Week-long Fast page 9

[jadedgamerx]

Thanks for the support! I'm doing my best to listen to my body and not do anything drastic. There are times when I feel like giving up, but these sensations are still quite new to my body and I want to give it a little time to get used to things before I make the decision to end it. The improvements I've made have been substantial....

This is what you need to focus on.

My mood has been off. I'm more easily annoyed and overall my mood has been somewhat subdued. I haven't the energy for anger, but I'm more prone to sass and I'm sure my wife finds this recent change somewhat unpleasant.

This sounds like general fatigue to me, and if I read into your posts correctly and how you are feeling, it seems like you could use a bit more rest than you are getting through all of this. Maybe drink some of that Paleo-Aid when you are feeling "low" so to speak and see if it helps even your mood out in a reasonable amount of time.

I slept for about two hours afterward, which helped immensely.

This!..Keep doing this! Most people who did long term fasting prior to the primal/paleo movement were monitored by a physician or "fast expert" and spent most of their time sleeping, resting, relaxing and just generally being immobile and calm. If you are converting to a fat burning metabolism right now your brain might be starved a bit for the "feel good" sugar that you are used to as well. Sleep/Naps help replenish those stores/chemical imbalances that day to day activities require of you.

Went grocery shopping today and picked up a lot of food. It was a little hard walking through the aisles. My stomach was cramping a little and I felt somewhat nauseous. There was a little heartburn welling up, too.

Is this necessary or could your wife do the grocery shopping in your stead for the time being? Might help you avoid this kind of feeling going forward. When I'm fasting and my lady cooks something I have to leave the house because the smell drives me nuts. Being in an actual grocery store would really be hard with all the smell/visual stimulation going on.

To give up now would feel like a failure. In order for me to feel as though I've made significant progress, I'll need to make it into the low 260's in weight and maintain decent vitals throughout.

Remember what your original goals were with this whole extended fast idea to begin with? One week. You have now exceeded that. Don't get hung up on anything negative or chastise yourself for not reaching what I would consider at this point bonus goals. Stay healthy and be happy. It's hard to accomplish something if you raise the bar every time you feel a victory coming on. That said, if you can COMFORTABLY make it through to the new end goal, by all means keep going.

You have made MASSIVE progress, and I'm proud of you.

[halfbunny]

Jadedgamerx, is making some very good points here, especially the resting and sleeping part.

You are in for a week, that is awesome! Don't be bad on yourself if you say, slowly break your fast tomorrow. You can always do a renewed fast in a few days or weeks or months, don't worry.

[AmyP]

This was the first thing I pulled up on my screen this morning, if that tells you anything! I have been watching with interest. You have gone well beyond any sort of failure...no matter what you do now, keep it up a few more days or end now, you have reached success!

[cookie]

"In fact, the pleasure I've felt from eating probably trumps the pleasures associated with things I've actually accomplished in my life. Admittedly, this reliance on food for happiness makes me feel like a big, stupid animal who lives only in anticipation of the next meal."

i love that you said this. i have never been even close to overweight, and i STILL feel like this at times! i like to step back to remind myself of this feeling every once in a while so that i DO relish in my accomplishments and hobbies.. baby, husband, cycling, walking, reading... food can really take over silently!

[Sabine]

Went grocery shopping today and picked up a lot of food. It was a little hard walking through the aisles. My stomach was cramping a little and I felt somewhat nauseous. There was a little heartburn welling up, too.

This is interesting, and is a good reminder that there are more systems to take into account than just our stomach. You saw and smelled food, and so your brain told your stomach acid to ramp up, in anticipation, regardless of your 'thinking brain' intent. A good argument for staying out of grocery stores while fasting.

It is good to hear about your struggles, and not just 'Day X: Weight '. I'm looking forward to my own fast in the new year, and I know I'll be coming back and rereading this thread for inspiration.

[MrSnstr]

I can't think of a more primal reason to go on a fast. Because you've got no choice....

Good luck to you sir; stay strong and remember to break your week long fast slowly. Gorging yourself with delicious food afterwords is a recipe for much discomfort. Also make sure you get enough water; a good bone broth/stock is not a bad idea at all.

