Here are the Top Five Tips to Effective Intermediate Fasting:
1.) Drink Lots of Water - Lots. It will help you feel full and cut out some of the mild hunger pangs in your stomach. Water also rids your body of toxins and does this through filtering these out of your system through your kidneys. Pure H20 cleanses you!!! I prefer distilled water for my 1 day fasts but filtered or clear spring water are also great.
2.) Check with your Doctor - As I briefly mentioned earlier in a former post...it is important for you to check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program or diet. The particular reason is that some people may need to do a "modified fast" because of certain health disorders and/or medications. People with kidney failure, women that are pregnant, people with Type I diabetes and people that have terminal cancer, etc....obviously should not fast. However, it should be noted that people who are taking any kind of medication should always consult with their physician. It's important to see if going without food beyond a typical amount of time would cause adverse issues.
3.) Create a Small Group of Fasting Support - Ask family, friends, or even coworkers if they'd also like to join in your fast. If you belong to a church that observes certain fasting days/times...ask one of these fellow members to partner with you in your fast. My church recently did a 21 day fast. Some people did one day a week...others fasted from specific things. A few people gave their testimonies on fasting from caffeine, chocolate, and so on. There were even a handful of physically and mentally strong people that fasted the modified "Daniel Fast" for a full 21 days with only juices and water. I opted for 1-2 days a week! hahaha In my case, it was better for me to start out slow and allow some time for my body and mind to adjust.
4.) Keep Busy - This is a great way to ensure effective intermediate fasting. There are many practices that keep your mind and spirit focused on important things. You can read your Bible daily. Meditation and prayer are also ways to get in touch with the Holy Spirit. Jesus loves you. He wants you to turn Him always, and this is especially important throughout the duration of your fast. Do not exercise during your fast. This is a time of spiritual fasting and rest. Additionally, you need to conserve your energy and not burn as many calories during this time without food.
5.) Prepare Yourself by Research - Read and look around at different websites or borrow a recent book on fasting from your local library. Also, there are many forums on fasting and dieting, in general. There are people across the world with some great ideas. The best way is to take it slow and do things at the pace that you and your body are ready. I think forums are particularly good for someone who has no support near their home during their fast. Members of the group can be great accountability partners during your intermediate fast.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The Fasting Fat Girl
I am now on Twitter as FastingFatGirl (my user name) if you want to add me to see my progress. By doing this....you'll get to read my tweets that are linked back to here....and more easily keep up with my weight loss and health benefits. I am starting out DAY ONE fasting on Tuesday, February 8th! I really need to lose weight as you can see by this ridiculous before picture here on my blog. Wow...cannot wait to detox my body with a 1-2 day fast each week. I want to fit into all my clothes again!!! :P
The time and energy invested in this blog and my readers will hopefully be of great encouragement. There will also be accountability in knowing that I want to be putting up some slimmer pics of me on this blog as I go along this path. Most importantly, if we can try to support each other in our fasting weight loss goals...it will be soooo much easier on all of us that are doing these fasts. I'll be updating my blog Weekly or more often to let ya know how things are going.
Keep in mind, that on my 1 day a wk. fast I will be water and/or juice fasting only. There will be NO food of any kind. But, on my 6 days of normal eating, I am not planning on gorging myself and wrecking my newly adopted eating habits. :P
I will be eating lots of salads, steamed veggies, and fruits. I will be going easy on the breads, sweets, and processed foods, on my "non-fast" days. So, it goes without saying that strict portion control will also play a part in eating of any richer foods.
I would be remiss if I did not share what some of my healthy friends (who fast regularly) have said in words of wisdom about how to accomplish a once a week fast. For instance, it is important to consult your doctor before beginning any diet, fasting, or exercise program. So, I will be posting a couple of those VERY important blogs for those that are new to fasting and don't know how/where to start. I will post 1-2 times this week to share with other people on how to get jump started on this together!
The time and energy invested in this blog and my readers will hopefully be of great encouragement. There will also be accountability in knowing that I want to be putting up some slimmer pics of me on this blog as I go along this path. Most importantly, if we can try to support each other in our fasting weight loss goals...it will be soooo much easier on all of us that are doing these fasts. I'll be updating my blog Weekly or more often to let ya know how things are going.
Keep in mind, that on my 1 day a wk. fast I will be water and/or juice fasting only. There will be NO food of any kind. But, on my 6 days of normal eating, I am not planning on gorging myself and wrecking my newly adopted eating habits. :P
I will be eating lots of salads, steamed veggies, and fruits. I will be going easy on the breads, sweets, and processed foods, on my "non-fast" days. So, it goes without saying that strict portion control will also play a part in eating of any richer foods.
I would be remiss if I did not share what some of my healthy friends (who fast regularly) have said in words of wisdom about how to accomplish a once a week fast. For instance, it is important to consult your doctor before beginning any diet, fasting, or exercise program. So, I will be posting a couple of those VERY important blogs for those that are new to fasting and don't know how/where to start. I will post 1-2 times this week to share with other people on how to get jump started on this together!
Plans for this Blog of My Fasting Experiences - Before, During, and After Pictures and Blood Work
I know I left you all hanging on my story and words with my original post about fasting a couple of hours ago...mwuahahaha. ;) In the meantime, I have been brainstorming to come up with relevant ways to show real evidence that fasting is great for the body. So far, I have decided that there are a few options in doing this.
