To be honest I never thought I would get to this point never mind have the idea that 800 hours was a realistic goal. This might have been more difficult if I hadn’t had food poisoning first but let me put that one aside for the moment.

According to what I’ve been reading, the brain actually prefers to run off ketones rather than glucose. And this seems very apparent during the day.

Here are the changes I’ve been finding in the last two-three days

• My mind has been very clear and it is easier to concentrate on tasks at hand;
• I have been vastly more productive;
• I’ve had a tendency to get up earlier;
• I’m not feeling as if I’m dragging myself out of bed each morning;
• My lucid dreams have been far more intensive;
• I can remember my dreams for longer;
• I find I actually want to go on walks now (didn’t before);
• I have way more energy;
• Skin problems have been starting to clear up;
• Swelling in my legs has gone down;
• I’m tired earlier in the evenings;

It is too early to tell whether this is temporary. My understanding from others who have done a prolonged fast is that the tiredness increases as you go along. For now, this is great and I’m actually finding I’m enjoying it. Whether I feel the same about it a week from now is another matter. But you need to take the small victories where you can find them.

To be fair, I’m not being a zealot about the fast. I’ve included four things that may be considered by purists to not be sticking to an absolute water fast.

1. Herbal tea is your friend. I’m not sure how long I could have held out drinking just water. Currently, I’m drinking about 3-4 x 30 oz (900-950ml) cups of hot herbal tea per day. I’m finding that peppermint actually helps during the day more than other types of herbal tea I have here (lemon, mint, raspberry). I’m not drinking black or caffeinated tea though. I’m drinking when I feel thirsty, my stomach grumbles (although usually that has been temporary), and when I have an emotional/jittery need to.
2. Mineral Water not Distilled. The idea behind drinking only distilled water is that it helps draw out toxins from the body. However, there is a difference between drawing out toxins and drawing out essential minerals that are important for body function. Since I have no idea how to tell the difference, my instinct is to go with mineralized water rather than distilled since the body isn’t getting minerals from other sources. I’ve purchased a Santevia Gravity Water System so as to remove a few of impurities in my local tap water.
3. Multi-Vitamins each morning. Including a CoQ10 supplement for support in fat tissue breakdown. Same reason as to why mineral water and not distilled. If I’m not getting vitamins from other sources then for a prolonged fast I don’t see how the absence of essential vitamins for a month or more is going to do anything other than hinder the body to keep itself in good repair.
4. Apple Cider Vinegar each night.  While is it not absolutely proven, apple cider vinegar does appear to help with the body’s ability to process visceral fat. This is the more harmful fat compared to subcutaneous fat. Removing more of the visceral fat, even if it is only a couple of pounds per month, will have longer-term health benefits as it is this type of fat that mostly contributes to risk factors including blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin sensitivity. My last cup of tea before bed has been 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and the lemon herbal tea.

I don’t think I’ve gotten to a good place yet where I could break the fast and not go back to old habits. This is definitely a self-discovery experience where I am learning a great deal about myself that I never realized.

For now, I’m looking forward to what comes next and have no plans on quitting early based on the way I feel today.