Having had a drinking problem in the past… I can tell you from personal experience that it is unlikely that he will be able to fast for more than a day or two without drinking alcohol and therefore breaking the fast. So, I wouldn’t worry too much about a longer fast.
So in some ways he may heal a lot in 40 days 🤷🏻♀️ just an option to consider. But if he just goes back to what he was doing before, he will regain all that damage. I wouldn’t discourage it but probably encourage him to explore ideas that will be enabling habits rather than harmful for when it’s over-if he makes it.
I feel like there are three different conversations happening here. The first is you talking about the diet and lifestyle that makes you feel good, which is totally valid. The second is expressing concern for your husband’s habits and impulses, especially as they pertain to his health in negative ways — like wanting to do an extended fast but not chat with a doctor, eschewing the dinner you make for junk food, etc. And that is also valid.
The third conversation I want to tease out from the other two is the idea that fasting is extreme and that moderation works for all people when it comes to health and weight loss. And that one bears some scrutiny, because there are a lot of scientific reasons why fasting works for people where moderation doesn’t, involving hunger and fat storage hormones like insulin, leptin, ghrelin, etc. For example, I have PCOS, which makes losing weight stupid hard, even when I work out every GD day, because it comes with insulin resistance. But you know what diets are good for insulin resistance? Low carb, keto and intermittent fasting.
I’m mentioning all this because aside from your husband’s tendency toward addictive substances or behaviors, he may actually feel better on a lower carb diet or while he’s fasting. Should he eat vegetables and nutrient rich foods? Yes. Would it be easier if he felt satisfied with tilapia, a miniscule amount of fat and a bunch of squash and onions, since that’s what works for you? Yes. But he may not feel satisfied with that; he may need something that leans more heavily on protein and fat with some low-starch vegetables on the side, due to his own individual health issues or metabolic makeup.
So I do think there’s some middle ground here. You don’t necessarily have to support his impulse to fast for 40 days as a quick-fix, but learning more about the science behind shorter fasts may help you support him better, because at the end of the day, you want him to be healthy in a way that works for him and his body. And if there’s a healthier meal he prefers that might not be to your taste but is still better than eating cheesy ramen at midnight, that may be a compromise worth making.
2-3 days is a decent goal, and a decent start. My boyfriend doesn’t necessarily have a Drinking problem, but he does party a lot and isn’t great about watching what he eats. Passing the 60 hour threshold is next to impossible for him. I’d say be supportive, if your husband wants to try a 2-3 hour fast, tell him to go for it and listen to his body. Chances are he will realize how difficult it is and it will pass, then you can explore a healthy eating plan together.
I also want to say, there is nothing easy or “quick fix” about a 40 day fast. It takes dedication, perseverance and mental strength.
I did a mostly 40 day fast (ate on weekends) and most of the good it did me was mental. Helped me overcome thoughtless and mindless consumption and cravings.
If he’s watching his electrolytes and willing to get checked up by his doctor before/mid/after, which is a reasonable request for you to make, it could really help him with the discipline needed to stay away from mindless alcohol consumption, too.
I also had a lot of health benefits from my fast- my wife insisted on the three doctors visits as well! All my numbers on my blood draws improved and I got a lot of scar tossue getting softer/shrinking and the scarring was bad enough it was actually limiting my mobility, and my daily pain levels dropped significantly.
If he has a family history of cancer a one week fast once a year is also tremendously protective, because during autophagy your body hunts down malformed proteins to break them down which puts cancer hunting on a higher metabolic property than when you aren’t fasting (this is a gross oversimplification but most people aren’t super into long explanations of the biology).
If he’s not being disordered in his eating fasting can have substantial mental and physical benefits.
Interesting post. I have a similar behavior of your husband in the sense that I love food with all of my heart and I also put on an unhealthy amount of fat + diabetes plagues my DNA.
Let the man fast, encourage him to fast. Autophagy through fasting will be good for health, I say that autophagy cures and heals bad cholesterol, excess sugar, bloating, et certra …very well.
Heck, join him.