1/5/2022
Just a few notes on my preparations for my upcoming fast. I have not had any alcohol since New Year’s Eve. I have switched my daily lunch from two sandwiches (four slices of buttered, whole-wheat bread, mayo, guacamole, two eggs, two slices of cheese, and 1/4 cup of shredded pork) to a large bowl of salad with walnuts, a diced avocado, two sliced eggs, blue cheese, and salad dressing. So I am cutting out the butter, mayo, and meat. I am still eating fish (salmon) and chicken. I am concerned about losing too much weight before my fast begins, so I am also eating as much candy as I can stomach. I am not sure that this is the correct approach. Ideally, I think, I would just stick with the salad routine, drop a few pounds before my fast, and then begin the fast. But I am already down from 160# on December 16th to 158# today. My safe cut-off weight is 132#. … Maybe I would push that to 130#, but that will be my lowest.
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1/11/22
My dad just gave me a book on fasting for Christmas. It is scary to realize how much I don’t know about the foods I consume and how they work with the machinery of my body. The book is changing my concept of what fasting can be, and why I might want to do it. The book is making me wish I had been more careful with my diet over the past two months. It is making me wish I had eased by body into ketosis *before* starting my fast.
… Some quick research shows that I still have enough time (four days) to get into ketosis before my fast. Strict dietary restrictions beginning NOW! Jeepers, you know something? It is harder for me to restrict my diet than to fast.
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1/13/22
Keto
I have eaten no carbs or sugar since the night before last. Some carbs in the Brussels sprouts and lettuce, yes, but no grains, potatoes, etc. No fruit, either (sugar). I am eating as much as I want but starting to feel as though it’s not enough. I want sugar and starches!
…
It is bedtime now. I can eat as much of anything as I like, so long as it is on the diet list. And I don’t want any of it. What I am feeling, I’m sure, is my body running down its glucose. I must be about out. And this is the first time I have experienced the transition to ketosis outside of fasting. Emotionally, it is easier for me to experience this shift while I am still eating. Clearly, when I am eating bacon and eggs and cheese, I am not starving. Just now, I have the remainder of my dinner (one pound of ground pork) sitting at my place. Makes me sick to even think of it. But oh! I wish I could have a glass of grape juice. And so, the food cravings begin.
Normally, I go through my day without minding many of my body’s urges. For example, when I have to go to the bathroom, I just do. It’s not something to think about. Similarly, when I’m hungry, I eat something. Already I am feeling the necessity of being more mindful about the condition and state of my body. I need to feel what this running out of glucose feels like. I need to feel it in order that I can accept it. But if I treat it as something that I don’t want to look at, well, it’s not going anywhere!
What it feels like, so far, is a little jittery. My body feels hungry and my stomach feels full at the same time.
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