water fast, day 7 of 7 -- over!

Well, this was weird -- breaking the fast was a huge letdown.
I had a little trepidation about breaking it because I didn't really want to -- if I had more time I'd have gone on for a few more days. I'm enjoying the emotional/spiritual element a lot, the feeling of peace and contentment and stability. I don't want to let that go! Alas, duty calls, and starting tomorrow I need to be responsible and engaged with other people. And won't be able to lay down every time the mood strikes me.
Previously my first taste of juice has given me a huge appetite and has been hugely enjoyable! This time the juice tasted ok and I had just one glass of it diluted with water and had no urge for more.
I've been a little nauseous all day and perhaps I've interrupted some healing process. Still nauseous now. I've read that fasts should be broken when you're feeling well rather than poorly.
On the flip side, it's great to stand up without getting low-blood-pressure blurry vision! Even from the one glass of juice I was able to walk home (from a friend's who has a juicer) at a normal pace and without resting. Yesterday I was moving at... shall we say... a dignified saunter.
I hope to do another fast of this type soon, maybe in a few months, as my schedule permits.
I've found a bunch of protocols for breaking a fast but the basic idea seems to be that since the stomach has stopped producing enzymes, start with small amounts of easily digested food and work up from there, giving the stomach time to catch up. This ends up meaning 1 or 2 days of juice, another 1 or 2 days of juice + juicy fruit, a couple days of juicy fruit + raw veg salads, then start adding small amounts of nuts. They say this will lead to regaining the least amount of weight -- a definite goal of mine! I lost a bit over 10 lbs and I'm feeling more like "me" than ever before -- this is a weight I'd be comfortable at.
I've been reading a lot about "raw foodism" and I'm pretty intrigued. I think I'll give it a try for a while to see how it goes. A basic diet of fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds, unprocessed. It seems to fit my mental/emotional state right now.
Hope all is well with everyone out there!
Cheers :)

water fast, day 5 of 7

The end of the fast is in sight! Just another couple of days.
Breaking the fast is almost a fast in itself (a few days of fresh juice and juicy fruit) so I'm starting to plan for that.

Start: 155. Now: 146.2. Loss: 8.8 lbs.
Physically, some tummy rumbling today, odd since the gut should be clear by now. Feeling lazy but when I do decide to get moving I find that energy appears. Period seems to be heavier and longer than usual – womb cleaning itself out too? Stomach feels smaller – feel full after a few sips of water. Had some stevia-flavored sparkling water, that I would usually down a liter with no problem, and I’ve sipped on perhaps a third of it – will leave the rest for later. Though I know much of the weight loss is temporary I'm enjoying being thinner for a few days!

Mentally I feel incredibly clear and aware. I find I'm avoiding stimulation in general, especially ads and shopping that encourage people to consume (food or purchases). I'm even taking a break from some of my more high-energy friends -- don't want to deal with their drama right now.

Emotionally I've been feeling centered and extremely calm; neither joyous nor irritated but with a deep sense of contentment. Issues that I usually avoid or find difficult to deal with are less scary and seem to resolve themselves, perhaps thanks to an increased sense of clarity.

Extending the fasting period… day 3 of 7

So I’ve been chillin’ at about 155 for six or eight months now. My goal is still between 145-150, but these last 10 lbs have been a chore. To recap my eating habits, I’m vegetarian, no processed sugar or flour, and I eat for a 5-hr window in the afternoon or evening. I run 3-4 times per week.
The leap from a 19-hr fast to a 40-hr fast hasn’t been too hard, as I’m fasting one day per week now (10pm Friday to 3pm Sunday, for example, fasting all day Saturday).

So now I’m making the leap from one day per week to a one week fast!

