Notes from a 10 Day Water Fast

Bye bye visceral fat? 

I’m writing from True North Health in Santa Rosa, where I am halfway through a 10 day water fast. Besides very low energy I am feeling surprisingly well. I am also fantasizing about tacos and bookmarking a lot of recipes to make when I’m eating again. It’s really only once a day that I feel the urge to go eat something and then remember I’m not doing that right now. I’m amazed at how well my body is handling this, given I’ve never fasted more than 24 hours. But it makes sense—since the beginning of our existence, humans have endured long stretches without food. A healthy individual can go up to 40 days before the body starts drawing on it’s muscle reserves. Our bodies are capable of tremendous healing with the right interventions.

A 10 Day Fast sounds so extreme. Why? And what am I hoping to get out it? 

I am insulin and weight loss resistant, and my A1C scores are creeping into pre diabetes territory. My body is good at burning carbs and not good at burning fat- this is called metabolic inflexibility. 

I’m not sure why though I have theories. It could be 15 years on the pill, or too much overindulgence from all my years in the restaurant industry. It could be the result of decades of not knowing how to balance blood sugar, or undetected gut imbalances due to eating the wrong foods for me. Likely it is a bit of each of these. 

Despite doing so much right, I can’t seem to budge my insulin or weight loss resistance, or to stay in fat burning mode when I eat a normal portion of carbohydrates. Metabolic flexibility is when the body is good at switching between using fat and carbs for fuel, and it’s one of my goals for my time here.

Over the years I’ve done so much to improve my metabolic flexibility. I’ve gotten diligent about balancing my blood sugar, I’ve upped my exercise regimen, I intermittent fast (except for the week before my cycle) and I eat really well. But nothing has helped improve my metabolism. I will say that perimenopause really throws a curveball, as your microbiome takes a huge hit with the decrease in hormones. So making improvements during this time is hard, as our health is declining during this phase of life.

Last week, I drove to SF with a friend and did a DEXA scan, a pretty affordable image that looks at your body composition, including visceral fat, the most dangerous one. My visceral fat was in the 95% percentile (very high).

The image shows you three layers: your skeleton, your lean mass and your fat. In addition it breaks down how much of each you have in your body. It's the most accurate way to get this info currently. 

Visceral fat is hard for the body to release. It acts as an endocrine organ disrupting hormones and metabolism. Could visceral fat be contributing to, or mostly responsible for all my challenges? It’s possible. 

Extended fasts are known to help the body get rid visceral fat. It’s function is to protect the organs from imbalances in the body (blood sugar, heavy metals, microbiome imbalances), which is why it’s hard to shed: it’s a protection mechanism. But fasting helps restore balance to microbiome, improve cell function, and help the liver detox. It’s possible that the body is getting a signal that it’s now safe to let this dangerous fat go. I hope so!

So far the inflammation I did have in my body seems almost completely gone. The rings I wear on my fingers are sliding on with ease and the puffiness in my face and ankles has totally disappeared. I’ve lost 10 pounds in 10 days, which is nuts. Since perimenopause started 3 and a half years ago, the scale has only been moving one way. I don’t now how much will stay, but the declining numbers are a welcome sight.

I will follow up with a recap of what the impact of the fast was when it’s all said and done, but at the moment I’ve feeling very hopeful that' I’ll be able to get underneath some symptoms I’ve been chasing for years.