This summer, i watched an amazing documentary (it is in french, and so worth watching) It really made me realize that although we do eat every day, that we do not HAVE to, and that the feeling of hunger is mostly (for us westerners) a product of conditionning and of a very very sad addiction. To Food. I am addicted to food, and the freedom i felt in my fast was not only physical, but psychological.

I know that both my parents have been to fasting clinics in their 30’s when i was young. I just now understand, at 26, that fasting once or twice a year for a week or two is a life saving habbit that i need to incorporate in my life. Even my grandmother has done it. I suppose that it is more common in Europe and Canada than it is in the US where i grew up for a long time, although i am canadian.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epJsYxK-hPU

So, that being said, last summer after my parter’s 27 birthday party, i watched us all drink and eat to excess in a BBQ setting. It was great fun, but as the hostess, i did not drink much. This allowed my to watch, as people got intoxicated with much food and drinks. My partner’s sister is a “health” person, you know, she’s generally fit and watchful of what she eats, but we are in our early 20’s so she let loose. It wasnt long before her body rejected everything, and i stood by her as she drunkenly said over and over “i need this out of my body”. It made me think of the harm we do ourselves by binging and poisoning ourselves this way culturally, because of parties, social events, or plain bad habits.

Im no better. I love food, it feels like a treat. Ive always been “gourmande” which means greedy. I finish my plate and hate leaving food behind, it feels like im deprived. thankfully, im healthy and young, but i could lose 20 pounds. I know that. 10 years ago, i weigh 125 pounds, and i now weigh 150. I wouldnt call myself fat, but im on my way there.

So this summer, i stopped eating for 2 days, and after this only consumed (if at all) a small salad or fruits every day. I cut coffee (which i am addicted to), milk (oh those lattes!!), meat and most processed foods. Honestly, my focus was on semi fasting, and teaching my body to eat much less, and of course for my taste buds to actually appreciate the taste of things. It defnintely worked, and food tasted better and was appreciated in small quantities without wanting to eat everything in sight. I steadily lost weight, about 18 pounds, which i recorded on a great app called “Lose It!” on my iPhone. From August to October, i lost 18 pounds and went down to 142 from 160. As mentioned above, i already gained half of it back from the holidays, winter and eating like shit. Totally on me!

But, im starting a smiliar process again, to actually reduce to my goal weight and to have a better and healthier relationship with food. Once i have fasted enough, i will use my new juicer to incorporate fruit and vegetable juices. I hope to do only juice for about 2 weeks, and to continue with a reduced calorie intake that feels right until i reach and maintain 130 pounds, leaving a 125/130 window, which i find healthy for my height of 5.9.

I look forward to hearing about others stories, reasons, methods, experiences, struggles and sucesses through this site. Perhaps i can even be of help. I have loads of information on fasting from books that i could only find in french (I am french canadian and bilingual). Its mindblowing that all the information is in russian, german, or translated to french. Because of the wars, much of this clinical information on fasting never reached the US and Canada, and it is so sad that with the weight problems around, that there are not more fasting advocates and clinics in our countries…. Perhaps we can practice this and be part of a change for better health practices..

A fun documentary i saw lately called “fat sick and nearly dead, documents a man’s juice fasting, and he lost 60 pounds in 2 months and returned to a healthy size. Another man was massively overweight, and was able to lose nearly 100 pounds juicing. So inspirational. I recommend watching it!

-First day! 2 months ago

Compleeted. 4 months ago

Fasting is probably one of the most challenging things I’ve attempted to do. To begin with, let me explain my intentions. I’m really not doing it for any religious reasons. I just once read that fasting lets the body rest, detoxify, and heal. So I guess I’m doing it for my health. At first I didn’t believe it was healthy, but then I did some research. Yes, other rather than Wikipedia (lol). But anyway, I heard it helps you lose weight as well (since you are not really eating anything) and it hydrates you (because you are supposed you drink at least 8 cups of water). I don’t really know if these facts are for certain true- which is another reason I want to try it- I want to know/find out for myself. The most I’ve fasten for is 24 hours (one day). I guess after the second day I kind of gave up because I felt like the smell of food seduced me into eating. I really want to commit into fasting a whole week. So, lets see how it goes! :) 11 months ago

I have great muscles and just want to tighten up. 15 months ago

Well, this is it. The fast is over, I must say. It is time to begin to eat again.

