Regular fasting as a way to prepare yourself?

I was wondering what you think about fasting from food, for example, or from drinks or from both for a certain amount of time on a regular basis.
As we know, there are different kinds of fasting. Some do healing fasts (only drink healthy soups and fluids), some fast due to religious reasons (Orthodox Christians, Muslims, etc.)while others observe intermittent fasting (fasting a couple hours per day).
I personally believe that by fasting, let's say at least two days a week or one week per month that this will help you get used to not having food/drinks all the time. Plus, you will learn how to discipline yourself and have more empathy with those who are starving and do not have the luxury of always having food available.
What are your thoughts about this? Have you fasted before? Would you think fasting (any type of fasting) would help prepare yourself for an apocalypse, hunger crisis, etc.?

 

I do fasting once per month, and I find in the days after I break my fast that I'm generally not that hungry anyway. I certainly notice immediate improvement in digestion and often more energy in the mornings. I do not particularly enjoy fasting, but the overall benefits are worth it, and fasting on occasion has been proven to extend lifespan.

 

I never thought about that in that way. I have been fasting before and three years ago I decided to be a vegetarian or to have my diet be based on veggies and fruit. I do not like to be placed in a group. It is careless to eat so much meat when we do not have to. It helped me feel better both mentally and physically and I have learned a lot about some nutrients outside of animal kingdom. I think that is a good thing in preparing for potential hazards. I feel strong and healthy and I did all that by minimizing my needs.

 

I'm on my 11th Ramadan fast as I type this.
It's great from a health standpoint, it basically re-boots your digestive track, it's a fantastic detox.

I'd recommend it from a general point of wellness for everyone.

 

I think fasting helps you spiritually. Still this can give you a sense of self discipline. By controlling yourself and not giving in to your desires you can give yourself the will power to make it through uncomfortable situations. I think fasting sometimes can help.

 

Fasting is definitely a great way that you can strengthen your will power. The size of your actual stomach will shrink. This is great if you want to stop eating so much food. What it can do is make it so that you require less food. You will get hungry a lot less and when you do eat you will feel full off of a smaller amount than you have been used to in the past.

 

I think there's nothing wrong with fasting, as long as you don't have any current medical issues that would make it a problem. In fact, there's definite health benefits to it, as other people that replied have also mentioned. However, I never really considered the fact that fasting for a few days on a regular basis would actually boost your willpower to be a little hungry in a survivalist situation. I know people that have never gone more than 8 hours with food (usually because they are sleeping) and are grumpy and practically unable to function even after a few hours of being without food. I can't imagine what an emergency situation without food for a few days would be for them. Perhaps fasting would build up a tolerance for having little or no food in times like those.

 

It's an interesting thought and not a very foreign concept. Some people practice fasting, some are doing it for their own reasons, others are doing it because of their religion. I think it does actually prepare you if ever an apocalypse were to happen, it conditions your body to have a minimal intake of food, so once you're under a difficult situation where you lack food, then you wouldn't feel like you're missing out, your body is already conditioned to that kind of nature.

 

Don't hang me out to dry for this, but religion really isn't the 'group think' you seem to be implying it is.
Religion is a hugely varying way of life, and there are people who belong to religions that prescribe fasting but reject it. I mean, whether it's religiously compulsory or not people do choose against it.

It's not an easy thing. Fasting this year for Ramadan has caused me some pretty serious medical issues.
I've straight up been instructed to no longer fast, much to my dismay.

 

Thanks alot Moroccanbeauty2266 for your timely thread. I have been trying to fast for the whole of this year with little success for religious reasons. It allows the spirit to rise above the flesh and discipline our carnal nature. Part of the reason is that I intend to do what is called the Esther fast which involves three days dry fast without food or water. Fasting distinguishes heroes from losers, spiritually and physically.

 

I favor fasting. There was a time when I used to do water fasting (drinking water only and avoiding food) once a week. However, these days I don't practice fasting. fasting is good for your body. It restores body's self healing capacity, it improves digestive power, it releases toxins. If you fast on regular basis, one a day when you don't find food, you will not die.

 

Fasting is good for the body, soul and spirit. It makes you sensitive to things of the spirit and helps to keep your body under subjection to your will.