The Fast Journey

As of week 2 of this semi-fast (usually 14-15 hours of fasting), I noticed a steady pattern, that my stomach would start to act up at around 13 hours of fasting. I had never experienced this before, and to my mind it was an indication that my body was starting to tell me that it's time to find nourishment. Sometimes the churning would be so loud, I'd be concerned others could hear it! It reminded me of reading about Winnie the Pooh whining about his "rumbly tumbly" and wanting to eat. I had never considered the true biology behind this concept, and it brought a smile to my face to think about this cute, round bear, when I'd feel these churns and grumbles in my middle. Tomorrow, I begin my 4th week of this semi-fasting. This past week, the stomach grumbles somewhat subsided. Or, perhaps I'm just getting used to it?

Today was an important day - I had a big event, and I needed to make sure I was really "on my game". With that, I wasn't sure what to do about my morning fast: do I stick to it, or do I "cheat"? Over the past week, I noticed 2 mornings that I was somewhat forgetful and thought to myself: was that due to fasting? Was I experiencing this fuzzy-brain that is a result of lack of glucose? Or was it my normal forgetfulness, with more awareness due to the fast? ...or increased forgetfulness, but for other reasons (other outside stresses and distractions, perhaps)? I wasn't sure if I'm more forgetful than usual or not. AND is that in any way caused by, or correlated to, fasting? So many questions... and no time to really sit and evaluate. So I chose to "cheat". I ate breakfast (multi-grain bread with fresh avocado... at least nothing too "junky")! I have mixed emotions about it. I want to be fully committed to fasting... but to what...

Today I had my first-ever realization about, and association with, comfort food. I was reading a post on a group that I belong to, for parents of kids with tumors. This father had lost his daughter a few years ago, and he posted a beautiful tribute to her, on the anniversary of her passing. I literally had tears running down my cheeks, as I read. Immediately following, I got up to get my cup of black coffee from the kitchen - the zero calorie beverage of choice to get me through my morning. As soon as I entered the kitchen, I felt a HUGE pull to eat some breakfast. I had never felt such a strong, visceral drive to grab what was on the table. It wasn't a physical hunger. It was a need for something to fill this sad-space in me, to comfort this pain that I was feeling, after reading the post. It took me a few minutes to realize what was happening, and the truth was absolutely clear: I wasn't hungry from a physical need. I was hungry for comfort, and the drive was palpable...

There are a lot of influences in my life, that have led me to this idea of semi-fasting. Most of them boil down to one thing: stress. I've been observing how stress has built resilience for many people, and that resilience has many effects - from luminous careers to radical longevity. My mother in law is a case of the latter. She has led a life filled with stress, and now, at 89, she is productive, upbeat, and healthy. Her stresses weren't of the modern-day "oh, my work is rough, and I hate my boss" sort. Here's her story, in a very-brief nutshell: Her stresses started with being born second in a family of 5 children, all living together in one room with their parents. When I say "one room" I mean just that: there was no kitchen or lavatory. The cooking was done outside on the floor, and the communal bathroom was down the block. It goes without saying that there was no electricity. She grew up going to bathhouses to wash, and cooking from day-to-da...

It was December 31, 2017 when I decided to take the plunge. It wasn't a New Year's thing, even though it seems like it from the timing. I really wasn't interested in any sort of "new year's resolution" - that's just not how I roll, not my thing. But what IS my thing is health. And longevity. I'm convinced that there ARE ways that I can find to trick my body past cancers, heart problems, and popular diseases of the modern-era, and benefit from a long and productive life. So a few weeks ago, I had an interesting ad that flowed through my Facebook feed. This guy - this trainer - claims that his wife achieved a flat tummy and regained incredible strength and energy after chemotherapy by doing a 12-minute interval training. Blah blah blah. I wasn't concerned with the exercise - I exercise regularly already. But he had me caught on promoting the idea of *exercising while fasting*. That, apparently, kicks in hormones that will trigger the body to tap ...