I am starving myself... on purpose! That's right, no food at all! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? You're wondering... Let me tell ya.
It was dinner time, this time yesterday. I filled my belly with a delicious stir fry, knowing this would be the last time anything would pass my lips, treat my taste buds, tickle my cravings for at least 72 hours.
What do you mean Heart? Why can’t you eat?
Seen here, in Vietnam with one of many bowls of Pho... yumm...
Woah now, wait a minute. You’re talking about INTENTIONALLY not eating? Are you crazy?
Well, yes, I am crazy if that’s not obvious yet ;) but honestly, this is actually a really wonderful opportunity.
I thought about writing this post as an informational piece, giving you reasons why and backing it up with scientific proof but you have google and can definitely look it up if you so choose. I’m not here to lecture. Plus, who am I to just cite sources and tell you about what everyone else thinks anyway?
How about instead, I walk you through my experience- why I am doing this, how I feel along the way, what I do to get myself through, and all of the ups and downs in between.
Why?
Unfortunately since she’s been overcoming something, something seems to have overcome me.
My body is telling me now that something inside is upsetting the balance and that it needs a chance to cleanse it out. The best way for that, I’ve found is through an intentional fast.
When?
I always tell myself I will start after this or start after that. I’ll have some food in the fridge I need to eat first or something important coming up that I can’t be hungry for… all the while knowing and having experienced the profound effects of giving my body a break before.
After challenging my body for about two weeks, putting this fast off all the while, I have decided to commit to it now (finally!)
(Here I am straight out of bed this morning, ready to take this challenge on!)
What?
When I first heard about fasting I laughed myself silly. No way could I imagine giving up food freely- by choice. I thought it was the most absurd thing I could ever imagine. It sounded not only unpleasant but also dangerous- don’t we need food to live?
Well, that’s what I thought and I tell you at some point you are 100% going to need food to survive but for a couple of days, I’ve been just fine (in fact, better than fine if you can imagine!) My body uses its storage to get me through and not only that, it begins to heal from inside that much faster without having so much work to do digesting everything I put into it normally (even if it is good for me!)
Fasting used to be a lot more difficult for me when I was eating differently and was overall less healthy and in tuned with my body. I have nightmare stories of fasts that sent me into a swirl of emotional problems (releasing of emotions is common and a good sign even though it can be inconvenient.)
So, last night I had my dinner, I drank some water and I went to bed knowing, that would be it. I start my fasts always at night like this so when I wake up the next day, it becomes routine, no food, just water. Anytime I have tried to start at a different time in the day, I have found it too hard to resist the temptation to eat and ultimately give in.
A Day In The Life: First 24 hours
This morning I woke up, drank half a bottle of water. I was feeling good, no hunger pains, had some good energy and was ready to take on the day!
Snack Break:
I nestled into work, got to it and before I knew it, it was snack time. I drank half a bottle of water (I only drink half at a time because too much water overrides my system and seems to go right through me.) I was still feeling focused and driven. After about an hour, I started to feel my eyes get heavy. Time to drink more water and get out of the office!
Workout:
(I did it!)
I find it tremendously beneficial to workout in some capacity while I fast. I generally try to take it easier than normal and often will focus more on a light yoga or stretching session to avoid using up too much energy.
Today I stretched and manipulated my body into some poses for about an hour. I was feeling great, it opened up a lot of tension and my energy came back from giving myself a new environment, leaving me loose and rejuvenated!
Sweat it out:
I am fortunate to live in a tropical environment so that the sun can be my ally and help me out during a fast. I make time to let the sun help me sweat out the toxins. I used to go to hot yoga or a sauna back in the states which also served the same purpose but I think the effects at the end from sweating out a lot of what the body is processing makes a huge difference.
Lunch:
A bottle of water goes a long way to help subside the hunger pains. To be honest, I barely felt any. I was more feeling disappointment that I wouldn’t be able to cook. I felt more connected emotionally to the food than I felt any physiological symptoms.
Snack:
Back at my desk, I have a bottle of water by my side and constantly remind myself to keep drinking from it. Water helps flush anything that is being processed out. I was still feeling pretty good. I was writing a post that mentioned food and for that moment, hunger came but it was more like at lunch, the emotional connection to it, not a pain or problem.
