Thursday, October 10, 2013

Day 37 --- reflections and results of this fast

Day 37 – reflections and results

I've been wanting to take some time just to record how I have been feeling and the results that I have seen since I have completed this fast.

I remembered when I first started this reading reports of people who have done similar fasts. I kind of felt like they were overstating their results a bit perhaps to justify their actions. But I must say, I really do feel much better than I have in a long, long, long time

Some of my dear friends who are following this know that I have had a really rough go for quite a few years. It is hard to explain how great I feel now in comparison.

One of my biggest struggles was depression. That coupled with a very negative attitude. I'm not sure which one leads to which but certainly they both existed pretty significantly together, not too mention a significant amount of pain in my back, and some other things as well.  I was to the point where I could not maintain a normal life without getting medication. I was taking 60 mg of a particular antidepressant. I have to say that it did help and it had an unusually low degree of side effects. Just before starting this I decided I would try to cut back a little bit.  As I went through the 30 day broth fast, I kept cutting back on my meds. By the time I finished the fast I was down to 20 mg per day. I'm not sure I really even need that much but I don't want to mix things up too much at this time. 

The irony is that I'm feeling so wonderful. It would make sense that if I'm taking less of an antidepressant that I would be feeling more depressed but the exact opposite has been the case. I truly believe it's because of this diet and eating properly. I find that I am not tired during the day. I'm happy to stay up a little bit later than I might normally and I feel fine with less sleep than I had been getting prior to this fast. 

Additionally, and quite significantly, my self-image has gone up greatly. Although I have demonstrated a good degree of arrogance in the past, much of that was probably covering up my poor self image.  I remember speaking with a counselor once told me that I should look in the mirror and tell myself, "I love you". I thought that was a little odd and thought perhaps I would try it. I was unable to do finish the simple task. Now things have changed. I caught myself brushing my hair and looking at myself in the mirror and thinking, "you're okay", "you're doing alright". That is probably the most significant self-affirmation statement I feel like I have ever made in my life.

Perhaps all of this is too personal but there it is. Also my relationship with my wife has improved significantly. I find myself more in love with her than ever before. Amazing to think that we've been married 15 years and I feel like we're just beginning to date.  

Another result that I have seen is my quantity of food intake has dropped quite significantly. I have heard people say that your stomach shrinks. I don't know if that is true, but I do know that I am eating a whole lot less. Dr. Saunders told me that my taste buds would change. I found that a little bit hard to swallow. Yes, that is a pun.  But yet this morning at breakfast I ate two very large tomato slices. That may sound insignificant but I was that guy who really did not care for tomatoes. I am really enjoying the healthy fruits and vegetables and nuts. 

Overall, I kind of feel like a bit of a new person. I almost feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. But I have a feeling that losing this weight, and more importantly changing the way my body metabolizes foods, will be a way of life for me and not just a flash in the pan. The results have been so fantastic, that I would not want to take the chance of reverting back to my old and unhealthy diet. 

Overall, I'm doing great! I feel better than I have in years and years.

Day 36 --- wrapping up in New Jersey on my way to Pennsylvania

Date 36 --- Lots of travel from state to state

Today is Wednesday and I was supposed to be on my way to Pennsylvania today but decided to stick around for the morning to spend a little bit more time with the school in Cherry Hill. This ended up being a very good choice!  We had an excellent meeting. I thoroughly enjoy working with the school. Highway tells me I say that all the time.

While I was with to the members of the administrative team they mentioned a school somewhat nearby that need some help. They picked up the phone and called in a reference for me would sure warmed my heart.  I followed up with a phone call in the next thing I knew rather than driving west from Cherry Hill New Jersey I was driving east to the Atlantic Ocean. But I was thrilled to do this.

I ate very light Lee most of the day. Predominantly some nuts and a little bit of fruit. It wasn't that I felt restricted or like this was the only thing I could eat. In all honesty I really didn't want anything else. I was completely satisfied. I didn't really want to stop nor did I feel like I was being deprived. This was my choice. One that I was completely satisfied by making.

After my meeting on the coast, I turned around and drove west to Gettysburg Pennsylvania. It is such an amazingly historic area. For dinner I had a Greek salad. This was a salad of greens, Kalamata olives, a little bit of feta cheese, some pinenuts, and all served with some homemade vinaigrette on the side. Again it was another great meal. I was hardly suffering. I was listening to a band that I really liked and did splurge with part of a beer for dinner. I won't let myself drink more than half a beer. I enjoy the flavor, and quite honestly I'm not really looking to get drunk anyway. So I sip the beer slowly, enjoy the flavor, and then give it back to the bartender when I've consumed about half.

I haven't had access to a scale so I don't really know how much weight I have game. Dr. Saunders said that I will most likely gained 5 pounds. He said that is pretty normal. Even if I gained 5 pounds, I know that this new diet has helped me immeasurably. I feel like the future is getting much brighter.