How To Prepare For A Fast

This is first day of my 21-day fast. Yes, I’m fasting for the next 21 days and although I’m barely a few hours in, I feel confident that I can make it to the finish line. The reason I feel confident is because unlike attempts to fast in the past, I actually prepared myself this time.

While trying to mentally prepare myself for the  journey, I realized that there are quite a few things to keep in mind while you prepare for a fast and decided while I’m up and fully committed to this upcoming few weeks, that I would share just exactly how I got here. So, keep reading.

Reasons To Fast

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One of the main reasons people choose to commit to a fast is for health reason, such as to lose weight and/or detoxify the body. My sister-in-law does multiple fasts throughout the year whenever she feels a negative change in her body or health. She feels it helps filter out anything unhealthy that didn’t agree with her body. Her fast range from weeks to months and I’m so envious of her dedication.

Personally, I’m fasting in part with my church’s annual corporate fast that always happens at the beginning of the year. We are called to use that time to pray and increase our hunger for God while focusing on the upcoming year and things we would like to see happen in our life.

I will be the first to admit that in the past I haven’t been very good at sticking to fasting for various reasons. However, thanks to being focused on things I want to see happen in my life this year and proper preparation, I feel confident that I can make it.

Types of Fasts

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The common method and definition of fasting that most people think of is not eating anything and drink only water. I will admit, I used to think was what it meant to fast. However, over the years, I’ve learned that fasting just means giving up something you’re dependent on for a fraction of time.

There are countless types and ways you can fast, but the three popular types of fasts include:

  • Dry Fast – The most extreme of the types of fasting, dry fasting has spiritual roots, and consists of foregoing food and water for short periods.
  • Liquid Fast – Like the name suggests, you only drink liquids with this fast. You can opt to drink only water or even a juice only. Fasting with detox waters are a great option, too.

Here are some other fasting suggestions:

  • Daniel Fast – With this fast, you don’t eat any meat, sweets, or bread. Drink water and juice.  You can only eat fruits and vegetables. Read more about the Daniel Fast here.
  • Full Fast – Drink only liquids (you establish the number of days).
  • Partial Fast – A partial fast is from 6:00 am to 3:00 pm or from sun up to sundown. You can select from three types of fasting —a Full Fast, Daniel Fast or give up at least one item of food.

You can even just fast off certain things that you are “emotionally dependant” on such as breads, dairy, and some people choose to fast social media, TV, and technology all together. It’s really up to the person on what they which fast they would like to do that they would benefit more from doing.

To really make a commitment, I’ve decided that this year I will do a partial full fast, which means that I will not eat anything from sun up to sundown and only drink water. I thought about the 6 a.m to 3 p.m, but I really wanted to challenge myself.

How I Prepared For My Fast

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You would assume that once I decided that I was going to commit to fasting from sun up to sundown everyday for 21 days that I would spend the days leading up to it inhale any and every food that I can…while I can.

Although I was tempted to use that as an excuse to “carb up” this past weekend, I actually did the opposite. I only drank water and ate small ans sensible meal throughout the day. I tried to avoid anything too heavy (i.e. bread, pasta, beef) and stuck mainly to salads and lean meats.

What I Hope To Take Away From This Fast

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Overall, I hope that I’m stronger in all aspects of my life, including my faith, career, and relationship. Hopefully, this will also be a jumping pad toward an healthier lifestyle, too.

If you have questions about fasting or question you would like for me to keep in mind to pass on to you after completing, please share them below, because I plan to do a follow up at the end and  can any questions you might have that I can address for you. I’m in guinea pig mode.

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