Hungry Like The Wolf

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I am on day two of a five day fast. Why am I fasting? I dunno. You gotta mix things up, try new things, toughen yourself. It’s supposed to be cleansing or spiritual or something. Ancient man probably had to go without food for extended periods and still function. I run marathons, ultramarathons, work out hard and stuff like that, test myself. I hadn’t tried this, so here I am.

I typically run 50 miles a week. I think I’m dropping to 35 this week. I ran five yesterday fine, and five today fine, but today I was slow and I was clearly out of gas at five miles. Normally I eat vast quantities of food to support my body and activities.

My hippie assistant at work is a vegetarian. She tells me vegetarianism is the logical preceding step to breatharianism (not eating, but extracting nutrients directly from the air.) She was joking when she said though I understand there are people who claim to be breatharians.

When I ran my last 50 miler I began to face ultimate suffering at around mile 35. I was very stressed and unhappy leading up to the race and not doing well. At mile 38 I had a quasi-mystical experience. Suddenly all my stress and bad feeling disapeared and I felt like I was filled with the love of all the living entities in the universe, and that energy filled me. The soreness in my legs faded and I picked up the pace and I ran hard those last twelve miles. I ran them harder than I would run if I was fresh. I ran past the rest and water and food stops and when the race was over I felt like I could turn back and run the whole way back. The next day I was not sore, and I had beaten my previous best by 45 minutes, which is a huge number.

Quite odd.

I jokingly told my running buddy, the cardiologist, about this and suggested maybe somebody put some Crystal meth in the water at the last water stop. He suggested that the cold weather had me with mild hypothermia for most of the run, causing me to conserve energy until the sun came out in the afternoon and I warmed up and felt relatively fresh.

My hippie assistant suggested that I had achieved “liberation” which is a precursor to enlightenment. Holy men seek this “liberation” by self denial, asceticism, and physical effort. She seemed kind of annoyed that an asshole such as myself stumbled across it accidently, which isn’t fair since I am pretty disciplined and ascetic.

Anyhow, so I went on a five day fast. Does this make sense? I also don’t mind cutting a little more weight before my next marathon. This is day two.

I am not feeling enlightened, cleansed, purged, nor is the love of all the living entities in the universe filling me with energy. I don’t feel particularly weak either.

What I am is, as this title suggests, Hungry like the Wolf!

I do feel dangerous, a little testy, a little angry. I am like a half-starved timber wolf, and I’ve been chewing my fingernail. I could gnaw a paw off.

The only real effect that I notice (besides being hungry like the wolf,) is that I feel… heightened. I feel very aware. Mostly what I am aware of is the fact that I am very hungry, but this has all kinds of corrollaries. My heightened awareness has made me cognizant of all potential food sources at all times.

Though this is a totally voluntary sort of thing, this denial and there is plenty of food in the house, my mind has expanded to suggest all sorts of alternate possibilities. A few minutes ago I was looking for through the garbage can here in my office. I scented an empty Curious George fruit snacks wrapper, and sure enough, there it was. Would it be cheating if I licked it? One of my younger daughter’s toys appears to be encrusted some sort of sticky candy like substance that could also be licked.

There is a paper towel here in the garbage that cleaned up some spilled orange juice. It has dried, but the orange juice is now embedded in the towel, and I bet if I chewed on that it would make quite a tasty snack. The bark on the trees looks edible, as do squirrels, pets, and small children.

Now there is the salt question. I am craving salt. I licked myself after I jogged today. So far I have only taken in water, but this salt issue might be a problem. If the craving persists I may allow myself some ecrolyte water, like propel so I don’ go hyponatremic. The salt may be why I am focussed on the idea of Taco Bell. I hate Taco Bell, except now. I am specifically craving Taco Bell. Chalupa. Chalupa.

I was to understand that the hunger stage of the fast would pass quickly, but it is growing into an epic thing. I haven’t felt this hungry since I ran the 50 mile race and ate constantly for the next week. After that race I suffered from being so full that my stomach felt like it would burst while at the same time feeling incredibly hungry.

My belly is tight as a drum, and I am hungry like the wolf.

I do not appear to be absorbing any sustenance from the environment.

2

Good lord, I was feeling full after my dinner.

But now I feel positively bloated with food. Do update us as this goes on!

