My name is Randi Fredricks and I am a Ph.D. Candidate at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, California. I am conducting my doctoral dissertation research on the effects of water fasting on depression. I have done a lot of investigation in this area and believe that my research will show that water fasting can lessen the symptoms of depression. I am aware of your work and your knowledge about the benefits of fasting, so I thought you might be interested in my research.

If you know of anyone between 18 and 75 years of age who will be doing a water-only fast for a period of at least 4 days, I would like to invite them to participate. All testing will be online at FastingResearch.org so patients can do the testing from home, or anywhere there is a computer. In order to measure the effects of fasting, there will be a pre-test and post-test. The online testing takes about 15 minutes to complete. At the end of the study, all participants will be entered into a drawing to give away three iPods. I have attached a flier in case you have anyone who is interested.

If you or anyone else has any questions, please contact me by phone at (408) 315-0645 or (800) 957-5655, or by email at fasting [at] transpersonalresearch [dot] net.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to presenting my results in a number of peer-reviewed journals, thus further supporting the use of fasting.

Sincerely,
Randi Fredricks, MFT

Seems like a cool idea, overall. But no longer-term follow-up? Seems like without any long-term measurements, you can’t rule out things like the temporary high of having been so disciplined for a week or so, or the chemical lift you get when you first start eating again. I guess that could be done in a follow-up study, once some exploratory data has been collected.

In any case, visit the website if you like the idea of participating.

I had energy to make it through the morning, but I started to tank pretty hard in the afternoon. I took a nap, but I don’t feel fully refreshed.

Drinking some more water now has begun to help.

Interestingly, while it’s normal for me to need to take a nap in the afternoon, I commonly forget to take naps entirely when I’m fasting, and don’t notice any difference.

Wouldn’t you expect the exact opposite? Probably speaks to how much digestion has been a problem for me over the years — I have less energy when I do eat than when I don’t. (This doesn’t carry over into the realm of physical exertion and exercise, of course. I’m talking primarily about mental energy, I guess.)

Another factor in how I’ve felt today is the huge storm front that has been descending on Albuquerque over the past few hours. Freakishly, I can typically sense this kind of weather, in my body, several hours before it happens, and it makes me feel decidedly unwell. That no doubt played a big part in my descending energy levels this afternoon.

In any case, this is the final day of my fast. I plan to begin my day tomorrow morning with a bit of steamed squash (solids help stimulate a bowel movement, per Fuhrman) and some fresh-pressed vegetable juice.

In recent weeks, I’ve discovered the great joys of making my own fresh vegetable juice. I’ve found it can be a dynamite source of energy and nutrients. I’m looking forward to that again very much.

Overall, notwithstanding today, this is one of the best fasts I’ve ever had. I felt clear-headed and had adequate energy levels through all of my first four days.

I’ve contemplated fasting for additional days, given how well this fast has been going. The usual guidance is to fast until you feel the signs of a fully cleansed body: sweet-tasting breath (which I’ve been noticing more of today), clear complexion (check), and a feeling of pleasant vitality (actually, I’ve had that almost from the beginning, although I suspect it could increase further).

It’s easy to deplete your body, however, if you do lengthy fasts (more than 5 days) regularly — and I’ve been fasting twice annually for several years now. So I don’t want to push my luck.

In addition, I have a wine tasting I need to help facilitate this Saturday for WineQ. While I don’t plan to swallow at the tasting, I suspect that even swishing around delicious high-end wines in my mouth would cause my body to start acting funny about this whole nothing-but-water thing.

Last night I spoke with Damian by phone (part of why I was up late), and he asked if I was still feeling hungry. My answer was a definite “no.”

The physical sensations of hunger largely disappeared after the first day of my fast. My body probably knows the drill pretty well at this point, and it’s probably always felt ambivalent towards digestion anyway.

What remains with me in lieu of actual hunger, however, is the occasional psychological effects of hunger. In particular, I still regularly have innocent little automatic thoughts like “Hm, I guess I should go get something to eat.”

These automatic thoughts have less to do with hunger and more to do with how we come to use food as a form of entertainment. How ironic is it that my subconscious mind sort of assumes I’ve been eating all this time?

