My Water Fasting Experience
3/25/23 Saturday
Let’s talk about the water fast. Right around the time of my last MRI, I discovered a friend also had breast cancer. I met her through Daniel, so I don’t know her very well, but I still consider her a friend. She came over to our new house and we began to share information. She said that she was going to do a 40day water fast in Costa Rica. 40 days! My goodness! I had never even considered a water fast and I for sure wouldn’t be able to do 40 days! Holy moly!
When she left, I started to research water fasting and was really impressed with what water fasting does. Here are some of the benefits of water fasting (found on the internet):
1. Activates Autophagy
Autophagy is a fundamental process of cleaning out damaged cells, to regenerate newer, healthier cells. Basically, your body’s cells eat themselves and clean out any unnecessary or damaged cellular components. If these damaged parts accumulate in the cell, they can make it difficult for your cells to repair themselves and regrow vital structures, which is a risk factor for many cancers. This is why autophagy is essential for keeping cells healthy. It can help prevent cancer cells from growing.
The nutrient deficit is a key activator of autophagy which is why water fasting activates it. Food restriction for 24 or 48 hours induces fatty change and autophagy in the liver. It peaks around 32 to 48 hours of fasting after which its intensity drops and stabilizes.
2. Helps in Lowering Blood Pressure
Water fasting is considered a safe and effective method of bringing high blood pressure to a normal level. In a study, 68 people with borderline high blood pressure water fasted for around 14 days under medical supervision. At the end of the fast, 82% of people had a blood pressure that was now within a healthier range. Additionally, the average drop in blood pressure was also significant.
3. Induces Ketosis and Fat Loss
When your body doesn’t have enough carbohydrates to burn for energy, it goes through a process called Ketosis. During this process, your body burns the stored fat to make ketones, which are used for fuel. This results in fat loss. In the first 24-48 hours of water fasting, your body burns the stored glycogen for energy. After day two, your body enters into the state of ketosis.
4. Improves Insulin and Leptin Sensitivity
Diabetes is a disorder in the way the body uses glucose, a sugar that is required to generate fuel for the body. When blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas produces insulin, the hormone which signals cells to take sugar from the blood. Fat cells store extra glucose in the form of fats. In the common type 2 form of diabetes, cells lose their insulin sensitivity. This is also called insulin resistance which is recognized as a predictor of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
Insulin and leptin are both important hormones for metabolism. The former helps the body store nutrients from the bloodstream, while the latter helps the body feel full.
Water fasting can make your body more sensitive to leptin and insulin, making these hormones more effective.
5. Reduces the Symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome
A metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors that raises the risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other illnesses. These risk factors occur together when your body is unable to regulate cholesterol, certain proteins, and glucose properly. Water fasting has been found to help reduce or eliminate the symptoms of metabolic syndrome.
6. Lowers the Risk of Several Chronic Diseases
There is evidence that water fasting can lower the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Water fasting can significantly lower your blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides — two risk factors for heart disease. Water fasting may protect the heart against damage from free radicals. Free radicals are reactive atoms that contribute to tissue damage in the body. They play a significant role in many chronic diseases.
Another animal study has also found that water fasting may suppress genes that help cancer cells grow. It may also improve the effects of chemotherapy.
Dr. Frank Sabatino, current contributor and special guest host of the Balance for Life Retreat Program, discusses the benefits of water fasting for fighting cancer in this interview.
7. Improves Quality of Sleep
Melatonin, also called the sleep hormone, plays an important role in the body’s sleep-wake cycle. Its production increases with evening darkness, promoting healthy sleep and regulating your circadian rhythm.
Scientists believe that insulin and melatonin have a hostile relationship, meaning they take turns suppressing each other. Insulin levels drop at night in response to an increase in melatonin and melatonin levels are low during the day in response to high insulin levels.
A study shows that short-term modified water fasting can improve sleep patterns and daytime alertness. It causes your insulin levels to drop and melatonin levels to rise, which helps you sleep better and on time.
8. Reduces Inflammation
Inflammation is another word for swelling. It is a reaction from your white blood cells to safeguard your body from viruses, bacteria, and other foreign invaders that can make you ill. Thus, normal levels of inflammation within the body are necessary as your immune system depends on it. But when the body goes through the inflammation process even when there are no invaders to combat, it might begin attacking otherwise healthy tissue. Inflammation can be acute or chronic. Having diseases and/or conditions such as Alzheimer’s, asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer puts you at a higher risk of developing chronic inflammation.
This study has shown that water fasting is effective in treating inflammation since it induces large anti-inflammatory actions in the body.
Many foods like processed meat, alcohol, refined carbohydrates, seed and vegetable oils, etc can worsen inflammatory symptoms. When you eat mindfully or avoid all food with a water-only fast, it is possible to lessen your inflammatory symptoms. This happens due to autophagy, a process mentioned earlier, during which your cells eat their old and damaged parts so the remaining cell is healthier. If the cell can’t be salvaged, it is completely destroyed. Thus, more monocytes aka the largest white blood cells are regenerated to prevent unnecessary immune system responses.
fasts longer than 24–72 hours should be approached with care, under the supervision of a qualified doctor, and by following their instructions.
I was completely intrigued, but not sold and even a little scared. I wanted to ask Dr. Rubin what he thought first. When I told a dear friend that I was thinking of doing a water fast she told me about her friend, the colonics guy, who had healed his cancer through water fasting. I called him and set up a time to meet. He had cancer back in the 80’s (I’ve forgotten which kind of cancer he had) but he went to a center to do a supervised water fast. He fasted for 42 days and at the end of his fast there was NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE (NED) in his body. The cancer was gone. It has never come back. The fast was life-changing on all levels for him (spiritually, emotionally and physically). It changed his life and put him on the path of being an excellent wellness practitioner. I later found out that another friend’s mother did a 42 day water fast and at the end of it, her two orang-sized tumors were gone -never to come back. SoI was sold. All I needed was the A-ok from Dr. Rubin, which I received shortly after. I immediately booked my stay at Tanglewood Wellness Center in Costa Rica. It is located a few hours away from San Jose Del Cabo in the center of the country. Everyone there will be water fasting. I originally asked to do a 2-week fast (3 week stay – the final week being devoted to reintroducing juice & fruit back into ones diet – SUPER important!!!) but after filling out a medical questionnaire, Loren (who runs the center) said that with my diagnosis, I need to do at least three weeks and that they’re seeing great results with three weeks. Gosh could I DO three weeks? The mere thought of it was terrifying for this foodie, though the cancer has sadly put an end to my foodie tendencies. I thought about it overnight and decided YES!!! I am IN for my healing and pulling out all the stops, doing everything in my power during these three months. This is just the drastic protocol I was hoping for. After I booked my month-long stay (21 days water only and 7 days juices and fruit), I found more and more interviews from people who have HEALED cancer with water-fasting. Even if it doesn’t help heal my cancer, it is going to improve my health tremendously by lowering my cholesterol, blood sugar and inflammation. I am mostly excited for the spiritual aspects of the water fast. Jesus speaks of fasting throughout the bible, I’m told. Plus, he fasted for 40 days in the desert himself! Most religions have some sort of fasting recommendations/protocols. I can only imagine that the connection to Spirit will be heightened beyond my imagination. In addition, I am excited for the changes it will bring to my relationship with food! Will this be the catalyst for me to finally lock in super health & vitality through diet and nutrition? I surely hope so! It’s funny, the universe orchestrated that Daniel have emergency gallbladder surgery two nights before my Costa Rica departure. The removal of his gallbladder will force him to eat more like I eat, and because I’m stepping up my game in that department, we will both be mega healthy!! This really needed to happen in order for us to thrive and vibrate in the new earth reality…clever universe!
