To anyone who has fasted, or knows anything about fasting..

paintitblack
paintitblack Posts: 60
edited October 2 in Food and Nutrition
After doing some research into the benefits of 24 hour fasting to detox the body I figured I'd give it ago that other day. Only, the strangest thing happened and I wondered if it happened to anyone else or whether anyone could explain it..

Firstly, I was absolutely fine with everything up until about 19-20 hours into it. It was a water fast so I'd been drinking lots of water to keep me full all day. When I hit 20 hours, however, I hit a wall. That and I had an errand I had to run for my father that involved me going into town. Seeing as it was my first go and I had to go out and I was pretty proud of almost making it anyway I decided I'd eat something small before going out: a bowl of cereal and some orange juice. Going out probably wasn't the best idea and I hadn't planned on doing it (I'd made sure my fast day was on a day when I had a lot to do inside but didn't involve me going out but something came up anyway [doesn't it always?!]) and I trudged around the shopping centre with barely enough energy to put one foot in front of the other. When I got home, the last of my energy was spent on clambering up the stairs to the bathroom where I became reacquainted with my breakfast.

Here's the strange part... after hurling up my cereal and OJ (which tastes remarkably similar coming up as going down if that's not TMI) I straightened up, rinsed out my mouth and trotted back down stairs full of energy again. I had no more hunger pains or queasiness. In fact, I finished out the rest of my fast in a better mood than I am on most days feeling really fresh and then ate a whole meal (bangers & mash!) for dinner and it didn't upset my stomach once! So my question is, why the cereal and not the dinner? Why did my body reject the food it was crying out for? Why did I feel I had MORE energy with nothing in my system than after I had something to eat? Part of the detox process maybe? Any explanations will be very useful in completing my understanding of what was going on inside me on that day!

Replies

  • emmaNEEDSskinny
    emmaNEEDSskinny Posts: 317
    bump x
  • Larius
    Larius Posts: 507 Member
    OJ on an empty stomach can do funny things. It's a lot of acid all at once.
  • janetb21
    janetb21 Posts: 182 Member
    The acid in the OJ, and the simple sugar in the juice and cereal, might have been too much for your system. Once they were gone you felt better.
  • Giantess
    Giantess Posts: 213 Member
    Well, first thing that needs to be addressed here is that "detoxing" is a myth.

    The second thing that must be pointed out is that fasting does not remove toxins from the body.

    If you're fasting every other day, do it for other reasons than detoxing. Some research indicates that there are long term benefits to alternate day fasting. These include healthy weight maintenance and sometimes longevity.

    If you're thinking of fasting for longer, there are zero medical benefits.

    Back in a moment with my favorite "Detoxing is a myth" website link. Don't buy into it, it's a pseudo-scientific marketing ploy.
  • Giantess
    Giantess Posts: 213 Member
    Two good articles about the Detoxification myth. Enjoy, and be free of your fears of "toxins!" (Unless you're actually poisoned or something. Heaven forbid.)

    http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/134385.php

    http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4083
  • paintitblack
    paintitblack Posts: 60
    ^ Going to go read that now, thanks for posting it!

    And I guess I never thought about the acidity in the Orange juice before. Thanks for the ideas guys!
  • Giantess
    Giantess Posts: 213 Member
    I second the opinions of the other folks here, too. OJ is acidic--on an empty stomach it always wreaks havoc on me.
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    I do ESE (24hr fasts) twice a week, and only eat between 5pm and 10pm for the most part on other days (19hr fasts). I've never had that issue. Also, I've never one time felt worn or drained or out of energy. I lift more on an empty stomach as well...than if I'd ate a couple hours before.

    So...from my experience, I don't think the fasting is related.

    I also vote for the orange juice as the culprit.

    Oh, also...to make a 24hr fast easier...start the fast after dinner the first night, and then eat dinner the following night at the same time. You sleep through most of it, and you stay most busy during the morning...so its easier to ignore 'if' you actually feel hungry.

    Good luck!
  • paintitblack
    paintitblack Posts: 60

    Oh, also...to make a 24hr fast easier...start the fast after dinner the first night, and then eat dinner the following night at the same time. You sleep through most of it, and you stay most busy during the morning...so its easier to ignore 'if' you actually feel hungry.

    Good luck!

    That's what I did! It worked for the most part, like I said. Didn't miss breakfast and lunch at all. It was just the afternoon period before my evening meal that got me when I was just so physically worn out it was hard to do anything but sleep.
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