[Char Aznable]

Thank you all for your responses! I really appreciate them!

I woke up a little bit ago. I'm enjoying some mineral water and relaxing. The heartburn is gone (for now) and I don't feel too hungry, so I've nothing to complain about today. Feeling more alert, also. It's sort of strange. I agree that staying out of grocery stores may be a good idea. The thought that my body might have reacted to the sight of food is an interesting one and I feel it may have some merit. I'll be asking my wife to do the grocery shopping from here on out.

Providing that I continue feeling this way-- less heartburn and weakness, more alertness-- I intend to continue till the 23rd.

And again, thank you all so much for your support. I'm glad that some of you are finding this thread useful!

[Char Aznable]

All right! Time for another daily update:

Stats:
Weight: 275.8
BP: 134/72
HR: 110

Vitals are decent, weight has dropped a fair amount. Feeling good about this stuff.

Hunger has been at an all-time low today. My stomach will still growl from time to time and the sight of food (such as the bowl of holiday-themed candies my co-workers keep leaving around my desk) makes me feel a little ravenous, but aside from that, I find I'm doing well. I managed to get some decent writing done on a new short story of mine, and my mind has been surprisingly clear! Today's probably one of the best days I've had on this fast so far.

If I stand up too quickly, I find that I very nearly black out. I learned this the hard way earlier when getting out of bed. I hopped out of bed and then had to steady myself against the wall. My vision started going black. It was funny afterward, but kinda scary in the moment. Earlier in the fast I'd get a little woosy, but this is very different. I'll have to be more careful. I took a real warm shower this evening and felt a little short of breath throughout. When I turned down the heat, I found I felt better. Certain stressors seem to tax my body in new ways; learning the effects has been something of a learning process.

Oh, something I've read about in relation to fasting is a decrease in libido. This may be too much information for some, however I'm nearly 8 days into this fast and I can report that my libido has not diminished. Furthermore, despite my relative weakness, I seem perfectly able to rouse up the energy to perform certain acts. Whether this will be the case in another week is hard to say, but there you have it.

Staying away from food seems to help the heartburn. As does staying hydrated. These two things have made this a mostly heartburn-free day. If I can manage this level of functionality till the 23rd, I'll have no problem keeping this up! My wife is hoping I break my fast on the 17th-- a week from now. We've got a lot to do that day, including two doctor's appointments for our sons, and she thinks that the stress/lack of sleep involved in keeping all of these appointments might make it too difficult for me to continue my fast and stay pleasant. Hard to say whether I'll choose to end it early. I guess I'll have to see how I'm feeling going into the 17th, and whether I'm pleased with my overall progress at that time. I'd REALLY like to get to the low 260's, at least, before throwing in the towel. Whether I can manage that in one week is up to speculation. My weight loss has already begun to slow, and I'm not sure it'll happen. I'll keep you guys posted, though! Thanks for reading!

[Keithallenlaw]

Hang with it bro. Your doing very well! If it helps to tell you, I've done 2 separate 10 day fast
and countless 3 and 4 day fast. I'm settled now with a noon to 8pm eating window. Did a 3 day
fast last week. Remember, the longer you go the more important it is to slowly ease back into
eating. You may want to do the much longer fast during a vacation so you can rest and conserve
energy for you body to do some energy shifts toward deep toxic clean up. The 3 and 4 day fast
were easy, but the longer ones really start to move toxins out and may cause nausea time to time.
When you fast your body goes into a house cleaning mode. The longer the fast the deeper the clean.
That was my experience. LOL...I haven't posted here in a long long time but I had to reply to this
one. Best wishes!

[Char Aznable]

^Thanks for your reply!

You know, out of curiosity, what would happen if I broke this fast with, say, a big steak or something? Everyone keeps telling me to break it slowly and to work towards eating normal amounts over the course of at least 1-2 days, but I'm just curious what would happen if I downed a large-ish meal after fasting more than 2 weeks. Would I just get stomach cramps? Would it kill me? Genuinely curious about this. I haven't read anything about the consequences-- just a lot of advice against it. Anyone know more about this?