A Water Fast for weight loss and.......
 

Hi all, I am new here and this is my first post.

I am a 56 yr old male with a variety of health issues such as psoriasis, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, edema, gout, carpel tunnel and a couple of other ailments. I have a lot of difficulty breathing especially at bedtime where I have to be propped up, and I am overweight currently at 272 lbs. My height is 5’10””. My past ailments include asthma which hasn’t bothered me for the past 20 years, sarcoidosis which had me in hospital and off work for 3 months. Oh, and throw in a couple of bouts with pneumonia and pleurisy. Other than that I feel great !

The journey which I am about to undertake has been described as crazy by some and life threatening by others but I know without doubt, that I have what it takes to complete this and bring myself back to a condition that will allow me to fully function again. Water fasting has a long, long history of bringing remarkable health benefits to those that make the commitment. Let me say that I did a fast last year (2010) but quit after 21 days when I should have carried on with it. The learning experience was well worth the effort and I can't forget how good I felt.

Why am I doing this now? It is not to simply shed the weight. More important is my heart and the fact that I can’t go up a flight of stairs without being winded and in need of rest. I can’t carry out any type of physical labor or sports /activities and I am a prime candidate for a heart attack.

While this fast is for me, I wanted to relate my experiences to others to show that there is another way to deal with chronic ailments due to bad diet and a sedimentary life style.

Undertaking a water fast means just that, nothing but water, no foods, juices or supplements, nothing but water. Some say it is very difficult to just drink water and that is true up until the 4th or 5th day. After that it gets much easier as hunger disappears. Obviously temptation is always there such as having dinner with friends or drinking just water on poker night, but you get used to it and do what you need to do to get through those situations.

I don’t recommend anyone undertake a fast without consulting their doctor first. My doctor was quite impressed when I saw him after my fast last year as my blood pressure was back to normal. I truly believe a person’s health is their own responsibility, I got myself in the shape I am in and only I can bring myself back.

i would like to post regular updates on my progress here and I do have a personal (non-commercial) blog.

I welcome all comments, suggestions etc. and I wonder if anyone else has done a fast?

Regards
Gordon

PS The blog simply goes into more detail about the fast and includes video

I am about to start a 2 week juice fast and I've done a water fast before. I only do the fasts for a few weeks and nothing linger because I generally get a feeling of lightheadedness if I try for longer...

For the first few days I allow myself some peppermints because the taste of peppermint is a hunger depressant til my hunger goes away. :)

Hi Gordon, welcome to 3FC :)

It's always a good thing when someone recognizes the problems with their health and decides to do something about it :yes: We hope you'll find support here to meet your goals of weight loss and better health!

However, I do need to mention that our community has a strict stand on supporting only healthy diets, and we do not offer a support environment for diet plans that are extremely unhealthy. We'd love for you to browse our various forums and read about other ways to reach your goals, and hopefully join in anywhere that looks interesting. But unfortunately we can't offer support for a water fast. There are a variety of websites out there that support water fasting and promote it through what is basically a dangerous myth. Water fasting is one of the worst things you can do for your body and should only be conducted for brief religious purposes.

You mentioned "I wanted to relate my experiences to others to show that there is another way to deal with chronic ailments due to bad diet and a sedimentary life style." The best way to reverse the damage we do to our bodies is by doing the opposite, which means choosing healthy foods and increasing activity. Starvation is not the answer.

We wish you the best of luck with your goals, and we do hope you'll check out some of the other healthy ways of weight loss. I'm sure you'll find something that appeals to you and will help you reach your goals.

Thanks:)