Can't fast - what to do?

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cardenio

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I’m sixteen and 5"1’ and 92lbs. When I went in for a physical, my doctor thought I was anorexic. I do come by it honestly - genetically - my mom’s family is short and my dad’s is thin. But I guess I’m thin enough to get everybody scared.

First off, I’m not anorexic and one of my irrational fears is throwing up. My problem is not psychological.

So I’m doing what I’ve been told to do about eating, but what am I supposed to do about fasting (good friday, ash wednesday)? I think if I lived pre-vatican2, my doctor would force me to leave the church temporarily during Lent.

I mean, it’s good to make sacrifices for God but is health an appropriate sacrifice?
 
If it is a health issue and you can’t fast, then their are other acts of penance, etc. that you can partake in…such as increased prayers, more Rosaries, volunteering at homeless shelter, etc…
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cardenio:
I’m sixteen and 5"1’ and 92lbs. When I went in for a physical, my doctor thought I was anorexic. I do come by it honestly - genetically - my mom’s family is short and my dad’s is thin. But I guess I’m thin enough to get everybody scared.

First off, I’m not anorexic and one of my irrational fears is throwing up. My problem is not psychological.

So I’m doing what I’ve been told to do about eating, but what am I supposed to do about fasting (good friday, ash wednesday)? I think if I lived pre-vatican2, my doctor would force me to leave the church temporarily during Lent.

I mean, it’s good to make sacrifices for God but is health an appropriate sacrifice?
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Well, first of all, the fast days are many months away, and by then you might have achieved what your doctor would consider a healthy weight, and you may be able to fast.

If not, consider that obedience is quite a sacrifice, and a powerful protection against spiritual pride. Eat what you are supposed to eat and make some other sacrifice, like the Internet or TV or listening to music for those days. Or, follow the excellent suggestion you received earlier to pray more or give extra service to others.

Betsy
 
OK, my grandmother was diabetic. No way could she fast.
Now we are Methodist, so I don’t know if this would work for you, but I thought it was smart: She said, she had to eat, but there was nothing that said she had to eat her favorite foods. So, when she “fasted”, she would eat perfectly nourishing food that she didn’t enjoy. (She hated tuna, for example, so for fasting, she had a tuna sandwich for her main dish).
It seems to me that anybody could adapt this a little. Not to eat things that would make you sick, but we all have preferences. You can have a meal that isn’t a big pleasure. It’s just nutrition, not a celebration of food…
I hope this makes sense…
 
Always ask your priest about how the rules apply in special cases. They study these things in seminary. And these days the rules about fasting are so lenient anyway… although they shouldn’t be!
 
As Zooey mentioned, a diabetic ought not fast, and medical things are true exceptions to the fast rules. I think FrmrTrad is right to ask your priest if you should find lent rolling around the corner and your doctor has not yet okay’d you for a day of fast. But lent is a long way off.

Ug. I think it would be harder for me to choke down peanut butter than to go a day without food.😃
 
I was like you when a teen; 5’4" and 99 dripping wet! It’s really a blessing, if you’re thin naturally and NOT bc of sickness or anorexia.
I had a tendency toward hypoglycemia - if I skipped a meal, I got dizzy and faint, and sometimes head-achy. Even though I’ve outgrown it (I’m 40+), I sometimes get that way. So I try to just eliminate eating between meals when fasting, eating less at mealtimes, and not eating dessert or favorite foods.
Peace,
Mimi
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cardenio:
I’m sixteen and 5"1’ and 92lbs. When I went in for a physical, my doctor thought I was anorexic. I do come by it honestly - genetically - my mom’s family is short and my dad’s is thin. But I guess I’m thin enough to get everybody scared.

First off, I’m not anorexic and one of my irrational fears is throwing up. My problem is not psychological.

So I’m doing what I’ve been told to do about eating, but what am I supposed to do about fasting (good friday, ash wednesday)? I think if I lived pre-vatican2, my doctor would force me to leave the church temporarily during Lent.

I mean, it’s good to make sacrifices for God but is health an appropriate sacrifice?
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Hello Cardenio,

I would suggest meditating on our Lord’s Passion.

Have you read any of Anne Catherine Emmerich’s books (The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ)? The give great insight into the pure agony that our Lord went through for our salvation.

According to Saint Faustina Diary, (notebook 1, paragraph 369),
it reads:

“There is more merit to one hour of meditation on My sorrowful Passion that there is to whole year of flagellation that draws blood”

God bless,
Noel.
 
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Mimi:
I was like you when a teen; 5’4" and 99 dripping wet! It’s really a blessing, if you’re thin naturally and NOT bc of sickness or anorexia.
I had a tendency toward hypoglycemia - if I skipped a meal, I got dizzy and faint, and sometimes head-achy. Even though I’ve outgrown it (I’m 40+), I sometimes get that way. So I try to just eliminate eating between meals when fasting, eating less at mealtimes, and not eating dessert or favorite foods.
Peace,
Mimi
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Oh goodness I’m the same way! I was as thin as a rail, at 16 I too was 90 some lbs. I’m 110 now (at age 24) but I still need to becareful because I am still a bit underweight as far as body mass goes. If I skip meals or something I have a tendancy to get a headache or get dizzy or shaky.

What others here suggested is great, just eat foods you don’t really like, that way you will still get the fat intake you need but it’s not like you are indulging.

