Day 35: Five(5) Weeks Completed!

The end of day thirty-five and the start of day thirty-six…  Week 5 completed!!
Morning weight:  313lbs.
No weight change since yesterday.  I am still down “60/67”.  As in, 60lbs down from my fasting start weight:  373lbs, and 67lbs down from my highest weight ever (two days before I started the fast):  380lbs.  Today’s loss is the second time in one week (just five days) in which I’ve had a plateau.
As expected, the plateaus had to start happening more frequently…  The question is:  what is the reason?  That’s hard to guess-ti-mate.  It could be because I had the colonoscopy yesterday and I celebrated with a banana / strawberry smoothie.  It could be the meds from the colonoscopy artificially reduced my weight by increasing my water loss for the two days.  It could be that I didn’t go for my swims the last two days – so fewer calories burned.  Or, it could just be it was time for a plateau.  There is really no way to tell.  All I can do is wait to see if the weight loss starts again or if the plateau holds for another day.  I can say my tummy is still not “right” and I didn’t have my daily “BM”.  So I won’t be surprised if my weight goes UP tomorrow morning.  I guess that too is to be expected.  LOL
Today, my wife went to the supermarket and bought me a medium size watermelon to break my fast with tomorrow after noon.  Alternatively, I can juice it and try for a few more days to see how it goes.  The week coming up looks pretty quiet, so I am torn about continuing or not.  At the moment, I’m leaning towards continuing day-by-day and see how it goes.  This is what makes plateaus hard.  If I was still dropping weight every day, the decision to continue would be easy (well, easier) —  I’d just keep going.  I guess I’ll just have to see how I feel in the morning.  Decisions, decisions…
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On This Day In:
2022	…The More Things Stay The Same
2021	To Trust Providence
	Exactly (What’s Exactly The Matter With Me?)
2020	I Am Learning
	Plus Plus (Counting Your Blessings)
2019	Day 2: All Things Considered
	The Path To Reward
2018	Ryan, McConnell & The Republican Controlled Congress
	The Proud Dad
	Day 35: Five(5) Weeks Completed!
2017	Serving Is Proving Harder Than Winning For #DumbDonald
2016	Come Again…
2015	At Five
2014	Touching The Past
	The Supreme Question
2013	Children Will Judge
2012	Liar, n.
2011	Freedom To Doubt

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The Proud Dad

Here’s a proud dad sporting the t-shirt for his daughter who is running for a seat on the local Community College Board…
Front
Back
Any and all contributions to the campaign can be made at:  https://www.rebeccabarrett.org
And, whatever your party affiliation, register and vote in the November 2018 election.  Make sure your voice is heard!
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On This Day In:
2022	…The More Things Stay The Same
2021	To Trust Providence
	Exactly (What’s Exactly The Matter With Me?)
2020	I Am Learning
	Plus Plus (Counting Your Blessings)
2019	Day 2: All Things Considered
	The Path To Reward
2018	Ryan, McConnell & The Republican Controlled Congress
	The Proud Dad
	Day 35: Five(5) Weeks Completed!
2017	Serving Is Proving Harder Than Winning For #DumbDonald
2016	Come Again…
2015	At Five
2014	Touching The Past
	The Supreme Question
2013	Children Will Judge
2012	Liar, n.
2011	Freedom To Doubt

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Ryan, McConnell & The Republican Controlled Congress

Who can protest and does not, is an accomplice in the act.
—     Talmud
[Russia is watching and Putin is smiling.    —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
2022	…The More Things Stay The Same
2021	To Trust Providence
	Exactly (What’s Exactly The Matter With Me?)
2020	I Am Learning
	Plus Plus (Counting Your Blessings)
2019	Day 2: All Things Considered
	The Path To Reward
2018	Ryan, McConnell & The Republican Controlled Congress
	The Proud Dad
	Day 35: Five(5) Weeks Completed!
2017	Serving Is Proving Harder Than Winning For #DumbDonald
2016	Come Again…
2015	At Five
2014	Touching The Past
	The Supreme Question
2013	Children Will Judge
2012	Liar, n.
2011	Freedom To Doubt

