Benefits of Water-Only Fasting
Water-only fasting has improved many pathological conditions including chronic inflammation, autoimmune diseases (lupus, rosacea, rheumatoid arthritis), asthma, high blood pressure, ulcers, heart disease, irritable bowels, colitis, allergies, depression, anxiety and even addiction etc. as it also promotes significant fat and weight loss. In the early days of fasting, weight loss can be as much as 1-2 pounds per day.
However, this weight loss will taper off to some degree as the fast ensues, often reducing to a half a pound per day in the latter stages of more extensive fasts.
In a human study, weight loss caused by fasting was initially rapid, as much as 1.5-2 pounds per day during the first week of fasting followed by 0.5-1 pound per day by the third week of fasting. And as much as a 20 percent loss of body weight occurred by 30-35 days of fasting. (9) It is not always true, but usually the more obese the individual is at the start, the more dramatic the initial weight loss is.
It is important to keep in mind that fasting is just a profound process of deep physiological rest. That’s the main reason fasting is only recommended in a resting state.
Typically, other than going to the bathroom and simple activities of daily living, no other physical activity is allowed. The goal is to harbor as much energy as possible for the healing work at hand.
That means rest on every level, including all the senses. So, while watching TV, listening to music, playing on the internet, etc. are ok during the fast, the more time spent being quiet, serene, and introspective the better. It is so beneficial to give your eyes, your ears and your brain a total break in the action.
This not an easy thing in our culture. We are so inundated with information and stimulation that we are constantly being pulled outside of ourselves. So the thought of spending time with, and within, ourselves can sound like a daunting, almost frightening task. However, it is in this introspective time that information about what motivates our cravings and desires can be revealed.