As for gaining weight try to drink many milk shakes, eat pastas. I tried desperately to gain weight in my youth, but it really just didn’t happen and I just had to let nature go. You will probably “fill out” as you mature. Just becareful as you get older because your metabolism will slow down as you age.
 
Your age, height, and weight do not place you in the undernourished class. I was exactly your size until I was 32 years old and I was (and still am at grandmother age) formidably healthy. Since then I have gained 8 pounds. Puh-leeze. If you are healthy, you can fast when required.

“Fasting” according to the regulations of the Church does not mean that you must eat less than your body needs to function healthfully. All it means is that you take your full daily nutrition as one meal instead of several. You can restrict WHAT you eat – say, no meat, sweets, soda, and such – but you can still eat enough to be healthy. If you were overweight because you overeat, then eating only our healthful daily requirement would be a restriction in quantity. For you it does not mean a restriction in quantity.

On fast days (my approved rule of life includes all Fridays), I avoid meat, eggs, fish, and sweets. My one meal is of vegetables with perhaps some bread, pasta and fruit. I calculate it (no guesstimations) to be no more calories than required to maintain my leanest healthy body weight of 92 pounds (at my age and activity level that is about 900 calories; yours would probably be about 1200).

If you are healthy, you can fast according to these sensible guidelines. God bless you for wanting to do it!
 
I guess it wasn’t Lent, really, that I was worried about, it was when I see things like “the best thing you can do is pray and fast” and “God sees what’s done in secret.” I know my parents will fast randomly (i can tell when because it makes it so much harder to keep a temper). And I wanted to do that too but with a mom saying “eat! eat!” any time I’m within 5 feet of the kitchen and a doctor saying “are you throwing up after you eat?” it’s hard to go without food.

But I like the idea of eating foods I don’t like. Well, no, I don’t like it, but I’m gonna do it. And I’m a mildly picky eater so finding food shouldn’t be difficult.

thanks everyone
 
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baltobetsy:
Well, first of all, the fast days are many months away, and by then you might have achieved what your doctor would consider a healthy weight, and you may be able to fast.

If not, consider that obedience is quite a sacrifice, and a powerful protection against spiritual pride. Eat what you are supposed to eat and make some other sacrifice, like the Internet or TV or listening to music for those days. Or, follow the excellent suggestion you received earlier to pray more or give extra service to others.

Betsy
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Fast days are many months away for Latin Catholics, for us Byzantines we have a Fast next month, the Dormition Fast, August 1st to the 14th as the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God is the 15th.

Then we have the Nativity Fast from November 15th though December 24th.
 
ByzCath - thanks, but I’m Roman… but we visited a Byzantine church as a field trip in 7th grade. It was beautiful. In the entryway there was a picture of Adam and Eve and they didn’t have bellybuttons. I was the one that pointed it out and I’m still mad they didn’t give me a free t-shirt or something. lol

There was this other picture of a lady… geez, musta been Mary, because she was wearing red over blue. She was bending over for some reason. I don’t know, might have been a pot or a little Jesus or something she was picking up. So anyway, her butt’s sticking out, all covered with the red robe, and right on her butt there’s another red thing and it’s sticking out from the wall and it says “pull in case of fire.”
 
Hey Mary.

The way i think of it is to fast as much as you can without upsetting your doctor or your mum.
To not upset parents or grandparents can be hard, especially if they’re wogs (wog = Westernised Oriental Gentleman. That’s the derivitive. It now means someone from the balkan or italian peninsulas). They are always yelling at you to eat. This can be good, but can also be bad. I was fasting one day, on bread and water (that is how i fast), and my grandmother got so upset.
I just ignored her and my mothers pleas to eat.
But i wasn’t stupid enough to go the whole day without eating. The usual headaches and dizziness abound.

So, fast as much as you can without risking your health.
Or, try another method, like those mentioned above.
 
Nekic - I cracked up laughing… you have no idea. Every day I try to eat enough to avoid upsetting anyone but my the food in my stomach starts screaming “let me out” before my mom stops telling me to eat more. Yesterday I weighed myself on a digital scale before and after dinner and there was about a two pound difference. Then an hour or so later I had lost the two pounds I’d gained during dinner. But the “mary, eat!” isn’t out of culture or politeness, it’s out of “omg mary you need to gain weight!!!”

I think I’ll go with the food I don’t like plan… I’m thinking lots of skim milk… yech
 
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cardenio:
I’m sixteen … what am I supposed to do about fasting (good friday, ash wednesday)?
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According to the rules of the church, you’re not supposed to be fasting anyway; you’re too young.
 
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Timidity:
According to the rules of the church, you’re not supposed to be fasting anyway; you’re too young.
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You must be 18 before you are bound by the law of fast. I don’t think that has to mean you ought not fast. Does the Church say somewhere that a minor (an older minor, not a small one) generally ought not fast?

Just so no confusion, abstinence has a different age (14).
 
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Pug:
You must be 18 before you are bound by the law of fast. I don’t think that has to mean you ought not fast.
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Agreed. Poor wording on my part. Still, the OP’s point is moot because she is under no obligation to fast.
 
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Timidity:
Agreed. Poor wording on my part. Still, the OP’s point is moot because she is under no obligation to fast.
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I’m glad you pointed out OP’s age. It is relevant here. OP is under no obligation to fast on Ash Wed and Good Frid.
 
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