The 1st Rule of Fasting Club

The first rule of fasting club, is that you do not talk about fasting club. The second rule of fasting club, is to obey rule one. Forgive me, a sinner. I have broken the first two rules, but not without function. I break the rules for your sake. I break the rules to feed you the scroll of the lord, and accompanying traditions from communities that have been eating his scroll for eons and eons.

Standard Mode

I have written before about afroasiatic archeofuturism—the connections between lindy practices in the horn of africa and the findings of antiaging and longevity science. Fasting, or intermittent fasting, is one of them. It comes in many shapes and sizes, and must never be conflated with the plant-based dietary restriction that the church adds on top of the proclamation to fast.

Standard mode matches very closely to an above average simple plan that longevity experts recommend: 16:8 or 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of an eating window. With the exception of probably water and medicine, my paternal grandmother, my maternal great aunt, and many others deep into their 80s and 90s, did a 15:9 split; that if it leaned in any direction would be adliwo le’tsom (in favor of fasting or adding more hours).

They would eat between 3pm and midnight, and not eat between midnight and 3pm, strictly. Most would also not drink water. They definitely would not have coffee or tea before 3pm.

Easy Mode

A beginner could have their eating window be midnight to noon, being a 12:12 split. If this is done strictly, with water being the only allowance in cases of undue bodily unease, it can easily be the start of a beautiful new life.

Hard Mode

If you want to turn up the difficulty, and gain more physically and spirtually, you can do a 18:6 split, restricting your eating window to 6pm to midnight.

Tremendously Hard Mode

If you are a madman and a fool for christ, and not doing any serious athletic or strength training, you can join the techbro OMADs and the afroasiatic monks in eating one meal at 6pm everyday; that’s a 24:0 split.

Welcome to the great fast. Choose your mode, and choose wisely. A conversation with your abe nefs (father of your breath-of-life) is highly recommended and encouraged. You are not alone. Do not be afraid.

Glory to god, for all things.

Genesis 3:3; Isaiah 58:1-11; Joel 1:13-20; 2:12; Jonah 3; Zechariah 7:5-10; Esther 4:16, Psalm 68(69):11; Matthew 6:16-18; Mark 9:29; Luke 2:37; Luke 4:2; 5:33-39; Acts 9:9; 13:2-3; 14:23; 1 Corinthians 7:5