Fasting on Ganesha's day

[Guest guest]

Hi Angela,

Fasting is generally an abstinence from food or drink for a day or a few days during which the fast can last till evening when a meal can be taken if one wishes. Its important to bear in mind that those who are physically weak should not fast at all.

You can set yourself a time, say from morning till early evening not to consume food but drink milk and fruit juice, eat some fruits (if your metabolism is not good). If you are healthy and feel you don't need any beverages or fruits to tide you over the day, its fine to totally abstain from drinking beverages in which case water is important so as not to dehydrate the body system.

Please remember not to undertake a lenghthy fast period if you are not used to it. Say if one does this, there will be considerable weight loss if the procedure is done for 40 days which is not healthy at all. Begin with one day, then 2 days, 3 days and so on until you know your body is coping and you are not dehydrated. Please read the following article, it may give you more ideas:

Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. A fast may be total or partial concerning that from which one fasts, and may be prolonged or intermittent as to the period of fasting. Fasting practices may preclude sexual activity as well as food, in addition to refraining from eating certain types or groups of foods; for example, one might refrain from eating meat. A complete fast in its traditional definition is abstinence of all food and liquids.

In a medical context fasting may refer to (1) the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight, and (2) to the metabolic state achieved after complete digestion and absorption of a meal. Several metabolic adjustments occur during fasting, and many medical diagnostic tests are standardized for fasting conditions. For most ordinary diagnostic purposes a person is assumed to be fasting after 8–12 hours. Many of the metabolic shifts of fasting begin as absorption of a meal is complete (typically 3–5 hours after a meal); "post-absorptive state" is synonymous with this usage, in contrast to the "post-prandial" state of ongoing digestion. A diagnostic fast refers to prolonged fasting (from 8–72 hours depending on age) conducted under medical observation for investigation of a problem, usually hypoglycemia. Finally, extended fasting has been recommended as therapy for various conditions by physicians of most cultures, throughout history, from ancient to modern.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting