Thanks for the info. I am not a complete newbie to fasting. About a year and a half ago I experimented with several 1-3 day juice/water fasts, and I completed an extended fast for 7 days during that time. Now, I'm ready to get back into the swing of things. I felt much better about myself when I was thin and in control of what/when I was eating. I was maintaining a good, solid weight, neither too light nor too heavy, until November, when I suddenly started binging. Things have gotten out-of-control eating wise for me in the last 3 months and I need to get that control back. A fast will help me exercise my mind over my impulses. I tried restricting myself to 1200 calories per day and exercising for awhile, but every day that I would go running, I would tell myself, oh, you ran today, you can eat that extra piece of biscotti... and that extra piece turned into 4 pieces... so yeah, I really need this fast to clear my mind and focus on other aspects of life (like my last semester of college and job searching!) without the torture and temptation of food.
I'm looking to lose 30 pounds, and I want to get rid of it by graduation in May. Actually, 30
pounds will probably put me below where I was in November, but I want to leave a few
pounds of leeway for water weight and muscle gains. I'm an althlete (or at least, I was until I gained weight and now I'm not nearly as nimble as I was 3 months ago) and while I'm not planning to train heavily, if at all, during my fast, when the fast is over, I plan to begin my running and weight training routines again. Also, when my fast is over, I plan to return to the diet I had this passed summer and fall, which contained lots of raw fruits and vegetables with whole wheat breads and homecooked foods.
Does anybody know... I've heard how fasting supposedly "eats" up your muscle and that the weight you lose while fasting is all muscle/water weight and not fat. I've heard so many different things on this. I don't want to lose muscle; I have good muscle tone right now, it's just hidden beneath my tummy pooch, love handles, and jelly thighs.
I feel like I have so far to go... and with the hate that I have for my body right now, it's really hard for me to buckle down. Part of me feels like I will never see that girl of 3 months ago again, that she's too far gone, so why try to get her... and another part of me feels like she's just right around the corner and I've just got to be patient enough to let her come out again. I do not feel AT ALL like myself being where I am... I can't believe I let food get in the way of so many things...
Ok, I have successfully used up 20 minutes of my fast writing this post. I'm feeling ok right now, I have a bit of a headache but not much else. I'm going to settle down and watch some TV on DVD and hopefully fall asleep for a bit...