Day 13 255.0
Had a minor headache last night, otherwise, ketosis is a great physical state to be in. Maybe power of positive thinking but my inflammatory ailments seem much diminished.
Why would I ever want to go back to eating? š
Just kidding on that last part.
Iāve been told by others that your body responds pretty quickly to changes, then tends to plateau. Mine does anyway. What happens is I see a good drop, then a slight rebound, then achingly slow progress. I could get discouraged by only losing .6 lb/day average. If I was hungry and miserable, I would. But no hunger and spirits high. Look for me in the next Victoria’s Secrets show. š
I’m looking toward the long game because when I fast, I can be patient. Some serious question about how to exit fasting and remain in ketosis. I think about the long game. That it’s going to be all the difference between stepping into a canoe with my grandkids at 90 or being pushed around in a wheelchair.
Day 14 254.8
I’m seeing my PCP next week simply because she’s been bugging me about one of my meds. Am getting bloodwork done for first time in 6 mos. Will be very interesting to see what happens with HbA1c and serum cholesterol numbers. Not to mention PSA prostate specific antigen which is the prostate cancer risk indicator. PSA is just bouncing around at an acceptable level for a man my age:
But the HBA1c: It dropped an incredible 0.5% in just 15 days of fasting out of the full 90 days the test measures.
In 2006, I was diagnosed as a diabetic. From 2008-2014 I was in a weight and eating clinic. I changed the way I ate. I went from sedentary to active. It was during this period that walking became a part of my life. Fasting was really never mentioned but the weekly meetings, one-on-one counselling and mostly the weigh-ins were all powerful incentives to lose weight. Even with many setbacks I dropped 80 pounds and dreamed the dream that Iād keep it off forever. I had learned food charting, food choices, mindfulness training. Classic cognitive behavioral therapy pioneered by psychology legend Aaron T Beck. I would beat the odds.
They discharged me from the clinic, claiming me as a success. Claiming that they needed my spot for somebody in worse shape than me. I said, hey, hello, maintenance. We’ve not gotten to that chapter. Even after 6 years and 80 pounds I don’t feel I’m ready.
Isnāt that like the third act of a three act play?
Iām one of your success stories. What about the next phase? The denouement. Help. They suggested I get into private counselling. I didnāt. If you plot the rise of my weight it pretty much tracks with the above HbA1c graph from 2014-2022. After I stopped smoking on July 3rd of 2014 needless to say my body rewarded me with that 40 extra pounds ex-smokers who don’t know what to do with their mouths get.
Day 15 252.2
I know for a fact that I can easily enter a fasting state again. It’s a tool I always had in my kit. I just never had the courage to take it out. The way I look at it, my body can play metabolic games on food restriction. But there’s no place to hide with food elimination. IT HAS TO BURN THE BASKETBALL in my belly. Which has now shrunk down to closer to soccer ball proportions. I am so happy. Already I am noticing differences.
Revelation 1: The bowels respond at promptly the same time nearly every day. Roughly about a half hour after waking. Even if not productive. Conclusion. Bowel training is deep shit. Going back 63 years deep shit.
Something your Mom did before you even had complete use of the language. You canāt live in polite society if your bowels arenāt trained. You canāt go to school, hold down a job, wear big boy or big girl pants. So itās no surprise that they, your bowels, are in no way nonplussed about whatās gone in. They just keep doing, putting out their thing, just like mamma conditioned you.
Rev 2: The biggest reason I’m so bowel obsessed is my hypothesis that they’ll tell me if I’m doing okay. If they’re okay with what’s going on, maybe the rest of me is too. For most of human history fasts are all about ritual purification. Spiritual attainment. Purging of the unclean. And you do attain a certain elevated vibe if you go without food. It’s as spiritual as you want or need to make it. For a religious person, I can definitely see the connection with prayer. For the agnostic seeker, there’s something for us as well.
Revelation three. I donāt read on the pot anymore. My New Yorker browsing has seriously diminished. I need to find another New Yorker reading spot. First world problem.
Rev 4, In the kitchen, I generate more garbage than my wife. Wow. Much more. That is humbling and needs more thought.
In other news I’m officially 20 lbs down from my birthday weight. Hydratin’ like a mofo in this heat. Feeling great, no hunger, lots of energy despite the heat.
I see my PCP on Thursday and I’m debating whether to even tell her. She seems so clueless and put me through the ringer over some blood chart orders that were supposed to be in the system but weren’t. After 30 years K and I both are angry enough at that office to switch.
How do I feel today? Letās assess. I feel cooler in the heat. Walking has become a joy again, even with the brace. I wonder if I could do without. My body is a science project, so maybe I’ll try soon.
Going up and down stairs is better. Not great, but better. I have spring in my step even in this heat. The joy of walking, the endorphin boost on top of my improved baseline is just sheer joy.
Day 16 250.6
I used to wake up, get an hour into my day and have to cough up what my old man used to refer to as a āfrog in his throat.ā Itās gross. I know. I really shouldn’t even be croaking about it. But for this. The coughing fits havenāt returned once since I started fasting.
Day 17 254
Revelation 5: 95Ā° heat. Sugar-free water ice is a great laxative. I didnāt know that then. I know it now. I wonder if anything is still left. If you want to lose weight quickly this is the BAD way to do it. I DONāT recommend it. Lesson learned, donāt consume too much water ice for one evening. Especially on an empty stomach.
Day 18 253.4
It’s a question of climbing on that surgeon’s table empowered, or as a victim (largely of my own devices). I recommend this “diet” to absolutely nobody. For most people my age, you should at minimum know your heart is in great shape and be willing to commit to daily exercise to not promote muscle wasting. A very skinny friend, after hearing me describe the Zen, upbeat mindset that ketosis puts you in asked if they should fast. I said absolutely not. You need a generous store of belly fat to do what I’m doing. The only time since the Ice Age that being fat pays off. And you need to commit to the honesty of daily weigh-ins.
You know me. You know how much I LOVE food. But here’ starting my 3rd week, I’ve done a food audit in my house and am SHOCKED at how much extra, unneeded food I have. A freezer downstairs. Maybe 50 meals worth of carbs above my kitchen cabinets. Dozens more meals on our splashboard. In the fridge I’ll have to start throwing food out (to the horrors of my Depression-raised parents). An upstairs freezer full of all manners of frozen meats and meals. It really is a revelation. As per my friend’s advice, I’ve been unfreezing stocks and taking 8 oz as an after walk mineral replacement. As you can imagine, they taste nothing like commercial broths.
Day 19 248.8.
I took two other measurements. The very first of the day said 247.0. Holy shit. I shouldāve walked away and called it a day. But no, the next step on the scale said 248.8 Shit. Then the next said 250. Weighing in is a quantum bet. I took the middle value and called it a day. LO fuckin L
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