The power of intermittent fasting

[The Catcher In The Rye]

I always liked hearing that suggestion / recommendation from people in the health industry about getting into the habit of waking up and immediately having a glass of water. Just making it a routine or habit. Too many people wake up and immediately grab for fruit juice or coffee. As for water though - especially key during spring or summer months when one can become even more dehydrated, even during rest state or sleep - and people are unaware.

It's good to know more people are making homemade smoothies these days too. You know exactly what's going into your drink. Compared to the store bought stuff that tastes great, but is doctored up with all the extra added sugar(s). Great way to use up your fruits & veggies if they're about to go bad too.

I usually drink coffee first. I usually drink more coffee than water

I think I’ll give that a shot, drinking water as soon as I wake up.

I do make my own smoothies post-workout every time, probably 3-4 times a week on average.

 

[The Catcher In The Rye]

Put some green tea in a thermos last night and started my day with hot sugarless green tea— I assume that’s as good as water if I don’t add anything to it.

 

[moblack]

I’m a big midnight snacker. And a moderate 3am snacker.

I’m on day 3 of not eating after 8pm and confining my eating to an 8 hour window. I’m drinking a lot of water and tea at night to keep the hunger away but it is rough.

eat better filling meals...when you not thirsty , when you bored, etc drink water. I keep a gallon of water on me. im sipping water while typing on bgol.

 

[Helico-pterFunk]

Intermittent fasting kept me from totally falling off after Spine surgery in December. I been back to doing the workouts I was doing before surgery with more walking added in. Woke up this morning weighing to 247. Another 7 to 10 pounds then I will be leaned out.

Yesterday I was in the middle of a 40 hour fast, they had blood sugar and cholesterol testst my job. My sugar was 55, the lady asked me did feel ok, I told her I fast daily and will hit the weights after work

Glad to hear you have recovered well this past year.

 

[Helico-pterFunk]

My dad's having knee surgery in late-September. Upon hospital discharge, he's going to spend the first 2 weeks at his GF's place for recovery. After that, he'll be heading home and I've got some time off in Oct' and gonna look out for him. Visits & staying over there for his general safety.

I'm thinking of what movies & TV shows we can catch up on, lol.

More importantly though ... thinking up some recipe ideas as I'll be cooking for him.

He's a pretty good cook in general, so it'll be interesting to hear some feedback from him on what I make.

 

[Sango]

I’m a big midnight snacker. And a moderate 3am snacker.

I’m on day 3 of not eating after 8pm and confining my eating to an 8 hour window. I’m drinking a lot of water and tea at night to keep the hunger away but it is rough.

Hang in there. That late night snacking is the devil.

 

[VAiz4hustlaz]

I’m a big midnight snacker. And a moderate 3am snacker.

I’m on day 3 of not eating after 8pm and confining my eating to an 8 hour window. I’m drinking a lot of water and tea at night to keep the hunger away but it is rough.

Look into drinking bone broth during your fasting period.

 

[Allister]

Thanks for the tips and suggestions, I started 2 weeks ago!

 

[moblack]

Hang in there. That late night snacking is the devil.

Being a shift worker them late night snacking got me. It was always routine for me to eat popcorn around 2AM, late night energy drink, snack at 9pm, and just reach for something when I got boredom. Now its water and coffee. Sometimes I'll just go stand in front of the snack machine and pick something up. Read the nutritional info on the back and return it to the shelf. Then think about what I used to eat.

 

[DJCandle]

I’ve been going 24 on 24 off. Eating small meals to 6pm then nothing til 6pm the following day.

It has been GREAT. Energy levels are up and the weight is coming down.

Fasting is truly the key to health.

 

[VAiz4hustlaz]

 

[RoadRage]

I think it's a good short-term method of losing weight, the problem is once you fuck up with a big meal, you are back at square one because your stomach that has shrunk becomes stretched. I know plenty of broads who lose 15 pounds or so in a few months for a wedding or a photoshoot only to gain it back plus some a year later.
For a longer-lasting solution, I cut out all alcohol, exercised, and cut down on eating big meals. This way even if I fuck up and splurge I am not back at square one as long as I stick to the workout routine which can buy me time to get back into my diet, allowing my stomach to shrink back into place.

 

[doe moe]

Yes, that is a real human specimen that passed away and donated their body for science.

 

[VAiz4hustlaz]

I think it's a good short-term method of losing weight, the problem is once you fuck up with a big meal, you are back at square one because your stomach that has shrunk becomes stretched. I know plenty of broads who lose 15 pounds or so in a few months for a wedding or a photoshoot only to gain it back plus some a year later.
For a longer-lasting solution, I cut out all alcohol, exercised, and cut down on eating big meals. This way even if I fuck up and splurge I am not back at square one as long as I stick to the workout routine which can buy me time to get back into my diet, allowing my stomach to shrink back into place.

It’s not about shrinking your stomach. It’s about controlling insulin spikes and controlling caloric intake.

 

[RoadRage]

It’s not about shrinking your stomach. It’s about controlling insulin spikes and controlling caloric intake.

Yeah, but when you eat less your stomach reduces its capacity to hold food, but once you eat that large meal your stomach stretches back, increasing your appetite and making you feel hungry again, and all that hard work of reducing your cravings goes out the window. This is why I say it's better to do it for a few months then gradually work your way towards a diet that is more sustainable, while still working out to help with the insulin spikes that you talk about.

 

[moblack]

Yeah, but when you eat less your stomach reduces its capacity to hold food, but once you eat that large meal your stomach stretches back, increasing your appetite and making you feel hungry again, and all that hard work of reducing your cravings goes out the window. This is why I say it's better to do it for a few months then gradually work your way towards a diet that is more sustainable, while still working out to help with the insulin spikes that you talk about.

Bro a big meal won't fuck you up. Once you start IF and get used to it your mind changes about foods. On my cheat days I've enjoyed regular food then just not eaten another meal that day. With IF you still eat within a calorie window. Its easy to maintain for life because you're basically just skipping breakfast.

 

[meilmarc]

Yeah, but when you eat less your stomach reduces its capacity to hold food, but once you eat that large meal your stomach stretches back, increasing your appetite and making you feel hungry again, and all that hard work of reducing your cravings goes out the window. This is why I say it's better to do it for a few months then gradually work your way towards a diet that is more sustainable, while still working out to help with the insulin spikes that you talk about.

Over time intermittent fasting changes the hormones which tell your body your are hungry and tell your body you are full. Thats why the first couple weeks its a hard adjustment until your hormones adjust.

Like the poster said above its a lifestyle to eat less calories and have less insulin spikes and will get you in the mode of insulin sensitivity in which your cells utilize energy and nutrients efficiently.

I been fasting consistently 4 years and big meals do not what your saying. Every weekend I eat once a day and smash somelike pizza, wings, bbq, etc. Any type of diet if your eating empty calories or unhealthy snacks they will make you crave them not long after, but eat some veggies or high protein and fiber and see how long you stay full.

 

[RoadRage]

Bro a big meal won't fuck you up. Once you start IF and get used to it your mind changes about foods. On my cheat days I've enjoyed regular food then just not eaten another meal that day. With IF you still eat within a calorie window. Its easy to maintain for life because you're basically just skipping breakfast.

Cheat days are different than fucking up, what I mean by fuck up is a person going out to a BBQ and eating and getting their drink on, when it's not supposed to be your cheat day. I find with these types of diets it's easy for the average person to fuck up and the wheels fall off. This is why I say for the average person it's better to do it than move on to a diet that is more sustainable, and supplement that by exercise and doing things more healthier. And if you need to you can always go back.

 

[ThaS]

I'm 6 pounds under my target weight.
Maintaining my weight is easier than ever. Even if i don't workout. My big secret; Most of the time i eat the same meals everyday

Yes, it's boring... but it works for me. I have a cheat meal every 2 weeks i think. But that's about it.


My first meal (800 kcal oatmeal)
Oats
Some nuts
Some seeds (hemp seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds)
1-2 mashed bananas
Blue berries
1 tsp raw cacao
1 tsp cinnamon
plant based milk

Try it out folks. Taste like a fucking chocolate dessert everyday.

I started withh this before i lost 110 lbs. Now 110 lbs lighter and i still eat it everyday.

 

[jack walsh13]

Yes, that is a real human specimen that passed away and donated their body for science.

Excellent video

 

[The Catcher In The Rye]

Look into drinking bone broth during your fasting period.

I don’t think that’s good for my purposes right now— I’m in one of my more hardcore phases, no sugar in my coffee or tea. But could be a good idea for the long term.

Does Bone Broth Break a Fast? How to Combine Fasting and Bone Broth

Anyone looking into intermittent fasting might wonder, 'Does bone broth break a fast'? Learn how you can fast and also enjoy this nutrient-packed soup.

hunterandgatherfoods.com

Unfortunately, eating or drinking anything with calories will break your fast if you are fasting for autophagy. Therefore, because bone broth can contain between 40-50 calories per cup, it will break your fast [1].​

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During your fasting window, you can only consume foods, supplements and beverages with zero calories. This includes black coffee, apple cider vinegar, tea, water and most multivitamins. You can also consume some supplements, such as electrolytes, probiotics and water-soluble vitamins during your fast.​

​

There are some supplements — including collagen, bone broth and MCT oil — that contain incredible health benefits but will break a fast due to their caloric content. These supplements support healthy insulin levels, decrease inflammation and can boost weight loss (fat loss), which are the same benefits you get from intermittent fasting. Therefore, you should consume these supplements during your eating window for maximum benefits. It’s also important to consider why you're fasting. For example, if it's weight loss, then consuming MCT oil in your coffee might actually be beneficial. Check out our article on fasting and collagen, MCT and coffee specifically for more details.​

 

[theoriginalgreatone]

Brb

 

[moblack]

Y

Cheat days are different than fucking up, what I mean by fuck up is a person going out to a BBQ and eating and getting their drink on, when it's not supposed to be your cheat day. I find with these types of diets it's easy for the average person to fuck up and the wheels fall off. This is why I say for the average person it's better to do it than move on to a diet that is more sustainable, and supplement that by exercise and doing things more healthier. And if you need to you can always go back.

You're making the IF fasting harder than what it is. Basically eating 12-8 is not eating breakfast or an early snack at 9. Then its basically not eating after dinner. So many people struggle with weight because they snack at night. I work shift work so I would eat all night. That shit was killing my waistline. Now that I stop eating by 8 and just drink water all night I feel so much better. My body isn't working to digest that food. When I get off in the morning I sleep and my body isn't working breaking down foods. We have gotten to the point in America that eating a ton of food is normalized.

