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Some of you may remember I kept a log of my last fast here:
vancouver.tribe.net/thread/6...5884d731b
I’ve just started another fast, so here’s my latest log! Feel free to chime in with comments or questions.
Pre-Fast
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I’ve been fasting about twice a year for several years now, and I’ve settled comfortably into a method that works for me. I always do a juice fast and aim for 8 to 10 days.
The things that tend to vary is how I lead up to it, how I break it, and the level of physical activity I do.
I’ve unintentionally changed my regular diet recently to be very simple: mostly small amounts of whole grains (brown rice, millet, quinoa or buckwheat), whole grain crisp bread, and mostly raw vegetables and lightly cooked sea vegetables. For seasonings I use essential oils, tamari and sea salt.
I’ve definitely strayed from the above now and then, but that’s basically been my staple. So I feel really good about my pre-fast state right now.
This time, I want to try to continue exercising regularly. I’ve been really dedicated to a weight training schedule lately, and I’m afraid to lose momentum. Now, weight training during a fast is stupid and counter-productive, so I think I will just change the type of activity, while keeping my usual exercise schedule. I plan on taking my usual weight training time to do some yoga and light cardio or take walks instead.
I’m also exploring more supplements in the form of herbs to spur on the cleansing process. I’ve found some great tea blends at my local health food store that I will try.
I’m already trying to mentally prepare for how I break my fast. That’s always been the hardest part for me, as I tend to too quickly jump right into my regular eating routine again.
vancouver.tribe.net/thread/6...5884d731b
I’ve just started another fast, so here’s my latest log! Feel free to chime in with comments or questions.
Pre-Fast
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
I’ve been fasting about twice a year for several years now, and I’ve settled comfortably into a method that works for me. I always do a juice fast and aim for 8 to 10 days.
The things that tend to vary is how I lead up to it, how I break it, and the level of physical activity I do.
I’ve unintentionally changed my regular diet recently to be very simple: mostly small amounts of whole grains (brown rice, millet, quinoa or buckwheat), whole grain crisp bread, and mostly raw vegetables and lightly cooked sea vegetables. For seasonings I use essential oils, tamari and sea salt.
I’ve definitely strayed from the above now and then, but that’s basically been my staple. So I feel really good about my pre-fast state right now.
This time, I want to try to continue exercising regularly. I’ve been really dedicated to a weight training schedule lately, and I’m afraid to lose momentum. Now, weight training during a fast is stupid and counter-productive, so I think I will just change the type of activity, while keeping my usual exercise schedule. I plan on taking my usual weight training time to do some yoga and light cardio or take walks instead.
I’m also exploring more supplements in the form of herbs to spur on the cleansing process. I’ve found some great tea blends at my local health food store that I will try.
I’m already trying to mentally prepare for how I break my fast. That’s always been the hardest part for me, as I tend to too quickly jump right into my regular eating routine again.
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Re: my Spring Fast log
Wed, May 18, 2005 - 10:35 AMawesome!
would you be kind enough to share what type of juice?
keep us posted...
and when you have some time check out this inspiring flash film...
A Knock at the Duir...
www.duirwaighgallery.com/inspi...ms.php
enjoy~ -
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DAY 1
Wed, May 18, 2005 - 9:17 PM
To answer monkeyfist's question, the juice I drink during my fast is a wide variety of freshly-pressed fruit and vegetable juices. I make my own. It's usually any combination of carrot, apple, celery, beet, grapes, melon, parsnip, green pear, celery root, yam...
My first day went off without a hitch.
I have been accustomed to a daily morning coffee, so my mid-morning I was feeling a craving, but it passed. Fortunately I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms either.
I didn't do any exercise this day, although I was actively on my feet all day doing errands.
Felt great all day. Felt a few hunger pangs, but squelched them with a tall glass of water and easily ignored them.
Drank mostly carrot and apple juice.
