Water Fasting Can Be Scary
Many have had a bad first introduction to water fasting. A few hours without food can cause headaches and discomfort. The tongue turns yellow, breath becomes foul, weakness and dizziness set in, confirming what you already suspected fasting is undesirable, even dangerous! In talking to people about fasting, I have discovered that most people have tried to fast, at least for a day. The consequences are usually described as “bad.” Headaches, bad breath, dizziness, and feeling weak do not make you feel that your body is healing but instead, being damaged. And that is scary to most people.
Some are so afraid of such negative initial reactions that they fear missing even one meal, not realizing that this reaction is the body stating its need to fast. A need to detoxify years of bad eating which will result in clearer skin, vibrant energy and weight-loss, to mention only a few.
Truth is, the North American diet never allows the body to cleanse itself. The negative experience in the beginning stages of a fast is a lifetime of built-up toxins dramatically detoxifying in a short period of time. Our unhealthy lifestyle does not lend itself to easy fasting.
Historically, man lived on a sparse diet, free from pesticides, food additives, drugs and toxins. Today, we consume more toxic substances than all generations before us. Toxic levels of built-up. The toxic level of lead in our bones can be 200 times greater compared to those excavated from 2,000 years ago. Through air toxins, water toxins, food toxins, mother’s milk, there is toxin absorption of thousands by toxic chemicals that saturate the environment increasing the toxin level in our cell tissues. During fasting, these toxins are released into the bloodstream making water fasting almost impossible for the first-time faster. Graciously, there is a way to fast, in spite of the abuse to the body. Juice fasting can be used as a launching pad for deeper, water fasting. and even
Instead of being afraid to fast, you should be excited for all the wonderful benefits you are about to experience. The secret that unlocks the benefits of fasting is to juice fasting to easy into detoxification slowly and comfortably. After 5 days on juice you can start water fasting without the risk of a cleansing crisis caused by the rapid detoxification of years of toxic buildup.
By Tom Coghill of Fasting.ws Articles may be copied or reproduced as long as the back links to fasting.ws are intact and the author’s name is included.
Cindy Pa-ac 
Amy Seery 
Totes Boots 
Grace Fawoye 
Clay Lapre 
I would love a fasting buddy because I’ll be documenting my own experiences on my website. I was wondering if fasting causes emotional issues to come up as well as anxiety from the release of toxins. Any experiences?
“During fasting, these toxins are released into the bloodstream making water fasting almost impossible for the first-time faster.”
Hey Tom,
I took this quote straight from your article and was just curious about why it is almost impossible for a first time faster to do a water fast? Is it too harsh to have all these chemicals in our bloodstream? And what are the effects ? I am a first time faster and was going to consider doing just water up until now haha.
Thankyou!
Hi Gillian,
Imagine all the toxins from your food, air and water and now your cells can dump them. So it does as fast as it can and the result is a long list of painful events with vomiting for hours being the most common. You can do it if you diet is healthy or have a slow metabolism but for most people it will be a trip to fasting hell.
Yes, I agree fasting is scary but I really would like to try this as I believe my body is telling me to – I have been sick for 2 weeks with a cold and to finish I had (for the first time in my life) stomach pains and foul smelling poos. This is probably my warning sign. But I am scared that I may not be able to complete the 30 days or that I may damage my usually good digestive system. Any advice would be appreciated.
Hi Fieldlily
Fasting does not have to be scary if done correctly.
With support and goot advice then there is no need for fear.
First I need to know your age, hight, and waight, do you have any health problems?
Let me know, and let me know if you would like to water fast or juice/veg fast before i can guide and support you.
you dont have to fast for 30 days.
With good advice then you can take your digestive system back to normality, step by step.
We are all here to support and give safe advise on fasting.
Have a look at fasting progress reports on this site.
Blessings Keith.
Well, it is not yet blown, but I’m afraid I’m close to it and I am only just past 48 hours on a water fast.
I experienced very close to a sense of Euphoria for the whole of day one and the first half of day two. I have a bit of a break and I am alone at home. I decided to try my first fast for 72 hours with the purpose of evaluating the experience and with the option of extending it indefinitely after that.
