 I have been seeing a naturopath, Robyn Chuter, for a stubborn health issue for some time, and recently she suggested I might try a two-week water fast. At first, I was quite reticent about the idea, as was my husband – “I can’t believe you want to go away to starve yourself for two weeks!” – but after taking some time to get more information and sit with the idea I decided to go ahead. As my husband saw me off for my “health retreat” he wished me well, both of us thinking it was going to be quite the ordeal, perhaps one of the hardest things I had ever done, but I really wanted to do this for my health. The experience was so surprising and beneficial that I decided to share it with you. What is fasting? There are different types of fasts including juice fasts or reduced calorie fasts where calorie intake is kept below a certain level such as 250 calories per day. However most (extended) fasting practitioners define fasting as the complete abstinence from all substances except pure water. “Fasting is defined as the complete abstinence from all substances except pure water, in an environment of complete rest.” TrueNorth Health Centre My fast was to be administered and supervised by Dr Doug Evans (DO), a qualified osteopath of 40 years and a fully certified member of the International Association of Hygienic Physicians for nearly 35 years, (as is Dr Alan Goldhamer, founder of True North Health Centre in Santa Rosa, California). All doctors in this organisation are trained to conduct medically supervised fasts, as well as provide specialized lifestyle management advice. Doug has over 35 years’ experience supervising fasting including 23 years at the former Hopewood Health Retreat. Before the fast, I went to see a talk by Doug about fasting which helped reassure me that fasting was both natural and safe (under medical supervision). Over thousands of years all mammals, including humans, have adapted to be able to fast during periods of little or no food, without causing damage to their bodies. Those that individuals that were not able to survive these lean times died off and those that were able to survive, grew to reproductive age and this adaptive trait was passed on to their offspring. The body protects itself from damage to its organs and muscles (ie. from eating itself) by slowing metabolism and switching over to ketosis – a process whereby energy is generated from fat breakdown rather than sugar and protein. I have explained this in more detail below as this fascinating process occurred during my fast. I hope you find this account of my fasting experience helpful. On arrival I arrived at my fasting retreat on Friday afternoon and was shown to my room – a beautiful high ceilinged wooden cabin with ensuite with a lovely view of the greenery and garden outside. I was asked to fill in a medical history form and provide a urine sample. Doug then took my blood pressure, heart rate and temperature and all this was recorded along with my weight. This procedure would be repeated every morning along with several check-ins during the day. I was advised that the water fast would begin that evening (no dinner!) and continue for the next 12 days followed by “refeeding” for two days. That night I contentedly went to bed but without any dinner, my stomach grumbling in protest, and wondering how I was going to cope with this feeling the next day.  Day 1 The next morning, I woke up feeling, you guessed it – hungry! Throughout the day, I also felt weak and tired. I was advised that I may feel a bit dizzy or faint and instructed to stand up slowly from the seated or prone position. This was due to a drop in my blood pressure which is normal during fasting. The low blood pressure would continue throughout the fast and even into some of the “refeeding” period. I got through the day by keeping myself distracted with reading, watching health documentaries and movies, connecting with some people by phone and online, fastidiously organising my room, and taking a nap. Despite feeling tired, I was also restless! It was unnerving being alone, without even food to provide nourishment and structure to my day, and being away from my familiar roles in my family and work. Of course, my feelings were heightened by my physical state, and I felt a bit lost. In the evening, I managed to walk to the beach for a swim which gave me great relief from my physical and mental symptoms. When I say “walk to the beach” I mean a very slow kind of shuffling along the track to the beach, and by “swim” I mean I waded into the water and allowed the ocean to slosh me around for a bit. Doug had told me one of the most important things to do during the fast was to rest. This is so the body can use the energy for healing instead of “wasting it” on physical activity. You don’t want to go through all that non-eating for no result. Also, people can end up exhausted and take a long time to recover if they push themselves too much physically during their fast. So, my visits to the beach were about getting some fresh air and rejuvenation, not exercising. Day 2 The next day I woke up feeling quite a bit better, but still quite weak and slightly nauseous, which my heavenly morning dip in the ocean greatly relieved. I discovered from my ketone reading that I had already moved well into ketosis. That is, my body had switched from using sugar and protein into using fat as its primary source of fuel. Doug explained that when we stop eating, initially the body draws on sugar in the blood from our last meal, then sugar stored in the liver as glycogen is utilised. Once this runs out the body starts using amino acids (from protein). Protein is not a preferred energy source and when the body “realises” food is not coming it switches to breaking down body fat for energy, otherwise known as ketosis. THREE BASIC PHASES OF FUEL/ENERGY SUPPLY DURING A FAST 1. Glucose – approximately the first 12 hours. Initially this comes from your last meal and then from glycogen stores in your liver (glycogenolysis). 2. Amino Acids (gluconeogenesis) provide a fuel source particularly from the 10th to 40th hour. They come from free amino acids in the circulation, digestive tract, liver and traces from muscle protein. These amino acids are converted in the liver to glucose for energy. 