So tomorrow is Ash wednesday and it is my intention to fast from sunup to sundown. My concern is that I'm going to be more likely to binge at the end of the day when I can finally eat again, and I was wondering if anyone else is fasting tomorrow/has fasted in the past and can give me some advice on how to avoid that.
I haven't fasted for a long time. However, be prepared. I would eat little and often the day following your fast, and if you don't normally log your food intake, do so on your day of breaking your fast.
I would make sure your little meals on fast break day contain plenty of complex carbohydrates like brown rice, wholegrain breads, oatmeal etc. Don't be tempted to eat "quick fix" energy foods like white bread etc, as it is much easier to over eat.
I'm sure if you plan carefully for Thursday you will be fine.
That being said, years ago I used to fast once a week. I can't do it anymore because of blood sugar issues, but sometimes I really miss the practice and what it taught me. My suggestions are the following:
Drink lots of water. It helps keep your stomach full, gives your mouth something to do, and helps flush your system. I always found my mouth would get really dry if I didn't drink enough when I was fasting. If it's allowed on your fast, chewing gum helps with that.
Break your fast with a small, light meal. Mine was usually oatmeal or cereal and fruit. Anything heavier would really load me down. Tomorrow, eat lightly, but more often. By tomorrow evening, you should be back to normal eating. The general rule of thumb is to take as long to ease back to normal eating as you fasted. The longest fast I've done was three days, and I planned out the three days afterward very carefully to ease me back into regular eating.
Expect your body to react to lack of food. For me, that meant contending with headaches and irritability. It was a powerful exercise in patience and calm that I still remember after almost 20 years.
If you drink caffeine regularly, expect a bit of headache from the lack of it.
Expect to have "food fantasies". About mid-way through the day, I'd always begin thinking about cooking this or that, or what something would feel like in my mouth, taste like, and how satisfying it would be in my stomach. For me, that is a sign of true hunger. Try to turn those into signals for prayer or contemplation while you fast.
(warning: religious discussion ensues. Skip ahead if you're not interested) Since you are doing this for spiritual reasons, focus on that whenever you feel hungry. I found some real clarity when I would think about how dependant my body was on food -- and in correlation how dependant I was on God for everything. It threw into focus how bound we are to "the flesh" and how strong a pull it has on us. It's very appropriate for days like Ash Wednesday, which start a time of contemplation of our sinfulness and need for God's guidance in our lives. (Almost every religion has fast days like it -- where you give up food so as to focus your energies and be reminded of your god's influence in your life or your need for the divine.)
You can also use the hunger pangs and the food thoughts as mental triggers -- whenever you find yourself thinking longingly of a hamburger, you can be reminded to say a short prayer of thanksgiving, or whatever religious theme you are studying/focusing on for the fast. It also helped me a lot to keep a special fasting journal, or to add to my regular spiritual journal, and to explore some of the thoughts that came to me when fasting. You can feel very vulnerable when you're hungry. This can lead to some amazing insight into your place in the world, how blessed you are, and how good God is to us. It's a good vulnerability, and something we don't often feel or contemplate. It really brought home to me many of the "feed the poor" sermons I'd only half-heard over the years.
(end of religious discussion. Safe to read again)
I hope this helps a little. Good luck, and let us know how it goes.
Based on my past fasting experiences, I wouldn’t be too scared about expected binge as it will not happen. Even if I wanted to, my body would simply refuse large amounts of food.
Last time I fast, for approx 36 hours, I went to the restaurant and ordered what I consider a normal meal that I’ve had many times in the past (1/4 chicken, with BBQ sauce and fries). When I finished it felt like I’ve ate like an ogre; I felt completely full.
question about ash wednesday
