Long Fasts and Why the are not Good for Me

 There are people out there that swear by the longer fasting windows.  I just read the book Fast like a Girl that encourages longer fasts for more fat burning and cell rejuvenating benefits! (link for book....it was a good one!)  I understand the concepts and benefits.   I even think I could do it easily if I set my mind to it.  However, I have learned recently that it's just not for me.

So a month or so ago, I decided to try a longer fast.   It was a bit of a failure in that I didn't make the pie in the sky goal of 36 hours of fasting.  However, it was a victory in that I did make it 24 hours without fasting.  I was super proud of myself for the 24 hours and was so excited to see what would happen on the scales.  You an imagine my surprise when I stepped on the scales and found that I had GAINED weight!  Yes, you read that right.  24 hours without food and I showed a gain.  (You can read about the experience here.)  I was disillusioned by the experience, but vowed to try again.

Again, happened the other week when I had my Endoscopy (which I wrote about in my last post here.)  I was not allowed to eat after midnight, so when I was finished eating dinner the night before my procedure I was done until after my procedure the next day.  By the time I got done with the procedure it was late afternoon.  I knew that unless I was utterly miserably hungry that I would just wait until dinner. And lets be honest, I knew that I would be fine.   Thirsty, now that was a different story!  But thirst is not part of this post, so back to fasting and food.   I knew that I would be fine to wait for dinner at the normal hour. I had a super healthy dinner planned for us and I had made a cake that morning to go with dinner (since it was a Friday and I splurge on Fridays.  Plans were made and it was going to go great.   Except I was so tired and lazy feeling and I was getting hungry.  I wanted pizza!  I wanted wings!  I wanted it all!    And that is what we did.  We ordered wings and pizza.   And yes, I ate a half of pizza and half the order of wings!    No holds barred!  I hadn't eaten in 24 hours, I deserved that food!  At least that is what my brain was saying.  My stomach was hungry and was egging the brains thoughts along.  It was a bad combination.

I didn't think much about this until just this week, almost two weeks after the endoscopy when I realized what had really happened.  I had allowed myself to get so hungry (I didn't have a whole lot of say in the matter, although I could have had a light snack when I left the doctors office.  my in-laws were ready and willing to take me someplace to grab a bite to eat.  Food quickly became this huge thing in my mind and nothing would satisfy until I gorged myself.

So, with that said, I love fasting and I do think there are benefits of longer fasts.  But for me, I will stick with the 16:8 fast.  It allows me to eliminate a meal.  It allows my body to reset a bit.   But it keeps me from getting ravenously hungry.  Or maybe I should say what my brain tells me is ravenously hungry   For me, as a food addict, long fasts are not a good thing because it sets that addiction into full play!

Lesson learned!

The endoscopy

Where is time going?   I swear time just seems to go faster and faster each year!!!  I have had plans to sit down and write about my experience with the endoscopy and time just slipped by!   But I’m here now, only two weeks later!  (It could have been worse!  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!!). 

So on June 14th I had my endoscopy!  As I spoke about in my previous post, by the time it was done I had fasted about 24 hours.  And I was hungry!   I made a a few discoveries during that forced fast, which I will delve into in a future post.  ((And I promise to write it SOON!). Anyway, back to the endoscopy!

My in-laws drove me up to my appointment, and my mother in law said she would go in when it was over to hear the report with me, since I would most likely be loopy from the anesthesia.   The fast and the drive were uneventful. The office is efficient and exactly at my appointed time they called me back.  Immediately they got me hooked up to all the machines and gizmos and placed the line for the IV.   The nurse struggled to get an IV.  Three sticks later and she hit gold, or rather she hit blood.  Luckily needles don’t bother me!   At that point, they also made me drink something.  They said it was to break down the gas bubbles in my digestive system.  Thank heavens it didn’t taste bad. Honestly, it was tasteless!   And then I waited for my turn in the procedure room.  The took in my neighbor on the other side of the curtain and the nurse told me ‘he is a colonoscopy and they typically take 20 minutes and then it will be your turn.’   

20 minutes passed, 40 minutes passed, 60 minutes .  I waited an hour and 15 minutes before they came to take me into a procedure room.  

During that time the gal that had come out of the procedure room laid in her bed moaning!  ‘Ouch ouch ouch ouch’. And then more  moans.  Followed by ‘not cool not cool not cool’ then more moans .   The nurses checked on her but never gave her the meds that I am sure she was angling for!  Hahahaha.   Too bad the curtain was pulled, I would have loved to see that drama!

