Day Two at True North

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