Getting a quick log in and journal entry for day 1. I’ll enter more tomorrow. I’ve done 3 or 4 14 day fasts. Been doing OMAD for about a year now. Weight has been creeping up and it’s time to detox. It can get difficult with a wife and 4 kids, but they support me. Weigh in today was 199.6 lbs. Most I’ve been in a while. Just got back from a vacation where I ate 3 meals a day for about 10 days. I feel really bloated now. Look forward to finishing my first 40. Thanks for the support!
B-Rad's 40 day Fast
Welcome Brad !! I’m on day 10 and couldn’t of got here without this group and reading others posts ! I couldn’t seem to get past day 2 or 3 the last few years. I wish you luck !!
Thank you Stacia! Good job on day 10!
I’m going for 42 myself to reach that 1000 hour mark. Just don’t give up early and you will eventually start coasting along.
I was wondering where that wacky 42 came from .
42 days somehow sounds more difficult than a thousand hours in my head too. Just like 21 days sounds more difficult than 500 hours.
DAY 2
Starting weight - 199.6 lbs
Today’s weight - 197.2 lbs
Total weight lost - 2.4 lbs
- Define your “WHY”
I’m doing this because I’ve been creeping up in my weight again. I want to lose about 30 pounds and get close to the weight I was in high school. I want to reap the benefits of autophagy and detoxing my body. - What are your long term and short term goals?
My long term goal is to be able to keep the weight off. The most I’ve weighed is 240 lbs. I’ve tried every diet out there and they’re all short lived. This is the only one I’ve found that is easy to maintain. My short term goal is to take this fast in small chunks. First get through 3 days, then get to 5, etc. - What are some struggles you face or you have faced in the past
My struggles in the past are that I like to cook for my family, so I’ll try new recipes that I’ve never had and make my wife and kids eat it and keep asking them how it tastes. If it looks too good, I’ll just end up eating it. (Like the time I made smoked pulled pork nachos. I couldn’t resist) This time I’m not going to make a ton of delicious food I’ve never tried. Also going to avoid binging YouTube cooking videos. - What is your game plan? (/.e. OMAD intermittent Fasting + Keto + Water Fasting
I’ve been doing OMAD for about a year. Not super strict. Occasionally I’ll eat more. For the most part I’ve been able to slow down my weight gain, then I’ll do another extended fast to drop the weight again. I don’t do KETO because I have a wife and 4 kids so we eat lots of carbs. I don’t want to make a KETO meal for me then a normal meal for them. That is not sustainable long term for me from past experience. I want to find a protocol that works for me to maintain my weight. ADF or something like that. I don’t know if that’s possible if I eat lots of carbs and desserts. - How do you feel right now? (Happy, Sad, Anxious, etc.) and why?
Currently, i feel weak. Day 2 is always rough for me. I usually have a low grade headache all day long and just feel exhausted. Today has been exactly that. Wife and kids had pizza for dinner today and it smelled really really good. But I had some water for dinner and a pinch of himalayan salt. - How will you feel once you achieve your goal? (Visualization)
I will feel amazing once I reach my goal and even better once I can find a way to eat what I want and maintain my weight. I want to stay between 160 and 170 lbs. I’ve gotten more active recently and have ran a few Spartan races. I’m hoping the extra pounds lost will allow me to perform better in upcoming races. - Write down your daily positive affirmation: “I am…”
I am a Beast with amazing willpower! One day at a time. - Write anything else you want to write, let this flow freely since it’s your journal for yourself!
If anybody reads this whole thing, props to you! I’m excited to do the longest fast I’ve ever done. Looking forward to results and meeting several of you through the interwebs.
Nice post Brad !! I know you can do this, you sound very committed to finding your healthy balance and you will ! I am doing the same thing and have learned so much just joining this forum … I had two meals on day 10 (after finishing a full 9 day water fast - 14 lbs down ) so I’ve decided to try 9 days WF, 1 day refeed, repeat. Now I know I can do it ! But, my biggest goal is like you said to figure out long term… I’m thinking “every other day “ OMAD because I love big, awesome meals that satisfy me and I can’t see doing a small salad and pc of meat every day
. I did cut out sugar (as I don’t really care for it enough to eat it and keep from my health goals)… keep it up, you are doing great ! Good wishes for day 3 for you!!
Just curious. When do y’all take your supplements? Morning or evening?
Mag makes me tired, So when I do supplements, I prefer right before I go to bed.
Thanks Kyle
DAY 3
Starting weight - 199.6 lbs
Today’s weight - 194.2 lbs
Total weight lost - 5.4 lbs
Today I felt a boost in energy. After doing OMAD for so long, I think my body is used to switching over to burning fat more quickly. I did have some muscle cramps, sore joints and a sore back intermittently throughout the day. The most I’ve ever done as far as supplements in my previous water fasts were a multivitamin, some himalayan salt and apple cider vinegar. I bought some mag citrate to add hoping to help with the muscle cramps. My wife had some leftover potassium from before but those are 20 mEq pills, so I cut them in quarters and will take them every other day or so.
