Recently I completed a 40-day pure water fast. It had been one of my goals for many years now, and yet I never seemed to have the time to set aside 40 days. Like everyone, I am very busy and just could not fathom cutting myself off from the world for so long. In the last few years, I’ve done a 3-day water fast and a 10-day water fast and I had very good results, feeling clearer in the mind and spirit and more balanced and peaceful after each fast. This year I planned to do another 10-day water fast and possibly 14 days depending on how I felt. When I saw the results on Day 8 which I will explain below, I decided that I had to continue no matter what. And that’s what led me to do 40 days.
One week after the fast, enjoying fresh, delicious food!
If someone is extremely toxic from a typical Standard American Diet and they have never done any type of detox before, then they are not a safe candidate for water fasting. They would need to do a lot of gentle cleansing first, build up their mineral and vitamin reserve and ensure an alkaline pH at the very least.
Water fasting is certainly not a new concept or some type of ‘fad’ diet. Almost all the great spiritual leaders including Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed and Gandhi practiced fasting.
This is the only type of cleanse where the body is not getting any food at all. For that reason, it can go deeper and is more powerful for healing.
I believe that a water cleanse is the best way to release toxins from the mind, body and spirit. It’s that simple. The body knows how to heal itself, it just needs a chance to do it. When you fast, you are directing the body to takes it’s energy inward. It can then start cleansing and healing itself.
There are many different cleansing reactions that can occur during a water fast as the body releases toxins into the blood. Based on my experience, I recommend a daily water enema during the cleanse to help the body minimize cleansing reactions. Dry skin brushing also helps. It’s good to be in an environment where the body can have some exposure to sunlight and fresh air every day. Being close to nature is best.
In addition to taking care during the fast, having a plan for breaking the fast is absolutely essential. So many people make the mistake of bingeing on comfort foods after a long fast, and in the case of drinking only water, this can actually be dangerous. It is very important to gently ease back into solids foods and only 100% raw juices and foods to allow the organs to ‘wake up’ gently.
As the saying goes, ‘Any fool can fast, but only a wise man can break it properly.’
My new book, A Comprehensive Guide to Water Fasting, is a complete guide detailing every aspect of water fasting. This book is currently for sale in ebook format and is immediately downloadable in either .pdf or .epub format.
- What is Water Fasting
- Benefits of Water Fasting
- Water Fasting vs. Starvation
- How Long to Fast
- Hunger
- Preparation for a Water Fast
- Pre-fast Cleansing
- Finding the Right Location
- Preparing the Body Nutritionally
- Water – What Kind, How Much
- Enemas
- Warnings when Water Fasting
- Emotional Cleansing Reactions
- Weight Loss – What to Expect
- How to Break a Water Fast
- Information on Parasites
- Follow-Up Cleansing
- Affirmations
- Energy Devices to Energize the Water
Water Fasting by Jennifer Thompson
I learned many things about the ascaris round worm during my fast, including the symptoms of having intestinal round worms, which can include:
-
- Fever
- Nausea
- Gas & Bloating
- Abdominal Pain
- Digestive Problems
- Weakness/Fatigue
- Allergic Reactions to Food
- Crawling Sensation Under the Skin
- Eczema
- Chronic Cough
- Weight Gain
- Inability to Gain or Lose Weight
- Anemia
- Numbness of the Hands and/or Feet
- Fast Heartbeat
Can you imagine how having so many parasites could affect your overall health and well-being? Even I was surprised and amazed to see the results, something I was never able to achieve with juice fasting, colon cleansing or parasite programs alone.
It is likely that countless individuals are suffering from ascaris round worms, other parasites and/or candida in their bodies and that their symptoms are being misdiagnosed as other medical conditions instead.
The book also includes a detailed section on follow-up cleansing and nutritional support to keep the body clean and free of parasites after a long fast or detox program.
My experience was so powerful that my neighbor became inspired, and she started a water fast too, about 18 days after I started. Throughout the book, I also detail her experience. In the end, it was great to have someone to share my stories with daily and certainly, we both benefited from the mutual support.
Of course, in only drinking water for 40 days, I lost a lot of weight. In total, my weight loss was about 15 kg or 33 pounds. During the first 2 weeks, I lost most of the weight; after that, my weight seemed to stabilize and that was quite comforting actually, because my goal was to heal myself, not to waste away!