Dinner:
By dinner I was feeling a bit sick of water so I boiled some and stuck a piece of fresh ginger in it for some flavor and extra healing power. I haven’t made my mind up about how I feel about teas on a water fast. I’ve done it with and without and have noticed that teas sometimes amplify the detox depending on what I’m drinking. So ginger it is for me.
Bedtime:
It’s now evening, a few hours before I will go to sleep and I think quite realistically that since I am writing about food, it’s bringing it to mind and bringing me some cravings. I kind of wish I could go into my fridge and whip something up right now… maybe a nice piece of my famous homemade chocolate…
I’m going to stop right there.
If you have any questions about fasting or my experience in general, I am more than willing to go in deeper than this post. I've put a lot of research into this as a non-believer and I think that the benefits speak for themselves!
In love and in health,
XO,
fasting is great!! I eat a meal per day...my body smells like an exotic flower...I stopped sugar, some meat occasionally (fish, chicken, rabbits), added curcum/turmeric, ginger, I also drink 750 ml of water with a pinch of baking soda and some drops of lemon...Am regrowing my decayed teeth with polverized eggshells (I have to buy a fine blender), dairy products...so far in 2 weeks I managed to regrow a tip that is sticking out from the gum of where my tooth used to be...I love milk with turmeric too :)) ... Way to go heart!! all we need is from our bodies!!!
Hi @kingyus! I love this! You're right, I believe we have incredible capability to heal ourselves from inside our own bodies. That's really cool about your teeth! It would be wonderful if more people knew about this kind of thing! I hope to bring it to more people's attention so maybe we can all start being a bit more healthy and happy :)
PS sugar is really hard to cut out, I had a hard time with it so I give you a huge hug for that one- you deserve it! Keep it up! Sounds to me like you're doing incredible things for your body!
XO,
H2H 💜
You're regrowing your teeth?! I would love to see more on that, I have been unfortunately the subject of many a manic dentist and my teeth have lost quite a bit! I would love some more information on how you do it!
Haha, thank you so much for the information :) I'm definitely going to go a bit more into this :) Now, off to grow my teeth :)
you go now with your bad self :)
Wow - never heard of using egg shells before, but it makes sense now I think about it!
yep! my teeth are happy! not perfect but improving :)
..
Fasting up regulates longevity genes and increases both the mean and maximum lifespan of laboratory animals. Ive done fasting on and off for the last ten years. Most people freak out if they find out that I'm fasting. Recently Ive become interested other things found in food and herbs that up-regulate longevity genes. Some berry and seed extracts have increased lifespan 28% more than fasting when eaten between fasts. Ive started writing about what I'm finding so if you are interested here are the links.
https://steemit.com/technology/@tombot/can-biohacking-double-lifespan-1-0
https://steemit.com/health/@tombot/can-biohacking-double-lifespan-2-0
Fantastic! Count me in, you have me hooked!
Wow @tombot this sounds incredible! Thank you for sharing. I know the feeling of people thinking that giving the body the break it needs to clear out is crazy ;)
I'll definitely be looking into this! I am all for increasing my lifespan!
XO
💜2💜
Thanks @heart-to-heart. Also during a fast I get a calming feeling and I can get a lot of things done. Its surprising how much extra time you have when you don't have to worry about eating.
Or cooking! You're so right! I feel like my days are extra long, sometimes I can't believe that it's only the time it is! I spend a lot of time preparing meals (which I love) but when that time is removed, it gives me tons more to do whatever else my new clarity wants ;)
I haven't checked out your articles yet, I was having a bit of a rough day yesterday (day 3) but I am really excited to read them!
XO,
💜2💜
My articles aren't a page turner. Ive been digging through a lot of research papers to provide references. The conclusion part sums things up so thats a good spot to get a quick summary of an article. I'm doing this because I want to help people live a longer heather life.
