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    England Avalon Member jc71's Avatar
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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    Ok, so I know no-one is reading this but just for my own benefit, I'll just give a quick update.

    I am now about 30 hours in, and all is fine. Slept really well. I am obviously seeing food everywhere I go! But all good.

    4 lbs lost on day one. I heard that drinking coffee might be ok, but I am reserving that thought for later in the process. I want to see how far I can go with water only.

    Will keep you (maybe only me lol ) posted.

    JC

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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    Quote Posted by jc71 (here)
    Ok, so I know no-one is reading this
    Wrong!!

    Keep at it. It's a very interesting experience. You definitely have the talking stick right now, but to add some bulletpoints from my own recent 9-day fast:
    • It was all easy and simple (for me, happily!). The most interesting thing was being fully aware of how much time we all spend shopping, cooking, eating, and cleaning up. (It's a lot! )
    • I'd advise NOT drinking coffee, or taking anything at all apart from water (including no supplements), because that then allows the autophagy to kick in. (See this post for more on that.)
    • I drank a measured 3 liters of water per day, and exercised normally (a brisk aerobic daily half-hour hike with a backpack for half an hour) throughout the fast with no ill-effects.
    • The trickiest part to focus on is breaking the fast. Go super-easy on yourself with juices, fruits, and broths for quite a few days. There are some true horror stories on the net from folks who've jumped straight back into pizza, fries and steak. It probably took a full 10 days for my digestion to kick in normally again.
    • Here's something interesting I'd not reported or discussed. After a long-ish fast, when re-introducing foods, if you're just a little scientific about it, you can treat the experience as an allergy elimination test for anything you want to check out. I did that, and discovered — to my joint horror and fascination! — that I'm definitely sensitive to EGGS. And all these years, I never knew. And I love eggs! (Of course.) That new information alone made it all worthwhile.
    • If you feel you have 28 lbs to lose, then you can go quite a long way (i.e. fast for quite a long time).... if you want to. My advice, for what it's worth, is NOT to go below what you feel is your healthy optimum minimum weight. After breaking the fast, you'll put a little back on quite fast, but it should then stabilize out. I've been watching my own weight with interest (only out of interest: weight loss was never a goal), and here's the graph:

    Let us all know how you go.....

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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    Back to fasting...

    This is my second day of a three day fast. Almost only water.

    Yesterday, I had tea in the middle of the night. Started fasting in the morning. I put a tonic in my first glass of water: black cherry, turmeric, & ginger. Then all water except one cup of miso broth for cleansing heavy metals.

    Today, first glass of water with tonic. The rest of the day I'll have water, but I may drink a cup of miso broth later.

    Last month, I fasted 3 days, then 2 days, then 1 day. 6 days total. Only water.

    This month, probably just one three day fast.

    @Bill, oh no! Eggs?!? I might try that test, too.

    MM
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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    Quote Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
    I did that, and discovered — to my joint horror and fascination! — that I'm definitely sensitive to EGGS.
    I’m allergic to eggs. I get dry, itchy patches on my scalp. People with blue or green eyes, fair skin, blonde or red hair tend to have more problems with environmental, animal and food allergies.

    To my surprise, I discovered I’m allergic to beansprouts. It felt like ants crawling under my skin. It didn’t matter if the seeds were organic, or which kind I sprouted and rinse really well. Whether it’s the seed itself or traces of mold, I never figured out. Sometimes, it triggered an asthmatic reaction.

    Years back, I went for testing. I learned I’m allergic to mold, mildew, some trees and grass and foods like eggs and wheat. I eliminated the stress, modified the foods and detoxed. It’s 99% better. Even the foods that once caused allergic reactions, I can now have in moderation. You may find that you can eat eggs, just not every day.
    Last edited by RunningDeer; 21st February 2018 at 16:17.

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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    I started my fast 2 hrs ago, this is easy It's a water fast but I think I'll keep my maintenance dose of 1 teaspoon of carbon c60 in olive oil going. I just watched a doc called 'The Science Of Fasting' on Amazon prime which can also be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1b08X-GvRs I had no idea this practice has been used as a standard State authorised thereputic measure in Russia for years. Also there's a remarkable section addressing a scientific study proving it strengthens the body: Mice were fasted for 48hrs before being given massive amounts of chemo drugs and were totally fine. Another group didn't fast and the results were devastating. Humans have tried this themselves and have been able to withstand chemo far better by fasting first. There's a very interesting scientific explanation as to why human cells react so well to fasting, and equally why cancer cells react so badly! Oh, and a bit about a penguin.

