So typically, day 3 has always been the sonofabitch. I've only ever done one other long fast (more than 3 days), but I've probably done a half dozen 2 and 3 day fasts. Most of the 2 and 3 day fasts only lasted that long because I broke down at some point and ate something. Also, last time I got past day 3, it was pretty much smooth sailing from that point on. The 'missing food' paranoia goes away and I was actually able to sit at the dinner table with my family and not be tempted by the food in the least. It's like your body finally says, Ok - I guess we are in this for the long haul.
I've got some more pictures to post, these are from yesterday:
These are from this morning:
I'm not sure, but I think I can see a small difference between day 1 and day 4. Although it could just be that I'm getting used to posing topless. Speaking of topless, I actually decided that I would go for the gusto and take fully nude pics along the way to see the full effect. I figured, you've already seen me topless, what could full nude hurt:
It's a little scary posting up pics like that but if you clicked on it I'm sure you'll appreciate the effect.
So now that we got that out of the way - I guess I haven't actually talked about my weight loss yet so I thought I would bring that up. It's pretty surprising, even to me, but it seems to be fairly consistent and a little higher than I thought it would be this early in the game. Here are the updated pics of the scale:
So far I've lost 11 pounds in 3 days. The interesting thing is that when I did my last 14 day fast my starting weight was 215 and I lost 30 pounds to get down to 185. This time my starting weight was 239, but if I continue the weight loss trend of the first 3 days I will actually get down to 185 again in 14 days. Odd. Maybe it means something, maybe not.
Anyways, day 4 is starting pretty good so hopefully I've turned the corner. I tried to spice things up a but with this post so hopefully it's not as boring as it has been.
Thanks for reading!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Day 1 and 2 End Badly
So day 1 normally isn't all that bad since your body doesn't really freak out too much if you skip a few meals. I had some hunger pains throughout the day but nothing too bad. Had a few bouts of the 'missing food' paranoia as I like to call it. This is the psychological part of not eating, the addiction really, kicking in. People don't normally think addiction when it comes to food but addiction is defined as the state in which the body relies on a substance for normal functioning. That pretty much describes eating. Eating is something you've done since day 1, there really is nothing you could be more addicted to. So for the first few days of the fast your body is not only dealing with the physical part of not getting food, your brain is trying to deal with the addiction part as well. For me, the psychological is way harder than the physical. Although this time I know what to expect so it seems I was able to deal with the 'missing food' episodes a little better. Also, day one started with a little bit of a weight shock:
I know I should have posted this yesterday and I had every intention of doing so but when I got from work all I wanted to do was lay on the couch. It's either all of the alcohol I've been drinking these past few months or the coffee, or both. My head was pounding and I really couldn't even contemplate staring at a computer screen. But, I'm going to make up for missing a post by posting... pictures! lol. Yeah, I've decided that I'm going to post pictures of myself. I had a big internal debate about whether I should or not and I'm still not certain it's a good thing or not. I really don't want the focus to be on the weight loss and I'm worried that by posting pictures showing the extreme weight loss it will be the only thing people will focus on. But on the flip side, these pictures will really be the only outside evidence of the fast, not to mention they should show a pretty interesting transition. So here you go:
So day 1 and 2 end pretty much the same - laying on the couch with a massive headache and not even enough motivation to post a few pics.
I know I should have posted this yesterday and I had every intention of doing so but when I got from work all I wanted to do was lay on the couch. It's either all of the alcohol I've been drinking these past few months or the coffee, or both. My head was pounding and I really couldn't even contemplate staring at a computer screen. But, I'm going to make up for missing a post by posting... pictures! lol. Yeah, I've decided that I'm going to post pictures of myself. I had a big internal debate about whether I should or not and I'm still not certain it's a good thing or not. I really don't want the focus to be on the weight loss and I'm worried that by posting pictures showing the extreme weight loss it will be the only thing people will focus on. But on the flip side, these pictures will really be the only outside evidence of the fast, not to mention they should show a pretty interesting transition. So here you go:
So day 1 and 2 end pretty much the same - laying on the couch with a massive headache and not even enough motivation to post a few pics.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Fasting because I'm fat
Ok so now that I've got the intro out of the way, let's start with the fasting. I feel I need to lead with this statement because people just never seem to believe why I actually fast so maybe I should start with saying why I am NOT fasting:
Maybe your reaction wasn't what I guessed, but I bring it up because people sure seem to have very concrete ideas about what is 'healthy' and what is 'unhealthy' and fasting challenges a lot of those preconceptions. Instead of going into a big discussion of the background of fasting, let me just point out a few web resources to check out if you are interested in more information:
What I do want to go into are the reasons that I am fasting. I have psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Psoriasis is an auto-immune disease that affects the skin and psoriatic arthritis is basically arthritis caused by the psoriasis. Not a whole lot is really known about the disease other than it has something to do with the immune system. About six years ago I met a woman who owned a health food store in Washington State who also happened to be somewhat of an expert on fasting. She told me that fasting had been documented as helping auto-immune diseases and gave me a couple of book titles to look up on the subject. Once my arthritis got to the point of basically turning me into a cripple, I decided to give fasting a try. This was around August of 2005. In the months leading up to August my arthritis had progressed to the point where I was taking 9 Extra-Strength Tylenol and 6 Aleve everyday just to take the edge off the pain enough that I was able to go to work. Even with all that pain medication I couldn't lift my arms above my shoulders because the pain was so great that my muscles would just give out. It was getting difficult to put my shoes on because my feet were so inflamed and I was walking with a limp because putting weight on my right foot hurt so bad. I was 29 years old but I felt like I had the body of an 89 year old.
