Day 274: Big Dangly Carrot

Last week the BBC showed a programme by Michael Mosley about intermittent fasting.  There are lots of different approaches.  You can do three days fasting on the trot every month.  You can alternate days of fasting and eating freely.  You can fast for a couple of days a week.  You can simply skip breakfast.  Whatever the method you choose, the benefits seem extraordinary - from the things you'd imagine, like improving liver function and lowered cholesterol, to things you wouldn't.  Like significantly cutting your chances of developing cancer and Alzheimer's.  This goes against everything we've ever been told about eating healthily - ie not skipping meals, breakfast being the most important meal of the day etc.  But there is clear evidence that it works.  All in all, it's too big a dangly carrot for me to resist. 

I ate last night at around half-seven.  The plan is to go a full twenty-four hours before eating anything.  And then a smallish meal - around 600 calories.  Repeat.  Then five days eating normally.  This is purely an experiment.  I am interested to know how I feel.  The last time I did a deliberate fast was when I was seventeen, and I ate nothing for three days, with the aim of achieving a higher level of consciousness.  I felt pretty damn rough for the first two days, and on the third day I remember feeling that my mind and vision were crystal clear.  It was good - but the first two days were so awful, I never felt encouraged to try it again. 

But I have fasted in different circumstances.  Following my hospitalisation with a head injury, I completely lost my appetite.  I didn't eat anything at all for about ten days.  It is interesting that the documentary I watched showed that in a fasted state, neurons are able to generate, and the brain is able to repair itself (hence link with prevention of Alzheimer's).  I wonder whether my body expressly didn't want food as it was busy doing brain repairs? 

Anyway - this is different.  Only twenty-four hours before eating, which is completely do-able.  If unpleasant. 

I won't lie.  I am hungry.  But it's a small price to pay for hanging onto your marbles.