Fasting & Abstinence Questions

[Red_Wolf]

Pardon my ignorance; sometimes this is as good as I get. Desire is not to just “meet the letter” but, to do honor in a traditional way.
Just set out on giving being a vegetarian (not vegan) a try, so I can’t “give up” meat on Fridays. What is standard abstinence for vegetarians?
Am I correct in understanding that milk doesn’t qualify as a meal or snack? Reason I ask is I usually sip a quart throughout the day, rather than making a single meal of it (snacks, in lieu of meal).
What constitutes a fast for one who usually eats one meal (plus milk), of about 600 calories, a day?
My diet is not a penance; it’s what I like.

 

[LilyM]

Pardon my ignorance; sometimes this is as good as I get. Desire is not to just “meet the letter” but, to do honor in a traditional way.
Just set out on giving being a vegetarian (not vegan) a try, so I can’t “give up” meat on Fridays. What is standard abstinence for vegetarians?
Am I correct in understanding that milk doesn’t qualify as a meal or snack? Reason I ask is I usually sip a quart throughout the day, rather than making a single meal of it (snacks, in lieu of meal).
What constitutes a fast for one who usually eats one meal (plus milk), of about 600 calories, a day?
My diet is not a penance; it’s what I like.

You NORMALLY have 600 calories a day from food? How many calories in your milk?

Methinks you need to see a doctor or dietician pronto - you can’t possibly get the variety of nutrients needed to support life from a measly 600 calories worth of solid food plus your milk, regardless of if you’re getting enough calories overall.

 

[Red_Wolf]

Meal = 600 calories and milk = 600 calories; for 1,200 calories total. According to my blood chemistry, works well.
Grows out of wife being diagnosed diabetic, and getting into the regime with her. Found out it felt GOOD, and my eye sight improved. Regime allows more, but this feels good; and blood chemistry supports my feelings.
Basis is essential (BALANCED) amino acid requirements; and the rest of macro-nutrients in proportion.
Not so much that I can get the nutrients that I need, or that people want to do me bodily harm for certain blood levels of things, but; I FEEL GOOD on this diet!!!
Baring misadventures (horses, mountains and cougars are NOT a good mix; grizzly neither), it looses about a pound a month (less if one is on the inactive list). If that gets to be a problem, can easily make it up (can you say cheese cake?).
Lily,
Any answer to my questions?

 

[LilyM]

Meal = 600 calories and milk = 600 calories; for 1,200 calories total. According to my blood chemistry, works well.
Grows out of wife being diagnosed diabetic, and getting into the regime with her. Found out it felt GOOD, and my eye sight improved. Regime allows more, but this feels good; and blood chemistry supports my feelings.
Basis is essential (BALANCED) amino acid requirements; and the rest of macro-nutrients in proportion.
Not so much that I can get the nutrients that I need, or that people want to do me bodily harm for certain blood levels of things, but; I FEEL GOOD on this diet!!!
Baring misadventures (horses, mountains and cougars are NOT a good mix; grizzly neither), it looses about a pound a month (less if one is on the inactive list). If that gets to be a problem, can easily make it up (can you say cheese cake?).
Lily,
Any answer to my questions?

How long have you been on this diet and have you discussed it in detail with your doctor? Or preferably a dietitian (not a quack, but someone with a university degree in Dietetics or Nutrition and membership of a mainstream industry organisation), who has more training about nutrition than a doctor? How detailed have your blood chemistry tests been?

People have all sorts of faddy diets that make them feel good for a while but aren’t necessarily good as a long-term proposition.

My blood chemistry is good too, at the moment. It doesn’t mean in the slightest that I’m not eating too much and unhealthily, and it doesn’t mean I don’t suffer for being overweight as I am. You may have the opposite problem. And you can’t know from blood tests all the impact it may be having on your heart or your bones, things like that.

As for your eating, if you’re eating so little then for heaven’s sake don’t give up any more food! Do someting else instead, fast from the internet or tv or whatever your favourite pastime is.

 

[Philthy]

The lenten worship is characterized by prayer, fasting and charity.
You are obliged to meet the fasting and abstinance guidlines set forth by the Church. In your particular case, regarding abstinance from meat, you don’t need to do anything. What is there in your life that you need to give up in order to become the person Christ wants you to be? TV? Excessive posting? Ill will toward someone who has wronged you? Lust? etc etc etc
In addition to the above, how are you planning to commit more time to prayer, and what positive actions will you be taking towards charitable works of mercy? I recommend you reflect on those issues and you will quickly discover that the food issue is moot in your particular case…

Philthy

 

[Red_Wolf]

When Pope Paul VI lifted the requirement for Friday abstinence from meat, he made the voluntary practice far more meaningful for me. I suspect that there is a vegetarian version of it been worked out and thought someone here would know what it is.

Reason I divulged my regular diet (NOT a penance) was that I want to do special for those days, dietary and within tradition, in addition to Friday prayer and meditation. Losing the dietary part wouldn’t feel right.

 

[LilyM]

When Pope Paul VI lifted the requirement for Friday abstinence from meat, he made the voluntary practice far more meaningful for me. I suspect that there is a vegetarian version of it been worked out and thought someone here would know what it is.

Reason I divulged my regular diet (NOT a penance) was that I want to do special for those days, dietary and within tradition, in addition to Friday prayer and meditation. Losing the dietary part wouldn’t feel right.

No, there’s no ‘official’ vegetarian version - after all, some people are vegan (no eggs, meat or dairy), whereas others might hate dairy but love eggs or vice versa, and yet others might cheerfully eat both.

If you must give up food, give up something you enjoy eating, whatever it may be, but not something that will damage your health to give up.

And I still say you need to run your regime by your physician to make sure they say it’s OK for you to eat that way. It’s faddy enough to be highly dangerous, even if it’s not affecting you adversely for now. Man wasn’t made to live on cow’s milk - not alone and not as half of their diet. NO one food should form half your diet, for heaven’s sake, it’s totally unnatural.