FINAL BLOG: Re-Feeding Day 4: 3:30 PM Pacific Time

I have had another fantastic day today, good food, high energy level. I walked about 4 miles today at a brisk pace and feel very good. I am now eating grains and gaining weight quickly. I gained another pound and I expect that in another 10 days I will be back to my ideal weight. Today cooked grains are allowed and tomorrow will be the last addition of beans. Then the next few days I simply continue to build my strength. So this will be my last blog since I am feeling great and functioning well.

Looking Back….

I am so pleased that I decided to fast. One of my friends asked me…Mitch, what is your outcome measure? How do you know anything positive happened? This is, of course, an important question. Of the many people who have shared my experiences here over the past two weeks, I believe almost all entered the facility with a medical condition(s) that they were trying to improve through the fasting process. These folks had very obvious outcome measures. Although I would not say they are “lucky”, I think it made it easier for them to fast. For example, these are some of the problems that my co-fasters talked about over the past two weeks, along with a potential corresponding outcome measure.

Condition/Symptom	Outcome Measure
High blood pressure	Lowered blood pressure
Abnormal blood chemistry	Improved blood chemistry results
Joint pain	Reduction of joint pain
Chest pain	Reduction of chest pain
Digestive disorders	Reduction of digestive symptoms
Skin disorders	Elimination of skin condition
Use of multiple medications	Medication no longer required
Obesity	Significant weight loss

Since I entered the facility with no obvious health problems, I did not have an easily identifiable outcome measure. My goal was simply to move to a higher level of health. I suspect that I may have had sub-clinical cardiovascular disease as do many men my age. I will never truly be able to determine if I accomplished my objective of eliminating this potential problem. However, it is clear from all that I have read and learned here at True North that it is likely that I did achieve this goal.

Looking Forward….

More importantly, however, is what happens next. The fast is simply part of the process of adopting a more healthy lifestyle. I thought I was eating well before coming here, but based on the education I have received at True North I now understand that I have a few more changes that I must make to achieve a healthy lifestyle. I will now discontinue the use of all oil in cooking as well as salt. With these two changes I will meet the recommended eating approach. There goes my favorite “snack: – popcorn. I will now have to use the no salt, no oil version.

I want to finish by praising Dr. Alan Goldhamer and the True North Health Center. It is a very well run facility providing an important service at a reasonable cost. The physical location is outstanding with very nice accommodations, beautiful courtyard for resting outdoors, wireless Internet, quiet and solitude and a beautiful neighborhood for walks. The staff has been wonderful, readily available for all questions and problems. The doctors are very supportive and their lectures were both educational and inspiring. They made me feel very comfortable and secure going through this challenging process. The education and message was presented well in the daily lectures. In addition, there were always many other people fasting and these people became a support group.

What brought you here?

How did you find out about True North Health Center?

Have you been eating this way long?

What are your trying to achieve….

These were the topics discussed over and over again in groups of fasters. Once the fast ended I quickly learned that the Chef here is marvelous and when the re-feeding stage began the food was also great and plentiful.

Of course, I also want to thank my wife for her many years of support. The fact that the two of us share a belief in this way of life makes all the difference in the world. Without a supportive spouse/family success would be more difficult to achieve. My children, as well, have been very supportive and two of the three live a vegan lifestyle.

Finally, thanks to everyone who was concerned and I hope this blog helped you understand what I was experiencing.

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.