The first 10 day fast

Posting this way after the fact but spring cleaning time is here and it’s a good time to revisit, review our lives and get the momentum going again.   The spring is all about renewal and for me and going through this again makes me think about my journey so far.  

This post is about my experience with a 10 day fast and many things reported may be a bit graphic, that is to say, yukky and maybe TMI but I am transcribing from my journal...so please be warned.

Planned a 5 day fast before the Christmas holidays last year but ended up extending it to a 10 day fast.

Dec 11^th, 2013

GOALS:

Increased health and energy

Cleansing and detox

Help transition to vegan lifestyle

“Reprogram” palate and eliminate unhealthy food cravings

Increased clarity of mind and mental positivity

Improvement of anemia

Shrinking of uterine fibroids

Improvement or alleviation of menorrhagea

Pre- fast

Fruits and veg

Day 1

Not hungry. Not many cravings. Very tired and napped all day.  Energy picked up at night and did some reading and writing.  Also experiencing menstrual- like pains and some light bleeding. (Expecting my period in a couple of weeks).

Low energy. May be caused by anemia

Day 2

Menstrual pain all through the night and day.  Feeling really bad.  Stayed in bed for the most part.

Bowel movement around 1.30pm

Very small bowl movement later on at night

Day 3

I seem to be experiencing a full on, very untimely period.  Too late to call off the fast – stomach hurts too much to eat anyway.

More pain.  Extremely tired. Nauseous and vomiting yellowish water.  Can’t keep water down, every time I drink water, I throw up.  Not much hunger.  Loose bowels (probably from period).

Day 4

Still weak with moments of pain.  All this mental clarity through fasting that they talk about – NOTHING.  Just a mental fog and sleeping all the time.  Trying to spend more time sitting outside to get some fresh air but mainly feel like vegging out on the couch and distracting myself with TV.  Mind is very foggy and far away. 

Also found that chilled water goes down well, so now able to keep up with fluid intake.

Day 5

Period pains mostly gone.  Deep misery and fogginess subsiding.

Dry brushed.

Walked around and felt a little lightheaded.

A little more energy.

Haven’t noticed any weight-loss

Day 6

Supposed to end the fast today but just starting to feel human again.  Aside from a slight nausea, I’m doing much better.  Will go on a bit longer.

Last night, thought a lot about food.  It wasn’t a craving so much as just a series of fantasies.  It’s actually really cool not to eat.  Save so much time, money… pure simplicity. But I can also appreciate the joys of eating and how good it is to nurture and nourish the body with delicious, nutritional things.

Managed to walk a little more, do some gardening.  Felt quite lightheaded and dizzy, had to hold on to a tree.

Also experienced some serious hunger pangs – not “true hunger” but definitely, tummy is now speaking up.  Had food cravings for cheese.

Tomorrow is a full moon, thinking to fast one more day to make it a full week and to fast on the day of the full moon.

Day 7

Cramps in my toes at night.  Had some interrupted sleep – waking up out of breath. 

More energy today.  Went for a walk, still a little light headed.

More mental clarity and able to do some mental work – as opposed to watching TV.

Still on my “period” – slight bleeding and discomfort.  A few hunger pangs during the day but nothing unbearable.

Skin seems less sensitive.  I can dry brush without discomfort – usually skin gets swollen if I try such things.  No problems now.  The skin is soft and oily without hyper sensitivity.
Night: hunger pangs return.  Can’t sleep, just thinking about food – especially shiro, falafel and cheese.  Especially the shiro…have a compulsion to run out to an Ethiopian restaurant.  The only reason I can resist is because I am too physically weak anyway.  I wonder what nutrient is in chickpeas that my body is craving/lacking?

Day 8

Woke up without hunger or too much discomfort and feel that I should go on.  Why not try for a 10 day fast?  One of the goals in this fast is to break food addictions.  If I am still dreaming of pizza and lasagna which I don’t actually eat that much of anyway, then that’s the first thing I will run for post fast.  So will stick with the fast longer to see if those cravings will calm down.

During the day, had no hunger pangs or cramps in my stomach.  Feel out of breath when I exert myself.

Night- hunger pangs are back.  Big time.  Couldn’t sleep.  Lots of food fantasies.  Short spells of nausea at night.  A little bit of gas at night and early morning.

Toe cramps have ceased.

Day 9

No hunger during the day.  Took a long afternoon walk, apart from hollow feeling in the abdomen region and a slightly rapid heartbeat, I felt very good and invigorated.  Energy levels are OK.  Increasing moments of  bliss, well being and sharp mental clarity.

Still unable to sleep at night until really late.  Coughed up a bit of mucus. Dream recall is getting good.

