Fast

One thing that I have come to appreciate more and more is the value of fasting. I know it’s looked upon – ironically – as almost sacrilegious in our factory-fed couch-potato culture. “It’s bad for you!” “You’ll ruin your body!” “You’ll stunt your growth!” “It’s too hard!” “Are you crazy, or just plain weird?” It’s verboten to speak of it nowadays in our consume consume consume (and die) society. When is the last time you ever heard the word “fasting” on the tube? Have you ever seen a character on a teevee show or movie fasting? No? Probably the only thing you’ve seen are images of skeletal and emaciated political prisoners or protesters fasting for a cause, and even that’s no longer en vogue.

But that type of fasting is not what I’m talking about.

Want to hear a secret? A secret you’ve never heard from the pulpit? If you are a Christian, you are called to fast. Jesus said, “… when you fast …” in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:16-18). Not, “if you fast,” but “when you fast,” as if He expects it of us. Indeed, some spiritual problems can only be overcome through prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29). The desert fathers of the early Church had a tremendous tradition of fasting as an aid to spiritual growth and the overcoming of sin. And not just Christians fast; Buddhists and Hindus also have fasting as an integral part of their spirituality.

Fasting has some practical benefits, too, from both a physical and mental standpoint. First, it gives your body a rest. Specifically, the digestive tract, which requires so much energy to perform its duties. It also gives the body a chance to detoxify, to clean out all the stored impurities that it normally doesn’t have time to turn it’s attention to. Mentally, it gives the faster a sense of mastery, a sense of accomplishing something that 99.99 percent of mankind regards as near impossible. It shows you that you are stronger than you think. That you do indeed have that fleeting thing called willpower. It demonstrates to you the power that food has over you, and, subsequently, the power you have over food.

I have fasted about a dozen times in my life, usually for just twenty-four hours. The last time I fasted was in November, a week or two before Thanksgiving, and that was for thirty-six hours. I don’t recommend anything longer. Remember, I ain’t a doctor, just some dude who’s read a whole bunch of books on stuff like this and has applied it to varying degrees in my life. And, of course, I drink plenty of water during my fast – probably two or three times as much as I would normally drink if I was eating. Water helps curb the appetite and flush out the toxins from your system.

Anyway, as long as you’re healthy and it isn’t a risk to you, may I suggest a short fast? Personally, I started off a dozen or so years ago with a twelve-hour fast. A healthy breakfast at seven a.m., and nothing until a healthy dinner at seven p.m. That’s really not a big deal, with the exception of the first time that you do it. Then I did about ten twenty-four hour fasts over the years. My first attempt was a seven p.m. to seven p.m. fast, because I have this psychological thing about going to bed hungry, due to wearing a retainer for years as a pre-teen. But that, too, was easy, so I graduated to seven a.m. to seven a.m. fasting. And three months ago I did a thirty-six hour fast, beginning around seven p.m., and ending at seven a.m. a day-and-a-half later.

If I had the strength, I’d fast every Friday. But that’s a little much. So I’d be happy with a fast every month or two.

The trick is, though, to get the most benefits from a fast, is that you can’t tell anyone you’re fasting. Again, reference the Sermon on the Mount.

So, if I really, truly wanted to jump start my life, get out of this eleven-month rut I’ve been stuck in, I would:


- work on the quality and quantity of sleep I’m getting

- start stretching twice daily and alternate cardio with weight training six days a week

- eat as close to vegan without being a vegan

- and fast once a month


Now why didn’t I think of all this and put it into action a year ago? That’s the subject of the best post of all.