More about Fasting Benefits

There are so many reasons to at least occasionally do a longer term fast (3 days minimum) and regularly use "intermittent fasting" as a healthy habit.  In this blog post, I will talk about the benefits I personally get when I fast, and about the proven health benefits for almost any healthy person.  Then at the end I will give a short update of my fasting experience this time around.

PERSONAL REASONS

1. Nutritional Reset.  Something about fasting gets me thinking about food.  In a good way.  It motivates me to make better food choices going forward.  I need to reset every so often as I find less than healthy habits tend to creep into my diet.  Fasting is also great for kicking the carb cravings to the curb.

2. Recognizing hunger is not a mandate.  We get hungry and we think we need food, STAT.  Truth is, most of us have plenty of food stored right in our bodies.  That's why if you don't feed your hunger immediately it goes away for a while.  This is your body using stored food to take care of the hunger temporarily.  The self-control required to fast successfully is a real confidence booster.  It feels good to know that I am not a slave to my appetite.

HEALTH REASONS

1. Weight Loss.  You can lose about a pound a day when you fast. Of course some of the weight loss is water weight and will come back quickly when you refeed.  However some of it is fat loss, and if you make better choices going forward it will stay lost forever.

2. Immune system benefits.  Just google "fasting and the immune system" to see the research.

3. A whole host of other health benefits...  you can use google to research this too...

• Decreased insulin levels
• Increased insulin sensitivity
• Decreased blood glucose levels
• Increased fat burning
• Decreased inflammation
• Increased cellular cleansing

Today is day 4 of my 5 days which I will end tomorrow at dinner with a salad or wait until Thursday morning depending on how I am feeling. 

What have I consumed during this fast?

I have mainly been drinking water but I did drink a cup of coffee with milk and 2 tsp. of sugar each morning, about 8 ounces of veggie/fruit juice at about hour 53... I was feeling sick in the night and I am guessing it was about the time my glycogen stores were depleted, but my body had not yet kicked fully into ketosis.  The juice did the trick and I was fine after that. I had another 4 ounces of the same juice yesterday before I rode my bike to a shopping center about 15-20 minutes from home.  Then today another 6 ounces of juice.  

How have I felt?

I have felt okay, but not super. I feel better if I stay busy and active, which I haven't done today.  :-(
The first two days are the most difficult for me as I am really hungry and get irritable.  I did not get headaches this time though.  I would say on average I have had slightly less energy, but some of that may be because now that school is out I have nothing I HAVE to do and I am enjoying the freedom to do nothing.

What's next?
Mark has done a 3 day fast along with me and we both plan to break it by eating low carb for a few days to extend the benefits of ketosis.  On Monday all bets are off as we are having a yummy BBQ with friends.  I do think that I will go back to intermittent fasting (at least one or two 24 hour periods a week) which I haven't done with regularity in quite a while.

Fasting for your health

While I do occasionally fast for spiritual purposes, this post is about fasting for weight loss and health.

About 6 years ago I was trying to lose about 10 pounds of baby weight and joined a gym.  While talking with a trainer I remember telling her I was willing to work out, but I didn't really want to change my diet.  (Carb addict!).  She looked at me and said losing weight is 80% diet.  That moment began my journey of figuring out how to control my weight whether or not I had the time to exercise.

As I was researching I came across a website about Intermittent Fasting and read the ebook called "Eat Stop Eat".  The basic idea was to fast for one or two 24 hour periods in a week.  I decided to give it a try, fasting from dinner to dinner two nights a week.  Over the course of a few weeks I dropped 5 of the 10 lbs I wanted to lose.  I ate any yummy food I wanted on EAT days and still lost weight.

Then some of my friends and I decided to do a 10 day juice fast.  Really, I did it to support them, and didn't believe when I started that I would actually stick with it.  Turns out I am the only one who finished.  It was amazing.  Over the next year and a half I did another 10 day juice fast, three 7 day juice fasts some 5 and 3 day juice fasts.   I blogged about this journey here.

Fasting has been proven to help regenerate the immune system.  And after that year of intense fasting, I rarely got sick for the next four years.  Then, this winter, I got my first cold in years.  So, I knew when summer hit it was time for another longer term fast.

