I'm going hungry....

Week Eight:Water Fasting

I had quite a bit of difficulty deciding what I was going to do for this week’s installment. As I’ve mentioned, I have compiled an extensive list of new activities I hope to experience during this year but none of them seemed right at this time (I’m still looking for new ideas though, so please keep them coming). One problem is that many of my ideas are warm weather activities which are obviously not going to fly during January in Buffalo. Conversely, many of the wintertime or indoor activities on the list cost money and I was hoping to string together a few weeks of relatively cheap (or free) experiences, particularly after the new suits and snowboarding lesson. We are in a recession after all.

I finally settled on trying a 24-hour fast, or more specifically a water fast. I realize it’s not the most exciting adventure to share but it’s something I’ve wanted to try for some time and, once again, I just needed an excuse. At first, it seemed like it would be an interesting challenge just to see if I could go that long without eating, but that doesn’t make it a worthwhile activity for 52to30. However, as I looked into water fasting and learned about it’s benefits, I became motivated by it’s effectiveness in detoxifying the body as well as a weight loss aide (apparently giving it a benign name differentiates it from anorexia).

Now at the risk of sounding like a goofball the idea of body cleansing or detoxification is rather appealing to me. I mean, I’ve never gotten into drugs or heavy drinking but I’ve consumed a lot of garbage in my day and I feel like a proper cleansing would be a good way to release some of the bad stuff floating around in there. After all, everything I’ve read about the process claims water fasting is an easy and effective method for eliminating the toxins in your body that drain your energy and weaken your immune system. More energy and more health sound like good things to me, but how far am I willing to go.

Some body cleansing techniques necessitate fasts lasting as long as several weeks followed by a raw food diet, all while receiving regular enemas. Besides the extraordinary level of commitment (and discomfort) needed for such a drastic process it would also be rather pricey. And as previously stated, I’m trying to cut back here. Therefore, the water fast is an easy and effective way to detoxify your body without spending hundreds of dollars at a high-class spa.

Another motivator for trying a water fast is to help shed a few pounds. I have struggled with my weight for most of my life and while I’ve never considered myself obese, I’ve definitely never been skinny. Instead, I regularly fluctuate between the many levels of chubby depending on the season or my current habits. For instance, during the winter/spring of 2007, when the Sabres were dominating the NHL, I ballooned to my highest weight ever. Apparently having beer and nachos for dinner 3 nights a week is a bad thing. Who knew?

In the name of full disclosure I’ll provide the details. I’m 6’2” and a good weight for me is around 215lbs. However, around the time described above I hit 249 on the scale and promptly started running around Delaware Park. I just couldn’t handle the idea of actually hitting 250 so I busted my ass and got down to 220 by July. Thankfully, I’ve been hovering around that weight ever since but I’d still like to drop about 10 more. The lowest I’ve been since I can remember was 205 when I was 22 so as you can see, my weight can be quite the roller coaster. Therefore, maybe fasting once a month or so will be an effective way to keep myself ahead of the curve in this struggle.

After deciding on a 24-hour water fast, I decided to take it easy on myself and plan it during the week since there’s usually too much going on during the weekend and therefore more temptation to chow down. I ate dinner around 6pm on Tuesday evening and decided to start the clock when I was finished, approximately 6:30pm. Now, I’m not normally one for late night snacks - and desserts, though fun and delicious, are not a regular occurrence. Therefore, it must have been a mental issue that night because by 9:30 I was terribly hungry. I’m so nuts in that way, my mind just wraps itself around the one thing it shouldn’t and lingers away. Thankfully, I was able to resist by downing some delicious and fulfilling water, which satisfied my appetite until I went to bed (let it be stated, I actually love water and after coffee it’s my favorite beverage).

Unfortunately, waking up Wednesday morning I was starving. In fact, I think the anxiety of the impending challenge weighed heavily on me overnight causing a restless sleep, so waking up less than fresh and hungry should have been a sign of things to come. However, once again, I downed a large glass of water, along with my normal morning vitamin, and I was satiated. Going through my morning routine and getting to work were both relatively uneventful but the challenges quickly began to unfold.

Prior to this experience, I’ve never truly realized how prevalent food is in our society. All day long at work, as I am starving myself for science (or whatever it is I’m doing here), I’m surrounded by the constant sight and smell of delicious fare. Bagels glistening with butter, the scent of the most delectable leftovers every reheated and the microwave popcorn that apparently everyone in my office decided to make that day. It was just astounding. However, the most torturous sight of all were the Tim Horton’s cups scattered across seemingly every inch of the building. Caffeine addiction is a powerful thing and its withdrawals may have been the worst part of this whole experience.

Throughout the entire day, the effects of my complete lack of nourishment were painfully obvious. It felt like I was walking around in a fog. I could not concentrate, I was tired and my whole body felt sore and sluggish. I had no energy at all so aside from my usual daily work, I was mostly useless and all conversations and unnecessary movement were kept to a minimum. I guess this is what it feels like to be stoned, just barely above functional. Except it’s not nearly as funny as in the movies.

During this time I allowed myself plenty of water, one mug of green tea (self brewed with a tea bag so it’s acceptable) and I had to chew some gum to keep myself from going insane. I’m not sure whether that’s allowed but it was out of desperation. As the day dragged on I watched the clock move slowly towards the evening in anticipation of my freedom from this torture. I got out of work at 5:30 so I only had an hour to kill before I could end my suffering and enjoy dinner but things seemed much easier once the end was in sight.

Once the final minutes ticked away and I was able to dig in to some delicious lasagna things still didn’t feel quite right. I wasn’t able to eat as much as usual, which is both good and expected since my stomach undoubtedly shrank a bit after being empty for 24 hours. And although the meal was delicious, I think I was expecting to come to life like Popeye downing some spinach in time to save Olive Oil from impending doom. Unfortunately, I just felt even more tired. After dinner, Jackie and I lay down together to watch some television and I passed out within minutes. I woke up a few hours later to drive home and go to bed for real but I felt like garbage – headache, upset stomach, sore all over. Just terrible. I was a little worried that I may have completely thrown my body off and, as always happens when I get sick, I had the feeling I would never be well again. Thankfully, however, I woke the next day feeling better and, after a few cups of coffee, I was back to normal.

All of my research of water fasting said it was supposed to be an energizing and rejuvenating experience but I found it to have quite the opposite effect. While I’m sure some of my suffering was in fact related to caffeine withdrawal, I really don’t think fasting is effective for much of anything unless you’re Gandhi. Physically, I felt just as crappy and useless with no food as I do after drastically overeating. If I learned anything from this experience, besides that I love food, it’s the importance of moderation in diet. I felt good the day after my fast but I’m not sure if that was an effect of the process or just an improvement over the way I felt the previous day. There’s no telling for sure, but some how I feel unfulfilled. Perhaps later in the year, with more commitment and a little more money I’ll take the body cleansing idea a little further. We’ll see if I’m up for the discomfort.

POP CULTURE UPDATE
Listening to: Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska (Always the Boss. Don't forget to watch Sunday.)
Reading : Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer
Recent Movie: Tropic Thunder (Pretty bad. Unbelievably over hyped.)