My 5-day Fast

Purpose: Physical and spiritual reset

Goal: Daily meditation/prayer, exercise, and journaling with a focus on weight-loss

Description: I started a 5-day Fast last night (Sunday). The plan is to fast until Friday night, drinking only water, cinnamon tea, electrolyte water (sodium and potassium added, called Snake Juice by some), and if I’m desperate, a mug of bone broth.My longest fast to date has only been 62 hours, roughly half of what I’m attempting now. But I’m determined because each time I make it past 48 hours, it has reset my body-weight a pound or two lower, and despite not being super strict (I still indulge in buttery popcorn and a small amount of sugar from time to time) I’ve maintained the weight losses.

As for this fast, I’m 17 hours in and already have a headache, which I assume is from a mild sugar/carb addiction. I aspired to get fat-adapted and into ketosis before starting this round, but I made a fun birthday cake this past weekend for my little cousin and couldn’t resist having a piece. Plus, I ate pizza and chips at her birthday party. I’m also at the tail end (I hope) of a pretty nasty head-cold, so I’m not in peak health whatsoever.

I intend to keep up my workout schedule throughout, though I will decrease weights or modify moves as necessary. I’m on Day 40 of Beachbody’s 80-Day Obsession. I haven’t followed their recommended timed nutrition because I no longer buy into the science behind what basically amounts to spiking my insulin six times a day with six small meals. However, I do like the structure of the program and the fact that it’s 80 original work-outs.

The free version of the Vora fasting app is how I keep track of my hours. It’s been quite useful.

Day 1:

Weight: 168.6 pounds

Sleep: My body was a furnace all night, and I woke up several times to throw off the covers and then regather them. I used the bathroom at about 1:20am and then finally got up at 4am to work on my weekly column. I was able to get an hour-long nap in late morning.

Intake:

• 2 cups cinnamon tea
• 1 cup Healthy Fasting detox tea
• 48 ounces pure water
• Approx. 8 ounces Snake Juice (electrolyte water),
• 1 200mg liquid soft gel of L-theanine
• 2 drops of dōTerra’s metabolic blend essential oil supplement
• 1 tsp diatomaceous earth.

Physical: Brief hunger pains mid-morning went away quickly when I started drinking more liquid. I woke up with a bit of lingering pain and tenderness remaining in my left throat gland and ear due to my head cold. By 11AM, it was a headache, throbbing temple and sinus, earache, gland tenderness and it even felt like a tooth ache, all on the left side of my head. I gave myself a couple hours of downtime to read and be still, but then I pushed through a 28-minute cardio and core workout at 5PM. After a good sweat, a very hot then very cold shower and a little fascia blasting, I felt a lot better. The headache continued but wasn’t as severe as earlier in the day. Later in the evening (22 hours in), I started feeling a twinge of heartburn. Perhaps due to too much cinnamon tea. Tomorrow, I’ll drink less of it and it earlier.

Nitty Gritty: I had two large bowel movements early in the day. I have not used a keto strip yet since I doubt I’ll enter ketosis until sometime late tomorrow.

Emotional: The start of new routines is always a happy place for me. Despite the not-insignificant headache, I’ve been cheery, loving and patient today.

Mental: I feel determined and motivated. I made a Nagging Task list last week and finally got the first (and only) item done, which was to start the title and deed transfer process for the land we bought. With that one underway, I can now put another task on the list. Maybe I’ll aim to complete one Nagging Task per day of the fast? Next up: Write a long-overdue letter to a dear friend.

One of the hardest parts of fasting is that I’m the one who prepares food for my family. Slicing up a beautiful avocado for my 5-year old can be torture. I’ll feed them leftover ribs/potatoes/steamed vegetables for dinner today, so at least the smells of cooking food won’t get me on Day 1. I better mentally prepare for tomorrow. Day 2 is typically one of the hardest days for me.

Spiritual: The downtime I granted myself mid-afternoon served as a catch-up on my daily reading from Simple Abundance – A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach. It’s a beautiful book, with daily ideas on how to simplify, nurture, and realize our authentic, creative selves. I’ve gotten a lot out of it.

A decade ago when I was making the big bucks at Microsoft, I bought the complete library of guided meditation Paraliminals by Learning Strategies Corporation. I used to listen to them on my bus ride to the Microsoft campus to get me ready for my day, but since moving home to Minnesota, I haven’t touched them. Recently, I dug them out, put them on my bookshelf right by my favorite comfy chair and made it into a beautiful meditation spot. Tonight I chose the Paraliminal called “You Deserve It – Gratefully receive life’s abundant gifts” by Paul Scheele and Lisa Nichols. It was lovely.

Iris was in bed early, so my sweet man and I spent some downtime watching a movie before bed as well.

It was a good start to this undertaking.

My 5-day Fast (Day 2)

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