Re: Is Dehydration ever desired??
When I do start, here's my plan....at 8am...Noon...4pm....take in 16 ounces of Water, making a total of 48 ounces in a day. I may adjust the 16 ounce amount (up or down) as my Body dictates, but taking my water at those specific times will not change.
This is an interesting thought and hopefully it will work well for you. An entirely different way to go might be to listen to your body, ignore the clock and drink when thirsty. But what is thirst? Colloquially, it is a dry mouth and is something that will come and go, but actual thirst is in the throat and once it arrives it will persist. When i (water-only) fast i ignore dry mouth and await a thirst that is more moderate and persisting. This usually means going dry for about 15-20 hours each day and satisfying any hint of thirst within a 4-9 hour window.
That also means I may be experiencing some mild Dehydration.
An early warning sign of dehydration is skin beginning to become visably dry. I experienced this about 17 months ago in an experimental 40 hour dry fast in the heat of summer, in a dry climate and where a lot of brisk walking was being done. In a more recent fast i dry fasted 44 hours with no such early signs of dehydration, though i did experience moderate and persisting thirst.
Is dehydration ever desired? I'm going to go with Rainy on this one and say that it is to be avoided.
Must you always take fluid immediately when dry-mouth is experienced?
Not at all in a fast, though i think it's a good habit in normal daily life.
I'm saying let it go a while for a better Cleansing and Healing than just a Water Fast alone.
Yes i concur with your thinking on this.
The WF 'rules' say that water must be taken when thirsty. Well, rules are meant to be bent, aren't they??
Maybe yes or maybe no. If thirst is defined as stated above then i am not bending any rules in my daily 15-20 hour dry fasts, though i probably bent one when my skin began to dry out in the experimental 40 hour dry fast :).
Well Yogi, may your 14 day fast go amazingly well for you :).