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Daniel Fast

DreyDay

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Starting tomorrow I'm embarking on a 21 day Daniel Fast. I've finally decided to do this because I want to grow closer to God.

For a long time I thought I can bypass fasting with toughing it out in the gym and eating clean, but my body is so exhausted from weight training for so long, and my nervous system is fried from all that intensity and eating anything in sight.

I want to recover my healthy eating habits that I abandoned a long time ago, and break the bondage I have to sugar cravings and other processed foods.

I want to feel God's presence in my life, and spend more time in prayer. I've spent a lot of time being frustrated with low energy levels and feeling tired, despite doing what I was suppposed to do: exercise and eat healthy. I really feel called to do this fast. I want to honor the Lord with this Fast, and I'm hoping others here can join me or at least encourage and pray for me.
 

bhsmte

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Starting tomorrow I'm embarking on a 21 day Daniel Fast. I've finally decided to do this because I want to grow closer to God.

For a long time I thought I can bypass fasting with toughing it out in the gym and eating clean, but my body is so exhausted from weight training for so long, and my nervous system is fried from all that intensity and eating anything in sight.

I want to recover my healthy eating habits that I abandoned a long time ago, and break the bondage I have to sugar cravings and other processed foods.

I want to feel God's presence in my life, and spend more time in prayer. I've spent a lot of time being frustrated with low energy levels and feeling tired, despite doing what I was suppposed to do: exercise and eat healthy. I really feel called to do this fast. I want to honor the Lord with this Fast, and I'm hoping others here can join me or at least encourage and pray for me.

Certainly, you can do whatever you like.

With that said, fasting for that length of time, is not healthy. The body was not designed to go that long without adequate nutrition, without the body going into survival mode - lowering metabolism which will cause the body to store excess fat, when any type of normal food consumption returns.
 
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OldWiseGuy

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Certainly, you can do whatever you like.

With that said, fasting for that length of time, is not healthy. The body was not designed to go that long without adequate nutrition, without the body going into survival mode - lowering metabolism which will cause the body to store excess fat, when any type of normal food consumption returns.

He's not really fasting, just committing to a better diet for 3 weeks. He's in no danger.
 
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Waterwerx

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Starting tomorrow I'm embarking on a 21 day Daniel Fast. I've finally decided to do this because I want to grow closer to God.

For a long time I thought I can bypass fasting with toughing it out in the gym and eating clean, but my body is so exhausted from weight training for so long, and my nervous system is fried from all that intensity and eating anything in sight.

I want to recover my healthy eating habits that I abandoned a long time ago, and break the bondage I have to sugar cravings and other processed foods.

I want to feel God's presence in my life, and spend more time in prayer. I've spent a lot of time being frustrated with low energy levels and feeling tired, despite doing what I was suppposed to do: exercise and eat healthy. I really feel called to do this fast. I want to honor the Lord with this Fast, and I'm hoping others here can join me or at least encourage and pray for me.

No amount of exercise can make up for a bad diet, and no amount of good dieting can make up for a bad routine. You either have them both right or you will suffer for it in one form or another.
Assuming you don't have some undiagnosed condition(s) related to your heart, thyroid, pancreas, etc., or abnormally low testosterone levels:

1) You can have a "clean" diet, but if you're not consuming enough complex carbs, you will experience the above that I bolded in the quote of your post.
2) Likewise, you can have a sufficient clean diet, but if you're one of those people that:
a. does a full-body workout each exercise day with ~75%+ of your one-rep max resistance on every exercise instead of alternating muscle groups.
b. spends too much time in the gym exercising(anything over 75-90 minutes is most likely excessive in regards to resistance training).

Then you will experience what you had mentioned above because your body will not have enough time to rest, repair, and adapt.
 
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OldWiseGuy

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Starting tomorrow I'm embarking on a 21 day Daniel Fast. I've finally decided to do this because I want to grow closer to God.

For a long time I thought I can bypass fasting with toughing it out in the gym and eating clean, but my body is so exhausted from weight training for so long, and my nervous system is fried from all that intensity and eating anything in sight.

I want to recover my healthy eating habits that I abandoned a long time ago, and break the bondage I have to sugar cravings and other processed foods.

I want to feel God's presence in my life, and spend more time in prayer. I've spent a lot of time being frustrated with low energy levels and feeling tired, despite doing what I was suppposed to do: exercise and eat healthy. I really feel called to do this fast. I want to honor the Lord with this Fast, and I'm hoping others here can join me or at least encourage and pray for me.

I'd advise you to begin keeping a weekly Sabbath (rest, quiet repose). Try it, you'll like it. When you're exhausted your mind can begin to race, and you'll sometimes begin grabbing at straws. I think the "Daniel Fast" is such a straw. Get some rest, clear your mind.
 
