...and that's a wrap!

Me, with just a few more hours until I CAN EAT! 😀

Y'all, it's over. 

Was it worth it?  I guess time will tell.  Looking back on this week following a fasting mimicking diet, I can say that I slept better, felt better as the week went on, lost approximately 8 pounds (as of this morning), and I'm trusting that an "internal clean-up" happened inside my body.

Would I do it again?  Maybe.  This weekend, I'll ease back into food.  I'm a fan of intermittent fasting, as well, so I will probably continue with that. From what I've read, many experts agree that the autophagy process initiates in humans after 18-20 hours of fasting, with maximum benefits once the 48-72 hour mark has been reached (and beyond). 

My goal was to finish the entire 5 days.  I also wanted to see how it felt to fast for this long, to activate the longer term autophagy, or "cleaning house" of old tissue and cells.  I can only trust that it happened.  My other goal was a "reset." To start again on a healthier path.  I achieved those all.

I am extremely grateful for all your words of encouragement and support.  It truly helped me.  I especially loved reading all of your experiences with fasting.  It made me feel less alone! 

Thanks for following along - and keep sharing with me!

 xoxo

Fourth Day, Best Day!

Strangely, I feel like I have energy today.  I even got up and worked out. 😳 I've had virtually no cravings.  My mood feels content and stable. 

I also did something that was even harder than my workout.  I went to the grocery store!  I'm sure you're asking why.  Well, I pick up my children Saturday morning from camp, and we are heading straight to the lake for the weekend, and we will need food!  So I went ahead and knocked it out, purchasing healthier foods than I might have... say... on Tuesday, when I was starved for tacos.  I chose salads, vegetables, fish, etc.

A lot of you have asked about how I'm sustaining myself right now.  Again, I'm following the Prolon Fasting Mimicking Diet.  Here are a few items that are part of the 5-day package I purchased.

This is basically glycerol that I dilute with 32oz of water.  It keeps my energy level up through the day. 

Minestrone is one of the better soups.  It's basically a powder that you mix with water.  You eat the soups for lunch and dinner. 

The vegetable was pretty good too.  Again, a powder that you mix with water. 

You get a bar like this each morning (different flavor) and a couple of nights after dinner. 

3 of the days, you get olives with lunch (and sometimes dinner). 

Basically, you're body doesn't recognize any of it as "food," and as such, you are kept in a fasting state for 5 days.  This just makes you feel as though you get something in your stomach, and there is some nutritional value to keep you functioning.  Also, full disclosure:  I paid for my Prolon.  This is in no way an "ad" for them.  They didn't send it to me for free to try.  It is 100% my choice.

Today, I noticed I do get fatigued easily, but I'm beginning to get some clarity and feel in a strange way "cleansed." I'm thinking this was  probably a pretty positive thing I've done for myself. 

Thanks to all for your encouragement and for following along.  Last day is tomorrow, and until then, xoxo 

Fasting: Day Three

Halfway there!

Someone asked me today how I'm feeling. 

Honestly, as I near the end of the 3rd day without real food and in a fasting state, I thought it would feel worse.  It's kind of like if you had a night without much sleep, and you wake up the next day and feel sort of groggy and fatigued, but you know you have to make it through the day.  It's like you're fine, but you simply have little energy. 

Today was better than yesterday.  The cravings subsided, and I managed not to race up to Heights Taco for tacos!  Last night, I watched Big Little Lies, and I kept noticing the women sharing wine, or they were relaxing with alcohol and food.  I was tempted for a moment to head downstairs for a glass myself, but I managed to resist.  It did make me realize that -as a culture- we so often socialize around food and alcohol.  Also, we often eat and drink for comfort or to fill a void. 

It pushed me to look at when and how I overeat and overdrink.  I'm not sure I really do much in excess, but I've realized through this that we don't need to consume so much to exist.  For me, I view a glass of wine or cocktail, along with yummy food, as a "reward" for hard work or a long day.  Or if the day was somehow "bad," then I really deserve to splurge.  I also eat and drink MORE when I'm in social situations or when I feel uncomfortable in a social setting.  Even thinking about going to a movie this week, it was the popcorn that got me excited (I decided to stay home).  So all of this is making me take a hard look at what works for me and how sustainable it is. 

Another person asked if I was cranky.  Truth be told, my mood has remained steadier this week than when my blood sugar levels are spiking and falling.  It's been an interesting observation.

One more thing... memories have surfaced this week.  I keep thinking of -and missing- my grandmother and grandfather.  I've pulled pictures of when the children were little and even framed some of them.  It made me wonder how much is stored in our bodies and eventually forgotten.  When you begin to truly peel back layers all the way to the core, you're faced with something really raw and very intense.  Sometimes painful, but mostly positive.

I hope I don't cheat tonight.  Even though the cravings aren't as bad, it's still moment to moment. All it takes is one Little Caesars pizza commercial to make me want.  I remind myself - only two days to go!

xoxo

Hungry

It's day two of this five day fast, and I'm HUNGRY. 

