I'm going to do a 24 hour all-water fast from Sunday night through Monday morning. I haven't been taking care of my health as much as I should be recently and I'm going to use this as the first gate in getting back on track.

Anyway, I thought I'd start this thread for anyone who has any experience with fasting or abstaining from certain foods / activites for any reason or no reason to share whats worked or not worked for them.

2/8/2008 10:55:19 AM

I know a few people who have tried the detox fast where you drink "lemonade" made with lemons, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. Some of them swear by it, but the others said they just got really irritable and had a huge headache by the end of the day and ended up eating dinner. Of course, I think that's expected when fasting, so as long as you're prepared for that stuff you should be OK.

2/8/2008 11:01:28 AM

a cranberry/water mix is good if you're looking to flush out.

[Edited on February 8, 2008 at 11:05 AM. Reason : natural cran, no sugar added.]

2/8/2008 11:05:03 AM

Me, I drink too much soda. I won't make excuses for myself, but I find my body craving it more than it should. This is really just to give me an excuse to start exercising the discipline necessary to get back on track.

I might throw some cranberry juice in there as well. I've heard similar things about green tea too.

2/8/2008 11:07:09 AM

white tea is really good as well....unsweetened of course, but if you really need it sweetened, pure honey is a good way to go.

2/8/2008 11:17:29 AM

what's "too much" soda?

2/8/2008 11:54:09 AM

even 1 soda a day is too much... that is, if you care about your health.

but 1 a day is ridiculously low compared to what some people consume. obesity, high BP, high cholesterol/triglycerides, stroke, diabetes, etc, are all possible, and do happen from excess sugar consumption.

and just 1 can contains 40 grams of sugar, the amount of sugar one should be getting in a WHOLE day.

2/8/2008 12:14:29 PM

Quote :

"what's "too much" soda?"

Three, maybe four. I don't drink coffee, I don't get enough sleep, so thats how I drive on.

When I was religious I'd give sodas up for lent and on Easter afternoon try to drink a whole can of Pepsi. I could never do it, so I know this isn't good for me.

2/8/2008 12:22:43 PM

^^ Well, diet soda doesn't have all the HFCS/sugar/calories, at least.

Be careful about drinking tea. If you have too much, the oxalates can give you kidney stones. Herbal teas are safer than black teas in that regard.

Cranberry juice is ftw for flushing.

[Edited on February 8, 2008 at 12:23 PM. Reason : ,]

2/8/2008 12:23:47 PM

I don't think I've had a non-diet soda since I started sophomore year in college. I like pop but I don't like the sugar.

2/8/2008 12:31:57 PM

cranberry juice is fantastic...

i think my detox will be straight water and cranberry juice for 24 hours or so...

2/8/2008 12:41:50 PM

Start drinking coffee instead of soda.

Studies suggest it protects your liver from the damage done by alcohol. I figure anything you can do to make your liver last longer can't be bad.

2/8/2008 12:54:10 PM

whenever i try this i end up vomiting

it's weird

2/8/2008 12:55:54 PM

^^ I really don't like coffee. I'd like to get to a point where I'm simply sleeping enough and resting enough that I don't need caffiene.

2/8/2008 2:07:22 PM

my mom has fasted on tues and thurs since she was a little girl. she's in great health too.

2/8/2008 2:13:05 PM

Quote :

"white tea is really good as well....unsweetened of course, but if you really need it sweetened, pure honey is a good way to go"

just out of curiosity, why pure honey? Table sugar is sucrose which is a disaccharide of glucose and fructose, right? Chemically, honey is a combination of glucose and fructose meaning that it is essentially the same as table sugar. The bees go ahead and produce the sucrase enzyme for you. So pretty much the only thing that is different when it comes to your digestion is that for sugar the body releases enzymes that break down the disaccharide and for honey your body doesn't (because there are only monosaccharides). Is there a reason that you'd want to limit the body's use of enzymes? Or do you assume that honey is more natural so it's better for you? This is a serious question.

2/8/2008 2:33:28 PM

Quote :

"I know a few people who have tried the detox fast where you drink "lemonade" made with lemons, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. Some of them swear by it, but the others said they just got really irritable and had a huge headache by the end of the day and ended up eating dinner. Of course, I think that's expected when fasting, so as long as you're prepared for that stuff you should be OK."

http://current.com/items/76401462_the_cleanse

here's an interesting video about that method i saw on google current tv

2/8/2008 2:49:08 PM

^^http://www.healthbenefitsofhoney.com/

honey has a wide range of health benefits that processed sugar does not.