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Day 34: In And Out

The end of day thirty-four and the start of day thirty-five…  End of week 5 in sight!
Morning weight:  313lbs.
I am now down “60/67”.  As in, 60lbs down from my fasting start weight:  373lbs, and 67lbs down from my highest weight ever (two days before I started the fast):  380lbs.  Today’s loss is a 2lbs loss, down from 315lbs yesterday.
Today I had my colonoscopy / endoscopy at the local hospital.  They took my vitals and my weight (on their scale) was:  330lbs.  I asked how accurate the scale was since it is different than my home scale and, at my visit to the urologist on Monday, his office scale put my weight at 309lbs.  The nurse said it is a professional-medical grade scale and is calibrated every quarter by the State hospital inspectors because it is used to calculate the anesthesia for procedures.  He said it should always be within 1 or 2lbs of totally accurate.  This weight is significantly different from my scale, but I don’t have access to their scale on a daily or weekly basis, so I will continue to use the weights from my own scale.  As an experiment, when I got home I tried to duplicate the weight by moving my feet and leaning forwards, backwards and to the sides.  I was not able to get within 5lbs of 330lbs, no matter what I did.  As I said, I’ll just have to stick with the girl I came to the dance with…
Results:  I don’t know.  The doctor said he found a single, small polyp in my colon, which he removed for biopsy.  He also said he found something in my throat / esophagus.  Unfortunately, I was still pretty doped up and didn’t catch what he was saying.  My wife said she didn’t either – except I’m to call next week for a follow-up appointment.  By then the results of the biopsies should be back.  So, time will tell…  My wife also said the doctor said I won’t need the procedures again for five(5) years.  Since I am currently on a three(3) year follow-up, that’s a good thing.
Prep Notes:  Just a quick recommendation to anyone who has to take the “Suprep Bowel Prep Kit” for your own future colonoscopy, it is foul tasting at room temperature with tap water.  The mixture says to keep it non-refrigerated and to mix it with cold water.  I had the first batch (there are two you have to take) at room temperature with “cold” tap water.  EEYYUCCKKK!  It makes you want to retch.  This morning, I mixed the second batch with ice water (sans ice), and it was tolerable.  The flavor is cherry cough syrup with a healthy bit of sea water mixed in.  Still yuck, but not as bad as when warm / room temperature.
A second thing I feel worth mentioning is the main / first ingredient is Sodium Sulfate which is considered a “neutral” salt.  Now, because I’ve been fasting, I’ve had very little salt in my diet over the last month.  (Yes, I know my “veggie-broth” contained salt and pepper.)  The “salt” is considered to be an electrolyte – similar to what you would find in Gatorade.  There is a caution in the attached medication guide that the kit can cause arrhythmia in those persons subject to them.  Well, I have AFib, which is a type of arrhythmia, and guess what?  Last night I woke up with severe palpitations which lasted from 12:30am until just before 4:00am.  They were bad enough I had to get out of bed and sit up to feel comfortable.  Which is why you should ALWAYS read the medication guides before you take the meds and ask your doctor about them.  In my case, didn’t and did.  I didn’t read and I did ask my doctor.  However, I didn’t ask him specifically about this Rx.  I did make sure he was aware of my AFib in advance.  Next time, in three or five years, I will be a little more aggressive about my questions.  A word to the wise…
Tomorrow at noon will be the end of week five(5).  With the news from the hospital scale, I’m now a bit disappointed.  I know I shouldn’t be, but facts are facts even when they are ugly.  If I am really 30lbs away from 300lbs, I won’t get there in a week or two.  If I choose to go with my home scale, I’m within a couple of weeks of breaking 300lbs and being able to think:  “I lost 80lbs!”  This is where ego and vanity and a sense of accomplishment intersect and get twisted.  What started out as a seven(7) day juice fast to jump start a change in behavior is becoming (between my ears) something else.  The question I have for myself is:  “Okay…  Then when is enough, enough? 50 days?  100 days?  80lbs?  100lbs?”  Perhaps I’m just tired from last night’s lack of sleep, but I don’t have a good answer.  At the moment, it’s still Saturday at noon…
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On This Day In:
2022	Be Careful What You Wish For
	Salaam Alaikum, Pakistan
2021	Why Republicans Are Unhappy
	I Guess It’s True (I’m Stone In Love With You)
2020	A Tiny And Fragile World
	Your Lyin’ Eyes (Karn Evil 9 1st Impression, Pt. 2)
2019	Day 1: Done
	#IncompetentDonald Fails On All Three
2018	I Put It Down To Bad Teachers
	Day 34: In And Out
2017	And The Future Is Now
2016	I Am
2015	Positively Aiming Higher
2014	Suspicious Minds
2013	We Are Not Alone
2012	Lawyer, n.
2011	Each Day Remember…
2010	Impossible Dreams of Camelot