Water fasting tends to reduce this psychological dependency on food, giving us the opportunity to develop a new, healthier relationship with the sustenance we choose to eat.

I never got around to writing up the “Tips for Water Fasting” post that I contemplated a few days ago, but perhaps I’ll have time to do it one day soon, after breaking my fast, while the topic is still fresh on my mind.

Given my bad experience with falling asleep so late last night, and my general difficulties pulling myself off the computer in the evening, I plan to boot down now, before 6:30, and plan my evening around an early bedtime. One of my goals this week was to straighten out my sleep schedule and, while I’ve made progress, there’s more to be made. Starting tonight!

So I’m off to play a bit with my Robo-Pong and hopefully have some time to relax with my wonderful wife this evening. I’ll plan to post another update tomorrow with information about my first day off the fast.

It looks like I’ve lost a good 10 pounds so far, and will lose another pound or two before I begin eating tomorrow. That should land me at around my target weight, 170 lbs, by the time I break my fast and resume regular workouts at the gym.

Most looking forward to: Sushi, fresh vegetable juice, and my first meal of steamed squash and green beans with some avocado, a dash of sea salt, a few drops of of lemon juice, and light spritzes of garlic juice. …A heavenly way to break a fast.

Current weight: 168

Day four has gone exceptionally well. I woke up with the vague antsyness in my body — which is characteristic of a fast for me — but otherwise all systems were “go.”

I spent the day at full-steam productivity, doing computer and telephone work (no errands or other physical exertion). Felt very clear-headed. Not feeling hungry at all, though I am also being careful not to think about food.

In fact, things are going well enough that I may fast a bit longer, if I think I could still benefit. We’ll see.

As you can see below, my weight loss appears to have slowed some from previous days … which is probably better, as I wasn’t overweight to start with.

More tomorrow.

Current weight: 171

I spent much of the day on the phone and/or doing business-related activities. My productivity was at 100%, but I feel woefully tired now. Overall, this fast continues to go much better than my last one.

I should be in full ketosis by now, which will provide interesting material for tomorrow’s update. Will I feel better, or worse? Ketosis is supposed to mark the end of hunger, although in my experience that may or may not be the case.

I’m off to bed — an hour earlier than last night. Woo-hoo! I may actually have a normal sleep schedule by the end of my five-day fast.

More tomorrow.

Current weight: 171.5

That said, here’s a quick update for day two.

So far the fast is going very smoothly. Last night I got to bed around 1:00 a.m. and I slept well (actually, quite well for a first day of fasting). To provide some context, I got to bed at 3 a.m. the night before, and 5 a.m. the night before that … so this is definitely a step in the right direction.

There is a kind of mental ease that I feel when my body isn’t expending energy on digestion, and I’ve felt that all day today. Nothing feels stressful.

My energy level has been good, and I’ve had no unpleasant side-effects — no unusual tiredness, no foggy-headedness, and no headaches.

I’m prone to light-headedness, of course, which is normal for a fast, but I’m fine as long as I avoid physically strenuous activities and standing up too fast. (I think I remember reading in Fuhrman’s book that standing up too fast is the single most common cause of injuries during a fast.)

I’ve been drinking tons of water, per usual for a fast. I’ve probably gone through five or six one-liter Nalgene bottles, which adds up to around 2 gallons. I’m putting about 1/16 of a teaspoon of Celtic sea salt in each liter, to help soften the water, provide calorie-free electrolytes, and prevent my body’s pH balance from getting out of whack.

Gave myself two lukewarm water enemas last night (aren’t you glad you’re reading this?) and they went smoothly. Sometimes my first enema gives me a kind of cramping feeling, but not this time.

Time will tell if this fast continues to go better than my last one. If so, I think I can attribute it to the much higher quantities of fresh vegetables and fresh-pressed vegetable juice that I’ve been drinking over the past few weeks. I suspect my digestive tract is in better shape than in previous months. (That’s another Fuhrman tip — clean up your diet, big time, before beginning a water fast.)

I spent some time today practicing table tennis in our family room, where we have a newly-erected table and a Newgy Robo-Pong that pitches me balls for practice. Interestingly, table tennis is the perfect level of mental and physical exertion for my fast — it felt stimulating without being taxing.

