The one-day liquid fast went fine; it was the following day that didn't go so well.
On Friday, the day of the fast, there was only about a half an hour or so where I started to feel energy-deprived and slightly disoriented. So, I went to the store, got some vegetable juice and chugged down half of it (not exactly recommended), which only took about 15 minutes to kick in. Then I felt fine. The rest of the day I was hungry of course, but it was bearable. I mostly just craved food and found the greasy, salty fair food that was paraded past me later that night especially enticing. But, I survived.
Side note: On the liquid fast, it is recommended to thin out vegetable/fruit juice with water and to avoid overly sweet juices.
The next morning was a different story.
I woke up sweaty, disoriented and even a bit nauseous. So, figuring that I was dehydrated and had low blood sugar, I sat myself down and drank a glass of water and ate some dried Goji berries and chocolate. That was a bad idea because I was sick about a half an hour later and the damn Goji berries came right back up. Three euros worth of Goji berries literally down the toilet. Not fun!
There is definitely a lesson to learn here. As I already kind of knew and should have planned for a little better, once you end your fast/cleanse you need to slowly introduce normal food back into your diet. You cannot go from zero to one hundred and eat everything you have been fantasizing about without feeling the very severe consequences.
In the end, the morning that I had been fantasizing about, complete with a giant coffee and breakfast burrito, didn't happen. About a half an hour or so after defeat I ate a mashed banana, which tasted delicious, and then followed that an hour and a half later with a pureed carrot soup. After that I was right as rain and started to eat freely. Perhaps even tempting fate a little bit.
I did notice that for a short while, food tasted better. I was very sensitive to flavor and consistency and really enjoyed the rest of the day.
I have learned from some experienced fasters that a peeled apple that has either been grated and left out to turn a bit brown or that has been steamed is a great way to accustom your stomach to solids again. Peeled apples are apparently easy to digest.
Please learn from my mistake and remember to introduce foods that are harder to digest very slowly once you finish your fast. Do some research before the fast to find out what your options are.
Once you have decided how to ease yourself back into a normal rhythm, make sure you have the food available and at hand so that temptation does not take over. It will still take some self-discipline to not reach for the chocolate.
Plus, if you start to feel really terrible on the fast, perhaps it isn't the best time for your body. I would have no problem breaking a fast if I was getting some severe or abnormal distress signals from my body.
Although I won't be doing another fast in the year future, I am determined to do it once again, perhaps using different techniques. In any case I now know how to introduce normal solid foods slowly back into my diet afterward.
I hope that I have saved you from a similar fate. You're welcome.
On Friday, the day of the fast, there was only about a half an hour or so where I started to feel energy-deprived and slightly disoriented. So, I went to the store, got some vegetable juice and chugged down half of it (not exactly recommended), which only took about 15 minutes to kick in. Then I felt fine. The rest of the day I was hungry of course, but it was bearable. I mostly just craved food and found the greasy, salty fair food that was paraded past me later that night especially enticing. But, I survived.
Side note: On the liquid fast, it is recommended to thin out vegetable/fruit juice with water and to avoid overly sweet juices.
The next morning was a different story.
I woke up sweaty, disoriented and even a bit nauseous. So, figuring that I was dehydrated and had low blood sugar, I sat myself down and drank a glass of water and ate some dried Goji berries and chocolate. That was a bad idea because I was sick about a half an hour later and the damn Goji berries came right back up. Three euros worth of Goji berries literally down the toilet. Not fun!
1. Don't Break The Fast With Chocolate Or Any Other Hard-to-Digest Foods
There is definitely a lesson to learn here. As I already kind of knew and should have planned for a little better, once you end your fast/cleanse you need to slowly introduce normal food back into your diet. You cannot go from zero to one hundred and eat everything you have been fantasizing about without feeling the very severe consequences.
2. Research What Foods Are Easy On Your Stomach and Eat Them Slowly
I did notice that for a short while, food tasted better. I was very sensitive to flavor and consistency and really enjoyed the rest of the day.
I have learned from some experienced fasters that a peeled apple that has either been grated and left out to turn a bit brown or that has been steamed is a great way to accustom your stomach to solids again. Peeled apples are apparently easy to digest.
Please learn from my mistake and remember to introduce foods that are harder to digest very slowly once you finish your fast. Do some research before the fast to find out what your options are.
3. Prepare For Your First "Meal"
Once you have decided how to ease yourself back into a normal rhythm, make sure you have the food available and at hand so that temptation does not take over. It will still take some self-discipline to not reach for the chocolate.
Plus, if you start to feel really terrible on the fast, perhaps it isn't the best time for your body. I would have no problem breaking a fast if I was getting some severe or abnormal distress signals from my body.
Although I won't be doing another fast in the year future, I am determined to do it once again, perhaps using different techniques. In any case I now know how to introduce normal solid foods slowly back into my diet afterward.
I hope that I have saved you from a similar fate. You're welcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment