5 ms·

Good point. I think it would also be interesting to ask religious folks how they get willpower to fast. Fasting means lack of glucose in your body. Yet fasti

by ankeshk 17y ago

Good point. I think it would also be interesting to ask religious folks how they get willpower to fast. Fasting means lack of glucose in your body. Yet fasting is a showcase of willpower. So maybe some interesting answers may come from them...

wr1472 17y ago
I am fasting at the moment from around 4am to 8pm. I was very apprehensive before I started this year as the days were longer this time round - I thought I would really struggle. However I have to say food has been the least of my worries. It is all in the mind not in the stomach. Once you know you can't do something you don't consider it as an option. I didn't have to mentally or physically prepare I just got on with it. In the two weeks of fasting I have lost weight, I end up gorging in the evenings and find that I can pretty much eat what I want and not worry about it. For the non-religious it would be a good way to lose weight and discipline yourself (just don't call it a diet). I do know though that if I break one of my fasts because I got hungry it will be very easy for me to break the next.
- subbu 17y ago
  I do know though that if I break one of my fasts because I got hungry it will be very easy for me to break the next. That's how I quit smoking :)
gaius 17y ago
Well, fasting isn't literally no food. Ramadan for example is no food between sunrise and sunset. You can eat pies all night if you want to.
zaidf 17y ago
If you're talking about Ramadan, I'd say it's mostly habit reinforced from an early age. I have lots of will power in general but limited self-control. Yet fasting is a piece of cake. It wasn't always like it. I remember when I initially started around the age of 9 I would fast till noon instead of sunset. Then gradually by the time I was 11 I could fast till sunset. I've read in several places about monks and their years of meditating literally changes the circuits in the brain giving them hyper self-control. Check out the book Evolve Your Brain.
- wr1472 17y ago
  There is an element of habit from an early age, but I would argue that it is not the biggest factor. We only fast for one month out of 12 a year, the habit is broken for the other 11. If it was fasting day in day out from a young age then yes habit would be a big influence.
  - zaidf 17y ago
    At the same time it's not random, meaning your brain knows very clearly from the get go that this is something that will be done 1) every year 2) for 30 days 3) based on moon sighting. IMO this aids as opposed to random unpredictable nature where I pick up something, drop it then try to come back to it one day. Additionally, I'd argue that every time I pray I am somewhat reaffirming my faith and thus fasting that is to come later in the year. Premise here that fasting becomes easy because your body is mentally prepared from years of programming and the constant reenforcing of my religious values when I'm not fasting. Remove those two elements(faith + practice) and fasting will be very difficult.

by ankeshk 17y ago

wr1472 17y ago

I am fasting at the moment from around 4am to 8pm. I was very apprehensive before I started this year as the days were longer this time round - I thought I would really struggle. However I have to say food has been the least of my worries. It is all in the mind not in the stomach. Once you know you can't do something you don't consider it as an option. I didn't have to mentally or physically prepare I just got on with it. In the two weeks of fasting I have lost weight, I end up gorging in the evenings and find that I can pretty much eat what I want and not worry about it. For the non-religious it would be a good way to lose weight and discipline yourself (just don't call it a diet). I do know though that if I break one of my fasts because I got hungry it will be very easy for me to break the next.

subbu 17y ago
I do know though that if I break one of my fasts because I got hungry it will be very easy for me to break the next. That's how I quit smoking :)

gaius 17y ago

Well, fasting isn't literally no food. Ramadan for example is no food between sunrise and sunset. You can eat pies all night if you want to.

zaidf 17y ago

If you're talking about Ramadan, I'd say it's mostly habit reinforced from an early age. I have lots of will power in general but limited self-control. Yet fasting is a piece of cake. It wasn't always like it. I remember when I initially started around the age of 9 I would fast till noon instead of sunset. Then gradually by the time I was 11 I could fast till sunset. I've read in several places about monks and their years of meditating literally changes the circuits in the brain giving them hyper self-control. Check out the book Evolve Your Brain.

wr1472 17y ago
There is an element of habit from an early age, but I would argue that it is not the biggest factor. We only fast for one month out of 12 a year, the habit is broken for the other 11. If it was fasting day in day out from a young age then yes habit would be a big influence.
- zaidf 17y ago
  At the same time it's not random, meaning your brain knows very clearly from the get go that this is something that will be done 1) every year 2) for 30 days 3) based on moon sighting. IMO this aids as opposed to random unpredictable nature where I pick up something, drop it then try to come back to it one day. Additionally, I'd argue that every time I pray I am somewhat reaffirming my faith and thus fasting that is to come later in the year. Premise here that fasting becomes easy because your body is mentally prepared from years of programming and the constant reenforcing of my religious values when I'm not fasting. Remove those two elements(faith + practice) and fasting will be very difficult.