I've wanted to go out and do more things and I have done, but in the past days this has resulted in coming home so fatigued.  If I think back, though, not very different than the energy levels before I started fasting and I never wanted to do anything. Going out was such a chore. At least now I'm interested in living. An active participant in my life. I went to a clothing swap today. Cleaned out my own closet, which I'd been procrastinating about. What a fantastic purge! Like losing 10 lbs! Plus, I brought home a bag full of clothes that fit the new me! 30lbs lighter me!

Lots of thought given to how to break my fast. I've realized that I likely have Candida in my stomach. This quote is from Chris Kresser, Practitioner of integrative medicine, promoter of a ketogenic diet, blogger and author:

"pathogens that have mitochondria like fungi and protozoa can metabolize ketones for energy. Bacteria and viruses can’t, and so if you go on a ketogenic diet you’ll starve bacteria and viruses but you’ll feed fungi and protozoa."

This would explain why early in my fast my Rosacea cleared up, but whatever is promoting this infection on my face made a comeback and I seem to have daily "healing crisis" that I believe are now just a manifestation of this fat burning fast promoting Candida in my gut. Something that happens to many people on the Paleo diet. Chris Kresser recommends increasing carbs if this is your experience on a keto diet. 

So this caused me to stumble on FODMAP (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyos - complex names for a collection of molecules found in food, that can be poorly absorbed by some people.) Foods that are high in these molecules tend to ferment in the stomach and feed Candida and other nasties, giving nutrients from our food little chance to be absorbed by our small intestine. And producing gas, bloating and discomfort after eating these foods. This is not really a restrictive diet. It's reasonable portions, lots of variety but temporarily (3 - 4 weeks) I will cut out these foods before systematically introducing them back as one would after an elimination diet. This diet should starve the Candida or whatever protozoa or fungi is now being fed by my being in ketosis for the past 3 weeks.

So that's the rough plan for now. I imagine drinking watered down vegetable juice for the first day or two and then moving to vegetable smoothies and watermelon will be the order for the first 4 - 5 days of breaking my fast. I'll listen to my body after introducing anything new in very small portions. 

I am having fantastic fantasies about cooking and eating some of the recipes I've seen for the FODMAP diet. Sometimes, when I'm tired and  my soul is empty, intrusive thoughts of terrible fast food taunt me. From what I read and my own experience thus far, the hunger and self control I'm used to now is not comparable to the intensity experienced on breaking a long fast. Yikes!

5 more days. I intend to break on day 30

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