First Step: Starting Cleansing (Again)

[Disclaimer:  Please do NOT take anything I say in this post (or the next few days) as medical advice.  I am NOT a physician or health specialist and have NO formal training in medicine, diet or nutrition.  I do have lots of personal experience dieting (and failing) and losing weight (and finding it again).  Please consult your doctor before you start a diet, work-out plan or any significant change in your physical lifestyle.  A word to the wise should suffice…    —    kmab]
Okay…  I have just finished the first 24 hours of my latest cleansing fast.  What is a “cleansing” fast?  Basically, every so often, usually once a year, I go through several days of not “eating” – that is, masticating / chewing.  The longest fasts I’ve been on were 30 days.  I’ve done these four times in my life.  Once (each) in my 20s and 30s and twice in my 50s.  The two early one were veggie broth and herbal tea fasts.  The later (and latter) two were in the last 7 years (I’m currently 63 yrs old).  I’ve also done multiple cleanses of 10 to 21 days during this time frame.  These were not so much to diet as to try to initiate lifestyle changes.  Generally, they work for “a while” (a couple of months), before I slip back into my old ways / habits.  The two long ones were the results of watching the films “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” (1 and 2).
Procedure:  I run a bunch of veggies through a juicer and drink the results.  This normally results in about two 32oz bottles of “veggie” juice to drink.  It also results in a large amount of “waste” roughage which I sometimes use and sometimes dispose of.  I don’t have a composting area, so if I’m not intending to use the roughage for blending or brothing, I’m afraid I haven’t been able to think of much else to do with it.  When I am just intending to juice for a day or up to three, I toss it.  If I’m intending to go longer, I keep it.
My current plan is to go for a week and see how I feel.  As such, I’m holding onto the roughage to use in a blend.  As I mentioned, “my” cleanses tend to be both veggie juice and veggie / fruit blends.  I try to go about two and three days of each, alternating.  I do this because I’m not a big fan of enemas and after two days of just veggie juice, I don’t have anything solid to pass.  The alternating between juicing and blending seems to work for me to keep the plumbing working (to put it politely) comfortably.  So, no, I’m not doing “pure” fasting.
Dieting / Weight-Loss:  I personally do NOT believe juicing (the way I do it) is an effective form of dieting or of losing weight and keeping it off.  Why not?  Because the normal adult body holds about 5 to 7 pounds of food “in processing” at any time.  You eat.  It works it way through your system.  You poop.  That 5-7 pounds is the “in system” stuff.  When you (I) begin the juicing, the first couple of days is getting rid of all of this.  This means I normally drop 7 pounds in the first three to four days of a juice fast.  This is NOT true weight loss, because as soon as I eat an apple or salad coming off the fast, the weight is right back there in my stomach being processed.  Interestingly, this period also roughly corresponds with the snarky, tired, miserable mood period most people experience when they start a juice fast.  It is only after this initial period that I begin to lose real weight.
On my last 10 day fast (just juice), I lost 20 pounds.  Thirteen if you discount the stomach weight.  On my last 20 day fast (juice and blend), I lost 25.  On my last 30 day fast (juice and blend), I lost 30 pounds.  Again, you’d have to subtract 7 pounds to get the real weight (18 and 23, respectively).  There is a law of diminishing returns – for me anyway.  It starts to fall off more slowly once I get past the 15 day mark.  I’ve never averaged less than a pound per day over the course of a fast.  But, I’ve also never had a “really” long fast (over 30 days).
So, what’s the difference between “blending” and “brothing”?  Blending (for me) is using either water or purchased fruit juice in a blender with the roughage to make a “smoothie”, which I then drink.  Brothing is simply boiling water with the roughage to make broth.  You boil for a few minutes and then pour the mixture through a sieve to get the vegetable broth.  It’s pretty good on a cold winter day and vaguely stirs memories of eating stew (“scouse”) – but only VERY vaguely.  LOL.  A couple of points to mention:  1)  I try to use the roughage within two days (unless it’s been frozen);  and, 2)  brothing boils away a lot of the water soluble vitamins which were left after the juicing process and leaves very little soluble fiber.
And a few closing points, in addition to my regular heart meds (I suffer from irregular / non-symptomatic AFib), I also take a regular one-a-day type of multi-vitamin pill, a one-a-day D3 (specific) vitamin pill and three fish-oil pills.  I walk our family dog (almost) every day, for at least 1/2 hour (about 1 mile) and I try to do some other form of exercise.  In the summer (starting this year), it’s been treading water, which I do for an hour.  I’m currently averaging about three times per week on this.
Finally, long term weight loss (and keeping it off / maintenance) is about making a lifestyle change, not just getting through a cleansing fast.  Having said that, every thing you do to make yourself healthier – no matter how small – is a good step on the way to being just that – healthier.  So, I’m starting today and I’ll try to provide daily updates to let you know how it’s going.  Wish me luck…
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On This Day In:
2022	Add Being Female To This List
2021	We Are More Alike
	Make It Real (Smooth)
2020	One Lesson In Diversity
2019	And Yet, I Believe
2018	Beats
	First Step: Starting Cleansing (Again)
2017	Effective Stimuli
2016	Dave’s Not Here, Man
2015	Blink
2014	The Struggle To Educate America Continues…
2013	On Elections
2012	Warm Smiles
	Pick Your Poison
2011	Straight Shooters

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Beats

Anybody running beats anybody walking, and anybody walking beats anybody sitting.
—    Tom Bunk
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On This Day In:
2022	Add Being Female To This List
2021	We Are More Alike
	Make It Real (Smooth)
2020	One Lesson In Diversity
2019	And Yet, I Believe
2018	Beats
	First Step: Starting Cleansing (Again)
2017	Effective Stimuli
2016	Dave’s Not Here, Man
2015	Blink
2014	The Struggle To Educate America Continues…
2013	On Elections
2012	Warm Smiles
	Pick Your Poison
2011	Straight Shooters

Read Full Post »