By fast, do you mean no solid foods and nothing but water? or were you on some sort of liquid diet for nutritional purposes? (I'm not well-versed in fasting)
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- Thread starter Barefoot TJ
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By fast, do you mean no solid foods and nothing but water? or were you on some sort of liquid diet for nutritional purposes? (I'm not well-versed in fasting)
OK, I'm calling Shenanigans: There's no way the guy in the after pic is the same as the guy in the before pics!
...
I get that alot....look at my tatts. In the before pic I only had Buddha on my left arm...in the after pics I had a little more work done. Right arm tatts are the same though lol.
I started with a week long fast, not sure that was the best thing, but I had to get off insulin and my doc said losing 60lbs fast was the only way to do it. The insulin was also preventing me from losing weight. After that I did a month of 600 cals a day in protein shakes and then 600 cals in protein only. I started in July and did not increase to 800 cals till Thanksgiving. That is when I started exercising as well, and running came along in January. It took me a little over a year to lose all the weight, but my motivation was more than just to lose weight...I did not want to go on an insulin pump.
I also lifted weights the entire time. I love to pick up heavy things haha so that and cardio every day. I was on a mission.
Yah, although when I first started putting it on 5-6 years ago, I kind of enjoyed being a bit more massive, throwing my weight around so to speak, especially since I was in northern Mozambique where fat and strong are the same word, and girth is a sign of prosperity and a good life. My next door neighbor, a well-known sorcerer, used to compliment me on my improving aspect, and told me how glad my family would be when I got home, to see how well Africa had treated me. Meanwhile, he would dance naked on his roof at night in an attempt to conjure up the same voodoo I was using to gain wealth and prosperity, indexed by my gain in weight. He thought I must be stealthily robbing others of their life force, when in fact my gains were simply due to inactivity and fried food and ice cold lagers.
P.S., that's an impressive amount of weight to lose in a year's time. Congrats again!
Zoics! I realize that I did not include you on my original posting, TMo! Yes, I knew it was you in both pics but - like Thom - a shocking difference. So was that just a strictly water fast (not sure how that can be done) or did that mean that you were sticking to liquids (juices, broths, etc...).
Outstanding results, regardless!
Also, sometimes realize that friends and family can work against you (either purposely or inadvertently) a la "Oh, come on, you look fine, have some. You can run it off, tomorrow" or "But I bought it just for you" (even though you tell them not to buy anything) or "But it's [Insert Holiday or Family Event, here]"
The first two days of my fast were fresh juices, then it was strictly water through the rest of it. Without going into the boring details, fasting is like a re-set on your body. Since we tend to eat a lot (and mostly, wrong foods), our bodies spend significant time on digesting all that. By allowing it to divert attention away from the act of digestion, it begins to expend more energy on actually healing the damage that bad food choices make. Take TMo's experience as a good example: not many people realize that insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes isn't a death sentence but is in fact a reversible condition. It's caused by poor dietary choices, by and large, and thus, better choices can typically correct the problem.
I fasted a day while preparing for my first colonoscopy, does that count? It was a surprisingly pleasant experience, but it's hard to say how I would feel about it after a week or more. Just curious, did you guys experience any spiritual vibes while fasting? I'm not much for ascetic practices, but it might be interesting to give it a try.
If by "spiritual" you mean, did I see God? No. But if you mean, did it flush out a lot of bad thinking, restore my mental and emotional balance, and renew my sense of awe concerning the power of the body to heal, then I sure as hell did. It's a spiritual journey I've continued on since, and each day seems to bring a new revelation.
Yah, the latter. I'm getting a bit more of that too, more and more, albeit without any real drastic measures, just plugging away, improving, and making greater use of the running/exercise is a metaphor for life trope. It just recently dawned on me that setting goals and developing tactics in all areas of life can be just as useful as in a training regimen.
I was very emotional. Music had a much higher impact on me. Now I get the same feelings running barefoot through the woods. My wife says I was crankier and lovier at the same time lol.
The longest I've fasted was for three days, and I was surprised that I didn't feel super hungry. I felt light. But, that was a long time ago. How did you feel while fasting that long? Did you have energy? Did you take time off to do it, or did you work at the same time?
OK, then. After the reset, did you still have any of the cravings you had before the fast? Or were those gone?
I enjoyed being a bit more massive also, plus my wife has always been attracted to heavier guys. I was on a crew that would build irrigation systems. We would have to lift steel and assemble all day long. The boss fed us like lumberjacks so we wouldn't run out of energy, but we worked in remote areas so often our meals were junk from gas stations or fast food. I was as strong as a horse, but my belly was getting large and I knew it wasn't healthy. The crew wasn't happy when I cut portions and started running before work. Some how I made it through. Now 10 years later and 50 pounds less, I can barely lift a hay bale, but I'll take it. I am going to start working more on my upper again soon. Darn barefoot running is so fun, that's all I want to do.
Tmo - incredible
Patrick - Great Job, keep it up. I hit many plateaus getting to where I am now.
My experience with the fast was pretty typical, from what I've read about others who've done similar things. The first few days are actually the worst. That's when I felt the most "hungry" or deprived. I felt fairly listless during that period, and went to bed as early as possible just to get those early days over with. Then, after that, I began to feel quite good on some days, then cycle through some rough patches. By the second week, the good days seemed to outweigh the bad (I kept a journal so I'm reviewing my notes). I began an exercise program during that time -- strictly walking, for about 40 minutes -- and only really felt out of it by the end of the day. I continued to work (at a desk, though, no heavy lifting like RickW), and do stuff around the house, but I was very, very careful to monitor how I was feeling and take breaks as I needed them.
Honestly, Pirate, after I broke my fast, the cravings for things that I used to love -- ice cream, cheese and the burgers that went with them, Golden Oreos -- were gone, and have never returned. In fact, I doubt very seriously if I could even eat that stuff any more, since I've really adopted a pretty clean diet and my body has responded to that. It felt very much like a cold-turkey break from an addiction, and I've become convinced that it's pretty much the only way to break a food addiction. Maybe not with a fast as long as the one I did (though others have done MUCH longer ones -- my original goal was 30 days but I broke it at 23 because my body seemed to be telling me to do so), but I think it helps re-set the body, letting it start a healing process.
I, too, am deeply moved and inspired by you guys. I only started at just under 200 lb, and am now bumping between 175 and 178. I believe its's time to drop a few more to get me under 170 and stay there. More veg, less refined anything. I haven't had to punch new holes in my belt in months! Thank you for the motivation!
As to a 50+ forum, I sort of hesitate to do that. We can know who we are and we don't want to seem to be lording it over the youngsters more than we can help.
(7 weeks until my 56th.)
As to a 50+ forum, I sort of hesitate to do that. We can know who we are and we don't want to seem to be lording it over the youngsters more than we can help.
(7 weeks until my 56th.)
Yeah, and besides, after my next birthday I'd have to create the 60 and over division.
More fun sticking with one big group.
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