i kinda feel like i'm recovering from my tonsillectomy again. it took MONTHS for certain foods and flavors to taste "normal" again. that's kinda what i'm sensing right now. grant it, it's only been two days, but i can definitely tell things do not taste the same as they did. my tongue/taste buds have certainly been changed! (i think that's one point of fasting, but i never thought the good food would taste yucky.)
this morning i was presented with a very large plate of pineapple, grapes, and watermelon along with a watermelon/cucumber juice. everything tasted great, but when i was about a 1/4 from finishing the plate of fruit, my tongue started rejecting the pineapple and the grapes. it was almost like the acid in those fruits was burning my tongue! needless to say, i finished off the watermelon instead.
about a half hour later i had a bad case of diarrhea, but that's to be expected. in fact, the doctors here want you to have a bowel movement within 48 hours of eating again, otherwise they start dishing out the prunes and other things. yuk.
in spite of my very long day of walking (3+ miles), i'm feeling well. feeling healthy. and was thankful for the opportunity to walk, even if it ended up being farther than intended. i felt stronger today than yesterday, so maybe tomorrow will be even better!
Day 13 - 12/30/12 - yesterday was my first day of re-feeding here at TrueNorth. for breakfast i had watermelon/cucumber juice. lunch was cucumber and something else (green), and dinner was carrot something. it was all good and welcomed, but because it was all juice i still felt like i was fasting. :-) there were moments of hunger, but they passed eventually. i continued to drink water throughout the day as well.
in the afternoon, after i drank my lunchtime meal, i went for a stroll in the old cemetery around the corner from the center. it's a really tranquil place and there is a dirt path all around the outer edge of it. there were lots of trees, old monuments and headstones, and plenty of people and dogs enjoying the space to meander.
i made one loop in the cemetery and decided to hit the sunny streets of the neighborhood. i walked a couple of blocks down McDonald and found beautiful homes - big, small, Victorian, English, Spanish, country, old, new - quite a collection. and all well manicured. i took a short break in a gazebo a block away from "home" - i realize how weak my body is from not doing anything for 12 days. it's interesting how you can be so active one day and so unable to be active within just a few days. i don't feel unable to walk or do stairs, i just don't feel 100% stable - i seem to drift off the imaginary line a lot. :-)
i also wandered through the grocery store behind TN, just for fun, and took a shower. it felt really nice to wash my hair!
anyway. i hit my low for weight yesterday waking at 136.8. BP, HR, and TEMP were all normal.
Day 14 - 12/31/12 - today brings whole fruit plus juice for breakfast. they brought me watermelon/cucumber juice and a big plate full of pineapple, grapes, and watermelon chunks. all of it tastes great and it's nice to finally chew again!
my plan today is to get out and walk more. i might ride the bus to the Coddington mall area and walk around. Dr Goldhamer is speaking at 2pm, so i probably want to be back for that. that is unless i'm just having too much fun being out in the world. it's nice to have the option to leave and explore. for lunch and/or dinner i can have salad (raw veggies only), more fruit, and probably more juice. carrots will be nice to eat. :-) tomorrow i might get to introduce some cooked veggies along with the raw and fruit. we'll see.
so... i'm really looking forward to tomorrow. numerous reasons:
1) i get the juice. :-) re-feeding in general, starting with juice.
2) i get to leave the center to explore. when you're fasting you're supposed to stay put because leaving exerts energy and exerting energy is counterproductive to fasting.
3) i get to take a shower and wash my hair! (i forgot about this one till my mom brought it up - tells you what's most important, doesn't it!?)
so tomorrow i'll drink fresh squeezed juice. a girl i sometimes talk to just finished her fast today and she got watermelon and cucumber juice. maybe i'll get that. or maybe i'll ask for actual watermelon slices. i don't know. but throughout the day i will get juice of some kind and very watery things.
the next day will be more solids, but very soft. maybe juice, too. and the next day will be steamed veggies, very soft, including potatoes. and by the day i leave i should be able to eat rice and beans if i want. the idea here is to slowly introduce foods so my insides don't freak out.
as for exploring... my hope is that i will feel strong and able to go out and walk around starting monday. i may not get too far, but maybe tuesday i can go farther. downtown is only about 1.5 miles from here, so i should be able to walk that. each day i plan to get out and do something. at least one day i will be going downtown for sure. there is a mall down there, as well as two movie theaters and lots of strolling opportunities. there is a cemetery around the corner from here, so i may go stroll there. by thursday i hope to have enough strength back to maybe even do a little jog around the neighborhood. maybe. if not thursday i'm definitely going to do it friday. if it's raining or something i can walk up the street to the YMCA and pay $5 for a day pass and run on the treadmill. there is a bus system around town, so if i don't feel up to walking too much i can always hop the bus for $1.25.
