Water fasting

[Spotless]

A note about Juice Fasting

 

I have witnessed some pretty interesting things that people do during fasts.

 

Juice fasting includes making broth and for some reason quite a few people decide that since they hear that garlic is so good for you that they will concoct broth made from what appears to be entirely water and massive amounts of garlic. The idea being "if I am going to go on a fast I might as well blast my system with garlic and get the most out of it"

 

I do not suggest you do this - this is a vacation for your body - it does not need to be blasted by anything nor do your close friends need to be subjected to the smell of lunacy

[Spotless]

I'm not personally a fan of enema except in cases of extreme constipation, so I have a natural preference for the salt water method of clearing. All the liquids go in the top and come out the bottom, which I find more comfortable. I am not sure there is any serious advantage of one over the other outside of personal preference, but it is definitely important to do one or the other if you don't want to fell like hell by day three.

 

Another reason I like the salt water fast is, as you mention, the amount of time making juice can be significant. I have a very strong sense of smell as well. The last time I fasted I could smell the vegetable juice my wife was making from a room and a half away. I had to move to the other side of our place to get away from it because it was making me hungry.

I have never experience hunger pains during a fast but then again I don't know just how enticing your wifes cooking can be.

[oildrops]

I started getting a cold a few days ago, and decided to just not eat for a couple of days. I've been drinking water with lemon, some vitamin water, and tea. I have done juice fasts before. I did drink a lot of beer and eat a lot of pizza the night before, and surprisingly had an easy day of fasting. I'll probably eat some fruit tonight and then breakfast in the morning, as I have a long day tomorrow. This has gotten me into the mindset again though, and I may do a week long water fast soon.

[ancienthealth]

Hey Spotless, why do you say not to even bother without the enema? Last time I water fasted, it was without, and.. frankly it was rough. I'm wondering what kind of difference this can make.

 

 

I may do a 5-6 day fast as I have spring break, and this may be my last chance to do one for a while (this summer I'll be doing heavy mental work every day). I don't know whether to do water or juice. Did water once, it was extremely intense.. but that was before I was into spiritual practice, my diet was worse, i was very angry and in a bad relationship etc... All those factors are changed now.. So I'm wondering if I can handle a water fast. It's a bit scary because I shrivel up into a skeleton.. People ask me what's wrong with me etc. Luckily I don't think I'll really have to go anywhere during this fast if I do it.. but I'm scared I won't be able to gain the weight back in time to reintegrate into the normal world.. haha. If you guys have any advice let me know. I do have a juicer, but I kind of see that as "cheating" a bit as well.. ha

[taijistudent]

My wife and I fasted for 10 days once. Mostly water, some soup, and a half an apple a day. We felt great after 10 days. No problems, however what finally forced us off the fast was utter boredom. The body seems to desire "tastes".

 

The fast was a Pi Gu fast. We did lots of Qigong preparation before going on a fast. Basically, whole body breathing and imagining eating and absorbing nutritious foods. I want to emphasize we felt great. Probably the healthiest we ever felt because of the combination of Qigong and fasting. But, life is more than fasting so we went back to life.

[Spotless]

Hey Spotless, why do you say not to even bother without the enema? Last time I water fasted, it was without, and.. frankly it was rough. I'm wondering what kind of difference this can make.

I read up on fasting prior to my first fast and I am extremely glad that I did for several reasons.

• I never had any doubt regarding what it was all about, how great it was for me and that my body would love me for it.
• I only ever started a fast when it was the "right" time and my body was not going to be in a situation that stressed it.
• Given all the research that I did about fasting - I came to the clear conclusion that I should do an enema.
• Ending the fast was something one should do with the same care as starting the fast.

I was not a fan of the idea of doing an enema - it is my hope that no one is a "fan" of enema's - but the facts outweighed the angst. It is pretty rude to think that you are going to stop eating and your system is going to clean out the garbage in your physical space and yet you decide to leave a bunch of garbage stuck in your alimentary canal. Too many very good authors recommended an enema.

 

My first fast went off without a hitch - i felt great - because my body and I were completely prepared for what was ahead, we were relaxed and excited about going forward. When the third day came - it was ugly good and interesting all wrapped up into one.

We have never experienced hunger pains - though I have been clearly "told" in a moderate voice from my body when I needed to end the fast and so I always did.

 

Most of my fasts have been 18 to 23 days. I think only 3 have been shorter.

