The fasting journal · matched to fast day 57
Day 57. No Recipe for It
Day 57 is a Saturday. John is under the gazebo in a pink shirt and blue shorts with the gnome in its stars and stripes hat. The scale went the wrong way this morning. He reads it out and keeps going.
Numbers first. 189.1 pounds this morning. That is 2.6 pounds above yesterday. Total change is 39.5 pounds in 57 days from the 228.6 start on August 1. BMI 28.7, body fat 31.4 percent, muscle 37.3 percent, 1983 calories burned. Ketones logged at zero.
The jump
Today’s weight change is a 2.6 pound gain.
That is all he says about it. He does not give a reason and we will not guess one. On day 56 he said his weight now moves about half a pound up or down. Today moved more than that. MedlinePlus explains that the body keeps working to hold its fluid balance steady, so the water in it shifts from day to day. One morning is not a trend.
How does he feel? Good. Fine. Normal.
Sleep in
It is Saturday and John sleeps in on weekends.
Sleeping in is important.
His advice to anyone fasting now, thinking about it or planning one later is to get as much sleep as you can. MedlinePlus says sleep helps the body restore energy. It also says sleep helps keep a healthy balance of the hormones that control hunger and fullness. On day 26 John called it the best sleep he had had in years.
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.
Not without a plan
Some of the messages he reads say he went into this without much thought.
Not true. What I did is I took the last 15 years of experience of fasting.
This is not his first long fast. Before this project he finished a supervised 83 day fast with the same doctor who watches his monthly bloodwork now. She can stop the project at any point.
No recipe
And there is no recipe for it. What works for one may not work for another.
He calls it trial and error. You see what works for you and you see what does not. His suggestion is to try it and find out, because that is the only way you really know.
That is how he runs his own fast. Every step goes through his doctor first. The water fast ended on day 45 because his body told him to stop and he listened. The refeed ladder since then has moved one step at a time. If you are thinking about a long fast of your own, the first step is the same one he took. Talk to your doctor.
The count
Day 57 of the 90 day calendar. The water fast ended on day 45 and the refeed keeps going. There are 33 days left on the calendar. Have a happy Saturday, he says. Till next time. Cheers.
Quick answers
Why did John's weight go up 2.6 pounds on day 57?
He did not say. On camera he reads the number as a 2.6 pound gain and moves on to how he feels, which is good, fine and normal. On day 56 he said his weight now goes up and down by about half a pound. A 2.6 pound jump is bigger than that. MedlinePlus explains that the amount of water in the body shifts as it works to keep fluid balance steady, so one morning is not a trend. Tomorrow's number will say more than today's.
Does John sleep more during the fast?
On weekends he does. On day 57 he says he takes advantage of the weekend and sleeps in. His advice to anyone fasting or thinking about it is to get as much sleep as you can. MedlinePlus says sleep helps the body restore energy and helps keep a healthy balance of the hormones that control hunger and fullness. That second part matters to anyone eating less than usual.
How much fasting experience does John have?
He says 15 years. On day 57 he answers messages that said he went into the 90 day project without much thought. His answer is not true. He says he took the last 15 years of fasting experience and built on it. Before this project he finished a supervised 83 day fast with the same doctor who watches his bloodwork now.
What does John mean when he says there is no recipe for fasting?
He means one plan does not fit everyone. In his words what works for one may not work for another and it is done by trial and error. His suggestion is to see what works for you. John does that testing under his doctor, who can stop the project at any point. Anyone thinking about a long fast should start with their own doctor too.