Day 30 One Month Summary

Today is the one month anniversary of my diet. The results are that I lost 21 pounds and 6 inches off my waist in that time. My overall condition has improved. As I only started pilates yesterday, my "core" is still weak. My gym work has been improving on the cardios and the weights. My blood sugar readings are improving.

Meal 1....Tomato Juice.............................50
Meal 2....Celery,two stocks..@ 6/..................12
Meal 3....One raw tomato...........................55
Meal 4....Vegetable Medley Medium-Large bowl **...148
Meal 5....1 Tbsp Tahini/Honey=206.................206
Meal 6....Pineapple...1 slice...231 whole..........28
Meal 7....1/2 Tbsp Tahini/Honey=206...............103
Meal 8....Orange...................................62

Readings for blood sugar were recorded:

Before first meal this morning........79
Before 2nd meal.......................87
Before 3rd meal.......................87
Before 4th meal.......................88



1. Fasted Blood Sugar...........................79
2. Weight .....................................208
3. Waist .......................................40
4. Calorie Intake (6/30/04)....................664
5. Prescription Drugs ...........................0
6. Vitamins .....................................0
7. Exercise-class hours .........................0
8. Exercise-weights ..............................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ......................5
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights..................0
11.Walking.......................................0
12. Pilates......................................1.0

Day 29 24-Hour Fast

Today is Tuesday. My Fast day each week. You would think I wouldn't be obsessed since I have such a restricted diet. But I could have had a salad, cold slaw, etc. I thought my reaction very interesting. My diet foods have replaced the meat, dairy, etc. foods I normally obsess about. But the obsession still remains and that is the problem. I plan to reduce my caloric intake permanently which will require the control and preferably the elimination of all such obessions.

I have believed for years we are a really overfed race. Not merely overfed. That we survive longer if we eat less. I first ran into this when I was 14 and read about the Man from Verona(Italy). The man had lead a life of debauchery. At 40 he was consumptive and expected to die. One morning he woke up and decided to limit his consumption of food to 12 ounces a day.

Well the man lived to be 110 years old and was honored for his work in science, politics and literature. At 80, friends convinced him to raise his consumption. He experimented by raising his consumption to 15 ounces a day and got sick. It took him two weeks to recover. I never followed his edict but it made a lasting impression. It became painfully clear in the 80s with Dr. Walford's studies at UCLA, that reduced consumption was the key to longer life. More later.


Meals........................................None


Readings for blood sugar were recorded:

At 10:00 AM...................................120
At 4:00 PM....................................84


1. Fasted Blood Sugar..........................120
2. Weight .....................................207
3. Waist .......................................40.5
4. Calorie Intake (6/20/04)......................0
5. Prescription Drugs ...........................0
6. Vitamins .....................................0
7. Exercise-class hours .........................0
8. Exercise-weights ..............................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ......................5
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights..................0
11.Walking........................................
12.Pilates......................................1.0

When you obsess about food, you overeat. It becomes a habit you eventually have to break, When overfed, you bloat and are uncomfortable. You don't have that light ready to go feeling. Try to focus on the latter goal when you eat. Eat to feel light and flat(think in the stomach).

Tonight I put in one hour of pilates. I have the beginner's
version. It is not too strenuous. The only problem is that my old body doesn't bend the way it used to. It is going to take some time. Think "core". Think "powerhouse". Think "flat".

Day 27 & 28 Pilates Discovered

Day 27 Sunday
I have discovered that exercise is great but what needs work is my "core". That stomach, abodomen, gluts area where man gets his power for almost everything. My friend started "pilates" several months ago and now she has an 1890's waist without the corset. That has encouraged me to attack my weaken core. Weakened by years of neglect and inactivity.

Meal 1....Tomato Juice.............................50
Meal 2....Celery,two stocks..@ 6/..................12
Meal 3....Three strawberries.......................55
Meal 4....Vegetable Medley Medium bowl **..........98
Meal 5....1/2 Tbspn Almond Butter..................46
Meal 6....Tomato Juice.............................50
Meal 7....2 Tbsp Tahini/Honey=206.................412

Readings for blood sugar were recorded:

Before first meal this morning.......129
Before 2nd meal......................124
Before 3rd meal......................123
Before 4th meal......................108



1. Fasted Blood Sugar..........................129
2. Weight .....................................208
3. Waist .......................................40.5
4. Calorie Intake (6/20/04)....................723
5. Prescription Drugs ...........................0
6. Vitamins .....................................0
7. Exercise-class hours .........................0
8. Exercise-weights ..............................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ......................5
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights..................0
11.Walking.......................................0

There are many tapes and disks on pilates. My friend swears by Mara Windsor Pilates. I am going to start as soon as I get the tapes.

Day 28, Monday

Meal 1....Tomato Juice.............................50
Meal 2....Celery,two stocks..@ 6/..................12
Meal 3....Three strawberries.......................55
Meal 4....Cold Slaw ..only 3 spoons................15
....Pineapple...2 slices...231 whole.........56
Meal 5....2 Tbsp Tahini/Honey=206/1................412
Meal 6....Tomato Juice.............................50
Meal 7....1 Orange.................................62

Readings for blood sugar were recorded:

Before first meal this morning.......133
Before 2nd meal......................131
Before 3rd meal.......................95
Before 4th meal......................108
After 4th meal immediately..........135


1. Fasted Blood Sugar..........................133
2. Weight .....................................208
3. Waist .......................................40.5
4. Calorie Intake (6/20/04)....................712
5. Prescription Drugs ...........................0
6. Vitamins .....................................0
7. Exercise-class hours .........................0
8. Exercise-weights ..............................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ......................5
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights..................0
11.Walking........................................5

I went to the bookstore and bought a beginner's pilates DVD and manuals. I hope I can get this old body into some of those positions.

