Re: day 14: Prostate is very swollen again

Wow, that's some tough going, lightstream. I'm sorry to hear that's flared up again. I know you're putting up with a lot more discomfort than I've had to (18 days in now, and very comfy). Do you have a fasting-savvy physician to consult about your prostate? I hope the crisis subsides very soon for you, and that things get back to normal.

"I'm starting my 100 day Water Fast at day 1 today :P."

:D On fasting duration for a complete fast, you've made a very important point, that I am certain many people would benefit tremendously from understanding at the outset of any extended fast. Since I'm well into a fast, and all the attendant physical and mental toxins are seething to get out- and now that you've brought something up I've been pondering- I hope you won't mind if I let out some of what makes me worry some about early proclaimers of extended-fast duration right out, right here.

None of us can predict at the outset exactly how long it will be before our bodies complete a full fasting cycle. Nor can we predict at the start any potential impasse where a fast must be suspended early- be it reasons of safety, inescapable external interruptions to the quiet rest that is necessary, or just losing the willpower (also valid, and no cause for shame). Ignoring these realities sets too many well-intentioned people up for disappointment and self-abuse, as many experts here and elsewhere do regularly caution.

I don't consider the number of days as any valid competitive measure of fasting achievement. Nor do I consider an arbitrary number of days as a valid goal to set. There shouldn't be anything competitive about fasting, although many people seem to stumble into competitive behavior, maybe because there is included (among the many chronic issues that lead people into fasting) sometimes ailing self-esteem involved. Reading more and more proclamations from people about 40 Days and such, with scant substantive communication about physiological goals increasingly causes me to doubt whether some have actually taken much time to study what it is that they're getting into. Extended fasting is a serious project, deserving of methodical personal research, planning, and preparation.

I don't consider it either rational nor wise to set a date or number of days as criteria for extended-fasting success (short-duration fasting tune-ups a different matter, of course). Complete fasting is about getting in touch with your body, and paying close attention to it through a process that is not controlled and timed by our conscious brains. This will be my first complete fast, but I've learned enough to understand and be confident that my body will clearly communicate to me when it's time to transition into a healthy Diet that will extend the benefits of this period of abstinence from food and usual interaction with the world.

In a support forum like this, I believe that many pattern their behavior on what they see posted, and too much horn-tooting about the number of days to be fasted is promoting screwed-up priorities in some. We all should re-evaluate our priorities now and then, and I hope that by commenting on this point you brought up, lightstream, we'll encourage some who need to step back and consider what healthy fasting is about to do so.


There. I got it out. I feel much better.

Cheers, and may everything you want out start flowing freely and effortlessly for you too, lightstream. You've certainly earned it.