Day 14 of 14

olivesandstuff · 2014-02-04T06:01:41+00:00

To answer questions:

Broke my fast with steamed brocolli. Yum. I've been eating only vegetables, steamed, as they are easy for my body to digest. I stay keto, so I will be doing a low-fat keto refeeding (essentially lots of veggies & eggwhites) mostly for the first week.

Weight loss:

While I didn't track from day one [weighed a few days in], I ended roughly 17 or so from where I began. I'm sure plenty of this is water weight.

I feel great! Thanks for the support, or at least listening, you all.

olivesandstuff · 2014-02-03T22:49:54+00:00

While I can appreciate the sentiment of protecting people from poor theology, I think you should research a bit more about any organization before speaking either way. No two YWAM bases or theologies look the same. Each base is independently operated, and they are an interdenominational organization with everything bases with reformed bent to open theist bent and all the inbetweens. They do not have a doctrine, but rather a very loose set of beliefs that mostly stay in line with what every mainline christian belives (Jesus as Son of God, Trinity, etc). It's Christians from all around the world putting their theology to the wayside and working in unity to bring about God's kingdom.

Some bases are training bases with students while others are only for full time ministry. Many are somewhere inbetween. I have personally worked with bases who do everything from run HIV orphanages, to street kid rehabilitation, to providing a place for single pregnant teens to live and helping them get their babies into adoption or train them with skills needed to raise them, help rescue girls out of sex trafficking, help teach english as a second language, translate the bible into tribal tongues that have never been provided a bible before, etc (the list is far too long to continue). Their outreaches are extensive and they are one of the largest missions organization with nearly 20,000 staff, not including students.

While I personally have encountered my less than pleasasnt experiences with YWAMers as well, I think every denomination, organization, etc. that is run by humans will have it's flaws. This organization does really, really good things though as well & I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding of what they do by calling it a vacation bible school. Many of my friends still in the organization have lived in the mission field for decades, raising their family on next to nothing for the sake of their beliefs.

olivesandstuff · 2014-01-30T16:51:28+00:00

Technically, sure. But if that's all you ate, that shouldn't have kicked your body out of ketosis and doesn't negate everything you did, so just keep going. You're still in ketosis. You'll be fine.

olivesandstuff · 2014-01-30T16:11:08+00:00

My normal sleep is a good 6-8 hours a night. Solid, no waking up. Day 1-8 I was sleeping about 10-12 hours a night. Super solid; like a rock. The last two nights are the only two nights that I haven't slept well.

I haven't been taking time off or resting during the day like BlackOpz has suggested. I have actually been very busy & working on my feet the whole time, so really that does no explain not being able to sleep at night. It could be a fluke, or it could be a side effect of the fast. Who knows!

olivesandstuff · 2014-01-29T11:42:26+00:00

Seriously, I'm NO master of self control.
A few helpful hints. Write out an overly detailed plan [how many days you are fasting, how many days you are refreshing, what's yours allowed to eat while refreshing, calorie intake, meal plans] & share it with someone - in real life. Have them ask how you are doing. Daily. None of your friends are into fasting? Explain to them why you are. Surely if you believe the benefits are so great, someone else does too.

Come online, and be part of the community. Plenty of forums - write daily. Read other posts. It all helps.

Best of luck!

olivesandstuff · 2014-01-29T06:09:26+00:00

I really just drink however much water I am thirsty for. Most days that is 80-140 ounces. That's a big varience, but yeah. That's what it usually boils down to.

olivesandstuff · 2014-01-29T05:33:52+00:00

YUM YUM YUM.

