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What is the longest you went without food and why? Was it out of your control or intentional? Have you ever tried intermittent fasting? How about an extended intentional fast? Why would someone keep themselves from food? Have you or anyone else around you thought you had an eating disorder? I love to hear from you all.
Less than 24 hours18.9%
48 hours27.0%
3 days16.2%
More than 3 days24.3%
I practice intermittent fasting13.5%
37 votes \ poll ended
I don't think I ever went longer than three days with no foods. In high school and college, I enjoyed doing fasts for two or three days with friends, or maybe a week of only eating some particular thing (Total cereal comes to mind as a particularly unpleasant one).
Intermittent daily fasting has been a normal part of my life for a few years now. I don't even think about it anymore. I stop eating by 7:00pm most days (often much earlier) and I don't eat anything until at least 9:00am (often much later). It's a great health choice for a bunch of reasons and it just about abolished food cravings for me.
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I agree about the intermittent fasting. I think everyone can benefit from shortening their intake window. When you were in college, what was the intentions for the fasting?
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I'm sure it was partly motivated by reading something about health benefits, but it was mostly just a challenge.
The Total cereal one was sort of a test of whether Total really had all the nutrients a person needed, as they advertised.
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What was your finding with total cereal?
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That eating nothing but Total is not an existence fit for human beings.
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That's what I would have guessed. They lied!! No way.
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I'm curious. Diarrhea?
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Not that I recall. I don’t think much was coming out after a couple days in any form.
It’s been a while and I mostly just remember feeling pretty bad the last couple of days.
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162 sats \ 8 replies \ @k00b 28 Sep
21 days. I wanted to lose weight and I done a bunch of internet research on fasting, and after intermittent fasting I started experimenting with longer and longer fasts - 2, 3, 5, 7, 10 days. All together I probably lost 30 lbs.
When I was in high school I would "fast" for up to 5 days some weeks. It wasn't known to be a health thing at that time. I just thought I was anorexic.
In general, it carries some emotional/performance/health tradeoffs that are worth experiencing every so often imo.
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Wow. That is a long time. Did you just water? Any minerals like salt? My first fasts were about losing weight. Now when I do it, it's more about my spiritual health. I think it is a great practice. When you were young, did people project the idea of anorexia on you? Or where did that belief come from?
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21 sats \ 2 replies \ @k00b 28 Sep
Just water and cold brew. I think I tried a mixed salt water a day or two but it never seemed worth the hassle.
When you were young, did people project the idea of anorexia on you? Or where did that belief come from?
My mom would call me anorexic when I wasn't eating, but I was never super duper skinny or anything. I put on mass really easily.
Now when I do it, it's more about my spiritual health.
When I was doing my 21 day fast my uncle-in-law who is a great burner kind of dude said "ohhhh cooool, it's like you're living off your soul."
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My mom did that too. And my kids mom is putting that on my son right now. He isn't even fasting. He is 15, and he is wanting to be healthier so he is cutting out crappy foods. I think it's natural for mother's to want their kids to be overfed. Your uncle in law sounds cool.
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21 sats \ 0 replies \ @k00b 28 Sep
He is. Aspiration-ally chill dude.
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31 sats \ 0 replies \ @OT 28 Sep
That's a long time! Glad you made it out
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It's what I can also prove because am a moslem
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11 sats \ 1 reply \ @k00b 29 Sep
Somehow I forgot to mention that until about 6 weeks ago I had been only eating MWFS and water fasting the other 3 days. I did that consistently for 4 months or so. I shed a bit of weight but I'm too sleep/sun deprived/stressed/sedentary to not gorge on junk for my eating days.
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I did something similar and had the same thing happen. When I did eat, I went hard. Man, you have really tried it all.
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Two weeks
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That's a long time. Was it something you did intentionally? What were the circumstances?
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I was at university and had just read about fasting (back then, there was no Youtube, and new and reliable knowledge was acquired mostly by reading books)
I was so enthusiastic that I decided to give it a try. My flat mate joined, which made it easier.
I will never forget that feeling, after the first three days, when you loose the hunger sensation, the world looks completely different.
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I love that. I find that is gets much easier after the first couple days. I have never gone longer than 5 days though. I quite mostly because of the mental struggles. I might be ready to go longer.
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You have to listen to your body. Everybody is different.
