Who should do a fast? There are actually very few contraindications for fasting, meaning that most people would benefit. In general people who should not fast are people very emaciated from end-stage disease or serious malnutrition, people with severe anemia, and individuals with a rare fatty acid deficiency of a specific enzyme required to break down fat for energy.  Conditions that have been researched and respond well to water fasting are appendicitis, chemical poisoning, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, epilepsy, immune and inflammatory disorders, obesity, pancreatitis, and addictions.  Also, fasting in an excellent way for an otherwise healthy individual to improve health and prevent disease.  However, and this is very important, a fast longer than 3-5 days must be supervised by a provider properly trained in water dasting (MD, DC, ND). Although fasting has proven to be very safe there are issues that must be monitored via blood work and other tests to make sure the person is tolerating the fast well and to determine when it is time to break a fast.  Here at True North each patient is examined (including blood labs) by a trained physician prior to starting a fast and they are cheeked on at least twice a day to make sure they are safe and so any potential issues can be corrected immediately.

Hello everyone, this post is in response to a question I received on my blog.  I just wanted to post it where everyone would see it since it’s a great question.  Bottom line is that with a water only fast the body is able to reach a state of rest and healing that just is not physiologically possible when ingesting any amount of food or calories (even liquid). When the body does not have food for 12 hours or longer it loses its source of glucose so it must switch to fat metabolism.  This induces a state of true ketosis and fat burning which liberates stored toxins. Moreover, during a water fast it is extremely important to be at as near a total state of rest as possible…not working, exercising, or even house work and activities of daily living such as driving, etc.  The reason is that if the muscles are being used the body will begin to break down muscle amino acids for fuel which can cause muscle wasting and will shift the the body away from fat burning.  Also, the needed energy going to the muscles will be diverted from healing the gut, immune system, etc. This would defeat the purpose of the fast. In summary, for these reasons, a water only fast is a much more effective means of cleaning the body naturally and according to the body’s own time table without forcing it to release toxins prematurely, which can happen when cleansing products are used. I will soon be writing a more in depth blog about the entire water fasting process.

First of all….E-A-G-L-E-S…EAGLES!!!

Day 7 was a day of victory for myself as well.  I made it through a seven day water fast!  Yesterday was definitely the hardest day.  I had low energy and could not do much more than sit in a chair or lay down in bed.  I was definitely glad I was finishing up.  I also felt that my body was saying ‘check please’.  This is one of the indications that you are done your fast, when your energy really drops or you just have an innate sense that you are done. I also had a difficult time sleeping and was only able to get about five hours of sleep.  Insomnia can be a common ‘side effect’ of fasting I think because you are using less energy during the day and your natural rhythms of eating are not there to tell your body as to when it’s time to sleep.  Tomorrow I start on juices then it’s off to fresh fruits and veggies the next day.  I can hardly wait! Again all of my vitals were stable but I did drop a little more weight.  Overall this has been a great experience but different than what I imagined.  I think it will take some time to really unpack all that I have learned.  One of the most significant things I learned about myself is that it is hard for me to really relax and do nothing.  I kept feeling the urge to work on something, read something, or otherwise be productive.  When I was too tired to do that it did become a little frustrating.  I also learned to appreciate the the availability of food that we have here in the states and how not eating can effect you in so many more ways than just being hungry.  These are just a few thoughts.  More will come with future blogs.  I will now start to transition to being an intern on staff.  This will let me see fasting from the practitioner side and I’m sure I’ll learn a lot.  I will still continue to blog during this time, but probably not as frequently because I think I’ll be pretty busy.  Thank you everyone for reading these blogs and being interested in my journey.  I look forward to sharing more with you once I get home.!

Day 6 is but a memory! Definitely felt more fatigued today, but still not terrible.  I needed to take my time when standing up because I could get slightly light headed. The best news about today is that the sun was out! This is the first day since I’ve been here that the sun was out for the whole day and there was not wind.  I spent about 2 hours just laying on a lounge chair in the courtyard soaking up the rays…it was great.  All my vitals are still stable and my weight dropped a bit more to 133.7. I have not been this light since high school! Oh well, I know it will all come back once I start to re-feed.  It’s basically water weight that I’ve lost because I’m not eating any sodium so the body is able to discharge water.  This is very common in fasting where one’s weight can fluctuate during the fast, but it has no bearing on the fat that is being burned for energy because that is constant no matter your weight.  Still no hunger pangs, just a sense of emptiness in my gut which is ‘weird’ and slightly uncomfortable but not painful.  I think that’s about it for today.  Tomorrow is the big day, the show, the grand finale, the finish line!  For all of you that have been praying for me I really do appreciate it and I know for certain that those prayers have helped me preserver thought the last 6 days.  Thank you!