This isn’t my first ‘long’ fast but it’s been a couple of years, so I wasn’t sure how the experience would go. I’ve been feeling generally good except for a bit spacey and physically tired. Any “hunger” I’ve had has just been the habit of eating at a certain time and I’m not getting any detox headaches or bad breath. (I’d like to think that’s because of a generally good diet?) I was noticing that the skin on my abdomen is much warmer than the rest of my body; something going on I guess. During my last long fast I remember continually checking up on myself, how I was feeling, what symptoms were showing. This time around it’s much easier mentally, knowing what to expect. I have to travel tonight unfortunately but after tomorrow I’ll be able to relax at home with no major outside demands on my time or energy.
My goal is to water fast for 7 days and to at least get into under-150 territory so my body can see what it feels like. However much I lose, I expect to gain about half of it back within a week or so as my glycogen stores recover. I’m not fussed about exact pounds lost or number of days fasted though – I’ll see how it goes and break it earlier if that seems to be in order.
Other goals: reach that state of goofy, beaming well-being that longer fasts bring! And hopefully some of my nagging injuries will heal up; I’ve got a wrist thing and an ankle thing right now.
And in strict honesty I’m not drinking only water. I’ve had herbal tea (decaf) and a couple sticks of sugarless gum. Not ideal, but the small cheats are helping me through! (Plus, without gum my ears pop on airplanes.)
Best wishes to everyone out there who's sharing this journey!
Cheers

mmmm... potable water!

I just spent two months backpacking in a developing country. I took my first real break from my strict eating patterns in the 18 months since I've started no sugar/no flour and fast-5. My eating window expanded to about 8 hours, I ate white rice (or I'd have starved!), sugar (three or four times), and refined wheat (two times).

Results:

I blessedly was able to maintain my weight without too much fuss! :) At 153 now. In the past when I've traveled like this, budget backpacker style, I've always lost weight from the usual rigors and stresses of the road. This time I'm happy with just not gaining, especially since I didn't think about my food much. I used to feel "thin" at this weight but my body has settled in and I feel normal; I'm hoping that this is just a long plateau and my body will be ready to go down another 5 lbs soon.

I discovered I'm actually allergic to wheat. Perhaps because I hadn't eaten it in so long I was quite sensitive, and both times within half an hour of eating it I felt my throat swell and increased mucous, leading to a really annoying post-nasal drip for a few days. Both occasions were at people's homes where I didn't feel comfortable enough to refuse kindly offered home-made food. Really reinforced that 'no wheat' is the best policy for me, and whenever I can I'll avoid it completely.

Regarding sugar, the first time I had a local sugar-sweetened drink I was ready to climb the walls, fidgety and chatty and unable to stop my foot from tapping. The next time the effect was less. I get habituated waaaay too quickly.

Foodwise, the most exciting thing about returning to the US is being able to consume uncooked veggies (mmmmm salad!), unskinned fruit (mmmmm apples!), and tap water.

Blessings on good municipal sewage systems. :)

Steady as she goes

Maintaining at 155. Would like to drop 5 lbs more but haven't figured out how yet... My body is still reconfiguring itself, though the weight is staying stable.

30 lbs down! (again!) and new goal

I've re-achieved my 30 LB milestone! I'm happy to be headed in the right direction again. Daily weigh-ins are really useful to me -- so much so that I brought a digital scale with me on this business trip. It holds me accountable. Oddly, I feel "thinner" this time than last time I hit this weight 3 months ago.
As strange as this feels to write, I'm really pretty happy with my weight. I'm going to lose another 5-ish lbs and then maintain in the 145-150 lb range. I can't wait to see "149" on the scale -- for the first time in my adult life!
Hope everyone out there is doing well!

Back on the path

After realizing that I'd back-slid (is that a word?) and gained back about 5 lbs, I got back into this and started controlling my portions better. A week of reasonable eating and I'm back just under 155 lbs. The constant discipline must be good for my immortal soul, as my mother would say, but it's more than a bit challenging. Every single day, finding the motivation to put away the snacks is hard. Relaxing those rules, as I did for weeks, was "easier" mentally but made me unhappy and I felt bad physically. So the effort really is worth the reward.
I read a study claiming that a 4-year old's ability to delay gratification is an excellent predictor of future educational, professional and social success. I need to learn some things from those kids! :)