Hello all,

Here's a bit more about why I'm doing this, and how it's going so far.

Why fasting

Every ancient tradition, religion, and healing practice has fasting as a tool. Why might that be?

Also, we know that my numbers did better when I did more fasting.

Fasting is actually wild. Our bodies are able to heal, even from very extreme illness and dysfunction, but only if we remove all the obstacles. In our current environment there are so many obstacles to healing and perfect health. All the toxins we’re exposed to, hustle culture that creates consistent stress, food that doesn’t nourish, alcohol, sugar, lack of sunlight and nature. The list goes on and on.

So in order to access that natural healing potential, you have to stop everything. Quiet the mind and body. And let the beautiful natural process just happen.

What happens during the fast

From a data perspective, here’s what happens in an extended water-only fast:

Days 1-3: Transitioning to ketosis. You burn through all your stored sugars and begin making ketones for fuel. This can be a hard phase and you can experience “Keto flu” symptoms like headache and fatigue.

Days 4-7: Detoxification, Autophagy begins. As you burn through fat stores, you release a lot of toxins (toxins are stored in fat) and clear those out. This can also be uncomfortable as you have more toxins circulating in your blood stream for a while. Symptoms like sore throat, rashes, fatigue, muscle pain, headaches, etc can happen during this time.

Days 8+: Intense preferential autophagy, microbiome reset. This is when the real magic happens if you’re looking to heal something more extreme. Your body continues to look for fuel and has the innate intelligence to use bad things first. People see scars heal at this stage, fibroids eliminated, tumors shrink or disappear, visceral fat (the internal fat around your organs, the most dangerous kind) shrinks or disappears.

Why I chose this fast, this doctor

As I was bee bopping around the internet learning about fasting and metabolic health, I discovered Dr. Deming. I listened to several over her podcasts and I really liked her approach and her general vibe (This is actually really important when you choose your doctor! You have to connect with them and feel safe and comfortable with their approach.)

I also believe in her approach to refeeding which is pretty different from other fasting programs. She believes in starting with broth and other animal based, high protein/high fat foods, instead of juices and plant foods. I agree with this and wanted this for my fast.

I spent months considering this direction and just felt deeply in my body that this was the right thing for me.

Details about this fast

I also chose her because her fast is very well planned. She has thought of everything and every detail is handled with care.

When you sign up you get access to a whole program full of materials. Everything you need to prepare in advance, all the tools you need to buy to monitor your numbers during the fast, and everything to expect.

During the fast you check your vitals every day - weight, blood pressure, heart rate, glucose, ketones, temperature. You track urine output, sleep, water consumption, electrolyte and mineral consumption (the ones she has specified).

Once a week we go get labs to check electrolytes and basic markers.

We also have daily check-in calls with everyone in the fast. We go through our numbers with the doctor, get coaching on everything from emotional health to cooking after the fast, and build community with each other.

Water

Another big thing is the water. Since water is the only thing we’re consuming, it’s very important that it’s as healing as possible.
We use filtered (in my case reverse osmosis), coherent, deuterium depleted, hydrogenated water. It’s a lot! I make a huge container of it every few days so it’s not so much work every time I need a drink. We also closely monitor our intake and how that corresponds to our labs.

How I'm doing my fast

One recommendation on the fast is to eliminate as much of your normal life as you can during this time. Detach from daily responsibilities, work, family, friends. That includes a limit of 2 hours of screen time per day. Treat it as a vision quest (as so many fasting traditions do) and try to get quiet and go inwards as much as possible.

In order to do that I have moved over to our Tiny House for the duration of the fast. I feel so lucky to have this option!

It’s been wonderful and also weird to be away from my home and family but so close by.

How it's going

I’ve only ever done 3 days before this! I’ve done that many times now, but it’s nothing compared to this.

As I write this, I just finished day 9, almost to double digits baby. 🕺

I’ve been doing pretty well! It’s somehow harder and easier than I expected. I continue to be pretty hungry, which is something most people get past after 3-4 days. We think that’s because of my lower weight.

I am experiencing some detox symptoms, and though they’re uncomfortable, they’re also tangible proof that things are healing.

I am trying to lean into the slower pace and lower energy by doing things like knitting and beading, reading (actual paper books, some of my favorites), sitting in the sun, laying in the hammock, and just generally letting my mind wander.

I won’t lie, it’s been hard! I actually love rest, and love downtime like that, but not in this quantity. While 30 days can go by fast, each day has felt somewhat long because of how slow they go.

That’s it for now! I will let you know if there are any more big changes, or I will check in from refeeding.

We won’t know the effects of the fast on my cancer cells until at least 6 weeks after. It takes that long for the body to come back on line.

With love and gratitude,

Elizabeth

113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205
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