Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Day 1b --- Full of fun...not really

Day 1 --- Full of fun...not really.

Day one (again) started on Tuesday October 22, 2013.  But the background was really on the day before.

The day began by taking my dear mother-in-law on a surprise trip to the hospital.  It was quite difficult for all of us, certainly hardest on her. After being released we needed to follow-up at home.  Suzy and I have needed to be available for her 24 hours a day.  I'm manning the post during the day, and Suzy has been there at night. Needless to say, I found myself very distracted and busy all day.

It was at about 10:00 PM last night, after the day of doctors, when I decided that I would start the fast in the morning.  I realized that if I'm going to do this again, it needs to be now.  The next chunk of available time would not be until January or perhaps a slight chance in December.  I know that Suzy would like to for me to be thinner, and I would for sure.  I'm just not there yet.  So, I decided that I would start in the morning.

The first, and most important, order of business was to make a soup for it's broth to drink. I knew that I shouldn't put it off until the morning so late last night I made a ham hock and white bean soup.  I thought that my wife and mother-in-law could enjoy the ham and beans, and I, the broth.  I also had made a chicken soup at my  mother-in-law's house on the Riviera the earlier in the day just to help her feel better.  I knew that I could have some of that broth as well.  I was off to a good start.

This was like the first day all over again.  I was completely fine except for the temptation to grab a handful of nuts or a cracker when I was hungry.  It was not bad though, just needing to re-train myself to consume broth when I'm hungry.  It really becomes a day of changing habits from eating solid foods to drinking liquid foods.

Overall a great day, just busy.

Revisiting the broth fast --or-- Here we go again

Revisiting the broth fast --or-- Here we go again

I was happy to have lost almost 27 pounds in 29 days but, and as expected, I gained 5 pounds back for a net loss of 22 pounds.  Dr. Saunders had told me that this would happen and said that it is normal to gain back about 5 pounds while maintaining a healthy diet. The key was "healthy" for me.   I can have pretty much anything.  That's how I choose to look at it.  I just can't have carbs and sugars, which I have to cut out anyway as I am nearly diabetic.  But pretty much everything else is ok, or ok within reason.  No soda at all, be really that is just being smart.  Soda is really bad for you, look it up if you want. Limited cheese, and stay away from milk.  The milk part is easy, but I really like cheese.  But it's fine, because I can have "enough" for me.  Of course if I just started eating like I did before, I would quite likely return to the same size and condition.   

But then....for one meal, every two weeks, I can eat whatever I want.  Anything is OK.  Carbs, sugar, whatever I want for one meal.  Even though I can "go crazy" But as it says in 1 Corinthians 10-23 "Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial".  How's that?  Got a little Bible in there, perhaps out of context.

I used to weigh 145, back at my healthiest.  I think that a the correct size for me would be between 145 and 150.  To do that, I need to lose about 15-20 pounds, knowing that I'm going to gain 5 pounds after I finish the broth fast.  Consequently, I need to fast for about 15 to 22 days.  I know that I can do it, it's just it would have been easier to have continued past day 29, when I ended.  I remember thinking, and probably writing, that I felt that I could easily go 40 days.  I know that I could have.  I found that I should have stayed on the fast longer.  

I've lost a net 22 pounds and I'm still too heavy. So, because I didn't hit my weight goal I need to do this again.  And before someone thinks, "what if he takes this too far?"  I have a specific goal and I also do not want to get too thin.  I wouldn't look good or be healthy if that happened. 

Oh well, this will be interesting to compare this time to last time.  Will it be easier the second time through because I now know what to expect?  Or will it be easier because I just cleansed myself for a month, only a few weeks ago, and have since been eating healthfully? Or will this be more difficult because it get's harder when there is less fat to lose?  I keep you posted.

So, the adventure begins again.  


Day 52 --- An update (Last 3 weeks)


Day 52 ---  Update

For the last few days since finishing my fast, I have been very busy. I went to Philadelphia , and Cherry Hill, with a quick run out to Atlantic City before leaving for Gettysburg, then up to Rochester, NY, next down to St. Charles County, Maryland, finally turning north to Washington DC, Philadelphia again, Atlantic City again, then up to Newark, NJ to fly home.  Arriving home I had a dear friend in town for a matter of about 9 hours total.  I played tour guide while setting up for a garage sale, to which we awoke the next morning.  Somehow I hurt my back during the sale, pretty significantly, and laid low the following day. Then off with Suzy to take her mom to the hospital for a freak accident but one that needed to be checked out.  Thank the good Lord, all appears completely fine. So, after a quick grocery run for my wife and mother-in-law, who will be together, or with me, for the better part of the next week, I made a chicken soup with Suzy and also some cooked gizzards, which is a real favorite for my mom-in-law.. It's been a whirlwind.  And that is the succinct version.  If anyone wants to know the details, post a comment and I'll get into it. 

Since I finished the fast, I have eating "normally" again.  I can eat almost anything, except starches and sugar.  That might sound like I have huge limitations but in truth I have been completely satisfied with this new diet.

But with all that stress and tension and stress, I have stuck to the doctor prescribed diet.  I only cheated one time. And even then, Dr. Saunders said to go for it, and I did.  I was going to be attending a Philadelphia Flyers game and while there I ate a cheese steak and half an ice cream.  It was delicious, but not all that much better than what I had been eating.

I've been able to have great salads with beef, turkey, chicken, and fish.  I've had lots of healthy food that I really enjoyed.  Perhaps it was the result of my taste buds changing from the fast, and perhaps it was just my appreciation for solid foods.

Either way, I'm happy, content, and healthy.