 

[Helico-pterFunk]

My dad's having knee surgery in late-September. Upon hospital discharge, he's going to spend the first 2 weeks at his GF's place for recovery. After that, he'll be heading home and I've got some time off in Oct' and gonna look out for him. Visits & staying over there for his general safety.

I'm thinking of what movies & TV shows we can catch up on, lol.

More importantly though ... thinking up some recipe ideas as I'll be cooking for him.

He's a pretty good cook in general, so it'll be interesting to hear some feedback from him on what I make.

He got the surgery done on his right knee Monday afternoon, and got home from hospital Wednesday. Visited him and his gf at her place Thursday evening, and gonna see him again tomorrow. He's been icing it up & doing his walking rotation (a circuit) around her main floor with his walker. Doing light stretching and PT otherwise too. Seems to be going pretty well. Told him I was thinking up some recipes to cook for him in mid-October. It'll be interesting ...

 

[darth frosty]

 

[darth frosty]

Just some good overall info on fasting

https://www.falconblanco.com/health/fasting.htm


What is Fasting?
Fasting is a period of abstinence from all food or specific items. Fluids are consumed in sufficient quantity to satisfy thirst and physiologic requirements. 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 fibers. Even during long fasts, the number of muscle fibers remains the same. Although the healthy cells may be reduced in size and strength for a time, they remain perfectly sound.

Spoiler: reduced for colin

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.

Rest is understood to be a big factor in enhancing recovery, as it is when the body is at rest that it is able to direct the most energy towards the various chemical and mechanical processes of detoxification. When fasting, a person experiences recovery at a rate that is swifter than normal. He is ridding his body of toxins and excesses; allowing the body to use its own wisdom to healthfully reorganize itself from the atomic level. As the toxic load is reduced, the functioning of every cell is enhanced. In the same way that vital nerve energy is accumulated during a night's sleep, the faster builds nerve energy through rest, sleep, and detoxification.

The human body has many ordinary modes of achieving elimination: the liver, lungs, kidneys, colon, etc. When these are overloaded, the body will resort to "extra ordinary" methods of elimination: boils, mucous and other discharges, sweats, vomiting, diarrhea, and many others. Should elimination be impossible or uneconomical of body energy, the toxic overload will go into storage forms in the joints, vessels, muscles, organs; almost any tissue in the body. While fasting, the body is highly conservative of its energy and resources. During this deep and profound rest, toxin intake and production are reduced to a minimum while autolysins and elimination proceed unchecked. Anabolic processes such as tissue and bone healing also proceed at a maximal rate during the fast.

In the body, the first stage of cleansing removes large quantities of waste matter and digestive residues. The first few days of a fast can be rough due to the quantity of waste passing into the blood stream. The tongue becomes coated and the breath foul as the body excretes waste through every opening. After the third day of the fast, there is little desire for food. The second stage is the cleansing of mucous, fat, diseased and dying cells, and the more easily removed toxins. As the fast continues, the cleansing process becomes more thorough. The last stage is the cleansing of toxins that have been accumulating in your cellular tissue from birth, and the microscopic tubes that carry vital elements to the brain. Cleansing of the last layer is only possible through a combination of juice fasting, water fasting, and a healthy diet high in raw foods. To overcome a severe disease like cancer, it is important to continue through a series of fasts, to the point where the full scouring action of catabolism removes the disease from the tissue.

During extended fasts the body removes: dead, dying and diseased cells; 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 kidney; mucus from the lungs and sinuses, imbedded toxins in the cellular fibers and deeper organ tissues; deposits in the microscopic tubes responsible for nourishing brain cells and excess cholesterol.

Nearly everyone who fasts, discovers the same thing, that when they fast they actually have no hunger and more energy than they normally have. It is indeed liberating to find out that if we let go and trust that we will be taken care of. Fasting is the simplest, easiest and most effective way to find out that we do indeed have the power and freedom to heal and take control of our bodies.

Why Fast?
Probably the most important reason is that the body uses quite a bit of energy to digest food, and when fasting this energy becomes available for other uses. In the fasting state, the body will scour for dead cells, damaged tissues, fatty deposits, tumors, abscesses, all of which are burned for fuel or expelled as waste. The elimination of these obstructions restores the immune system functionality and metabolic process to an optimum state. Fasting restores good digestion and elimination, and peristaltic action is quickened. Fasting allows a deep, physiological rest of the digestive organs, and the energy saved goes into self-healing and self-repairing. By eliminating obstructions, by cleansing, detoxification, and purifying the intestines, the blood, and the cells, we can overcome many of our physical ills or handicaps as well as getting a boost in energy. Fasting not only removes obstructions and helps the body to heal itself, it is also rejuvenating and life-extending. These resulting benefits can have lasting affects in your mental and emotional health.

The other very important aspect is that your self-awareness will be elevated. If you are sick and depressed, then this might be the most important thing you can try in your healing program, because it gives you immediately an energy boost and increased awareness which might allow that you see things more clearly, allowing you the first step out of your sickness and onto the path of recovery. While fasting you become more aware of your body process, your life and with everything you are doing. It becomes a period where you can evaluate all that you're doing more objectively, and you naturally have more time for contemplation because you aren't using time amassing, preparing, eating, eliminating and cleaning up all which is used to prepare food. You become more aware of what your body likes and doesn't like when you start to eat again. You gain self-confidence in your ability to control your life process, to set a goal and carry out an intention.

Fasting enhances mental acuity
Perhaps the most instructive testimony as to the acuteness of mental powers during fasting comes from Dr. Herbert Shelton who supervised the fasting of more than 40,000 people over a period of fifty years. His message is that the freer the body is of toxic materials flowing through the blood and lymphatic system, the clearer is the ability to think.

These facts are due to physiological causes. Large amounts of blood and nervous energies have to be sent to the digestive organs to digest a meal. If these energies are not required there, they may be used by the brain for better thinking. This increase in mental acuity doesn’t usually happen until after the first few days of a fast, because the body is busy cleaning out excess toxins and substances and so the first few days can be a period of depression, with headaches and various pains as this process is underway. This makes the first stage of fasting difficult but after the body has thrown off it’s load of toxins, then the brain is fed by a cleaner bloodstream and the mental powers and clarity of thought are extraordinarily increased and the other senses also become more acute.

One’s mind becomes clearer and one’s ability to think and solve intricate problems is enhanced. One is simply more alert, and one’s mind seems to open up into new fields. The mental and physical senses are heightened, and often there can be a feeling of euphoria, especially during longer fasts. Some, for the first time, will experience emotional stability. The reasons for this are multifold - the elimination of the emotional dependence on food, exclusion of stimulating foods like caffeine, processed sugars, recreational drugs, tobacco and trans-fatty acids, all of which can have a devastating effect on delicate emotions.

Dr. Ehret stated an amazing fact at the turn of the 20th century. He said that, for a water fast to awaken the higher mind functions, it had to be longer than 21 days. Fasting has a history of awakening intuitive senses, creativity, and deeper spiritual questions in those with enough determination to get past the 21 day mark.

Healing
During a fast, a metamorphosis occurs. The body undergoes a tearing down and rebuilding of damaged materials. For this reason, fasting is famous for its ability to rejuvenate and give the body a more youthful tone. Why does fasting have such a powerful effect in healing the body? Fasting dissolves diseased cells in a systematic manner, leaving healthy tissue. The result is a thorough cleansing of the tube, membrane and cellular structures. 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.

Each cell of your body is a complete living entity with its own metabolism. It needs a constant supply of oxygen and sufficient nourishment. When due to nutritional deficiencies, sluggish metabolism, sedentary life, overeating and consequent poor digestion and assimilation of food, lack of fresh air and sufficient exercise and rest, our cells are deprived... they start to degenerate... the normal process of cell replacement and rebuilding slows down and your body starts to grow old, its resistance to disease will diminish and you become ‘sick’.

Animals will naturally fast when they are sick or injured, and when we are ill, our hunger diminishes. If we get out of the way and allow nature to take its course, we will find that we can heal from any problem. Since the dawn of recorded time, in fact since before the word "doctor" came into existence, priests provided sanctuaries where people could go to fast. Whereas modern medical practitioners admit that they have no cures, only drugs that mask the symptoms while causing yet other symptoms to appear.

“I had a medical practice for 20 years in NYC, supervised hundreds of long fasts, and I found that the physical healing or weight loss was but a pleasant side effect. What really happened is that the person got in touch with their higher self, their true self, and came to the experience that healing can take place at every level, simply by letting go and allowing Mother Nature to do her work.” – Dr. Rai Casey

Fasting has been beneficial for these conditions:
Although fasting is not recommended in every situation, (cancer of the liver is one instance where fasting is contraindicated), in many situations fasting is the only known solution. Fasting has been beneficial for arthritis, asthma, high blood pressure, lupus, chronic fatigue, colitis, Crohn's disease, diverticulitis, spastic colon, irritable bowel, cases of paralysis, neuritis, neuralgia, neuroses, and mental illness as well as many others. Fasting will also break down tumors and for this reason, many have overcome cancer with fasting.

Fasting decreases dependency on authorities
How many of us believe that when we get sick, that a doctor is going to save us from pain and death? We just assume that the technology is going to be able to repair us when we break down, by giving us a pill, a treatment or a surgery. We are so alienated from our bodies that we think that a doctor knows more about us than we do. The reality is that doctor’s don’t have the cures that we need, what is offered by the traditional system of healers is only the possibility to treat our symptoms never being able to cure us or root out the cause. When we take these kinds of treatments to suppress our symptoms then that cause, which is the underlying reason we are sick, goes unattended, then in fact our illness continues to grow. We will never be healthy until we take responsibility for our own health . We need to stop blaming the outside for making us sick, whether it is corporations, a person, our immediate environment or a government, and to recognize instead that our sickness is a symptom telling us something is inside needs to be addressed. For sure there are outside influences that we can’t control, but there is much that we can control by taking responsibility for ourselves and working to change our habits.

Benefits of Fasting
Mental clarity is improved and brain fog is lifted.
Rapid, safe weight loss is achieved without flabbiness
The nervous system is balanced
Energy level and sensory perception is increased. The longer the fast, the bigger increase in energy and vitality. You normally need less sleep.
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 rejuvenated and becomes more effective; the peristaltic action of the intestines (the cause of a natural bowel movement) is stronger after fasting.
Fasting retrains your tasting sense back to more healthy food as acute sensitivity is restored.
Fasting can increase confidence in our ability to have control over our lives and our appetite, and that our body is self-regulating and a self-healing organism capable or establishing balance when given the possibility to do so.
Normal metabolic and cell oxygenation are restored.
Detoxification - as soon as the body realizes that it's fasting it will begin to eliminate those things that cause disease, such as fat cells, arterial cholesterol plaques, mucus, tumors, stored up worries and emotions.

