How and Why I Extended My Weekly Forty-four Hour Food-free Period To One-hundred and Sixty-eight Hours

How and Why I Extended

My Weekly Forty-four Hour Food-free Period

To One-hundred and Sixty-eight Hours

What Happened

During the First Twenty-four Hours

We have been told, and have experienced, our whole lives that the human body is a miraculous creation. Boy, howdy! Recent discoveries have uncovered secrets of hormone regulation, self-maintenance, healing and rejuvenation that our body calls upon to cure itself, if we help it by not interfering with the process. Sources for the information I am sharing are listed at the end of this piece. Capital letters in parentheses refer to the specific source.

Problem:

The body is congested with too much garbage that is interfering with its proper functioning, causing:

Inflammation (arthritis),

unnatural and unchecked growth of cells (cancer),

obesity,

Insulin resistance,

Metabolic syndrome, “a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. These conditions include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels” (M),

Metabolic syndrome is the cliff off of which our culture is jumping. I remember my parents would deride any peer pressure I or my siblings felt in grade school by asking, “If everybody jumped off of a cliff, would you?” Well, here we are. Our health systems are overwhelmed with preventable diseases that are food related.

.

Solution:

Get out of the way and let the body process and get rid of the crap (I use that word advisedly) without the interference of overwhelming it with food to process that it doesn’t even need. Did you ever notice when a cat or dog is sick that they stop eating?

Even when we are perfectly healthy we don’t need to be constantly eating. We just enjoy doing it. In fact, this doctor I am going to quote below even says “eating is dangerous” (J). Additionally, he says, it costs the body up to 70 % of the energy we consume to process a meal and we are left with just the other 30% for immediate energy and storage.

I am going to tell you what cardiologist of forty years, Dr. Pradip Jamnadas, says about fasting. Then let me tell you why I prefer the phrase food-free periods rather than the terms fast or fasting.

“You’re not going to die. You have plenty of protein in your body. You have at least a month’s worth of vitamins in your body. Did you know I have 40 days of fat energy in me? I have about 50,000 calories stored inside of me, that can be used, but I have to unlock those calories in the form of fat.” (J)

You can get to those fat stores only after using all the sugar energy in your system. If you don’t get through that, you’ll never get to the fat. You’ll just keep burning what you are eating and probably putting more fat into storage. Some people don’t know that carbs are turned into sugar and then into fat in your body if they are not burned for energy right away and that any fat you eat will be stored as long as carbs keep coming in. You have to use up the sugar in your blood and liver to lower your insulin levels so you can get to the fat to burn it.

Insulin is the hormone that signals our body to store and release energy. High insulin, we’re collecting and storing, low insulin, we’re burning it off. You lower your insulin levels by not eating carbohydrates and too much protein, and especially by not eating sugar.

What innate intelligence! Our body knows what to do and it can do what is necessary if we just get out of the way. What reserves! What recuperative powers! If we would only give our body the chance to heal itself by not forcing it to process unnecessary loads of poisons. If we would only give it a rest.

As much as we might like to give our body a break we encounter a couple of big challenges to being food-free for any length of time. A big one is our Pavlovian response to the clock. Whether hungry or not, when the clock says, “It’s time,” we eat. “It’s noon, time to eat.”

The clock must be ignored as much as possible, in relation to mealtimes, if you are going to be successful. Cereal companies made breakfast “the most important meal of the day.” As Dr. Jamnadas points out, “The most important meal of the day is the one you are eating.” (J)

Below I list 7 strategies to get you past the clock and distract you from the next character and the biggest challenge in this story, Ghrelin. There is a little gremlin in our belly, another hormone of the body, very helpful in the overall health of the body, but what a pester when you are trying not to eat. If you don’t know it already, let me introduce you to what sounds like some character out of The Lord of the Rings.

It might as well be for it is what triggers the “hunger pangs” we believe are telling us, regardless of what the clock may say, “We gotta eat.” We don’t. Two of the seven strategies are specifically for addressing this hunger hormone: water and patience; drown it and wait for its natural cycle to subside.

