dinner supper brunch synagogue church spritiual Science religion orthodox jewish halacha Sabbath Shabbat Ten Commandments jew christian moses jesus pangs sick vomiting vitamins iron b12 pills passover shavuot pentecost feast unleavened bread exodus law giving the torah"

Yes Chiron,
thank you to Mouseclick for posting Olivias comments.

I was not attempting to pre-judge her actions/motives although this comment of my own re' fasting in public, so as to earn the attention of others for self-praise, only crossed my mind.
I was being unduly critical perhaps out of concern.

However, as far as I am aware, Olivia's fasting is a fairly unique experience in so far as taking supplements is concerned on such an extended double fast, and where this could be beneficial to others; but the medical/scientific community will probably not learn anything from this (as she has has mentioned) and be extremely skeptical, as this has not been scientifically-controlled or supervised as far as I am aware.

It also remains a concern for me that the supplements she is taking are most likely masking other potential deficiencies in the nutrients that I have mentioned previously (protein/amino acids and essential fatty acids).

There are 21 Minerals, 13 Vitamins, 8 Amino Acids (10 for children), and 2 Essential Fatty Acids that are ESSENTIAL for human health. Essential nutrients do not work in isolation. They work together in harmony. This synergy gives us energy, builds new cells, tissues and preserves/maintains our health.
Deficiency of even ONE essential nutrient may impair/harm/ and ultimately damage the body's normal functions if prolonged.
For example, a deficiency of essential fatty acids in the body is revealed by symptoms such as mild but persistent fatigue to a fatal heart attack in extreme cases!!

There are also other issues such as the quality of her food reserves pre-first-fast, which would be paramount in deciding the safety of her fasts, as her refeeding period was for only one week.

I just hope that she has not allowed her religious motives to override her body's signals for nourishment and the possible return of genuine hunger, as to go beyond this point is tantamount to starvation, and even involuntary suicide.

Regards

Chrisb1.