I landed in Costa Rica today and am at the airport café waiting for my shuttle to pick me up. Since Wednesday, I’ve eaten only fruit and fruit juice. Today while I’ve been travelling, I’ve had four cutie oranges. I’ve prepped pretty well and the next step is the fast – which starts today. Here we go…!
Monday March 27 Day 2
Tanglewood Wellness Center is beautiful!!!! The main space is gorgeous, the rooms are lovely, the grounds are stunning with beautiful winding paths meandering through lush green vegetation. Hummingbirds and butterflies flitting around throughout the day as monkeys are howling in the trees. I love the birdsong throughout the day and there are 7 cats wandering around…most of them friendly. A gorgeous pool for lounging and hammocks everywhere to rest.
I’m on day 2 of water-only. I’m beginning to slow down. Luckily, we are meant to only rest. There are a lot of people here. I was surprised. My guess is around 30. About 17 others started on the same day as me, and more are well into their 21st+ days. It is a perfect setting for healing.
Yesterday, day 1 of my fast, I felt pretty good other than a disgusting taste in my mouth. I was told to drink 6 big glasses of water, which I got down with ease. A couple of times I felt a headache start to come in, but it never manifested, thank God. We are not allowed to take aspirin or and medications or supplements while we are here. We are also not allowed to use any creams or lotions, make up, deodorant or even toothpaste! The detox is happening through our skin, all orifices and urine…don’t want to block any of it.
The people I’ve met are fantastic too. It takes a certain kind of mindset to come do a fast like this. Some have illnesses, some are here for spiritual connection and others want to increase their vitality and wellness. I have a great roommate…lucky!
They say the first 5 days are the hardest…I expect it to worsen before it gets better.
Today I spoke with a fellow faster, Elena, who works with/learns from Dr. John De Martinez. She said that breast cancer right breast has to do with not being nurtured by men. Well, ain’t that the truth!!! Starting with my dad and all the unrequited loves of my life. She suggested I go through them one by one and thank them for the experience/lesson, send them love and then let it go. I did this by the pool today for a bit. I’ll continue to work on it while I am here.
Every morning, between 7-9am, we go out to the big living area and sign up for our vitals and then sit in the living area. The living area is a huge open space that has about 5 living rooms, several 2-chair conversation areas, a high-top table with two chairs, a dining table and a picnic table. Along one side, there is a row of hammocks. Towards the back there are even more sitting areas that face the pool. The sound of the waterfall in the pool can be heard throughout and is divine. It is open to nature on two sides and birdsong fills the room as butterflies dance in and out. After we sign up on the sheet, we wait in one of the living areas until we are called into get our vitals. When we are called, we go in to get weighed. We are asked: Did you have any bowel movements? How many hours did you sleep? How many glasses of water did you drink yesterday? How many times did you get up to pee in the night? Then we step on the scale which tells us not only our weight, but our body fat and many other things. They record everything in our chart and we go back out and wait again. A short time later, someone comes by and takes our blood pressure, pulse, temperature and oxygen level. Then sometime after that the doctor or Loren (who runs the scenter) will come by with your chart to meet with you. In this meeting we tell him how we are doing, physically, emotionally… …everything. We talk about our challenges and our triumphs. We can ask questions and they get answered. Then they show us our vitals for the day. The chart is set up so that we can see all the days on one page, so we can compare today from yesterday or from our first day. They talk about our weight, oxygen level, blood pressure and its spread, our hydration level, our fat percentage and loss, our muscle percentage and loss and a few more. They are very thorough. Then they will tell us how many glasses of water to drink that day – everyone has a different amount according to their vitals. I really like watching how things are changing for me.
At 11 am we meet up for a lecture with either Loren or the doctor. Today Loren talked about elimination. Mostly during the fast we won’t have any bowel movements. When we begin re-feeding, we will start to have bowel movements again and we will eliminate old stuff and mucoid plaque from the colon and small intestine. He said that as we eliminate these pieces that have been stuck in the pockets of our small intestine, we may crave those foods again. This stuff may be decades old. I’ve done plenty of colon cleanses over the years and have seen much mucoid plaque leave my body, but I expect much much more to release after this water fast. The mucoid plaque in our bodies will absorb our water intake like a sponge, not allowing the body to get the water we need, often leaving us dehydrated. My hydration level is very low at 78% and it should be at 100%.
Tuesday March 28 – Day 3
I woke up with my heart beating hard and fast (2nd day in a row). I asked Loren about that, and he said that it was pretty normal. After we’ve gone so long without drinking any water and we get up in the morning and start moving around this can cause the heart to beat powerfully. I did some box breathing to calm myself down (Inhale to the count of 4, hold to the count of 4, exhale to the count of 8, hold to the count of 4 and repeat) This breath helps restore the body to a parasympathetic state. Works like a charm.
In our morning lecture today, I learned that cooked food dehydrates you. And we shouldn’t drink while eating because it waters down the digestive enzymes. It’s best to eat a high-water content meal to help keep our bodies hydrated. Cucumbers, lettuce, watermelon and papaya are some high-water content foods. If our brains are just 2% dehydrated, then we lose 20% of our cognitive function. That one really hit me because I have such debilitating brain fog (I was under the impression that it was mostly due to my being taken off hormones). This program will help us all to re-hydrate, thank goodness.
I lost another 2.6 pounds at weigh in for a total of 4.6 pounds lost since day 1.
