Water fasting?

[ScarletMask]

Has anyone here ever water fasted before? Is it safe? Is it a wonderful cleansing experience? I'm considering it, due to digestive problems.

Share your stories, share your methods

[deniselynn]

I did a 5 day water fast several months ago. It was interesting...I got VERY weak. I don't know that I'd do it again. I read up on water fasting before trying it.

[markusaurelius]

From what I've read True North would be a good place to look for info. I've got their fasting dvd but not watched it yet. I'd like to do a 5day water fast at some point in the future myself.

http://www.healthpromoting.com/

http://www.healthpromoting.com/store...ealing-therapy

[KatVonLee]

I did a 4 day water fast about two months ago to cleanse for my vegan diet
I must admit i started getting a little wobbly on my feet but nothing i couldn't handle. I still had energy by the end of it but i couldnt do any exercise.
First day was easy, second day was really hard cravings for food kicked in, third day was easy food was off my mind, fourth day i ended it didnt want to push myself too far.
I chugged down lots of water when i felt hungry, enough to fill my stomach and make me a little bloated. Made the hunger go away. Though because of my busy life i usually go a day without food once in a while so i was used to it. The best tip is just keep yourself busy. As long as your busy your mind will be distracted and wont focus on the hunger.
I felt better after it, in fact i felt really light and dainty if its possible Though i did lose 7llb in the 4 days. There are some people who apparently do it for 30 days, i couldn't do that myself.

[Blueberries]

Is a water fast just a period where you don't eat but drink loads of water? Would that not upset the salt balance of your body, something that's rather dangerous? (I'm not a scientist, just someone wondering why someone would starve themselves for days at a time!)

[ScarletMask]

Thanks for the replies everyone I'm going to ease myself into it, and then try it.

Is a water fast just a period where you don't eat but drink loads of water? Would that not upset the salt balance of your body, something that's rather dangerous? (I'm not a scientist, just someone wondering why someone would starve themselves for days at a time!)

You eat or drink nothing but water. Actually, it's been known to have healing effects on people It's known to heal disease, both physical and mental. There was actually a schizophrenia patient who went on a 90 day fast, and by the end, he was healthy enough to live at home. The longest fast I've heard of was 6 months.

[Risker]

^ Really? Known to? Like peer-reviewed known to?

[ScarletMask]

^ Really? Known to? Like peer-reviewed known to?

Yes, I do have a family member my age who did a 16 day fast

http://www.gaianstudies.org/articles4.htm Here's an article on it, if it interests you~

[Robinwomb]

I guess I am a little bit skeptical too. My sister has suffered from paranoid schizophrenia for almost 30 years. Years ago she was terrified to eat for fear people were trying to poison her so she refused to eat for weeks. She was very very frail as a result, and definitely not better for it.

I have heard of water fasting for spiritual reaons, but I just don't know about using it to heal disease. It is so temporary. I have fasted for a few days here and there (either for medical reasons or illness). I also have a history of anorexia nervosa so fasting is not in my best interest, and tends to trigger me to starve myself. My hunger signals are still skewed from years of starvation (I eat plenty now a days) and I struggle to eat intuitively. I think fasting should be approached with extreme caution, especially if you have a medical condition.

[TarekF]

As far as i know there is no science behind anything related to fasting besides the calorie restrictive diet with which rats lived longer with 40% or so of their normal calorie intake. As well as one about intermittent fasting (alternating days), again with rats which showed some health benefits. A quick search into it there seem to be a few papers here and there about fasting (scientific papers not just an article from a random website). Nothing really interesting

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1274154/ (outlines the COMPLICATIONS of fasting, probably good to remember anyone who is even thinking of water fasting)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...00315-0056.pdf (extreme case study so not relevant)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/32727377/M...f-Hypertension (about hypertension not digestive issues, and only used to normalize blood pressure)

If you are having digestive issues take the fiber intake down a bit (tofu is good for this), get vitamin D (seems to aid IBD and IBS) and try to see if any foods aggravate it. Obviously if they are bad enough see a doc (provided you have insurance).

My 2 cents: dont do this kind of fasting, the evidence just isn't there to make it worth the (literal) headaches or the serious medical risks.

[Blueberries]

The longest fast I've heard of was 6 months.

6 months without food??

[horselesspaul]

6 months without food??

66 days was more than enough for Bobby Sands.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Sands#Hunger_strike

[ScarletMask]

6 months without food??

They were seriously obese though .-. I think 3 weeks is the most I would do