5 Thought Friday

Final week for the fasting group so I dedicated the blog to answer a few questions, review the fasting options and, talk about my stats that I learned from.

1.       What I am currently reading, viewing, or listening to:

• Listening to my fasting group

• There were several questions I received, which I will attempt to answer based on various articles and research:

  • How can I understand fasting more? I recommend reading Dr. Jason Fung’s book on Fasting. It’s an easy read!

  • How do you start a fast? This mindfulketo blog will help you understand more about the mental and physical prep needed

  • What might I eat that could accidentally break my fast? This article from Kion is an awesome guide (be aware there is sales talk about their products at the end)

  • What would you recommend to fight off the hunger pains? This is simple to answer. Drink water, tea, or black coffee. There is also the ability to mentally manage your thoughts to push through the hunger, which subsides normally in about 1 hour.

  • How do I break my fast when it’s over? Check out the Diet Doctor’s advice (#5 and #6 in this article)

2.       Gratitude Practice (for improved happiness):

• Grateful to have such an amazing group of friends step out of their comfort zone and attempt fasting. We great to see how we all supported each other in our individual journeys.

• Fasting is counter to what most of us learned growing up, so it can be mentally difficult to believe in the potential health benefits.

3.       Wellness ideas to consider:

• The 4 choices for the fasting group of 6 persons were as follows:

  (1) intermittent fasting for a week for a min of 12 to 22 hours daily; 3 individuals chose this path

  (2) Caloric liquid fast of at least 24 hours with a target of 3 to 5 days; nobody chose this path

  (3) Non-caloric liquid fast of at least 24 hours with a target of 3 to 5 days; 3 chose this option with a 4 day fast (me), a 2.5 day fast, and a 24 hour fast followed by intermittent fasting for the remainder of the week

  (4) opt-out and do not fast; nobody opted out

• What option would you consider? Check out the benefits from Dr. Mindy Pelz

4. What I’m eating, drinking, buying, or whatever else is on my mind:

• Water, black coffee, and tea for 4 straight days; zero calories for 94 hours. You have to watch what your body tells you and my blood pressure (BP) was high (144 / 70) by day 4 and my blood sugar was dangerously low (53 mg/dl)……Yes, it was really time to start eating.

• Glad I bought my Omron BP machine and KetoMojo blood sugar/ketone monitor to keep track of my vitals. I plan to do the caloric liquid fast by taking bone broth during my fast to ensure my vitals stay in safe zones.

5. Quote(s) I am Pondering:

• “The best of all medicines is resting and fasting.” Benjamin Franklin

• I do not think this needs any explanation

Happy Friday and congrats on a job well done with the “newbie fasters”!

Mike