Last night (second night in) I slept for 3 hours and I was amazed that I did not really feel I needed more. Today I spent time doing some housework (standing behind an ironing board all morning – could that be why my legs are aching so terribly now?)… and then just after 14:00 I decided to go to a supermarket to buy more hangers. And on the way I felt extremely dizzy. In the shop I felt more dizzy and wondered if I could faint. The thought of that caused me to feel panicky (I could feel the effect of a bit of adrenaline, hart racing). I went home as fast as I can, but all of a sudden I’ve lost my positive mind space. I keep wondering what will happen if I faint and nobody is home (wife and daughter away for a week), or if I cannot get up because perhaps I am too weak. So the hunger pangs (not overly severe) are all of a sudden unpleasant. Earlier I felt very positive about it because it was a symbol of my control and will power.
One option that I am considering is to make some carrot juice. If I need to do that I prefer to do it in the morning, but in my paranoia I’ve put the juicer out so that I can make some during the night if I wake up feeling panicky again.
I really want to make 72 hours (at least). That is what I set out to do. But my mind is busy playing havoc with me right now.
Age: 35
Male
Weight: 113 kg’s
height – mnn, need to check – about 1.85 to 1.95 metres.
Health issues – none that I’m aware of – other than being overweight.
Hey Weiersc
Forget 72 hours, you can do 10 days.
Fear will be there but focus, if you feel faint get down on one knee, also get up slowly.
The first 3 days are the hardest. I can assure you it will get better. I will be here to get you through this.
One of my fasts was for 30 days.
Dont do to mutch for the first 3 days, and dont count the hours, count the days.
I am on day 2 of a 40 day water fast.
My starting waight is 13.8 stone, hight 5ft 9.
Focus and be strong, this will change your life.
Have a look at my site at fellow fasters on video click on http://keith101.wordpress.com
This should ease your mind.
Blessings Keith.
I’m happy to report that I made it through the night. And I have some fresh courage for the day. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep the courage up if things go a bit bumpy today. I have a few days leave and I’m trying to use them to the best of my ability to establish some good habits for the year to come.
Hey Weiersc
Congratz on making it another day. Day 3 the body goes into cetosis, which means your body will start to use up fat cells for energy, this is the beginning of real weight loss.
Stay strong.
Here is my first 10 day water fast diary…
Tue 21st “July 2008.
Day 1…I arose early this morning, knowing that today was the start of my water fast, i had mentally prepaired myself 2 days prior.
I read up on the benifits of water fasting ie…”Mind, Body, and Spiritually.”
Cleansing the body of “Toxins.
There is also the added factor of rapid waight loss.
Through out this first day, i have been constantly plagued by a rumbling stomach, and hunger cravings,food is allways on my mind
It is now 1.30am, i have battled the cravings and time to end my first fast day.
Day 2…i have awoken with a bit of a soar head, and the cravings for food are worse now, but i am drinking pleanty of water.
i walked 2 miles today, not sure if that was a good idea.
4pm i fell asleep for a coupple of hours, when i awoke i was so hungry.”I managed to stave off the hunger by reading a book.
My water intake is around 3 liters a day.
I stayed up until 2am, went to bed still with food cravings.
Day 3…I couldnt sleep last night, even though i was really tired.
I got up at 9.30am,I felt as though i had been hit by a bus,i feel really drained today, the hunger is subsiding, but i am a bit shaky.
later in the day i walked about 4 miles. I really dont how i maneged that !
I think that i am starting to find hidden abilities through weakness, i think that when you are at your weakest thats when you start to become stronger, maby thats why i started this fast….amongst other things, iv noticed that i am starting to feel a bit more peacefull.
Went to bed late, not really that hungry.
Day 4…I awoke at 7am, still having sleeping problems, when i did sleep i was dreaming about food.
I am starting to notice some improvement on my skin, i have noticed i feel a bit bloated,
I looked up the net about being bloated, so i have decided to take a salt water flush, 4 teaspoons of salt to 1 ltr water and drink all at once,
Its 8pm i have taken the salt enema….YUK…”This has to be the most revolting thing iv taken in my life,
“Later on the “Hevens opened up !