so next week will be much more entertaining. :-) i haven't felt too cooped up here, surprisingly, but i am looking forward to get on my feet and moving around. i guess i had mentally prepared enough for lounging in one place that spending most of my time in a small room hasn't bothered me. i think fasting has helped that outcome quite a bit though - less energy to inspire me to disobey the rules. :-)
today we heard from Dr. Doug Lisle and a bit later is a food demo by Chef Ramses. i'm feeling a little more tired than normal, but i think i'm more tired from just laying around than anything. i'm growing tired of the routine of doing nothing - that's why i'm looking forward to getting out next week so much. and getting to eat. :-) otherwise i feel fine. my nose still hurts, but it's better. my scalp has cleared up from the red patches and the dandruff is better. my tongue is still white and still feels like sandpaper. the last few days i've been very thirsty. but overall i feel good and healthy! :-)
some people think i'm crazy. that's ok. some people think i'm starving myself. and that's ok, too. i'm not doing either, but people will think what they think. so what AM i doing?
i'm ending the year with nutrition, healthy, fitness, and loving life on the brain instead of gorging myself on a bunch of junk food that makes me sick. i'm learning ways to adopt a better lifestyle at home, one that will help me THRIVE instead of just survive. i'm starting 2013 on a super positive note. i'm arming myself with tools to help me succeed throughout the year, not just for one week. i'm learning about what my body can do, what my mind can do, what my heart desires in life, what i'm actually able to do versus what i think i can't do.
i've learned a ton while here at True North. and i'm ready to put it into action. i'm armed with delicious plant strong, SOS free recipes that i'm eager to go home and make. i'm armed with knowledge and science and facts and psychology that i can bring to mind when i'm tempted to eat the foods that make us sick. that's right, US, not just me.
i'm ready to make 2013 a great, healthy, strong, fun year.
and here's the video of Day 11. yes, it's day 11 of water only and i'm still alive - imagine that! (yes, that was just a tiny bit sarcastic.) i'm feeling good and healthy and strong. and while i'm doing fine fasting, i am starting to look forward to sunday when i get juice. :-)
Merry Christmas Eve! today is Day 7 of my stay here at True North and of my 12-day water only fast. I'm half way through!!! feeling really good and strong and healthy today. i slept through the night only waking to roll over. the sun is shining today and i'm planning to go to a Christmas Eve candlelight service tonight at the Presbyterian church across the street.
quite a number of new people arrived yesterday. even children! at the lecture there were about 30 people in the room compared to the norm of 20. i have a new roommate, a woman and her daughter who is 10 or younger. they aren't as quiet as my previous roommate so i'm having to get used to all the banging and slamming and loud voices. *sigh* oh well, i'm sure there's a lesson in there somewhere. :-)
today's vitals: BP 94/64, HR 56, TEMP 97.7, WT 142.2
Day Six has started out a lot better than yesterday. I was asleep by 11 (later than normal) and first woke at 5:30 then again at 7. when i got up i wasn't light headed. i felt weak a little, but not dizzy or anything. i feel a little hungry this morning which surprises me, but my stomach isn't growling.
the patches around my hairline are still there and very flaky. i asked the dr during rounds if i could wash my hair. he said no at first, but since i have short hair and could get it done in the sink he said yes. i'm still trying to wait it out, but i'm not sure i'm going to make it 6 more days.
BP 110/98, HR 51, TEMP 97.7, WT 143.2
at 10 they are showing a video and then two lectures at 2 and 6:30. i will go to the lectures, but not the video. it's raining like crazy and chilly as usual, but i think tomorrow is supposed to be drier.
a part of me wishes i could go run... i know i wouldn't make it far because of being weak, but i'm looking forward to putting on my running shoes and testing out my breathing at the end of my stay here (after i've re-fed for a few days).
food, all kinds of food, has been occupying most of my thoughts the last two days. last night's dinner looked really good, too - one of my roommates brought her dinner back to the apartment to eat it. smelled great, too. i'm realizing my sense of smell is very sensitive the last few days. then my other roommate brought in a bowl of pineapple. she was across the room from me and i could smell it so strongly!