I zoomed with Daniel today. It was so good to see his face and hear his voice. I’m not sure I’ve written about it, but on Wednesday before I flew out, I took him to the ER after he suffered through 12 hours of intense stomach pain that he thought was acid reflux. We were in the ER all day and it turned out that he needed to have his gallbladder taken out pronto! The did the surgery that night and I was able to pick him up Thursday morning. Without a diet, he is much more restricted with what he can and cannot eat. And his diet will now be much more aligned with the way I now have to eat. It will make things so much easier at home and going out! I find that God sometimes works in wonderfully mysterious ways.
Most evenings at 7, we all meet back in the living space for candlelight meditation. I’m very fond of this hour. After meditation, Loren reads from a book called “Love Without Conditions” by Paul Ferrini. And then we have an open discussion. On my first day, I was drawn to a book on the table with Jesus’ picture on the cover. I turned it over and read the back cover and it spoke to me quite powerfully. I was delighted to find out the Loren read a chapter after each meditation. I’ve been having some powerful meditations and am loving the readings from and conversations about this book. What a wonderful way to end every evening.
All day I had lower back pain while sitting on the living room chairs and couches. When I got into bed, the pain was throbbing from my lower back down to my buttocks. It was quite painful. I tossed and turned from my left side to my right. The right side was difficult as I had bruised a rib getting out of the pool the day before, so I can’t really lay on my right side very well. I figured out a way to massage my gluts using my fists which helped a bit. I was surprised to feel how tight they were. After over two hours of tossing and turning, the pain had subsided enough for me to go to sleep.
Wednesday March 29 – Day 4
I’m surprised to see that I’m not dreaming here. I’m usually one to have very vivid dreams and I remember most of them. But here my nights have been silent. Perhaps more beneficial to resting.
I lost another 1.2 pounds. I weighed in at 119.2 today. I haven’t been under 120 since I worked with Katrine (my former health coach) back in 2017. I’m thrilled. Though looking at my body, there is still quite a lot of fat that needs to go. My stomach is flatter, but not where I would like it yet. I started the fast on Sunday at 125.4. From what I understand, this is typical for the first week. My oxygen level is up to 99 and I started at 93.
My back feels fantastic today! Even when I am sitting in the chair and couches. I am remembering to get up and stretch often just to help avoid another incident like last night.
I feel awesome also. I’m surprised how good I feel. I’ve barely been hungry – the first couple of days my stomach growled a bit, but that was starting back in Arizona. I am taking things slow and do feel my muscles weakening, but other than that, I feel awesome. No headache, thank goodness! Some people have horrific headaches (coffee drinkers) and I can’t imagine having a headache without being able to take aspirin!!! I start to get tired in the late afternoon, but so far have managed to stay awake until after meditation.
A very friendly man named Jeff came up to me today and said that he likes to give out thirty hugs a day and would I like one? I said YES! And told him that I love hugs. He gave me a long bear hug and while he was hugging me, he said things like: You’re amazing. You are so strong. You’re doing fantastic. I’m so glad you’re here. You are a beautiful spark of God, shining so brightly for everyone. You are so inspiring. Now this man goes around to everyone doing the same thing. He was so inspiring to me! I thought that I want to be more like him, making people feel amazing. What a gift he is. He made me feel truly beautiful.
Our lecture today was by the doctor, and she spoke about cholesterol. I learned so much and the gist of it is that when we get a high cholesterol reading from both our good (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL) it is usually an indication that the body is fixing inflammation and is working properly! This was new to many of us. In the Western worlds, once that high number comes in, doctors must follow a protocol and prescribe a statin. I didn’t take enough notes to show the details about the how’s and whys, but the lecture was fabulous.
I took a stroll down some of the pathways. It is so beautiful here. The vegetation is so lush and it smells divine. I look forward to meandering more.
I spent some time in the pool today (yesterday too) which for me is medicine. I’m not laying out long, but long enough to receive some color and some vitamin D.
The highlight of my day was my massage! I pre-purchased a package of five before arriving. It was just what my body needed. She said I really need another one, I told her that I know. This will be the first time in my life that I receive five massage in four weeks. I can’t wait!
Tonight and every Wednesday is movie night. We will be watching The Big Labowski tonight. It’s been decades since I’ve seen that movie. Looking forward to it.
Thursday March 30 – Day 5
I finally dreamt last night. Nothing too significant, but happy to have dreamt at all.
For several days, I’ve noticed that my right shoulder is hurting again. For a couple of years now, I’ve had intense right shoulder pain, perhaps frozen shoulder, that restricts some of my movement. When I started with the 4 minute exercise three times a day, the pain subsided 80% and I had much more mobility in my shoulder and arm. Yesterday my shoulder felt the way it did before. During my massage, I had to tell her not to pull it or put it behind my back or up over my head. Even this morning it was stiff and painful.
But n ow, this afternoon, it feels pretty great. It’s not 100%, but back up to 80% and I can raise my hand completely above my head, which is fantastic!
The day was spent resting, at the pool and reading in a hammock. They would prefer that we rest our eyes because taking things in with our eyes uses energy that the body needs for this healing process. Too bad I just started a fantastic book!
I stopped wearing my glasses today. The doctor suggested it and said that many people’s eyes heal while they are here, when given a rest. Floaters go away, eyesight improves and more. Even the doctor had to get a different prescription when she went home from her fast here. I’m hoping that will happen for me too. I have an eye appointment scheduled a couple weeks after my return.
Friday March 31 – Day 6
I’ve had a lump on my leg for over a decade. It was the shape of an avocado about ¼” high and located on my right leg, mid-thigh on the right. I woke up this morning and it was 90% GONE!!! Amazing! I never knew exactly what it was, but I showed it to many professionals and they all said not to worry about it, that it was some sort of fatty lump.
So awesome!
This is all so much easier than I thought it would be. Though it’s most likely because I prepped. Many people have gone through some tough times. They say after the first five days it’s easier. But I’ve also seen people on day eleven, or fifteen or twenty-two struggling. I’m feeling blessed that I’m not.
Saturday April 1st – Day 7
I’ve been having lots of dejavu for the last two days multiple times a day.
I’ve been reading a book that I can’t seem to put down. I decided to just plow through it
And rest after I’ve finished. I can’t seem to stop reading, so it’s a good decision.
I have a ZOOM date with Daniel this evening and I’m super excited. My heart goes on fire when I think about it.
I learned a lot during our lecture today. Keep in mind, I am sure there are hundreds of arguments against this, but this is what is taught here at this raw vegan facility, and I found it very interesting:
– Cooked food creates toxic compouned..no exceptions. 118 degrees and lower is still considered raw.
