Great post from MC. It seems like it can not be repeated enough that it is critical to actually HOLD BACK on re-feeding. Really, to retrain oneself, even though the body might be at first thinking, "I need to do it all, now!" This would be the default position of a body thinking it now has a chance to rebuild and store something for a future 'fast'.

This was one of the reasons for people to be in a supervised situation. They simply would not be able to raid the fridge,or eat more than was good for them, with a feeling of being ravenous. And don't forget, these were people who often were "fasted to completion"--they were people who were very sick, and for them, the Water Fast was a last chance. So they took it very seriously, and were not playing with doing anything outside the box--although, we should also remember, the "box" was already outside the one the world walks around dead-eyed in.

Anyway, the thing with refeeding is that the body really needs good sugar. (From natural vegetables and fruits, seeds and so forth.) And it needs minerals. And some healthy plant fats. But the best thing for the body is to be given very small amounts, and only when hungry.

So, even if ravenous, that first 'meal' should be eaten slowly, and "fletcherized", ( that is, make your solids liquid, and chew your juices) since the stomach will soon be filled. Then, one would -ideally- wait again until real hunger returned. It would be important to not overlap one meal on another--but I think this is what many people do who fast for shorter periods, where they never give themselves a chance to get into the deeper level of the fast, or, where they insist on "working out" to force a faster weight loss. The Water Fast was never meant to be about weight loss, though it CAN do that as one aspect.

And the reason for high water content fruit as a first meal, or meals, is that it can be easily assimilated, and leaves the stomach quickly. So, it’s like a shot of pure
energy, with no waste. Everything is used by the body, to restart all its functions. And, ideally, the fruit or such is bursting with minerals, and all sorts of micro-nutrients that the very cells will make great use of, as the magic gets going, and nutrients are sent whizzing about like happy birds in an inner forest.

:-)


This inner buzzing is in contrast with the kind of slow, or even somewhat restricted re-feeding that’s going on on the outside; and is the best for not shocking the system, and provoking wild swings of cravings and bingings. (which many people follow with a purging! Or another water fast) This is very hard on the body, and is NOT what the old Water Fasting masters were on about, with their thousands upon thousands of success stories.)



Here's the thing, in a nutshell (as I see it)
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Then, to maintain all that, it's important to follow no imposed schedule of eating, and to literally eat only when hungry. (this might mean you get into eating one meal a day. And drinking water the rest of the time.) And to choose food for its nutrient density— and not its “taste”.
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The good thing is, a longer Water Fast usually resets the tastebuds back to something approaching sane.



There is a famous hypnotist/NLP fellow who had a TV show where he gets all sorts of people 'thin', and the main way was to have them literally get conscious about their eating. Not to diet, or to deprive themselves of what they might want, but to eat with awakeness and focus. It sounded too simple to work.

When you focus on what is really in front of you, what you chose, and on chewing it, and appreciating all that went into it, ( that old "grace" idea) you begin to feel filled, before even eating a bite. And each bite progresses like that. These people were actually leaving food on their plate! All they were asked to do is go slow, and be honest.

So, the question of “are you eating only when you are hungry?” is a huge one for most of us to consider.
I think we might swing back and forth. In the winter,
I certainly eat more.



It looks like your plate is very full, is you stop to let your eye take it in and appreciate it, while ‘tuning’ your system to what it is “about the receive”. These are such simple ideas that they remain hidden to most of us, for a long time.

And you can notice this: if you pay close attention, that just a slight adjustment/tuning-OUT of the mind and you can go from being satisfied with a little, to already feeling 'lack, and thinking, what can I eat AFTER this? This is a pretty amazing thing to recognize. All stuff that came to me, through the course of a few water fasts, and the part that comes after, and before.

Just a few more thoughts...

Might be just important to say here, that doing a Water Fast while taking anything else, like vitamins or pills or what not, as a means to "stay healthy" or to ward off (perceived)problems with electrolytes is completely against the very precise states of ketosis and the stages of a Water Fast that have been extensively documented, and what actually occurs at a biological level, if one cares to read the fasting lit.


Anything the body ingests and interprets as other than water, does, in fact equate to "starving" or moving in that direction. Or rather, a starvation diet. (Or simple invasion)None of the truly wholesome effects of the Water Fast are allowed to manifest, which would explain why someone doing this would not "believe" in "detox" and these stages...

Then too, a person who is obese experiences the water fast at a different rate/mode than one with less fat--so perhaps one would take much longer to 'notice' certain sensations, that go along with the stages of a water fast.


I didn't have a great amount to weight to lose, but enough.
I was about 140 at 5'4. For me, that was a huge drain, since I am slight. I know not what I weigh now, but I'm close to being completely happy with it.

Naturally, if there are lots of fat stores, one could well go for a time, on the fat, and take the odd soda, or "o-calorie" whatever; many obese people actually live like this, in a semi-perpetual state of just-off starvation. Their bodies are holding onto the fat for dear life! as if it is a replacement for genuine nutrient stores. this is sad.

To be "feeding" the body at all while "fasting" is to mix messages greatly.

MC is correct though, that a plain water fast with nothing added, is not starving. Not, that is, until it is. which is longer than almost anyone could go. (except those imprisoned, or wanting to die)


However, excessively exercising while doing the WF is a bit like being 'worked to death', if you think about it.

This was never suggested by the experienced fasting supervisors. Also, our toxic (pollution,drugs, poisons)burdens are far heavier than were those in earlier years, for the most part.

So, the forced 'detox', if you will, while the fat is burning and one’s working, or exercising, can be a lot for a body to deal with--The body might have very wise ways of dealing with this potential threat/overload, and might actually 'hold onto' a lot of the toxins it might otherwise release. Such a person then might well lose any gains made in the water fast, since they are in fact, almost straving, and also burdoning all their systems.


I didn't mean to be writing quite so much about this, but the subject of very importsnt.

C

Thanks for the responses guys, I really appreciate it.

I am asking because I am about to undergo a second water fast, the length of which I am planning on is 40 days. I believe my last fasting attempt was a shortfall, since I broke the fast before the return of true hunger, and could have benefitted from another week or two of fasting. I regained what I lost and this time I am determined to keep it off through daily exercise and consuming only whole foods. I think the pressure of the holidays is what got to me, and I gave in.

It is good to hear that others have had success with maintaining their losses. This will only help inspire me to do the same.

Thank you chirontherainbowbridge for those informative replies. I believe the knowledge and experience I have gained from my first fast, and from the other members here on curezone, will allow me to succeed in my second attempt.

Thanks!