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The first rule of fasting is to never tell anyone that you’re fasting. You answered your own question anyway:
>These people are also not doctors and know legitimately nothing about the topic or nutrition and metabolism.
Culture of over consumption and instant gratification. Our society (doesn’t matter which country, all capitalist societies are like this now) is drilled daily to consume, consume, consume be it food, items, debt, etc. Fasting or abstaining from anything is considered bizarre behavior because why wait to eat when you could eat now? Why wait until the housing market cools off when you can overpay by 200k for a house now? Endless examples here.
People assume not eating = anorexia. They don’t understand anorexia is a mental disorder with physical symptoms.
The myth of moderation. “Why can’t you just eat a little bit every day and every few hours?? Everything is ok in moderation!” You and I know the truth, sometimes we need to full stop abstain from something in order to get what we want, we know moderation is not the key, but closing the door to the opportunity to eat will ultimately get us to where we want to be in life. The average person moderately consumes themselves into obesity, debt, and other life long decisions that haunt them until they die. Informing them that saying no full stop was an option ruins the fictional world they created for themselves to self-sooth over their poor choices.
A lot of people seem to think it’s self inflicted starvation, like it’s some dangerous dietary stunt. My family personally thinks I would die and threatened me with calling the police when they found out I was fasting for 10 days
I know right?! Everyone mentions an eating disorder when I happen to forget the first rule and mention I’m fasting. Nobody mentioned an eating disorder to me though when I was shoveling everything in sight into my mouth. SMH
My dad made the eating disorder comment and I pointed this out and he hasn’t given me a hard time about fasting since.
in my city it must be somehow popular, because even my mom understood that I wasn’t eating because I was fasting for health and my mom isn’t the most educated person out there. But if I were to tell it to my boyfriend’s mom (other country) she would flip out straight to another planet and be very worried. edit: so I will add to your question to how I would deal with that –The way I deal is, I don’t talk about it ever to people that I know don’t like fasting. It would be too much to explain and too much to try and convince them that it can be good. Also it doens’t really acomplish anything other than causing drama. Just tell them you are on a diet, which is kinda true. You kinda have to figure out which groups of people are opened to the topic. It can feel lonely… yes… that is why you have internet people to talk to.