After the fast, I gained 5kg back rather quickly and I was very happy because I had really gotten too thin. Since then, my weight has remained stable. I crave less food in general and less high-sugar content fruits. For certain, with over 21 feet (6.6 meters) of worms out of my body, my metabolism has changed for the better and I am happy to say that my food is now only feeding me! Yes, 21 feet!!! It is an amazing story of healing.
The path to good health is so simple – trust that the body knows. Feed it well, think positive thoughts, bring love into your heart, and cleanse and detoxify your body and you will begin to feel superior states of consciousness and well-being that you never even knew existed!
|
|
|
|
Jenn, great stuff!!! Hmmn…am tempted to TRY a 3 or 10-day water fast. Can I still exercise or won’t I have enough energy?? Will my body utilize its fat for energy??
Hello Max,
Light exercise (such as walking, yoga or swimming) on a 3 or 7-day water fast would be ok. After that, I would suggest that you mentally plan to rest as much as possible. Most likely, you will feel the need to do so anyway. It’s important to internalize your energy for healing; not to externalize it on exercise. For sure, it would not be recommended to do any weight lifting – your body would not have the power or ability to build muscle during that time.
Hope that helps! If you choose to do a water fast, update with another comment to let everyone know how it went! Good luck!
What predisposes an individual to a round worm infestation?
HI, so i am really thinking about trying a 40 day water fast. obviously not anytime soon. I am 19 years old and i do eat a lot of fast food. So i am in no place to try it right now. but another thing is, i don’t have a lot of body fat so im really afraid of trying this. Do you know of any negative long term affects of this fast? and since i am in no place to start, how long do you think i would need to prepare for it?
Thank you!
@Patrick – Hello Patrick! There are sections in the book which cover How to Prepare and Weight Loss – What to Expect. There is also a section which details Warnings When Water Fasting. Keep in mind that you can always try a 3-day or 5-day or 7-day water fast first and see how you feel. It’s best to start slowly and then decide for yourself if a 40-day water fast is right for you. It should be done at a time when you are not experiencing excess stress in your life as well.
@Cindy N – Hi Cindy! As I wrote in the book, ‘Worms usually infect the host when the host directly and unknowingly ingests the eggs. Eggs can be transmitted from undercooked meat, water supplies, shaking hands, sharing drinks, dirty toilets, unwashed produce, petting animals and contact with feces. Once ingested, the eggs will eventually make their way to the colon where they will start to hatch into live adults.’
So you can see, pretty much any person in any country can easily be exposed to intestinal roundworm eggs.
Hello Jenn, I have been really wanting to start a longer water fast and would like your advice. I am 21 and have a 11 month old baby. I weighed 140 before i had my son and was in shape, I went up to 215 in my pregnancy and slowly lost weight and have maintained at 172, I really would like to go down to 130 though, that would be my goal weight. I had a lot of complications in starting my period since my labor and am always sick and just feel really grungy all the time. So i am hoping not just to lose weight, but to become healthier. I have been walking for an hr. mon to fri the past month, since i have been able to start working out. I am muslim and have fasted my first time this past year for 30 days, but that just means no food or drink till after sunset, considering I would rarely wake up early to eat. I did the fast just fine, and have gone on a couple 3 day water fasts. I really want to do a 40 day water fast, I am active, have an infant and full time school, I was wondering if that would get in the way? Any advice? i have been wanting to do this for a long time and am really motivated to do it.
3 Questions:
- Do you explain in your book “HOW” to break the fast??
- I want to order your book through amazon you have any links??
- Do you address how much work load to do (As do I just stay at home in my room for the whole 40 days no walking outside no shopping, how much work to do).
Thanks
Hello and thanks for your interest in water fasting. To answer your questions:
- Yes. Recommended foods and suggestions for breaking the fast are included.
- The book will be sold on amazon.com very soon once the copyright registration is approved. Please check again in 2-3 weeks.
- Yes, the activity levels are explained. A water fast is really a 100% commitment and the fast should always come first. If you have any extra energy to go shopping, it will be a bonus, but it is not recommended. As much as possible, activities at home such as reading, watching health dvds, working on the computer, light housework and some stretching are ok as long as you are feeling good. The more you slow down, the more the body can internalize it’s energy for cleansing and healing. This is especially true in the case of water fasting. More detail is explained in the book.
It’s best to email me directly with personal questions and concerns. I’ve replied to your questions privately via email. Thank you!
Hi there! Great to hear about your experience. I am thinking of doing a water fast later this year and may buy your book as inspiration!! I was wondering though, Are enemas safe to do during a water fast? I have only heard of them being verboten because you disrupt your electrolyte balance or other similar reasons?
