Day 5, the worst day yet...by far
I was told that days 4 and 5 are the most difficult and today lived up to its reputation. But as you read this, and if you are considering this fast, this was no worse than a 24 hour flu.
As you may have read, I was up a 3:00 with significant chills. What I didn't write was that I wasn't able to go back to sleep. In the morning, around 8:00AM or so, I feel asleep for about an hour and a half. I was still quite chilled and weak and tired.
To describe it in terms that we all could understand, I felt like I was sick. Chills, headache, body aches, numb, lack of energy, overall just wiped out. As the day went on, I found myself wanting to sleep but having difficulty actually doing so. My headache got worse, and so did my chills.
In the mid-afternoon, I took my temperature. I usually read about 98.2 degrees, slightly below normal.but today it read 100.7 degrees which is obviously in the "I'm running a fever" category. At this point my head was really hurting and my neck as well. I went old school western and took a Norco pain pill, 325 mg acetaminophen and 5 mg Hydrocodone Bitartrate. I'm sure that some would disapprove of this but I can tell you this much, my body pain and headache diminished significantlay and my fever broke. A success in my book....or a success in my blog post.
Although I'm still feeling a bit lack luster and tired, certainly I feel much better.
A dear friend, Amy, brought some delicious chicken broth to me. It tasted so good tonight. She is always considerate and helpful but this was also, in my mind, a vote of confidence and approval. I greatly appreciated it.
Tonight I threw together a beef bone broth to simmer overnight in the crock pot. This time I added a dried pasilla chili, a handful of pearl onions, some garlic, salt, and pepper, with some Asian 5 spice. I don't know what it will taste like but anything that is slightly different than basic is welcomed. That said, Amy's broth was traditional but outstanding. I just finished a cup and am considering another before going to sleep.
The real surprise in soup broth was the hot Italian sausage with some red chili flakes, onions, and red bell peppers. Awesome!! I will definitely make this in the future for this cleanse but after as well. I'm going to invite my friend Phillip, a New York Noho Italian. I can't wait to give the solid part to him. A sandwich of crumbled sausage and bell peppers and onions does not get much better.
Well, that is it for now. Please invite your friends. It means a lot to me. Currently there are about 300 views from the USA, UK, Asia, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Australia, and Indonesia. How fun!! Feel free to submit this link on your Facebook and other social media pages.
Here's the next post.... CLICK HERE
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Middle of the night 3:00 AM
It's 3 AM in the middle of the night.
So why am I writing at such small hours? Shortly after I got into bed I felt quite cold. That is really quite unusual for me especially in the evening in bed. More often than not, I wake up quite sweaty. I'm sure that's a pretty picture. Sorry about that.
I thought perhaps it was just something that was passing. But after about four hours of sleeping, well not really sleeping, I finally could not stand it anymore.
For four hours I laid in bed very cold with the covers up and over my head forming a hood. I was so cold I didn't want to move. Although my mind told me that I needed to get up and get something warmer, I was just too cold to want to even move out of bed to what would certainly be a far colder room.
One might think, or picture, that this is taking place in the winter but that is not the case. This is in the warm Indian summer of Santa Barbara. Tomorrow the temp is supposed to hit 90.
Rarely am I cold at night period but never in this type of weather. So I got up and took off my pajamas and added a T-shirt and socks, yes I sleep in pajamas ha ha. Then I ran into the other room and picked up the warmest blanket that we have. Even in the winter, it seems to keep me plenty warm by itself. But tonight even with the comforter and this super warm blanket and the covers over my head, I am barely comfortable.
Clearly something is slightly out of whack. But this does not upset me. It tells me that something, anything, is happening and changing in my body. To me this is good news for this is the change that I was hoping for. I did not decide to eat only broth for 30 days to remain the same as I had always been. The truth is that I knew I needed to improve and I need to do something radical to make a change, rather, an improvement, in my physical condition.
Recently America has voted for change. I, for one, do not like to see change for change sake. I like to see improvement. If that requires change, then fine, bring it on. So I hope and I pray this is the beginning of an improvement in my life and in my physical condition.