– Lucosite is a white blood cell and the footsoldier of the immune system. Lucosytosis only happens when the body is injured. Digestive Lucocytosisis when the body sends Lucosytes to the digestive system due to inflammation. Studies show that this only happens with cooked food.
– Browning food causes carcinogenic reactions (cancer causing).
I had another great massage today after my 1-hour pool time which I do every day.
Before I arrived, I purchased a 5-pack of massages. After my first one I thought it might be nice to but 5 more. When have I ever had the opportunity to have that many massages, two or three a week for an entire month? Never! And they only come to $50 each (three massages for the price of one back home!). So, I did. And I am thrilled to love myself that much.
Sunday April 2, Day 8
I’m down to 115.6 which is 10 pounds from my first weigh-in here at the center but is 11-14 pounds less than what I weighed at home (I fluctuate). Pretty good. There is still a lot of excess fat on my body, but I’m sure that will keep dissolving.
Last night as I lay in bed trying to sleep – it took some hours – there was a lot of astral activity that I could see. What this looks like are invisible beings with translucent white outlines. I often see scenes from what I’ve done that day, or someone else has done (ie a person reading a book in a chair), I’ve seen fairies in the past and all sorts of things. Sometimes I’m not sure if they are good or bad beings and since they don’t communicate, I tend to ignore them as best I can. Last night I saw three hooded figures come in (they are not walking on the ground, instead just in the air), I asked them “Are you good or bad?” then I turned away. One of them stepped forward, pulled open his chest in a similar fashion to Superman pulling open his shirt to reveal the big “S” on his chest, and there was a beautiful red heart – like a valentine, which to me meant he was saying he was good. He put is arm out and a big bird flew in and landed on it and I realized it was the alchemist from my dark retreat. He pulled an etheric curtain aside and beckoned me to go through the curtain. I said I didn’t know how and I chose to go to bed. I told him that all of this puts me too much in my mind (a mind-fuck), and until he can communicate with me in words, to please stop. At that point I did my best to attempt sleep. But I was super happy to see him, even though I’m not sure what he wants.
Without a book to read, I found myself resting and meditating more, which is what they really want us to do. It is challenging to meditate when I have to drink an entire glass of water per hour by sipping only, but I managed to get some good meditations in.
I’ve also been working on some emotional clearing with my dad and all my unrequited loves. I go through my life from childhood on, and one by I thank them for the lessons they brought to me in this lifetime. I tell them that I appreciate them and am so glad to have met them. I say Ho’ Oponopono, then send them so much love. It’s hard to remember everyone and sometimes I’ll do a group of people from a specific time period but other times, someone’s face will pop into my mind, and I’ll do them right away, which I think is fantastic. I started with my dad today and I called him in first. Then I told him how grateful I was for all the lessons. I elaborated quite a bit instead of keeping it simple. At some point I felt my heart well up with love and I felt his presence. I had the instinctive feeling that this was as important for him to receive as it was for me to say. It was an extremely beautiful and powerful moment. I sent him so much love and after a short while moved onto someone else.
Ho’ Oponopono is a Hawaiian term that means “to make right”. It’s a very powerful prayer and practice that can be done face to face, or higher self to higher self or to oneself. When doing this higher self to higher self or with yourself, get into a meditative posture and imagine the person (or yourself) sitting across from you. The first phrase is “I’m sorry” (you may or may not want to add on to that describing why you are sorry). The second phrase is “Please forgive me” (you may or may not want to add on to that describing what you would like to be forgiven for). The third phrase is “Thank you”. And the fourth phrase is “I love you” (picture love-light coming from your heart into their heart). You can stay in this feeling as long as you wish or repeat as often as you’d like.
Monday April 3rd – Day 9 10
I discovered that I’ve been counting the days wrong. Day 1 was actually the day we arrived, not the next day, Sunday. So, I’ve adjusted here to reflect that. So today I’m just about halfway through. Hallelujah!!!
Every morning, I walk down the path towards the common room. The sun is in front of me and there are tons of tall purple flowers lining the pathway. The sun shines behind them lighting them up and making them look electric. It delights me to no end. I walk by telling them how much I love them and how much joy they bring to me every morning. Today I watched a tiny metallic green beetle crawl into the center of one, then he came out and went to the next on, and then the next and so on. It was such a sweet scene to witness. This afternoon, on my way to my massage I noticed that the purple flowers had been cut off when the gardener was trimming everything. I had seen the gardener with his machete while I was laying in the hammock resting. My heart sank as I saw all the gorgeous purple blooms laying on the ground. I know they will grow back; I am hoping that they do while I am still here.
Today in the lecture I learned that getting 10 minutes of sun on your face in the early morning and then again in the afternoon will help sync you with circadian rhythms. I also learned that coffee and teas are diuretics which make you lose water. Some herbs are also diuretics. And all herbs are toxic. They taste the way they do because they make a toxic chemical to keep the insects from eating them. And they are toxic to our system. Olives are also toxic. And hot peppers burn our tissues.
Tuesday April 4 – Day 11
To my heart’s delight, there were many beautiful purple flowers dancing in the sun along the path this morning. Evidently, the close up in the late afternoons and at night so not as many were massacred by the machete as I had thought. It’s the little things in life.
Today on day 11 our bodies move into the deepest process of ketosis. We’ve been in ketosis from early on, but now the process deepens greatly. This is why Loren suggest a minimum of 21 days fasting, that way we get 10 days in deep ketosis.
Strangely enough, I gained .2 pounds. This is the mucoid plaque soaking up the water, which it needs to do in order to exit my body during re-feeding and after.
I’m up to 10 glasses of water per day which is a crazy amount for me. Drinking a glass an hour starting at 8 or 9 am. I like to finish early so that I don’t have to get up to pee too often during the night. I pee one or two times per hour during the day, too.
I feel like nature is responding to me. I had a hummingbird fly by my head – very close – in answer to a question that I asked God. Another time, I was repeating some affirmations “My body is healing. The tumor is shrinking. Twenty-one days is enough time for me this time.” And after the first time I said it a gecko chimed in as if to say “Yes! You are correct!”. Having cancer is all about patience ad faith. And doing the necessary steps in the physical plane, regardless of the healing path one chooses. There are so many options and everyone needs to do what feels right in their own heart.
Wednesday April 5 – Day 12
I’m down to 113 pounds and yesterday, I lost 2 pounds of body fat. Woohoo!!! I’m feeling great! Less weak than before, though not near 100%.
Today I was told to up my water intake to 11 glasses. Let me tell you, it’s not that easy!