My first fast was a water fast and my last one was a water fast. I think at this point I prefer the water fast just for the sake of its purity - not only does my body get the rest but I don't have to do any planning regarding what to juice, what broth to make, food shopping, cleanup etc. - Just a total vacation and clean-out.

Edited March 7, 2013 by Spotless

[Gerard]

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Edited September 16, 2013 by Gerard

[ShivaShakti]

Great thread.

 

I was thinking, salt + water + lemon.

 

This combination makes an "alkaline water". (instead of salt and water only).

 

I can very much testify about drinking saline solution, you will go to the comfort room/bathroom almost right away the moment you drink it.

 

If anyone is having stomach ache (caused by too much acidity--due to fried foods, liquor, coffee, etc), try lemon and salt. citrus fruits (acidic) to be combined with salt makes it alkaline solution. This is indian aryuvedic medicine, I learned in Tantra Yoga.

Edited March 9, 2013 by ShivaShakti

[Spotless]

I have used lemon water - it is useful in the enema as well.

 

I have heard so many good things about using salt here that I will probably try it on the next fast which I think I will do in the coming weeks.

 

Though I have never experience any negative effects from my fasting.

Only once did I have some discomfort - i decided to walk up a 20 story building well into a fast - maybe 10 or 15 days - I felt so fantastic and had so much energy it was incredible. But the fatigue that set in afterward from the climb up - my body sent a very strong signal to end the fast and I did slowly bring it to an end.

 

You can do all sorts of physical things - I ran businesses, swam - hiked, sailed and everything - but marathons are not something you should do. Also avoid lots of heavy thinking/analytical stuff. Fast spacial things are not so good - but driving is fine. If you drive a forklift in a warehouse - I would not be fasting during that job.

[de_paradise]

I'm on day 4 of another water fast. I did try the salt water flush recipe as mentioned in this thread. It made me close to vomit, so I am leery of having another try, though it worked well. It comes out as mainly dirty water, I was hoping for more solid material. I am also learning Spanish using fairly unintense methods, DVDs of television series that have Spanish dubbing and English subtitles. Water fasting has so much time to spend, one has to plan for alot of boredom. Last night in my dream, a monk was reciting mantras to me, and this morning I woke up in a better state, more positive, mentally free of the issues that have been hedging me in. One of the reasons I chose to fast was to re-center and balance myself, since it seemed to be the result of the last fast I did. I dont think enemas or saltwater flushes are necessary based on the research I have done, BTW.

[Spotless]

Today we see in our literature regarding many things from the East - a very Westernized approach and morph.

 

Many "Systems" have been developed here that part with some of the core teachings. This is also having a backlash in the East where practitioners look at their "marketability" and teachers often go in the direction the students want to go.

 

Today all over the USA we see "Yoga" that is simply not Yoga - I have been calling it "Sport Yoga" - a workout using yoga poses, postures and a hint of breathing. A sprig of relaxation meditation and roll up your plastic mat - you are ready to go!

 

When I read about fasting for the first time it was in the mid 70s and pretty much all of the literature included enemas. Now it is not in favor - but for centuries it has been in favor in those countries which use this for real healing - like removing arthritis, removing diabetes and a host of other things that they cure with it.

 

Not long ago I attended a local talk on meditation by a person very proud of their long history of meditation. His teacher and so he himself now advocated meditation for no more than 5 - 10 minutes at the most. He gave several explainations for this including that the quality of the time spent meditating is far more important than the amount. It is kind of like the Atkins Diet - you want him to be correct!

 

What he was probably unaware of or at least did not want to share with us was the fact that his teacher had openly come to the conclusion that Westerner's could not meditate for longer periods of time. The Teachers whole previous practice was long meditation forms but for the West he had dumbed it down - and he is a very popular Teacher / Guru here in the West particularly Europe.

 

Look at Martial Arts - meditation was always the backbone of Kung Fu and the like - now students in the East come here from Shaolin Temple having just scratched the surface of meditation. Indeed - Kung Fu was created so that monks would have something physical to do but built upon meditative practice.

We have "Masters" from the East that when asked about meditation are clearly dumbfounded by the question - they have never taught it here to their students - other than child forms of it - really simplistic sit with your eyes closed and compose yourself stuff (nothing wrong with it but speak to the students here - they generally don't touch real meditation until they are into their 40s if ever - and by then they do it for the wrong reasons - ie: to gain something like "more power".