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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    Quote Posted by Humanbean (here)
    I started my fast 2 hrs ago, this is easy It's a water fast but I think I'll keep my maintenance dose of 1 teaspoon of carbon c60 in olive oil going. I just watched a doc called 'The Science Of Fasting' on Amazon prime
    "While life expectancy is increasing in Western countries, cases of diabetes, hypertension, obesity and cancer are increasing, and the use of medication has exploded. Does this mean that in order to live to a ripe age we are condemned to swallow more and more drugs? What if there was another way?

    For half a century, in Russia, Germany and the U.S., doctors and biologists have been exploring a different therapeutic approach: fasting. The results are amazing. Soviet researchers have provided a body of clinical studies of exceptional wealth ...only published in Russian, and thus unknown in the West.

    Young biologists from the University of Los Angeles have overturned conventional wisdom and used molecular biology to demonstrate the powerful effects of fasting. These researches suggest a wide-ranging potential, which could include treatments for the disease of the century, cancer.

    If these scientists are right, maybe our approach to disease and treatment will need a rethink." - A film by Sylvie Gilman & Thierry Vincent de Lestrade - Director of Photography : Thierry Vincent de Lestrade - Chief editor : Guillaume Quignard - ARTE France & VIA DECOUVERTES PRODUCTION - www.viadecouvertes.fr - Published on Nov 14, 2011"
    Science of Fasting Trailer

    Science of fasting-Bonus

    Full Science of Fasting



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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    Quote Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
    Quote Posted by jc71 (here)
    Ok, so I know no-one is reading this
    Wrong!!

    Keep at it. It's a very interesting experience. You definitely have the talking stick right now, but to add some bulletpoints from my own recent 9-day fast:
    • It was all easy and simple (for me, happily!). The most interesting thing was being fully aware of how much time we all spend shopping, cooking, eating, and cleaning up. (It's a lot! )
    • I'd advise NOT drinking coffee, or taking anything at all apart from water (including no supplements), because that then allows the autophagy to kick in. (See this post for more on that.)
    • I drank a measured 3 liters of water per day, and exercised normally (a brisk aerobic daily half-hour hike with a backpack for half an hour) throughout the fast with no ill-effects.
    • The trickiest part to focus on is breaking the fast. Go super-easy on yourself with juices, fruits, and broths for quite a few days. There are some true horror stories on the net from folks who've jumped straight back into pizza, fries and steak. It probably took a full 10 days for my digestion to kick in normally again.
    • Here's something interesting I'd not reported or discussed. After a long-ish fast, when re-introducing foods, if you're just a little scientific about it, you can treat the experience as an allergy elimination test for anything you want to check out. I did that, and discovered — to my joint horror and fascination! — that I'm definitely sensitive to EGGS. And all these years, I never knew. And I love eggs! (Of course.) That new information alone made it all worthwhile.
    • If you feel you have 28 lbs to lose, then you can go quite a long way (i.e. fast for quite a long time).... if you want to. My advice, for what it's worth, is NOT to go below what you feel is your healthy optimum minimum weight. After breaking the fast, you'll put a little back on quite fast, but it should then stabilize out. I've been watching my own weight with interest (only out of interest: weight loss was never a goal), and here's the graph:

    Let us all know how you go.....
    Hi Bill,

    I am glad to be proved wrong in that someone is reading this thread still. It is a good feeling to have a little support from afar. People I have mentioned it to in my normal life think I am a nutter, but that is a familiar feeling to us Avalonians when dealing with people who are possibly less inquisitive or more programmed is it not?

    My update as I go into day 3 (about 60 hours in) is that yesterday afternoon I developed quite a bad headache and I felt lethargic, so I went home, had a hot bath, ate some sea salt (I read it somewhere) and went to bed fairly early.

