LOOSE WEIGHT FASTING

Topics covered for losing weight fasting

Introduction

Our body

Stress and the human body

Common ailments of the body

Unhealthy lifestyle

Here enters fasting

Fasting and its applications

Fast facts about fasting

Fasting. Soul, mind and body

Kinds of fasting

Preparing to fast

Stages of fasting

Fasting for healing the body

Fast the healthy way

Who should not fast

Tips on fasting

Sample fasting program for starters

Conclusion

Introduction

The idea of fasting is still tied to spiritual and religious practices. When we first heard about fasting, we immediately relate the term to the Catholics who practice this during Lent or to Muslims during Ramadan. In ancient times when people fasted they believed that doing so would improve their clarity of thought, and bring spiritual enlightenment and inspiration. In fact many people who fast relay a feeling of being more removed from the physical and a more spiritually focussed consciousness. It should be reflected however, that having strong values is integral to this - as mental attitude is huge part of ones sense of the world.

Most would consider fasting as a spiritual enlightenment. But what is really behind fasting that those who practice it have an aura of well contentment and happiness. Those who practice them don’t seem to have the effect of the environment on their physical outlook.

A few of us have tried fasting but not everyone understands its concept and benefits therefore the more we need to know on the subject to fully grasp its benefits.

For those who already are in fasting, you’re further given the insights of fasting. The benefits to be fully enjoyed, one must accompany it with healthy lifestyle and healthy eating habits. Fasting is useless if we don’t have the two to accompany it with the two.

As you read on, you will find a lot of information on the topic. And you near the end of this, you can be assured that you will learn more than what you expect. Then perhaps see that change you always wanted.

Take note however that results will vary with each person as each and every one of us response differently. Two people can be subjected to the same conditions and their reactions can be quite different. So never compare your results with another, what is important is that you feel that positive change in your body, mind and soul.

"In my opinion, the greatest discovery by modern man is the power to rejuvenate himself physically, mentally, and spiritually with Rational Fasting." The Miracle of Fasting by Paul Bragg, ND, PhD

Our body

The body is a physical structure of a living thing. It is made up of cells, tissues, organs and systems that work hand in hand. They form a complex system of relationship that the absence of one greatly cripples the entire body. The loss of an eye makes it hard for our other systems to grasp the events happening around and must rely to the remaining senses.

Our body is one wonderful machine, a wonder of science. The complexity of it and how it is able to perform so many things at a time often leads it to being called the “wonder machine”. It never runs out of battery, it could do work all by itself, it could even processes different applications, it could come up with solutions and so much more.

Our body could do so many things that almost each and every single one of us are testing and pushing our bodies to the limit. We defy the laws set by nature about caring for our body. And when our body seems to be slowing down, we simply revive it with caffeine over and over again even to the point of overloading ourselves with it.

We are in touch with our body that we know what it’s capable of and sad to say, this knowledge led to the abuse of our body through the years. We eat like there is no tomorrows because we perfectly know that the body will simply digest, absorb and excrete what we eat. We drink and smoke because we know that our body has its defence system working round the clock. We drink medicines anytime we want because we know that our body could take them.

Yet do we also know that too much abuse of what our body can do is also bad? Our body is just like any machine that once it reaches its limit, it breaks down. Too much alcohol, unhealthy food and lifestyle combined with stress is extremely harmful to our body. As we age, the maximum capacity of our body will only reach its peak once and will decrease over time. Because of the decrease, our body becomes prone to different ailments and sickness, we become weak over time and if we don’t heed to the pleas of our aging body, this just might cause us our lives.

It must be remembered that our body should be handled with care just as we do with other things. We must always love and care for it.

Stress and the human body

What is stress? It is said that stress is a condition that almost everyone can relate in an everyday sense. Stress is not new and we are no stranger to stress. Almost everything and every where there is stress, there is stress in the workplace, at home at school and even in emotional perspective. And we must remember that stress will never give our bodies good benefits, in short stress never serve us well.

How a person reacts to stress differs. Stress is caused by different factors and with different resolutions. Our personality and emotions will determine how much the effect of stress on our body will be. Some may have higher stress threshold as compared to us. These people are able to meet up with deadlines calmly and still give positive results.

But the physical effects of stress on our body can be very damaging our emotional and physical health. While the effects are subtle, the long term effects of stress are deadly. Even more alarming is the long term effect of stress on our body. It very much acceptable to accept the fact that stress shortens our lives. Increased risk of heart disease, nervous breakdowns, stomach ulcers, tension headaches, and an increased susceptibility to infection are just a few of the things that stress can do to us. No single effect of stress is beneficial to us.