Day 26 Four Days it will be a Month

Meal 1....Small Head Lettuce salad.................75
Meal 2....Celery,two stocks..@ 6/..................12
Meal 3....Three strawberries.......................55
Meal 4....Vegetable Medley Small bowl **...........58
Meal 5....1/2 Tbspn Almond Butter..................46
Meal 6....Tomato Juice.............................50
Meal 7....1 Tbsp Tahini/Honey=206.................206


Readings for blood sugar were recorded:

Before first meal this morning.......120
Before 2nd meal......................118
Before 3rd meal......................108
Before 4th meal......................101


Speaking of protein (meat above)I mix tahini(liquified semame seeds) with small amounts of organic honey and organic vanilla for energy and protein. In WWII,Turkish pilots could stay engaged in dogfights for up to four hours whereas Americans were pooped in one. The Turks ascribed their energy and strength to eating sesame seed products. Who knew?

1. Fasted Blood Sugar..........................120
2. Weight .....................................207
3. Waist .......................................40
4. Calorie Intake (6/20/04)....................500
5. Prescription Drugs ...........................0
6. Vitamins .....................................0
7. Exercise-class hours .........................0
8. Exercise-weights ..............................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ......................5
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights..................0
11.Walking.......................................0

Day 25 Perfect Diet

After 55 years of reading about health, I have come to the same conclusion that I did when I was 14: fruit and starchless vegetables. Last night rereading Pritikin I blanched at the diet's concession to our societal norms. Meat, but just a quarter pound a day, to stave off the B-12 deficiency that may occur in ten or twelve years. Milk, cheese, etc. but just the highly de-fatted products. Why? Because it is fun? No it is the continuing tribal obession mothers have to see their kids are well fed. That nutritional concern has morphed into a fast-food, vitamin deficient, obese nightmare.

Meal 1....Tomato Juice.............................50
Meal 2....Celery,two stocks..@ 6/..................12
Meal 3....Three strawberries.......................55
Meal 4....Cold Slaw..Small bowl....................56
Meal 5....Orange...................................62
Meal 6....1 Tbsp Tahini/Honey=206.................206
Meal 7....1 Tspn Almond Butter.....................93

Readings for blood sugar were recorded:


Before first meal this morning.......111
Before 2nd meal......................128
Before 3rd meal.......................93
Before 4th meal.......................98


Speaking of protein (meat above)I mix tahini(liquified semame seeds) with small amounts of organic honey and organic vanilla for energy and protein. In WWII,Turkish pilots could stay engaged in dogfights for up to four hours whereas Americans were pooped in one. The Turks ascribed their energy and strength to eating sesame seed products. Who knew?

1. Fasted Blood Sugar..........................111
2. Weight .....................................208
3. Waist .....................................40.5
4. Calorie Intake (6/20/04)....................534
5. Prescription Drugs ...........................0
6. Vitamins .....................................0
7. Exercise-class hours .........................0
8. Exercise-weights ..............................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ......................5
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights..................0
11.Walking.......................................0

24th Day Weight Dropping

Today, I continued, for the second day, to follow the tiny meal regimen. My weight fell to 211 and my waist to 40.5". That means I've lost 18 pounds and 5.5" off my waist in 24 days. No meat, no starchy vegetables, no dairy. So as you can see, it can be done. i have had no hunger , but like Pavlov's dog, I have occasionally obsessed and fallen down.

Meal 1....Cold Slaw..small bowl....................56
Meal 2....celery,two stocks..@ 6/..................12
Meal 3....figs, three @30/.........................90
Meal 4....Cold Slaw..small bowl....................56
Meal 5....Three strawberries.......................55
Meal 6....1 Tbsp Tahini/Honey=206.................206
Meal 7....Tomato Juice.............................50

Readings for blood sugar were recorded:


Before first meal this morning.......130
Before 2nd meal......................125
Before 3rd meal......................121
Before 4th meal.......................84


Eating small meals is a form of a fast when all you eat is low calorie foods. I'll continue to monitor the blood sugar to see that it responds as expected. This second test continues to verify Pritikin's thesis. My overeating late at night keeps my fasted level high. Hopefully that will come down as I get my obsessions under control.

1. Fasted Blood Sugar..........................130
2. Weight .....................................211
3. Waist .....................................40.5
4. Calorie Intake (6/20/04)....................525
5. Prescription Drugs ...........................0
6. Vitamins .....................................0
7. Exercise-class hours .........................0
8. Exercise-weights ..............................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ......................5
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights..................0
11.Walking.......................................0

Some have complained that when you get old the only thing you have to look forward to is skin eruptions. So has it been with me. Yet in the 24 days, all the tiny sores on my scalp have disappeared. I haven't changed my shampoo. I believe it is the changes I've made to my diet and exercise. Hey, maybe it can be traced to getting more oxygen. Hopefully some of that is feeding my brain. We can dream can't we.

Day 23 -Experiment/Pritikin

Wednesday 6/23/2004

Today U\I switched my eating routine to Pritikin's small meals regimen. I tracked my blood sugar to see how it responded.


Meal 1....Cold Slaw..small bowl....................56
Meal 2....celery,two stocks..@ 6/..................12
Meal 3....figs, three @30/.........................90
Meal 4....Cold Slaw..small bowl....................56
Meal 5....Orange..........@68......................68
Meal 6....Tomato Juice.............................50
Meal 7....Tomato Juice.............................50

Readings for blood sugar were recorded:

Before at 1:06 AM last night.........211
Before first meal this morning.......151
Before 2nd meal......................134
Before 3rd meal......................122
Before 4th meal......................103

Eating small meals is a form of a fast when all you eat is low calorie foods. I'll continue to monitor the blood sugar to see that it responds as expected. This first test verifies Pritikin's thesis.