Here's the next post.... http://30daybrothfast.blogspot.com/2013/09/day-5-worst-day-yet.html
Here's the next post.... http://30daybrothfast.blogspot.com/2013/09/day-5-worst-day-yet.html
Saturday, September 7, 2013
End of Day 4
End of Day 4
Until today, I haven't noticed many of the challenges or struggles common to this fast that I read about online. I am prone to significant headaches, but have had none worth mentioning, including today. For that, I am very grateful. But there were a couple of things that I noticed that affected my today.
To be fair, this would not have been the most pleasant day whether fasting or not. We were comforting a close friend who is going through a very significant and painful situation. This was enough to set anyone off a bit, or a lot. I tried to arrive prepared with a leaky thermos full of chicken broth cooked with herbs d'Provence. I didn't bring enough and should have consumed more before I left the house.
For my foodie friends, I also made a beef bone broth with dried spices that one would rub on meat to barbecue, cayenne, chili powder, paprika, garlic, salt, etc. I also added carrots (which in hind site probably didn't fit well), onions, and potatoes. I need to ask the doctor if the potatoes were OK to add. I'm concerned that since potatoes are natural high in carbs, which turns to sugar, perhaps these might have been off of the list to add to include. Both soups tasted great, I thought at least. Suzy loved the herbs d'Provence chicken broth and I encouraged her to eat some of the actual chicken and veggies as she did the other night, but she is following her own diet right now and had the broth alone as well. FYI, I'm saving the cooked veggies for after the fast, in the freezer, or giving them to friends.
In the mid-afternoon we went shopping. I could clearly picture and remember how every item in the store would taste. I bought some hot Italian sausage, red bell peppers, and more onions. When we got home I added them together to make a soup with a healthy dose of garlic and Italian seasoning. It will be ready in the morning. It smells incredible. I might need to have a taste in the middle of the night.
I was a bit tired today and found it a little bit hard to concentrate and stay on track with some of what I wanted to say. I guess I had a bit of trouble focusing at times. But I just explained to my friends that I was a bit off today and if I seem slightly behind the curve, perhaps it could be because of this fast. I don't know how I came across to them. I'll have to ask them, certainly they are welcome to comment below as well as this is pretty anonymous.
Regarding being a bit tired, I took a 45 minute, or less, nap this afternoon. Later in the day, I chose to stay in as opposed to going to the beach which is only a mile from our home. Some of the reason was feeling tired but some was wanting to give my wife some alone time with one of her friend.
I went for a short walk around the neighborhood and found myself more tired than usual. I was not breathing hard or anything like that, just a bit tired.
Two other things. First, in the past I have had a case of acid reflux. It seemed to be bothering me a bit. Second, and more important to me, I have felt irritable and grouchy. I found myself just edgy at times. I can swing in this direction normally but was concerned about how this would impact those close to me.
Lastly, and this should be no surprise, I've noticed a change in my bathroom usage. Clearly it is more frequent.
The most important thing that I would add is that my commitment to complete this has not waivered. The aforementioned items are of little concern. Overall, I'm feeling fine.
Here's the link to the next post... http://30daybrothfast.blogspot.com/2013/09/middle-of-night-300-am.html
Until today, I haven't noticed many of the challenges or struggles common to this fast that I read about online. I am prone to significant headaches, but have had none worth mentioning, including today. For that, I am very grateful. But there were a couple of things that I noticed that affected my today.
To be fair, this would not have been the most pleasant day whether fasting or not. We were comforting a close friend who is going through a very significant and painful situation. This was enough to set anyone off a bit, or a lot. I tried to arrive prepared with a leaky thermos full of chicken broth cooked with herbs d'Provence. I didn't bring enough and should have consumed more before I left the house.
For my foodie friends, I also made a beef bone broth with dried spices that one would rub on meat to barbecue, cayenne, chili powder, paprika, garlic, salt, etc. I also added carrots (which in hind site probably didn't fit well), onions, and potatoes. I need to ask the doctor if the potatoes were OK to add. I'm concerned that since potatoes are natural high in carbs, which turns to sugar, perhaps these might have been off of the list to add to include. Both soups tasted great, I thought at least. Suzy loved the herbs d'Provence chicken broth and I encouraged her to eat some of the actual chicken and veggies as she did the other night, but she is following her own diet right now and had the broth alone as well. FYI, I'm saving the cooked veggies for after the fast, in the freezer, or giving them to friends.
