The beautiful experience of fasting – it’s both mental and physical.
Welcome to the Healthy Aging Newsletter, a free publication translating trustworthy medical research into simple habits to age well, free of chronic disease. I’m Dr. Ashori, a family medicine doctor turned health coach.
Have you ever felt that eating has become a bit of a routine, chore, or too mindless? Breathing, walking, talking, and eating are actions so commonly done that eventually they will lose their value.
Here is a great way to tune back into eating, food, nourishment, and being alive. Let’s fast for 24 hours together this month of June. Let’s do it intentionally to really enjoy the experience.
Fasting – A Way to Reconnect With Food
The act of fasting is as important as the first bite of food you take when you break your fast. When fasting it’s great to tune into a few of these feelings and sensations:
- Hunger
- Thirst
- Mood
- Mouth feel
- Sensations in the stomach
- Bowel changes
- Energy
- The first bite in the mouth
- Chewing
- Swallowing
We eat to nourish the body and we eat to maintain the cycle of life. We are feeding the cells of the human body with food and the bacteria in the various parts of the body, including the gut bacteria.
The Sensation of Hunger When Fasting
Hunger is both a terrible and lovely feeling. The ability to hold the sensation of hunger means that our bodies are healthy enough to metabolize fat and glycogen stores to fuel cells in the body.
Some of us will get moody, grumpy, and experience moderate fatigue. No matter what sensation, for sure you’ll be more present, performing your daily chores despite the sensation of missing something.
Getting through 24 hours of hunger means you trust your body. That everything is and will be okay. A lack of something is the end of you and the sensation of eating is much more than a mindless activity.
The Thursday Fast
This month, on a Thursday, I invite you on a 24 hour fast. Prepare for it the night before by having your last meal not too late so that you can sleep well. When you wake up, have a glass of water – hot or cold.
Take the time to be more intentional, more present on this Thursday. Pay attention to the routines you’ll skin this day and the sensations of hunger that will come and go.
Pay attention to how often you’ll be offered or encounter food and how often you’ll say no. Feel the resistance. Drink water as needed to maintain hydration but no so much to quench hunger.
We eat because we feel anxious or boredom. Notice those moments and watch how they’ll actually pass if you pay attention to the feeling.
If you’re a smoker or drink coffee or alcohol, fast those habits as well. This day is meant to be a time for you to spend within your body and not just outside of it.
Breaking Your Fast on Friday
Celebrate your fast on Friday. Intentionally choose what you’ll have, whether the cup of coffee or the morning cigarette. Be intentional and offer blessing to whatever it is you’re enjoying.
Feel the sensation of swallowing food, liquids, and appreciating the company in which you eat, whether family or friends.
Try journaling more on Thursday and Friday, maybe call friends and family.
Invite Family and Friends
Know someone else who might be interested? Invite them to join you on a fast. If a whole 24 hours is too much commit to 8 or 6 hours.
If you can’t cut out coffee, keep the coffee as minimal as possible. If you can’t go to bed without a snack, limit yourself to that pre-bed snack. Be creative – the goal is to have the experience of a fast.
If You Are on Medication
Certain medication can lower your blood pressure and blood sugar. On days you don’t eat you’ll have a different salt and sugar balance so it’s a good idea to have a discussion with your clinician how to adjust accordingly.
If You ‘Fail’
There is no such thing as failing when it comes to failing. Just committing to a fast on Thursday is a win. Whether you go through with it or not is something that’s determined by you and the reasons you have for it are all valid because you’re valid.
If you don’t go through the fast you’ll still have the experience of what it’s like to imagine yourself fasting. Or perhaps you did it for 3 hours and that itself is revelatory.
I welcome you on this fast and would love to hear about your experience below.
Want to do the 24-hour Thursday Fast with a simple plan and clear guardrails?
Book a Fit Call and I’ll help you set it up around your lifestyle, goals, and health history, so you can enjoy the mental and physical reset without guessing.
- Choose your best fasting window for June and plan your last meal
- Decide what’s allowed (water, electrolytes, coffee) based on your tolerance
- Create a “hunger plan” for cravings, boredom eating, and stress
- Plan your break-fast meal so you feel great on Friday
- Adjust safely if you have blood pressure or blood sugar concerns
Bring your goal (fat loss, insulin resistance, gut reset, discipline, energy). I’ll help you pick the safest, simplest fasting approach that fits your life.
