Lots'o personal fasting posts, I know but since I am fasting you can't expect much else. Hopefully those who are not fasting won't get too annoyed.
I am genuinely feeling fine, and am a-okay in terms of physical hunger and mental cravings however I can already hear those thoughts of doubt about:
"You did not prepare for this fast, when you finish you will just fall right back into old binging habits and gain all your weight back"
"You won't be able to handle the detox"
"What if I binge during Christmas"
and so on...
I also am getting a juicer for Christmas and water distiller so I generally feel like it may be smarter to wait until after the holidays which is why I ended the first two fasts.
Maybe it would be smart to try and go through today like normal and break the fast for dinner and see how that goes to let myself know if I will be able to handle breaking a 21-day fast...?
Honestly, I do feel fine going through with it but I am genuinely scared of binging mid-fast, returning to old habits, or breaking my fast incorrectly if I do not have the right foods at my house.
ARGH!
What should I do? Has any of you had successful post-fast experiences? What about fasts that last 7-15 days, did you break those okay? What did you do about binging?
This was my first fast which I broke...horribly and ended up sitting on the toilet for about 12 minutes while my body purged everything. Yes, 12 minutes is not long at all for a days worth of food to travel through you, it hurt very bad, but at least no calories got digested.
17 of December
This was my second fast which only lasted 9 hours and I broke it with cabbage soup and potatoes.
WARNING: Do not EVER break your fast with potatoes! The mucus in your body and toxins that are released during the water fast react negatively with potatoes and by combining this there is a physical chemical reaction in which a toxic gas is released in your body that can get stuck in pockets in your organs [this is not flatulence].
Ah...so anyway
18-20 December
This is my third and current fast, I am on day 3 and only like 2 hours into today. I don't have much to say about these past three days except that it has been very...enlightening and hard. I have been having lots of moments of weakness and doubt but I have pushed through them and am determined to make it to 21 days... I am only slightly worried about Christmas, like what I am going to do when everyone is eating this warm food while I have to smell it with my super-enhanced senses....Ugh..
I have this weird obsession with vampires and I have found that the deeper I get into this fast mentally [like when it comes time to battle with your own mind and you really learn the difference between YOU and your brain/body] the more I feel like I am a human version and that almost makes me feel better. Yes, this is very weird but whatever works right?
Like... I mean all your senses are enhanced, your skin clears up and smooths, your eyes brighten up and get really white, you don't need like any sleep, and you are living off nothing but water, and sunlight for energy.
Sooo, yeah, weird.
I'm very pleased that I have gotten to day 3 again so easily and so soon, and I find that it really DOES help to journal EVERYTHING, everyday of your fast [juice or water] because when you fast again it helps to watch for different times of the day when you feel most hungry, what made you quit last time and how you can mentally overcome that this time and so on.
Also, I have found, every fasting experience seems to be different. Not just in the sense that you will be "cleaner" than the first time you fasted so detox will vary and symptoms will vary but mentally and spiritually it is different. You will notice each time you fast, with less and less time between each short fast, the more you will notice a profound mental strength you probably never knew you had in you.
Watch lots of "water fast day...." videos on YouTube of fasting blogs and that will help get you through your fast; avoid all forms of media both online and on TV and you will be fine <3
You see, I really do try to keep up with comments and visit your blogs and what not but it is difficult for me to actually reply to everyone or give out my e-mail and phone number to tons of people. I will try in the near future to update the "Ana Buddies" page so that everyone who has commented in the past since my last update will be added to the list. MAKE SURE you put if you are from the united states/united kingdom or any other country so I can put that on the list as well; it helps me stay organized and others in your country looking for an ana buddy will be able to find you quicker! :)
Well I broke my fast this morning around 7 am with cabbage soup, I had one bowl and was fine; I had absolutely no desire to binge nor did I feel any ravenous hunger pangs... Later around 9 am I began to get the overwhelming need to binge, but I didn't I had a few squares of this natural chocolate [made with like milk chocolate, tree nuts, and soy milk etc.] and then I had more cabbage soup and some homemade chicken salad.
I made myself sick :(
I planned on SLOWLY returning to a normal diet but after that and my body purging everything I had just ingested in like 30 minutes, I decided I am going to restart my fast, because food is just not worth it and I am absolutely not worried about Christmas feasts coming up.
A bit of a springer, I am on day 2 of my water fast, which will be day 3 in like 3 to 4 hours, and I am just so excited because I finally have the determination and will power to get through it this time.
I have also realized, and I will put it here in case it is something you've been wondering too, that you can only take what people say about their fasting experiences and weight loss with a grain of salt because... most won't mention the fact that they did not continue post-fast with a healthier lifestyle than their previous one pre-fast.