In the mid-afternoon we went shopping. I could clearly picture and remember how every item in the store would taste. I bought some hot Italian sausage, red bell peppers, and more onions. When we got home I added them together to make a soup with a healthy dose of garlic and Italian seasoning. It will be ready in the morning. It smells incredible. I might need to have a taste in the middle of the night.
I was a bit tired today and found it a little bit hard to concentrate and stay on track with some of what I wanted to say. I guess I had a bit of trouble focusing at times. But I just explained to my friends that I was a bit off today and if I seem slightly behind the curve, perhaps it could be because of this fast. I don't know how I came across to them. I'll have to ask them, certainly they are welcome to comment below as well as this is pretty anonymous.
Regarding being a bit tired, I took a 45 minute, or less, nap this afternoon. Later in the day, I chose to stay in as opposed to going to the beach which is only a mile from our home. Some of the reason was feeling tired but some was wanting to give my wife some alone time with one of her friend.
I went for a short walk around the neighborhood and found myself more tired than usual. I was not breathing hard or anything like that, just a bit tired.
Two other things. First, in the past I have had a case of acid reflux. It seemed to be bothering me a bit. Second, and more important to me, I have felt irritable and grouchy. I found myself just edgy at times. I can swing in this direction normally but was concerned about how this would impact those close to me.
Lastly, and this should be no surprise, I've noticed a change in my bathroom usage. Clearly it is more frequent.
The most important thing that I would add is that my commitment to complete this has not waivered. The aforementioned items are of little concern. Overall, I'm feeling fine.
Here's the link to the next post... http://30daybrothfast.blogspot.com/2013/09/middle-of-night-300-am.html
Friday, September 6, 2013
Middle of day 3
Middle of day 3
So it's been going well. I was expecting that the first days would be challenging. I prepared for the worst, perhaps I have spoken too soon, but I don't think so.
Sure, I have experienced a "rumbly in my tumbly" as Winnie-the-pooh so kindly worded it. But in truth it isn't like I'm dying here. I've been doing just fine.
The only concern, and I was given a heads up on this one, has been a feeling of "grouchiness" at times, but it is short lived and overall I've been pretty good. Oh yes, and my thoughts have trouble coming together as quickly as I would like, but only on occasion. It's hard to know if it has anything to do with the broth fast or not.
I've learned a couple of things. Three day old soup tastes way better than fresh soup broth. Telling friends about what I'm doing has been helpful and supportive. Having motivational friends is helpful for sure. Remembering to drink LOTS of water helps stave off hunger feelings. I'm sure that there will be more that I learn from this and I'll try to relay what I've learned.
My friend Markus has been a motivator for sure. He challenged himself to lose weight and get fit. He went full bore for a relatively short time and now is in the best shape of his life. He is happy and joyful and has maintained his health. Knowing that he did this has been helpful to me.My wife, Suzy, has also been a big motivator. She has been so good to me for so long and perhaps this is a way to be kind to her. I figure that we all like to have a fit husband or wife in our lives, so hopefully this will bring her joy in turn.
I keep wanting to get on the scale to see if I have lost weight, but in truth, that is not why I am doing this. That said, I am happy to think that I'll lose weight and look better. I'm doing this because my "cortisol" levels are clear not right. I'll talk more about that another time and also about the medical justification for all of this later.
For now, I'm off to grab a cup of water and return some emails. By the way, it is amazing how different cold water and room temperature water seem. It's like two different drinks.
Thanks for all of you who are following this. Here's the link to the next blog post:
http://30daybrothfast.blogspot.com/2013_09_07_archive.html
So it's been going well. I was expecting that the first days would be challenging. I prepared for the worst, perhaps I have spoken too soon, but I don't think so.
Sure, I have experienced a "rumbly in my tumbly" as Winnie-the-pooh so kindly worded it. But in truth it isn't like I'm dying here. I've been doing just fine.
The only concern, and I was given a heads up on this one, has been a feeling of "grouchiness" at times, but it is short lived and overall I've been pretty good. Oh yes, and my thoughts have trouble coming together as quickly as I would like, but only on occasion. It's hard to know if it has anything to do with the broth fast or not.
