No, not that kind of fasting

image source: pixabay

If I were to tell everyone on steemit.com that I’m gonna eat fast food every day for 2 weeks, no one would care. Not really. Many of us do that already. But if I were to tell you that I was going to fast food(yeah, I said fast [from] food) for 1 week(maybe longer) for weight loss, I’m guessing a few people might be hateful. Well, let’s find out…. (Please, don’t be hateful)

Let me start out by saying that I am a Nurse in Critical Care. I check my vitals regularly when at work and also at home and out and about with the help of my Apple Watch and my electronic BP-ometer. I am very aware of my own cognitive health. AND I have fasted in the past with absolutely no ill effects.

Fasting (from Wikipedia): “Fasting is a willing abstinence or reduction from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time.”

A little research online yielded the following(I chose only pro-fasting sources):
http://www.gq.com/story/six-day-water-fast-diet
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/11/one-month-without-food/508220/
http://drbenkim.com/fasting.html
http://nypost.com/2016/03/23/forget-calorie-counting-this-is-the-real-secret-to-weight-loss/
This post says not to tell anyone that you are fasting because people will hate on you. Hmmm... What am I getting myself into?

Why am I doing this?

A few reasons(not in any particular order):

1. When I got married, I weighed 155lbs. Today I measured in at 204lbs.
2. I have tried “cutting back”, Atkins, Paleo, and a few others and nothing really works (for me).
3. I am going to the Caribbean in 2 weeks
4. My wife has struggled with her weight for most of our marriage. She has recently lost 50lbs and currently weighs 19lbs less than me! So I’m wanting to get healthy with her.
5. My BP and cholesterol are dangerously high and have been for years. My BP runs 150s/90s on good days, sometimes reaching 170s/110s on bad days. My cholesterol was 259 at my last checkup. My triglycerides were 446. My vitamin D level was 11(now 58 after taking a supplement for a few months). I have tried numerous different prescriptions, I’m currently on several meds. So I need to change my health status NOW.
6. Both my grandfathers and 1 grandmother died young due to Heart Disease. They all died before I was born. All the men on my Dads side of the family have heart disease and have been taking prescriptions for decades.
7. Did I mention I’m going on a cruise to the Caribbean in 2 weeks?
8. @gringalicious will provide the visual “fix” I need to curb my cravings during my fast as well as the edible rewards I will be able to create at the end of my fast!

I will post every day to detail the ups and downs of my endeavor.

My goal is to be down to 180lbs for my upcoming cruise(June 9th) and 170lbs for my trip to Hawaii in October!!

Please don’t be hateful. There are so many worse and more dangerous things I could be doing (trust me). I will start wearing my seatbelt every time I ride in a vehicle and I won’t even glance at my cell phone when I’m driving. I will refrain from SCUBA diving, snowboarding, freebording, and cliff-jumping while on my fast. These lifestyle choices should help offset any life-threatening dangers my detractors might be concerned with about my fasting.

I will continue taking all my meds and supplements which I will list for you in an upcoming post.

Disclaimer(s): Do not try this at home. Or work. Or McDonald’s or anywhere else. Consult with your doctor before you attempt any diet plan. I’m not a nutrition expert(obviously, but I am a food expert!) so don’t copy anything I do. These results aren’t typical. There aren’t any results yet. But if there were, they wouldn’t be typical.

Can you tell I kinda like parentheses(they’re great!)?

Wish me luck!