Practical Tips for Fasting

I have practiced a monthly fast of 24-36 hours for 40 years. I have practiced extended fasts (5-30 days) once a year for 30 years. Here are suggestions and resources I have found useful.

Soul Suggestions

• Put a time in your calendar that will help you build a rhythm. I have been doing the first Monday of the month for several decades. I find that weekends are harder because my schedule changes so much. I will have dinner on Sunday and then breakfast on Tuesday morning around 9 AM.
• I keep my normal workflow but I try to spend extended times with Jesus in the morning, at lunch and then before bedtime.
• As I set aside time with God, I don’t have a specific program. I combine prayer, studying Scripture, meditation, playing the guitar, listening to worship music, journaling, listening to Scripture, walking, etc. The key is to enter into the presence of Christ and follow the Spirit's prompting.
• Be open to insights. I have seen a pattern where within a few days of fasting, the Lord gives me a surprising insight. It rarely comes during the fast. I don't condition my fasting on receiving these insights, but I happily welcome them when they do come.
• Here is my seven-day reading plan called Friendship With Jesus.
• Our friends at Cru have created this 5-day reading plan related to fasting.

Body Recommendations

• For a 1-2 day fast, I suggest a water- or juice-only fast. That way you will actually begin to detox and feel some discomfort. If the Lord leads you to fast another way (eliminating one or more things from your diet), that's entirely OK. Jesus said, “when you fast” but he did not say how!
• For a longer fast, I juice in the morning and the evening.
  • For the morning I juice 1 apple, 1 orange, ½ grapefruit, spinach, carrots, berries and MCT oil.
  • For the evening I juice 2 carrots, purple cabbage, spinach, 1 tomato and 1 lemon. I'll heat it gently with 1/3 of a chicken bouillon cube to make a cup of soup. Here is the juicer I use.
• I recommend no alcohol, caffeine or sugar for 24 hours before or after the fast.
• Hydrate well (50-100 ounces of water per day). This will help your body cleanse and minimize your discomfort.
• Don't be surprised if you hit a fatigue wall during the early afternoon. If possible, give yourself permission to take a nap for 15-20 minutes. I've learned to lean back in my office recliner and nod off until my brain is re-oxygenated.
• Dealing with discomfort. We train our bodies to tell us when we're hungry by the rhythm of eating we follow. When we disrupt that rhythm, the body complains, but you are really quite well. You can go days without food and actually become healthier. If you have a headache, lie down and close your eyes for 15 minutes. If a headache doesn't subside, consider taking one Ibuprofen. This pain is a withdrawal symptom from some unhealthy part of our diet. Since I have been doing it so long, I don't experience discomfort when I do a 36 hour fast.
• When you break the fast, try to eat a light meal that's low in carbs. I eat some cottage cheese with some fruit and MCT oil.
• To keep the physical benefit of the fast going, limit your carbohydrate intake for the next seven days.
• I suggest you discontinue heavy workouts during your fasting day.
• Detoxing: It usually takes 60 to 70 hours to detox. Once you get into that zone, your hunger discomfort will subside dramatically.

Resources

• Here are five benefits of fasting.
• I recommend the book, Toxic Relief. It has been my guide to fasting for the last 20+ years (I have an early edition). Dr. Colbert is a Christian and has written extensively from a medical and biblical perspective about fasting. The book includes juice recipes.