A normal aspect of ending a water fast is to want to EAT and to think about food FREQUENTLY. Then the fast ends, eating resumes, and it's so exciting! I've found myself tending to eat too much the past few days since I broke my fast. It has not gone as planned! But I was reminded this morning to be gentle and kind to myself! This is a learning process and somewhat of a physical experiment. A bit of a "Fasting Reset" finally happened for me today when I ate lunch around noon: the feeling of fullness due to a shrunk stomach finally hit me! What I'm experiencing coincides with what I'm reading and hearing from others in the fasting support groups (www.thefastingmethod.com):
Today, at lunch, some change manifested! Whoo Hoo! I set up my plate, again, with small portions of a LCHF keto meal: bacon, avo, olives, tuna salad, and cream of veggie soup. Once again, this is the portion size that my Kindergarteners' used to eat! Mini-mes!! I input all the macros in my tracking app (www.ketodietapp.com), and it came within my carb and calorie limits. I then sat down, closed my eyes, offered gratitude for a delicious meal in a beautiful setting and slowly began to eat, chewing each bite 32+ times. I noticed pretty quickly--not even halfway through the meal damnit!--that I was getting full. I continued to eat slowly, reminding myself that even if I stopped eating while still wanting to continue, that I could always come back and eat the same meal again later--or even make the same recipe if I so desired! PROGRESS! I stayed aware and observant of my emotional desires to continue; well, I was really enjoying the meal! But I also felt my stomach growing fuller. I reminded myself of the process. I reminded myself that I could have bacon again when I was hungry (I LOVE BACON!!! Sorry, not sorry!). I remembered how I had felt physically the previous two days after eating too much. I decided to stop eating when I had finished about 1/3 of my plate so that I could have one Raspberry Cheesecake Bite that I had made last night. I gave myself the provision of two Bites, since I ate such a small amount, but after a nibble of one, I knew there was no way I could eat two and still feel comfortable. I slowly enjoyed one Bite, and put the other away. I ended my lunch feeling sated but not overfull, and full enough that I definitely didn't want to eat anymore, but not uncomfortable! Yay!
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Photo Credit: www.mindful.org "Clinical and epidemiological data are consistent with an ability of fasting to retard the aging process and associated diseases. Major factors implicated in aging whose generation are accelerated by gluttonous lifestyles and slowed by energy restriction in humans include: 1) oxidative damage to proteins, DNA and lipids; 2) inflammation; 3) accumulation of dysfunctional proteins and organelles; and 4) elevated glucose, insulin and IGF-I, although IGF-1decreases with aging and its severe deficiency can be associated with certain pathologies (Bishop et al., 2010; Fontana and Klein, 2007)."1
"Periodic fasting can reverse multiple features of the metabolic syndrome in humans: it enhances insulin sensitivity, stimulates lipolysis and reduces blood pressure. "1 "Clinicians have found that fasting was frequently accompanied by an increased level of vigilance and a mood improvement, a subjective feeling of well-being, and sometimes of euphoria. Therapeutic fasting, following an established protocol, is safe and well tolerated. We aim in this article to explore the biological mechanisms activated during fasting that could have an effect on brain function with particular focus on mood..."2 1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3946160 2 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165178112008153 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23332541 https://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-00789122/file/FASTING_revised_manuscript_11_12_12.pdf I am grateful I successfully finished my fast! I am grateful to eat food! I am grateful for my friend who provides the space and comfort and security for me to manifest change. I am grateful for my sister. I am grateful for the sunset and the beautiful walk I went on as the sun fell deeper and deeper. I am grateful for dogs. I am grateful for Grannies. I am grateful that I am a good cook and enjoy cooking. I am grateful for bacon. I am grateful for video calls so that I can connect with other people who are fasting. I am grateful!
