It seems that from what I've learned, day 2 is supposed to be the most difficult day of a water fast. So far, for me, this is not true! Day 1, yesterday, was pretty hard. I was extremely hungry and craving every kind of food imaginable. Today I still feel hunger pangs but I don't feel starved by any means. Maybe tomorrow will be worse for me? I don't know.
I was on a very low sugar diet before I started this fast, so perhaps that has affected the speed in which my body is transitioning into ketosis. I did not, however, do a raw-food diet before the fast, like many experienced people have recommended. I was a little nervous that my detox symptoms would be unbearable because of this. but so far they seem very mild and predictable.
Also, it is recommended that people who intend to water fast do not take medications. I abruptly stopped my birth control pills since I read that it was dangerous to only put hormones and water into your body. Today I am spotting, but that is to be expected and I can only hope that some of the toxins are being flushed out in this way.
Another thing I abruptly stopped when I began fasting was smoking cigarettes! Perhaps it would have been smarter to stop smoking beforehand instead of shocking my system so dramatically all at once, but I can't imagine it being any easier. To me it seems like stopping smoking and eating have gone hand in hand and I am not craving cigarettes very badly at all.
I take medication for anxiety and I cut my dose in half yesterday and hope to quarter it today. Anxiety is a major reason I decided to fast in the first place. I am hoping to be able to discontinue all medication except maybe birth control, however I am thinking very hard about that too.
Other reasons I decided to start fasting are to create a healthy jumping-off point for a new, healthier way of eating - essentially "resetting" my metabolism and digestive system, let's be honest - to lose a few pounds, and obviously the main idea is to detoxify my body and see what comes out! I also have pretty serious acid reflux a lot of the time and I am hoping that it will go away once my digestive system is sufficiently rested.
I've done a lot of reading and video watching about water fasting the past few days and I do believe I am as prepared as I can be to embark on this cleansing journey. I would like to continue to fast until "true" hunger returns, but I only have 19 days before I go to Europe so I may have to break the fast a few days before that time, as it is not advisable to travel long distances while water fasting. I think a 2 week fast will be plenty sufficient. We shall see how it goes! If my body is indeed already entering ketosis, I may not need to fast for very long. I am definitely paying close attention to what my body is telling me and I will carefully break the fast when it tells me it is time.
The person who's given me the most inspiration and information on water fasting is a cute Canadian guy named Michel. His nickname is "yogayak" on youtube and he also can be found at www.yogayak.com/michel . He's done 2 extended water fasts and carefully (and beautifully) documented it all on video. Love him!
Dr. Ben Kim also advised me not to take medication or fly while fasting and I am grateful to have a professional's advice on those things.
So hopefully I have most of my bases covered on this journey. I feel surprisingly good. I didn't sleep very much last night, but the sleep I did get seemed deep and refreshing. My dreams were vivid. My energy seems fairly normal considering I've not eaten in over 36 hours. I do not feel cranky or light headed, but again - it's still too soon to tell what sort of detox symptoms I might experience even in the next few hours. I am keeping a positive attitude, staying warm and getting plenty of rest. Oh, and of course - drinking LOTS of water.
Hopefully I'll be updating this on a regular basis! As Michel says - "Love and Light!"
Kai
