It took me over two hours to fall asleep last night, but during the two hours there might be some shallow dreaming going on.
Since the filtered water I got yesterday tasted weird, I boiled the filtered water this morning, and boiling does help purify the water! Now the water is more drinkable. Lisa bought me distilled water from Walgreen a few days ago, and I thought the water tasted like plastic. But Lisa said it tasted fine. I never had any problems with filtered water either, but now I can recognize the unpleasant tastes in filtered water. So my taste bud has indeed become more sensitive.
These days I have always had a little bit hard time breathing when I got up in the morning. Usually the breathing went back to normal in a while.
Lisa said that my facial skin worsened today, or more precisely, went back to what it usually looked like. It’s weird that Dozie could tell that my face cleared up yesterday and Lisa could tell that my skin got worse today, but I simply couldn’t tell any difference.
I think the rashes on my arms and hands got a little bit better today because they looked less prominent/red. But the thigh area close to my butt has become itchier. I do like detox a lot, but now school will start in two days, I really hope these detox symptoms can go away soon. I really want to end the fast and recover soon so that I can function well in school.
My back felt a little uncomfortable these days.
I did laundry today and it surprisingly made me tired. While walking upstairs, I felt that my legs didn’t have strength. I thought, maybe it’s time for me to break the fast, because the school is about to start.
What about my rashes then? If the spring break would continue for a few more days, I would totally continue the fast to fast the rashes away and complete this detox, but I think at this point my energy is more important. After I break the fast and during the transition period, I will have an extremely healthy diet, so my body will keep on detoxing, although at a lower rate. I’m totally ok with taking more time to get rid of the rashes.
At 6:15pm, I broke the water fast by drinking a little bit Naked Juice coconut water mixed with half cup of water. Although the coconut water was diluted, it tasted so fresh and pleasant. I kept on drinking, without being aware that I actually drank a little bit too much. Even after an hour and a half, my stomach still felt full. Wow…
Now is the time to summarize. I began the water fast after dinner on Friday, March 18 (which I counted as day 0), and ended the fast on Saturday, March 26 at 6:15pm. So it’s an 8 day water fast. Before, I have only done 2 one-day “forced” fast. By “forced” I mean I felt compelled to fast, because my stomach was about to burst due to overeating. In those 2 one-day fasts, I had plenty of food reserve to use, so probably they were just half-day fasts. Therefore, I’m a little bit amazed that I could successfully accomplish this 8 day water fast considering how little fasting experience I've had.
The 8-day water fast has been a fantastic experience. Throughout these 8 days, although I was physically weaker and weaker, I have always been mentally alert. I had a lot of readings as well as other stuff done. I never felt bored. I went outside three times. Except the vomiting in the morning of the second day, I have never suffered. Another major symptom is the rashes. One other annoying thing was that the bones around my hip area hurt, especially when I slept. Probably it was because I had become thinner. Other than that, everything went quite smoothly. I didn’t accomplish anything spiritually, because I somehow didn’t feel like reading about meditation after starting two meditation books. I will keep on pursuing meditation tho. I slept a lot and took afternoon naps most of the days. I slept roughly 8.7 hours per day, more than after vegan and before the fast. People usually say that you sleep less while fasting, so I guess my body was working extra hard to release toxins and thus I needed more sleep. I also dreamed much more than before, so I guess my sleep were not really normal sleeps. In the first three days I drank more than 2 liters of water, but later my need for water diminished, although today I drank a lot of water again. In terms of weight, I lost a total of 5.2 kg or 11.5 pounds. My mense came on the 6th day of the fast, 4 days earlier than I expected, 24 days after my previous cycle. My bloods were no longer red fluid, but dark brown clots. The amount was smaller than usual, but clots are supposed to have a smaller volume than liquids, right? Interestingly, after breaking the fast, my mense blood became red liquid again, although there were still dark clots. An hour after breaking the fast, I felt a little tired. 7:15pm is a weird time to feel tired.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
8th day of water fast, cloudy
It took me over two hours to fall asleep last night, but during the two hours there might be some shallow dreaming going on.
Since the filtered water I got yesterday tasted weird, I boiled the filtered water this morning, and boiling does help purify the water! Now the water is more drinkable. Lisa bought me distilled water from Walgreen a few days ago, and I thought the water tasted like plastic. But Lisa said it tasted fine. I never had any problems with filtered water, but now I can recognize the unpleasant tastes in filtered water. So my taste bud is indeed more sensitive now. A useful conclusion is that boiling does help purify the water.
It’s weird that these days I have always had a little bit hard time breathing when I went up in the morning. Usually the breathing went back to normal after water.
Lisa said that my facial skin worsened today, or more precisely, went back to what it usually looked like. It’s weird that Dozie could tell that my face cleared up yesterday and Lisa could tell that my skin got worse today, but I simply couldn’t tell any difference.
I think the rashes on my arms and hands got a little bit better today because they looked less prominent/red. But the thigh area close to my butt has become itchier. I do like detox a lot, but now school will start in two days, I really hope these detox symptoms can go away soon. I really want to end the fast and recover soon so that I can function well in school.
My back felt a little uncomfortable these days.
I did laundry today and it surprisingly made me tired. While walking upstairs, I sometimes felt that my legs didn’t have strength. I thought, maybe it’s time for me to break the fast, because the school will start in two days.
What about my rashes then? If the spring break would continue for a few more days, I would totally continue the fast to fast the rashes away and complete this detox, but I think at this point my energy is more important. After I break the fast and during the transition period, I will have an extremely healthy diet, so my body will keep on detoxing, although at a lower rate. I’m fine with that. I’m ok with taking more time to get rid of the rashes.
At 6:15pm, I broke the water fast by drinking a little bit Naked Juice coconut water mixed with half cup of water. Although the coconut water was diluted, it tasted so fresh and pleasant. I kept on drinking, without being aware that I actually drank a little bit too much. Even after an hour and a half, my stomach still felt full. Wow…
Now is the time to summarize. I began the fast after dinner on Friday, March 18 (which I counted as day 0), and ended the fast on Saturday, March 26 at 6:15pm. So it’s an 8 day water fast. Before, I have only done 2 one-day “forced” fast. By “forced” I mean I felt compelled to fast, because my stomach was about to burst due to overating. In those 2 one-day fasts, I had plenty of food reserve to use during the fast. Probably they were just half-day fasts. Therefore, I’m a little bit amazed that I could successfully accomplish this 8 day water fast considering how little fasting experience I had.
The 8-day water fast has been a fantastic experience. Throughout these 8 days, although I was physically weaker and weaker, I have always been extremely mentally alert. I had a lot of readings and other things done. I never felt bored. I went outside three times. Except the vomiting in the morning of the second day, I have never suffered. Another major symptom is the rashes. Other than that, everything went quite smoothly. I didn’t accomplish anything spiritually, because I somehow didn’t feel like reading about meditation after starting two meditation books. I will keep on pursuing meditation tho. I slept a lot and took afternoon naps most of the days. I slept roughly 8.7 hours per day, more than after vegan and before the fast. People usually say that you sleep less while fasting. I guess my body was working really hard to release toxins, so it required more sleep. I also dreamed much more than before, so I guess my sleep are not really normal sleeps. In the first three days I drank more than 2 liters of water, but later my need for water diminished, although today I drank a lot of water. In terms of weight, I lost a total of 5.2 kg or 11.5 pounds. My mense came on the 6th day of the fast, 4 days earlier than I expected, 24 days after my previous cycle. My bloods were no longer red fluid, but dark brown clots. The amount is smaller than usual, but clots are supposed to have a smaller volume than liquids, right? Interestingly, after breaking the fast, my mense blood became red liquid again, although there were still dark clots. An hour after breaking the fast, I felt a little tired. 7:15pm is a weird time to feel tired.
