It all becomes a bit of a non eating blur!
Today was pretty physical at work, stock checking and sorting out lengths of steel, anything up to 150mm x 6mm in lengths of 6 metres, so gets suprisingly heavy. Happily the sun was shining so it was good to get to work outside and I took it all at a slow steady pace and didn'tm feel too many ill effects.
As far as the fast goes a bit of a hiccup, according to the keto-stix I'm not currently in ketosis, at least that is what they report, although they are well past their use by date, I'm certainly not trhough fat burning yet as their is plenty to go!
Also weight loss has stalled, which is less of a bother, as I was starting to panic that there would be nothing left of me by the target 40 days, a lot of other blogs I have read showed similar trends, masses of weight loss in the first week or two and then it slowed right down.
For now I will keep an eye on the ketosis situation, maybe buying some new stix and continue to monitor weight and bp, which was very low this morning, tomorrow is 10 days and 1/4 of the way in if I go all the way to 40 and I'm glad to report to all of those confessing their worries (nearly everyone I talk to) that I have not keeled over and died, collapsed or wasted away to nothing yet :)
Weight 183.2lb
BP 94/69
Pulse 85
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
Monday, 29 April 2013
Day 8
One thing that I meant to talk about at some point was the concept
of toxin intake, obviously one of the big ideas behind fasting is
that we are detoxing our bodies, stopping putting toxins in to allow
all the crap that has accumulated time to ooze out! Fasting is
stopping eating, I have also made a valiant effort to reduce the
amount of stuff I put on my skin as most modern toiletries are
petroleum based and it all simply gets absorbed into our system, I
have also avoided any medication, riding out the headaches and I'm
not taking any vitamins and minerals, as the delivery of these into
my system would defeat the whole process of fasting, namely giving my
system a rest from having to decide what goes where and just kick
back and get on with some more mundane tasks like eating old scar
tissue...
I am happy to report that my son Gideon has kindly offered to support me on my fast this week, it is much appreciated and helps me to stiffen my resolve to push on.
Today has been relatively hard, certain foods are starting to call to me more frequently now, the hunger has subsided again but there are cravings for sure. Naysayers and worry worts without fail tell me that cravings are my body's way of telling me what I am lacking, maybe so, but maybe it is just the final vestiges of habits trying to assert themselves.
Energy has been a little lacking today, I feel better having had a seriously hot bath (apparently helps toxin removal!) and will settle early tonight.
Weight 183.2lbs
BP 119/79
Pulse 72
So all normal
I am happy to report that my son Gideon has kindly offered to support me on my fast this week, it is much appreciated and helps me to stiffen my resolve to push on.
Today has been relatively hard, certain foods are starting to call to me more frequently now, the hunger has subsided again but there are cravings for sure. Naysayers and worry worts without fail tell me that cravings are my body's way of telling me what I am lacking, maybe so, but maybe it is just the final vestiges of habits trying to assert themselves.
Energy has been a little lacking today, I feel better having had a seriously hot bath (apparently helps toxin removal!) and will settle early tonight.
Weight 183.2lbs
BP 119/79
Pulse 72
So all normal
Sunday, 28 April 2013
Day 7
I was of course hoping that the hunger would recede and I could go
back to my happily ignorant of (if somewhat missing) food, without
the gawing pangs and stomach rumbles as constant reminders of my
state of eatlessness... no such luck, but such challenges were will
power made for and it will make it all the sweeter when I get to my
eventual target.
The run this morning was as previously mentioned easy, no more than a jog pace really, following the principles of chi running, which basically involve fast cadence, mid foot strike and minimising effort and exposure to injury, just 2-3 easy miles on an upliftingly beautiful morning, high tide, the sun sparkling off the sea and decent conversation. I was happy with how well it went and didn't suffer any ill effects, dizziness, lack of energy or anything else that might have been expected.
I followed the run up with a 2 hour walk along the south east coast, through bluebell wood for those that know it, the perfect time of year as they have just bloomed and the ground was a carpet of lilacs and purples.
The general obsession with food that dogs me somewhat has now turned into a bit of a game, so if I find myself fantasising about a certain food I will turn that into a reward that I will enjoy come the end of the fast, so far topping my list I have Sardines Poori from the Taste of India http://www.tasteofindiaci.com/dinein/ a dish that sets my taste buds alight at the best of times but that I imagine will explode them after they have been asleep fo over a month, yes my mouth is watering at the prospect!
Of course that is not the only thing on the list, I also have seafood risotto at the Fermain Beach Cafe, crispy aromatic duck and crispy beef with singapore noodles and a pad thai and if I can find somewhere that does a decent one a calzone pizza! OK enough about the food fantasies, mouth is watering a stomach rumbling again ;)
Back to work tomorrow so hopefully the distraction of a full day will get me back into a more easily managed routine to see me up to day Friday, which would be day 12.
Day 7 in itself is actually a pretty welcome achievement. As I mentioned in an earlier post my 21 day water fast last year was punctuated with 3 feed days on the Friday of each week, so I guess in reality it was only an 18 day fast, or more accurately 3 fasts of 6 days each with a day of 1000 food high in nutritional value, nuts, seeds, leafy greens etc.
So today sees me hit the milestone of the single longest fast I have undertaken, now we just have to see how long willpower can hold out, assuming that health doesn't suggest to me that I stop before.
Weight today, because I was out the door early for a run I didn't weigh myself until after I'd got back and had already consumed 1.5 litres of water, normal routine is to get up, evacuate and the weight, to get an accurate benchmark. Anyway for the record today read 184.8lbs which is the first time the scales have risen in a week, but I'm putting that down to the water, which would weigh approx 1.5kg or about 3.5lbs, I hope for a more sensible reading tomorrow!
The run this morning was as previously mentioned easy, no more than a jog pace really, following the principles of chi running, which basically involve fast cadence, mid foot strike and minimising effort and exposure to injury, just 2-3 easy miles on an upliftingly beautiful morning, high tide, the sun sparkling off the sea and decent conversation. I was happy with how well it went and didn't suffer any ill effects, dizziness, lack of energy or anything else that might have been expected.