I prefer to call fasting being food-free because my term comes at the issue 180 degrees from the words fast and fasting. Fasting means deprivation. Food-free means relying on your body to use its many operations to use up its stored energy and even do a spring cleaning. I comment more on this on the second day.

Remaining in a food-free state for just 12-16 hours a day will benefit you. See what happens during the first 24 hours of a 168 hour food-free period (FFP), and how I responded to it. Following is my journaling of the experience.

If you are currently consuming carbohydrates, I caution you to read this piece for information purposes only. Don’t attempt extended food-free periods without preparing your body first. You will suffer withdrawal, nausea, headaches, discomfort, and for no reason. Check out my essays regarding going carb-free at the end of this post. (D)

Start by becoming carbohydrate-free. For eleven years I avoided carbohydrates like the poisons they are. This set my body up to get used to breaking down fats into ketones (more on these soon) and burning them for high-grade fuel. You will enjoy so many benefits you will have motivation to explore how leaving food behind for most of the time is a way to freedom from disease, chores and gravity. And saving you so much money.

In July 2021 I began a process called “intermittent fasting,” another name for remaining food-free for several hours, daily. Generally, that period lasts between 16-20 hours from my last bite of a meal to my first bite of the next. This gives my body time to digest my food, send it on its way to my small intestine, and clean up after itself before the next delivery arrives to be processed.

That’s still not a lot of rest for my digestive system, nor much time for maintenance, let alone healing, so once a week since July I’ve given my body a 32 hour food-free period: Monday 8pm (fork down) until Wednesday 4pm (let’s eat!)

Upon discovering the benefits of extended food-free periods (EFFPs) I began a once a month 84 hour EFFP, that replaced my normal weekly one. All the while maintaining my daily regimen of eating for 4 to 6 hours and remaining food-free the rest of the day.

Dr. Jamnadas claims that a “seven day fast” study demonstrates a 70% reduction in my chance of contracting cancer if I go food-free that long. I had scheduled a 7-day extended food-free period starting Christmas Day. I got into my normal weekly 32 hour FFP when I decided, as you will see, to explore the territory beyond it, and beyond my 84 hour sojourns.

The travel metaphor is appropriate as we are in the foothills with a mountain to climb, and it’s not going to be easy. There will be challenges and tests, but success at this endeavor leads to the summit and the transformation that occurs having made it there.

Monday, Dec. 13th, 2021 7:30 PM:

I just swallowed my last bite. I am feeling full and, by all of my expectations, I should be satisfied, though I could keep eating. Why haven’t my “full-feeling” hormones told my “hunger hormones” that I’ve had enough?

Ghrelin still has me in a half-nelson. Learn about how the body creates this hormone in the stomach and how it travels to the brain to stimulate neurons to stimulate hunger in the stomach. It’s not alone. Find out what little there is to know about the other hunger producing hormone, “insulin-like peptide” (ILP-5), produced in the colon. Discover all of the hunger suppressing hormones too, including, where they are made, by checking out Dr. Colin Holloway’s website. (H)

Here’s his answer to, “Why haven’t my full-feeling hormones told my hunger hormones that I’ve had enough?”:

“Once full, the stomach reduces the desire to eat both by lowering ghrelin production and by sending a message to the hypothalamus. Ghrelin levels reach a low around 30 to 60 minutes after eating.

Levels of hormones that make us feel full – CCK, PYY, GLP-1, amylin and insulin – all increase following a meal to reach a peak about 30 to 60 minutes later.

All the hormones then gradually return to their fasting levels three to four hours after a meal.”

By the time I finished the above paragraphs. Ghrelin evaporated. I feel nothing but satiey.

Monday, Dec. 13th, 2021 9:00 PM:

To Bed

For the next eleven hours my body will process what I’ve eaten. It will take 4-6 hours for my stomach to break down what I’ve filled it with and then send that transformed material to my small intestine for further disassembly and distribution to either the large intestine for elimination of waste, or to the bloodstream for nutrition of the body.

The body cleans its cells with a process called autophagy. It turns the garbage collected by autophagy, and in a process called gluconeogenesis, breaks it down into fundamental parts to be recycled by the body to make new parts.

