Fasting Blog- Introduction

When I decided to go vegan earlier this year, I had read several books that mentioned the benefits of fasting. The idea is that your body uses a huge amount of energy on the digestive process. If you take away that task, then the body goes to work cleaning out all the crap! The most compelling argument/explanation of the benefits compares fasting to sleeping:

Think about what happens when you go to sleep at night. Your body immediately goes about the tasks of repair and recovery (as much as possible) from the wear and tear of the day's activities. A renovation takes place in your brain and throughout your entire body that enables you to arise refreshed and raring to go the next day.

The restorative power of a night's sleep involves many factors, and the process is not completely understood. But one factor that definitely helps facilitate this process of rejuvenation is your nightly fast. While you are sleeping each night, you are not eating—you are not adding to your body's digestive work. This period of digestive rest allows your body to devote more of its energy to its nightly restoration.

You probably know from experience that eating a heavy meal late at night interferes with the quality of your sleep and leaves you feeling groggy the next day. Heavy eating late at night, much like heavy drinking late at night, can leave you with a hangover.

Abstinence from food at night facilitates the process of biological renewal, allowing your body to proceed with its repairs and restorations. Of course, one does not remain asleep throughout a fast, but when fasting is combined with rest, your body treats it as an extended period of renovation and renewal.

I found that very interesting. Also, think of the work "breakfast". In the morning, you break your nightly fast with food in the morning! I've also been eating extremely healthily lately and exercising a lot, but the weight loss has stopped- I really don't think it should have! I'm hoping that fasting will kick my body into gear.

So here it is... a brief description of what I'm doing. Here is my fasting goal:

Wednesday October 7-Friday October 9: Juice Fast (3 Days)

Saturday October 10-Monday October 19: Water Fast (10 Days)

Tuesday October 20: Break the fast with juice, fruit, raw foods

Wednesday October 21: More regular food, first day of rigorous exercise

The following posts will chronicle my successes or failures. Wish me luck!

If you're interesting in more information on the benefits, facts & myths about fasting, please check out these websites:

http://www.falconblanco.com/health/fasting.htm#What%20is

http://naturalhygienesociety.org/articles/fasting1.html#1