Some fruit salad is also consumed and some form of cold sweet beverage. So far this has been homemade lemonade. The reason is to top up glycogen stores without a spike in sugar levels. Fruit is naturally sweet and also provides natural vitamins and fibre.
This is kept deliberately light due to the late time it is consumed - at present, here, that time is 21.41hrs!
The main evening meal follows but due to the prolonged fast not much can be consumed. As the month progresses the food taken in will be smaller in quantity due to a feeling that the stomach is shrinking!
Water is also consumed in a slightly larger amount. This along with the extra fibre helps to keep the bowel healthy. Some years ago, when I was living abroad in a hotter climate and had started fasting, I found that this last fact was crucial. Due to lack of both I became painfully constipated!! Needless to say I don’t want a repeat of that.
I have also noticed that my fingers and toes are colder. Due to the lack of energy i suppose. This always happens when i reduce my intake. I am driving with all the cooling systems turned off and the windows up. This also saves a slight amount on fuel so it can’t be all bad i suppose. Another thing is that my leg muscles are feeling tired and drained, similar to when one is ill. Since they are the largest muscle group in the body they require the most energy which is in short supply anyway.
Overall I am feeling fairly healthy apart from a dry throat which is irritating. The only downside is having to get up at 02:00hrs in the night for a light breakfast to tide me over till 21.41hrs again. I love my sleep so this disruption to my slumber is the only downside.
This is kept deliberately light due to the late time it is consumed - at present, here, that time is 21.41hrs!
The main evening meal follows but due to the prolonged fast not much can be consumed. As the month progresses the food taken in will be smaller in quantity due to a feeling that the stomach is shrinking!
Water is also consumed in a slightly larger amount. This along with the extra fibre helps to keep the bowel healthy. Some years ago, when I was living abroad in a hotter climate and had started fasting, I found that this last fact was crucial. Due to lack of both I became painfully constipated!! Needless to say I don’t want a repeat of that.
I have also noticed that my fingers and toes are colder. Due to the lack of energy i suppose. This always happens when i reduce my intake. I am driving with all the cooling systems turned off and the windows up. This also saves a slight amount on fuel so it can’t be all bad i suppose. Another thing is that my leg muscles are feeling tired and drained, similar to when one is ill. Since they are the largest muscle group in the body they require the most energy which is in short supply anyway.
Overall I am feeling fairly healthy apart from a dry throat which is irritating. The only downside is having to get up at 02:00hrs in the night for a light breakfast to tide me over till 21.41hrs again. I love my sleep so this disruption to my slumber is the only downside.
No comments:
Post a Comment