That's a super interesting idea, but how do you stop caring in the first place?

sgns · on Sept 6, 2011

I've done a little bit of fasting (I'm actually breaking a fast right now), it really is as simple as that: you simply start seeing whatever it is as not important. Sliverstorm, beagle3 and gwern are exactly right I think.

What you wanted - food - was just a result of you thinking you wanted it. And that was mostly just a result of associating it with the thought of 'need'. But our bodies are apparently made to not bother us needlessly - it's not the body that's bothering us.

When you fast, rather, you go through the whole range of conditioned responses YOU have created to food. But you don't fight them, instead you get to just kind of say 'yeah, that's an interesting thing I've created' and go on with what you're doing. But once you know they are just that, nothing is stopping you. It's a little bit like meditation, where when you notice a thought, you'll simply label it a thought, and its power goes away.

And since you 'know' you will take great care of your body, now and whenever you break the fast (and please do that, follow the instructions, and break it gently, like a part of fasting, rather than straight back to old habits - your pancreas & co will thank you...), there's no crisis thinking or anxiety to it. Rather you get to be alone with your body and your thoughts.

I like it, because it is actually sort of easier to focus when there's just my body doing its things, vs the body with a lot of food it's having to digest, and blood sugar levels going up and down all over the place.

You get to really want something else instead, rather than associating/replacing all sorts of wants with food, if that's what you've done before. It's like realizing those wants are yours and owning them as that, rather than being owned by them when you think it is 'needs'.

Eating regularly is just a routine - probably a good one if it is done right - but there's so much extra luggage, so much extra use, that we put on top.

We really have a lot more power than that. It's not us against the body, it's us thanks to the body. Not thanks to the food - we eat much more than we 'need'.