I am currently on day 3 of 5 and in the fasting "sweet spot".  The first two days are rough.  As your body uses up its glycogen stores, hunger is strong, and headaches can be a problem.  But then around day 2 to 3 a switch occurs.  Your body enters a state called ketosis, where it burns your fat for fuel, and the hunger is not nearly as strong, and you get more energy.  Today I biked over an hour total even though I hadn't eaten anything since Friday at dinner.

I am sharing my journey because it has made me a healthier person.  I lost the 10 lbs. I wanted to, I got a stronger immune system, and many other health benefits too.  If you are interested in giving fasting for health a try, let me know, I will encourage you along the way.  And you should know that there are many many ways to incorporate fasting into your life.    (Intermittent fasting, alternate day fasting, eating within a daily window, longer term fasts, etc.)

They call me Mommy

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 

Psalm 139:13-14

(This is a recycled Mother's day blog post that I wrote a few years ago, with minor edits.  Blessed to be "Mommy" to six individuals fearfully and wonderfully made. ) 

THE FIRSTBORN

Boo... beautiful, opinionated, and so very smart... I am so thankful that you made me "Mommy".

Lukie...  nurturing and sensitive from the start, you were BORN to be a big brother, even if you had to wait and pray for 12 years before it finally happened.

                                        

Nik Nak... you are truly a miracle baby.   2 miscarriages and 8 years of praying God would bless us with more children, you were the perfect answer in God's perfect timing.

Kay Kay.. Even though you are my biggest mommy challenge, I have a feeling some day I will look back and know that it was you that taught me the most about the Father's love for His children.

Jo Jo....  you are the most generous and resourceful human being I have ever known, and sometimes I can't believe how blessed I am that I get to be your mom.  

Nater... You are the boy God promised to us 10 years before you were born (Your story is a great one).  The biggest and best surprise of our lives, I truly cannot imagine our family without you... the stinking cuteness is too yummy for words.  "I love you and I like you".

Re-entering the Blogging World

I am a pretty horrible blogger since I started teaching, but my friend Wendy is one of the most faithful bloggers I know.  She rarely misses a day, and so she has inspired me to try to do a bit more blogging every now and then with this is a new blogging challenge called "Share your world," from Cee Neuner. 

Wendy says... "Apparently she posts a few questions each week, and all participants need do is answer them. It’s a cool way to get to know one another. The idea is to answer the questions without overthinking them and just have fun. Feel free to join in by copying the questions and then write your answers in a new post linking back to Cee’s original post." So that's what I am going to do for my first attempt to re-enter the blogging world.

When you're alone at home, do you wear shoes, socks, slippers, or go barefoot?

I have never been one to wear shoes around the house no matter where I have lived.  I prefer barefeet, but in winter socks are a must.  I have slippers, but rarely wear them.

What was your favourite food when you were a child? (I am resisting the temptation to correct my friends spelling of favorite.)

I was the pickiest eater ever.  I wouldn't touch a vegetable, not even corn or potatoes.  I have more memories of foods I didn't like than foods I did like.  But as far as I know, I have always liked Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches.  

Are you a listener or a talker?

I am pretty good at both actually. What I am not good at is small talk.  I get bored quite easily with shallow conversations.Favourite thing to (pick one): Photograph? Write? or Cook?

 I am not much of a photographer, but I like to write.  My favorite thing to write is opinion, persuasive, editorial type pieces.  I have written many letters to the editor of my local newspaper.  I have always enjoyed crafting a good argument.  Lately my husband has been doing 90% of all the cooking, but when I used to cook, I preferred making desserts, and breads.  I miss my breadmaker, and hope to get another one soon.

Optional bonus question:

What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful for my amazing husband who turns 49 today.  He is truly one of the most selfless people I know.  He's amazing... and I get to do life with him. Blessed.

I am going to cheat and skip ahead to the week after next, I am looking forward to taking two personal days that I have scheduled.  I almost never take time off, but these were use or lose days, and I am looking forward to spending them however I please.

If you are interested in joining this blogging challenge –

just copy/paste the above questions into a new post and answer them. Then put the link for your post here: Cee’s Challenge.