Tomorrow, I intend to:
Today I am grateful because I finally had a physical breakthrough with my water fast. A gradual change overcame me today as I had suffered 2 days of extreme fatigue. I noticed my energy picking up a bit before noon, and that continued for the rest of the day! In fact, I felt buoyant and energetic for the remainder of the day! YAY! I hope it continues through tomorrow! I'm going to break my fast tomorrow at 2pm, which will be a full 7 days and 168 hours! BOOYA! Only 17 hours to go! I've completed 151 so far! Even if I feel good, I'm going to end this fast, re-feed gently for 4 days, and then begin another fast Friday. It's just so dang weird about waking up totally wiped out and then slowly energizing. Right now, at 9pm, I still feel energetic! But it's bedtime! Intentions for tomorrow: Study for my certification exam Get some remote work done Do Hatha in the AM Take a walk later in the day Feel great and grateful and successful! It's not to early to say... I did it!I keep going back and forth about whether or not to end my fast tomorrow, which will be the completion of 7 days of water fasting. I'm at 139.5 hours of fasting currently, and will reach the start of Day 7 at 2pm today. The problem is not the hunger growls, those are no longer bother me. The big problem is fatigue, which is continuous and extreme. Walking up the stairs is exhausting. After my morning shower, I want to lie down. I'm too tired for a short, easy asana session or even a 20-minute walk! Part of me knows I should honor this feeling, and take the time to relax, cleanse, rejuvenate, and let my body do the work it does while fasting. I am okay with that, but this level of fatigue is too difficult. I don't think I should be this tired at this point in my fast, and I am unable to study or work remotely because my mental capacity is shot as well. I wouldn't mind being this tired if I could at least do some yoga and study or work. I'll lie in bed the rest of the day, but I at least want to get some mild exercise. Photo credit: Someecards.com I don't want to miss out on the benefits of a longer water fast, especially spiritually and emotionally, since I am making headway in those areas. I know that I'll achieve my physical goals with Intermittent Fasting, so that's not the issue, although I would like to manifest the quick weight loss that results from a longer water fast. I feel changes going on in my body, yet it is difficult to describe them. My primary motivations at this point remain: emotional and spiritual shifts. This is my dilemma.
I have the option of breaking my fast, refeeding for a few days, and then starting another fast. I could take a fasting break, then try another 7-day fast, but I think I will stop at 5 days. But it's important in this physiological experiment that I am undertaking to re-assess how I feel during each fast. So, if I take a break, fast for 5 days, and don't feel the fatigue I am feeling now, then at that point, I could continue the fast. I just notice that after Day 4, on both of my water fasts this last month, I start feeling crummy. I've overcome the hunger issue; maybe during my next fast, my body will overcome the fatigue that drains me. Conclusively, what I should do -- and will do -- is break my fast at the 7 day point (168 freakin' hours booya!!), which will be tomorrow at 2pm. I will gently re-feed with pureed veggie soup and bone broth on Day 1, and determine how I feel physically after eating (some people get nauseous or have diarrhea when eating too much solid food too quickly after an extend water fast). If I'm okay I may try some solid food later in the day (before 6pm: I'm keeping my eating window between 12pm-6pm). For the next few days of my re-feed, which will involve TRE (Time-restricted Easting) of 12pm-6pm, I will follow Keto or do a Fat Fast. Keto eating involves eating less than 20g. carbs so that the micronutrient breakdown is at least 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% fat. A Fat Fast includes very limited amount of foods that are high in fat (avocados, meat, olives, oils, salmon, etc.), and is limited to less than a one week time period, but allows eating at any time to satiety (this is not a binge!). I will re-feed for 4 days total then start another fast. I want to emphasize that re-feeding between fasts is not a binge period. To continue my fasting protocol I will eat to satiety and not overeat. I will continue eschewing sugar and processed carbs. I will continue fasting with IF and EF (Intermittent Fasting, Extended Fasting). After re-feeding for 4 days, I will start my third Water Fast on Thursday, and see how I feel on Day 5. I haven't had a scale, so am gauging my weight loss by how my clothes feel. Besides, there is no way I'm not losing weight when I have no caloric intake! Even in this state of fatigue, my body is burning calories to stay alive. But I ordered a body-fat and weight scale, and am looking forward to its arrival on Wednesday! This will help with motivation and accountability. It will be good to see numbers declining over time! I'm two hours away from Day 6 of my 21-day Water Fast! Whoo hoo! Only 2 days and 1 hour to