WOOT! 21-day Fasting Journey accomplished! That's 504 hours fasted!! I feel great and I'm so proud of myself! I actually feel well enough to continue, so I'm going to extend my fast to 30 days. Am I starving? Am I weak? Do I feel awful or deprived or bored? Read on...! There's enough empirical evidence* and research-based studies to demonstrate how fasting is beneficial in many ways. Hormones are released initially, and then normalize, that provide a buzz of energy. I felt a little tired now again, but nothing too abnormal that kept me from daily activities or exercise. Hunger passes in 2-4 days, and really--the hunger is more in your head than anything else--a little mental fortitude and it passes with a glass of water or tea! The only "side effects" of this fasting journey were: a very, very slight headache or two at the beginning, and a small amount of hunger the first few days. The major side effects were: weight loss and clothing size decrease; increased mental focus and concentration; a deep inner peace; and time and space to apply myself toward inner work, self-awareness, and significant personal transformation! Overall, I lost 18 1/2 pounds total weight, BMI decreased by 3.16 pts., fat % of body weight decreased by 3.56%, and fat mass decreased by 13.62 lbs. It goes without saying that there was substantial water weight loss, but as a ratio of my overall body weight, the percentage of water weight remained the same: around 56-57% of my total weight, down to an average of 90 lbs. of total weight, from 102 lbs. at the start. Since I started my fast late on Monday night, Aug. 10, the official 24-end mark is tonight at 8pm. Wednesday, Sept. 9 will be 30 days = 720 hours! I've made it this far, and I'd like to lose another 10 lbs. while I'm on a roll. *For evidence, read the work (online and books) of Dr. Jason Fung, Megan Ramos, Dr. Randi Fredricks, Stephen Harrod Buhner, Dr. Michael, Mosely, or search credible sources such as the NIH and other clinical research databases.
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Refeeding Plan: 2 weeks of small portions and soft foods! Gentle refeeding with self-care, compassion, body wisdom, nourishment. The recurring theme is Mindful Eating and sticking to my TRE Window. Eat very small portions; I can eat again later! And: "How can I be kind to myself: my body, my heart, my soul?" DAY 1-2: Eat with awareness!! TRE 12-6 Eat very small portions; I can eat again later! What is kindest to my body? Probiotic, fermented, and cultured foods to stimulate digestion. Too many carbs causes imbalance in potassium, phosphorus, magnesium; rapid change in electrolytes results in reduced excretion of salt and water, resulting in fluid overload and edema that can cause heart and lung complications. Watch for sudden weight gain and edema. (2) Broth Ginger Tea Cooked, Pureed veggies in broth Doenjang jiggae (Korean fermented soybean soup with seaweed) DAY 3 Eat w awareness!! TRE 12-6 Eat very small portions; I can eat again later! What is kindest to my body? Start probiotic foods Broth Ginger Tea Jatjuk https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/jatjuk Doenjang jiggae w/egg Pureed veggies+ Yogurt Tofu Avo DAY 4-7 Eat w awareness!! TRE 12-6 Eat very small portions; I can eat again later! What is kindest to my body? Broth Ginger Tea Jatjuk+ Pureed kimchi Doenjang jiggae w/egg + pureed kimci Jjajang https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/jjajangmyeon (might substitute noodles) Kong guksu https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kongguksu (ditto) Pureed veggies + kimchi with Yogurt Pureed kraut Deviled eggs/egg salad Soups, w cultured cream Fat smoothie w avo, coco oil, cooked veg, yogurt, PB DAY 8-14 Eat w awareness!! TRE 12-6 Eat very small portions; I can eat again later! What is kindest to my body? Broth Ginger Tea Kimchi, cultured food Doenjang jiggae w/egg + kimchi Introduce well cooked solids + chew 32 times!! Soft, boiled chicken Fish Fish spread /crm chz + kraut Cottage chz DAY 14+ Eat w awareness!! TRE 12-6 Eat very small portions; I can eat again later! What is kindest to my body? Small portions + keto Resume IF 36/42s ? Body wisdom! Ginger Tea Broth daily Referenceshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6861737/ Changes in human gut microbiota composition are linked to the energy metabolic switch during 10 d of Buchinger fasting
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5962619/ The role of the microbiome for human health: from basic science to clinical applications (1) The Transformational Power of Fasting. Buhner (2) Fasting An Exceptional Human Experience. Fredricks Great things! I'm on Day 20 of my Was-Gonna-Do-A-21-Day-Fast, now I'm-Gonna-Do-A-30-Day-Fast! Booya!! I'm also officially in the weight range I was before I left for China, 2 1/2 years ago! I'm so close! I can't believe I'm in the 10 lb. range that I haven't weighed in sooooo long! Whoo Hoo! I'm doing it! I'm going to fast another 11 days, because I'm averaging a 1 lb. loss per day (yes, body fat, body %, and water!!), which will put me into the lower decade range of 10s I weighed prior to 2017, before the emotional/physical/financial shit hit the emotional/physical/financial fan! I will feel normal again and not like... moooooooo! My current body stats are below! And, I had a great Bday with friends and family on zoom, for all over the world! Beside giving myself the gift of fasting, introspection, transformation, and improved health and well-being, I got a whole lotta love on my Bday!