Since the filtered water I got yesterday tasted weird, I boiled the filtered water this morning, and boiling does help purify the water! Now the water is more drinkable. Lisa bought me distilled water from Walgreen a few days ago, and I thought the water tasted like plastic. But Lisa said it tasted fine. I never had any problems with filtered water, but now I can recognize the unpleasant tastes in filtered water. So my taste bud is indeed more sensitive now. A useful conclusion is that boiling does help purify the water.
It’s weird that these days I have always had a little bit hard time breathing when I went up in the morning. Usually the breathing went back to normal after water.
Lisa said that my facial skin worsened today, or more precisely, went back to what it usually looked like. It’s weird that Dozie could tell that my face cleared up yesterday and Lisa could tell that my skin got worse today, but I simply couldn’t tell any difference.
I think the rashes on my arms and hands got a little bit better today because they looked less prominent/red. But the thigh area close to my butt has become itchier. I do like detox a lot, but now school will start in two days, I really hope these detox symptoms can go away soon. I really want to end the fast and recover soon so that I can function well in school.
My back felt a little uncomfortable these days.
I did laundry today and it surprisingly made me tired. While walking upstairs, I sometimes felt that my legs didn’t have strength. I thought, maybe it’s time for me to break the fast, because the school will start in two days.
What about my rashes then? If the spring break would continue for a few more days, I would totally continue the fast to fast the rashes away and complete this detox, but I think at this point my energy is more important. After I break the fast and during the transition period, I will have an extremely healthy diet, so my body will keep on detoxing, although at a lower rate. I’m fine with that. I’m ok with taking more time to get rid of the rashes.
At 6:15pm, I broke the water fast by drinking a little bit Naked Juice coconut water mixed with half cup of water. Although the coconut water was diluted, it tasted so fresh and pleasant. I kept on drinking, without being aware that I actually drank a little bit too much. Even after an hour and a half, my stomach still felt full. Wow…
Now is the time to summarize. I began the fast after dinner on Friday, March 18 (which I counted as day 0), and ended the fast on Saturday, March 26 at 6:15pm. So it’s an 8 day water fast. Before, I have only done 2 one-day “forced” fast. By “forced” I mean I felt compelled to fast, because my stomach was about to burst due to overating. In those 2 one-day fasts, I had plenty of food reserve to use during the fast. Probably they were just half-day fasts. Therefore, I’m a little bit amazed that I could successfully accomplish this 8 day water fast considering how little fasting experience I had.
The 8-day water fast has been a fantastic experience. Throughout these 8 days, although I was physically weaker and weaker, I have always been extremely mentally alert. I had a lot of readings and other things done. I never felt bored. I went outside three times. Except the vomiting in the morning of the second day, I have never suffered. Another major symptom is the rashes. Other than that, everything went quite smoothly. I didn’t accomplish anything spiritually, because I somehow didn’t feel like reading about meditation after starting two meditation books. I will keep on pursuing meditation tho. I slept a lot and took afternoon naps most of the days. I slept roughly 8.7 hours per day, more than after vegan and before the fast. People usually say that you sleep less while fasting. I guess my body was working really hard to release toxins, so it required more sleep. I also dreamed much more than before, so I guess my sleep are not really normal sleeps. In the first three days I drank more than 2 liters of water, but later my need for water diminished, although today I drank a lot of water. In terms of weight, I lost a total of 5.2 kg or 11.5 pounds. My mense came on the 6th day of the fast, 4 days earlier than I expected, 24 days after my previous cycle. My bloods were no longer red fluid, but dark brown clots. The amount is smaller than usual, but clots are supposed to have a smaller volume than liquids, right? Interestingly, after breaking the fast, my mense blood became red liquid again, although there were still dark clots. An hour after breaking the fast, I felt a little tired. 7:15pm is a weird time to feel tired.
Friday, March 25, 2011
7th day of water fast, rainy
A lot of vivid detailed dreams.
Mense blood dark brown clots.
Blood vessels in eyes disappeared.
Rashes on arms a little ichy.
Very little blood while brushing teeth.
Breathe much better. If the breathe odor yesterday was10, then it’s 2.5 today. I could tell it improved even before Dozie and Lisa smelling it, because previous days I often liked to rinse my mouth before drinking water, but today I don’t feel it’s necessary anymore. I like my saliva better today. That my breathe beginning to clear up could be an indicator that I could probably stop the fast soon. I’ve decided that I would stop the fast when my breathe totally clears up and my rashes are gone, or after completing 10 days of water fast, whichever comes first.
Dozie said that my acne looked better now. I always think it’s not bad tho.
I biked to Huang to get 5 1-liter bottles of filtered water. They were really heavy. I was a little bit exhausted after I went back to room (considering the water and all the stairs and little hills), so I took a nap for over three hours. I totally recovered after the nap.
Maybe it’s because I have become thinner now, my bones began to “stick out”, especially those in my hip and knee area, so sometimes it’s uncomfortable during sleep. It worsens as I become thinner.
Mense blood dark brown clots.
Blood vessels in eyes disappeared.
Rashes on arms a little ichy.
Very little blood while brushing teeth.
Breathe much better. If the breathe odor yesterday was10, then it’s 2.5 today. I could tell it improved even before Dozie and Lisa smelling it, because previous days I often liked to rinse my mouth before drinking water, but today I don’t feel it’s necessary anymore. I like my saliva better today. That my breathe beginning to clear up could be an indicator that I could probably stop the fast soon. I’ve decided that I would stop the fast when my breathe totally clears up and my rashes are gone, or after completing 10 days of water fast, whichever comes first.
Dozie said that my acne looked better now. I always think it’s not bad tho.
I biked to Huang to get 5 1-liter bottles of filtered water. They were really heavy. I was a little bit exhausted after I went back to room (considering the water and all the stairs and little hills), so I took a nap for over three hours. I totally recovered after the nap.
Maybe it’s because I have become thinner now, my bones began to “stick out”, especially those in my hip and knee area, so sometimes it’s uncomfortable during sleep. It worsens as I become thinner.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
6th day of water fast, rainy
Slept from 10:50pm to roughly 8:20am, after probably 6am kept on shallow dreaming. Also dreamed during real sleep.
Yesterday had some pain on the left of my neck at night. Probably because I read too much. Pain disappeared today.
Yesterday discovered rashes on the inner side of both of my lower arms and back of my hands and they still exist today. Tonight some rashes even on calf.
Yesterday some blood vessels showed up in my right eye, but they disappeared this morning. However, my right eye did feel a little weird when I woke up this morning.
Had a little bit hard time breathing when I was brushing my teeth, washing my face etc in the morning.
In previous two days there was blood when I was brushing my teeth, today it got better, although there still was a little blood.
I found some light orange/red-ish residuals in my first urine in my morning, while my saliva is not that orange anymore.
When I was very close to Lisa this morning, she said my breath smelled, but I couldn’t smell it at all! She said I didn’t have body odor. Probably my breath smelled in previous days too, just that I was not that close to Lisa.
Got a pimple on the chin.
Walked in the rain for about half an hour.
First day of period, roughly 4 days earlier than I expected. Very little blood.
Before bed, blood vessels showed up in right eye again.
A good amount of blood while brushing my teeth.
Today I decided to eat seafood 2-3 times a week on top of my vegan diet, because the major elements vegans lack are omega-3 fatty acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin D, while seafood is one of the best sources for all these three elements. I know I can take supplements, but it sounds so artificial to me. Humans are not designed to eat supplements or fortified foods. We are meant to eat natural whole foods. If the viability of a diet relies on supplement, then it doesn’t sound like a natural diet to me. I like vegan diet a lot, and I feel a little sad that I won’t be a vegan now, but I don’t want to confine my mind. I will keep on experimenting and doing research to figure out a diet that best fits my health and ideology.
Yesterday had some pain on the left of my neck at night. Probably because I read too much. Pain disappeared today.
Yesterday discovered rashes on the inner side of both of my lower arms and back of my hands and they still exist today. Tonight some rashes even on calf.
Yesterday some blood vessels showed up in my right eye, but they disappeared this morning. However, my right eye did feel a little weird when I woke up this morning.
Had a little bit hard time breathing when I was brushing my teeth, washing my face etc in the morning.
In previous two days there was blood when I was brushing my teeth, today it got better, although there still was a little blood.
I found some light orange/red-ish residuals in my first urine in my morning, while my saliva is not that orange anymore.
When I was very close to Lisa this morning, she said my breath smelled, but I couldn’t smell it at all! She said I didn’t have body odor. Probably my breath smelled in previous days too, just that I was not that close to Lisa.
Got a pimple on the chin.
Walked in the rain for about half an hour.
First day of period, roughly 4 days earlier than I expected. Very little blood.
Before bed, blood vessels showed up in right eye again.
A good amount of blood while brushing my teeth.
Today I decided to eat seafood 2-3 times a week on top of my vegan diet, because the major elements vegans lack are omega-3 fatty acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin D, while seafood is one of the best sources for all these three elements. I know I can take supplements, but it sounds so artificial to me. Humans are not designed to eat supplements or fortified foods. We are meant to eat natural whole foods. If the viability of a diet relies on supplement, then it doesn’t sound like a natural diet to me. I like vegan diet a lot, and I feel a little sad that I won’t be a vegan now, but I don’t want to confine my mind. I will keep on experimenting and doing research to figure out a diet that best fits my health and ideology.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
5th day of water fast, rainy, sunny
A long dream in a Stanford setting, but the main building was modern, large and complex. Yuan, (fake) Daniel, Andrew, my MS&E 280 teacher etc. were in the dream. Again, vivid but can’t remember much.
First saliva spit in the morning orange-ish, had a little bit hard time breathing for a while after getting up.
Thought about all the delicious both meat and vegetable foods in the afternoon. Again, it was a pleasure, not craving. Conclusion: meat in China is much more tasty and cooked in more varieties than that in the US, while vegetables in the US are more delicious and cooked in more ways than those in China.
Took a nap from around 4 to 6:00pm, can’t remember having dreams.
Didn’t feel thirsty.
Urine still “bubbly”.
Voice only a little bit away from normal now.
Confused why I still feel hungry sometimes.
Confused why it’s still an extremely normal day.
First saliva spit in the morning orange-ish, had a little bit hard time breathing for a while after getting up.
Thought about all the delicious both meat and vegetable foods in the afternoon. Again, it was a pleasure, not craving. Conclusion: meat in China is much more tasty and cooked in more varieties than that in the US, while vegetables in the US are more delicious and cooked in more ways than those in China.
Took a nap from around 4 to 6:00pm, can’t remember having dreams.
Didn’t feel thirsty.
Urine still “bubbly”.
Voice only a little bit away from normal now.
Confused why I still feel hungry sometimes.
Confused why it’s still an extremely normal day.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
4th day of water fast, sunny
Spat out saliva before brushing my teeth in the morning, the saliva was orange-ish.
Got back my voice again, although it was still not normal.
At one point in the morning, felt like having bowel movement but there was none. I even farted!
Still hiccup the whole day. Not that frequently tho.
Biked outside to run errands. Liked the fresh air. Felt tired biking on my way back. First time to realize that I’m actually weaker now.
Not very tired when I went back to room, yellow/orange-ish saliva again, urine light yellow with lots of clustered tiny bubbles.
Didn’t take afternoon naps like previous days.
Some stomach pain in the afternoon as if I was hungry, but it didn’t last long.
Somehow didn’t feel like reading about meditation.
Didn’t feel thirsty and lips didn’t feel dry in the evening.
Didn’t feel tired the whole day except for the bike ride.
Got back my voice again, although it was still not normal.
At one point in the morning, felt like having bowel movement but there was none. I even farted!
Still hiccup the whole day. Not that frequently tho.
Biked outside to run errands. Liked the fresh air. Felt tired biking on my way back. First time to realize that I’m actually weaker now.
Not very tired when I went back to room, yellow/orange-ish saliva again, urine light yellow with lots of clustered tiny bubbles.
Didn’t take afternoon naps like previous days.
Some stomach pain in the afternoon as if I was hungry, but it didn’t last long.
Somehow didn’t feel like reading about meditation.
Didn’t feel thirsty and lips didn’t feel dry in the evening.
Didn’t feel tired the whole day except for the bike ride.
Monday, March 21, 2011
3rd day of water fast, rainy, cloudy, sunny
Last night I went to read on bed at 10:45pm. Because I took a 3.6-hour nap in the afternoon, I expected to sleep late, but I was a bit tired at 11:25pm so I went to sleep. Surprisingly I woke up at 4:55am in the morning, exactly the same time as when I first got up yesterday morning! I thought I couldn’t get back to sleep because 5.4 hours of night sleep + 3.6 hours of afternoon nap = 9 hours of sleep already. I stayed awake for a while, peed, and strangely went back to sleep again! Then I had a vivid and long dream about my 1st and 2nd grade best friend and her twin brother. Then came another surprise: I woke up at 6:55am, exactly the same time as when I officially got up last morning. What’s more incredible is that I slept 7.3 hours following a long afternoon nap. I felt terrific when I got out of the bed.
I built another insulator with cardboard and paper. I put the stainless steel water bottle in the bubble wrap and put it in the middle of the insulator at 7:30am. Unfortunately I drank all the water before two hours. Then I insulate the water again at 9:04am. Two hours later, the water was a little bit / not significantly warmer than that coming from my first insulator.
I began to have mild stomach pain at 9:35am and it lasted 5 minutes.
I kept my arm raised for 2 minutes just to provide a benchmark for Lisa to see if she had become weaker because she suffered from keeping her arm raised for long. My arm didn’t hurt much, but it consumed my energy. I even yawned and got a tiny, short headache afterward.
I had quite a few hiccups throughout out the day.
My lips got chapped today and I became thirsty more easily.
I lied on bed from 1:50pm, napped from probably 3:15 to 4:25pm. I had a vivid and long dream about movies, but I couldn’t remember clearly. I actually didn’t really need this afternoon nap, but it was a nice rest anyways.
I began to read about meditation after the nap.
In the afternoon my voice sounded different and in the evening I lost my voice / could only talk very quietly, although feeling wise my throat is completely normal / I can't notice anything wrong with my throat if I don’t talk.
A very strange thing that began to happen this afternoon and worsened in the evening was that I began to think about meat a lot. I haven't thought about meat much or really enjoyed the thinking of it ever since I became a vegan, but today I thought about a variety of meat like river shrimp, chicken soup, fried egg etc. and was thinking about how delicious they were. I also thought about fresh fruit like strawberries, but I thought about meat much more. At first I tried not to think about meat/food, because I was fasting, but later I thought it was ok because although I enjoyed thinking about meat and could imagine the exact delicious taste it had, I was not craving for it. It's just a very enjoyable experience to think about meat/food.