Although stress in the short run can have positive effects such as the ability to react to the situation quickly and resolve it as immediately as possible, it is never good in the long run. But, almost each and every one of us lives each single day with stress and sometimes in the succeeding years.

Stress affects our health, body and mind to such great extent that we are crippled by its effects over time. Some of the signs of stress include short-temper, anxiety, impatience, low moral, temperature changes, blood pressure increase, and migraines and so on. Yet there are times when the stress is not so hard and that person has a higher threshold, the stress condition may actually be of beneficial results that will end short with a complete relaxation.

Most often that not, insomnia and depression are the most common effects of stress on us. Because of the two, our mental and physical state is affected. Likewise, our diet is affected too which leads to our low energy levels and thus making us unproductive.

Common ailments of the body

As living things, we too are prone to different diseases. Despite the fact that our immune system works 24/7, it cannot battle the all the diseases that invade our system all at once. Often times the common ailments are signs of even bigger catastrophe. Not giving due attention to the common ailments will lead to something even more dangerous and deadly. A simple cold if not treated or given attention, might progress to something worse. A cough if lingers for days or weeks could mean the patient is having lung problems.

So what are common ailments? Common ailments are simply diseases which we are prone to suffer in our everyday life. The term arises from the fact that they are occurring commonly to almost all individuals. Most common are headaches, stomach aches, pimples, acne and the list goes on.

These common ailments can be very irritating, if not disturbing for small children as they keep on coming back. This holds true for adults too. The general health of the person determines the frequency of the ailments. A person with good health and excellent immune system will most likely not be bothered with common ailments as compared to someone who isn’t.

Do not be paranoid of your common ailment not unless it’s worse than the usual one. These are not so serious and will be gone after a few days. A week of care and rest is usually enough for them ailments to leave the body. Do not immediately drink medicines on the first day. Try to observe fro other signs and symptoms. Taking medicine too early will mask these symptoms which could’ve helped in diagnosing as to the nature and cause.

There are a variety of common ailments from which people suffer from. These ailments are not very serious and can be cured by referring to some home remedies or over the counter medicines. If your ailments persist then you should immediately consult a doctor or physician.

The Common Ailments list is quite big some of them are as follows:

· Allergies

· Headache

· Heartburn

· Nasal Congestion

· Cough and Cold

· Fever/Flu

· Stomach Disorders

· Tummy aches

· Migraine

· Acidity

· Constipation

They could even be prevented. Doctors, nurses and mothers alike would all agree to the tips to prevent common ailments.

If you are prone to cough and cold then try to avoid sitting in A. C. for long and avoid cold drinks and ice creams as much as possible.
If you have frequent congestion problem then try not to breathe the polluted air outside and use a mask while going outdoor.
Keeping yourself away from the junk food will lessen the occurrence of stomach disorders largely.
Maintaining a balanced diet comprising, seeds, green leafy vegetables, legumes, cereals fresh fruits, and other foods enriched in vitamins and protein will help to keep the body healthy and strong enough to fight various diseases.
Maintain the basic hygiene and keep yourself clean. Take frequent baths and wash the face, hands, and legs whenever you are back from outdoors. This will prevent development of germs in your body.
Whenever sneezing or coughing, cover the face with a hanky.
Maintain a proper sleeping itinerary of at least 6-7 hours and avoid stress and tension. This will help in preventing headache and other such elements. There are other significant information on the common ailments and the ways to combat it.

Unhealthy lifestyle

It is often emphasize that a healthy lifestyle is always the ideal one especially today that we cannot afford to be sick as the bills are very expensive. But it has been observed that our health is degenerated and we are exposed to a lot of toxins and chemicals anywhere we go. There are toxins and chemical and we are exposed every day at work, home, in the air, and in the food that we eat and water we drink.

With the fast paced life, we depend on processed food and fast foods. We have bombarded ourselves with medicines and drugs and with less exercise.

So what makes a lifestyle unhealthy? Some of the factors which make our lifestyle unhealthy are as follows:

· Too much junk food being put into our hands especially in children's hands. Junk food which contains saturated fat increases blood cholesterol levels and therefore increases your risk of heart disease and some cancers.

· Life is full of stress. Modern life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. Work can be a stressful place, whether in an office, a factory, or a school. For many people, stress is so commonplace that it has become a way of life.

· We are generally dependent on medical drugs and are not aware that medical drug side effects are dangerous to their health. In the world today, many people seem to think that they just want medicines and drugs to solve their health problems; they believe they can always seek medical assistance. But what they are not aware of is that these pharmaceutical medications may have potential adverse reactions. Some drugs which are toxic to your liver and do crazy things to your health and metabolism, perhaps you obediently swallow those little poisons without considering what they are doing to your body.