1. Fasted Blood Sugar..........................151
2. Weight .....................................214
3. Waist .......................................41.5
4. Calorie Intake (6/20/04)....................382
5. Prescription Drugs ...........................0
6. Vitamins .....................................0
7. Exercise-class hours .........................0
8. Exercise-weights ..............................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ......................5
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights..................0
11.Walking.......................................0

If i can keep my blood sugar down below 100 on this regimen, I will incorporate it with the Ehret/Bragg fasting regimen.

Day 21 and Day 22 A Failing

On Monday and Tuesday, I skipped food until the evening. It turned out to be the wrong thing to do. I tended to overeat after fasting all day. Tomorrow I will return to a more realistic pattern and try to utilize Pritikin's prescription...Eat 6 very small meals during the day. In that way, if you eat vegetables, digestion slows down and sugar balance is maintained.

Monday

Breakfast
Nothing...............,..........................0

Lunch
Nothing...............,..........................0

Dinner
Cole Slaw...small bowl..154/salad...............52
4 chocolate chip cookies...each @ 60...........240
1 Tbsp Tahini/Honey=206........................206
4 Almonds..167/ounce...........................167
4 Wasabi snacks......each @ 60.................240


1. Fasted Blood Sugar..........................126
2. Weight .....................................217
3. Waist .......................................42
4. Calorie Intake (6/20/04)....................905
5. Prescription Drugs ...........................0
6. Vitamins .....................................0
7. Exercise-class hours .........................0
8. Exercise-weights .............................0
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike .....................0
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights..................0
11.Walking.......................................0

Tuesday

Monday

Breakfast
Nothing...............,..........................0

Lunch
Nothing...............,..........................0

Dinner
5 chocolate chip cookies...each @ 60...........300
2 Tbsp Tahini/Honey=206........................412
2 Wasabi snacks......each @ 60.................120
1 Orange..........@68...........................68
1 Tomato Juice..................................50


1. Fasted Blood Sugar..........................112
2. Weight .....................................217
3. Waist .......................................41.5
4. Calorie Intake (6/20/04)....................950
5. Prescription Drugs ...........................0
6. Vitamins .....................................0
7. Exercise-class hours .........................0
8. Exercise-weights ..............................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ......................5
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights..................0
11.Walking.......................................0

I missed my weekly fast today. I lost it this evening. I wasn't hungry. I was obviously possessed. It happens. Just forget it and refocus. Tomorrow, I start "distributed nutrition". I will eat small portions of vegetables all day long.

Day 20 Father's Day

I thought I would break my regimen today. Yet, I got up this morning and had tomato juice followed by an orange for lunch. I worked out for an hour and a half and still am not hungry. A good trick for that ghost "hunger" is a good workout. It generally reduces your false sense of hunger. I am going to my first restaurant in 20 days tonight and see what happens.

Breakfast
Tomato Juice...8 ounces.........................50

Lunch
1 Oranges (64 per)..............................64

Dinner
Tosada salad.commercial no meat................300
4 chocolate chip cookies...each @ 60...........240
1 Tbsp Tahini/Honey=206........................206
4 Almonds..167/ounce...........................167
10 Wasabi snacks......each @ 60..................0


1. Fasted Blood Sugar...........................80
2. Weight .....................................217
3. Waist .......................................42
4. Calorie Intake (6/20/04)....................987
5. Prescription Drugs ...........................0
6. Vitamins .....................................0
7. Exercise-class hours .........................0
8. Exercise-weights ...............................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike .....................1.0
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights..................0
11.Walking.......................................0

My weight has stayed the same for several days. I noticed my upper body is starting to get muscular. My pharmacist friend warned not to look for a lot of weight reduction if I am pushing weights as the fat is being turned to muscle which weighs more. The one-inch reduction in my waist size seems to support that.

Today I decided to break my regimen but instead I had a vegetarian tosad at S

Day 19, End Flush

Today I ended the fruit fast. I didn't get the results I wanted as I cheated with wasabi soy beans, peas and almonds. So I ended the fast with a cole slaw. Tomorrow is Father's Day and i plan to relax and start my regimen again on Monday.


Breakfast
None............................................0

Lunch
Pineapple Juice...16 ounces....................220
Tomato Juice...8 ounces.........................50
1 Tablespoon - raw Honey........................50

Dinner
Cole Slaw...small bowl..154/salad...............52
4 Almonds..167/ounce...........................167
10 Wasabi snacks...............................400


1. Fasted Blood Sugar..........................126
2. Weight .....................................217
3. Waist .......................................43
4. Calorie Intake (6/8/04).....................939
5. Prescription Drugs ...........................0
6. Vitamins .....................................0
7. Exercise-class hours .........................0
8. Exercise-weights ..............................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ......................5
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights..................0
11.Walking.......................................0

I showed up at Bodies in Motion gym this morning to find out the gym was no longer hosting my insurance group for free. No wonder, their gym is enormous, its always empty and the prices are ridiculous. Thankfully I have been keeping up my Bally's membership even though I hadn't been there in years. They were very helpful. They are planning a program for me next week.

Day 18 Fresh Fruit Day

Today I switched from juice to fresh fruit. My first read at 14 was Professor Arnold Ehret's Mucusless Diet Healing System (circa 1905). The Professor was a world-class faster with records established in European jails for the length of his fasts drinking only water. His years of health work left him with the conclusion that fruit was the perfect food for man, with the grape leading the pack.

