Fasting As A Lifestyle

   I seem to have been inundated with the idea of fasting from all directions this past month so I decided to believe it is God speaking and do something about it.  A couple of weeks ago, Country Guy & I did a 3 day water fast and then have followed that with daily intermittent fasting and have decided to indefinitely do one 24-36 hour fast/week.  

     We started fasting with a spiritual intention, but we also know it is good for our health.  I have never seen a lot of direct results as far as my relationship with God is concerned from fasting but I know it is a great discipline and since the Bible says "when you fast" not "if" that God expects us to do periodic fasts.       

     I have read articles on intermittent fasting as a way to control weight and improve health by several authors the past few years, starting with Dr. Mercola.  The premise is that if you only eat in a 7 or 8 hour window  (example 11:00 a.m. to 7 p.m.) your body has more time to digest food.  You also don't usually take in as many calories so another benefit is weight loss without dieting.  I HATE to diet!

      Therefore, it seemed good to do intermittent fasting six days/week for health and fast one day for spiritual nourishment.  I also am attempting to allow myself to only eat during one hour for lunch and one hour for dinner during the 8 hour window--no snacking.  I am sure this will cut down on calories consumed because I seem to have a tendency to look for a handful of something to eat when I have a few minutes, when I'm bored, or for any other reason I want.

Here is an excellent video on the value of fasting for health reasons, specifically diabetes.