BunsenBurner

I'm not fan of any cleansings or diets, but I'm a big fan of moderation. Cutting out desserts and white breads, reducing our meat portions to matchbox-sized pieces of lean cuts helped us get into better shape. Also, diets without exercize do not do much good for anyone, IMO. You need both cardio and muscle-strenghthening routines that you enjoy doing. I'm not a marathoner, I don't pump iron, I use simple free weights (just 9-lb) and rubber tubing and run for fun. After just 3 months, I have "Michelle arms" and I weigh about 12-15 lb less, which is great for my running.

Kelowna

Weight loss is not my primary goal, but it would be a nice "side effect"
Like hmom5 said, I am not really talking about fasting per say, but about a diet that cuts your calories very radically. I did not like to call it a diet because nowdays a diet means basically a diet to loose weight
So let's call it modified fasting. It calls for eating carrots, celery, parsley, beets, lettuce, herbs, onions, leeks, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage (many different kinds), caulifolower, broccoli, zuccini, cucumbers, apples, grapefruit, lemons (and a few other that I can't now recall). You eat them fresh, raw, cooked. You can make a soup, a salad.
Unfortunately it involves a lot of cutting a preparation.
I can relate a little to being disqusted by certain foods right now Coffee with sugar makes me gag.
Bunsen - I am not a fan of cleansing by use of any preparations, but this is supposedly a natural way to "purify" your body and reprogram it, so to speak. After it you are supposed to "ease" into a healthy diet, pretty much as described by hmom5.

hmom5

Kelowna,

I also was not trying to lose weight when I started my new way of eating. I'm one of those people who has trouble keeping weight on. I had time on my hands after an accident and wanted to focus on health during my recovery period.

You are not kidding that it takes time. For the months I was confined to home or close I literally spent hours each day shopping for the freshest, organic foods, preparing and cooking. I also added light weight training at the same time.

The results after a few months were pretty amazing. I felt amazing energy and all of my blood work was perfect. My blood pressure actually went a little too low. I stayed slim but looked healthier.

After awhile though, I got tired of all the shopping, prep and cooking. All of that healthy eating is a huge commitment. We used to eat out many times a week but that just doesn't work eating this way.

Some short cuts I've adopted are a few shots of wheat grass juice daily and Spirulina to replace some of the greens I was consuming so much of. I'll also just dump a load of greens into a plain broth rather than creating interesting recipes.

Good luck, you'll feel great!

abasket

So, if you do this for 2 weeks, what happens two weeks later???? Isn't the effect temporary???? Then what?

Columbia_Student

My daughter did this before she started college(colon cleansing) for a week. She dropped some weight but gained it all back plus some more. I wouldn 't recommend doing it.
Although from what you've described it does not seem like fasting.

musicamusica

No protein is NOT a good idea.

ucsd_ucla_dad

If your goal is to eat more healthfully or if a significant part of your goal is to lose weight, as it really is for many who embark on these changes, then I don't think your 2 week stint (not really a fast I see) will likely have no long term benefits. There are all kinds of studies and anecdotal evidence indicating that extreme temporary changes yield just that - temporary changes, and that once off of it the person tends to rebound like a rubber band back to where they were before with there often being an 'overshoot' where they gain even more. You said you've already done this before so unless you enjoyed that temporary 'good feeling' you had from it and are seeking another temporary feeling, then what's the point of it? If it's to 'cleanse the system of toxins' I don't buy it since it's not logical that a 1 or 2 week 'cleansing' will somehow have the body recover from the 50 or 51 weeks of mucking it up.

