As you can see from my last post I just finished a 24 hour fast.

Fasting might sound like a contradiction especially considering I am writing about “Balance” today. But it’s quite the opposite.

From all the research I’ve looked at over the years and coming back from the SENS conference on anti aging I’ve come to realize that most of us in the industrialized countries are far out of balance on the ‘too much’ side of things.

Too much food, too much drink, too much alcohol, too much leisure, too much fitness and nutrition information, too much tv etc.

At first glance a 24 hour fast sounds drastic, but when you look at it from the perspective that we all struggle with eating too much, and too often, and are exposed to food marketing and food choices far too much and too often…well then a 24 hour fast doesn’t even sound long enough!

Fasting is just as much a mental as it is physical step towards balancing your body. It provides a sense of control and accomplishment that you can control food instead of food controlling you. That is the mental benefit. The physical benefits are too numerous to list here, but suffice to say it will cause you to burn fat, allow your system a chance to clear out, reduces inflammation, and reduce water retention (to name a few).

So from the standpoint of ‘Balance’. Fasting is something that most people in modern industrialize countries could benefit from.

Even if you’re not interested in weight loss it can provide a new perspective on your relationship with food and how you respond and control your feelings of hunger/appetite and need/desire for food.

If you’ve never tried, it I suggest picking up Brad Pilon’s book Eat Stop Eat and learn how to incorporate short breaks from food into your life.

John

This is a follow up to my 72 hour weight loss experiment that I did about a month ago.

during my 72 hour experiment I simply fasted for 72 hours.

I ended up dropping from 217 pounds to about 206 over the course of 72 hours.

A few days after resuming regular eating I normalized to a weight that fluctuates between 206-208 lbs

As of right now I am starting a 24 hour weight loss experiment. In this one I am fasting but also doing extended

and frequent bouts of cardiovascular training and weight training. It’s not necessarily practical to try this on a work day or even on a weekend day that you expect to do much else besides exercise, drink coffee and nap.

So my starting weight is 206 lbs. at 8pm on Thurs.

next weigh in will be tomorrow morning after morning workout.

John