Saru: thanks for the quick response mighty!

MST: Hello again Saru, you're welcome and there is not so quick a response this time :).

Saru: -are the benefits of a strict dry fast noticable? would it be worth foregoing showers,washing hands, and walking barefoot on wet grass?

MST: I don't have a lot of experience with this, but i know in my own life, i have felt it was not worth it to me and/or practical. Also if i did want to move in this direction, which i have only dabbled in, i have been lot more concerned about a major source of water like showers and a lot less concerned about the minor sources like washing hands and walking barefoot on wet grass.

Saru: would it be a bad idea to spend some time in the sun daily? I am thinking maybe i will just get 30 minutes or so resting outside, as I am concerned I may accelerate the process of dehydration by sweating too much.

MST: Myself i feel the benefits outweigh the detriments, but i highly expect that it would contribute to tapping into water reserves and to you becoming thirstier earlier, to one extent or another.

Saru: If I were to sweat quite a bit, would that loss come from my internal system that needs the water? or rather the water that is held within the body as a "bloat".

MST: most likely both and with the effect of making you thirstier earlier (to one extent or another).

Saru: is absolute rest preferable to exercise daily? I think I may keep up daily 1 hour walks at least. but will drop it if it becomes too much.

MST: i believe that each has its value and it depends upon your overall goals. I believe generally speaking, that exercise during fasting will slow the cleansing and healing (to one extent or another), while increasing the level of fitness. I believe that "active" fasting can be used as a wonderful tool in contributing to becoming more physically fit including but not limited to the facilitation of additional fat burning. Each person is different, but i believe in general that if we had been exercising at high intensity, we can continue to do so in the first 2 days, but at some point in the fast (maybe as early as day 3 or 4), i believe including through personal experience with this that it is wise to ease up on the intensity. I believe that hour-long moderate intensity walks are well tolerated, however keeping in mind that it will take from the water reserves and lead to becomming thirstier earlier with the need to drink that much sooner, weather being a big factor in this too. As just one example, i started a dry fast and intended to go at least 72 hours, but did intense cardio on day one in about 80 degree (F) heat and never recovered from the thirst this brought on, having to break the fast at about 36 hours. In long water-only fasts, and as one example of deviation from the absolute rest model, Russian experts have had their Schizophrenic patients walk 3 hours per day.

Saru: what are the main signs and levels of dehydration? Is there any particular physiological symptoms that should make me take water immediately?

MST: For me the sign i watch for most is actual thirst. i will routinely ignore relatively gentle thirst, but once it becomes moderate and persisting, i have learned to not ignore this for too long. One time about 3 years ago i was being too aggressive in this way and became nauseated for 16 days. Dry and peeling skin was an intermediate step between the onset of this moderate and persisting thirst which was ignored for too long (ignored and fought against for about 24-36 hours as the thrist continued to intensify)... and the 16 days of dehydration-induced nausea.

Saru: what is a good caloric amount for refeeding after a 6 day fast? after the 30 day fast, i started at 200 then 400 the next day etc.etc... but 6 days is quite less, so i am wondering how quickly I should resume my normal diet

MST: You are right that there is a huge difference between 30 days and 6 and how carefully we must emerge from each. Also, 6 days dry requires emerging, perhaps surprisingly, with considerably more caution and digestive simplicity than 6 days with water. I feel that if the foods are digestively simple enough (fresh live juice being by far the simplest) that calories are much less of a factor. If it was me and i was able to be disciplined and stick to the plan, i would likely break a 6 day dry fast with a day or day and a half of water only, then 2 days of fresh made juice, then 2 days of more juice in addition to mostly raw juicy fruits and vegetables. By contrast, in breaking a 30 day water-only fast, i would typically (with exceptions) want to plan for about 7 or 8 days of juice alone to most gently and safely re-awaken the digestive system from its long slumber as well as providing immense and highly assimilable nutrition to best facilitate the replenishment of nutritional stores.

Saru: thanks again guys :D

MST: You're welcome and if you are up for it, please post on how your fast is going or went :).