This summer at our Newtown, PA 8WW office, we are encouraging patients to do a one day per week liquid fast. (this is not part of the 8 Weeks to Wellness program, but a seperate program will are running). 

We recommend that you pick the same day each week for your fast.  Preferably this will be a day when you aren’t working out.  You can use the Ultrameal shakes we carry out in the lobby, chicken or vegetable broth, a juicer, teas and water.  Be careful not to get too much sugar in your juices to throw your glucose levels off which will make you really feel hungry.  Coffee is ok. 

So why a fast?  There are many reasons to fast one day per week.  Of course many fasts go on much longer than this but since we are also trying to build muscle on your body, we’ll stick to one day fasts.  Below are just a few reasons behind a fast:

• Fasting is standard in almost all religions.  Stated simply, fasting as a religious practice is refraining from food for a spiritual purpose.  Ideally the time you would spend cooking, preparing and eating your meal is dedicated to more spiritual time and self-reflection.

• Fasting gives your gastrointestinal track a MUCH needed break.  We eat so very, very much in this country.  A restaurant meal can easily be over 2000 calories.  The amount of artificial flavors, preservatives, trans fats, sugar etc that we consume each year is overwhelming to our systems.  Giving your body a break from food, can be a great thing.

• Fasting will make you feel hunger.  The World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the world is well-fed, one-third is under-fed and one-third is starving. Since reading this at least 200 people have died of starvation. Over 4 million will die this year.  Fasting will give us an extremely small sense of what 2/3 of our world feels each night as they lay down their head to sleep.

• Fasting will shrink your stomach size.  The smaller your stomach, the less you will eat (that is, of course, if you eat slowly enough for the brain to register that it’s full).

• Fasting reminds us to not allow our stomach to rule our lives.  Eating is a form of entertainment in our country and that type of entertainment has gotten us obese, sick, and dying prematurely.  When you feel a hungry pang during your fasting day, so “hello stomach, I hear you, but I’m not giving in” just as you would to a 3 year old throwing a temper tantrum.

• Fasting will allow ‘mind over matter’ to prevail and will really make you feel like a winner.