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<\/p>\nNote: For starters, I do not recommend that anyone try to do a multi-day fast without some guidance or adequate preparation.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s not as bad as one may think, but it is definitely a mental game.\u00a0 One thing that helps me get through a multi-day fast is the mental commitment.\u00a0 I had already made a decision at the beginning of the fast that eating is simply not an option for the intended time period.\u00a0 Simple . . . 7 days, no food.\u00a0 That leaves no room for bargaining with myself whether I\u2019m going to eat something or how much.<\/p>\n That firm decision actually makes the process much easier for me.\u00a0 In fact, I had planned for 2-3 weeks to do this most recent fast, deliberately timing it for a period in my calendar that wasn\u2019t interrupted by social outings or other events that would have posed a challenge.<\/p>\n When doing a water fast, it\u2019s an all-or-nothing prospect.\u00a0 I chose to eat nothing.\u00a0 That level of commitment is a whole lot easier to comply with than if I were to attempt to eat only a small amount of food each day.\u00a0 If one allows a small amount of food daily, then one has to plan and decide when to eat and how much to eat in order to make the best use of such rations.\u00a0 This phenomenon is sometimes stated as \u201c100% is easier than 98%\u201d.\u00a0 \u2018All-in\u2019 is easier than \u2018almost-all-in\u2019.<\/p>\n By knowing <\/p>\n Eating takes up a significant amount of the average person\u2019s day \u2013 about 1 hour spent primarily focused on eating, along with another 15-20 minutes spent eating while performing some other activity (ref<\/a>).<\/p>\n I was more aware of that void in my schedule during this most recent 7-day fast than during previous fasts, perhaps because this fast did not include any bone broth.\u00a0 Usually, if my family is eating dinner, I\u2019ll sip on bone broth to feel like I\u2019m participating in the meal.\u00a0 In a sense, I missed the activity<\/em> of eating more than the food<\/em> itself.<\/p>\n One of the reasons that I chose to do this 7-day fast at this time was to tap into the anti-inflammatory nature of fasting, hopefully to change the trajectory of my miserable shoulder.\u00a0 I injured it 6 months ago due to an awkward motion while setting up a car roof rack, and it caused mild issues initially.\u00a0 For some reason, that ultimately escalated in the past couple months to cause \u2018frozen shoulder\u2019, aka adhesive capsulitis.\u00a0 It\u2019s a miserable condition and is poorly understood, causing surprising jolts of pain and many sleepless nights.\u00a0 There are a multitude of treatment options that have been attempted to treat it \u2013 a clear sign that nothing actually works.<\/p>\n Since we have some (emphasis on some<\/em>) evidence that fasting is anti-inflammatory (ref<\/a>, ref<\/a>, ref<\/a>) and I had encountered an anecdote of an individual appreciating significant improvement in both pain and mobility with frozen shoulder from a prolonged fast, I wanted to put it to a test for myself.<\/p>\n Ultimately, there was mild improvement in both pain and mobility after 7 days of fasting.\u00a0 I\u2019m not making any grand claims about its effectiveness, but I suspect that the fast did in fact alter the trajectory of my frozen shoulder. \u00a0Overall, my level of pain decreased.\u00a0 In regard to mobility, there was a definite, albeit small, improvement, as I was able to pass my belt through the center belt loop on my pants, a feat that was not possible for the previous month.<\/p>\n\u201c100% is easier than 98%\u201d<\/h3>\n
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ahead of time what is allowed (e.g. water with electrolyte drops), that frees up bandwidth to focus on other things.\u00a0 This concept explains why Steve Jobs<\/a> wore the same outfit (blue jeans and black turtleneck) every day \u2013 he was eliminating \u2018decision fatigue\u2019 so that he could direct his energy towards bigger and better things.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/revitalizemetabolichealth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/fed_aw-datafeature_aprl_time_spent_eating_to_oa_fig01_450px-300x256.png\")
<\/p>\nAnti-inflammatory effects of fasting<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nEffect on my shoulder<\/h3>\n