3 years ago I was celebrating with my kids at Integrity Academy in Austin, TX. 2 years ago, I was celebrating with friends at my favorite Nepalese/Tibetan restaurant in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, called Kathmandu. 1 year ago, I was in the northwestern-most tip of Yunnan, enjoying Tibetan dumplings in Diqin, taking a break from my trek around Kham and Yunnan. Today, I am in the mountains of Southern Colorado, about to go for breakfast with a friend, and "celebrate" later tonight with a zoom vidcall with friends and family across the US and the globe! I look back and feel so much gratitude when I think of where I've spent my birthday the last few years! It's Day 19 of my 21- to 30-day fast and I'm still feeling good! 2016! Celebrating 2016 with my wonderful IA Peeps in a cerulean boa that I had to wear all day! Then out with BFFs for dinner, drinks, and live music! And just because I always want Seo Jisub for my Bday! Still do LOL 2017! As usual, several celebrations during my BDay Month! Drinks out at the Carousel Club in ATX and then dinner at a Korean Restaurant with my fav: a cake from Korean Bakery, Tous les Jours! 2018! My fav restaurant in Chengdu, Sichuan, China! A fusion of Nepalese, Tibetan, and Italian! Owned by my Tibetan friend and his Nepalese wife. Yummy! 2019! My trek across Yunnan and Kham. I spent my Bday in the northeastern tip of Yunnan, a Kham Tibetan area. In the town of Deqin, where I bought myself a traditional yak butter tea and tsampa breakfast bowl, handcrafted by a local Tibetan artisan. As always, I fill up on yak butter tea. For my Bday dinner, I enjoyed Tibetan yak dumplings with spicy sauce and more butter tea! 2020! Enjoyed a great no-breakfast brunch at the local coffee shop with friends, got caught in a downpour, and sang all the way home! Happy Birthday to me!! Day 17! It's amazing and unbelievable, but then again, believable. Feeling good. Yesterday, I tried on some hiking shorts that I've been carrying around since I left China fall 2019, and haven't worn... until yesterday. They fit and not too tight, so I'd wear them in public LOL! Yay! I'm finally over that damn plateau, so lost another 2 lbs. since last weigh-in Monday. I'm on target for about 1 lb. day loss, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know half is water, but it doesn't matter, as long as old clothes keep fitting! My scale tells me I've lost some muscle mass and my BMR is lowering, but I"m not exercising much and definitely not doing enough cardio or resistance. That will come up with exercise. My scale indicates the water loss has leveled out, fat loss continues, and BMI is down 3 points. So all good. I'm 4 days away from my goal and I'm extremely pleased with myself. I still do not have food cravings, the desire to eat, nor do I obsess about "all the food I'm going to enjoy" when I break the fast. I believe that phase is over and I'm grateful. It's awesome not to have any dishes to wash except cups and spoons! My frig is empty except for kimchi, condiments, and all the amazing dairy I cultured yesterday! I've got a huge pot of organic, whole milk yoghurt, and a couple of jars of the remaining half & half I had. When I go to the grocers, I'll pick up a HWC and culture that, too!