go! 49 hours! I can do it! I am doing it! I will do it! My determination has been increasing, despite strong fatigue and frequent (though short and mild), bouts of hunger! Yay! In fact, I'm gaining increasing confidence that I'll be able to extend the first part of this 21-day fast beyond 7 days, to 14, and then to 21! Although I definitely want to lose weight and improve my heatly, my other motivations for completing the full 21-days are emotional and spiritual. As I've previously mentioned, this fast is vastly different from my first attempt at an Extended Fast (EF) at the end of March. I am experiencing intense shifts in my mind and emotions. Although I struggle with the hunger and fatigue, my determination has grown. I am feeling the value of an EF and want to continue my progress. I really, really, really want to heal my relationship with my body and with food; I mean, this is it! I'm not doing it anymore! I'm sick of hating my body and using food as an escape from feelings. There are a lifetime of toxic mother-messages and upbringing and societal cues behind these problems, and it seems as though I have done 2 lifetimes' worth of work to overcome both, yet I still don't have it down at age 51. I don't want to spend the next 50 years struggling with these problems. And now, after all my research into EF, IF (Intermittent Fasting), keto eating, LCHF (Low-carb, High-fat eating), ADF (Alternate Day Fasting), and OMAD (eating one meal per day), I am convinced that I have found the solution! It's not an easy solution, but I know it works, and there is empirical evidence to prove that statement! The evidence is one reason I want to continue the fast. The shifts I have experienced are the other reasons. I am approaching food in a new way, and as I continue fasting, my attitudes will continue to change. In this experiment with my body, my attitude toward my body will also become more positive. I want to live a full life where I am fully engaged, rather than hiding in my home behind a jar of nutella and a K-drama for weeks at a time; hiding from my feelings, avoiding fear, and gaining weight so that I have an excuse to isolate and hide even more! With each day that passes during this fast, I feel like I get closer to the solution to my eating disorder, body image, and problems with food. Photo Credit: www.bbcgoodfood.com I have joined a few support groups on Facebook related to Dr. Jason Fung, as well as the member support groups on his website: thefastingmethod.com , and am getting some good advice from experienced fasters (as well as some not so good by my-way-is-the-right-way thinkers). In complaining about the constant hunger, I was advised to reframe those thoughts, and upon a tummy growl, thank my body for doing its job and acknowledge that the fasting was working. That advice really helped change my mindset about the constant hunger reminders. Now every time my tummy growls, I think, "Thank you body for doing your job," and "The fasting is working!". This led me to the idea that I could also reevaluate and change my thoughts about feeling terribly fatigued the past few days! I'm not working, and I have the time and physical space to "just be fatigued" if I am. Why fight it? The fatigue doesn't mean I need to break my fast or end at 7 days, any more than the hunger growls do! The hunger growls pass and they are not overwhelming now. The fatigue will also pass. I have an entire list of activities to do while fasting, to replace eating and watching movies, and one of those is Take A Nap! Yesterday, I felt extremely worn out after a walk and other activities, so I lie down for a 45-minute yoga nidra session (deep relaxation). I felt so much better afterward! I wasn't buoyantly jumping around, but I felt rested and like I could make it through the day. I feel more accepting of the hunger growls, and they no longer make me feel as though I need to break my fast! Yay! This means, if I replace thoughts about the fatigue with new, positive thoughts, then that will completely rid me of the fading desire to break my fast at 7 days! Yay, again! Therefore, I can accept both the hunger and the fatigue, let them pass, and continue my fast! This knowledge has given me renewed hope that I will successfully complete not only a 7-day water fast, but the 21-day water fast I had originally planned to do! In fact, I've decided that I will NOT end my fast on Monday, but rather, continue it on for another week. I know that if I can fast for 7 days, I can certainly make it 14, and if I make 14, 21 should not be too difficult! I WILL do it! I love that my saying: "I can do it!" has morphed to "I will do it!"! I am, after all, doing it! In conclusion, just like accepting the hunger growls and letting them pass, I have decided to also accept the fatigue and wait for it to pass. It's not such a bad thing, after all: I'm not shirking responsibilities or affecting my life negatively. In fact, I am honoring my body by giving it the rest it requires, allowing it to heal, and maximizing my chances for fasting success! I am so grateful for these changes to my mind, heart, and body!
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