Fasting is never a good idea. Your body needs a steady supply of nutrients.

Ken

Unless you have a 'good' reason to fast, like for religious reasons, I would strongly avoid it. This is especially true if you are still in training. The problem is that your body still needs to be fueled and it will begin to break down muscle in order to get energy.

Doing a one-day fast is not going to kill you, literally and figuratively. However, it gets harder and harder on your body the longer a fast goes.

I have a friend in Clearwater FL that does an anual cleansing. She has a special diet. It take two weeks. Lat few days is nothing but clear liquids. She says its great, but I'd definately get professional advice and plan from your doctor.

It's not new age TriOn...it's been around for years..it was popular in the 1920's! Again in the '60s and 70's...seems to be on the increase again...I don't buy the toxin thing either...I did it ...once, and wouldn't do it again.

If you have religious or spiritual reasons for fasting, I have full respect for that, but keep it as short as possible. There are serious long term health and fitnes implications. You will lose muscle mass (which ill return), lower your resting metabolic rate (which may not return), alter endocrine function, and many other negtives. Shorter is better.

Ken

The problem with short fasts from a spiritual perspective is that you get all the pain with little of the gain. I've done as much as three days of fasting (still drinking water), praying whenever I would normally be eating. Here is the progression:

Day one - I'm starving, I don't feel spiritual, just deprived. :mad:
Day two - I'm hungry, But I'm starting to see a little more clearly. Maybe I don't need everything that I think I need.
Day three - I'm hungry, But I feel closer to God and better understand my place in the world. :)

The famous 40 day fast of Jesus was almost certianly a miraculous occurance, since 40 days without food or water will kill you. I have a a friend who has done a 7 day fast, but at that point you can't function fully at work.

From a physical perspective it is not good for training, but there I doubt very seriously that you would experience any lasting physical effects by taking three days off training during the off season to renew your sprititual side. In fact, being a happier, more focused athlete might help when you pick training back up!

Okay - here's a question. Cleansing what? What needs to be cleansed? You can empty your guts by not eating for a day if you practice decent nutrition. Your liver and kidneys keep your blood clean and balanced if you practice good nutrition. Your spleen filters out old, broken down red cells.

What's to clean? That's the part the bugs me. The human body, when well taken care of, is a marvelous machine that keeps itself in balance. Fasting puts it out of balance.

I don't get the whole 'cleansing' thing.

And yes - I practice holistic medicine including keeping myself healthy with good food.

I was in the drug store picking up a prescription for my sick daughter and as I waited for the prescription to get filled I was looking at the vitamin section and noticed this stuff that is supposed to clense your intestines out. It said that there could be as much as 5-10 pounds of gue stuck in your intestinal tract. :eek: Has anyone heard of this and if there is any validity to it?

Ok, that was nasty TriGator! Girls like her need some serious help.

Anyway, Stewarba, much to TriOnLife's dismay, my husband and I have used herbal colon cleansers in the past. I did not lose 10 pounds worth of crap, and didn't really notice much of a difference..... but I won't get into details about the process either. However, I do believe that certain herbs can help with certain problems.

:)

ps - ftr, that photo is well documented as being photoshopped
http://www.snopes.com/photos/people/models.asp

In the case of the one you linked to methinks it was photoshopped twice!

There is no doubt about that! :eek:

It's interesting how much people claim to know about fasting and the body.

I have fasted for 25 days. 25 day water fast.

I like how everyone has an opinion on it when they probably haven't read more than a paragraph about fasting in their entire life.

here are some references on fasting...to get you started

http://www.falconblanco.com/health/fasting.htm

http://www.freedomyou.com/fasting_book/water%20fasting.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_fasting

http://drbenkim.com/fasting.html

Not to mention the hundreds of books availble written by doctors about the health benefits of fasting.

Why do you think you lose appetite when you get sick? Because your body is trying to tell you to fast! Turn off your digestion and let your immune system do the work.

I'm not going to go on and on about fasting because I've given enough website to get you started but I do want to comment on this phrase

"new age hoo-ha about fasting is just that - hoo ha."

Um what? Jesus, buddha, Moses... So new age.

I'll tell you what is hoo-ha. This new age prescription drug nonsense. We gobble down these little pills that are supposed to make everything better becaue they are synthesized in a lab.

Little do we know that they make us addicted and cause a number of other side effects. Is that what you want to trust? These "new age" medical advances fueled by drug companies that profit billions?

Why have you never been told that fasting will make you healthier? Because it is the opposite of consumption.

Our economy is based on you consuming and our heath care system is also based on you consuming.

Why is medical marijuana illegal? Because you can make it yourself!

Why do doctors not tell you to fast? Because then you wouldn't be PAYING FOR ANYTHING.

Stop listening to lies all of your life. Don't just knee jerk to the conclusion that fasting is going to be bad for you, the human body is made to fast.

There is an article on trifuel called "What is Possible?" And i think that fits in really well here. The things that we have been told all of our life may not be true at all.

I fasted for 25 days and YES I was cleansed. I can not describe to you the mental clarity that one receives from fasting. I will fast at least a week out of every year for the rest of my life. By day 18-20 you see the world in a different perspective. You understand things you never put together before. You see the connection in all of us and yet the seperation we all have in our private identities.

Not to mention my hearing and sight also improved.

I also worked full time while fasting and even exercised through the first week or two...(very low intensity)

If you want to fast I say do it. I have never felt better in my life than from fasting. I had more energy than my co-workers and friends. (mental energy and chipperness...not like i would have beaten them in a 10k)

I water-fasted by the way. If you want a slower process then juice fast, but make sure you do it right. You need a real juicer that removes all of the fibers and leaves you with liquid only to really stop the digestive system. With water it is quick and easy, just drink water.

And about impacted mucus in the lower intestine. A lot of people do enemas during fasts to remove this mucus...it makes you feel alot better during a fast. I did not do this, however, and it still removed itself....I won't go into details.

Have a good fast if you do, you will see things in a completely different way.

I was mainly answering the possible argument "Why hasn't the medical community told me to fast?"

True it does not prove if fasting is good or bad for you but it does highlight how our medical field is not looking for cures, otherwise they would not be making any money.

There is no money in curing the sick. And our medical field is all about MONEY MONEY MONEY. Just ask your local specialist about the last vacation that Pfizer sent them on.

I'm talking about chronic illnesses.

Not pnemonia and rabies and things that killed people then and don't kill people now. That is why their life expectancy was so low. It isn't like no one lived past 40 or 50, many people lived into their 80s then too just like they do now, they just had higher infant mortality rates and deaths from non-chronic illnesses.

I think a religious fast and a fast intended to increase physical health should be thought of as two different things. I doubt very much that Moses fasted before recieving the law of the covenant in order to have clean bowels :p

Perhaps he needed to make sure he didn't go poo while hearing from God. And Moses said "Umm... Excuse me, YHWH, could we take a little break here, I think my morning coffee is kicking in". HA!