Fasting cure and working out.

[slavetothegrind]

ok, here goes my first thread. i wasn't sure which categorie to put it in, but since it concerns muscle training, i figured this would be a good place.

 

my gf and i are planning to go on a fasting cure. does anybody have any experience with this? what about working out during that time? i am still a bit sceptical on the whole issue, since i, of course, like to stick to my eating schedule and, quite frankly, can get a it grumpy when running low on fuel.

 

but i also found out that if i miss out on a meal or two, my performance is not at all what it should be. so is it even wise to be lifting weights during this time or would you rather recommend sticking to cardio workout during this time?

 

any advice would be cool.

[Guest]

What're you trying to cure???

[SyrLinus]

What is a fasting cure specifically? Will your fast just be water or will it include juices?

 

I did a fast last week and during it did very mild cardio and very mild free weights (nothing too strenuous). Fasting gets a varied response from people. Personally, I did a two day fast of water and veggies. If it hadn't been for the flu/bronchitis that hit a couple of days afterwards, I actually felt great and energized afterwards.

 

I know when I'm doing my tours, I tend to unintentionally fast -- I just want to ride and drink liquids so I can keep riding. It's not until I've stopped for an hour or two that the tummy realizes it hasn't had food in a while.

 

Personally, I'd say do some training but not all out, puke until you drop kind of training as you'll be weak from not having solids in your system.

[slavetothegrind]

well, mostly for getting rid of a lot of the poisons in your body and to basically clean out your digestive system. i did something similar right before i went vegan, but i wasn't working out at the time. so i have no clue how my body will react to that or if it is even wise.

[flanders77]

My advice is the following:

You have to be sure why you want to fast.

You need a concrete goal and the right motivation to reach it.

You have to aware that you will loose muscle.

If you want to give the body time to detox (I know some will say detox is only an illusion...) you need to give him adequate rest. There are some persons who are able to train during fasting (wether it is cardio or weight training) but a lot of persons on a fast need to rest and concentrate their energy on the processes going on inside the body and mind.

For a slower detox you could try a fruit/vegetable raw diet for some time. This may enable you to detox, eat enough calories and have enough energy for training.

Whatever you do: do not do it because your gf wants you to.

Maybe it even is a good idea not to do a fast at the same time because the non-faster can support the faster that way

[slavetothegrind]

planning a week for now. if all goes well, i intend to take it down to just water. perhaps a bit of grape juice. when i first did this, it was water, herbal tea and veggie broth.

[slavetothegrind]

no, i'm definately not doing it because my gf wants me to.

the thing is that i have a case of colitis ulcerosa (which basically was the reason from turning vegan after 28 years of meat gluttony) and i want to use this as a detox method.

[flanders77]

no, i'm definately not doing it because my gf wants me to.

the thing is that i have a case of colitis ulcerosa (which basically was the reason from turning vegan after 28 years of meat gluttony) and i want to use this as a detox method.

I am sorry to hear about that! A close friend of mine also has colitis ulcerosa and is trying to cure it with an (almost raw) vegan diet. Do you know http://www.colitis-crohns.com/? The guy support you for free via e-mail if you want to detox and change your diet. I have the book and its amazing.

All the best for you!

Say hello to you gf from me and tell her I would love to have a gf that is open to fasting and changing diet!

[slavetothegrind]

oh yes, she is a definite jewel. she met me when i was already vegan and straight edge but she more than respects my way of life. the CU started two years ago and also the 'abrupt' change of diet. but i found that with two weeks of that strict 'fasting' diet, i had little trouble adapting to a vegan diet. it seemed more a revelation back then. like i said before: running on the right fuel.

i had a talk with two doctors about the change of diet and also the support of my best friend (who is vegan as well) and i think it was the best thing i could have ever done. i haven't yet gone to get it checked again, but i can say that i felt and still ffeel totally reborn.

but how dramatic do you think the loss of muscle is going to be? see, i've been planning to get started this weekend. then next week is that surgery i told you about. so i'll be on break from training for the next two weeks at least.

[Katabatic]

For a slower detox you could try a fruit/vegetable raw diet for some time. This may enable you to detox, eat enough calories and have enough energy for training.

 

Yeah, this seems like a good idea. Eating a lot of fruits would give energy for training.

[Guest]

I've never fasted to cure myself of anything but I did do a fast nearly 2 years ago and I didn't really decrease my training much. It was an 8 day fast and I still rode my bike close to 300miles during that period. I felt so good that I actually had to force myself to eat again.

