Message from the President
Greetings friend, and welcome to the November Comfort Connection!
The season of eating is upon us! Thanksgiving is behind us and all the festivities of Christmas are just ahead! This Thanksgiving dinner was particularly delicious, and I ate more than usual. After that dinner at my mom’s, my body said, “ENOUGH!” I had been on the slippery sugar slope for a couple of weeks and chocolate was becoming a very comforting acquaintance each evening. After too much turkey, fresh home-made buns, and pumpkin pie with whipping cream, I had reached my limit!
My husband and I had been planning a five-day water-only fast so he could reverse his newly acquired allergy to Manitoba strawberries. He was too busy with work deadlines to participate in our five-day fast, but I was ready. I was ready to detox, reset the cravings, and let my body produce new stem cells. So, on Sunday morning after the Saturday evening gorge, I began.
Fasting is pretty boring, but pretty simple in the decision-making department. I didn’t have to decide what I was going to eat every day. I just had to decide what temperature would I like my water, and how much should I drink! It’s not only the cheapest way to regain your health, it is by far the most effective. I naturally dropped a few excess pounds (8.5 to be exact in five days). Wow, was I actually carrying around that much extra weight?
My biggest question was, “Would I still be able to function at work?” I found as long as I kept my physical activity level to a minimum, I could carry on as normal. But my brain was working overtime! At times it was super active with lots of ideas and clarity, but towards the evening it got quite slow. You see, my body usually spends 50% of its energy digesting food. By shutting that digestion factory down, my body was able to spend that energy elsewhere. It asked, “What other parts of this body needs attention? What can I clean up? What can I heal?”
The five-day water-only fast was an incredible experience. I felt so CLEAN afterwards. I had absolutely no blemishes on my skin. The lymphnodes by my ears/top of jaw were particularly sore at the end of my fast. I guess they were working overtime to clean up some deep infections I didn’t even know I had. When I started, I had severe lower back pain. Once I stopped eating, the back pain was gone!
Fasting is the best way to reduce inflammation caused by too much sugar, or acid in your body. I’ve regained the self-control I was lacking and I’ve made some permanent changes. I slowed down enough to hear the still small voice saying, “B e s t i l l.” That is quite an accomplishment for me.
I’m still down 5-6 pounds and thinking I should probably buy some smaller pants.
If you are still reading this, good for you! Most people think they could NEVER fast for one day, let alone five! That was me, until I tried it. Once I started learning about the health benefits, I was hooked. My next big fast will be in January – trying for seven days. Who wants to join me?
