Fasting
Hello all! I am currently on hour 60 of a 72 hour fast, so I thought I would talk a little bit about my experience and some fasting benefits or reasons.
Me, my fiancé, my future mother in law, and one of our best friends have been doing this fast together. So far we have lost between 7-11 pounds each in our 60 hours. We have also been hydrating like crazy!!
I would have to say hour 43 was the most difficult for me. It was mid afternoon at work and my typical snack time. Drinking water when feeling hungry really helped, along with staying busy! I experienced off and on hunger with my stomach growling at me from time to time. I was more tired towards the end of the day. I was LESS irritable (which I thought would be the other way around lol)!
While all 4 of us had different reasons for the fast, I want to explore some benefits from a religious standpoint and for health reasons.
Doing a fast for religious reasons: the thought behind this is to draw near to God. During this time you are surrendering yourself to God and listening for his direction. It is also about the determination to do Gods will.
Doing a fast for health benefits: the biggest benefit for doing a 72 hour fast is for autophagy. Autophagy is when the body gets rid of damaged or weak cells. A 72 hour fast can help with brain health, decreased inflammation, weight loss (burning fat for energy), and hormone balancing. This happens in 3 phases:
*This information so far has been for a 72 hour fast*
The other kind of fasting is the very popular Intermittent Fasting. While some of these benefits are the same I will outline a couple of the big ones again. Intermittent fasting is usually about 16 hours of a fast and eating your meals in the remaining 8 hours of the day.
Intermittent fasting can help to improve thinking and memory as well as heart health. Blood pressure and resting heart rate are the two heart benefits that come with this type of fasting. Intermittent fasting helps your body to burn fat while retaining muscle, and this is how it can help you to lose weight.
Both types of fasting have been researched for many years on the effectiveness. This blog is simply to provide information - not to give diet or weight loss advice. If you are 18 years or younger, pregnant, breastfeeding, have type 1 diabetes, or have an eating disorder PLEASE consult a doctor before starting a fast. Also if you have any questions or concerns, reach out to your doctor.
This fast was a very tough mental and physical task to complete. Will we do it again? Stay tuned! #YouDeserveToFeelGood #MahleChiropractic
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