Questions on fasting

[yellowbicycle]

My understanding is that you have one meal during the day, but liquids such as coffee, tea and water are allowed throughout the day. Is this understanding correct?
Does it matter what time you have your meal?
Does it matter how large the meal is or what it contains?
Are there rules about the meat content of the meal?

I want to fast during the 40 days for life campaign, but I’ve never fasted before. I thought maybe I should work up to it. So, I tried it just for today. I drank tea and cocoa in the morning, had a fairly large late lunch (but not to the point that I gorged myself or anything like that) and have eaten nothing since then, except a bite of my kid’s dinner to make sure it wasn’t too hot. I will be drinking only water til bed.
And I think I’m gonna cap it all off with a rosary tonight.
I’ve been thinking about food ALL day! is that normal and okay? I try to sort of realign my thinking by thinking about the many people the world over who endure much greater hunger, not by their own choice. I think about spiritual hunger. I try to make the hunger pang serve as a reminder of God. Sometimes, it’s just a reminder that I’m hungry. Is that okay?

Also, my lunch was really good - I made sushi! Should I have eaten something else, something I didn’t like as much?

Also, it is my understanding that the whole world doesn’t need to know you’re fasting. This called for some, uh, verbal maneuvering. Also known as lying.

My co-workers invited me to lunch.
I said no thanks.
They pushed.
I said I wasn’t hungry. That was a lie. I was starving.
They kept pushing.
I said I had a lot of work to do.
Also a lie.
But I thought telling them that I was fasting would set us up for all sorts of weirdness and questions that I really wasn’t prepared or inclined to answer and I just wanted to line of questioning to stop.
How else should or could I have handled that situation?

Thanks for any (name removed by moderator)ut on the matter!

 

[passus]

My understanding is that you have one meal during the day, but liquids such as coffee, tea and water are allowed throughout the day. Is this understanding correct?

Yes.Hence, water, lemonade, soda, water, ginger ale, wine, beer and similar drinks may be taken on fasting days outside meal time even though such beverages may, to some extent, prove nutritious. Coffee, tea, diluted chocolate, electuaries made of sugar, juniper berries, and citron may be taken on fasting days, outside meal time, as medicine by those who find them conducive to health.

newadvent.org/cathen/05789c.htm

Does it matter what time you have your meal?

No.

Does it matter how large the meal is or what it contains?

Since it is traditionally held that one who fasts can consume either “one large meal” or “three small meals,” I would say that the “large meal” should not exceed the amount of food you would consume in “three small meals.”

Obviously, it’s a fast, not a diet, but since you are fasting, it would make sense to skip the dessert or accompaniments for the sake of self-restraint.

Are there rules about the meat content of the meal?

Only if you happen to be fasting on a day on which the Church mandates abstinence from meat.

I want to fast during the 40 days for life campaign, but I’ve never fasted before. I thought maybe I should work up to it. So, I tried it just for today. I drank tea and cocoa in the morning, had a fairly large late lunch (but not to the point that I gorged myself or anything like that) and have eaten nothing since then, except a bite of my kid’s dinner to make sure it wasn’t too hot. I will be drinking only water til bed.
And I think I’m gonna cap it all off with a rosary tonight.
I’ve been thinking about food ALL day! is that normal and okay? I try to sort of realign my thinking by thinking about the many people the world over who endure much greater hunger, not by their own choice. I think about spiritual hunger. I try to make the hunger pang serve as a reminder of God. Sometimes, it’s just a reminder that I’m hungry. Is that okay?

All of it is fine, yes. Just don’t lose sight of the reason why you are fasting, which, it doesn’t sound like you are.

I’m not going to say I wouldn’t recommend fasting for forty days, but obviously, depriving yourself of food for that long can have a pretty significant effect on your health. Are you sure you’re in a state of physical health to go on with that? It is possible to carry out a modified fast where you are still getting all the nutrients you need to sustain yourself.

Also, my lunch was really good - I made sushi! Should I have eaten something else, something I didn’t like as much?

Pretty much any food is “really good” when you’re fasting!

Also, it is my understanding that the whole world doesn’t need to know you’re fasting. This called for some, uh, verbal maneuvering. Also known as lying.