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I Put It Down To Bad Teachers

After years of finding mathematics easy, I finally reached integral calculus and came up against a barrier.  I realized that this was as far as I could go, and to this day I have never successfully gone beyond it in any but the most superficial way.
—    Isaac Asimov
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On This Day In:
2022	Be Careful What You Wish For
	Salaam Alaikum, Pakistan
2021	Why Republicans Are Unhappy
	I Guess It’s True (I’m Stone In Love With You)
2020	A Tiny And Fragile World
	Your Lyin’ Eyes (Karn Evil 9 1st Impression, Pt. 2)
2019	Day 1: Done
	#IncompetentDonald Fails On All Three
2018	I Put It Down To Bad Teachers
	Day 34: In And Out
2017	And The Future Is Now
2016	I Am
2015	Positively Aiming Higher
2014	Suspicious Minds
2013	We Are Not Alone
2012	Lawyer, n.
2011	Each Day Remember…
2010	Impossible Dreams of Camelot

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Day 33: Good News & Prep

The end of day thirty-three and the start of day thirty-four…
Morning weight:  315lbs.
No change from yesterday.  I am still down “58/65”.  As in, 58lbs down from my fasting start weight:  373lbs, and 65lbs down from my highest weight ever (two days before I started the fast):  380lbs.  This is now the third time during this fast in which I’ve had no change from the prior day.  The other two “no changes” happened on:  1 August and 15 August.  With today, that makes it (coincidentally) at almost two-week intervals.  The interesting thing about this is yesterday I swam for my normal hour and then also registered over 12 miles on my FitBit.  That’s a lot farther than I normally walk, yet, it didn’t seem to influence my weight loss.
Good news:  I took my wife to the plastic surgeon this morning and he removed the stitches from her cancer surgery.  The swelling has gone down 95% and he says she will be right as rain within a few more days.  He said give it one more day and then she can wear makeup on the scar.  That will make it virtually invisible until it finishes healing and is really gone.  Yippie!!  Cancer is such a scary word to us spouses.  I’m so relieved she’s all through it.  (I’m pretty sure it’s scary to the people with it, too.)
Colonoscopy Preparation:  I drank the medication (laxative) on schedule this evening (and the required water) and everything is “moving” normally.  LOL!!!  This is my third go-round and the procedure is slightly different.  In the past, you got one big packet of powder to mix with water in a large bottle and you drank it all the day before.  Now, you get a box with a cup and two six ounce bottles of fluid.  You mix each bottle with 10 ounces of water and drink it all down.  One bottle roughly 18hrs before the procedure and the second roughly 6hrs before.  In both cases, you have to chase the laxative with two 16oz glasses of water within 1hr of drinking the medicine.  In my case, I drank the mix pretty much straight – in about 2 minutes and had finished the 32ozs within a 15 minutes of starting.  It took about 40 minutes to kick in and after 2hrs seems to be pretty much done.  I’m starting a second 32oz of water to try to avoid getting dehydrated.