One Day Fast
One way to start is to fast one day, working towards fasting regularly, one day per week or for longer periods of time. You can fast from all food, or only from solid food. You can choose a one day fast with only:

• water

• fresh fruit juice

• fresh vegetable juice

• raw fruit

• raw vegetables

Avoiding during the fast:
cooked vegetables, cooked whole grains, whole grain flour products, bread, pasta, etc. vegetable protein, soy products, etc.
dairy: milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, butter, eggs, meats, fast food, junk food, prepared foods, etc., chemicals: sugar, caffeine, artificial flavoring, sweeteners, etc.
Not to consume any drugs, nicotine and alcohol during fast should be clear.

Water Fast
You can fast from 1 to 40 days. Try to drink 2 liters 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 a 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.

Water Fasting Tips
Avoid water straight from the faucet. Distilled water is the best for cleansing because of its inherent, magnetic properties and ability to absorb and suspend large quantities of toxins, flushing them from the body. The perceived value of mineral water is misleading because the inorganic minerals are like huge boulders to the cellular membranes, making them impossible to assimilate. Plants are able to break down the minerals from the soils, allowing them to be completely absorbable to the cells of the body. The best water is distilled, secondly, spring or filtered.

There are no calories or nutritional value in water. On a water fast you have given your body no options but to turn to itself for fuel. This can create a problem when you have spent years depositing counterfeit fuel. Living exclusively on dirty fuel during a fast takes tremendous courage & strength. To ease into water fasting some recommend juice fasting with periods of water fasting. For example 3 days on juice, 2 days on water, 5 days on juice, then 3 days on water. You can juice when you have to work and water fast on the weekend when you can rest.

Water Fasting Concerns
It is not advisable to water fast under the conditions of hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, schizophrenia or a chronic heart condition. If you have existing conditions it is best if you consult with a fasting expert and/or be monitored throughout your fast.

Be careful of dizziness and black outs. The heart is resting as much as it can during water fasting. Before you stand up, take one or two deep breaths to get the heart pumping. If you start to black out, sit down or crouch down on one knee. This will immediately stop the dizziness.

Master Cleanse Fast
The Master Cleanse or Lemon Cleanse is between a water fast and a juice fast. Basically it consists of drinking a mixture of freshly squeezed lemons, water and maple syrup for a period of 8 to 40 days. It is easier to do than a water fast because you are still getting nutrients and energy from the lemons and the maple syrup. This fast can be done while still maintaining your normal work, yet is less calories than what you would get from a juice fast. It is normal to lose weight on this fast and it is excellent for cleansing the colon. For full details on how to do this fast see the following link: Stanley Boroughs Master Cleanse

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 a 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, phytochemicals, 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.

For your first fast and for the purpose of healing disease most experts recommend a juice fast over a water fast. Fasting on water has become a near impossible exercise for a body that has been nurtured on poisons. The juice of fruits and vegetables are filled with healing and cleansing properties that allow the body to gently and safely detoxify. Juice fasting has become an effective stepping-stone to water fasting. Through juice fasting, thousands of individuals have been freed from serious diseases such as cancer, leukemia, arthritis, high blood pressure, kidney disorders, skin infections, liver disorders, alcoholism and smoking.

The thirty-day juice fast is a standard. This length of fast feels about right because after 30 days it seems like you have been fasting forever. Less then 30 days and you can miss the best experiences of the fast. If you are juice fasting, a few days on water occasionally will intensify the fast and assist with weight-loss if you have a slow metabolism.

Most people can juice fast safely for up to 30 days. The exceptions are those with hypoglycemia, diabetes, hypo thyroid, and Wilson's Syndrome. For these conditions, eat slices of avocado and banana every few hours, add high quality vegetable source protein powder to your juices, and add psyllium or another good bulking agent to your juices twice a day to regulate blood sugar levels. Do not juice fast if you have impaired kidney function.

The amount of juice you drink will determine the intensity of cleansing. Drinking small amounts of juice supplies fewer calories, thereby increasing detoxification. The more intense the cleansing, the greater the discomfort. Juice fasting allows you to have control over the process of elimination. However, when the body enters a cleansing crisis due to toxins in the blood, no amount of juice will eliminate the discomfort. You must wait it out.

Drink all-vegetable or all-fruit juices, never combine fruits & vegetables to create juice. Make your juice from fresh vegetables or fruits. You can also include herbal teas with honey, vegetable broth, Barley Green, wheat grass juice and supplements helpful for your specific condition. Drink juice whenever hunger develops until pleasantly full as opposed to stuffed full. It is best if you filter or strain the juices, removing any excess fiber or pulp so that you continue to give the digestive system a rest. Also if it looks like you are not losing weight on your fast, you can dilute the juices with water.

You may consider modifying the fast by including quarter slices of avocado or banana to slow the cleansing process. Modified juice fasting is good for those with health restrictions such as diabetes or hypoglycemia. Bananas and avocados are slow to digest and maintain a stable blood sugar level. Their high calorie content slows the intensity of the fast and, because they are easy to digest, the body still devotes energy to cleansing.

Preparation for Your Fast
Inform yourself about fasting: by doing your own investigation, reading all you can about the fasting process, the various kinds of fasts and what you can expect as side affects. If you have a pre-existing health condition then you should find out if there are contrary indications with fasting and your condition.

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. If these systems were already compromised before the fast, one must proceed carefully. You go as long as you can tolerate it, whether physiologically or emotionally, and then come back to eating again. Once you have some energy and are a few steps further toward health, you can consider doing another fast. Several short fasts can definitely do wonders if one long fast cannot be undertaken. Long fasts are preferable to short ones because once the body is in the fasting state it cleanses systematically into the harder to get at body tissues. For this reason, most of the recoveries from illness have taken place in the latter parts of long juice or water fasts. Long fasts give the body the uninterrupted time to do the work of healing. The first few days of fasting gets rid of the gross waste products of digestion, but only after this can the body pull out its tools to get to work on healing.

Frequency of Fasting
Of course, the best is that people stay on a good daily health regime and then when the need comes to fast to go ahead and do it for a week to 10 days or longer if indicated. At least long enough to move completely into the fasting physiology and accelerated detoxification. Ideally people should fast once or twice a year just as a tune-up to deal with the environmental toxins and junk in our foods as well as the emotional build up. Traditionally people have fasted in the spring and fall, when the weather is mild.

Activity Level
It is good to at least have mild exercise and movements with short walks to keep the lymphatic fluid moving and to the keep the vascular system working. The amount of exercise you can do is very much dependent on your existing condition and how you are feeling that day and what kind of fast you are doing. Basically one needs to be alert and listen to one’s body and not to overdo. Fasting is resting, not a marathon! You may feel weak during a water fast and may need to rest more often. While juice fasting, you may experience an abundance of energy that makes exercise easy. If you experience energy loss, limit yourself to stretching exercises, light walking or deep breathing.

Proteins & Fasting
It was theorized that protein loss during fasting was harmful and that a fast should be supplemented with protein. Fasting with protein became known as the Opti-fast. Fasters took nothing but water and a protein drink. Sadly, several people died. Protein digestion during the fasting state created an overload of urea and the blood become acidic. In this condition, the organs become more damaged instead of healing. To the body, fasting is a natural process. During water or juice fasting, the protein levels of the blood remain constant. Although protein is being utilized, a person fasting 40 days on water will not suffer a deficiency of either protein, vitamins, minerals or fatty acids. In the breakdown of dying and diseased cells, all essential substances are available while fasting for reuse within the body. These dead cells are utilized in a systematic manner.

Protein deficiency is non existent in North America. You never hear of anyone being diagnosed with protein deficiency. Fruit and vegetable juices have water-soluble highly absorbable proteins. The body has a store of protein, and it uses it selectively. Dying cells are the first to be used and healthy and vital tissues are the very last and will only be used as a last resort. Only during starvation is protein being stripped from healthy tissue to be used to survive. This may take 30 to 80 days of fasting on water to reach this point.

The systematic searching of cells to be metabolized is crucial in the healing of cancer. A cancer cell represents protein and calories. Some cancers are so persistent that you have to force the body to choose between healthy cells and cancer cells. This requires a long fast on small portions of juice combined with days of water fasting.

Aiding Elimination of Toxins
Enemas: If you are not having natural bowel movements then an enema is advised to move out the toxic material that is being scoured by your body. You will feel much better after taking an enema. An enema can be taken daily in the beginning days of a fast, then bi-daily for the remainder using just plain water.

Mucus: . It is common, during fasting, for the nose and throat to pass sticky mucus, clogging the sinuses. White strands of mucus may be found in the stool. You may find that you are more comfortable if you use a Neti Pot to clear the sinus cavities, to prevent getting a cold with the clogged sinuses. You can also drink lemon juice with water to help clear the mucus.

Showers/Bathing: Plan to shower or bath daily to aid in cleaning the pores and assist the removal of toxins. The skin is a large organ and many toxins are removed through the pores causing a gummy deposit on the surface of the skin. It may help to brush the skin removing the sludge that is deposited there.

Reactions from Fasting
The 'healing' reactions you get from fasting are dependent on your existing health and the toxic load present in your body when you start. The first three days can be the most difficult until one's appetite for food goes away, which it normally does after the third day. Many people experience headaches, joint pain and other discomforts in the first few days. Your tongue will become coated and your breath foul, and you may notice increased body odor. These are all normal detox reactions as the toxins move out of your body. With extended fasting you will notice some days are symptom free, then as you move into deeper layers of detoxification you will experience episodes of symptoms as your body cleanses these other systems. In the later stages you remove the mucous from your system and this can increase your likelihood to catch a flu or a cold. At times you may feel weak or tired, so you should listen to your body and rest. Periods of high-energy and mental clarity will be experienced and can be variable, alternating between periods of healing reactions and symptom free days. With extended fasts it is normal to also have strong emotional reactions that have been suppressed, as the body brings these to the surface also for healing... This can be a difficult period, but can be dealt with more easily with meditation or Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). The cleansing response that happens is dependent on experience with fasting, current health and level of toxins and sickness in your body. If you have an existing health condition, it is possible that you get a strong healing reaction or healing crisis. A link to a page describing this reaction in detail is given below.

