Fast Day 4 – 9:15 PM Pacific Time

Physiology

Day 3 and Beyond

From the third day onward the rate of the breakdown of fatty acids from adipose or fat tissue continues to increase, hitting its peak on the tenth day. This seven day period, after the body has shifted completely over to ketosis, is where the maximum breakdown of fat tissue occurs. As part of protein conservation, the body also begins seeking out all non-body-protein sources of fuel: nonessential cellular masses such as fibroid tumors and degenerative tissues, bacteria, viruses, or any other compounds in the body that can be used for fuel. This is part of the reason that fasting produces the kind of health effects it does. Also, during this period of heightened ketosis the body is in a similar state as the one that occurs during sleep – a rest and detoxification cycle. It begins to focus on the removal of toxins from the body and the healing and regeneration of damaged tissues and organs.

Personal

Feeling OK today. More tired than yesterday, heart burn a few times last night and today, but no other symptoms. I have now dropped 8 pounds in 4 days. This is more than I expected and I hope the weight loss slows down. My blood pressure has now dropped to 105/65, considerably lower than when I started.

I suppose a question that most people have is : Are you hungry? I am actually not hungry in the sense that I do not long for food. I do have this constant feeling of emptiness in my stomach, but it is not really like hunger. I am a bit surprised at the ability to still function reasonably well in terms of working on manuscripts and other work-related projects. I just find I have to take more frequent breaks and nap. Some people report difficulty sleeping when they fast. Fortunately I am sleeping very well.

My main objectve for this fast was to have a beneficial effect on my cardiovascular system. So I wanted to share a passage from a book entitled “Fasting and Eating for Health”, by Joel Furhman, MD.

“The job of fasting is to supply the body with the ideal environment to to accomplish its work of healing. During the period of a fast the blood pressure will drop, the level of retained metabolic wastes will fall, and the blood vessels will begin to soften and rid themselves of hard sclerotic plaque.

When no calories are consumed, the body is living off its nutritional stores, primarily its fat reserves. The innate wisdom of th e body is such that, while fasting, it will consume for its sustenance superfluous tissues, carefully conserving vital tissues and organs. The body’s ability to autolyze and destroy needless tissue such as fat, tumors, blood vessel plaque, and other nonessential tissues, gives the fat the ability to restore normal physiologic function.”

These are the thoughts that led me to fasting and allow me to continue this challenging process.

Fast Day 3: 3:45 Pacific Time

Well I had a VERY good day today. The nausea and dizziness are gone and I am easily able to drink the required 48 oz of water. I spent the morning doing some work on the computer, watching some DVDs about fasting and nutrition. Just got up from a 20 minutes nap and I am feeling fine at this point.

I had a great time this afternoon attending a cooking demonstration of all things. You might think this is a strange thing when your fasting. But those of you who know me well, know that I love cooking and I was able to interact and ask the chef lots of questions. Learned quite a few new recipes. Can’t wait for the next class on Monday.

I also met some new people today who are also fasting and we spent some time sharing experiences and reasons for doing the fast. It is a VERY supportive environment here at True North.

Fast Day 2: 7:45 AM Pacific Time

Physiology

I am in the last 6 hours of Day 2. Physiologically this means that my liver’s stores of glycogen are gone, and my body is shifting over to ketosis or ketone production – the use of fatty acids as fuel instead of glucose. This shift generally begins on the second day of fasting and completed by the third. In this interim period there is no glucose available and energy from fat conversion is insufficient but the body still needs fuel. So it accesses glucose from two sources. It first converts glycerol, available in the body’s fat stores, to glucose but this is still insufficient. So it makes the rest that it needs from catabolizing, or breaking down, the amino acids in muscle tissue, using them in the liver for gluconeogenesis, or the making of glucose. Between 60 and 84 grams of protein are used on this second day, 2-3 ounces of muscle tissue. By the third day ketone production is sufficient to provide nearly all the energy the body needs and the body’s protein begins to be strongly conserved. The body still needs a tiny amount of glucose for some functions, however, so a very small amount of protein, 18-24 grams, is still catabolized to supply it – from 1/2 to 1 ounce of muscle tissue per day.

Personal

Just had my morning checkup:  Lost another 1.5 pounds and I am now down 4 pounds from the start of the fast.  Blood pressure: 110/74

This is not going to be easy – I had a difficult evening yesterday. Very lightheaded and nauseous. They want me to drink at least 48 oz of water a day, and I was left with about 12 oz at 7 PM and had to force myself to drink. It made me quite sick. I took a 30 minute nap and felt a bit better and then watched a DVD (Hostage with Bruce Willis) until 10:30 PM. Fortunately, I was able to sleep well and woke up at 6 AM.

I am still quite lightheaded, but no longer nauseous and hoping today will be an easy one. My first experience with Ketosis. I am scheduled for a blood test at 9AM, and lectures at 10 AM and 2:30 PM.

That is all for now as I get ready to read 6 newspapers on line, catch up on the news and sports, and then get some sun.

Fast Day 1 – 5PM Pacific Time

It has been another beautiful day in Santa Rosa ( 75 degrees and no humidity).

I am officially into my second day of fasting. Exactly 28 hours now. Feeling fine, maybe a bit light headed. I am having no trouble drinking (must drink 40 oz of water per day).

I went out to the courtyard today and met some of my fellow fasters. Here is a description of two of them.

1) One of the men (about 35 years old) is an orthodox Rabbi teaching at a seminary in Israel. The students are American boys spending a year in Israel before college. He just completed a 21-day water fast. I don’t know what he looked like before, but he is thin now and said he lost 41 pounds. Not sure of the medical issue that brought him here. He went from a 38 inch waist to a 32 inch waist and had to purchase new pants.

2) The second man I met today is a 48 year-old Russian man who lived in Israel for 8 years and then moved to Seattle. He was told that he needed bypass surgery . Instead he has decided to be treated here with a change in diet (vegan) followed by fasting.

Be back tomorrow morning.