I’ve read quite a lot about fasting - mainly for weight-loss. In the Bible it says that Moses, Elijah and Jesus all fasted for 40 days. My doctor said that divine intervention was involved for them to survive that long. I am on some psychiatric medications and asked my doctor what the longest I could safely fast for (only having water). He said on multiple occasions that a week is “fine”. I was shocked. I thought that he might have said 2 or 3 days.
I thought I’d try out a 7 day fast. I don’t think I’ve even fasted for 24 hours before but I have fasted for about 16 hours a day for a few days.
I expect my mum will be extremely worried.
At the moment I’m about 183 cm and with some clothes on I’m 73.5 - 73.7 kg. After 4 slices of pizza I’m 74.0 - 74.2 kg.
BTW at school and high school I was about the skinniest guy in the whole school. I’m not sure but I think I was about 55 kg. On some medications I got up to 90 kg.
In May 2013 I was 82 kg then in Dec 2013 I was 73.5 kg.
I think a 7 day fast will be quite an interesting experience. BTW the sermon about hypocrisy on Sunday got me thinking about fasting - even though I don’t believe in God.
Matthew 6:16-18:
Perhaps it will help me lose some of my stubborn belly fat…
I’m not being snarky here --you should talk to whichever doctor prescribed the psychiatric meds before doing any fasting. IIRC, some psych meds can mess with your blood sugar levels.
If it was your psychiatrist, I’d talk with him/her again and make sure he understands that you plan to have nothing but water for a full week.
Also, you might consider a 24-hour fast first. A mountain climber doesn’t start with Everest.
He manages the psychiatric medications for many patients but technically he is a “General Practitioner” (GP). I have been seeing him every 4 weeks for at least a year or two. He is familiar with my medications. Two days before each appointment I get blood tests. He did warn that someone else would definitely have blood sugar levels if they were on their diabetes medications but they’d also be ok otherwise. He is aware that I would only be having water. I’ve done about 16 hour fasts which isn’t much different to 24 hours. I’ll be watching how I’m feeling throughout this.
BTW he even said that fasting has some health benefits. I made it clear that I was surprised that he said a week is “fine” and he repeated that it was.
My mum rang up and I said I had pizza tonight. I normally visit her for a meal once a week. She asked about that and I said “maybe next week”. Perhaps I can go the whole week with her finding out…
Are obsessive about your weight? Your post seems overly concerned with weighs and measures.
If you want to do the fasting for weight control purposes then it won’t work long-term, faddy diets never do. You’ll get a short term reaction for sure but if it isn’t a regime you are happy to keep up forever then why bother?
Don’t go on a diet….have a diet. Eat enough healthy food and get some exercise. That really is it.
You won’t be losing weight just by not eating. Your fat doesn’t magically burn off if there’s nothing in the poop factory. At least that’s how it goes for me, I’m 43!
And I really don’t think any religious scripture is the answer to any diet or weight loss plan, if that’s the goal you have in mind. YOUR doctor-- not someone else’s-- has the best answer for you on that which will involve food and exercise.
Instead of fasting, I suggest chicken Caesar salads. Or no chicken if you’re vegetarian. And you still need water no matter who you are, so don’t stop that!
Some people do lots of measurements - e.g. their waists plus a lot of other areas. I think it is important because some people I think I am already thin so I’ve got to make sure I don’t get too thin. (which is a possibility if I stop eating for too long)
Well anorexics are pretty successful at controlling their weight. I might end up doing a week fast once a month. Or some other long term plan.
I haven’t tried long-term fasting but I think there is a good chance I won’t mind it.
I hate significant exercise. Walking to the places I need to go to is ok. I think fasting would be far more enjoyable than deliberate extra exercise.
BTW I am already at my ideal weight. I just have more belly fat than I’d like and this is partly an experiment to see if I’d lose that.
Another major reason is to set an example for someone else who I’d like to lose weight.
What’s the longest amount of time you’ve only consume water for then?
I find it interesting that fasting is mentioned so much in the Bible - I think it is mentioned nearly 100 times.
Yes he is MY doctor. And he said a week is “fine”. I already have a low calorie diet - I’ve even tried eating some high calorie foods because I am on the thin side.
Sometimes I eat caesar salad with chicken, etc. I am very familiar with the amount of calories in foods and drinks.
Are you planning on doing anything this week? You do realize that food is energy, right? If your only plan is to lie around, you’ll live but dont plan on doing anything more strenuous.
Shutting off the fuel entirely & then gorging when you do eat again (you’ll be ravenous after a week of not eating) is not great for you body. It’s much better to control intake & get some excersize.
If your goal is cutting body fat, week-long fasting is definitely not the right answer – fasting can actually do the opposite, when you consider how your body responds once you start eating again.
I fasted involuntarily for an entire week back in 2005. Granted, I ill at the time, and as I said, it was involuntary, but it was an interesting experience.
You MUST stay hydrated. Normally, part of your fluid needs are supplied by the food you eat. If you fast you won’t have that, so drink more water than usual.
You WILL lose some weight. Because your body still needs protein, and you aren’t eating any, some of that weight will be skeletal muscle. This will be accelerated if you exercise or physically exert yourself during that time period. This doesn’t mean it will be catastrophic, just be aware this will affect your lean body mass as well as your fat.
You need to start eating again with some caution. The usual tactic is broth/clear foods for the first day, then small meals that are sort of bland. You do NOT want to go out an gorge on a huge meal first thing.
Probably a good idea to eat high-protein foods after the fast for a bit, to rebuild that lean muscle mass.
By the way, food will taste AMAZING when you haven’t eaten for a week. I sometimes think that’s part of the appeal for people who fast on a regular basis.
I’ve done many 24 hour fasts and a few 48 hour fasts. Each time I’ve gone from fasting to protein only for a few days. For me, fasting was “exhilarating”.
Spidey: I have the impression you’ve never actually done this. If you have, your experience was very different from mine,
JohnClay: I’ve done week-long fasts many times, and almost never ate on Fridays for over a decade.
The first 24 hours are the hardest. After that your body adjusts and stops bugging you about the food. Resist the urge to do any strength training or increased exercise during this time, you will only succeed in breaking down your muscle mass, with no protein available for your body to rebuild it with.
Never let the fast be more important than your well-being. If you start to feel down or hopeless, EAT!
That said, it’s always been a very clarifying and intellectually productive time for me. In between I lose track of the amount of time we spend planning, cooking, cleaning up, and then recovering from meals.
I think you are nuts. Taking a guess on a nude weight of 70-72 kg, your BMI is around 21, which is excellent. Losing weight by fasting is as likely to be from muscle mass as from belly fat, maybe likelier. A 24 hour fast is harmless, but longer than that is not healthy. If you want to get rid of a small amount of belly fat, join a gym club and get pro advice.
[ul][li]Drink a lot of water. If you don’t have to pee, you need a drink.[/li][li]Replace meals with prayer and Scripture reading. [/li][li]If the weather is at all cool where you are, dress warmly. It is easy to get chilled when your blood sugar is low.[/li][li]Break the fast very gradually. Don’t have a huge meal the morning after the fast ends. If you fasted for a week, gradually increase the amount you eat over a week after the fast is over. [/ul][/li]
All this is advice from my pastor, who is experienced in fasting as a spiritual discipline, and who leads a fast every month for our church.