Day Four wasn't exciting necessarily. woke up feeling rested, got out of bed and dressed at 7am, and spent a lot of time watching lecture videos in the living room with my roommates while knitting. we went to a lecture at 6:30 by Dr Michael Klaper which was very informative. he spoke about the dangers of too much salt, sugar, and oil, what it does to your organs and arteries, and how to keep it at a minimum.
my roommates decided to eat in the room today instead of being sociable in the dining room. that was bitter sweet for me. i got to see what they were eating and smell it, but not tasting it caused me to dream of food. lunch was some kind of soup, asparagus, broccoli, beets, salad. but dinner... dinner was the when the jealousy kicked in! potato enchiladas that looked and smelled wonderful. the girls said they also had rice and steamed veggies to choose from, but they both just got salad instead. i was looking at those enchiladas and wanted so much to taste them. i asked them all kinds of questions to find out the taste, but they aren't very descriptive. they'd never make it as food critics. :-)
i'll go to reception at some point and ask to look at Chef Ramses' cookbook to see if those enchiladas are in there. i hope they are!
see the video for a little more info about changes in me.
blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature were all normal. weight was 146.2.
Day Five has started out rather blah. i woke up at 1 something in the morning and had a hard time going back to sleep. finally woke again at 6 and then again just before 7. the last time i woke i felt very groggy, a little achy, tired of being in the bed but didn't want to get up, and when i finally sat up i was light headed - just sitting up.
i'm noticeably more weak today for sure. i managed to get up and go to the restroom, washed my face, dry brushed my teeth, and weighed myself, but moved very slowly, carefully, and unenthusiastically.
weight today is 144.8. BP is lower @ 98/60, Heart Rate is higher @ 68, and Temp is higher @ 98. interesting.
i'm not feeling hungry necessarily (every now and then i have a hunger pang), but i do have some grumbling in my tummy. i think my bowels are moving around and are causing a little bit of gas. i have very little strength to push to help them along, so i'm just waiting patiently for my body to do as it wants and eliminate when it's ready.
doctors just came in and took vitals. explaining my blah feelings today the dr said, "welcome to fasting!" apparently all this is normal and that i've passed the worst part. i guess a lot of people experience nausea, cramping, vomiting, and other yucky things in the first 3-4 days. thankfully i didn't have any of that.
my scalp, especially around my temples and forehead is very flaky and has red patchy skin. i haven't washed my hair in five days, so ... i don't know if it will go away if i continue to not wash, or if i should wash and see if it goes away... i don't know. they don't recommend i wash because it takes energy to do so and they want me to conserve energy as much as possible. plus adding stuff to my body is opposite of letting my body eliminate. so ... i don't know what i'm going to do. i may just ride it out.
the taste of water isn't as bad as it was yesterday, so maybe my tongue was coated in junk or something. it's still not great, but a little more tolerable.
today's activities include a morning lecture by Dr. Doug Lisle, psychologist and co-author of The Pleasure Trap. then Chef Ramses will do a food demo this afternoon. and tonight will be Jeopardy with Chef AJ.
i'm looking forward to the day - we'll see how much i keep up with it!
Day Three begins with waking just before 4am, but i went back to sleep until about 7:15am. as i was in the restroom the doctors came in to do rounds. very early today for our rooms, but that's ok. i'd rather they come now than have to wonder when they're coming.
BP 117/64, HR 64, TEMP 97.6, WT 148
also got the results of my blood work, though we're still waiting on the Vit D result.
Cholesterol: 126 - looks like HDL is 64 and LDL is 50 and VLDL (?) is 12.
Triglycerides: 62
Glucose: 66
B-12: 7
I'm in the normal range for everything, but on the sheet i'm marked low for cholesterol because the range is 150-200. i find that kind of strange since every time i have my cholesterol checked everyone has said it's good. the doctor who gave me the numbers said it's good, yet it's in the "abnormal" column. maybe it's "abnormally good" ?
B-12 has a range of 5-13, so while i'm inside the range, i could take a supplement to better it. that's one factor that vegans have issues with over time. usually meat eaters get plenty of B-12 because it comes from bacteria and meat holds a lot of bacteria. but over time as a vegetarian or vegan, the B-12 levels come down. so when i get home i may invest in that supplement.
there are two numbers on the report that are just slightly higher and slightly lower than the average range, so i'll have to do some research on those. the doctor said it's normal that they would fluctuate as such, but i don't know what they are. Neutrophils and Lymphocytes. i'll research that today and report back.
feeling good overall so far this morning. i had a little bit of congestion first thing, as well as yestrday. and was a little light headed when i got out of bed. but both of those are normal. i'm still eliminating toxins from my body even through phlegm. i feel a little hungry right now, but not "starving" feelings. my skin doesn't feel oily like i expected - usually i have very oily skin, especially after a couple of days of not bathing. my hair is usually really oily, too, but it's not. i do have some spots right around the edge of my hairline that are flaky and reddish and my legs & hands are dry. dryer and colder air here is also a part of that i'm sure. backache is gone this morning.