Additionally, the prep calls for no eating the day prior and the day of the procedure.  You are only allowed clear fluids.  Broth is allowed.  I made some (modified) “French Onion Soup” for lunch as I didn’t want to drink apple juice and white grape juice all day long.  I used Swanson’s Beef Broth and added chopped onion and garlic.  I then strained out the bits so it was only broth again.  It was absolutely sensational – delicious!!  I don’t remember anything tasting so good.  LOL.  See what veggie juice and fruit juice fasting does to one’s perception of colored water?!  I, of course, did not have a wedge of cheese covered bread or croutons floating on the “soup”.  (But, I sure wish I did…)
The problem / issue is the packaged broth has 37% of your minimum daily requirement for sodium (salt) in one serving and the package has four servings.  In essence, I had more than a whole days worth of salt in one meal.  Hardly a good thing for someone who’s had virtually no salt for almost a month – fasting remember…  Results:  slightly elevated blood pressure and pulse and my hands and wrists feeling “full” (not exactly bloated, but full) for the afternoon / evening.  Fortunately, the prep laxative seems to have relieved the water retention issue while cleaning out my colon.  Still, a lesson learned…
Tomorrow morning I finish the prep with the second bottle of solution and then in the afternoon, I get the procedure.  Oh, yeah.  Before I forget, I am also getting the other end checked out too.  That’s called an “endoscopy”.  The doctor figured if I’m under for one, he might as well do both.  I agreed.  I am not sure how I’ll feel this time tomorrow, so there may be no fasting post for the day.  Please keep me in your prayers and / or positive thoughts!
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On This Day In:
2022	Unlimited Curiosity In Finite Time
	The Penalty For Sedition / Insurrection / Civil War
2021	How Learning Infections Begin
	Stay Young At Heart (That’s The Way Of The World)
2020	Policies Not People
	Just Thinking To Myself (What A Wonderful World)
2019	Should I Start With My Religion?
2018	Fear And Hope
	Day 33: Good News & Prep
2017	Directions
2016	Handle With Care
2015	Nothing But Pride
2014	Go
2013	Well, Does It?
2012	Near Misses Aren’t Successes
2011	Uncomfortable Feelings
2010	San Francisco (favorites)…
	Bullets or Butter?

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Fear And Hope

A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs;  no religious basis is necessary.  Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.
—     Albert Einstein
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On This Day In:
2022	Unlimited Curiosity In Finite Time
	The Penalty For Sedition / Insurrection / Civil War
2021	How Learning Infections Begin
	Stay Young At Heart (That’s The Way Of The World)
2020	Policies Not People
	Just Thinking To Myself (What A Wonderful World)
2019	Should I Start With My Religion?
2018	Fear And Hope
	Day 33: Good News & Prep
2017	Directions
2016	Handle With Care
2015	Nothing But Pride
2014	Go
2013	Well, Does It?
2012	Near Misses Aren’t Successes
2011	Uncomfortable Feelings
2010	San Francisco (favorites)…
	Bullets or Butter?

