Today I feel like my life force has been returned to me. After finishing the 5 days I have been able to stop all my hay-fever medications, I can make a pain-free fist (the swelling in my fingers is disappearing) and I just feel revitalised. It has been tough to get through these 5 days, even with my experience of fasting, but this feeling is worth it at the end. Some more data for you: I weigh 4.4 kg less and my waist is 7 cm smaller than when I started. My resting heart-rate has gone down a few points and most importantly: I feel good.
Because I would like to give my liver a good rest I will continue with the program. The plan for days 6 and 7 is detailed below. The first time I did this I continued for a further 6 weeks – this was intended to reduce my inflammation levels to ‘normal’. FYI my CRP (a blood test done for measuring inflammation) got as high as 35 when I was very unwell (the upper limit of the normal range is 5), after those 6 weeks my CRP was 4.5, that was the first time in many years of testing that I returned a normal value. That was my motivation, the weight-loss and lifestyle changes that came along with it were a pleasant by-product. Whatever motivates you, I hope you stick with it and I hope you have had some success with this plan.
Days 6 & 7
The total calories for these two days are higher than the past 5 with the additions of a simple vegetable stir-fry. Please stick to the measurement guidelines for oil and soy sauce (these two will add in about 100 calories). The veggies – you can eat 2 serves and comfortably stay in the low calorie zone. Continue to drink plenty of water (I drank 3.5 L yesterday).
Before Breakfast – 1 shot (30ml) of Apple Tonic Vinegar diluted in 1/2 cup water
Wait 20 minutes before you eat anything.
Breakfast:
125 g punnet blueberries
125 g of berries (Strawberries/blackberries/raspberries)
for something different you could add in 125 g of ripe black cherries instead of the berries
75 g Low fat greek style yogurt
Black tea or coffee
Mid-morning
50 ml Vanilla Kefir
140 g Pawpaw
15 g Macadamias (stick with your almonds if you like them better)
Black or herbal tea, black coffee
Lunch:
Stir-fried vegetables (I use Super-food Stir-fry mix from Coles), cooked with 10 ml of extra-virgin olive oil and 30 ml of Soy-sauce
Black Tea or Coffee as you need it
Afternoon:
50 ml Kvass
1/4 Avocado
Herbal Tea (no caffeinated drinks after lunch time please!)
(if you hit the wall you can either bring your dinner forward OR eat 1/2 an unripe banana – just remember that having the banana will add in both calories and carbs, so try not to have it if you can… and only have half!)
Dinner:
125g tin of mixed beans mixed with a table spoon of Apple Tonic Vinegar (I like to soak the beans in the vinegar for a couple of hours before I eat them so they soak up the flavour)
1 Steamfresh vegetable bag (follow the instructions for reheating in your microwave)
Evening:
Cinnamon-Orange-Rooibos Tea (this tea might help you sleep better)
10 g of 70 % Dark Chocolate (1 square of Lindt)