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DreyDay

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I don't want to beat a dead horse by reviving this thread, but I believe it is important. So I had completed that Daniel Fast back in March when I posted this thread, and in addition 2 days of juice fasting. Upon completion of it I indeed noticed God working in my life better. New doors opened up in my life, relationships with people blossomed or have been revived. Inspiration returned along with a new sense of feeling alive.

Now, to all the people who don't understand the concept of fasting: regretfully in our modern era most of us are brainwashed into thinking that we have to eat all the time, and if we go through periods of not doing so then we are going to starve or get sick or whatever. As Christians we need to occasionally humble ourselves with fasting and prayer, and that is when God will really work in our lives.

It's crazy how society can deceive people, and us believers are no exception. Fasting is as a Biblical part of our lives as is daily reading and prayer, and quite frankly anybody who avoids practicing fasting is really missing out on something special God has in store for us.
 
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OldWiseGuy

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I don't want to beat a dead horse by reviving this thread, but I believe it is important. So I had completed that Daniel Fast back in March when I posted this thread, and in addition 2 days of juice fasting. Upon completion of it I indeed noticed God working in my life better. New doors opened up in my life, relationships with people blossomed or have been revived. Inspiration returned along with a new sense of feeling alive.

Now, to all the people who don't understand the concept of fasting: regretfully in our modern era most of us are brainwashed into thinking that we have to eat all the time, and if we go through periods of not doing so then we are going to starve or get sick or whatever. As Christians we need to occasionally humble ourselves with fasting and prayer, and that is when God will really work in our lives.

It's crazy how society can deceive people, and us believers are no exception. Fasting is as a Biblical part of our lives as is daily reading and prayer, and quite frankly anybody who avoids practicing fasting is really missing out on something special God has in store for us.

Fasting has a specific meaning, that of abstaining from food and drink (with the exception of water, which doesn't 'excite' the digestive system), for a period of time. The "Daniel Fast" and such others are actually 'diets' that proscribe abstaining from certain foods in favor of others. It is not a true fast and cannot yield the benefits of a true fast. The main purpose of the true fast is to rest the entire system, including what Paul C. Bragg termed the "great engine of digestion, assimilation, and elimination", which involves resting many of the major internal organs of the body involved with the production of energy.

These false fasts or diets allow 'fasting' without hunger or other discomforts common to the true fast, which although unpleasant for a time yield the greatest benefits.
 
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bhsmte

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Fasting has a specific meaning, that of abstaining from food and drink, with the exception of water, for a period of time. The "Daniel Fast" and similar ones are actually 'diets' that proscribe abstaining from certain foods in favor of others. It is not a true fast and cannot yield the benefits of a true fast. The main purpose of the true fast is to rest the entire system, including what Paul C. Bragg termed the "great engine of digestion, assimilation, and elimination", which involves resting many of the major internal organs of the body involved with the production of energy.

These false fasts or diets allow 'fasting' without hunger or other discomforts common to the true fast, which although unpleasant for a time yield the greatest benefits.

I agree, the term "fast" is used improperly here.

This is not a fast, it is a diet, that limits consumption to certain foods. A true fast, removes all food intake, for any specific period of time.
 
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OldWiseGuy

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I agree, the term "fast" is used improperly here.

This is not a fast, it is a diet, that limits consumption to certain foods. A true fast, removes all food intake, for any specific period of time.

The great value of the true fast is that it reveals how 'sick' and 'tired' one really is. This is not to discount the value of going on a 'clean' diet for time. The body is constantly cleansing itself of bad stuff. If you stop eating bad stuff you will certainly benefit. However some bad substances have been stored at the cellular level and cannot be removed except through complete fasting. The body will choose digestion over purification regardless of how good the food taken in is. It cannot do both at the same time. All digestion and elimination processes must cease (be completed) before 'deep cleaning' can take place.
 
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Dave-W

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The main purpose of the true fast is to rest the entire system, including what Paul C. Bragg termed the "great engine of digestion, assimilation, and elimination", which involves resting many of the major internal organs of the body involved with the production of energy.
Incorrect. The main purpose of a fast is entirely spiritual, not physical.
 
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bhsmte

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Incorrect. The main purpose of a fast is entirely spiritual, not physical.

Fasts do serve a physiological purpose as well. If done properly, it can give the digestive system a break and also help to tap fat stores for fuel, if one is trying to lose body fat.
 
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OldWiseGuy

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Incorrect. The main purpose of a fast is entirely spiritual, not physical.

That depends on what the individual's purpose is. I fast mainly for health reasons. That it also frees my mind from the baser thoughts is an added benefit.
 
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Dave-W

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That depends on what the individual's purpose is. I fast mainly for health reasons. That it also frees my mind from the baser thoughts is an added benefit.
I fast to break demonic attachments and tear down strongholds.
 
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