Hey guys, if you’re new to these posts, listen to this podcast episode to get the scoop on what changes I’m making in my life and you can start back at my first daily post here.
This week is going to look a little different because I’m fasting and adjusting my workouts accordingly. If you want to understand what my fast is and why I’m doing it, listen to episodes 300 and 307 of the Primal Potential Podcast. Things will return to the normal nutrition & fitness push next week.
7:16am
Guys, I made it to day 5. I really can’t believe it. I feel INCREDIBLE today. Not a single trace of hunger. I’ll be breaking my fast about 4-5 hours from now and honestly, food doesn’t seem like a big deal.
One thing I’d do differently if I could is sleep more. With the exception of today, I was still getting up between 4:30-5a daily. During a fast, I should have allowed my body more rest. I needed it & certainly made this harder by not resting more.
For that reason, I didn’t set my alarm last night. I woke up around 1:30a and struggled to fall back asleep. I woke up again around 4:30 and fell right back asleep until about 6:15a. I’m really glad I got a couple extra hours.
I shared yesterday that Ella & I started testing our blood sugar last night. Another thing I’d change: I’d test my blood sugar throughout.
I tested it this morning upon waking & it was 74 mg/dL. Good stuff!
Episode 310 of the Primal Potential podcast is going to be the lessons this fast taught us and what we’ll do with them when it’s over.
7:51am
Get this guys – super fascinating. When I woke up, my fasted blood sugar was 74. 1 hour after a cup of black coffee it was 85.
85 is still a great fasting value and I’m sure the increase isn’t due strictly to the coffee. It’s also factoring in being awake versus being asleep and normal movement/work stress.
I think I’m going to continue testing blood sugar for a few weeks so I can see what produces an increase and what doesn’t.
In fact, since I’m breaking my fast in a few hours, I decided to ease into it with a cup of coffee with 1 tbsp of MCT oil. I haven’t had any MCT oil during this fast until now. I’ll test my blood sugar after and tell you how it impacts it, if at all.
9:35am
Getting dressed and ready to head out in a bit towards the airport and our breakfast. I tested my blood sugar 1 hour after coffee with 1 tbsp MCT oil and it was 82. Still a great fasting number. I will say this: I hadn’t included MCT oil in my fast at all up until this point and it hit my tummy fast. Didn’t like the way it made me feel. Kind of crampy.
3:23pm
The fast has been broken! What an enlightening experience! On my way to the airport, Ella & I stopped at the restaurant she owns, Village Juice, where I got a salad bowl with spinach, brussels sprouts, avocado & bacon. Ideally I would have broken my fast with something lighter, but since I’ll be traveling all day, I wanted this to be a more satisfying meal.
It’s interesting to me how much easier dealing with airport delays has been today than it was on Monday. I think partly because on Monday I knew the duration of the fast was ahead of me and today I’ve had a meal. More than that though, I’m leaving North Carolina with a tremendous sense of gratitude.
I got rerouted to an unexpected state when I missed my connection due to a delay and all the remaining flights into Boston were full. As people around me race for pretzels, sodas, sugary coffee drinks and fast food, I’m just feeling healthy & strong.
I was aware that following such a long fast, there might be an urge to binge or go overboard. I’m grateful to not have that urge. I just want to fuel my body intelligently.
I will likely find some macadamia nuts before my final flight since it will probably be after 9pm when I get home and I certainly don’t want to eat that late.
I’m going to schedule this blog to post while I’m flying to Boston and I’ll be back on Monday with daily posts of the normal “year of push” – back to the challenging works and more normal eating schedule!
Love you guys!