It’s been 48 hours since I’ve ingested anything but water. Soon my body should be kicking into protein-sparing ketosis mode, where it begins rapidly metabolizing fat cells (to save precious muscle tissue) in order to supply my brain with glucose. It’s typically on the order of about two pounds of fat per day, and this is when the serious detoxification begins — as fat cells are notorious for storing any toxins we have accumulated.

I’ll post another update tomorrow. And I’m thinking of writing a post soon that would be titled something like “Tips for Water Fasting,” listing all the various secrets Kathy and I have discovered that seem to make a water fast go more smoothly.

Current weight: 174

I often find it a spiritual experience, in the sense of feeling more in contact with my own essence, psychologically as well as physically. So it’s been a worthwhile practice for me in general.

During my fasts, I generally feel more clear headed and serene than normal. Because I’m not spending time preparing, eating, and cleaning up after meals, I often have more time to do low-energy work (e.g., web development) as well as to rest. The rest is important, of course, during the fast.

Unfortunately, however, my last one or two fasts were unpleasant experiences, where I felt more tired and off-center than normal. Some days, I felt positively miserable. I ended the last fast early, after only about three days.

I’m not certain what caused me to feel so bad last time — it may have been related to a low-grade infection I was running prior to the fast — but I do plan to take plenty of time to rest, this time around.

While I’ve suggested before that I might blog the full process of one of my fasts, I’ve never actually followed through with it. This time, I’m going to make more of an effort, however, to share what the experience is like during each day of the process. Perhaps it will be useful to others who decide to undertake a fast.

Of course, you should always find a suitable doctor to talk with before undertaking a water fast. They can provide helpful guidance, including ways to make the fast a more comfortable and healthful experience.

Because of my previous postings on the topic of water fasting, I get many e-mails and blog comments from people who have decided to begin a fast, asking me for advice. I am always acutely uncomfortable if they have not already consulted with a qualified doctor. Please don’t put me in that position; it’s important that you find a doctor who understands fasting and can support what you’re doing.

If you’re thinking of undertaking a fast, the best course of action is probably to (1) do some research on the net, perhaps starting with my own posts on water fasting, and see if it still interests you, (2) buy and read some good books on the topic to educate yourself about the process in detail, and (3) if you’re still interested, invest the time to find a naturopathic doctor in your area who can address any remaining questions you may have and help you plan a healthful fast. Having a supportive doctor will also help if something goes wrong during your fast.

Anyway, back to my own experience…

So far today, it’s been a very good experience. I’ve not felt particularly hungry, but if I did notice my body longing for food or anything else, I would typically take a few extra gulps of (lightly sea salted) water. It’s worked well — I feel clear headed.

I took most of the day off from anything resembling work, to be fully present with my body during this first day of the fast. This past week, unfortunately, I had gotten in the habit of staying up late (2 to 4 in the morning), and I’d like to get my sleep schedule back on track while I’m on the fast.

My first night’s sleep is often the most difficult, because my body is still missing food. I will be shutting down my computer shortly, so I can doing restful activities in preparation for sleep.

I look forward to giving my next update sometime tomorrow.

Current weight: 176.5 lbs.  Last night I weighed 179.

One reason for this, no doubt, is the fact that there is so little good information available about how to safely conduct a water fast. I’ve tried to address this topic, to some extent, in my own posts.

That said, despite the fact that I’ve conducted 8 or 10 fasts personally, I don’t consider myself an expert on fasting, and I strongly encourage my readers to consult with a doctor before undertaking any kind of fast.

So I was particularly pleased to field this question from reader Megan:

Question for anyone with fasting experience…I am planning my first fast to begin in about a week. I eat a plant-based vegan diet and feel I have adequately educated myself on the topic of water fasting. My goal is 10 days, but I will see how I react. Dr. Fuhrman and many others stress that fasting should only be done under a doctor’s supervision. Are any or all you seeing a doctor during your fasts. I hadn’t considered it until today, but now I am wondering.

While I’ve never had the luxury of being “fully” supervised by a doctor, at a fasting facility or elsewhere, I have consulted with doctors before and after my fasts.