    I didn't sleep particularly well; waking up every couple of hours, but overall not too bad. I still had the remnants of the headache when I got up, but now it has more or less gone and I feel quite euphoric!

    I am hoping that I am over the worst of the uncomfortable feelings such as the headaches. Everything else feels fine. I suppose I feel a little brain-foggy, but not too bad; I am continuing with my normal work. (I thought about making a joke about being a brain surgeon but decided against that. I am an e-Commerce worker )

    I lost 2lbs on the scales since yesterday. I am just rounding to the nearest lb (it was just under 2 and a half).

    Looking at your points, yes I agree that it makes life very easy when you are not buying, preparing, eating and clearing up. I will happily go back to doing those things after the fast though.

    I looked at the autophagy post and it said that it might be ok after day 4 of the fast to have broth. Maybe this also applies to coffee? But I agree; to be on the safe side, I am going to stick with the water as long as I can for maximum benefit.

    In terms of water, I haven't been measuring exactly how much water I have been drinking, but I would estimate it to be between 3-4 Litres. I had a special "treat" of sparkling water last night .

    I am taking on board the "coming off a fast carefully advice" and intend to do that very gently and carefully when I decide to break the fast. It has been very useful to hear that advice on the thread as it seems like almost the most important thing to consider when doing a fast of this type.

    I don't have any particular allergies that I am aware of, so I probably won't be doing what you have done in that respect, but that is a very good idea for anyone who does.

    Finally, yes 28 lbs is the target, but if I reach that I am more than happy to stop, and then probably operate in a range back up to 7lbs above that. I think that would be a healthy range for me, and I can see now that it might be very useful if you go on a holiday for example, to allow yourself to let go a bit and eat or drink some things you wouldn't normally have on a careful diet, but then fast immediately afterwards to bring yourself back down to the lower part of the range again.

    All in all this has been a very interesting exercise so far, and I genuinely don't know if I will go another day or another 10 at this stage.

    I will keep you all posted.

    JC

    PS I might have a record for the most "I"s at the beginning of paragraphs in a post. I will stop talking about myself so much after the fast!

    PPS I learned something else about the bulletin board just now. You can only have 9 images in the post, so with Bill's and my emoticons I went over the limit by 5. So, if there are sections above that you think are a bit stern or matter of fact, it is because I had to strip out about 5 smileys <smile>.
    Last edited by jc71; 21st February 2018 at 13:20. Reason: Additional Note

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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    Good job, jc71. We have been fasting at the same time!

    Day 3 for me. That was my goal.

    It is evening now, and I have felt fine all along.

    Maybe a slight, barely noticeable headache. Once in awhile felt a little hunger, but it passed. I just kept drinking water, but I didn't measure it.

    Yesterday instead of Miso soup, I had lemon ginger tea.

    So far only water today, but will have a cup of miso soup. It's just broth that helps cleanse.

    I intend to do regular fasting. It seems I can make a habit of it and it will be easy.

    MM
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    Thumbs up Re: Water Fasting

    Quote Posted by Michelle Marie (here)
    Good job, jc71. We have been fasting at the same time!

    Day 3 for me. That was my goal.

    It is evening now, and I have felt fine all along.

    Maybe a slight, barely noticeable headache. Once in awhile felt a little hunger, but it passed. I just kept drinking water, but I didn't measure it.

    Yesterday instead of Miso soup, I had lemon ginger tea.

    So far only water today, but will have a cup of miso soup. It's just broth that helps cleanse.

    I intend to do regular fasting. It seems I can make a habit of it and it will be easy.

    MM
    Hi Michelle,

    Well done on getting to your goal. I am through my 3rd day now, (80+ hours) and all continues to go well.

    My weight was another 2lb lower this morning so that is 7lb or 1/2 a stone in total since beginning on Sunday night.

    I don't feel at all hungry, and physically I would say I feel 9 out of 10 (my wife says I never say I am feeling as high as 9 out of 10, but I don't fully agree with that ).

    Another update tomorrow. Am happily just getting on with my normal work day for now, and I have Aikido tonight, so that will be interesting!