 

I am not at all down on the West and I cannot blame many of those from the East - A confident Eastern Teacher with a flair for marketing can make a very good living here - selling partial truths and lots of CDs. Take the time to read from the old texts - so very much of the new stuff is like a Starbucks Sugar Milk Coffee drink. Starbucks spends 80% on milk, 20% on Coffee.

A great deal of the information we find regarding the spiritual path has been sweetened and thinned out - like elevator music.

 

I am not implying the old "no pain no gain" thing - but what requires nothing from you is often a recipe for continuing our "waking sleep".

[Spotless]

Regarding Boredom:

 

I was happy and surprised to see so many postings here stating their "boredom" dilema during fasting.

 

Happy to see them be so up front and honest.

 

I have done fasting for spiritual reasons - knowing that health benifits were just a positive side effect.

 

For me fasting re-registers my natural flow - it is one of the most powerful ways to come off our habituations - to see the habituations - and to establish or re-establish a healthy natural cadence and stop the constant off gassing - lifeforce releasing fidgiting we do.

 

I am often astounded at just how much time I have on my hands when fasting!

It is hard to believe how much time we spend around eating - before, during and after.

 

If you have the "boredom" factor - fill it!

Ask yourself some questions:

Who in you is bored?

You have just added hours to your day - is this boring or are you driven to "do" or at least appear that you are "doing"!

Do you feed the indulgent busy body and quit the fast early or do you add to your day - simple walks or two movies or bowling or having lunch with a friend - (wait - did I say "having lunch with a friend"?!!!?)

 

I frequently have lunch with friends during a fast - I am not hungry in the least during a fast and lunch won't cost me a thing.

Even if I buy our lunch - I'm only buying for one person. I cook for my family on fasts - I have a wife and young son - whats the problem - no problem at all.

 

Try putting your fast together with Qi Gong or Yoga - everyday - your body is cleaning itself out and both of these practices wash your subtle energy systems - they can help you through the change from "staying busy" to being with yourself.

 

If you must have a goal during all this "extra time" - make the goal being in the moment - which means - drop the goal - no goals - try "no inertia" moment to moment and simply let the day unfold.

 

If you are really having trouble doing this - don't run from it - look at what is buzzing in your space - where are the ticks coming from? This is habit energy - unconscious routine habituations that are now sitting there right in front of you - learn from this - it is one of the greatest things fasting does for you!

Edited March 12, 2013 by Spotless

[Spotless]

Regarding exercise - plenty of exercise is no problem at all - just don't overdue it.

 

I did a fast in Hawaii one time and went swiming, scuba diving and snorkeling, hiking and pretty much everything.

 

I found I have plenty of energy for long term exercise at a slow to moderate pace. Gandi did his historic 21 day walk / protest on a fast of only water - and he was a skinny guy to begin with.

 

Bicycle riding is not recommended because you can become a bit spacy and spacial things can be an issue. IF your driving - check how you are doing before venturing out. by the 5th or 6th day you should be in a pretty great space!

 

By the way - I don't usually end a fast because my body says to - usually I run out of alloted time and I have to.

[ShivaShakti]

I'm on day 4 of another water fast. I did try the salt water flush recipe as mentioned in this thread. It made me close to vomit, so I am leery of having another try, though it worked well. It comes out as mainly dirty water, I was hoping for more solid material. I am also learning Spanish using fairly unintense methods, DVDs of television series that have Spanish dubbing and English subtitles. Water fasting has so much time to spend, one has to plan for alot of boredom. Last night in my dream, a monk was reciting mantras to me, and this morning I woke up in a better state, more positive, mentally free of the issues that have been hedging me in. One of the reasons I chose to fast was to re-center and balance myself, since it seemed to be the result of the last fast I did. I dont think enemas or saltwater flushes are necessary based on the research I have done, BTW.

Hi

 

Sorry if I haven't made my self clear.

 

On the 1st day of your fast, drink water, lemon and salt, (mixed) . try to drink, 1 liter of water + 1 and 1/2 tablespoon salt, + 1 lemon. drink it slowly within 30 minutes, when your indoors, your home (very high probability you will go to the comfort room). Then on that same day, drink normal (spring, purified) water. Don't drink distilled water! as it will only make you dehydrate!

 

2nd day 1 liter water + 1/2 (half only) tablespoon salt + 1 lemon. drink through out your whole day..plus intake your normal water.

 

3rd, 4rth, 5th and so on, is as same as the 2nd day. the idea here, having a little bit of salt makes your drinking water to having electrolytes. since you would not consume foods, electrolytes will give you "some" energy. and the combination of water, salt and lemon makes alkalized water. Drinking alkalized water balances your PH level.