On the morning of the third day of my fast I noticed that it didn't hurt so bad to get out of bed so I decided to see what would happen if I only took 2 Tylenol instead of 3 Tylenol and 2 Aleve as I normally did right after I got out of bed. Noon rolled around and instead of feeling that familiar dull pain returning I just felt the empty feeling in my stomach. Instead of my normal 3 Tylenol, 2 Aleve lunch I decided to forgo the pain medication altogether. By the end of the day I literally couldn't believe that I was able to walk back to my car - and without a limp! That morning was the last time I took any pain medication in order to function.
Those 14 days made me a believer in the power of fasting. And it wasn't just my arthritis literally disappearing that was so amazing. I've never felt better in my entire life than I did during those 14 days without food. Sure the beginning was tough, but once you make it past the 4th day it's really amazing.
Shortly after I broke my fast and returned to my normal diet my arthritis returned as well. Though not nearly as potent, fasting had clearly set it back a bit. Lucky for me a new genetically engineered drug had been approved to treat psoriatic arthritis and I was able to start taking it before my arthritis had a chance to fully recover. The drug, Enbrel, is truly a miracle drug and basically replicated my fasting results. Although not in as dire a situation as I was 3 1/2 years ago, I am beginning to feel soreness in some of my joints again and I'm hoping that with a one-two punch of fasting and miracle drugs I can keep my arthritis at bay. I also just feel the need for massive system cleansing and there is no better cleaner than a fast.
So that's it in a nutshell. Hopefully I'll keep to the daily posting goal I've set and it nothing else it might be interesting to see the pictures of me literally shedding fat over the next 14 days or so. I can't say for sure how long the fast will be because your body always determines that for you. After the artificial hunger pains go away around the 4th day you literally don't crave food at all nor do you have any pains from not eating. The first time I fasted, this lasted 14 days and then I started to feel hungry again. This was my body telling me that it was about time I started to eat or it was going to have to start processing muscle tissue rather than fat.
So I really don't know how long the fast will last. But I do know that it starts tomorrow and I better stop typing and get some sleep or I'm going to be super pissy tomorrow morning without any coffee.
- I am NOT fasting to lose weight!
Maybe your reaction wasn't what I guessed, but I bring it up because people sure seem to have very concrete ideas about what is 'healthy' and what is 'unhealthy' and fasting challenges a lot of those preconceptions. Instead of going into a big discussion of the background of fasting, let me just point out a few web resources to check out if you are interested in more information:
- Wiki - the ever popular, highly controversial internet know-it-all has a pretty decent data-dump about fasting.
- WebMd - The medical community as a whole puts fasting in the same category as acupuncture, if a doctor doesn't prescribe it to you it must be voodoo. But even this conservative, scare-prone site can't completely ignore the medical research done with fasting.
- Dr. Joel Fuhrman - Alright so I know the man sells books but you can't fault him for having ambition. Still, documented proof is hard to ignore.
What I do want to go into are the reasons that I am fasting. I have psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Psoriasis is an auto-immune disease that affects the skin and psoriatic arthritis is basically arthritis caused by the psoriasis. Not a whole lot is really known about the disease other than it has something to do with the immune system. About six years ago I met a woman who owned a health food store in Washington State who also happened to be somewhat of an expert on fasting. She told me that fasting had been documented as helping auto-immune diseases and gave me a couple of book titles to look up on the subject. Once my arthritis got to the point of basically turning me into a cripple, I decided to give fasting a try. This was around August of 2005. In the months leading up to August my arthritis had progressed to the point where I was taking 9 Extra-Strength Tylenol and 6 Aleve everyday just to take the edge off the pain enough that I was able to go to work. Even with all that pain medication I couldn't lift my arms above my shoulders because the pain was so great that my muscles would just give out. It was getting difficult to put my shoes on because my feet were so inflamed and I was walking with a limp because putting weight on my right foot hurt so bad. I was 29 years old but I felt like I had the body of an 89 year old.