I'm now experimenting with dry fasting, that is no food and... no water. I recently did five days. I started with two, then three, then four. Maybe next time I'll do a week... we'll see
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I did 3 days dry before. That was brutal. 5 days is so long. You have a strong will.
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21 sats \ 1 reply \ @398ja 28 Sep
Not at all, it gets easier the next time
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That's a great reminder. I do think that is true. My first water fast was the hardest for sure. I only did one dry fast.
Dry fasting felt incredibly powerful to me though. It was a spiritual experience.
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21 sats \ 7 replies \ @398ja 28 Sep
I usually have the most vivid dreams when dry fasting. Very intense!!
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I love vivid dreaming. All this talk is making want to start a fast.
I remember going hungry 😞 due to the critical situation in my country Venezuela, I was still in high school and my parents only received the government pension, which was a pittance compared to the hyperinflationary process in which my country was immersed.
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That sounds rough. I have never gone hungry as a result of an outside force. I think the us is on the verge of a hyperinflation event.
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I was working in a rural area. I had not been paid my monthly salary. There was nothing in the refrigerator. I lived alone. I spent 1 week eating HONEY
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Wow. What was that like. Did you feel hungry? I can't imagine only eating honey. I've never been in a situation like that.
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21 sats \ 1 reply \ @BTCLNAT 28 Sep
Actually, after going through that, I think about how it was possible. But at that moment I only thought about the potential benefits of honey. But that wasn't just any honey, it was unprocessed, straight from the hive. Since the area where I was was a grapefruit area, the honey tasted citrusy. I focused on that and it happened.
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Maybe it was healing for you. I have heard good things about quality honey being really good for us.
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I had the Norwalk virus in my early twenties. I was violently ill for about 36 hours. Spent Christmas day in the hospital. I didn't eat for 3 days even when I was feeling a bit better because I was paranoid about throwing up again. I did have water and an IV in the hospital though.
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What is Norwalk virus?
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Terrible stomach flu. Sometimes it spreads around in the winter, especially in enclosed spaces. It was particularly bad that winter and pretty much everyone I worked with got it. I just happened to be the lucky one who got it on Christmas eve after we had a big pot luck lunch. Haha
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21 sats \ 3 replies \ @OT 28 Sep
I tried a 48 hour fast before going on a big trip in my 20's. I just wanted to be prepared I think.
At the moment practicing intermittent fasting (just a week so far). Too soon to see any results. The time is not really ideal feeding between 10am - 6pm. I think it would be a strain on the family if I were to skip dinner with something like 6am - 2pm.
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Going on a trip, or a a trip???
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21 sats \ 1 reply \ @OT 28 Sep
Haha.
The "travel the world" kind
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Interesting. I never thought of it for preparation for that. It is great for the other type of trips too.
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I do an 18:6 protocol currently used to do a 16:8
Often do 24 hour resets on a Sunday night to Monday night.
I find I’ll get an urge that I need a 24 or longer every now and then if I have not been eating the best or over indulge in the 🍻 or something or after a holiday
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That sounds like a good regimen. I am glad that so many people are starting to consider some sort of fasting with their food intake considerations.
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Forgot that some of the reasons I do an office job so I found if to help me keep in shape I find the focus you have while fasted to be so good Longevity benefits im interested in if that is actually a thing which I feel it should as your not over working the body all the time
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The older I get the more I focus on things like fasting, breath work, and flexibility. I'm a big fan of yoga. I think these practices are better for longevity over lifting weights and the like.
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I agree but a little strength work will be essential as you age along side the above you should be alright
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I live in the desert off-grid soi get all kinds of great strength by just living here. I am constantly moving big rocks, digging, climbing, etc. I love it. I feel stronger than I have my whole life.
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Nice you will be sweet. And you would get well grounded as well bit of barefoot
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Oh yeah. My feet are my shoes. I think grounding is underrated. I realize my lifestyle is strange. But now that I am here, I could never go back.
Oh man, l had my wisdom teeth removed, and l didnt eat solid food for days. I lost a lot of weight, but gained it back shortly afterwards.
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Is that typical? When I had mine out, I don't remember not eating for that long.
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I had four taken out at the same time. It took about a week or two to start eating.
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Ouch. Having mine out was super traumatizing. I didn't get put to sleep. And I was having a reaction to the numbing shots. So they mostly relied on laughing gas. It was excruciating.
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I also didnt take any medicine after. They gave me vicodin and a high dose of ibuprofen.