While this is going on triglycerides are being broken down into fatty acids and burned for low-waste fuel in a process called “Ketosis”. (J)

Tuesday, Dec. 14th, 2021 8:00 AM:

At this point I am not experiencing hunger. I am drinking warm lemon water as a tea to stay hydrated. My thinking is clear and I am energetic enough to fulfill my daily obligations without worrying that I will run out of fuel.

From Dr. Jamnadas:

“So for the first 12 hours I am not going to burn fat. I am going to use up my glycogen stores. I’m going to feel okay, unless I’m a junkie [carbohydrate eater]. Then I’m gonna want to eat.”

What is Glycogen? It’s the primary way that glucose is stored in our tissues, especially our muscles and liver tissue. It is deposited in bodily tissues as a store of carbohydrates. And why is it important? It becomes available when blood sugar levels decrease.

He continues:

“Your sugar will never drop. You can fast for 7 days, your blood sugar will come down, but you’ll not become hypoglycemic and have an attack.”(J)

The body is manufacturing glucose in a process called gluconeogenesis.

Gluconeogenesis, Autophagy and Ketosis

“After twelve hours you experience gluconeogenesis. New glucose is being made. Where does the new glucose in the blood stream come from? Protein. Not the protein in the muscles. Protein is always being turned over in your body. Some of it is turned into glucose, so your glucose level is maintained for another 12 hours or so.” (J)

When the body runs through its glycogen reserves it begins to make glucose from available non-carbohydrate sources as mentioned above. It also breaks down unnecessary proteins and cell bits and pieces that are no longer useful, if not harmful, in the process of autophagy, which is responsible for spring cleaning every one of your trillions of cells, packaging up that material and sending it on its way through the cell walls to be recycled.

Dr. Fung says that the period of gluconeogenesis from 24 to 36 hours is the period when there is going to be the most autophagy. (F)

Others say it can begin hours earlier for folks “fat-adapted” and already low on glycogen to achieve “ketosis,” the burning of fat-derived acids. We simply increase the amount of fat turned into ketones and burned by body and brain in a process called ketosis.

Tuesday, Dec. 14th, 2021 8:00 AM:

I am coming on to 12 hours since my last bite and 4 to 8 hours since my stomach has been completely empty.

Again, from Dr. J:

“So you eat, you store in the form of fat and that fat should be utilized NOW.” (J)

From Dr. Nicole:

“[At] 14 Hours – Body is running out of glucose and Ketosis MAY begin, but may not, based on your adaptation stage. Ketosis is next. The body is running out of glucose.”

Tuesday, Dec. 14th, 2021 11:15 AM:

Coming on to 16 hours since my last bite and 8 to 12 hours since my stomach has been empty.

I’ve been busy all morning. No pleading ghrelin. After being food-free for so many hours every day for the last 6 months, ghrelin knows when I say, “No!” I mean no. It has gotten used to my dampening its desires with a deluge of water. This morning it seems to be saying, “What’s the use complaining. He’s food-free today.”

Tuesday, Dec. 14th, 2021 12:30 PM:

Coming on 17 hrs since my last bite and 9 to 13 hours since my stomach has been empty.

“Between 12 and 24 hours the body senses none to little food coming in, there is a small increase in ketosis. The fats say, ‘Utilize us.’ The only way fat can come into utilization is: the insulin levels must drop. Insulin levels are low because you have not been eating.”

“When your insulin level is high you store energy. When your insulin level is low you pull energy out of fat.” (J)

“Through the hormonal action of hormone-sensitive lipase and the action of LPL, what happens is, the fat stores open up, because your insulin levels are low, so the fats start being devoured. The fat gets converted to triglycerides and fatty acids.”(J)

It’s almost one o’clock and here comes that energy that has totally destroyed my naps. Is it cortisol? Norepinepherine? More fun stuff to learn. Nonetheless, I didn’t eat and am becoming clearer consciously and have the energy to work in my studio through my normal napping period.