    JC

    PS here is an attempt at embedding a chart. Let's see if it works!

    edit: I tried to embed a live chart in an iframe, but that wasn't allowed (is that possible, or 100% blocked?). Here is the png snapshot:



    PPS thanks Bill for your chart which allowed me to create my target line
    Last edited by jc71; 22nd February 2018 at 09:18. Reason: Adding PPS

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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    Hi! Jc71,

    It's morning now and I have not eaten yet. I never eat this early, anyway.

    I had a cup of miso. Usually I have tea first thing, green tea most of the time. I can't decide what to eat, but I feel very clear-minded and full of energy.

    We have a light snow on the ground. I've been staying indoors a lot, but today I can't wait to go somewhere.

    I probably won't. I just noticed the snow is coming down hard. Maybe I'll get bundled up and just go play in the snow!

    Click image for larger version

Name:	image.jpg
Views:	301
Size:	1.39 MB
ID:	37183

    Eating will be nice...later.

    MM
    Last edited by Michelle Marie; 22nd February 2018 at 15:38.
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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    Quote Posted by Michelle Marie (here)
    Hi! Jc71,

    It's morning now and I have not eaten yet. I never eat this early, anyway.

    I had a cup of miso. Usually I have tea first thing, green tea most of the time. I can't decide what to eat, but I feel very clear-minded and full of energy.

    We have a light snow on the ground. I've been staying indoors a lot, but today I can't wait to go somewhere.

    I probably won't. I just noticed the snow is coming down hard. Maybe I'll get bundled up and just go play in the snow!

    Attachment 37183

    Eating will be nice...later.

    MM
    Hi Michelle,

    That looks pretty outside, but maybe better to look at than be out in. (I actually quite like being out in snow, especially driving, but a lot of people don't!).

    Enjoy your food later. I am going to continue for a while and see how far I can go.

    All the best,

    JC

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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    Quote Posted by jc71 (here)
    Quote Posted by Michelle Marie (here)
    Hi! Jc71,

    It's morning now and I have not eaten yet. I never eat this early, anyway.

    I had a cup of miso. Usually I have tea first thing, green tea most of the time. I can't decide what to eat, but I feel very clear-minded and full of energy.

    We have a light snow on the ground. I've been staying indoors a lot, but today I can't wait to go somewhere.

    I probably won't. I just noticed the snow is coming down hard. Maybe I'll get bundled up and just go play in the snow!

    Attachment 37183

    Eating will be nice...later.
    Hi Michelle,

    That looks pretty outside, but maybe better to look at than be out in. (I actually quite like being out in snow, especially driving, but a lot of people don't!).

    Enjoy your food later. I am going to continue for a while and see how far I can go.

    All the best,

    JC
    That's funny. I did NOT want to drive, so I took off walking.

    I came over to a local coffee shop to get a walk in and then enjoy some hot green tea. Mmmm!

    More snow coming down!

    Click image for larger version

Name:	image.jpg
Views:	144
Size:	1.17 MB
ID:	37184

    Warm boots, hat, coat, and scarf...enjoying being out.

    Will eat later...!!!
    MM
    Last edited by Michelle Marie; 22nd February 2018 at 16:56.
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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    Hello again. Here is my next update for anyone following it.

    I am in to day 5 (105+ hours so far), and still going strong.

    My Aikido session went fine last night, and there was no noticeable loss in strength according to my fellow martial artists .

    I lost a further 3lbs on the scales, and I am still feeling great. I wasn't sure if I would last much longer than 4 days, but at the moment it really does seem like I can carry on without too much difficulty.

    Here is the updated weight chart:



    One last thing. I have noticed a couple of blemishes on my skin; a couple of spots on my face, and a "sore" of some sort under my watch, which seem to be related to the fast, but other than that, I feel perfectly normal.

    Twice a day I have been grinding half a teaspoon of salt into my hand and just eating that to make sure my body isn't running short of salt, and I do have some epsom salts that I can take if necessary, but haven't done so yet.

    Onwards and upwards! (or downwards for weight ).

    JC

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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    Quick update.... I don't think the sore on my wrist is related to the fasting now. It is just a small injury from my Aikido now that it has come up - just like a skin burn from all of the moves we were doing over and over again

    JC

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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    Quote Posted by jc71 (here)
    Quick update.... I don't think the sore on my wrist is related to the fasting now. It is just a small injury from my Aikido now that it has come up - just like a skin burn from all of the moves we were doing over and over again

    JC
    No matter what, you ARE healing. The overall effects will be highly beneficial.

