Fasting?

Has anyone ever fasted for a day here and there? I came across a web site a few weeks ago that was advertising a "Friday Fast" event each week. I can't stop thinking about it. So much of my life focuses around food: what's my next meal, when do I have time to do groceries, do I eat before I work out, etc. It's all consuming. Fasting for one day a week appeals to me, I'm just not sure that Friday is the right day for it :)

Tue. Jan 15, 1:37pm

I used to fast a lot. For religious reasons
I found that I thought just as much about food as I did every other day. Hunger will do that to a person.
It did help in weight maintainence.
Be careful if you do more than 3 days.
And at 7 days your digestive system shuts down so you have to be really careful when you start eating again.

If friday doesn't work for you I don't see what reason there could be that you couldn't choose any day you want.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 2:26 PM

I find that fasting is a great way to get back on track if I've been having a tough time. I am maintaining my weight now, and I fast sometimes when I my eating seems out of control. It helps get me out of bad habits such as eating when I'm not hungry and eating unhealthy foods - like after holidays or after a really indulgent weekend.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 2:36 PM

If eatin less than 1200 calories is bad for you wouldnt fasting be bad for you?

Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 3:14 PM

I doubt an occasional fast would be bad for you. Just like eating 500 calories for a day or two (or four!) isn't going to wreak havoc on your system. It's when you do any of those things over the long haul where it can have negative consequences.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 8:38 PM

I too have fasted for religious purposes. Every year on Good Friday I do not eat or drink anythin for the full 24 hours. Also I do a lite fasting on other holy days when I only eat one full meal scatter among the entire day and water only..It's a good sacrafice for me and makes me truly appreciate all the food and drink I normally have. Never have done for weight loss purposes though so good luck.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 8:48 PM

You could also fast certain types of foods. Especially ones that are particularly difficult to say no to.
In time I have found that my body wants the health foods anyway instead of the unhealthy one.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 2:34 AM

I occassionally fast for a day (religious reasons) but find that as soon as I "break fast" I am so starving I probably eat more than normal...and its definitely all comfort foods! Plus I think about food the WHOLE day...one of those, dont think about pink elephant deals...

Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 7:17 AM

Wow, great responses. I was afraid everyone was going to jump on the "fasting bad" bandwagon, good to hear I'm not the only one who has used this as a jumpstart to weight loss. I hear the comment about thinking about food constantly when you're fasting - I have to come to terms with food, it's not the bad guy. I thnk what it will give me is a real feeling for what HUNGER actually is. Sometimes I'm sort of hungry, but I so rarely allow myself to get physically hungry. Would be good to know the symptoms.
Here's my next thought... I can easily fast until dinner time, but when I'm home with my family, it will be extraordinary difficult to not have dinner. Does that count as fasting?

Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 9:47 AM

So long as it is a light meal and it doesn't send you into a feeding frenzy for the rest of the night, whether you call it a fast or not, it will give you the benefits that you are looking for in a fast.

However, if it causes you to eat more than usual for dinner or make worse choices, and then continue to eat throughout the night, then it is not helping you. That is actually a very typical eating pattern for people who gain a lot of weight - not eating all day until they're starving, then eating a ton at night.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 3:20 PM

and remember that eating increases your metabolism so if you do this often, it can actually slow it down.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 3:25 PM

I think it may depend on what your definition is and what you are trying to accomplish.
I used to fast for days and make dinner for my family and sit with them. It is difficult but if you look at it like it is only for a specific time period it is easier to get through.
Only you can decide for you.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 4:41 PM

I fast for a full 24 hours, a complete fast (no food, drink, or water), once a month for spiritual reasons; I've done this my entire adult life and much of my childhood. I don't think about food all day--sometimes I don't at all, though occasionally I feel the effects of low blood sugar. But I have other things to focus on (see below). I come home from three hours of meetings at the end of a 24-hour fast and fix dinner, and I feel hungry but not desperately so. I don't stuff myself at the end; part of the fast is to eat reasonably both before and after.

My entire family fasts; the youngest ones aim to fast one meal, although my youngest hit a watermark age this month (8) and fasted for the full 24 hours of her own volition.

Now, I don't think I could do it just for weight loss or health or whatever. I think I'd be obsessed by thoughts of food without the significant meaning that accompanies my fast. We contribute a (very generous) estimate of the money we would have spent on food to the church's fund for those in need; we consider fasting an exercise in spirit over body; and we try to fast for a specific purpose. So (as I've taught my children), rather than thinking obsessively about food, it becomes easy when I feel hungry during a fast to think with empathy about those who go hungry every day, or to consider the strength of self-mastery I am developing, or to reflect on the specific concern for which I'm fasting. After 30 years of monthly fasts plus a few "special fasts" now and then, I do this without having to redirect my thoughts from food.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 7:22 PM

that sounds much more health than the OP who it sounds like just doesnt eat during the day. which has the same effect that not eating breakfast does- sets u up to make poor decisions. but maybe it works for her.

Op- have you tried it- how doe sit work for you. how old are you?

Thursday, January 17, 2008, 3:25 PM

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