And just as there are many different ways of fasting, there are many different reasons to fast. Spiritual reasons, health reasons including weight loss, detox... Everyone's reason is different. And there are as many benefits (more, actually) as there are reasons. I started my fast on a whim, which is the same way I became a vegan. I woke up on day and decided I wanted to do it (this summer will mark one year of me being a vegan and I LOVE it).
The first day of my fast was the hardest. I was SO hungry, my stomach kept growling like I had a damn dog in there or something. But, I had my mind made up. I hadn't ate since 12 pm the day before, so I was very hungry, lol. The second day was hard, but I noticed the actual hunger pangs weren't as bad. The third day, I experienced a bit of light-headedness and nausea, but it went away. I also noticed my body was ridding itself of waste. By the third day, I noticed I had more energy. Each day of my fast, I get a little calmer and I have increased energy. As I go on, the hunger pangs grow weaker and weaker. My want to eat is more mental. I won't even be thinking of eating, until I smell someone's cooking or I am cooking for my son. What do I do for hunger? I meditate and/or do yoga in place of hunger. If it gets too bad, I will drink fruit or vegetable juice. I strive to not use juice after 7p.m. (since I don't eat after 7, I figure what I am using in place of meals, I should use the same rule. This is my personal choice. I have no reason other than I think it's best for me. What greater reason is there than that? Lol).
While fresh juice is best, the reality is that not everyone can afford to do fresh juice. Do what is within your budget. Do the next best thing. Get store bought juices that have the least amount of additives. I do a combination of fresh and store bought, because I have to work with my budget. I look for the juices that have no added sugar, color, etc. Absolutely NO lemon juice from concentrate! Lemons aren't too expensive and what you pay for lemon concentrate, you can spend on a bag of lemons. You can squeeze the lemons yourself.
Lemon water is cleansing for your body. Lemon is an antiseptic, making it great for detox. What is detox? Detoxification and it is a natural and continuous process your body uses to purify itself of harmful substances. I drink room temperature water with lemon. It's good to warm the water a bit or drink it at room temp, because the temperature of the water makes it easier to break down and flush the toxins out of your body. The reason it is easier on the body, is that your body doesn't have to do the work of warming the water up. And the warmth opens the cell structure. Make sense? Lemon water can help to clear mucous out of your system and get your digestive tract activated for the day. So, at the very least, drink a glass in the morning. As you can see, lemon water is very beneficial. Even if you're not fasting, it would be good for you to start including this in your diet. Lemon water is also good for the liver and kidneys. It cleanses toxins and improves function.
Back to my fasting journey. Now, by the fifth day, my body was adjusted to not eating. I still was getting urges, but I recognize them as mental and not physical. Which is what most hunger is. We only think we're hungry. We eat more out of habit than out of hunger. In truth, (most) people love food. If we weren't meant to enjoy food, we wouldn't have taste buds. The problem isn't that we enjoy food. The problem is that we live to eat, rather than eat to live (By the way, you should definitely read How to Eat to Live, by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad). We eat food that has little to no nutritional value, so our bodies react by needing more and more of it. When we eat the right foods, our hunger and our body is satisfied.
Now, throughout the fast, I was still doing regular exercise (cardio, etc). It didn't have any adverse effects, until the 6th day. I was stressed, which gave me a headache, then I worked out. That made my headache even worse, I became fatigued, light-headed, and nauseous. If you're going to fast, strive to maintain calm and steer clear of stress. Stress, fasting and exercise do not mix.
Also, I've been striving to get to bed at a "decent hour". When fasting (and really you should always do this, but especially during fasting) you should be very careful to get your rest. You cannot fast and miss out on sleep/rest. On days when I don't sleep as well, symptoms like hunger pangs, nausea, etc are more likely to happen.
Now, by day nine, I noticed increased energy, improved mood, better emotional balance, skin improvements, mental clarity, increased concentration. I feel more in tune with myself and my surroundings. Also, my libido is growing stronger (that is in part because of the exercise/working out), but because of the balance and harmony I'm experiencing within myself, that is remaining in check. Lol. Now, these benefits are what helps to keep me motivated. That and the knowledge of what I'm doing for myself.
If you're vegan or vegetarian (a no lacto no ovo vegetarian) and you're fasting, you're giving your body time to concentrate all of it's energy on healing, cleaning, purging, purifying itself. If you eat meat and dairy, you're giving your body time to digest all of the rotting meat and waste that has built up within you. Once it's done that, it can start healing and cleansing. Fasting allows the colon or intestinal tract to release much of the stored waste that sits in it and rot and decay which plays a pivotal role in colon and rectal cancers. When we fast, it allows for the colon to shrink back into shape. When the colon shrinks back into shape, one of the results is less of an appetite.
As I said, the benefits of fasting are MANY. It cleanses your blood, your lymphatic fluids, your colon, liver, kidney... Most importantly, it cleanses your mind. When your bodily functioning is optimal, so is your mental functioning.
So, this was my first blog on fasting. Hope you enjoyed it and I hope you learned a little (or a lot) from it, as well. My next blog on fasting will be at the two week mark... So look out for that!
Peace, Love, and Elevation.
"Fasting will bring spiritual rebirth to those of you who cleanse and purify your bodies. The light of the world will illuminate within you when you fast and purify yourself. What the eyes are for the outer world, fasts are for the inner."--Mahatma Gandhi, 1869-1948
I feel ya It would be alot easier for me to fas if I had a juicer. lol
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