Some interesting notes: the richness of the bone broth is almost nauseating. While I still drink it and enjoy it, the first few sips taste so rich and overbearing I don't want to drink it. My taste for the cream in my tea is diminishing too. While I still enjoy it, I use less. It's kinda like I actually don't want anything in my stomach; or rather, my stomach doesn't want anything in it. Even if I have an afternoon coffee or tea, my Kcals are well under 200 and carbs less than 3. It seems my body and its preferences change on a daily basis now. I'd love for the scale numbers to change more extremely and daily, but again, I'm undisturbed by the number. I've still got my refeed plan all set; it remains unchanged. Hence, the only thing left is: How can I be kind to myself today? Halfway through Day 15 and feeling good. :-))
Can't seem to stomach black tea or even Green Tea--makes me nauseous, so I'm back to cream or Half-n-half. Something about the cream/soymilk cuts the tannins and I don't feel nauseated. I am working on culturing any dairy products I use, even in small quantities for tea or coffee. I do have a creamy coffee every few days. I'm not ready to give up my morning tea, because it is a nourishing part of my morning ritual that I truly enjoy on many levels. I study and write in the morning; this is a positive and creative part of my life. I also feel the need for a little caffeine wake-me-up in the AM. For the present, that's how it is and now I just have to work on accepting it as okay. I'm disappointed, although I've made so many positive changes that I am NOT discounting (maybe another one is tipping the scale toward too many at once, so there's a thought!), because I really want to transition into a fast that leans more toward, water, black teas, herbal teas, and a cup of bone broth for my hair. I'm over the hunger issue, or even wanting food. I wanted to move into deeper autophagy by eliminating all kcals and macros (excluding broth). On the other hand, I've completed 15.5 days of fasting and that's excellent, so all other changes are a bonus!! Over the last two weeks, my kcals have decreased from around 600 (broth, creams, coco oil, ghee) down to less than 200 (broth, creams). I was hoping to get that down to the 80kcals of my broth, but for now, where I am is fine. Hell, I'm not trying to punish myself by fasting, so why increase my suffering and reduce my joy/enjoyment?? When it's time, perhaps I'll find a substitue I enjoy for my creamy Double Bergamot Earl Grey. Until that time, I'm going to enjoy every damn cup of it LOL! Yesterday, I made another pot of bone broth, and that will be simmering 24 hours. I added some Korean mountain vegetables I have, and a package of roasted gim (seaweed). I used part of a pig's ankle/foot, pork ribs, and chicken thigh/wing. My broths have been turning out like the bomb! and I enjoy drinking a hot cup every day, late afternoon or early evening. Yesterday, I cultured some of my half&half and today I'll make yogurt. I also made fresh soymilk for a nourishing Korean soup I love! I'll also prep another Korean noodle dish I like, but substitute zucchini or those funky yam noodles for the somyeon wheat noodles. I've got my refeeding plan all set out; grocery list made. I'll make a grocery run a few days before I end my fast, and cook up my first few days of nourishing, rebuilding food. Despite all the planning, it may sound inconceivable (yeah, just like Vizzini said!) that I'm not dying to break my fast (Inconceivable!!). I truthfully do not miss eating, nor do not miss food, (Inconceivable!). I've moved beyond the feeling of deprivation, fear, and grief associated with the absence of food during fasting, (NOT inconceivable!). I don't feel like I'm missing out, or have fantasies about certain foods I'm going to "reward" myself with when I complete this fast (which is not truly a reward at all). I have relished this time to move deep inside and work on behavioral changes. The longer fasts really send me deep inside my psyche, heart, and soul. This phenomenon is really, really difficult to put into words verbally, or on paper (virtual paper). I love this process and I'm grateful for the time and space to experience this ultimate healing process! I know I've said this at least 3 times previously, but it's worth repeating. Jeena out. It's really late at night; I was drifting off to sleep when I had an epiphany! This is the aspect I love about longer fasts-- the turning inside out, reaching inward, digging it all up, pulling it out into the light of realization, self-awareness, my subconscious thoughts crawling out of the dark into the light, gaining a true knowing about my motivations and actions, seeing myself without any filters, realizing what is going on this brain and heart of mine, letting it all come to the surface, and then discovering the solutions for the thoughts and behavior that cause me problems.
