Go for you girl!!! I’m trying to lose 80 in 4 months. But I’m doing adf with short extended fast the last week of every month. 7 days worth. I’m also maintaining a ketogenic diet during this. At the very latest, by June I’d like to reach my goal. If I’m not on track by April I’ll reevaluate and consider doing an extended fast long term to reach my goal.
Finding the Middle Way
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Day 3.
202.6
Feeling ok, not a lot of hunger (plenty of fat to burn), but I’m well into the mental battle now. This is the hardest part. All of a sudden thinking I’ll grab a sandwich or something, then the inevitable let down. It’s like a mild form of depression, not being able to derive joy from the usual sources. I’m trying to look elsewhere for that. Baths, coloring, anything but negotiating with myself and allowing that door to even open.
The mindset I like to use is, “this is just my life now”. This is the new normal. Like, almost pretend I’m never going back. It’s the only true way to lock the “what-if’s” down.
I’m feeling much clearer today. Hunger was pretty much gone yesterday, so the physical symptoms are calm right now. I am always ready for a sucker punch, but consistent meditation practice is helping me view them as challenges to use my new skills…
Let it go.
This too shall pass.
Do not grasp; do not avoid.
Let it flow through you, and watch it go as quickly as it came.
I meditated easily for 25 minutes today, no sleepiness at all. It’s 5:30 pm, and I should actually be popping a melatonin soon so I can actually sleep tonight. Fasting makes me WIRED.
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2023.01.08
Day 6, didn’t weigh. Won’t until the 14th.
Day 5 was an ass kicker of epic proportions. On the tail end of day 4, I started feeling manic, my energy levels were abnormally high and meditation revealed some severe anxiety hidden just below my consciousness. I had insane clarity up to the point of an LSD trip, an introspective journey through my life and what I’m doing here. I realized I had been so focused on Dustin and Naia that I wasn’t taking care of myself. I had forgotten that I am on my own journey. It brought me back to center.
It took forever to fall asleep, then when I woke up on day 5, I was having heart palpitations. My heart rate was around 85-95, but it was POUNDING. I could feel it thudding all day. It caused a lot of anxiety and mental symptoms, up to the point of reconsidering the fast. I couldn’t figure out why my symptoms were SO bad the last few times I fasted (resulting in quitting early every time).
Then Dustin and I went for a walk. At first it wasn’t helping, and I was seriously worried. Then we hit the hill. We debated doing it in our lightheaded and trippy state, but we decided to take it slow.
That cardio was a game changer. By the time I reached the top, I was telling my heart, “SEE, you paranoid sonofabitch?! THIS is the only reason to beat so damn hard!” My heart agreed. I think I tricked my brain into believing I went hunting, and the symptoms started to subside. The anxiety returned that evening, but I took 2 Benadryl and woke up this morning a new woman. No palpitations, heart rate at 75, just a bit foggy from the Benadryl. I am HOPING out of the thick of it, and so happy I stuck through it.
I believe now that the last several times I’ve fasted, I’ve been far more toxic than the older, more successful fasts. This time I am incredibly toxic. After 2022s dumpster fire, I fell off every wagon to the extreme, then jumped into the fast headfirst. Day 5 was my body’s last gasp to return to the “norm” of overeating crap and drinking to excess.
This time, my primary focus is on alcohol recovery, and healing from the damage I’ve caused. To that end, I put the scale away. I’ll only be weighing in once weekly, which is brand new for me.
I believe this is starting to become the most revelatory, spiritually awakening fast I’ve ever experienced.
I will not stop for anything.
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2023.01.17
Day 15
It was soooo tempting to check my weight the past couple days. I weighed 197.6 on Saturday and was pretty discouraged, but Dustin and I took some seriously long walks/hikes all weekend, and I also incorporated longer periods of water only fasting, resulting in a 2 juice intake for the past couple days (as compared to 3 or 4 normally). I really think (hope!) this will make a big difference come next Saturday.**
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It will all work out, you might be losing inches for now and the weight will come after. 