On the morning of the third day of my fast I noticed that it didn't hurt so bad to get out of bed so I decided to see what would happen if I only took 2 Tylenol instead of 3 Tylenol and 2 Aleve as I normally did right after I got out of bed. Noon rolled around and instead of feeling that familiar dull pain returning I just felt the empty feeling in my stomach. Instead of my normal 3 Tylenol, 2 Aleve lunch I decided to forgo the pain medication altogether. By the end of the day I literally couldn't believe that I was able to walk back to my car - and without a limp! That morning was the last time I took any pain medication in order to function.
Those 14 days made me a believer in the power of fasting. And it wasn't just my arthritis literally disappearing that was so amazing. I've never felt better in my entire life than I did during those 14 days without food. Sure the beginning was tough, but once you make it past the 4th day it's really amazing.
Shortly after I broke my fast and returned to my normal diet my arthritis returned as well. Though not nearly as potent, fasting had clearly set it back a bit. Lucky for me a new genetically engineered drug had been approved to treat psoriatic arthritis and I was able to start taking it before my arthritis had a chance to fully recover. The drug, Enbrel, is truly a miracle drug and basically replicated my fasting results. Although not in as dire a situation as I was 3 1/2 years ago, I am beginning to feel soreness in some of my joints again and I'm hoping that with a one-two punch of fasting and miracle drugs I can keep my arthritis at bay. I also just feel the need for massive system cleansing and there is no better cleaner than a fast.
So that's it in a nutshell. Hopefully I'll keep to the daily posting goal I've set and it nothing else it might be interesting to see the pictures of me literally shedding fat over the next 14 days or so. I can't say for sure how long the fast will be because your body always determines that for you. After the artificial hunger pains go away around the 4th day you literally don't crave food at all nor do you have any pains from not eating. The first time I fasted, this lasted 14 days and then I started to feel hungry again. This was my body telling me that it was about time I started to eat or it was going to have to start processing muscle tissue rather than fat.
So I really don't know how long the fast will last. But I do know that it starts tomorrow and I better stop typing and get some sleep or I'm going to be super pissy tomorrow morning without any coffee.
Welcome to the Freak Show
I guess it's fitting that my first post for this blog be about something this bizarre. When I tell people that I've done a 14 day true fast, meaning I only drank water for 14 days and nothing else, I typically get no immediate response. They just kind of look at me for a sec. I assume, or maybe I hope, that what is going on in their head sounds something like "Wait a minute, I had this guy squarely in the normal column and now he just busts out with this inanity?"
But that's exactly what I'm about to do, again. A fast consisting of only water for up to 14 days, probably not anymore. I'll go into the specifics of why that last sentence lacked specifics in a minute, but I think I'm getting ahead of myself.
I'm hoping I motivate enough to turn this blog into more than just an account of my crazy starvation voodoo. I've been wanting to start a blog for awhile now - I like to write and certainly have no shortage of opinions - so those seem as good of reasons as any. I'm actually hoping for some audience participation, although I certainly don't have any delusions of grandeur. I'm hoping that I can engage some people I know and maybe some that I don't just yet because what I love even more than writing and expressing my own opinion is hearing other people's opinions and passions. Sometimes it leads to enlightenment and other times just to lightheadedness but I always seem to learn something no matter what.
Call it debate, call it argument, call it good, call it bad, it really doesn't matter what you call it or what the outcome is because what it always does is engage. Engage your mind, your imagination, your morality, whatever - as long as the synapses are firing, you know you're alive.
But that's exactly what I'm about to do, again. A fast consisting of only water for up to 14 days, probably not anymore. I'll go into the specifics of why that last sentence lacked specifics in a minute, but I think I'm getting ahead of myself.
I'm hoping I motivate enough to turn this blog into more than just an account of my crazy starvation voodoo. I've been wanting to start a blog for awhile now - I like to write and certainly have no shortage of opinions - so those seem as good of reasons as any. I'm actually hoping for some audience participation, although I certainly don't have any delusions of grandeur. I'm hoping that I can engage some people I know and maybe some that I don't just yet because what I love even more than writing and expressing my own opinion is hearing other people's opinions and passions. Sometimes it leads to enlightenment and other times just to lightheadedness but I always seem to learn something no matter what.
Call it debate, call it argument, call it good, call it bad, it really doesn't matter what you call it or what the outcome is because what it always does is engage. Engage your mind, your imagination, your morality, whatever - as long as the synapses are firing, you know you're alive.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)