Fasting While Working: Recs for Christians in Intellectually and/or Physically Demanding Careers

Many Christians have intellectually and/or physically demanding jobs and are called to fast in the midst of performing them. Sometimes we don’t realize how difficult it can be to do that until we’ve started the fast or are deep into it. So here are some tips on how to approach spiritual fasting (of food) while working full time. What I’ve included is not medical advice, and it should not replace the advice of your health care provider. In fact, I recommend that if you do have any acute or chronic conditions, you should consult with your health care provider for more specific factors to consider when it comes to fasting. Most importantly, saturate this entire process in prayer.

Preparation and Pre-decision

For many of us who fast with our churches at the beginning of each year, it can feel like we’re  navigating a dramatic chicane, from a state of Jubilation to a state of fasting. I live in New Orleans, so Mardi Gras season starts on January 6. All the king cake. All the time. And it’s tough to turn down even if it may conflict with the fast (especially the ones from the best bakeries). So anticipating the obstacles and threats to a fast is necessary so that we can make plans for how to deal with them when they present. This is the power in pre-decision. Should something that conflicts with your fasting commitment present itself, determine ahead of time what your response will be. If you weren’t able to anticipate it, then decide how you’ll approach it moving forward.

If you are someone who eats/snacks every few hours (or sooner), consider minimizing that habit in the days leading up to the start of the fast. This isn’t just to break what may be a bad habit or just making fasting easier, but also to understand your body and its metabolic rhythms. Think of the experiment of Pavlov’s dog. Your body craves certain things based on habits and circadian rhythms, and your brain has been trained/programmed with ideas of what satisfies those habitual cravings. If you can practice/train/discipline your body to respond differently, it can help diminish those intense cravings during the fast.

Spiritual Discipline Strategy

Fasting should include more time spent in prayer, Bible reading, meditation, and for some, solitude. Again, this is such a massive shift from the holiday season (or if you’re in a Mardi Gras region, this shift also happens when fasting during Lent). It’s also potentially a big shift from a typical, non-fasting day if you don’t practice these disciplines regularly. 

So have your spiritual discipline rolodex ready. What are you seeking God in prayer about? Is it the Bible you’re reading? What book(s)? Do you need any additional resources to help you read through it? Is it a devotional you’ll work through? When in the day will you do this, and for how long? What are you praying for and seeking God’s revelation about? What else will you do during this time? Is it another book you’ll read? How many pages/chapters per day? Is it another discipline you’ll partake in? Daily mass attendance? Or at least one more mass/church service than usual?

These suggestions aren’t to keep fasting so rigid, but to build infrastructures and guardrails that will support and enhance the experience.

Timing (Remember, this is a list of suggestions)

-If your job allows, consolidate those more cognitively demanding tasks toward the beginning of the day.

As an Internal Medicine Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, the most demanding part of my day is usually in the morning: patient care rounds with the medical team. Though I don’t get to choose the format of those rounds, I can plan how I may contribute my recommendations for that day.

Consolidate your lunch/break times for later in afternoon when you don’t need as much energy to complete certain tasks. Alternatively, take smaller, more frequent breaks to “reset” throughout the day. Do what works for you (and what is permitted, without being disruptive)! Pray for wisdom and a favorable outcome if these temporary adjustments need approval from your boss.

If you do physically laborious work, consider fasting during the part of the day that you’re not working (if your work allows time for eating).

If you have paid time off/leave, consider using it more during this time. Specifically in the first few days of the fast, as those may be the most difficult to adjust to. If you work somewhere where a vast majority of people take off work during a certain time (“We’ll circle back in the new year” kind of time), consider adjusting your return to the office a little earlier, so that your mind is acclimated to its fasting state when the workplace returns in its fullness. While work can distract you from your hunger, ensure that your fasting times aren’t dictated by what will make you “forget” about being hungry. This should be a time of heightened spiritual engagement.

Find a place to read scripture, pray, and meditate before breaking the fast. It shouldn’t be that you fast all day and do not connect with God at any point in time. Or, that your fast is from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM, wherein you go to bed at 8:30 PM and wake up at 6:00 AM. Okay?

Presentation

If you usually eat lunch with coworkers, still go, but remember Matthew 6:16-18. I personally get some hot water (with a lid on) and drink it during that time. If someone asks, I have a response prepared that humbly and succinctly explains what I’m doing. Admittedly, no one usually asks, because in a typical day, I sometimes eat my lunch much earlier while working, and end up just having coffee (with the lid on) with my coworkers during my actual lunch break.

Working out

For some, work may require more physical activity, or your health may require more consistent physical activity. I don’t have too much insight to give here, except take it easy. 

A fast that completely takes food and water out of the picture at the times that you need hydration and nutrients the most may not be ideal in these cases. 

I’ve read and listened to stories about pastors fasting from food and water for 40 days, or having just water during that time. In the back of my mind, I have to wonder what all they are required to do during that time. Do they rest from physical labor if their job requires it? Do they all have jobs that require unrelenting intellectual fortitude 40+ hours a week? This is not meant to demean their work, but for us to consider this question prayerfully when it comes to fasting: What sacrifice is God asking of me specifically? Where do I struggle to deny myself?

To help answer that question, I appreciate and recommend the article, “The Placing of Fasting in the Christian Life” from the C.S. Lewis Institute.

It talks about the history of fasting (from old testament, to the early church, to more modern day), and describes the various kinds of fasts. My takeaways from it:

Specific kinds of fasts may not be a one-size-fits-all. God may reveal to individuals specific ways in which to fast. “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’” (Acts 13:1–2).

But everyone should fast if they can.

https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/the-place-of-fasting-in-the-christian-life/

Eating

When you do finally eat, the tendency may be to eat a large, carb-laden, oily meal to make up for the missed ones. But remember the point of the fast, as overindulgence is counterintuitive. Consider eating smartly during that time. Pick food that nourishes and fuels as opposed to food that spikes your blood sugar and leaves you feeling drowsy and heavy. Most importantly, stay hydrated. 

Resting

Get a good night’s sleep. Your body is going through a lot, and it needs rest. Engage in good sleep hygiene. God may also speak through dreams… A topic for another time.

All things considered

Remember: the fast isn’t just about the doing or not doing, but mainly God presenting and revealing. So in my own preparations, I was able to recognize before the fast even started, and more so during it, some of my own less than ideal habits around food and how I spend my time. How much more organized I can stand to be, which can impact how successful I am in achieving certain goals (which include work for the kingdom).

Be gracious, be ready: The first few days can be difficult, but keep pushing! There are breakthroughs that may come only on the other side of fasting and prayer. The enemy can also devise his own plans so that you never reach that experience (Mark 9:29). So stay encouraged, reject condemnation, and do the work! Pray for the faith. Pray for the strength. God is with you!

“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” Matthew 6:16-18 NLT