Okay, it’s about 615pm, and I’ve finished eating, a meal that I’d sat down for an hour to eat, this breaking a little longer than forty hour fast (~42).
There is no fasting in american culture, and this is a shame.
Just one occasional twenty four hour fast will show you that not only are you eating more than necessary as far as quantity, you too are also eating far more often than is necessary (first world problems).
My eyes were bigger than my stomach. I ate about half of what I made intending an after fast feast!
Now, in my weight training journey I’ve long been good at bulking, naturally an endomorph I can put down quantities of food, gain a pretty substantial amount of muscle (some fat to go along with it, but not slovenly, and seemingly no upper limit to this physiologically, just logistically), but I don’t much like stopping to eat more than twice a day.
So fasting was something that made sense to me, for me to try out.
I think once in the past year I’d done a 24 hour fast, prior to that maybe one a year for a year or two, prior to that I did one every month or so for a few years, and once I’ve done 48 hours of which I believe half that particular period was also without water.
Normally I drink water freely – not wanting to play with dehydration, I just call a fast zero calories with water allowed, and for me I consider a little salt acceptable as well as genetically I sweat profusely, but mostly this isn’t included. Normally just water.
These are all rather individual practices.
You have to do what’s right for you.
Psychologically I find they reset my relationship with food in a healthy manner.
At the very least you’re very thankful for that “break fast”, whether it’s a massive feast or something rather light and simple.
I can’t help but think of the spiritual implications to a people who never fast, as every religion the world over has some manner of fasting built in as a practice.
Man in optimal state fasts to a degree.
For clarity. To feel hunger. To strip unnecessary fat off the bones.
What I see online about fasting is often far too “primal, trendy, and yuppie”. If your finances aren’t there it’s okay for your fast to end with a pack of ramen and some $2/lb chicken instead of the organic bone broth and raw dairy “everyone” is eating on reels.
Don’t compare yourself to social media, you’re probably doing far better in real life than it’d say.
Health, fitness, and spirituality (religion) are meant for all, so do not see gatekeeping as a turn away, experiment as best as you can for yourself, see what works for you, where you are, with what you have, right now.
Best to you friend,
Persistence & Tenacity
P.S. Probably 2300 calories at once, this with no joke having prepped about double the ramen and chicken, dropped a giant scoop of peanut butter in them, drank a good deal of milk, then had dessert (m&ms) – still I’d say the past two days were “weight loss days”.
2300 calories across two days at a bodyweight probably in the high 280s.
