After three, consecutive 21 day Water fasts...Now what?

Jealous fur babies are soo sad and also adorable! My two dogs are just getting over the betrayal and jealousy of us bringing home a new puppy! Enjoy your wonderful walk!

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Iā€™m sorry today is an anniversary day. Ten years since his passing on 10-10-10 must be very significant for you. From reading your entry, it sounds like you are reflective which can be very healing. I remember when the anniversary of my motherā€™s death switched from a very heavy day (and month) of grief to a day of reflection and celebration of her time here. I used to spend the weeks leading up to her death-date immersed in sadness. That no longer happens. I allow myself her anniversary date to feel however I need to but it has become a happy day of remembrance. I hope fasting has contributed to your peace and well being during this time.

I love that you had some happy family time. It is truly what matters the most in life.

Sending virtual hugs to you today and congratulations on doing so amazingly on your fasting journey. :two_hearts: :two_hearts: :two_hearts:

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So sorry for your losses. {{{ Hugs }}}

Iā€™m on day 9. At my weighin on Friday I was down 12.5 lbs. I was shocked it was so much. I expect next Friday to be considerably less. Iā€™m feeling very tired and a little lite headed. But not too hungry although I think of food often. Also having a little diarrhea. Iā€™ve not eaten anything but approximately 1 - 1 1/2 cups of black coffee daily. I donā€™t believe I could move without my coffee. Does coffee break autophagy? Iā€™m really trying for the health benefits. Especially inflammation. Iā€™ve not experienced much euphoria that I hear people talk about. I wish I would. Have a nice evening and thank you for being here. Itā€™s very encouraging.

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@Mogli I couldnā€™t live without my coffee. The euphoria isnā€™t all itā€™s cut out to be. I view it like any other drug. No choices should be made while experiencing it, it can become addictive and lead to poor habits/attachments, and we use it as a distraction from the present moment

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Kristy, Thank you. :pray::blush:

I loved the story about the dogs, I visualized that whole scenario :slight_smile: Too cute. Hugging you on this day on the 10 year anniversaryā€¦ we just donā€™t know why these things happen but I believe with all my heart we will be with our loved ones when our time is up ā€¦ :pray::two_hearts:ā€¦ for now we can help each other with health and our goals to be the best we can be for our loved ones that need us as much as we need them ! You are a gem Scmidt and Iā€™m glad you are here!!! :clinking_glasses::slight_smile:

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I caved tonight because of the worst indigestion, heartburn & acid reflux. I have not been able to get a solid solution for this. ACV worked for a little while and then some Alka Seltzerā€™s helped too. I had 1/2 avocado and two scrambled eggs with about 1/2 T of grape seed oil to cook the eggs. Approximately 325 calories. I heard if itā€™s under 500 calories I didnā€™t officially break my fast? I plan to get back on now that Iā€™m feeling better. Tomorrow I will search for some good solutions for my sour stomach. Other than that, and general tiredness, I feel Iā€™m doing well.

Thanks for listening and Iā€™d love any tips. BTW- Iā€™m 58.

Sweet dreams everyone.

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LIES! :rofl:

But not a big deal. Whatā€™s important is you are well.

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Unfortunately any calories breaks a fastā€¦BUT itā€™s progress NOT perfection and you are doing it~ Congrats on a Niner! Thatā€™s a long fast, my dear. :slight_smile:

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Thanks for the replies! :blush::pray:. I feel great this morning and ready to tackle this again. Part of me is really sad I caved but Iā€™m not going to beat myself up. Instead Iā€™m going to look for a solution for when the problem again. Have a wonderful day.

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Day 11 of my 40 day fast, and I was not very productive today. I was dragging my butt, and drank a lot of water and herb tea, but well, I went to bed and slept two hours! In all the fasts I have done, I never went and took a nap in the middle of the day. Wow. I went for two walks today, one was 15 minutes (raining) and the second one was 2 hours (not raining, lol) Now I am totally too poop to pop. I will go to bed early. I am looking forward to just getting in my very big bathtub tonight and chilling. Tomorrow I will weigh myself. I am a tad nervous about the scale, but I want to moniter, this time, using the scale. Thank you all for the nice comments. It really does not hurt anymore, when I think of my husband. I believe fasting is changing me. I wish you all so much success. Happy fasting.

