Preparation for water fasting

One of the best ways to lose weight in the world is a water fasting. Not only it fastest way to lose weight but it also has many other big health benefits. One of its benefits is body cleansing. Yes, water fasting is very effective way for body detoxification. How does water fasting help you lose weight, boost health and energy?

The water fasting is the most natural way to lose weight, because mankind has long history of spring water fasting due to the food shortage in the ancient times. Let us discuss this further in order for us to understand water fasting better.

Fasting is a period of abstinence from all food except water. Also it can be a juice fasting and fasting during the day time until sunset. After the full absence of food for more then 3 days, the body will start detoxification and cleanse itself from unhealthy tissues. Basically the human fat is valued at 3,000 calories per pound. Each extra pound of fat will supply enough calories for one day of hard physical labor.

I've just finished my 11 days water fasting this week. During the time of fasting I wasn’t able to find any new good books about fasting on the market or in libraries so I decided to share my water fasting experience. Also I was I was shocked recently by astonishing fact that average Americans have 5-10 pounds of toxic and unhealthy materials in their bodies. “Thanks” to the food preservatives, fast food and overeating.

The idea to start fasting came to my mind when I was 21 years old and I did my first 4 days juice fasting right away. Through my experience of water fasting and many books, I’ve found for myself some rules I have to fallow to keep my water fasting safe and healthy. I’d like to share with you some of them and hope they will bring some help.

Preparation for water fasting. I start my preparation in couple of days before fasting by change diet toward lighter dishes, no red meat, only chicken and fish, fruit and vegetables, yogurt and soups. On last day before fasting: fish, seafood, vegetables, fruits on lunch, fruit and vegetables dishes on dinner. To monitor my digestion system performance and have a clue about enema use in time of fasting, I eat close to 10-11 pm my beet salad: 1 medium size cooked beet root with olive oil. So if I'll see red colored stool on the 1st day of fasting I will consider that my digesting system is working fine and there is no need for enema. If not, I will use enema right away.

One or two days water fasting. This is the nicest way to lose weight and get used to with fasting and prepare for longer water fast. If you've never done water fasting before, this is the only safe way to start your fasting experience, never do more then one day in the beginning. If your body overloaded with toxic material you have to make several one day fasting before considering bit longer water fasting. Always ask you doctor before fasting if you have health conditions and taking medicine. Some people can experience headache during one day water fasting, they should avoid drinking coffee before fasting. Best way to break one-two day fasting is to drink home made fresh juices for entire day and eat vegetables and fruits on the second day.

Three day fasting. Personally I don't like 3 days water fasting, because my digesting system is off after 2 days and to turn it on on the very next day is a lot of pain. I break 3 days fast by drinking vegetable and fruit juices, eating raw vegetable and fruits, on 3rd day I can eat vegetarian soups and light dishes. No meat, poultry allowed.

Seven to twelve days water fasting. It has to be 2-3 days preparation with light diet, no meat, alcohol and coffee; eat a lot of vegetables and fruits, fish and seafood, on the last day before fasting- vegetarian diet. Don’t forget about the beet salad test. Some authors and doctors recommend enema before bed. I personally don’t do that if my beet salad test’result is okay and use enema after 5th day.

How to break a long water fasting. I usually break my water fasting with vegetable juice like carrot juice, tomato or cucumber juice or combination of them. The longer was water fast the more water I add to the first juice and after 10-12 days fasting I usually add 50% of water to my first juice. Some authors recommend start eating with boiled for 2-3 sec and peeled tomato or with slice of watermelon or cabbage juice. I don't like watermelon due to high sugar level, cabbage juice irritates my digestive system a lot, but tomato and tomato juice work fine, just remove heavily waxed tomato's skin before.

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Water fasting VS Juice Fasting

We've all heard of the benefits of water-only fasting. You know, the weight loss, clear skin, the improved digestion, the elimination of toxins, etc. And we all want these results for ourselves.

What we don't want is the, well...the fast!

We don't want to feel fatigue. We don't want to feel uncomfortable. And we definitely don't want to feel hungry.But apparently there's a way we can have our cake and eat it too. It's a little thing called "juice fasting". So what exactly is juice fasting and can it really compare to fasting on nothing but water?

What's the difference?

A water fast, also called a "water-only fast", is just as it sounds. You consume nothing but water for a period of time. A typical long-term water fast lasts for about 21 days.