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2023.01.24
Day 22
190.8
A total of 16 pounds down. It sounds low, but it sounds high. I’m really not thrilled with how much weight my body is obsessively holding onto, but I’m still taking the win. I’m grateful my husband is on board with this too, he’s trying to lose about 30 pounds and is 100% committed to changing his relationship with food forever.
That’s the journey with this particular fast. It’s not completely about the weight loss this time; it’s the rewiring of the brain to see food differently going forward, and BEGIN the journey to my healthiest weight. I need to literally marry this mindset. In sickness and in health, for better or worse. No more reverting to my cheating ways, lol. Whole foods, rare treats, and a whole lot less booze. I’m still trying to ramp myself to full sobriety, but I have been enjoying these past few weeks alcohol free. I’m not shackled by it anymore, and it’s a big release.
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Naltrexone is a awesome tool to help alcoholism. I’ve been taking it 4 years now. It’s a game changer wish I was put on to it sooner. No withdrawal no cravings just take one in the morning.
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So I finally read your intro post and a scattered few to this point.
I don’t know what you’re solution is. We can get used to failure, we can get used to success. An example of this is the “rock bottom” concept. According to Dr Hebb, father of the brain map, says meaningful memories are created when what we remember had never happened before. Rock bottom is so memorable because of what accompanies that scene. Sucks! For example, none of us remember our first spinning wheel or moving cloud because it’s happening so often. You’re first paraglider sighting, however, is more memorable because it so rarely happens in our presence.
As far as I’m concerned, I could benefit from any memory you can express of success OR failure you overcame.
You writing here is DEFINITELY, UNEQUIVOCALLY excellent! It’s going to give you power to burn into your brain your success, your tendency to overcome failure.
You’re winning, RIGHT NOW, the battle. Take us on this Journey of success!!!
I’ll be around.
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Thank you so very much!! This is a very heartening thought, and yes, I am really doing my best to focus on past successes and keep on keeping on.
I appreciate you!
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That’s great progress at this point!
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Day… 33? I don’t even know anymore. Hahahaha
Last time I weighed in I was 186 something, but the crimson tide is looming, which guarantees a nice drop afterwards.
I’ve hurled myself down a rabbit hole of vacation planning. I haven’t had a real vacation in years, and I am incredibly excited to go on a road trip with Dustin and Naia down to Myrtle Beach, SC in April. I’ve been obsessively researching places to eat in one of the foodiest towns in the south. Comfort food for sure, and I plan on gaining some poundage, but I also plan on sliding right back into a short fast, maybe a week or so. Feasting must be balanced with fasting!
Future goals are also solidifying. I am desperately hoping my motivation and wherewithal stick around enough to implement the fasting schedule I planned. Historically I’ve had high hopes for plans, and ended up not just falling off the wagon, but tripping and being dragged behind it, through the mud, for 1000 yards.
BUT. This is my plan, as it stands: 48 hour fast starting every Sunday night through to Tuesday dinner. 2MAD on Wednesday and Thursday, OMAD on Fridays, 2MAD on weekends.
DISCIPLINE, bitch!
See, right now I’m feeling that 30 day glow, thinking a weekly 48 hour fast will be effortless… But when I get right down to it, my inner voice whines like a sleep deprived toddler in Walmart. But the only way I know I will continue to lose weight is by fasting intermittently. I have to do this consistently for the rest of my life. I am so sick of the yo-yo of long fat feasting, long skinny fasting. Ultimately, I want to hit a good weight and stay there. The ONLY way to do that is consistent long term IF.
This is my journey.
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Sing it sister! lol. Yes. Discipline is hard. I might have to make that a t-shirt or something.
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2023.02.06
Day 34
183 - just about 25 pounds down.