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Day 32: Planning The Future

The end of day thirty-two and the start of day thirty-three…
Morning weight:  315lbs.
I am now down “58/65”.  As in, 58lbs down from my fasting start weight: 373lbs, and 65lbs down from my highest weight ever (two days before I started the fast): 380lbs.  Today’s loss is a 2lbs loss, down from 317lbs yesterday.
Scale Issues:  Some of you may recall back on Day 22, I talked about moving weights around and putting down some new floor mats in my “workout” room.  When I did that, I somehow “messed” up my scale.  It was showing my weight as down about 15lbs below what I had in the morning.  I tried various things to get the scale to “fix” itself, but it would not cooperate.  In the end, I had to reposition my feet to get it to come close to where I was in the morning.  This “new” position was the one shown in the photo on Day 27.  In it, you can see my heels touch and my toes are positioned near the curves of the rubber (at roughly 8 o’clock and 4 o’clock on the face of the scale).  Prior to Day 22, my heels were touching and my big toes were touching at the “0” (zero) on the scale.  This was my way of trying to designate where my feet should always be place for a consistent weigh-in.
Well, to make a longer story short(er), this morning I suddenly gained about 12 to 15 lbs!!  This was with my toes splayed (as in the photo).  The bottom line was the only way to get a weigh-in that was close to yesterday was to go back to the original position with my heels and toes touching and big toes at the “0” (zero).  I don’t have a clue what happened.  I did not move the scale.  I did not bounce on the scale…  I just don’t know.  So, it appears I am back to my original foot positioning.  Which I am happy about because I felt it was a more accurate way of getting my feet in the same position every day for the weigh-in.  Future photos (if I post any) will appear with heels and toes touching.  …Subject to the scale-gremlins and other unknown factors.
Other Thoughts:  My wife said:  “Wouldn’t it be nice if you could break 300lbs!”  I replied that would probably take another 10 days if I continue to lose at the current rate.  She replied she was happy where I’m at and with my breaking the fast this Saturday as she’s tired of it (the fast) and of eating alone.  We then talked about how I’m thinking about food more and more.  She said it is probably because I’ve emotionally committed to ending the fast and I’m losing focus.  I laughed and agreed…  Day by day.   Four(4) days to go.
Tomorrow and Thursday will be two more “Life” days.  (A “Life Day” is what happens when you plan something – a nice, quiet fast, for example – and then LIFE gets in the way to change your plans.)  I have to change my fluid intake to accommodate a clear fluid day due to prep for my colonoscopy on Thursday afternoon.  No “red” juices – grape, black cherry, strawberry, etc.  No veggie-juice with “sediment”.  Plus, I have to drink the “Bowel Prep Kit” mixture to fully flush my system.  It’s actually a two-fer.  I have part one at 5pm tomorrow (plus two 16oz of water within an hour) and then part two (same thing again) in the morning 6 hours before the procedure.  After all that, I should be weak as a newborn puppy…  Well, a 300lbs plus puppy.  So, anyone reading this:  keep me in your positive thoughts and / or prayers…
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On This Day In:
2022	And Counting…
2021	Or The Person You Love
	Still Beating For You (Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat)
2020	The Chain Must Be Broken
	Back To Me… (Truly Madly Deeply)
2019	Love Like This… (Something Just Like This)
2018	Open Hearts Find Strength
	Day 32: Planning The Future
2017	Thinking Out Loud (Thinking Out Loud)
2016	Fighting Change
2015	Get Change
2014	Trapped (Again)
2013	Someone Else Believes
2012	The Practical Value of Science
2011	Seize Gladly The Difficult Task
	A Constitutional Conversation
2010	The Fierce Urgency Of Now…

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Open Hearts Find Strength

Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around.  You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more.  You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you.  When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement.  They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself.  Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful.  There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around.  You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are.  The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever.  Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again.  Colours seem brighter and more brilliant.  Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all.  A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face.  In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby.  Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you.  You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do.  Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon.  You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible.  You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you.  You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end.  Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile.  Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.
―     Bob Marley
[On this date, 34 years ago, my Hil came back to me (from Liverpool) and we began our life together…   And our love is still new and growing.     —     kmab]
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On This Day In:
2022	And Counting…
2021	Or The Person You Love
	Still Beating For You (Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat)
2020	The Chain Must Be Broken
	Back To Me… (Truly Madly Deeply)
2019	Love Like This… (Something Just Like This)
2018	Open Hearts Find Strength
	Day 32: Planning The Future
2017	Thinking Out Loud (Thinking Out Loud)
2016	Fighting Change
2015	Get Change
2014	Trapped (Again)
2013	Someone Else Believes
2012	The Practical Value of Science
2011	Seize Gladly The Difficult Task
	A Constitutional Conversation
2010	The Fierce Urgency Of Now…

