I've been corresponding with my far-off English buddy Neil, who lives near Busan, and he's become very interested in this whole question of fasting. For Neil, who is very healthy and athletic (he's actively involved in a local soccer league—or as he'd call it, football), it's a matter of approaching 50 and dealing with the aches and pains that come with aging. For me, though, my interest is more about weight loss (only somewhat—you regain your weight after fasting) and, more important, a metabolic reset. So Neil had me watch a video about a British woman who did a week-long fast (watch here), and I found her results interesting. She went through several days of weakness and sluggishness, but she definitely went into ketosis—big time—and close to the five- or six-day mark, she crossed some sort of threshold and suddenly got all her energy back just in time for Day Seven, so she finished on a high.
I've written before about how my attempt at a five-day fast in 2018 nearly killed me (I'd done a week-long fast back in high school), but as I just noted to Neil, things are different this time around. Since my stroke, I've done the Newcastle diet, which is all about privation, and post-Newcastle, I've regained some weight but have been eating generally healthier except on cheat days. I just walked 35K yesterday, too—another form of discipline. My point is that my body could well be ready to try long-term fasting again, will fewer ill effects this time. I now have some idea of what deprivation and self-abnegation feel like, so I'm at least mentally ready for such a challenge. And just in time for a doctor's appointment, too!
So as this idea has come into focus over the last 36 hours, there's been a change in plan. Today was supposed to be a fasting day, and I had planned to fast again on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this coming week, but instead, I'm going to do a true fast—water only—starting this coming Wednesday and ending Thursday the 16th with my doctor's appointment. I'm supposed to fast at least one day before the appointment, anyway, because the hospital will be taking a blood draw and doing blood work, so why not incorporate that one day of fasting into a larger project? From now until midnight Wednesday morning, then, I'll be eating. Today, I'll celebrate with a keto pizza. Tomorrow and Tuesday, I'm thinking I'll go back to eating Newcastle-style and just have salads and chicken breasts as my goodbye meals before I embark on my week-long fasting journey.
If nothing else, a water fast will simplify life even more than carnivore has. With carnivore, there's a certain straightforwardness: buy your proteins, season and sauce minimally, eat, and do nothing else. With a water fast, just drink water—no straight tea, no black coffee, no supplements (except my meds, and I can't stop taking those). Your food-shopping budget drops to zero for the week. I will, of course, have to contend with the devil of temptation, but that's been my reality since forever: it's the devil I know, as they say.
So with thanks to Neil for his inspiration, plans have changed, but the new path is clear, at least until December 16. After that, it's back to flailing around as I continue my search for a sustainable dietary approach. Carnivore seems to be the way to go, so I'll stick with that and hope to see results in the long term. Fingers and tentacles crossed.
4 comments:
Kevin,
Wasn’t my intention to get you on a full 7 day water diet! Was just thinking it may be a diverting life experiment at some point in the murky future. Process of simple ratiocination arrives at the conclusion that a 7 dayer would be at the end process of some kind of fasting “training”; and having only gone as far as a 48 hour fast, I’m aways off a full week.
Read about your travails during and after the five day fast. Got to assume that 2 days longer is going to be even more of a grind, notwithstanding having a lighter frame and having “been eating generally healthier except on cheat days”. Although the English woman in the video you linked to was average in some ways, she was extraordinary in others, having rowed the Atlantic and singlehandedly done likewise around Great Britain. Added to which, being a full decade younger made her robustly prepared for a long fast beyond the scope of a physio-normie’s wet dreams. She also lived with her mum and did not work during the fasting week.
The other issue is meds. Presumably, yours are the type that don’t need to be taken with food? If they are, that presents an obvious block, and definitely requires research. They always say on these fasting videos, “Check with your physician” before proceeding with abstaining from food for sustained periods. Sounds like sound advice.
Yup—published your comment. Your ass is now covered! No one will blame you for anything. 1500-2000 readers? More like five, and even those readers aren't dedicated, daily visitors.
The thinking I did was done on my own. I've reread my post, and happily, I never implied that you had specifically persuaded me to attempt the seven-day fast, nor even that you might be attempting your own seven-day-er at any point. I merely credited you with inspiration. So there should be no worries on that front. I'm engaging in this of my own free will, and as I wrote before, I think I'm in better shape to try such a thing now as opposed to a few years ago. I got through my recent three days of fake fasting just fine, no ill effects, which is optimistic news for attempting seven days. All will be well, and if it's not—if I'm incoherent and fainting all over the place—I'll be sure to stop immediately.
So, I think that covers everything. It'll be fun!
PS: regarding meds—I'm fine. Really. The meds go down with water, so they ought to be okay.
...phew, thanks.
Good luck if you go ahead. Maybe you're not the type to produce a 26 minute YouTube video logging your feelings and physiology as they change hour to hour during the course of the fast. But if you write something, I'll certainly read it.
Well, good luck with that. A seven-day fast exceeds the limits of my imagination on what that kind of deprivation would feel like. As Neil alluded to, how do you maintain the ability to concentrate on work when you are literally starving? I couldn't fast like that if I were laying in bed all day--but getting up and going to work? Wow!
If your body starts telling you to bail I hope you listen. That said, you know you better than anyone else so do what is best for you.
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