My Winter Solstice 2007 Fast

Thought I'd take a few minutes and write up the results of the three-day water fast I am just concluding this morning -- the morning of the Winter solstice.

Happy solstice all! The sun is reborn today. As far as daylight goes, it's all gravy from here on out.

Back to my fast. The protocol is described in the recipe to which this is a response.

This time, during the fast, I went to the trouble of recording certain vital statistics of myself immediately upon waking. So there are four mornings of recordings. Day 0 is the morning of the 18th -- the day I started the fast. Day 3 is this morning -- the day I will end the fast.

(I'm heading downstairs for some fruit, yogurt, coconut oil, and nuts after writing this. The first bite after fasting is amazing. Biting into a nut, I can almost taste the tree.)

With that introduction, here is my data:

• Day 0 (Dec 18)
  
  • Resting Pulse: 41 beats/min
    
  • Weight: 182.4 lb
  • Waist: 33 1/2"
  • Fat (Scale): 14.5%
  • Fat (Navy): 14%
    
  • Blood Sugar: 75 mg/dL
  • Blood Pressure: 118/67 mmHg
• Day 1 (Dec 19)
  • Resting Pulse: 42 beats/min
    
  • Weight: 178.4 lb
  • Waist: 33 1/2"
  • Fat (Scale): 14%
  • Fat (Navy): 14%
    
  • Blood Sugar: 66 mg/dL
  • Blood Pressure: 113/70 mmHg
• Day 2 (Dec 20)
  • Resting Pulse: 41 beats/min
    
  • Weight: 175.8 lb
  • Waist: 33"
  • Fat (Scale): 13.5%
  • Fat (Navy): 13%
    
  • Blood Sugar: 60 mg/dL
  • Blood Pressure: 110/73 mmHg
• Day 3 (Dec 21)
  • Resting Pulse: 43 beats/min
    
  • Weight: 173.8 lb
  • Waist: 32 3/4"
  • Fat (Scale): 12.9%
  • Fat (Navy): 13%
    
  • Blood Sugar: 60 mg/dL
  • Blood Pressure: 113/74 mmHg

Some notes on the data:

1. All of my numbers are optimal. Yay me!
   
2. Although I dropped 8.6 pounds -- including 1.6% of my body fat -- during the fast, I will put these pounds and fat right back on over the next couple of days. This fast is not about weight loss.
3. My resting pulse and blood pressure remained constant throughout the fast. This sugggests to me that my body did not have to face excessive toxins to eliminate during the fast.
4. The blood sugar number is the key one for me. As you can see, I started the fast with an optimal blood sugar reading: 75 mg/dL. Thereafter, that number dropped to 66, then 60, and then held at 60. These numbers correlate with how I felt  throughout the fast: namely, my mind and body were completely sharp and energetic.

Contrast point #4 above with the fast I started but aborted last Fall (Sep. 18-20). Last Fall, I started doing the same sorts of recordings above with the intention of posting this sort of testimony back then. But I aborted that fast on the afternoon of Day 1. Why?

I aborted it because my brain was becoming fuzzy, my energy low, and my food cravings high. These feelings were corroborated by my blood sugar reading the morning of Day 1 -- it was only 51 mg/dL. (Reason for this low number: excessive exercise on Day 0. Excerise depletes blood sugar. So if you're fasting, any exercise you do just cuts shorter the time you'll be able to comfortably fast.)

I have found that when I start a day with blood sugar at 50 or below, I'm going to have a very shitty day unless I start eating soon. 

Finally, i'll conclude by saying why I've shared this data with you. It's because most every health practitioner with whom I have spoken has said that this sort of 3-day water fast is very risky to do.

I think they're only partially right. I think they're right for people who have excess fat; people who consistently eat foods that harm their bodies; people with blood sugar issues; etc.

Basically, I suspect that this fast is beneficial only for people in optimal, or close to optimal, health. But even in that case, we must monitor our vital signals to ensure we are not doing more harm than good.

Anyway, that is my belief at the close of 2007. I'll be happy to be disabused of his belief in the face of more persuasive reasoning.