· Exposure to pollution and toxic wastes such poisonous agents from the household items. Our bodies are absorbing the harmful chemicals surrounding the environment today. It is thus imperative that we clean up our living environment as much as possible. Those regular detergents, soaps, shampoos, toothpastes and perfumes that we uses today contain many chemicals which are toxic to our bodies, some even carcinogenic.

· Lack of exercise. Exercise always improves our fitness level. No questions asked bout this.

Here enters, fasting

Fasting often described by many books and experts as primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. A fast may be total or partial concerning that from which one fasts, and may be prolonged or intermittent as to the period of fasting. Fasting practices may preclude sexual activity as well as food, in addition to refraining from eating certain types or groups of foods; for example, one might refrain from eating meat. A complete fast in its traditional definition is abstinence of all food and liquids.

Over a period of time, we all know that in the absence of food makes us weak and will have detrimental effect on our body. In fasting however, this is not always the case. Water or any fluids is consumed at quantities that satisfy thirst and other during the absence of food, the body will systematically cleanse itself of everything except vital tissue.

Starvation will occur only when the body is forced to use vital tissue to survive. Although protein is being used by the body during the fast, a person fasting even 40 days on water will not suffer a deficiency of protein, vitamins, minerals or fatty acids. In the breakdown of unhealthy cells, all essential substances are used and conserved in a most extraordinary manner. There is an unwarranted fear of fasting that strength diminishes from the catabolism of proteins from muscle fibres. Even during long fasts, the number of muscle fibres remains the same. Although the healthy cells may be reduced in size and strength for a time, they remain perfectly sound.

A. J. Carlson, Professor of Physiology, University of Chicago, states that a healthy, well-nourished man can live from 50 to 75 days without food, provided he is not exposed to harsh elements or emotional stress. Human fat is valued at 3,500 calories per pound. Each extra pound of fat will supply enough calories for one day of hard physical labor. Ten pounds of fat are equal to 35,000 calories! Most of us have sufficient reserves, capable of sustaining us for many weeks.

However, fasting also has its down side. Some people do excessive fasting out of intense fear of becoming overweight. Pairing this fear with mental disturbance is very dangerous and deadly as in the cases of people with anorexia nervosa.

It must be remembered that the fasting that will be discussed in this book is for the good health and well being of the individual. Never use fasting as a resort to losing weight drastically. Good results come with time.

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Fasting and its applications

This chapter will discuss and present some applications of fasting in the fields of medicine and politics.

· Medical application. I remembered once when a family member was to undergo surgery. Her surgeon told her to fast at least 8 hours prior to surgery. If one is not familiar why the surgeon asked his patient to fast, then know that fasting is often indicated prior to surgery or other procedures that require anaesthetics. With the presence of food in a person's system, it can cause complications during anaesthesia; thus the strong suggestion of the medical personnel that their patients fast for several hours (or overnight) before the procedure. Additionally, certain medical tests, such as cholesterol testing (lipid panel) or certain blood glucose measurements require fasting for several hours so that a baseline can be established. In the case of cholesterol, the failure to fast for a full 12 hours (including vitamins) will guarantee an elevated triglyceride measurement. Patients about to get a CT scan are required to fast as well.

· Political application. Ever since, fasting is one tool that is used by political leaders and protesters to air out their protest, political statement or even awareness for a cause. This is often known as “hunger strike”, a non violent method of resistance practiced by participants where they fast as an act of political protest or to achieve awareness or goal for change. The most noteworthy events include the fasting of Gandhi and that had significant impact on the British Raj and the Indian population. In history, one “hunger strike” resulted in the death of 10 persons. It is in Northern Ireland in 1981, that a prisoner, Bobby Sands, was part of the 1981 Irish hunger strike, protesting for better rights in prison. Sands had just been elected to the British Parliament and died after 66 days of not eating. His funeral was attended by 100,000 people and the strike ended only after 9 other men died. In all, the ten men survived without food for 46 to 73 days taking only water and salt.

Fast facts about Fasting

In an excerpt from the blog “Fasting to Freedom”, the author discusses the effects of fasting and what is being eliminated in the process. Here we are given an overview as to how fasting works and its effect on us. Its been said that the other health benefits include stress resistance, increased insulin sensitivity, reduced morbidity, and increased life span

“During a fast, a metamorphosis occurs. The body undergoes a tearing down and rebuilding of damaged materials. There is a remarkable redistribution of nutrients in the fasting body. It hangs on to precious minerals and vitamins while catabolising old tissue, toxins and inferior materials. The end result is a thorough cleansing of the tube, membrane and cellular structures. This process of cleansing and rebuilding has made fasting famous for its ability to rejuvenate, heal disease and give the body a more youthful tone.

Eliminations during the cleansing process

· Dead, dying or diseased cell
Unwanted fatty tissue

· Trans-fatty acids

· Hardened coating of mucus on the intestinal wall

· Toxic waste matter in the lymphatic system and bloodstream

· Toxins in the spleen, liver and kidneys

· Mucus from the lungs and sinuses

· Imbedded toxins in the cellular fibres and deeper organ tissues

· Deposits in the microscopic tubes responsible for nourishing brain cells

· Excess cholesterol.

The Result

· Mental clarity is improved

· Rapid, safe weight loss is achieved without flabbiness

· The nervous system is balanced

· Energy level is increased

· Organs are revitalized

· Cellular biochemistry is harmonized

· The skin becomes silky, soft and sensitive

· There is greater ease of movement

· Breathing becomes fuller, freer and deeper

· The digestive system is given a well-deserved rest.

To heal illness, the body must pull all of its resources toward cleansing and repairing by removing appetite and reducing or stopping digestion. Wounded animals will fast, emerging to eat only after their wounds or broken bones have healed. This is the reason why there is little desire to eat food when sick—the body wants to focus all of its resources on cleansing.”

Fasting our soul, body and mind.

Most of the experts on the field, fitness experts, doctors and spiritual experts, would agree as to the effects of fast on the soul and our body. Most striking is the article written by Gabrielle Lim when she summarized the benefits into five simple yet unforgettable sentences. In an excerpt from the article, she gives the 5 benefits.

1. Retune your digestive system

Not many people know this but fasting can be a way for you to give your digestive system a tune up. According to Dr. Naomi Neufeld, an endocrinologist at UCLA, "You re-tune the body, suppress insulin secretion, reduce the taste for sugar, so sugar becomes something you're less fond of taking."

What happens is that the body eventually uses up the stored sugar (glycogen) so that less insulin is needed to help the body digest food. And that gives your pancreas a rest.

2. Reduce your intake of free radicals

Mark Mattson, a scientist with the National Institute on Aging, has reported that fasting can reduce your intake of free radicals, which can cause cancer. In fact, according to Mattson, "These free radicals will attack proteins, DNA, the nucleus of cells, the membranes of cells. They can damage all those different molecules in cells."

Even just reducing your calorie intake can have the same effects as a fast. In a study amongst rats and mice, it was noted that those who were fed very little and restricted in their food intake had a reduction in disease compared to those who were fed normal daily diets.

3. Speed up your journey to self-discovery

We are all creatures of habit. And eating, just like smoking and sleeping, is a habit. What happens during a fast is that by taking away such an essential part of your daily routine, you mess up your whole schedule. This sounds bad but it's not. It's really a time to reflect on your routines and give you a pause to think about how you want your life to move forward.

By fasting, you become more conscious of yourself and you can take the time usually spent eating to meditate, journal, or do any other form of reflection.

4. Increase your gratitude

How could you not be grateful to break your fast? And after each day when you do break fast, it's a celebration. It is a celebration for a completed day of fasting, reflection, and persistence. So rejoice and celebrate your success! Show gratitude to yourself and others.

And when you break your fast, you will be very happy to taste food again. And contrary to some beliefs, you won't binge on food. In fact you will be more conscious of what you allow into your body and feel gratitude for the food you receive.

5. Launch yourself into your ideal life

Sounds like a pretty big benefit for something as simple as fasting. But it's true. When you begin your fast you can take this time to break old patterns, examine your current situation, and use it as the starting point for a whole new life.

Kinds of fasting

Fasting can be done in many different ways. Below is a list of the different types or categories of fasting that is commonly practiced.

Complete Fast: In complete fast, every two hours you drink a glass of water

· and a glass of warm water together with some lemon juice is taken an hour after. The main purpose of taking lemon juice in warm water is to prevent gas formation. If one needs some energy during this period, then a spoon of honey may also be taken with lemon juice in ordinary water also. Water of a tender coconut may also be taken during this fasting.

· Milk-Banana diet- In his kind of fast, one cup of skimmed milk and a banana is taken alternatively three to four times a day. Added to that honey and lemon juice and lemon juice in warm water may also be taken.

· Fruit diet: In this kind of fast, a person lives only on fruit and fruit juices. Again, in this fast, water and lemon juice in water can be continued. But his fast must not exceed 6-7 days; otherwise the body will become deficient of essential enzymes and amino acids.

· Fruit and Vegetable diet: In such a diet, lightly boiled or steamed vegetables can also be taken besides fruits. But the use of salt must be avoided. This fast can also not exceed more than 6-7 days at a stretch.

· Traditional Fast: In this kind of fast, a light meal is taken only once a day. This meal may contain a little of salt, sugar and fat. But one does not take any fruit, vegetables, tea, juices besides that meal. Ordinary water or lemon juice in warm water may be taken alternatively. This kind of fast is traditionally kept on full moon day or on the first day of the solar month.