In fact, I'm so hungry, I've considered bailing from the whole thing, and heading (well, not heading but RUNNING) up to Heights Taco and Tamale for margaritas and tacos. 😋  I can literally taste the cheese dip melting in my mouth and the crunchy, salty chips.  Just this past hour, I've even dreamed of foods I don't normally eat:  pizza, garlic bread with marinara sauce, creamy pasta, and dare-I-say cake (I hate cake, but if it were in front of my face right now, I swear it would be gone in 30 seconds).   

But I'm not going to eat any of it.  I made a commitment to myself to do something to contribute to long term health and wellness, not only for me, but also so I can be around for my own children and (hopefully one day in the FAR, far future) my grandchildren.  And right now, that means fasting for five days (see previous blog for details on what I'm doing).

It started last night.  I became irritable when I didn't get my evening wine/cocktail (I feared this would happen).  I resisted, but it was almost like I didn't know what to do with myself.  My kids are at camp this week (which is another reason I chose this week to do this, so there would be little to no stress at home, no property disputes among siblings, no brother-sister fights to break up, etc.).  The house is clean, and even though I need to clean out the attic, I'm too fatigued from fasting to do it.  Anybody have Netflix recs?

I slept okay.  In fact, I ended up sleeping longer than normal, and I woke up with a headache.  A bad headache.  Despite that, I went on a two mile walk and practiced yoga for an hour.  I ate my nutrition bar, and my headache subsided.  Then I had my consultation with my fasting coach.  He explained that the second day is typically the toughest, because your body is in ketosis, which means it doesn't have enough carbs from food for your cells to burn for energy, so it burns fat instead.  Shortly after that, he explained, autophagy begins, which is basically the body's way of cleaning out damaged cells in order to regenerate newer, healthier cells (look it up, there is a LOT of research about how this works). Naturally, you feel exhausted.  

On top of the exhaustion, the Prolon powdered soup for lunch was not too tasty.  So I didn't eat it.  Would you want this? 

 

Needless to say... those tacos are sounding better and better. (not. going. to. do. it, not. going. to. drive. up. for. tacos.)😣

Instead, I am preparing the remaining quinoa soup for dinner, along with a few "allowed" olives.  Again, my wine habit is creeping in (I want), and it's making me irritable that I don't "get to have it" tonight.  But I am reminded that this is my own choice, and I am deciding not to have it in exchange for something greater.  Other than my irritability around that, I don't find my mood has shifted much at all.   So far, just hunger.  The Prolon program allows for a glycerol solution to add to water, along with tea.  It all helps stave off cravings, but right now, I swear I could eat my weight in food.  Speaking of, I'm monitoring that this week, too, to see if weight is affected by the fasting-mimicking diet.  

For now, I'll eat the soup and tuck in early.  But I bet I dream about tacos!  xoxo

Five

Five.  Five-oh.  Fifty.

It's staring me in the face. Truth is, I turn 48 this summer, but 50 looms.  Right there, in the background.  The fifth decade.  The one whose landscape is colored with of hot flashes, bifocals, cardigan sweaters, and health ailments.  The beginning of the end.

Or maybe it's just the beginning...

Before we continue on, let me tell what this blog post is NOT.  It's NOT a post about vanity.  It's NOT a post about weight loss or an effort to "look better."  It's NOT a post about starvation or denying nutrition.  It's NOT about defying gravity or resisting the most natural part of life, something that happens to us all:  aging.

Life is meant to be lived, and I want to be here to experience it all.  My children are still young.  And I want to be around -and healthy- for a long time to come.  So, this IS a post about an effort to increase my own longevity.  It IS a post about trying something new.    And it IS one of five posts to come this week that will hopefully help to hold me accountable in the process.  Also, so many people have asked what this is, why I'm doing it, and what it entails.  This is an easy way to explain it.

My friend introduced me to what's called a "fasting mimicking diet," a few weeks ago.   She shared of the health benefits, and she encouraged me to try it. It was invented by researchers at the University of Southern California Longevity Institute. A journalist and curious personality by nature, I need research before I try anything.  And by all accounts, the studies show it works.  For five days, you eat the small packaged items you purchase from Prolon and basically trick your body into thinking it's in a fast.  There is evidence fasting cleans up aging and damaged cells and creates new cell growth.  Some studies show it helps reduce inflammation, slows aging, burns fat, even thwarts cancer. Worth a try.

I've never felt I could make it through a simple fast on my own (only water), but I've always wanted the health benefits.  So I'm partially doing this as an experiment -but also to see if I feel less tired, more energized, less hungry (all the things that begin to happen at this age).  In this way, I'm able to have small bites, so that my body believes it's getting something.  And here I am on Day One (of five).

Breakfast, was a small, but tasty, plant based bar and a small cup of coffee.  For lunch, tomato soup (a plant based powder mixed with water), kale crackers, and some olives.  Snack was another bar and some tea.  Dinner is minestrone soup and a small chocolate crisp type of bar.  No alcohol (which will be hardest for me, to be totally honest) and light exercise (which will also be tricky).  Everything tasted OK (not my favorite, but definitely not bad).

I feel like today is just preparation for the week ahead.  I feel pretty good right now.  My mood is content.  I am worried, though, that tonight before bed, my (not-so-healthy) habit of wine will creep into my head, and temptation will set in. I have a plan to have tea nearby and a good book.

I know I can do this.  After all, five days isn't too long considering I'm nearly five decades on this earth, right?

For me, this is just the beginning.