The fasting journal · matched to fast day 55
Day 55. One Bowl a Day
Day 55 and John is under the gazebo in a gray shirt with the gnome in its stars and stripes hat. The scale barely moved. So he talks about his bowl of broth and answers a question about the water fast.
Numbers first. 187.4 pounds this morning. That is 0.1 pound above yesterday. Total change is 41.2 pounds in 55 days from the 228.6 start on August 1. BMI 28.4, body fat 30.9 percent, muscle 37.5 percent, 1970 calories burned. Ketones logged at zero.
A note on the photo. John’s scale photo reads 187.3. The number in his sheet and on camera is 187.4. We publish the logged number and show the photo as it came.
On day 54 he said the water had reached equilibrium and the scale would fluctuate from here. A tenth of a pound is exactly that. MedlinePlus explains that the body keeps working to hold its fluid balance steady, so small moves from one morning to the next are normal.
One bowl a day
Just as a point of interest, I am having one broth a day.
It is a beef broth with soft vegetables. He eats it in the middle of the day, anywhere between 12 o’clock and about three in the afternoon. After that he eats nothing else for the rest of the day.
That seems to keep me going for the rest of the day. And I am full, so everything is working out fine.
It is a big change from the broth only days, when he got to the bottom of the bowl and wanted more. Now one bowl holds him until the next one. He feels good and says so twice.
What happened to the water fast
One of my DMs asked me what happened to the 90 day water fast.
So he gives the short version. He went 45 days on water. Then came stomach issues and nausea. He got sick and it was uncontrollable. So he stopped.
I listened to my body and started having broth right away.
MedlinePlus says nausea and vomiting are common. It also lists signs that call for a health care provider right away, like vomiting for longer than 24 hours or signs of dehydration. John did not push through it. He broke the fast on the night of day 45 with broth. The full story is in the water fast ended on day 45.
The water fast is over. The project is not. The 90 day calendar keeps running and the refeed is part of it.
The ketone strips are retired. He stopped testing on day 53 when every morning read zero. The site logs ketones as 0 from here and the photo above is the last strip he tested.
Week two of the refeed
The ladder has not changed. Broth now with soft vegetables. Protein next week. A little bit of carbs after that.
Cleveland Clinic explains why food comes back in steps after a long fast. After a long stretch with little or no food, the cells suddenly demand electrolytes to process the food and levels can shift in dangerous ways. That is refeeding syndrome and it is why the plan moves slowly with his doctor watching the bloodwork.
The count
Day 55 of the 90 day calendar. The water fast ended on day 45 and the refeed is ten days old. There are 35 days left on the calendar. Have a good day, he says. Cheers.
Quick answers
How often does John eat during the refeed?
Once a day. On day 55 he says he has one broth a day, a beef broth with soft vegetables. He usually eats it in the middle of the day, anywhere between 12 o'clock and about three in the afternoon. Then he does not eat anything else the rest of the day. In his words it keeps him going and he is full, so everything is working out fine. That is his plan for the second week of the refeed, set with his doctor. It is not a general rule for anyone coming off a long fast.
Why did John's weight go up 0.1 pound on day 55?
Because small daily swings are what he expected. On day 54 the scale dropped 1.6 pounds after six mornings of regain and he said he had reached equilibrium with the water. He added that it was just going to fluctuate like that going forward. A 0.1 pound change the next morning fits that. MedlinePlus explains that the body keeps working to hold its fluid balance steady, so the water in a body moves a little from day to day. The trend over weeks matters more than one morning.
Why does the scale photo read 187.3 when the log says 187.4?
The photo John sent was taken at 7:09 in the morning and the display reads 187.3. The number he wrote in his sheet and said on camera is 187.4. The site publishes the number John logs and shows his photo as it came, with this note, rather than editing either one. The difference is a tenth of a pound and it does not change the story of the day. A tenth up or a tenth down, he is sitting at equilibrium.
Why is the refeed done in stages after the water fast?
Because food after a long fast has to come back slowly. Cleveland Clinic explains that refeeding syndrome can happen when someone eats again after a long stretch with little or no food, because severe shifts in electrolytes can happen when the body starts to process food again. That is why John's ladder is broth first. Soft vegetables next. Protein next week and a little bit of carbs after that. His doctor supervises each step and follows his monthly bloodwork.