water fasting

Jesus done a 40 day fast Ghandi done a 21 day fast

Neither of the two fasted for weight loss... Context matters.

With the breakfast tacos and donuts that my coworkers bring to the office, my weak will would force me to quit the fast

There nothing wrong with listening to others and changing your plans if you believe the other people are trying to help and encourage you in do things the right way and the healthy way

I am so proud of you! I now have no question in my mind that you will be a stunning success. High five!!!!!!!!!!!

+1 :flowerforyou:

I wish the people that gripe about everyone being mean could see the OP's reactions in this thread.

Yes you read it correctly if you don't agree with fasting than just don't comment this page is for people who are curious and might want to give it ago not for people to say its wrong if its so wrong why can doctors recommend the diet to people and monitor people they would tell you not to not help you with the fast j suggest anyone who doesn't no about fasts looks them up and does there research Jesus done a 40 day fast Ghandi done a 21 day fast

"If you don't agree then don't comment."

Alrighty then.

But be aware that this is against MFP terms of use - any promotion of unsafe methods including VLCD, etc.

I'm surprised the thread has lasted this long…


ETA: read a bit more and I see the OP is willing to take advice. Very glad to hear!

Ah, at first I thought the OP was doing a fast for the sake of fasting. Took a few pages to see OP is just trying the quickest route to drop weight. But here is my input from personal experience either way-

I did a 21 day straight water fast, it was for spiritual reasons, not weight loss. Day one is annoying, day two is painful, day three is exhausting.... and then your body goes in to starvation mode. Like ACTUAL starvation mode, not this BS if you eat less than 1200 calories a day "starvation mode" everyone on here is always throwing around. Real starvation mode, your body primes itself for survival. Your senses sharpen, you think clearer... your body does not instantly start eating your muscles and your organs people. It's priming itself for survival- muscles are pretty far down the list of emergency energy sources. Muscle in an animal is essential in obtaining food. Any species that sacrificed all its muscle and so was unable to carry the extra amount of fat it had would come to a dead end very fast. We're not made like that. The body will sacrifice muscle to obtain essential protein, but its utilization as an energy source is pretty close to a last resort. Fat is the single most concentrated energy source in the human body. In humans it exists almost exclusively as an energy reserve, to maintain energy levels in times of crisis. It gets broken down exclusively to maintain energy levels. If our bodies really broke down/shut down/ate themselves the way everyone on here seems to think, then humanity wouldn't have survived the famines that occurred throughout time- we'd have all been muscle-less, organ-less, brainless bags of flesh that couldn't try to hunt or gather after three or four days...

I started my fast on an extended weekend, so I could get through the hard part at home. Once my body went in to survival mode, the hunger pains stopped, and I went on about my life. I worked every day, took care of my 2 year old every day, maintained my house work, etc. I lived life, not a big deal. I didn't feel drained or tired, I felt quite good actually.

So here is the rest of the experience I had coming out of 21 straight days of nothing but water- I lost weight, yes. About 15 pounds. I came out of the fast by slowly increasing my caloric intake- I focused on proteins and fats. I took a week and gradually increased up to 1600 cals a day. I rested during that week. I had no measurable loss in how much weight I could lift in the gym a week later when I resumed my normal workout schedule, so my muscles handled the fast and recovered just fine. I did put some of the weight back on, about 5 pounds of it, but since I wasn't fasting to lose weight I didn't particularly care. It wouldn't have bothered me to put all 15 back on.

Are you taking any supplements with it? I heard that you can get pretty sick doing a just water fast without any vitamins for an extended amount of time.

Taking supplements would not be fasting. And taking supplements during a fast is not necessary. It's helpful to have a lead in diet, for a few days before the fast, with a lot of micro-nutrient rich food.

That's not the medical definition of fasting. People are prescribed supplements. So do people who practice Intermittent Fasting. They are considered necessary. If you're on a three-day fast, it doesn't matter, but if you're on an extended fast, or are doing IF on a regular basis, you should take vitamins.

So fasting wasn't invented until vitamins?

Ah, at first I thought the OP was doing a fast for the sake of fasting. Took a few pages to see OP is just trying the quickest route to drop weight. But here is my input from personal experience either way-

I did a 21 day straight water fast, it was for spiritual reasons, not weight loss. Day one is annoying, day two is painful, day three is exhausting.... and then your body goes in to starvation mode. Like ACTUAL starvation mode, not this BS if you eat less than 1200 calories a day "starvation mode" everyone on here is always throwing around. Real starvation mode, your body primes itself for survival. Your senses sharpen, you think clearer... your body does not instantly start eating your muscles and your organs people. It's priming itself for survival- muscles are pretty far down the list of emergency energy sources. Muscle in an animal is essential in obtaining food. Any species that sacrificed all its muscle and so was unable to carry the extra amount of fat it had would come to a dead end very fast. We're not made like that. The body will sacrifice muscle to obtain essential protein, but its utilization as an energy source is pretty close to a last resort. Fat is the single most concentrated energy source in the human body. In humans it exists almost exclusively as an energy reserve, to maintain energy levels in times of crisis. It gets broken down exclusively to maintain energy levels. If our bodies really broke down/shut down/ate themselves the way everyone on here seems to think, then humanity wouldn't have survived the famines that occurred throughout time- we'd have all been muscle-less, organ-less, brainless bags of flesh that couldn't try to hunt or gather after three or four days...

I started my fast on an extended weekend, so I could get through the hard part at home. Once my body went in to survival mode, the hunger pains stopped, and I went on about my life. I worked every day, took care of my 2 year old every day, maintained my house work, etc. I lived life, not a big deal. I didn't feel drained or tired, I felt quite good actually.

So here is the rest of the experience I had coming out of 21 straight days of nothing but water- I lost weight, yes. About 15 pounds. I came out of the fast by slowly increasing my caloric intake- I focused on proteins and fats. I took a week and gradually increased up to 1600 cals a day. I rested during that week. I had no measurable loss in how much weight I could lift in the gym a week later when I resumed my normal workout schedule, so my muscles handled the fast and recovered just fine. I did put some of the weight back on, about 5 pounds of it, but since I wasn't fasting to lose weight I didn't particularly care. It wouldn't have bothered me to put all 15 back on.

How dare you actually know what you are talking about?

The people who bash it, have never done it and know nothing about it. The people who have tried it know better. Thanks for your post.

Water fasting... please. I do vodka fasting. Much better results.

^ in sufficient quantities it's a natural purgative.

I only do it when I'm doing a cut. Or bored. Or lonely.

I usually cry during extended vodka fasts too, it helps flush out the toxins in my life.

The tears also contain salt, so it helps to lower sodium - excellent point!

Ah, at first I thought the OP was doing a fast for the sake of fasting. Took a few pages to see OP is just trying the quickest route to drop weight. But here is my input from personal experience either way-
<snip>

So here is the rest of the experience I had coming out of 21 straight days of nothing but water- I lost weight, yes. About 15 pounds. I came out of the fast by slowly increasing my caloric intake- I focused on proteins and fats. I took a week and gradually increased up to 1600 cals a day. I rested during that week. I had no measurable loss in how much weight I could lift in the gym a week later when I resumed my normal workout schedule, so my muscles handled the fast and recovered just fine. I did put some of the weight back on, about 5 pounds of it, but since I wasn't fasting to lose weight I didn't particularly care. It wouldn't have bothered me to put all 15 back on.

I realize your intentions were good, but I wish you hadn't chosen to post this here.