Posted by
GunsInTexas on Monday, November 24, 2008 4:40:34 PM
I have decided to start a new fast today.
I did another fast, just about a year ago. I fasted for 42 days and lost 48 pounds. It was a fantastic experience and I was never hungry for one moment. I finally decided to stop the fast over the long New Years Eve weekend, so I would have 4 days to acclimate myself to eating again.
Well, it has been almost a year and I have gained miost of the weight back. So I am going to undertake another fast, this time for longer, unless I experience some negative problem.
My philosophy of fasting is based on the following points:
- The natural condition of the human species is hunger, possibly near starvation.
- Most of what is known about fasting is either not well understood, not well communicated, or just plain wrong.
- The human body was not designed to require a “balanced” diet. In fact, a “balanced” diet is detrimental to the good operation of the human body.
- Despite what you hear, during fasting an obese body draws calories from fat rather from lean muscle mass: http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/112/10/1862
- The body needs vitamins, electrolytes and bulk to function properly, even when drawing energy from stored reserves.
- Men use about 12 calories per pound to operate their bodies in day to day life, while women use about 11 calories per pound.
- A person’s hunger impulse is exacerbated by an empty stomach. Drinking a gallon or more of water or other fluid per day will help minimize this.
- The body does really well when it gets a great amount of water. This lets the body dilute waste chemicals appropriately and minimizes retention of water.
- When the body is living off of stored fat, it does this by converting this fat into chemicals in the blood called “ketones”. Your body LOVES ketones and will use them for energy before sugar, alcohol or anything else. Tests have shown that your mind literally works faster on ketones. [Don’t confuse this with ketone acidosis which can occur if your body is burning ANY type of energy without enough oxygen.]
This is the program I followed last time - very successfully.
Morning
- Drink 16 oz of water with 2 tablespoons of fiber.
- Have a couple of cups of coffee or tea.
- Take a multi-vitamin, a B-complex vitamin, a couple of aspirins. Any other medicine you need to take.
During the Day
- Total for the day, drink a minimum of 1 gallon of fluids, preferably 1 ½ gallons. Coffee or tea is ok.
- Feel free to take a vitamin or an aspirin, whatever other medicines you need.
- Drink a sugar free electrolyte drink, like Replinish.
Evening
- Continue to drink more fluids, as much as is comfortable
- Take a multi-vitamin, a B-complex vitamin, a couple of aspirins. Any other medicine you need to take.
I will try to update this blog to advise how things are going.