· Water Fast: You can fast from 1 to 40 days. Try to drink 2 litres of water or more per day. The ten day water fast has become a recommended number of days. Ten days on water will cause the same weight loss as 30 days on juice. But water fasting is far more difficult, especially if you have a fast metabolism. Water fasting cleanses the body aggressively removing toxins rapidly. Water fasting can be more beneficial than juice fasting in combating more persistent forms of cancer, cleansing the tissues more aggressively. Water fasting demands mental preparation, the less pressure and responsibility you have during water fast the better. Think of it a holiday away form the normal patterns of living. Some recommend that the week before your fast, you drink fresh juices and eat mostly raw fruits and vegetables to cleanse the body so that the detoxification during water fasting will be less aggressive. Water fasting should always include two of three days of juice fasting before and after the water fast. This alternating between juice and water fasting is the most effective method of achieving a full cleansing through fasting.

· Juice fast: Juice fasting is safe and can allow the body to clean itself of toxins while greatly improving conditions for health. A benefit is that your energy level is high because you are receiving sufficient nutrients from the juices, so you can carry out normal activities. A juice fast takes some burden off the digestive system and frees up some energy for accelerated healing though water fast does much better in that regard. Also, juices can make available extra quantities of nutrients that a person might lack. Juices are easy to assimilate and take hardly any digestive energy from the body, allowing the body to put more energy into healing and rejuvenation. Packed with vitamins, minerals, living enzymes, antioxidants, photochemical, yet low enough in calories to force the body to cannibalize on its filthy waste, propelling you to vigorous physical health and clarity of mind.

Preparing to fast

Depending on the length of your planned fast it can be helpful to prepare yourself for the change and the challenges you are about to face.

It is always better to inform yourself about fasting. Try doing your own investigation, read as much as you can on the fasting process, what are the various kinds of fasts and what you can expect as side affects. Never go into fasting if you have a pre-existing health condition. Consult your doctor if there are contrary indications with fasting and your condition.

Now, if it’s your first time to fast and have not done any fasting before, start by doing things in smaller scale. Try doing it for, lets say2-3 hours or half-day. When you decide to do it in the evening, try going to sleep without eating or the whole morning on fasting. Do immediately try the whole day fast or 1 week fast as your body will be overwhelmed with the new situation.

Try to eat one single meal a day. The preparation should also include selection of what you will be eating. It is important to abstain from something that you always like pork or beef. Try to slowly cut-down your caffeine, alcohol or smoking routine for the following days. If you’re a little bolder try to eat nothing but fruits and vegetables for a set amount of time. Whatever kind of test you can set up for yourself will give you an idea of what you will face once you jump fully into a more complete fast.

Most would agree that fasting detoxifies your body. By eating less or nothing at all your body has an opportunity to clean itself in a way it normally cannot.

Fasting is useless diet still consists of a lot of meat, processed foods, and you drink coffee and smoke. Sudden caffeine withdrawal can induce headaches if you are used to having caffeine every day. Cutting back or altering your diet days before you fast can help your body's detoxification process be less of a shock once you get into your fast.

Everyone would agree with what one expert on fasting said, “Determine your cleanse duration and time period: Try to arrange that your fast is in a time period where you have low activity or lobsters. Avoid heavy kinds of work if at all possible.

When it comes to long fasts and inability of somebody to handle a long fast, you just do the best you can. When detoxification increases as it does during fasting, the liver, kidneys, lungs and immune system work extra hard to handle the load.” As the purpose of the preparation is not to shock and overwhelm your body with fasting.

Stages of fasting

Below is an excerpt from the blog "How and When to Be Your Own Doctor" book, by Dr. Isabelle A. Moser with Steve Solomon, published in 1997. It clearly described the stages of fasting and how they work in relation to our body.

The best way to understand what happens when we fast is to break up the process into six stages: preparation for the fast, loss of hunger, acidosis, normalization, healing, and breaking the fast.

A person that has consumed the typical American diet most of their life and whose life is not in immediate danger would be very wise to gently prepare their body for the fast. Two weeks would be a minimum amount of time, and if the prospective faster wants an easier time of it, they should allow a month or even two for preliminary housecleaning During this time, eliminate all meat, fish, dairy products, eggs, coffee, black tea, salt, sugar, alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, and greasy foods. This de-addiction will make the process of fasting much more pleasant, and is strongly recommended. However, eliminating all these harmful substances is withdrawal from addictive substances and will not be easy for most. I have more to say about this later when I talk about allergies and addictions.