Day 10

I’m looking forward to ending this because hunger has not completely ended, especially at night.  Feeling very serene, peaceful and happy.  No significant weight loss.  Was worried about that because I have a small frame.  Not skinny at all now…estimate I lost about 6 lbs (I didn’t weigh myself).  Still quite healthy looking just that my skin and eyes are bright and pale.  I could probably do another 10 days without looking emaciated but would need complete bed rest to keep body weight from falling drastically.

I took a 45 minute walk, it was a little taxing.  Also did a few sit ups.

Had no problems sleeping.  Coughed up some mucus.

Tongue is still white coated but I think this is good enough for a first effort.  Ending it tomorrow.

Day 11

YAY!!!  I feel really accomplished.  I don’t know how much healing has taken place  or if I have loosened food addictions – only time will tell.  I do feel an emotional release and healing.  Feeling more centered, serene and happy.  Also my train of thought is more positive and generally lighter.

POST FASTING NOTES

I did a week fast from Feb 3^rd – Feb 9^th because I noticed some changes – mainly better moods and increased well being, really positive feelings about myself.  Less pain during my periods. Lighter menstrual flow. The fibroid is still there but the menstrual pain has decreased.  I am unable to enjoy unhealthy foods as much and eat them less frequently and in less quantity.

Will transcribe the second fast later.

Be well everybody!  And even if I didn’t do this under medical supervision as the books suggested,  I remind you that fasting can be dangerous and probably best to follow those precautions.  Also in case you didn’t read the previous posts with a more detailed discussion on fasting: Fasting is not recommended in the case of cancer and malignant tumors.

FEASTING AND CELEBRATION

FEASTING & CELEBRATION

 

The holidays are here and for most of us, this is a time for feasting, celebrating, catching up with family.  It’s also a time to review the year, make those “resolutions” and revisit our visions for our lives.

General wisdom recommends starting major life changes, especially concerning dietary changes after the holiday season.  But is that really true?

We all know about the huge increases in gym memberships, diet programs etc in January which levels out by March.  It may actually be wiser to enact major life changes before or during the holidays for several reasons.  First of all, most people get more time off during the holiday season than at any other time of the year.  This gives time to get dedicate to the new changes, learn the ropes and adjust.

The other reason is that we are forced to navigate most social and cultural challenges at this time before they wear you down later when your resolve may not be as strong.  If you have just turned vegetarian or vegan, started an exercise program, stopped drinking or any major change – you will probably face the most temptation and social pressure at this time.  Let’s call it a baptism by fire. Saying no to the turkey or Christmas pudding, continuing your exercise regime, saying no to the booze, cigarettes and all that at this festive time will strengthen your resolve and show family and friends that you are committed to your new life.  Sort out all those – “Why are you getting so weird questions?”  If they see you get through the season’s temptations with ease and enjoyment, they are less likely to keep bugging you and respect your choices.

You also get to prove something to yourself – that you can enjoy your life, share quality time, laughs and memories with your friends and family while also living your chosen lifestyle.  You may also find the opposite, that some of your friends and family refuse to tolerate you now.  It’s a good time to move on and find better company.  Either way, by choosing to make or maintain changes during the holiday season, you are actually testing how sustainable they are in the long run and giving yourself feedback.

If you are transitioning to veganism and you mainly eat cornflakes, pasta and sauce, fries and potato chips etc; the festive season forces you to expand your palate and eat more variety so that you won’t be munching on salad and cranberry sauce while everyone else is eating hearty food. 

The only way to maintain a vegan lifestyle in the long run is by enjoying your food and staying healthy.  To get through the season, you have to start exploring food and this is where the fun part begins – discovering vegan ethnic cuisines, learning how to make healthy meals. A whole world awaits you of delicious foods and amazing variety - spicy lentils, hearty bean casseroles, vegan sushi rolls, falafel, hummus, spicy aubergine, shiro, injera, vegan thai curries, plantains, coconut beans, whole wheat pitas, rotis, naan, fresh salads, smoothies etc.  

You get to learn, plan, cook, find ingredients and restaurants so you can survive the holidays and this arms you with what you will need to maintain a healthy vegan lifestyle throughout the year.

In the spirit of baptism by fire, I decided to finally do a 10 day fast that ended right before Christmas.  I hesitated a lot about this and considered doing it in January but I have the time off now.  I really needed 10 therapeutic days to fast and heal and will be discussing this in more detail in a later post.  The post fasting period consists of re-feeding with low calorie, nutrient dense foods.  So, the holiday season will be quite tough for me and I will use this time to re-set my palate and start off the new year as a healthy vegan.