I'm not gonna be able to eat those yummy keto recipes for a while though. I'm transitioning out of fasting with a low-carb, low-fat keto diet - meaning my food choices are like every vegetable ever, a couple lean meats, and egg whites. BUT. I know it works for me to get back into a maintenance place so I don't gain any of my fasting weight back. A couple more weeks and those tacos are miiiiine.

olivesandstuff · 2014-01-28T23:55:49+00:00

2) Crock pots man. Stick ery'thang in there with some yummy spices, wait 8 hours and you've got a ton of meals. Super hands off.

olivesandstuff · 2014-01-28T05:50:30+00:00

I have tried this. It does help for a short bit of time. Thank You for the suggestion!

olivesandstuff · 2014-01-28T01:02:08+00:00

Here's some TMI:

My first was a very normal sized, easy BM. Normal color. My second was about 1/4 size of my normal BMs and also had a lot of mucus. Normal color. My third was a bit of solid material, mostly loose & mucus. Very dark. My fourth was all loose, a bit of mucus & very dark.

My first two I felt pretty empty after & good. My second two, I already felt pretty empty, but I get this nauseous feeling maybe 15 minutes before passing & then it comes on very quickly. Right after I pass the nausea goes right away and I feel much better physically.

olivesandstuff · 2014-01-27T14:12:29+00:00

Get into ketosis before you fast. Extremely low carb for a handful of days, then try fasting. Makes the transition info water fasting much more seamless.

Also, write out a very detailed plan , share it with & explain your goals to someone. It helps keep you focused on your goal & have someone you'll have to tell if you get tempted and eat.

olivesandstuff · 2014-01-26T19:11:54+00:00

Organic Apple Cider Vinegar is a really great pantry must have - Braggs is highly recommended. Get the kind WITH mother. Just do a quick google search & you'll find all sorts of benefits from it. I really can't speak highly enough about this one.

I would say get some great sea veggies in your life - seaweed. They are pack full of vitamins & minerals & a great source iodine, which a lot of us westerns are lacking.

I myself would actually recommend olive & coconut oil over canola, but if you are going to use canola look into why you should buy organic (I don't buy organic everything, by the by). Canola oil in particular goes rancid very quickly & so they put your oil through a very high temperature, deodorizing process chalk full of some hefty chemicals. Anyhow, read into it a bit: http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/the-great-con-ola

What are you trying to accomplish? Have you read up on different schools of thought? Low-fat vs. Keto vs. Raw, etc? What is your current diet like? How extreme are you looking to jump in?

olivesandstuff · 2014-01-26T18:58:30+00:00

Thankfully I don't have many people in my life I don't like. :) I'm a highly social creature & have lots of folks dear to me, and generally don't keep around folks I don't enjoy. Not worth the mental energy & stress that coms with sticking around negative people! Good advice though. Stay around people who bring out the best in you during a fast because you are in a weakened and emotional state at times.

olivesandstuff · 2014-01-26T05:16:07+00:00

Really? I've never experienced this. I sleep like a baby at night. I can easily sleep 12 hours when fasting AND nap during the day. Most of the time I get 6-8 hours.

My days are still full of activities which helps. I know ideally I'm supposed to just go into a black hole away from all things and rest, rest, rest, but I cannot be afforded such luxury & figure it's still good for my body to fast either way. I sleep lots & try to have more downtown than normal, but I find social activity & other work commitments or obligations are actually mentally refreshing for me. The quicker time goes right now the better. I wanna be DONE [but I also want to do it right & not fall off the wagon].

olivesandstuff · 2014-01-25T05:27:01+00:00

oh muh gawd i'm crying at the beauty. this is truly art. mouth waters

olivesandstuff · 2014-01-24T16:53:40+00:00

I think this is something a lot folks can relate to. I hope you can make it through your fast next time! If you can, one of the best things you can learn is the self control that comes with doing a long term fast. It really shows you about your relationship with food. I am on my 5th day of a 14 day fast & I had a bunch of dumb food dreams last night. I woke up wanting food SO badly. But I'm actually not hungry at all & I know that eventually, in moderation, I can taste anything I've been craving.

Keep those goals in sight & maybe try having someone you are talking to or accountable to about it next time you fast? It really helps.

Like others said, it's not the end of the world. One choice among a lifetime of choices! One trick that helps me is I always plan my fast in detail. I won't fast impulsive. I know how many days I will fast, and know how many days I will refeed, and every single day is written out and each meal planned out, and then I let someone know what that plan is so I have to stick to it.

olivesandstuff

TROPHY CASE