It's not just about food and refeeding. It's not about how long I'll continue this fast and what fast I'll do next. It's not even about my relationship with food. Ultimately, it's about sitting with my feelings, recognizing them, allowing and accepting them, and then being kind to myself. The behavior changes I seek in relation to food will come about by being kind to myself with self-talk, self-care, and mindfulness. Whether I use cream or soymilk, whether I have a "clean" fast or not, whether I lose weight or not--it still comes down to kind recognition and allowing of my feelings. Of course I'll lose weight--it's impossible not to do so. Whether I extend my fast to 30 days, or stop at 21, I still must reframe how I face and manage my emotions. If I can transform these thought patterns and behaviors, the food will no longer be an issue. It's always going to come down to: "How can I be kind to myself in this situation?". My lumbar disc hurts. How can I be kind to myself? I'm anxious about getting an income stream flowing. How can I be kind to myself? I need to exercise more. How can I be kind to myself? I'm not losing weight. How can I be kind to myself? I'm fearful about my future. How can I be kind to myself? I'm worried about the state of the country. How can I be kind to myself? I feel really tired and lethargic. How can I be kind to myself? I'm craving something sweet because I'm upset. How can I be kind to myself? I'm bored. How can I be kind to myself? My body is stiff and uncomfortable. How can I be kind to myself? I don't like how my body looks. How can I be kind to myself? I'm depressed. How can I be kind to myself? I'm angry. How can I be kind to myself? I'm sad. How can I be kind to myself? I feel hurt by _____'s actions. How can I be kind to myself? I feel fat and unattractive. How can I be kind to myself? I'm afraid of __________. How can I be kind to myself? I wish this _______situation was different. How can I be kind to myself? I'm worried about money. How can I be kind to myself? I'm worring about having a place to go after this. How can I be kind to myself? I'm lonely. How can I be kind to myself? I'm afraid I'll never be able to _________ again. How can I be kind to myself? I'm afraid I'm losing my skills. How can I be kind to myself? I'm afraid no one will hire me. How can I be kind to myself? I'm afraid of___________. How can I be kind to myself? I'm afraid I'll never be athletic and thin again. How can I be kind to myself? I'm afraid I won't be healthy and energetic anymore. How can I be kind to myself? I'm afraid of the government. How can I be kind to myself? Day 14! Bonzo! I wish I could say I feel fantastic, but I irritated a disc yesterday in yoga, so did not sleep, my back hurts, and not sleeping makes me profoundly evil! ;-)) Of all the (many!) athletic injuries I've had, I have received the MOST from frickin' YOGA! WTF! More than from running. cycling, climbing, hiking, dance, and gymnastics! And they are always the MOST debilitating and lengthy. Damnit! That aside, I am pretty damn psyched and happy and proud and buoyant that I've reached this goal! Keep in mind, it's taken 5 months of ups-and-downs and 10-lb. losses and 10-lb. regains, 5-lb. losses and 5-lb. regains, eating keto, back on carbs, drinking wine, not drinking wine, fight to the death with HWC, working through lifelong issues with food, working through lifelong issues of deprivation and fear around food and my body, and continuing to work through all of those issues to get where I am today. Plus, a bit of inspiration from @leanne that motivated me to finally JUST DO IT and strive for the goal I've had since March. I still have to address these issues: relationship with my body, relationship with food, etc. But, I've had time and space to do a lot of inner work during this fast. This is probably the main reason I like EFs because I can't avoid what food helps me avoid. I'm pretty damn sick of avoiding it all anyway--literally, avoiding painful emotions with food makes me SICK!! And FAT!! Another thing (NSV). It's been glorious to watch the scale nosedive without a parachute the past 11 days! My weight stalled 3 days ago, but that does NOT stop NOR discourage me, because I know (deep down) that my body is still healing and making progress. I can feel it! And as my relationship to food self-corrects (with a lot of damn writing, inner work, and focus!), that's the salient aspect of this process/progress. I got out the damn measuring tape, which I've been putting off, because those numbers make me feel worse than the scale numbers. But what the heck. I also have a fancy-smancy Chinese scale that gives me about 20 different parametes from BMI to subQ fat, fat mass, muscle mass, etc. And while I don't expect the scale to be as accurate as a DEXA or other scientific, in-lab scan, the numbers change and demonstrate a pattern, which is most telling. Yeah, I made a spreadsheet, too! *geek* LOL. I suppose this means I should step away from the scale for a few days and just focus on other aspects of my journey.