[de_paradise]

Hi

 

Sorry if I haven't made my self clear.

 

On the 1st day of your fast, drink water, lemon and salt, (mixed) . try to drink, 1 liter of water + 1 and 1/2 tablespoon salt, + 1 lemon. drink it slowly within 30 minutes, when your indoors, your home (very high probability you will go to the comfort room). Then on that same day, drink normal (spring, purified) water. Don't drink distilled water! as it will only make you dehydrate!

 

2nd day 1 liter water + 1/2 (half only) tablespoon salt + 1 lemon. drink through out your whole day..plus intake your normal water.

 

3rd, 4rth, 5th and so on, is as same as the 2nd day. the idea here, having a little bit of salt makes your drinking water to having electrolytes. since you would not consume foods, electrolytes will give you "some" energy. and the combination of water, salt and lemon makes alkalized water. Drinking alkalized water balances your PH level.

Thanks for clarifying, I will use that process on my next fast. I am on Day 9, and as far as physical body is concerned there are no probems. The salt water flush help anyway, and in fact, I did drink it within 10 minutes, which made it harder to consume. 30 minutes is much more sane, and I'm glad that needs to be done just once.

 

My fast has been more about emotional/mental/energetic detox, and its been tough going because I am very sensitive to the toxins in my blood and energy stream. When this happens its impossible to generate a positive emotion, and the conscious mind is suddenly flowing with negative thoughts. I get through it. I'm going to hit some Buddhist lectures today, because I find that the most soothing.

[Spotless]

My fast has been more about emotional/mental/energetic detox, and its been tough going because I am very sensitive to the toxins in my blood and energy stream. When this happens its impossible to generate a positive emotion, and the conscious mind is suddenly flowing with negative thoughts. I get through it. I'm going to hit some Buddhist lectures today, because I find that the most soothing.

I was just wondering what your age is?

I only ask because I am curious regarding the effects fasting has on different ages - particularly toxic issues.

9 days on a water fast - Congrats - I do long ones regularly but it seems to be pretty tough for most.

Ususally by the 5th day I feel incredible and it stays that way for the rest of the fast - often getting better day after day.

[de_paradise]

Day 14 Water Fast. (last day) I thought I'd make some notes, this being the final day, and feel more energetic, probably due to the optimism that its finally over. First, to answer your question Spotless, I'm around middle age. I think detox effects has much to do with the toxins stored in your body over time, (I grew up partly in a town that refines heavy metals, I have lived in big polluted cities, drank booze, ate meat and processed crap, etc. in my earlier years), genetic and karmic predisposition, also if you fast alot I imagine the body gets used to it and its not such a burden. It surprises me that you report to be so energetic. This is far from normal, if you check most people's testimonials on the internet. One day perhaps I can do a Gandhi-like walk.

-no headaches or physical pains this time round. I did the salt water flush once, but I dont think it was relevent. I am a vegan with the odd dabbling in cheese.

-I lost lots of weight, though I dont measure, I had to make a new hole in my belt to keep my pants up. My friend said I look like a parody of the 1930's dust bowl migrants.

-I was always weak. Could not exercise. Huffing around the shops like an 80 year old man, studying products closely because I could stop and rest. Looking at (Taiwan) supermarket products became my favorite past time. Day 10 could barely get out of bed. Forget yoga, I would just flop on a mat and not bother to get up.

-Lack of concentration. Like my last 7 dat fast, but better this time round. Hopefully next time still better.

-As I mentioned, I was doing an experimental "Spanish Learning, KGB style" To prepare, 4 weeks in advance I did lots of Spanish grammar exercises, which are impossible to do during a fast because of concentration issues. During the fast, I constantly watched and listened to recordings and DVDs in Spanish. The result is I've learned alot of Spanish quickly, it just pops up in my mind automatically in a perfect accent. The next stage is to train my speaking ability to mimic perfectly the absorbed word so I don't have to sound like a foreigner. Even though this was a resounding success in mind programming due to the slightly higher subconscious mental state during fasting, I wouldn't go out and recommend this. Its stressing, and much of what fasting is about is relaxing the mind and releasing. BTW, I was not a beginner at this language, find it easy, and much was re-learning.

-alot of mental "stuff", worries, negativity, being like a cornered cat. This is due to the deep toxic feeling where my natural human buoyancy did not work. This came in heavy at night during the first 11 days. This is where even-tempered-ness and years of cultivation becomes meaningless. I came into the fast with some issues. The major issue I had is balancing spiritual cultivation needs with regular society making money. Feeling of career and social failure because of my devotion to awakening. Making "right" living, or just doing what it takes to get the money in this industrial web we live in.

