No, I Haven't Forgotten About Health
No, I Haven't Forgotten About Health
And it's time for a midsummer's fast
I try to do at least two 5-day fasts a year, plus a 24- to 36-hour fast every Friday. Because I like you, I share some of my weird biohacks in hopes they might benefit you. My friend Jim recently informed me of his 90-hour fast, and that reminded me that I’m due.
Of all the biohacks I’ve adopted in the past seven years or so, the most beneficial by far is fasting, which is a fancy word for “not eating.” By not eating for a few days, some amazing things happen, both immediately and long-term.
Among the immediate benefits (24 to 36 hours):
Insulin levels decrease
Your body starts burning fat instead of sugar
You stop gaining weight
Your gut begins a mega-cleanse
Benefits in the mid-range (48 to 96 hours):
You begin to lose weight (water AND fat)
You no longer feel hungry—at all
Your senses improve—all of them—smell, vision, hearing, touch, and even the sixth sense (whatever that is)
Your body begins rapidly recycling weak, deranged, and old cells (autophagy), reducing risks of cancer, heart disease, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and all other inflammation-induced conditions
I should have mentioned, inflammation reduces
Old injuries heal (which may result in temporary pain where you’ve had broken bones, etc.)
Your body produces more stem cells and human growth hormone to replace the the recycled cells with new ones made from scratch instead of cell-division which replicates errors
Your mind clears up like you’ve never believed
If you suffer from anxiety or depression, chances are you suffer less
And, the long-term benefits that continue after the fast ends:
You continue to lose weight for about 7 to 10 days after ending a 5-day fast
Your insulin levels remain lower than before your fast
Your immune system is completely revitalized
Achey knees, hips, shoulders, elbows, backs, etc. hurt less if at all
More importantly, your relationship to food changes, possibly forever
But there’s also a spiritual dimension of fasting.
I realize Jesus said to worry more about what comes out of your mouth than what goes into it, but He wasn’t talking about physical or mental health—he was talking about blasphemy and Jewish dietary laws. Jesus did fast for 40 days in the desert. And He presumed we would fast, too, as I was reminded by this article on FaithGateway.com:
One of the most telling passages in which fasting is mentioned is Matthew 6:16, where Jesus is teaching His disciples basic principles of godly living. When speaking on fasting, He begins with, “When you fast,” not “If you fast.”
The same article contains 7 key events in the Bible associated with fasting:
1. To prepare for ministry. Jesus spent forty days and nights in the wilderness fasting and praying before He began God’s work on this earth. He needed time alone to prepare for what His Father had called Him to do (Matthew 4:1-17; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-14).
2. To seek God’s wisdom. Paul and Barnabas prayed and fasted for the elders of the churches before committing them to the Lord for His service (Acts 14:23).
3. To show grief. Nehemiah mourned, fasted, and prayed when he learned Jerusalem’s walls had been broken down, leaving the Israelites vulnerable and disgraced (Nehemiah 1:1-4).
4. To seek deliverance or protection. Ezra declared a corporate fast and prayed for a safe journey for the Israelites as they made the nine-hundred- mile trek to Jerusalem from Babylon (Ezra 8:21-23).
5. To repent. After Jonah pronounced judgment against the city of Nineveh, the king covered himself with sackcloth and sat in the dust. He then ordered the people to fast and pray. Jonah 3:10 says, “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He relented and did not bring on them the destruction He had threatened.”
6. To gain victory. After losing forty thousand men in battle in two days, the Israelites cried out to God for help. Judges 20:26 says all the people went up to Bethel and “sat weeping before the Lord.” They also “fasted that day until evening.” The next day the Lord gave them victory over the Benjamites.
7. To worship God. Luke 2 tells the story of an eighty-four-year-old prophetess named Anna. Verse 37 says, “She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.” Anna was devoted to God, and fasting was one expression of her love for Him.
In today’s world, though, the most compelling reason to fast is Mark 9:29. The Disciples ask Jesus was able to drive out a demon that they could not. Answering:
And he said to them: This kind can go out by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
America is ate up with demons, right now, as is the whole world. If we ever needed fasting, it’s today.
If you’ve never fasted before, I’d be happy to offer my suggestions. Just drop a note or question in the comments. But, in general, I’ll give you this project plan to work up to your first long fast.
Cut back on carbohydrates to less than 40 grams per day for one week. Maintain this carb limit throughout all steps (and for the rest of your life, for that matter.)
In week two, keep your carb-intake below 40 and skip one meal—breakfast—for one day. That means zero calories of any kind from dinner one evening until lunch the next. No cream in coffee. No bread. Nothing but water, black coffee, plain tea. You’ll make it, (That’s an 18-hour fast.)
Week three, skip breakfast and lunch on your fasting day. If you don’t already, begin taking Vitamin D, zinc, magnesium, salt, and potassium supplements on your fasting days. (That’s a 24-hour fast.)
Week four, skip dinner, too. (That’s a 36-hour fast.)
Weeks five through eight, continue with one 36-hour fast per week whilst keeping carb intake under 40 grams per day.
Week nine, begin a 5-day fast from Sunday evening until Friday evening. (That’s a 120-hour fast.)
Why jump from 36 hours to 120? Two reasons:
The hardest two days of a fast are days one and two,
but the real benefits kick in on days four and five.
If you do 3-day fasts, you’ll get maximum pain for limited gain. Trust me on this—you will not feel hungry on days three, four, or five. You just won’t, assuming your beginning body fast is greater than about 15 percent for men and 20 percent for women. Your body will have become proficient at burning your own fat—the food you’ve been storing and carrying around for years.
(If you want a second opinion, read this article by Brendon Fortuner.)
On days four and five, you’ll smell and see and sense things you’ve been missing for years. If you’re like me, you’ll find things around the house or in your car that you thought were long gone. Your hearing will be sharper. You’ll feel no stress or anxiety. You will meet crises with thoughtfulness instead of craving comfort foods. Your skin will improve. Your breath will improve, even if you don’t brush your teeth. (When you don’t eat, you starve the bacteria your mouth.)
Finally, when you complete your 5-day fast, you’ll feel more confident than you have in years. You’ll have accomplished something 99% of modern humans believe is impossible. You’ll know that, if everything goes to hell, you’ll be able thrive for a full week without any food at all. While others lie on the ground moaning and demanding government assistance, you’ll be sharp as a tack and ready to roll.
I also suggest combining each fast with intense prayer. Pray for graces to become stronger in faith, holier and actions, pure in purpose, and more open to the wisdom of the Holy Ghost. These prayers will be answered, especially on days four and five of a prolonged fast.
(For an alternative fasting method with proven health benefits, read this article in Science.)
If you have any medical condition (like Type I diabetes, heart murmurs, etc.) that could be exacerbated by fasting, consult a fast-friendly doctor (not just a typical doctor) before starting. Except for Type I diabetes, fast-friendly doctors can guide you through a safe prolonged fast, but you will need specific, weight-dependent doses of supplements to fast safely.
Mal appétit!
(For my complete archives on fasting for spiritual and bodily health, click here.)
One last perspective. Someone pointed me to this Quora response to the question, “What happens when you go 12 hours without eating?” Read the response.