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fasting-Yes or No?

Mon, February 22, 2010 1:00 AM

Well, I guess this question is appropriate for Lent. Well Lent has already started but I am interested in fasting both for religious reasons/personal reasons. Not your typical fast for Lent but still.

My disease is reasonably in control right now *first time ever :)* and I would like to fast. I have been healthy enough to work out 2 times a week recently. But other days I am still very sick and hardly have any energy and in a lot of pain (I have fibromylga caused by nontreatment of my condition when I was little) anyways so point is I'm alright but not great. I would like to fast for a minimum of 3 days, 7 days tops. I am willing to drink normal fluids (a.k.a no dinner in the blender tricks) and possibly 1 meal a day, probably breakfast because eating breakfast seems to be the only way I can pull myself out of bed on the days I do feel sick. Of course I want to know if anyone else does this or has any advice. We all of done the fasting before procedures or surgery but this would be longer and I actually have to live a normal life the whole time.

The trick is if I commit to doing this I will go through it. I guess I'm saying the solution of "see how it goes and eat if you have to" is not an option. If I committ to doing for these religious meanings I feel like it is something I have to go through with. My personal belief of course.

Advice? Stories? Wanna tell me I'm a fool? jk on that last one.

p.s. I'm a college student so I lead a fairly active life style, idk if that is relavent to your answers.

Thanks!

rachj
Joined Jun 2, 2008

Mon, February 22, 2010 9:40 PM

Reply posted for rachj.

You want to be kind to yourself, as in no abusive behavior. Your body needs all the help it can get to remain strong and be able to fend off anything that comes its way, especially a for a person with a chronic health condition (disease). Fasting would put a strain on your body, give it all of the help that you can. What you want to avoid is highs ands lows, go for even and easy as she goes.

Joe

joe
Joined Oct 24, 2019

Mon, February 22, 2010 12:49 PM

Reply posted for rachj.

I don't know what's "right" and "wrong" when it comes to fasting but I will say the following: fasting for someone who is not dealing with a chronic disease may not have any repercussions, with IBD it's "who knows?".

While resting the GI tract can help under many circumstances it doesn't cure the disease and when you start eating again the symptoms usually come back and perhaps not pleasantly so. Of course fluids still have to be taking with a fast of any appreciable duration.

I don't know about you but when in a flare my eating is sparse because either nothing agrees with me or I'm too anxious to eat, or just feel like it's better not to. I then start losing weight and fairly fast.

To me we need to keep up our nutrition and can't afford to miss out when we can eat. You may feel great fasting you may not and you don't know how you'll feel when you come off your fast. Personally, for me it wouldn't be an all or nothing fast. I would cut down on "something" but not fully fast, especially in a flare, unless it was medically supervised. I guess that doesn't help but that's how I think. Good luck whatever you do.

titan1
Joined Sep 1, 2008

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