Well, I am also wanting that so it's perfect! I am a strong advocate for healthy living and changing habits in order to live not only longer but with more ability, more strength, will, endurance, passion :)
:)
I've only water fasted once. The first 3 days were good, but I went to 3.5 days which was too long for me. I'd like to do it again, but probably not till summer.
https://steemit.com/health/@kiwideb/we-just-did-a-3-day-water-fast-and-this-is-how-it-went
That's awesome to hear! I'll have to take a look at your story about it! I like to do it often because Kat made a mess of my liver ;)
Working it all out though, fast by fast :)
XO,
💜2💜
You must be getting younger by the day ;-)
I hope so, that would be the best ever! People are constantly mistaking me for much younger which makes me VERY happy =D
Have an awesome day!
XO,
💜2💜
I am totally with you. I do intermittent fasting for about 6 years, shhhh its a secret way to live :)
Yay! @stackin I love it! We can share stories ;) In my experience sharing this, most people will disregard it anyway and think it's impossible just like I used to! I want to share the love with them, we should let them have this new superpower too right? ;)
MMM> such will power! I have tried fasting a few times for just a day.. That is already so hard for me! Amazing you can do three days and you still feel good.. i THINK that is because you are already so clean that you dont have to deal with a huge detox the moment you give your body a moment to clear out..
Maybe you inspire me to try again.. it has been a few years now!
A couple of friends of mine were breatharians for a few months.. Now that;s taking things to a whole nother level! I think we have to all find what works for us.. I love falafel and sushi way too much to become a breatharian!
love your vibe, thank you!
Hahaha Alex, you're speaking my mind! I just put out the after effect post of the fast explaining more about how it went but it's true, loving food the way I do makes it hard despite my body having a much easier time dealing with it than it did before I was eating this way.
I added in a bunch of tips that make it easier for me, I hope they can help more if you're seriously considering trying again!
I cannot survive off only air, I am sure I could but I love food too much and I agree with you about the falafel and sushi... we're food soul mates ;)
Hope you have a great week! :)
awesome.. thanks! I will check your tips! Im sure a fast will help me right now also, i just have to get the timing right so im not too busy whilst i do it..
i will know for sure if we are food soul mates if you like my Thai Inspired Vegan Pesto as much as i do.. THis is something i made up as i LOVE pesto too much but also find it a bit heavy and also laden with parmesan!
Oh boy... I am going to check that out! I just made some insanely good icecream from my peanut butter cups... (I think I get extra hungry after a fast) ;)
Looking forward to sharing with you!
XO,
💜-2-💜
Mmm. this is one of the great benefits of fasting! Even a piece of bread tastes unbelievable when you're hungry enough!
enjoy! have a spoon for me ;_)
I already ate it all -_- but next time I will for sure :) I saw that you have an eco-trail going, I am just getting ready to have to travel but I wanted you to know I am very interested in it and will be looking at it as soon as I can!
Awesome, we would be VERY happy to have you on board the ecoTrain! We're having a lot of fun supporting each other!
And guess what!!?
Here is my Pesto Dish! I really hope u love it my new food soul friend
https://steemit.com/food/@eco-alex/my-thai-inspired-pesto-original-recipe-vegan-friendly
Yes! I got this late as I was traveling but I am so excited to take a look at it (and possibly give it a try this week) ;)
I am playing catch up right now but I won't forget to take a look at the trail! I'm very excited to hear about it!
XO,
💜-to-💜
I too love fasting! It increases your metabolism ! :) Keep it up
Awesome! Happy to hear you're enjoying the wonderful benefits as well :)
Hope you have a great day!
XO,
💜-to-💜
i think this is not good for the health...
🐜 (Click To Catch The Bug!) 🐜
I used to think the same thing. There is tons of research on this, which I spent much time studying before I ever tried this but that's why I am only speaking of my own experience, to show what happens to me. I can't speak for everyone, only myself but I hope that by showing my benefits, others can experience the same healing :)
XO,
H2H 💜
I fast all the time, being broke's a good motivator :P
Hahah well you're right, it is another form of encouragement isn't it? :P
XO,
💜-2-💜
Good luck my dear @heart-to-heart! I'm sure you gonna make it! For sure, this fast will be so beneficial to you and your whole body! You will feel completely rejuvenated after that!
@progressivechef
Yay! But Chef, you know I LOVE food so much... just talking to you is making me hungry ;) I am almost there, only a few more hours to go!!
💜
Hmm you must refrain from checking my posts and replying to me when you fast then! Keep going dear, you will do it for sure!
nice photos