Total consumed:
- 1 liter juices
- lots of herbal tea & water
- two cups of hot veggie broth (just to warm me up!) -
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Re: DAY 1
Wed, May 18, 2005 - 9:24 PMsounds like a good regimen...
and how many cups of this do you drink a day?
and any procedures in stimulating bowel movement or just "natural?" compared to "salt water flush"
thanks for sharing your experience* -
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DAY 2
Thu, May 19, 2005 - 2:33 PM
monkeyfist:
I usually drink about 1 liter of juice per day, plus as much water and herbal tea as I want. I'll treat myself to a hot broth once in awhile, but it's just a treat, not really providing any benefit, except that I add flax oil to it so that I get Omega-3s.
To stimulate bowel movement, I usually take psyllium husks and/or drink sauerkraut juice, but I normally wait until Day 3 or 4 for that. So stay tuned!
DAY 2:
Drat! Me and my cat had an "altercation" and he bit me. It got a bit swollen, so I worried about an infection (cat bites are dangerous). I had to get a tetanus shot and an antibiotic prescription! :(
I'm disappointed that I won't be able to "purify" my body completely, but I'm not going to quit the fast. My doctor said my fast shouldn't be a problem while taking these antibiotics, but that I should take some acidophilous to prevent a yeast infection.
Otherwise, I've enjoyed Day 2. I woke up feeling fantastic, and did dome yoga.
In the afternoon I was a bit tired, but I think that had more to do with staying up late than my fast.
Total consumed:
- 1 liter juices
- tons of water & herbal tea
- 1 big cup hot broth with flax seed oil
- 4 antibiotic pills (grr!)
- 6 acidophilous gelcaps
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DAY 3
Fri, May 20, 2005 - 3:25 PM
This is turning out to be a really uneventful fast so far (other than my cat bite). It's the easiest i've ever done, and I think I've done about 20 fasts in my life.
Energy's great. I wake up easily with only 6 hours sleep, which is better than the usual 8 that I require.
I've been enjoying a home-made tea made with fresh ginger and lemon. Sometimes I add a bit of maple syrup.
My Punjabi class went to an Indian sweet shop, and I regret that I wasn't able to buy any of the delicious stuff there. But I enjoyed looking at it and smelling it. :)
Took a 45-minute walk in the morning.
Otherwise nothing unusual to report.
Total consumed:
- 1 liter juices
- plenty of herbal tea and water
- 2 tsp flax seed oil
- antibiotics
- acidophilous
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Re: DAY 3
Fri, May 20, 2005 - 4:59 PMoh boy... cat bites!
you gonna get that checked? -
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Re: DAY 3
Fri, May 20, 2005 - 5:09 PM
I already got a tetanus shot and antibiotics. (See my Day 2 post). -
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Re: DAY 3
Fri, May 20, 2005 - 5:15 PMuh huh... i read it
but dont you need to go and get it checked again? -
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This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
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DAY 4
Sat, May 21, 2005 - 9:15 PM
Juice Experiments:
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I've been experimenting and made some interesting discoveries.
Biggest disappointment:
Dragonfruit does not juice well! Just turns to hot-pink gooey mush the consistency of agar gel. I tossed it out, but in retrospect I should have put it in my ice-cream maker with some yogurt so I can have dragonfruit frozen yogurt when I'm finished with my fast! Oh well.
Nicest surprise:
Cantaloupe-strawberry juice! What a heavenly combination! Yumyumyumyumyumyum.
Flax Seeds:
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Instead of my usual psyllium, I decided to use whole flax seeds to flush out my digestive tract. Psyllium work well, but I find it really hard to swallow (I stir the powdered psyllium into a glass of water). Flax seeds are a lot easier to swallow in water, and work just as well. They supposedly also repair damage caused by antibiotics, which is important to me right now.