I go about a glass per hour from 8am to 3pm. Then I take a break while at the pool, then back to it. I’ve been waking up very early so I’m tired in the afternoon and have fallen asleep both days. So I’m trying to drink my water in the first half hour so I can nap, but sometimes that causes what feels like acid reflux. The water really needs to be sipped.
I saw my very first live blue butterfly flutter by me on the path! I love blue butterflies and my animal spirit name is laughing blue butterfly. It was after a very profound process at a workshop and I was completely spent and cracked open when the facilitator said “Imagine all the adjectives there are in your left palm and imagine all the animals; winged, four legged or more, and finned in your right hand. Now rub your hands together. Okay now… open them. What do you see?” I said, “Laughing Blue Butterfly”. (I didn’t see it but those were the words that come into my head.) He said, “That is your animal spirit name.” I was delighted.
Today’s lecture was about microbes and infections. Boy there was a lot to learn. It goes something like this; infectious diseases are disturbances caused by something [outside of us]; prions, virus’, bacteria, fungi and parasites.
There are a couple of theories. (read up on Dr. Bechamp who lived at the time of Pasteur). The first and most widely accepted is the germ theory. The infections comes from something outside of you. Take medication or have a vaccination to get rid of the issue. The second is the terrain theory; the organisms (bacteria etc) are already in our body. If our body is full of toxins, then we get sick. Clean the terrain of the body, get rid of the toxins.
There is a third and much newer viewpoint that I dove into a couple of months ago. It is called German New Medicine. I found it to be fascinating. The theory is that the illness comes from a shock which affects a part of the brain and ends up somewhere in the body. The body actively tries to assist the injury and after some time the repair phase begins, where the body begins to repair the injury. First comes the virus, then comes bacteria and then comes fungus. The fascinating thing about it is that the doctor who discovered it, studied numerous brains and 100% of the time he found that everyone with testicular cancer and a anomaly in a certain region of their brain. 100% of the time!!! Breast cancers come from the same part of the brain. Brain cancer comes from the same part of the brain. When I looked it up regarding my breast cancer, they said that with my kind of breast cancer and my being right-handed and because the tumor is in my right breast, it means that a male was ripped away from me. And sure enough, that is what happened in my big shock. Not only that, but after my big shock, I got very sick for a good couple of weeks. I always describe that period of my life as my going through big death, death to who I had been. Check out more about German New Medicine if it interests you. It is extremely interesting.
Thursday April 6 – Day 13
Today at the lecture, we learned that if our urine is frothy, it means we are eliminating fat or protein. Mine’s been pretty frothy and I’ve wondered why. I love eliminating fat and I can really see the difference in my body. I can’t remember the last time I weighed 113. I’m actually skinny now.
I’m still not hungry. I find it surprising as I thought I would be starving here. The water helps with that (I’m up to 11 ½ glasses a day). But there are many days that my stomach doesn’t even growl.
I spent time today observing my mind. It’s been very difficult for me to quiet my mind here. I seem to have a lot of conversations in my mind, often I am justifying my actions or choices to those who I know isn’t supportive of my healing decisions. I make up these conversations and watch them go round and around, which just causes me stress and keeps me in a negative loop. I want to change that. It’s not just with negative conversations, really, but with any subject. My mind will pick a subject and my mind will create made up conversations about it. It’s really a bore.
Today I did my best to be aware of this. When I would hear my mind go into one of these conversational spins, I would say stop and focus on the present moment. There are so many amazing sounds here that I was able to tun into; a variety of birdsong, gecko’s, the wind rustling through the leaves, the wings of hummingbirds, cicadas. At one point, I was able to feel the love in my heart well up. This was my cue to drop into my heart, and just like in the dark retreat, I began to listen to my inner frequency. The more I tuned into my inner frequency, the more my heart welled up with love. Aahhhhh, it felt sublime to find this place again! I was not able to reach the same bliss that I felt in the dark retreat, but I found peace and a deep love and I was infinitely grateful. Yes, thank you, more please!
Saturday April 8 – Day 15
I’m in my final week of the fast! I’m amazed. It feels like it came so darned fast, but I know that each day has been painstakingly intense in its own right.
Sometimes, I’ll stand up and my nose will run like a faucet, just like when I have seasonal allergies. I imagine things are working to heal in there.
My ribs have been excruciatingly painful. It hurts to cough, or stand up and sit down. I am hoping it’s like when my lower back and my shoulder healed and beforehand there was a huge spike in pain level. I have to trust that that is the case.
The last two days have been pretty much the same. After our morning measurements and lecture, I lay in the hammock for 3-4 hours sipping water and cat-napping. I’m now up to 13+ glasses of water and I can really see a difference in my vitals because of that.
As hard as it is to get all that down prior to 7pm, it is very inspiring to see results in the numbers.
I still haven’t pooped since I’ve been here. They say that on day four of the re-feeding process we’ll start eliminating old hard toxic material and mucoid plaque by the gallon. I’m looking forward to it. Get the toxic stuff out!
I’ve learned so much at the last two lectures. Here are a few of the major points. Keep in mind that you will find dozens of people who disagree with this, but that goes for most things these days. Surprisingly enough fruit has a pretty low glycemic index. The key is to avoid mixing fruit with fats because fats make the body insulin resistant. Eat low glycerin fruits in order not to raise blood sugar which feeds tumors. Dried fruits have a high glycerin load – don’t eat them. It takes 15-16 hours for fat to get out of the bloodstream, so eat your fat at night so when you begin eating fruit in the morning, thee won’t be any fat in your system. Ph levels are accurate with blood tests and not urine tests because urine is a waste product. Mangos and papayas contain carotene which turs into vitamin A in the body. Juicing creates oxidation – consume your juice within five minutes of juicing. Carrot and beet juices have 3-4 times the glycemic load which feeds cancer.
I saw my second blue morpho today, they are so beautiful.
Loren wants me to do some deep breathing exercises in order to increase my oxygen level. It’s 97 and has been for a while. Should be closer to 100.
The more I am in present moment awareness and my thoughts drop away, the more I feel my heart well up. So far, for me, the best way to get there is through listening. There are so many ways to get there, watching your breath, feeling sensations in your body, but for me its definitely listening to sound – go figure. In the dark retreat, I was able to go deeper, by listening to my own frequency, but here with all the wildlife, I’ve found that to be a bit more challenging. I’ve been loving laying in the hammock staying present for as long as possible as my heart-fire is activated.