Thank you!
Hi May, There are different opinions about enemas and water fasting. The natural hygienists will say not to do them, to simply let the body be…but in my opinion based on during water fasting without enemas and with enemas and seeing the difference (especially in what came out!), I now recommend doing one daily enema. All of this is explained in detail in the book. Hope that helps and good luck with your fast!
Thanks so much for your reply. Yes – they seemed to have worked fantastically for you. At the moment I am juice fasting and doing enemas daily as well. My problem is pretty deep however and a water fast seems to loom ahead in the future some time this year … Can I ask one final question about this – when you did the enemas did you do just “one fill” and release (eg a 2 quart bag) or do multiple fills and thus clean out much more than simply the lower colon? Thanks again. You are a true inspiration!!!
Hello May, During the first week, I sometimes did ‘two fills,’ with additional days on the fast I saw that ‘one fill’ one-time daily was enough. The important thing is to do enough ‘fills’ until the water runs clear. Thank you and good luck!
Dear Jennifer, Thanks so much for that info. Think I might have to get your book for some added motivation eventually! Wishing you the best x
Hello Jenn, I have been really wanting to start a 40 water fast and would like your advice. I’m 5.2 and my weight is 210. Recenty I was diagnosed with fatty liver. Can I fast with having a fatty liver ?
Hi M, You may want to consider doing some liver cleansing first to strengthen your liver and other organs of elimination before thinking to do a water fast. I hope that helps!
To your health, Jennifer
im going to start small then go bigger but the worm thing wow anyways u dont eat any food at all its all water all day long correct
Yes, water all day long
Hi Jennifer
I have done a few water fasts since 1991 (the last 10 day one was about 4 weeks ago), and a long 75 day juice fast in 1997. I am about to do a 40 day water fast as I go into a Master of Wellness course at RMIT. The first semester includes a course of improving my wellness (on a number of fronts). I have a goal of getting into Masters Athletics by the end of the year, but I have some aches and pains and a lot of fitness work before that happens.
In my last fast I tried using coffee enemas and I found them to be a great help. I hardly felt any negative detox effects, and they were great as an anti-inflammatory. Caffeine headaches stopped within 30 minutes, and so did my joint pains.
I have read that there are good substances in coffee (organic) that stimulate the liver and the production of bile – to release toxins more quickly. I also added some powdered zeolite, with the hope that it would help with the liver and any heavy metals and other toxins. I have read that bentonite is often used this way, so zeolite should be even better (it has a much higher negative charge).
Have you done any study on coffee enemas? I have only ever used water in my previous fasts so this was a first for me.
Best regards
John
PS. I have thought about being able to provide wellness coaching in Thailand. We lived there last year for seven months, after two years in Ecuador.
Hi Jennifer. I am Vegan/Vegetarian eater. (I go back and forth at times, though, with cheese and fish or sushi) I am 5′ 2″ and weigh 110 Lbs, but I have been wanting to see what the spiritual clarity is like and I am interested in getting rid of any parasites or worms if there are any. What would be a safe fast for me. I don’t think I could last for 40 days, plus I think I would look horrible
Hi Michele, It’s best to review your full health history before determining the best detox for you. Please send me an email through my contact form explaining your goals for doing a detox, and we can book you in for an online skype session right away. Blessings for a healthy day! Jennifer
Hi John, Thanks for your note. I am not done any studies on coffee enemas, but I have done many organic coffee enemas myself and I also discuss them in relation to water fasting in the eBook. As for bentonite and zeolite, while both are good for doing detox, I would not recommend putting either of those into enema water. Blessings to your health! Jennifer
Hi Jen, I am starting my water fast tomorow, for about 14 days in total, mainly doing this fast for weight loss,detoxification and overcome bad eating habits which i have developed recently.
My question is, how much weight can i expect to loss by average?(currently weighing about 129 lbs at 5’7) and i have heard that drinking less water, will increase the weight loss by 3 times, so is that true?
Thank you very much
Regards
Sarah
Hi Sarah, I wish you well on your water fast! In the eBook, I discuss how much weight one can expect to lose. Trying to drink less water in order to lose more weight is definitely NOT recommended. A water fast should be looked at as an intense physical, spiritual and emotional detox. If the goal is to lose weight and long-term bad habits are not addressed, one will gain all the weight back and more after the fast.
It is important to have a long-term plan for after the detox…I can help you formulate a personalized plan that takes your diet, lifestyle and goals into account. Something to consider while you are doing your fast! Blessings and all the best! Jennifer