Re: 1st Day of 40 Days Water Fast

This is quite a dedication to undertake at such a young age. I personally thought I was a bit young to do so, but I've finished growing, so I thought what the hell, why not...

The shame is that you will be around people your age and many of your contemporaries will have no concept of what you are doing. You may be ridiculed, mocked, and taunted. This makes me applaud your situation even more. One small benefit, is it got really easy to allow unsolicited, ignorant criticism roll off my back after a few days, because I got to a point where I simply didn't care.

I think at your age, you should let your parents know what you are doing, merely so that if anything does go wrong, such as, god forbid, you go into some kind of shock, they will know what is going on, instead of having to guess. As it were, I'm sure they'll notice something amiss, what with weight loss, skin color, sudden increase of pimples, all due to detox/fasting. I would also recommend carrying a travel toothbrush and a tube of paste and brushing your teeth, mouth, and tongue as needed, as your breath will start to downright reek as early as... well now.

I would sit the more levelheaded, reasonable parent down, or have a sibling with similar sensibilities do it, maybe if they have a better rapport with your parents. I would also recommend having a lot of research at hand about this sort of thing, as there will probably be a battery of questions and you may win support and approval by showing that you've prepared for this and done your homework instead of diving half blind into what is potentially a lethal thing... Not trying to scare you, but it is...

You need your family and friends in your corner during this time. The coaches at school can be told you are fasting for religious reasons, you can tell them you are a member of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Janaism. I believe all of these major religions has some sort of fasting associated with them, heck you could probably even say you are a practitioner of Santeria if you will. The thing is, most government run organizations(public schools, not private) are extremely careful not to "discriminate", by stepping on their students toes, when their students are practicing a part of a religion. So, even if you don't have a religion, you could always say you do. Politely inform your coaches/gym teachers that you will be unable to perform the more physical parts of exercise due to a Water Fast you are untaking for ::insert religious reason here" They don't even need to know how long. Tell them it is indefinite but will not exceed 50 days(40 for your face and at least 10 to refeed after). Ask them if it is acceptable to merely walk a lap around the gym or do stretches during this time, instead of your typical physical activity.

Also, just a heads up, this thing of ours that we do(I feel so deliciously mafiosi just writing that last line), it has some occasional complications, such as cold flashes, vomitting, diarrhea, etc. Be ready for this kind of stuff and remember that once you've had your last BM, what may feel like some gas passing, isn't always; especially once you've started refeeding, especially with juice, for me, but luckily I was at home and able to reach the head before I disgraced myself. Just letting you know...

Good luck and I wish you the best in this thing that we do... Tweet