2/8/2008 3:22:55 PM

Quote :

"Or do you assume that honey is more natural so it's better for you? This is a serious question."

You answered your own question right there. Several health benefits of honey have been recorded anecdotally for millenia by all civilizations, and by modern sicence as well. Honey is not just sugars. It contains 100s of chemicals/minerals in trace amounts.

Not to mention, the glycemic index of honey is much lower than that of white sugar, which is the MAIN BENEFIT of honey over sugar, even more important than what I mentioned in the 1st paragraph.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey

2/8/2008 3:25:18 PM

GOD DAMNIT THIS WHOLE IDEA IS IDIOTIC

[Edited on February 8, 2008 at 4:18 PM. Reason : fasting..]

2/8/2008 4:17:56 PM

On that note . . .

my reasons for the 24 hour fast are pretty pragmatic, but what prompted others of you to chose to fast? What did you get out of it?

2/8/2008 4:20:10 PM

Are you doing this as part of a physical, surgery or med procedure?

2/8/2008 4:23:30 PM

I usually do a 3 day fast before a sweat, but thats more for spiritual reasons. when you're done with everything you do feel really clean, I guess.

2/8/2008 4:50:41 PM

Wow, has no one made a parody thread yet?

[Edited on February 8, 2008 at 4:52 PM. Reason : ]

2/8/2008 4:52:05 PM

Instead of a pure water fast, a popular alternative is a juice fast. Some people consider juice fasting easier and healthier than water fasting because you're still taking in calories and nutrients.

I would avoid the "Master Cleanse" or lemonade diet. I've heard a great deal of criticism about it as a method of weight loss and the merits of cleasing just for the sake of "detoxing" your body is also debatable. However, I wouldn't do it just because everyone I know who has tried it didn't have anything good to say about it.

2/8/2008 5:14:58 PM

If you want my educated opinion on this whole fasting issue:

The reasons mentioned by people for fasting (usually along the lines of 'cleansing', 'detoxing', etc) are murky and debatable at best, from a scientific point of view.

However, at some level, we can all understand what the goals are, not scientifically maybe, but definitely at a 'human' level.

To that end, doing a one day water or juice fast is pointless. That doesn't give enough time for the 'goals' to be accomplished.

Anybody would be served better by a 1 week fruit and vegetable 'fast'. Or even a 1 month fruit, vegetable, and nuts/seeds 'fast'. (no grains or legumes)

Good luck.

I might do one of those myself one day soon. (not for any specific reasons, but just out of curiosity to see if it makes me feel 'cleansed'... a large part of my diet is fruits and vegetables anyway)


[Edited on February 8, 2008 at 5:24 PM. Reason : ]

2/8/2008 5:22:58 PM

I gave up softdrinks pretty easily and Im glad I did. It so nice to just order water or tea. I can only stomach half a bottle of a softdrink now and it still makes me fill kinda bad/sluggish

Id like to give up sweet tea and juice etc next.

2/8/2008 5:38:54 PM

Quote :

"Sunday night through Monday morning."

isn't that 12 hours?

2/8/2008 5:57:21 PM

Yeah, I meant Sunday night through Monday night.

Quote :

"To that end, doing a one day water or juice fast is pointless. That doesn't give enough time for the 'goals' to be accomplished."

You're pretty much right there. I'm not ready for a weeklong fast at this point if, for no other reason, than the preparation necessary.

2/8/2008 7:27:03 PM

it has been my personal experience that location has more to do with general health/wellbeing, than drastic fasting/dieting/etc.

its true

2/8/2008 10:16:31 PM

This may be ignorant, but I really can't see how not eating for a day could be good for you.

2/8/2008 11:54:16 PM

what he is trying to do is to jump start his diet/workout routine by shocking his system. this isnt the most healthy thing to do, but given enough planning and determination this kind of thing can be quite beneficial

it doesnt take very long for your stomach size to decrease. by not eating for a day, you will cause your stomach to shrink just a bit, thereby causing you to not feel as though you can eat as much. like i said, if your planning and determination are strong enough, you can get past the first day, adjust your intake, and begin a very successful weight management program

2/9/2008 3:45:58 AM

Jumpstart is right. I'm, theoretically, pretty healthy. I run daily, (roughly 30 - 40 miles a week) and have some pretty active hobbies, I just don't eat like I should.