-talking with friends and other people really helped

-Strangely, I seemed to wake up from a sleep in such a different mental state, it was hard to recognize myself. It took some time before the continuity of my present personality kicked in, and sometimes I had to wait until I went to sleep again.

[Spotless]

-Strangely, I seemed to wake up from a sleep in such a different mental state, it was hard to recognize myself. It took some time before the continuity of my present personality kicked in, and sometimes I had to wait until I went to sleep again.

Great posting - thank you - like this part above in particular.

 

I have been involved in only a few fasts with friends or relatives - in all cases that I was involved. they did the fast as I recommended including enemas and all of them experienced the fast pretty much the same as I do. My mother was about 70 and she felt very good on the 4th day. (she did a juice fast - I recommended that for toxicity reasons). This is a lady that smokes cigars from time to time. My other friends were all in their 40s and none of them had eaten well or been teetoetelers or non-smokers or drugless.

 

During the fast all of those that were smokers had to stop smoking, if they drank they had to stop, if they were coffee people they had to drop it, if they like black tea they had to drop it, if they like illegal drugs and other drugs they had to stop them (with few exceptions) and none of them had a problem with these things and all of them were astonished at how much energy they had during the fast and how great they felt.

 

The majority of those that fast do not appear to be very well prepared mentally. Fasting in this country is very different than fasting in say India. Also - very few seem able to do the enema thing here. Personally I just can't imagine not doing it for my fasting. I have tried to imagine doing the salt thing but conceptually I can't get past what I originally learned and the fact that I have always had excellent "above average" results.

 

The state that you mentioned that I quoted above - it is perhaps the main reason I go on a fast. I don't fast for health reasons or detox - though that is a byproduct.

[de_paradise]

An enema kit is at the top of my shopping list, for sure. My reservations to enemas was due to Dr. Goldhamer's (the expert in guiding water fasts) view that it isn't necessary. But I really would've like to have taken out some more material from the lower part of intestines. It was/is quite visible, not flat. Even now, switching to a diet of mainly fresh fruit, it seems enemas would work well.

 

Emerging from the fast, I have gotten more elan to solve the issues related to career/finance that had been pestering me. No magic solutions, just a casting off of certain mental chains. Also I have "discovered" another way to meditate, where in fact it is not new, and been there the whole time. Sometimes we need to reach a certain stage before a meditation style becomes demonstrably more powerful than another. What I mean by style is tweaking the mental approach, not readily put into words. I can credit the fast because, I knew I needed to change, but was quite stuck in a functional routine even though it was getting less functional. To conclude, water fasting is a good (yet harsh) way to induce some shakeups in your mental space.

[runner11]

I have done a few water fasts, with the longest being 4 days. Initial things I noticed during the fast were a lack of physical energy, but an abundance of mental energy and clarity. I was hanging out with friends on the 4th day, who didn't know I was fasting, and I was telling jokes like it was my job. That's my always my personality, but I was extra funny. Like the movie limitless, but instead of being really smart I was really funny. I had people practically on the floor laughing for like an hour. This mental clarity and quick thinking is the most amazing thing I noticed from my fast. On the 4th day, my hunger mostly went away, but I stopped after the 4th day because I was starting to get dizzy. This could have been due to lack of water, but I wasn't thirsty so I didn't want to force myself to drink. I had a bad taste in my mouth throughout the fast.

 

Upon breaking the fast my skin became amazingly clear and my appetite came back in full force. I was very hungry for about a week, I guess until my body got all the fat back that was there before. Despite the benefits, I haven't fasted again since then because I noticed muscle loss or weakening for me even after only 4 days. For a couple weeks after breaking the fast, I felt weaker, and playing sports my legs felt sore and tired. That's just me though, but it was still a good experience. It's just important to remember to break the fast very very slowly. I broke it with an orange, and even that was like a brick in my stomach for a few hours. Breaking it with a real meal is very dangerous.

[idiot_stimpy]

Starting my first day of fasting again. Feel as though the energy is just right and feels right to start again. 

 

I completed a successful month of fasting last December where I lost 8kg of body weight. 

 

After my first day and not repressing my desire for food, I have started to get a lot of emotional energy surfacing that needs attention. 

 

I think fasting is a good way of bringing previously unconscious emotions to the conscious mind.