Fasting??

dougo83

dougo83

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Feb 28, 2008
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Ok...this random question came up with some friends of mine today:

We sometimes fast for religious purposes, many religions do/did as well. We got to thinking that you can still function relatively well short-term with no/limited food. So...the question was posed: Is fasting a legitimate, useful survival skill? I mean, done properly and over a course of time, it can train one's body to focus on less food and can, ideally, reduce hunger pangs and the like.

Discuss.

P.S. Keep religion out of it, ok? That ain't the point of the question.

Thanks, Y'all!!
Dougo83
 
A useful survival skill? Interesting question. I'm currently in the third week of a low calorie fasting-type eating program (Dr. monitored), and after the first week-&-a-half adjustment time, I'm amazed at how little food I actually need.

Going a day or two without eating, just to train yourself, might work, depending on the person doing it. (I wouldn't recommend it for someone with a condition like diabetes, though.) Fasting for a time, and then eating only your emergency food for a time when you do eat again, and then transition back to regular food, might make it a good training exercise.

I've always wondered what it would REALLY be like to have to live on nutrition bars for a few days or a week, like the bars in these survival packs that the local electric co. says we should get. (I've made my own much better packs.) Where I'm at now, I could do it, but a few months ago, I doubt I could have.

~Chris
 
I always worry that if I got into a survival situation that I wouldn't perform well because of how much I eat. I down about 4,000 calories a day and eat every two hours. I'd like to get my body to where I can perform at a high level without so much food.

I tried to run a half marathon the other day and had to stop 9 miles in and eat. I can't go very long without food.
 
Sure, but I think the lesson is that balance is best, eat well, exercise well, and keep your wits sharp.

I think it can be very useful for a lot of people who have never gone a few days without food, after that I think it's also important to learn the effects of binge eating... best avoided by not doing it.
 
I have read it is beneficial to fast once a week. It gives the body a chance to catch up so to speak, digesting everything from the week.
On the fast day you can just drink juice or vegetable juice, or just eat light vegetables. Just to give it a break.

In that way it may be an easy way to ease into it.
I am sure it would be good mentally to not be so worried about not having food for a day or two.

It may also give the body some practice at accessing energy stored in the body.
 
It is not uncommon for me to do this once or twice a month (today is actually one of those days it seems, as I haven't eaten yet). Someone in a research project I read last year reported that a days fast, could provide the equivalent flushing of the lower digestive track similar to that of those colonic jobs those freakishly weird Newport Beach women get to cleanse their insides in hopes it will rejuvenate the effects of time.

The best thing I found that resulted from this activity, is that I am more in tune with what my body wants for food. I don't have cravings for hunger, or big meals, I get specific desires for calories, proteins, and or veggies, and they all feel a bit different to me so I feel like I am putting the right fuel in the gas tank more so now than when I just ate three meals a day because that was how I was raised. Oh, I wouldn't try regular fasting unless you are on one hell of a quality diet normally, real vitamins from quality food sources, not some vitamin enriched high protein diet. Fasting from cheeseburgers and fries is pointless in my opinion.

Interesting that you brought it up.
 
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I've had to do some fasting before. Field work where the job HAD to get done. And I'll tell you what, sleep deprivation is much much more of a factor for me. Working in the fishing industry I've skipped lunches, breaks, dinners, I've worked 24 hour + shifts on no notice, I've done 12 hour shifts with no meals or breaks etc. As long as you can see the end of it, it's not a big deal.
In one instance I was working 7 12's on a job for about 2 months. Then, since we were behind, it turned into 16+ hour days for the last week or so. The last day I ended up on the boat for 26 hours with no notice and no extra food or water. I was already exhausted from the long hours but that last haul really kicked my butt. The last 14 hours of the shift me and all my crew were getting pretty loopy. I think I slept for about 30 hours the next day. :D
I wasn't real hungry though. For me, my appetite goes away if I don't eat anything for a while. YMMV


Edit:

On the topic of diet. I do believe that a light low calorie diet is the way to do. Lately I've been eating an almost completely vegetarian diet (due to the wife). We've been saving money and loosing weight. I feel better physically and "spiritually". I think that it's not only the healthy thing to do but also the responsible and correct way to eat.
 
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In places like India, certain groups thought of fasting as a strength. In that if you have to go without food, you have already trained yourself, you know what to expect of the experience.
It's probably got certain other benefits, cleansing the body, loosing weight, lowering your food bill, getting back into those old jeans:rolleyes:

You just have to be balanced about it, I think it's better to be about carry about 5-10lbs extra than to be at a very low body fat %. A supermodel could die from illness or being stranded without food faster than someone with love handles.
 