To help toxin release, I used body scrub in the shower and will use face scrub before bed.
Today is another normal day, besides losing my voice.
I built another insulator with cardboard and paper. I put the stainless steel water bottle in the bubble wrap and put it in the middle of the insulator at 7:30am. Unfortunately I drank all the water before two hours. Then I insulate the water again at 9:04am. Two hours later, the water was a little bit / not significantly warmer than that coming from my first insulator.
I began to have mild stomach pain at 9:35am and it lasted 5 minutes.
I kept my arm raised for 2 minutes just to provide a benchmark for Lisa to see if she had become weaker because she suffered from keeping her arm raised for long. My arm didn’t hurt much, but it consumed my energy. I even yawned and got a tiny, short headache afterward.
I had quite a few hiccups throughout out the day.
My lips got chapped today and I became thirsty more easily.
I lied on bed from 1:50pm, napped from probably 3:15 to 4:25pm. I had a vivid and long dream about movies, but I couldn’t remember clearly. I actually didn’t really need this afternoon nap, but it was a nice rest anyways.
I began to read about meditation after the nap.
In the afternoon my voice sounded different and in the evening I lost my voice / could only talk very quietly, although feeling wise my throat is completely normal / I can't notice anything wrong with my throat if I don’t talk.
A very strange thing that began to happen this afternoon and worsened in the evening was that I began to think about meat a lot. I haven't thought about meat much or really enjoyed the thinking of it ever since I became a vegan, but today I thought about a variety of meat like river shrimp, chicken soup, fried egg etc. and was thinking about how delicious they were. I also thought about fresh fruit like strawberries, but I thought about meat much more. At first I tried not to think about meat/food, because I was fasting, but later I thought it was ok because although I enjoyed thinking about meat and could imagine the exact delicious taste it had, I was not craving for it. It's just a very enjoyable experience to think about meat/food.
To help toxin release, I used body scrub in the shower and will use face scrub before bed.
Today is another normal day, besides losing my voice.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
2nd day of water fast, rainy, sunny, cloudy
I had a terrible yet rewarding experience early this morning. I woke up at around 3:15am. My stomach was complaining although it didn’t have pain. The “hunger” didn’t bother me on the first day, so why did it suddenly become bothersome on the second day? I stayed on bed trying to get back to sleep, but it was difficult. I probably managed to fall asleep, but I woke up again at 4:44am. This time I was still feeling bad: I was thirsty/dehydrated, my bedding was too warm/hot (probably because the pair of pants I was wearing were heavier and tighter than usual), and the room was a little stuffy (I thought it was cold last night, so we had the window closed, which we normally don’t do).
I didn’t feel that sleepy and remembered reading that you don’t need that much sleep during fasting. Most importantly, I really need some water, so I jumped out of the bed at around 4:50am (my bed was slightly elevated). The moment my feet landed on the ground, I instantly felt dizzy. I suddenly remembered that doctors supervising fasts instruct their patients not to jump out of the bed or suddenly stand up. When fasters feel dizzy, they should immediately sit or lie down. So I immediately went back to bed, which relieved the symptom. Then I stepped out of the bed carefully using the chair. I could finally stand still, although I still felt a little bit dizzy.
I weighted myself before doing anything else, because I thought this was the official getting-up. 51.6, 0.3kg lower than last night and 1kg lower than last morning. I thought I would lose more weight, but it was good that I didn’t lose weight quickly. I then went to the bathroom to warm my water, brush my teeth and wash my face. I looked pale in the mirror, especially my lips. I went back to the room. My hands were shaky while pouring water into the mug. I felt terrible so I sat down at my desk. I was weak and nauseous and it felt like I was having a fever (except my temperature was normal). I wanted to read, but I couldn’t. I wanted to vomit, so I had a plastic bad ready just in case. Every move was suffering. I hadn’t been this sick for a long time, and I finally felt strongly again that health was the No.1 important thing in life.
I thought, yesterday was so smooth that it doesn’t make sense that I can feel so awful today. Can it be that I’m one of the rare cases where my body is unsuitable for fasting? It’s only the second day and I’m already feeling this terrible, so should I break the fast? Oh no I was so determined to do at least 7 days. I don’t want to give up so easily. Should I get my coconut water out of the fridge so that I can break the fast before I can’t take it anymore? But I really want to keep on fasting! So maybe I should check up on supervised fast center near this area. If my symptom worsens, I should just go to the fast supervision facility and stay there for 10 days. But I was too weak to check up fast centers online. I sat there for 2-3 minutes, and I suddenly felt like using the bath room for the big one. I took my plastic bag with me, and I felt horrible on the toilet. It reminded me of having fever / getting really sick back home. I finally decided that there was no bowel movement, so I went back to the room.
I decided to go back to sleep. Surprisingly, the moment I lied down on my bed, I felt something was coming up to my mouth from my stomach. Fortunately I had my plastic bag with me, so I quickly grab the plastic bag just in time to vomit in it. I throw up probably two mouthful of sour liquid. It went out so rashly that it almost went into my nose. I felt much, much better after vomiting. I was not that dizzy anymore when I got off the bed. I rinsed my teeth, drank some warm water, and it was like I was almost recovered from sickness. I checked out my vomit, it was murky yellow with some tiny white stuff/bubble on the surface. It didn’t smell particularly bad. I guess the water might be the water I just drank? It must be the release of toxin in my body or it was a total clean up of my stomach. I just experienced the typical “beneficial side-effects” that I read on book!
Although I was feeling much better, I thought that I needed rest to fully recover, so I planned to read on bed. Strangely, the moment I lied down, I really wanted to sleep, so I quickly fell asleep. I had a vivid dream but couldn't remember that much. Lisa’s alarm went off twice. They woke me up but I quickly went back to sleep again. I woke up at 6:47am, feeling terrific and refreshed. I told Lisa my experience and I got up. I felt as good as in my first day of fast.
Now, the rest of my second day experience:
A very comfortable and energetic day in general, except the light headache in the afternoon. Was reading about water fast for the whole day.
Stomach grumbled in the morning, but it didn’t bother me at all. Not feeling more or less hungry than yesterday.
Had bearable headache in early afternoon, but still kept on reading from the computer screen. Finally did not want to stare at the screen anymore, so I took a nap. Napped from 1:50pm to 5:25pm, woke up in the middle because of cold feet. Felt warm and comfortable before getting up. Less but still a little bit headache after nap, headache disappeared about an hour later.
Brushed teeth after the nap, began to have weird taste in mouth.
Got up from nap because I was thirsty. I though, isn’t it nice if I could just always stay on bed? So I decided to make an insulator so that I can have warm water while on bed. Made an insulator with cotton cloths in a plastic container. 5:55pm began insulate warm water in my stainless steel bottle, 7:55pm water was drinkable / barely warm. 8:10pm tried using a glass water bottle, 10:10pm figured that glass bottle = stainless steel bottle.
I didn’t feel that sleepy and remembered reading that you don’t need that much sleep during fasting. Most importantly, I really need some water, so I jumped out of the bed at around 4:50am (my bed was slightly elevated). The moment my feet landed on the ground, I instantly felt dizzy. I suddenly remembered that doctors supervising fasts instruct their patients not to jump out of the bed or suddenly stand up. When fasters feel dizzy, they should immediately sit or lie down. So I immediately went back to bed, which relieved the symptom. Then I stepped out of the bed carefully using the chair. I could finally stand still, although I still felt a little bit dizzy.
