How to Fast

Start slowly. It’s best to start short and listen to how you feel before entering the 24-hour fast for the first time in your life. Try fasting for about 8 hours on weekends, when you don’t have much to do. Skip breakfast and lunch (or just drink gravy at lunch), and drink plenty of water throughout the day. End the evening with a light and healthy meal.

• During the fast, you should pay attention to how you feel every hour. Does fasting make you weak or tired, or do you prefer the feeling of relief when your body doesn’t digest food?
• Most people have to work during the day, but you can consider taking a nap at any time. A short nap will bring many health benefits and boost metabolism.
• Consider how you feel the next day, as the benefits of the fast will only be seen after it is completed. Do you feel an increase in energy? Are you feeling well and ready to try fasting again, or does the thought of fasting terrify you? This short fast will help you decide whether to make fasting a regular part of your life or not to do it again.

Be determined. You will feel hungry and thirsty at first, but the effects of fasting will quickly affect your body and mood. You may be irritable, angry, or sad for the first few days as your body is flushing out toxins and dealing with cravings. When dealing with the inevitable physical and mental discomfort from fasting, remind yourself of the reason you wanted to fast in the first place, and focus on completing the task.

• If fasting is for spiritual purposes, direct your thoughts to the supernatural powers or to the teachings that persuaded you to fast. Try reading scriptures that inspire fasting, or read about other people’s fasting cases. You can also find strength by talking to people who are fasting for the same purpose.
• If you’re fasting for health purposes, imagine the accumulated toxins in your body being cleansed. By fasting, you are giving your body a chance to purge itself before you start eating again. Learn about the medical benefits of fasting to get through the process.

Distract yourself. Fasting can lead to the fantasy of a sumptuous banquet table with silver plates crammed with foods you can’t eat. Those illusions only increase cravings, so find ways to direct your mind to something else instead of ice cream and sandwiches.

• Doing something with a friend or loved one that doesn’t involve eating is an effective distraction, as long as the person knows that he shouldn’t ask you out for dinner afterward.
• Usually, exercise is a great way to take your mind off eating, but in this case it will leave you hungrier. You should go for a light walk or plan an outing that doesn’t require burning too many calories.
• Don’t watch too much TV, as commercials may tempt you with pictures of food and scenes of people eating. Instead, try reading a book or making a craft.
• Sleep as much as possible. Sleep time also counts towards fasting, so if you’re on a multi-day fast, getting plenty of sleep can help you overcome hunger pangs.

Monitor progress. If you’ve been fasting for several hours, tracking your fasting progress will keep you on track. Record how you feel during each fasting phase. You can look back and see where you’ve come, and this will keep you motivated to keep going.

• Paying attention to the rules can help you figure out how to make fasting easier. For example, if you feel intensely hungry after going for a walk, you should try not to burn a lot of calories through exercise.
• Write down how you feel if you feel irritable or angry. Journaling is a great way to let go of negative emotions and help you avoid them until you complete your fasting program.
• You should also be open to positive emotions. Some people report feeling refreshed after a few days of fasting with fruit juices, when the toxins are out of the body. Record the day when you began to move from feeling negative to positive, and your body began to feel the healing effects of fasting.

Stop if you feel tired. If you feel weak, dizzy, lightheaded, or nauseous during your fast, drink water and eat something right away. Continuing to fast can weaken your health. See your doctor to determine what went wrong before trying again.

• Don’t force yourself to fast when extreme emotions of anger or cravings make you feel sick. Instead of fasting, you may need to abstain from foods that affect your emotions.
• If you just don’t like the feeling of fasting, there’s no reason why you can’t stop. You can always try again, so don’t be too hard on yourself if your first fast doesn’t work out.

Start by drinking water. Drink plenty of water before you stop fasting to make sure your body is hydrated and ready to eat again. Even if you’re on a liquid fasting diet, the first thing you should do on the day you’re about to stop fasting is drink a glass or two of water.

Snack. Don’t end your fast with a big meal, because your body is used to taking in very little food. Your stomach is shrinking, so you may not be able to eat much at first. Eat a snack of healthy vegetables and protein to help your body get used to digesting food.

• Avoid foods that are hard to digest like legumes. These foods should be kept for a few days after completing the fast.
• Do not drink alcohol on the day of the end of the fast, because then the alcohol tolerance threshold will be very low and can have the opposite effect on the body.
• Some types of fasting, especially religious fasts, require you to end your fast with certain foods. You should find out in advance how to stop fasting.

Prepare for upset stomach. When you start eating solid foods again, your body may produce gas or diarrhea until it gets used to digesting the food again. Don’t worry too much if you find your stomach upset a few hours after eating again.