    I've been very energetic since my fast. I'm going to continue to do them at least once a month.

    Take good care.

    MM
    ~*~ "The best way to predict the future is to create it." - Peter Drucker ~*~ “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson ~*~ "Creative minds always have been known to survive any kind of bad training." - Anna Freud ~*~

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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    Quote Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
    • I'd advise NOT drinking coffee, or taking anything at all apart from water (including no supplements), because that then allows the autophagy to kick in. (See this post for more on that.)
    A couple of interesting studies on that point Bill, indicating that both Coffee and Green tea stimulate autophagy rather than inhibit it. I have also read that olive oil does the same thing:
    https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24769862
    https://sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0895398816300745
    Last edited by Bill Ryan; 24th February 2018 at 15:07. Reason: fixed quote formatting

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    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    A some of you may know, it was my birthday yesterday; and I celebrated by taking Mara the and myself up to the summit of Cerro Arquitectos (14,585 ft), the highest mountain in the area where I live in Ecuador.

    * Great little video here, by the way: (Alas, not mine! )


    What happened astonished me, and took me quite by surprise. I think the report might belong on this thread.

    I'd done a fairly short water-only fast (nothing else whatsoever) — that's 9 days, short by some marathon standards! — and I broke it, with quite some care, 3 weeks ago. Since then I've been eating fruit, juices, and broths, with occasional home-made chocolate. (A treat, and maybe my only vice. Raw cacao is plentiful and cheap in Ecuador, and I have fun making my own chocolate with cacao, honey, coconut oil, and occasionally adding raw milk or cream. )

    No tea or coffee since my fast, no bread or wheat products, and I discovered to my horror (reported above!) that I was sensitive to eggs, OMG. So, no eggs either.

    Now, here's the anecdote.

    I'd been up to Cerro Arquitectos two or three times before. It's rocky (but safe), as spectacular as it looks in the short video, and after leaving the trailhead at 12,000 ft, the last time I went up there, it took me three and a half hours. I was in excellent shape, and have been for a while. But the steep haul up there is strenuous by any standards, and of course it's really very high.

    Yesterday, I was going well, and was just really enjoying the hike; and then when I was half way up, it struck me that I'd not yet stopped, even for a few moments.

    I'd felt no need to, and was just doing my thing. Mountain hiking (as some of you may well know) is in some ways a sort of moving meditation. Almost totally in the present, very aware of one's surroundings and one's body and breathing, and also of one's every footstep, as an act of step-by-step focused care. It's super-healthy for body and soul, which is why it's always been my workout of choice.

    So, to cut the story short: I made it right to the summit, with ease, and without stopping once. My time was reduced from 3:30 to 2:10. It was never a race (and never should be!), and I didn't look at the time, or even thought about it, till I reached the top. But then I looked and saw that I'd shaved 40% off my time. OMG. I wouldn't have thought that was even possible.

    It's hard to account for. I'd had no breakfast (I had a large rice meal the evening before), and at the summit I celebrated with a tiny cheesecake, and had a sip of hot chocolate from my flask, but didn't want any more. I had some home-made chocolate with me too, but I never even touched that. I just wasn't hungry. I felt entirely energized.

    I think this interesting story — for which I take no credit! It was just kind of something that happened to me, quite unplanned — belongs on this thread. I'd talked earlier with a close friend who'd done a 14 day fast a few years ago. She told me on the last day of her fast she went hiking with some friends herself, and arrived at the top before any of the others. She just had so much energy, even after 14 days of eating nothing.

    My best guess is that my experience was an after-effect of the cleanse, and of my subsequent clean diet... also maybe helped a little by being 10 lbs lighter! For any auto mechanics reading this, it may be a little like the performance increase after a major service, cleaning the carburetor, valve seats or injectors, spark plugs, fuel, oil and air filters, etc etc. It's bound to make the engine work a lot better.

