Well, it is the evening of the last day of the fast. I am so happy it is pretty much done. We were supposed to break the fast tomorrow and Wednesday with only drinking orange juice and vegetable broth, but I went to the grocery store and bought some beautiful vegetables and made a beautiful soup which I ruined at the last minute by adding too much lemon juice (who knew that lemon juice doesn’t really break down in the simmering?) so it was too tart for Mike, but he ate it anyway.
So, while we could have gone for a few more days no problem, there didn’t seem to be any point in doing it. The cleanse didn’t seem to really cleanse us dramatically, and in fact, I felt tired most of the time that I was doing the fast. I am ten pounds lighter but that’s to be expected when half-starving oneself for days. Are my systems detoxed and cleaner? No clue. I went back to read Stanley Burrough’s book and Peter Glickman’s book, and all of a sudden, I read them with different eyes– the information presented seemed pseudo-scientific, and was backed mostly with anecdotal evidence. I feel that perhaps it is dangerous to have these types of books out there that don’t take into account different body types and pre-existing health conditions or contraindications. I went into the fast wanting it to work, and have come out the other side doubting its validity. Which in itself is interesting. I will admit I was susceptible to the lure of a cure-all for the age’s ills. The seductiveness is the simplicity of these fast programs– they ask only for your diligence and stick-with-it-ness, but in the end, deliver up short on actual results. The truth is probably more that we have to make adjustments over a lifetime, not just in 10 days.
I didn’t tell my family that I was doing the fast. I have a father and a brother who are physicians and trained in traditional Western medicine. I knew what their reaction would be, which is (a) rolling of the eyes over this “hippie” nonsense, and (b) anxiousness over whether the fast was harmful. I think that today, if I heard their disbelief in the benefits (and belief in the harms) of the fast, I wouldn’t be bothered by it, and would agree that it was inconclusive whether there were benefits, but for different reasons. I actually did the fast, and that’s what I’m basing it upon, not upon an unwillingness to consider the evidence.
What I do know is that the fast made me feel less human and “on hold.” I was able to work and do all the normal things, except living just wasn’t that fun without being able to eat and socialize with others naturally around eating.
The benefits I think are mostly mental– a switch in the way one thinks, however subtle. I will be more aware of what I put into my gullet. That is just one brick in the wall of discipline that some of us constantly try to build. Are there other ways to build this awareness? Probably.
Anyway. I am looking forward to cooking and eating again. Nous avons faire la cuisine, mon cherie.
holy bajoli! miss a week, miss A LOT!
i’m not commenting about any of the last three posts, cuz i haven’t read them yet!
look at all them words!
ok. gonna read, but must do hw first.
coming back later to REALLY comment
Comment by gaela — November 8, 2007 @ 5:40 am
NPR 11.22.07 – Most emailed stories podcast, part II:
Retune the body with partial fasting.
Interesting (although very short) scientific look at partial fasting, or eating every other day to avoid illness, lower blood pressure, increase brain protection against alzheimers and stroke, and cell energetic efficiency.
However, long term fasting is thought of as sort of bad, because muscle is broken down first releasing stores of nitrogen (which in large amounts is toxic!).
Anyway, thought of you while listening… couldn’t imagine eating every other day, but now that i’m gaining weight like a cute chubby panda, i’m willing to try it!
G
Comment by gaela — November 24, 2007 @ 6:13 pm
What were the final results? The final “tally”? Did you drop 6 sizes like I read on one blog?
Comment by Vivevtvivas — December 15, 2007 @ 6:52 pm
Just a thought….I have been on a cleansing diet. Kind of a Maker’s Diet cleanse for 40 days and am eliminating genetically modified foods from my diet as best I can. I had been feeling very fatigued prior. I am now on day 16. I’ve been using olive leaf for 2 weeks and feel much better.
Anyhow, God kind of showed me after some pretty intense prayer, that my problem is not what I’m eating—I eat pretty good. My problem is mycoplasma(s). They are very small, slow growing bugs (microorganism) that are very contagious and are linked to chronic fatgue, fibromyalgia, ALS, MS, Gulf War syndrome, atherosclerosis and just about any degenerative disease that is out there. Some form of a mycoplasma was most likely present in every vaccine we ever had as children and adults, and it has been weaponized by our Federal Govt. Additionally they were in the vaccines used on Gulf war vets.
I would be totally freaked out if God had not also told me that there is an antidote. Olive leaf is the most broad spectrum antibiotic/antifungal currently available in the world. 6 weeks on a good quality form of Olive leaf should kill most mycoplasma. 12 weeks on it would ensure you have eradicated all of it from your body. Unfortunately if you have a mycoplasma so do most of your friends and loved ones and it can lay dormant in the body for years until a recent stress brings it out.
Mycoplasmas are currently infecting many in the US today. check it out and God Bless
Comment by caroline — February 27, 2008 @ 12:02 am