The second stage, psychological hunger, usually is felt as an intense desire for food. This passes within three or four days of not eating anything. Psychological hunger usually begins with the first missed meal. If the faster seems to be losing their resolve, I have them drink unlimited quantities of good-tasting herb teas, (sweetened --only if absolutely necessary--with nutrisweet). Salt-free broths made from meatless instant powder (obtainable at the health food store) can also fend off the desire to eat until the stage of hunger has passed.

Acidosis, the third stage, usually begins a couple of days after the last meal and lasts about one week. During acidosis the body vigorously throws off acid waste products. Most people starting a fast begin with an overly acid blood pH from the typical American diet that contains a predominance of acid-forming foods. Switching over to burning fat for fuel triggers the release of even more acidic substances. Acidosis is usually accompanied by fatigue, blurred vision, and possibly dizziness.

The breath smells very bad, the tongue is coated with bad-tasting dryish mucus, and the urine may be concentrated and foul unless a good deal of water is taken daily. Two to three quarts a day is a reasonable amount.

Most fasters feel much more comfortable by the end of the first seven to ten days, when they enter the normalization phase; here the acidic blood chemistry is gradually corrected. This sets the stage for serious healing of body tissues and organs. Normalization may take one or two more weeks depending on how badly the body was out of balance. As the blood chemistry steadily approaches perfection, the faster usually feels an increasing sense of well-being, broken by short spells of discomfort that are usually healing crises or retracing.

The next stage, accelerated healing, can take one or many weeks more, again depending on how badly the body has been damaged. Healing proceeds rapidly after the blood chemistry has been stabilized, the person is usually in a state of profound rest and the maximum amount of vital force can be directed toward repair and regeneration of tissues. This is a miraculous time when tumors are metabolized as food for the body, when arthritic deposits dissolve, when scar tissues tend to disappear, when damaged organs regain lost function (if they can). Seriously ill people who never fast long enough to get into this stage (usually it takes about ten days to two weeks of water fasting to seriously begin healing) never find out what fasting can really do for them.

Breaking the fast is equally or more important a stage than the fast itself. It is the most dangerous time in the entire fast. If you stop fasting prematurely, that is, before the body has completed detoxification and healing, expect the body to reject food when you try to make it eat, even if you introduce foods very gradually. The faster, the spiritual being running the body, may have become bored and want some action, but the faster’s body hasn’t finished. The body wants to continue healing.

Fasting for healing the body

One of the most wanted benefits of fasting is the healing process that begins in the body during the fast. The healing process is said to happen when the body is searching for energy resources. When fasting, a fast energy is said to be diverted from the digestive system to another system, like the immune system, due to its lack of use.

Properly carried out, fasting can promote healing, is rejuvenating and can prolong one's life. Fasting is actually all about healing the body, unlike the conventional and alternative medicine. Ron Laguequist in his book pointed out that healing could be achieved through fasting.

He said that, “Fasting intensifies healing as deep tissue and tired organs are repaired rapidly. To heal illness the body must pull all of its resources toward cleansing and repairing by removing appetite and reducing or stopping digestion. Wounded animals will fast, emerging to eat only after their injury or broken bones have healed. There are testimonies of people’s old wounds aching during a fast for the first time in years; unnecessary scare tissue is being broken down as fuel. This is the reason why there is little desire to eat food when sick—the body wants to focus all of its resources on healing.

Why does fasting have such a powerful effect on healing the body? In the fasting state, the body scours for dead cells, damaged tissues, fatty deposits, tumors and abscesses, all of which are burned for fuel or expelled as waste. Diseased cells are dissolved in a systematic manner, leaving healthy tissue. The result is a thorough cleansing of the tubes, membranes and cellular structures. Ingestion of mucus-forming foods clogs the body's microscopic tubes and membranes, all of which are the highways used by the immune system. Fasting dissolves this internal mucus. During a fast it is common for the nose, throat and ears to pass sticky mucus, clogging the sinuses. Strands of mucus may be found in the stool after the first bowel movement. There is a remarkable redistribution of nutrients in the fasting body. It hangs on to precious minerals and vitamins while catabolizing on old tissue, toxins and inferior materials”.

Fast the healthy way

After knowing the benefits from fasting, keep in mind that when fasting, it should always be the healthy way. Do not fast for the sake that it’s the trend or because you want look sexy because others are. It should be holistic and beneficial to you and your outlook.

So, how do you fast the healthy way?

1. Be accountable. Whatever the consequences are, be accountable for your actions and for other things. Likewise, be sensitive to the response or reaction of others towards your fasting. They might have seen something wrong with your fasting.

2. Prepare in advance. When you want to fast, do not act on impulse, it best to be prepared. Try to know what could be things that might actually happen before, during and after the fast. It is always safe to prepare in advance the things you are about to do. The time of transition is useful for the body, but can also be used to prepare on spiritual and practical levels as well. If you don’t skimp on the preparation time, your fast will likely go more smoothly and be more effective.