I followed the run up with a 2 hour walk along the south east coast, through bluebell wood for those that know it, the perfect time of year as they have just bloomed and the ground was a carpet of lilacs and purples.
The general obsession with food that dogs me somewhat has now turned into a bit of a game, so if I find myself fantasising about a certain food I will turn that into a reward that I will enjoy come the end of the fast, so far topping my list I have Sardines Poori from the Taste of India http://www.tasteofindiaci.com/dinein/ a dish that sets my taste buds alight at the best of times but that I imagine will explode them after they have been asleep fo over a month, yes my mouth is watering at the prospect!
Of course that is not the only thing on the list, I also have seafood risotto at the Fermain Beach Cafe, crispy aromatic duck and crispy beef with singapore noodles and a pad thai and if I can find somewhere that does a decent one a calzone pizza! OK enough about the food fantasies, mouth is watering a stomach rumbling again ;)
Back to work tomorrow so hopefully the distraction of a full day will get me back into a more easily managed routine to see me up to day Friday, which would be day 12.
Day 7 in itself is actually a pretty welcome achievement. As I mentioned in an earlier post my 21 day water fast last year was punctuated with 3 feed days on the Friday of each week, so I guess in reality it was only an 18 day fast, or more accurately 3 fasts of 6 days each with a day of 1000 food high in nutritional value, nuts, seeds, leafy greens etc.
So today sees me hit the milestone of the single longest fast I have undertaken, now we just have to see how long willpower can hold out, assuming that health doesn't suggest to me that I stop before.
Weight today, because I was out the door early for a run I didn't weigh myself until after I'd got back and had already consumed 1.5 litres of water, normal routine is to get up, evacuate and the weight, to get an accurate benchmark. Anyway for the record today read 184.8lbs which is the first time the scales have risen in a week, but I'm putting that down to the water, which would weigh approx 1.5kg or about 3.5lbs, I hope for a more sensible reading tomorrow!
Saturday, 27 April 2013
Day 6
As anticipated day 6 was quite hard, being the first that I wasn't distracted by the routine of working for 8 hours of the day. It was made substanially more difficult when I had to give Evie (my daughter) a lift between her two jobs and she entered the car carrying a bag of chips (english version of fries to anyone trans-atlantic), the smell of chips always far outweighs the taste, fried potatoes doused in vinegar, it is almost designed to lure you into the shop and buy a bag, trappped in a car with it was purgatory. Almost immediately my stomach started to growl and the delicate mechanism that stops you feeling hungry when you are fasting was disrupted somehow, this set the tone for most of the day, hungry and craving, time for a test of will!
The other thing that threw me off balance by not sitting at my desk was water intake, I keep a pack of 500ml bottles there when I am at work so I have a ready supply of water to sip at at all times, today I was out and about a lot so had less ready access, although I tried to made sure that I drank enough I think I was probably a litre or two short of my desired target by days end.
As I type this up on the morning of day 7 (having been out late last night) I am feeling the effects of that as I have a pounding head and am trying to assuage that with a quick litre before I got out for my first fasting run, the theory is that this will be similar to running the last few miles of a marathon, when your glycogen levels have been depleted (what some people call the wall) I did manage a 45 minute walk yesterday with no real problems, but running at any pace will be a different matter.
Oh and the good news of the day was that I needed to go and buy a new pair of jeans, ok primarily because the old pair were tatty, but I needed to go down a waist size, and even those are a loose fit :)
Weight 184.2
BP 113/76
Pulse 65
The other thing that threw me off balance by not sitting at my desk was water intake, I keep a pack of 500ml bottles there when I am at work so I have a ready supply of water to sip at at all times, today I was out and about a lot so had less ready access, although I tried to made sure that I drank enough I think I was probably a litre or two short of my desired target by days end.
As I type this up on the morning of day 7 (having been out late last night) I am feeling the effects of that as I have a pounding head and am trying to assuage that with a quick litre before I got out for my first fasting run, the theory is that this will be similar to running the last few miles of a marathon, when your glycogen levels have been depleted (what some people call the wall) I did manage a 45 minute walk yesterday with no real problems, but running at any pace will be a different matter.
Oh and the good news of the day was that I needed to go and buy a new pair of jeans, ok primarily because the old pair were tatty, but I needed to go down a waist size, and even those are a loose fit :)
Weight 184.2
BP 113/76
Pulse 65
Friday, 26 April 2013
Day 5
I know, I know, I should sell long term water fasting as a walk in the park to try and encourage everyone to give it a go, I would encourage everyone to give it a go of course, even if you just tried a one day or three day water fast there would be benefits, but it isn't always a walk in the park, just so you know.
Today has been fine really, no problems with hunger other than the previously reported psychological issue of just damn missing food, the occaisional stress moments at work that put me under a little more pressure than my "stay calm, stay calm" mindset could cope with, so I might have snapped at one or two people today, if I did sorry, but there is a warning note on my desk ;)
I was thinking today about the fat reducing properties of the fast today, note not weight loss, but fat loss, because that is what ketosis is, a mechanism to burn fat for fuel, lets call it mother natures wholesome liposuction.
Of course there are downsides to fasting, you need to display awesome willpower (especially when you work next door to a fish and chip shop) and you need to develop a coping mechanism for other people eating around you and what you do to fill the time when you would normally be eating (I've finally tidied my shed and started wood turning again), but the upsides are pretty good too, first as planned you shift a load of fat, second you get a self esteem boost from achieving this yourseslf and thirdly you get the myriad of other health benefits that come from fasting.
Whilst the results from lipo might be much quicker and involve less effort on your part, I think the results will be less benefical mentally, I mean how is your self esteem really going to benefit from having a surgeon stick a metal straw into you and suck your fat out, essentially you are admitting that you couldn't face the effort of shifting it yourself.... Add to that the risks of necrosis, infection etc and it just doesn't seem like the sensible option to me, that's not to say that I haven't run through that little fantasy of just rolling up to the dr and coming out 2 stone lighter!