    The thought struck me that it'd be VERY interesting to see if any research has been done on measured athletic performance after fasting. If so, I've not seen anything like that, as that's never been the normal fasting focus, or almost anyone's prime reason to do it. Maybe one thing that comes from all this is that there could still be a lot we don't fully know about how the body really works, and where one's energy really comes from.

    Last edited by Bill Ryan; 24th February 2018 at 19:01.

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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    Quote Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
    A some of you may know, it was my birthday yesterday; and I celebrated by taking Mara the and myself up to the summit of Cerro Arquitectos (14,585 ft), the highest mountain in the area where I live in Ecuador.

    * Great little video here, by the way: (Alas, not mine! )


    What happened astonished me, and took me quite by surprise. I think the report might belong on this thread.

    I'd done a fairly short water-only fast (nothing else whatsoever) — that's 9 days, short by some marathon standards! — and I broke it, with quite some care, 3 weeks ago. Since then I've been eating fruit, juices, and broths, with occasional home-made chocolate. (A treat, and maybe my only vice. Raw cacao is plentiful and cheap in Ecuador, and I have fun making my own chocolate with cacao, honey, coconut oil, and occasionally adding raw milk or cream. )

    No tea or coffee since my fast, no bread or wheat products, and I discovered to my horror (reported above!) that I was sensitive to eggs, OMG. So, no eggs either.

    Now, here's the anecdote.

    I'd been up to Cerro Arquitectos two or three times before. It's rocky (but safe), as spectacular as it looks in the short video, and after leaving the trailhead at 12,000 ft, the last time I went up there, it took me three and a half hours. I was in excellent shape, and have been for a while. But the steep haul up there is strenuous by any standards, and of course it's really very high.

    Yesterday, I was going well, and was just really enjoying the hike; and then when I was half way up, it struck me that I'd not yet stopped, even for a few moments.

    I'd felt no need to, and was just doing my thing. Mountain hiking (as some of you may well know) is in some ways a sort of moving meditation. Almost totally in the present, very aware of one's surroundings and one's body and breathing, and also of one's every footstep, as an act of step-by-step focused care. It's super-healthy for body and soul, which is why it's always been my workout of choice.

    So, to cut the story short: I made it right to the summit, with ease, and without stopping once. My time was reduced from 3:30 to 2:10. It was never a race (and never should be!), and I didn't look at the time, or even thought about it, till I reached the top. But then I looked and saw that I'd shaved 40% off my time. OMG. I wouldn't have thought that was even possible.

    It's hard to account for. I'd had no breakfast (I had a large rice meal the evening before), and at the summit I celebrated with a tiny cheesecake, and had a sip of hot chocolate from my flask, but didn't want any more. I had some home-made chocolate with me too, but I never even touched that. I just wasn't hungry. I felt entirely energized.

    I think this interesting story — for which I take no credit! It was just kind of something that happened to me, quite unplanned — belongs on this thread. I'd talked earlier with a close friend who'd done a 14 day fast a few years ago. She told me on the last day of her fast she went hiking with some friends herself, and arrived at the top before any of the others. She just had so much energy, even after 14 days of eating nothing.

    My best guess is that my experience was an after-effect of the cleanse, and of my subsequent clean diet... also maybe helped a little by being 10 lbs lighter! For any auto mechanics reading this, it may be a little like the performance increase after a major service, cleaning the carburetor, valve seats or injectors, spark plugs, fuel, oil and air filters, etc etc. It's bound to make the engine work a lot better.

    The thought struck me that it'd be VERY interesting to see if any research has been done on measured athletic performance after fasting. If so, I've not seen anything like that, as that's never been the normal fasting focus, or almost anyone's prime reason to do it. Maybe one thing that comes from all this is that there could still be a lot we don't fully know about how the body really works, and where one's energy really comes from.

    Wow, that's cool, Bill.

    That's what I was feeling that 4th day of my fast.

    I was breaking the fast that day, but I wasn't in a hurry. Good thing, too. I had planned on having a cup of soup and a salad at a small local restaurant that makes organic food. I had left at 8:00 in the morning. Then I had tea at one coffee shop that opened early. My plan was to break my fast at 10:00, but for some reason, which I learned later, the restaurant didn't open!

