2018 Lenten Fasting

fasting
lent
(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!)) #7

@lfb1 As far as I know there are no requirements to fast on any Saturday in Lent. You are correct that all Sundays in Lent are not fasting or abstinence days and that is why Lent is considered to be 40 days instead of the actual 46 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.

I chose Wed-Fri each week as there are many church and social engagements on the weekends for me and I did not want to fast on those days as I did last year. On Fridays we have a fish fry but I normally can’t eat anything there as everything is breaded and the coleslaw has sugar.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #8

Traditionally, all the days of Lent are fast days, but the Sundays are not actually part of Lent, being Feasts of Our Lord. (If you count backward from Easter, with Holy Saturday as one, you will see how it works. Ash Wednesday is actually the 46th day before Easter.) In other parts of the year, it is customary to fast on Fridays (and occasionally on Wednesdays also), but it is actually forbidden to fast during the great fifty days of Eastertide (from Easter Sunday through the Day of Pentecost).

Fasting is defined as a reduction in quantity of food (i.e., the one meal and two small snacks @ron-coleman mentioned) ; abstinence as a reduction in quality (i.e., abstaining from meat). The original Christian notion of fasting involved complete avoidance of food, but the discipline has been tempered over the centuries. (And technically there is an exemption for laborers who need enough fuel to do their jobs.)

#9

Since I started fasting I always said I should muster up the balls to fast for all of lent, I dunno though. Also, Isn’t lent 40 days? You did 46? I really gotta relearn my crap. I got a 4yo and me and the wife said we gotta start bringing the kid to church to get him used to it and I’m so out of it I don’t know if I’d know half the stuff to do or say at this point. Gotta get my stuff together before he’s in CCD and immediately knows more than me. I gotta start getting a lent fasting gameplan together.

#10

OMG this made me smile so big:)

#11

What a great idea to invite others on the journey - am cheering ya’ll on!

I really enjoyed reading the book by the Romanian Eastern Orthodox christian Christian Vlad Zot Periodic Fasting: Repair your DNA, Grow Younger, and Learn to Appreciate your Food where he shares his cultural background related to religious fasting as practiced by his peasant grandparents - and the differences he’s experienced in doing it LCHF/keto!

Lots of other great stuff in it on the physiology & biochemistry of non-human species who fast and hibernate, along with little-known historical writings on fasting wisdom from Upton Sinclair (who lived to be 90) Luigi Cornaro (who lived to be 102).

(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!)) #12

@lfod14 As we mentioned above, the Sundays of Lent are not counted in the ‘40 days of Lent’ but are ‘Feasts of Our Lord’ as mentioned by @PaulL. I did fast for the entire 46 days, including Sundays, last year and documented my journey here:

A really extended fast: going for 46-days!

In that thread I talk about different ways of fasting for Lent, with a lot of help from other members, and do mention that we are not required to fast on Sundays and how I came to my decision to fast the entire time. I hope my experience helps you to decide!

If you decide to do the long fast I will be here for you and will follow your journey as well!

(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!)) #13

@SlowBurnMary Thank you Mary, I have read the book after I heard Prof Richard Feinman talk about it on a few YouTube videos: very interesting. I think I may read it again this spring!

#14

I have been planning Wednesday and Friday fasts during Lent and then a five day fast at the end of Lent so I am very happy to have found this discussion.

(Gina Craig) #15

I’m in!

(Christina Heinrich) #16

I’m in agreement of having a WHOLE LOT to relearn about the church. Fasting does help me w spiritual clarity. I’m in, but may put more training wheels on for the first fast, depending on how it goes. So far I have only made it to 48 hours!

(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!)) #17

@crunchypharmd The more I learn the more I realize how much there is to learn - learning is a life long process so never be afraid to keep learning. That includes learning to fast which is done through practice.

2 years ago I would never have thought I could go past 24 hours let alone get to 48 hours like you. It is something you have to build up to. I mentioned in by other thread that I practiced beginning in the previous August with a 3-day fast and then fasted a few days longer each month until I got to a 9-day fast in January. That really helped me do the 46 days and gave me the confidence I needed to begin and keep going.

The first 2-3 days are the hardest and as Dr. Jason Fung says “don’t just fast for 48 hours as those are the most difficult!” Each time you fast the first days will get easier so don’t fear them. Build up your ‘fasting muscle’ at whatever pace feels good to you so you do not get discouraged .

I may suggest that you try to fast once or twice before Lent for practice and see if you can get past that 48 hour mark. Look at fasting as a personal goal, you can reach higher goals if you work at it but it is a personal journey.

I set my goal this Lent to be 3-days each week as, I hope, more people can join with me. The hardest part of fasting is our social schedules. Last year I went to numerous business dinners where I drank nothing but coffee, went to a couple of retreats where they had great smelling BBQ meats, and even visited with my granddaughters for a few days where I just didn’t eat because of my fast.

I lived through all of those temptations but it was really difficult at times. My wife thinks I’m crazy for doing keto and the fast was just another annoyance for her! It did add a bit of tension as she was tired of my explaining my fast to friends we would dine with. Such is life!

I am really glad I stuck to my Lenten commitment last year and am going to fervently stick to this year’s as well! Welcome to the group and remember that fasting is personal, listen to your body and do what you can!

(Joe Schuyler) #18

I, too have been thinking of doing a Lenten fast this year. I’ll give this a shot.

(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!)) #19

Welcome to the group!

(Joe Schuyler) #20

Thanks, Ron! What would you say would be the biggest lesson that you learned from your Lenten fast last year?

(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!)) #21

Actually there are 2 things: micronutrients (salt, magnesium, and potassium) and shear will power.

Micronutrients are important as you deplete them quickly during the first week or two of the fast. Please check out this video for a great layman’s explanation:

The will power is necessary for all of the times your mind will try to convince you that it is okay to eat even when you are not hungry!

(Joe Schuyler) #22

Salt goes in my water every time I fill it up. I’m taking in about 2 teaspoons or Himalayan Pink Salt and Morton’s Lite Salt over the course of the day (in 1/4 teaspoon increments).

I’ll check the video out later, though, thank you!

#23

A great idea. I was inspired by your story on the 2KetoDudes podcast. I’m in.

#24

I really like this idea. I will talk it over with my husband, it might be something we can do together as well.

(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!)) #25

Less than three weeks to go!

Anyone want to do a practice run next week?

Remember, the second day is the hardest and the third day becomes the easiest so keep that in mind as we get ready to start.

#26

I am tempted - going to look at my calendar!