So I broke my fast after ten days...
It didn't go as I had expected. I broke my fast almost the same way as six months ago: with some steamed veggies. This time, I added a little bit of chicken broth as well, but I don't believe the difference should be significant. I anticipated a sudden burst of appetite and urge to eat everything in sight, and that did not happen. Let me describe step by step, how did it go.
Friendly reminder: I am not a nutritionist and you should take this article only as a description of my experience, not any sort of advice! If you wish to get inspired by it, you should only fast under medical supervision.
I did not want to start eating.
On January 9th, the ninth day of my water fast, I almost thought I would never want to eat again. My body felt amazing. I exercised in the morning, I was full of energy. Then I made a compromise with myself.
I achieved my goals for this fast; those were ridding myself of the addiction to unhealthy diet full of grains and sugar, flushing out toxins accumulated in my body since the previous water fast, letting my skin heal and my teeth get a little bit whiter (a couple of days without food really does miracles). Overall, these were goals regarding my physical health and because I am quite young and healthy person, I should not need to push the fasting too far because of health reasons. Even if I don't feel like eating.
Hereby the compromise: I would end the fast during the next few days, recover my strength and prepare for another fast, this time before Easter, this time for spiritual reasons. I still haven't decided when exactly is my next fast going to start and how long should it last. But I started to look forward to it even before ending my "new year" fast. So on the ninth day I went shopping to have fresh food at home for the moment I would feel ready to end my fast.
During the current fast, I went on with my normal daily life. In the afternoon on the tenth day, I started to feel weak, I was losing concentration and I wished I could just go home and rest. I still did not feel any hunger, but I needed to regain my original energy levels. So I decided to take that as a good opportunity to break the fast.
Has fasting turned me into a vegetarian?
After coming home, I first soaked my feet in epsom salt solution. The body becomes very dehydrated during a water fast, because the minerals required for water retention are flushed out of the body. People often make the mistake of getting the minerals too fast by digesting them, which can lead to some pretty swollen feet. (Been there, done that.)
Now let's get to the main point: the food. Many people recommend starting with fruit juices or at least with fruit which has high water content. They are also very often vegans or raw vegans believing in some strange diet hierarchy where the meat-eaters are the bottom of society while raw vegans are on their way towards ascension to the prana supremacy. Let me share my humble opinion: Fasting has always been part of our culture. Raw veganism has not. Our great-grandfathers definitely did not have any fresh melon in their pantry when they decided to break the fast around Easter.
These were my thoughts while deciding to add some chicken broth to the steamed veggies which I was going to eat. I was trying to savor every bite. Everything tastes sweet after fasting, even plain water. I tried to enjoy the broth as well, but I cannot say I liked the taste. I finished it just because of the nutrition and minerals I was planning to get out of it.
My first meal was over and I was anxiously watching my body, anticipating what would happen. And nothing happened. As if my body failed to notice I broke the fast. The signs of continuing detoxication were not disappearing. Just one thing changed: I smelled the chicken broth from my own breath and I hated it.
There and Back Again
For the second day of my refeeding stage, I thought I could start on restoring my inner microbiom. I started with avocado and continued with plain probiotic yoghurt. It even tasted sweet. I really enjoyed the taste, but I still did not think that my body recognized that as a food. So I decided to open hummus which I planned to eat a few days later. With the first taste, my brain exploded with sensations. This is the sh*t, I thought. I tried to resist the urge, but in the end I finished it together with some fresh salad. I was completely stuffed and happy.
Today is my third refeeding day. And I stuffed myself, again. With hummus, again. Don't get me wrong. When I say I stuffed myself, it means I ate around 800 calories, largery consisting of vegetables. I know that I should watch myself during the following week or two and be careful not to fall into old eating habits - which is not that difficult when I reserve a specific time of day for eating, give it my full attention, and stop eating in the moment I realize that I am completely satisfied.
That means that I am back to the world of eating. It is liberating to know I can decide to eat any time I want, or decide not to, because I don't need to eat every day to survive. Now that I have started receiving energy from outer sources again, I feel more grounded, more connected to the world, able to better interact with people. I feel more human when I eat.
When I'm fasting, when I metabolize the food stored in my fat, I feel more connected to my inner processes. I can feel the energy flow in my body, I can detach from my emotions almost anytime and the presence of my pure Self is more notice-able. Hopefully I can maintain this state and meditative abilities even after ending the fast. But until then, I just have to work hard for it.
Thank you if you have continued reading until here. As a reward, here is some internet wisdom:
