Re: Feeling ill after breaking 23 Day Water Fast

"Anyway, I decided to do more juicing and minimise all fruit consumption, still eating a bit of fruit though, mainly out of a mentally perceived need to rebuild... I know this isn't necessary but I thought as long as I take it fairly easy for a few days I should feel a bit better... and I am... though still feel a bit down emotionally, which is hard to take after feeling especially upbeat during my fast. I guess I will have to just give me and my body more time to adapt to the changes that have taken place inside me... and try not to be so impatient for the improvement in overall vitality that led me to this process... "

You sound like you're back on track now. 

"I know rebuilding will take a while, and I was aware of that before I started this journey, but I seem to remember that when I did a 25 day water fast before that my transition back to foods was more straight forward.. although I guess I was a bit younger then (8 years ago - 27)..."

 I was a bit younger 8 years ago too ;)  But I don't think your age has anything to do with it.  You're still fairly young now, and I don't advise anyone of any age to think that they don't need to be cautious of breaking their fast.  Even babies vomit back up their food when they've had enough baby food force fed to them.  And little kids with stomach aches after eating too much candy!  You're never too young that your digestive system can be treated with little regard, especially so after a fast.  I believe there are 2 possiblities as to why you had an easier time with it several years ago.  And I'd like to hear your thoughts on these theories.

Firstly, it could have been that you were less experienced at the time.  I don't know what you knew of the process at that time, but I do know that you say you read a lot before this fast, so I'm lead to believe you were thinking about it a lot less 8 years ago, therefore just didn't pay the discomforts that you may have felt as much mind as you have this time around. 

An example comes to me now from one of the first times I consciously chose to abstain from food.  I was about 18 years old and didn't know much of anything in the grand scheme of things.  I finished a fast of 36 hours or so and broke it with a huge fruit smoothy.  I didn't quite finish it but started to feel very ill and had to lay down in the lazy boy chair in the living room.  Of course after resting for a short amount of time I felt better, and basically forgot about the whole experience until now.  If I'd known and realized that this was because I should have been more moderate at the time I'd have been thinking about it a lot more and for several days to come.  As you can see even at the age of 18 and coming off a fast of 36 hours it wasn't in my best interest to gulp down a huge smoothy.

The other likely possibility is that you were in more of an up cycle when you broke your last fast.  As you may know, and as I mentioned in my last post, the body will go through cycles of cleansing on a fast.  If your body is dealing with heavy detox/cleansing/repair it's energies are therfore committed to those tasks.  The process of digestion is one that takes a lot of energy.  If you try to start this process up while your body is heavily focused on dealing with something else, it's sure to make refeeding more difficult for you.  For instance, did you not have days on this fast where you felt very vibrant and alive, for only days later to be feeling tired, ill, or a bit down?  How were you feeling when you first broke the fast?  And maybe compare this to your fast of 8 years ago.

Of course the third possibility is that it wasn't any different and you just forgot. ;)

"I guess my mental turmoil isn't made any easier when I start to question the fast itself, for instance, I feel like I did get pretty dehydrated on the fast, my skin became pretty wrinkled. I am just hoping that I did get benefit from everything I did and did not cause any damage in the process. I felt comfortable with my understanding of the process - I did A LOT of research, reading virtually every old naturopathic text available on the matter, but I know that doesn't ensure success... However, with my digestion taking time to re-adjust, my emotional state of mind taking a bit of a hit, and my body not gaining much weight back and continuing to feel week, I have some doubts as to how much benefit I have gained from the process..."

Again, I think your digestion re-adjustment is more than normal and should have been expected.  I understand your emotional state, and where an overtaxing of the digestive system can naturally lead to feeling this way.  I would also say it should be expected to still be feeling weak, your body is still detoxing heavily.  It needs time to readjust fully, as is normal.   In fact you should still be gaining from the process and will continue to do so if you continue breaking the fast properly and living wholesomelly afterwards.

"What are your thoughts on that... do you think the fasting process will have been beneficial"

From what you have said I do believe your fasting process will be beneficial.  But you must continue to ease into eating.  Once your body has completely readjusted you will continue to benefit from the fast.  It will better utilize the nutrition that you give it and be freed of the burden of excess toxins so that it may strengthen.  Hopefully, if you weren't already, you will begin to eat a nutritionally dense diet and get appropriate amounts of fresh air, sunshine, and exercise.  You will really be able to utilize the benefits of all of these things now.

"or do you think there is always the potential to be left in a more compromised state of health than before the fast?"

If you mean your health being compromised from the fast itself, this is highly doubtful in my opinion unless there was a special reason that fasting was contraidicated for you in the first place.  The most important thing is refeeding properly, and I don't think you've done any real harm there from what you've said.  You were just being a little overzealous and trying to move the body along quicker than it wanted to go.

"Your support and advice is much appreciated...

Many thanks,

Adam"

Take care, Adam.  :)