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Day 31: A Calendar Month

The end of day thirty-one and the start of day thirty-two…
Morning weight:  317lbs.
I am now down “56/63”.  As in, 56lbs down from my fasting start weight:  373lbs, and 63lbs down from my highest weight ever (two days before I started the fast):  380lbs.  Today’s loss is a 1lb loss, down from 318lbs yesterday.
I started this fasting on Friday, 27 July 2018.  Today is Monday, 27 August 2018.  At noon today, I completed a full calendar month of veggie-juice / fruit juice fasting.  I don’t remember if any of my prior 30 day fasts were on thirty day months or if this is a “first” because of the 31 days in July.  Either way, I’m proud of the accomplishment and I’m looking forward to finishing and moving on to the next stage – the lifestyle change and continuing to get healthier.
I gave blood today.  I should get the results sometime Wednesday or Thursday.  I also met with my urologist.  He says it’s confirmed I have a 6mm non-obstructive stone in my left kidney.  He recommends blasting it and trying to shortcut it getting bigger or it trying to come out on it’s own.  He said it’s possible to pass it, but it would be extremely painful.  I said, “Let’s get it done!”  He will try to have it scheduled for next week.  Fingers crossed…  I gave a urine sample while I was at the urologist.  I got the automated results and all tests came back normal and successful.  (So the fasting isn’t affecting my urine.)  This was a bit of a surprise as I have tested positive for blood in my urine for almost 15-20 years.  Trace amounts most of the time, but still positive.  I guess whatever was causing the bleeding has fixed itself for a while.  The urologist also said to stop my aspirin regimen in advance of the procedure next week.  He wants to make sure the aspirin has cleared my system.  I asked about possible clotting and he said he felt it is only a minor risk.  If I go into AFib, the lithotripsy procedure will be canceled.
Last night I watched the movie:  “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead” for a little inspiration.  It worked.  I’m psyched up to make it through the rest of this week.  Again, I have a colonoscopy on Thursday, so the current plan is to continue the fast through Friday and break fast on Saturday, 1 October.
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On This Day In:
2022	And Blogger’s Dreams
2021	Your First Important Clue
	Smooth Brass (Rise)
2020	Stand First
	RNC: Day 1 Thought (You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught)
2019	Tough Values
2018	I’m Still Here
	Day 31: A Calendar Month
2017	Start Typing
2016	Just Saying (Nothing)
	Thought Of You (Thought Of You)
	Saldaga (“As I’ve Lived”) (“As I’ve Lived”)
2015	A Terrifying Cycle
2014	Rights
2013	Do Bold Things
2012	Seven Causes
2011	I Feel A Tingle Coming On

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I’m Still Here

So since I’m still here livin’,
I guess I will live on.
I could’ve died for love–
But for livin’ I was born.
―      Langston Hughes
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On This Day In:
2022	And Blogger’s Dreams
2021	Your First Important Clue
	Smooth Brass (Rise)
2020	Stand First
	RNC: Day 1 Thought (You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught)
2019	Tough Values
2018	I’m Still Here
	Day 31: A Calendar Month
2017	Start Typing
2016	Just Saying (Nothing)
	Thought Of You (Thought Of You)
	Saldaga (“As I’ve Lived”) (“As I’ve Lived”)
2015	A Terrifying Cycle
2014	Rights
2013	Do Bold Things
2012	Seven Causes
2011	I Feel A Tingle Coming On