I really liked this video because it shows exactly what water fasting can do, and what it will not do; in the video she posts after this she states "I ended up going to taco bell and binging" and a few minutes later says that she would not recommend fasting to anyone because she gained all the initial weight back anyway. ONCE YOU LOSE FAT, IT IS GONE FOR GOOD! IT IS NOT STORED SOMEWHERE TO BE PUT BACK WHEN YOU TREAT YOURSELF. If you fast and then fall back into old habits then of course you will gain all the weight back and then some!
Please do not be scared of water fasting because of all the horror stories of "I gained it all back" or "I weigh more now than before I started"
You all are smarter than that!
Just do NOT pick up old habits of binging on junk food or eating sugar; yes, you can have a food-favourite like maybe a cheese hot-pocket if that is your thing, but don't do it every day or weekend.
This is my favourite video because of the gigantic amount of weight this amazing girl has lost through a mere 21 days/3 weeks of fasting! Truly, I mean what else in the world can you do that will get you the same results?
More unnecessary TIPS:
Have a set goal in mind to motivate you [weight loss, health, spirituality]
Have an accountability partner to keep you honest if you mess up or struggle
Drink LOTS of water [distilled is the best]
prepare yourself mentally for the future lifestyle changes
For me the hardest part is not seeing good food, like cabbage soup, being cooked and eaten without me or seeing chocolate and wanting some, but rather it is knowing that when I finish this fast I will not be able to eat the same foods [like pizza, chocolate etc.]
I mean, I can eat it on occasion but when you essentially reset your body, and get it to prime optimization where it no longer desires fatty foods or craves sugar... why would you want to put it back in? So I think that I really do struggle with that a lot and coming to terms with giving up 80% of the foods that my body loves to binge on.
have a reward for when you finish fasting to look forward to
For most this would be clothes or a piercing or tattoo [or bikini maybe?], and I won't lie, it has always been that way for myself but now I feel that in giving up my past life I really just want boiled eggs and purple cabbage soup [yes, it is that good] for a reward. I mean, if I try to promise myself something like that then I know it will only discourage me later because it is not substantial, it will only get me through the first few days and then I start thinking, "well what if I am not skinny enough to get it?" and other things along the lines of that.
I am not saying your reward needs to be your favourite meal [and it shouldn't if your favourite meal is something like dairy, meat or anything else that is heavy on the digestive system] but it should definitely be something that you want DURING your fast... not something that you will be able to get if you are satisfies post-fast, and for most this will end up being a certain food or drink.
stay warm, get lots of rest
don't spend every waking moment desiring to eat and hating your fast
enjoy your fast, because it only lasts as long as you set it up for and that will not be forever. Any anxieties you feel will only be the body that you have created from sugar dependency and fat dependency in which is trying to get you to eat because it thinks it will starve.
No matter how good something may look or smell, or how fast it will disappear during your fast, that food will still exist when you finish fasting. You can still cook it again or buy it again or whatever; there is no need to break a fast over something so silly as food that, just like your fast, will be over and done with before you even got to enjoy it.
let me tell you, fasting is SO worth it because it really does make you CRAVE healthy foods like tomatoes [I HATED tomatoes by themselves, and still do now that I haven't fasted in so long, but when I fast they taste soooo good!!] and you will no longer desire things like sugar, cheese, meat, or unhealthy fatty foods that I know you so desperately want to expel from your diet.
Lastly,
Preparing is great, but not a necessity
If you have a generally unhealthy lifestyle of fried foods, then yes, you need to prepare physically pre-fast with a few days of juice fasting or something like that otherwise the detoxification stage of the water fast will be quite unpleasant.
Now on the other hand if you live a generally okay lifestyle of low fat and sodium then you can just dive right in if you want, like me.
I got the overwhelming notion that I needed to fast on 14th of December and at 2 am on the 15th [it would have been midnight but I had some chicken salad with grapes] I decided that I would and, without any mental or physical preparation, have been fasting since.
The thing that got my butt up and moving was... I wore my mother's shirt to the movies because I had nothing to wear and my sister said "well I don't think I have anything that will fit you."
How depressing is that!! Granted, my mother's shirt was big on me and is tight on my mother, but still, who dreams of sharing clothes with their tubby mother instead of their stick thin sister?
So.. that was my motivation to start, and the videos of "before and after" for 21 days keeps me from getting discouraged and the reward of cabbage soup is what keeps me from binging or taking a small bite of anything because it reminds me this won't be forever, I will eat again and it will be my favourite food of all things so I can do this!
and so can you. <3
[I just felt like that ending was very "flowery" and cheesy]
22 grams is 0.776027 ounces [1 oz.] or 0.0970034 cups
but let us not get technical here
22 grams of red cabbage is only 6 calories. SIX. S-I-X
One cup of chopped red cabbage has 28 calories
And 2 large heads of red [purple] cabbage makes enough to feed 1-3 people for days
Average Cost of Meal:
2 large heads: $2.00-$4.00
**Seasonings: approx. $6.00-$10.00
Total for meal without seasonings: maximum - $8.00 [tax included]
AVERAGE: $2.00 per day [the soup should last you 4 or more days, and thus would be a $2.00 meal or cheaper the longer the soup lasts you]
**only have to buy once until you run out
ALSO!!!! You can buy one purple head of cabbage and one green because green is cheaper [but without all the benefits], it does not affect the overall end taste of the soup. NUTRITION (benefits):
The author of all the information in italics is Sandi Busch
"The red pigment comes from plant-based chemicals called flavonoids, while the sharp flavor is the result of sulfur-based compounds. In addition to these important phytochemicals, cabbage contributes to your overall health with fiber and a range of vitamins and minerals.