First, I think I will do a before/after (and possibly a few during) picture of my intermediate fasting for this blog. This way...people can see the difference in my nails, hair, skin complexion, my smaller size, etc. In addition to this, I plan on writing about my fasting experiences and feelings. There may also be a way to scan my before/after blood work so that I we can all hopefully visually see a change (whether be it for the better or worse) in my high triglycerides and elevated liver enzymes. Also, would like to put up my chart or simply a periodic update regarding things like my weight loss numbers with fasting and my decreasing blood pressure and/or heart rate which would obviously be indicative of positive results.
I prefer the shorter fasts since I am on medications for the above mentioned conditions. And, have noticed a cleansing effect on my system with merely a 24-48 fast. After I broke my first fast, I immediately was able to go to the bathroom after what was almost a week of constipation. Let's just day that it turned out that there was a bunch of gelatinous junk clogged up in my system...ummm. Sorry if you weren't expecting those details...lol. It's just I prefer this blog to be real with you as possible. :)
Does anyone else have any suggestions? Me = open to any comments and thoughts. I plan on beginning my 1 day a week fast....which will be this Tues., Feb 8th, 2011. Anyone want to join in with me on this beginning 24-hour/day fast. I plan on doing only Tues...but may try for Wed. too, if I can get a support group going on it. We need each other!!! :)
First, I think I will do a before/after (and possibly a few during) picture of my intermediate fasting for this blog. This way...people can see the difference in my nails, hair, skin complexion, my smaller size, etc. In addition to this, I plan on writing about my fasting experiences and feelings. There may also be a way to scan my before/after blood work so that I we can all hopefully visually see a change (whether be it for the better or worse) in my high triglycerides and elevated liver enzymes. Also, would like to put up my chart or simply a periodic update regarding things like my weight loss numbers with fasting and my decreasing blood pressure and/or heart rate which would obviously be indicative of positive results.
I prefer the shorter fasts since I am on medications for the above mentioned conditions. And, have noticed a cleansing effect on my system with merely a 24-48 fast. After I broke my first fast, I immediately was able to go to the bathroom after what was almost a week of constipation. Let's just day that it turned out that there was a bunch of gelatinous junk clogged up in my system...ummm. Sorry if you weren't expecting those details...lol. It's just I prefer this blog to be real with you as possible. :)
Does anyone else have any suggestions? Me = open to any comments and thoughts. I plan on beginning my 1 day a week fast....which will be this Tues., Feb 8th, 2011. Anyone want to join in with me on this beginning 24-hour/day fast. I plan on doing only Tues...but may try for Wed. too, if I can get a support group going on it. We need each other!!! :)
Intermediate Fasting - My Daily Experiences
Where do I begin? I suppose I should first talk about when I first recall hearing the word "fasting." Growing up, I occasionally read about people in the Bible that did religious fasts and only knew that it meant people chose not to eat and focused on God rather than spending time hunting, preparing, or eating food. But, it wasn't until 4 years ago, that I heard a friend talking more in depth about her own personal experiences with intermediate fasting. I was 28 years old when my growing intrigue with fasting began.
My friend (Michelle) explained that she periodically fasted in order to cleanse her mind, body, and spirit. I thought this was VERY interesting. So, I asked her several questions to satisfy my curiosity about how one goes about a fast and how she physically felt during and after one. Honestly, I assumed that I could never take on such an endeavor. After all, it was hard for me to go longer than 2 hours with food! Therefore, I just put the idea on me even attempting a fast on the proverbial shelf for the last 4 years, that is...until last month, Jan 2011.
While everyone was making lofty and specific new year's resolutions to lose 50 pounds, quit smoking cigarretes, etc. I had something else in mind. I only wanted to detoxify my body and live a healthier, happier life. For several days I thought about the best way to go about this personal goal.
I wanted to try an intermediate fast. My plan was to fast only 1 day a week and see if I noted a difference. I wanted to feel more in touch with my Higher Power, and also get rid of all my physical ailments. Keep in mind, I have high triglycerides, elevated liver enzymes, relatively serious tachycardia, and moderately high blood pressure. Today, at age 32, I found the doctor telling me if I continued at this weight and in my declining health....I would probably end up being diabetic within the next few years! I did not like hearing that! That means it is time for a good change.
My friend (Michelle) explained that she periodically fasted in order to cleanse her mind, body, and spirit. I thought this was VERY interesting. So, I asked her several questions to satisfy my curiosity about how one goes about a fast and how she physically felt during and after one. Honestly, I assumed that I could never take on such an endeavor. After all, it was hard for me to go longer than 2 hours with food! Therefore, I just put the idea on me even attempting a fast on the proverbial shelf for the last 4 years, that is...until last month, Jan 2011.
While everyone was making lofty and specific new year's resolutions to lose 50 pounds, quit smoking cigarretes, etc. I had something else in mind. I only wanted to detoxify my body and live a healthier, happier life. For several days I thought about the best way to go about this personal goal.
I wanted to try an intermediate fast. My plan was to fast only 1 day a week and see if I noted a difference. I wanted to feel more in touch with my Higher Power, and also get rid of all my physical ailments. Keep in mind, I have high triglycerides, elevated liver enzymes, relatively serious tachycardia, and moderately high blood pressure. Today, at age 32, I found the doctor telling me if I continued at this weight and in my declining health....I would probably end up being diabetic within the next few years! I did not like hearing that! That means it is time for a good change.
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