Attempting the Black Fast

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Was the “Black Fast” ever mandated for any specific group within the Church - monastics, all clergy, or even all the Latin faithful? And if so, was it ever formally repealed, or just fall into disuse to be replaced by the “token” rules we have today? I guess I’m wondering if it’s still technically binding.
 
Yup long term fasts can have many health benefits and when you go into ketosis your body uses fat for energy and so you are no longer hungry unless you don’t have enough fat. As long as your doctor knows because the longer the fast the more dangerous
 
Surely not just for insurance reasons. Eating 120 calories per day for 40 consecutive days combined with using laxatives sounds like it could not possibly be healthy.
 
Doctor: Are you Catholic?
Me: Yes.
Doctor: You know that with your health conditions you are not allowed to fast, right?
Me: I do now.😁
 
Pitcairn17 said:
I guess I’m wondering if it’s still technically binding.
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It’s clearly not binding on ordinary Latin Rite Catholics. Our fasting rules are set forth by the bishops and only require fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and the “fasting” required is two small meals and one regular sized meal, no meat (but fish, eggs and dairy are allowed). These same rules have been in place at least since Vatican II. I think previously Catholics were expected to abstain from meat every Friday, not just in Lent.

As I understand it in USA, Lent and Fridays used to have stricter fasting rules, but the priests gave a lot of dispensations because Catholic immigrants to USA had to do much heavier physical labor than in Europe. Eventually the rules were just relaxed across the board.

It is possible that some monastic communities might require more rigorous fasting for their members; usually those people would not be eating that much on a regular day either, so their systems would be used to it, and they also wouldn’t be out doing heavy manual labor, and might not even have to drive cars or look after children.

In general, people in Europe in earlier centuries of the Church did much stricter fasts. Again, most people did not have much to eat even on a non-fasting day, so this wasn’t as difficult for them as anybody whose body couldn’t handle going without food probably just died, to be honest. The ones who were left could handle it.
 
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No penguins for me then.

No matter. They’re high in carbs anyway.
 
I do a 4-day per week fast. I normally start Sunday evening after dinner and don’t eat again until Friday morning breakfast. I have coffee most mornings and drink the Crystal Light drinks throughout the day. No food of any kind.

I’ve been doing it for over a year. I’ve lost about 30 lbs, my A1C went from 7.4 to 5.7, I’m off my Glipizide (diabetic med), my joints don’t hurt, and I have tremendous energy after day 2.

In a million years, I never would have thought that a food-centric guy like me could do this but it’s been enjoyable and something I will likely do for the rest of my life.
 
Limoncello4021 said:
Lots of recent studies have shown that fasting for more than 16 hours or so is very good for us in all sorts of ways
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I have been doing 17-18 hours a day for almost a year now and i feel absolutely fantastic. It was a rough first few days but after that it is surprisingly (at least for me) easy to do. I don’t plan on ever going back to the “normal” meal times routine.
 
Well that’s why I was going to start 4 days before Ash Wednesday. If I cheated or realized I needed to ease into it, I’d have done so before Ash Wednesday.

I had totally forgot my birthday was Sunday, the first day I intended to start. Everything was going well until I got home from work to find family waiting for me with Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and green beans. As well as cake and ice cream. They have never done that but it was my 62’nd birthday and they knew I applied for my Social Security lol.

So much for starting Sunday.

Then my landlord calls today and is coming by tomorrow to do some needed plumbing work. I mentioned that I’ll receive my first Social Security check in April and asked when I turned 62. So now he’s treating me to a birthday steak dinner after we get finished with the work.

So, now I will have to start Ash Wednesday.
 
Well, I’m getting a late start lol

It’s just something I have wanted to try for a few years. I may find I need to eat my one meal before dark due to my work schedule.

I don’t want to wind up eating the meal two or three hours before I go to bed.

We’ll see. If I fail to keep the fast some days, I’ll just pray for strength the next day. I’m certain I can stay true to the abstinence from meat though.

We’ll see.
 
On a side note, I was just thinking of the Friday Catholic fish fry during Lent.

I love them, but they sure don’t seem very penitential. Especially if one winds up drinking two or three beers.

Were fish frys a thing before the 60’s ?
 
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I should also caution you not to drive while in ketosis, as it makes you appear drunk.
 
120 grams of carbohydrates per day will keep you out of ketosis.
 
I’m going to try to do no coffee again but I have to check with my doctor first.
 
I noticed that if I eat breakfast I get hungrier at noon. If I skipped breakfast I don’t get as hungry so I have been doing the 16:8 intermittent fasting.
I occasionally stretch the fast window to 18 instead of 16.

I plan to do this on Wednesday’s and Fridays of Lent.
 
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Re: previous commenter, people with babies or young kids (Latin Catholics) were specifically excused from fasting under the older, stricter laws, although abstinence was not excused. Nursing and pregnant moms were excused from abstinence too.g

Oh, and.cooks and kitchen personnel were traditionally excused from division of meals and snacks, abstinence, fasting, and so on, because it is fast paced labor with meals at odd times, and tasting is required.
 
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