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Thank you for the laugh, Kristy! Congratulations on your new puppy.

Thank you, Kyle, for you reply. Losing oneā€™s mother really does hurt. A motherā€™s love is like no other.

Each of us here are doing our own, personal journey. When I got shingles, I had to stop fasting altogether to take an anti-viral med. It truly is about progressing, and not trying to perfect. And the scientists know only a little about Autophagy, and are just scratching the surface. Some say coffee and tea break a fast, and stops autophagy. Well, in my first 21 day fast, within 5 days my knee pain went completely away, and has not come back. I drank coffee and tea the whole time. It is all no biggie.

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Mogli, you have to listen to your body and do what is healthiest for you. Sounds like eating something was the right plan. There is no ā€œfasting policeā€ thatā€™s going to hand our fines when we donā€™t follow the law.

Schmidstmia, Iā€™ve enjoyed reading your journey. I canā€™t believe you havenā€™t napped. Fasting make me sleepy. I take a nap almost every day that Iā€™m fasting. I also was interested in your thyroid discussion earlier. Iā€™ve had a difficult time with mine over the years. I take time release T3 now and do well with it. I canā€™t tolerate T4 at all. I think the state of thyroid treatment the world over is just criminal.

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Hi Sky,
I live in Germany and there is no time-release T3. I want to heal the thyroid, not treat symptoms. I hope fasting helps. And no, I am not a napping person, LOL.

