One of My First Real Attempts at Fasting

Well, as the title says, I tried to actually, intentionally fast for one of the first times in my life.

Okay so here me out. I was raised to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent. However, I didn’t fully realize the Catholic obligation to fast as well until some years down the road. The way Catholic fasting works is this: on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, we are only allowed to eat one regular meal and then two smaller meals which, when added together, may not equal another full meal. So basically two snacks throughout the day and one regular meal (I usually choose dinner).

I learned about the fasting rules when I was about 14, and I attempted several times over the years. And guess what? I was never successful; I was always overwhelmingly hungry, tired, and weak. I usually broke sometime around midday or the early afternoon (it’s sad, I know). Well, it turns out that only those who are 18 and above must fast; 14-years-old is only when the mandatory abstinence from meat begins, which my family had been observing for years. So that makes me feel a lot better about my failed fasting attempts.

Ash Wednesday 2024 was the first year I was actually obligated to fast, and this time I was determined. I ate a tiny breakfast and refused to participate in my usual steady snacking throughout the day. And you know what? It actually worked. I didn’t feel as weak or irritable as I had in all my previous failed attempts. It actually wasn’t that difficult. Yes, I did scarf down my dinner, but I wasn’t that tempted to eat a larger meal before that time or even afterward later that night.

I wholeheartedly believe that it was the Lord working through me. Because listen: I eat a lot. I just do. I typically get very hungry only a few hours after meals, which is how I learned that snacking throughout the day prevents me from getting so hungry that I eat too quickly. But on this day? Yes, I was hungry and had lower energy than usual, but I could drive, move around, have conversations, and do schoolwork just fine. It was incredible! I think that because it was the first time where I actually needed to properly fast, God gave me a break and helped me along the way by easing my discomfort and tiredness.

Good Friday 2024 and Ash Wednesday 2025 passed in much of the same fashion: it was surprisingly not that excruciating to cut back drastically on my food.

Now, let me touch on this current Lenten season. As a member of the high-strung, overthinking, overachieving club, I’m usually quite stressed out. This semester has been particularly difficult. As we near the end of Lent, I have felt the Lord pressing this upon my heart: the need to trust in Him fully without reservation. Because that’s what my anxiety and stress really is, isn’t it? A fear that things will not work out the way I want them to–a fear that the Lord will not provide. And that fear does not come from God.

On someone else’s advice (I definitely would not have come up with this on my own), I decided to totally fast for a day to give that up as a sacrifice and prayer for my stress and anxiety. Nothing but water for 24 hours. (She actually originally recommended water and bread, but I’m gluten free and wasn’t about to buy a loaf of GF bread from Giant just for one day of fasting.) I started my fast on Monday at 6:00pm and broke it on Tuesday at 6:00pm.

And guess what? It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. The two most challenging time periods were about an hour after I woke up (~14 hours into it) and two hours before the end. Work went fine. I had to give a tour when I wasn’t expecting it, which worried me, but it was just one family and they were slow walkers so it went well. Just before 5:00pm I joined a friend for dinner at Panera, and I must admit that I started to really feel the hunger. Combined with the horrible pollen and suddenly freezing weather, I was feeling pretty weak and faint.

Coincidentally, 6:00pm was also when my PELP meeting started, so I wasn’t able to eat a full meal yet. I had thought ahead, though, and brought a protein bar to tide me over until I could eat dinner about an hour later. I had leftover pulled pork from Sunday supper at the CCM, broccoli, and white rice. It was delicious.

I think what really gave me strength and sustained me was prayer before, throughout, and after the fasting process. Prayer centered me and reminded me of what I was sacrificing and why. I actually enjoyed the experience and will most likely use it in the future when I have intentions I want to especially pray for. Perhaps I will utilize it this Good Friday?

For anyone who is considering a more serious form of fasting, I would recommend it! 24 hours won’t (shouldn’t) kill you, and, after all, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Mt. 4:4).