My sense of smell is so acute that I smell jasmine everywhere all the time. It wafts through our screened windows and permeates our room all day and night. I smell it all the time in the meeting area as well. I certainly didn’t a week ago. I had to walk by a jasmine plant directly in order to smell it before. I find it heavenly and plan to plant loads of it when I get back home.
I just have my first ever lymphatic drainage massage. I found it to be nearly as relaxing as a cranial sacral session. I was out. I especially enjoyed the light massage while being in that deep space.
Sunday April 9 – Day 16 – Easter Sunday
Today was rough!!! Especially this afternoon while I was laying in the hammock. I was OVER IT!!! This fast felt tedious and monotonous, and I couldn’t meditate any more or stay in presence or process stuff anymore at all. I also was over drinking a glass of water per hour and peeing once or twice an hour. Keep in mind that we’re not supposed to do anything, like read a book, we’re supposed to rest with our eyes closed. It was excruciating. I finally went to the pool in the late afternoon after three hours in the hammock. Then after my shower, I went up to the common area and worked on a puzzle for a bit. I had to do something. I hope the next five days aren’t like this, It could drive me mad.
One good thing today is that my oxygen level went up to 98, so the deep breathing works really well. Also, my weight is down to 111. Holy moly! I can’t remember the last time it was this low.
I also had a sweet interaction with one of the cats here. I sat down on a bench next to the cat while he was sleeping. He got up and came to sit on my lap. He stayed for a long time while I pet him and I really enjoyed that. I miss my fur babies.
Monday April 10 – Day 17
When I told Loren about my difficult day yesterday, he asked me what I was feeling.
I said I guess I was bored. He said that boredom is just suppressing emotions and suggested that I dig a little deeper. When I looked at it, I could see that there was some fear present, fear that maybe after my testing that the results wouldn’t be as I am expecting and the wrath of my family and the doctors about it. There was also self-doubt present because I actually feel the tumor shrinking. I measure it with my fingertips every Tuesday and my fingertips are decreasing by one each week. It also feels much softer, it is palpable. In addition, whenever I think about my desired outcome, my heart wells up with a fire inside. I have worked with the feelings of my heart for decades now and trust it implicitly. Yesterday while in the hammock, I was imagining an NED (no evidence of disease) result and the flabbergasted reaction of the surgeon and oncologist, and my heart filled up with a burning fire. This is my higher-self communicating with me, without a doubt. My body is healing. The tumor is shrinking. Twenty-one days is enough time for me.
When I met with the doctor, she told me that I need to sip my water because I am doing too much gulping and the water is going into the kidneys where it will lose electrolytes instead of into the bold-stream (she can tell by my blood pressure reading).
The lecture was super important for me today. It was about the glycemic index vs the glycemic load. I really needed this to be explained to me. The glycemic index is how quickly your system breaks down carbohydrate. It is important to eat fruits that break down quickly even if their glycemic index is high. The glycemic load is the predictive impact of blood sugar (most easy to digest foods). Some fruits with a high glycemic index have a very low glycemic load, like watermelon. The goal is to eat low glycemic load fruits because they digest quickly and don’t stay in the bloodstream for long periods of time. When the food stays in the bloodstream for a long time, it will feed cancer, diabetes and candida. Blending or juicing fruit juices have a higher glycemic load, because you are hitting your body with all that suger within a minute or two.
Fructose isn’t bad unless it’s refined. (Keep in mind that there will be data that disagrees with this, as always.)
The most important thing is to never eat fruit with fat! I may have said this already, but it’s worth repeating. Fat makes the body insulin resistant which means that it needs to process sugars in a different way and it will feed cancer, diabetes and candida. Fat stays in the bloodstream for 15-16 hours. Wait until you consume fruit. Easiest is to eat fat during dinner so that you can eat fruit in the morning after the 16 hours has passed.
Tuesday April 11 – Day 18
I was asked to drink a little more water today than yesterday – still sipping, always sipping. Ugh…it’s getting hard.
Today my body is at its weakest. I stopped numerous times on the way to the common area. My thighs were exhausted. I have slowed way down and it feels good. It will probably get worse before it gets better…the long one goes.
Our bodies are breaking down plaque in the arteries. Most toxins are stored in our fat. This process will continue when we get home until we eat toxic foods, take medications, become dehydrated or get our bodies squeaky clean on the inside.
I asked the man who I shared Ho’ Oponopono with how is process was going. He said it’s going great and he feels a difference. He thanked me both for asking and for sharing the process with him. That made me feel good.
A man from Russia, who doesn’t speak too much English, came and sat across form me in the living room I was sitting in. He said he likes to be near me, that I have very good energy. He gestured with his hands how far out my energy field goes. It nearly reached his chair and he said “this is enough for me” showing me that he still felt it from where he sat. That made me feel good too.
Thursday April 13 – Day 20
I’m having a lot of difficulty these past days drinking 14 glasses of water. I’ve been doing it a little wrong and was told by the doctor that I need to SIP each glass, and sip only one glass per hour, not a sip more. I haven’t been doing that, and have occasionally had more than one in an hour in order to get them all in. This is a HUGE no-no apparently. So, I’ve started this new way. I also need to drink all the way up until bedtime, which I haven’t been doing. I’ve been trying to finish by 7/7:30 so that I’m not up peeing all night long. No bueno. This makes me dehydrated for far too long during the night. She even wants me to sip water when I get up to pee. I can’t begin to express how this all feels. I am so over it, drinking water from 7am until 9pm. It’s so rough and I’m so happy that I start re-feeding on Saturday.
Our lecture on Wednesday was about Diabetes and the pancreas and being insulin resistant. I found it very interesting.
Today was more of the same. Today, I didn’t feel like laying in the hammock, or sitting in the chair just sipping all day, so I read an entire book. It was an excellent pleasure book and I can’t remember when I last read an entire book in a day. I’m experiencing back-aches from sitting in both the hammock and the chairs. I even had a fantastic massage yesterday but still my back is very achey. I look forward to re-feeding and taking long walks around the property. My muscles are too weak to walk very far right now.
It’s become too hot to go to the pool. The sun is already scorching by 7:30am. I sit out to get sun on my face at 7am but quickly have to go inside. My 3pm swims ended about a week ago. There is a blooming magnolia tree by the pool that I delight in walking by daily to smell the astounding bouquet of the magnolia flowers. Heavenly.
Tomorrow is day 21 and to say that I’m excited is a complete understatement. I just have to get through tomorrow.
Friday April 14 – Day 21!!!!!!!