My studies have concluded that man dies from accumulated acidosis. The modern diet is a one-way highway to acidosis. The counter to acid-forming foods are those that are alkaline forming. Strange as it seems, fruit is the best alkaline-forming food. Acid-forming foods are lime poor. Fruit is lime rich. Lime is transferred from the earth through the roots through the tree into the fruit. I concluded long ago, the Professor was on to something. Fruit has one restriction. It can't be eaten with other foods as it causes a chemical reaction that reverses the alkaline advantages it delivers.


Breakfast
1 Oranges (64 per).............................64

Lunch
Strawberry/Grapes......16 ounces...............220

Dinner
Pineapple Juice...16 ounces....................220
Tomato Juice...8 ounces.........................50
1 Tablespoon - raw Honey........................50


1. Fasted Blood Sugar...........................87
2. Weight .....................................215
3. Waist .....................................42.5
4. Calorie Intake (6/8/04).....................604
5. Prescription Drugs ...........................0
6. Vitamins .....................................0
7. Exercise-class hours .........................0
8. Exercise-weights ..............................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ......................5
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights..................0
11.Walking.......................................0

I had the conviction that the by-pass was purely an insurance policy that plaque wasn't the protection I thought it was. It was my opinion that the heart attack and other related heart problems had as their genesis acidosis. Well, this year doctors are backing off the viability of by-pass surgery. Apparently their new belief is that localized conditions are more responsible. Oh, maybe acidosis at some point in the system?

Day 17 Weak Bones

The scan I had done that revealed the plaque and my need for a by-pass, also noted that I had extremely weak bones. Inasmuch as I hadn't exercised in years and my diet was abysmal it wasn't a great surprise. However, last fall I ran into my daughters "bounce-back", a netting used to return a softball to the pitcher without benefit of a catcher. It was pitch black when I was taking out the trash. The wind had blown the bounce-back against the house. As I edged along the wall, my foot stuck in the netting.

Normally I would have recovered my balance, but the neuropathy in my legs didn't allow for such recovery. I fell on my right leg with all my weight. I broke my ankle and a bone in my leg. The diagnosis proved correct. As diabetics heal slower than normal, the recovery has been slow. I still have sore tendons in my knee and hip. This weakness is as responsible for my current search for a cure for diabetes as any factor. The right diet and weight work should improve strength of my bones.

Breakfast
Tomato Juice...8 ounces................50
Tomato Juice...8 ounces................50

Lunch
Orange Juice...8 ounces...............110
Tomato Juice...8 ounces................50

Dinner
Pineapple Juice...8 ounces............110
Tomato Juice...8 ounces................50
Tomato Juice...8 ounces................50
1 Tablespoon - raw Honey...............50


1. Fasted Blood Sugar...............110
2. Weight ..........................215
3. Waist ............................42.5
4. Calorie Intake (6/8/04)..........520
5. Prescription Drugs ................0
6. Vitamins ..........................0
7. Exercise-class hours ..............0
8. Exercise-weights ...................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ...........5
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights.......
11.Walking.............................

This is the second day of my flush fast. The first two days were only juices. The next two days will be fruit only. My bowel movements for the last two days, without eating any solid food, were more voluminous than when I was overeating.
This is normal. Supposedely healthy humans carry around about ten pounds of uneliminated feces in the track at all times. We understand such waste continually poisons our system.

Day 15 and Day 16

On Tuesday, I fasted. Today I started a flush fast. Just juice every other hour and water the other hour. I didn't take any pills except two Swiss Kriss herb laxatives this morning. I had movements greater than normal.


Tuesday:

1. Fasted Blood Sugar...............111
2. Weight ..........................215
3. Waist ............................42.5
4. Calorie Intake (6/8/04)............0
5. Prescription Drugs ................0
6. Vitamins ..........................0
7. Exercise-class hours ..............0
8. Exercise-weights ...................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ...........5
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights.......
11.Walking.............................

Wednesday

1. Fasted Blood Sugar................83
2. Weight ..........................215
3. Waist ............................42.5
4. Calorie Intake (6/8/04)..........520
5. Prescription Drugs ................0
6. Vitamins ..........................0
7. Exercise-class hours ..............1
8. Exercise-weights ..................0
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ..........0
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights.......
11.Walking.............................

Breakfast
Orange Juice...8 ounces...............110
Tomato Juice...8 ounces................50

Lunch
Tomato Juice...8 ounces................50
Tomato Juice...8 ounces................50

Dinner
Orange Juice...8 ounces...............110
Tomato Juice...8 ounces................50
Tomato Juice...8 ounces................50
1 Tablespoon - raw Honey...............50

For the last five days my eyes are caked in the morning. As I have had a diabetic problems with my eyes, I think the discharges are poison eliminations. I still watch television without glasses.

Day 14

Not a special day. My binge on wasabi soy beans, peas, mango didn't spike my weight. My sugar count was 114 and hasn't dropped below 100. I didn't eat breakfast or lunch but I don't think it will matter. Tomorrow is the weekly fast day. I will follow that up with a flush on Wednesday through Saturday.

Breakfast
None...........................................0

Lunch
None...........................................0


Dinner
3 Cups of shredded cabbage 9/i/2 cup..........54
1/2 Cup of grated carrots..31/1 7.5 ".........62
1/4 Cup of diced onions...30/ 1/2 cup.........15
1/4 Cup of sliced beets...35/1 beet............9
3 Cloves garlic........per clove 4............12
1 Tablespoon Vinegar-Braggs....................0
1 Tablespoon Aminos-Braggs.....................0
1 Tomato/Onions...............................63
1 Tablespoon - raw Honey......................50

Snacks
1 Oranges (64 per).............................64
3 Slices of Melba Toast..3 slices..............50
4 Almonds..167/ounce..........................167
10 Wasabi snacks..............................200

1. Fasted Blood Sugar...............114
2. Weight ..........................215
3. Waist ............................42.5
4. Calorie Intake (6/8/04)..........746
5. Prescription Drugs ................0
6. Vitamins ..........................0
7. Exercise-class hours ..............1
8. Exercise-weights ..................0
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ..........0
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights.......
11.Walking.............................