Happy living! 18 months ago

Today was pretty neat. I spoke with a friend of mine and his mother who were more than a bit concerned about this whole fasting experience. I had to explain why I wasn’t going to be eating at their house, and then from, there, we had a few conversations about health and fitness and fasting and nutrition.

My chest healed up, but my voice is really hoarse; nearly gone, in fact. I might get better in the morning, or at the latest, mid-next-week. I’ve had this happen before, just not while fasting.

There isn’t much else to say. I’m just excited to complete something that’s taken this long and happy to cross something off my bucket list, haha. I’ve learned a lot about nutrition during my fast (web surfing when I would normally be eating helped with that) and while I’m no doctor, I think I’m a bit better for that. Knowing that I have the willpower to carry on in the face of numerous temptation is nice as well. I really like that I know that if I had to survive for a week without food, I can honestly say that I’ve done it, and could do it again. And finally, it’s great to see how far the body can adapt to change, from a first-hand perspective.

That’s about it. :) 18 months ago

Today was rather uneventful. I had class, then helped my mom with grocery shopping, then returned home for work. My sore throat has spread to my chest, which hurts when I swallow. I had some hot tea, which seemed to help a bit, and I’ve has a few cough drops. Overall though, I’m still going strong!

Also, I just realized that I’ve never mentioned how active I’ve been during my fast. I attend college classes thrice a week, and on my off days, I work on coursework. So, I’m walking around a lot on campus, and on my way home, I have a ten minute brisk walk from my last bus stop to a local school where I have a ride. Adding my daily exercise (a simple bodyweight routine + light cardio) I’m really burning quite a few calories a day.

And still, I’m amazed at how much I can get done when I’m no eating. Not in the sense that I can work through lunch and dinner, but that I don’t need to eat, albeit temporarily, and I can still keep on going.

So, two more days to go. Wow. 18 months ago

I slept for quite a bit of the day. When I was awake, I worked and tidied up a bit, but every now and then I’d get bored and want to rest for a bit… so I did.

On the plus side, I’m more than half-way through! So I only have to get through Friday and the rest of the weekend, and I’ll be able to have a banana or soup Monday morning.

I seem to have come down with a sore throat. My sister is sick, but I doubt I got it from her. Hmm… I hope I don’t get sick while fasting; I’m not sure if I’ll need to break it (e.g. for soup). Let’s just hope for the best! :)

As for general well-being, I’ve noticed a sort of mild sluggishness. Whereas I usually run around the house (not kidding), walking feels more natural. My movements are slower, but more fluid; almost like walking through heavy fog/water. With vision, I notice more after-images if I’m looking at bright colors, then look away. Maybe I’ve always seen the same amount and I’m attributing the phenomenon to fasting. I won’t know until I’m done, though.

Oh, and I’m steadily losing weight, which is a nice bonus. I’ve been keeping hydrated, so knowing it’s not all water is also nice.

I’ve been thinking about what keeps me going while fasting. Aside from not giving up on my goals, I also think I’ll appreciate food more in the end; I’ve always snarfed down whatever I eat (when I eat), so perhaps I’ll eat a bit more methodically. Savor food. View it as something enjoyable and not just something to keep me going; not as a necessary evil, but an activity I can have fun with. Maybe. We’ll see.

Oh, and this is a good opportunity to quit bread once and for all. I’ve been phasing it out of my diet slowly, so I think I’ll be fine. Plus, there are a load of recipes I want to try out, so that’s something to look forward to. For example, lettuce wraps instead of sandwiches, stir-fry with cauliflower instead of noodles, sushi made without rice (blasphemy!)... that sort of thing.

Three days to go, oh my! >:D 18 months ago