So, how is my body holding up today, I'd say energy levels are about normal, arthritis in fingers and ankles is now non existant, which is great. I have been suffering ongoing aches in my hips and lower back for the last 48 hours, but these are low level background aches and stiffness, which I am putting down my body deciding that there is something that requires fixing there and that remidial work is taking a little toll, it makes sense that my hips might require some repair after 400+ miles of training for Paris. The localised aches in week one also tally with my experiences last time, where I suffered some continued pain in the two areas where I had operations, which I assumed might be my body looking for non essential tissue to consume and was going to work on old scar tissue.. I know it sounds far fetched, but it makes some sense to me (and was mentioned in Dr Furhman's book) that when your body is fasting it will hunt for anything inside you that doesn't have a job to do and consume it, this includes both benign and malignant tumors apparently, which is one of the reasons that a number of cancer sufferers have reported good progress at shrinking tumors by fasting or calorie restriction.
I think that's enough waffling for a Friday night so I'll sign off with a couple of numbers for the day
Weight 186.2 from my start point of 90kg or 198lb
Blood pressure 89/72 which is considered low, but that's what I would expect at this stage of proceedings, I am now taking care about standing suddenly!
Pulse at 55bpm
Today has been fine really, no problems with hunger other than the previously reported psychological issue of just damn missing food, the occaisional stress moments at work that put me under a little more pressure than my "stay calm, stay calm" mindset could cope with, so I might have snapped at one or two people today, if I did sorry, but there is a warning note on my desk ;)
I was thinking today about the fat reducing properties of the fast today, note not weight loss, but fat loss, because that is what ketosis is, a mechanism to burn fat for fuel, lets call it mother natures wholesome liposuction.
Of course there are downsides to fasting, you need to display awesome willpower (especially when you work next door to a fish and chip shop) and you need to develop a coping mechanism for other people eating around you and what you do to fill the time when you would normally be eating (I've finally tidied my shed and started wood turning again), but the upsides are pretty good too, first as planned you shift a load of fat, second you get a self esteem boost from achieving this yourseslf and thirdly you get the myriad of other health benefits that come from fasting.
Whilst the results from lipo might be much quicker and involve less effort on your part, I think the results will be less benefical mentally, I mean how is your self esteem really going to benefit from having a surgeon stick a metal straw into you and suck your fat out, essentially you are admitting that you couldn't face the effort of shifting it yourself.... Add to that the risks of necrosis, infection etc and it just doesn't seem like the sensible option to me, that's not to say that I haven't run through that little fantasy of just rolling up to the dr and coming out 2 stone lighter!
So, how is my body holding up today, I'd say energy levels are about normal, arthritis in fingers and ankles is now non existant, which is great. I have been suffering ongoing aches in my hips and lower back for the last 48 hours, but these are low level background aches and stiffness, which I am putting down my body deciding that there is something that requires fixing there and that remidial work is taking a little toll, it makes sense that my hips might require some repair after 400+ miles of training for Paris. The localised aches in week one also tally with my experiences last time, where I suffered some continued pain in the two areas where I had operations, which I assumed might be my body looking for non essential tissue to consume and was going to work on old scar tissue.. I know it sounds far fetched, but it makes some sense to me (and was mentioned in Dr Furhman's book) that when your body is fasting it will hunt for anything inside you that doesn't have a job to do and consume it, this includes both benign and malignant tumors apparently, which is one of the reasons that a number of cancer sufferers have reported good progress at shrinking tumors by fasting or calorie restriction.
I think that's enough waffling for a Friday night so I'll sign off with a couple of numbers for the day
Weight 186.2 from my start point of 90kg or 198lb
Blood pressure 89/72 which is considered low, but that's what I would expect at this stage of proceedings, I am now taking care about standing suddenly!
Pulse at 55bpm
Thursday, 25 April 2013
Day 4
Just a quick update today.
All is going well and I felt much more energetic today, whether that was down to yoga last night or just ketosis kicking in I don't know.
Aches today have been ankles again and hips oddly, again might be a result of yoga last night.
Weight today was a startling 187.2lb.
Blood pressure 118 over 77
And as expected the keto-stix still show me as in ketosis.
All is going well and I felt much more energetic today, whether that was down to yoga last night or just ketosis kicking in I don't know.
Aches today have been ankles again and hips oddly, again might be a result of yoga last night.
Weight today was a startling 187.2lb.
Blood pressure 118 over 77
And as expected the keto-stix still show me as in ketosis.
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Day 3
If I said that today had been pleasant I would be a bare faced
liar :)
The upside is that the low level headache has gone and I feel slightly more human again from that point of view.
This morning when I woke up I had nagging arthritis style pains in my hands, fingers and ankles, these eased through the day but have come back with a vengance again now and I anticipate will be worse again tomorrow morning, but are not unexpected and certainly nothing to worry about, my assumption is that by day 7 or so these aches will have passed and I will be feeling much more myself again.
I am certainly slipping into ketosis as all the signs are there, furred tongue, a taste in the back of my throat that indicates that my breath is probably horrible (apologies to anyone who comes close enough to verify that) and the acid test, or rather alkali, has been peeing on a keto-stix which promptly went dark pink.
Ketosis will be a useful measure of when my body has burnt all of it's body fat (and thus is in dangerous territory). I don't imagine that I will get to the stage in this fast of 0% fat and nor is that my aim, but it is comforting to know that I can keep an eye via ketone's of what my body is using for fuel, if I'm giving off ketone's then I'm burning fat and all is well, if I'm not then something somewhere has messed up and I need to start eating again.
I'll be honest and report that today I have felt sluggish, lethargic and far from getting to the stage of mental accuity I mentioned previously, I am finding my thought processes ponderous and somewhat tunnelled, in so far that, I am fine as I work down one train of thought, but if something or someone interrupts me, it takes a few moments to get back down the tunnel and start on a different route. I don't remember this from my last fast, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen, my hope is that like most other symptoms it will pass fairly shortly and all will be well.
