FasterSelf, IV: Fast(ing) and Furious
August 7, 2024
This is part IV of the series FasterSelf, Fast (ing) and Furious. If you haven’t read the third chapter of this series, do so here:
FasterSelf III: 3 Fast (ing) 5 Furious
At the time of writing this episode, I am on the 21st day of my fast. Currently, I’m celebrating having hit the 20-day mark by enjoying a San Pellegrino sparkling water. While I don’t normally enjoy these hipsteresqe beverages, this is a pleasant change from my daily cup of saltwater and the endless quantities of distilled water that I’ve been drinking. As such, I’ll put away my pride for the next 16.9 ounces and enjoy this overpriced bottle of pretension as discreetly as I can by the window of this Starbucks.
The past week has been a breeze. I’m energized, productive, and motivated at essentially every hour of the day. By now, I’m about peaked as far as the ketosis mood and brain boosts go, so everything after this point is simply the waiting game. If my calculations are correct, I’m a quarter of the way through the fast, más o menos. While I’d love to hit my target of 80 days, I’d also be very, very happy if I was done sooner. Alas, only time and the appearance of “true hunger” will tell.
One interesting side effect of the ketosis that you may find interesting is that, once into the thick of the fast, one does not need to sleep as much as normal. Perhaps more accurately, I, personally, find that I sleep less when fasting. I’m not entirely sure why this is, but I have to assume it’s either simply a ketone thing, or that, because your body spends the first week or so healing itself and engaging in autophagy, the normal repairs it does at night do not take as long. Who knows?
There is one notable difference between my experience with my current fast and my prior 40-day. Last time, I was obsessed with food and cooking shows and cooking and smelling everything in the bread aisle at the grocery store. This time, I seem to have moved through that phase sometime in the last week. I haven’t figured out why this is the case. On one hand, it could be due to the fact that I’ve already been there and done that, which would make sense. On the other, it could be that it didn’t really start until the last ten days of the fast. Imagine, if you will, a six year old in the week leading up to Christmas morning, and you’ll have some idea of what it’s like being near the end of a fast. Except, of course, this six year old is a pseudo-Christmas Carol orphan who hasn’t eaten in over a month. Additionally, Christmas morning is actually a metaphor for a large piece of cheese or whatever food you prefer this metaphorical orphan boy to be fantasizing about. You get the picture.
Damn, this sparkling water tastes good. It pains me to admit that in ways you’ll never know.
I neither remember whether I touched on this last week, nor do I care to check right now, but another interesting fasting thing is that you can taste the difference between every kind of water. With normal water it isn’t the largest issue, but when you’re drinking electrolyte water (as I have been,) it makes an enormous difference. I will say that Core Hydration is, hands down, the best I’ve tried so far- it doesn’t have any sodium, which is great because sodium makes the water taste like a fish’s ass. On the flip side, AquaHydrate tastes awful, and the Propel electrolyte water verges on being actually nauseating, which is impressive considering my digestive system is both empty and not running. Go figure.
There is one issue that I’ve been running into- a nigh perpetual case of cottonmouth. It must be a result of the natural lack of humidity in this desert, but any time I end up doing something outdoors for any length of time, I’m immediately struck by a persistent case of dry mouth. I’m combatting this by carrying around one of my distilled water jugs when I go outside, but it’s only a temporary fix. I’ll be continuing to brainstorm better solutions over the next week.
That’s all I have for you this week. Until next time!