Your body cannot digest whole flax seeds. The benefits of Omega-3, protein, lignans and other nutrients found within flax seeds can only be experienced by grinding the seed first. When taken whole however, flax is an excellent source of both soluble and insoluble fiber.
I have read that it is dangerous to ingest proteins while fasting, so I'm not grinding the seeds. Apparently, the urea created by the process of digesting proteins makes the blood too acidic and can actually damage your organs. I've only read this from one source, but I'm not taking any chances.
I have also started drinking a special detox tea blend 3 times a day. I can't remember all the herbs in it, but I'll find out and post it here.
Total consumed:
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- 1 liter juices
- 3 cups detox tea
- water
- antibiotics
- acidophilous
- 4 tablespoons whole flax seeds -
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Re: DAY 4
Sun, May 22, 2005 - 12:01 AMgreat info! thanks for your efforts in sharing with us*
ive yet to try psyllium & bentonite but i hear its great to scour out the colons...
im wondering how are you curving your hunger pangs? -
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DAY 5
Sun, May 22, 2005 - 11:26 AM
Monkeyfist:
I haven't really been feeling any hunger pangs. If I have, I guess I've been ignoring them. I hear stomach gurgles from time to time, but no pangs of discomfort.
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DAY 5
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I'm getting a bit overwhelmed by the strict regimen I've been forced to follow, due to taking these dastardly antibiotics.
Here's how my schedule looks:
- drink juice about 6 times a day
- Antibiotics pill 4 times a day (but not with juice)
- Acidophilous pills twice a day (but not with antibiotics)
- Detox tea 3 times a day
It's a bit difficult to coordinate this at times, and I only hope that I don't screw up. You see, some fruit juices may lessen the effectiveness of the antibiotics, and taking antibiotics at the same time as the acidophilous will lessen the effect of the acidophilous.
Other than the above frustration, I am feeling wonderful. I went out dancing til quite late, and felt great the whole time. I brought my juice with me to sip on, and drank water. While dancing, I was feeling limber and light. The fast is already making my body feel refreshed.
Total consumed:
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Same as previous day. -
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Re: DAY 5
Sun, May 22, 2005 - 11:47 AMinteresting...
so your saying... use good dosage of antibiotics at the risk of killing healthy floura, yet to make sure all of the bacterias are flushed out... then replenish it with acidophilous, cool
im also curious if you have any medical conditions... or are you just fasting for cleansing purpose only...
and how about decrease in muscle mass during the last 5 days?
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Re: DAY 5
Sun, May 22, 2005 - 9:02 PM>>so your saying... use good dosage of antibiotics at the risk of killing healthy floura, yet to make sure all of the bacterias are flushed out... then replenish it with acidophilous, cool <<
I'm not sure I understood that.
I'm taking acidophilous so that I don't get a yeast infection from the antibiotics.
>>im also curious if you have any medical conditions... or are you just fasting for cleansing purpose only... <<
I'm totally healthy so I'm just cleansing, but I also do it for mental and spiritual strength.
>>and how about decrease in muscle mass during the last 5 days? <<
I haven't noticed any decrease visually, although likely if I tried to lift weights I would notice.
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Re: DAY 5
Sun, May 22, 2005 - 10:10 PMthe side efx of taking antibiotics are it gets rid of both the good and the bad bacteria... and by taking acidophilous, you replenish the floura in your intestines that was destroyed by the efx of the antibiotics...
I hope the cat bite hasnt turned into complication... is it healing well?
^_^
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DAY 6 & 7
Tue, May 24, 2005 - 11:24 AM
Both days went very well.
Day 6 is what I call my "magic day". It's when I feel my best, totally energetic, positive, and pure.
I had to do some baking on Day 7, which definitely tried my will power. I made some banana bread and roasted some nuts for a camping trip I'm going on later this week. The scent of roasted nuts and baking was incredible -- I'm convinced that fasting heightens your sense of smell, or at least makes you so much more aware of scents. I had to hide the bag of chocolate chips in my freezer so that I wasn't tempted by them (chocolate is my weakness)!