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Day 30: Done & Dusted

The end of day thirty and the start of day thirty-one…
Morning weight:  318lbs.
I am now down “55/62”.  As in, 55lbs down from my fasting start weight: 373lbs, and 62lbs down from my highest weight ever (two days before I started the fast): 380lbs.  Today’s loss is a 2lbs loss, down from 320lbs yesterday.  The scale reading was “bouncing” again, so I’m taking the high / conservative reading of 318lbs.
I am alternating between feeling euphoric and feeling exhausted.  After I drink some fruit juice or while I’m moderately active, I feel terrific.  If I pause or if I get too active, I crash quite suddenly and start to get sugar (lack of) headaches.  I feel as if I am walking a fine line.  The obvious solution is to simply drink more juice, but there are limits to that approach as well.  Aside from the frequent trips to the head, there is the issue of saline and other body minerals which get drained from the body when you pass too much fluid without re-inputting the minerals.  Since the only minerals I’m getting are (really) from the veggie juice and the multi-day vitamins I take, I have to try to balance the fluids as well.  Plus the more “normal” fruit juices I drink, the more sugar in the form of fructose.  This may be then affecting my insulin levels, which are in turn causing even worse energy crashes.  This whole fasting thing is, to me at least, a personal experiment in biology and biochemistry.  It is NOT a scientific experiment.  I do not have a control.  I do not have theory I am testing.  I don’t even have a means of accurately measuring any results I get.  Yes, I am losing weight.  But, and it’s a big “but”, I don’t know for certain if it’s “good” weight or bad weight.  That is, if it is fat, mostly fat, some muscle, some bone, some internal organ cells, or what.  The only thing I can tell is weight loss from the scale and “generally” how I feel.
Tomorrow I am going for a full blood workup in advance of my follow-up meeting with my primary care physician later in September.  I should have the results by Wednesday and get an idea how my internals are doing.  Tomorrow, I also have my follow-up with my urologist to find out if I need to go for a lithotripsy.  Basically, they use sound waves to smash up the stones you have in your kidney(s).  If I do need the procedure, it will probably also be sometime in mid-to-late September.  Hopefully, if I get it done, I’ll be good to go for at least a decade.  (My last procedure was in the mid-1990’s.)  And, after another decade (or so), I don’t think I’ll care enough to get it done again.
Now that I’m done with thirty days, I’m in to completely new territory.  I’ve never lost so much weight in any of my previous fasts.  I’ve never gone beyond thirty days.  And so, day by day, the human adventure (experiment) continues…
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On This Day In:
2022	I’m Not So Sure
2021	The Margin Of Safety
	Hold Your Head Up (Sweet Dreams)
2020	In The Path
	Hangin’ Out
	But I Won’t Do That (I Would Do Anything For Love)
	Unless You Are #45
2019	Seeking Nobility
2018	My Family Calls It Hoarding
	Day 30: Done & Dusted
2017	Rogers’ Rules (Hexadecimal)
2016	But, It’s Such A Simple Mistake
2015	Crawl Towards The Light
2014	Sweet Songs
2013	The Wife Of An Ordinary Man
2012	Three Words
2011	Know Anyone Like This?
2010	Apoplexy??
	When Breaking Up Is Hard To Do…
	Sibling Awareness

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My Family Calls It Hoarding

I cannot sleep unless I am surrounded by books.
—    Jorge Luis Borges
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On This Day In:
2022	I’m Not So Sure
2021	The Margin Of Safety
	Hold Your Head Up (Sweet Dreams)
2020	In The Path
	Hangin’ Out
	But I Won’t Do That (I Would Do Anything For Love)
	Unless You Are #45
2019	Seeking Nobility
2018	My Family Calls It Hoarding
	Day 30: Done & Dusted
2017	Rogers’ Rules (Hexadecimal)
2016	But, It’s Such A Simple Mistake
2015	Crawl Towards The Light
2014	Sweet Songs
2013	The Wife Of An Ordinary Man
2012	Three Words
2011	Know Anyone Like This?
2010	Apoplexy??
	When Breaking Up Is Hard To Do…
	Sibling Awareness

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Day 29: Tied (By The Time You Read This)

