民以食為天。吃在人的一生中起太大作用了，尤其咱們中國人特別講究吃，喜歡吃。我也不例外，事實上，從某種角度，我也算是個吃貨，中餐，西餐，意大利餐，印度餐，隻要是美食，來者不拒。常常想，我一個不追求時尚名牌，不塗脂抹粉不打扮的大媽，我再不吃，我活著幹嘛。所以，除了近年注意少吃點米飯多吃蔬菜水果外，從沒有在飲食上刻意節製過，偶爾吃buffet，也是吃到撐為止。
禁食的概念聽說過，尤其是穆斯林的什麽節禁水禁食，直到月亮出來，以前覺得不可思議，摧殘人(現在還認為不讓喝水是不對的)。真正接觸到禁食是一兩年前，爬山隊裏有位男士，七十二小時禁食，禁食期間就是早上一點自製點果汁，白天一點牛油果和其他水果，周六照樣跟我們一起爬九個miles，還打頭陣。看著他矯健輕盈的步伐，我一次問他禁食的感覺，他說沒有什麽難受的感覺，且感覺不錯。這個朋友他是隔一段時間禁食一次。
我自身有遺傳下來的高血壓和心動過速，爬山三年，體重也就減掉七八磅左右。雖然飲食上吃得很清淡，但我知道體重是另一個可以降壓的因素，雖然我的體重是正常值範圍的。我想過禁食，但是一直下不了決心。
上周三，LD出差了，我可以不用做飯了，更重要的是，我開始了禁食。周三中午的中飯後，周三晚上一個火龍果，臨睡覺前一個李子。周四上班不停地喝水，下午三點左右一根香蕉，周四晚上三個仙人掌果梨，兩個李子。周五中午恢複正常中餐。總共禁食40多個小時。本來還想再堅持下去，想想要周六爬山，這萬一昏倒了要喂狼了：), 所以周五就開了戒。
公司有個同事以前on diet有昏倒過，所以，我這第一次還是很小心的，心想，LD不在家，萬一昏倒在家，連打911的人都沒有。但是全過程沒有任何不舒服，沒有什麽大的饑餓感，上班時間注意力也很集中，雖然周三晚上睡覺前有點餓，麵對月餅的誘惑，咽了咽口水還是忍住了。周四晚上，一個人在家跳了一百下，也沒有什麽不適症狀。
我相信Dr. Kellogg所說的，人就像一個爐子(furnace)，進來的食物被焚燒後產生能量，體內堆積著一些灰燼(cinder)無處釋放。禁食有助於清理這些灰燼殘渣，同時也讓我們的爐子休息一下。另外，研究表明，人體在禁食36小時後，就開始燃燒自身體內存儲的脂肪，所以，人的身體是可以維持的，而且體內多餘脂肪的燃燒有助於減肥瘦身和健康。
餓，也是一種養生療法。你信嗎？ 我信的。
溫馨提示：養生的方法很多，養生的說法也很多，有些可信有些可不信。我個人認同平衡。餓是治療養生法，我也是聽來後在網上做了些功課的，但是還是建議大家根據個體情況而定，不要盲從，步伐不可一下太快，否則有適得其反之疑。
I am a food lover, any kind of food, Chinese food, Mexican food, Italian food, Indian food, etc. You name it. Occasionally at buffet, I eat like a pig. Food is the driving force of my life. Even if I don’t dine out very often, I find myself in the kitchen a lot, cooking for the family and for myself. I never think about fasting, until recently.
A friend of our hiking team once abstained himself from eating for more than 72 hours with only intermittent fruits and veggie water. He still hiked energetically during the abstinence, and looked invigorating, with no sign of fatigue or feeble at all. That is when the seed of fasting sowed into me.
Fasting has been traditionally observed by Christians, Buddhists, Muslins in particular, for spiritual or various purposes. Among them, one big reason is for the health benefit. Think of the English word “breakfast”, consisting of two word stems, i.e., "break" and "fast" to indicate the first meal of the day after a long night fast. While I am far from being knowledgeable about fasting and will not dwell on its health benefits here, I believe in the theory (according to Dr. Kellogg in his book) that our human body is just like a furnace, which burns the food and leaves ashes (cinders) inside. Occasional fast will help clean up the ashes, and leave the furnace idle for self-maintenance, resetting and rejuvenating the device.
My husband was on a business trip Wednesday afternoon. My day at work turned out to be stressful as I was striving to meet the deadline. I was tired after work. It gave me every reason not to cook but fast. One dragon fruit around 6 pm was all I had for my dinner. But later around 11 pm, I actually scrambled downstairs for food in the kitchen. I controlled the urge and ended up with a cup of water and a plum, going to bed empty stomach. It is a test of will and discipline.
Fasting continued on Thursday, with only one banana around 3 pm in the office, three cactus pears and two plums for dinner. I jumped (like jumping ropes) 100 times before bed, reckoning that would help burn more fat.
Friday is the day that I started normal lunch around 12 pm. From Wednesday evening to Friday noon, I fasted a total of more than 40 hours in a row for the first time. I feel nothing wrong, but refreshing during the whole process.
What is exactly right is this: “Where diets complicate life, fasting simplifies. Where diets are expensive, fasting is free. Where diets can take time, fasting saves time. Where diets are limited, fasting is available anywhere. Where diets have variable efficacy, fasting has unquestioned efficacy.” On top of that, life is about balance, good and bad, the Yin and the Yang, joys and pains, work and life, eating and fasting. By fasting, I am endeavoring to keep my body and mind balanced, and my first attempt is a success.
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