“The only discipline that lasts is self-discipline.” ~Bum Phillips
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It’s baaaaaack…
The 36-hour, (once a week), fast
***WARNING** Please do your own research and consult your doctor before altering your diet.***
What is it? Why do it? And, the backstory.
In 2019, (at 51), I came to the sudden awareness that I’d never gone a day without eating.
I wondered if I could fast for an entire day.
The only way to find out… challenge myself.
My plan was to cease eating around 8 p.m. on Sunday. Then, see if I could make it through Monday without food.
If I could then make it to Tuesday at 8 a.m., I’d have gone 36 hours.
The first fast was brutal!
Afterward, I recall saying, “Maybe I’ll try that again next year.”
Then a day went by and I said, “Maybe I’ll do that again next month.”
Then another few days went by and I said, “I’m going to do that again next Monday!”
The next thing I knew, it was 30 weeks later…
30 consecutive weeks of fasting – 36 hours, once per week.
I share the experience on a couple of previous podcast episodes.
Why fast in the first place?
Reason #1: Self control
I wanted to find out WHO was in control.
Was it my impulses and eating habits or was it my mindfulness and willpower?
I love Pythagoras’ observation:
“No man is free who cannot command himself.”
Could I command myself for those 36 hours?
Freedom and family are top values.
Am I really free if I cannot command myself?
Am I in control?
Let’s find out…
Reason #2: Experiment!
As important as habits, rituals and routines are that support our goals and ideals, it’s equally important to experiment.
See Dynamism (episode).
“All life is an experiment, the more experiments you make the better.” ~R.W. Emerson
By experimenting, I learned firsthand an entirely different level of self-discipline and interestingly, gained a new level of freedom.
“Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood."
~R.W. Emerson
In Siddharta by Hermann Hess, Siddhartha’s mantra is…
I can think. I can wait. I can fast.
These were things within Siddhartha’s control.
Few things in life are in within our control.
What we eat and when we eat ought to be.
Yet, for most, they are not.
Ironically, most people think they are in control of what and when they eat yet, they have never tested that belief.
Fasting is a great way to test that assumption.
It stands to reason that if one cannot control what they eat, when they it, they really do not control very much.
Reason #3: Health and wellness.
Here are just a few of the reported health and wellness benefits of fasting:
Fights inflammation
Aids blood sugar control; reduces insulin resistance
Aids weight loss and reduced fat
increases growth hormone
Aids heart health
Suspected of aiding cancer prevention
Aids longevity
Improves clarity
Enhances mindfulness
Enhances spirituality. They don’t call it a “Monk Fast” for nothing. For the record, I’d never heard that term until 2023!
How I perform the fast…
First, the disclaimer once again: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. PLEASE VISIT YOUR DOCTOR AND DISCUSS ANY CHANGES TO YOUR DIET FIRST.
For better or worse, I dove head-first into this experiment with almost no research.
I had no idea there are terms like “dirty” fasting.
To get through the day, I will probably have about 5-6 cups of hot tea and drink a lot of water, sometimes carbonated.
I also have coffee in the morning.
That coffee has a touch of coconut oil and sometimes I’ll add a touch of butter.
Apparently, this is known as “Fat-Fasting”. I didn’t know that.
Purists are likely to say that those are calories and it’s a “dirty fast.”
For me, this experiment is about health and I’m confident that those fats are healthy.
Further, the reduction in calories from a typical day of 2,000+ to approximately 50 is fasting.
Less than 100 calories (far less), during a thirty-six hours period is substantial.
I will also take my usual dose of psyllium husk (approx a tablespoon) with some salmon oils, around noon.
So there you have it, the quick and “dirty” What? Why? and How?
The challenge was to complete every Monday (all five) in October; that happens today.
At 55, I expect that I will continue to test, experiment and explore.
The good news; it’s week five and it appears that I’m in control.
I can think. I can wait. I can fast.
Enjoy the show!
~mg
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The 36 Hour Fast (Once a Week) Part III