I've learned a couple of things. Three day old soup tastes way better than fresh soup broth. Telling friends about what I'm doing has been helpful and supportive. Having motivational friends is helpful for sure. Remembering to drink LOTS of water helps stave off hunger feelings. I'm sure that there will be more that I learn from this and I'll try to relay what I've learned.
My friend Markus has been a motivator for sure. He challenged himself to lose weight and get fit. He went full bore for a relatively short time and now is in the best shape of his life. He is happy and joyful and has maintained his health. Knowing that he did this has been helpful to me.My wife, Suzy, has also been a big motivator. She has been so good to me for so long and perhaps this is a way to be kind to her. I figure that we all like to have a fit husband or wife in our lives, so hopefully this will bring her joy in turn.
I keep wanting to get on the scale to see if I have lost weight, but in truth, that is not why I am doing this. That said, I am happy to think that I'll lose weight and look better. I'm doing this because my "cortisol" levels are clear not right. I'll talk more about that another time and also about the medical justification for all of this later.
For now, I'm off to grab a cup of water and return some emails. By the way, it is amazing how different cold water and room temperature water seem. It's like two different drinks.
Thanks for all of you who are following this. Here's the link to the next blog post:
http://30daybrothfast.blogspot.com/2013_09_07_archive.html
Thursday, September 5, 2013
What am I eating?
What am I eating?
I started drinking broth out of a carton like the organic type that you buy at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. The problem is that it doesn't taste so good. I don't think that it is really designed to be had straight out of the container, heated or otherwise. The chicken broth tasted like they took a chicken and placed it in the water to cook without any herbs or spices. I am assuming that the idea is that this would be a base to which one could add veggies, spices, etc.
I started drinking broth out of a carton like the organic type that you buy at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. The problem is that it doesn't taste so good. I don't think that it is really designed to be had straight out of the container, heated or otherwise. The chicken broth tasted like they took a chicken and placed it in the water to cook without any herbs or spices. I am assuming that the idea is that this would be a base to which one could add veggies, spices, etc.
So, I went a bit crazy yesterday and cooked two crock pots full of soup. One is a beef soup with carrots, onions, spices, and two beef bones from Von's. I made this is my grandmother's crock pot so I knew that it would taste good. In the other crock pot, quite large, I took half a chicken and added carrots, onions, and a bunch of red, dried chilies for some heat. I added quite a few chilies expecting that it might be a bit too spicy but knowing that I could thin it down, I wasn't worried. It turned out no where near as hot as i expected. I'm happy to have made these and have access to them at any time that I feel hungry. I have just left them in the crock pots on low.
It's funny to think that this will be my only substinence for 30 days. It seems great and delicious today but what about in a week. I think that I'm going to have to try some unusual spices. We spent two summers in Turkey, like the country, and they had some unique flavors there. I have some of the spice mixes from there and will give that a go. And I'll probably make a turkey broth as well. Always a favorite of mine. Also, I bought some shrimp and crab boil which is very flavorful. I'll try a clam soup as well.
What to do with all of the "other" parts like the chicken and veggies is the real question. I think that I'm going to try to make meals for Suzy, although I do wish that David was here as I think that he would like all of the "extras" a lot.
What to do with all of the "other" parts like the chicken and veggies is the real question. I think that I'm going to try to make meals for Suzy, although I do wish that David was here as I think that he would like all of the "extras" a lot.
So far, so good.
Here's the link to the next blog post:
http://30daybrothfast.blogspot.com/2013_09_06_archive.html
Here's the link to the next blog post:
http://30daybrothfast.blogspot.com/2013_09_06_archive.html
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
End of day one
It's the end of the first day.
Today was not too difficult and amazingly I learned a great deal in one day about this particular fast, really more about broth. The doctor recommended that I find broth with no MSG and no sugar. Unfortunately, I found that I don't care for the flavor of these much. So, I doctored them up with some chilies and garlic. I also went to the store and bought some beef bones for soup broth and a chicken for chicken broth. So right now I have two crock pots going in the kitchen.
The doctor told me that I can add carrots, garlic, etc to the make a full-on soup as long as I only drink the broth. I'm sure that I'll find somebody who will like all the rest. Our friend Jenny already said that she would like some.
