Hey ik,
If youre taking in significantly less food than usual, I would think that your body is in a fasting state. Check this <a href= "link</a>," title="www.bragg.com/books/mof_e...link</a>,">www.bragg.com/books/mof_e...link</a>, hopefully it will help answer your questions. I read this book when I started fasting, and it literally changed my life and shifted my awareness of my body. In the mean time, may I suggest wheatgrass for the body odor. Your body is probably trying to kick out anything left from your ganja days, plus other toxins....lucky you :)

Hey,

Yes, your body is most likely detoxing, if you can smell it coming out from your arm pits. your body is always detoxing, whether its fasting or not. Fasting just accelerates it.

How long do you usually fast for when you do a fast? Its not generally a good idea to fast within 6 months of smoking marijuana heavily, you really need to have some nutrient reserves.

Ill explain a little about fasting from what I know, I hope this helps:

Fasting is the complete abstainance of food. What I am about to describe ONLY applies to a clean water fast. "Fasting" with herbs, supplements or with juices, will not elicit this response and I would not recommend this.

Usually your body uses glucose (sugar) as fuel, however after 4-8 hours, your body starts to get a blood sugar dip, and in the ABSOLUTE absense of food (sugar) it will go to the liver for Glycogen, a long with a little protein from muscles. Glycogen is a carbohydrate storage form held in the liver and muscles. The livers stores of glycogen last around 6-12 hours, then the body goes to the muscles. The glycogen in the muscles will last another few hours, and a little protein will be burned here also. When these stores run out, extra protein will be burned for a few hours, however if you continue to deny the body fuel, rather than using up protein, the body will decide to burn fat.

It converts fat into a sugar-replacement called ketones, though whats called 'gluconeogenesis'. This occurs after about 48 hours of complete abstainance from glucose. Since toxins are stored in fat, as a protective mechanism, as the fat becomes used for fuel, toxins are released. This forces the liver to increase its efficiency to handle these toxins and excrete them. The body will continue to burn fat at a rate of about 1 pound (2.4kg) fat per day, to fuel the body (this amount decreases after a while as the body becomes more efficient). This amount is just to fuel the brain and organs, therefore energy should not be wasted, by muscle movement or by overstimulating the brain. Once all the fat reserves are gone, the body will start using protein for fuel. It will start with the least important proteins first, eg. tumours, then go to muscles. Fasting would usually be stopped before all the fat reserves are gone.

I wouldnt recommend fasting alone for more than 3 days, as it can get really intense and you might get anxious and panic about whats going on. And more importantly, if you are not supervised when re-feeding you can do alot of damage.

Last year I went to a retreat and did a 24 day water fast. There was a woman there, interning, who mentioned that she used to do regular fasts every birthday for a week or 10 days sometimes. I say fasts, but they werent true fasts, since she was still exercising/working etc, which must have exhausted her body. But she decided to break her last fast with pancakes and butter. She ended up in hospital and has done permenant damage to her liver and spleen. Infact she almost died. Re-feeding is Just as, if not more important than the fast itself, and if this is done incorrectly, you can do serious damage.

That said, providing you really look after yourself for 6 months before a fast, so your body is already cleaner, and has good nutrient reserves, it can be a really healthful experience and you can gain alot from it.

Hope this helps.

Take Care

Adam x