Fasts are supposed to confer a wide range of benefits to individuals who manage to pull through and tolerate not eating for days at a time. Although there are many kinds of fasts, such as smoothie-only fasts, and intermittent fasting, I've become intrigued with the idea of a FULL fast, in which I consume NO food, and drink water only.
I started my fast two days ago.
I've set my aim for three days, and as I finish my second day, hunger has seriously begun to set in.
You see, I work in a fine-dining restaurant, with a Top Chef award winning menu, so it's not easy to toss away a perfectly juicy dish, or turn away a manager who offers you left-over cake. And it's becoming more difficult by the minute.
In this list, I share with you a few things that I've learned on my short, yet grueling, journey thus fur.
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1. Everything reminds you of food, as stimuli are EVERYWHERE
This is probably the most difficult one. Driving to work, I'm so used to stopping and grabbing food for the drive. I have to scratch that idea and just go. At work, I have to skip my cafeteria meal, as others eat, and sit around as others enjoy what used to look like slop food- but now it smells and looks like the best Thanksgiving Dinner. Driving home, I can't stop and have a beer and burger, whilst I respond to my Steemit and YouTube comments, or read the latest news. This hurt and agonized me the most tonight.
2. You remember what it's like to REALLY feel hunger, and not simply a desire to eat
I've become ever more conscious of my addiction to sugar. What's driven me to eat most often hasn't been hunger, but rather either habit OR a desire to feed my rat brain it's little sugar rush.
3. You've become less selfish and moody
Surprisingly, I've had less ups and downs in my moods. It's easy to become unaware of what causes life's ebbs and tides sometimes. Sometimes it's just a sugar rush, or craving satisfaction, followed by a crash as your body is quickly depleted of glucose (or sugar). I've become much more stable, both mentally and physically. The only thing that really changes physically is that I become hungrier over time. I've also noticed that in thinking LESS of what I'll be eating, or just ate, I've changed patterns of thoughts and behaviors that have been ingrained in me, as I fill the time and space with other thoughts.
4. Your mind has become much more quiet
This is actually a REALLY nice benefit. Generally, my mind is a clutter of thoughts, as my "monkey brain" keeps spinning the wheel and jabbing at me with clusters of thoughts at all times. However, I've noticed a quieting of my mind that is similar to that I've only experienced after many days practicing meditation. This, however, takes much less conscious effort. Fogs have cleared and my mind is much more tuned, aware, and focused. I also have an ever growing state of relaxation; perhaps as my body uses less energy and stress to digest the mass of food I usually dump in it.
5. You sleep much more restfully
Usually, I eat before sleep. At my job, I have to be up for hours with no break. I also work far, meaning I can't really eat until I get home late. Restaurants. This means that perhaps my body, and this is a theory, has to spend more energy digesting as I sleep, and doesn't get the opportunity to truly rest as much. Today, I woke up after 4 hours of sleep feeling like I'd slept 8 hours, and had just had the smoothest cup of coffee ever. Naturally, I was confused, as I'm an insomniac who needs much more sleep, usually. I stayed up for a while, and didn't feel tired at all, though I expected this to be a sense of false awakeness. Forcing myself to sleep, just in case, I kept awaking with even more energy each time than the last. Epic.
6. Others try to convince you that this is bad
But increasing awareness of your own body and mind, as you distract it less with the gunk that it must process, leads you to call their bluff. Experience has taught you that perhaps they've just never tried this kind of thing, since you are actually feeling pretty damn good. Your confidence, as you are able to control base urges to eat, has grown. Your willpower is growing ever more, as you learn to tell yourself no.
7. Your wallet is thicker
Or rather you might have quite a bit more than you're used to having in your account, on a weekly basis :) This one seems obvious, but is a pretty awesome thing to notice- even after three days, when you're used to eating out regularly!
So.
The battle against my willpower grows more and more difficult, as my sense of smell has become more keen than ever. Seriously, everything smells DELICIOUS, and this is to me a GREAT sign. I'm becoming more sensitive, sense-wise, and I can't WAIT for my first meal after this is over. However, it may be the first meal in a while that I'll truly appreciate FULLY, as my body finally earns it. My mind, however, is enjoying this experience, as my soul enriches. Tomorrow will bring new thoughts, experiences, and determination to truck through a difficult day at work.
Don't try this without consulting a doctor, if you have medical conditions requiring you to eat certain minerals you lack, or haven't done some research on what to expect. This is no joke, and I don't condone anorexia. However, isolated experiences of fasting are healthy and normal to the human species, as they've been recommended by health professionals and religions for thousands of years. If you try this, you may come out learning a lot by spending very little.
Also, if you try this, your mileage may vary, as we are all different :)
Cheers, and thanks for reading!