Insoluble fiber from red cabbage prevents constipation, lowers the risk of developing diverticular disease and helps relieve the symptoms of some gastrointestinal conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome.
I've yet to meet or talk to a person with an eating disorder that doesn't have trouble with pooping. Don't lie, you know you struggle with it sometimes.
1 cup of chopped red cabbage has 56 percent of the recommended daily intake of this important vitamin. As an antioxidant, vitamin C fights inflammation and protects cells from damage that leads to chronic health conditions, such as heart disease. Your body needs vitamin C to make collagen, which is the connective tissue that gives structure, strength and support to muscles, skin, bones and other tissues throughout the body. Collagen is also essential for the process of healing wounds. Vitamin C also strengthens the immune system by stimulating the production of white blood cells that fight invading bacteria and infections.
So essentially, this is the miracle food for bulimics and anorectics due to the protection from heart disease, and the fact the Vitamin C helps with the production of collagen which helps all the things that eating disorders destroy [skin, muscles, bones and immune system]
It takes a series of chemical reactions to make blood clot. Seven proteins that participate in blood clotting depend on the presence of vitamin K to complete their part of process. Other vitamin-K-dependent proteins regulate bone mineralization. Long-term deficiency in vitamin K increases the risk of developing osteoporosis, atherosclerosis and cancer, according to research published in the April 2012 issue of “Food and Nutrition Research.” You’ll gain 28 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin K from 1 cup of chopped red cabbage.
Another long-term side effect from eating disorders is osteoporosis.
Red cabbage belongs to the cruciferous, or Brassica, family that includes broccoli, turnips and Brussels sprouts. Cruciferous vegetables are the only source of sulfur-containing compounds called glucosinolates that are responsible for their bitter flavor. Glucosinolates are digested into isothiocyanates that reduce inflammation and fight bacteria. The red pigment comes from a flavonoid, cyanidin, that functions as an antioxidant. Both cyanidin and the isothiocyanates prevent some types of cancer by stopping the growth of cancer cells, inhibiting enzymes that activate carcinogens and helping cells repair damage caused by carcinogens. In April 2012, Vanderbilt University Medical Center released research results showing that breast cancer survivors who ate more cruciferous vegetables reduced their risk of dying by 62 percent.
My Father's Recipe
[please click pictures if you cannot see them very well]
What you'll need:
a BIG pot
2 *large* heads of purple [red] cabbage; these should be the size of your head.
Caldo con Sabor de Pollo [chicken seasoning]
Tony Chachere's
Cavenders
Garlic Powder
PREPERATION
measure out 12 cups of water and pour them it into the pot
1 teaspoon of "chicken seasoning" per cup of water [in this case: 12 teaspoons]
1 teaspoon [tsp.] of Cavenders, garlic powder, Tony Chachere's
Turn the stove on LOW heat
cut cabbage while the liquid heats up [get the core out if you don't want it]
slowly turn up heat once you have all the cabbage in the pot
DO NOT worry about the cabbage filling up the entire pot it WILL go down
cook until cabbage is soft [personal preference, I usually eat it rather soft]
This does take a little bit of time to cook and prepare but with time it becomes easier, and the soup is so delicious it probably won't even matter!
DO NOT DRAIN THE LIQUID
THIS IS WHERE **ALL** THE NUTRIENTS AND FLAVOUR WILL BE !!!
BEST EATEN WITH:
BOILED EGGS
My sister and I love biting the boiled egg [gently] in half, putting the yolk into the soup to soak up some of the flavor and using the "bowl" shaped egg white to scoop soup into and eating it like that; sounds weird but oh my gosh it is SO good!
I realize that this blog is all over the place with helpful information and then depressing breakdowns, and I cannot express how grateful I am to all my followers and readers who've stuck with it [whether you continue to read each of my posts or not, thank you for continuously visiting and not giving up on me].
I don't really vent to my family, they vent to me and I don't vent on my other blogs, so this one, with all my disorder laid out for the world to see it should not only be expected but accepted as well that I will occasionally have a rant or two and a minor breakdown. Not all the time am I seriously angry but sometimes angry, which is why sometimes my posts will disappear.
This is a short post, I am making a meal one next <3
