[MightySunTzu]

Originally Posted by ginkgo

It is hard, not easy, to overcome an addiction. Say someone wants to overcome his addiction to raping little kids. Is it OK to just rape 1 kid a month? It is a good chance that it will be the hardest thing you ever do, but it is worth it. ... The child rapist says "where can I get enjoyment if I can't rape children."

Wow Ginkgo, you have such a charming way with words. I sadly feel that this sacred thread has been violated. .

Originally Posted by Amandaaa

MightySunTzu...

Do you have any advice on how to stay satiated and keep your energy up throughout the fast-- like after Day 3...?

Hi there Amandaaa!,

Hmm. For me, the feeling of physical hunger is almost always toughest the first couple of days, then quite a bit easier as of the morning of day 3 or 4 at which point ketosis has kicked in and my appetite is largely suppressed. Not a whole lot of great ways to feel less hungry i'm afraid, however if hunger presents itself in the first couple of days, sometimes i will drink extra water beyond thirst and i also find that exercise serves to suppress my appetite.

Originally Posted by Amandaaa

But I have a serious "flavor addiction" -- I need to be able to taste some sort of flavor at least once or twice a day. So I was wondering... did you consume anything during your fast? Did you even allow yourself a piece of gum? Did you drink any green tea or black tea?

Haha, a flavor addiction, huh? . For me when i am fasting, I consume nothing whatsoever except for distilled water. No coffee, tea, gum... and i even use no toothpaste when i brush. No vitamins, no minerals, no electrolytes. I trust my body to provide for my needs. I don't even drink mineral water... however, if one really wanted to, one could, it's just not as ideally suited to a fast and the resulting cleanse as is distilled water. If you really felt you had to, it is not ideal but u could have plain tea or black coffee, though it is my understanding that any taste will just tend to keep your appetite from going dormant. Nevertheless and particularly if tea was helpful in getting you through the first couple of days (generally the toughest ones), i believe it would be a lot better to use it than to completely break the fast instead. It is afterall zero calories, so it shouldn't interfere with the desired state of ketosis. But eventually i have to believe it is easier to surrender to the process if you do not stir yourself up with tastes.

Originally Posted by Amandaaa

If not, then how did you keep your energy levels up? Do you have any advice on establishing a sleep schedule...or when to work out?

I don't believe energy levels would be kept up by tea or coffee in a fast. What keeps our energy levels up is our nutritional reserves. The fat, vitamins and minerals that are within our tissues enable us to survive for the duration of the fast... for most people 30 days or longer. It's much like a bear in hibernation. They don't drink any tea or coffee, nor do they take vitamins, electrolytes or other minerals . Yet they basically fast throughout the winter on their nutritional stores.

A main cause for our feeling less energetic is the toxins being kicked up for removal. Generally the more toxic we are and the more agressively we detox, the weaker we will feel. For example, a water fast is more aggressive than a juice fast and a water fast with "complete rest" will detox more aggressively than a water fast where we are exercising. I would say i felt so good in my fast partly because i started out fairly clean having fasted for 10 days about 3 months before this fast as well as leading into this 30 day fast with an immensely excellent nutritional and exercise plan... and secondly because i was walking 2 hours per day during this fast.

I noticed that in the final 9 days where i was no longer walking so much, i felt the symptoms of detox more strongly... primarily the light-headedness and the keto mouth... as my vital energy was being more acutely conserved lending itself towards the bodys efforts of intensified detoxification. In this fast, fat loss was one pretty essential goal for me along with the other goals, so it was important to me to get the extra exercise to contribute sizably to the fat burning. But in my next fast, now that i am very happy with my body fat %, i will likely exercise very little to experience the deeper cleanse it will bring, not to mention to conserve my reserves.

Originally Posted by Amandaaa

How much time did you spend outside?

In this case and largely because of the 2 hours per day of exercise, it was probably about 2-3 hours per day on average.

Originally Posted by Amandaaa

Is there anything else that would help keep me going during an extended fast? ...What worked for you?

Hmm. I think it's a matter of finding things your enjoy doing and peacefully settling in for the long journey with a great abundance of patience. It is exceedingly helpful if you are in a place where you love the idea of reaching your goal and enjoying the phenomenal benefits more than you love the idea of breaking the fast... no doubt we will love both ideas, but which will we love more? Once you become "anxious" to break the fast, it can only make it tougher. For me, I spent 80% of my time in the mountains, did a lot of reading, enjoyed some very warm baths listening to my favorite radio programs, and visited with people the other 20% of the time. I had an exceedingly patient attitude about breaking the fast. Each day it was an exciting prospect, but i knew i could postpone that pleasure and enjoy it soon enough.

I think that about covers your questions. If you think of anything else you want to ask, please feel free. I am here to help where i can .