Lent 2019 Fast

(Nathanael Schulte) #1

Hey all, wondering if anyone else here is interested in joining me in extended fasting for Lent. I tried this a couple years ago and failed due to the amount of external stress going on at the time. The situation is different now so my goal is to fast as much of the time as I can. I’m going to need some support though. Any else in?

(ANNE ) #2

Not sure I could last 6 1/2 weeks. But I know I could do with heading back to OMAD.
What kind of fast are you thinking of?

(Bob M) #3

And how long? 40 days?

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #4

Traditionally, the Sundays don’t count, because they are feasts of our Lord. Without the Sundays, from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday is forty days.

I came across an old source once that said it is actually forbidden to fast during the fifty days of Eastertide. Just thought you’d like to know! :grin:

(Bob M) #5

That’s one rule I’ll be breaking then. Did two 36 fasts last week. Plan to continue that for a while.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #6

Sounds kind of like starvation to me. That’s a lot of no eating at all. Are there people that do this every year?

(Nathanael Schulte) #7

Not every year, but honestly, couldn’t you say that about any extended fast?

(Full Metal KETO AF) #8

Ramanan seems like a more reasonable approach to yearly fasting.

I mean because Jesus survived a 40 day fast doesn’t mean that it was healthy and good for him or anyone for that matter.

I don’t mean any disrespect towards your religious belief or goals to strengthen your faith.

(Bob M) #9

The official Roman Catholic doctrine has really wimped out on fasting. Fasting is now like reduced eating.

(Nathanael Schulte) #10

No disrespect taken and I appreciate the concern. But I’m wondering how much you’ve read up on Dr. Fung’s work and / or the longest recorded fast, which was over one year. I’ll point out that the amount of body fat in play is a huge factor - in my case we’re talking a good 70-80lbs extra - and so is your electrolyte intake. This is not something I plan to do every year by any stretch and not something I plan on doing alone.
Last, I’ll clarify that I mean a water and salt fast, not a dry fast as they do during Ramadan. I will not push on through bad symptoms, ie nausea, dizziness, etc that doesn’t go away in a few hours. I will also take care to refeed slowly.

(Nathanael Schulte) #11

I really like this idea and I might do this version instead. I’m wondering if I could get my wife to join me if I did it this way.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #12

The number forty has mystical significance. Who knows how long it really was?

But if the tradition is to be trusted at this late date, it would have been a water fast, not a dry fast. Desert hermits in the Christian tradition regularly fasted and still do fast that long, but you don’t do it on a whim or to show off, you do it only in consultation with your spiritual director, and you need to be a veteran at fasting and build up to fasting that long. Fasting for spiritual or religious reasons is a wholly different animal from fasting for health. I only mention it to show that it is feasible to fast for that long, under the proper circumstances.

Oh, this predates the Roman Catholic Church, as a separate entity. It’s part of the common heritage of Western Christianity, Protestant as well as Cathollic. Any Protestant body that has retained any conception of fasting still approaches it with the same rules.

Be aware that the Ramadan fast counts as intermittent fasting, as the term is used on these forums, so the fact that it is dry makes it less of a concern.

(Catherine) #13

Hi There, I came across this thread because I was looking to do an extended fast for Lent. So you can count me in! I’m going to do it as long as I feel well. I’m new to this forum but not to water fasting. I use Dr. Fungs books and articles as my fasting guide.
I was looking into the snake juice water recipe as a way to get my electrolytes in. Has anyone else ever tried that on an extended fast? The only ingredient I’d take out is the Magnesium as I supplement that using Transdermal Magnesium Oil from AncientMinerals.

(less is more, more or less) #14

Lent is quickly coming. It was this thread, and a recent @AllanMisner Fitness podcast on something called “sober curious” caught my ear and conscience.

Every Lent I abstain from coffee (except Sundays) This year, I’ll be abstaining from alcohol, i.e., Whiskey, Rye, Bourbon, this Lent as well.

(I am a Dog (Dog's eat until they burst!)) #15

It has been a year since I’ve posted in the Fasting forums here and it feels good to be back! I am also glad to hear people are wanting to fast for Lent as is a good spiritual practice no matter your religion.

I did a 46-day fast in 2017 and you can fine it here. I posted every day with tables and graphs talking about why I did it, how I felt, things that bothered me, social events, and a myriad of other things. This year I have decided to fast on Monday-Wednesday-Friday for all of Lent so today is my fourth fasting day of Lent.

I currently follow the carnivore, or zero-carb, way of eating so the abstinence from meat on Friday is not an issue. Fasting; in my case with water, black coffee, and a bit of heavy cream; is something that is easy to do. My fasts have varied between 36 and 40 hours depending on whether or not I eat in the evening.

I love breakfast so I do have eggs and bacon on feasting days although I don’t feel hungry (haven’t been Hangry in 4-years).

For those who want to do long-term fasting, like the 46 days in Lent (including Sundays), I encourage you to take the journey. Just remember the advice my doctor gave me on the first day of the fast: “If you don’t feel good just eat!”

(Chris Hale) #16

My journey of IF & Keto began with fasting for Lent 2018, but only on Sundays. Nothing to eat from Friday evening to Monday morning except communion (ceremonial wine and bread) on Sunday. At the end of lent (6 Sundays) I was astounded my flabby belly had disappeared and my pants would not even stay on without putting an extra hole in my belt. I was not heavy and don’t weigh myself so not sure how how much weight I actually lost.
I am a curious person so I decided to find out why such a dramatic change in my waist line occurred by not eating for 36 hours once a week for 6 weeks. This led to Dr. Fung and 2KD podcasts, which not only explained it but also totally changed my thinking about the types of food I was eating and when.
For Lent 2019, I am keeping an eye on my body fat and will cut down to Sunday only for 24 hours if it looks like I’m losing too much.

(Windmill Tilter) #17

One way to look at it is that bodyfat is easy to replace with a few big meals, but an annual tradition of 6 days of autophagy may literally be the difference between cancer, or alzheimers, or any of a myriad other things. Or not. One can’t know of course.

For me, fasting annually is something so valuable to me that it’s literally beyond price. You saw the power of the fat loss visibly, but what you didn’t see is that 20% of the weight you lost was protein, and your body chose the weakest and most problematic cells first!

Just my random two cents. It’s definitely a very personal decision. Good luck with the lent fasts, whatever their duration!

(Michael Mc Cain) #18

I fast for Lent every year. 6 days of coffee and water and mini meal(s) on Sunday. I’m here for you if you need the support.