I went to yoga class tonight for 90 minutes, which certainly helped with focus and I definitely felt more energised from it, but I did have to take it easy a couple of times and sit out of exercises, I could possibly have pushed on and tried harder but I am trying to be sensible rather than bullish and let my body ease into this new state of being.
Whilst I don't really have a problem riding out the symptoms and I don't really have a problem with hunger during fasting, I really do miss eating, I miss the social aspect of sitting with my family and sharing a meal, the pleasure of masticating and the flavours of different and favourite foods. I know it is early into the fast to start thinking of such things but I have already started to plan meals I will have when the fast is done, I'm too much of a foodie to stop thinking about food as well as stopping eating it!
No weights and measures today, I don't want to get totally caught up in that aspect of it, although I will continue to monitor weight and blood pressure for any anomalies!
The upside is that the low level headache has gone and I feel slightly more human again from that point of view.
This morning when I woke up I had nagging arthritis style pains in my hands, fingers and ankles, these eased through the day but have come back with a vengance again now and I anticipate will be worse again tomorrow morning, but are not unexpected and certainly nothing to worry about, my assumption is that by day 7 or so these aches will have passed and I will be feeling much more myself again.
I am certainly slipping into ketosis as all the signs are there, furred tongue, a taste in the back of my throat that indicates that my breath is probably horrible (apologies to anyone who comes close enough to verify that) and the acid test, or rather alkali, has been peeing on a keto-stix which promptly went dark pink.
Ketosis will be a useful measure of when my body has burnt all of it's body fat (and thus is in dangerous territory). I don't imagine that I will get to the stage in this fast of 0% fat and nor is that my aim, but it is comforting to know that I can keep an eye via ketone's of what my body is using for fuel, if I'm giving off ketone's then I'm burning fat and all is well, if I'm not then something somewhere has messed up and I need to start eating again.
I'll be honest and report that today I have felt sluggish, lethargic and far from getting to the stage of mental accuity I mentioned previously, I am finding my thought processes ponderous and somewhat tunnelled, in so far that, I am fine as I work down one train of thought, but if something or someone interrupts me, it takes a few moments to get back down the tunnel and start on a different route. I don't remember this from my last fast, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen, my hope is that like most other symptoms it will pass fairly shortly and all will be well.
I went to yoga class tonight for 90 minutes, which certainly helped with focus and I definitely felt more energised from it, but I did have to take it easy a couple of times and sit out of exercises, I could possibly have pushed on and tried harder but I am trying to be sensible rather than bullish and let my body ease into this new state of being.
Whilst I don't really have a problem riding out the symptoms and I don't really have a problem with hunger during fasting, I really do miss eating, I miss the social aspect of sitting with my family and sharing a meal, the pleasure of masticating and the flavours of different and favourite foods. I know it is early into the fast to start thinking of such things but I have already started to plan meals I will have when the fast is done, I'm too much of a foodie to stop thinking about food as well as stopping eating it!
No weights and measures today, I don't want to get totally caught up in that aspect of it, although I will continue to monitor weight and blood pressure for any anomalies!
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Day 2
A lot of people who fast
suggest that you should try to be in a state of rest, particularly
for the first few “rough” days, avoid stress, avoid having to do
anything overtly physical.
I don’t disagree with some of this advice, certainly the mood swings in the first few days can make dealing with other people challenging, particularly if you are in a high stress job, have a hellish commute or whatever, however the thought of sitting at home all day (with a kitchen full of food) would only make it harder for me. So I embark on the fast whilst going to work normally, I like being busy and the distraction of having a packed day helps it to go more easily. Also living in Guernsey means the commute is not stressful, if for instance I feel too dizzy or groggy to drive then if I chose I could just bus or walk to work, not that I think this will be an issue from past experience.
Also my work is fairly sedentary; I do get the chance to do physical stuff if I want to, but generally I’m sitting behind a desk all day, so from a physical point of view I am “resting”, it’s just easier for me at least to keep busy whilst fasting. Of course there is also the issue of being able to take 40 days off of work to fast, sure I’d love to be sitting on a beach somewhere warm soaking up rays whilst sipping ice cold water before heading into my villa for a massage, but I’m not quite at that stage in my life yet ;)
The low level headache is still in evidence, I’m trying to decide if it is still a hangover from Saturday, caffeine and other “toxin” withdrawal, tiredness or a general combination of all 3, hopefully as the week progresses it will disappear.
Part of me also sees this fast as an opportunity to begin my training for the Guernsey marathon, in theory training proper begins June 1st when the fast is over, but given that I should shed somewhere in the region of 14 to 21lbs of fat over the course of the fast, the theory should be that with less weight to lug around 26 miles I might just get a better time… wishful thinking? Maybe!
The call from coffee and chocolate is greater today, as I knew it would be, it’s just habits and cravings calling to me, not hunger, so I can just steel my resolve and get on with it, but it is interesting that during “idle” moments, thoughts turn to “oh I could just nip out and get an Americano” this is why I’m doing this fast, break habits and prove myself above and beyond the insidious calls of my psyche!!
Today has as expected been a bit harder than yesterday, I'm a bit more moody, a bit more drained but I envisage kicking into ketosis tomorrow and as my body starts to process body fat for needed energy I'll start to feel more "normal".
I know that a lot of people really suffer badly over the first few days, particularly if they are not used to going without food or in particular certain foodstuffs, there is all sorts of good science out there regarding the masking effect of regularly eating a food that we are intolerant to and the result when we stop can be very difficult, happily for me I have carried out a few detoxes and fasts as well as the more regular 5:2 aspect, which makes the transition between eating and not eating a bit easier to bear.
I did record a video log yesterday but am still trying to decide whether to post it up or not, damn it is cringe-worthy, I'll record another tonight just to keep the sequence going and maybe for my own future reference, but my belief is that I have a face and a voice for text based blogging! I will though try to post up a few pictures along the way so that any visible effects of the fasting can be shared with everyone reading.