Put day 5 in the done file! Day 5 was not too bad but I have started to feel a bit more fatigued, especially in the morning. It takes me about an hour to get out of bed.  I need to transition from laying down to sitting up in bed to sitting on the end of the bed to finally standing.  Once I’m up and moving I feel pretty good.  It rained pretty much all day so I spent most of the time in my room.  I must admit, cool rainy days don’t make this process any easier.  Still no real hunger pangs but I do think about food.  I’m constructing in my mind what my first meal will look like Tuesday morning and I’m gettin’ pretty excited! I had another dream about food last night, this time about a bag of doughnuts.  I must confess that this time I gave in a picked out a chocolate cream filled doughnut but darn it I woke up before I actually got to taste it!  Once thing else that I’ve experienced is weight loss.  I started this adventure at 142 and know I’m down to 134.  However, the doctors have said that I will quickly put this pack on once I start eating again.  Well, that’s about it for day 5.  I’ll be back Sunday with a report on Day 6!

Hello Everyone! Day 4 down and 3 to go.  Day 4 was very similar to Days 2-3.  I do feel hungry at times and think about food but not excessively so.  I think I had another dream about food last night.  This time I was with my my good friend Dan and some other folks at a burger joint and he was encouraging me to get the cheese burger (which did sound really good). However, I found on the menu a black bean burger and ordered that instead…although I think I still ordered fries : ).  He also ordered a beer for everyone but I think I opted for some kind of juice/cider instead.  The bummer is that I woke up before I took a bite of my burger!!  Yesterday it rained the entire day so I was unable to get out for a walk.  I was hoping for sunny California weather but not so much…at least it’s a bit warmer than home.  Physically I’m holding up well.  My vitals are all stable and my weight is decreasing but at the expected rate.  I started the fast at 142 lbs and know I’m down to 136 lbs.  They said that as soon as you start eating you will gain back almost all the weight you lost.  I think one of the most challenging aspects is how to structure my day when I’m not eating since there are no natural breaks in the day.  I’m also used to grabbing a snack when I feel like it but can’t do that either.  It’s great to have the extra time, but I do miss the emotional/psychological aspect of enjoying food and feeling satisfied after.  I also miss enjoying fellowship while eating, especially with my wife, Karen.  It really makes you appreciate how much of our culture revolves around food from preparing to sharing a meal with loved ones and friends. This is something I’m sure I will appreciate much more once I’m eating again.  Well, that’s about it for now.  My recommendation to you is next time you eat a meal, slow down and really appreciate and be thankful not only for the food but also the company you are eating it with!

Day 3 is in the history books and I’m still going strong! I feel about the same as day 2 – a little fatigued and occasional hunger pangs but not bad really.  Just taking some deep breaths or drinking some water usually makes them subside.  I forgot to mention in the yesterdays Blog, but I had a dream about food the second night I was here.  The dream had me at a church function where there were several tables with food on them.  One table had cake, muffins, and chocolate treats and the other had vegetables…I actually intentionally walked past the treats table and headed for the vegetable table!! I guess this fast really is changing my brain a bit.  I had another interesting experience yesterday as well.  I went for a short walk around the True North campus and it seemed like my sense of smell was enhanced – even compared to the day before.  I could really smell the exhaust of the cars and aroma of plants and bushes that I had not noticed before.  I’ll see if the same things happen today.  Another interesting fact regarding smell is that even though I have not showered or brushed my teeth since starting the fast I really don’t have any body odor or bad breath to speak of.  I mean, I do’t smell like a fresh spring morning, but I don’t smell like dead fish either.  True North recommends you don’t shower for safety reasons and because they don’t want any chemicals entering your body during the fast.  The same goes for brushing your teeth.  Last night there was an art therapy class for patients which I attended.  We basically just hung out and colored form adult coloring books.  I’ll try to upload the picture I colored!  So I think that’s about it for today.  Check back for a new post tomorrow and don’t forget to drink your water!

Day 2 has come and gone and I’m still standing! Actually, it has not been to bad.  I do think about food and I could definitely eat but I don’t have hunger pangs or obsessing about food.  All my vitals are in line which means that my body is transitioning well to the fast and basically doing what it’s suppose to.  My days are filled with reading, attending lectures, resting, and also stretching and taking a short walk.  Unfortunately, the weather here has been mostly overcast and cool – not what I had hoped for! However, its still warmer than Doylestown.  My sleep schedule is a bit off I think because of the time change from the east coast and not eating or doing much.  I find myself going to bed around 8:00 and getting up around 4:30 or so.  Other than those issues it has been pretty smooth sailing.  That’s about it for today.  I’ll post again at after day three is over.  Cheers!