If cleansing responses arise (headache, stomach upset, mental fog, lethargy,.etc) exercise great patience and take rest until symptoms pass. It's all part of the process. Always go to your capacity but never over-do. If unreasonably strong physical or emotional symptoms occur, it may be wise to discontinue. The following are common reactions and what can be done to ease the symptom while you are fasting.

Spiritual
As the system detoxifies, many of these spiritual aspects of ourselves that have been waiting to come through for a long time are finally able to, and that person, hopefully fasting in an environment that is calm and serene and peaceful and loving, will be able to express and deal with these spiritual phenomena such that it can have a very beneficial and positive effect. Meditation, EFT and other tools can be used to help relate to spiritual and emotional phenomena.

Weight Loss
Weight loss can initially be as high as three to four pounds per day, but as the fast continues, the average loss will be one pound per day. If you are juice fasting and not losing weight, the juice is supplying all the calories you need. You may have to cut down on the juices or alternate between water fasting and juice fasting if losing weight is part of your goal. The slower your metabolism the slower the weight loss. If you are thin or average weight and you fast for 30 days on juice or 10 days on water, you will become thin. Ribs will show, the face will become gaunt, and friends and family will display concern. But the body will quickly normalize its weight in 5 to 10 days after the fast. If you are thin to start with, fasting may allow you to gain additional weight after the fast. Metabolism is normalized due to the cleansing process. It is very important not to try to gain weight too quickly. The body can rebuild only at a set rate. Overeating will burden the body and undermine the rebuilding process.

Dizziness
You may experience dizziness, if you do get down on one knee and the dizziness will stop immediately.

Backache
Back pain may increase due to toxins in the lower intestine. The blood vessels that draw nutrients from the colon are very close to the nerves of the spine. Back pain often decreases after elimination of the toxins. Back exercises also can relieve some pain. A cold pack also will help. An enema may be in order...

Bad Breath
Waste passes through the lungs which are an eliminative organ. Brushing the tongue with a tooth brush, using dental floss and rinsing with mouthwash will reduce bad breath.

Canker Sores
These may develop from a toxic buildup in the mouth. Unhealthy bacteria increases between the teeth. The tongue becomes coated with waste. To stop cankers, gargle with sea salt mixed with water several times daily. Dabbing the sore with tea tree oil or vitamin E quickens the healing process.

Cold Virus
Mucoid is the perfect food for viruses. Toxins weaken the immune system. When large quantities of toxins and mucus are in the blood due to a fast, they can cause a susceptibility to colds. To fight a cold, continue fasting to eliminate the mucus. Reduce the liquid intake and drink lemon juice.

Blackouts
During fasting the body conserves energy. The heart pumps slower and blood pressure lowers. Standing or moving quickly from a resting position will cause the blood to flow to the legs. For a few seconds, the brain may not get enough oxygen, causing blackouts and dizziness. To stop a blackout get down on one knee or sit. Lowering your center of gravity will instantly stop a blackout. Blackouts are more frequent during water fasting.

Diarrhea
Fruit juices have a laxative effect that is more pronounced after water fasting. It can be stopped by using the enema. Using psyllium husk during diarrhea will help regulate the system.

Strong Emotions
Try to journal, EFT, meditate, talk a walk, or rest.

Headaches
Toxins can cause muscle tightness in the neck and shoulders. This can result in tension headaches. Massaging the neck and shoulders will help relieve the tension. The herb Feve

Mucus
Drink lemon juice with water, combine with Neti Pot.

Muscle Tightness
The muscles may become tight and sore due to toxin irritation. The legs can be the worst affected as toxins accumulate in the legs. A self massage, hot baths, stretching and exercising will help to release the toxins.

Nausea
When waste is released too quickly by the lymph glands, some of the toxic overload is taken by the liver and secreted with bile into the stomach. This causes nausea. Drinking water or carrot juice will dilute the bile and toxin mixture helping to flush it from the system.

Nervousness
The elimination of toxins can irritate damaged nerves. Exercise will relieve tension. Use quarter slices of avocado to slow the fast or drink fruit juice if on a water fast. However, you should note that any food intake may cause one's hunger to return and make it more difficult to stay on the fast, just do the best that you can.

Skin disturbances
The skin may become oily as rancid oils are purged from the body. People with problem free skin may have a few days of pimples or boils. A pallid complexion is also a sign of waste in the blood. When cleansed of mucus and toxins, the skin will be healthy, soft and unblemished.

Tiredness
Tiredness is normal during water or restricted juice fasting. If the tiredness is too much, increase the quantity of sweet juices like melon and carrot juice.

Pre-existing Conditions

Heart Disease
Include bananas and avocados when juice fasting to balance the blood sugar level. Toxins in the blood and reduced blood sugar levels may cause a weak heart to labor. Like any other organ, the heart needs nutrients, a toxin free environment, and time to heal. Also if one has the disorder of POTS it is advisable to take salt so that the blood pressure does not get too low.

Hypoglycemia
Do not juice fast unless you use bananas and avocados to balance the blood sugar level.

Kidney problems
Fasting can irritate damaged kidneys due to the amount of toxins they filter. Try short juice fasts of 3 to 5 days before progressing to longer fasts.

Liver Disease
The liver can become toxic due to abuse. If the liver is badly degenerated, cleansing must be done in stages. Start with short juice fasts and lead to fasts over five days. Avoid heavy proteins, refined flours and fatty foods. Eat meals of fruits or vegetables between the fasts.

Age
Nobody is too old to fast - it is exactly what the body needs to feel young again. Shorter fasts are recommended to start. Assess your physical state as you proceed. If juice fasting becomes too intense, bananas and avocados will lessen the intensity by slowing the cleansing.

Ulcers
Fasting will help significantly. Choose the juices that do not irritate the condition.

Healing Crisis
(The cleansing reaction, the detox reaction, or the Herxheimer reaction.)

During your fast you may enter into a healing crisis, which indicates that a deeply seated sickness is being healed, but also this means that you are going in reverse through the reactions that you went through as your sickness progressed. This is normally a good thing, because it shows that there is a major healing happening, but the downside is that it is not easy to go through because of the uncomfortable reactions that cause pain, etc. If you are feeling quite ill then you should read through the healing reaction article to try to determine if this is what is going on with you or not. It may be advisable to check with your medical professional at this point, to try to determine if you want to continue the fast or not. For more information read the following article: Healing Reaction

Going Off Your Fast
"It’s a fact that eating causes a cycle of hunger. It’s only when we stop eating that we lose hunger! Think about it. All fasting experts agree that hunger sensations are usually lost on or shortly after the third day of fasting, and sometimes don’t return for weeks, but when they do return, usually very strongly, it’s the time to break the fast."

But all fasting experts point out that it is important to resume eating very lightly, and very gradually, in exact relationship to the duration of the fast. Therefore, if breaking a 40-day fast, you may want to start with only small quantities of fruit juice for several days up to a week, before actually resuming with solid food like regular fruit.
Important:
Keep the first solid meal light and simple even though the mental temptation to dive into heavier favorites will probably be high. Be gentle with your digestive system and your digestive system will not only thank you but the overall benefits of the cleanse will last much longer. If you were on a water fast, then your first day can be juices, if your were on a juice fast, then your first day should be raw vegetables or fruits. The next meal may include heavier items such as potato, avocado or corn, but in any case you will notice that your body is very sensitive to what you eat and you should use this period of transition to learn more about what your body likes and doesn't like you to put into it.

When waking up a slumbering digestive system, the desire to eat will be intense. The flavors and textures of food will be enhanced by super clean nasal passages. Eating will be a brand new experience. This is the time to flex your new-found muscles of discipline and self-control. As the body screams, I want more, wisdom whispers, you have had enough.

Eating small amounts of raw fruits and vegetables for the first five or six days will allow the body to gently wake up the digestive system. The body will continue to detoxify and cleanse during this period. Any toxins that have accumulated will begin to move due to the sweeping action of the soft fibers of fruits and vegetables.

For six days gradually increase the amount of raw fruits and vegetables in your diet. To break a fast and gorge on meat, bread or junk food will be disaster. Jarring the system this intensely when the digestive system is in a sensitive state can cause stomach cramps, nausea and weakness, negating much of the benefits of the fast.

Eat slowly and chew your food well. Saliva has enzymes that assist in digestion. Up to 80 percent of the starch, 30 percent of the protein and 10 percent of the fat can be digested by the enzymes in saliva.

Do not overeat! Discover the amount of food that your body needs to live a vibrant, healthy life. Discern the difference between cravings and hunger. Never feed your emotions.

When breaking a fast over ten days, the break-in period should be extended one day for every 4 days of fasting.

Greater Sensitivity - Restored Senses
An interesting phenomenon occurs after a fast. The years of conditioning your body to tolerate unhealthy foods is reversed. The body is as clean as a newborn baby. Try feeding a newborn baby Grandma's apple pie.

When the body is full of toxins, its defense systems are not able to operate effectively. After a fast the natural defenses are restored and sensitivity to unhealthy food is increased. You will feel satisfied with smaller amounts of food and sluggish and tired when overeating. Rich foods, full of fat, salt, and processed sugars will cause nausea, headaches and weakness. A handful of fruit will be thoroughly satisfying. Because the digestive system has to work less, there will be boundless energy to spare.

Why? After a fast your body is clean, and has far less tolerance to the poisonous foods that you were used to eating previous to the fast. Understand, feeling sick when eating poison is a sign that your body is functioning normally. Fasting restores the body's ability to violently react to harmful, health damaging, food. If you really desire, you can desensitize your body by slowly introducing harmful foods back into your diet, but why you should? You better select your food carefully, even though it is not possible to avoid toxins as these are every where. So fasting as a regular cleaning is important and will keep you healthy.

The falco website is done but thankfully I posted the entire page.



This is another good addition to the fasting/detox regimen

How to detox using Bentonite clay & Psyllium seed husk | Being Human

This How-to-Detox program is about throwing out the bad, bringing in the good, and bringing the internal balance back to where the body can heal itself.

beinghumansa.co.za

How to detox using Bentonite clay & Psyllium seed husk

by Ramesh Ramkumar | Jul 19, 2017 | Blog, Featured | 3 comments

How to detox using Bentonite clay & Psyllium seed husk

How to detox using Bentonite clay and Psyllium seed husk for a highly effective d.i.y. detox solution





This How-to-Detox program is about throwing out the bad, bringing in the good, and bringing the internal balance back to where the body can heal itself. It is created after two decades of experience by the country’s leading health and wellness expert, colon hydrotherapist, author of the best selling book ‘Being Human’ and founder of the internationally acclaimed Being Human Detox Centre.



