Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Preparing for a water fast
• Part 2 of 3: Water fast
• Part 3 of 3: Safe fasting
• Tips
• Warnings

There is no more severe form of fasting than water fasting. Water fasting costs nothing and can be used to lose weight, focus on your inner spirituality, and flush toxins from the body. By eating fewer calories for a short time, you can live longer and healthier lives if you do it right. But fasting can also be dangerous. Whatever your goals, make sure you tackle water fasting safely - get used to it slowly, do it under the guidance of an experienced doctor, recognize the signs that you should stop, and slowly start eating again.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Preparing for a water fast

1. Fixed not if you have certain medical conditions. Some conditions can be made worse by fasting and can have serious health consequences. Probably not if you have any of the following conditions, unless your doctor is okay with it:
   • An eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia
   • Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) or diabetes
   • Deficiency of certain enzymes
   • Advanced kidney or liver disease
   • Alcoholism
   • Thyroid Disorder
   • AIDS, tuberculosis or an infectious disease
   • Advanced cancer
   • Lupus
   • Vascular disease or poor circulation
   • Heart disease, including heart failure, arrhythmias (especially atrial fibrillation), a previous heart attack, problems with the heart valves or cardiomyopathy.
   • Alzheimer's
   • After an organ transplant
   • Paralysis
   • Pregnancy or breast-feeding
   • If you are on medication that you cannot live without
2. Determine how long you want to water fast. Consider starting with 1 day of water fasting. Water resistant no longer than 3 days if you do it alone. There is evidence that just 1 to 3 days of water fasting has health benefits. If you plan to fast for longer, only do so under medical supervision - for example, during a retreat with medical attendants present.
   • It is probably safer and healthier to fast for a short time now and then than to fast for longer periods (longer than 3 days). Consider water fast no more than 1 day per week.
3. Stuck at a time when you have little stress. Plan your water fasting for a low-stress period, when the fast doesn't interfere with your daily routines too much. Try not to have to work while fasting. Postpone the fast for a time when you can rest physically and mentally.
4. Prepare yourself spiritually. The idea of ​​fasting for several days can be challenging. Talk to your doctor, read books on the topic, and talk to people who have done it before. Think of fasting as an adventure.
5. Start fasting gradually. Instead of suddenly starting with the water fast, it is better to get used to it. Cut sugar, processed foods, and caffeine out of your diet 2-3 days before your fast, and eat mostly fruits and vegetables. Also consider cutting down on your portions a few weeks in advance. Then you prepare your body for what is to come, and the transition to water fasting is mentally easier. Consider intermittent fasting to initiate the water fast. You can spread such a plan over a whole month:
   • Week 1: Don't eat breakfast
   • Week 2: Skip both breakfast and lunch
   • Week 3: Skip breakfast and lunch and reduce your dinner portion
   • Week 4: Start water fasting

Part 2 of 3: Water fast

1. Drink 9-13 glasses of water per day. In general, men should drink about 3 liters of water per day and women about 2.2 liters. You can stick to this recommended daily amount of water when you are doing water fasting. Choose the purest water possible, or drink distilled water.
   • Do not drink this amount of water at once! Divide your water consumption throughout the day. Try to have three liter bottles of water ready so you know how much water to drink per day.
   • Do not drink more water than the recommended amount, as this will unbalance the amount of salts and minerals in your body and can cause health problems.
2. Fight hunger. If you get very hungry, try to get over it by drinking 1-2 glasses of water. Then lie down and rest. The hunger usually subsides on its own. You can also distract yourself by reading or meditating.
3. Break the fast slowly and gradually. Break the fast with some orange or lemon juice. Then always add some foods to your diet. First, eat a little every 2 hours. Step by step from easy to digest foods to foods that are more difficult to digest. Depending on how long you have been fasting, you can spread this process over one or more days:
   • Fruit juice
   • Vegetable juice
   • Raw fruits and green leafy vegetables
   • Yogurt
   • Vegetable soup and boiled vegetables
   • Cooked grains and beans
   • Milk, dairy and eggs
   • Meat fish and poultry
   • Anything else
4. Eat healthy especially. Fasting does not help your health much if you start eating fatty and sugary foods afterwards. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and low in bad fats and sugar. Exercise for 30 minutes at a time five days a week. Live healthy to improve your health and wellbeing and let fasting be just a small part of that.

Part 3 of 3: Safe fasting

1. Before you start water fasting, see your doctor. If you are thinking about taking a water fast, see your doctor. While fasting can have many health benefits for some people, others should never do it. Discuss all of your conditions and medications with your doctor to determine if it is safe for you to fast. He / she will likely examine you and may have a blood sample.
   • If you are on medication, you should discuss with your doctor whether you can continue to take it while you are fasting, and whether you may need to adjust the dose.
2. Fixed under the guidance of an expert. It is best to fast under the guidance of a doctor, especially if you are going to fast for more than 3 days or have a medical condition. Find a doctor who is experienced in fasting and have him / her monitor and guide you during the fast. Ask your doctor to guide you, or let him / her recommend another expert.
3. Avoid dizziness. After 2-3 days of water fasting, you may get dizzy if you get up too quickly. Prevent this by getting up slowly and breathing in and out deeply before standing up. If you do get dizzy, immediately sit or lie down again until it's over. You can also put your head between your knees.
   • If you get so dizzy that you pass out, stop fasting and see a doctor.
4. Distinguish normal from abnormal side effects. It is not uncommon to feel dizzy, faint, or nauseous during a fast, or to feel your heart beating from time to time. However, stop fasting and seek medical attention if you pass out, feel confused, have palpitations more than once or twice a day, develop severe stomach or headaches, or if you experience any other symptoms that worry you.
5. Rest enough during the water fast. You may have less energy and stamina during the fast. Don't exhaust yourself. Have a healthy sleep pattern.Fasting is about resting - physical, emotional, sensory and physiological.
   • If you feel like taking a nap, do so. Read uplifting books. Listen to your body and don't exhaust yourself physically.
   • If you are tired and through it, don't drive.
6. Avoid intense exercise. Your energy level may fluctuate between weak and energetic. Even if you have a lot of energy, don't exhaust yourself - rather, do gentle, strengthening yoga exercises. Yoga is a gentle way of stretching your muscles, so that you still get some exercise.
   • Yoga and light stretching exercises feel pleasant for some, but too intense for others. Listen to your body and only do what feels right.

Tips

• If you want an easier alternative, try juice fasting with green juices. Avoid fruit with too much sugar and puree organic kale, celery, cucumber, cilantro and spinach for juice fasts.
• Even if you lose weight by fasting, you have to live an active life and eat healthy afterwards - otherwise the pounds will be back on.

Warnings

• Stop fasting immediately and seek medical attention if you develop severe stomach pain, pass out, or feel confused.
• Water fasting should only be done by adults who have consulted thoroughly with their primary care physician. It is not suitable for persons under the age of 18.
• Do not take an enema before or during a fast. Despite the myth that this is necessary, there is no scientific evidence that it helps, and it can even be harmful to health. An enema can cause cramps, bloating, nausea and vomiting.