What I said last night, about not knowing whether I was hungry, this introspection is one of the benefits of fasting. To be in new place where one can question things that are not questioned on a daily basis. Such as, I got to wondering when I became a grown-up. Looking back at my childhood, I can identify certain phases or actions that were clearly childish. Now I am a married, property-owning father with employees and multiple insurance policies, so it is obvious that somewhere I transitioned into adulthood. I still, however, am not a distinguished member of the community. … The very idea that I should aspire to such a reputation speaks to my adulthood.
As best I could work it out at my campfire last night, my transition to adulthood began with my brother’s death (age 17) and “completed” in 2011 (age 28) when the city moved to revoke my rental licenses. Also by this time I had found my confidence with women and met Nicole. I had written a number of bad loans and learned that people don’t always do what they promise they will do. I had moved out of my parents’ house and bought my own. I was fired from my first (and only) job out of college. I had started my own business and grown my real estate portfolio. I had done a lot of growing up. But that only brings us to the start of my adulthood.
Also, my ketones are coming! My urinalysis strips are not precise, but by their color I guess that I am at about level 2.5-3 (with maybe 5 being the target). I started out at zero, meaning that my body was not burning any fat, which makes sense because I was feeding it lot of delicious things like broccoli, brown rice, and chocolate. But now, good, I have flipped into ketosis. I am finally able to access the wealth of stored energy I worked so hard to build up. I am feeling good and not hungry (not hungry, I just miss my good friend Food). I am slightly concerned by the tickle in the back of my throat, reminiscent of the sore throat that plagued me at the end of my last extended fast.