At the lecture today we talked about hydration. There are five avenues of detoxing the body; through the skin, mucus filled places (eyes, nose, mouth, vagina), when we urinate, when we poop and through our breath. Each of these pathways needs water in order to eliminate toxins. Most people are dehydrated. If we re-hydrate our bodies, our bodies can cleanse the way they are supposed to. We need to get the mucoid plaque out first. Once we are clean on the inside, our bodies will use the water to rehydrate other places, our loose skin, the deep lines in our faces and more.
I have been struggling with the amount of water I’ve been drinking – 14.5 glasses per day. So difficult. The afternoons and evenings are the worst, with reflux and burping and tons of other symptoms. Luckily, I haven’t been throwing up bile like many of the people here. At least I’ve been ablet to get the water down.
I haven’t been feeling a lot of heart-fire for the last few days and I think it because of the struggle with getting enough water in me. Today I the hammock I went back to my mantra: My body is healing; the tumor is shrinking & will continue to shrink; 21 days is enough for this to happen. As soon as I began to repeat it, I could feel my heart well up with fire. I do love this feeling, and decided to repeat the mantra as often as possible.
Still in the hammock, I decided to go into silence, qiet my mind and listen to the birds. An amazing thing happened. I had a powerful sensation in my rain. It felt like a buzzing or electrical current running throughout my entire brain. The more I tuned into the sounds of the birds – the present moment – the stronger it became. I’ve never felt anything like this before. I’m not quite sure what it was about, but I really liked the sensation itself and the whole notion that it was happening at all. It made me want to stay in that space of pure presence forever.
We had a light rain today which was a welcome relief to the scorching heat and sun.
Saturday April 15 – Day 23 (Day 2 of re-feeding)!!!
It feels like Christmas! Today we eat 2 oz of either coconut water, watermelon or papaya. (The coconut water proportions are bigger than that – probably around 10 oz). On day one of re-feeding, we can choose only 1 and we will eat that five different times during the day. The following day, we can have a different meal each time.
We have to stop drinking regular water 15 minutes before mealtime and wait 30 minutes (if coconut water) or 45 minutes (if fruit) before we have to start drinking water again. Yes…we still need to be drinking as much water as we can during re-feeding. It is not healthy to dilute digestive stomach acids, which is why we have to stop and aren’t supposed to drink anything while eating.
I chose coconut water. People who have been here before or had already started re-feeding highly recommended it for the “break-fast”. After praying and giving thanks over the glass, I took my very first sip of anything other than water for 21 days And OMG!!!! I’ve never tasted anything like this before! The sweetness of the coconut water was out of this world, truly nectar of the gods. It was a bit of a highly spiritual experience. It one point, I felt so joyous that I began to laugh (as usual when I feel high and elated) and then I felt my eyes well up with tears of awe and gratitude. The whole experience was a treasure, a gem to be cherished for the rest of my life.
When I was having my daily meeting with Loren, and I described my experience with the coconut water, I got chocked up and could feel my eyes as they welled up again and almost overflowed onto my cheek. He said this was very common to feel this way after the first meal refeeding on day one. I’m not at all surprised.
Other that the deliciousness , I really love re-feeding because it breaks up the dire monotony of the normal day. The second glass of coconut water was not as astounding as the first, but still the best coconut water I’ve ever had in my life.
In addition to re-feeding today, I had an hour and a half lymphatic release massage. It was a wonderful break of the monotony.
Loren says that with my height and the amount of body fat I still have, I could easily lose another 10 lbs and look great and healthy. That would be going down to 9 lbs. I haven’t weight that little since I was still doing so may recreational drugs (28/29 years old).
At the lecture today, we learned that cacao seeds contain theobromine which is toxic. WE would be better off eating the fruit. Carob would be better as it is a fruit pod. When you eat a mono-meal, your body will tell you when you are full. If you mix fruits, digestion isn’t as good and you can easily overeat. We should never ever eat non-organic strawberries, grapes or apples. If it’s sprayed on the outside, the toxins will also be on the inside. Thick rind fruits use less spray so fewer toxins.
Sunday April 16 – Day 22 (Day 2 of re-feeding)!!!
Today we got five meals of 4oz each. My first meal was watermelon. That was the most delicious watermelon I’ve ever tasted! It was sweet and juicy. Holy wow! More mana for my body! I’m reminded of the first watermelons of the season back at home. When I bite into them, I hope for sweetness like today, but often get non-sweet and watered down disappointment. This watermelon was definitely NOT that! It totally delivered 100%!!!
My second meal was papaya. Ok, lets talk about this papaya for a moment. I lived in Thailand as a child and was never fond of papaya unless it was smothered in lime juice. But today, my mouth was introduced to yet another gift from God. This Costa Rican papaya was sweet and juicy and like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. I eat very small bites here, savoring every last bit before putting the next one in my mouth.. I adore the process of chewing. I love the bursts of flavor on my tongue. I love this gift from the heavens. I like to savour each and every bite and loving eating so mindfully.
Gosh….I can’t believe I fasted for twenty one days! I am so proud of myself!
Monday April 17 – Day 24 (Day 3 of re-feeding)!!!
Today we add in pineapple and cantaloupe. We get to eat 8 oz each four times today, at 9, 12, 3 and 6pm.
Last night I felt mild stomach cramping throughout my entire belly. This morning, I finally pooped! I haven’t pooped since I arrived! It was very difficult to get out, light brown in color (not the super old hard gray stuff), was intestinal-shaped and had tons of mucus on it. There wasn’t too much, maybe 8-10 inches worth, but it was a start. I felt so good after getting it out of my body. Tomorrow is that day most people start releasing. I look forward to getting all this old stuff out! So happy to be free of this toxic waste!
Meal #1: Pineapple. Utterly sweet and delicious, not at all acidic. So yum!
Meal #2: Cantaloupe (melon). Delicious, sweet and tender just the way I love it. I wish it was this perfect back home.
Meal #3: Watermelon. Sheer perfection!
Meal #4: Papaya: Yum!
The doctor would like to see us get a little exercise starting today. Perhaps walking or light yoga or other exercises. Today, I took a nice long walk down by the creek in the forest. I was happy the howler monkeys weren’t there, I think it’s one of the places they like to hang out. Their howls are monsterous sounding, and I would have been hesitant to go into the forest if they were there. The weather is overcast and lovely for a long walk. After the walk, I went into the yoga room and did a few more exercises and some light yoga. Gosh…! I could only handle about 15 minutes of that. It wiped me out. I’m going to have a lot of work to rebuild muscle in front of me. I feel like I get to start from scratch with an entirely new body. I love this new body. I’m thrilled to be 15 pounds lighter than I was before.