I gain so much time by being food-free. I used to pray for a couple more hours in the day. There was no way the clock was going to go to 26 hours. BUT after praying for years for more time, the answer came. “Stop spending so much time with the thinking about, the gathering, the preparation, the eating, the cleaning up after, the digestion and consequences of what you eat.” The answer to my prayer for more time was becoming as “food-free” as I can. It’s a great double entendre; saving time in all of the ways listed above is also linked to giving me more time in years, because “fasting” has shown to lengthen longevity.

So it’s no nap and back to work. I feel like I’ve had a cup of coffee, but without the consequences of jangly nerves or jittery fingers and hands. All it took was not eating for 17 hours. This time. There have been food-free periods when I struggled. I’ll write about that in another installment.

Tuesday, Dec. 14th, 2021 2:30 PM:

Almost 19 hrs since my last bite and 11 to 15 hours since my stomach has been empty.

“[At] 18 Hours – Fat burning ramps up and autophagy goes up dramatically.” We are now cleaning out the cupboards and closets of our cells.

My energy has flagged as the pain in my back has increased from my day’s labors. Taking this break to write for awhile will rest my back and allow me to continue in my studio later. I wish not eating could cure injuries.

Ghrelin and the Pavlovian response have arrived simultaneously. Time to remind ghrelin who’s boss with 4 to 8 oz. of water, and to marvel at how easily we program ourselves to eat by the clock. I’ve been getting up from my nap by now, lately, and expecting to start eating at 3 pm or 4, so as to be done between 7 and 8 pm. That’s 19 to 20 hours food-free per day. So, 2:30 pm is anticipation-of-the-meal-to come time.

Saliva is slow-dripping and pangs have begun to develop. Usually I will look forward to eating with gusto, but not today during a food-free period, which, due to my eating once a day and starting late in the afternoon, usually lasts for 40 to 44 hours, 8 pm Monday night until 4 pm Wednesday. I used to call it a one day fast but its only 4 hours shy of two days since my last bite.

Now that Pavlov and Ghrelin have (cliche’ alert) reared their ravenous specters, I have some discomfort, if I focus on it, a little grinding in my stomach. Well, “Will and Water” is my new motto, as of this sentence.

The instruction here is to drink the water (as much as you want, I like lemon in mine) and go on with your life patiently knowing that the wave of ghrelin hormone is scheduled to rise and subside cyclically. I won’t be feeling this way for long.

Gotta go. I need a drink.

I worked until 7pm when my back would work no more and I had had enough for the day. I am too tired mentally and physically to write much now. No ghrelin nagging.

So where am I, at twenty-four hours of being food-free?

“All of the food in the digestive tract has been burned.

“The body has been depleted of glucose and is relying on ketones (processed fat).

“Inflammation decreases.

“Secretion of the metabolic hormones norepinephrine and HGH increases.”

“Between 24 and 48 hours Human Growth Hormone goes up.” (J)

With all of that going on I went to bed at 9:00 pm. We’ll talk about the benefits of human growth hormone and norepinepherine next time. We just hit 24 hours.

Here is a good time to share my 7 strategies for overcoming the little gremlin Ghrelin:

Drown it,

Become distractedly busy with your work or recreation,

Watch videos or read about the benefits of what you are attempting,

Luxuriate in an epsom salts bath,

Take a nap,

Write about your experience,

Exercise patience knowing that ghrelin comes and goes in a cycle. It won’t last long, especially if you actively engage in the first suggestion.

I hope you will further explore this material and that it will help you make intelligent decisions about your own health. Stay on the lookout for the chronicle of my second consecutive 24 hour period of being food-free in this space soon.

Sources and Links to My Related Posts

D = https://www.oregondudrops.com/.../a-first-step-on-the...

D = https://www.oregondudrops.com/.../the-foods-and-the-recipe

D = https://www.oregondudrops.com/du-blog/a-prelude-to-fasting

H = https://drcolinholloway.com/.../how-hormones-make-us.../

J = https://www.youtube.com › watch?v=RuOvn4UqznU

M = https://www.mayoclinic.org › diseases-conditions › metabolic-syndrome › symptoms-causes › syc-20351916

N = From https://drnicole.com/what-happens-to-your-body-while.../