"What if we did a water fast?"
~ Louis Shoulman
"Okay!"
~ Stryker (a month ago)
"Why tf am I doing a water fast?"
~ Stryker (today)
(You're almost there bud, but not quite...)
Last night's struggle bus
Last night, however, was rough. I went to bed at around 11:30. One of my roommates enjoys very late night workouts, so he returned from his workout as I was asleep. All was good in the hood, I was still sound asleep, then it hit me. As soon as he began to cook his post-workout meal, I was awoken by the delectable fumes of grilled chicken as the fragrance began to waft beneath my door and into my room. My mind was quickly alerted that there was fresh food in the vicinity and the ensuing battle through the rich flavors of chicken, butter, salt, and pepper was easily the most difficult of the past 4.5 days... WHY? Why must I endure this torture??
I finally was able to get back to sleep about an hour later. Unfortunately, that early waking sat a precedent for the rest of the night; I had trouble sleeping knowing that I would be able to break my fast in under 24 hours.
Celebration #1: I woke up this morning!
My family had instilled in me a worry that I might not be able to wake up. Well, luckily I proved them wrong (LOL). I am living and walking around. After lighting some candles in my room to ensure there would be no more remnants of the tasty chicken, I made my way to the scale for my second to last weigh in.
Day 5: 9:35 am
166.6 lbs
5.1% body fat
49.3% muscle mass
This morning I had back to back to back meetings followed by a lecture, so keeping my head on straight was relatively easy outside of the ongoing tingling throughout my body. After class, I made my way to the store to pick up all the food essentials for recuperating my digestive system. I need to ensure I am prepared for the journey ahead of me as I embark on the mission to regain the weight I lost, but in a healthy fashion.
How I'm feeling
Today I am pretty tired to be quite honest. Likely a combination of the bad sleep I got last night along with not having food. The chills have persisted, however, I am no longer jittery, so that's a big plus. As previously mentioned, the tingliness continues to run throughout my body. I don't think this will cease until I have had my first meal back.
As of 4:46, I feel a little lethargic, but nothing too crazy. Almost how you would feel if you had the flu. I unfortunately was given a homework assignment today in class (not listed on syllabus) that is due tonight at 9 pm. Rude... who assigns homework to a college student on a Friday and makes it due later that day? Ruthless. Anyhow, that should help me focus in so the time will fly by as I make it through my final few hours of fasting.
Getting back into the swing of eating... wooooo
Since I've had nothing but water for an entire week, a lot of my digestive enzymes are not in their normal amounts within my stomach. Therefore, I will have to gradually ease myself back onto my normal diet.
In order to get my stomach kickstarted, I am going to start off with some green tea infused with ginger and with a plash of ACV. Green tea in particular has been shown to promote digestion, so having this before I eat will help to ensure my stomach and intestines are producing what they need to so I can properly digest my food. Ginger is another great activator of the digestive system and just good for you in general, so that'll be a nice addition. The apple cider vinegar is really just to help do one final "clean out" of my system. It's healthy, kills bad bacteria in your gut, and (to me) tastes pretty good.
After consuming this cocktail, I plan on eating some chicken soup. The broth is suggested for those recovering from long periods of fasting and the warmth of the soup will feel great. I'll also do some peas and kale - these fresh vegetables are supposedly also great for getting off the fast. Other things I will eat: coconut oil (MCTs, or medium chain triglycerides, will help my liver recover from only burning bodily fat the past few days), kimchee (fermented foods of any kind are high in good enzymes for the gut via probiotic bacteria), and my usual multivitamin supplement. Things I'm trying to avoid: anything with high levels trans fats, sugars, or any form of highly processed carb. These will not only lead to me feeling bloated, but will have serious adverse effects to my fast and overall health.
I have heard that the first time eating after an extended fast like this is a truly super-sensory experience... I'm very much looking forward to tasting these wonderful foods again. Supposedly it's like a baby trying real food for the first time... yum.
Closing notes
I had been planning to go celebrate a friend's birthday at a local restaurant today. When I mentioned the fast, I was able to get the time for dinner moved back to 8:30 - perfect. However, I noticed today that they do not have soup on the menu. I will therefore be bringing a bottle of my own chicken noodle soup - YUMMM. I will ensure to take one last measurement as close to the time when I need to. Also - don't worry, I will be sure to take videos of my first few drinks/bites of food.
The following is an estimation for my closing numbers...
Day 5: Final (hypothesis)
165.6 lbs
5.2% body fat
47.4% muscle mass
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