I weighted myself before doing anything else, because I thought this was the official getting-up. 51.6, 0.3kg lower than last night and 1kg lower than last morning. I thought I would lose more weight, but it was good that I didn’t lose weight quickly. I then went to the bathroom to warm my water, brush my teeth and wash my face. I looked pale in the mirror, especially my lips. I went back to the room. My hands were shaky while pouring water into the mug. I felt terrible so I sat down at my desk. I was weak and nauseous and it felt like I was having a fever (except my temperature was normal). I wanted to read, but I couldn’t. I wanted to vomit, so I had a plastic bad ready just in case. Every move was suffering. I hadn’t been this sick for a long time, and I finally felt strongly again that health was the No.1 important thing in life.
I thought, yesterday was so smooth that it doesn’t make sense that I can feel so awful today. Can it be that I’m one of the rare cases where my body is unsuitable for fasting? It’s only the second day and I’m already feeling this terrible, so should I break the fast? Oh no I was so determined to do at least 7 days. I don’t want to give up so easily. Should I get my coconut water out of the fridge so that I can break the fast before I can’t take it anymore? But I really want to keep on fasting! So maybe I should check up on supervised fast center near this area. If my symptom worsens, I should just go to the fast supervision facility and stay there for 10 days. But I was too weak to check up fast centers online. I sat there for 2-3 minutes, and I suddenly felt like using the bath room for the big one. I took my plastic bag with me, and I felt horrible on the toilet. It reminded me of having fever / getting really sick back home. I finally decided that there was no bowel movement, so I went back to the room.
I decided to go back to sleep. Surprisingly, the moment I lied down on my bed, I felt something was coming up to my mouth from my stomach. Fortunately I had my plastic bag with me, so I quickly grab the plastic bag just in time to vomit in it. I throw up probably two mouthful of sour liquid. It went out so rashly that it almost went into my nose. I felt much, much better after vomiting. I was not that dizzy anymore when I got off the bed. I rinsed my teeth, drank some warm water, and it was like I was almost recovered from sickness. I checked out my vomit, it was murky yellow with some tiny white stuff/bubble on the surface. It didn’t smell particularly bad. I guess the water might be the water I just drank? It must be the release of toxin in my body or it was a total clean up of my stomach. I just experienced the typical “beneficial side-effects” that I read on book!
Although I was feeling much better, I thought that I needed rest to fully recover, so I planned to read on bed. Strangely, the moment I lied down, I really wanted to sleep, so I quickly fell asleep. I had a vivid dream but couldn't remember that much. Lisa’s alarm went off twice. They woke me up but I quickly went back to sleep again. I woke up at 6:47am, feeling terrific and refreshed. I told Lisa my experience and I got up. I felt as good as in my first day of fast.
Now, the rest of my second day experience:
A very comfortable and energetic day in general, except the light headache in the afternoon. Was reading about water fast for the whole day.
Stomach grumbled in the morning, but it didn’t bother me at all. Not feeling more or less hungry than yesterday.
Had bearable headache in early afternoon, but still kept on reading from the computer screen. Finally did not want to stare at the screen anymore, so I took a nap. Napped from 1:50pm to 5:25pm, woke up in the middle because of cold feet. Felt warm and comfortable before getting up. Less but still a little bit headache after nap, headache disappeared about an hour later.
Brushed teeth after the nap, began to have weird taste in mouth.
Got up from nap because I was thirsty. I though, isn’t it nice if I could just always stay on bed? So I decided to make an insulator so that I can have warm water while on bed. Made an insulator with cotton cloths in a plastic container. 5:55pm began insulate warm water in my stainless steel bottle, 7:55pm water was drinkable / barely warm. 8:10pm tried using a glass water bottle, 10:10pm figured that glass bottle = stainless steel bottle.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
1st day of water fast, rainy
First day of fast. Decided to drink pure bottled water. Had 14 1-liter Aquafina pure water in stock. Will decide whether to buy more or use filtered water from water fountain after the stock ran out. Decided not to decide on how many days to fast. Will see how it goes. Currently believe that I will at least do 7 days. Will try to continue if I feel ok on the 7th day. But will consider breaking the fast after 10 days, because I’m still new to fasting, I’m unsupervised, and the 10th day is the first day of school. Plus 10-day water fast is the standard.
Bowel movement at 6:55am.
Finished the “spring break to do list” in the morning. Now all I need to do during spring break is fasting, reading my 18 books, trying meditation, planning for the new quarter, and taking the pre-training diagnostic tests. My parents and I agreed that I will plan my parents’ US trip after the spring break. Finished two books about fasting in the rest of the day.
Napped from 3:05 to 4:20pm. Got cold feet when I woke up. I put on an extra pair of pants after I got up. Lisa and Linda felt cold too.
Felt upset and physically uncomfortable (had “qi” in stomach) when thinking about mum after the nap, because she objected my vegan diet and wanted to force me to obey her. Felt better when reading that fasting can help cure mental illness and create euphoria. Felt good again after talking to parents. Mum seemed to be not that concerned about my diet now.
Didn’t feel discomfort for the whole day. Sometimes felt hungry, but it didn't bother me at all. Didn’t feel as thirsty as my previous two one-day fasts. Only drank 2.7 liter of water. No breathe or body odor, no extra mucus. Energetic the whole day besides the nap. Mentally alert. In general, had an even easier experience than the previous two fasts.
Bowel movement at 6:55am.
Finished the “spring break to do list” in the morning. Now all I need to do during spring break is fasting, reading my 18 books, trying meditation, planning for the new quarter, and taking the pre-training diagnostic tests. My parents and I agreed that I will plan my parents’ US trip after the spring break. Finished two books about fasting in the rest of the day.
Napped from 3:05 to 4:20pm. Got cold feet when I woke up. I put on an extra pair of pants after I got up. Lisa and Linda felt cold too.
Felt upset and physically uncomfortable (had “qi” in stomach) when thinking about mum after the nap, because she objected my vegan diet and wanted to force me to obey her. Felt better when reading that fasting can help cure mental illness and create euphoria. Felt good again after talking to parents. Mum seemed to be not that concerned about my diet now.
Didn’t feel discomfort for the whole day. Sometimes felt hungry, but it didn't bother me at all. Didn’t feel as thirsty as my previous two one-day fasts. Only drank 2.7 liter of water. No breathe or body odor, no extra mucus. Energetic the whole day besides the nap. Mentally alert. In general, had an even easier experience than the previous two fasts.
Finals week
1. March 15: 3 slices of bread is about right for breakfast, and 2 slices of watermelon is about right for one snack
2. My eyes felt itchy sometimes
3. Fat makes you full. Although I wouldn’t say I overate, I definitely ate a lot / almost overate in the last two days (March 17 Thu, 18 Fri), and my weight picked up a little as a result. For some meals I ate little or no protein/starch, but I was still stuffed, because my vegetables were oily (especially broccoli, although it was extremely good). Thursday night I bought two packages of Sensible Foods Crunch Dried Snacks. They were “organic sweet corn” and “organic soy nuts”, which were essentially concentrated starches and proteins. They were so good that, even after normal dinner, I could not help finishing them both (not in one go tho). Strangely I didn’t feel bloated. Moreover, starch+protein totally violates food combination, but I didn’t fart or experience anything usual. Probably I did feel a little bit uncomfortable because I ate too much, but it was not very memorable. I can’t make many conclusions yet, but one thing I can conclude is that fat is the No.1 thing that makes you full. Vegetable with a lot of oil stuffs you fast, while a lot of starch/protein with little oil does not.
4. Probably because of stress, I got a couple of bad dreams. Not nightmares, but intensive dreams. Haven’t had bad dreams for a long time.