It has taken 1hour 40mins to work through my system, and is not nice.
Went to bed at 12.
Day 5…I have had a great sleep last night, this morning i feel energized, with feelings of being more a peace within myself,i feel as though i have a bounce in my step today, but i have niticed that my kidneys are soar today, but nothing really painfull.
Tonight i will be trying something new, “Meditating a 1st for me.
Its now 11 pm, i have “Meditated and found it to be very relaxing. I feel my “Mind body and, “Spirit are moving back into balance, its a really strange feeling, over the last 5 days i have been trying to heal myself from the inside out, and it is trully working, over the years, i have tryed to heal myself from the outside in, this was to no avail,
This is an amazing learning, and healing experience for me.
Its 1am now and time to finish another day.
Day 6…This morning i feel really refreshed and started praying to “God for guidance in my life, i feel so peacefull, almost to the extent of being closer to “God, this is the first time i have felt this, in a very long time.
This is similar feelings to when i was baptised, in the sea 4 years previously. I broke down crying, before i was baptised, but had the same “Spiritual peace within.
11pm, my reflection over today, my life is really changing, my water intake, is about 3-4 liters.
Time to end another day.
Day 7…This morning i feel fine, energy levels seem to be dropping a little bit, but nothing i cannot handle.This is an amazing experiance for me.
11pm i have been reading my bible today quite a lot and reflecting on my past, i am definitally getting deeper into myself and my veiws on lots of things.
End of day 7.
Day 8…This morning i awoke with a feeling of well being, food is the furthast from my thoughts, i have been starting to get cold hands,so iv made an appointement to see the doctor to have a check up,
3 pm back from the doctors, and given the all clear so thats good.
9pm my last log for tonight; iv been feeling cold lately, so iv cranked the heating up to keep warm, when walking long journeys i get breathless so i have to rest more.
Day 9…Real peace is now really hitting me, I have never felt like this before.
7pm I am thinking and reflecting now a lot ! I am even starting to think lots more on the childreen in other countrys still srarving to death,
I think now that i am closer with the inner “Spirit.
1am.. I have been lost in thaught all day.Past emotions are starting to surface,
tomorrow is my last day on water
Day 10…Its finally here,my last day on water, tonight i will finish with an salt enema.
11pm my final reflection !…this has been such a journey for me and glad i held on for this 10 days on water alone, i will do this again in the future, i have cleaned some of the cobwebs from the closet and more “Spiritually at peace with myself, and others.
This was a daily account of my very first water fast in 2008.
My starting waight was 13st 4lbs.
My waight afrer 10 days on water only was 12st 1lbs
Best regards keith.
Hi Keith,
Thanks for the encouragement and the useful diary.
It is now 04:36 in the morning and I’m into the first hours of the fourth day. My initial goal was to complete three days. I’ve now shifted that to 7.
I’m up because my whole body is aching and I have a head-ache. I expect that today might be a difficult day.
LOL – before I conceived of the fast I invited some friends over with the promise of pizza for supper and something special for brunch the next morning. I can’t see myself eating pizza. I’ll have to do some good explaining why I am cooking for them and not for myself! I hope I feel a bit better though, later in the day.
Hi Weiersk
On my first fast as i said on the 3rd day, i thought id been hit by a bus LOL. This is day 4 for you well done, your body is now going into cetosis, burning fat for fuel
Don’t give in to the enemy LOL pizza, you have came this far, its now time to see how strong you really are mentally? this is your first test serving your mates a meal.
Blessings Keith.
Ok, I made it through day 4, where the pizza meal did not materialise. But it was a miserable day for me. I tried to do some things around the house, but found that I had almost no energy and felt really weak and tired. I took myself off to a movie in the afternoon and fell asleep during the movie. Emerged from there and found an invitation to a new year’s party where I watched 15 people eat every kind of unhealthy treat imaginable while I stayed on water.