Eventually they came for me.  They apologized and said that the guy in the room took a lot longer than expected.  I , of course said no problem and said ‘not a good sign when they take longer I imagine’.  The nurse grimaced and agreed.   Made me thankful all over again that my colonoscopy in January was quick and they found nothing!!

They finally took me into the room.  I looked at my watch when I went into the room and right before the doctor said hi.  They put this stopper thing in my mouth.   From what I saw it reminded me of a big pacifier that I had to bite down on.  I was focusing heavily because that kind of stuff makes me gag and it was freaking me out a bit in my mind.

The next thing I know I was wondering where the remote control was to turn off the tv!  Yup, the tv i was thinking about turning off, was actually the monitor that the doctor had used during my endoscopy.  My mind was wanting to turn off I guess.  Quickly I realized that I was still in the procedure room.  No worries, I didn’t wake up halfway through the procedure!  I was done!   I remember talking to the nurse but I can’t remember what I said.  I’m sure it was witty and totally coherent!  (Ha). I also looked at my watch and less than 10 minutes had passed. Whew, I hadn’t gone long!

Back in my little recovery/prep area they removed my IV and various monitors.  They alsogave me a drink of water.  (They gave me the smallest  glass of water  for someone that hasn’t had a drink in 8 hours…I was a thirsty girl!!). And I laid there for a few minutes.  The doctor stopped by and gave me the thumbs up.  While my mother in law was supposed to be there for the results, he gave them to me without her.   When the nurse was ‘discharging me’ she asked if I actually remembered what the doctor had said.  I was able to repeat it back to her verbatim.   

They took me and placed me in the care of my parent in-laws and I asked them to take me right away to get a drink!  That Diet Pepsi tasted so dang good!!!  The drive home was uneventful…just lots of chit chat.   

Rather anticlimactic of an experience.  Which is good.

So the results.  The doctor said everything looked good.  They did a biopsy (which I asked if that was normal and they said yes) which of course we will have to wait for the results. The only thing of note was that I have a hiatal hernia.  A very small one apparently. (2 cm). I asked the doctor what we do about that and he immediately answered, “Nothing.”  He went on to say that if it gets bigger and becomes an issue it’s surgery but otherwise nothing.  Ok then.

I see him again in a few weeks (middle of July) and I will get the biopsy results then.  I will talk to him more about the hiatal hernia too.

But you know me, I came home and checked out Doc Google!  Everything I found indicated exactly what he said…except for one thing that I stumbled upon.  That was a doctor of physical therapy.  She does videos (with her dog nearby..how cool) and she had one for hiatal hernia. She makes it sound like certain movements (basically lots of stretching of the torso) will help alleviate symptoms of a hiatal hernia and possibly repair it.  I need to go back and research that some more.  Looking at the comment on her videos people were saying ‘I started this and within weeks the symptoms of the hiatal hernia were gone, and that is after my doctor told me that the only thing to help would be surgery’.  So hmmmmmm.   Ohh and as a side note…hiatal hernia and acid reflux for what I read go hand in hand…more to talk to the doctor about!!!

So that is the scoop…more to come in a few weeks!!!

Shine

I am still doing my word of the week.  Yes, I am kinda shocked that I have maintained it for a half of year!   If you have been reading this long enough, you will notice that I try things but long term seem to ‘forget’ or fall away or move on to something else.  But the word of the week has been fairly consistent!   Sure, I have had weeks where I have maybe forgotten or just plopped a word in there just to have a word of the week.  But for the most part, I have been pretty good with my words of the week.   And even more interesting, I choose words at the beginning of the week and many times they turn into something that is meaningful or motivating for me.

My word of the week last week was Shine.  I was happy with that.  I was going to shine.  But then the whole scale fiasco happened.  (Read about that Here). I didn’t give up and maintained keeping my journal and every time I went to enter my information into my journal, I saw that word of the week.  Shine.  I even laughed a few times because I felt like anything BUT shine.  But the word reminded me daily that we sometimes have to shine even when it’s dark.  So I did it, shine I did.  Maybe it was a bit more like a dull luster, but I did it!

I stayed on course even though I was disappointed and frustrated.  I held myself together.  I I managed to lose 2.6 pounds!  So by holding onto whatever shine I could, I was able to lose 2.6 pounds!

