KimmyKokonut

I will try to run down as briefly as I can how I’ve done my fasts in the past. Feel free to modify it and make it your own. Before fasting I try to do at least one day raw before the fast to prepare my body for the change. Some people do much longer. This means nothing cooked or heated over 104 deg F. Also, eat some flax seeds and/or psyllium seed (mixture whole and ground) at least one day before the fast. These little seeds are colon brooms and are known for absorbing toxins as they move through your intestines. I like to mix them with a little yogurt or salad. This day is also good to go buy your juicing veggies and fruits (apple, beet, cucumber, celery, watermelon, zucchini, kale, parsley, garlic, carrots, whatever). I tend to make a vegetable broth the night before and store it in the fridge.

Bulk Herbs for Tea

Essential Items
* A juicer
* Herbs for tea (chamomile, valerian, dandelion leaf/root, nettle, mint, rosemary)
* A scale
* Honey/Agave (for the nauseous moments)
* Enema Kit
* Flax and/or Psyllium seeds (I buy them in bulk at my local health food store or co-op)
* Epsom Salts (for laxative and bath salts)
* Organic dried prunes/figs

Tongue Scraper

Non-Essential Items
* Tongue scraper
* Sesame oil (for massage and after shower moisturizer)
* Skin brush (or regular brush for stimulating lymph system and releasing toxins)

Every day: Drink at least 8 cups of water (seriously, force it down, your body needs the flushing). Dilute all juices with water. Drink herbal tea 3 times a day. Shower/bathe and exfoliate (your skin is your largest organ and wants to get rid of toxins, too). Weigh yourself upon waking and before bed and record it. Don’t be scared if you start losing a lot of weight, most of it is your stomach shrinking and the lack of food/waste in your system. If you lose 10% of your body weight, STOP and proceed to break fast. Take a walk, do yoga and meditate. Make sure you are outside at least 10 minutes every day-the sun also aids in detoxification.

Day 1: Wake up and treat yourself to a lovely laxative cocktail. I usually dissolve 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts into a cup of warm water with a little lemon juice. Plug your nose and chug! Doesn’t taste good but it’s important to clear out your tract as well as you can, since you are done with solid foods for a few days. Try to stay home this day, or at least the morning. I’ve gone into work and school while fasting and have felt fine, except for the first few hours after the Epsom salts. It is unpredictable when they will kick in and for how long. Have a cup of tea, make a little juice, enjoy the free time. At lunchtime I have either a cup of juice or broth with tea. Same for dinner time. The first day I don’t really feel hungry or crappy but I am aware that I WANT to eat for pure pleasure. I find it fascinating to not be hungry but see my mind wanting to eat out of habit, for comfort or whatever psychological attachments we have to certain foods.

Day 2: Rejoice, you are done with the laxative drinks. Just do the water/tea/juice broth thing for breakfast, lunch and dinner and use your time well. Try not to spend all your time on the couch. If you are doing gentle-moderate exercise it helps with the fasting. It’s nice to go to a sauna and sweat out the toxins or get a massage. Day 2 I usually start craving junk and feel nauseous, dizzy and weak. My husband feels fine and has a lot of energy on this day. If you feel like crap, have a spoonful of honey/agave. It will immediately make you feel better. I know people hate or are embarrassed talking about butt things, but there is no shame in taking care of your body. Do an enema! There, I said it. Don’t be scared. I was worried the first time but the amount of help an enema has on detoxing is crucial, so get over your butt issues. I just do a normal warm water enema. Some people use coffee, salt or sesame oil. Try it with water first. The whole point of the enema is to flush your intestines out, thus removing toxins that your liver is releasing or any remaining poo. When in autolysis, your liver and kidneys are on holiday but don’t stop working and go to Jamaica. They clean. Like Monica on friends. All that crap they’ve stored from preservatives, pesticides from produce, mercury from fish consumption and whatever else they didn’t have time to take care of while you were in eating mode. The only time they can really process it well and get rid of it is during a fast. It doesn’t hurt, but you’ll feel like shite because the toxins are released into your system. If you don’t do an enema and flush them out, these toxins will go into your bloodstream and make you feel sicker (dizzy, nauseous, confused). So do your enema. It won’t hurt you, it can only help you. If you feel like crap later on in the day, do it again and have a spoonful of honey/agave.

Day 3: This is the hump day, usually the hardest day for me (well, losing 12 pounds in 3 days was intense for me). I crave foods, any foods, and miss the process and tradition of eating and chewing. Usually after day 3 all food cravings are gone and it’s not a concern anymore. All the cravings just disappear. Start the day with an enema. You may continue your fast if your weight is under control and want to, but please check with your doctor and do research. I am not a doctor and am not responsible for the results of other people following my advice. We are all unique and must listen to ourselves and know our bodies.

Good Morning Food!

Day 4: If your weight loss is in the safe zone and you want to continue the fast, do it! Keep purging those toxins and removing those dead, diseased cells and tissue. I usually am at 10% weight loss by now and need to break my fast. If you are too or want to stop, follow along. Note: breaking the fast is more important than doing the fast itself. You can screw up your metabolism big time. You may miss pizza, but not today. You can wait, it will be there later if you still want it. Continue drinking a lot of water and tea. The night before I soak 3 prunes or figs in water. When I wake up I slowly eat those wonders of nature and drink the soak water. This is to wake up your system gently. For breakfast I try to eat an apple. I never succeed in eating the whole thing because my stomach is shrunken and am full usually halfway through the apple. For lunch I have a potato soup that I made the night before (or that morning) using my leftover broth, potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, black pepper and parsley. For dinner I have quark (or greek yogurt or soy yogurt without sugar) with flax/psyllium seeds and an apple. Eat slowly, don’t force yourself. If you are full, stop.

Muesli.

Day 5: A good rule of thumb is to spend half the amount of time you fasted on breaking the fast. So for my 3 day fast I usually just spend 2 days breaking the fast. Today I have muesli for breakfast (oats, raisins, walnuts, chopped apple and flax/psyllium seeds with milk (I use homemade cashew milk) or yogurt of choice). Keep drinking your cleansing teas! Lunch is more soup and a raw salad. Dinner can be a repeat of lunch or toast.

The idea is to slowly introduce foods back into your diet and take your time. If you are interested in seeing if you have food allergies, you can use this time well by doing an allergy avoidance diet. Your body is pretty clean now, so you will notice reactions a little clearer.

So I hope I was able to share some valuable information. Let me know if/how you fast and your experiences. It is only through communication and education that fear and ignorance go away. Fasting is now a part of my life and I am better for it and not any less of a weirdo.