overall i'm feeling normal and healthy! there are two food demos today and a lecture this evening. i will probably go to the afternoon food demo and the lecture. i'm surprised at how easy fasting is here. i have no cravings for food, no desires to sneak over to the salad bar, nothing. i'm fasting - this is what i'm doing and i'm ok with it mentally. it's just strange because at home i can hardly deny anything! it helps to be in a facility like this i guess. i mean, if i wanted to fast for a few days at home, i would have to make sure my fridge and cupboards were bare and then do it over a weekend so i could stay home and just be. it's a lot easier when there is nothing readily available to eat. but when you're in a routine of going to work and eating three meals a day, i think you really have to have some spiritual connection to why you're fasting in order to succeed.
i just watched a video about water-only fasting by a doctor here on staff, Dr Michael Klaper. he talked about who should and should not fast, reasons why one fasts, what happens to your body during the fast, and how to break the fast. but one of the key things that i learned at the beginning of the lecture was the difference between fasting and starving. this definition stuck with me mostly because when i told my mom i was going to do a fast she said something to the effect of, "i don't understand why you want to starve yourself."
well, Mom, i'm not actually starving myself, and here's why...
fasting is a period of time in which your body eliminates retained water because of salt, fecal matter, and fat. the first several days you lose "water weight," and once all that is gone you start to lose actual fat. your body has a great ability to go a long period of time without additional food because you have stores of fat to keep you going. some have fasted up to 40 days or more. the max people do here is 40 days, the least would be 5.
but..... once your fat stores are used up, your body starts drawing on your muscles to get what it needs for energy. when you start losing muscle mass, THAT is when you are starving yourself.
the doctors here at True North do NOT want that to happen, so they keep a close eye on people and do not allow them to fast too long. most people can fast up to 40 days without any issue of losing muscle mass. however, if you're already a very thin person without much body fat and start a water-only fast, your muscle loss will occur in far less time than in someone who has 50 pounds to lose. that's why water-only fasting is such an individual science - there is no one formula for everyone.
anyway. i am definitely not starving myself with a 12-day water-only fast. yes, i feel hungry. naturally! but i am cleansing far more than anything else, and it's not really as hard as it may seem. if i were at home, working and doing my daily routine with food at the ready, yes it would be hard. VERY hard. that's why i'm here. i can be successful here, and start 2013 with a fresh, clean start.
Day Two at True North Health Center - i woke around 3:30am and couldn't go back to sleep. around 4:30 i got up and went to the restroom to eliminate more toxins and food from my system. i went back to bed for a couple of hours, but at 7:30 i just couldn't be in the bed anymore. after another trip to the restroom i weighed myself.
151.2 - a total loss so far of 5 pounds. most of that is water weight (from water retention) and waste. i won't start to lose actual fat for a few days. my stomach is usually distended daily, especially after eating a meal - most days i look pregnant. but with not eating and all the elimination of water and waste, my stomach is nearly flat and my hip bones are much more prominent.
now that i'm dressed and my bed is made, i'm sitting at the desk to use the computer and listening to music. and of course, drinking water. lots and lots of water. it's important to stay hydrated, plus water moves things and helps with elimination. it also helps with hunger.
yes, i have hunger pangs. a lot. the first few days are the worst, or so i've read. and as of this morning i am also feeling a little light headed. when i got out of bed at 7:30, i got up quickly and felt very dizzy. i'm ok now, but i have to remember not to spring out of bed!
so not only am i fasting from food, but i'm also fasting from exercise, toothpaste, deodorant, perfume, lotion, baths, and showers. there are a lot of reasons for that. first, your body needs a lot of rest while fasting. if you are too active you run the risk of fainting and losing muscle mass, neither of which is good. the more i sit idle, the more my internal body heals, eliminates, and detoxifies and i don't use up my store of muscles. besides, you don't really desire to do too much while fasting anyway because you're more tired than normal. i may desire to go running, but i would definitely not get very far before heading back to the bed or couch. :-)
secondly, my taste buds and brain are being retrained through the absence of all things taste and smell. i am giving them a vacation from all the work they've been doing for the last 37 years and allowing them to renew, restore, rejuvenate. when it comes time for me to eat again, my sense of taste and smell will be sensitive and heightened so much that i will enjoy food on a new level. maybe even enjoy foods i haven't enjoyed before. and those things that i thought tasted great before, the junk food things, will hopefully not taste as wonderful (too salty, too sweet, etc). as well, the lack of taste and smell will help me not crave those things while i'm fasting.
