Beginning...again!
It's 7:57am at the BA lounge in terminal 5, and Vicky is already starting the "digestive rest day" - before fast proper kicks off tomorrow - with a fruit bowl and touch of yogurt. I'm having my last coffee (she quit that already two days ago) and feeling rather excited about the prospect of 10 days by the shores of the Bodensee.
One big difference this time around is my felt lack of confusion, or mystery. As the uncounted readers of this blog from last year will know, we had the full experience for the first time then, so that today, although I'm just as excited about the process as before, it definitely feels very similar to a christmas present (however prettily wrapped) that I already know the contents of.
It's a present we certainly want, but without all the mystery and accompanying suspense of the build-up last year. For some rather lawyerly avoidance of doubt, we are expecting similar physical effects, including (from the BW website):
Buchinger Wilhelmi therapeutic fasting is a procedure whereby a person voluntarily goes without food for a certain length of time, living mainly on their fat reserves instead. This stimulates autophagy and detox enzymes, resulting in a deep cleansing of the cells and tissue. At the same time, fasting reduces all inflammatory processes, alleviates pain and improves mobility. The success of fasting depends to a large extent on the four-day period at the end of the fast, during which patients at our clinic gradually start to eat normal meals again. During this process, dormant stem cells are activated and new structures built up. It is a period of regeneration (also called rejuvenation) with tremendous therapeutic potential. For Buchinger Wilhelmi therapeutic fasting to take full effect, a stay at our clinic should last at least 10 days.
But it's more than that. I'm sure I'll write about this more over the coming days, so for now just the teaser - the real magic for me last year was in the mental, emotional and yes, spiritual benefits of 10 days of quiet and (for those who know me, at least slightly more) interior dialogue and contemplation. Stay tuned...
Stats:
BP: 130/86
Kg: 78.3*
*Ed. note: that's the last London weigh-in from this morning, and astute readers from last year will recognise that it's precisely 6.4kg (lawks, one really doesn't want to do the conversion to pounds on that figure) heavier than my exiting weight from Buchinger last year. Sure, it's possible that a year of decent Pilates and Peloton (could we be getting sponsorship either from Heartcore or maybe the Peloton mothership in NYC or even London for this?) has added some muscle mass, but the plainer truth is a year of much more secure life, love, and yeah, red wine has done its work.
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