Tips for Fasting

The purpose of fasting is to “afflict your soul,” a means of repenting. For some people, fasting is easy; for others, it is more difficult. But there is no particular merit in making this fast any more difficult than it has to be.

We should point out that everybody’s body is different, and everybody reacts differently to fasting. These tips may or may not work for you. Above all else, you should listen to your own body and do those things that tend to make you less hungry while avoiding things that tend to make you hungrier.

A week before your fast

You can ease your fast by preparing your body about a week before the fast.

Taper Off Addictive or Habitual Substances

Starting a week before the fast, taper off of the following:

• Coffee, tea or other caffeinated beverages
• Refined sugar and candy, especially chocolate
• Cigarettes, cigars and pipes
• Anything else that you eat habitually or compulsively, that you long for when you can’t have it

Sudden deprivation of any of the above can cause withdrawal symptoms that will make it harder to fast. If you taper off of these things about a week before the fast, you will find that your withdrawal symptoms are not as severe.

Vary Your Meal Schedule

Keep in mind that for most well-fed Americans, the “hunger” that you feel at meal times is simply a result of your body preparing itself to receive food at the expected time. If you always eat lunch at precisely 12:30 and dinner at precisely 6 PM, your body will start preparing to digest at those times. That is what most Americans think of as “hunger.” If you vary your meal schedule, you will find that it eases your feelings of hunger at meal times.

Drink Plenty of Water

The need for water is much greater than the need for food, and if you are like most Americans, you don’t drink enough water under ordinary circumstances. During the last few days before H&H, make sure you drink plenty of water, so you do not risk becoming dehydrated during your fast.

The Meal Before

Your last meal before your 30 hour fast should be chosen carefully.

Don’t Overeat

Some people seem to think that they can “make up for” not eating during H&H by having a big meal the night before or before the fast begins the day of. This is a very bad idea, and actually makes it harder to fast. Have you ever noticed how you feel particularly hungry the morning after a large meal? Eat a normal sized meal.

Eat Foods That Are Easy To Digest

Don’t eat anything that will sit in your stomach like a rock, give you heartburn or leave you feeling hungry. The specifics here vary significantly from person to person. Think of foods that don’t leave you feeling hungry the morning after. For example, it is commonly said that the problem with Chinese food is, three hours later you’re hungry again. If that’s true for you, then don’t eat Chinese for your last meal!

Get Plenty of Protein and Complex Carbohydrates

These are the foods that will stick with you during the next day and give you the long-term energy you need.