Help with fasting

[SJG1759]

So, Lent is nearly upon us and since I’m young and healthy and have Ash Wednesday off, I have zero excuses for not fasting that day. The problem is… I’m terrible at fasting. I have a high metabolism and I tend to get grumpy when I haven’t eaten. The few times I’ve tried to do it, it’s been a bigger punishment for everybody who has to deal with me than it is for me. I know I’m in the wrong and I know I need to fast; that’s not what this is about. My question for all of you is, how does one fast cheerfully?

 

[cmbergin]

So, Lent is nearly upon us and since I’m young and healthy and have Ash Wednesday off, I have zero excuses for not fasting that day. The problem is… I’m terrible at fasting. I have a high metabolism and I tend to get grumpy when I haven’t eaten. The few times I’ve tried to do it, it’s been a bigger punishment for everybody who has to deal with me than it is for me. I know I’m in the wrong and I know I need to fast; that’s not what this is about. My question for all of you is, how does one fast cheerfully?

Coffee! Caffeine is a fantastic appetite suppressant. But I learned the hard way to drink a glass of water for every mug of coffee (after the first couple) to avoid certain side-effects.

 

[MSSheBear]

I have the understanding that you are to roughly halve your food intake. So what I do is have a large meal midday and then drink milk or unsweetened soy milk as my other two little meals. And then I drink lots of caffeine too. I avoid fruit juice and sweets.

If I drink juice I become goofy.

 

[psalm90]

everybody needs about 12 cups of water a day. that’s six half-liter bottles. Make sure you’re well hydrated. When you eat a small meal, be sure to drink a lot of water with it. You would be surprised at how it fills you up.

 

[pensmama87]

everybody needs about 12 cups of water a day. that’s six half-liter bottles. Make sure you’re well hydrated. When you eat a small meal, be sure to drink a lot of water with it. You would be surprised at how it fills you up.

Yes. Appropriate hydration is really important.

There’s a good book I read recently about the medical aspects of fasting (so it’s not a religious book): The Complete Guide To Fasting. It discusses how to stay hydrated and what to expect in terms of sensation and feeling.

Basically, though, there’s no way you’re going to be able to fast and NOT be uncomfortable. The key is strengthening your will to realize that while yes, you will be more tempted to be unpleasant and irritable, that you can in fact control whether you are snappish or not. Being aware of that tendency is good, using it as an excuse to lash out is not.

(And I speak as someone who has been there. )

 

[Franciscan_Way]

I can understand where you are coming from! One year, I decided to give up Diet Coke (a big vice of mine; it is my “coffee” any day, all day!) I had a splitting headache for about five days! It sounds so melodramatic to say this, but I felt a shell of myself!
On a side note for you, “Hungry AND Tired” are a lethal combo! It would be wise to get enough sleep!
I found that it helped not to dwell on it too much. You may consider reading Matthew 6:16-18 which talks about fasting and basically that we are not to put on a “Woe is me face” which summons others to say something such as, “You poor thing!” “You look terrible!” Or “Are you ok?” Our focus should remain on Christ; to unite our temporary suffering with His ultimate sacrifice for us. Praying for strength and to fast cheerfully may also help.
We have a young Transitional Deacon who will be ordained a priest this May. During a homily, he said that if we consistently make small sacrifices daily (saying no to a dessert, not having 2nd helpings, etc) it helps us to resist temptation more easily because we are in the habit of denying ourselves; temperance. For the first time, it made sense!
This may be little consolation for your growling tummy , but I hope it helps a little.
I will pray for you!
Peace and all good!

 

[MrsAngelala]

Well, first of all, the best way to get good at fasting is to do it more often. Haha, not for everyone, I know.

My advice is to pray. After some trial-and-error I found two short prayers that are very effective for me:

1. “Jesus, please accept this fast as an offering of love to you.” Because really, obligatory fast day or not, that’s the only reason to fast, for love of God. I repeat this every time I feel hungry. Although I hesitate to apply the word “suffering” to hunger pangs, I also ask him to apply my suffering to particular intentions. That lifts some of the weight of the sacrifice and makes it much more bearable.
2. “Jesus, please be my food today.” I usually spend a little time with this prayer during/after morning Mass on a fasting day. Without it, I’m hungry, irritable, cranky, and generally miserable. With this prayer, I’m more cheerful when fasting than when I’m not. In fact, if I realize I’ve been fighting hunger all morning, I look back to remember if I asked Jesus for this favor – and every single time it’s happened, I find that I forgot this prayer. Once I say it, I’m good for the rest of the day. I don’t know if it will help you at all, but if it does, let me know!

Since you have the day off, you might try going to a morning Mass to receive Communion so you’re fortified for the day ahead, and then staying after to spend some time in Adoration. You can adore even when the Blessed Sacrament is reposed in the tabernacle. It would get you off to the right start.

I prayed for you. I hope your day is more pleasant than you expect!

 

[JimR-OCDS]

For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards. usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/lent/catholic-information-on-lenten-fast-and-abstinence.cfm

This means that fasting isn’t absolutely nothing.

A good way for me was to have a slice of toast and a cup of tea for breakfast.

Lunch, a slice of bread, an orange and a cup of tea.

Supper, a tuna fish sandwich or grilled cheese.

In between, I had coffee or tea and plenty of water.

Jim

 

[exnihilo]

So, Lent is nearly upon us and since I’m young and healthy and have Ash Wednesday off, I have zero excuses for not fasting that day. The problem is… I’m terrible at fasting. I have a high metabolism and I tend to get grumpy when I haven’t eaten. The few times I’ve tried to do it, it’s been a bigger punishment for everybody who has to deal with me than it is for me. I know I’m in the wrong and I know I need to fast; that’s not what this is about. My question for all of you is, how does one fast cheerfully?

Well one fasts cheerfully by being cheerful. I think our attitude is what we make it. We certainly have emotions but the emotions don’t make us act in a certain way. We will to act however we do. This includes mental acts. So try to have cheerful mental acts. When you feel hunger and irritability offer up a prayer and try to think of why you are fasting, which is ultimately a good thing. Think of how blessed you are that you have such an abundance of food. Think of how small a sacrifice not eating is compared to what others endure.

I’m not trying to minimize the challenge of this. I used to fast every Friday. I remember getting irritable and feeling a bit off. But I learned as time went on this was really mental. The body doesn’t require constant eating as we can get accustomed to in our culture. The struggles were all in my head. And one reason for fasting is to master the flesh. Again keeping this is mind could help you maintain some cheer. The pain of fasting is like the pain of running. The short unpleasantness will make you stronger. Again, I’m not trivializing the task and fully expect to be challenged on Wednesday.