There is a link at the bottom of each page that will take you from one to the other,
so don't worry if you lose your place while you are reading.
You will find lots of information that
can help you to better understand this wonderful discipline, as well as give you a foundation
from which to start. It is important for you to realize that water
fasting is not a quick fix or "panacea" for all ills.
Indeed, it is a very powerful and natural tool
to help you lose weight and cleanse your body of harmful toxins.
Water fasting takes a lot of determination. Particularly crucial is a desire to make permanent
eating-habit changes in your life once the fast is over. These are important points I want
you to keep in mind as you read.
To be sure, doing a partial fast will make the
fasting process less uncomfortable.
Why? Because skipping meals will place your body in detoxification mode due to the
reduced food intake. It is a wise preparation step! I learned it the hard way. Going from a full
course fatty meal to fasting is a recipe for suffering ...
You can also start water fasting for short periods
of time. Please do not think that to attain a benefit you HAVE to fast for days
and days and days. That is simply not true. Fasting for longer periods of time will foster deeper detoxification
and more weight loss. But ANY effort you can make RIGHT NOW is more than
enough to get you started! Little by little you can work your way to longer and longer fasts, if your
health so allows it. Do not hurry and please take it easy.
Water Fasting is not a fix-all pill and it is not our intention to advocate that you turn fasting
into an obsession.
It is, however, a very positive discipline when practiced sanely, with
support and in full knowledge of your doctor and family members. Our aim in this website is to
encourage you to begin juice or water fasting as a lifestyle, one combined with a PERMANENT change in
eating and exercise habits.
Do not be a lone ranger - wanting to be a spiritual giant to the exclusion
of people close to you. One of the biggest mistakes most beginners make is to
stop eating abruptly because they want to lose weight. They start water fasting
overnight and try to keep it a secret. Or they plan the fast, but still fail to inform a select
few of what they are doing.
This can be very dangerous and I higly discourage it. Make sure you
tell someone you can trust that you are fasting. Stay connected with some type of human support.
That way you can receive objective input on how you are feeling both mentally and physically.
Water fasting is a physical powerhouse that can nuke debris from your system and
give you an outlook on life you never thought possible. It is, in some ways,
supernatural. Yet it is the toughest of all types of fasting because you receive no taste or
substance in your body for the alloted time - except for the water itself. It can incite very strong
hunger pains and detox symptoms. For these reasons, it is very important to have some accountability
and form of human support.
My longest water
fast was 60 days, and most of it took place in a camp where there were at least five people who knew
what I was doing. Yet I can tell you that without the support of a selected few - my mother being first
on the list - I may not have made it.
Overcoming Limitations
The mystical side of fasting we will discuss later, but
let it be said for now that if you are reading this, it is because in your soul you realize that there
has to be more to life than what you have been experiencing. There is perhaps an instinct inside of
you that wants to overcome limitations and experience a better life quality. Don't stop reading my friend.
This can be the beginning of the rest of your life. And, amazingly, all you need to effect the change
is - water and guts.
Speaking of water, I also want to suggest that you read our page on
The Water Diet.
This simple practice is immensely powerful and it shakes up your colon and
digestive system. A water diet basically is the recommendation that you drink at least
8 to 10 glasses of chilled water a day to keep your body hydrated and assist your digestive system.
How much water?
One of the questions I am always asked when somebody is starting with fasting is:
How much water should I drink? My suggestion is -
drink as much water as necessary to keep you going.
It is not unusual for me to drink one or even two gallons of water a day when I am fasting.
Now: some people argue against the intake of large amounts of water, indicating that to do so is to
risk becoming "water poisoned." There have been cases of Water Poisoning, but these are the extreme examples. There is no reason to become
alarmed if you preserve nature and listen to what your body is telling you. Just drink enough water
to give you feeling of fullness. Use common sense.
You also can use seltzer water with a little lime in the evening to settle your stomach and appease the
hunger pains. That has worked wonders for me at the toughest moments of the fast. Try not to drink water
that is too cold. The closer to room temperature it is, the better. Chilled is slightly cold. Not
freezing or full of ice. Again, that is just a recommendation based on what has worked for me.