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Beer or fresh juice counts as a food?
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Only beer, some might call a binge. But it could be a beer only fast. 🤷‍♂️
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Beer is often called "a liquid bread". :)
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You get your bread and a buzz.
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I think it does. But it depends on how you look at it. I have heard of juice fasts where you only have fresh juice. Still a fast.
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Four day fast. Only water with some salts added to replenish electrolytes. I did two three-day fasts a long time ago and it a rough time starting day two. The electrolytes made all the difference.
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It helps a ton. It's amazing how much energy we can get from salt. I had a similar experience when I started fasting. Now I tend to drink some salt water. What was the intentions with your fasts?
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There's a ton of research on the health benefits of long-term fasting. I do have to say I felt great afterward.
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I'm sure there has. For me, the research I pay the most attention to is my own.
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It wasn't my choice for the longest I've ever gone which was around three weeks. I had to have an IV which is still technically a fast I guess. I undergo a 24 hour fast at least once every year as a kind of biological reset.
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Wow. That's a long time. Will you share more about the circumstances?
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I had an illnesses that made eating impossible without instant expulsion from one orifice or another. They never figured out what caused it, really. It caused my senses to ramp up into some kind of surreal level of acuity.
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Wow. I have never heard of anything like that. Did it shift your perspective in a big way. That's a big deal. And afterwards you were normal?
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When all was said and done it did. It culminated in a kind of NDE and changed the entire trajectory of my life. Stuff that was important before just wasn't anymore afterwards. Philosophical questions became the focal point.
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So it seems like a blessing in the big picture maybe. NDE are powerful. There must have been some higher reason for it.
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Oh, without a doubt there was. It took me a long time to understand it, though. It made me "out of step" with the rest of the world, and that turned out to be a good thing.
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Have you shared about this story at length on SN before? Sounds like a great story that could inspire others.
I am glad to hear that so many of you have tried extended fasting. I think it's incredibly beneficial for health of the mind, body, and spirit.
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110 sats \ 1 reply \ @OgFOMK 29 Sep
I've gone for 6 or 7 days. I was in a place where the food was no good. I figured it would be healthier to not eat than to eat food prepared by spiritually unfit people. I was not preparing the meals and I knew that my situation was temporary.
I practiced walking meditation, sitting meditation and cat naps.
Now I'm living where I don't eat unless I offer the food to Krishna and Krishna only accepts certain foods. When I travel I'm more liberal about diet but I still mentally have to offer the food first.
Diet is meaningless without sacrifice. Even though God can get what he wants and doesn't need anything the sacrifice of food for the purpose of giving the best to God and foregoing sense gratification for spiritual gratification is good.
In Vaishnava or Vedic practice there are fasting days and cycles where grains are not eaten. For me this is not practiced as I'm learning how to prepare food offering and deepening my basic practice. Eventually I will choose to follow these ancient practices but at the same time the most important aspect is that I sacrifice and offer my work (actions) and food.
I've read all the comments so far and it's a fascinating subject. The tongue is the first thing in the Age of Quarrel (Kali Yuga) that should be addressed. Eating, speaking and verbal expression is the root of much misalignment. Every day I chant Hare Krishna Maha Mantra 108*16 (1728 times) specifically and I do chant more anyway when my mind goes into a pattern of habit.
This chanting is essential as the mouth is consuming garbage, singing nonsense, lying, gossiping and craving. I noticed in my Theravada practice that my mind was so full of programming that I was constantly trying to silence it. Now in Bhakti (Devotional) Yoga I chant about 2 hours the Maha Mantra and when I finish there are hours of silence! I can top off my mental bliss by prayer or a little more chanting as needed.
Combining offering food, chanting and Vedic study of Swami Prabhupada's books is a real blessing and joy. I see things about God everywhere, including your post here.
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Thank you for this great share. I really enjoy learning about other cultures and how they interact with what they consume. What a beautiful practice you have. I agree on the importance of what we consume and take in and out of the mouth. Thanks again. This is inspiring to hear.
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4 day water only fast the week of Easter. Religious and health reasons. Watched Limitless by Chris Hemsworth
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I've never seen it. Did he fast in it?
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Yup 4 days, just water
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I have done quite a few 24 hours. Longest was 36. The first 24 was brutal, after that it really isn’t that bad. I just chew gum and drink extra water during the hunger spikes.
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Yeah. The beginning is the hardest for me also.
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