On the other hand, a juice fast consists of consuming nothing but raw fruit and vegetable juices. A typical juice fast lasts for about 30 days, although they can last for much much longer since you are still taking in fuel.

Fasting is Resting

Fasting is more than just not eating or only drinking juices. Fasting is really about RESTING.

And I don't just mean resting the digestive system either. I mean resting the entire body. This means taking a break from life's daily routine (i.e. getting up, going to work, taking care of the kids, going shopping, etc.) and sleeping as much as possible.

And when you aren't sleeping, you should be lying down (or at the very least, sitting down) for the vast majority of the day.

So now that we know a bit about water and juice fasting, is juice fasting really just as good as water fasting?

Juicing is Not Fasting

Consuming anything other than water, even if it is in liquid form, is not a real fast. As Dr. Joel Fuhrman states in his book Fasting and Eating for Health:

"Juice fasting is not truly fasting; biochemically the body does not enter the 'protein-sparing' fasting state. In this state the body conserves its muscle reserves and fat is preferentially broken down. This does not occur with juice fasting.

Juice fasting also does not have the powerful anti-inflammatory properties of the pure water fast that are essential for recovery in autoimmune illnesses."

During a water fast, your body goes into a state called ketosis. Ketosis occurs when the body runs out of glucose for fuel and has to turn to stored fat instead. This shift usually starts on the second day of fasting and is finished by the third day, but the rate of fat that is broken down will continue to increase for the next few days.

Not only does ketosis mean that your hunger will greatly diminish (even disappear) by day 3, but it also means that you will get rid of a lot of excess weight.

On a juice fast, ketosis never happens because you are still eating. Since you are still taking in glucose from food, your body does not have to turn to its own fat reserves for fuel.

Sure, your body may use some degree of stored fat if you are undereating on calories, but never to the extent that it will on a water fast. You can accomplish the same goal simply by dieting.

And if you are undereating, which many people tend to do while juice fasting, you will still be hungry. Remember, hunger only disappears on a water fast because you are no longer taking in any fuel.

And remember, fasting equates to resting. Juice fasting cannot compete with water fasting in this regard because your body still has to work to digest the juices you consume.

Juicing is Still Eating

Many people prefer juice fasting over water fasting because they equate not eating for a period of time with starvation. They are afraid that if they consume nothing but water for more than a couple of days that their body will start to consume its own healthy muscles, tissues, and organs.

This could not be further from the truth. Again from Fasting and Eating for Health:

"When no calories are consumed, the body is living off its nutritional stores, primarily its fat reserves. The innate wisdom of the body is such that while fasting, it will consume for its sustenance superfluous tissues, carefully conserving vital tissues and organs."

Human beings have evolved to fast when we are in poor health. You will notice that other animals do this as well; they lose their appetite and refuse to eat until their health is restored.

This would not make sense if once we stopped eating, our body immediately started catabolizing all of our healthy organs. Instead, the body uses up everything that is unnecessary or harmful, such as excess fat and diseased tissue.

And your body even has a signal to let you know when this process is over...HUNGER! You know when it's time to eat again once your hunger returns.

On a juice fast, you will never be able to experience the deep healing that occurs on water-only. Your body has to deal with the digestion of the juices you consume first and foremost rather than the elimination and repair of diseased and damaged cells.

NOTE: While water-only fasting is clearly an evolutionary survival mechanism, that's not to say that it isn't risky. People tend to be in very poor health, much more so than they often realize, and complications can and do occur during a long-term fast.

This is why it's always recommended for anyone planning to fast for more than a few days to seek qualified professional supervision.

Is There Any Reason to Juice Fast?

Not really. Remember, juiced foods are refined foods. Juiced foods have had their fiber removed and can no longer be considered a whole food.

And while people like to consume juices for cleansing and detox purposes, this is completely unnecessary on a simple whole foods diet. As long as you are eating a healthy raw vegan diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, then you have no reason to juice fast.

If you do feel the need to cleanse for whatever reason (i.e you spent the week munching on veggie burgers and vegan burritos, perhaps), take a trip to Banana Island (nothing but bananas and water) instead of juice fasting. Eating this simply for a few days or so will help you get back on track without sacrificing your need for calories and satiation.

And if you can take the time to rest, don't be afraid to opt for a short 1-3 day water fast.

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