I have come to understand, (my way of saying I don't know where I got this from), that if you are in a survival situation with a limited food supply you should fast immediately. The theory being that you will shrink your stomach so that the small amounts of food ingested later will be better absorbed by your system as well as satiating your appetite.
 
Stored body fat is for whales and bears that hibernate, I seriously doubt it would serve to extend anyones health beyond that of a skinnier person. And models are noctoriously unhealthy people, I dont know why people think skinny equates to health, it has healthy benefits to it but in and of itself the state of being skinny means nothing.
 
My guess is that getting accustomed to being hungry may help psychologically, but regardless the body will take what it needs when it needs it. I don't know, I have a poor relationship with hunger. Bigger concern is what happens if the beer runs out!
 
I done it before and been doing for many years now. I found that the hardest part is when you get used to eat at a sorten time .. but as soon as you go past it then its no big deal. What realy hard is if you go with out water. I tend to drink more water during that time... After two days its getting much easier..I also find that i have more energy if i dont eat. It is very common for me to skip food all day so can work none stop.. Not having to go to the bathroom is a good reason as well. As was mentioned before i rather skip food all day as long as i can get a good nights sleep.
 
I do believe that putting your body in a depletion state is helpful in understanding ones body. I am an avid trail runner and every weekend on my long runs of 10+ miles in the mountains I eat little more than a banana and some energy GU and water. I would not call this fasting but I am definitely on empty for most of the day. On my weekday runs of 8 or less miles I do not bring any nutrition or water. I do eat lots of food during the day mostly fruits, veggies and meat and a good dinner but still most likely no more than 2000 calories. I have done a 2 day fast with no problems but I interested in doing an extended fast with more research. As far as for survival the advantage is just knowing how your body will react, with that said, if you are in a survival situation it will most likely not be sitting on your couch not eating.
 
In the same way that I don't think running a car low on oil on a regular basis is helpful, I don't think running the body low on nutrients is helpful. Not a health care professional, but I can't see how fasting can be physically (as opposed to psychologically) healthy.
 
foxx said:
In places like India, certain groups thought of fasting as a strength. In that if you have to go without food, you have already trained yourself, you know what to expect of the experience.
Click to expand...

+1

And those people live a very long time, I might add. They also tend to be vegetarian and eat very sparingly. The Japanese are the most long-lived people in the world, and they have a saying: "Eat until you are 80% full." In America, we have the opposite culture, where kids are given 50 oz mega-slurp cups full of carbonated beverages for meals. Which is why we have a much higher rate of disease and obesity. Go figure.
 
Yes, to answer the Q. In a survival situation it might not be so much a "skill" but a nessessity. As long as the fluids are replaced you would be just fine for a long time. Very few people in America know what it means to be truely hungry.
 
i've done week long fast involving nothing but water, ghee, and lentils. small quantities.

latley, i've beeneating about 4 oz of fat/protein per day, plus some nuts/seeds/etc. essentially 9am: nuts, 12pm: 2 oz meat, 3pm nuts/avocado, 6pm 2 oz meat, 9pm snack, optional.

benefits? training. weight loss. cleansing. stuff.

normally, i think it's a good idea to have 1 day, say sunday, where you eat VERY little, no caffeine, and just "reset". every month, perhaps, longer.

doesn't seem to hurt.
 
Skimo said:
Sure, but I think the lesson is that balance is best, eat well, exercise well, and keep your wits sharp.
Click to expand...

That is why I think fasting would be such a great training exercise. Since all that would quickly go out the window when your simply surviving. The food would not be well, assuming it's freeze dried food/MRE's/Canned Food, etc, exercise would be avoided if at all possible, and my wits would likely not be with me. Instead my thoughts would be on the tasty food and choices that are now gone.

Fasting for a couple days would be a good exercise that would give you experience. That's something that I could use. I'm going to start right now! I mean it! I'll let you all know of my progress in this thread!
 
Here's a link to an article on WebMD that goes over some of the potential pros and cons and points out some of the disagreements.

I think a healthy, thoughtful diet may eliminate the need to use routine fasting as a method for improving general health. Again, from a survival standpoint, I'm sure being "comfortable" with little or no food intake has psychological benefits.
 
Alright I'm done. I found some chocolates near my computer. I resisted as best as I could for as long as I could before giving in to temptation. I lasted about five minutes. I'm thinking the next time I try fasting I'll start with when I go to sleep and make it a point to sleep in. :D
 
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