5. Yesterday my dad expressed his understanding for my vegan decision. He believed that happiness and freedom is very important, so he supports whatever decision I make. My mum initially said that she was still against my vegan diet even after reading my emails, but later she said she would like to give me time to study more about nutrition and hopefully make the decision of eating meat again on my own. I am grateful to their understanding.
6. This is not an accident, because I was aware of it when I ... had a little bit of white sauce (which very likely contains dairy) while biting the mushroom and black bean burgers bought from Axe & Palm. I had mushroom burgers from Axe & Palm twice before, and both time there was no sauce at all. However, this time both Lisa's black bean burger and my mushroom burger got sauce in it :( I still wanted to eat breakfast (we bought the burgers on Thursday night and saved it for breakfast on Friday), so I ate the margins of the burgers and took in a little bit sauce on the way.
2. My eyes felt itchy sometimes
3. Fat makes you full. Although I wouldn’t say I overate, I definitely ate a lot / almost overate in the last two days (March 17 Thu, 18 Fri), and my weight picked up a little as a result. For some meals I ate little or no protein/starch, but I was still stuffed, because my vegetables were oily (especially broccoli, although it was extremely good). Thursday night I bought two packages of Sensible Foods Crunch Dried Snacks. They were “organic sweet corn” and “organic soy nuts”, which were essentially concentrated starches and proteins. They were so good that, even after normal dinner, I could not help finishing them both (not in one go tho). Strangely I didn’t feel bloated. Moreover, starch+protein totally violates food combination, but I didn’t fart or experience anything usual. Probably I did feel a little bit uncomfortable because I ate too much, but it was not very memorable. I can’t make many conclusions yet, but one thing I can conclude is that fat is the No.1 thing that makes you full. Vegetable with a lot of oil stuffs you fast, while a lot of starch/protein with little oil does not.
4. Probably because of stress, I got a couple of bad dreams. Not nightmares, but intensive dreams. Haven’t had bad dreams for a long time.
5. Yesterday my dad expressed his understanding for my vegan decision. He believed that happiness and freedom is very important, so he supports whatever decision I make. My mum initially said that she was still against my vegan diet even after reading my emails, but later she said she would like to give me time to study more about nutrition and hopefully make the decision of eating meat again on my own. I am grateful to their understanding.
6. This is not an accident, because I was aware of it when I ... had a little bit of white sauce (which very likely contains dairy) while biting the mushroom and black bean burgers bought from Axe & Palm. I had mushroom burgers from Axe & Palm twice before, and both time there was no sauce at all. However, this time both Lisa's black bean burger and my mushroom burger got sauce in it :( I still wanted to eat breakfast (we bought the burgers on Thursday night and saved it for breakfast on Friday), so I ate the margins of the burgers and took in a little bit sauce on the way.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Extremely tired Brussels sprout with dairy
Last night I went to bed at around 11:30pm and took a while to fall asleep. Surprisingly I got up as early as 6am this morning. I went to bed pretty late in the last two days but still got up relatively early in the morning, so I haven’t got enough sleep these days. What’s more incredible is that, 6am today is actually 5am before the adjustment of day-light saving time two days ago. I was pretty energetic in the morning and watched lectures online for the whole day (also went out to send my OPT application), but now around 7pm, I’m extremely tired. I haven’t felt this tired for a long time. So I plan to go to bed at 9pm tonight.
Lunch I discovered that the Brussels sprout had dairy in it after I had already got one plate of Brussels sprout. Dumping it does not save cows of pain or reduce energy consumption, so I ate it anyways. I could taste a little bit of dairy, but the taste was very minor. I didn’t feel good after having that plate of Brussels sprout, and I didn’t feel like eating Brussels sprout when I saw it at dinner. Be very careful with vegan/vegetarian labels next time!
Dinner, again, like yesterday, I didn’t think I ate too much but I felt full. Actually after having half a plate of food I thought that was enough, but I still wanted some Zucchini and mushrooms, so I took some more. I shouldn’t have done that. Maybe I still think I need more food for dinner while in fact my stomach has already been smaller.
Lunch I discovered that the Brussels sprout had dairy in it after I had already got one plate of Brussels sprout. Dumping it does not save cows of pain or reduce energy consumption, so I ate it anyways. I could taste a little bit of dairy, but the taste was very minor. I didn’t feel good after having that plate of Brussels sprout, and I didn’t feel like eating Brussels sprout when I saw it at dinner. Be very careful with vegan/vegetarian labels next time!
Dinner, again, like yesterday, I didn’t think I ate too much but I felt full. Actually after having half a plate of food I thought that was enough, but I still wanted some Zucchini and mushrooms, so I took some more. I shouldn’t have done that. Maybe I still think I need more food for dinner while in fact my stomach has already been smaller.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Dead week
Tuesday, March 8
I overate for dinner: had a lot of lentil puree, among other stuff like squash and mushrooms. It made me feel sleepy the whole night, gain 1 kg compared to last night, and fart a lot. My stomach was obviously very flexible – it suddenly became HUGE. However, I still felt better this time than last time when I had the two big full plates of Thai vegetable curry. I concluded that too much starch/protein is better than too much fat.
I canceled the bet with Lisa, because I decided to fast for the next day to recover my stomach, and this violates the eat-every-meal rule of the bet. I was sure I would win the bet, but I hated the restrictions that the bet set on me. I wanted freedom, so I canceled the bet.
Wednesday, March 9
I was woken up by alarm that morning – the first time for a while. It showed that I needed more sleep due to overeating. I fasted for one day, and it was easier than the first time I fasted (although the first time was easy too). This time I was not as thirsty and hungry as last time. It was probably because 1) from morning to 3pm I was totally focusing on the humbio final paper due that afternoon, 2) last time I starting fasting from lunch, but this time I started fasting from dinner, so maybe it was less intense of a fast this time, or 3) the second time is just easier than the first time.
I was also more energetic: I didn't feel sleepy in the 3:15-4:30pm class at all! I broke the fast with two apples at probably around 5:15pm. At around 6:10pm I had some green salad and broccoli. At around 7pm I had three slices of watermelon. Wow that’s a lot of break-fast compared to just two apples last time!
Thursday, March 10
It was awful that I overate again. I had slightly less than normal amount for dinner, then I when into the Flomo kitchen to talk to the staff there for a while. After a short while, I felt like some bread, so I went downstairs to get some. I saw one girl pass by, eating Oroweat 100% whole wheat English muffin. I was curious so I checked the muffin out. It looked healthy, so I had one slice (half of one English muffin). It was soooo delicious, and it was instantly ranked as my favorite bread. To compare with the normal Oroweat 100% whole wheat bread, I ate a piece of the normal bread too (the crust part that I love). The normal one still tasted good, but the English muffin tasted softer and a little bit oilier, like cakes. So I had another English muffin (composed of two slices). Then I regretted, because I overate again. But this time it was much better than the previous two overeating that made me feel imperative to fast.
Friday, March 11
Although I felt ok when I went to bed last night, I felt very full this morning. But I still had one apple around 9am. At around 10am I had the big mushroom burger from Axe & Palm (I took it back home the previous day). I didn’t have time for lunch because I had a final paper due at 1:15pm. After submitting the paper, I ate 1.5 English muffin and a piece of leftover mushroom on the lawn. I had a small dinner. My stomach does not feel great that day. Overeat-fast-overeat in three days hurt my stomach, and my diet today was also irregular. I should protect my stomach more. Take good care of it.
When I was talking to my parents at night, my parents forced/begged me to eat meat. I was sad and extremely frustrated that I needed to give up my belief just to make my parents happy, so I wrote a long email to them, hoping that they understand why I chose to become a vegan. As a result, I went to bed at around 2am. It was the first time that I went to bed after midnight since the Viennese Ball on February 11.