But I also feel it's a rewarding challenge to be able to be so close to irresistible food and still be able to abstain. I also find the smell alone very rewarding. We are conditioned to think of smell as a precursor to eating. Very rarely do we just admire the smell of something without feeling compelled to consume it. Overcoming this kind of reflex is a good exercise to strengthen your will, and is an experience that you can transfer into other areas of your life.
Total consumed:
Same as Day 5.
...I've been forgetting to mention that I've been taking about a tablespoon of flax seed oil every day as well. -
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DAY 8
Wed, May 25, 2005 - 2:54 PM
This fast is going so well, that I've decided to extend it to ten days. I'm enjoying it so much and feeling so good. I'm not feeling any cravings or hunger pains. I'm keeping myself well hydrated and well-juiced at all times.
I think it's easier this time around because I'm not working, so I can relax about my schedule and don't have to plan ahead as much because I can be home to make juice more often.
I'll be on the road going camping on my last day, so I won't have time to report back until after I get back. I plan to break my fast with simple, easy-to-digest foods such as oatmeal and fresh veggies.
This is going to be a very relaxing, leisurely camping trip, so I'm not going on any challenging hikes or anything. It'll be great to end my fast out in the mountains and the forest!
See you guys when I get back.
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Re: DAY 6 & 7
Wed, May 25, 2005 - 2:57 PMbaking and roasted nuts while on the juice fast!
your hardcore! hahaha
hows the weight loss?
"to strengthen your will..."
day 3 for me in going cold turkey from cigz... whoa! altoids galore!
so how many more days ya got left?
take care*
^_____^ -
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Re: DAY 6 & 7
Mon, June 6, 2005 - 1:25 PM
So here's a follow-up to the fast I ended just over a week ago.
As mentioned above, it went really well. If I wasn't going camping, I would have liked to extend it to 10 or 12 days, but I ended up breaking it at Day 9.
The transition was good.
Started with some nuts, raw veggies, and more juice. I also continued with consuming 2 Tbsp of flax seeds. I managed to avoid all junk food, and still haven't touched anything remotely bad for me.
The next few days I was eating "normal" healthy food, but in smaller quantities than usual. Again, mostly raw fruit and veggies, hommous, home made trail mix (includes nuts, seeds and dried fruit), and a bit of whole grain bread.
I think I lost about 8 or 9 pounds...I believe it was mostly fat loss, as I was keeping well hydrated. Now it is 9 days since my fast, and I haven't gained any of it back...probably because I jumped right back into weight lifting as soon as I got back from camping.
The weight lifting was slightly more challenging than usual, but no more so than is normal for taking two weeks off. After three workouts, I was back to the same weight levels as I had been at before my fast. The difference is that I'm a lot more "cut" now. It looks a lot better now to have my muscles more defined, and I feel more flexible now that I got rid of a bit of extra weight from my middle.
This has been my most successful fast so far -- and I have been doing this twice a year for at least 7 or 8 years. I've been able to break the fast "properly", lose some fat, not lose to much muscle mass, maintain/improve my energy, and not fall back into bad eating habits. I'm really proud of myself!! I almost regret that I need to wait a few months to start my next one. :)
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Unsu...
Re: DAY 6 & 7
Fri, February 24, 2006 - 7:56 PMCongratulations! Very inspiring. BTW: I'm keeping a journal of the juice fast I just started on my page, if your interested. Re. fasting while backpacking: I've done it before, and it had its challenges. But it was amazing to be fasting while out in nature...between the air, sun, and fresh water bathing, it feels great. If you're interested, there's a four-part workshop here in Sac that ends with a cleanse and a hike up to Mt. Shasta that culminates in a "fasting retreat," where an entire group of people go up there together for a week. It's well supervised, and not at all scary: www.aspirefoundation.org. I intend to do the four-part series this summer.
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