# Tell Me About Fasting **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 19, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fasting/525528 "2010-01-19T04:32:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fasting/525528/41 "2010-01-20T20:22:42Z")
I don’t fast for religious reasons but have had the occasion many times in the last year to go 36 - 48 hours without food when I get busy and don’t think about it. Toward the end I get grumpy and bitchy and forgetful and tend to snap at people, but part of that is the “oh shit I haven’t eaten and my blood sugar has tanked” moment. I would go in slow and come out slow: the day before don’t load up and stuff yourself and the day you break it definitely don’t go grab a quarter pounder! Break the fast with some yogurt or a meal replacement shake and make sure that stays in the right place before you ease into more solid fare. And keep busy! Like I said, the reason I go without food sometimes is because I get caught up in stuff. If I were sitting on the couch watching Law & Order I would probably be eating. And to echo the other sentiments: keep a water bottle in your hand and you will probably want to modify any exercise routine you have on the days you fast. I know I can’t run on a second day with no food - it just makes me feel like crap and I need to grab a protein bar. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fasting/525528/42 "2010-01-20T20:39:07Z")
I dated a Christian woman who used to occasionally do three-day spiritual fasts. She did consume broth and usually had a bottle of Bovril in her cupboards for the occasion. I never noticed anything different about her demeanor or anything during that time, but her concentration would seem a bit lax in the last day before she broke fast. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fasting/525528/43 "2010-01-21T00:42:19Z")
Thank you all again. I definitely feel more confident about trying this now. And yes, I’m female, so maybe hanging out close to the men’s restroom would give me a bit of much needed distraction, but probably won’t help my prayers all that much. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![mariposalabrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@mariposalabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mariposalabrown)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fasting/525528/44 "2010-01-21T22:02:41Z")
I “fast” all the time for 2 or 3 days because I straight up forget to eat. I drink a lot of water and won’t notice I haven’t eaten until out of nowhere I feel like I’m going to throw up. Everyone here has given you good advice, I would also say stay away from coworkers that get McDonald’s. I don’t even eat that stuff, but it is always someone walking through with french fries from there that makes me go “Holy crap, I need some food!” I don’t snack at all and tend to only eat one meal a day though, so it doesn’t take much effort to go another couple days if I am really busy. I tend to get kinda of manic and hyper by the third day, and usually once I remember to eat, I can barely eat a thing, so definitley ease into it or you will feel terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Slypork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@Slypork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slypork)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fasting/525528/45 "2010-01-21T22:46:40Z")
Well, I’m not into it but from what I understand you have to make sure both your hand and the recipient are well lubed. You then get them into a comfortable position, and push your hand…. Oh, wait. You said, “fasting”. Wow. Never mind.:o ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fasting/525528/46 "2010-01-21T23:24:01Z")
And all this time **Slypork** , I’ve just been waiting for someone to make that joke… ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fasting/525528/47 "2010-01-24T22:24:48Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > There is no good reason to fast, ever. Stunningly ignorant statement. [http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowAbstract&ArtikelNr=000100954&Ausgabe=232822&ProduktNr=223977](http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowAbstract&ArtikelNr=000100954&Ausgabe=232822&ProduktNr=223977) > [@](#): > > Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that prolonged intermittent fasting in a model like Ramadan has some positive effects on the inflammatory status of the body and on the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases such as homocysteine, CRP and TC/HDL ratio. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19793855?dopt=Abstract](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19793855?dopt=Abstract) > [@](#): > > Body weight decreased (P \< 0.001) by 5.6 +/- 1.0 kg (5.8 +/- 1.1%) after 8 wk of diet. Percentage body fat decreased (P \< 0.01) from 45 +/- 2% to 42 +/- 2%. Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triacylglycerol concentrations decreased (P \< 0.01) by 21 +/- 4%, 25 +/- 10%, and 32 +/- 6%, respectively, after 8 wk of ADF, whereas HDL cholesterol remained unchanged. Systolic blood pressure decreased (P \< 0.05) from 124 +/- 5 to 116 +/- 3 mm Hg. [http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/86/1/7](http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/86/1/7) > [@](#): > > In terms of cancer risk, there is no human evidence to date, yet animal studies found decreases in lymphoma incidence, longer survival after tumor inoculation, and lower rates of proliferation of several cell types. The findings in animals suggest that ADF may effectively modulate several risk factors, thereby preventing chronic disease, and that ADF may modulate disease risk to an extent similar to that of CR. [http://www.jmmc-online.com/article/PIIS0022282808013722/abstract?rss=yes](http://www.jmmc-online.com/article/PIIS0022282808013722/abstract?rss=yes) > [@](#): > > Chronic intermittent fasting markedly improves the long-term survival after CHF by activation through its pro-angiogenic, anti-apoptotic and anti-remodeling effects. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19197210?dopt=Abstract](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19197210?dopt=Abstract) > [@](#): > > The cyclists’ PWR and body composition improved significantly, and their overall weight, fat weight, and body fat percentage decreased. Lean mass was maintained. The cyclists’ RPE decreased significantly during 2 hours of submaximal cycling post-CR, and there was no decrement in submaximal or maximal cycling performance after 3 weeks of CR combined with overnight fasting. Caloric restriction (up to 40% for 3 weeks) and exercising after fasting overnight can improve a cyclist’s PWR without compromising endurance cycling performance. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fasting/525528/48 "2010-01-25T14:10:22Z")
Fasting can’t be all that harmful, as long as you don’t do it for too long. People who don’t have access to a steady supply of food do it all the time. That’s probably happened to most people for most of human history, at one time or another. It happens to poor people today, even in first-world countries. If a short fast were deadly to most people, we’d have died out long ago. Note: this does not necessarily apply if you have a chronic health problem, or if you are pregnant or nursing. One thing some Jewish sources encourage is to take the money you would have spent on food for yourself for the duration of your fast, and donate it to a reputable charity that is involved in feeding the hungry. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fasting/525528/49 "2010-01-25T22:07:23Z")
**Anne** , that last bit is a wonderful idea. I’m planning on trying within the week. I’ll have to check back in and update whenever I do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fasting/525528.md?page=2)