So when this week rolled around, I decided to try the SHINE again.  I am proud of my full luster week!   Just in holding it together was a victory, the weight loss was just icing on the cake.  And if I only can generate a full luster again this week, that’s fine.  But I am aiming for a full sparkle shine!

This week I am continuing the 16:8 fast plan.  I will have a 24 hour fast in this week also.  Makes me nervous because  I did try a 24 hour fast a few weeks ago and failed.  You can read about it Here.) I had no problem reaching the 24 hours. But I gained a pound!    This fast is due to a medical procedure.   I am having an endoscopy on Friday.   No food after midnight…and by the time I get back from the procedure it will be 4ish…so it will be close to dinner…so I will just wait for dinner.    So kinda a forced fast.  I am working to keep my calories under 1500.  I need to get it a bit lower.  I know that 1200-1350 is my sweet spot and I have been hovering closer to the 1500!  But this is a work in progress!

Disappointment

The last week had been full of disappointment and frustration for me as I journey through this effort to lose weight. It’s been a one two punch for sure!

Late last  week I was out picking berries.  I had the dog with me.  She was hooked into a lead that I have set up down in that area of the yard.  All was going well.  I was paying attention to where she was and watching the location of the lead/long leash.  I have been clotheslined by her before.  It’s not fun!  (I had a bruise around my ankle and it looked like I had tried to strangle my ankle to death.)    So being mindful, when she moved in one direction, I hopped over the lead to avoid being caught.   I made it over, but the line got stuck in my sandal.  The dog wasn’t aware and kept going.  I remember my foot in the air being pulled as I tried to shake it off.   And then I went down.  Hard.  On my left side. It hurt and actually brought  tears of pain to my eyes. Fror  a few seconds, I thought that I was seriously hurt. But I was able to move everything and get to my feet.  The dog came rushing to my side. Awww how sweet, she wanted to help, right?  No, she sniffed at me once and then she decided to feast on the bowl of berries that I had dropped.  Because yes, she picks them up off the ground under the tree, but she PREFERS to eat them from my bowl or from my fingers!  Once on my feet, and with my berries once again protected from the dog, I actually was able to continue picking berries.  I figured I would be sore as all get out the next morning.

The pain the next morning wasn’t any worse.  It was just a dull ache when I used my arm.  As a few days passed,  I didn’t even notice it anymore.   That is until this morning.   I made a vow to exercise at least 3 times each week.   I only had one for this week, so I started a walking workout routine this morning (YouTube is great for workouts!)  this one apparently had me moving my arms a lot more than the first one for this week.  Half way through the workout I found myself clutching my shoulder/arm.  Not good.  I toned down the arms and got through my workout.  But now I am in pain just sitting here.   Seriously, this hurts worse than it did in the first day or two after I fell!   Frustrating!

And of course a picture of the berry snatcher.

Of course I remain frustrated at the fasting experiment that I did the other day where I fasted 24 hours and gained a pound! (You can read that Here !)   The pound did not come off.  In fact the scales went up again the next day!   Frustrating

Yes the scales went up the next day too.  By 11 pounds!   Yes, you read that right. 11 pounds!  At that point I was pretty sure that what I had been suspecting was right.  What had I been suspecting?  I had long suspected that my scales were going bad.  My weight was all over the place.  3 pounds up, three pounds down, 5 pounds up.  All within 2-3 days (or less).  That has never been the case for me. I have always been able to identify why my weight was up…or down…or whatever.  But I chalked it up to being in my 50’s.  Hormones you know.   Adding to that though, was the fact that I would step on the scales and the scales would bounce around for up to a minute before settling in its chosen weight.  Half the time I would have to try two or three times because it would give me an error message.  I thought I was just moving around, or the floor was not level.  Or something.  But with the gain of 12 pounds in  2 days, with a one day increase of 11 pounds. I knew that something was wrong!  I mean, one of those days I fasted and the next day I ate about 1400 calories. There was no way!  

So I went out and bought a new scale! I prepared myself.  The scales would probably weight me differently.  I decided to not worry about any gain I saw and just take the new number as a fresh start in June.  And let’s be honest, I was hoping for a loss with the new scales!    Considering that I started this whole post with the line that it has been a week of frustration in my weight loss journey, I’m sure you have already figured out that it wasn’t a loss!  No, it was a gain.   A big one!  So the amount of gain is depending on how you look at it.   If you don’t include the 12 pound gain from the old scales and go back to my pre fast weight, I gained 20 pounds!  (It was about 10 pounds up if you include that 12 pound gain that I experienced).

