Hey there!

Day 1 is almost complete! Nothing groundbreaking to report at this time as far as I’m concerned though. I usually try to stick to a diet like this anyway, only I never make it for too long. It’s an exciting day for me because of the commitment.

I started the day with an intermittent fast. I did this more out of laziness than anything else. I discovered the benefits of intermittent fasting a few years ago and will very often not prepare lunch for the workday the night before because I have so many other things I want to spend that time doing and because I know that I can easily get through a day without eating and actually reap some benefits from it so long as it’s not an everyday thing.

So I did not ingest anything besides two probiotic capsules (Solgar brand probiotics) when I woke up and water until about 6 pm tonight. My dinner consisted of some grass fed ground beef, coconut oil, sea salt, pepper and a 1 lb bag of frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. Now, this is indeed an EXTREMELY BORING DINNER for most, but it’s actually quite tasty and I’m able to easily look past the boring nature of the meal because it’s quick, easy and very healthy for me.

Some effects I’ve noticed so far (and tend to notice when I start eating this way)

1. Increase in energy and focus

Usually around the 14 hour point in fast I start to notice increased concentration and higher energy. By around the 24 hour point I'll usually notice some fatigue, but it's normally a very pleasant fatigue that I can easily ignore and continue on without it affecting me. I thoroughly enjoy the increased focus and energy. With a diet built around carb intake from cooked and juiced veggies I tend to have the same effects, but I'll avoid the fatigue so long as I take in enough carbs.

 2. Itchy Nose 

My nose began to get a little itchy on the inside around 8:30 am. I attribute this to a little die off of bacteria or fungi. The truth of the matter is that we all have bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites and things of that nature just begging to take refuge in our bodies and a lot of the time their wildest dreams come true. However, most pathogens feed on carbohydrates (in particular sugars and starches) and so when adopting a new diet, like my Meat And Vegetable Diet you can effectively starve out lot of them. The itchys can result from toxins being released as pathogens die off (for example ammonia is generally released at this time) as well as from fat cells that are used for energy. And in fact, in some cases toxins like heavy metals, chemicals in the environment and plastic components (like Bisphenol A or BPA), go hand in hand with pathogens creating what are called biofilms. I’ll be posting more about this at later date.

 3. Cravings

I had some cravings for sugary foods around 9:30 am, but they passed within 10 minutes or so and I got right back to being very hungry. I’ve been eating moderately low carb; in between 75-150 grams of carbs most days of the week for quite some time now and have experimented with fasting a more than a few occasions. So I’m used to going through the morning and even the afternoon without eating and feeling ok. I tend to experience the same general symptoms within similar timeframes as I experienced today.

4. Increase in sensitivity of hearing 

This is something very specific to me because I already have an issue with my hearing going on. I damaged my hearing in April 2013 and have had a hypersensitivity to sound known as hyperacusis and tinnitus (constant ringing sound) ever since. Around 2:00 pm today I noticed my sensitivity to sound had become a little more intense. However, the conditions  has gotten tremendously better over the course of the past year and just happens to be easily influence by certain foods, exposure to sound, and blood pressure fluctuations from things like working out or stress. I consider this effect to be temporary and believe it will be back on track by tomorrow. In fact, part of the reason I committed to a 16 day meat and vegetable diet in the first place was to improve my hyperacusis, tinnitus and hearing loss in the first place.

Note: I will be starting a blog on hyperacusis, tinnitus and hearing loss in the near future for anyone interested in what has helped me overcome these issues.

Other than these effects I haven't noticed anything significant enough to mention. I feel good! I hope to sleep well tonight and continue strong tomorrow. It's so easy to say yes to an apple because let's face it... it's an apple. As the saying goes... "An apple a day keeps the carb restricted insanity away".

Ok! Time to gear up for tomorrow! Have a great night!

-Rob