3. Understand the effects on your body. Your body goes through several distinct phases when you begin to fast. It is possible that during the first few hours, you will feel weak. Don’t be alarmed yet as this is natural since your body begins to eliminate the toxins in your system. There are a lot more of things that will happen but again, don’t be alarmed as they are normal and will disappear as soon your fasting is over.

4. Break the fast properly. The body through a period of heightened detoxification. An extended fast should have medical guidance that includes plans on how to deal with some potentially serious issues once your fast ends. The body has adjusted to a different state and must not be severely shock it by eating and drinking things that will cause discomfort and physical problems.

Who should not fast?

Fasting, no matter how properly it is done, will always have dangerous effects on certain people. It is best advised that these should not fast even if they want to. Here are the categories of people who should never fast or must practice extreme caution.

1. Infants and children. There is really no reason for infants and children to fast. Due to their lack of maturity, they would likely not really understand the spiritual purpose of fasting, and their bodies need to take in ample nutrients regularly.

2. Pregnant women. Water-only fasts should definitely be avoided by women who are pregnant or nursing. The baby requires so many nutrients for normal development, and is dependent on the mother’s proper nutrition to receive those nutrients. You are forcing the unborn baby to fast as well if the mother decides to fast.

3. People with cancer. Cancer is usually indicative of, among other things, an immune system that is not in good shape.

4. People with other health concerns. Water-only fasts should be avoided by those with significant health issues such as diabetes. However, juice fasts MAY be an option, but should be undertaken only under a doctor’s close supervision.

5. The elderly. Water-only fasts should be avoided by elderly people. There is no need for the elderly to fast as their body may not be able to carry such task.

And if one has still some concerns or questions, they should always ask with their doctor. Remember, fasting is supposed to bring out the best and healthy us.

Tips on fasting

Here are some fasting tips shared by Debopriya Bose

For those who do not fast regularly or are doing it for the first time, it is better to adopt a moderate approach towards fasting and then graduate to stricter regimes. Start with a 1 day program. Then move on to programs for 2 days, 3 days and so on. In between the fasting days, one can have food consisting of raw fruits, vegetables, soups and juices. This is a good way of

Graduating to a 5 or 10 days fast.

A first timer could consider juice fasting than water fasting as juice fasting is easier than water fast. Also juice fast provides most of the nutrients and calories that solid foods provide. Hence one would not miss solid food when on a juice fast.

One of the important fasting tips is to prepare the body slowly for the process. For beginners, it is helpful to start fasting with a little bit of food each day. Extend the fast to 12 to 14 hours in the evening (including sleep). Such a method could also be adopted for a couple of days before actually starting the fast. For greater benefits from fasting, one should stop the intake of alcohol, caffeine, red meat, sugar and poultry for a few days before going in for a fast. Also the intake of nutritional supplements should be limited. Natural is the way to go during fasting!

For the first 2 days one may feel irritated and experience headaches. However, from the 3rd day onwards, one's body adjusts better to the fasting program. To avoid such symptoms, one could take a meal that would comprise of water, juices, tea or snacks made from fresh fruits and vegetables, sometime around 3 p.m.

As it is clear that even during fasting, all the nutritional requirements of the body are met; there is no reason to stop working out. In fact regular exercise will help expedite the cleansing process. However, beginners can go easy with their workouts in case they are used to heavy workouts. Yoga and meditation are great ways to complement the healing process during fasting.

One of the important tips for fasting is not to start binging on food once you are out of it. Since the body has already got accustomed to eating healthy and only as much as required, fasting is good opportunity to start off with healthy eating habits.

Those who are underweight or pregnant should not fast. People who have undergone a surgery or are suffering from anemia, hyperglycemia, and chronic problems of heart, kidneys or lungs should avoid going on a fast. Nevertheless, if one is suffering from some health condition it is always better to consult a physician before starting a fast.

Fasting is not a crash course for weight loss. Despite all the benefits, listen to your body. If one feels ill while fasting, call in the doctor. It is important to follow the fasting tips in order to reap the benefits of fasting that ensures overall well being of the body.

Sample fasting program for starters

Now that you pretty much know about fasting and its benefits, try this simple fasting regime using fruit juice.

1. Begin by clearing out any junk food from your home if you intend to do even a short 2 or 3-day juice fast. Having cookies and potato chips nearby in your kitchen while you juice fast will require enormous will power to refrain from eating them. You can give these items to a friend to store until you complete your juice fast or simply donate them to your local soup kitchen.