Weight today 192.2lbs as my body starts to process "stored" water that tends to hang around whilst processing food, this is why so many of those glossy magazine diets claim "lose 10lb in two weeks" they know that most of us carry around 5-10lb of water and salt weight most of the time, so by a few changes anyone can shed some pounds, it's shedding fat that's the hard part.
Blood pressure 130/75
Pulse 58bpm
That's it for today
I don’t disagree with some of this advice, certainly the mood swings in the first few days can make dealing with other people challenging, particularly if you are in a high stress job, have a hellish commute or whatever, however the thought of sitting at home all day (with a kitchen full of food) would only make it harder for me. So I embark on the fast whilst going to work normally, I like being busy and the distraction of having a packed day helps it to go more easily. Also living in Guernsey means the commute is not stressful, if for instance I feel too dizzy or groggy to drive then if I chose I could just bus or walk to work, not that I think this will be an issue from past experience.
Also my work is fairly sedentary; I do get the chance to do physical stuff if I want to, but generally I’m sitting behind a desk all day, so from a physical point of view I am “resting”, it’s just easier for me at least to keep busy whilst fasting. Of course there is also the issue of being able to take 40 days off of work to fast, sure I’d love to be sitting on a beach somewhere warm soaking up rays whilst sipping ice cold water before heading into my villa for a massage, but I’m not quite at that stage in my life yet ;)
The low level headache is still in evidence, I’m trying to decide if it is still a hangover from Saturday, caffeine and other “toxin” withdrawal, tiredness or a general combination of all 3, hopefully as the week progresses it will disappear.
Part of me also sees this fast as an opportunity to begin my training for the Guernsey marathon, in theory training proper begins June 1st when the fast is over, but given that I should shed somewhere in the region of 14 to 21lbs of fat over the course of the fast, the theory should be that with less weight to lug around 26 miles I might just get a better time… wishful thinking? Maybe!
The call from coffee and chocolate is greater today, as I knew it would be, it’s just habits and cravings calling to me, not hunger, so I can just steel my resolve and get on with it, but it is interesting that during “idle” moments, thoughts turn to “oh I could just nip out and get an Americano” this is why I’m doing this fast, break habits and prove myself above and beyond the insidious calls of my psyche!!
Today has as expected been a bit harder than yesterday, I'm a bit more moody, a bit more drained but I envisage kicking into ketosis tomorrow and as my body starts to process body fat for needed energy I'll start to feel more "normal".
I know that a lot of people really suffer badly over the first few days, particularly if they are not used to going without food or in particular certain foodstuffs, there is all sorts of good science out there regarding the masking effect of regularly eating a food that we are intolerant to and the result when we stop can be very difficult, happily for me I have carried out a few detoxes and fasts as well as the more regular 5:2 aspect, which makes the transition between eating and not eating a bit easier to bear.
I did record a video log yesterday but am still trying to decide whether to post it up or not, damn it is cringe-worthy, I'll record another tonight just to keep the sequence going and maybe for my own future reference, but my belief is that I have a face and a voice for text based blogging! I will though try to post up a few pictures along the way so that any visible effects of the fasting can be shared with everyone reading.
Weight today 192.2lbs as my body starts to process "stored" water that tends to hang around whilst processing food, this is why so many of those glossy magazine diets claim "lose 10lb in two weeks" they know that most of us carry around 5-10lb of water and salt weight most of the time, so by a few changes anyone can shed some pounds, it's shedding fat that's the hard part.
Blood pressure 130/75
Pulse 58bpm
That's it for today
Monday, 22 April 2013
Day 1
Having gone through a Day 1 before, frequently in fact due to 5:2 fasting, today was no great suprise or hardship, I don't want to belittle the efforts of anyone who has or will struggle with the first couple of days of a fast in saying that, because it can be hard and it can be worrying if you are not used to the way both your body and your spirit are going to be affected.
I didn't really suffer any hunger issues, the occaisional stomach growl and of course the desire to eat something because eating is or has been one of my "relieve boredom" vices.
I've been feeling a bit battered from Saturday nights boxing match, stiff neck today more than anything and a low level headache has kicked in that is probably a result of caffeine withdrawal rather than anything else, also a bit tired today but I think that is general lack of decent sleep the last few days rather than the fast. My sugar levels will be normalising but that shouldn't create any real fatigue yet.
I don't really get time for lunch at work, so most days it is taken at my desk, so today I broke the day by finding a quiet spot to do a couple of rounds of pranayama breathing and sun salutations, it takes me away from the norm and takes my mind off of the fact that everyone else is eating around me.
From a hydration point of view I have drunk about 3 to 3.5 litres of water, that probably sounds a lot, but continual small sips through the day is the key, a mixture of still (tap) water and sparkling spring water tjust to add some excitement and to savour the bubbles bursting on my tongue. the downside of lots of water intake is of course more frequent visits to the bathroom, but staying hydrated and the full feeling that water can give you are vital tools in the fasting amoury.
One of the things that I notice particularly when I fast and I guess as
my metabolism slows down, is the cold, particularly in my hands and fingers,
which is also where I suffer arthritis the most. After a beautiful sunny weekend here in Guernsey today was misty and grey and the temperature to me seemed much lower, more layers tomorrow and I will hope that as the fast progresses so does the advent of spring proper!
measures today are just weight, resting blood pressure and pulse:
195.4lbs
114 over 77
65 bpm
all were taken at 6pm, so about 22 hours since my last meal and after a hot bath.
Now I'm going to make a first attempt at a video log that I will post up on youtube and link to here, although fair warning if it is insufferably cringeworthy it will never see the light of day!
Sunday, 21 April 2013
Last Suppers
Today has been a mishmash, part recovery from last nights boxing
match, result a draw, that was a fair result given the battering that
we both took, part preparation for tomorrows first day of fasting,
including an easy run of a couple of miles and part normal Sunday.
