Today I met a man who is observing Lent. I was so proud. I don’t why I was so proud, but I was. 40 days of only water is no mean feat. I have never met someone who has observed Lent, so I was fascinated as to why, what and when.
This person was fasting to lose weight. He is not religious but felt that fasting the 40 days of Lent would help him achieve his goal. With Easter around the corner, he has lost 4 stone and is looking great.
He is a nursery cook so preparing meals is part of his daily job. This sounds torturous to me. I can only imagine that to smell, touch and cook food and not eat it must be really hard. I cannot go a day without eating.
According to my friend, the hunger goes within a couple of days as your body adjusts to the fasting and starts using the fat stored in your body. What he misses most is not the eating but tasting flavours.
However, from a man who has ran marathons and climbed mountains, he says this is one of the easiest things he has ever done. There are no choices to make. Only to drink water.
I don’t know how many other religions observe severe fasting like this. Members of my family have fasted with only water. The Jain religion has a period around August where people fast for 8 days. I thought this was amazing as it is something that I have never felt I could do.
However, 40 days of no food is worth celebrating. The man wants a curry and beer to break his fast. I think he deserves it!
Bunty
The Chatterjis Blog 