[flanders77]

@slavetothegrind: Congrats on making the right decision concerning your illness. If you assume you burn fat, carbs and proteins during a two week water fast and still work out my calculation (I know its simplified) looks like this: 2500 (kcal per day) * 14 days / appr. 7 (kcal/gr of body tissue) = 5000gr

This does not take any detox processes like cleaning of the intestines into account. The real loss of muscle tissue cannot be predictedn exactly. IMO it will be about 1-2 kg.

Concerning CU: check out the book I mentioned. Even for those who do not want to go raw there are many interesting aspects of diet.

[slavetothegrind]

i think i will go ahead and take the training down a notch and see how it goes. yesterday after running, i only had about 0,5l fruit smoothie and a tomato with a bulgur patty. strangely i didn't even get hungry until this morning. but i know the hard part is starting since i am taking down the amount of food right now. so far today, two bananas, and for lunch a 200 gr salad mix, 0,5l orange-carot juice and lots of water. and boy was i starting to get grouchie before i was able to get my salad for lunch. two more apples and 1l of soymilk left for today. tomorrow i'm planing to split this in half.

[Lean and Green]

Hey i'm on my way out but I wanted to sharewith you a couple of tidbits. I will try and write more later and read this thread more thoroughly,,,

 

i think i will go ahead and take the training down a notch and see how it goes.

 

so is it even wise to be lifting weights during this time or would you rather

recommend sticking to cardio workout during this time?

 

but how dramatic do you think the loss of muscle is going to be?

 

I agree with SyrLinus

 

Personally, I'd say do some training but not all out, puke until you drop kind of training as you'll be weak from not having solids in your system.

 

I was wondering where you are with your training. Have you been training for awhile ro did you just start up? In my experience, I took almost 2 years off from the gym. I started back up again January 1st this yr. I had a lot of muscle to gain back and it packs on quick when you are just starting out. 4th week into training I did a 7 day fast. 1 day only water, 3 days only vegetable juice, 3 days thereafter fruit and vegetable juice.

 

I worked out every single day with weights and did some mild cardio every single day and I was absolutely fine. I did less cardio than I normally would as I wanted to save my energy for the weights. During this time, I was able to increase my poundages from the week before in every single exercise and continue the progress that I was already making without fasting. S as far as the muscle losing bit, I suppose it depends on where you're at. I am speaking from experience mostly. It worked for me. But I bet if I was alot more conditioned and developed I would probably stand to lose a little...

 

I will be back later to elaborate if need be.....

[DV]

Since you asked for advice..........

 

I don't think fasting is necessary for "detoxing" or health. Perhaps there are some people (those in certain stages of certain cancers) who may benefit from fasting. I think others believe fasting is doing something positive for them because of the mental and physical changes they feel - amazingly, some people think feeling weak and lightheaded is okay. Of course you eventually feel better while you are starving yourself (sorry, fasting) because your body has a defense mechanism that keeps you going so you can (hopefully) find more food before you die of starvation.

 

Your body has an amazing ability to detoxify itself if you are feeding it the right tools - antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, etc. While you are starving your body, it is not getting a supply of antioxidants or vitamins to combat the toxins being released in your bloodstream when fat is broken down for fuel. Additionally, your body still needs amino acids for functions other than muscle growth (immune system, etc) while you are fasting. The only place your body can get amino acids is from your skeletal muscle - which you've been trying to build up.

 

I don't know what type of surgery you are having but I advise everyone who is having surgery to eat an abundance of vegetables and fruits (10 servings per day or more) in the week before and after surgery, at the very least. Definitely have some of those servings as raw veggies. Of course, I advise people to eat 10 servings of veggies and fruits (more veggies than fruits) every day but they tend to listen better when having surgery. Starvation is a stress, surgery is a stress - stress lowers your immune system.

 

Good luck with your surgery and your health.

Edited April 20, 2008 by DV

[Guest]

Not everyone gets light headed when they fast for extended periods of of time...unless you're talking a Muhammad/Ghandi type fast. I fasted along with a friend of mine...both of us kept exersizing and I didn't get light headed more than a few times(that happens when I'm training sometimes anyway)...and this was a fast for 8 days...I rode my bike close to 300miles that week...very little change in pace too. I was also taking 19 credits in school without any issues(so was my friend...Rawsamantha...sometimes on the forum).