Am I doing something wrong in my fasting?

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edjlopez23

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So I heard fasting is a way to help control your passions and purify the heart but so far I haven’t got the results I wanted from it and maybe I’m doing something wrong.

I’m on a bread and water only fast: I eat around 1500-1800 calories of bread each day and I take multi-vitamins, calcium supplements, and fish oil for nutrition.

So far I haven’t gotten the results I wanted and wonder if I should break my fast to focus my energy on doing something else. But, I wanted to know first if I’m doing something wrong in my fast before I break it.
 
Well, that’s not really a fast, more like a restricted calorie diet.

I don’t believe in the whole fasting for spiritual benefits thing, but 1500 - 1800 calories a day with nutritional supplements isn’t really all that much of a stress on your body
 
Did you check with a doctor to make sure you’ll stay healthy during your fast? If not, I’d advise doing so.

As for results, sometimes things take time. Someone on this forum mentioned a guy they know who did weekly Confession for two years before they got a sin under control.
 
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I would suggest speaking with your PCP and your priest about this. You want to be sure you’re healthy enough to fast. Perhaps you should begin with the kind of fast we do during Lent.
 
Fasting for me used to increase my sex drive when I was younger and had more hormones. It made me nervous and jittery and a little oversexed.

If it’s not working for you, try something else. Different people have different bodily reactions to a fast.
 
TechieGuy said:
Well, that’s not really a fast, more like a restricted calorie diet.
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It is a “fast” within the Catholic definition of the term. He is denying himself food he would otherwise eat.

“Fasting” in Catholic parlance does not necessarily mean you go without all food or you consume very little food.
 
Ask Jesus what he wants you to do to “control your passions and purify your heart.” Does He want you to do such a fast?
 
I have the same experience. It may work for some people who struggle with sexual issues, but for me, washing the dishes or doing paperwork is far more effective.
 
When you say you haven’t gotten “ the results “ that you want.
Are you saying you haven’t felt any change ?
Besides fasting - you should also do something spiritual -
Such as go to mass - get home and read a gospel out loud - watch a religious movie - pray -
Even sing some hymns out , etc
 
There are different forms of fasting. Putting aside dietary ones like intermittent fasting, maybe try this;

NO EATING AT ALL ANY GIVEN DAY UNTIL YOU’VE SPENT TIME WITH OUR LORD FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES.

Just offering an idea.
 
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1500-1800 calories??? How is that fasting. I don’t get the purpose of eating bread, I fast for health/weight loss reasons and I hardly eat bread. Couldn’t fathom eating all that bread.
 
You have a history of SCRUPLES, going back on your old threads. This question is for your priest. Not for us.

Our comments could undermine and undo all the good work you have been doing over the years.

You are in my prayers
 
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I already talk to a priest about this and am still wondering what I should do.
 
jtwp5 said:
I fast for health/weight loss reasons and I hardly eat bread. Couldn’t fathom eating all that bread.
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i don’t like eating a lot of bread either. It makes me feel unwell. That’s penance. Which is the point of the bread fast, penance. It’s not to get healthy or lose weight.
 
Purposely harming your body is penance? Shouldn’t we take care of our bodies and not eat junk food?
 
edjlopez23 said:
So I heard fasting is a way to help control your passions and purify the heart but so far I haven’t got the results I wanted from it and maybe I’m doing something wrong.
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Fasting helps some people in this way. For others, it has no such effect. Perhaps there are more effective ways for you to control your passions and purify your heart.

Since you have already spoken to a priest, I’d suggest that whatever he told you would be more relevant than what any of us could say, seeing how he knows you in real life and we don’t. :woman_shrugging:t2:
 
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Well, yes you are right - that is one way to look at fasting - denying yourself specific foods.

But it sounded like he was looking for something that would modify his brain chemistry, which I don’t think he’ll get with his approach as described.

As always, I could be wrong…
 
Well I see where you are coming from but you are possibly going about it the wrong way. Forget calories not really relevant. Ok so what are these passions you want to control (dont answer me, just yourself), it may be more pertinent to consider self denial of the active kind, or self abnegation as it is often called. So say you’d like to devote more time to God and learning about your religion but you find time runs away with you cos of work/school and friends and tv and computer etc. and somehow He doesnt seem to get a look in and those spiritual books or the Bible you want to get around to reading, just sit forlornly in a pile on a desk or get covered up with other things… then give up something and do something positive with the time instead. For instance , give up social media for one day (or if that’s too hard then an evening ) and spend the time reading a spiritual book or read a verse/s of the Bible and sit and think/pray about what it means too you. You could pick Sunday as it’s God’s day. If you really want it to be about food then try the churches fast, 2 small meals and one normal sized meal with no snacks, maybe try doing it on the traditional fast days, such as Wednesday and Friday. If you fast all day every day it can be difficult in my opinion for starting out, because you just tend to lose momentum. Remember also you can offer little things to control your passions, such as not having sugar in your coffee, skipping desert, only having one coffee in the morning, walking instead of getting the bus, having plain yogurt instead of a fruity one etc. assuming of course the preferred choice is the one you dont chose. My priest put it simply, always chose the hardest option. Basically just try doing what you dont want all the time, to make it easier to do what God asks of you. God bless and don’t forget to ask God for His help you do not have to do anything on your own.
 
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