Fast

Have you ever wondered why some animals quit eating food for periods of time?

April 30, 2019 11:37 AM HST - Posted by Jason

Two Week Fast - Last Day Update

Today is the last day of my fast and I just heard my stomach growl.

I had a slight headache last night, but that has been the only discomfort. I think it was eyestrain and a little dehydration. Riding my bike a bunch of miles might be a little more tiring. I just keep hydrating.

This morning I cut a ripe, organic lemon in half and made cups of organic green tea and water and drank it together. It tasted great, woke me up and hydrated me. Now I am drinking my second cup of organic coffee and more water.

Fasting for five days, eating for two days and fasting for five more days was a good way to fast this time. I would be much more fatigued if this was day 12 instead of another Day 5. Also, starting my new diet tomorrow will be perfect.

On May 1, I am going to break my fast and start measuring my caloric intake each day because I want to make sure that I have at least a 200-300 calorie deficit every day. It is a good way to maintain steady weight loss and I will do it for 3-4 weeks until Memorial Day. I will likely fast for a week or so at the end of May and possibly beginning of June.

When I break my fast tomorrow, I will start eating at midnight or breakfast depending on whether I stay up all night or not. I will be eating organic food like lentil and vegetable soup, whole wheat bread, cinnamon, sports drinks, potato chips, tofu and apples. I am going to keep it simple for a couple of days and start eating a more diverse diet on the third.

In my experience you can break a fast with a lot of different foods. It is just good to have a few hundred calories of complete proteins every day. Tofu is a complete protein. Whole wheat and beans is a complete protein. Also, the fruit provides vitamins.

Good luck in your fasts and diets.

April 26, 2019 4:30 PM HST - Posted by Jason

Two Week Fast Update

I took two days off in the middle of my fast and I am fasting again now. I am going to fast until May 1 which is about five days. I have lots of energy and I think it will go well.

During my two days of eating I ate all sorts of organic things like energy drinks, a non-dairy coconut ice cream bar, dark chocolate, oranges, whole wheat bread, sunflower seeds, lentil and vegetable soup, gala and red delicious apples, red wine, honey, cinnamon, jalapeño potato chips, tofu, blue corn chips, millet and rice noodles and black beans and I drank coffee and green tea. It was nourishing and I ate fewer calories than I burned.

Today was Day 1 of the next five day fast and then I will stop. Day 1 has a much different feel than Day 8! 10 days will be sufficient this month. I like to play it by ear and listen to my body. Also, I intend on starting a new diet on May 1. I will count my calories every day and maintain a deficit until Memorial Day.

I have felt well today which is Friday. Waiting until Wednesday to eat should not be too difficult. I was starting to notice a difference in my body’s appearance on Day 4, so I suppose after a few more days without food I will notice more changes. It is always good to go in the right direction and when I can go as fast as possible it feels like I am doing my due diligence.

I am pretty sure that my brain likes to eat for the height that I should have been. Since I got a back injury playing Pop Warner football before I was finished growing, it stunted my growth and my outstretched arms are 4” longer than my height. Some of my body grew, but I didn’t reach my full height and wound up with a pinched nerve. It took many years to realize what my body was doing. I think it just makes it more difficult to eat the right amount each day like I subconsciously feel I am eating for somebody 6’ 2” instead of somebody 5’ 10”.

I roughly wrote the chapters for my upcoming fasting book, but I may adjust them. For now they are (in order): Intro, Reasons/Setting Parameters, What to Expect During and Afterwards, How to Break a Fast, Different Fasts, Healthy Food and Diet, Managing Your Weight and the Conclusion. I am going to put some meat on the chapters soon and start writing it in a month or two. I am already writing three books now.

I am about to write the next story in A Brand New World: How It All Ends. It is story #10 and I have been writing a lot of them lately. I have 40 story ideas (and five new ones) that I have collected for months, so I am starting with some of the better ones. I usually do not have to use a lot of words to convey the message because I can economize and be succinct. I anticipating writing at least 100 stories in this book. Each of the first nine books have included between 16-136 stories.

Good luck in your fasts and diets.

April 23, 2019 12:48 PM HST - Posted by Jason

Two Week Fast - Day 4 Update

My fast is going well and this is an update from day four.

I started this fast in the evening on Good Friday and this is Tuesday, so I have fasted for almost four full days. I have been creative because I have written stories for A Brand New World: How It All Ends. During my fast I have written three stories and I am about to write a fourth one. I have also written four haikus and one poem.

I have had plenty of energy even though I have not changed my routine. I think fatigue is mental and as long as I stay hydrated and ingest salt I will be fine. I still ride my bike 5-10 miles a day and sometimes stretch, do yoga and ride the stationary bike or use the treadmill at the gym.

Due to some botched dental work, I have something wrong with my gum in between two teeth. When I fast it gives it time to heal though. I have recently started sucking on tiny pieces of organic licorice and I think it helps. It may be a mixed bag because it is not getting a lot of nutrition to heal, but it is not being bombarded with food and pressure. Fortunately, it has not affected chewing, but I need to heal or keep it in check so it does not cause a problem.

Late at night I flirted with some eyestrain headaches. I think that is pretty typical though. I have been drinking a lot of water to stave off problems like those.

There is a chance that I may take a break toward the middle of my two week fast. I may also end it early; possibly one of those things or both. I haven’t decided, but I am going to play it by ear. I intend on fasting again around May 25.

I may take off two days in the middle and two days at the end and turn the 14 day fast into a 10 day one. If I do I will likely keep my food simple in the middle (e.g. bean soup, oranges, bread with honey and cinnamon and millet and brown rice noodles). They will nourish and give me amino acid proteins I need to build my body before I begin fasting again. Also, I think this fast will inspire a new diet and it will begin on May 1.

I will likely begin writing a fasting book in June or July. A few days ago I wrote a rough outline and I have wanted to write one for a long time, so after I finish writing 103 Haikus in Maui I want to write it. I have already written 39 haikus for it.

Good luck in your diets and fasts.

April 20, 2019 11:55 AM HST - Posted by Jason

Two Week Fast

I have started a two week fast and it is going well.

On the evening of Good Friday which was April 19, I started fasting and I will break it on May 3. It should be an exciting time of transformation. Although I am not eating any food, I will have a few other things.

During my fast I anticipate ingesting organic things like: Himalayan pink salt, coffee, tea, honey, red wine, licorice, cinnamon, turmeric and black pepper capsules, garlic capsules, cayenne capsules, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. I will ingest fewer than 100 calories a day though.

I will pull organic sesame oil for good mouth health. I will also drink lots of water. Staying hydrated is always a challenge. I will probably continue using a 50/50 hydrogen peroxide and water solution to rinse my mouth.

I may lose 10 pounds on this fast and if I do that will be fine. My body weight is probably still in the “normal” category, but I feel better when I am leaner. I don’t like putting undo pressure on my muscles, bones, joints, ligaments and tendons and when I am lighter I tend to glide instead of lumber.

I do not anticipate altering my exercise routine. It includes riding my bike 5-10 miles a day, stretching, practicing yoga, walking, stationary bike riding and light weightlifting. I typically have enough energy to continue my normal routine, but I will listen to my body.

I will blog an update in a few days. Good luck in your diets and fasts.

January 31, 2019 4:56 AM HST - Posted by Jason

Palm Sunday Fast

On Sunday, January 27, 2019, I started fasting like I usually do. I abstain from food and only ingest a few organic things like black coffee, green and red tea, honey, red wine (not much) and apple cider vinegar. I fasted this way for three days and then I ate food for 8-9 hours and started fasting again. I will end it on Palm Sunday.

It has been cold and rainy in Honolulu, so that has made it a little more difficult. My body has been colder than usual even though I have been warmly dressing.

These are the organic things that I ate when I broke my fast in the middle: pistachios, salt and pepper chips, two oranges, raisins, refried pint0 beans, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, two energy bars, tofu and a sports drink. I was feeling weak, so eating gave me a huge boost and I feel ready to finish strong even though I have about 2.5 days remaining.

During this fast I have also ingested some freshly squeezed organic lemon juice in water. I have went inside the sauna and the steam room too.

Staying hydrated hasn't been too difficult, but I have had to drink a lot of water. Also, I was feeling very tired on Day 2, so I began consuming pink Himalayan salt and it made me feel better. If you fast, eating some high quality salt is important.

I pulled organic sesame oil because it is good for my mouth health. I also stuck about a teaspoon of organic cinnamon in my mouth at the health store. Sometimes I squirt a little organic olive oil in my mouth too.

In case you didn't know, even though you don't eat during a fast you still have to brush your teeth (and tongue). I have been brushing and rinsing my mouth with a 50/50 hydrogen peroxide and water solution.

Many years ago I used to do juice fasts. However, I have learned that juice fasting is not very good for you. It is much better to eat the entire fruit with the pulp. Fruit juice raises your blood sugar and may contribute to diabetes.

I will break my fast for the final time on February 3, 2019 which is Palm Sunday. I think breaking the seven day fast into two three day fasts was wise. I ride my bike everywhere and I have had to log a lot of miles lately, so that has been extra tiring. I always like a good challenge though!

Good luck in your diests and fasts.

December 28, 2018 8:26 PM HST - Posted by Jason

December's Five Day Fast

This month a five day fast will be best and so far it has went well.

Today is Day 2 of my fast and I intend on quitting on January 1, 2019 which is New Year’s Day. I will break it with some organic food like oatmeal, cinnamon, honey, raisins, black beans, white wine, etc.

I like to say “zero” in my head when I am tempted to eat. Zero means zero calories, zero food. It works for me.

I was craving pretzels yesterday and I quickly realized that I needed to eat salt, so I ate some and felt better. I have pink Himalayan salt and I think it is the best. I washed it down with water.

I have been fighting to get enough sleep (e.g. 8 hours), but I have gotten enough and felt well. I have also fought to stay hydrated even though it hasn’t been easy. Those are two keys to a successful fast.

Yesterday I sweated in the sauna for 15 minutes and in the steam room for about 5 minutes. If I keep going there, I will need to hydrate a lot. I may need to skip a day or two or focus on the steam room because I don’t like being chronically dehydrated.

Before I slept I was beginning to get a headache behind my eyes, but it was gone after I woke up. I think it was an eye strain headache and they can occur due to dehydration.

I have avoided honey and olive oil, but I have pulled sesame oil and used it as a disinfectant in my mouth. I will probably have some honey tomorrow and maybe a little olive oil. All organic. I have also used hydrogen peroxide and water to clean my mouth.

I just drank a large, organic Americano and it was strong because four shots of espresso were in it. I am also drinking a cup of organic rooibos tea with vanilla in it. Earlier I drank a cup of organic, dark, French roast coffee. I also have been drinking organic green tea and I have organic instant coffee I may drink soon.

I don’t think that I will break this fast before January 1. Today is Friday and Tuesday will be here before I know it. Also, the countdown to my fast ending will coincide with the countdown to the new year.

Good luck in your diets and fasts.

December 9, 2018 7:31 PM HST - Posted by Jason

90 Day Diet - Day 9 Update

My diet is 10% over today, but it has went well.

I have been counting all of my calories, exercising and going in the sauna and steam room. Even though 2,000 calories a day is my secondary goal, my main goal is creating a daily calorie deficit.

It has not been easy and it is always an adjustment when I switch from eating as much as I want to 2,000 calories. However, my body likes it and it feels good afterwards. I have eaten all of my calories for the day several hours before bedtime a few times though. After fasting for long periods of time those hours don’t seem very long.

One key ingredient has been getting plenty of sleep. Yes, I can wire myself awake on caffeine alone, but I tend to want to eat more when I stay up for a couple of days. By getting plenty of rest my body has been able to repair itself and my mind has been strengthened to do what I need to do.

Fortunately, I have access and funds to get the best organic food in the country. My diet has consisted of rice, beans, dark chocolate, oranges, bananas, whole wheat crackers, red and white wine, bread, avocado, pretzels, chips, apples, pistachios, etc. If it’s not organic, I won’t eat it. In fact, if it’s not organic I would not give it to animals or put it in landfills.

Do you think that you burn calories in the sauna? I have heard conflicting reports, but some say that you burn 300 calories in 30 minutes. I have been opting for the steam room more often lately though.

My body is looking leaner, but I still want to lose a few pounds of fat. It is encouraging to see myself shrinking even if it may not be discernible to others. I feel better and psychology it is always great to know that I am headed in the right direction.

I will likely fast for about a week at the end of the month. That will give my diet a boost and it will likely put me at a leaner place than I was a few months ago.

Good luck in your diets and fasts.

December 1, 2018 3:53 PM HST - Posted by Jason

90 Day Diet - December 1, 2018 - February 28, 2019 - Day 1



My 10 day fast went well and today I am starting a diet. In fact, I ended it early to begin my diet on the 1st.

For the next 90 days, I am going to count all of the calories that I eat and eat about 2,000 calories a day. I hope to lose about one pound a week, so I will lose around 12 pounds by the end of February. That should put me around 150-153 pounds which will feel great.

I am going to eat the best organic food that I can find. After my $350-400 a month food budget is up, I will fast the rest of December and January. I will probably fast for about a week both months, but my plans could change.

I look for food with high protein and fiber content. I also buy whole grain crackers and breads instead of food with enriched flour. Every day I eat grains, vegetables, fruit and plenty of protein and fiber. My diet naturally does not have much fat in it, but the nuts and avocados provide some "healthy fats".

My main protein sources include tofu, nut butter, black beans, pinto beans, pumpkin seeds, almonds, rice, oatmeal, etc. Tomatoes, bananas and avocados are the fruits that I eat the most, but I also like apples, oranges, mangoes, pears, etc.

I will also eat dark chocolate, raisins, pretzels, potato, pea and corn chips, granola, dried mangoes, energy drinks and energy bars along with an occasional frozen coconut milk bar. I try to eat a balanced diet with lots of healthy food and low sugar. I stopped eating granola altogether and rarely eat it now even though it is a cheap source of protein and fiber. It is also high in sugar.

I hope to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables in December. A few days ago I ate a huge, delicious, organic gala apple. I rarely eat salad or broccoli, so those would be smart things to eat too. I also want to eat some mushrooms. They are yummy and high in iron, so maybe I will buy them and eat them on the salad.

I have been grinding organic dark French roast coffee beans and the coffee has been delicious. I also have plenty of organic green tea and organic rooibos tea.

Per usual a little organic olive oil, organic apple cider vinegar or a shot of organic honey is good from time to time. Also, organic white wine has been easy to find and inexpensive, so I will drink a few ounces of it here and there.

I am excited about the diet, but I know it will be difficult. At least I am used to the new living arrangements and I have determination and a good plan. Hopefully, I can string together 90 successful days like I did in Hawaii Kai a few months ago.

I think my body burns 2,300 calories on a normal day on average, but I also burn around 40 calories per mile that I ride my bike. Every day I ride my bike about 10 miles, but it varies. If I burn a lot of calories for some reason, I may eat an extra snack. The goal is to create a calorie deficit every day though.

Good luck on your diets and fasts.

November 25, 2018 4:41 PM HST - Posted by Jason

10 Day Fast - Day 3 Update

I started my fast on Friday, November 23, 2018 (Black Friday) around 3 or 4 a.m. and it has went well.

On Day 1, I reminded myself a few times that I wasn't eating. It saved me time and money. Fasting is pretty convenient. Since I eat an organic diet in Hawaii where food is already expensive, I probably spend $15-20 a day on food.

I sweated in the sauna for 15 minutes on Friday and it was very hot. The gym sealed the sauna door, so it was 20 degrees warmer than usual! It felt great and I usually sweat for 20 minutes, but I cut this one short because of the intense heat.

At the end of Day 1, I felt a tiny headache behind my eyes coming on, but I felt better when I woke up. It is tough to stay hydrated when I fast and even more so when I fast and sauna. Headache and fatigue are signs of dehydration and I can't have either of those.

On Day 2 (yesterday), I had about 200 calories of organic honey. I swallowed a squirt of Brazilian honey and a spoonful of Hawaiian honey with infused turmeric, ginger and black pepper. It gave me a little boost and it reminded me of the way I need to ingest some salt.

My stomach doesn't seem to mind two organic supplements, so I sporadically take them when I fast. Garlic and turmeric with black pepper do me well. They are the only two pills that I take and I buy the organic powder by the pound and the vegetarian gel caps and make them.

Since the beginning of my fast, I have also drank a mouthful of organic apple cider vinegar, pulled organic sesame oil, gargled water and hydrogen peroxide and swallowed some organic olive oil.

I saw a YouTube video on cider and I wondered if it would be good for me to drink organic apple cider. It is alcoholic, but not like hard liquor. It could have a cleansing effect. I might drink some organic white or red wine later in the fast, but I haven't had any so far. Only very small amounts agree with me when I fast.

I wrote a poem today called The Song Remains the Same. I am going to type and publish it on my website before publishing it in a book in 2019. I also have to type two other poems that I recently wrote and upload them to my website.

Unfortunately, I recently put on a few pounds after I moved from Hawaii Kai to Ala Moana. My schedule and diet were disrupted, so it was difficult to make the adjustments and I stopped counting my calories. However, when this fast is finished I am going to start another calorie restriction diet and be disciplined again.

I had predicted that moving here would pose some challenges that I wasn't used to facing in Hawaii Kai. I anticipated the dietary ones, but the local gym changed hours and my midnight sauna and workouts had to stop. Now I have to go there much earlier when it is much more crowded.

I miss the peaceful Hawaii Kai gym's exercise room at 3 a.m. It was so relaxing and I could stretch anything as long as I wanted to.

Riding a bike is another change because I walked everywhere and took the bus in Hawaii Kai. I like riding and I probably burn 40 calories per mile and ride about 10 miles a day. I never have to wait or pay for a bus unless I want to travel a long distance and it gets me places a lot quicker than walking.

I feel determined to fast. Sometimes I get inspired to do other things (e.g. new diets), but this time I intend on going until December 3, 2018. It simplifies things a lot and as long as I get plenty of sleep and drink lots of water I should be fine; not to mention salt and the other stuff I mentioned.

I am fortunate that I have pink Himalayan salt. Some people think sea salt has contaminants in it from pollution. However, pink salt is not found in the sea and it has the highest concentration of macrominerals and trace minerals of any salt on Earth.

If you fast for more than one day, you should consider drinking water and eating salt. Salt is like the body's lubricant and all of your bodily processes run better with it, but without it they are strained.

I am sitting outside in shorts and a jacket after 1 a.m. and it is 73 °F with no wind, so it feels great and not too cold. Eventually, I may have to dress a little warmer than usual because the body gets colder during fasting.

Take care and good luck in your fasts and diets.

October 8, 2018 11:36 PM HST - Posted by Jason

My Successful 100 Day Diet Wrap-up

My 100 day diet has went very well and this is my last update.

I started in the 170s and made it into the 150s! In fact, when I weighed myself a few days ago I weighed 158 pounds. Counting all of the calories that I eat and burn made a huge difference. I just made sure I had a calorie deficit every day.

When I began my diet, I walked a lot and opted to stay under 2,000 calories a day. Sometimes I went a little over, but I always had a calorie deficit, so I always lost a little weight. Over the course of 100 days this amounted to 15-20 pounds of fat. Now my muscles are more defined and I flow when I walk instead of lumber.

I was challenged with a new equation during the last week or so of my diet because I moved and started a new routine. Instead of walking being my main source of burning calories, riding a bike and sitting in the sauna became part of my routine. I calculated that I was burning 40 calories per mile on my bike and about 100 calories for every 10 minutes in the sauna. Therefore, I ate more food, but I also burned more calories.

I enjoy eating, so I don’t mind eating more. I still only eat organic food though. A typical day of eating when I burn 3,000 calories looks like this:

Whole wheat cereal - 250 calories
Protein and fiber energy bar - 220 calories
Whole wheat bagel - 260 calories
Whole grain rice - 520 calories
Pretzels - 220 calories
Red wine - 75 calories
Dark chocolate - 210 calories
Whole wheat crackers - 200 calories
Avocado - 300 calories
Bananas - 300 calories
___________
2555 calories

Unless I make some adjustments my new diet will likely cost more than my old one because I am buying more food. I probably won’t budget more money for food, so I may fast a little more.

I am going to continue creating a calorie deficit every day until I reach my goal weight. I haven’t picked a number yet, but it will be in the 130s or 140s. I like the challenge of being disciplined and the reward is great. It can be difficult though.

My calorie restriction diet is more like a lifestyle than a diet. I am not trying to abstain from any foods in particular except for processed sugar and meat, but sometimes I eat a little sugar. I prefer honey though. I seek foods that have high protein, high fiber and low or no sugar. I also do my best to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole wheat and complete proteins every day.

Good luck in your fasts and diets.

October 1, 2018 2:04 AM HST - Posted by Jason

100 Day Diet - The Final Week

I have one week to go in my 100 day diet and it has went well until lately.

I think I finally weight under 160 pounds, so that means I lost 15-20 pounds on the diet. I can see and feel the difference and it’s good, but I still can’t fit into my Size 28 bathing suit that I bought a few years ago.

I haven’t failed yet, but I have been eating a little over 2,000 calories a day. I decided to eat a little more over the last 2-3 days because I have been exercising more and burning more calories. Also, I am moving, so the more food that I eat the less food I must carry.

While I was on vacation in Maui for a week, I stayed on my diet and ate about 2,000 calories of healthy organic food each day. I maintained a solid vegetarian diet except for the wild caught Ahi tuna that I ate. My energy levels were high and I lost a little weight each day, but not much.

At least I didn’t gain weight like a lot of people do on vacation. I wasn’t tempted to overeat on and I prepared all of my own meals, so I didn’t have to worry about giant portions, subpar ingredients or unhealthy food.

A few times lately I have had to adjust to a different sleep pattern or I stayed up all night or day without sleeping. It has affected my diet a little, but not much. I usually just eat 400 extra calories when I skip sleep because I think that’s the difference that I burn when I am awake opposed to being asleep for eight hours.

I will eat some different foods after I move because I will be in the vicinity of different grocery stores (e.g. Whole Foods instead of Costco). I may end up eating more fresh, healthy, expensive, organic food, so I could end up fasting a little longer to make up for it. However, I will likely sit in the sauna and ride my bike more often, so that will help me burn calories and stay fit.

After the 100 days is up, I will probably write a roundup and continue dieting. I want to write a book called, “Food, Fasting and Dieting” about nutritious food, reducing calories, fasting and getting lean. I wrote a book called, “Do the Math Diet” in 2011 and it will incorporate some of its principles.

Good luck in your diets, fasts and fitness goals.

September 15, 2018 2:16 AM HST - Posted by Jason

100 Day Diet - Day 77 Update

My diet has been a smashing success! I couldn’t have done much better too.

One of my keys to success has been writing down everything I eat. In fact, sometimes I begin writing tomorrow’s meal plan in advance. I simply write the date in my notepad, then I write the food I eat and how many calories are in each item. I try to pace myself and when I reach 2,000 calories I stop eating.

This diet has been difficult and I have wanted to overeat every day. I fight the urges though and win and it feels good. Diets require discipline, so I am not surprised or offended and I will stay the course. The benefits outweigh the temporary pain and I should actually continue this sort of diet indefinitely because when I don’t know how many calories I eat, I tend to overeat.

The only thing I could do better is make sure I do not go over 2,000 calories. So far, if I have eaten 1,900 calories and I want to eat something that puts me a little over 2,000, but under the amount of calories I burn for the day, I will allow it. However, I am considering being more strict in October and staying under 2,000 calories. Perhaps I will wait until Day 100 and become stricter afterwards.

My diet is effective, so I haven’t seen a need to race toward my goal. Making small, continually, incremental progress is good and encouraging. I will reach my goals even if it takes months or years to do it. It feels great to go in the right direction and improve my life, spirit, body and mind.

One of the great things about being on a successful diet is I don’t get bloated. When I ate too many calories in the past, I would feel bloated and I would have to go to the bathroom more often. Since I have been eating about 1/3 less than before I go to the bathroom 1/3 less too. Saving time is always good.

My body has felt colder than usual. I have wondered if some of the places that I routinely visit have turned up their air conditioning, but I think part of the reason why I am colder is because I have less body fat. Eventually I may need to wear an undershirt or pants instead of shorts on cold nights.

My muscles like my abs and biceps are becoming more defined. Shaving my abs and chest every few days and tanning once a week helps. Feeling lighter on my feet and looking younger or other benefits that I’ve been experiencing.

I am moving in two weeks and I hope it doesn’t throw off my diet. I probably won’t fast this month, but I will keep track of my calories as usual. Since different grocery stores will be in my vicinity, I will need to buy different types of food. For instance, Costco is very close now, but it won’t be close in October. I think this particular diet, my mindset and my momentum should preserve my discipline and I will keep winning.

In a few days I am visiting Maui for a week and I will continue my diet there. I like the structure and discipline and I have learned that celebrating and having fun doesn’t need to (and shouldn’t) involve overeating. Feeling bloated, pooping a lot and gaining weight is counterproductive.

Well, on that beautiful note. Byeeeeee! Good luck in your diets and fasts.

* This diet is outlined in a book that I wrote called Do the Math Diet. You can buy it on Amazon.com if you are interested. Along with explaining the diet, it gives you some meal ideas and electronic ways to keep track of your calories.

September 4, 2018 7:52 AM HST - Posted by Jason

100 Day Diet - Day 66 Update

Today is Day 66 of my 100 day diet, so I am two-thirds finished and this is an update.

I’ve enjoyed this diet a lot because it has worked and it hasn’t been too difficult. As I have stated I simply count all of the calories I eat and all of the calories I burn and I make sure there is a daily deficit. So far there has been a deficit every day and it is usually around a few hundred calories.

I weighed myself a few days ago and I was in between 161 and 162 pounds. I am not sure if the scale was right or not, but it sounds possible. I had a wet head from the shower and I had eaten 2,000 calories beforehand for what it’s worth. I think I was around 170-175 when I started.

I am not overly concerned with numbers on a scale. I am much more concerned with the way I feel, the way I look and the math because math doesn’t lie. Objectively knowing that I am losing fat every day is empowering. Also, I am doing it “the right way” by losing it gradually.

Fasting has been a good way to accelerate my weight loss and reach my goal. I like fasting because I feel strong and save time, energy and money. I also experience clarity, reduced inflammation and other beneficial things when I fast.

Last month, I returned organic almond butter for about $14 and bought four bunches of organic bananas for $11 and organic whole wheat tortillas for under $3. Typically I will buy a green bunch to ripen in a few days and a nearly ripe bunch to eat soon. The tortillas were eaten with organic pinto beans as burritos. They are tasty with seasoning and a complete protein that way.

I only eat organic food because I want to live as long and healthily as possible and I don’t want to harm the environment. I am actually an organic vegetarian because I do not eat meat. Most Americans are obsessed with meat and conventional food, but not me. I don’t think what most people eat is safe for animals or landfills and a lot of it causes diseases.

This month I am flying to Maui to meet my dad for a vacation, but I will keep dieting. 2,000 calories a day is a lot of calories, so I won’t be depriving myself too much. Also, it will be encouraging to break into the 150s in September. I haven’t been that low in a few years.

My body is looking increasingly defined as I lose fat around my muscles. It is an exciting process because I am headed in the right direction. My clothes are fitting well and they are no longer tight like they used to be.

A few days ago I bought a new bathing suit in size 32-34 and I am wearing it today for the first time and it’s loose! It is almost too loose, so I hope it shrinks a little in the wash. It will probably be great for vacation and for a month or two. When it becomes too loose I think I have a new one that I’ve been saving to wear later. Maybe I should try it on now and see how it fits.

Here is a list of some organic things that I eat. Every day I make sure I eat lots of servings of fruits and vegetables along with protein and fiber. I also try to reduce my sugar and carbohydrate intake and I prefer eating healthy fats and oils.

Avocados
Bananas
Oranges
Applesauce
Raisins
Oatmeal
Cinnamon
Honey
Lentil soup
Black and pinto refried beans
Corn and potato chips
Dark chocolate
Green tea
Black coffee
Rooibos tea
Rockstar energy drinks
Whole wheat tortillas, crackers and bagels
Pasta and tomato sauces
Coconut cookies
Salad
Tofu
Red wine
Black pepper
Walnuts
Millet and brown rice ramen noodles
Turmeric (with black pepper) and garlic supplements
Extra virgin olive oil
Sesame oil
Filtered water

Good luck in your dieting and fasting endeavors.

August 28, 2018 4:56 AM HST - Posted by Jason

Six Day Fast

Today I am starting a six day fast and I think it will go well.

My 100 day diet is going well and the gym’s scale said I weighed 166 pounds yesterday. I think I am a little lighter than that, but that’s not bad. I will probably lose three pounds on the fast.

Last month my organic food money lasted 23 days and I stretched it to 24 days. This month it lasted 25 days. Next month, I will be on vacation, so I probably won’t fast. However, I have a few ideas to try in October that I think will make it last 28 days.

I have been eating 2,000 calories a day, but I haven’t been dogmatic about my last meal. In other words if I have eaten 1,900 calories and I want to eat food that contains 210 calories in one serving I will eat it anyway. I think if I stay under 2,000 each day I would have two more days of food at the end of the month. Also, if I buy double the organic oatmeal and one more can of organic pinto beans I could stretch it into another day with some bulk things like applesauce that I can stretch.

Counting calories has helped me lose a lot of weight. I simply create a calorie deficit for a period of time and I notice weight loss. It takes discipline, but I think the best way is to try to string together as many victorious days as possible.

I am fortunate that my low income grants me a $342/month food stipend. Since I only eat and drink organic food and I am on a diet, I like to see how far I can stretch it each month. I also like fasting, so I don’t mind fasting for a week after I use it all. However, I think with increased discipline and weight loss I can eventually make it stretch for the month. In August, I spent about $10 of my money on organic food and about $50 on organic red wine.

One of the best things about my diet is that it is balanced. Even in the last days before I stopped eating I was eating plenty of fruit, vegetables, fiber, complete protein and even some tasty things like dark chocolate and Rockstar sports drinks. This has kept me healthy and kept my energy levels stable and high. It has also facilitated regular, enviable bowel movements.

This month I drank eight organic Rockstar energy drinks in 25 days. I was tempted to drink about twice that many, but I wanted to reduce my intake because it’s primarily organic cane sugar. Last month, I drank about 15-20 drinks in 24 days. Drinking eight drinks in 25 days is roughly two per week.

I am going to write a diet update on September 4 because it will be 2/3 finished. If I don’t write about the fast separately, I will mention it in that blog.

Good luck in your fasts and diets.

August 20, 2018 5:49 AM HST - Posted by Jason

100 Day Diet – Day 51 Update

My diet has been going very well and I just passed the midpoint, so this is an update.

I have been counting my calories and eating about 2,000 every day. Since I have been burning about 2,500 calories a day I have been creating a deficit and losing weight. However, there have been ups and downs.

I accidentally miscalculated the organic almond butter that I ate. Somehow I miscalculated by 50% because there is about 3,000 calories in the container and I estimated that the 10 servings I ate added up to 1,500 calories. Unfortunately that means that I accidentally ate 1,500 more calories than I intended on eating. While this isn’t good, at least it didn’t set me back too much. I returned the other container of almond butter that I bought and may stick to one per month instead of two. If I eat it next month I need to double each calorie estimate, so I might just avoid it altogether.

Taking organic garlic and organic turmeric with organic black pepper supplements has been good for my health. I have about a pound of powder of each one and lots of empty gel caps, so I should make a lot of capsules.

I haven’t been factoring the organic extra virgin olive oil that I usually swallow and sometimes I don’t keep track of a shot or two of honey too. I consider those things more like essential medicines though. They could add 75-100 calories to my diet several days a week. I just bought some organic olive oil that tastes more potent than the previous bottle and it is imported from Italy.

It’s interesting how there are a wide variety of body types. At some point weight loss could become aesthetic, but I probably don’t have to worry about it for some time. I think the average body size changes in different regions and within different groups. For instance, in colder regions people tend to be a little heavier because the fat keeps them warmer. In warmer climates or where people have to work outside in the sun, people tend to be leaner.

I will likely fast from August 29 or August 30 until September 3. My fast will be a little shorter than usual because I am stretching my food money further. The main reasons have to do with energy drinks and bananas. I have been drinking fewer energy drinks and eating more bananas this month, so I have reaped the benefits. Instead of spending $1.75 on an organic drink, I buy eight organic bananas for $2.49 and it is a better value and better for me.

The other way that I saved money this month was by buying more organic dark chocolate bars from Whole Foods. Yep, you heard that right. Instead of buying organic chocolate peanut butter cups from Safeway for $2.50 (210 calories), I buy the bars for $2.49 (500 calories) and since I like to eat some chocolate every day it was a better value.

By the way, why don’t iPhones have SD card slots yet? That’s a tangent for another time.

Good luck in your diets and fasts.

August 9, 2018 12:33 AM HST - Posted by Jason

100 Day Diet Update - Day 40

Today is the 40th day of my 100 day diet and it has went very well.

Every day I have created a calorie deficit, so continually going in the right direction has felt great. I am slowly shrinking and I can tell too.

I haven’t eaten exactly 2,000 calories a day, but it has been close. On a couple of days, I allowed myself a little more because I exercised more than usual. I am not dogmatic about staying under 2,000 calories, but I keep it close if the last thing I eat makes me exceed the limit.

I think I burn about 2,500 calories a day because I walk about three miles each day. Although it is taking a long time to reach my goal, at least I am not going in the opposite direction or staying the same. Making daily progress is encouraging.

I fasted for about a week at the end of July and it went well. I didn’t celebrate by eating extra when I was done. I just continued dieting, so I was pleased with the accelerated progress.

I bought a pair of shorts about two weeks ago and they were size 32. They were snug around the waist, but not too tight or painful. I figured that was the right size for now. I haven’t worn them since I bought them, so I am looking forward to wearing them soon. I hope they didn’t shrink.

I have a tight bathing suit that I have wanted to wear, but it is a size 30 or 31, so I might have to wait a little while before I can wear it. I am confident that it will fit one day though.

After my 100 day diet is over, I intend on extending it. Keeping track of my calories and creating a daily calorie deficit is more like a lifestyle than a diet. It isn’t always easy though.

A lot of days I don’t eat anything for the last 5-6 hours that I am awake. I just eat more earlier and don’t have any calories remaining. I don’t need energy to go to sleep, so it works out pretty well.

I am going to publish a book called 101 Haikus soon. I have written more than 80 so far. I usually write 4-5 at a time because they only have 17 syllables. I hope to publish the book on or before my birthday on August 13. I will likely publish another book of poetry about a month later and it will include the regular poems that I have written lately.

I feel good and healthy despite a couple of minor health issues. My organic diet includes lots of protein and fiber, so I think that is part of the reason why. I also avoid eating much sugar along with many other foods that I have either deemed unhealthy or not healthy enough for me to eat.

Lately, I have felt a chill a few times, so I have worn a hoodie or jacket at night. When I fast my body temperature drops and lean people are more susceptible to the cold, so I may find myself getting cold more often.

I will likely fast at the end of August for several days. I haven’t chosen the dates, but August 28-31 or even August 28 - September 3 may be best.

I am not sure how much I weigh and the locker room’s scale in my gym is unreliable. I don’t like guessing all of the time, so maybe I will buy a scale or see if there is another one in the gym that works.

I have probably lost about 10 pounds. I probably lost 2-3 pounds on my fast and during my diet I have been losing about a pound a week. I look leaner and my body is becoming more defined, but I still have a long way to go.

Last month I reduced the amount of chips that I ate. In fact, I almost completely quit. This month I am reducing the number of Rockstar energy drinks that I drink. I have drank two in the last six days and I am aiming for drinking one a week. Last month I drank one almost every day that I didn’t fast and it is a lot of sugar that I could do without even though it tastes good, gives me a boost and fizzes in my throat.

I have a monthlong bus pass in August, but it hasn’t affected my diet too much. I have visited Whole Foods twice this month though and I probably would have went zero or one times without the bus pass.

Next month I will be visiting Maui with my father, but I will stay on my diet. I might eat a few different organic foods than usual though. Last year I ate tasty organic eggs and delicious organic pineapple in Maui, so perhaps they will have them again.

Good luck in your diet and fasting endeavors!

August 1, 2018 5:57 AM HST - Posted by Jason

1 Week Fast - Last Update

My fast is going well and there is about one day left.

A few times I have gotten hungry lately, but I just drank water, organic green tea and organic coffee. I also drank some organic rooibos tea and some organic honey.

I took one break toward the middle of the week and ate organic oatmeal. I remembered that I had it and I thought it would be perfect and it was. I ate it with organic honey, organic cinnamon, organic raisins and Himalayan pink salt. I am going to break the fast with those things too. They are easy on my digestive system and nutritious. Also, I have all of them.

I have used Himalayan pink salt as a mouthwash a few times. It has been good to replenish some of the salt that I lose.

I have felt pretty good, so I have enjoyed the fast. However, I am suffering overall and people can probably notice that I don’t have the same energy. Hawaiians tend to be happy, upbeat people, partly because they work in customer service jobs, it is beautiful in Hawaiia, they’re friendly, etc. Therefore, it is a little awkward being around people that are sensitive to my suffering. It’s subtle, but they are intuitive.

I am riding the bus everywhere in August because I am buying a bus pass. It will be the first month pass that I have ever bought in Hawaii. I used to get them in 2012-2014 in Long Beach, California and it worked very well. I am excited about it because I am going to ride the bus all over the island all day and night.

Eating will be bittersweet, but I miss the energy that food brings. In fact, I was thinking the other day that whatever food you break a lengthy fast with tells you a lot about that food’s nutritional value and how it reacts with your body. I have broken long fasts with all kinds of food and it is a good way to put something to the test because something very nutritious (e.g. with complete proteins) feels different than a sugary snack, for instance.

I already have a list of food that I want to eat in August. I may make more trips to Whole Foods with a bus pass because instead of paying $5.50 every time for the roundtrip ticket, it will be covered in the monthly pass fee. This makes trips there for 1-2 things much more worth it. It is also in a shopping mall and next to a Starbucks, so it isn’t all bad.

After I break the fast with organic oatmeal, I am going to eat some organic bananas. Those things should be enough until midnight and then I will do some grocery shopping for things like organic tofu, organic salad, organic pinto beans and organic bagels.

Good luck in your diets and fasts.

*Update on August 1, 2018, 12:11 AM HST

My teeth and tongue get yellow when I fast, but it goes away when I brush with baking soda. It is funny how yellow they can get and how white they can get real fast. I think the coffee and tea stain them, but I rinse my mouth with water a lot and that helps too.

I bought some hydrogen peroxide, mixed it with water and used it as a mouthwash. I like the way it feels and it is supposed to be good for cleaning germs inside the mouth especially if I have cuts or scrapes. I used to use it a few years ago.

I haven’t had any wine, but I am going to drink some organic red wine when I break my fast. I don’t mind a little wine on my fasts, but I didn’t bother with it this time.

I tried a new organic honey from Safeway and it was very good and tasted different than what I had been used to. It is from Brazil like Costco’s, but it must be from different flowers because it was a different sweetness. The O Organics brand makes it and they make a lot of delicious organic products.

I walked a long way to 7-11 for a bus pass, but I made a wrong turn and didn’t make it. The night was beautiful and it was good to get the exercise. I found it the next day and bought the pass.

July 27, 2018 4:27 PM HST - Posted by Jason

1 Week Fast - Day 2 Update

Day 1 of my fast went well and I felt good. It is midway through Day 2 now.

The first day is always interesting because you inevitably get some cues to eat even though you aren’t that hungry. I fought them off and drank a lot of water. I also drank some organic black coffee, organic green tea and organic rooibos tea.

Throughout the day I had a few shots of organic honey. It was a little crystallized and it tasted awesome. I also threw 2-3 umeasured teaspoons of Himalayan pink salt in my mouth and added water. Swishing it around for a minute or two hydrated my mouth and body as I absorbed it.

I wrote parts of a poem and a story yesterday. I will finish them soon. The poem is about the night sky because the Earth, Moon and Mars lined up during a full moon. The story is the next one in my A Brand New World: How You Will Live series. I paused the story writing today because my character Rico is about to dream and I want to give it some thought.

I didn’t eat my garlic or turmeric and black pepper supplements yet. Sometimes I like taking days off whether I am fasting or not, but especially when I am fasting. I will likely take them again soon though. Fortunately, they do not bother my stomach when it is empty.

I don’t like having tons of extra food on hand that I don’t need or eat. I know some houses become that way over time though. Since I eat what a buy every month, it lets me start over new each month. I don’t have old food lingering and looking at me expectantly. It’s funny how food can convey different messages if you let it.

I am fortunate to get monthly food money. I like to make it stretch as far as possible on an organic diet and fast the rest of the month. If I can do this, then I won’t spend any out-of-pocket money on food. However, I buy organic red wine because it is not covered in the stipend.

In July, I was able to make it last for 23 days and that is the longest so far. Interestingly, my body will require fewer calories as I lose fat and get leaner, so I will eventually change my 2,000 calorie a day diet to 1,900 or 1,800 calories. That will make the food last longer too.

Adjusting to a 2,000 calorie a day diet has been easy because I still feel full and I save lots of time, energy and money. However, grocery shopping was different because I bought less than usual and overbought two things and needed to return them. It worked out well in the end though and I think I see a couple of ways to make it stretch for 24-25 days. Also, I was able to maintain a very good balance of protein, fiber, fat, carbs and vitamins in my diet.

Winning daily over the last 25 days which is the first quarter of my 100 Day Diet has been gratifying. I am simply creating a calorie deficit every day by eating 2,000 calories and burning around 2,500 calories. Fasting after that success is good and I look forward to building on it after I start eating on August 3.

Before I slept I drank a big gulp of organic apple cider vinegar. It tastes horrible, but it is good for you. I wonder if the first people to discover it a long time ago drank it or thought it was putrid. It helps build a good gut microbiome, so I drink it a few times a week even though it tastes horrible.

I slept from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and felt good when I got up. I must have gotten enough sleep. I was very dehydrated though, so I drank a lot of water.

Good luck in your diets and fasts.

July 11, 2018 2:12 AM HST - Posted by Jason

100 Day Diet - Day 20 Update

My diet is going well and I have been successful every day. Counting my calories and creating a calorie deficit is a great way to avoid gaining weight and lose weight.

Yesterday I weighed myself and the scale said 170 pounds after my shower with wet hair. I also had already eaten all of the food that I could eat for the day. Therefore, I might be 168-169 pounds in reality. This seems to be exactly where I should be because I am losing about a pound a week according to the math.

I have had a lot of energy because I have been eating fantastic organic food like lentil soup, bananas, raisins, applesauce, pinto and black beans, whole wheat bagels, avocados, whole wheat tortillas, dark chocolate, red wine, nut and seed butter, almond butter, whole grain rice, quinoa, honey, mangoes, strawberries, etc.

My clothes are fitting better and I feel confident because I am in control and headed in the right direction. I like knowing exactly how many calories I eat and burn each day because it takes the guesswork out of it. Keeping track is an objective way to create a calorie deficit too.

Each day I walk three miles at a brisk pace and burns calories and stimulates my metabolism. I am thinking about buying a bike, but I will probably wait a month or two.

Besides eating organic food I think the most important aspects of my diet are complete proteins and fiber, so I eat plenty of them. It is not very difficult to eat enough fat, carbs or vitamins. My bowel movements have been great and consistent and my body has been repairing itself quickly and building muscles.

Like I mentioned I have been drinking organic green tea, organic rooibos tea and organic coffee and I have been swallowing organic olive oil each day. I also pull organic sesame oil, swallow some organic honey and drink organic apple cider vinegar almost every day. Organic garlic and organic turmeric with organic black pepper supplements are also part of my daily routine.

Food is a fuel source and even though society does not always see it that way I do. I have no use for low quality food like white flour, milk or white chocolate, white wine, granola or food with cane sugar added to it. I need all of the energy that I can get because I demand a lot from my body and mind.

I am fasting from about July 26 until August 3, but those dates are not firm yet. I spend around $15 a day on 2,000 calories of organic food and drinks which is not bad in Hawaii. Fasting has countless benefits, but burning fat faster and saving $100 are two of them.

At this rate and including my upcoming fast, I will likely weigh about 160 pounds on my birthday and diet’s midpoint in mid-August. It also means that I could weigh around 140 pounds by the end in October. I haven’t been that low since 2012, but it will be a welcome state of being. Perhaps I will even fit into a small bathing suit that I bought to inspire me.

Good luck in your diets and fasts.

July 11, 2018 12:37 AM HST - Posted by Jason

100 Day Diet Update - Day 10

Today is the 10th day of my 100 day diet and it has went well.

Eating 2,000 calories a day is pretty easy even though I have been reaching that number 5-6 hours before I sleep. I have been eating healthy organic food like beans, honey, whole wheat, rice, almond butter, mangoes, bananas, applesauce, dark chocolate with coconut, etc.

I have been avoiding chips, nuts, dried fruit and some breads because of a sore spot in between two teeth that has become a food trap. That stuff always gets stuck in there and it’s no fun. It makes this diet easier though because there are a limited number of organic options on this island; especially in this area.

I haven’t weighed myself lately, so I might have broken into the 160s. It feels good to be disciplined and heading in the right direction. When I wasn’t counting my calories or fasting, I was overeating and probably gaining a pound a week.

I have gotten into the habit of pulling organic sesame oil while walking about a mile before I sleep. I also take a big gulp of organic apple cider vinegar before bed. This seems to do some good things for my mind and body and I like multitasking.

Have you ever written a haiku? I wrote three lately. They are an interesting way to poetically communicate an idea. Haikus are poems with three lines and they must have five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line and five syllables in the third line. I like writing them and they come fast and are pretty easy for me, so I may write a book of them.

The weather has been beautiful lately and even though I have dressed warmly I haven’t had to. As long as you aren’t directly hit by the wind for a long time you can wear shorts and a t-shirt outside all night in Hawaii. It has rained a little lately though.

Best of all this diet hasn’t felt laborious. I don’t dread it because it is simply a calorie restriction diet and I am just eating less than I burn. I eat whatever I want to eat, but I stop eating when I reach 2,000 calories. Since my body needs more like 2,500 calories a day it will burn fat for the rest.

I am used to fasting for about a week at the end of the month, so I will probably fast again around the 30th. It might not last an entire week though. Along with dieting and eating organic food I am trying to see how much money I spend each month on food. It is probably around $350-400 a month. I prepare all of my meals, so it keeps the cost down and I always know what is in it.

I made some organic turmeric gel caps with organic black pepper because I like taking those and organic garlic supplements each day. I take 2-4 gel caps of each for their healing and edifying properties. They reduce inflammation and strengthen my immune system and although I don’t really trust multivitamins anymore I trust these because they’ve been used for centuries and seem to work.

Each day I have been drinking 2-3 cups of organic black coffee and 5-6 cups of unsweetened organic green tea. I will typically hydrate after I wake up and then start the coffee and tea ritual a few hours later. I usually drink one cup of organic rooibos tea too.

I drink anywhere between no wine and 6-7 ounces per day. I typically take swigs out of my flask whenever I feel like it. It is organic red wine, so it is good for me. I think Jesus was on to something. I also swallow a spoonful of organic honey and 1-2 tablespoons of organic olive oil each day.

I don’t use suntan lotion or sunblock unless I have to be in direct sunlight for a very long time. When I do I have some natural, non-toxic stuff that is friendly to the reefs. Also, I rub organic sesame oil on my body instead of lotions or elixirs.

A few days ago I ate a fantastic avocado. It was organic and probably from some other part of the world. I didn’t read the fine print, but after a few days it was delicious on a whole wheat organic bagel with Himalayan salt.

I didn’t think about using Himalayan salt instead of sea salt because the sea is polluted. However, somebody mentioned it on Twitter and it’s not a bad idea. Maybe Himalayan salt is the best. I like Celtic sea salt too, but after I finish my Himalayan salt I will switch to Hawaiian salt for a few months. When in Rome.

Since I replaced almonds with almond butter, apples with applesauce and began avoiding nuts, I think my body assimilates food better. For instance, I used to see some nuts in my poop presumably because I didn’t chew them enough, but I don’t have to chew them in almond butter.

I wrote four haikus since I started this blog. I took a break from it and wrote them in my notepad. They’re called, The Sound, Sing, Dreams and Stray Cats. I am going to save them until I have 100 and then I’ll publish them in a book of haikus. Prolly call it 100 Haikus.

Good luck,
Jason

July 6, 2018 5:21 AM HST - Posted by Jason

100 Day Diet Update - Day 6

My diet is going well and since it has been almost a week I wanted to blog an update.

So far I have met my goal each day by creating a calorie deficit. It has likely been between 200 and 500 calories a day. I have eaten a good diet and gotten plenty of sleep too.

After 100 days I may extend this diet for a year. I think I could benefit from it for an entire year and then I would be at my goal weight.

I have pulled organic sesame oil a few times and it has went well. It is good for cleaning my mouth. I usually swish it around in my mouth for about 15 minutes and then I rinse with water several times.

I am working on another poetry book and a book of short stories. It doesn’t feel like I am writing books though because I am just writing the poems and stories that come to me. I guess that’s a good thing. I will probably write poetry my entire life, but I am ending my A Brand New World book series after I finish writing the 10th book. Since 2012, it has been an exciting journey because I have written hundreds of stories. The 9th book is called How You Will Live and the 10th one will be called How It All Ends.

After my last fast I began the 2,000 calorie/day diet, so my body transitioned well. Sometimes after a long fast I will celebrate and replenish my body by overeating a little. However, whenever I overeat I feel bloated, so I am very happy that I haven’t felt that way and won’t feel that way on this diet.

I weighed myself a few days ago and I weighed 172 pounds after a full day of eating food and drinking fluids. My weight has fluctuated over the years and after it hits 170 I start taking fasting and dieting more seriously. It might have something to do with me being an overweight child, my mom’s eating disorder (she was obese), not growing to my full height, etc. Seasons may affect my weight a little too. I can manage it well when I count calories and get determined though.

Good luck,
Jason

July 4, 2018 1:35 AM HST - Posted by Jason

Fast Wrapup and 100 Day Diet

My last fast in my series of eight went well and I am on a diet now and it is going well too.

After fasting for a week my body feels leaner and I can tell because I glide more when I walk. My clothes are fitting better too. It was a great experience and I didn’t have any extra pains or issues or anything. It lasted for about five days and I kept hydrated and got plenty of sleep, so everything else fell into place as expected.

My diet sees me eating 2,000 calories a day and I can eat whatever I want as long as it is organic. I try to eat the healthiest food that I can though. I have been writing everything in a notepad and it helps me keep track, so I don’t go over the limit. Sticking to this diet, I should lose about a pound a week because I walk three miles a day and do other exercise. If I have a very strenuous day I may eat a little more (e.g. I ride a bike 25 miles, catch waves, walk 10 miles, etc.).

I want to maintain a lean body to reduce inflammation and stress on my joints and ligaments. I walk a lot and being lighter is better than being heavier because your knees and ankles feel the impact. Also, it is bad to have organs sitting in fat and some fat might have been stored with toxins in it.

Here is what a typical day’s menu may look like.

320 - lentil soup
250 - almonds with Celtic sea salt
100 - raw honey
200 - raisins
200 - energy drink
420 - pinto beans
150 - red wine
260 - whole wheat bagel
100 - almond butter
______
2000 calories

Here is another sample.

360 - lentil soup
300 - crispbread
300 - avocado
300 - mango
210 - dark chocolate
150 - red wine
200 - almond butter
200 - energy drink
______
2020 calories

It is less than what I was eating because I was eating closer to 3,000 calories a day. I think I am pretty good at overeating and that’s not good, so fasting and keeping track of my calories helps a lot. I will weigh myself, so I know what my weight is because I have no idea, but it is in the “normal” category on the BMI scale.

Even though my new diet is 2/3 of the calories I still have the same amount of energy. Since I burn at least 2,300-2,500 calories a day, I burn some body fat everyday. I like that feeling and I like making progress toward my goal. My first goal is to do this for 100 days, so I will be done around October 8. That means I could lose 14 pounds.

This is a slow way to lose weight, but I will probably fast for up to a week at the end of each month, so I could lose more than 14 pounds. I counted my calories for months and lost weight like this in 2011 when I wrote a book called, Do the Math Diet. It worked well, so I wrote about it and I do it from time to time. It always works because it is objectively based on math. I burn more calories than I ingest every day and by creating a calorie deficit I lose weight and get closer to my goal weight.

They say losing weight slowly will help you keep it off longer and I am not sure if that is true or not, but by losing a little weight every day several good physical and psychological things happen. Since I pack the organic food that I eat instead of eating out, it won’t be too difficult. Also, if I run out of calories a few hours before bed I can drink coffee and tea to stay awake.

Good luck in your fasts and diets and if you do something unique or have a question let me know.

June 29, 2018 11:59 PM HST - Posted by Jason

June 2018 Fast's Midpoint

My weeklong fast is going well and this is nearly the midpoint.

I feel leaner and like I am shrinking. My shirts and underwear are fitting better. I am fighting to stay hydrated. When I wake up I drink about 64 ounces of cool, filtered water.

Today I swallowed some Himalayan salt because I was feeling weak. That’s always the telltale sign. I felt it as soon as I woke up and after I had the salt with water it went away and I feel fine now. Normally I just feel dehydrated.

Some Hawaiian girls just paddled across the water and docked by me. They hopped out and bought some frozen yogurt. They seemed like they were part of a class or friends at least; probably in junior high school or maybe high school. Bouncy and friendly they were probably looking for guys too, but I didn’t see any.

I’m listening to Paramore on my headphones right now and Hard Times is playing. They’re a good band and I like their music. Their singer Hayley Williams is cute too. There aren’t a lot of mainstream rock bands with female lead singers. No Doubt comes to mind. They have great bass.

I found an outdoor electrical outlet at a table with a beautiful view. I checked the place for WiFi and they didn’t have it and I almost left until I noticed electric outlets. They will come in handy because I feel inspired to write here and now I won’t have to use my battery if I get this table.

After I end the fast, I am going to eat more organic berries like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. In fact, I think I will have an extra $100 a month to play with if I stick to a 2,000 calorie a day diet. It should pay for lots of tasty, organic berries.

I’m listening to Bush and Gavin Rossdale singing Sound of Winter. I am stoked that we follow each other on Twitter. I like his music and that album was particularly good and timely for me.

Today is Friday and I am tempted to do something different like go to the mall. I don’t say “tempted” like it’s bad. I just mean I am thinking about it, but I probably won’t. I like my routine and I know a lot of people change the way they act on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but I don’t mind when I stay the same. I guess I like what I do.

I have been thinking of more life events to add to a memoir I published on my website. I am making a list of them and when I get a dozen I will write them. I have obviously had many more experiences than the ones I wrote about, but those are some of the highlights.

I have been wondering if I should quit drinking coffee and only drink tea instead because of acrylamide. I prefer the darker roasts because they don’t cause as much stomach gas as the lighter roasts do. However, acrylamide is a byproduct of the roasting process and probably increases in darker roasts.

Right now since I found some organic green tea I like, I have been drinking about 50% tea and 50% coffee. I usually drink organic green tea, but I also try to include one organic rooibos tea each day. I have two types of rooibos and one is called Chai Rooibos and the other one is Sweet & Spicy. Both of them are tasty and have no caffeine, so they are considered herbal teas.

I’m listening to Longshot which is Green Day’s lead singer’s (Billie Joe Armstrong’s) solo band. They wrote some good songs. They’re not exceptionally difficult, but they are catchy and cool.

I drink coffee and tea for the caffeine and the health benefits. I think the green tea I drink has almost as much caffeine in it as a cup of coffee unless the coffee is strong. It would probably be enough to keep me awake though.

Depending on how the tea leaves are cut some green teas will irritate the stomach lining, so they are hard to drink without sweetening. The one I a drinking now doesn’t bother me and it tastes good, so I don’t even need to sweeten it.

It would probably be wise to cut back on coffee and replace it with green tea. Maybe just one or two cups of coffee a day.

Today I have thought about food many times. I didn’t think about it too much one day one or day two. I wasn’t really tempted to stop though because I want to go to the end which will probably be on Monday night.

I was craving a Rockstar energy drink earlier and it was probably because of the sugar. I fought off the urges though.

On day two and day three I swallowed a big spoonful of organic Hawaiian honey. It was good and it gave me a boost.

Good luck in your diets and fasts.

June 27, 2018 5:25 AM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 1 - June 2018 Fast

The first day of my fast is going well.

Sometimes I don’t list magnanimous reasons why I fast. In other words I care about people that are suffering and want things around the world to change, but I don't always mention it when I fast. People always ask me why I am fasting and it’s never a simple question because there are always many different reasons based on my mood, my needs, what is happening in the world, etc.

I have been drinking organic black coffee from Latin America and it is called Vista Verde by Starbucks. It is one of the few organic coffees that they make and sell even though they never brew it and cafes rarely sell it. It is a dark roast and robust with some subtle chocolate tones. Not bad.

Before my fast and for the last month or two, I have been sleeping during the daytime and not at night, so I am going to continue doing that. All things considered I don’t think it should harm or complicate my fast. Things are too dialed in right now and I don’t have to do anything extraordinarily strenuous.

Today I listed some food that I wanted to eat and food that I wanted to avoid after my fast ends on July 3. I am going to add more things to the list. I want to make sure that I eat plenty of all of the amino acid proteins that my body cannot make along with enough fiber, fat and vitamins.

I have had some muscle spasms under one of my eyes lately. I am not sure why, but it could be because of the pinched nerve in my back, dehydration or both. I used to get them in my other eyeball, but they got bad until they finally stopped in 2012. Sometimes I get them in other body parts as well.

When I visited doctors about the pinched nerve in 2008, they didn’t really know what was going on. They took photos and ran tests and guessed “pinched nerve” which is apparently a catchall for random spacicity-related ailments. They prescribed 750mg of hydrocodone, but it made me feel like a zombie, so I stopped taking it.

Medical marijuana helps with my muscle spasms. It doesn’t cure them, but it calms them down. Keeping my weight down, so I can keep my hips turned correctly helps as well. Sometimes I can feel nerve pain in my tailbone and I wonder if it is from the pinched nerve, a spinal tap or something else. The pinched nerve was caused by a vicious hit that I suffered in a Pop Warner football game in between 7th and 8th grades. It stunted my growth possibly as much as a few inches, but it didn’t cause pain or require chiropractic adjustments until I was 20 years old.

I am amazed at the battery life of my iPad when I keep it in low brightness mode. I used it for an hour and it still said 100%! Now I have used it for the last four hours and it still says 80%. A bluetooth keyboard enhances its power and capabilities because I can do everything quicker. I think they should include one with the iPad and have MicroSD card slots too.

New stories in A Brand New World have been slowly coming to me. Perhaps I will write one or two during the fast. I have already written most of a story that I may keep developing and post after I post another one. I also have an idea for another one that should probably come next.

I supposed to be editing The Wrong Side, but there is not much to edit. I am 25% finished, but I haven’t worked on it in a while. As I reread it and make minor typographical fixes, I recall the experience. I want to make sure everything is accurate. It was definitely honest to the best of my knowledge, but I want to confirm that I didn’t finger anybody without a smoking gun.

One thing I like about fasting is getting inspired to write. Sometimes I write poems or stories or blogs. Fasting is a good catalyst for writing. Having more time might have something to do with it.

Take care and good luck in your diets and fasts.

June 25, 2018 3:55 PM HST - Posted by Jason

June 2018 Fast

Tomorrow I am beginning a seven day fast and I will break it on July 3.

I am going to fast like I typically do and since it is the 8th one in my set of eight fasts, I am not going to take any breaks in the middle. It will also help me manage my weight, health and checkbook, so to speak.

Fasting is an exciting discipline and I think it heals the body. It gives the organs that are usually always working a rest. It also helps the body burn off unwanted fat and possibly worse things like tumors. Since tumors reportedly feed on sugars of any kind, I always take some time off of all sugar even organic honey when I fast.

After my fast I will limit my daily caloric intake to about 2,000 calories a day because I want to create a calorie deficit every day and lose a pound a week. That is the plan and I am sure that I can do it. It won’t be too difficult because I tend to do whatever I put my mind to if it’s within my ability and something better doesn’t come up.

I have had a toothache due to a missing part of my tooth. Gum is exposed, so chewing some foods hurts and lots of food gets stuck in there. I probably need some sort of dental procedure. However, in the meantime it will be easy to fast and easier to give up certain food and eat less afterwards. It will be a healthy, organic diet and likely healthier than my usual one.

I intend on writing a book on fasting because I have read books on it and I have fasted many times and in many different ways. Perhaps this fast will be that catalyst to writing that book. I suppose I just need to write an outline, break it into chapters and get started. I’m not a medical doctor, so I will just stick to what I know. Might be a short book. However, I think if my mom would have fasted before the surgery that ended her life last year that she may still be alive today. Perhaps it could help others or even save lives.

Good luck in your fasts and dieting.

May 30, 2018 5:21 AM EST - Posted by Jason

May's Extended Fast Update

My fast is going well. I fasted for three days, took half of a day off, fasted for two more days, took a half of a day off and then I fasted one more day which was today (Tuesday p.m. to Wednesday a.m.). I still have 6-7 hours until I go to sleep, so it is like the middle of my day even though it’s 11 p.m. as I start writing.

Today I was thinking about the way that fasting is rebellious. It thumbs one’s nose at convention. That is why some people go on hunger strikes to protest different things. The prisoners in Guantanamo Bay come to mind. Some of the Muslim prisoners weren’t getting food up to their standards and they went on a hunger strike and were eventually forced to eat a sugary solution through a tube.

May’s fast happens to be during Ramadan. However, I am not a Muslim and I do not fast like that. I tried it in 2012, but I didn’t like it because I just ate before sunrise and after sunset. There was no overall calorie loss and it was just an exercise in temporary deprivation. I could see how it might be bonding to families or communities that do it corporately.

During the hours off fasting, I ate healthy organic food like cashews, almonds, walnuts, pea chips, honey, potato chips, chocolate, kale chips, pinto beans and a sports drink. I didn’t eat anything from the fruit category or anything too decadent although I had a solid 3,000 calories.

I intend on fasting for one more day and then stopping. I will probably break it on Thursday, May 31 in the afternoon or evening.

My body has been feeling well. Yesterday I practiced yoga for about an hour and I slept very well. In fact, it was restful and I hardly woke up at all and I usually wake up a few times. Yoga classes tend to do that for me too.

I have been walking 2-3 miles a day. However, I haven’t felt like doing cardio or lifting weights at the gym lately. They usually play Fox News and CNN in front of the walking machines, so that is a good way to hear some stories and do cardio. The bike machines don’t face them though.

It has been very windy in Hawaii lately. I don’t linger in it too long, but it has been gusty for days. There are a few spots that are protected though. I think it is expected on the windward side of the island because the trade winds are constantly blowing.

I wear size medium and my clothes are fitting well. My BMI was in the “normal” range when I checked it. However, I haven’t weighed myself lately. I probably weigh around 165 pounds or maybe less.

I think people have a wide range of sizes that they could be. Skinny or lean body types are great for models or beach bodies. Muscular builds are important to athletes and narcissists. Pear-shaped physiques have been popular as well.

Although my weight is likely in the 160s, I think it would be great if I could get it into the 140s. Even though I’m not overweight, I think that dropping 20 pounds of fat would make my body feel and operate even better. The odd thing about weighing a lot less is that I look more muscular because it defines my muscles.

I have been feeling colder lately and that might have to do with fasting. That is one of the typical side effects of fasting. I just dress a little warmer than usual and I am fine though.

After I break the fast, I may skip a day of sleep. I will have plenty of energy and instead of sleep I could stay up and do stuff. For instance, I could eat. I like eating. I could also cruise to another town to do something.

The next time it is sunny and warm I want to visit Sandy Beach and go body whomping. It is a favorite pastime for tourists and locals alike. Fast, big shore break waves.

Next month will be my last fast in this sequence of eight consecutive fasts. Afterwards I had intended on counting my calories and that is probably the plan that I will stick to. However, I may still fast toward the end of the month, so I could do it different ways.

Good luck in your fasts and diets.

May 23, 2018 5:54 AM EST - Posted by Jason

May's Extended Fast

On Thursday, I am starting an 8-10 day fast. I might fast for a few days and take a break 2-3 times. We’ll see. Either way I have been looking forward to it.

Since I recently moved back to Hawaii, I found all sorts of organic food nearby. I haven’t bothered counting calories, but I may have gained a pound or two. The fast will stop that slide, shed the weight I’ve gained and more.

Organic blueberries, organic dried mango, organic local honey and lots of organic cashews are some of the things that I’ve been eating. I also found Costco’s version of organic Doritos and they’re tasty.

During my fast I’ll just drink water, organic black coffee and organic green and red unsweetened teas. Once in a while I will drink some organic honey and some ACV (apple cider vinegar). I may drink a little organic red wine too.

If you fast for an extended period of time, you will probably want to swallow some sea salt. I have some Himalayan pink salt, so I will toss some in my mouth and wash it down with water. Celtic sea salt is great too because it has trace minerals in it as well.

I typically walk about three miles a day, so I will keep doing that. I think I will exercise more in the gym and practice yoga and stretch. It may be more difficult to stay up all night, but I will have to stay hydrated and drink coffee.

The fast will be over Memorial Day weekend, but it shouldn’t matter. I’m not in the habit of eating on holidays and I like skipping those days because I think I tend to eat more on holidays.

Good luck in your dieting and fasting.

May 3, 2018 1:06 PM EST - Posted by Jason

90 Day 2,000 Calorie Diet

I am on a calorie restriction diet for 90 days and it is going well.

I like eating and I don’t count every calorie. However, I end up eating a little more than I burn every day, so I can slowly gain weight. Fasting has been a positive solution to this problem, but dieting works too.

I wrote a book called Do the Math Diet in 2011 and it outlines a program that works very well for me. By simply counting all of the calories that I eat and all of the calories that I burn, I maintain a calorie deficit every day until I lose the weight I want to lose. In my opinion that is the best way to diet because it doesn’t restrict certain types of food and it works every time.

Since 2013 I have eaten nothing except organic food. Therefore, all of the food in my diet will be organic food. I want to take care of my body and the environment and live as long as possible, so I eat the best food that I can find. I also make sure that I eat plenty of whole wheat, (complete) protein, vegetables and fruits each day. Celtic sea salt and organic black pepper are added to some things that I eat, but I try to avoid refined sugar even though it is organic. Also, I avoid milk chocolate and opt for dark chocolate.

Here is my food log for the first three days of my diet. Since I burn around 2,400 calories a day due to my height, weight, age and activity level, I am creating a sizeable calorie deficit each day. At this rate I should slowly burn about 10 pounds during my diet that will run until the end of July.

Every day I drink coffee and sometimes I drink tea, but since there are almost no calories in those drinks I don’t write them in my food log. I also drink lots of filtered water. I don’t believe in vitamin supplements, but I have been taking organic garlic supplements and I will begin taking organic turmeric with organic black pepper supplements soon. I may also eat some organic cayenne supplements.

Good luck in your dieting, fasting and weight control endeavors!

May 1 - Day 1

400 - bananas
150 - oatmeal
75 - honey
100 - raisins
200 - eggs
200 - bread
125 - wine
100 - apple
50 - sesame oil
100 - soda
50 - salad, mushrooms
210 - chocolate
385 - black beans
____
2145

May 2 - Day 2

300 - bananas
200 - bread
200 - eggs
75 - sesame oil
100 - apple
125 - oatmeal
75 - raisins
50 - honey
250 - avocado
200 - bread
100 - banana
50 - salad
100 - wine
______
1825

May 3 - Day 3*

200 - bananas
240 - avocado
280 - bread
210 - chocolate
234 - avocado
280 - bread
_____
1444

* Day 3 is not quite over and I will probably eat a few more things.

April 23, 2018 9:25 AM EST - Posted by Jason

April's Extended Fast

This month's fast started on Saturday, April 21, 2018 around 8 p.m. and it is Monday morning now. It has went well so far.

Instead of calling it a 14-day fast, I am calling it an extended fast because I haven't decided exactly how long I will fast for. I am thinking about fasting for 10-12 days. I also intend on taking a half of a day off once or twice during the fast. The first break will be on Wednesday.

During this fast I am drinking water, organic black coffee/espresso and organic green and red teas. I may have a little organic honey, organic red wine and organic apple cider vinegar. From time to time I may also ingest an eye dropper of organic olive oil and organic black pepper/turmeric, organic garlic and organic cayenne capsules.

Although it rained yesterday it has been pretty warm. It is difficult to stay warm when I fast, so warm weather is a bonus. I have some clean, warm clothes in case I start feeling cold.

I wrote a poem about Squirrels yesterday and I will publish my next book of poetry soon. I have written 50 poems so far and I have published them on my website, so that will be a good number for the book. However, I might write a couple more and I might include a poem or two that I haven't published on my website.

On Saturday, I wrote the 29th story in my book called, A Brand New World: How You Will Die. The main character Ross Reich is in Havana, Cuba and he is using the alias Rico Martinez. He worked for the U.S. government at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, but after he learned about a top secret government weapon that was being tested on people without their consent, he obtained an honorable discharge. After getting top secret documents from two co-workers, Ross drove across the country and gave them to the media before flying to Cuba. It is an exciting story and somebody always dies.

Lately, I have been downloading a lot of great music on Spotify. I have a premium membership, so I can take the songs with me and listen to them. I find new songs from new bands and older songs from bands that I like. It is a good way to discover new music and I listen to them on my Kindle and iPad.

Fasting is great for many reasons and I always benefit from it. My body burns fat and I save lots of time and money. In fact, I think this is the heaviest that I will ever be because after this fast is over I am going to eat about 2,000 calories a day. That will help me avoid overeating and I will continually lose weight until I am leaner. Eating less will be refreshing and since I only eat and drink organic food, I won't have to bring as much with me or spend as much money on it.

I weighed 166 pounds the other day and that is apparently "normal" on the BMI scale because I am 5' 10". When I was an overweight child, I weighed 153 pounds in 7th grade, but I was 6-7 inches shorter too. The heaviest I have ever been was in my senior year in high school when I weighed 187 pounds. We were beefing up for football and they rounded up to 190 in the team roster. However, I cut some weight after football before soccer season, so I didn't stay that way for too long.

"Normal" sounds ok, but I think my body will function, feel and flow better when I am leaner. My clothes fit well and that is my usual test, but I am carrying a little extra fat that I do not need. The BMI calculator said that I could weigh between 129 and 172 and that is a huge disparity. If I weighed 129 I would probably look emaciated, but if I weighed 172 I would have a flat tire around my stomach. I think 135-140 would be a great weight for me, but it will take some time to get there and some work to stay there.

I don't like to over-spiritualize my fasting or act like it is all for the starving children in Africa, for instance. However, I always thinking about the people that cannot afford food to eat and I like to help them when I can. I also care about other problems in the world and I always try to be a positive influence on people and the planet.

Good luck in your fasting and dieting.

March 31, 2018 3:11 PM EST - Posted by Jason

March's 14 Day Fast - Day 14 Update

Today is the last day of my 14 day fast and it is going well.

This fast has been unique because I took off some time to eat, but I returned to fasting too. I have never fasted this way, but it has worked well and it has made everything easier.

Intermittent fasting is popular, but I don’t think people do it like this. Nonetheless, I have discovered that I get weaker after about a week without food and it tends to linger, so eating every few days helps a lot. Ingesting plenty of water and some sea salt is still key either way though.

During my fasting days I did not eat anything. I ingested a few organic things though. They included cinnamon, honey, apple cider vinegar, coffee, espresso, turmeric and black pepper supplements, cayenne supplements, garlic supplements, lemon juice, avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, red wine and Celtic sea salt.

I haven’t decided whether or not I want to end my fast tonight and stay up all night or if I want to sleep tonight and end my fast tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is Easter and April Fool’s Day which is neither here nor there, but I will decide soon.

This fast is the 5th fast of its kind and I am doing eight of them. In April, May and June, I will fast for roughly two weeks at the end of each month. I may do this kind of intermittent fasting again, but I haven’t decided yet.

I had never taken cayenne supplements before this fast, but I took one a day the last two days and they have seemed good for me. I haven’t noticed any negative effects and I have read good things about them. I have a nearly full shaker of organic cayenne pepper and I just sprinkle a little on tofu, so it was a good way to use it. I also have plenty of empty vegetable glycerin gel caps and it was pretty easy to put the cayenne in the caps.

I’m not sure of the exact day that I stopped eating conventional food in favor of organic food, but it was in 2013. During the last five years I have experienced good health. I have gotten a couple of colds, but nothing too serious and I haven’t taken any pills. Although it is more expensive and I have to bring it with me because I can’t find it around town, I intend to continue eating nothing except organic food. I also try to avoid food that has sugar added because I don’t think things like bread, chips, tofu, cereal, etc. need sugar and it is not very healthy. In fact, I think refined white sugar (e.g. cane sugar) may be a toxin and like a drug.

When I eat sugar I prefer organic honey. Organic agave is ok too. I like chocolate, but I have been eating only organic dark chocolate because it is better for me than milk or white chocolate.

Organic apple cider vinegar is good for gut health and I was drinking it on occasion. However, during this fast I have decided that I will drink it twice a day; once in the morning and once at night. I want to maintain good health and even though it tastes terrible I know it’s good for me because it is a prebiotic.

Not too long ago I gave up dairy. I rarely drank milk, so yogurt, cheese and ice cream were the main things that I ate. However, I don’t need them at all and there are healthier alternatives. I clung to yogurt because I thought I needed the probiotics, but organic apple cider vinegar is better.

On Friday which was the 12th day of my fast, I weighed 160.6 pounds. I think I was about 6–7 pounds heavier last month, but my weight should change when I begin eating because I will likely retain some water and my body will be carrying the food that it is digesting. I feel good and look good and that’s what matters the most. I also intend on losing 10-20 more pounds, but I am not in a hurry to do it. It will come off eventually.

I won’t count my calories in April, but I will count them in May, June and July. I have decided to keep a food journal and record everything I eat and consume just 2,000 calories a day. I tend to overeat if I don’t count my calories and I may have been eating around 3,000 calories a day lately. It is a sort of loading for my fasts and a celebration, so it has been ok, but I think I will reap many benefits by sticking to a 2,000 calorie a day diet. I will likely burn around 2,500 to 2,800 calories a day, so I could lose about a pound a week.

America is facing an obesity epidemic and lots of people are overweight or obese, so I am overjoyed that I can buck the system and go the opposite way. I think most people assume that people will gain weight as they age, but I recall my dad telling me when I was a kid that it doesn’t have to be that way and he thought I would do the opposite. I think he was right.

I think it is easy to buy too much food at restaurants and it is easy to eat unhealthy food too. It is very difficult to find a restaurant that sells organic food. Also, the portion sizes in restaurants are huge. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be a small woman, for example, and try to maintain a healthy weight. Perhaps in the future restaurants will let people order items separately and by the ounce to ensure that they don’t eat too much.

During my fast I began writing a book called, A Brand New World: How You Will Die and I have already written 10 stories. I have published them on my website like I always do before I finish the book, remove them and publish the book. Today I intend on writing the 11th story and uploading it to my site. Unlike the first seven books in the series, this one follows a character named Ross and it has been an exciting journey so far. No spoilers.

Amazon sells my books and I have published seven A Brand New World books. However, I recently decided to combine the seven books into one book and publish it too. I think some people may want a single volume with all of the 325 stories. I have been editing it and I am on page 428 out of 629 pages, so I hope to publish it by Monday. Since it is so big, I might only publish it is an e-book for Kindle instead of in electronic format and paperback. A 629-page paperback book would probably be huge!

Amazon gave me an author page and I have configured it. It looks good and I have published 29 books and 27 are active on that page. I need to make a couple of adjustments with the other two books before I put them on there.

I haven’t written very much poetry lately, but I have been thinking about it and I will probably write more poems soon. I have been listening to a lot of music and sometimes I just rhyme when I talk. It can crack me up too.

Good luck in your fasting and dieting.

March 28, 2018 7:21 PM EST - Posted by Jason

March's 14 Day Fast - Day 11 Update

Today is Day 11 of my 14 day fast and it is going well.

I decided to have another partial day of eating, so I have eaten a few organic things like flatbread, walnuts, almonds, three vanilla and coconut cookies, tofu, three avocados and chips. I will probably have a little organic oatmeal and some organic black beans and that will be all.​ I think one reason why I have went 3-5 days on and one day (or one half day) off is because I had two big bags of organic nuts before I started the fast. I also wanted to try this form of intermittent fasting because I had never tried it before.

My typical fasts are 100% over when I eat one bite and it is always premeditated. I have never forgotten and accidentally eaten something and I have never fallen into the temptation in the moment and eaten something. I see fasting as a choice and I decide to fast and then I decide to stop. However, I wanted to see what this type of fasting was like and it has been good. It has been much easier because after more than a week without eating the weakness tends to linger a little and your energy is depleted. My energy has rarely been depleted this time.

Today is Wednesday and my fast is supposed to end on Saturday around 9-10 p.m., but I will likely wait until Sunday morning. Another thing that I have considered is sleeplessness. Sometimes I stay up all night and don't go to sleep until the next morning. Should that count as 1.5 days of fasting? An ordinary day of fasting lasts about 16 hours if one sleeps eight hours. If I wake up at 6 a.m. and don't go to sleep until 9 a.m. the next day (27 hours of wakefulness), how should that be counted? My first inclination is to simply count literal 24 hour days, but it is more difficult and harder than a normal schedule, so perhaps it should be considered differently. I think more calories are burned when you are awake than asleep.

My record for consecutive days awake is seven and I did that in New York City in 2012. It was an exciting experience and it required a lot of coffee! I did not use any illicit drugs in case you were wondering. It takes a lot out of you, but it can be done. I don't know if I want to break my record in Miami, but I think I would like to stay up for 2-3 days to maximize my time here and enjoy things from a different perspective like I occasionally did in Hawaii. Besides dehydration and feeling sleepy, feeling depressed is actually a motivating factor for me to sleep. When I consider staying up for long periods of time I inevitably ask myself what the point of anything and everything truly is and it makes it more difficult. On the other hand, when I have tasks that I want to complete (e.g. vision and direction) it is easier to stay up.

This Sunday is Easter and although I am no longer a practicing Christian I think there is something special about ending my fast on Easter Sunday. The morning hours outside and around town will probably be crisp, clean and serene as people sleep late, go to church, etc. Jesus fasted and although some of the Bible may be untrue, I still admire him and assume that his teachings about life on earth have some value. However, my views are always evolving with new information.

I watch lots of videos on YouTube and most of them are news, comedy, educational and music. Some of them are on science, religion and philosophy. When I saw a video of Richard Dawkins, he said that on his road from theism to atheism that he was a deist for a while. That is one way that I have described myself lately because I still believe in a God that created, but it does not seem like any of the religions are correct. It doesn't seem like any of the adherents are correct either.

It has been windy in Miami. Today there were 21 mph winds according to the weather report. Unlike Hawaii's consistent trade winds from east to west, Miami's winds can change on a dime and come from any direction. They usually come from the east or west, but there have been some north winds lately. That makes things interesting and a little unpredictable outside. Also, it appears that we may get some rain in a couple of days.

The lack of rain is one of the biggest differences between Miami and Hawaii. It rained all of the time everywhere I went in Hawaii. However, it rarely rains here and the couple of times it has rained it rained hard and fast and stopped. It is a little surprising to me that the plant life is lush, green and flourishing with so little rain, but they likely just water it with municipal water.

I suppose I would be remiss if I did not mention the way that Facebook has fallen from grace. Recently in the news it has been revealed that they have been selling people's data and many people have turned on them and their stock has lost billions of dollars. I stopped using Facebook on March 20, 2017 for several reasons and I am glad that I did. They increasingly seem like a shady company that I should distance myself from.

As Facebook tries to get back on its feet, it is interesting to see once again how a democratic, consumer-driven society behaves in situations like these. Like driving a gasoline-burning car and living in a coal-burning home, people do not seem to have what it takes to quit doing something that is harmful and dangerous to humanity. It is quite sad and it goes to show that we live in a society of weak sheep that would rather go with the flow, do what is simple and try to be cool in the eyes of others than take a stand for what is best.

I have heard that democracies change into more authoritative types of government and this might be why. People will not make positive changes on their own if the carrot that they are eating is too tasty. They would rather eat it until they die even if it kills everything and even if much better things are being held back from them. It is a shame to see so many amazing things being underutilized because so many people are settling for lesser things. Will there ever be a tipping point? Will it require a revolution? Will American Christian churches ever change? Imagine if pollution and conventional food were sins to the American Christian churches like they are to me.

Good luck in your dieting and fasting.

March 25, 2018 1:18 AM EST - Posted by Jason

March’s 14 Day Fast - Day 8 Update


My 14 day fast is going well and I feel pretty good. I am drinking some black organic coffee right now and it is after midnight because I am staying up all night again.

Yesterday I found a coconut on the side of the road and husked it. I had seen videos of people husking coconuts with long pointy sticks in the ground, but I didn’t have one of those, so I had to use my knife. It wasn’t easy, but it was a fun challenge. After about 10-15 minutes of slow progress I got the inner coconut out.

Many years ago I bought a coconut (just the inner part) and I drank the juice from it. I don’t like how it tastes and it probably needs to be sweetened. It has some electrolytes, but it isn’t particularly nutritious. I was able to get to it by drilling holes in it, but since I don’t have a drill now I probably won’t obtain this one’s juice. It probably isn’t organic, so it’s probably for the best.

I am considering taking part of another day off, but I am not sure when. I might not too. I haven’t decided. I think taking off part of Day 5 was helpful. It replenished my energy supplies and it made Day 6 and Day 7 easier than they would have been. However, Day 6 was a little like Day 1 in that I had some cravings for food. I could even say that I was hungry. I fought off the urges though.

On Day 5, I ate around 3,000 calories of organic food and it was great. I ate almonds, walnuts, whole wheat bagels, pinto beans, three avocados, pumpkin seeds, chips and a little dark chocolate. I also drank some water with lemon juice like I have been doing every day lately.

I feel like I have saved a lot of time and money because buying food and eating it takes a lot of time! I think I spend about $22/day on average on organic food, so I have likely saved about $150 so far.

My body feels like it is shrinking, but I could still stand to shrink some more. I am likely about 160 pounds and I am 5’ 10”, so that is ok. I have a somewhat muscular body and frame.

A few days ago I came up with another sort of affirmation. Six. I think I was supposed to be about 6’ tall, but I sustained a Pop Warner football injury to my back during a growth spurt between 7th and 8th grade, so I did not reach my full height. My grandpa was 6’ tall and my arms, feet, etc. are long, so those are some reasons why I think I was going to be taller. As I walk, stand or sit, I stand a little taller when I think “six”. In fact, with my hair and either a hat or a hoodie, I am probably close to 6’ or could appear that way. Having good posture is always good too.

Sometimes I get 7-8 hours of sleep during the day and sometimes I get 7-8 hours of sleep at night. I try to stay up as long as possible to enjoy life, write, exercise, etc. The last two days I have slept during the day, but I think I want to stay up tomorrow and get back on a nightly sleeping schedule. It makes fasting easier because I think the body is generally compelled to sleep at night due to some chemicals that kick in. However, it is nothing that a lot of caffeine can’t fix!

I wrote my first story in A Brand New World: How You Will Die and it was called Swipe and Die. I have another story idea that I want to write about tonight, so I hope I can write it and publish it soon. I also want to combine the first seven books in the series. There are about 325 stories in those books and it will be easier to access all of them at once instead of having to read seven different books. Perhaps I will be able to combine them on Monday and publish the book with the library’s speedy desktop computer. It will only take a few hours, but it will be worth it. I think I will call it A Brand New World: The First Seven Books.

Today I created an Amazon author’s page. I added 27 books that I have published to it and it looks good, but I need to write my bio and add a pic to it. I also need to fix one or two of my books because they don’t appear to have cover graphics in their system. I was unaware until today that I could have an author’s page, but I discovered the option when I updated the Books page on my website. Now I am linking it, so visitors can easily find all of my books on Amazon.

It is a beautiful night tonight even though it is a little chilly. I am dressed warmly, so I will be fine. The weather report says it is 66 °F with a 6 mph wind and it will not get any colder, so I can’t complain.

Today many people in Washington, D.C. and cities around the country marched against gun violence. It was called A March For Our Lives and it was organized by the living victims of the Parkland, Florida school shooting that killed 17 people. I heard some speeches from it and it sounds like it went well. There was no violence, so that’s great.

The U.S. has an extraordinary amount of guns among the populace and a lot of gun violence every day, so I hope it can be reduced without reducing our rights. There are many good ideas being proposed and many possible ways that could be tried. For instance, the government could champion gun buybacks like they did with campaigns against drugs and forest fires. This could get people excited about selling extra guns back which will ensure they don’t kill anybody.

Take care of yourself and good luck on your fasts and diets.

March 22, 2018 11:33 AM EST - Posted by Jason

March's 14 Day Fast - Day 5 Update

Today is the 5th day of my fast and I am taking a day off. Yep. You heard that right. Today I am eating.

I am taking about half of a day off and I will add half of a day to the end of the fast, so it will still be a 14 day fast. I have never done it this way before, but I think it is the right way for me this time.

Yesterday I weighed 166 pounds with all of my clothes and Kindle in my pocket, so I probably weigh about 163 pounds in reality. I will periodically weigh myself to see how much weight I lose, but I did not weigh myself before the fast or on Day 1 because I don’t care. How I look and feel are more important indicators of my health to me. Near the end of my fast I will try on some jeans and my suit and see how they fit.

My AAA batteries are working in my Bluetooth keyboard now. I figured out what was wrong. I have four AAA rechargeable batteries and I have tried to use the same two batteries together each time. However, this time they became shuffled in my bag and I think I mismatched them. I am not sure why that would cause fully charged batteries to fail to work together, but I think that’s what happened. When I tried a different combination of the four batteries they worked very well and are working now as I type this.

Today I am taking a trip. Where am I going? Well, that is a surprise, but I will tell everybody on social media soon. I am excited to visit a new place in Florida and take pictures. I will likely visit some cafes and walk around and see new things like parks, critters and people. I hope it’s not too windy. I can’t say anything else or I will spoil it.

Who are your favorite bands? Some of mine include Metallica, Green Day, Switchfoot and U2. I have hundreds of bands in my Spotify playlist though. I also have 1,827 songs in it right now. You can access it here: https://open.spotify.com/user/1sdkid/playlist/5wvxsjLS3PORuTLWx6dfJz?si=QVwJLDtzR9qojzGgXDjn_g

Have you ever been to an island? If so, how did you like it? I have been to many different islands and I like island life because I am fascinated by the ocean. I also enjoy catching waves, seeing palm trees, getting tan, water sports, etc. I have been to Catalina, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kauai and Key West. I hope to visit other islands as well.

Florida is beautiful and it has been an interesting change after living in Hawaii for three years. There are many similarities, but some differences. The nights get a little colder. It is also a little more humid here. However, there is still plenty of sunshine and the highs are similar. There has been a lot less rain here.

Today my new Adidas shoes arrived! I was surprised when I realized that I wore my previous shoes for 27 months! They finally got a hole in them, so I had to get new ones. I didn’t realize how difficult it was to repair a hole in a shoe. The only thing that I didn’t try that probably would have worked is getting new inserts. However, I figured it was a bad gamble and deal to pay $10-$20 for inserts instead of buying a new pair of shoes. Here is what they look like.


Well, I will update you again in awhile. Good luck in your diets and fasts.

Sincerely,
Jason

March 20, 2018 5:10 PM EST - Posted by Jason

March's 14 Day Fast Update - Day 3

My 14 day fast is going well and so far I am determined to finish it. I hope to break it on Easter Sunday which also happens to be April Fool's Day this year.

I haven't eaten anything. However, I have squeezed the juice of one organic lemon into water every day. I have also taken some organic garlic and organic turmeric/black pepper supplements each day. Besides those things I have drank unsweetened, organic espresso, coffee and tea, a little organic honey and a little organic wine. I also continuously drink lots of water.

​Typically I squirt some organic olive oil in my mouth twice a day and I have done that a few times, but not religiously. It is good for mouth and heart health among other things. I have also ingested some Celtic sea salt. In fact, that might be the most important thing besides water. Whenever I feel exhausted it helps a lot. In fact, it is almost like a light bulb comes on inside of my head when I realize I need salt because it helps so much.

I published two books on Amazon on the first day of my fast. I published them in Kindle and paperback formats and they are available to purchase now. They were on my website like all of the books in the series before I publish them, but I took them down in preparation for my next book. I published A Brand New World: After the Anointing and A Brand New World: Fallen From the Sky and I am going to begin writing stories for A Brand New World: How You Will Die soon. I already have a lot of story ideas and I am considering a certain theme that I will keep as a surprise.

I wrote three poems and published them on my website on Sunday (Day 1). They were about different topics and I have been thinking about writing more poetry. When I write poems it helps me to make sense of life, myself and my surroundings. It is a fun way to chronicle this moment in time too.

My Bluetooth keyboard for my Kindle is not working anymore and it has harmed my productivity a little. I thought it was because the batteries were dead, but there might be another issue because I charged them and it still didn't work. It also was typing symbols and random words like "fart" and "RT" when I typed other words. I may have to buy some new batteries to test it. They last a very long time and I can type about 100 words per minute, but I can only type on my tablet’s screen about 25 words per minute.

My skin has been looking good especially the skin on my face. I have been rubbing organic avocado oil on my skin and shaving daily. I also had a collapsed pore on my shin and even though it has been there and in different states of inflammation for years it looks like it is healing. A few spots on my face are healing as well and their darkness has reduced by using it. Fasting always helps as well.

There are a lot of lizards in Miami and I enjoy seeing them. Today one jumped on my leg and stood there looking at me. I took its picture and I will post it on Twitter later. These lizards come in many different shapes and sizes and are unlike most of the ones in Hawaii. They are typically different shades of brown and some of them are big and have twisted tails. They climb trees and sunbathe on rocks and pavement.

I have also taken many pictures of beautiful flowers around town. I tweeted two pics yesterday and they are typically well liked by my followers. I try to avoid taking pics of the same flowers, so I wait until I find unique ones or new ones to bloom.

Miami is an interesting city and I like the Coconut Grove area in particular. It is beautiful and the weather is nice. It can become very windy from various directions and change on a dime though. I have visited some other areas of South Florida like Key West, South Miami and Northside and I hope to visit downtown, Miami Beach, South Beach, the Everglades and Key Largo before I leave.

Besides battling dehydration and neck stiffness I have been feeling pretty well. My walking routine has not changed and very little has changed except for my eating. I have considered ending the fast early, but I doubt I will. When I avoid food I save a lot of time, energy and money and I am creative and insightful. There are lots of benefits and I see things a little differently too.

Good luck in your fasting and dieting.

Sincerely,
Jason

March 16, 2018 6:06 PM EST - Posted by Jason

My March 2018 Fast

I am going to eat for one more day and then fast for two weeks. This will be my fifth month of fasting like this.

Tomorrow I am going to eat plenty of complete proteins and fiber, so my body can be nourished and push out everything that is inside of it. It will take a couple of days to get rid of all of the excrement inside of me though.

I began this regimen in November in Hawaii and in December I started the fast in Hawaii and finished in Miami. My January fast took place in Miami and Key West and my February fast was simply in Miami.

While I fast for two weeks in March (March 18 through March 31), I intend on visiting Miami Beach and possibly the Everglades. If I don’t make it to the Everglades this month, then I may visit next month during my April fast. I have never been to either area, so I am excited about visiting.

Miami Beach is not too far from where I am in Miami. It looks like two buses will get me there in about an hour. I will probably visit for a few days and see the beach and experience whatever it has to offer. Since I like nature and animals, I hope I can take lots of pictures of unique things.

Part of the reason why I decided to visit Miami now is because I have never spent much time here. One time I drove from Virginia to the Coral Castle and briefly visited several places on the way and another time I flew here with my mom and visited my aunt in Hollywood, Florida. However, I did not see the keys until this trip and I didn’t spend any time in Miami like I have on this trip. Miami is a big place though and there are still many areas that I haven’t visited yet.

They say that pollution is causing the seas to rise because the heat from carbon emissions is melting polar ice. In fact, the residents say Key West floods during heavy rains because it is at sea level and it will likely get worse. This may submerge many of these places and I do not know when I will return, so I need to see them now. I have jokingly (yet seriously and sadly) said that I will return with my grandkids one day and swim down Duval St. I hope that is not the case, but I think it could be. At the very least I think future generations will be unable to enjoy the place. The actual rate at which the seas are rising seems to be a matter of debate.

The Coconut Grove area of Miami is beautiful and fun. There are not hundreds of things to do, but there are a handful of places that I like to visit on a regular basis. Cafes, the library, health food stores, the park, the gym and some restaurants are some of the primary places that I go. I also take the metro train to South Miami and to Northside. I am a writer, so I simply need to go somewhere where I can write and that includes almost everywhere.

When I lived in San Diego, I never thought I would leave. I deeply enjoyed numerous things including the beaches. In fact, the beach was my favorite place to go and I eventually moved to Oceanside and to Pacific Beach and spent a lot of time catching waves. However, after awhile I got burned out from doing that all of the time.

Tragedy struck in 2011 and I left San Diego in 2012 for greener pastures. I visited the Bay Area (e.g. San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley), New York City and Long Beach, California because I figured I would like one of those places the best. After visiting Long Beach for a few days I flew to New York City and visited New York for three weeks. Next, I visited the Bay Area for about a week and I decided to move to Long Beach.

I lived in Long Beach from 2012-2014 and attended Long Beach City College. While I was there I studied journalism and poetry, wrote and edited the college newspaper and took a few fun classes like guitar and fiction writing. I felt like journalism and poetry were the yin and yang of writing and I learned a lot. Even though I had already earned a B.A. degree in psychology, I had never attended classes at a junior college, so it was a new experience for me and mostly a good one and I kept my grades above a 3.0 grade point average.

Toward the end of 2014 I moved to Hawaii and lived there until Christmas Day in 2017. On that day I flew to Miami and I will be living here until I return to San Diego. Sadly, I must return to San Diego to sue the hospital where my mom died in June. I have only one year to sue them for malpractice because of their heinous mistakes. It will be a homecoming of sorts, but also bittersweet.

What does all of this have to do with fasting? Well, I fast everywhere I go. In fact, I enjoy fasting when I travel because I only eat organic food and I have to bring it everywhere except when I fast. I have been eating nothing except organic food for five years and I never want to eat anything ever again that is not organic.

I was overweight until the summer before 8th grade. I lost weight to play on a football team and I had a growth spurt, so I drastically changed that summer. However, I affirm the set point theory and I think I “gelled” before then, so I always feel overweight even when I am not. Nonetheless, I also know that my body functions better when I am leaner. In fact, being lighter takes pressure off of my joints and my back. Therefore, I am very excited about completing my remaining fasts and continuing to get leaner and tone my body.

After each fast I might gain a pound or two back, but I don’t gain all of the weight back. I think I gain some weight because I don’t keep track of my calories and simply having food in my body (and extra water) makes it weigh more. This makes the process a little like tacking and sailing, but I am ok with that. Losing a lot of weight fast plays a trick on my brain. I already feel fat when I am not overweight and after quickly losing many pounds I catch myself thinking I am fat when I am far from it. It is simply an adjustment and the mirror and my clothes do not lie. They are good indicators of what is truly happening with my body.

Tomorrow I hope to publish two books in my A Brand New World Series. After the Anointing contains 22 stories unless I add a couple of unpublished stories that I wrote. Fallen From the Sky contains 25 stories. After I publish them I will begin writing my next book in the series called How You Will Die. While I write that book I will continue writing poems for my next poetry book. I have already written dozens of them, so I will likely publish it when I move to San Diego because the poems will change focus.

Before too long I want to write a book on fasting. Since I enjoy the discipline and I have learned a lot, I think it is something that I should write. I have tried many different types of fasts and I have learned some things by trial and error. Summarizing that knowledge and publishing it in a book will be a good way to teach others how to do it and help them do it well. Some fasts are better than others and some fasts are actually counterproductive.

During my fast I will write some updates and tell you how I am doing. I like to blog and journal, so it won’t be any trouble. I will jot down some notes in my notepad and opine on different topics that will hopefully be interesting and informative.

Thanks for reading and good luck in your dieting and fasting.

February 27, 2018 12:53 PM EST - Posted by Jason

8-Month Fasting Update

This is the midpoint between my consecutive fasts.

I began fasting in November and I will finish in June. Each month I fast for the last week or two of the month. Two weeks is the initial goal, but I alter it as I see fit.

Duriing my first four months of fasting, I have fasted for more than 40 total days. The last one was my shortest one, but it still lasted a week without food.

I am the type of person that needs to count my calories, so I don’t accidentally gain weight. However, when I eat and fast like I have been doing I have not needed to count my calories. It is a sort of feast for the first two weeks of the month. I just eat the best organic food that I can find.

My favorite organic foods are tofu, whole wheat seed bread, chips, sorbet, coconut milk ice cream, avocados, tomatoes, oranges, apples, crisp bread, pinto and black beans, whole wheat bagels, almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, cereal and dark chocolate along with some wine.

I recently noticed that the grocery store sells organic six packs of beer and it tastes fantastic (e.g. not bitter, but a little creamy). It is from a random brewery as most organic beers are, but the cost per beer was less than half of what it is at the local organic cafe. Nonetheless, yesterday I noticed that the cafe got organic Blonde beer in bottles back in stock. It looked like they rolled two cases in, so I will have to check that out soon.

I rarely weigh myself, so I am liberated from that number and I gauge my weight on how I look and feel and how my clothes fit. Clothes don’t lie. However, I know that I have lost 10-20 pounds since I started. I had gained some weight after my mom died and this fasting helped put a stop to it and reverse it.

I will likely start my next fast around St. Patrick’s day. There are some religious holidays at the end of March and I will likely be fasting for those as well.

Good luck in your fasting and dieting.

February 21, 2018 2:34 PM EST - Posted by Jason

15 Day Fast - Day 8 Update

This is day eight of my 15 day fast and it is going well.

The days keep rolling by and I keep avoiding food. It has saved me a lot of time and money. However, I had to stop taking my athlete’s foot cream because I think it was making me ill.

I think whatever is in it is bad for the human body, but when a person eats food the body uses it and flushes it quicker and easier. I don’t think its negative effects are noticed as much. However, since I have eaten nothing I think that I felt some of the effects like some inflammation in my hip above the foot I’ve been treating. I think it has also given me some nausea and made one of my organs on that side hurt.

Yesterday was the last day that I will use the Clotrimazole USP 1% athlete’s foot cream at least until my fast is over. Today I am finally using some organic avocado oil that I have had for nine months. It has never been opened, so it should be fine. I am going to try that on my athlete’s foot that is nearly gone and see what happens. I used to use organic sesame oil on it and it worked well, but did not get rid of it. I will likely use avocado on my entire body because I need to use it and the organic olive oil that I have before I buy other oil.

I started working on the second edition of my book called, The Wrong Side. I am simply reading it from cover to cover and smoothing it out. The main purpose of the second edition is to make sure that I did not say or imply that my father colluded with my neighbor. I never discovered that smoking gun, but I think I mentioned something about their collusion. Since the entire book is accurate, I am making sure that part is too.

I sold my Roland Micro Cube amplifier on eBay because I don’t have a guitar to play with it. I bought it in Maui and used it a lot for about two months in Kahului at the end of 2016. The buyer seems nice and he paid quickly with PayPal.

PayPal held my funds for three weeks, but released them several days after the auction because I contacted them on Twitter. They don’t have email support anymore, but they still shouldn’t be holding my funds.

I always enjoy using what I have and watching my resources dwindle. In fact, when I leave Miami I want to have fewer things than I did when I arrived. I also want to give a box of stuff to my dad to store when I get to San Diego. The fewer things that I have the better. I wonder if Jesus kept rejoicing about downsizing as he went from town to town.

“When I leave this town, I will finally have just one bag!” is something that I imagine him saying unless he went rogue and brought absolutely nothing with him. I could see him doing that because he was badass.

These musings are more like journaling than blogging about fasting, but thinking new things is part of fasting too. Imagine if everything that you think and do while fasting is supercharged. Sometimes I get interesting, unique ideas along with story ideas, poetry ideas and new content.

I am at the halfway point of my fast and I feel good and like I could quit at any time. I simultaneously enjoy it and submit my body to it, but live in the moment and if a better plan comes to mind I will consider it. However, I am happy that I have not eaten in an entire week. That is quite a feat again.

We live in a weird time and being in the most powerful country in the world is a strange feeling. Businesses are in control and people are like pawns, guinea pigs and lambs being led to the slaughter. We are constantly being told what is cool, what is right and wrong, how to think and feel and what is politically correct or not. Meanwhile, they try to sell us things all day and all night everywhere.

In a time like this when we have amazing technology and need to implement it across the country, we need the most trustworthy people in office. We need people governing us that we can trust to keep us safe, but it is hard to do that when they are in bed with big businesses and do all sorts of other shady things on a regular basis like lying by omission.

If I continue this fast like I think I will, I will write another update soon.

Good luck.

February 19, 2018 8:38 AM EST - Posted by Jason

15 Day Fast — Day 6 Update

Today is day six of my 15 day fast and it is going well.

My neck has had a bit of a kink in it, but it is slowly working out. I think the organic turmeric with organic black pepper supplements help. I have been adjusting my back quite a bit and that helps too. My chiropractor has taught me well.

One of the keys to a successful fast is thinking ahead. For instance, I am drinking lots of water with freshly squeezed, organic lemon juice right now and I am already thinking about where I will get my next fluids. When I am done I will go to the convenience store down the street and fill up my metal thermos with hot water. I usually like to buy an organic Rockstar drink there, but they are not on my fast because they have sugar in them. I purchase plenty of things there, so they don’t mind.

Yesterday I put the final touches on a poem that I wrote the day before and I published it on my website. I also wrote a poem called Another Sunday and a couple of stories. The stories are called We Can’t, We’re Cloud Seeding and Dude’s Baby. I published them on my website. The stories will be part of A Brand New World: Fallen From the Sky.

Judgmental people online are funny. It is like they think there is one right way to do things and they feel inclined to tell me when they think my motive to fast is not right. You can fast for any reason whatsoever, you know.

A couple of people told me that I should not fast. I know there has not been many studies on long-term fasting, but there also have not been many (or any?) studies on people that eat nothing except organic food. Fasting makes my body feel good.

Sometimes people ask me why I am fasting and they are usually nice and seem to have genuine motives. It is always hard to answer that question though because there are so many different reasons. Imagine if I would only mention one of them. People would think that I was just trying to obtain something. However, fasting is much more than that and it is hard to put into words. It is not always practical for me to ramble off my roughly two dozen reasons for fasting, but I have written them and they usually don’t change too much.

Like usual I have been tempted to stop early, but I have not stopped and I have no end date in mind except for the original one that I set. So far, so good. I just vary the fast a little from day to day, but not much.

I may throw organic cinnamon in my bag, so I can ingest some with coffee and whenever. It is a healthy thing to ingest and not exactly food. I drank some rooibos tea today and it was great. I like the Numi one called rooibos chai. It also has organic cloves, organic allspice, organic ginger, organic nutmeg and organic cardamom in it.

The nearby grocery store has a lot of organic lemons for $1 each. This makes it easy to get them, but they are only open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Good luck.

February 17, 2018 9:16 AM EST - Posted by Jason

15 Day Fast - Day 4 Update

Today is Saturday and it is day four of my 15 day fast. It is going well.

I didn’t sleep last night and I am thinking about staying up all day and sleeping tonight. I had been on a day-sleep schedule, so this is tough and I may take a nap. I have been debating whether or not I want to sleep today or tonight because either way works and I may change my mind depending on how I feel.

I have not eaten anything and I have stuck to liquids and a little organic honey. Ingesting Celtic sea salt has been important as well. I also squirted some fresh, organic lemon into my water again yesterday and it was good.

There is some kind of parade in this town today or at least it looks that way. Cops are out and people are walking around. Part of it is because of the yearly art festival. A lot of artists sell their things and people can get in the festival for $15, but I probably won’t. In fact, I had anticipated getting as far away from here as possible because of the crowd.

I have written several stories in A Brand New World: Fallen From the Sky and I have several new story ideas too. I have also written some poetry and published both things on my website. They will eventually be published in books around summertime.

I sold my battery-powered amplifier on eBay for $50 and $35 for shipping to somebody in Michigan. Unfortunately, PayPal has put a hold on the payment for three weeks! I emailed them saying I wanted all of it released or at least the shipping and they said they would email me within 24 hours and they haven’t. They have tons of money and the buyer looks legitimate, so I don’t know what their problem is. I have used eBay and PayPal for years with great success and integrity, so they should not be doing this to my account. It is frustrating and I have notified the buyer and I hope he has patience with these fools as I do.

One benefit of fasting is saving money and I have definitely done that. Normally I spend $15-$20 a day on organic food and drinks and sometimes I spend even more. However, on this fast I have spent nothing on food and just a few dollars a day on organic drinks. That’s one benefit that may be overlooked.

Some people are suffering in developing countries because they don’t have enough money to buy what they need. Not only is fasting liberating for the mind, spirit, body and soul, but it is also liberating on the pocketbook. In fact, if there are oppressive people or powers that want to keep somebody down and they fast, they can break away and surprise them and save their money for whatever they need. This may shock people that count on those that are under their thumb to spend money on food every day.

Fasting is never easy and it is always a temptation to eat, but it is not impossible. I just take it day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute and the time passes. That’s the great thing about time. You can’t stop it. The temptation gets easier to deal with too.

The first day was the worst partly because it was Valentine’s Day. It was my first Valentine’s Day without my mom, so it was a little sadder than usual. She was my first valentine and would always be my valentine. I emailed my dad and he said it was not a holiday. I missed her and still do though.

Having nothing in your stomach and wanting nothing except to occupy a space is liberating. People look like they think they have to be in a hurry all of the time, but I am not and try not to be on a regular basis. It is easier to make errors when I rush and I am self-employed for a reason and one reason is to take my time and be present.

It is sad and pathetic to see so many people on cell phones. They might be here in body, but not in mind. It is gross when I see people walk in and out of the bathroom holding their cell phone and I don’t mind saying so when I see it in public. It is also angering when I see people sitting on a public toilet on a cell phone when I am waiting. Gross, clueless and belligerent.

I was given a one week suspension at the public Coconut Grove library. Can you believe it? A smelly homeless dude sits by the power strip every day, so I put the strip in the middle of three tables and he told an employee on me. I was reprimanded for making electricity more accessible to the rest of the table because I didn’t want to sit next to him. Therefore, I took a picture of the employee that put the power strip back at the original table and taped it because it was so absurd. Her boss came out and said they consider that harassment and I left, but next time I visited they said I had a one week suspension. They said I could appeal it, but they already found me guilty without proof, so I will save my time and energy by avoiding their kangaroo court.

Needless to say the Coconut Grove library has some issues and that is one of them. Also, their three desktop computers that people can use do not have any volume and have not had any since the first time I used them. Two employees were clueless about it and could not fix it which indicated to me that they just mail it in and are not serious about their job or their library.

I am looking forward to leaving this place for good. It was never my intention to stay here forever. I was only going to stay here until I was needed or called elsewhere and filing a lawsuit in California regarding my mom’s death is my next priority. I must do it before June 21, 2018 too.

Flying here sight unseen from Hawaii and moving my stuff here was exciting. I picked a good spot for a few months. It could be much worse. I did little research about this place on purpose and all of the research that I did was compartmentalized away from my usual computer and activity, so anybody trying to spy on me wouldn’t have a clue. I also learned how to be more discrete for the future when I want to leave no trail.

I took buses and rode a bike to get to the airport to buy an airplane ticket, but the ticket agent told me there was an extra fee. It was around $50, so I said no thanks. If I wanted to pay online, then there was no fee, but if I wanted to pay them cash in person there was a fee. That’s not fair or cool. I have to pay more to avoid a paper trail. Remember when they did not charge extra fees to use cash?

I think the best way to avoid getting email confirmations and leaving an email trail is to avoid giving companies your email address. Suffice it to say the companies that sell you stuff have no chill and will email you confirmations about whatever you buy from a plane ticket to selling an amp on eBay. This has become the norm.

I don’t think you can always avoid giving companies your email address because I think they insist on it sometimes. In those cases, it may be best to give them a fake one or a junk email address that you created. If it is for personal information, I wouldn’t give them a totally fake one or it might actually belong to someone. However, it shouldn’t be too difficult to create an email account for these purposes and never use it.

Sometimes I do or discover things that I cannot say yet. There are many reasons why, but usually I feel like I am lucky for whatever privilege that I have and if I mention it that it may go away. Some people are jealous and do mean things to people for that reason alone. Also, there are only so many resources, so when I find a brand new way I extrapolate it to see if everybody could do it and the answer is no sometimes. However, I like revealing better ways and how I find them, so I usually end up saying something eventually.

I don’t think it is possible to be mysterious and a great teacher. You can only be one or the other because great teachers teach and explain how they arrive at conclusions and why they do things. You can’t be mysterious and avoid letting people know everything and still teach them because teaching them involves telling them those things. I wonder if that was a struggle for Jesus or not.

As much as I no longer trust religion or religious people, I still think the Bible is an interesting book. Unlike before I think that parts of it are outright lies, but it contains a lot of mysteries too. One of the most compelling reasons for me to return to the Bible from time to time is because 250 million American Christians (and declining, I think) believe it. Since self-fulfilling prophecies are fulfilled all of the time, believers in the Bible could make those things happen whether they are true or not.

On one hand I cannot wait for the fast to end, so I can eat yummy organic food. However, on the other hand I am happy to avoid food for as long as possible because it is liberating. It is one less thing that I have to think about too. Since this is day four, I am about 1/4 finished, so that is good. Time flies.

Good luck in your fasting and dieting endeavors.

February 16, 2018 9:38 AM EST - Posted by Jason

15 Day Fast - Day 3 Update

Today is day three of my fast and it has went well.

Yesterday I started getting a headache, so I drank a lot of water and it eventually went away. That’s is pretty typical and sometimes I get dehydration headaches when I don’t fast. It is even harder to stay hydrated when I fast.

It seems like there is a long way to go, but it will probably go by fast. I haven’t decided exactly when I will travel or where I will go, but I intend on seeing more of Florida soon. Miami is great, but it looks like there are some other beautiful places too.

My trip to Key West went very well. You never know exactly what to expect when you travel, especially if you don’t do much research in advance. Key Largo is another one of the Florida keys that I want to see. It looks like it is much longer, but possibly fewer things to do than Key West. Whatever the case may be, I have an idea of some places that I want to see there and I hope I find some beauty off the map too.

I ran out of organic red wine, so I will probably buy more soon. In the meantime, I a going to drink some organic apple cider vinegar. I have avoided my 2x daily organic olive oil drops since there are calories in them, but I may ingest them at some point. I have pulled organic sesame oil twice.

I drank an organic cup of coffee from Congo yesterday and it was good. It had a distinctive taste that is hard to describe. Right now, I am trying to decide whether I want to go to sleep or stay up and visit the cafe at 10 a.m. Sometimes it is difficult to stay awake when I don’t sleep especially when people are depressing or when I am fasting. Food gives me energy and helps me stay awake. However, burning fat by ketosis during fasting is a good fuel source and what I am doing now.

Most people seem like they don’t fast and have no clue about fasting. However, the Bible says “when you fast...” as if Christians are expected to routinely fast. The way that Christians get away with ignoring this is they use the passage to justify never talking about fasting. Somehow to them it is a magical discipline that loses all luster as soon as you tell somebody that you are doing it. Of course that’s nuts and not all of them believe that way, but I knew older people that did and they never fasted, so you do the math.

I have recently started getting colder, so I am wearing sweat pants now. I usually wear shorts because the weather is nice in Miami. Today the high temperature where I am is 82 °F and the low is 68 °F. Can’t beat that.

It feels great to simply sit and be content. In this moment nothing is bothering me too much. Sure there are insecure people everywhere that want validation in their sins. Sure, there was a weird dude sticking a cell phone camera in my face and another weird dude is still staring at me. That’s life outside though. Bad actors doing a bad job of doing the right things over and over.

Anyways, I always like to be honest, but when I fast I feel like I get to the bottom of things quicker. It would make sense because there is not anything quite as final as fasting. You can diet or “intermittently fast” for a few hours like Muslims, but nothing is like fasting for days on end and the liberated energy that you get.

Good luck,
Jason

February 15, 2018 5:11 PM EST - Posted by Jason

15 Day Fast - Day 2 Update

I am on another fast and it is going well.

Today is day two of my 15 day fast for February. This is part of an eight-month slim down plan. It began in November and will end in June.

I weighed myself the other day and I was about 170. That is roughly my starting point, but it feels like I have already lost a few pounds. I just ate some Celtic sea salt with water and I feel rejuvenated as I listen to Foo Fighters. “Times Like These” is playing.

It was difficult to stay up all night last night. I could have used some coffee at times, but I fought the urge to sleep and stayed up. There are lots of things to see, do and write. When fewer people are around it is cleaner and I accomplish more or so it seems.

During this fast I should probably lose about 10-12 pounds. That’s just doing the math. When I eat for two weeks, it simplifies things. I spend about $350-400 on organic food and drinks each month and then fast the rest of the month.

I can’t gain 10-12 pounds during the two weeks that I eat. I might gain a pound or two because I don’t count my calories too closely. Nonetheless, I should lose more than five pounds each month doing it this way and we will see in June if it worked.

I have been fasting for a long time and it is a good way to stay or get focused. I also cannot recall catching a cold or flu while fasting because I think it makes my body run better.

I just took my organic supplements. I take turmeric with black pepper and garlic. I will likely keep up with my usual regimen of taking them 2-3 times a day. They seem to agree with my empty stomach.

I had a little of the Italian organic honey that I bought and hadn’t opened. It was tasty, but I haven’t had much honey on this fast. Honey is basically the only thing that comes out of you, so it is best to go slow on it because you don’t want to have to stay near a toilet.

I’m about to buy some organic soap and organic lemons at the grocery store. I will probably also get an organic espresso drink if they have them. Those are some of the few things that I am allowing myself on this fast. Just that and organic tea and organic coffee. Also, a little organic wine.

This fast started at 5 a.m. and I am not entirely sure when I will end it. I may ended it at 5 a.m. on March 1 as intended, but I could move it up or back a little bit too. We’ll see.

Good luck in your fasting and dieting.

January 28, 2018 3:55 PM EST - Posted by Jason

14 Day Fast Update - Day 9

Today is Day 9 of my 14 day fast and it has went well.

I am in Key West, Florida for the first time and seeing everything before I take my grandkids here in a few decades to go swimming. It is a beautiful place and it is diverse with natural beauty. It doesn’t feel like an island, but it reminds me of Baja California and Oahu’s North Shore.

Fasting while traveling is fantastic. I don’t have to bring organic food or be concerned with hunting it down. It is difficult because most people have low standards and trust the wrong people, so stores sell food that I would not give away to animals or humans. People actually eat it too.

I found some organic drinks by a company called Core and they are good. There are only 10 calories and they don’t appear to be from added sugar. They are sweetened with Stevia and they say they have antioxidants in them. I have tried blueberry and pomegranate and I may try the mango one later. I think drinking one a day is sufficient, so I will wait until tomorrow. CVS and Walgreens sell them.

The local Starbucks had no organic drinks on Friday, but on Saturday they had organic green tea with mint, so I bought it. I have bought some organic chocolate at two cafes to use their WiFi and enjoy the atmosphere, but I will not eat them until February 3 or later. I hope they aren’t destroyed as I travel.

Fasting is a fantastic feeling. I don’t have the highs and lows like I do when I eat food and I feel good. I have been walking a lot and probably at least five miles a day. My legs are sore and need a rest, but I need to walk to my next destination now, so I will have to rest when I am dead.

I only have three bags of organic tea left and two are green and one is rooibos chai. I have some organic instant coffee though. I also have some organic honey and I finished the last of my organic red wine today. I only brought seven ounces in a flask and I have asked several liquor stores and looked in other stores for organic wine or beer and nobody has any.

During this fast, I have drank a few espresso drinks called Chameleon cold brew organic espresso coffee and it looks like they are from Texas. There are no calories and they wake me up. In fact, I poured two of them into a metal container before I left and brought them with me. I forgot that I had one glass bottle in my bag, so I will drink it today or tomorrow.

Take care and good luck.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018 8:21 AM EST - Posted by Jason

January’s 14 Day Fast - Day 5 Update

The first four days of my fast went well. However, it has not been easy.

During days two and three I had a headache. It wasn’t crushing, but it felt like it was behind my eyes and I couldn’t get rid of it. It also felt like a sinus headache, so I pushed on the roof of my mouth with my tongue. It helped and it was finally gone on Day 4.

When I have a headache and I am fasting the best I can do is hydrate and eat Celtic sea salt. Those things usually help. I felt a little congestion come loose when I tried to heal it. I think the organic turmeric with organic black pepper gel capsules that I take help, but not like a painkiller. Turmeric is great at reducing inflammation, but since it is an herb it works differently than an over-the-counter pill. It takes a little longer to work and works best when it is taken daily.

Several times I have swished organic sesame oil in my mouth for 10-15 minutes. It is good for overall mouth health. A car almost hit me when I left the gym with a mouthful of it, so I spit it on the vehicle as it stunk on me. If he got the police involved for some reason, I bet they could examine the oil splatter to determine how fast he was going. He was definitely going over the speed limit in his oversized vehicle.

I have not been getting much sleep lately. I got two hours of sleep yesterday and I haven’t slept yet today. I’m not sure when I will sleep next, but I could sleep at any time. Alternatively, I could drink a lot of coffee and stay up. There is a yoga class today at 10 a.m. and I may take it.

On Sunday, which was Day 2, I took a yoga class with Vanessa at my gym and it was excellent. It made me listen to my body and exercising and stretching in the positions that the teacher did helped me determine what kind of shape my body is in. Also, my hand had not fully healed from being hit by a bus a couple of years ago and although it hurt during the class at times it actually felt much better a day or two after and it isn’t hurting hardly at all now.

In Hawaii, I always had access to high quality (“top shelf”) marijuana. It was not cheap, but the money helped the homeless and the medicine helped me. However, I have not smoked, vaped or eaten any pot in Florida yet. I have smelled it several times, but I didn’t ask the smokers to give or sell me any. I am not an addict, but it makes me feel better in several ways and promotes open-mindedness and creativity. I was a legal medical cannabis patient in California between 2008 and 2012. Maybe I will try some here in the future. As long as I don’t, I will suffer a little extra, but I will also save money. The medicine works better than pills, so I wrote a grow book called Growing Great Cannabis.

I weighed 161 pounds yesterday, so I have lost over 9 pounds. I likely lose at least 2,000 calories a day and the rest is probably water weight and because no food is in my body being processed. There are 3,500 calories in a pound, so I have likely lost about 10,000 calories now and that is about three actual pounds. I feel and look leaner and I would prefer to avoid losing water weight. However, I imagine that I am retaining less water and will likely retain less water after the fast too.

Yesterday I washed my laundry and it went well. I like having clean clothes, but I have to walk about 3/4 of a mile to the laundromat when I wash them. While I was walking in a crosswalk a tow truck almost hit me. One person stopped and I tried to wave thanks while carrying my big bag of laundry and suddenly the tow truck sped in front of me. It came inches from me and I thought it might run over my toes. I reflexively yelled a couple of things at the driver and his dumb passenger that was hanging out the window. I yelled so loudly that people several street blocks away probably heard it. I had been singing and belting out some tunes, so I was ready to yell. However, afterwards my voice was a little strained, so I think I may yell with vibrato next time. It might not sound too tough though. Swearing at a jerk with vibrato might sound more like a singalong than a threat, but at least my voice won’t get scratchy.

I had to be somewhere by 9 p.m. before they closed and I tried to take a shortcut and it turned into a longcut. In fact, I probably walked two extra miles with laundry and a backpack. Fortunately, I found a stray shopping cart about a mile from my destination and threw everything in it and traveled faster. I made it there about five minutes before closing and I was relieved, but I had to run from time to time with the bag. The cart felt like a godsend.

I have ingested about 200-300 calories each day from organic honey and during the last three days I drank an organic beer. I drank a sip of the first one without remembering that I was fasting and then I realized it and figured it was not a big deal. My fasts are never patterned after anybody else’s and never designed to please anybody on Earth or elsewhere. Therefore, I craft it my own way. I think there are more errors than facts when it comes to human history and human ways, so I don’t mind being a pioneer when it comes to fasting and some other things. The roughly 120 calorie organic beer probably didn’t knock me out of ketosis (at least not for long) and it did not make me poop, so the organs involved with that process have been resting.

Lately I have been squirting organic lemon juice from an organic lemon into a cup and drinking it with water. It has been tasty and refreshing. I just cut one in half and the ones at the local grocery store now are ripe and very juicy.

My mom passed away on June 21, 2017, but her birthday would have been tomorrow on January 25. She would have been 69 years old. I miss her because I loved her a lot and I can hardly believe that she is gone. Sadly, the hospital did a horrible job and she died after their mistakes, so my father and I have been talking about suing them. Still grieving it is the last thing I want to think about doing, but sometimes the right things aren’t easy. I don’t want these surgeons doing what they did to her to anybody else and their mistakes are the only things I know about them, so I am very unimpressed. I will need to go to San Diego, California to sue them for malpractice though.

I have some exciting things planned in the coming days and I will write about them after they happen or while they happen. We’ll see.

Good luck.

Saturday, January 20, 2018 8:43 AM EST - Posted by Jason

January’s 14 Day Fast


A few hours ago I started another 14 day fast and it is going well.

A couple of months ago I decided to fast for 14 days toward the end of each month for eight months in a row. I ended the first one two days early, but I went for the full 14 days in December and the first two days of January. This fast will go from January 20 until midnight on February 2 which is virtually February 3 because the 2nd will be over.

I will probably type an update or two during my fast and post it on my website. I can already tell that it will be an exciting time and I have everything I need.

This fast will be the same as the previous two fasts because I will be ingesting the same things. They include water, coffee, tea, apple cider vinegar and red wine. Everything is organic too. I will hit the water, coffee and tea hard, but I will only sip the apple cider vinegar and red wine. I will also take my organic turmeric/black pepper and organic garlic gelatin capsules.

I am getting used to my new digs in Miami, Florida. I flew here from Honolulu, Hawaii on Christmas and I was fasting when I arrived, so I already know what it’s like to fast here.

I rarely weigh myself, but around January 6 I weighed 165 pounds and today I weighed 170 with full clothes on. By the end of this fast, I will probably lose about 10-15 pounds and weigh about 155. However, weight loss is only one benefit of many.

I will write more as I have time and am led to do so. Good luck. Blessed be. Go sit with your back to a tree.

Thursday, January 4, 2018 8:41 PM EST - Posted by Jason

14 Day Fast Wrap Up


My 14 day fast went very well even though I ended it two days early.

I began fasting on December 20, 2017 in Honolulu, Hawaii and I ended it on New Year’s Eve in Miami, Florida. I flew here on Christmas and it has been an exciting trip.

There are several reasons why I decided to stop fasting today, but it was calculated and planned and not a mistake. My body has been cold almost constantly for the last two days. It has been uncomfortable and I have been wearing some layers and it has helped. Lower body temperature is typical during fasting and I intend on buying and wearing warmer clothes next month when I fast.

During my previous fast in November I crashed on my bike and got a big bruise on my calf and it still has not healed. There is also a cut associated with it that hasn’t healed. In fact, the scabs and other scabs have been looking very weird. I do not think my body is healing them very well because I am not eating. In particular, I think my body needs the amino acid proteins that it cannot make to heal itself.