Today, Dustin is trying a longer fast for the first time. I’ve been fasting for 11 years, but he’s always been afraid to dive in due to fear of exhaustion. He has a very physical job and is worried he’ll get dizzy, or the hunger pangs will be too much for him. I’m excited to see how he actually fares today. Original goal is to fast from Sunday night to Tuesday night, but I let him know that may be a tad ambitious.
10 more days until my halfway point. During my last fast, around day 40 I started feeling fairly sick- dizzy, foggy, exhausted… so I broke my fast. That milestone happens next weekend, so I’m interested if I have a recurrence of the blargh feeling. I won’t break this time. I know it’s just a “healing crisis” and I plan on taking it easy and getting through it this time.
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2023.02.13
186.8
Day 41
Kind of poetic about my last entry. I had another “healing crisis” this weekend, but much more of an emergency.
I’m not going to reset my days for this fast. I still very much consider myself fully committed. I had to break on Thursday due to my emergent blood pressure. It was rising steadily for hours until my highest reading of 166/113, with tingling fingertips and a stabbing feeling under my left breast. Nurse told me to go to the ER immediately, but there is no way in hell I’m paying $500+ for someone to do an EKG and send me home.
So, I broke the fast. BP went down to almost normal practically immediately, and didn’t pop back up for the rest of the weekend. I took 3 more days to refeed for a bit, and am back on the wagon today. I will keep an eye on my BP daily, but I’m not NEARLY done yet.
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Wow. You’re BP goes up from fasting? Sorry if I missed the whole story
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Sorry to hear that. so glad everything worked out well. Wishing you the best, it will pay off. Health First lady.
2023.02.14
185
Happy Valentine’s Day! Back on the wagon again, and keeping an eye on my BP. I started a new med to keep it in check. It’s strange; my diet is impeccable, I just lost 25 pounds, I have no family history of heart problems, and I am 95% stress free in life, so all the major players when it comes to high blood pressure are not factors for me. It’s mind-boggling. I have no idea why this is an issue.
I’m looking forward to seeing if the new meds help my fasting longevity. I’m officially at the halfway point today- 45 days in, 45 days left!
Onward!
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These kind of posts fascinate me, though I can’t say I have the solution. I do believe, however, it’s people like you, that - you know - actually care about your blood pressure, that find the solution.
I have been messing around with blood pressure for a long time. Putting my feet in very warm water, doing Dr Mercola’s nitric Oxide exercises, supplementing citrulline, supplementing arginine (gross), beet root juice… and fasting.
My greatest test is on going: Optimal Body Weight!!!
It’s the idea that respiratory therapists need to know your sex and height - that’s it - to ventilate you properly because lungs sizes don’t vary much within same sex and height. Plus, doctors are trained to prescribe dosing based on sex and height, not current body weight.
I think this measurement is the final step a person can take regarding Weight. And I’m hoping that when I reach this weight things in my blood pressure readings will change permanently as well.
I know of NO ONE doing this. No one seems to know or care what their optimal body weight even is.
Oh, and I’m pretty sure the key for all of us is stress. Each of us seem to have differing levels. We each also have different perceptions of what is “normal.” Guys in their 50’s like me often listen to the news and get all worked up over things we simply can’t change. You’ll literally see us in traffic arguing with our radios. We think it’s normal. If we instead did leg exercises or isometrics while driving we’d burn glucose, lower insulin and probably lower Cortisol, too. But in America we think stress is normal. It literally feels good.
Update to my long fast - I actually stopped shortly after my last post on Valentine’s day. The BP was super worrisome, so I developed a long term plan that I’ve been following for a month, and so far I am absolutely loving it.
I fast every week from Sunday night to Wednesday afternoon, and I’ve been slowly and consistently losing weight as long as I keep track of my calories on non-fasting days. I try to limit my caloric intake for the week to around 10,000 calories, which lets me have cheat days every weekend. It’s the perfect balance for me between feasting and fasting.
I feel like I might have finally found a healthy relationship with food. It’s pretty surreal.
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