fast note

[cellio]

This probably isn't of interest to anyone else; it's just a reminder for myself, because it's taken me a few years to figure this out.

The following worked well for pre-Yom-Kippur meals:

Lunch: large meal, protein -- big piece of fish, veggies, bread, some rice (Mallorca).

Dinner: normal-sized meal, protein -- spinach quiche, herring, carrots, soy milk.

Gradually reduced the caffeine over the week; Friday I had tea with lunch and one can of Diet Coke mid-afternoon. Headache started around 5pm Yom Kippur; don't know if it was caffeine, eyestrain (lighting sub-optimal in parts of synagogue), or something else.

Comments

[ichur72.livejournal.com]

One thing I've discovered about fasting -- I need to pace myself with the water on the day of the fast. It may sound elementary, but I had to find out the hard way. I've tried guzzling down a large amount of liquid right before it starts -- bad idea. One Tisha b'Av I did this, and my body ended up feeling really swollen for the first few hours, and walking to shul left me in quite a state. I ended up getting somewhat dehydrated and sick. If I keep getting a big glass of water every hour or so, it's much better. My body handles this much better.

[cellio]

You definitely have to stage the water. I drink a lot throughout the day normally, so preparation for Yom Kippur involved replacing the Diet Coke with water (gradually) and increasing the water a bit as well. I did drink a large amount of water right before candle-lighting, but it came at the end of a day of doing that and I wasn't guzzling.

One Tisha b'Av I did this, and my body ended up feeling really swollen for the first few hours, and walking to shul left me in quite a state.

Ouch. I had heard that could happen, but yours is the first first-hand account I've heard. (Why did you have to walk to shul? The Tisha b'Av fast can never fall on Shabbat.)

[geekosaur]

Hm. Does a car seat count as a chair for Tisha b'Av purposes?

[ichur72.livejournal.com]

I would guess that sitting on a car seat (assuming the car seat is on the floor) would not be a problem for an adult. I'm basing this on the fact that I've been to Tisha b'Av services where instead of the usual chairs, small chairs from a children's classroom were set out.

[geekosaur]

Low stools are halachically acceptable on Tisha b'Av (and I think on Yom Kippur with some additional strictures); while childrens' chairs are likely to qualify, I'm not sure car seats do. (Then again, IIRC the primary requirement is "must be uncomfortable". :)

[ichur72.livejournal.com]

I had to walk to shul because I was out of town and didn't have access to a car. The shul was only a 15-minute walk away so I didn't figure it'd be a problem. However, the walk was all uphill and the A/C in the building was dodgy. (Plus it was pretty humid.) So when I got there, I found myself panting and sweating, and my head (and arms and hands) felt like all the skin was too tight. Luckily, the walk back was downhill, but -- yucky.