Really I would not bother read this posting if I was not me. My Fast. Part 3. The day(s) after. Yawn...

Dear Reader,

No, no trick heading.  It is true this is not the wittiest or most exciting posting you will ever read on Irish Stew for the Soul.  So if you are not interesting in fasting if I was you, I would go back and look at Dale Chihuly´s beautiful glass sculptures one more time.

So why post the posting you might ask?  Well the fast was an interesting experience for moi, and this is my blog after all, so I can do what I like - in the parameters of P.G. 13 1/2.   I can write, but you don´t have to read!...

The After Fast Thoughts. 

My fast is well done by now, more than a month.  So looking back here is how it went.

Monday - three days after breaking fast.

Getting back to ´normal´still in progress: eating ´good for me stuff´ in small portions and slowly, Getting more back into action too with contacting people and more physical activity.  Mental alertness still there, but almost as soon as I broke fast, the red eyes came back!  The real work of fasting goes on inside physically, emotionally, and even spiritually.  So I understand.  So how was the fasting experience for moi physically, emotionally, and spiritually?

Physical Changes:

Fasting for me was not fun,  I  did it because for MOST people fasting is good for one´s body; fasting rests the digestive system and gives the body a chance to discard toxins etc. including cholesterol.  The latter being the most important issue for me.

Experts in the field advise that for people in good health in the average weight range, the body starts drawing on its own stored nutrients after 3 days.   Somehow I don´t think that happened for me.  I was weak through out the fast.  On the 6th day of the fast I cut myself, nothing serious, the usual cooking kind of cut.  Usually I hardly notice such cuts and the heal within 3 or 4 days or so.  ( A marvel of good health right there!)  But, when I cut myself during the fast I know it was a bit of an issue for my body.  I felt my body was trying to rally, without success.  It did not appear to have resources to call on.  When this happened I would have stopped fasting immediately even if I had not planned to.

Another thing during fasting is that after the first 3 days or so, one´s skin should begin to glow etc because of toxins being expelled.  I did not glow at all.  Not one little bit did I glow!

Immediately after breaking the fast I was not hungry at all, then after the first few days post fast my appetite became very strong; I was eating four meals a day at least.  All good fruity and salads etc that I felt my body wanted, and craved.  Fasting would certainly not be a good was to lose weight, it is lost and comes back within weeks, or even days.  I returned to my normal weight in about 3 weeks.

My strength  came back slowly, slower than I expected.  I was not back to ´normal´ strength for  a full two weeks - it being 2  weeks after I stopped fasting that I enjoyed my first long bike ride.

Emotional Changes.  Spiritual Awareness.

It was easy to made the decision to fast.  My circumstances were good; I cannot imagine doing a fast under stress of any kind be it health, problems with family members or in other relationships, or with work or money issues etc.  Fortunately I am in a place in time where there were no pressing stressful matters.

Logistical issues too would be a problem; I could not imagine fasting and working, or if I was rushing to a deadline or something.  Being around family or other people who were not in fasting mode etc. would not be easy either. As I said in an earlier posting, Romeo H. fasted with me for the first three days, that was a big psychological help.  Fasting when one´s nearest and dearest are scoffing down burgers and b.b.q ribs, followed by yummy fresh baked apple tart would not be easy.

With all those ducks being in a row, the main emotional issue for me was: the experience of hunger.  I never saw myself as a person who would, or could, or wanted to, fast.  I can get stressed if I feel even a slight hunger pang.  So frankly I surprised myself by going for more than a few hours with out food, never mind 7 WHOLE DAYS!

Many peoples´s experience with fasting is that it can bring up all sorts of emotional and or spiritual issues.  Not so for me, I don´t know if it was because there are no issues, or, that the issues are so deep down, it would take more than 7 days of hunger to bring them to the fore!  Either way no new wisdoms whatsoever.   Bambug.

That said, I did have some moments of awareness, whereby one balances what one likes, or not, in one´s  life.  The marvel of good health was strong too.  That said, such awareness come by me when I am ´in my zone´ cycling, and means to be at one with one´s self is MUCH more fun!

The Big Questions:

Was it worth it?   Will I fast again?
As far as I can surmise, fasting did not bring all the wonderful health benefits mental or physical that many others talked of having experienced during or after fasting.

I was weak throughout, and getting back to normal strength took longer than I had expected.   Mentally the fast was no particular stress, which I thought it would be.  But  physically I am not aware of the great expulsion of toxins after my digestive system had a good rest, one of the aims of fasting I understand.

The Pluses.

That said there were some pluses.  My mental capacity was greatly improved during the fast.  Far greater than it had ever been in my whole life.   As a result I was able to teach myself the Microsoft Excel program.

This was weird, but in a good way; usually I can only sit and do mental work for 1 1/2 hours two at the most, after that my mind and my eyes feels the strain.  During the fast however, into the fifth and sixth days I was able to do brain work for well over eight and up to ten hours with only small pauses.  And, my eyes were never red.  Some people experienced with fasting, do talk of better mental alertness.  But up to 500% better, wow!

Also the awareness of and the gratitude for good health hit me strongly; the whole concept of food being a source of energy that enables body functions and mental and physical activity.  That did amaze me.   I noticed that especially after eating the first morsels of food after seven days.  I could feel my body reeving up and I was very grateful for my body´s capacity to do that.

And the cholesterol count, did my cholesterol numbers improve?  Well m docytor, who made no comment on my fasting one way or another, did test my cholesterol numbers.  My cholesterol count did improve significantly, but the numbers were still higher than the ´desirable´ range for cholesterol.

The good doctor dourly pointed out, if my cholesterol is too high when I was not even eating, then there is not a darn thing I can do about it - it´s in the genes.   So she agreed I should do all the right things re. eating and exercising well, but there would be no point in my taking medicine for the cholesterol when it is always going to be there anyway. Yipee!

Was it worth it?

Frankly for me, no it was not worth it.  I learned Excel, lowered my cholesterol count, and marveled at the wonder and gift of good health, the latter I can be aware of on a lovely bike ride with far less pain. So to go through all that fasting and recovery.  Nope for me it was not worth it.

Will I do it again, unlikely.  That said I won´t close out the option of a fast for a shorter period of time.   However with the first 12 hours to 60 hours are the hardest... so I don´t know.