Week XI: Starved for Clarity

A weight loss goal is a problem of luxury, a matter of abundance. The poorest people of the world would love to have the problem. This  week we will get to know real hunger. We will fast on clear liquids only. Now that's an extreme and unhealthy experiment, so the value will come with our choice of modifications. Short fasts are used as spiritual practices and as ways to cleanse the body of toxins. Besides gaining control over our hunger, our purpose here is to disrupt our eating patterns by taking a break from food. You may want to schedule a periodic day of fasting as a way to regularly renew your volition.

Make it Real:
The first modification is to broaden the definition of clear liquids. Soups are excellent examples. The question is how far to vary from the extreme of drinking only the broth. Vegetable soup makes sense, but the addition of noodles or rice detracts from our aim.

Next, you could chose to consume mostly clear liquids, but allow small quantities of solid food alongside the watery main course. This becomes a matter of thinking ahead and making a list of acceptable supplements. A small portion of protein will lessen the sense of urgency about your hunger, but crackers with your soup? Not a great match for this challenge.

The other alterations to the full week of fasting are to engage the diet only every other day, say Monday, Wednesday and Friday, or to shift into the clear liquid diet for only one or two meals a day rather than abstain from solid food all day long. If that is your choice, dinner rather than breakfast is the better option  as a replacement for weight loss.

Looking at my week ahead, I plan to make Monday's dinner liquid. On Tuesday I'll omit solid food at lunch. Wednesday I'll eat sensibly but I won't participate in the challenge. I'll make both lunch and dinner a liquid only fast on Thursday; and my only full day of fasting will be Friday.

Food for Thought:
How and when does hunger get the best of you? Preparation is key. When you're going to give in to it, do you have plentiful healthy foods at hand?

Does the experience of real hunger increase your awareness or control of too frequent snacking?

If you decide to replace only one or two meals with liquid on any given day, do you overeat at the remaining meal in order to compensate?

Do you add fried foods, sugar, or alcohol to an empty stomach?