For just this month, please cut out the following from your diet. You might just be embarking on a program that can save your life, reverse high blood pressure, diabetes, headaches, arthritis, gout, cancer, obesity, etc.

1. All bread, pies, pastries, cakes, biscuits etc. Replace with unpolished brown rice as your staple diet for this month.

2. All milk and dairy products. Replace with nut milk drink & green juice, recipes included

3. All sugar, sweets, chips, chocolates & junk. Replace with fresh fruit, fruit & vegetable juices, herb teas with honey



Requirements

Below is a list of everything you will need. Some of them you can do without and still get great results. Numbers 1 to 8 is what you must have to begin the program:

Spoiler: reduced for colin

1. Bentonite Clay (available here)

2. Psyllium Husk (available here)

3. Probiotic (available here)

4. Health Booster (available here)

5. Natural Fibre body brush (available here)

6. Stainless steel tongue cleaner (available here)

7. The book ‘Being Human’ by R. Ramkumar (available here)

8. Good supply of filtered water or boiled water

9. Fresh Fruit and vegetables

10. Oxygen Capsules (available here)

11. Unpolished brown rice

12. Seeds of pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, linseed, almonds and dates

13. Raw organic cacao powder

14. Powerful juicing machine and blending machine- (if you need to purchase these machines, we can advise you about the best machines available). Most of the above can be purchased directly from us.

15.

Bentonite clay



Bentonite clay is initially a very fine powder that is thrown out of the “bowels” of Mother Earth when the volcanoes erupt, especially in South America. There are many grades which are used for various applications like water purification, beauty treatment as a face mask and ingested by Amazonian parrots, ancient humans and various other mammals for detoxification of toxins. I have heard from a miner that it is often used in mining when they drill into the earth. A mixture of a particular grade of Bentonite Clay is poured down the drill shaft and if they hit a gas pocket, the Bentonite Clay may absorb the gasses before there is an explosion.



Using the right grade of Bentonite Clay for detoxification purposes by humans in a controlled program is about the most effective means to remove excessive acids, heavy metals and toxic waste to ultimately purify the 20 litres of biochemical that bathes over each and every cell in your body. The pH of this biochemical is supposed to be 7.4-slightly alkaline, and if it is so, then your cells will function optimally and you will be healthy. If you have any disease, fatigue or are overweight- take it for granted that the pH has fallen below 7.4 into the acid zone. This is the first thing any self-respecting medical or alternative health practitioner should strive to rectify. If the balance is not restored from acid to alkaline (7.4), then cells will not be able to repair and heal themselves. Don’t for one moment imagine that allopathic medicines are meant to restore health. They may keep you alive but are you healthy? Or are you getting worse? We have sourced the correct grade of calcium-based Bentonite Clay with an alkalinity of between 9.5 to 10.5pH for human consumption. Use of other incorrect grades is harmful to your health.



Psyllium seed husk

Psyllium Seed Husk is the covering of a seed and swells to form a jelly-like substance that clings to the intestinal walls. The moisture content softens old faecal matter and mucus. As you consume food high in fibre content, it scours and removes the rubbish lining the intestinal tract more easily.



How to mix Bentonite clay and Psyllium seed

1. Add two teaspoons of Bentonite Clay to a quarter cup of drinkable hot water-not luke warm or too hot to drink in one go. Mash and mix the clay until dissolved.

2. With a dry teaspoon, add one teaspoon of Psyllium husk into the Bentonite mixture- stir briskly and gently gulp down immediately. If you delay, the mixture will thicken making it unpleasant to consume. If you mix it in too much water, it thickens before you are finished drinking. Anyhow, some people like it this way. I drink two shots every morning, one after the other, and like to finish them in about 3 or 4 gentle gulps per shot.

3. Wash down by drinking warm water or fresh ginger or lemon or any herbal tea with raw honey (optional).



If you find it challenging to drink the clay and husk mixed together in one cup, mix them separately and drink one after the other.



I have had people carried in with arthritis and having followed my program, are now running around by themselves. So have people with cancer, gout, diabetes, high blood pressure and every other disease been healed by first removing the toxic waste with this powerful bentonite clay and husk detox drinks and then proceeding to eat, drink, breathe and think according to their cellular needs.



Three options for a highly effective do-it-yourself detoxification

Note well: If you are constipated, please have colon therapy or laxatives before you start or else the detox drinks, which are bulky, will just clog up and bloat you. The idea is for the detox drinks to absorb toxins and move out of the body. If you are not too sure about your colon being fully unblocked, then start off with 2 or 3 detox drinks for the first 3 days and make sure its exiting through the rectum before stepping up to 6 drinks per day until the tub is finished. You may continue detoxing with 2 to 4 drinks for as long as you desire. If you have diarrhoea, then start with 6 drinks for two weeks then step down to 2 to 4. It would be of greater benefit to do colon therapy, ozone sauna, and receive lymph drainage massages during your fast.



Option 1 (intense)

Go on a fruit fast for seven days or as many days as you can manage. A lady here in Durban once did a 21day fruit fast while doing colon therapy at our centre and literally became a brand new person by becoming squeaky clean from inside out. Drink the Bentonite Clay and Psyllium Husk mixture six times a day. Best results are when you start first thing in the morning-eg: 6 am: take 2 empty cups. Add hot water and 2 teaspoons clay to cup number 1 and cup 2. Stir in 2 scant teaspoons husk into cup 1 and drink followed by 2 teaspoons of husk into cup 2 and drink. Wash down by drinking hot water or tea. – 6.30 am: repeat. – 7 am: repeat and complete 6 shots. The time intervals between drinks are not important. You can drink them 15 minutes or one hour apart.



If you need to drink doctor’s medicines, it must be drunk one hour after a detox drink. For example, last detox drink at 7 am, then at 8 am eat fruit or drink a freshly squeezed fruit or vegetable juice, and then have your doctor’s medicines. If you have not completed your 6 detox drinks you may resume your detox drink at 9 am, or else the detox drink absorbs anything foreign, including your medicines. Continue consuming fruit/juices/teas/2 to 5 litres of filtered water per day.



Option 2

This is similar to option one where you are fasting the whole day, except in the evening you may have a bowl of salad or a cooked meal of vegetables, brown rice and salads.



Option 3

Half day fasting. Consume 6 detox drinks up until lunchtime, drinking lots of water/herb teas/fruit/juices. Eat lunch and supper and start your detox again in the morning.



Please note: Option 1 allows for no cooked meals. In Option 2 there can be one cooked meal, and Option 3 is how you should normally live: only two meals a day. Please read my book Being Human for further clarification on what, when and how to eat. You may do Option 1 today and if for some reason couldn’t manage it tomorrow, then swing to Option 2 or 3 the following day, and then go back to Option 1 when you can; but stay on either of the three options as you will still get great benefit. No excuses.



If you are diabetic, consume more green juice and fruit. You can eat green apples, papayas etc. If your health is not good, rather do Option 3, which is a mild detox. After reading Being Human, and are better informed about your body, you may attempt Option 1 for seven or more days. Then go back to Option 3 for several more months after which you can reduce your detox drinks to two drinks first thing in the morning. Then, stay on fruit and juices until 12 midday. Have a great, healthy lunch and dinner. No skimping. You can overeat the right foods and still lose weight. Make this your new lifestyle routine. If need be, at least once a week, do Option 1 or 2 until you can feel that your body is squeaky clean from the inside out and you can consider weaning yourself off medication. When you start your detox, it may be accompanied by headaches and or nausea. It will soon disappear. If you cannot manage the headache, then drink some painkillers and persevere with your detox.



The above is merely advise based on personal experience and is offered not as a prescribed treatment, but rather as information that you may choose to benefit from.



How to make ginger and fresh lemon tea

Scrape off the peel, or merely wash a piece of fresh ginger, and grate it into a medium-sized pot using the finest part of the grater. Add boiling water and let it steep for at least five minutes. Experiment with the amount of water to get a good blend of tea. No sugar. Addition of honey is optional OR Mix juice of half a lemon in a cup or beer mug of hot water.

Ginger tea is especially good in cold weather as it warms you and melts off excessive mucus.



Guidelines for a successful detox

· Remember the rule before you eat or drink anything – is it from the tree or the factory- is it pipe clogging or pipe cleaning. (Refer to what to eat, when to eat and how to eat in Being Human). Throw out your microwave oven.

· As a maintenance program, remain on two or three Detox Drinks first thing in the morning for a minimum of three months as your body will be releasing toxic chemicals. You may remain on detox drinks indefinitely. No harm, only good

·

· The staple diet is brown unpolished rice with half cooked vegetables, salad etc. All other dried beans, lentils, pulses, dhal can be included. Free range chicken and eggs, fish, chemical/hormone free meat in moderation. Be aware that meat (concentrated protein) and potato (concentrated starch) combination is incorrect.

·

· Read Being Human and focus on the recommended breathing techniques. These are extremely important in your detoxification process.

·

· Thoughts are living things with the power to create or destroy your body and your relationships. Good thoughts produce good chemicals that flood your bloodstream and bad thoughts produce toxic chemicals that pollute your blood, tissue and organs.

·

· Join a gym or create an exercise routine for a minimum of 30 minutes a day. Cardiovascular exercise is essential for circulation, vitality and good health.

·

· Drink 2 to 5 litres of filtered or boiled water per day. Remember, urine must be like spring water. Slightly yellow- too much pollution too less water to carry it out.

·

· When you do eat, eat well and sufficiently so as not to get hungry too soon and reach for junk.

· Remember the body cycles in ‘Being Human’ and how to use your stomach wisely.

· Chew your food until you drink it. No teeth in the stomach.

·

One life-this is it, right here right now. You’re on centre stage, busy enacting the play of your life. All too soon the curtains fall, the stage shuts down and this play called life is over. This is it right here, right now. Learn the Being Human way to live fully, love openly and make a difference.



"we make new bodies for people to live in"

 

[moblack]

He got the surgery done on his right knee Monday afternoon, and got home from hospital Wednesday. Visited him and his gf at her place Thursday evening, and gonna see him again tomorrow. He's been icing it up & doing his walking rotation (a circuit) around her main floor with his walker. Doing light stretching and PT otherwise too. Seems to be going pretty well. Told him I was thinking up some recipes to cook for him in mid-October. It'll be interesting ...

My mom plans on walking in her home in a circuit to get back active. I read a person on youtube the other day who said to do that. A track is a track.

