One of the surprising facts that I learned from my doctor during my 2021 breast cancer scare was that I should allow at least 13-16 hours of fasting time each day to allow my body to restore itself. A study showed that women who did that were 65% less likely to have breast cancer. Later I found that longer fasts have even more benefits (as Jesus often did), so I became a strong believer on the benefits of fasting.
For those who are not familiar with intermittent fasting, there are tons of stuff on YouTube. Dr. Jason Fung, Dr. Eric Berg and Mindy Pelz. are all experts in this area and they have lots of video clips. Basically, you want to try not to snack between meals and lengthen the time of not eating (fasting state) to at least 13 hours per day. This time allows for your food to fully be digested and the cells to repair themselves. If weight loss is your goal, then eat moderate meals and fasting for longer time will allow the cells to use up the reserves (fat). 13-hour fast is fairly easy to do; just push back breakfast or eat an early dinner. Once you master this, you can push it to longer such as only eat 2 meals a day. It's recommended to do at least 5 days a week of intermittent fasting and 1 day stretching yourself to a longer fast and a day of not fasting. The benefit is so worth it. I have been doing intermittent fasting most days, just skipping breakfast is easiest for me. Since sometime lunch and dinner time are necessary for social events and get-togethers, I think fasting during breakfast is the simplest way to fit intermittent fasting into our lives. This makes sense because our body needs a break from digesting so it can fix itself and use up the reserve fat. I am constantly amazed at how God made our bodies. When the body realizes that no food is coming in, it switches to burning fat instead of glucose. The cells are also very smart that they don't burn muscles first, but the fat cells. As Jason Fung said, "our cells are not dumb. It's like running out of wood to burn but instead of going to the wood pile, we chop down our furniture to put in the fireplace. Our bodies will not burn muscles until the reserve fat is all used up."
Other than those who do not carry any fat in their bodies, most of us are safe to go long periods without eating. In fact, most of us can go easily 2 months without food, so fasting is very safe and natural. In the old days when we were still hunter gatherers, food wasn't always readily available. So they eat a lot when food is available and store up food as fat for the days when there is not food. One of the neatest benefit of fasting is that our minds clear up and we become more focus and sharp. This is designed by God so when we are hungry, we are ready to figure out a way to find more food. We'd be a lot more afraid of a hungry lion than a full lion. After a huge thanksgiving meal, most of us will be dozing off on the sofa rather than solving a tough problem. Dr. Eric Berg shared that he knew someone who was depressed and wanted to end his life so he decided that he would just starve himself to death. But the funny thing is that after 3 days, he felt so much better, he started to get up and do some things that he needed to do. He ended up losing some weight and felt a lot better about himself.
I am currently on a long fast, which is defined longer than 24 hours. It's recommended to go on a multiple day fast twice a year by Dr. Mindy Pelz. It gives our body a reset. Best time to do the long fast is after the holidays and after the busy summer, so Jan/Feb and Sept/Oct. I also like longer fast as a tool to keep my weight in check. We usually lose 1 lb per day without eating. So when I gained 5 lbs, which I did from all the good Taiwan food, I would fast for 5 days. The idea of fasting is simple, and it saves money, but it isn't easy to go without food. What is long term fast? It's basically going without food except drinking water/tea/black coffee for more than a day. Personally, I always shoot for 5 days. The first time I did it was when I had a super busy week at work, which was a desk job. It was a perfect time to not eat because I had a lot to do and I was busy so my discomfort is limited. The second time was when I went on a trip alone, I wanted to be away from the temptations of food and the smells of cooking. I was away from food, but I also had lots of time and I wanted to do some active things, so it wasn't ideal. This is only my third time fasting for 5 days, and I will share a few tips that will make a water fast less miserable. Remember any amount of sugar will break the fast and stop the autophagy of the body, which is the state when the body fixes itself.
Pre and post fasting:
Eat healthy smaller meals before and after the longer fast. Junk with lots of fat and sugar will make the switch more difficult from burning sugar to burning fat. Also, there are tons of advantages from feeding your gut microbes nutritious food after a time without food.
Timing:
I pick a time when my motivation is high. When I can't stand the extra weight and my feet are hurting because of it. Then obviously, the first thing is to check whether you have any meals or parties scheduled with friends or family. You want to avoid these days because eating is a social event. Best time is when you have a lot to do but will not need to be physically active. One of the benefits of fasting is you gain more time when you are not buying, thinking about, and cooking food. Being bored will make you more tempted to eat, so I usually have a plan for what I will do with my extra time. Fasting will make you pretty weak, so you don't want to pick days when physical activities are required. Day One I feel quite normal but after that I am much less energetic and more tired. So do not plan to exercise much during your fast. Rest your body because it's doing some major detoxing and repairing.
Avoiding Temptations:
For me, this is the hardest part because I know I will be hungry and tempted to eat. So I usually avoid cooking and tell my husband I'm going on a long fast so he can either eat outside or plan his own meals. Obviously avoid going to food places. Remember the hunger only last about an hour or so before the body switch it over to burning fat. Once it realizes that no food is coming, it will satisfy itself with burning fat, and you will no longer feel hungry. Knowing that, you just need to press on through the hunger, knowing that it's only temporary. Typically, on Day 3, you will feel a bit weak but no longer hungry.
What you can drink
Mostly water is preferrable. Tea and black coffee are fine. What I like to do is add a bit of fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to the water to help with digestion. Another major tip is don't forget to add a bit of sea salt in your water. Without salt, your body cannot retain water. Salt is very important. I add salt during the day but not before I sleep because I don't want to wake up frequently at night. Remember no sugar drinks or any diet drinks. This part is kind of strange, but oils will not prevent autophagy. Just know that if your goal is weight loss, then your body will be burning the oil you drink rather than your body fat. There is a guy that does bullet proof coffee, which includes MCT oil/ butter and some flavorless fiber powder in the coffee. You can add those to your tea if you don't like coffee. It's an easier way to fast instead of eating. But I am caffeine sensitive, so I can only have a cup in the morning. The best choice is still plain water with a bit of salt periodically.
Emotional struggle while fasting
I am addicted to food for many reasons. So emotionally it felt really bad when I stop eating. Good food is comforting. Without it, I feel irritable and cranky. If I eat a lot of carbs before my fast, then I also will experience headaches because my body is craving sugar. But the headaches are usually gone by Day 2. I also get lots of happiness from shopping for food and preparing my food. So now that is gone, I will need to deal a lot with negative emotions and add more pleasure in my life. This is why I talk a lot with God through my pain. Things will come up in my mind that usually I don't notice. Listen carefully to the things that come up during your fast because those are things we need to deal with.
There are just some of my personal experiences to share. There are a lot more on the internet if you are interested, which I listen to during my fast to remain motivated and remind myself why I am fasting.
Add comment
Comments