As for hunger, yes I would get hungry but I was able to manage that by having some water or broth. The interesting thing was that I would be totally fine and then all of a sudden, Bamm, I would be starving with a tummy growling like a lion. It was so fast and sudden that it was shocking. But just as quickly things would settle down with a cup of liquid.
Later in the day I found myself a little more tired than usual, and right now at 9pm, I'm pretty hungry and am off to skim off some of my freshly homemade soup broth. Other than that, the day was pretty normal.
To my dear friends who have commented here or through text messages, or on Facebook, THANKS!! I really appreciate the support.
There's the link to tomorrow's post:
http://30daybrothfast.blogspot.com/2013/09/surprised-by-ease.html
Today was not too difficult and amazingly I learned a great deal in one day about this particular fast, really more about broth. The doctor recommended that I find broth with no MSG and no sugar. Unfortunately, I found that I don't care for the flavor of these much. So, I doctored them up with some chilies and garlic. I also went to the store and bought some beef bones for soup broth and a chicken for chicken broth. So right now I have two crock pots going in the kitchen.
The doctor told me that I can add carrots, garlic, etc to the make a full-on soup as long as I only drink the broth. I'm sure that I'll find somebody who will like all the rest. Our friend Jenny already said that she would like some.
As for hunger, yes I would get hungry but I was able to manage that by having some water or broth. The interesting thing was that I would be totally fine and then all of a sudden, Bamm, I would be starving with a tummy growling like a lion. It was so fast and sudden that it was shocking. But just as quickly things would settle down with a cup of liquid.
Later in the day I found myself a little more tired than usual, and right now at 9pm, I'm pretty hungry and am off to skim off some of my freshly homemade soup broth. Other than that, the day was pretty normal.
To my dear friends who have commented here or through text messages, or on Facebook, THANKS!! I really appreciate the support.
There's the link to tomorrow's post:
http://30daybrothfast.blogspot.com/2013/09/surprised-by-ease.html
And so it begins
Good morning world, today is day one.
179.6 pounds.
So last night I slept horribly. I tossed and turned till I couldn't take it any more and thought, ok now I will just get up and start my day. The only problem was that it was only 12:30 at night. Certainly not enough sleep.
I think that I was excited, and am excited, to start the first day of this broth fast. It's kind of funny because usually we get excited about being able to do something and in truth, I'm excited about being about to do nothing, except drinking broth. From what I have heard, the first 4 days are the most difficult. So I'm gearing up for this. Although I don't want a headache, I understand that they are quite common. In truth I get them more than I would like now. HAHA how funny is that? I get them "more than I want". Who says, I wish that I could get more headaches.
Anyway, I started my day with some boxed vegetable broth. Not bad, tastes like vegetables cooked in water. I was told by the doctor that I can have no sugar or MSG in the broth. This is more difficult than one might think to find prepacked. Whole Foods came through for me.
I need to ask the doctor if I can have tea or coffee, if it should be caffeinated or not, and if I can have grain beverages like Postum or Pero.
I'm off to help a school this morning. Feeling pretty normal, no surprise.
THANKS FOR FOLLOWING!!
MG
Here's the link to tomorrow's post : Click here
179.6 pounds.
So last night I slept horribly. I tossed and turned till I couldn't take it any more and thought, ok now I will just get up and start my day. The only problem was that it was only 12:30 at night. Certainly not enough sleep.
I think that I was excited, and am excited, to start the first day of this broth fast. It's kind of funny because usually we get excited about being able to do something and in truth, I'm excited about being about to do nothing, except drinking broth. From what I have heard, the first 4 days are the most difficult. So I'm gearing up for this. Although I don't want a headache, I understand that they are quite common. In truth I get them more than I would like now. HAHA how funny is that? I get them "more than I want". Who says, I wish that I could get more headaches.
Anyway, I started my day with some boxed vegetable broth. Not bad, tastes like vegetables cooked in water. I was told by the doctor that I can have no sugar or MSG in the broth. This is more difficult than one might think to find prepacked. Whole Foods came through for me.
I need to ask the doctor if I can have tea or coffee, if it should be caffeinated or not, and if I can have grain beverages like Postum or Pero.
I'm off to help a school this morning. Feeling pretty normal, no surprise.
THANKS FOR FOLLOWING!!
MG
Here's the link to tomorrow's post : Click here
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