Doing the 2 week reduction in input is fine as long as you do it in a healthful way but as 'abasket' asked, what then? A much better idea would be to determine a more healthful eating lifestyle that you think you can live with long term. This might mean giving up several foods for the long term (i.e. reduced to occasional eating of them at most). You might even be better off just starting to forego some of those foods you feel are unhealthy for you and substituting healthful ones and seeing how it goes. If you feel that meat is unhealthy then give it up after doing the research on adequate nutritional substitutions. If you want to keep the meat but reduce calories, just learn more about what calories are really in various foods and adjust. It can be surprising what's in white bread, white rice, pasta, muffins, candy bars, etc. Making a few adjustments can yield long-term sustainable benefits but a short term fast will probably accomplish nothing unless you follow it up immediately with another plan and you'd likely end up more satisfied with a long term benefit rather than a short term one. - JMO

BunsenBurner

I second musica. What you'll end up doing is "dissolving" some of your lean muscle tissue. We, females over 40, lose 5% of lean muscle annually if we don't do any weight-bearing exercises. If we don't eat protein, we are doomed. Add lean chicken and fish to your veggie "fast", and you'll be happy.

coureur

Sensible information:

Fasting

Excerpts:

Can fasting detoxify the body?
Some fasting diets claim that they can cleanse the body of impurities. However, there is no evidence that fasting detoxifies your body, or that your body even needs to be detoxified. It is naturally designed to remove toxins through the skin (through sweating), liver, colon and kidneys.

Is fasting safe?
Fasting for a day or two probably won’t hurt people who are generally healthy, provided they maintain an adequate fluid intake. However, fasting entirely for long periods of time can be harmful. Your body needs a variety of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from food to stay healthy. Not getting enough of these nutrients during fasting diets can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, constipation, dehydration, gallstones and cold intolerance. It is possible to die if you fast too long.

Even short-term fasting is not recommended for people with diabetes, because it can lead to dangerous dips and spikes in blood sugar. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or anyone with a chronic disease, should not fast.

Before you go on any type of new diet, particularly one that involves fasting, talk to your doctor to find out whether it is safe and appropriate for you. Also ask your doctor to refer you to a registered dietitian, who can show you how to design a healthy eating plan.

great lakes mom

All those vegetables are not the fast I was envisioning! You're right, no calcium deprivation with all those greens. Sounds great, and far closer to how we all should eat than most of our daily diets.

Jubles

We should do fasting together! I dont do it for religious or spiritual reasons but i have done it sometimes and i love it. Once i did for 11 days and i lost 15 pounds!!!

Jubles

oh and it makes me feel super good about myself and makes me get up earlier in the morning. and makes me feel more light-headed and in my own world but in a good way

abasket

Kelowna, have you talked to your doctor (or dietician/nutritionist) about this? Would you consider talking to him/her about it? The reason I ask is because if for some reason you DON'T feel comfortable about talking to a physician about it, then maybe it's because a doctor would not recommend it. And if they don't recommend it....

I probably should stay away from the thread now....this type of thing really does kind of upset me - last word: why wouldn't you want to find a balance that lets you feel "good" most of the time instead of for a short period after fasting??? Maybe part of the "feel good" is that you accomplished a major goal - that of fasting - satisfaction goes a long way. You can achieve that feeling in other ways that will still have a healthy lifestyle in mind and be long-lasting.

I know you didn't want a lecture. Good luck and I hope you find some of your answers here.

emeraldkity4

I don't eat animal products everyday and I don't eat enough raw foods ( now that summer is over especially) however- raw food can assist you in " spring cleaning".
PCC Sound Consumer | Raw food vitality
I think some of the things that have been cited are problems from eating foods we are allergic/sensitive to. Cutting out foods like soy, wheat, dairy and red meats if you are sensitive, can reduce inflammation which seems to be at the base of much illness.
http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/sc/...allergies.html

Fasting to me means a strict fast as with Ramadan, or as when I have fasted before, only taking water with a little lemon in it for several days- then over a period of several more days, slowly increasing the amount and type of food eaten.

I do know someone who regularly goes on a health kick- he gets facials, eats lots of raw food, gets massages etc, but that is to make him feel better after touring and drinking two bottles of wine a night.
Better that he didnt drink that much in the first place I think.

dragonmom

This isn't my idea of fasting. To most people, fasting means taking nothing by mouth, or nothing but water. This is a modified diet, and a fairly healthy one.

A few weeks ago one of my friends was going on about how wonderful she felt after 2 days on a total fast/colon cleanse. Ummmm, those of us over 50 have done that.... it's the prep for a colonoscopy. Cleaner than the day you were born!