I know that the first few days of the fast will be the hardest, before ketosis kicks in you have hunger pangs and habits to contend with, my brain will be telling me that I normally have a cup of coffee around this time, or why aren't I stopping for lunch.
My coping mechanisms will include a bit of yoga during lunch and of course burying my head into books and blogs of others who have fasted before me, a great source of encouragement.
Supper tonight was roast chicken with lemon and garlic, with roasted potatoes, parsnips and carrots, followed by home-made apple tarts, a rare treat and hopefully something to remember fondly in the weeks to come!
On my run this morning I was chatting to a friend (Peter Head director of the Guernsey Marathon http://www.guernseymarathon.gg/) regarding my thoughts on the 40 days ahead and the fact that thereafter I plan to start my 16 week training for Guernsey. We got talking about coincidences and the way that we (people in general) are capable of attaching symbolism to them as suits our requirements, my bit of symbolism being the way the timings of the fast have coincided perfectly (and accidentally) around my marathon trainings, I have been thinking about the 40 day fast since August last year and had originally planned to do it around Lent, Paris marathon on April 7th put paid to that idea and then the start was delayed a further two weeks as I prepared for last nights boxing match. My starting date of April 22nd (assuming I make 40 days) will take me perfectly up to 16 weeks before Guernsey on the 22nd September, which of course is the "prescribed" training period for a marathon, a nice co-incidence that I am happy to attach some symbolism to if it gives me a little more resolve to see this through.
Anyway I think that will do for pre fast blogs, tomorrow the adventure begins and this will start to become a more meaningful diary of how it is going for me, you will excuse the early video blogs when they start to arrive, current black eye and swollen nose do nothing to add to my screen appeal!
I know that the first few days of the fast will be the hardest, before ketosis kicks in you have hunger pangs and habits to contend with, my brain will be telling me that I normally have a cup of coffee around this time, or why aren't I stopping for lunch.
My coping mechanisms will include a bit of yoga during lunch and of course burying my head into books and blogs of others who have fasted before me, a great source of encouragement.
Supper tonight was roast chicken with lemon and garlic, with roasted potatoes, parsnips and carrots, followed by home-made apple tarts, a rare treat and hopefully something to remember fondly in the weeks to come!
On my run this morning I was chatting to a friend (Peter Head director of the Guernsey Marathon http://www.guernseymarathon.gg/) regarding my thoughts on the 40 days ahead and the fact that thereafter I plan to start my 16 week training for Guernsey. We got talking about coincidences and the way that we (people in general) are capable of attaching symbolism to them as suits our requirements, my bit of symbolism being the way the timings of the fast have coincided perfectly (and accidentally) around my marathon trainings, I have been thinking about the 40 day fast since August last year and had originally planned to do it around Lent, Paris marathon on April 7th put paid to that idea and then the start was delayed a further two weeks as I prepared for last nights boxing match. My starting date of April 22nd (assuming I make 40 days) will take me perfectly up to 16 weeks before Guernsey on the 22nd September, which of course is the "prescribed" training period for a marathon, a nice co-incidence that I am happy to attach some symbolism to if it gives me a little more resolve to see this through.
Anyway I think that will do for pre fast blogs, tomorrow the adventure begins and this will start to become a more meaningful diary of how it is going for me, you will excuse the early video blogs when they start to arrive, current black eye and swollen nose do nothing to add to my screen appeal!
Saturday, 20 April 2013
Fight Night
Tonight sees the 2nd of my white collar boxing bouts, I have no
idea really about my opponent, other than it's his first fight and he
is about the same height, weight and fitness level as me. I guess it
is only natural to feel a little nervous before such an endeavour,
although my nerves are manifesting themselves with a detached calm,
very relaxed but a little otherworldly, as if I were not quite
present on this plane!
Looking forward to getting the fast under way on Monday, I will head out for a short (5-7 mile) easy run at around 10-12 minute miles tomorrow morning, have roast for supper and that will be that for 40 days if all goes according to plan.
Current weights and measures then 89.5kg and or 197lbs depending on which set of scales I believe, following my 21 day fast last year my lowest weight was 184.5lbs, so have added nearly a stone since then.
Height 5' 9"
Waist 35"
Chest 42"
Hips 40"
Thigh 24"
Calf 16"
Upper arm 13.5"
Neck 16"
BMI is 27.7 which is overweight, but doesn't account for muscle mass, BMI is a broken measurement!
Visceral Fat (the bad kind that hangs around your middle and coddles your organs is 11, anything over 13 is a worry and in reality anything over 10 should be thought about, men of my age tend toward hanging onto visceral fat and I seem just as prone as anyone else!
Blood pressure 111/79, so at the top end of the normal range.
It will be interesting to look back on these measurements in a month or so's time and see how they've changed.
Looking forward to getting the fast under way on Monday, I will head out for a short (5-7 mile) easy run at around 10-12 minute miles tomorrow morning, have roast for supper and that will be that for 40 days if all goes according to plan.
Current weights and measures then 89.5kg and or 197lbs depending on which set of scales I believe, following my 21 day fast last year my lowest weight was 184.5lbs, so have added nearly a stone since then.
Height 5' 9"
Waist 35"
Chest 42"
Hips 40"
Thigh 24"
Calf 16"
Upper arm 13.5"
Neck 16"
BMI is 27.7 which is overweight, but doesn't account for muscle mass, BMI is a broken measurement!
Visceral Fat (the bad kind that hangs around your middle and coddles your organs is 11, anything over 13 is a worry and in reality anything over 10 should be thought about, men of my age tend toward hanging onto visceral fat and I seem just as prone as anyone else!
Blood pressure 111/79, so at the top end of the normal range.
It will be interesting to look back on these measurements in a month or so's time and see how they've changed.
Friday, 19 April 2013
So why am I fasting?
I got interested in the idea of calorie restriction after picking up a copy of "The Longevity Diet" essentially a book about calorie restriction and the perceived effect it has on increasing your lifespan and overall health.
I digested the book and sat on the idea for a couple of years whilst trying to get my weight down a bit before embarking on a CR lifestyle, more as an experiment with myself more than anything, I just kind of left it there on the back burner as something I would come back to.