If past fasts are any indication-- and especially since I'm doing such a long fast-- I'll be very gently, lovingly, and slowly reintroducing food through the most nourishing and compassionate plan I can create. I took the time last week to sit down and review research on refeeding after long fasts. Along with Megan's and Fung's books, my go-to books are Buhner's and Fredrick's, both of whom devote many pages to breaking the fast, adding the elements of spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical considerations. I've designed a 2-week refeed plan and published to my blog: www.nationalginagraphic.com/2020-fastinggratitude/refeeding-plan-for-21-day-fast . To conclude, since I'm prone to self-denigrate rather than praise myself, I suppose I should give myself that gift to say that yeah, this is AWESOME and a MAJOR accomplishment and Girl, you did GOOD! On Fleek! 14 days IS a major victory! Keep on Going! And it's my Birthday on Saturday and I am giving myself the best gift ever: health and longevity!! WhooEffingHooooooooo! In the past, if I was feeling bad during a fast, I would break the fast and eat because I thought the source of feeling bad was from lack of food. In retrospect, I recognize that I merely wanted to eat because I missed eating or felt deprived, but I was using the excuse of feeling poorly to justify eating. I simply wanted to eat.
In an inward perusal of the above thought, I determined that this rationale--however irrational-- was probably behind at least a portion of my overeating behaviours: the desires to eat or overeat, whether I feel bad or not, because I enjoy the food (sugar/carb-laden food specifically). Or am I addicted to the sugar/carbs? Probably yes! It left me wondering if I unconsciously made myself feel "bad" (emotionally, physically), so that I could use that "feeling bad" as an excuse to eat. When I'm "feeling good" (emotionally, physically, mentally), I don't have a desire to overeat... or if I do, it is easy to squelch it. All this came to mind as I sat down to drink my morning cuppa, and I noticed that my heart was beating really fast--like I had just finished exercising. It was beating abnormally fast-- enough for me to take notice. This caused a fractional second of concern, immediately followed by the thought: I should break my fast. Yet I don't really have a desire to eat: whether sugar or healthy food. I am not hungry at all. The thought passed quickly, annotated as "old behavior", recognized and pushed asid. Other happenings during this fast include deep cleansing of my GI tract: I had another undeniable urge to use the bathroom this morning. The BMs are still solid, but make me feel like I'm suffering diarrhea, and my tummy is sore after I use the toilet. Further, the last few days I've been gassy. I can't imagine this is from the small amount of liquid I ingest, at 200 kcals and less. Yesterday I had only about 150 calories worth of soy milk and broth. I slept an hour or two later than normal today. I wonder if that's because of the walk I took and a short asana practice. I woke up feeling fine, but had to take care of the animals immediately since it was later in the morning (730am haha!), instead of my normal routine of enjoying a cuppa and then walking over to let the chixx out. Now, I'm feeling a little tired. And my stomach hurts. I still don't think there's anything wrong, or that I am ill. Most likely, my body is cleansing and detoxifying as part of the fasting process. I've noticed changes in my skin. My clothes fit looser and some of the fat pockets (cellulite?) in my thighs and quads have smoothed out. I've lost a total of 14 lb so far! My skin is starting to smooth out and inflammation that popped up on my face (red spots) is receding. More detoxing. The deep knee goug (that really needed stitches but I thought, "Nah!"), is healing miraculously fast and it seems the scar is disappearing. Autophagy! I should have a really ugly keloid scar from my fall, but I think it's going to heal completely and the scar will be autophagized! It also appears that some of the sun damage on my arms and hands is diminishing, as well! As in all aspects of this tear-down, rebuild, and heal process, the symptoms get worse and then get better. It is definitely an interesting self-experiment, this process of fasting and autophagy. I've also started feeling really, really cold in the morning, until about Noon, when the indoor temps reach 80. I wear sweats and sweaters and thick winter socks! That's been occurring for about 3-4 days now. A quote I heard during one of our TFM groups: "Abstinence is easier than perfect moderation." Ain't that the damn truth. These long fasts are relatively easy. The hard part is eating in moderation and abstaining from sugar/carbs. |
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