My first water fast - Day 25
For previous updates on my water fast, scroll down in main forum.
Well, today is day 25, and all is going well. resting blood pressure 123/71, pulse 62, body temp 36.4, not tired, not hungry, physically well, mentally alert. I also bought some 10-in-1 urinalysis strips online, which test for blood, urobillinogen, billrubin, protein, nitrite, ketones, glucose, specific gravity, ph and leukocytes. Even though I don't know what half of them are, all tests came out as normal (except ketones of course), so that was very reassuring. At £25 for 100 delivered, they were much better value that ketostix I though, as they do so many tests as opposed to just one.
Other parameters (according to my body fat scale) are:
- Current weight 100.8 Kg
- Height 1.66m
- Weight loss since day 1: 17.2 Kg
- Current BMI 36.6
- Fat 41.5%
- Water 38.2%
- Muscle 25.1%
I know it adds up to more than 100%, don't ask me why, but it's only an estimate.
Last night I went to a small get together at a friends house, everyone was gobsmacked that I had not eaten for 24 days. Usually get "but surely you must have eaten something..." or there was an initial air of disbelief, but when they realised that I had lost 17Kg in just over 3 weeks, they were usually bewildered.
Someone mentioned that David Blaine had "starved" himself for 44 days in a glass box above the Thames in London. I quote:
The Preparation
Blaine claims that his only preparation has been to eat more in an attempt to gain weight, hopefully increasing the body's supply of essential glycogen and delaying it from starting to break down its own muscle tissue.
But the illusionist has not gained as much as he might have done, since when he originally planned the feat he intended to mix glucose with his water supply. Currently weighing in at around 200lb, Blaine anticipates losing some 40lb during the feat of endurance.
Inside
Once inside the box, David's main challenge will be psychological: staying focused on his goal in the face of starvation and the absence of any interaction or mental stimulation.
But Blaine says he doesn't expect to get bored. Instead he'll "start to focus on the smallest things, like breathing." One technique he'll use to keep himself occupied is to imagine he's building a house, piece by piece.
In fact, the illusionist believes he'll experience a higher spiritual state and that living without food and human contact will lead to "the purest state you can be in".
However, he has also said that he expects to start losing his mind during the final stages of his attempt, "days 30 to 44 will be a nightmare".
Lose his mind indeed, what a load of cobblers. He even fattened himself up first. Anyone can do this, if they put their mind to it. But he's a clever bloke for dreaming up a novel way to make money out of fasting. I bet while he sat in that box he was counting the dollars going into his bank account, not building a house. Well, unless he was using the dosh to build a new house that is! I admire him for overcoming the boredom though, I am sure that was his biggest challenge.
Anyway, as far as I am concerned, I seem to be drinking lots more water these days and I get a dry throat a lot. It is a bit annoying, but nothing major. My skin is also very smooth and it is not clammy. Smooth as a baby's bum. Oh and I have very dry edges to my lips, in fact I have put moisturiser on them. My sinuses are a bit blocked too (ears occasionally popping). But I put this down to the end effects of a cold that I had about 10 days ago. My nose is still a bit scarred and sore inside too, through so much blowing.
So, l look forward to reporting back again, perhaps on day 30, unless something significant happens between now and then.
Best regards all...