Take your time and try different temperatures of water until you find the one that grants you
the most comfort from the hunger pains.
Toilet Sprints
When first attempting this type of fast, you will likely have to dash for the toilet with frequency.
The body is not used to such large shots of liquid, and the water pushes on the colon and
starts inducing the elimination of toxic fecal residue. At this point, between the first and third day of
water fasting, the waste coming out of your body will be
from recently-consumed food. Getting to the dregs attached to the colon will take a little longer.
That is where the true miracle lies.
The best way to accelerate the colon cleansing process is to
massage your stomach, pressing in with both hands open. First emphasize the top of the colon, then the bottom... then the liver.
Repeat this several times a day when water fasting. The point is to drink large amounts
of water, and then to massage your abdomen to maximize the amount of dried and toxic waste eliminated
from your body.
"Drinking large amounts of water is NOT the same as drinking juice or soda.
Water is pure life ... soda and artificial juices are not.
The Powdered Juice Dilemma
Many people often tell me that they simply do not like to drink plain water in large
quantities. That they would much prefer to sprinkle it with some type of sugarless powdered juice so it can
go down more smoothly. This, in my opinion, is baloney.
My answer, for the most part, is that many bodies have become so accustomed to trash that they insist on
continuing to sniff it - even after stepping out of the manure pit. This may sound harsh, but the message
I am attempting to drive home is that water fasting should be just that. It should not be Kool-Aid fasting.
Tough it out and get your body used to drinking pure water without additives. Remember, easy does it.
Slow wins the race.
Preparing to Fast
Once you have done the partial fast for several weeks, eat ONE of your regular meals and diminish the
second one to one of only a salad, fruits and/or vegetables. The third "meal" will continue to be water
only. I suggest that you do the light meal for lunch and practice the water fast in substitution of dinner.
This brings you very close to a complete 24-hour cycle. At this point the hunger will definitely start to
attack you. This is the stomach basically whining like a child. Drink a big glass of water when hunger hits.
Drink another one if that does not work.
But I'm not Thirsty!
Every time you feel hunger, bombard your body with another glass of water. I actually carry around gallon
jugs wherever I go. I make it a goal to drink at least one gallon daily when I am fasting,
and a minimum of half a gallon when I am not. Some people insist that they do not have to drink water if
they do not feel thirsty.
Consequently, they dehydrate themselves daily and never feel thirst.
They drink soda, juice, milk and anything else that can be classified as a liquid - except water. If
this happens to be your case, I strongly encourage you to start drinking more water - How About Today?
Some Recommendations
One of the biggest questions I am asked about water fasting is
whether or not one should use filtered water. My answer is always the same: If you can afford it,
get a water filter or ionizer.
I was an environmental reporter for many years and was horrified
about the poor quality tap water can often have - EVEN IF IT TASTES JUST FINE.
Now, in many places the quality of tap water is just fine - but it is my contention that when water
fasting one should attempt to use the highest quality of water possible. Why go through the sacrifice
of water fasting yet be unsure about the quality of water I am drinking? Don't you think?
If you are interested in the ultimate purification, visit our
Water Ionizer
page when you have a chance to learn more about the KYK Harmony Water Ionizer. The least expensive
- it's just $99 - and one I think is amazing is the Portable Water Ionizer, which you can access via the
same link.
Another resource that helps me immensely is to add
Himalayan Crystal Salt to the water I was drinking several
times a week while I was fasting - a practice I have continued even when not in a water fast.
The salt is known to contain energy and healing properties that assist in bringing the body's
regulatory system (homeostasis) into balance.
This fosters improved blood pH, digestive
system functions, brain activity, respiration, and it also helps remove heavy metals from your body.
Highly recommended supplement!
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Together we can create
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an article?
Alright, let's to to page II of the water fasting chat and talk about Weight Loss.
Robert Dave Johnston
Fitness Through Fasting-Editor/Webmaster
Publisher:The Anti Prevention Nation Ezine &
FastingOlogy 9-Month Membership Course.