My co-workers invited me to lunch.
I said no thanks.
They pushed.
I said I wasn’t hungry. That was a lie. I was starving.
They kept pushing.
I said I had a lot of work to do.
Also a lie.
But I thought telling them that I was fasting would set us up for all sorts of weirdness and questions that I really wasn’t prepared or inclined to answer and I just wanted to line of questioning to stop.
How else should or could I have handled that situation?

No, it is not acceptable to lie in this matter. You should tell your co-workers what you’re doing because it is a marvelous witness to the importance of Christ to you. I don’t think they’ll find it weird, but they will surely be amazed by your devotion and that’s not a bad thing.

In Matthew 6, when Jesus spoke of fasting in private, He meant that people fasting should not go out of their way to be seen and recognized while carrying on their otherwise hypocritical lifestyles. That’s not what you’re doing here, I don’t think.

Thanks for any (name removed by moderator)ut on the matter!

No problem. You might also like to take a look at this article, which discusses fasting a little bit. You may find the insight helpful in your daily fast.

jimmyakin.org/2007/09/a-short-primer-.html

Peace.

 

[yellowbicycle]

Yes.Hence, water, lemonade, soda, water, ginger ale, wine, beer and similar drinks may be taken on fasting days outside meal time even though such beverages may, to some extent, prove nutritious. Coffee, tea, diluted chocolate, electuaries made of sugar, juniper berries, and citron may be taken on fasting days, outside meal time, as medicine by those who find them conducive to health.

newadvent.org/cathen/05789c.htm

No.

Since it is traditionally held that one who fasts can consume either “one large meal” or “three small meals,” I would say that the “large meal” should not exceed the amount of food you would consume in “three small meals.”

Obviously, it’s a fast, not a diet, but since you are fasting, it would make sense to skip the dessert or accompaniments for the sake of self-restraint.

Only if you happen to be fasting on a day on which the Church mandates abstinence from meat.

All of it is fine, yes. Just don’t lose sight of the reason why you are fasting, which, it doesn’t sound like you are.

I’m not going to say I wouldn’t recommend fasting for forty days, but obviously, depriving yourself of food for that long can have a pretty significant effect on your health. Are you sure you’re in a state of physical health to go on with that? It is possible to carry out a modified fast where you are still getting all the nutrients you need to sustain yourself.

Pretty much any food is “really good” when you’re fasting!

No, it is not acceptable to lie in this matter. You should tell your co-workers what you’re doing because it is a marvelous witness to the importance of Christ to you. I don’t think they’ll find it weird, but they will surely be amazed by your devotion and that’s not a bad thing.

In Matthew 6, when Jesus spoke of fasting in private, He meant that people fasting should not go out of their way to be seen and recognized while carrying on their otherwise hypocritical lifestyles. That’s not what you’re doing here, I don’t think.

No problem. You might also like to take a look at this article, which discusses fasting a little bit. You may find the insight helpful in your daily fast.

jimmyakin.org/2007/09/a-short-primer-.html

Peace.

THANK YOU! Passus, you’re a gem. This was exactly what I needed to know!
Especially knowing that I can have beer!!! That’s icing on the cake (so to speak)!

Edited to add: Since you are so very helpful, how do I chop up a post so that I can answer pieces of it separately, like you did with mine?

 

[passus]

lol

Glad I could help.

To multi-quote within a post:

1. Hit the http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/buttons_cad/quote.gif button on the lower right corner of the post box of the post you want to quote.
2. When the reply box opens, you will see the text of the post you have chosen to reply to enclosed between two quote tags. The first quote tag identifies who made the post and provides the post “ID number” to make the little http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/buttons_cad/viewpost.gif that re-directs you back to that post. It looks something like [qu0te=;]. The second quote tag is an ending tag. It looks like [/qu0te]. When you make a post, everything between those two tags gets quoted in the little box. (I replaced the “o” in quote with a “0” so that it wouldn’t modify the text I typed in the submitted post.)
3. Hi-lite and copy the first quote tag. Then, find the piece of text you want to reply to and paste the first tag right before the beginning of the text. Make sure you include the ending quote tag right at the very end of the piece of text. Then, type your reply.
4. Repeat.
5. Everything between the two tags should appear in the quote box after you have submitted your post.

You can also test stuff out in the sandbox forum.

Gosh, I sure hope that made sense.