    So, I hung out at a book shop and kept going for walks periodically to see if it was open, and once to run an errand for the book shop owner. I took a letter to the post office and mailed it. I had energy and I wanted to use it anyway!

    I felt SO energized!

    I had fasted 6 days in January, and essentially 3.5 this last time. The Restaurant finally did open and I ended up having my soup and salad around noon.

    There has been a down side, though, and I believe it might be from bread. I made some vegetarian chili, then some toast to go with it. Also, I had eggs one day. My wrist swelled up and it hurts!

    Today may be another fasting day for me, and then I'll quit bread and eggs for awhile. Well, maybe just bread, we'll see. Sometimes I like to put a cut up hard boiled egg in my salads.

    This energy thing is terrific, Bill. I'm glad you had a great hike and a nice birthday with Mara. She looks sooooooooo sweet! I wanted to pet her when I saw your picture!

    I'm definitely going to continue frequent fasting, but clearly, I have make some dietary changes as well.

    MM

    Click image for larger version

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    That's the little book shop as seen from the coffee shop.
    Last edited by Michelle Marie; 24th February 2018 at 19:25.
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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    I did a water fast for 12 days two years ago - it was definitely a reset for my body and some major healing took place.

    On day 4 I woke up feeling stuffy, blew my nose and a huge wad of neon yellow stuff came out. Must have been a very deep and persistent low-grade sinus infection that I nipped in the bud with that.

    I had so much energy that I could barely sleep.

    My intuitive faculties and psychic abilities were heightened.

    I got a lot of cleaning done (inside and out). I created a ritual fire and burned a lot of old stuff I wanted to let go of in my life.

    By day 12, I was three days into menstruation, and my hunger was becoming unbearable, so I broke my fast with sauerkraut brine. It was fantastic. I then made and drank fish stock. I mostly craved a lot of savory, nutrient rich broths. I then began a paleo diet.

    I lost a lot of weight, and it took a long while to rebuild my body with a healthier diet. I tried to do a water fast last year, and found that my body simply was not ready for it.

    I do believe that I may be ready for another one, but am going to wait until the weather is warmer.

    Thanks for starting the thread Bill!

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    Default Re: Water Fasting

    Hi Bill, Michelle, Humanbean and anyone else reading this thread,

    Michelle, sorry to hear about your wrist. Keep us posted once you work out what was causing that.

    Humanbean, see below regarding coffee

    Bill, that energy boost that you experienced on your mountain climb is very interesting! I'll be looking at that for myself once I finish my fast.

    Imagine if an Olympic athlete did all the training, and then actually fasted for a week before the games, and got even a fraction of a 40% increase in performance. Mind boggling, but I bet no-one has ever tried it...

    So far I am still continuing with my own fast, and I am just about at the 6 day point. This morning when I first awoke, I wasn't quite feeling fully up to par (still around 8/10), but I decided to go to Pilates with my wife, and felt really fine afterwards.

    I have to admit now (Humanbean) that I have started having black coffee, and also a little lime juice in my water, but I am not going over the top with either, and I don't think it is making any major difference apart from making it slightly easier for me to continue with the fast.

    Having said that, I only lost 1lb on the scales this morning which is still a lot when you put it into perspective, but is the smallest daily change since I started. It will be interesting to see what the scales say in the morning.

    Here is the latest chart:



    One last thing. I am patting myself on the back for continuing with family life. 2 teenagers eating all of the food that teenagers eat sometimes right in front of me, and a wife who is eating normally. Plus walking through town this morning with every possible food option beckoning me (probably 25+ food outlets). I have managed to resist it all. In an ideal world I would keep away from food but that is almost impossible in South East England (30 miles from London).

    I must admit I am looking forward to eating again, but at the same time I am going to continue for as long as I feel happy to, and at the moment the thought of what the fast is doing for my weight and health is overriding the desire to actually eat. At some point I will either reach my weight goal, or the balance will tip in the favour of eating. I'll know when the time is right to stop.

    It does feel like this has added a great tool to my personal toolkit though, and the idea that I can always do a fast for a few days if I want to boost my health, energy, or reduce my weight, feels like having some sort of new magic wand that until recently I wasn't aware even existed

    I'll post another update tomorrow at the 1 week milestone.

    JC

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