Lecture
Today we talked about supplements. It was more than I could even begin to write about. I’ll just begin by saying that the supplement industry is almost as big as the pharmaceutical industry. We are meant to get all of our nutrients from our food. Healthy whole foods have all the nutrients in the right balance for our bodies and supplements only have some of them, which could cause imbalances in our bodies.
Tuesday April 18 – Day 25 (Day 4 of re-feeding)!!!
Today we stay on the same eating schedule and continue with the same schedule for the rest of our refeeding days. We got 12oz at each meal and it was the first day that I didn’t still feel hungry. It was finally enough food.
I had mango for breakfast since they just added it today. Oh my! It was by far the most delicious mango I’ve ever eaten. The flavor was entirely out of this world. Too bad we’re only allowed 1 serving of mango per day – same with pineapple.
At today’s lecture Loren spoke about the “protein myth” and why we’ve been led to believe that we need much more protein than we do. Apparently, back when they were making the chart of how much animal protein we humans needed to eat for a healthy diet, they used rats as models. So, they did some studies on Rats and decided to double it for humans. Then the meat and dairy industry came along with their lobbyists and the FDA doubled it again. So the amount is 4x the amount rats needed for a healthy diet. They never studied it on humans.
I went back to the yoga room for exercise. I’m doing some squats, push-ups, sit-ups and yoga. I think I lasted about 20 minutes today.
My bowel movements have been super challenging to get out of my body. Glad it’s the old stuff exiting still, though it changed mid-day to a mixture of old and new.
Meal #2: Papaya
Meal #3: Coconut Water
Meal #4: Cantaloupe
Wednesday April 19 – Day 26 (Day 5 of re-feeding)!!!
Today they added loose-leaf lettuce to our meals. When we eat lettuce with our fruit, it decreases the glycemic load. People love it with papaya, pineapple and mango. We got 16 oz today! Yesterday all the meals felt filling, finally!!!
It’s funny to have so many people talking about pooping. We all nearly cheer when someone has their first BM. I’ve never gone 25 days without pooping before. Lol
My BMs have turned to new stuff – soft and odorless. I really think that part of the reason this fast has been so easy on me is because I’ve done so many colon, liver & gallbladder and internal cleanses for the last twenty plus years.
Meal #1: Watermelon. Yum, though not as sweet as the last days.
Meal #2: Pineapple with lettuce. The lettuce in between the sweet pineapple somehow help take away the acidic pineapple tongue.
Meal #3: Cantaloupe – the best cantaloupe ever!!!
Meal #4: Mango – my favorite fruit here!!! – with lettuce. I prefer it without the lettuce.
I’ve been on a pleasure-book binge since I started re-feeding. These have been easy reads that I can’t seem to put down. May by the author Colleen Hoover, who I’ve never heard of until being here. I’m so glad I’ve allowed myself this simple pleasure and have taken a break from reading cancer books, which is all I’ve read since the diagnosis.
Today was movie night and we saw a great movie – true story – called “Spare Parts” about a group of underprivileged high school students from AZ who built an underwater robot and went up against universities like MIT in a contest and WON!!! It was a great feel-good movie that I loved!
Thursday April 20 – Day 27 (Day 6 of re-feeding)!!!
My weight has been fluctuating between 109-111 and I’m feeling fantastic about that!
I wake up everyday at 6am which is a miracle unto itself. I do this in order to get my name on the list in time. I like being completely free for my day after our 12 noon meal.
Of course, I go to sleep between 8-9pm every night and that makes a huge difference. I’ve been needing the 9 and 10 hours of sleep every night. When I get less (on the few nights I’ve had trouble sleeping) I am yawning all day long and need to nap.
Meal #1: Agua de Coco
Meal #2; Papaya con lechuga (lettuce)
Meal #3: Sandhya (Watermelon)
Meal #4: Mango – big mistake this time. Some of the pieces felt too ripe and tasted a bit off. Instead of taking it back, I ate it all and left the dining room with a super painful stomachache. It lasted until I went to bed, which was late due to the cramping. I’ll never do that again.
Friday April 28 – Day 28 (Day 7 of re-feeding)!!!
Wow! Today is my last full day at Tanglewood Wellness Center. The shuttle back to San Jose will leave tomorrow at 8am. They will serve us some coconut water first and send us off with 2 meals of fruit.
I’m super excited and ready to get home. I can’t wait to squeeze my man, hug the fur babies and just be home, enjoying spring at our new house and by the creek. Daniel and I didn’t do too many zoom calls, about every five days or so. I didn’t spend much time on the internet at all – just checking and answering emails and zooming with my sweetie. I did have a key yoga guide quit while I was here, but my team and assistant are so amazing…they found a great gal to step in and got it all done in time to have her start this quarter (one of the busiest at Aumbase).
I just finished my simple salad: lettuce, cucumber noodles, tomatoes, red peppers and ¼ avocado (we can have more tomorrow), and a blended tomato dressing. I wasn’t thrilled with the dressing – it was ok, but bland. I wish I could’ve had the mango or papaya dressings (simply blended fruit), but I can’t mix fat and fruit as I don’t want to feed the tumor at all. I look forward to creating a blended avocado w/ lemon or lime dressing when I get home.
1+ years later:
I still feel that water fasting was the best thing I have done for my health. I have been Vegan since the water fast ended. I came home intending to stick close to the fruit and simple salad diet they asked us to do for 6 weeks. I lasted about 4 weeks and I finally couldn’t stand to have lemon juice on my salad as a dressing one more minute! So I decided to make some other salad dressings and I dove into the world of raw vegan food. My taste-buds were delighted and I have had the most delicious time following and creating recipes.
There are a lot of nuts used in vegan diets and I have been eating a healthy amount of them. I slowly added a few cooked veggies over the months and some occasional black beans (in a taco salad) and later I added garbanzo beans – hummus. I am very happy with the way I have been eating, though did notice that with the addition of the nuts and beans, I started to gain some weight back. Now…keep in mind that I came home weighing 108 lbs, which was extremely low for me so I didn’t mind adding a little meat to my bones.
After some time, I began experimenting with some healthy forms of desserts. My favorites are brownies made from sweet potatoes and cheesecake made from cashews and coconut milk. I use all healthy sugars (usually allulose, stevia or monkfruit) and this has helped to satisfy my sweet tooth tremendously. But the weight slowly started coming back.
Now, 1 year and 3 months later, I am back to the weight that I was when I first went to do the water fast. The weight itself is in the “good” range, but the body fat % is high. I would love to do another water fast, but I have trouble finding the strength to do it at home. I do a day or two here or there and I enjoy it, but I would love to sink my teeth in and do another longer one at a center.