Fasting – 2007/08/16 10:59
Yes folks me and the Courtinator have started the Master Cleanse today. We plan to do it for 10 days. Why only 10? Well that is the minimum and being the first time we have ever fasted the minimum sounds good…BUT more importantly, we leave for Burningman in 11 days and fasting out in the desert sound kind of rough.
Day 2 – 2007/08/17 10:39
Starting weight 177 – Today 175
So far so good. Day one was a bit rough when it came to hunger, but I had reduced my food intake to just one meal a day (plus snacking) and drinking the lemonade concoction for a few days prior. So not eating yesterday wasn’t too horrible. However, Courtney and I seem to be handling the fast very differently. She’s miserable. We are both suffering from headaches, but she seems sick, lethargic and depressed. I think she needs to drink more water, but she hardly ever drinks anything normally. So, this change is super drastic for her. In fact, last night I had to drag her with me when I picked up Angela from the airport. Because she was going to eat if I left her alone.
FYI: Drinking a quart of salt water makes you pee out of your ass….ACK
Day 3 – 2007/08/18 11:15
Starting Weight 177 – Today 174
I’ve only lost one pound since yesterday, but that really doesn’t surprise me. I drank the salt water yesterday and the laxative tea last night, but I don’t think there is anything solid left inside me. Which actually does surprise me. Anyone that knows me, knows I’m a big carnivore. So, I was expecting all kinds of shit stuck inside me. I don’t know if its all the working out, or the gallons of energy drinks I normally consume but my digestive system is a lot cleaner than I expected.
Day 2 Recap – I managed to go to the store to get supplies without eating. Grocery stores are TOUGH when you are fasting. Everything looks so good. Especially a store like Whole Foods! At a friend’s advice, I bought Courtney some unsalted almonds. Not sure how much it will slow her detox, but she was much happier to munch on them.
As I mentioned in my entry above, the salt water had quite an effect on my colon. Yes, I did feel pretty dang good after it passed, but consuming a quart of that liquid is truly a feat. I managed to do it again this morning. Now, I am waiting for it to pass before I leave the house. For me, I think the salt water is better than the laxative tea. Since I a have nothing solid left, the tea just makes my insides hurt with virtually no benefit.
Day 4 – 2007/08/19 13:20
Starting Weight 177 – Today 173
I’ve lost another pound…although I’m not really sure how accurate my scale is. It only measures in half pound increments and it read both 172.5 and 173…so I’m prolly in between, but I’m rounding up. I did manage to get the whole quart of salt water down this morning without stopping. It still sucked but its getting easier every day. Oh, Courtney finally drank some of the salt water this morning. She got down about 2/3 of it. I’m proud of her. I know how bad it is.
Day 3 Recap – I considered going to my kick boxing class but I wasn’t sure how my energy level would be, so I went to the gym instead. Surprisingly I was fine. Although, I only ran 1.5 miles instead of my normal 3. I prolly could have made the full 3 but I thought it best to ease back into it. Once the salt water passes today I’m going to hit the gym again and burn some more calories. I did the math yesterday and I think I’m taking in less than 500 calories a day. I burn that alone just going to the gym 
Back to yesterday – I helped Courtney move later in the day…and that’s when my energy disappeared and my hunger appeared. I know drinking more of the lemon concoction is supposed help with hunger, but once you pass into starvation mode, the drink does little to help. Well we both sucked it up and even managed to make it out to 2 birthday parties….both in bars. Of course all my friends found it terribly amusing to offer us drinks, but thankfully the body craves food not alcohol. Once the subject changed to food it was time to leave.
Day 5 – 2007/08/20 13:07
Well I’m kinda bummed that I only lost a 1/2 pound, especially since I ran 3 miles yesterday. I should be burning enough calories to see more of weight loss, but then again my body might just be retaining all the water it can right now. Starvation mode makes the body do weird things.
Starting Weight 177 – Today 172.5
Day 4 recap – Everything was great in the first part of the day. Lots of energy, made it to the gym…but then around 5ish hunger set in again. I think it’s the TV that does it to me. When I sit and do nothing I get hungry. Plus, commercials are just all about food. I never really noticed how many times a day we are hit with messages about eating. Well at least Tivo lets me fast forward through it all. At least I got back out of the house around 7 and I was too busy to be hungry anymore. The next 3 days should be equally as busy, so I don’t think hunger will be too much of an issue.
Fasting…to break or not to break – 2007/08/20 18:55
OK here is the scoop. Wednesday I am performing multiple laser removal procedures. Several of the clients have expressed concern with my not eating. I don’t think its a huge issue, but I do understand their position…and in all honesty, I’m not sure how comfortable I would be if I didn’t know much about the fast. If we start eating Wednesday that will make 6 full days. Not really what I want, but it might have to happen.
Fasting No More – 2007/08/21 11:37
Well folks only 5 out of the 10 days that we planned. I am really bummed, but here’s the story. Courtney has been job hunting for 2 months. She had been offered plenty of retail jobs. (She worked as a manager for Victoria Secret for quite a while) But I have been encouraging her to work with her degree. She’s a psychologist with a specialty in Autism. Well, yesterday she finally got an amazing job. Great hours, excellent pay and she gets to teach people will learning disabilities. It’s exactly what she’s been looking for. So, as I promised, we could celebrate how she wanted. She wanted sushi. GRRRRR As most of you know. I’m a pretty tough bastard, but sushi is my weakness. Oh well 5 days fasting for someone that’s never done it before is still quite a feat. Plus, I haven’t thrown in the towel completely. I’m still limiting my food intake and drinking the lemon concoction.
In other strange news, my memory has returned. I was keeping it quiet, but during the fast I was having trouble remembering things. At first I thought it was coincidence, but now I’m starting to realize there might be something with my genetics. Here is why. My mother has severe short term memory problems. It all started about 5 years ago when my father passed away. We have always thought it was something mental or emotional because losing your spouse of 38 years would be hard on anyone. BUT when he passed my mom lost a TON of weight in a very short period. She was depressed and just quit eating. Still to this day she hardly eats at all. We had her tested for everything under the sun, but could never find anything wrong with her. Now I’m convinced its a nutritional issue and I’m in the same boat. In fact, both of her parents lost their mental faculties in their later years. Hmmmm, looks like its time for me to start researching the link between diet and memory. Yeah I’m getting old, but damn I don’t need to be losing my mind…well no worse than I already have.
Tags: Burningman, Master Cleanse