Saturday, March 12
I naturally woke up at around 7am. I intentionally canceled my alarm last night, expecting to sleep more this morning. But I woke up early by myself as usual, although not as early as 5:40am. Not getting enough sleep, my complexion did not look good today.
During lunch, I had a talk with the manager friend at Wilbur Dining. She told me about how she loved her children by letting them make their own decisions. She’s a wise woman who practices meditation. She said this was a good chance for me to educate my parents, so I decided not to compromise my belief for my parents. They need to understand what I think, who I truly am, what’s most important to me, and what makes me happy. So at round 4pm I started to write a letter to them. I sent the email out at around 11pm and went to bed at around 11:40pm.
I didn’t feel energetic today, although definitely didn’t feel sleepy either, until after I sent out the email to my parents. I yawned after shower. Wow I suddenly realized that I hadn’t yawned for a looong time!
My stomach still felt weird sometimes, but much better than yesterday. Today I practiced good diet and my stomach is recovering.
This morning I discovered that “Food for Life Wheat & Gluten Free Brown Rice Bread” is also soft and oily, so Food for Life’s Brown Rice Bread trumped Oroweat English Muffin as my favorite bread.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Today I got up at 7am again. It’s interesting that that’s roughly 1.5 hours later than 5:40am. I just learned the 90-minute sleep cycle last week and it looks like it applies here! I used to believe in a smaller sleep cycle of 40 minutes (my dad told me this and it works).
Lisa just got up around 10am. I always know I went to bed at around the same time but got up way earlier than her every day. However, today is the first time I consciously calculated: 10-7 = 3 hours! Before going vegetarian, we used to have the same demand for sleep. Am I really saving 3 hours every day nowadays? I’ll try keeping track of our sleep time next week.
Wait … that why! I just realized that because of the day-light saving time, we just lost an hour today. So if today were still yesterday, Lisa got up around 9am and I slept only 2 hours less than her. (The time I got up, 7am, was shown on my alarm, which did not automatically adjust for day-light saving time)
This morning, I had one slice of Udi’s Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread, one slice of Food for Life Brown Rice Bread, one slice of Ezekiel, and one slice of Udi’s again. They are all very good, with totally different tastes. I almost wanted to rank Udi’s Gluten Free Whole Grain as my new favorite, but I just discovered that it has egg whites in it. Egg’s only a minor ingredient here, so I think it’s ok to eat Udi’s once in a while, but I don’t want to make it my favorite. I compared nutrition facts and figured that the best is still definitely Ezekiel. Food for Life Brown Rice, Udi’s and Oroweat Whole Grain all leg behind. I think I won’t rank among breads, but I do think bread has become one of my favorite foods. I’ll use Ezekiel as my staple, and eat other breads once in a while.
Lunch I had half a plate of green salad and half a plate of squash and roots. I didn’t think that was too much squash and roots, but apparently that was. My stomach didn’t feel good after the lunch, although overall I didn’t eat that much. I recalled that actually I never felt very comfortable after eating a lot of squash or roots. Probably they are just difficult for my stomach to digest, so in the future I should only take very small amount of such food each time. I finished lunch at 12:45pm and had pineapple at around 2:50pm. My stomach was noticeably uncomfortable at around 3:50pm, so I went to bed at around 4pm.
Dinner I had green salad, boy choy, broccoli, and three slices of breads: Ezekiel, Oroweat whole wheat, and Oroweat whole wheat English muffin. Oroweat English muffin didn’t taste THAT great to me anymore. I actually enjoyed the Oroweat whole wheat the most today. It’s weird that, for dinner again, I felt full after meal even I don’t think that I had that much. There are a few possible reasons for that: 1) I took a 1.5 hour nap right before dinner, so I didn’t feel like eating before dinner. 2) I suspect that boy choy in the US contains too much fiber or is too huge and thus it fills me up easily. 3) I guess that I should not eat both Ezekiel and normal bread at the same time, because Ezekiel is a complete protein and leaner on carb. Mixing Ezekiel and normal bread is a bit like a starch-protein combination. 4) Three slices of bread is just about right for breakfast, but for dinner, since you also consume so much fiber from other sources, three slices of bread may be too much? About two hours after dinner I also farted a little bit. I guess farting is directly correlated with how stuffed you are after each meal. You may also fart if you violate food combination, e.g. having starch and protein at the same meal, but I’m not sure on this point.
I overate for dinner: had a lot of lentil puree, among other stuff like squash and mushrooms. It made me feel sleepy the whole night, gain 1 kg compared to last night, and fart a lot. My stomach was obviously very flexible – it suddenly became HUGE. However, I still felt better this time than last time when I had the two big full plates of Thai vegetable curry. I concluded that too much starch/protein is better than too much fat.
I canceled the bet with Lisa, because I decided to fast for the next day to recover my stomach, and this violates the eat-every-meal rule of the bet. I was sure I would win the bet, but I hated the restrictions that the bet set on me. I wanted freedom, so I canceled the bet.
Wednesday, March 9
I was woken up by alarm that morning – the first time for a while. It showed that I needed more sleep due to overeating. I fasted for one day, and it was easier than the first time I fasted (although the first time was easy too). This time I was not as thirsty and hungry as last time. It was probably because 1) from morning to 3pm I was totally focusing on the humbio final paper due that afternoon, 2) last time I starting fasting from lunch, but this time I started fasting from dinner, so maybe it was less intense of a fast this time, or 3) the second time is just easier than the first time.
I was also more energetic: I didn't feel sleepy in the 3:15-4:30pm class at all! I broke the fast with two apples at probably around 5:15pm. At around 6:10pm I had some green salad and broccoli. At around 7pm I had three slices of watermelon. Wow that’s a lot of break-fast compared to just two apples last time!
Thursday, March 10
It was awful that I overate again. I had slightly less than normal amount for dinner, then I when into the Flomo kitchen to talk to the staff there for a while. After a short while, I felt like some bread, so I went downstairs to get some. I saw one girl pass by, eating Oroweat 100% whole wheat English muffin. I was curious so I checked the muffin out. It looked healthy, so I had one slice (half of one English muffin). It was soooo delicious, and it was instantly ranked as my favorite bread. To compare with the normal Oroweat 100% whole wheat bread, I ate a piece of the normal bread too (the crust part that I love). The normal one still tasted good, but the English muffin tasted softer and a little bit oilier, like cakes. So I had another English muffin (composed of two slices). Then I regretted, because I overate again. But this time it was much better than the previous two overeating that made me feel imperative to fast.
Friday, March 11
Although I felt ok when I went to bed last night, I felt very full this morning. But I still had one apple around 9am. At around 10am I had the big mushroom burger from Axe & Palm (I took it back home the previous day). I didn’t have time for lunch because I had a final paper due at 1:15pm. After submitting the paper, I ate 1.5 English muffin and a piece of leftover mushroom on the lawn. I had a small dinner. My stomach does not feel great that day. Overeat-fast-overeat in three days hurt my stomach, and my diet today was also irregular. I should protect my stomach more. Take good care of it.
When I was talking to my parents at night, my parents forced/begged me to eat meat. I was sad and extremely frustrated that I needed to give up my belief just to make my parents happy, so I wrote a long email to them, hoping that they understand why I chose to become a vegan. As a result, I went to bed at around 2am. It was the first time that I went to bed after midnight since the Viennese Ball on February 11.