It is often hard to find an M.D. who has experience (or even comfort) with fasting, so you might consider consulting with an N.D. (Doctor of Naturopathy), D.O.M. (Doctor of Oriental Medicine), or an Ayurvedic (traditional Indian medicine) doctor.

It was my D.O.M. (our family’s “primary care physician”) who told me about adding sea salt to the water I drink during my fast. And it was an Ayurvedic doctor who pointed out that it’s downright crazy to conduct a water fast without using enemas along the way. These two suggestions, alone, have increased the comfort level of our fasts incalculably.

So, in sum, I strongly recommend finding an alternative-medicine doctor with experience in water fasting, with whom you can talk with before, after, and (if necessary) during your fast.

I have started a water fast and have yet to decide how long I will be doing it for. I know you can lose weight by fasting, but I’ve heard you nearly always put it all back on. I was wondering how you can keep the weight off once you finish fasting, and what’s the best way to come off a fast. [edited for grammar]

I typically lose about two pounds for each day that I fast, and rarely am I eager to return to my original weight. Fortunately, you don’t have to.

When you finish an extended water fast (3 days or more), your stomach will have shrunk considerably, which means you will not require as much food to make you feel satiated. Also, your metabolism will have slowed, causing you to need fewer calories to get through the day.

Take advantage of the opportunity to eat smaller portions of high quality food rather than larger quantities of lower quality food.

Good foods to use when breaking your fast include steamed veggies (yellow squash, broccoli, etc.) and fresh fruits like watermelon and blueberries. Stay away from anything spicy or sour or acid.

Breaking your fast with whole foods (rather than juices) will help stimulate a bowel movement, which is very good. Hopefully you were doing daily water enemas while you were fasting, to help remove all the old stuff from your guts along the way.

They say that, for each day of your fast, you should devote one day to breaking the fast. So, if you fast for five days, you should spend five days gradually re-introducing food into your diet, beginning with the easiest foods to digest (cooked veggies, yogurt, etc) and finishing with the hardest (meats, spicy food).

Using this strategy — particularly the part about sticking with small portions of higher-quality foods — I gained only about two pounds when I broke my most recent fast, and I have stayed at that weight for more than a month, which means I can probably stay here indefinitely as long as I’m eating healty foods.

I’m currently on day 2 of what I expect will be a 7-day therapeutic water fast, where I’ll be ingesting nothing but large quantities of water for 7 days.

Several of my friends have expressed curiosity (to put it mildly) about my decision. “Isn’t that unhealthy?!?”

As it happens, water fasts can be a very healthy and natural way to cleanse the body and eliminate toxins from one’s fat cells and the other places where the body stores toxins. Doctors (the ones educated in something other than pharmaceuticals and surgery) have been using fasts for thousands of years to promote health, and it works.

If you decide to try a fast, you first should do some research, and talk with someone who has experience in the area, to learn how to do it safely. My own introduction to the subject was Joel Fuhrman’s excellent book Fasting and Eating for Health (although it’s short on specifics for how to undertake the fast itself).

I discussed my fast beforehand with a doctor of oriental medicine here in town, who has experience with fasting and was very supportive of my plans.

I’ve fasted twice in the past, once in late 1998 when I first moved to New Mexico, and once in mid-2000. Both times I was pleased with the effects on my body. And the fast itself tends to be a time of resting and relaxation.

It completely changes one’s relationship to food, as well. After the first two days, your body switches to a ketone metabolism and you no longer feel hungry. Spending a week in that space — of not having to find, prepare, eat, or clean up after food — is very liberating, in some ways. You develop a new appreciation for choosing your food wisely, and after the fast, it’s very important to eat a healthy diet so you can maintain the benefits.

When I decided to write this posting, initially I had a hard time finding good information about fasting on the internet; but I finally found a nice summary of what Joel Fuhrman teaches, and also this amazingly good presentation of the topic from Caremark.

If you are interested in the topic and have questions about fasting, feel free to contact me. UPDATE: Actually, if you’re planning on starting a fast, please don’t contact me until after you’ve made the effort to find a suitable doctor to help plan and supervise your fast.