In this page we are going to talk about fruit fasting as a compliment or in preparation to juice fasting or water fasting, as well as the raw food and vegan lifestyle as one you may wish to explore or even adopt. This practice can help you to lose weight quickly and start to detox your digestive system. If you are new to fasting, trying a three-to-seven day stretch with just fruits and water is a good way to get some " practice".

I started fruit fasting at what I can easily say was one of the lowest points in my life. I was roughly 110 pounds overweight and ballooning fast. I was tired, lethargic, depressed and constantly bingeing on donuts, pastries, pizza and sodas. My liver was compromised, and the doctor told me I would not live long if I continued on the road I was in.

The first time I tried a 'raw food diet' with fruit fasting, I did so in a feeble and desperate attempt to lose weight quickly. I could no longer stand the sight of myself in the mirror. I had no social life, always wore the same pair of black pants and black shirt, and stop taking phone calls from friends and family. Physically and emotionally I was bankrupt. I often considered taking my own life.

So I stopped eating in disgust. But - 'lo and behold - before the first 24 hours of fruit fasting had transpired, I was gorging again. Headaches, dizziness, nausea, weakness, diarrhea, sporadic vomiting and sharp episodes of anger, rage and sadness overcame me like wildfire.

I also developed a strong metallic taste in my mouth, a white 'sticky' film in the tongue and small white boils in the inner part of my lips. For most people, these detox symptoms do not emerge until roughly 48 to 72 hours of fasting. But after only twelve hours, I was really hurting. But something good did come out of this discomfort.

More Toxic than a Landfill

The symptoms from not eating intrigued me enough to do some research on raw food diets and fasting. Soon I arrived at the ugly truth - I was more toxic than a landfill. The headaches, dizziness, nausea and fever were caused by toxins in the digestive system that were loosened into the blood stream when I stopped eating.

The hunger pains and detox symptoms were, in essence, a physical withdrawal from all of the trash I had been eating for nearly twenty years. This realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I came to understand that what I was feeling was very similar to the cravings felt by someone who is, say, trying to quit smoking.

Fruit fasting put me face-to-face with an undeniable food addiction. It was an ugly truth. But I knew I was on the right track. Hey, if a smoker is going through withdrawal, that means he's NOT smoking right? So the physical discomfort meant I had started to eliminate toxic foods from my diet. I became interested in finding which raw foods could help me detoxify and lose weight the fastest - and cheapest.

The Fruit Fasting Challenge

Fruits and vegetables emerged at the top of the list along with beets and beans coming a close second and third, respectively. "Yeah, but what about meat?" I thought. I consulted a holistic medicine practitioner, and she agreed with my conclusions. She indicated the best thing I could do was start fruit fasting at least once a week and build it up to two days per week - increasing one day every week until I did a fruit fast for at least 21 days.

At that point, she suggested, I should seriously consider expanding my fasting and cleansing efforts with a total liquid diet - a juice or water fast. She wanted me to do a raw fruit fast for three weeks, go back to normal food for three days, and then start water or juice fasting for at least 14-to-30 days.

I was none too happy and felt nervous about her proposition. Remember, back then I had never fasted. I only tried it that one time out of desperation. So all of this had fallen into my lap sort of by fate or accident. Sure, I was scared. But anything was better than staying as I was. I needed rapid weight loss and detoxification.

Apples, Pears & Bananas

Here's what I did: I carried a paper bag in my briefcase with a mixture of unsliced apples, pears and bananas. I also carried around a jug to refill with water throughout the day.

The hunger pains and detox symptoms wasted no time in re-emerging with great strength. But this time I was expecting them. I knew it was all part of a necessary cleansing withdrawal. That understanding, however, did not make it any less unpleasant. By the end of the first 24 hours I felt famished. All I had was my sheer determination to get healthy and improve the quality of my life.

The solution, for me, was to drink even more water along with another fruit. One thing about fruit fasting, however, was that initially my tendency was to gorge on bananas. I do not recommend this because bananas are great, but actually are the most "fattening" of the fruits. So prep your "to-go" bag with few bananas and more apples than pears. Eat any fruit you want actually, but beware of bananas and honey dews. They are very high in sugar.