Day 13 A Breakdown

Today I went to a political event and it was at a park with various vendors in attendance. I passed all the normal food stalls but got entranced by a vendor who was peddling "Wasabi" flavored soy, pea, trail mix and mango. I couldn't resist and have been treating myself to them all day and night. Not good. But I put in two hours of exercise. Hopefully that should offset some of the damage.

Breakfast
Nothing.......................................0

Lunch
Watermelon........1 wedge.......................92
Raw Honey....1 teaspoon.........................25

Dinner
Salad...small bowl.............................150
Raw Honey....1 teaspoon.........................25

Snacks
1 Oranges (64 per)..............................64
Various Nuts and dried fruit...................300
20 Almonds..167/ounce..........................200

1. Fasted Blood Sugar...............121
2. Weight ..........................215
3. Waist ............................42 1/2
4. Calorie Intake (6/8/04)..........856
5. Prescription Drugs ................0
6. Vitamins ..........................0
7. Exercise-class hours ..............0
8. Exercise-weights ...................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ...........5
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights.......
11.Walking...........................1.0

Day 12 , 7-way Bypass

Two years ago, I underwent 7-way heart bypass surgery. It was a voluntary surgery to me. I had no incidents. My family, of course, felt differently. The year before I had gone to an imaging center and got the bad news. I was expecting it because diabetics have clogged their system so badly, they are always good candidates for other chronic diseases, especially heart. The need for 7 bypasses proves that.

The scans are so devised that plaque shows up as white areas. My scans of course were blinding. After my surgery, I felt fine but no jump in spirit or energy. I only had continuing pain from their splitting my chest in two. Someone told me they left a metal mesh there but I never followed up on it. But this morning I noticed that during my stretching exercise that pain had lessened. Maybe God is healing things. Using less energy to digest food, maybe has left time for the body to heal areas of concern.

Breakfast
Nothing.......................................0

Lunch
Taco Salad...small bowl......................250
Raw Honey....1 tablespoon.....................50

Dinner
Taco Salad...small bowl......................250
Raw Honey....1 tablespoon.....................50

Snacks
1 Oranges (64 per).............................64
3 Slices Watermelon...2 wedges @92............184
4 Almonds..167/ounce...........................42

1. Fasted Blood Sugar...............119
2. Weight ..........................215
3. Waist ............................43
4. Calorie Intake (6/8/04)..........890
5. Prescription Drugs ................0
6. Vitamins ..........................0
7. Exercise-class hours ..............
8. Exercise-weights ...................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ...........5
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights.......
11.Walking............................

I noted yesterday that you control your mind. I noted that as I watched TV last night, my programming had me looking at the food people were ravenously eating on TV and I started thinking "how much salt?", "how much white sugar?", "how much white flour?". I plan to keep on programming for this result as I will continue to be bombarded by my environment.

Have you noted that I haven't gained weight since I quit fasting. Usually the body responds to a fast by saving all the nutrients it can to reestablish the weight it was used to. I've changed the food I am eating (except today).

The Taco Salad I had two small bowls of today was taboo for my regimen. It is a family favorite and delicious. I am going to go off regimen from time to time. There is no reason to punish yourself. Just reduce the size of the portion you eat. I only ate 1/3rd of what I normally eat. If you wait, foods that normally taste good to you will start tasting differently (I have been told). We'll see.

Day 11 Hunger

This morning I awoke thinking about what real hunger is. I wasn't hungry. I had worried when I started my 15-day fast in Spain that I would go bonkers with hunger. For 15 days,however, I never had even one hunger pain. I was psychologically shocked. The staff told me that real hunger doesn't surface until about the 27th. Day. Before that you really don't know what hunger is. That means, that hardly anyone on Earth has ever really been hungry.

I've noticed since my fast, that I really don't have hunger pains. I have, however, been slavishly having three meals a day. Why? I guess it is safe to say it is a cultural habit. Three squares a day. Well, if you aren't hungry, should you eat? The obvious answer is no. Hunger can be controlled. So can the signals sent out by Madison Avenue that tell you to eat every TV show you watch, every radio show you hear, every sign you read. But only you have control over your mind. Don't be weak. Just ask yourself, Am I really hungry? Then don't eat if the answer is no.

Breakfast
1 orange......................................64

Lunch
Ten Strawberries...44 per cup.................66
One Banana...................................167

Dinner
3 Cups of shredded cabbage 9/i/2 cup..........54
1/2 Cup of grated carrots..31/1 7.5 ".........62
1/4 Cup of diced onions...30/ 1/2 cup.........15
1/4 Cup of sliced beets...35/1 beet............9
3 Cloves garlic........per clove 4............12
1 Tablespoon Vinegar-Braggs....................0
1 Tablespoon Aminos-Braggs.....................0
1 Tomato/Onions...............................63
1 Tablespoon - raw Honey......................50

Snacks
1 Oranges (64 per).............................64
3 Slices of Melba Toast..3 slices..............50
12 Grapes...at 58/cup..........................58
4 Almonds..167/ounce...........................42

1. Fasted Blood Sugar...............126
2. Weight ..........................215
3. Waist ............................43
4. Calorie Intake (6/8/04)..........776
5. Prescription Drugs ................0
6. Vitamins ..........................0
7. Exercise-class hours ..............1
8. Exercise-weights ..................0
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ..........0
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights.......
11.Walking.............................5

Well. One banana is 167 calories. Kiss that fruit goodbye for now. Reviewing the calories for various vegetables, you can make a smashing good salad with some real low calorie varieties.

