I am on Day 6 of my fast and have to say that I feel really good. It certainly get easier as the days go on. I went through some detox symptoms like runny nose and sneezing some aches and things, but that is now clearing up. I am hoping to do 10 days at least. I have some business meetings planned at restaurants. If it were a group function I would be able to get away with mingling with everyone and just drinking water. But with one on one situations I have yet to figure that out without appearing rude ( cultural thing)

Any ideas?? If I could figure that out I would be able to extend my fast longer.

I’m very glad to hear your fast was so helpful for your inflammation.

In my experience, normal energy levels return almost immediately (gradually over the first day or two) after breaking the fast.

I can typically begin light workouts at the gym by the second day of breaking my fast. As long as I keep the workouts light (light cycling, freeweights) I do not experience any unusual light-headedness.

I would recommend checking with your doctor for additional input on this subject. It strikes me as mildly concerning that you still get short of breath three days after breaking your fast — but on the other hand it may not be all that unusual.

I’m unsure. Hopefully your doctor can help more.

I enjoyed peeking at your web site, by the way! I like the true simplicity of it, and your artwork is lovely.

Joshua

Thanks so much for your website and for recommending Dr. Fuhrmans book. Between the two of you and my Dr. I was able to complete a 7 day fast.

I was having chronic hand pain. The pain was gone by day 2 of the fast and things are really looking up.
I had one minor flare up on day 4 in my thumb but I didn’t lose faith! I have no pain today.

I loved hearing what Dr. Fuhrman says about arthritis and inflammation. My Dr. says that fasts are the absolute best thing for inflammation.

My question: I ended my fast on Wed. Today is Friday. I still get short of breath when walking uphill or doing too many things at once. I don’t like this feeling as I am a very active person. In your experience, how long will it be before I am back to my old self. Other than that, I feel magnificent.

Thanks so much Joshua for your support and generosity in helping so many people. It is hard to find support for water fasting.

Mary Sullivan
Illustrator for Children

Just wanted to say hi. I’m on day 5 of what will hopefully be the ten day water fast I was planning. It is going surprisingly well. I thought I would be much more uncomfortable, but I have a lot of energy most of the time and have very few side effects. I used a couple of your suggestions that were helpful. On the first few days I did plain water enemas and they ended some minor cramping I was having. I also tried a little salt water yesterday when I felt kind of woozy and within an hour or so I felt fine again. I think a detox I did in preparation for the fast has contributed to my comfort level. I did 3 days of only fruits and vegetables (some of the veggies were cooked), then three days of all raw fruits and vegetables, and then 2 days of fruit and vegetable juices I made at home. This detox included no salt, fat or spices. Do you do any sort of detox before you fast? Just wondering how my experiences compare.

I saw a naturopath like you suggested and found the whole experience to be extremely beneficial in relation to not just the fast but my general health and wellbeing. I will be seeing her regularly starting right after the fast is over.

Thanks again for your all your suggestions and this site. It is a wonderful resource for all fasters.

Be well,
megan

I’m on day 7 of a 10 day water fast. I didn’t intend to fast or even do a water fast, but I got really sick with a fever and the words “stave a fever, feed a cold” kept creeping into my mind. It’s been going pretty smooth. I was too sick to eat the first 2 days which got me psyched to continue fasting. I have some freinds that have fasted with juice or an alternation of juice and water, but my instincts were to keep with the water. It took the first 2 days to end the initial fevers which kept me in bed exclusively. On the 3rd day my illness was much better, and my sinuses began to clear. By day 6 all the mucus and sickness were gone. I didn’t even have to go through the weeks long recovery of having a cold that usually follows fevers. My eyes and skin are also unusually clear. I can go to school and look at my peers who eat ‘lunch’ out of a vending machine and feel very confident. I hope that the rest of this thang goes smoothly and I’m going to do 3 days of juice preceeding this fast. I’m not sure what kind of juice…I guess I’ll do what i’ve been doing the whole time and go with my gut.

Thanks in advance

Gillian

When you don’t do an enema, you have feces sitting inside of you, for weeks at a time, that would normally have been eliminated within a couple days.

Can you imagine what would happen if you put feces inside a warmed, moist bag for two weeks? Well it does that inside your intestines when you’re fasting!

Feces are human waste that your body is trying to eliminate, and for good reason — they’re toxic. Enemas help facilitate this process, and many (many) people find that the enemas reduce the unpleasant side-effects of fasting, such as headaches, nausea, and perhaps even some of the mental cravings that drove you to end your previous fast early.

So that’s why I recommend them, it’s all about the healthy elimination of toxins.

In my humble opinion, anyone who says that enemas are “dangerous” is just nuts. Like fasting, enemas are one of the oldest and most time-tested ways of fostering health and eliminating toxins from the body.

Regarding salt water killing the good as well as the bad bacteria… I haven’t ever advocated salt water enemas. Personally, I use plain warm water. (At the same time, I’ve never heard of moderate quantities of salt killing good or bad bacteria, and saline solution is a part of the natural environment inside the body, so I definitely wonder what’s up with the information you heard.)

In general, my TOP TOP TOP recommendation is that you find an alternative-medicine doctor, who has experience with water fasting, to discuss your fast with and help you make choices that are right for your body.

Good luck,

Joshua