Intermittent 72 hour fasts for Lent

(Casey Freeman) #1

I’ve taken on a new fasting regime for Lent that really seems to be working for me so thought I’d share. I have been “dirty keto” for the last six months and struggled to get into a rhythm of strict keto like i have done in the past. Stress, travel, etc… not sure what, but have struggled with discipline and found my weight rising versus falling. I decided to really take on my weight and my relationship to food for Lent. I started with the idea of fasting during Lent, and feasting on Sundays. So it would be six days fasting and one day of feasting every week from Feb 25 to April 12. I started fasting on Fat Tuesday and the first fast was a four day fast and i feasted on Sunday. It was a bit challenging but I powered through. I realized that the first three days were pretty good, and i began to feel weak on day 4, so i decided to aim for 72 hours and see how i feel. I fasted from Sunday night to Wednesday night and had a single large meal on Wednesday night. Then I fasted again till Saturday night, had a small meal and then ate freely on Sunday. So i now have a eating pattern: I eat a big meal on Wednesday nights and then eat in a 24 hour window Saturday night to Sunday afternoon. I’ve now done this for a total of 6 consecutive 72+ hour fasts counting the initial 4 day fast and am finding it quite easy and effective. I lost an initial 10 lbs (i suspect mostly water) during the first fast and am now losing about 5lbs per week. I started at 260 lbs on Feb 25 and am now at 235, my goal to be at 220 by Easter. I’m tracking my glucose and ketones sporadically as i have limited strips. I’ve been surprised how the day after I eat my ketones still remain high, 1.8 to 3. I even ate some very non keto items last Sunday, think chips and queso and jambalaya with rice, and my ketones on Monday morning were 1.8 and my glucose 4.1.

I’ll continue to post any other insights or observations. I’m committed to continuing this till Easter unless I feel poorly.

If anyone sees any downsides to this approach, I’m open to your wisdom or thoughts.

Thanks
Casey

(Todd Chester) #2

Hi Casey,

I presume that you are an Orthodox Christian (Christianity, only harder), as am I (well almost, I have never been formally received). We fast for our “spiritual health”, not our “physical health”, although it can be a good side benefit. It is a “recharge” to get us back on track so we can face the rest of the year. We do tend to slide back, well I do.

Here is a wonderful article from On Fasting by beloved St. John Chrysostom:
http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles4/ChrysostomFasting.php

Since this is all so very personal to the individual, what your have to a ask yourself is what you are doing recharging you spiritually? It sounds like you are just making yourself miserable. There is much more to the fast than food.

By the way, when you become ketogenic for a while, fasting no longer is torture. It is just a very slight annoyance. I do a total fast every Friday for the repair action on my body. (I am also a drug free T2 Diabetic). Sometimes I get a tiny bit hungry but it is easily ignored. And it does not help my spiritual health at all, especially since I have tons of energy doing it and get a ton of work done.

As beloved Saint John states:

Let the mouth fast from disgraceful and abusive words, because, what gain is there when, on the one hand we avoid eating chicken and fish and, on the other, we chew-up and consume our brothers? He who condemns and blasphemes is as if he has eaten brotherly meat, as if he has bitten into the flesh of his fellow man. It is because of this that Paul frightened us, saying: “If you chew up and consume one another be careful that you do not annihilate yourselves.”

I have a long way to go myself. I need to practice the true meaning of the fast. Basically, what recharges you spiritually is what you do.

Yours in Christ,
-T

(Casey Freeman) #3

T,

Thanks for your response… I am a Christian, but not Orthodox. There is a spiritual component to my fast, although if I’m honest Lent became the prompt for me to address an area versus the sole reason for taking it on.

I am not suffering in fact i’m continually amazed at how effortless this has been and continues to be.

I read an article recently that socially isolating will either leave you “fitter or fatter”. I’m happy to report that i will emerge fitter as I shed pounds and increase my exercise.

Thanks again for your response

Casey