By Dr. Bill Blanke
Catholic Healthcare
“When you fast…” (Matthew 6:16)
“…return to me with your whole heart, with fasting” (Joel 2:12)
“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting” (Acts 13:2)
“I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4b)
“Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics” (USCCB)
Lent 2026 is over! If you are reading this on Good Friday, you may be fasting again. Fasting is one of the three pillars of our Lenten journey. Now we prepare to make up for all we sacrificed during these past weeks and eat lots of chocolate and jelly beans and other goodies on Easter Sunday! No more fasting until next year, yay!
I frequently mention to my wife Dana as we are seeing patients in the office, “And this is why we in primary care will never be out of a job.”
As a family physician, testing for and treating certain conditions makes up a significant part of my day. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high glucose (diabetes) are some of the main things I talk to patients about in order to prevent heart attacks and strokes. If test results are not ideal, most say “I know, I need to eat better and exercise more.” When someone is in for an annual wellness check and they have lost significant weight and improved their test results, a common response is “I started eating better and getting regular exercise.”
I realize there are exceptions, but I will say for the vast majority of patients, improvement in health is directly related to diet and exercise. Eating less and making better choices combined with any form of exercise works for most. Full disclosure: I love to eat, but I realize I can’t always eat what I want and be healthy. I share the same struggle as many of my patients. That’s why I appreciate the emphasis on fasting during Lent and the frequent scripture reminders of fasting.
Some people can cut down on what they eat on their own. Intermittent fasting is a newer trend compared to just eating less at all meals. Some come to the office to discuss medical or surgical help. There is no shame in asking for help with weight loss, just as there is no shame in getting medical help for diabetes or high blood pressure.
Some people have weight loss surgery, this is successful for most because it results in a smaller stomach, therefore one has less food intake. Weight loss medications are meant to decrease the appetite, therefore one has less food intake. Train for a 5k or half marathon or go to the gym without increasing your food intake, and you spend more calories and lose weight. The newest tools on the market are the GLP-1 agonists. I will spare you the biochemistry and simply state that these medications that were developed as an option for treating diabetes were found to reduce appetite, so now they are ALL OVER THE PLACE on TV, social media and direct to consumer advertising. They do work very well for many patients…by reducing food intake.
Whether you fast on your own, or take medicine to help you eat less, or have surgery to make it physically difficult to eat too much, the result is hopefully the same…weight loss, improved risk factors, and fewer visits to my office. I see such increased confidence in patients when they have made improvements in their health.
That confidence can transfer to our spiritual life as well. Did you increase prayer during Lent?
If you haven’t prayed for a long time, start by doing a little at a time with a morning offering to dedicate the day to God. If you haven’t read the Bible all the way through, try Fr. Mike’s podcast Bible in a Year. Have you considered praying a daily rosary? Attending a weekday Mass? If you have a habitual sin that you keep confessing in confession, review your day with an examination of conscience and ask for God to help you when the next day’s temptation is present. Just like gradually eating better and exercising more, it’s a process, a discipline, with successes and trips. And when you trip, think of that great Catholic quarterback Philip Rivers: “Nunc Coepi.”
Happy Easter, feast a little on Easter Sunday, but don’t fast from the good things you have started doing during Lent.