 

[Helico-pterFunk]

My mom plans on walking in her home in a circuit to get back active. I read a person on youtube the other day who said to do that. A track is a track.

Yup. During the first few weeks at his GF’s he had a good track set up. It worked well with wider hallways, etc. His place is more narrow so he felt like doing the front street easier. It’s a deadend with limited cars coming to park. It was October so mild and sunny. In recent months with colder weather I drove him to hospital physio on a number of mornings.

He had the surgery Sept 25th and felt cpmfortable driving again by early-November.

 

[Costanza]

I need to start doing this again.

The urge to take a nap after lunch is becoming a problem...

 

[RUDY RAYYY MO]

Here they come with the bullshit. They're saying it can cause heart attacks

8-hour time-restricted eating linked to a 91% higher risk of cardiovascular death

03/19/24 Editor’s note: The research authors have shared their full poster presentation for updated details about their research abstract. Please see the digital file attached, in the right hand column for these details. The most current statistics, ...

newsroom.heart.org

 

[WorldEX]

Here they come with the bullshit. They're saying it can cause heart attacks

8-hour time-restricted eating linked to a 91% higher risk of cardiovascular death

03/19/24 Editor’s note: The research authors have shared their full poster presentation for updated details about their research abstract. Please see the digital file attached, in the right hand column for these details. The most current statistics, ...

newsroom.heart.org

The science is right.

 

[RUDY RAYYY MO]

The science is right.

Nah , IF is saving lives and keeping people healthy. A healthy populous is less profitable medical industry

 

[playahaitian]

Just some good overall info on fasting

https://www.falconblanco.com/health/fasting.htm


What is Fasting?
Fasting is a period of abstinence from all food or specific items. Fluids are consumed in sufficient quantity to satisfy thirst and physiologic requirements. 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 fibers. Even during long fasts, the number of muscle fibers remains the same. Although the healthy cells may be reduced in size and strength for a time, they remain perfectly sound.

Spoiler: reduced for colin

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.

Rest is understood to be a big factor in enhancing recovery, as it is when the body is at rest that it is able to direct the most energy towards the various chemical and mechanical processes of detoxification. When fasting, a person experiences recovery at a rate that is swifter than normal. He is ridding his body of toxins and excesses; allowing the body to use its own wisdom to healthfully reorganize itself from the atomic level. As the toxic load is reduced, the functioning of every cell is enhanced. In the same way that vital nerve energy is accumulated during a night's sleep, the faster builds nerve energy through rest, sleep, and detoxification.

The human body has many ordinary modes of achieving elimination: the liver, lungs, kidneys, colon, etc. When these are overloaded, the body will resort to "extra ordinary" methods of elimination: boils, mucous and other discharges, sweats, vomiting, diarrhea, and many others. Should elimination be impossible or uneconomical of body energy, the toxic overload will go into storage forms in the joints, vessels, muscles, organs; almost any tissue in the body. While fasting, the body is highly conservative of its energy and resources. During this deep and profound rest, toxin intake and production are reduced to a minimum while autolysins and elimination proceed unchecked. Anabolic processes such as tissue and bone healing also proceed at a maximal rate during the fast.

In the body, the first stage of cleansing removes large quantities of waste matter and digestive residues. The first few days of a fast can be rough due to the quantity of waste passing into the blood stream. The tongue becomes coated and the breath foul as the body excretes waste through every opening. After the third day of the fast, there is little desire for food. The second stage is the cleansing of mucous, fat, diseased and dying cells, and the more easily removed toxins. As the fast continues, the cleansing process becomes more thorough. The last stage is the cleansing of toxins that have been accumulating in your cellular tissue from birth, and the microscopic tubes that carry vital elements to the brain. Cleansing of the last layer is only possible through a combination of juice fasting, water fasting, and a healthy diet high in raw foods. To overcome a severe disease like cancer, it is important to continue through a series of fasts, to the point where the full scouring action of catabolism removes the disease from the tissue.

During extended fasts the body removes: dead, dying and diseased cells; 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 kidney; mucus from the lungs and sinuses, imbedded toxins in the cellular fibers and deeper organ tissues; deposits in the microscopic tubes responsible for nourishing brain cells and excess cholesterol.

Nearly everyone who fasts, discovers the same thing, that when they fast they actually have no hunger and more energy than they normally have. It is indeed liberating to find out that if we let go and trust that we will be taken care of. Fasting is the simplest, easiest and most effective way to find out that we do indeed have the power and freedom to heal and take control of our bodies.

Why Fast?
Probably the most important reason is that the body uses quite a bit of energy to digest food, and when fasting this energy becomes available for other uses. In the fasting state, the body will scour for dead cells, damaged tissues, fatty deposits, tumors, abscesses, all of which are burned for fuel or expelled as waste. The elimination of these obstructions restores the immune system functionality and metabolic process to an optimum state. Fasting restores good digestion and elimination, and peristaltic action is quickened. Fasting allows a deep, physiological rest of the digestive organs, and the energy saved goes into self-healing and self-repairing. By eliminating obstructions, by cleansing, detoxification, and purifying the intestines, the blood, and the cells, we can overcome many of our physical ills or handicaps as well as getting a boost in energy. Fasting not only removes obstructions and helps the body to heal itself, it is also rejuvenating and life-extending. These resulting benefits can have lasting affects in your mental and emotional health.

The other very important aspect is that your self-awareness will be elevated. If you are sick and depressed, then this might be the most important thing you can try in your healing program, because it gives you immediately an energy boost and increased awareness which might allow that you see things more clearly, allowing you the first step out of your sickness and onto the path of recovery. While fasting you become more aware of your body process, your life and with everything you are doing. It becomes a period where you can evaluate all that you're doing more objectively, and you naturally have more time for contemplation because you aren't using time amassing, preparing, eating, eliminating and cleaning up all which is used to prepare food. You become more aware of what your body likes and doesn't like when you start to eat again. You gain self-confidence in your ability to control your life process, to set a goal and carry out an intention.

Fasting enhances mental acuity
Perhaps the most instructive testimony as to the acuteness of mental powers during fasting comes from Dr. Herbert Shelton who supervised the fasting of more than 40,000 people over a period of fifty years. His message is that the freer the body is of toxic materials flowing through the blood and lymphatic system, the clearer is the ability to think.

These facts are due to physiological causes. Large amounts of blood and nervous energies have to be sent to the digestive organs to digest a meal. If these energies are not required there, they may be used by the brain for better thinking. This increase in mental acuity doesn’t usually happen until after the first few days of a fast, because the body is busy cleaning out excess toxins and substances and so the first few days can be a period of depression, with headaches and various pains as this process is underway. This makes the first stage of fasting difficult but after the body has thrown off it’s load of toxins, then the brain is fed by a cleaner bloodstream and the mental powers and clarity of thought are extraordinarily increased and the other senses also become more acute.

One’s mind becomes clearer and one’s ability to think and solve intricate problems is enhanced. One is simply more alert, and one’s mind seems to open up into new fields. The mental and physical senses are heightened, and often there can be a feeling of euphoria, especially during longer fasts. Some, for the first time, will experience emotional stability. The reasons for this are multifold - the elimination of the emotional dependence on food, exclusion of stimulating foods like caffeine, processed sugars, recreational drugs, tobacco and trans-fatty acids, all of which can have a devastating effect on delicate emotions.

Dr. Ehret stated an amazing fact at the turn of the 20th century. He said that, for a water fast to awaken the higher mind functions, it had to be longer than 21 days. Fasting has a history of awakening intuitive senses, creativity, and deeper spiritual questions in those with enough determination to get past the 21 day mark.

Healing
During a fast, a metamorphosis occurs. The body undergoes a tearing down and rebuilding of damaged materials. For this reason, fasting is famous for its ability to rejuvenate and give the body a more youthful tone. Why does fasting have such a powerful effect in healing the body? Fasting dissolves diseased cells in a systematic manner, leaving healthy tissue. The result is a thorough cleansing of the tube, membrane and cellular structures. 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.

Each cell of your body is a complete living entity with its own metabolism. It needs a constant supply of oxygen and sufficient nourishment. When due to nutritional deficiencies, sluggish metabolism, sedentary life, overeating and consequent poor digestion and assimilation of food, lack of fresh air and sufficient exercise and rest, our cells are deprived... they start to degenerate... the normal process of cell replacement and rebuilding slows down and your body starts to grow old, its resistance to disease will diminish and you become ‘sick’.

Animals will naturally fast when they are sick or injured, and when we are ill, our hunger diminishes. If we get out of the way and allow nature to take its course, we will find that we can heal from any problem. Since the dawn of recorded time, in fact since before the word "doctor" came into existence, priests provided sanctuaries where people could go to fast. Whereas modern medical practitioners admit that they have no cures, only drugs that mask the symptoms while causing yet other symptoms to appear.

“I had a medical practice for 20 years in NYC, supervised hundreds of long fasts, and I found that the physical healing or weight loss was but a pleasant side effect. What really happened is that the person got in touch with their higher self, their true self, and came to the experience that healing can take place at every level, simply by letting go and allowing Mother Nature to do her work.” – Dr. Rai Casey

Fasting has been beneficial for these conditions:
Although fasting is not recommended in every situation, (cancer of the liver is one instance where fasting is contraindicated), in many situations fasting is the only known solution. Fasting has been beneficial for arthritis, asthma, high blood pressure, lupus, chronic fatigue, colitis, Crohn's disease, diverticulitis, spastic colon, irritable bowel, cases of paralysis, neuritis, neuralgia, neuroses, and mental illness as well as many others. Fasting will also break down tumors and for this reason, many have overcome cancer with fasting.

Fasting decreases dependency on authorities
How many of us believe that when we get sick, that a doctor is going to save us from pain and death? We just assume that the technology is going to be able to repair us when we break down, by giving us a pill, a treatment or a surgery. We are so alienated from our bodies that we think that a doctor knows more about us than we do. The reality is that doctor’s don’t have the cures that we need, what is offered by the traditional system of healers is only the possibility to treat our symptoms never being able to cure us or root out the cause. When we take these kinds of treatments to suppress our symptoms then that cause, which is the underlying reason we are sick, goes unattended, then in fact our illness continues to grow. We will never be healthy until we take responsibility for our own health . We need to stop blaming the outside for making us sick, whether it is corporations, a person, our immediate environment or a government, and to recognize instead that our sickness is a symptom telling us something is inside needs to be addressed. For sure there are outside influences that we can’t control, but there is much that we can control by taking responsibility for ourselves and working to change our habits.