By now I had decided that I was going to end the process, soon however. I begin work on a reasonable stressful job again next week and want to have a few painless days of my holiday.
Do on Friday morning I extracted my first fruit juice (about a pint). It went down very well. I could not believe the sweetness of it. I think it gave me energy for and hour or so, but I still felt weak. In the afternoon I made some vegetable juice. And then went to help clean up at church after 30 young people had stayed there for 2 days (on a year end youth camp)
In the evening I had the friends over for pizza. I did not succumb to temptation, but ate a bowl of salad and also drank a fruit smoothie.
Its now the middle of the night (again) and my arms and shoulders are aching. It is so bad that I am considering taking some pain killers, although I resist doing that as a general rule in my life (Even when I live my relatively unhealthy life I don’t drink pain killers more than three or four times in a year.) – I wonder if breaking the fast in the cleansing cycle might have made these symptoms worse.
So far I have not experienced digestion problems, although as I am sitting here about 6 hours after the meal, I can feel that there is something in my stomach, and I have actually come to appreciate the freedom of not having something in my stomach.
By Friday morning my weight had gone down from 113.5kg to 107.5 kg. I guess most of that will be regained, although I am determined to follow a healthier eating pattern and avoid junk food and get some exercise..
Hey Weiersc
The best thing you can do after a fast is to exercise, eat healthy and get down to a normal weight. You have done really well, not many people make it past day 1.
Blessings, keep in touch. Keith.
This post is very true and it made me laugh because when I did my first 40 day water fast for the first time, I experienced many symptoms listed above.
Many times I was dizzy as this was pretty much almost every day and I did pass out because I got out of bed too quickly! However, passing out only happened once and it was the most amazing experience I have ever endured. Days 2 3 and 4 were hardest for me but I wrote in a diary most of the time whenever my emotions became “stirred” up. Eventually; around day 10, I felt more energized and motivated than before as this kept me going through the fast. For the first week I got hunger pains but the hunger pains soon passed. Never did I get headaches but my breath was pretty foul after a while, lol.
Overall, It is very much all mental capacity and the will power to refrain from foods. Once one realizes how amazing and therapeutic fasting is, this is when one will pull through a fast successfully. Just be strong and live through the experience and be proud that you were strong enough to complete a fast. It is very rewarding.
Fasting has taught me a lot of discipline and I no longer eat some of the bad foods I used to consume. It made me appreciate life more and the materials I do have in order to live. Moreover, it made me greatful that I’m entitled to nourishment and all healthy foods my body needs.
For those who are fasting to lose weight, I recommend not to focus on the weight loss but to focus on other things through fasting; such as, how you feel each day. Journal about it and don’t think about weight loss as your main goal. Thinking about other benefits of fasting can help you get through fasting a lot easier and quicker than if one were to think about it. Focusing on weight loss can be discouraging and make emotions harder to deal with. Last, I recommend not checking the scale every day, once a week or once every two weeks is acceptable.
Good luck to my fellow fasters!
Anyone need support or advice please feel free to let me know!
Ah, I forgot to mention that I am embarking on a new 40 day water fast and I have already lost 3 pounds within 3 days. I am living proof that fasting can be safe and effective if not abused and done correctly!
Anyone need a fasting buddy I am to get through it with you. If not that is OK too.
Love to all.
I am 5’10 and 233 lbs. I am age 34 and in less than a year I went from 188 to 233lbs. I have high blood pressure and am taking lotrel 5/20. I have been bounced around from drug to drug with all ill side affects, and I blame the weight gain from all the different meds I have been put on. My last check of my blood pressure it was 160 over 110 a week ago at the doctors office. My doctor stated he was not going to increase my meds until I lose weight. I am on wellbutrin, zanax, and lexapro. I have started the lemonade fast that contains purified water, lemon juice, maple syrup and ceyenne pepper. What do I need to look out for?
Hi Pilot
Never take your first flight over the mountains. Try using a juice and juice fasting for 3 to 5 days before doing the master cleanse. That is a lot of medications and you will be toxic. It can get really bad when you have to detox rapidly.