Anyone in here who is about 5 years past graduation will tell you that the body just doesn't respond like it does when you're 22, and you can't eat shit and expect it to be metabolized away. I'm just behind the power curve in changing my eating habits.

2/9/2008 8:20:49 AM

I fasted once a week for a few months back in college. It was part of the Patricia Bragg diet one of my roommates introduced me to. 60-70% of the diet was fresh fruits and vegetables. And it recommended a vinegar/honey/water drink for "cleansing" (tasted pretty good imo).

I did it mostly to drop body mass I'd built up working out over the years but didn't have the time to keep in shape. Between the diet and my 22-year-old metabolism, the weight fell off--as well as muscle mass, so be careful.

The weekly fasting wasn't so hard once I got started. The first day is definitely the hardest, especially if you have a high daily calorie intake like I did.

After the first few hours of agony once the hunger pangs set in, though, you can pretty much coast for the rest of the 24 hours.

2/9/2008 11:21:06 AM

God damnit, age doesn't play a factor in metabolism until you are elderly. Metabolism is purely a function of calories....spent, eaten, and how often. I have a much much higher metabolism now than I did in high school. I would almost bet that I out eat the vast majority of tww except for a relative few (like elusis). Grow the fuck up and take control of your health in a healthy way, not by doing dumb shit like fasting.

2/9/2008 11:25:09 AM

I DON'T FAST BECAUSE I'M A BODYBUILDER

2/9/2008 11:31:27 AM

I'm not that either.

2/9/2008 11:32:14 AM

^^^ Haha, wait till you hit your late twenties, my friend.

To be fair, exercising (mostly running) did contribute my weight loss. Fasting need not be reckless.

[Edited on February 9, 2008 at 11:34 AM. Reason : ^]

2/9/2008 11:33:15 AM

My age info isn't correct.

Did you not read my part about the elderly. I know plenty of people much older than me in the same position.

Running sucks, btw

[Edited on February 9, 2008 at 11:36 AM. Reason : ]

2/9/2008 11:34:28 AM

I'm totally with you. But exercise/diet plays a much great role in maintaining a high metabolism when one's "older" than when one's in their early twenties.

2/9/2008 11:40:29 AM

That's my point.

[Edited on February 9, 2008 at 11:41 AM. Reason : calories SPENT]

2/9/2008 11:41:25 AM

Quote :

"Running sucks, btw"

my heart would disagree.

2/9/2008 11:43:52 AM

Dont go about it with a total fast... thats all I know.

I recommend having a light dinner the night before, preferably something light like a pasta.

Then skip breakfast, and have a pbj and juice for lunch.

Then skip dinner and get to bed early.

Start your healthy lifestyle well rested, and not TOTALLY starving.

[Edited on February 9, 2008 at 11:47 AM. Reason : .]

2/9/2008 11:44:28 AM

Christ, don't get me started on alternate means for cardio.

2/9/2008 11:48:37 AM

Yeah, there's no need--heart health really isn't the topic here.

2/9/2008 11:52:58 AM

I did a 24 hour all water fast earlier in January and that same day I ran 13 miles and did 2 hours of weight training. My goal was to use as much of my stored energy (glycogen) as feasibly possible so that when I started a modified very-low carbohydrate diet the next day I would already be a little ahead biochemically to start efficient use of proteins/fats as an energy source.

2/9/2008 11:58:53 AM

I've done 24 hours of fasting before just for the hay of it.

One time i did this when i was a freshman, and I resolved to only consume water. So here I am, not eating anything for the entire day, but still chugging a lot of ordinary dorm tap water. Well, after a while it started to not sit very well. And then that night I went to see a movie, and at like 11pm I threw up a bunch of watery crap. But I still went the whole time not eating. I'd recommend trying it once, but don't drink that much water.

[/blog]

2/9/2008 12:08:33 PM

aha there's no telling the junk in dorm tap water

2/9/2008 2:12:58 PM

arcgreek, we get it, you don't like fasting, so go spread your self-important faggotry somewhere else.

2/9/2008 3:22:01 PM

why do you want to fast for 24hrs? If you just want a definitive starting point to your new diet why not just call it Sunday?

Unless you have a specific and reasonable purpose for it I don't see what good it will do. aaprior's reasoning makes sense. But that is not something you just do for no particular reason. She had a very specific goal there which was not to "get her health back on track".

I'd reconsider if I were you.

2/9/2008 3:23:36 PM