Benefits of Fasting
Mental clarity is improved and brain fog is lifted.
Rapid, safe weight loss is achieved without flabbiness
The nervous system is balanced
Energy level and sensory perception is increased. The longer the fast, the bigger increase in energy and vitality. You normally need less sleep.
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 rejuvenated and becomes more effective; the peristaltic action of the intestines (the cause of a natural bowel movement) is stronger after fasting.
Fasting retrains your tasting sense back to more healthy food as acute sensitivity is restored.
Fasting can increase confidence in our ability to have control over our lives and our appetite, and that our body is self-regulating and a self-healing organism capable or establishing balance when given the possibility to do so.
Normal metabolic and cell oxygenation are restored.
Detoxification - as soon as the body realizes that it's fasting it will begin to eliminate those things that cause disease, such as fat cells, arterial cholesterol plaques, mucus, tumors, stored up worries and emotions.

One Day Fast
One way to start is to fast one day, working towards fasting regularly, one day per week or for longer periods of time. You can fast from all food, or only from solid food. You can choose a one day fast with only:

• water
• fresh fruit juice
• fresh vegetable juice
• raw fruit
• raw vegetables

Avoiding during the fast:
cooked vegetables, cooked whole grains, whole grain flour products, bread, pasta, etc. vegetable protein, soy products, etc.
dairy: milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, butter, eggs, meats, fast food, junk food, prepared foods, etc., chemicals: sugar, caffeine, artificial flavoring, sweeteners, etc.
Not to consume any drugs, nicotine and alcohol during fast should be clear.

Water Fast
You can fast from 1 to 40 days. Try to drink 2 liters 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 a 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.

Water Fasting Tips
Avoid water straight from the faucet. Distilled water is the best for cleansing because of its inherent, magnetic properties and ability to absorb and suspend large quantities of toxins, flushing them from the body. The perceived value of mineral water is misleading because the inorganic minerals are like huge boulders to the cellular membranes, making them impossible to assimilate. Plants are able to break down the minerals from the soils, allowing them to be completely absorbable to the cells of the body. The best water is distilled, secondly, spring or filtered.

There are no calories or nutritional value in water. On a water fast you have given your body no options but to turn to itself for fuel. This can create a problem when you have spent years depositing counterfeit fuel. Living exclusively on dirty fuel during a fast takes tremendous courage & strength. To ease into water fasting some recommend juice fasting with periods of water fasting. For example 3 days on juice, 2 days on water, 5 days on juice, then 3 days on water. You can juice when you have to work and water fast on the weekend when you can rest.

Water Fasting Concerns
It is not advisable to water fast under the conditions of hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, schizophrenia or a chronic heart condition. If you have existing conditions it is best if you consult with a fasting expert and/or be monitored throughout your fast.

Be careful of dizziness and black outs. The heart is resting as much as it can during water fasting. Before you stand up, take one or two deep breaths to get the heart pumping. If you start to black out, sit down or crouch down on one knee. This will immediately stop the dizziness.

Master Cleanse Fast
The Master Cleanse or Lemon Cleanse is between a water fast and a juice fast. Basically it consists of drinking a mixture of freshly squeezed lemons, water and maple syrup for a period of 8 to 40 days. It is easier to do than a water fast because you are still getting nutrients and energy from the lemons and the maple syrup. This fast can be done while still maintaining your normal work, yet is less calories than what you would get from a juice fast. It is normal to lose weight on this fast and it is excellent for cleansing the colon. For full details on how to do this fast see the following link: Stanley Boroughs Master Cleanse

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 a 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, phytochemicals, 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.

For your first fast and for the purpose of healing disease most experts recommend a juice fast over a water fast. Fasting on water has become a near impossible exercise for a body that has been nurtured on poisons. The juice of fruits and vegetables are filled with healing and cleansing properties that allow the body to gently and safely detoxify. Juice fasting has become an effective stepping-stone to water fasting. Through juice fasting, thousands of individuals have been freed from serious diseases such as cancer, leukemia, arthritis, high blood pressure, kidney disorders, skin infections, liver disorders, alcoholism and smoking.

The thirty-day juice fast is a standard. This length of fast feels about right because after 30 days it seems like you have been fasting forever. Less then 30 days and you can miss the best experiences of the fast. If you are juice fasting, a few days on water occasionally will intensify the fast and assist with weight-loss if you have a slow metabolism.

Most people can juice fast safely for up to 30 days. The exceptions are those with hypoglycemia, diabetes, hypo thyroid, and Wilson's Syndrome. For these conditions, eat slices of avocado and banana every few hours, add high quality vegetable source protein powder to your juices, and add psyllium or another good bulking agent to your juices twice a day to regulate blood sugar levels. Do not juice fast if you have impaired kidney function.

The amount of juice you drink will determine the intensity of cleansing. Drinking small amounts of juice supplies fewer calories, thereby increasing detoxification. The more intense the cleansing, the greater the discomfort. Juice fasting allows you to have control over the process of elimination. However, when the body enters a cleansing crisis due to toxins in the blood, no amount of juice will eliminate the discomfort. You must wait it out.

Drink all-vegetable or all-fruit juices, never combine fruits & vegetables to create juice. Make your juice from fresh vegetables or fruits. You can also include herbal teas with honey, vegetable broth, Barley Green, wheat grass juice and supplements helpful for your specific condition. Drink juice whenever hunger develops until pleasantly full as opposed to stuffed full. It is best if you filter or strain the juices, removing any excess fiber or pulp so that you continue to give the digestive system a rest. Also if it looks like you are not losing weight on your fast, you can dilute the juices with water.

You may consider modifying the fast by including quarter slices of avocado or banana to slow the cleansing process. Modified juice fasting is good for those with health restrictions such as diabetes or hypoglycemia. Bananas and avocados are slow to digest and maintain a stable blood sugar level. Their high calorie content slows the intensity of the fast and, because they are easy to digest, the body still devotes energy to cleansing.

Preparation for Your Fast
Inform yourself about fasting: by doing your own investigation, reading all you can about the fasting process, the various kinds of fasts and what you can expect as side affects. If you have a pre-existing health condition then you should find out if there are contrary indications with fasting and your condition.

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. If these systems were already compromised before the fast, one must proceed carefully. You go as long as you can tolerate it, whether physiologically or emotionally, and then come back to eating again. Once you have some energy and are a few steps further toward health, you can consider doing another fast. Several short fasts can definitely do wonders if one long fast cannot be undertaken. Long fasts are preferable to short ones because once the body is in the fasting state it cleanses systematically into the harder to get at body tissues. For this reason, most of the recoveries from illness have taken place in the latter parts of long juice or water fasts. Long fasts give the body the uninterrupted time to do the work of healing. The first few days of fasting gets rid of the gross waste products of digestion, but only after this can the body pull out its tools to get to work on healing.

Frequency of Fasting
Of course, the best is that people stay on a good daily health regime and then when the need comes to fast to go ahead and do it for a week to 10 days or longer if indicated. At least long enough to move completely into the fasting physiology and accelerated detoxification. Ideally people should fast once or twice a year just as a tune-up to deal with the environmental toxins and junk in our foods as well as the emotional build up. Traditionally people have fasted in the spring and fall, when the weather is mild.

Activity Level
It is good to at least have mild exercise and movements with short walks to keep the lymphatic fluid moving and to the keep the vascular system working. The amount of exercise you can do is very much dependent on your existing condition and how you are feeling that day and what kind of fast you are doing. Basically one needs to be alert and listen to one’s body and not to overdo. Fasting is resting, not a marathon! You may feel weak during a water fast and may need to rest more often. While juice fasting, you may experience an abundance of energy that makes exercise easy. If you experience energy loss, limit yourself to stretching exercises, light walking or deep breathing.

Proteins & Fasting
It was theorized that protein loss during fasting was harmful and that a fast should be supplemented with protein. Fasting with protein became known as the Opti-fast. Fasters took nothing but water and a protein drink. Sadly, several people died. Protein digestion during the fasting state created an overload of urea and the blood become acidic. In this condition, the organs become more damaged instead of healing. To the body, fasting is a natural process. During water or juice fasting, the protein levels of the blood remain constant. Although protein is being utilized, a person fasting 40 days on water will not suffer a deficiency of either protein, vitamins, minerals or fatty acids. In the breakdown of dying and diseased cells, all essential substances are available while fasting for reuse within the body. These dead cells are utilized in a systematic manner.

Protein deficiency is non existent in North America. You never hear of anyone being diagnosed with protein deficiency. Fruit and vegetable juices have water-soluble highly absorbable proteins. The body has a store of protein, and it uses it selectively. Dying cells are the first to be used and healthy and vital tissues are the very last and will only be used as a last resort. Only during starvation is protein being stripped from healthy tissue to be used to survive. This may take 30 to 80 days of fasting on water to reach this point.

The systematic searching of cells to be metabolized is crucial in the healing of cancer. A cancer cell represents protein and calories. Some cancers are so persistent that you have to force the body to choose between healthy cells and cancer cells. This requires a long fast on small portions of juice combined with days of water fasting.

Aiding Elimination of Toxins
Enemas: If you are not having natural bowel movements then an enema is advised to move out the toxic material that is being scoured by your body. You will feel much better after taking an enema. An enema can be taken daily in the beginning days of a fast, then bi-daily for the remainder using just plain water.

Mucus: . It is common, during fasting, for the nose and throat to pass sticky mucus, clogging the sinuses. White strands of mucus may be found in the stool. You may find that you are more comfortable if you use a Neti Pot to clear the sinus cavities, to prevent getting a cold with the clogged sinuses. You can also drink lemon juice with water to help clear the mucus.

Showers/Bathing: Plan to shower or bath daily to aid in cleaning the pores and assist the removal of toxins. The skin is a large organ and many toxins are removed through the pores causing a gummy deposit on the surface of the skin. It may help to brush the skin removing the sludge that is deposited there.

Reactions from Fasting
The 'healing' reactions you get from fasting are dependent on your existing health and the toxic load present in your body when you start. The first three days can be the most difficult until one's appetite for food goes away, which it normally does after the third day. Many people experience headaches, joint pain and other discomforts in the first few days. Your tongue will become coated and your breath foul, and you may notice increased body odor. These are all normal detox reactions as the toxins move out of your body. With extended fasting you will notice some days are symptom free, then as you move into deeper layers of detoxification you will experience episodes of symptoms as your body cleanses these other systems. In the later stages you remove the mucous from your system and this can increase your likelihood to catch a flu or a cold. At times you may feel weak or tired, so you should listen to your body and rest. Periods of high-energy and mental clarity will be experienced and can be variable, alternating between periods of healing reactions and symptom free days. With extended fasts it is normal to also have strong emotional reactions that have been suppressed, as the body brings these to the surface also for healing... This can be a difficult period, but can be dealt with more easily with meditation or Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). The cleansing response that happens is dependent on experience with fasting, current health and level of toxins and sickness in your body. If you have an existing health condition, it is possible that you get a strong healing reaction or healing crisis. A link to a page describing this reaction in detail is given below.