My blood sugar spiked to the top of the acceptable range and I haven't lost weight in several days so I am preparing my flush starting Wednesday after my weekly fast on Tuesday. Dr. Buchanan had prescribed a mix of Tahini(a liquified semame seed butter) and raw honey as a snack during my flush at UCLA he said to maintain my strength.

Day 10

I have been a type II diabetic since 1992. I contracted neuropathy in 1997(common difficulty) and have had little or no tactile feeling below the knees since. It makes balance, walking, showering, driving, exercising, somewhat difficult. There are no cures according to the doctors. I'm proceeding with the fasting regimen hoping that it may clear up whatever the cause is.

That condition has demoralized me. No honestly, I guess I've been using that excuse to delay this dieting/exercising regimen. I've been lazy. Now that I've started, my legs and feet are beginning to get stronger. Starting yesterday, there is a definite change in my lower body.

I've become accustomed to holding the hand rail up and down stairs. Strangely enough yesterday, I bounded up the stairs at the gym two at a time without help. At the top, I was only partially winded. A definite improvement. I normally would go up one stair at a time, holding the rail and be totally winded by the time I reach the top.

1. Fasted Blood Sugar...............101
2. Weight ..........................215
3. Waist ............................43
4. Calorie Intake (6/8/04)..........519
5. Prescription Drugs ................0
6. Vitamins ..........................0
7. Exercise-class hours ..............0
8. Exercise-weights ..................0
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ..........0
10.Walking with 2 15 lb weights........3
11.Walking.............................7

Breakfast
1 orange......................................64

Lunch
Ten Strawberries...44 per cup.................66

Dinner
3 Cups of shredded cabbage 9/i/2 cup..........54
1/2 Cup of grated carrots..31/1 7.5 ".........62
1/4 Cup of diced onions...30/ 1/2 cup.........15
1/4 Cup of sliced beets...35/1 beet............9
3 Cloves garlic........per clove 4............12
1 Tablespoon Vinegar-Braggs....................0
1 Tablespoon Aminos-Braggs.....................0
1 Tomato/Onions...............................63

Snacks

2 Oranges (64 per)............................128
3 Slices of Melba Toast..3 slices..............50
12 Grapes...at 58/cup..........................58

Well it happened. I just free-walked for a straight hour occasionally carrying 30 lbs of free weights. And I could have walked longer. Before the fast, I couldn't walk across the street to our neighbors without laboring. My breathing would get me. The fast has freed something or other and my asthma-driven, shallow breathing has temporarily disappeared. I will continue my regimen and attempt to improve my breathing capacity.

I am learning alot charting my calories. It tells me what foods are loaded and those that are not. Seeing that three tablespoons of olive oil ran to 130 calories, I eliminated it from my new batch of cold slaw. I didn't miss it at all.

Day Nine

On May 1st, I joined a seniors class at Bodies in Motion. Until today, it had been a strain. I had never felt energenic. But today, after a 7-day fast and 2 days of nutritious fruit and vegetables, I felt stronger and more alert. Nothing really has changed but I felt like I had found missing ancient space in my lungs. As I sit here deep breathing is much easier.

1. Fasted Blood Sugar...............101
2. Weight ..........................215
3. Waist ............................43
4. Calorie Intake (6/8/04)..........737
5. Prescription Drugs ................0
6. Vitamins ..........................0
7. Exercise-class hours ..............1
8. Exercise-weights ..................0
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ..........0


Breakfast
1 orange......................................64

Lunch
20 green grapes...58/cup......................116

Dinner
1 Tomato.......................................63
1 Collard Greens.......1 cup 35................35
1 Kale.................1 cup 42................42
1 Mustard Greens.......1 cup 21................21
1 Swiss Chard..........1 cup 35................35
3 Cloves garlic........per clove 4.............12
1 Jalapeno..............per ounce 8.............8
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil........................130
1 Tablespoon Vinegar-Braggs.....................0
1 Tablespoon Aminos-Braggs......................0

2 Oranges (64 per)............................128
20 Strawberries (11/one quarter cup)...........88
3 Slices of Melba Toast..3 slices..............50

Second Day after Breaking Fast

On this eight day, I slept well, had no discomfort ate the cold slaw described on Sunday for breakfast and dinner. My sugar count rose to an acceptable 78 this morning after my tomato surprise last night, which by the way was delicious. I am looking forward to the fruit scheduled for tomorrow.

1. Fasted Blood Sugar................78
2. Weight ..........................215
3. Waist ............................43
4. Calorie Intake (6/8/04)......... 403
5. Prescription Drugs ................0
6. Vitamins ..........................0
7. Exercise-class hours ..............1
8. Exercise-weights ..................0
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ..........0

As Bragg had suggested, my first bowel movement was normal and occured after my dinner today.

Breaking the Fast

Today was the seventh day of my first fast. I broke the fast at 5:00 PM with the following:

Three tomatoes with 5 cloves of Garlic boiled with 1/2 cup of distilled water with Braggs amino and vinegar sprinled on.

As my chart shows my blood sugar had fallen to 55. At that point it seems my fast was just the right number of days.

1. Fasted Blood Sugar................55
2. Weight ..........................215
3. Waist ............................43
4. Calorie Intake (6/1/04)......... 239
5. Prescription Drugs ................0
6. Vitamins ..........................0
7. Exercise-class hours ..............1
8. Exercise-weights ..................0
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ..........0

For the seventh day, there were no headaches, cravings,etc. Tomorrow morning I start the brooming with the cole slaw described Sunday.

