Running on Empty
I’ve been focusing on loving myself most over the last few years but need to be more dedicated to my health. The last couple of months I’ve been following Dr. Mindy Pelz that teaches about the importance and the benefits of fasting. I’ve been so interested in her teaching that I wanted to share it with you.
She has many videos on the different social media platforms that inform her followers about the different types of fasts she recommends based on your age, sex, and cycle. She also wrote a book that I ordered at the beginning of December but due to high demand and delays just received it last night. I’ll be diving into it today.
Since the book was launching Dr. Mindy also wanted to conduct a 72 hour fast in tandem. At first I thought, maybe I should start with a 24 hour fast to get myself acclimated, but quickly decided I would commit to the challenge. She stated most people felt great on day 2 and 3. I was psyching myself up to go all in for a 72 hour water fast. “Okay, you’ve got this.”
Although it was a water fast there were a few things Dr. Mindy suggested if needed. One was electrolyte powder to add to water to help with lost minerals and nutrients. She also suggested a list of foods to break the fast once it was complete. Start with bone broth, then probiotic foods like yogurt or kombucha, then steamed vegetables, and finally protein.
The doctor had recommendations for pre-fast foods to avoid, however, it was right after the holidays and my indulgent eating made that impossible…..Ugh. I was already coming in unprepared. Day 1 wasn’t too bad since I was babysitting my grand daughter. I was busy and hardly noticed I wasn’t consuming any food. By the time I arrived home, my stomach was growling and I was hungry. I drank more water but added electrolyte powder.
Day 2 around the 36 hour mark I developed a headache which was very unusual for me (I’m guessing the sugar I ate over the holidays was the culprit). I kept myself hydrated and again treated myself to electrolyte powder in water, along with a cup of tea. Day 3 the headache remained. I ran to the grocery in the morning and grabbed bone broth, kombucha, yogurt (the only non-sugar flavor was cookies and cream-bleh), green beans and broccoli. I had several back-to-back meetings that day which I helped take my mind off food. My final meeting didn’t end until 9:00 pm which happened to coincide with breaking my fast. I was so excited at the prospect of delicious and warming bone broth.
Of all the days, my meeting ran late…..Argh! By the time it was finished I was running to the kitchen, cracking open the bone broth, warming it in a big mug, scurrying to the table to savor, and BLEH! It was so bland and flavorless I could barely choke it down. We were to wait 30 minutes before we had the next suggestion. I choose the yogurt and was excited to eat something. ICK! Cookies and cream yogurt tasted terrible but again I choked it down because I was hungry. It was another 30 minutes before I consumed the vegetables. Hallelujah, the veggies were delicious and I was satisfied. It was getting late and decided I’d wait until the next day to eat protein.
Here are just a few of Dr Mindy’s fasting benefits:
reduces blood sugar levels
increases autophagy (body’s way of cleaning out damaged cells to regenerate new cells)
reduces weight
can reverse type 2 diabetes
reduces inflammation
regulates oxytocin, cortisol, insulin, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone
Dr. Mindy recommends a 72 hour fast twice a year, which is totally doable. I will definitely be adding some of her other fasting options to my weeks, whether it’s intermittent fasting or an occasional 24-36 hour fast. I’m excited to dive into her book to glean wisdom of how running on empty can be another great tool in my box of self-love. Next time I’ll be more prepared with my pre-game tactics and my post-game selections….HA. Do I have any fasters out there? I’d love to hear your experiences.
xoxox…..Sheryl
Dr. Mindy Pelz Fast Like a Girl.
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