Something weird, I had hiccups on and off all day today, as well as a bunch of sneezing bouts. Never had that before. On the plus side, I don’t recall having any hunger pangs today at all. I drank a little more than half a gallon of water today and spent a lot of time in the bathroom. Day 3 done. One small baby step. Next goal is to get to 5.
Great job B-rad!! Just keep steppin to healthy choices as you’re on your way !
DAY 4
Starting weight - 199.6 lbs
Today’s weight - 191.8 lbs
Today’s weight loss - 2.4 lbs
Total weight lost - 7.8 lbs
Once I hit the 10 lbs mark, I can officially start calling it fat loss. Had really funky breath today. (It’s only day 4. It’s about to get a whole lot worse) Had medium energy today. No real hunger pangs. My biggest thing is to try and not fantasize about food. I definitely have a sugar addiction. I’ve noticed for the past year how I go in cycles of fasting and binging. And when I binge, I binge hard on ice cream, cookies, candy, etc. Even though I’m doing OMAD, I’ll still eat a huge meal with lots of dessert after. I want to find a way to still enjoy the things I love without having them control me. I need to read that book Brain over Binge. Off to bed.
As a former pastry chef I know some tools you can utilize to reduce sugar addiction/ manage sugar consumption.
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Plan desserts ahead of time (not every day). You are going to eat sweets. An all or nothing mentality will not help. It’s an integral part to all celebrations and special occasions. So make having dessert something extremely special. I frame this as “my tastes are too refined to enjoy anything but the best desserts” This type of thinking also sets a standard for what is “worth” consuming. I plan trips to some of best patisseries, restaurants, and niche markets where I can find and enjoy some of the best desserts from titans in the industry.
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Do not eat dessert in the home if you can avoid it. This doesn’t mean don’t have sweets in the house (you have a family after all) but making desserts a special occasion treat is easier if it is associated with specific places. “I can only eat desserts during xyc ocassion at home and in xyz places to make wonderful memories with my friends/family”
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Enlist an ally. If you do have a plan to eat dessert in the home only eat it when it is served to you by another person and have a plan in place about your portion size.
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Money. A lot of people don’t think about this one. If you are privileged enough to be able to afford to buy “the best” products then don’t waste your money/time on anything but the best. Usually, but not always, this means the product is more expensive. A tiny French macaron vs an oreo. Or an small entremet vs a hostess cake. I know this is super elitist and snooty but “your pallet is too refined to eat anything less than the best.” Another rule I have is only to eat desserts I purchase with my own money or make myself from scratch. My husband and I do not have a lot of money and making pastries from scratch takes a lot of time and ingredients. So buying the best can put a dent in our budget. That’s why it is a treat because we have to specifically save up for it.
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Reframe your perspective. Food is sacred. Educate yourself on the roll of food in the development of cultures. If you are going to eat something special know about it’s origins! Like- Did you know croissants first became shaped like Islamic crescent moons so the French could subversively show resistance against the invading Moors? Isn’t that an awesome little bit of food anthropology!? This also makes enjoying desserts and all food much more than about nutrition. It feeds our spirits’.
Thanks for that post, Kristy. One thing I have tried is to make dessert more special by having my kids pick a dessert they want to make and we’ll make it together on the weekend. That way I get some one on one time with each of my 4 boys. My wife picks one too. I do get lazy though and it ends up being nightly dessert when I get cravings. It does make it a bit more special when you cut it down. I grew up in a house where I had dessert almost every night.
We didn’t get dessert every night, but I seem to recall kool aid on the table for us kids, just as bad.
DAY 5
Starting weight - 199.6 lbs
Today’s weight - 190.4 lbs
Today’s weight loss - 1.4 lbs
Total weight lost - 9.2 lbs
Feeling a little weak today, but overall I felt pretty good today. Went shopping for groceries for my family and it was kinda tough walking by all the delicious food. Watched a couple Youtube food videos bc I love to cook. I’m really trying not to obsess about food though. I consciously tried to not badger my wife about how dinner tasted tonight. Another milestone today. Now it’s getting to day 7.
Hi Kristy, stumbled upon your comment and I wanna thank you for it. I’m highly addicted to sugar and desserts and these are such GOOD tips that I can’t wait to try once my fast is over.
I’m on Day 2 but your progress is looking good, Brad! Keep up the good work!
DAY 6
Starting weight - 199.6 lbs
Today’s weight - 188 lbs
Today’s weight loss - 2.4 lbs
Total weight lost - 11.6 lbs
Long day today with the family. Felt pretty weak again today. Got light headed a couple times getting up and going up the stairs. Felt irritable too, like I had a pretty short fuse with my kids. Staying strong though. 24 more hours and I’ve passed another milestone.
DAY 7
Starting weight - 199.6 lbs
Today’s weight - 187 lbs
Today’s weight loss - 1 lbs
Total weight lost - 12.6 lbs
Felt a little better today. Still feel a little weak, but had bursts or energy. My wife and kids tried a new, simple and fast meal tonight that looked and smelled really good. I added it to my list of meals to try when I’m eating again. My mouth is starting to feel gross. I’m brushing and scraping my tongue more often now. Day 7 done! Next milestone is 10 days. Breaking it down into smaller chunks helps rather than feeling overwhelmed at how far I have to go. One day at a time!