Demoralizing. Frustrating. Disheartening. Heart breaking. Disillusioned.  

Yes, all those words and more describe how I feel.   I was so happy because I was seeing my weight drop.  I was getting closer to my first goal.  (To be the same weight I was when I met Jason.)  I was killin’ it!  And then in one fell swoop I was 20 pounds heavier.  Instead of being 10 pounds away from that mini goal I was now  30 pounds away. It was enough to make me want to sit and sob.

I know, I know,  my weight the same as it was before the new scales and I didn’t really giant weight and it is just a number.  My losses from May are still effective.  And I know intrinsically that had I not lost 7 pounds in May that it would show me even higher on the new scales.  I KNOW that my efforts were not for naught.   But it sure does feel like it!

It’s been hard for me to wrap my head around an instantaneous weight gain of 20 pounds or shall I call it a recalibration.  Either way, it’s been hard for me to wrap my head around it!  I feel beat down.  I mean.  60 pounds to lose is bad enough…80 is just horrible!  

I haven’t given up. I’m still doing the 16:8 fast.  I’m still keeping my calories at 1400 or less.  I’m still trying to limit my carbs.  But admittedly, my heart hasn’t been in it this week.

A Failure

 My experiment in fasting was a failure the whole way around.  100% failure!

Ok, maybe not a total failure. But mostly a failure!

I have been doing intermittent fasting for the last few weeks and after reading the book Fast like a Girl, I decided that I wanted to do a longer fast!  I was gung ho and decided to aim for a 36 hour fast.   I gave myself an out if it was just too difficult.  I gave myself permission  to stop at 24 hours and make it an OMAD fast, which is one meal a day if I needed to. Maybe that was my first hint that failure would arrive on my doorstop!  

I made it through the day just fine.  I admit to thinking about food on occasion.  However, for the most part I didn't miss food at all.  After work I headed outside and picked mulberries and then I rushed back into the house so that I could start to process my bounty.  I ended up making 3 batches of jelly and 2 batches of syrup, about 30 jars canned in total.  All was good with my fast as I approached hour 24.

And then the unthinkable happened.   I was starting to clean up the kitchen and I picked up a pan that I had made jelly in.  Without thinking, I swiped my finger through a line of jelly and popped my finger into my mouth.  It tasted so good, but immediately I realized my mistake with my mindless taste.   I had messed up my fast with that simple taste of the sugary jelly goodness.  Furthermore, while I hadn't been really hungry or thinking about food, the taste spurred my tastebuds, body and mind (mostly the mind) to all of a sudden want food.  I NEEDED food, or so I thought.

Sooooo, I made myself a grilled cheese and ate some of the mashed potatoes that I made for Jason's dinner. I failed to reach the magic 36 hours.  Not a total failure though, because I did make it 24 hours.   I was disappointed with myself, but ok with what I did.

I couldn't wait to step on the scales.  It was going to be fabulous for sure!  Yeah.....about that......I gained a pound!    I kid you not!  I gained weight!   Isn't that a hoot!  (Not really, but I have to laugh!)

So I learned a few lessons about my longer attempt.

* Remove myself from food and I really don't miss it.

* A single taste will start the mental game telling me to eat.

* Cooking dinner for Jason and then expecting me to not eat is just not going to happen.

* Surprisingly, that grilled cheese and mashed potatoes filled me up completely and I actually even felt stuffed.

* I CAN make it a OMAD without too much difficulty.

 

Will I try it again?  The 36 hour fast?  That is debatable.  I like the concept of burning the fat.   But while someone else is in the house eating, well I'm just not sure it is for me.   The One Meal A Day?   Yes, I probably will.  I think doing the same 16:8 fast is not a long term plan.  Our bodies get used to the same things and I think that switching it up to have a no fast day and /or an OMAD day is good for the body. So I will probably do it again, even though I gained a pound.  Maybe that one pound gain was an anomaly.

 But hey, I have a medical test coming up in 2 weeks and I can't eat after midnight for the test that is at 12:45.   I'll be in the office until about 3 or so and then I have a 1 hour drive home.  So I won't even get home until 4 ish.   I will most likely just wait until dinner at that point so it will be a forced OMAD.   That will be the perfect chance to see if I end up gaining again!  :-)

 My thoughts came to me while I was fasting and going through this process.  And that is, is it even possible to get enough nutrients to function efficiently if one does an OMAD fast?

 Lots of food for thought there.