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Today is day 13. It is weird, the longer one fasts, the harder to remember what day of fasting one is on. I stop counting and just get on with it. Others have commented on that, too. THIS time I started on October 1st, so it is easier. AND I have my fasting stickies.
I went to the sauna yesterday, and while there, I started getting a migraine and had to go home, boo-hoo. I use to get migraines every 2-3 weeks, and now it was a month ago I got one, and the episode before was in July. So fasting has helped that symptom, too. I love that it is, for me, now a fasting-focused lifestyle. Maybe with time, and regular, weekly fasting, I can heal my thyroidā€¦And I noticed with this migraine, it is not so strong, and is not flattening me out, literally, as they usually do. They usually last 3 daysā€¦I am on my second day. I get them on the right side of my head. On the second day, the pain volume is turned way up, light hurts, nausea and my right eye and nose water. But today, I was out in the sun, and it did not hurt too much, and only my nose is watering, not the eye. I am not flattened, like being a couch potato, with all the blinds closed, in darkness. The pain is the same as yesterday. How oddā€¦ I do not take pain meds at all, because, in the past I tried everything and nothing helped the pain and so now I just stand it. I did find that ginger powder, 1/4 teaspoon in 100 ml of water helps me on the second day, plus making a liter of ginger tea, made with fresh ginger root. Usually, on the 2nd day of a migraine, I could not sit here and write anything on a computer. I am willing to believe that fasting is helping with this symptom, too. Fasting IS hard, it will never get easy, and it is not meant to be easy, or our species would have died out by now. I found out, when I accept that fasting is hard, and do not resist it (or as @Yasemin says, ā€œembrace the suckā€), then fasting IS managable. I am not starving, and I will eat again. So, I can relax, and every time my inner brat rears itā€™s head to tell me we HAVE to eat, and NOW, I tell it, ā€œnot now, laterā€, and the brat shuts up. Itā€™s those pesky 3-5 day fasts that I do not likeā€¦AT ALL. I can fast easily to 48 hours, and after that, it is like it takes alllll my willpower to continue. After 5-6 days, when ketosis kicks in, I then am no longer hungry and can get on with it. I have not done a 40 day fast in 9 years. I hope with this fast, I get below 70 kg./154 lbs. I am not tall, 166 cm./5ā€™5". My goal is to be 59 kg./130 lbs. Yesterday, I got on the scale, and weighed 76.0 kg./167 lbs. I am chugging awayā€¦ I can almost do all the asanas in yoga that I used to be able to do, before my body got overweight. I still have a serious spare tire, and those love-handles, like all around to the back, but I am proud of my progress. I will reach my goal. If by some miracle, I actually reach my goal, at the end of 40 days (which I doubt), I will continue on with this fast, until I am about 3 kg. less, so I would stop fasting at 56 kg. because I know that one puts on about 3 kg. with refeeding. Probably, I will NOT be at my goal weight at the end of 40 days. Then I will do the followingā€¦ I will refeed very slowly, and will only do broth, and fresh veggie juice (saving the fiber for soups), the first week, and adding green smoothies on the second week. I will stay within a 500 kcal, the first week, and the second week of my refeed will be a 1200 plan. Afterwards, if I am still NOT at my goal weight, then I will do 48 hour fasts with a 1 OMAD meal of 1200 kcal. I downloaded the EAT THIS MUCH app, which is the one that costs 50 dollars a year, and they send you weekly food plans based on YOUR food preferences. And one gets meal plans, weekly grocery lists. In case you think I am cutting back the calories too much, remember I am a 62 year old woman, with a very slow metabolism, who uses only walking and yoga as daily exercise. I am not in my child-bearing years and have found I do gain weight on over 2000 kcal. After getting to my goal weight, I will up it to 1600 kcal/day and see what happens. I will have to make some experiences. I am also reading a great, really great book (thank you, Yasemin!!!), called NEVER BINGE AGAIN. What the author calls the Animal Mind/THE PIG, I call the inner brat. THE PIG works for me, too. Important takeaway points are to make NEVER/ALWAYS rules, and one will immediately activate the inner brat/PIG. THE PIG will get activated and try to sabotage us. We can tell it, ā€œhey we all do ā€œneverā€ and ā€œalwaysā€ rules daily, so shut the eff up!ā€ It is the truth: We always wake up each day, right? We never eat our own shit, right? And the author says to separate our true selves from THE PIG, because it is the part of the brain that says either, ā€œEat it, Kill it, or Have sex with itā€, and we have developed in our brain, since then, right? I never considered myself a ā€œbingerā€ (what an ego trip!) because well, I eat ā€œrealā€ food. Most of my life I have been vegetarian, or vegan. I never liked pig meat, even as a child. It tasted nasty to me. I became vegetarian at 15 years old, while learning meditation. When I got together with my 3rd husband (the one who died of cancer), he was a serious meat eater. He had to teach me how to prepare and cook meat for him, because I had nooooo idea. My other husbands were vegetarian like me. I tried to eat keto, after the first 21 day fast, in the refeeds, and well, I found out, I do not like it. So, I am going back to being a vegetarian. That works for me. I would binge on ā€œhealthyā€ real foods, like pasta, potatos, or whatever I was eating. I could eat a whole pizza pie. I could not just eat 2 pieces of whole grain bread, I had to eat half a loaf. I never go to fast food places, and rarely eat out. I do not eat candy ever, nor eat pastries or cake. Yes, we have Micky-Dā€™s, Burger King, and KFC, but the usual, (in every town) in Germany, in terms of take-outs, or fast food, are: Imbiss (sausage, fries), Italien (pizza), or turkish dƶner. Even with my first refeed, after fasting 21 days, I pigged out on miso soup. I NEED to read this book. (I am only at the beginning and already am thinking, wow). Only when my stomach is so full, that it hurts, do I stop eating. Obviously, if I was overweight, I was eating waaaay too much for my needs. By nature, I am exteme, and the middle road has not been intergrated into my personality. Hence, a 40 day fast for me is easy, a weekly 3-5 day fast is a horror nightmare. I gotta learn to be moderate with food. THAT is why I am going to use a meal planner which will include my favourite foods, and still hold me in rein, like ā€œwhoa, horse!ā€ Yasemin made me a great suggestion. BEFORE the end of the fast, one makes a weekly food plan, including portions, and one has to promise oneā€™s self to stick to this. NO ADDITIONS. With my first 21 day fast, I know I skipped the portion part of the formula. I truly ONLY ate what I put down on my weekly eating plan. THE PIG is clever. I see now, I intentionaly left out portion size, justifying that I needed a lot, to regain those nutrients. Using a meal plan, WITH portion size, is a way train me, and put a muzzle on THE PIG. I will do that for sure. This is why I bought the app. Check out the site, eatthismuch dot com. So, gotta go. I made some ginger tea for my migraine-head. Happy fasting!

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You should look into Iodine. I know that improves thyroid function quite a bit.

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Iā€™ve been taking it for years and yearsā€¦Thanks, anywayā€¦AND I take kelp tablets, powdered kelp and eat a lot of seaweed.

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I love seaweed salad :heart:

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