Ending the First Fast

As this is the 6th day day of this first fast, I have been reviewing how to best end it. I plan to end it Tuesday morning on the eigth day. During the fast, I have had no bowel movements which is the same thing that happened to me in Spain. I believe the advice from one of my fasting gurus, Paul Bragg. Forget trying to force it with laxatives. It will normally reregulate itself after the fast.

The object of fasting is to allow your body the time to cure itself. The three main body functions are ingestion, digestion and elimination. When you shut down ingestion and digestion, the body has only one function to perform- elimation. The energy of the first two functions are redirected to the third when fasting. Accumulated poison are released and ready for flushing.

What confuses most fasters is that you can't flush the poisons without paying extremely close attention to how you break the fast. To immediately start eating your normal fare will abort the cleansing. It is the same thing with a cold. If you immediately feed it, it often stops it by diverting the body'e energy from elimination to digestion. So breaking the fast is almost more important than the fast.

George Bernard Shaw was a consumate faster. He died early at age 90 only because he fell out of the fruit tree he was prunning. He is credited with the saying that "anybody can fast, it takes an intelligent man to break one". So I am devoting time to program how i break it.

Everyone has a different method a breaking a fast. I am going to combine several. The first meal will be a home-made cold slaw which will serve as a brush in the elimination channels.

Cold Slaw

3 Cups of shredded cabbage
1 Cup of grated carrots
1/4 Cup of diced onions
1/4 Cup of sliced beets
1/4 Cup of sliced green peppers

Dressing-3 tablespoons of Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar
-1 pressed clove of garlic
-2 tablespoons of virgin olive oil
-3 tablespoons of orange juice freshly squeezed

If for any reason I fail to move, I will keep eating until I do. It is most important to eliminate those first poisons. Trying to continue to fast is the wrong step. Elimination is the first order toward the "intelligent" ending of a fast. Pay utmost attention to it.

After the cold slaw and the first elimination, I plan to finish the day with small portions of fruit every two hours. I plan to go to bed after eating a clove of garlic.

1. Fasted Blood Sugar................71
2. Weight ..........................215
3. Waist ............................43
4. Calorie Intake (6/1/04)........... 0
5. Prescription Drugs ................0
6. Vitamins ..........................0
7. Exercise-class hours ..............0
8. Exercise-weights ...................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ...........5

On this sixth day, no cravings, no headaches, no discomfort. My focus continues to be sharp. I spent most of the day writing my political blog. President Reagan died yesterday and the news was consumed by tributes to him.

The Attitude Fast

My UCLA era fast was really a flush fast. But more important than anything it changed my attitude for the first six months. It was designed to clean out the system, not to cure anything nor to lose weight. It consisted of alternatively drinking water and fruit juice every hour from morning until night for two days. Dr. Buchanon gave me some type of herbal laxative to take and a mix of honey and tahini to maintain strength. The next two days I was allowed to eat fruit only.

The result of this modified fast was the loss of 10 pounds on my slim 159 pounds. More importantly, the fast seriously modified my attitude and performance. I felt great. I could sit and talk for hours. I started dating one of the prettiest girls in school. I got 100% on every test I took.

But most importantly, people would come up to me and ask what happened to my attitude. They thought I had become a good guy. I attribute that to the fact that I had eliminated the poisons in my body and wasn't as toxic personally. After the fast, I didn't continue to eat properly and six months later I was back to my old poisoned self.

I am going to incorporate the flush fast as a part of my first regimens after i get done with this fast.

1. Fasted Blood Sugar................91
2. Weight ..........................216
3. Waist ............................43
4. Calorie Intake (6/1/04)........... 0
5. Prescription Drugs ................0
6. Vitamins ..........................0
7. Exercise-class hours ..............0
8. Exercise-weights ...................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ...........5

Fasting - to Date

After Spain, I just ate everything and to excess. At one point, I weighed 240 pounds. Everything was normal until I had to take a physical to qualify for life insurance in the early 90s. The exam came back with an abnormally high blood sugar count. I convinced the examiner that it was anomaly and set the re exam for the next week.

I immediately went to my local doctor to find out what was the matter. His tests concluded that I had contracted Type II Diabetes. He said I would be on pills or insulin for the rest of my life. I told him the hell I would. Ironically, here was one fat doctor giving me a "death" sentence. I was so arrogant because I knew fasting would bail me out. Unfortunately my doctor had a heart attack the next week and didn't recover for four years.

Knowing what I did about fasting, I went on a several day fast before that second exam. I brought the second reading down to 75 from the 300+ on the first test and passed my insurance exam. Knowing fasting was my secret weapon, I went about abusing myself with food. Too much food.

1. Fasted Blood Sugar................86
2. Weight ..........................218
3. Waist ............................43.5
4. Calorie Intake (6/1/04)........... 0
5. Prescription Drugs ................0
6. Vitamins ..........................0
7. Exercise-class hours ..............0
8. Exercise-weights ...................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ...........5

This fourth day I had lunch and dinner at restaurants. I had no cravings just water. I was completely surprised by my response. I still have had no hunger pains. I keep reading my fasting books every night to reinforce my will. Strangely enough, I had read more about salt last night and found myself looking at the food my friends were eating today trying guess how much salt, bleached flour, chemicals they were ingesting. It seemed to help.

In four days I have lost 11 pounds and brought my blood sugar count into the safe range. More tomorrow.

Spain Fast 1982

I flew to Spain and underwent a 15-day water-only fast at the famous Buchinger Clinic in June, 1982. Those who knew me thought I went there to lose weight. Years later I admitted that the primary reason was to firm up my gums because my dentist had given my teeth, which I still have most of, a death sentence. Three days into the fast, my gums firmed and have stayed that way for years. Further evidence fasting worked.