3. Fats – from approximately 2nd day onward (but particularly from the 3rd day) adipose tissue begins to be broken down. Fats and their by-products, ketones, are both becoming the primary source of fuel. Hopewood Health Retreat brochure Day 3 By the 3rd day my body had switched into full ketosis, and I was relieved to feel relatively clear-headed and not hungry anymore. It is normal to lose hunger in ketosis, but every now and then a habitual thought would come up like “Time for lunch” and then I realised “Oh no that’s right, I’m not eating at the moment”. I would feel slightly disappointed and then turn my thoughts to something else. One of the reasons fasting practitioners recommend occasional extended fasts, rather than more frequent short or intermittent fasting, is that the ketosis phase is generally more comfortable with hunger reducing or disappearing altogether and the mind clearing. On fasts of two to three days or less, there’s all the pain of getting through the hungry and uncomfortable glucose and protein burning phase, only to cut it short when eating is resumed and then the need to repeat the whole initial part of the fasting process next time. Another reason for longer fasting is that the ketosis phase appears to be where the deeper cleansing and healing occurs. Day 4 Now that my hunger had mostly subsided, I was relieved to realise this was not going to be the gruelling tortuous experience that I had quietly dreaded. It really did feel like a retreat. While my body was having a break from digesting, I was having a break too! As my body settled into the fast and slowed down, my mind had to slow down also, and it was actually rather pleasant. I took the time to read, watch some movies, look out to the sea, think, and write this article which I really enjoyed. I felt deeply grateful for my very dedicated team taking care of the practice at Massage by the Sea and my very capable husband and father at home taking care of things while I was away “suffering” through my fast.  Day 5 I weighed myself for the first time since beginning the fast on day five and saw that I had lost 5.3 Kg in weight. I was holding a bit of extra weight at the beginning of the fast, and being still well within my BMI range, I welcomed this news! My calf cramps, which had been bothering me for a couple of days, abated, and I continued to feel well physically. However, mentally I was still a little restless. There were no activities at the “retreat” like yoga and massage (although of course I eventually sourced out a good remedial massage therapist nearby ;-)), so I devised a little daily routine including visits to the beach, journalling, and meditation to keep myself grounded and positive. This gave me structure which I followed throughout the rest of my fast. Self-nurture and connection to my deeper self (or God if you like) became really important. Overall, it was a nourishing and clarifying experience. I can understand why fasting has been used as a tool to enhance spiritual and religious practice through the ages. Days 6 - 11 The rest of the fast continued much the same as from day three onwards. I had some emotional ups and downs, and some minor body aches and pains, but nothing overwhelming. It was interesting that when I felt down, the hunger would return slightly. I needed less sleep and at the same time needed to rest a lot. I was grateful for my spiritual routine, the support of friends and family over the phone and online, Doug and his wife, Morna, and my fellow faster, Jess, who had arrived a few days after me. The highlight was when my husband and two daughters visited me in the middle weekend on day 9 (we all went for a swim at the beach and then they went for lunch). I treated myself by drinking hot water from a pretty teacup while watching my movie at night. I never imagined I would think of hot water as a treat! Day 12 By day 12, the last day of my water fast, I was really seeing some positive improvement in my health and part of me wanted to stay on, but I needed to get back to work and family. I had lost a little more weight, still well within my BMI range, and I felt physically and mentally renewed. Regarding that stubborn health issue, I definitely noticed a positive change and subsequent medical tests showed a 22% improvement! 😊 I also noticed some other health problems had cleared up including my hay fever and sinusitis. Refeeding I had two days of refeeding before leaving the retreat. Doug started me slowly on vegetable broth followed by juices and fruit. Food never tasted so good! On the second day he packed me a delicious salad with roasted vegetables to give me energy for the trip home. I was ready to face the world again.
I am very grateful to have been introduced to this new (old) method of healing. If you would like to know more about the fasting retreat that I attended, please email me at [email protected]. MORE INFORMATION Fasting may help with the following conditions:
Fasting Contraindications Relative contraindications to prolonged fasting include:
Fasting is not for everyone and should only be attempted under medical supervision. It is important to note that fasting is not a weight loss remedy on its own. It can help to reset the body (and the taste buds) but unless followed by a healthy diet and lifestyle it will not have a lasting effect. MBTS EVENT Let's Talk about Fasting - by Doug Evans (DO) Please join us to discover the amazing health benefits of water fasting. When: Wednesday, 24th April, 7 - 8.30pm Where: Massage by the Sea, 199 Clovelly Road, Randwick Bookings: Call 9664 4400 or email [email protected] Light refreshments will be provided. Seats are limited so book now! AuthorShareen McLeish is a Nutritionist and Founding Director of Massage by the Sea. She holds an Advanced Diploma of Nutritional Medicine from Nature Care College in Sydney Comments are closed.
|
Massage by the SeaWe aim to provide healing through skilled, caring massage in a beautiful, natural space. Archives
December 2024
Categories |
|
OPEN 7 DAYS: 02 9664 4400
|
RSS Feed
