Why I Hate Fasting (And Why I Do It Anyway)

Most people avoid hard things.

Not because they can’t do them.

Because they don’t like how they feel while doing them.

Why do I hate fasting?

Because it’s hard.

Every quarter—usually at the solstice or equinox—I give myself the gift of at least a three-day water fast.

And every time, part of me resists.

I’m hungry.

Food looks good.

This would be easier if I just… didn’t.

Two weeks ago, I was in the middle of a particularly intense week in a program with one of my mentors.

I had planned to fast.

Some people suggested I skip it.

For a moment, I pushed back.

“I’m doing it anyway.”

And then I did something I don’t usually do.

I changed my mind.

Not from weakness—from awareness.

I chose a better window.

Because timing matters.

Now I’m in it.

Yesterday was day one.

And right on cue, the voice came:

“What if you just skip it this quarter?”

And just as quickly, something deeper answered:

I’m not someone who runs from a challenge.

I am someone who does what he says he will do.

Adjustments? Yes.

Avoidance? No.

Because I know what it costs.

Not physically.

Internally.

Three months of knowing:

“I said I would do that… and I didn’t.”

That’s not a cost I’m willing to carry for the next three months.

The real reason

So why do I hate fasting?

Because it’s uncomfortable.

Because it strips away distraction.

Because it asks something of me.

Why do I do it anyway?

There are so many benefits—physical, emotional, and spiritual.

Physically, the body shifts.

Digestion rests.

Stored energy gets used.

Inflammation can decrease.

The body redirects energy from processing food into repair and healing.

There’s a kind of internal cleanup that happens.

Mentally and emotionally, things get quieter.

You see your patterns more clearly.

Your impulses.

Your habits.

What you reach for when things feel uncomfortable.

Spiritually, there’s space.

Less noise.

More presence.

A deeper connection to something steady underneath it all.

And the greatest benefit is this:

It reminds me who I am.

Not the version of me that negotiates with comfort.

The version that chooses, and follows through.

You don’t need to fast.

But you do need something in your life that asks this of you.

Something that draws a line and says:

“Are you who you say you are?”

What is something you do that challenges you—

that takes you beyond the death spiral of our modern, over-comforted world?

Comment below and let me know.