Day 2 draft

Day 2 of the 2016 Broth Fast


If you're new to this...Here's the latest. So 2 1/2 years ago I did the 30 Day Broth Fast and lost 35 pounds in 2 months and eliminated a whole host of medical problems. I ended up losing another 10 pounds literally without trying over the next few months. Now with about 45,000 people reading this blog, I thought it was time to assemble a book.  You're welcome to read from this point or you can go back a couple of years and start at the beginning.  If you'd like to do that:  CLICK HERE

For those of you who have been following this, here's the update on Day 2 of the latest broth fast.

Yesterday was really hard.  It hit me like BAMM! 

There was this intense desire to eat and although it is been a while since I have done this (broth fast), yesterday seemed harder than any other day so far. I really hadn't experienced anything like this during the other two times that I fasted in the past. But what I learned was that for some people there's going to be a point where it just seems too overwhelming.

I had that feeling, that questioning, could I actually do this? Was I going to make it? I was ravishing. I was literally so hungry that I was actually nervous. Anxious. Anxious about the fact that I didn't have food to eat...solid food that is. I had that feeling of impending doom. Like something was going to happen to me, something unpleasant. If you've ever dealt with anxiety issues before, like I have, you might understand the feeling.  It felt like I was going to die or something. Even though there were no symptoms, I felt like I was going to have a heart attack or pass out or explode, I didn't know what but it just felt scary.

It truly overwhelmed me and became my most prevalent thought. It was more than a momentary obsession, it felt like it was life or death. I almost had that feeling like "My gosh! I have to eat right now otherwise I'm going to die." It was that type of hungry. But in reality, it'd only been two days. And I had "some" broth 4 hours earlier. Oh and this feeling... it was the second time that it came over me in the same day, but the earlier was certainly not as bad as this one.

So how did I make it through? I just stayed convicted. I had to have my brain and logic trump my physical body's request. I knew that the feelings were strictly related to my body craving the carbs and sugars that it had been getting on such a regular basis. I knew that I would get plenty of nutrition in the broth if I just drank it. That "was" my "food". And why was I so crazy hungry? I hadn't eaten! I did not have enough calories that day. I did not get enough nutrition. Whatever you want to call it, I had not ingested enough to stay satisfied.

But I "knew" that this feeling would subside in a matter of minutes, certainly in less than an hour, as long as I had some broth. 

I know enough now about broth fasting to be certain that I needed to have more than 1/2 a cup or even a whole mug. I needed to have at least two. And I needed to slam them.

So I poured some of my basic chicken broth into a mug and then quickly tried to aerate it to cool it down so that it would be warm rather than hot. I even took a glass that we keep in the freezer and poured some of the soup into the chilled and frosty glass to try to cool it quickly. I was so hungry, I wasn't interested in taking my time to savor the flavor. I just needed to get something in me, and get something in me fast.  I know the importance of drinking broth quickly. For this reason I usually keep the broth at a warm, not hot, temperature. I first make the soup, cooking it on high in the crockpot, sometimes leaving it on high for quite a while. Hours, sometimes even a full day or more.  This strengthens the flavor. It also, I believe, adds to the nutritional value. But once the flavor is set, I turn it down not just to low but to warm. In truth, I really don't want to drink it hot. It is so much better and easier to drink warm. I think the speed at which one drinks the broth helps immensely. More on that below.

Let's compare it to eating a meal. Think about how long it takes to ingest a hamburger. Think about being at McDonald's...wait, or better yet Tommy Burgers in Los Angeles where every burger comes with chili on it, perhaps the best burgers in America, but I digress. OK, I need to dwell on this some more. Let me explain how good these burgers are. They are so good that if you have two double cheese with extra chili burgers... they are so good, that I can guarantee the next day your stomach will hurt. That's how good they are! 

But think about how long it would take to eat one burger, how long would it really take? 15 minutes? Probably less. It would be interesting for us to time ourselves and see how long it takes us to eat one basic burger.  All that to say, we know it would be pretty fast. To take a mug of the soup broth and drag it out for 45 minutes would be like eating that burger over 45 minutes. It would fill you up but it wouldn't feel very satisfying.  And it would take a long time to feel comfortably full.  And so it is with the broth. I find that if I "slam" a mug of broth, meaning I drink it within five minutes or so, it's very fulfilling. Even if you don't ever take on a diet like this, and I wouldn't recommend it without your personal medical advisory, it would be an interesting mini-experiment. Take a time when you're hungry and try this. Try take some delicious soup broth that you make, just scoop it out of your regular soup. Put it into a mug and let it get to a comfortable temperature where it is easy to drink, warm to lukewarm. And then drink it quickly, in just a few minutes. I think you will see what I mean. It is really quite satisfying. You don't have to be doing a broth fast to appreciate and understand what I'm saying here.

I have to say, it really was an unnerving day. But it was my own fault.

I really didn't have enough broth. I had a crazy busy day. I should have scheduled my day knowing that I was still very early in this process. I didn't "plan" it out as I should have. Perhaps I was overconfident from the fact that I knew I had already done this twice before. The first time for 30 days. The second time was after a short break. After I finished the first 30 days, I took two weeks of "normal" eating while I traveled to work with a school in Philadelphia. But when I came back to Santa Barbara, I restarted the broth fast for 15 more days.  So there were two times where I started this; where I went from having solid food to having just broth.  Perhaps I looked back at this with a bit too much cavalier bravado.

Well, so I was up early in my little mountain cabin. 446 square feet at 6000ft. That morning I had a mug, maybe two, of my Zesty Chicken Broth and then I left to go down to a coffee shop where I had tea, and then I was running around most of the day. Occasionally I did get some broth, but nowhere near enough. Obviously.  Then I drove in the car for four hours in heavy traffic. It became a bit of a challenge to have enough broth while I drove. Wisely, I planned ahead and brought a large travel mug with me. I finally got to Santa Barbara where we were to attend a splendid party at our neighbor's home in our little village of Montecito. I had one mug of broth before the party and then only sparkling mineral water during the nearly 4 hours that we were there. 

And there was a lot of good smelling food there. And people were eating it, at times right next to me. Certainly it wasn't that they were doing anything wrong or inappropriate, but I found myself wanting and desiring what they were having.  I remember from the first time that this was an issue for the first two or three days. I know and I knew that it would fade. And I suppose it did. I went to breakfast with my son David this morning, day three. I sat there and watched him eat and it had no effect on me. I was completely full and satisfied and was happy to see him enjoying his meal. But that wouldn't have been the case yesterday.

But back to the party, I had brought some broth with me in a thermos in the car, which was really a very good idea and would have been helpful. In hindsight it the amount that I brought still would not have been enough. And to make matters worse, I never went back to the car to get it. It would've just been too much of a hassle. The party had valet parking service there and it would have required them getting the car or at least getting the broth for me. I kept thinking I was fine. I felt a little bit more hungry and a little bit more lightheaded as the evening progressed. I kept thinking that we would be leaving soon, but soon turned into close to over an hour. By this point, I was really very hungry. And you know the rest of the story.

But today is a new day. We always learn from yesterday if we are a good student.

Pass this on if you feel so motivated

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