Fast Facts

Sometimes, I feel like people think “The Fast” is the end-all, be-all to health, weight-loss, religious understanding, you name it.

I mean, consider the bevy of websites related to fasting… the number of books out there that focus on fasting (especially pro-ana ones)… the types of fasts on the market…

But, see, there’s a huge problem here:  Fasting Is Not Normal.  (And yes — feel free to argue with me.  I have acquaintances who love to fast upon occasion and I know that people who believe it helps hold fiercely to their opinions, which is fine.)

Proponents of fasting will tell me that it’s great, it’s wonderful, whatever.  But I’ll be frank.  I think it’s darn dangerous, potentially deadly, especially for individuals who have or have had an eating disorder.

Ironically, fasting isn’t as tough as it seems.  You aren’t always hungry when you fast; in fact, the body quickly adjusts and hunger pangs tend to subside, at least at first.  Add to that an unnatural “high” that comes from your body slowly eating itself and you can be quickly sold on the premise that The Fast must be good for you.

Yet I can’t believe it’s a smart idea.  Sure, for the average man or woman, a one-time fast is unlikely to cause irreparable damage.  But those with EDs don’t stop at one fast.  They fast, fast, and fast again.  (For anorexics, life can seem like one long fast, to be perfectly honest.  I did it.  I even came to enjoy it, sick as that sounds.  It was the ultimate in control.)

I know that there are medical specialists who would call me naive or ignorant.  Yet whenever I read that a “fast” can be the answer to weight loss, life, spiritual healing, health, yadda, yadda, yadda… I cringe.

Really, I’d rather “slow”.