Starting & Persevering on a Fast

I can’t count the number of fasts I blew when I first tried fasting. It was like trying to get on a slippery surfboard. As soon as I felt confident, something bad would happen and I would eat and break the fast. Failing was never easy for me, smacking my self-esteem firmly in the face. It was only through raw determination and many failures that I mastered fasting.

Most people have had some experience with fasting and have quit within a few hours or a day. There are many excuses for failing a fast such as I just had to try one bite. Whatever the reason to quit, the result is the same; you slide back to the comfort zone of eating.

Fasting is a huge leap out from your comfort zone, and the further you are away from that zone, the greater will be the battle to return. At times, the battle will peak in intensity and you will either win or lose. Some have fasted 30 days on their first fast but many have failed to make day two.

If you fail, take no time for self-indulgent guilt or self-pity. Shake yourself up, get determined, because failure proves you are only human. Failure is like a bar on the high jump. If you improve your skill and technique, you can jump higher. Failure demands you learn to jump higher or walk away in defeat.

Getting Started

Sometimes, the hardest part of going to the gym is packing my gym stuff. Once I am moving, I will get to the gym for a workout. Fasting is like that. The hardest part is getting moving. Once started fasting gets easier. Here are some steps to get you in motion.

1. Buy the produce you need.
2. Put an X on your calendar as your start date and each day you fast.
3. On the night before the fast, use the enema and again that morning.
4. Spend some time thinking of all the reasons why you want to fast.
5. Clear your schedule as best you can.
6. Get things done so you do not have to do them on the fast.
7. Practice making juice to find the mixtures you like.
8. Buy some quality herbal teas.
9. If possible, remove temptations from the kitchen.

Staying On The Fast

Try to avoid temptations. Watching a friend eat your favorite food is a torture you do not need. Sure, it is a show of discipline that will amaze people but that urge to eat may be suppressed ten times and on the eleventh you break.
If you need to make food for a family you can talk to them and ask for support. Come up with a meal plan that does not require you to hang over a stove smelling food for 20 minutes. Kids will enjoy the change and learning to make their own food will be a benefit to them.

Women have a hard time with their emotions each month due to changes in hormones. Toxins interfere not only with hormones, but also the biochemical balance that sustains mental balance, concentration and emotions. It can be a wild ride and the moods are powerful. At these times, do not trust your emotions or make any big decisions like putting your kids up for adoption.

There are times I do not want to write, but when I do, I get into a zone and hours disappear. Fasting has a zone. It takes a few days to get into the swing of it, but if you hang in through the first few days, it gets easier and easier. Fasting becomes normal life, and you no longer have to fight major battles of willpower.

Here are some points to keep you on a fast
Mark an X on the calendar for each day you fast. Stare at it daily and feel good about your accomplishment.

1. Write down your fasting goals and read it each day.
2. Keep your mind positive and full of encouraging thoughts.
3. Avoid the TV because of the number of food commercials.
4. Find a fasting partner if you can.
5. Do not put yourself in stressful situations.
6. Avoid negative people.
7. Stay thankful.
   

If a butterfly could talk of its experience of changing from a crawling insect into a multi-colored, graceful, flying creation, it would most likely be saying the words I felt in my heart. My healing through the 40 days of juice fasting gave back what drugs took away. — Carl Wineberg