7 Days of Water Fasting

Disclaimer: Before starting any type of fast, please consult with your doctor or dietitian. Please understand what works for one person, very well may not work for another given that we all have different body types. I'm speaking of my experience with fasting solely, although I am not an expert on the subject of "fasting."

You know, every new year, people come up with resolutions or goals that they're going to accomplish for their fresh start. I was one of those people. I am one of those people, who am I kidding? LOL.

Anyhow, on January 1, 2019, I stepped on a scale out of curiosity about my weight. I didn't always have an issue with my weight. All through my school years and dating, I was so bone thin. Got married and had kids: BAM! Despite all of that, I managed my weight okay. In 2015, I decided to get serious with working out and I did. It was hard at first, but I did it. I dropped my weight from 147 lbs. to 135 lbs. I was so proud of myself. I didn't do any fad diets. I just changed the way I ate and did mostly weight lifting. Well, 2017 rolls around and I'm living my life until the unforgiven debacle and my world shatters happens. Within two weeks of that mess, I gained all those weight back. I no longer cared.

I got stuck.

I started hating myself and how I looked.

January 1st of 2019, the scale screamed "177 lbs" at me. This was the biggest that I've ever been in my life. Surprisingly, it didn't make me depressed or sad. It made me determined to do something about it. Why? I didn't like that number. I didn't like seeing myself in a mirror at work which is why I always had on a hoodie to cover myself. Internally, I was ashamed, but I wasn't going to let it dropkick me into a dark place. Not like the other times in my life.

At this point, I had already slowed down on my sodas, sweets, and bread intakes. But, I was still eating very crappily. Fast Food, anyone? One day, I was hanging out with some cousins and she was explaining to me about a 6 week detox that she was going to do. I'm not a fan of smoothies or eating a bunch of veggies and fruits, lol. But, we both had a common goal: To lose weight.

I came across a post of Facebook about a man doing a 30 day water fast. 30 flipping days!! It piqued my interest like thunder on a rainy day. Granted, this man had experience in doing such a thing and there's no way in sushi heavens would I be able to do that. I've never fasted before. Yet, I knew someone who did. I asked questions and did some research of my own. I had a good support system in place.

January 8, 2019 is the first day of my first ever water fast. Between the 1st and the 8th, my weight kept flouncing around at 177, down to 169, and then back up to 177. That's when I decided: Now or never.

Day one through day three was not easy for me. I was so tempted to eat everything that I saw. My migraines were killing me [not literally] and I was hungry. My original plan was to only do three days, but I wanted to challenge myself since I've survived those three grueling days. So, instead of getting on the scale, I wanted to wait until I completed the last four days.

Crazy, right? Some people were concerned for me because its well known that I'm so picky and that I don't eat much anyways. Others were very supportive and actually gave me sound advice on what to do/don't do along the way. [Thanks Jesus and Altovise!] Even my hubs, my tribes, my Pops, and sister [and her tribes] supported my decision. During this challenge, I was actively exercising and moving around.

Day four to day five was a slumpfest. I had no energy to do anything. Heck, I thought I was doing something wrong because I was reading reports of people being energized by this time. Quickly, I was schooled that everyone isn't the same and with it being my first time fasting, I have to go through the sludge first. My sister would laugh because I would stand next to her while she was eating just to inhale the aroma of whatever she ate for dinner. Still, I didn't break. I did go to bed earlier than normal. Normally, I would go to bed around 5 am, but during this fasting, I was going to bed at 9:30 or 10 pm.

Day six day seven were the two days that I almost called the quits. I couldn't take it anymore. I was beyond hungry. I was getting sick of drinking water. I wanted my hub's fried bologna sandwich. I don't even eat pork. But, I persevered. I didn't want to take shortcuts or stop when things got too tough for me. I kept trucking on through it.

Day eight was the day I'd finally got on the scale. I weighed 154 lbs after water fasting for seven days. I was happy. Now, after you water fast, you can't just go eat a pizza and call it a day. A quick way to have a stomach ache. You have to ease the body into a routine, by drinking a broth or eating pureed foods. Then you work your way up the consistency list.

I decided to create myself a plan that could possibly help me lose more weight. Would I ever fast for seven days again? Probably not. Who knows? But, with the plan the I have in place for myself, I would be doing IF [intermittent fasting] and eating healthier choices for four days; On the fifth day, a cheat day; and lastly, I'd do a water fasting on the last two days. And while I'm doing this, I would also be working out three days a week.

There are different types of fastings out there, such as dry fasting, liquid fasting, broth fasting, etc. Do research before trying any type of fasting or maybe talk with a dietitian that way you are not harming yourself or your health in any way.

If you want to make a change for yourself, go for it. Some people may not understand why, but as long as YOU know why, then it doesn't matter if they get it or not. Do remember, fasting isn't for the faint hearts. It's a mental, emotional, and physical break down on you. At least, it was for me.

What is my ultimate goal in this change of a lifestyle? To be happier. To be healthier. To get to my goal weight of 130-135 lbs. To be stronger.

You can do this. Just remember how bad you want it and why.

xoxo