If cleansing responses arise (headache, stomach upset, mental fog, lethargy,.etc) exercise great patience and take rest until symptoms pass. It's all part of the process. Always go to your capacity but never over-do. If unreasonably strong physical or emotional symptoms occur, it may be wise to discontinue. The following are common reactions and what can be done to ease the symptom while you are fasting.

Spiritual
As the system detoxifies, many of these spiritual aspects of ourselves that have been waiting to come through for a long time are finally able to, and that person, hopefully fasting in an environment that is calm and serene and peaceful and loving, will be able to express and deal with these spiritual phenomena such that it can have a very beneficial and positive effect. Meditation, EFT and other tools can be used to help relate to spiritual and emotional phenomena.

Weight Loss
Weight loss can initially be as high as three to four pounds per day, but as the fast continues, the average loss will be one pound per day. If you are juice fasting and not losing weight, the juice is supplying all the calories you need. You may have to cut down on the juices or alternate between water fasting and juice fasting if losing weight is part of your goal. The slower your metabolism the slower the weight loss. If you are thin or average weight and you fast for 30 days on juice or 10 days on water, you will become thin. Ribs will show, the face will become gaunt, and friends and family will display concern. But the body will quickly normalize its weight in 5 to 10 days after the fast. If you are thin to start with, fasting may allow you to gain additional weight after the fast. Metabolism is normalized due to the cleansing process. It is very important not to try to gain weight too quickly. The body can rebuild only at a set rate. Overeating will burden the body and undermine the rebuilding process.

Dizziness
You may experience dizziness, if you do get down on one knee and the dizziness will stop immediately.

Backache
Back pain may increase due to toxins in the lower intestine. The blood vessels that draw nutrients from the colon are very close to the nerves of the spine. Back pain often decreases after elimination of the toxins. Back exercises also can relieve some pain. A cold pack also will help. An enema may be in order...

Bad Breath
Waste passes through the lungs which are an eliminative organ. Brushing the tongue with a tooth brush, using dental floss and rinsing with mouthwash will reduce bad breath.

Canker Sores
These may develop from a toxic buildup in the mouth. Unhealthy bacteria increases between the teeth. The tongue becomes coated with waste. To stop cankers, gargle with sea salt mixed with water several times daily. Dabbing the sore with tea tree oil or vitamin E quickens the healing process.

Cold Virus
Mucoid is the perfect food for viruses. Toxins weaken the immune system. When large quantities of toxins and mucus are in the blood due to a fast, they can cause a susceptibility to colds. To fight a cold, continue fasting to eliminate the mucus. Reduce the liquid intake and drink lemon juice.

Blackouts
During fasting the body conserves energy. The heart pumps slower and blood pressure lowers. Standing or moving quickly from a resting position will cause the blood to flow to the legs. For a few seconds, the brain may not get enough oxygen, causing blackouts and dizziness. To stop a blackout get down on one knee or sit. Lowering your center of gravity will instantly stop a blackout. Blackouts are more frequent during water fasting.

Diarrhea
Fruit juices have a laxative effect that is more pronounced after water fasting. It can be stopped by using the enema. Using psyllium husk during diarrhea will help regulate the system.

Strong Emotions
Try to journal, EFT, meditate, talk a walk, or rest.

Headaches
Toxins can cause muscle tightness in the neck and shoulders. This can result in tension headaches. Massaging the neck and shoulders will help relieve the tension. The herb Feve

Mucus
Drink lemon juice with water, combine with Neti Pot.

Muscle Tightness
The muscles may become tight and sore due to toxin irritation. The legs can be the worst affected as toxins accumulate in the legs. A self massage, hot baths, stretching and exercising will help to release the toxins.

Nausea
When waste is released too quickly by the lymph glands, some of the toxic overload is taken by the liver and secreted with bile into the stomach. This causes nausea. Drinking water or carrot juice will dilute the bile and toxin mixture helping to flush it from the system.

Nervousness
The elimination of toxins can irritate damaged nerves. Exercise will relieve tension. Use quarter slices of avocado to slow the fast or drink fruit juice if on a water fast. However, you should note that any food intake may cause one's hunger to return and make it more difficult to stay on the fast, just do the best that you can.

Skin disturbances
The skin may become oily as rancid oils are purged from the body. People with problem free skin may have a few days of pimples or boils. A pallid complexion is also a sign of waste in the blood. When cleansed of mucus and toxins, the skin will be healthy, soft and unblemished.

Tiredness
Tiredness is normal during water or restricted juice fasting. If the tiredness is too much, increase the quantity of sweet juices like melon and carrot juice.

Pre-existing Conditions

Heart Disease
Include bananas and avocados when juice fasting to balance the blood sugar level. Toxins in the blood and reduced blood sugar levels may cause a weak heart to labor. Like any other organ, the heart needs nutrients, a toxin free environment, and time to heal. Also if one has the disorder of POTS it is advisable to take salt so that the blood pressure does not get too low.

Hypoglycemia
Do not juice fast unless you use bananas and avocados to balance the blood sugar level.

Kidney problems
Fasting can irritate damaged kidneys due to the amount of toxins they filter. Try short juice fasts of 3 to 5 days before progressing to longer fasts.

Liver Disease
The liver can become toxic due to abuse. If the liver is badly degenerated, cleansing must be done in stages. Start with short juice fasts and lead to fasts over five days. Avoid heavy proteins, refined flours and fatty foods. Eat meals of fruits or vegetables between the fasts.

Age
Nobody is too old to fast - it is exactly what the body needs to feel young again. Shorter fasts are recommended to start. Assess your physical state as you proceed. If juice fasting becomes too intense, bananas and avocados will lessen the intensity by slowing the cleansing.

Ulcers
Fasting will help significantly. Choose the juices that do not irritate the condition.

Healing Crisis
(The cleansing reaction, the detox reaction, or the Herxheimer reaction.)

During your fast you may enter into a healing crisis, which indicates that a deeply seated sickness is being healed, but also this means that you are going in reverse through the reactions that you went through as your sickness progressed. This is normally a good thing, because it shows that there is a major healing happening, but the downside is that it is not easy to go through because of the uncomfortable reactions that cause pain, etc. If you are feeling quite ill then you should read through the healing reaction article to try to determine if this is what is going on with you or not. It may be advisable to check with your medical professional at this point, to try to determine if you want to continue the fast or not. For more information read the following article: Healing Reaction

Going Off Your Fast
"It’s a fact that eating causes a cycle of hunger. It’s only when we stop eating that we lose hunger! Think about it. All fasting experts agree that hunger sensations are usually lost on or shortly after the third day of fasting, and sometimes don’t return for weeks, but when they do return, usually very strongly, it’s the time to break the fast."

But all fasting experts point out that it is important to resume eating very lightly, and very gradually, in exact relationship to the duration of the fast. Therefore, if breaking a 40-day fast, you may want to start with only small quantities of fruit juice for several days up to a week, before actually resuming with solid food like regular fruit.
Important:
Keep the first solid meal light and simple even though the mental temptation to dive into heavier favorites will probably be high. Be gentle with your digestive system and your digestive system will not only thank you but the overall benefits of the cleanse will last much longer. If you were on a water fast, then your first day can be juices, if your were on a juice fast, then your first day should be raw vegetables or fruits. The next meal may include heavier items such as potato, avocado or corn, but in any case you will notice that your body is very sensitive to what you eat and you should use this period of transition to learn more about what your body likes and doesn't like you to put into it.

When waking up a slumbering digestive system, the desire to eat will be intense. The flavors and textures of food will be enhanced by super clean nasal passages. Eating will be a brand new experience. This is the time to flex your new-found muscles of discipline and self-control. As the body screams, I want more, wisdom whispers, you have had enough.

Eating small amounts of raw fruits and vegetables for the first five or six days will allow the body to gently wake up the digestive system. The body will continue to detoxify and cleanse during this period. Any toxins that have accumulated will begin to move due to the sweeping action of the soft fibers of fruits and vegetables.

For six days gradually increase the amount of raw fruits and vegetables in your diet. To break a fast and gorge on meat, bread or junk food will be disaster. Jarring the system this intensely when the digestive system is in a sensitive state can cause stomach cramps, nausea and weakness, negating much of the benefits of the fast.

Eat slowly and chew your food well. Saliva has enzymes that assist in digestion. Up to 80 percent of the starch, 30 percent of the protein and 10 percent of the fat can be digested by the enzymes in saliva.

Do not overeat! Discover the amount of food that your body needs to live a vibrant, healthy life. Discern the difference between cravings and hunger. Never feed your emotions.

When breaking a fast over ten days, the break-in period should be extended one day for every 4 days of fasting.

Greater Sensitivity - Restored Senses
An interesting phenomenon occurs after a fast. The years of conditioning your body to tolerate unhealthy foods is reversed. The body is as clean as a newborn baby. Try feeding a newborn baby Grandma's apple pie.

When the body is full of toxins, its defense systems are not able to operate effectively. After a fast the natural defenses are restored and sensitivity to unhealthy food is increased. You will feel satisfied with smaller amounts of food and sluggish and tired when overeating. Rich foods, full of fat, salt, and processed sugars will cause nausea, headaches and weakness. A handful of fruit will be thoroughly satisfying. Because the digestive system has to work less, there will be boundless energy to spare.

Why? After a fast your body is clean, and has far less tolerance to the poisonous foods that you were used to eating previous to the fast. Understand, feeling sick when eating poison is a sign that your body is functioning normally. Fasting restores the body's ability to violently react to harmful, health damaging, food. If you really desire, you can desensitize your body by slowly introducing harmful foods back into your diet, but why you should? You better select your food carefully, even though it is not possible to avoid toxins as these are every where. So fasting as a regular cleaning is important and will keep you healthy.

^^^^

 

[moblack]

I need to start doing this again.

The urge to take a nap after lunch is becoming a problem...

You know since I've started IF I don't have that after lunch wanna nap feeling. Then again I've started to eat healthier too.

 

[darth frosty]

I've gotten back on a good system the last week and a half. Down 10 lbs feeling good.