Saturday, March 12
I naturally woke up at around 7am. I intentionally canceled my alarm last night, expecting to sleep more this morning. But I woke up early by myself as usual, although not as early as 5:40am. Not getting enough sleep, my complexion did not look good today.
During lunch, I had a talk with the manager friend at Wilbur Dining. She told me about how she loved her children by letting them make their own decisions. She’s a wise woman who practices meditation. She said this was a good chance for me to educate my parents, so I decided not to compromise my belief for my parents. They need to understand what I think, who I truly am, what’s most important to me, and what makes me happy. So at round 4pm I started to write a letter to them. I sent the email out at around 11pm and went to bed at around 11:40pm.
I didn’t feel energetic today, although definitely didn’t feel sleepy either, until after I sent out the email to my parents. I yawned after shower. Wow I suddenly realized that I hadn’t yawned for a looong time!
My stomach still felt weird sometimes, but much better than yesterday. Today I practiced good diet and my stomach is recovering.
This morning I discovered that “Food for Life Wheat & Gluten Free Brown Rice Bread” is also soft and oily, so Food for Life’s Brown Rice Bread trumped Oroweat English Muffin as my favorite bread.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Today I got up at 7am again. It’s interesting that that’s roughly 1.5 hours later than 5:40am. I just learned the 90-minute sleep cycle last week and it looks like it applies here! I used to believe in a smaller sleep cycle of 40 minutes (my dad told me this and it works).
Lisa just got up around 10am. I always know I went to bed at around the same time but got up way earlier than her every day. However, today is the first time I consciously calculated: 10-7 = 3 hours! Before going vegetarian, we used to have the same demand for sleep. Am I really saving 3 hours every day nowadays? I’ll try keeping track of our sleep time next week.
Wait … that why! I just realized that because of the day-light saving time, we just lost an hour today. So if today were still yesterday, Lisa got up around 9am and I slept only 2 hours less than her. (The time I got up, 7am, was shown on my alarm, which did not automatically adjust for day-light saving time)
This morning, I had one slice of Udi’s Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread, one slice of Food for Life Brown Rice Bread, one slice of Ezekiel, and one slice of Udi’s again. They are all very good, with totally different tastes. I almost wanted to rank Udi’s Gluten Free Whole Grain as my new favorite, but I just discovered that it has egg whites in it. Egg’s only a minor ingredient here, so I think it’s ok to eat Udi’s once in a while, but I don’t want to make it my favorite. I compared nutrition facts and figured that the best is still definitely Ezekiel. Food for Life Brown Rice, Udi’s and Oroweat Whole Grain all leg behind. I think I won’t rank among breads, but I do think bread has become one of my favorite foods. I’ll use Ezekiel as my staple, and eat other breads once in a while.
Lunch I had half a plate of green salad and half a plate of squash and roots. I didn’t think that was too much squash and roots, but apparently that was. My stomach didn’t feel good after the lunch, although overall I didn’t eat that much. I recalled that actually I never felt very comfortable after eating a lot of squash or roots. Probably they are just difficult for my stomach to digest, so in the future I should only take very small amount of such food each time. I finished lunch at 12:45pm and had pineapple at around 2:50pm. My stomach was noticeably uncomfortable at around 3:50pm, so I went to bed at around 4pm.
Dinner I had green salad, boy choy, broccoli, and three slices of breads: Ezekiel, Oroweat whole wheat, and Oroweat whole wheat English muffin. Oroweat English muffin didn’t taste THAT great to me anymore. I actually enjoyed the Oroweat whole wheat the most today. It’s weird that, for dinner again, I felt full after meal even I don’t think that I had that much. There are a few possible reasons for that: 1) I took a 1.5 hour nap right before dinner, so I didn’t feel like eating before dinner. 2) I suspect that boy choy in the US contains too much fiber or is too huge and thus it fills me up easily. 3) I guess that I should not eat both Ezekiel and normal bread at the same time, because Ezekiel is a complete protein and leaner on carb. Mixing Ezekiel and normal bread is a bit like a starch-protein combination. 4) Three slices of bread is just about right for breakfast, but for dinner, since you also consume so much fiber from other sources, three slices of bread may be too much? About two hours after dinner I also farted a little bit. I guess farting is directly correlated with how stuffed you are after each meal. You may also fart if you violate food combination, e.g. having starch and protein at the same meal, but I’m not sure on this point.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
The day of 18+1 books
Starting from yesterday I began to feel my bones in the butt area while sitting on the chair. I've always had a big butt which is a nice "cushion" to carry around, but is my cushion shrinking along with my weight these days? It's not comfortable at all and I want my cushion back.
These days I haven't overate, but I'm definitely eating more than enough in each meal. I think it's because 1) the plates at Wilbur is bigger than those at Flomo, and 2) my need for food decreases, but mentally I still feel that I should eat the amount I used to have. Nowadays I sleep 7 hours per day, and I'm energetic most of the time. But today I felt tired roughly two hours after lunch and dinner. I took a nap this afternoon in the library, and now I feel a little bit tired again! Not overeating is not enough. In order to increase your energy level, you should not eat more than you need. Also, don't do something just because you used to do it.
Today I ordered 18 books regarding meditation, zen, fasting, and vegan. Plus one more book Monkey Business to foresee my future.
These days I haven't overate, but I'm definitely eating more than enough in each meal. I think it's because 1) the plates at Wilbur is bigger than those at Flomo, and 2) my need for food decreases, but mentally I still feel that I should eat the amount I used to have. Nowadays I sleep 7 hours per day, and I'm energetic most of the time. But today I felt tired roughly two hours after lunch and dinner. I took a nap this afternoon in the library, and now I feel a little bit tired again! Not overeating is not enough. In order to increase your energy level, you should not eat more than you need. Also, don't do something just because you used to do it.
Today I ordered 18 books regarding meditation, zen, fasting, and vegan. Plus one more book Monkey Business to foresee my future.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Inflammation and curry
Yesterday, the corner of my month got inflamed, or “on fire” according to Chinese medicine, and today it began to bother me. There are a few causes that I suspect: 1) I normally eat “cold” fruit every day, but during period I’m not eating any “cold” fruits, so the “fire” caught on; 2) it’s easier to get weird symptoms like inflammation during period; 3) I eat too much curry. It’s actually not much in absolute terms, but it’s more than enough and my body has become sensitive enough to react to it; 4) I need more vegetables. These days I feel like green vegetables more, while before I always feel like grains and beans more. I still somehow told myself I need the amount of grains and beans that I used to have for each meal, but actually my body might have reached a more natural stage of wanting 80% vegetables and fruits and 20% grains and legumes.
About curry now. Before I ate the epic “two big full plates of Thai vegetable curry (TBFPOTVC)”, I thought curry had become my favorite food. But ever since the epic TBFPOTVC, I don’t really enjoy curry that much anymore. These days, I got curries simply because I told myself I like them, not because I really feel like eating them. I used to always get a little bit more than normal amount of curry, but now even I still got the same amount of curry, my stomach began to feel uncomfortable and it also affected my appetite for the next meal. Curry is too oily for my stomach now. I think I’ll take a break with curry and not eat it until next quarter.
About curry now. Before I ate the epic “two big full plates of Thai vegetable curry (TBFPOTVC)”, I thought curry had become my favorite food. But ever since the epic TBFPOTVC, I don’t really enjoy curry that much anymore. These days, I got curries simply because I told myself I like them, not because I really feel like eating them. I used to always get a little bit more than normal amount of curry, but now even I still got the same amount of curry, my stomach began to feel uncomfortable and it also affected my appetite for the next meal. Curry is too oily for my stomach now. I think I’ll take a break with curry and not eat it until next quarter.
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