Take Your Time

If you are overweight or toxic as I was, fruit fasting will be a challenge. Start our slow and take your time. If all you can do is one or three days... that is fine.

Go back to regular food - although please at lesser quantities! - and come back to fruit fasting the following week and do it for a little longer - at least six hours - preferably 24 hours. Progress, not perfection or world records.

If you do this, I guarantee you that you will feel lighter and more energized than you have in years - possibly ever. Completing your first three-day fruit fast will be very satisfying both physically and emotionally. Even though you are still EATING, your digestive system and colon are actually detoxing and in WITHDRAWAL from the unhealthy foods you had been eating.

Some Fruit Fasting Pointers

At one point, I believe it was day three, the hunger pains reached critical levels. I could eat three apples and they would go right through me. That is normal. Drink more water and eat another apple. The feeling will pass right around day seven or eight.

I strongly encourage you to stick to fruit fasting until you are able to do at least 14 days. That in itself will change your life. Or at the very least open doors of knowledge and opportunity in your weight loss and fitness goals that previously were not available. You do not have to become a full-fledged vegan or raw food practitioner to benefit from this, by the way.

To control the hunger, stock up on seltzer water and drink a full glass with a pinch of lime or lemon to soothe the stomach. It helps. You also can also try green tea. Green tea has properties that will give you energy as well as help burn fat faster, in addition to promoting digestive system health.

If you have eaten poorly for a long time, you probably also have a lot of toxic fecal matter adhered to the colon. Herbs & Prunes will help you to thoroughly clean out your insides. I swear by it. It is truly amazing.

Try to reduce the amount of activities in your schedule so that you can rest if you start to feel weak or dizzy. Expect mood swings and emotional outbursts of anger and sadness. If you are fruit fasting around your loved ones, do not react when angry. If something irritates you, remain silent as mush as possible. Keep your mind busy.

I strongly recommend that you start a Fasting Journal to report what you are thinking and feeling.Write about the reasons why you are fruit fasting and the specific goals that you have in doing so. It will help you to gain and re-gain motivation as you go along.

Fruit fasting and losing weight, only to return to the same destructive eating is definitely not what I am talking about here. You are encouraged to evaluate your eating habits and make a plan of what you intend to do when the fast is over. This is crucial and failure to do so is the NUMBER ONE reason why most people who fast and lose weight end up gaining it all back.

Understand that you will be undergoing a deep process of change. And change is never comfortable. In fact, it can often be VERY uncomfortable. So if you struggle and go through a difficult period, DO NOT be surprised. Stay the course! It will get easier with time. One nutrition plan I followed for some time and come back to time and again is the raw food lifestyle.

In the Raw

Some benefits from the raw food diet are: a stronger immune system, better digestion, emotional stability and clear, vibrant skin. Raw food advocates also emphasize the positive environmental impact it yields.

But I do believe in the system and lifestyle as one conducive to health, weight loss and detoxification. It does work. What I am saying is that you do not have to become a full-time vegan to use it and receive quantum benefits. Add it to your fasting for weight loss and fitness efforts. The results will speak for themselves.

More About Raw Food Diets

Here is a bird's eye view of the general philosophy and beliefs behind it. The raw food diet consists, to a great extent, of juices and shakes, salads, soups, dressings, yogurts, crackers, spreads, dips, vegetable burgers, curries, vegetable pastas and wraps, among others.

Those who follow this way of eating say that raw foods and fruit fasting give your body enzymes that aid in their own digestion. This frees the body's own enzymes to perform metabolic processes unfettered. Heating food, they say, degrades or destroys these enzymes, putting the brunt of digestion on the body's own enzyme production.

Another common belief is that raw foods contain bacteria and other micro-organisms that stimulate the immune system and enhance digestion by filling the digestive tract with beneficial flora. The premise is that raw foods have higher nutritional value than those which have been cooked.

Wild foods, particularly edible wild plants, are nutritious raw foods, it is emphasized. Freezing food is acceptable; some raw food practitioners choose to preserve nuts and seeds in a freezer. Although freezing decreases enzyme activity, the food is still considered raw.

Dont' forget to drop by Fasting Forum I and/or Fasting Forum II and join the community conversation. You can ask for feedback on a question and/or concern, look for a fasting buddy and/or add your knowledge for everyone's benefit.