2. Purchase organic fruits and vegetables from your local farmer’s markets or the health food store. If you purchase non-organic produce, avoid buying grapes, apples, or peaches as these items are generally grown with heavy pesticide

3. Make a detox bath for non-organic produce by filling a large tub with filtered water and 2 teaspoons of Clorox bleach. Submerge the non-organic produce only in this bleach bath for 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and drain.

4. Juice fasting requires you chop, cut and peel assorted vegetables and fruits before you juice them through a heavy duty juicer so that you are consuming the vitamins and minerals immediately. There is quite a difference between canned fruit juice and freshly prepared juices. Storing fresh juices in your refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours is acceptable but avoid doing so overnight.

5. Combining fruits and vegetables is generally okay but there are certain combinations that may be hard to digest or are simply not palatable. A classic rule of thumb was that apples of all types can be juiced with any other fruit and vegetable as apples will digest easily for most people. Melons are best eaten alone. Melons tend to digest very quickly and if consumed with other foods, you may experience indigestion of the foods or liquids that take the body more time to digest. Common sense and personal taste preference will guide you. For example, juicing carrots and bananas and kale together will probably not yield a juice you will enjoy.

6. Juicing basics: prepare only as much as you will need to consume at each setting. For example a good snacking juice is made from juicing 2 apples, 1 small carrot, one half of a small lemon and ½ teaspoon of gingerroot. For an excellent breakfast juice, combine ½ large medjool date (for the date sugar), 1 medium banana, liquid from a coconut (or to cheat, use “lite” coconut milk from a can, if diluted 1 part coconut milk to 3 parts filtered water), adding filtered water to thin to your desired consistency.

7. Juicing for lunch or dinner drinks could include combinations any vegetable with apples to sweeten. For example, juice 5 to 6 large leaves of curly kale (or lacinto or dinosaur kale), ½ cup parsley, 2 stalks of celery, 1 large carrot and ½ teaspoon of gingerroot or cayenne pepper. Try 6 leaves of rainbow chard, 6 leaves of baby bokchoy, beets (the tops as well), and a very small bulb of garlic for a spicy dinner drink.

8. Drink at least 6 to 8, 8-ounce glasses of filtered water to help you adjust to the cleansing effects of juice fasting. If you intend to juice fast for more than a day, add 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds to any drink and consume three times a day to make certain you are moving your bowels in the absence of soluble and insoluble fiber (as is found in the skins and cellulose of vegetables.)

9. Do not be ambitious while juice fasting. Do not starve yourself by consuming too few juice drinks. Prepare from scratch and consume at least 5 to 6 fresh juice drinks in any 24-hour period along with the 6 to 8 glasses of filtered water.

10. If you find that after the first 6 hours of such a juice fast you experience any changes in heart rate (very rapid or slower than normal), dizziness, headaches, or extreme physical fatigue, consider limiting your juicing to only that 6-hour time frame. For example, juice Friday morning until noon. If you are miserable, consider breaking the fast gently with steamed vegetables, vegetable soup, plain toast and unsweetened organic yogurt. Do not break your juice fast with a steak and fries or a pizza.

11. Depending on your general health prior to juice fasting, it is common to experience headaches and several additional bowel movements as your body begins to cleanse. Transition slowly back to solid foods by introducing steamed vegetables, easy-to-digest proteins such as scrambled eggs, yogurt, or chicken soup.

12. Break the juice fast slowly so that you are not overwhelming your digestive system. If you experience what is called a “healing crisis” and find the juice fast kicks off a flu or minor cold bring your juice fast slowly to a close, adding vegetable and chicken soups back into your diet slowly. Rest as needed and cut back on very strenuous exercise while juicing.

Conclusion

There are lot of things to know more about fasting. As we age, we hear so much about fasting that we don’t know which are real and which are not. But there are many reasons to consider fasting as a benefit to one's health. The body is one amazing thing as rids itself of the toxins that have built up in our fat stores throughout the years. It also heals itself, repairs all the damaged organs during a fast. And finally there is good evidence to show that regulated fasting contributes to longer life.

Yet many doctors warn against fasting for extended periods of time without supervision. There are still many doctors today who deny all of these points and claim that fasting is detrimental to one's health and have evidence to back their statements. That is because fasting is still considered to be as just the simple deprivation of the body the much needed food. The idea of depriving a body of what society has come to view as so essential to our survival in order to heal continues to be a topic of controversy.

Let us not forget however that the effectiveness of the fasting we do still depends on ourselves. How we look at fasting and why we fast will still play a major role in determining the success of the fasting we just did.

All in all, the reason we fast may be about weight reduction, health improvement, or healing of the body. Regardless of the reason, fasting should be not be scary and what’s important is that we enjoy and relax ourselves as we fast. It should be a meaningful experience for us.

So, better pick up that pen and plan away to healthy, new you!

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