I realize we eat for three main reasons:
1. Schedule: 'It's lunch time - I should eat. If I don't eat now I won't be able to eat until dinner time.' Or you eat whenever you get home from work, whether it's 5:30pm or 3am. Or your days are so busy that you never eat, but maybe you grab a snack here or there when you have a free second, but then stuff yourself when you finally have time.
2. Social 'pressure': The boss is treating everyone to dinner and drinks. It's someone's birthday. A random get together to catch up with friends over dinner and drinks. It's like THE sign of adulthood. So... either you starve yourself all day in preparation, or you eat when you don't really need to and don't really have the desire to.
3. Emotional: You have your meals planned out. You have your grocery list. You may have already bought all of your groceries for the week, but then a client stresses you, a significant other upsets you, your personal and/or professional life feels like a mess that day and you want an easy fix. Any one of those restaurants you pass on the way to work will do. You might even go out of your way for something special you like in hopes of getting at least one thing you want that day.
"Food felt more like a vice than a necessity,"
There is food and beverage temptation everywhere. Marketing companies study psychology and the understand the driving forces behind our habits. We all seem to have similar ones because we're all geared toward a similar lifestyle. Because so much of what we do revolves around acceptance it's no surprise that, without even noticing, most of our habits 'fit in' to a mould. At every turn there is some store or company that is happy to provide the 'fix' you're seeking - for a price, of course. It's understandably hard to resist.
"Part of my fast is to deal with the reasons I was using food as a vice and reinstate an extreme level of discipline I felt I had lost."
I started fasting because I noticed that I was eating and not nourishing. Rather than listening to my body, I was listening to the nutritionists, doctors, society, and emotions. I ate when I wasn't hungry. I overate often, usually heathy things, and if I ate what I wanted [not needed] I felt guilty about it after. If I ate just enough, I convinced myself I wasn't satiated. Food felt more like a vice than a necessity, so I decided to try fasting and cut out all food and drink only water. I planned to do this for 7-14 days. I'll let Gandhi keep his 21 days [he fasted for 21 days].
Part of my fast is to deal with the reasons I was using food as a vice and reinstate an extreme level of discipline I felt I had lost. I decided I would conduct low level physical activity to stay active and build on will power. I believe that the power of the mind is limitless and I meditate to feed the focus of those powers as my fuel to get through my activities. I've been running and attending hot yoga, which is amazing for focused meditation as well as flexibility and breath control.
The first four days were great, but exercise wipes me out. I sleep a lot earlier on the days I exercise and I have exercised four out of seven days this week. I'm on day seven. My cognitive function has been amazing, but I don't have the same strength. I would not attempt lifting in this state, but maybe that's just me. My focus has been fundamental activity and training with the intention of rebuilding stronger and even more balanced, flexible and agile.
"The idea is to listen to my body."
The last two days I have felt the boredom of my tastebuds. I LOVE water, but that isn't very exciting after seven days. I would have loved to wake up and cook myself a lovely breakfast or have a brunch with family, but I am committed to the reason I started. On the other hand, I won't kill myself, If I feel I am unable to function I will eat!
The idea is to listen to my body. In 6.25 days of fasting I have felt notably, stomach grumbling, hungry maybe three times. Every other time I want food it's because I see food, smell food, want to avoid work, want to comfort myself, want to kill time, want to have an excuse to sit down and have a drink by myself [guilty], or I want an excuse to meet up with people. I'm pretty sure I had about a three-day reserve of food before this started. I do now feel that I am losing both fat and muscle, but I haven't weighed myself. I don't keep a scale in the house. One in the gym is enough.
So what next? While I've coveted all kinds of fast breaking meals, the plan is to slowly reintroduce food so as not to shock my system or cue my body to store fat, while I reprogram. I plan to have a week of liquid meals, high in vegetable and fruit content, low in fat with just enough protein. I miss my almond milk. The first solid foods I want to reintroduce are oatmeal, eggs and almonds. I'll see how my body responds and gauge its needs according to my training regimen, which will also become more rigorous again at the end of this two weeks.
Ultimately, the lesson I want to stay with me is to remain in control of what my body needs, according to it's own demands. I want to nourish my body. The goal is to give up eating as a habit. I'd like to restrict eating to holidays and special occasions, unless of course, training calls for nourishment only.
P.S. I take my health in my own hands and don't recommend that anyone take something like this on without consulting their doctor and/or considering carefully any preexisting health conditions that could cause fasting to become a detrimental. I am merely sharing my experience with the hope that you pay closer attention to your eating habits and take control over your personal nutrition according to your own needs. We are each unique and have unique needs. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments or just leave a comment below.
