Fasting Guidelines For Initiation

The initiation of your fast can be divided into the 3 basics - where, when, and how.

Where: Pick Your Environment

It is our recommendation that a fast be conducted either in the privacy of your home or at a retreat or vacation spot of some sort. There is a reason for this – to control your feelings of hunger. Fasting while you are working can easily set you up for an uncomfortable experience and here is why. The limbic system in the brain is linked to controlling your hunger and responds to stress. Whether that stress is caused from mental stress at work, a day of work on the farm or a self-imposed fast, the stress is cumulative; that is, it all adds up. Adding the stress of work to a fast, may double your hunger (or more). In addition, physical and mental work require energy and contribute to the lowering of blood glucose (blood sugar). Low blood sugars effects mental processing, and can possibly compromise your work. This is an effect you may not be consciously aware of. The improved mental clarity we speak of actually comes on average after about 36 hours of fasting and persists for a considerable time.

Instead, we believe you should conserve energy and limit stress as much as possible during a fast. Your home is likely the best place to accomplish this and that’s where we would like you to be fasting.

Your environment should also be controlled in the following manner – as little TV as possible and as little exposure to cooking foods as possible. You are going to discover the difference between appetite and hunger during your fast and those things (visual, emotional and olfactory stimuli) may trigger a feeding response that’s misplaced, misguided and detrimental to both your fast as well as your health. Noticing and documenting these experiences as they occur (if they occur) can provide valuable insight that you carry into the future.

When: Choose What Time

Related to your environment, you should plan your fast during a time when you are off, the weekend being an obvious choice. To minimize hunger, we also recommend beginning your fast around 1 p.m. following lunch and breaking your fast 24-72 hours later mid-day. So, using the weekend as an example, you may take your last meal at 1 p.m. on Friday and leave work by 5 p.m. If it is a 24hr fast you break your fast on Saturday at 1pm, if it’s a 48 hour fast, you would break your fast on Sunday at 1 pm and so forth.

There is no particular time of year that’s more or less advantageous. For example, its been theorized that our ancestors tended to fast more in the winter, when food supplies ran lowest. However our ancestors were also far less active during the winter. In modern times our activity levels remain relatively consistent throughout the year and the colder temperatures related to cooler seasons inspire greater caloric intake to maintain body heat. Discrepancies between individuals are too varied to make any general recommendations about timing your fasts with the seasons.

How: Activate Your Awareness

You are going to learn during your fast that there is a difference between appetite and hunger. You won’t really experience true hunger, but you will experience changes in your appetite.

Your appetite is the normal set-point at which you experience the desire to eat on a daily basis.. Some people have either high appetites or low appetites. The concept of an “appetite” can be applied to anything. Consider the differences in peoples appetite for learning, for being entertained, for sex. On the other hand, hunger is experienced when your physical need to nourish yourself manifests itself. In this respect, a fast is about mental and emotional conditioning as well as physical conditioning. We want you to be aware of how the two sensations change and relate to one another. It is possible for a person to NOT be truly hungry and yet the image of a slice of pizza activates their appetite and they “feel” hungry. This is an example of an elicited emotional response that many retailers take advantage of in their marketing strategies.

During a fast, you won’t really be hungry as your body shifts towards ketosis and huger is suppressed. You will however FEEL hungry if that particular emotional/response is activated. Reflecting on this in the future will go a long way to helping you recondition yourself if lasting, long term weight loss is an intention of yours.

In addition to reflecting on your appetite, fasting is also a time for prayer and/or meditation. Instead of mindLESS activities such as watching TV or purposeless internet surfing, the more mindFULL activities such as reading, prayer, meditation even light activities such as Yoga and Tai Chi are good activities to engage in. Some light walking, light cleaning (like cleaning out some drawers) and sleep are also good activities as they let you rest, relax, and reset your thinking while calmly reflecting on your experience.