3

IANAD, but I would be worried about electrolyte sickness*. It’s very dangerous if you’re doing a lot of exercise, drinking a lot of water, and not eating much, because a lot of the symptoms are similar to dehydration. But drinking more water aggravates the condition. Look into it.

*This was the term we learned in wilderness first responder class. I don’t know the actual medical term for it.

4

I feel like a pig. For dinner I had a taffy apple, four Reeses cups, a can of orange soda and a cup of tea. It’s a miracle I’m not diabetic (yet). I’ve considered fasting before, but I barely have the will power to run 3 days a week. Fasting is right out.

5

Am I a freak that this actually makes me want to go out and eat MORE to make up for what Scylla’s not eating?

6

Not really. I’m thinking about taking up cigarette smoking just to counterbalance the OP.

7

This reminds me of a story I heard on This American Life - David Rakoff attempted to fast (his was slightly different, but for a longer period). He too felt sharpened senses at one point.

I’m not sure I’d want to try it, but I can see why you might.

Be careful when you start eating again. Wouldn’t want to go straight from Hungry Like The Wolf to I Have a Serious Case of Wolf-Ass, now would you?

(also, I had to chuckle about veggie gal being pissed off that an asshole stumbles onto enlightenment - isn’t that always the way?)

8

So how goes Day 3? Are you less one child today?

9

I am reminded of Scylla’s last thread about his deprivations.
As mentioned upthread, make sure you restart your digestion gently, perhaps with a banana or some rice.

10

Hey, you got air in my peanut butter.

11

Hyponatremia

12

There is no doubt that fasting has traditionally been very important to the ascetic lifestyle. There are many fasting traditions in both the east and west. My interests are mostly in the Desert Fathers, for whom fasting was a way of life.

Of all of the fasting and spiritual injunctions I have ever read, this one from Abba Isidore is the hardest to keep:

13

That sort of idea is missing a lot in today’s world. There was a time when Pride was considered the greatest sin, today it hardly rates a mention half the time.

14

I think this might explain your quasi-mystical experience, also known as Runners High. I don’t know how enlightened it will make you, but if you reach Nirvana, let us know. (and how can I turn my car into a breatharian?)

15

It is somewhat incompatible with our culture of individualistic self-promotion and “achievements”, almost all of which are in the context of besting “the competition”. The Desert Fathers were all about mastering themselves. Most of them had to leave the world almost entirely to do so. It’s hard.

16

Golly, would you LOOK at the time? (UB says, looking at Scylla’s crazed expression and backing slowly from the room…)

17

Do you smell like you sound?

Not a snark. Read the lyrics, you youngsters among us. :wink:

18

Indeed. With my empty stomach I am nevertheless full… of myself.

19

I’m pretty familiar with the runner’s high. It’s pretty much used up after 20 miles or so. I get that endorphin rush every time I run, so I know what it feels like.

This was something different. I’m not arguing that it was supernatural, just that it was something different than the runners high which I’ve experienced quite often.

20

Kind of a bit in a daze today. Nothing terribly significant. I’m still feeling very very hungry and I an keenly aware of all food possibilities.

My reptile brain keeps suggesting violence as a solution. This morning when my children were eating breakfast my first thought was that I could easily overpower them and take the food for myself. That theme seems to have followed me most of the day. Anytime I saw somebody with food (which was pretty much constantly) I automatically did a calculation as to how difficult it would be to subdue them and take the food.

The daze. Yeah, it’s starting to feel a little surreal, like a daydream, a little fuzzy around the edges, but laser clear on whatever I’m paying attention to. I’m losing the periphery.

Didn’t feel weak, but I had a poor run today. After two miles I simply ran out of gas, and the last three were a trudge.

I’m drinking Propel water to keep the electrolytes balanced. It has no calories. I use it during ultras to prevent hyponatremia.

As a runner who likes to push himself physically I think I’m pretty attuned to my body. I know the difference between good pain and bad pain, hurting and injured. the signals I’m getting from my body right now are that if I want to work out, I have to eat.

I’m bonking very badly at any physical activity that lasts more than a few minutes at an intensity higher than a brisk walk, and then I feel exhausted for an hour afterwards.

My understanding is that this is the hitting the wall phenomenom, when your body is running directly off of stored body fat without converting it into carbohydrates. Also, instead of running off of stored fuel, I’m consuming muscle directly.

This is starting to suck.