The end of day twenty-nine and the start of day thirty…
Morning weight:  320lbs.
I am now down “53/60”.  As in, 53lbs down from my fasting start weight:  373lbs, and 60lbs down from my highest weight ever (two days before I started the fast):  380lbs.  Today’s loss is a 3lbs loss, down from 323lbs yesterday.  Even though it’s not a 2lb drop, I’m still relieved it hasn’t gone back to 4lbs to 5lbs…
With today under my belt (technically, tomorrow at noon), I will have tied my four previous longest attempts at fasting.  The first two were vegetable broth and herbal tea fasts and the latter two were veggie juice  / roughage and fruit juice fasts.  I don’t recall ever losing more than 35lbs on the prior fasts, so I have blown those “weight-loss” and “average loss per day” numbers out of the water with this effort.  The current fast has consisted of:  veggie juice, roughage broth (boiled and strained roughage), roughage “soup” (boiled and unstrained roughage), and mixed fruit juices.
Since I am having a colonoscopy on Thursday (30 Aug) afternoon and have to liquid fast the day prior and the day of the procedure, the current plan is to continue my fast through the end of the month (31 Aug) and begin to break the fast on Sat (1 Sept) after noon.  That will make the fast a total of 36 days!
Other than completing the first seven days, this is exactly what I hoped to avoid – setting an extended goal.  I really was hoping to just keep hanging on by thinking “one more day; just one more day”.  I must admit last night and today have been difficult.  Last night, I was doing FitBit “steps” (marching in place) while watching the TV and Hil was cooking / eating her dinner.  The smells were just driving me to distraction.  Today, I made the mistake of watching 10 minutes of the Food Network and I had to get up and leave the room.  They were talking about BBQ chicken wings and freshly fried pork rinds.  As I said, I had to get up and leave the room…  LOL  I could actually feel the juices building up in the back of my mouth.
Still, while it’s less stressful to go day-to-day, it’s equally nice to have a clear goal and a finish line in sight.  With seven days to go and currently sitting at 320lbs, I will be hoping for 315lbs as my final weigh-in.  That will bring me down to a 65lbs loss in 36 days.  From there it’ll be on to a protracted diet and work-out schedule to keep the weight off and try to get under 300lbs by the end of the year.   That’s 26lbs in 17 weeks…  It sounds do-able.  And there I go again, setting another goal (end of year) before I’ve even completed the current one (this up coming week)!   I am incorrigible!
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On This Day In:
2022	#45: Guilty As Sin And Still The Biggest Loser
2021	Helping Refugees
	2016 A.D. (Human Touch)
2020	Imagine That!
	Call Me Sometime (You Can Call Me Al)
	Before It’s Gone
2019	Imagine If…
2018	How Many Now?
	Day 29: Tied (By The Time You Read This)
2017	Earn The Gift
2016	Still Loud
2015	Surprise! No Evidence
2014	Real Ideals
2013	A Happiness Weapon
2012	An Eagle Has Departed
	Ummm
	And In My Prayers
2011	Welcome Doubt
2010	Talk, Talk, Talk…
	Every Day At Least
	Democratic Suicide
	Pleasurable Reading
	Loose Joy
	Do, Er, Write – Whatever
	This Glorious Company
	Relax With A Good Book
	Neither Vice Nor Weakness
	That’s Rich!
	Man Will Prevail!!!
	Frankly Speaking to Arizona
	Brother By Another Mother

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How Many Now?

He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it the second time.
―     Thomas Jefferson
[President Trump not only tells more lies every day because it is easier for him.  He does it because he needs to.  That’s the way it is when you try to falsely claim credit for others achievements and when you try to hide you own failures and incompetence.  You need to lie.  His problem remains:  You can’t fool all of the people, all of the time.    —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
2022	#45: Guilty As Sin And Still The Biggest Loser
2021	Helping Refugees
	2016 A.D. (Human Touch)
2020	Imagine That!
	Call Me Sometime (You Can Call Me Al)
	Before It’s Gone
2019	Imagine If…
2018	How Many Now?
	Day 29: Tied (By The Time You Read This)
2017	Earn The Gift
2016	Still Loud
2015	Surprise! No Evidence
2014	Real Ideals
2013	A Happiness Weapon
2012	An Eagle Has Departed
	Ummm
	And In My Prayers
2011	Welcome Doubt
2010	Talk, Talk, Talk…
	Every Day At Least
	Democratic Suicide
	Pleasurable Reading
	Loose Joy
	Do, Er, Write – Whatever
	This Glorious Company
	Relax With A Good Book
	Neither Vice Nor Weakness
	That’s Rich!
	Man Will Prevail!!!
	Frankly Speaking to Arizona
	Brother By Another Mother

Read Full Post »