Another book crossed my path "Fasting and Eating for health" by Dr Joel Furhman if there is one book I suggest you read, this is the one. As I was busy leading a healthier lifestyle, less work, more gym, more exercise generally (and reaping the benefits of that) I was looking around for something (anything) that would give me that final push to the kind of general well being that I (and I suspect everyone) would like.
I read the book and determined to give fasting a go, as suggested in the book the short and long term health benefits of performing a prolonged fast (we are talking here of 7 days +) far outweigh the downsides that are primarily imposed by our modern "I want it now" lifestyle. You can also add a sense of accomplishment, being willing and able to eschew the temptation of putting what you like into your mouth is probably a corner stone of getting your health/weight/lifestyle under control.
So last year I embarked on the plan of a 21 day fast, this was preceded by a month of healthful eating as suggested by Dr Furhman, less protein, more leafy greens, more fruit and veg generally (and this from someone who already ate a comparatively good diet). The first 7 days I was joined by my 20 year old son, which helped immensely, I had decided that each 7th day of the 21 day fast would be a feed day, consuming approx 1000 cals of nutrient dense foods, leafy greens again, nuts and seeds and other such goodies.
I was delighted with the results, which I wish I had diarised at the time, but the net effect was clearer skin, clearer eyes, greater mental acuity, a surprising amount of energy whilst fasting and still plenty of it afterwards and also the fact that I managed to reduce my requirement for addiction foods, chocolate, coffee & empty carbs like bread etc. I had stepped away from those habits and taken control again, eating them when I chose, rather than because my blood sugars were asking for a kick.
Whilst I was fasting BBC2's Horizon programme featured an episode fronted by Dr Michael Mosley where he looked into calorie restriction and fasting, he put himself through a 6 week challenge of following 5:2 fasting, eating 5 days a week normally and then calorie restricting down to 600 cals a day on the other 2 days. His blood markers, weight and general health afterwards indicated that you could get the same benefit from 5:2 as you could from following a harsher CR lifestyle, the net effect being the same, you are dropping 2-3000 calories a week either way, but with 5:2 you get to eat pretty much what you want on your non fasting days (that is if you eat within your daily calorie allowance!)
So there I was, hooked on fasting, over the last 8 months since finishing the 21 day fast I have followed 5:2 fasting on and off, there have been occasions where I dropped the fast altogether (training for the Paris marathon) but I do feel that long term it is a plan I will stick with, possibly for the rest of my life, with an occasional longer fast thrown in for good measure both to detoxify, reset my habits and to give myself a challenge, which for me is what life is all about.
Hopefully that gives a little bit of insight into the why.
I digested the book and sat on the idea for a couple of years whilst trying to get my weight down a bit before embarking on a CR lifestyle, more as an experiment with myself more than anything, I just kind of left it there on the back burner as something I would come back to.
Another book crossed my path "Fasting and Eating for health" by Dr Joel Furhman if there is one book I suggest you read, this is the one. As I was busy leading a healthier lifestyle, less work, more gym, more exercise generally (and reaping the benefits of that) I was looking around for something (anything) that would give me that final push to the kind of general well being that I (and I suspect everyone) would like.
I read the book and determined to give fasting a go, as suggested in the book the short and long term health benefits of performing a prolonged fast (we are talking here of 7 days +) far outweigh the downsides that are primarily imposed by our modern "I want it now" lifestyle. You can also add a sense of accomplishment, being willing and able to eschew the temptation of putting what you like into your mouth is probably a corner stone of getting your health/weight/lifestyle under control.
So last year I embarked on the plan of a 21 day fast, this was preceded by a month of healthful eating as suggested by Dr Furhman, less protein, more leafy greens, more fruit and veg generally (and this from someone who already ate a comparatively good diet). The first 7 days I was joined by my 20 year old son, which helped immensely, I had decided that each 7th day of the 21 day fast would be a feed day, consuming approx 1000 cals of nutrient dense foods, leafy greens again, nuts and seeds and other such goodies.
I was delighted with the results, which I wish I had diarised at the time, but the net effect was clearer skin, clearer eyes, greater mental acuity, a surprising amount of energy whilst fasting and still plenty of it afterwards and also the fact that I managed to reduce my requirement for addiction foods, chocolate, coffee & empty carbs like bread etc. I had stepped away from those habits and taken control again, eating them when I chose, rather than because my blood sugars were asking for a kick.
Whilst I was fasting BBC2's Horizon programme featured an episode fronted by Dr Michael Mosley where he looked into calorie restriction and fasting, he put himself through a 6 week challenge of following 5:2 fasting, eating 5 days a week normally and then calorie restricting down to 600 cals a day on the other 2 days. His blood markers, weight and general health afterwards indicated that you could get the same benefit from 5:2 as you could from following a harsher CR lifestyle, the net effect being the same, you are dropping 2-3000 calories a week either way, but with 5:2 you get to eat pretty much what you want on your non fasting days (that is if you eat within your daily calorie allowance!)
So there I was, hooked on fasting, over the last 8 months since finishing the 21 day fast I have followed 5:2 fasting on and off, there have been occasions where I dropped the fast altogether (training for the Paris marathon) but I do feel that long term it is a plan I will stick with, possibly for the rest of my life, with an occasional longer fast thrown in for good measure both to detoxify, reset my habits and to give myself a challenge, which for me is what life is all about.
Hopefully that gives a little bit of insight into the why.
Thursday, 18 April 2013
Seeing the Dr
So I'd advise anyone who is contemplating a fast to pay a visit to
the Dr and talk things through with them.
Today I had that talk, she admitted that from a personal standpoint she thought I was bonkers but she approved of my determination and agreed that as I'm not currently on any medication, don't drink or smoke, and am in good health and that I'm not attempting the fast from the point of using it primarily as a weight loss tool, that I was perfectly placed to complete it.