As they say, A funny thing happened on the way to the forum, the fast shut down my digestive system and a great calming overcame me. I credit the fast for my lack of cravings for cigarettes, coffee and alcohol. Having tried to quit cigarettes for twenty years I was amazed and happy from that moment driving into the clinic to this very minute I write this line I haven't had even one slight craving. That had never happened in the 20 years I tried to quit. Further evidence of the efficiacy of fasting.

More enlightening at the time was massages. This clinic, I assume, was no different than a lot of similar facilities---they had elaborate submerged and table massages. Arriving on a Friday night I missed signup for my massage. I had to wait until Monday to make an appointment on Tuesday. Then the most unlikely thing happened. As a person who loved massages, I was irritated the minute the therapist put his hands on me because as I later learned that even the short three days of fasting had eliminated any aches and pains that the massage would cure. With no pain, I had to suffer rather unwelcome massages for the duration of my stay. Further evidence that fasting does have penetrating effects.

My study of fasting told me that my physical condition and energy would improve with an extended fast. When I walked into the clinic I was breathing heavy every time I walked one flight of stairs. On the seventh day of the fast, I ran a local golf course and completly exhausted my teenage caddy. Proof to me that energy is not supplied by food, but rather an unobstructed internal system. More evidence.

I lost 24 pounds of my 219 pounds in fifteen days. I flew home and stopped off in London and gained back 10 pounds in one day. Since I wasn't concerned about dieting, I didn't give it a thought. Today, 22 years later, I know what a fool I was. However, I remained convinced that I would someday clean up my act(body).

Today is the third day of my present fast. I haven't had a trace of hunger. However, in trying to avoid food, driving around town is amazing. Everywhere you look, it is food. Every TV channel is advertising food. It is hard to escape, but that is what this blog is all about. It is my Habitmaker.

Excuse me. I have to go and have my first cleansing of the poisons and go to the gym.

1. Fasted Blood Sugar.............. 113
2. Weight ..........................220
3. Waist ............................44
4. Calorie Intake (6/1/04)........... 0
5. Prescription Drugs ................0
6. Vitamins ..........................0
7. Exercise-class hours ..............0
8. Exercise-weights ...................5
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike ...........5

Nothing unusual here. I've lost 9 pounds in three days. My blood sugar has only gone down to 113. It probably hasn't dropped further because I stopped my oral medication for diabetes. I have lost two inches on my waist. I have been going to the gym 3 to 4 days a week now for a month before I began this fast. I can already feel a new spring in my lower body.

Fasting History- 19 Years Old

My trip to Spain was not my first attempt at fasting. When I was at UCLA and out for football, I found it difficult to gain weight. I couldn't get past 159 pounds. My mom found a Dr. Buchanon who claimed I couldn't gain weight because of obstructions in my body. As I was already convinced fasting held great promise, I went along with his regimen. For two days I took his laxatives and drank fruit juice and water alternatively every hour on the hour.

The third and fourth day I was allowed to only eat fruit. On the last day of the fast I weighed 149 pounds. I had lost 10 pounds in four days and eliminated some real poisons. That didn't sell me as much as a visit on the fourth day of the fast from my girlfriend. She came to a semi-pro baseball game in the South Bay in which I threw out all baserunners and got a hit every time I was up. But afterward, I took her home. I had to leave her there and preceded to kiss her goodbye at the door.

Probably not unusual for an experienced faster, I felt that when I was holding and kissing her that I went straight through her and the door behind her. It has never happened again but it put an exclamation point behind my trust that fasting had some real merit. Even though it was a modified fast, there had to be something there. I spiked up to 175 pounds, went out for varsity the year the Bruins won the NCAA Championship. Unfortunately I was not on the team. I had broken five transfer processes in my back in spring practice.

1. Fasted Blood Sugar 115
2. Weight 225
3. Waist 45 1/2
4. Calorie Intake (6/1/04) 0
5. Prescription Drugs 0
6. Vitamins 0
7. Exercise-class hours 1
8. Exercise-weights 0
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike .5

In later years I learned that fasters sometimes have what might be described as metaphysical capabilities. The yogis in India claim such superior power comes from the cleansing that only fasting can do. I am hoping to use this method to elevate to a higher plane. That feeling of going through my girl and through the door was definitely out of this world.

A New Start

Twenty-two years to the day, I entered the Buchinger Clinic in Marbella, Spain to begin a 15-day water-only fast. I had been thinking about quiting several of my vices. At the very moment I drove onto the property. I threw away my package of cigarettes in hopes that after trying to quit for over twenty years, I could marshall the will to permanently quit.

Much to my surprise,I was able to quit smoking, coffee and using alcohol for good. Unfortunately, I forget to quit the one thing that would have made my life much easier. I forgot to quit eating foods that are bad for you. So here I am 22 years later, going on an extended fast to see if I can repair the damage that has been done. Along the way, I hope to change a lot of other things I have been putting off too long.

I am using this blog to chart my progress, recount the reasons for fasting and relay my general understanding of the world in general. As a measure of my progress, this morning I measured the following:

1. Fasted Blood Sugar 164
2. Weight 229
3. Waist 46
4. Calorie Intake (6/1/04) 0
5. Prescription Drugs 0
6. Vitamins 0
7. Exercise-class hours 1
8. Exercise-weights 0
9. Exercise-treadmill, bike 0

I'll be using these and other measures every day to
measure my progress.

This venture I take is done to cure myself of numerous ailments I know the medical establishment can't. I will be relating what those ailments are and my success in curing them.