for example, yesterday when i went to see Dr Sultana i walked into a room filled with the smell of carrot cake. it was really difficult to sit there for nearly 30 minutes waiting on the doctor while smelling cinnamon, one of my most favorite scents, and turning down a slice of carrot cake. (but i did.)
and as for bathing, well, that is because of blood pressure being affected by hot water. have you ever taken a hot bath and felt kinda woozy as you're sitting there or getting out? or notice how relaxed you get in a hot tub? if you're not eating, your energy is very low to begin with. put your body in a pool of hot water and you end up draining what energy you have left and you can possibly get into danger. so, they recommend not bathing the normal way while you're fasting. i can sponge bathe. i might be able to wash my hair - i have to ask today. but i need to do everything i can to conserve as much energy as possible.
so while i'm here there are lectures, food demonstrations, and other things planned every day. i can choose to participate or do my own thing. i am not to leave the premises while fasting - that's for my benefit, in case i get into physical trouble. plus if i'm running around town i'm not conserving energy and resting. today we have an exercise thing at 10, food demo at 2, and movie at 6:30.
i have work to do, afghan to knit, books to read, and movies to watch, so when i feel up to it i will have plenty to keep me occupied. today i will probably do a little of everything and a lot of nothing. :-)
morning rounds just happened: BP 119/75, HR 54, TEMP unknown, WT 151.2
i've decided to take one more "extreme" step into my year-long food journey and experiment with water-only fasting. through Engine 2 Extra via a webcast with Dr. Alan Goldhamer i heard about True North Health Center in Santa Rosa, CA and immediately started researching. i read The Pleasure Trap by Drs Goldhamer and Lisle, and read the section on fasting twice. And after much thought i finally decided i wanted to do a fast.
so here i am now for just shy of three weeks. this is my second full day and my second day of fasting. i came in on monday night, got checked in, the grand tour, and shown to my room. a few minutes later a couple of doctors came by to check my blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, and weight. all was good. i weighed in at about 156 that night with regular clothes on. they showed me to the dining room where i made a salad to eat. they have a salad bar that's available 24/7 to those who are eating.
yes, you can choose to come here and eat while learning more about nutrition and living in a peaceful environment. or you can choose to fast. or you may not be a candidate for fasting right away because of illness or medication, but you are still welcome here to learn and eat healthily and get help from great doctors who don't want you taking medicine. all the doctors here believe in improving your health through nutrition, not meds.
so yesterday i woke up rather early. i went to the bathroom, weighed myself, got dressed, made my bed, and just hung out in my room working on the computer and watching tv. around 9am a doctor came in and took my vitals. BP 125/68, HR 48, TEMP 97.6, WT 154. he agreed i could start fasting and left. at 2pm i met with Dr. Sultana, one of the MDs here on staff. we discussed my exercise-induced asthma, acne, and food addiction. he measured my height and did a simple exam, asked a lot of questions, and typed a lot of info into the computer. he agreed i could start fasting and could continue to fast for 12 days. he, as well as Dr. Goldhamer, feels i will have success with fasting.
at 6:30pm i went to a lecture by Jim Lennon. he's a funny older guy who's been a vegan for 35 years. he talked about how i am the CEO of my company (my body) and i should take all necessary steps every single day to live as such - meaning, i make the rules and i should follow them. as the CEO i make the rules of how my company is going to run and if i wouldn't allow an employee to eat junk food or meat in his office, i shouldn't either.
we made a list of excuses/problems/concerns/stumbling blocks. then we made a list of strategies to succeed in spite of all those things. and then we made a list of whys - why do we want to succeed in eating healthy. and the why of that. and the why of that. until we got to the innermost core of what we really want. i wrote down as my last why, "because if i can control my health then at least i have that, if nothing else (no friends, no partner, no family), at least i have my health."
what that means is, i can control my health and i want to control something. that may be good or bad, i don't know, but at least i know i can control that. does that mean i'll never get sick? no. but at least i am taking steps to prevent illness as much as possible. i'm making conscious efforts every day to not allow any more junk in my life. my mind has enough junk in it, which i try to control through prayer and positive thinking, but my body is controlled by my actions. the more i act to please my tongue, the more chance of getting sick, getting fat, feeling yucky, feeling tired, developing disease, etc. BUT, the more i act to please my body as a whole, the better i feel, the better i look, the chance of getting sick or developing disease goes down, and i feel in control of ME. I AM THE CEO OF ME!
so anyway... here are some videos of my journey at True North so far.
INTRO:
Day One:
Stay tuned for more updates about my journey over the next 17 days! Visit www.HealthPromoting.com for more info about True North, fasting, and a health promoting lifestyle.