Tomorrow I'll be getting my bloods done, today I had my urine checked (it was clear), was weighed (90kgs clothed) and had my blood pressure taken 120/80.
Tomorrow I'll also take some measurements and do a fat % calculation.
The fast proper starts Monday 22nd April and will end on June 1st, 40 days and 40 nights.
Today I had that talk, she admitted that from a personal standpoint she thought I was bonkers but she approved of my determination and agreed that as I'm not currently on any medication, don't drink or smoke, and am in good health and that I'm not attempting the fast from the point of using it primarily as a weight loss tool, that I was perfectly placed to complete it.
Tomorrow I'll be getting my bloods done, today I had my urine checked (it was clear), was weighed (90kgs clothed) and had my blood pressure taken 120/80.
Tomorrow I'll also take some measurements and do a fat % calculation.
The fast proper starts Monday 22nd April and will end on June 1st, 40 days and 40 nights.
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
Why is the blog called what it is
It has been set up with the primary intention of documenting my 40
day fast but it's something I've been thinking about for a while, I
joke with people that this 12 month block is my mid-life crisis but
the truth is I've always been about challenges...
This year I decided to be a bit more formal about it and try to set myself a few monster challenges this year, I'd like to get to 12 by the end of the year, (12 tasks of Heracles and all that) but we will see how we go:
January: as part of the Plymouth to Timbuktu rally I and my son drove a 1997 Isuzu Trooper 4500 miles from Guernsey to Banjul in Gambia (Timbuktu and Mali being off limits due to military action) The car was donated there to the local Lions club to be auctioned off. I'll write a longer post on the trip another time.
April: Ran my first full marathon, Paris in a time of 4:42:50, I wanted faster, but as my trainer pointed out, if I had hit my target of 4:20 I'd still have wanted to run it sub 4. I ran the whole thing and I finished knowing that with a more concerted training effort that I will get a faster time, plans are afoot to start training early June for the Guernsey Waterfront Marathon September 22nd.
April: I will be taking to the boxing ring for a white collar fight, this is actually my 2nd fight, the first being in November last year, but is probably more of a challenge as most of my recent training has been focussed on the marathon and not boxing specific. Guess I also want to prove to myself that I've got the guts to get into the ring against a relative unknown opponent, as my first fight was against someone I had done a lot of sparring with.
April: The 40 day fast, I had thought about this a lot last year when I carried out my 21 day fast, the results I got were excellent, but I felt that the one day a week feed of 1000 or so calories was detrimental. So the question is can I totally abstain from food for a prolonged period, what challenges will arise from that, and what benefits, both short and long term.
The 5:2 fast, since my 21 day fast last year I have been flirting around the edges of 5:2 fasting, some weeks sticking to it, but towards the end of my marathon training I was advised to stop fasting in order to be taking enough calories to cover those lost by the amount of miles I was running. Since the marathon I feel I have to get back into a structured pattern of 5:2 fasting, but obviously the 40 day comes first. I'll write a longer post on 5:2 when I can.
That's all for now, tomorrow I'm going to try and get to the doctors for blood tests and will do all the other good stuff in preparation of the fast, blood pressure, weight, body measurements and a few photo's.
This year I decided to be a bit more formal about it and try to set myself a few monster challenges this year, I'd like to get to 12 by the end of the year, (12 tasks of Heracles and all that) but we will see how we go:
January: as part of the Plymouth to Timbuktu rally I and my son drove a 1997 Isuzu Trooper 4500 miles from Guernsey to Banjul in Gambia (Timbuktu and Mali being off limits due to military action) The car was donated there to the local Lions club to be auctioned off. I'll write a longer post on the trip another time.
April: Ran my first full marathon, Paris in a time of 4:42:50, I wanted faster, but as my trainer pointed out, if I had hit my target of 4:20 I'd still have wanted to run it sub 4. I ran the whole thing and I finished knowing that with a more concerted training effort that I will get a faster time, plans are afoot to start training early June for the Guernsey Waterfront Marathon September 22nd.
April: I will be taking to the boxing ring for a white collar fight, this is actually my 2nd fight, the first being in November last year, but is probably more of a challenge as most of my recent training has been focussed on the marathon and not boxing specific. Guess I also want to prove to myself that I've got the guts to get into the ring against a relative unknown opponent, as my first fight was against someone I had done a lot of sparring with.
April: The 40 day fast, I had thought about this a lot last year when I carried out my 21 day fast, the results I got were excellent, but I felt that the one day a week feed of 1000 or so calories was detrimental. So the question is can I totally abstain from food for a prolonged period, what challenges will arise from that, and what benefits, both short and long term.
The 5:2 fast, since my 21 day fast last year I have been flirting around the edges of 5:2 fasting, some weeks sticking to it, but towards the end of my marathon training I was advised to stop fasting in order to be taking enough calories to cover those lost by the amount of miles I was running. Since the marathon I feel I have to get back into a structured pattern of 5:2 fasting, but obviously the 40 day comes first. I'll write a longer post on 5:2 when I can.
That's all for now, tomorrow I'm going to try and get to the doctors for blood tests and will do all the other good stuff in preparation of the fast, blood pressure, weight, body measurements and a few photo's.
Before We Start
The plan is simple; To follow up on the 21 day water/green tea fast that I undertook last August I'll be aiming to water fast for 40 days and 40 nights starting Monday 22nd April.
I'll post a starting point of weights, measures and bloods and then a daily update, either text and/or video of how it is going for me, so expect more before Monday and then daily updates thereafter.
I'm not going to be dogmatic about it, if I feel like I'm about to die I'll obviously stop, I'll also be taking advice from doctor/nurse and having regular bloods done to ensure I'm not getting into dangerous territory.
Nick
I'll post a starting point of weights, measures and bloods and then a daily update, either text and/or video of how it is going for me, so expect more before Monday and then daily updates thereafter.
I'm not going to be dogmatic about it, if I feel like I'm about to die I'll obviously stop, I'll also be taking advice from doctor/nurse and having regular bloods done to ensure I'm not getting into dangerous territory.
Nick
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