I also broke my fast today because I thought breaking it at midnight on January 2, 2018 would be anticlimactic. I considered breaking it after midnight tonight, but then I decided to break it this morning, so I could start the healing process before I sleep. Now when I wake up in the afternoon, I will feel great and ready to stay up all night again like usual. My body will also be much more comfortable in the cold.

Fasting was a great experience as usual. I wrote one poem called, "Really?" I am going to publish a couple of books very soon and start writing new ones. I am excited too.

I broke the fast with healthy organic food including spinach and garden salad, firm tofu, dark chocolate and peanut butter cups, pumpkin seeds, sea salt and black pepper potato chips and black coffee, rooibos and herb tea and water. It was a great feast and I am full now.

This fast was part of an 8-month fasting program and I am eating for approximately two weeks and then fasting for about two weeks. The fast that I just completed was the second one in this series. By the end when the summer arrives I should be in fantastic shape; the best shape of my life, in fact. It won’t be simple, but it won’t be impossible and nothing is going to stop me.

Sunday, November 19, 2017 11:08 AM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 1 of My 14 Day Fast


Today I am embarking on an extended fast and I am excited about it.

Until December 3, I will avoid eating and drink lots of water, organic coffee and organic tea. I will also have some organic honey and possibly organic apple cider vinegar. Like my other fasts (and like usual) I use organic sesame oil as a mouth cleaner and I pull it. I also rub it on my body and burn sage. I will need to swallow some sea salt after Day 1 and I have sea salt and Hawaiian, pink sea salt.

I haven’t decided exactly how I’ll cover it. I like Instagram video, but it’s like Snapchat and gone in 24 hours. I don’t use Snapchat or Facebook, so those options are out. Periscope would be fun and they save the file and all sorts of people see it. Good distribution.

YouTube is always a great option, but I haven’t developed that medium. I usually just use it for longer videos and personal stuff. It is good if I want to embed a long video in Twitter.

I code my own website and I could host the video files in a variety of ways. However, if I do that I will miss the bump that I would normally get from using a big, established company and having it resolve in their users’ searches.

Instagram video stories sound appealing to me because I have only used it once to test it. However, it isn’t difficult and simply involves recording videos and taking pics and uploading them to Instagram with the story interface.

I can record videos my own way and upload them, so I can keep a copy of it even after it disappears in 24 hours. Also, since I am doing a 14 day fast and wouldn’t mind giving brief updates around Honolulu each day, it could encourage me to do that. In recent years I have only written fast updates or musings on a few fast days, but not all of them. I will probably write too.

There are many reasons for my fast. The bottom line is that it is good for me. My body burns fat as fuel in a process called ketosis. I intend on writing a book on fasting soon and I may write it during this fast. I have been fasting for about 25 years and I have experimented with all different types.

Fortunately, I have only acquired some organic fat over the last 4-5 years. However, I would ultimately like to get ultra lean and burn fat that I acquired before that time. I think some of it turns over (e.g. old is burned and new is added), but I also think that some of it may be unhealthy to keep.

I think some diseases that we see today stem from toxic things that we eat taking too long to pass through the body. They essentially get stuck when we’re dehydrated and most people are dehydrated and if we pack them on as fast, then they get a long time to damage surrounding cells and tissues. Nonetheless, our bodies are resilient and used to it and constantly in a state of repair.

Good luck in your dieting and fasts. I am going to kill this one dead.

Thursday, November 2, 2017 10:32 AM HST - Posted by Jason

7 Day Fast Wrap Up


My fast went very well. It went so well I ended it a day early.

The scale showed that I lost 10 pounds by day four, so I think by day six I was probably about 12-15 pounds lighter. Some of it was water weight though, so I was feeling dehydrated. I probably lost about four actual pounds.

Pulling organic sesame oil a few times was good for my mouth. I also used just a few squirts as a mouthwash from time to time.

I ended the fast in a calculated way. In fact, I don’t think I have ever ended a fast early any other way. It just seemed like the right time and a reward for doing so well. There were no headaches like there sometimes are and I exercised quite a bit on my bike, at the gym and walking.

On day one I ingested almost zero calories, but on days 2-6 I drank a half of a bottle of organic red wine. Besides organic turmer/black pepper and organic garlic supplements, organic coffee/espresso, organic tea, organic apple cider vinegar and occasionally a squirt of organic honey that is all I had for six days.

Now I feel great and I broke the fast over a period of a few hours with pinto beans, potato chips, ice cream and pistachios. All organic.

I usually don’t write poems about fasting, but I wrote a couple this time. Although I didn’t have any huge revelations, I did well in the moment, plotting along the way that I do and such. I had a run in with a cop that ended well because I played it cool and fasting may have helped me deal with it.

Tomorrow I am going grocery shopping. I already made lists! Good luck in your dieting and fasting. My next fast will likely be at the end of November or beginning of December. I may fast a lot in December. We’ll see.

Saturday, October 28, 2017 4:20 PM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 2 of My 7 Day Fast


I am fasting for seven days and today is day two. It has went well so far.

I began the fast at midnight on Thursday, October 26 and it will end at midnight on Thursday, November 2. I may wait until Friday morning to break the fast and eat again because I may go to sleep before midnight on Thursday.

During the fast I have been on a regular sleep schedule because I adjusted it a day or two before I began. That makes it easier because staying up all night, staying up for days and alternating sleeping nights and days is harder without food.

I am avoiding food during this fast, but I am drinking organic coffee and organic tea. I have organic espresso from Maui and organic coffee from Mexico. I also have organic teas like green, red and herbal. Drinking lots of water is the key though.

On the first day I kept reminding myself that I couldn’t eat. It is interesting to see how many cues we get to eat throughout the day. Sometimes I was hungry and sometimes I wasn’t. I didn’t face any serious hunger pains though.

I’ve been writing some stories and poems and I have some more story ideas. I also have a half-written poem from a few days ago that I may finish. It seems a little easier to focus and get things done when I’m not thinking about food.

I have ingested a little organic honey, organic garlic and organic turmeric/black pepper supplements and some Alaea sea salt. I may drink some organic apple cider vinegar and/or some organic red wine too.

I weighed 179 pounds on Day 0 and 177 pounds on Day 1. I have not weighed myself today, but I may do so later. I don’t think that I will lose two pounds a day. However, I think that I should burn about 2,000-2,500 calories a day. I have been trying to stay hydrated by drinking lots of water, but it is not easy.

There are many great reasons for fasting and I intend on writing a book on the discipline. I will probably lose five pounds and save about $100. I will also save a lot of time and energy that is normally used for obtaining, preparing, eating and vacating food. The clarity that comes while fasting is refreshing. It also makes me mindful of the suffering people that have no food or possessions or are living in turmoil.

I didn’t take any before pics, but I have been using Instagram like a photo album. I think the difference will be noticeable and I always look and feel younger and healthier afterwards.

Good luck with your fasting and dieting.

Sunday, September 3, 2017 12:18 AM HST - Posted by Jason

5-Day Fast Wrap Up and 2017 Diet Plan


My fast went well and this is a wrap up.

First, a few things that I never mentioned. After the third day my sweat started smelling like clay. It was that classic ketosis smell when you burn body fat.

I started getting cold around this time. It wasn’t too serious, but when I wasn’t dehydrated I felt a little colder than usual. Fortunately, it was warm in Hawaii. It wasn’t always dry, but that’s another story.

Today, before I ended my fast, I went in the gym’s steam room for 15 minutes and I drank a cup of organic rooibos tea afterwards. It was good and refreshing. I had intended on sitting in the sauna for 30-40 minutes, but they were cleaning it, so it was unavailable.

I broke my fast at 5:30 p.m. instead of midnight because that is actually when I started it instead of midnight. I ate a can of organic black beans with organic black pepper and Celtic sea salt. It was delicious! I also drink an organic, strawberry, Rockstar energy drink and ate some organic raisins. I can tell that my stomach has shrank.

At a few seemingly random times I got a few hiccups throughout the fast. They only lasted about 10 seconds and this happened about 6-7 times. I’m not sure what that was all about because when I’ve had the hiccups in the past they usually persist for awhile and I have to either try to get rid of them or wait for them to go away. I also got a few ocular migraines that did not last long.

During the fast I took organic garlic and organic turmeric with organic black pepper supplements 2-3 times. Each time I ingested about 2g of each one, but only tiny bit of black pepper.

I think I lost 2-3 pounds from fasting and I didn’t have to alter my routine or anything. I just didn’t have to get food, prepare it or eat it, of course. I likely saved about $50 by fasting.

One of the good things about the fast is that it gave me time to figure out my next diet plan. I find if I don’t have some sort of plan and I just eat whatever I want whenever I want it, I tend to gain wait. Unfortunately, I gained a few pounds between the time when my mom died in mid-June until late July when we spread her ashes in Maui.

Here is what I’m doing until the end of the year (and I may fast a few days a month until then):


*Integrate:

oatmeal, honey, cinnamon, raisins and Celtic sea salt
more tofu and whole wheat bread
natural, unbleached tissues and toilet paper
burning sage and swallowing some organic oil daily
sodas or sports drinks (but no more than one a day)

*Avoid:

chocolate (except dark), Cliff bars, Doritos, granola, peanuts, peanut butter, tissues and toilet paper (bleached), vodka


I want to stretch, drink organic apple cider vinegar, pull organic sesame oil and do push ups and yoga often. I also want to stick to 2,000 calories a day maximum. I think it will be an adjustment at first, but I think I’ll like it and get used to it. I should lose a pound a week that way and since there are about 17 weeks until the end of the year maybe that’s how many pounds I will lose.

I typically eat a health diet full of organic food like (from my grocery lists) almonds, cashews, chocolate, oranges, cinnamon bread, ice cream, tofu, tomato sauce, apple cider vinegar, oatmeal, cereal, sunflower seeds, pea chips, broccoli, bananas, macadamia nuts, rice, beans, soup, bread, pistachios, salad, dried mangoes and peaches, berries, noodles, cheese, wine, cucumbers and a few sodas. I already have plenty of Celtic sea salt, organic coffee, organic oils, organic honey, organic cinnamon and organic supplements and some organic green and organic rooibos teas.

I’ll blog a few updates in my blog throughout the diet either in my blog or on this page. Perhaps I’ll wait until my first fast and then say how the diet is going too. That will likely be in about 3-4 weeks.

Good luck in your fasting and dieting.

Sincerely,
Jason


*All organic

Wednesday, August 30, 2017 4:13 PM HST - Posted by Jason

5-Day Fast


Since I returned to Honolulu from Wailea, Maui, I have been eating well. I also cut out organic granola from my diet. I was eating too much of it and it’s not that nutritious because it has a lot of sugar and not a lot of protein or fiber.

I also decided to avoid liquor like organic vodka from my diet for awhile, so I haven’t drank it in a month. I think that organic wine is much healthier, especially when I drink vodka with a sugary mixer. Organic beer is fine, but I probably will not drink it on my fast.

I am fasting now and it will end at midnight on Saturday night. It will last about five days and I won’t eat any food. However, I will drink organic coffee, tea, apple cider vinegar and a little organic wine. I will also drink a lot of water, of course.

At midnight tonight there will be three days remaining in my fast. I had a little weakness today, but it went away bad. I feel good overall. I even stayed up all night last night without much trouble. However, I needed to drink a lot of water when I woke up.

Like usual I mentioned that I was fasting on Twitter and people asked me questions and voiced their support. I appreciate that because I like to announce my fasts to get some accountability. I probably don’t need it, but it doesn’t hurt to feel like I need to do what I say because I told people that I was doing it. It is also a support system when I am feeling tired or low.

Sometimes I don’t have a lot of fully developed reasons for my fasts, but when people ask me about it I think about it and articulate my reasons. Thanks in case you are one of those people and reading this now.

I am planning on writing a fasting book by the end of the year. I have been increasingly wanting to write one because I have a lot of experience with fasting (e.g. different types, lengths, etc.). I also think that there is a lot of healing and insight to be found during and after fasting and most people don’t realize it.

You are welcome to join me in this fast. Set your own parameters and do it for your own reasons and it will be personal and beneficial.

Good luck.

Last revised: August 30, 2017, 8:04 PM HST

Monday, May 29, 2017 8:57 AM HST - Posted by Jason

21-Day Organic, Transformation Diet


For 21 days I will eat under 1,000 calories and attempt to transform my body. It will begin on Tuesday, May 30 and end on Tuesday, June 20. Two times a day I will eat a meal and try to consume plenty of protein and fiber along with some fruit and a vegetable. Since the beans and oatmeal are nearly fat free, I will also add sesame oil and olive oil to my diet and eat some with each meal.

I will likely burn 2500-2800 calories a day unless I go in the sauna or exercise a lot. This means that I should burn about one pound of fat every two days. After 21 days I will have burned about 10 pounds and possibly more like 11 or 12. Some of what I will lose will be retained water.

I am going to avoid alcohol at the beginning of my diet. I may decide to integrate some organic red wine later, but I have not decided yet.

Organic Diet

One cup of dry oatmeal will make two cups of cooked oatmeal. Each cup of cooked oatmeal has 166 calories, 6 grams of protein, 3.6 grams of fat and 28 grams of carbohydrates, including 4 grams of fiber.

One can of beans has 350 calories in it. It also has about 25 grams of protein and about 30 grams of fiber. The average adult only eats 15 grams of fiber per day, but women need 25 grams and men need 38 grams.

These two meals will provide about 2/3 of my body’s protein needs and all of my fiber needs. However, they are high energy meals and I expect to feel a big boost after eating them. They will provide some nourishment and some vitamins and minerals (e.g. all of my daily Iron requirement).

Below is a list of things that I will consume. I buy organic beans from Whole Foods for $1. I will probably get the organic oatmeal at Down to Earth and it is inexpensive (e.g. $1.59/pound). I already have plenty of raisins, cinnamon, Celtic sea salt, olive and sesame oil, honey, apple cider vinegar and black pepper; all organic. Therefore, I estimate spending less than $2 a day on food, but if I add everything including what I already bought it may cost $3 a day. This will save me around $12 a day or $252 over 21 days.

One can of beans (pinto or black with black pepper, olive or sesame oil and Celtic sea salt)
Two cups of oatmeal (with cinnamon, raisins, Celtic sea salt, honey, olive or sesame oil)
coffee and tea
apple cider vinegar
sesame oil

Reasons

Save time
Lose weight (for good health and aesthetics)
Save money
Document changes
Get tan
Get leaner
Suffer a little
Fit into clothes better
Start a new program afterwards

Things to do

Weigh myself each day and record it
Take shirtless pics before, daily and after
Eat two meals a day
Measure my waist, thigh and arm
Lay down under the sun to get tan
Shave my lower back, chest, stomach and triceps
Trim my pubic, arm and leg hair
Go in the sauna
Pull oil
Ride my bike
Get plenty of sleep
Avoid alcohol

Tuesday, May 2, 2017 12:00 AM HST - Posted by Jason

Fasting, Dieting and Record Cold and Rain



I broke my six day fast after about four days (about 94 hours). It seemed like that right time and I had determined my next diet plan, so I was ready to go.

My fast ended with an organic feast. I ate pumpkin with cinnamon, pinto beans with lime, tomato sauce with vodka, chocolate peanut butter cups, salt and pepper potato chips, granola with raisins and coffee with honey. I didn’t eat everything at once though. I had never eaten organic pumpkin, but it was tasty and it seemed like it provided something that my body needed and hadn’t had in awhile.

I ate roughly 2,500 calories yesterday and today I started my 31-Day diet that will culminate at the end of May. Since I work nights and sleep days, I had the option of starting my new diet yesterday or today and I decided to avoid counting yesterday and start counting today (which is May 1-2).

Today I have eaten granola with raisins, shredded coconut, peanuts with Celtic sea salt, white cheddar tortilla chips and salt and pepper potato chips. To deal with eating less, I have been chewing my food slower and trying to spread out my small meals. On Wednesday, I am going to buy some food, but when my fast ended I mostly ate what I already had and I simply bought some random things today.

During my fast a few things happened that always seem to happen (and a couple of things happened that have never happened). First, my body became colder than usual. This is normal because eating food and processing it actually makes your body warmer. If you fast be prepared to wear warmer clothes. It didn’t help that Honolulu had a record low temperature yesterday (even though it was 61° F). My teeth were chattering as I was riding my bike. It was wet and windy which made it feel colder.

The other thing that happened was my teeth became dirty. You might think that you won’t need to brush your teeth when you fast, but you still do. Flossing is wise too. I think that people tend to forget how many foods actually clean the teeth (e.g. carrots). Brush your tongue while you’re at it.

I swished some organic sesame oil around my mouth after I brushed my teeth and it helped kill some germs and keep my mouth clean. I also swished the organic apple cider vinegar around my mouth before I swallowed it. Although it had no calories, it almost felt nourishing and for once it didn’t taste disgusting. I pulled organic sesame oil once during my fast and it helped remove toxins.

In addition to the record cold temperature that we had we also had record rain in Honolulu on the day that I broke my fast. They called it a record, but I have been in much rainier days here, so they must have been referring to April 30. 1.17 inches of rain was a record amount for April 30.

I didn’t expect record rain or record cold during my fast! Nonetheless, I wrote a couple of poems about the rain and other things before I ended my fast late last night and I called them The Rain and the Rat and Seeking Wisdom. You can see them on my website until I publish them in my next poetry book.

Good luck.

Sunday, April 30, 2017 12:49 AM HST - Posted by Jason

Mid-Fast Update

I passed the midway point of my six day fast and it has went well so far.

Yesterday I battled an eyestrain headache in one eye. It was bothersome and draining, but when I woke up today it was gone.

I considered quitting the fast yesterday and today. That is pretty typical because I like to eat and things change with new information. However, I am still in it to win it. Pardon the cliche.

One of the reasons for my fast was to determine which sort of diet I should begin in May. My 100 Day Diet ends on May 1, so I need to begin a maintenance program or a new diet. After some thought, I decided that I will ingest 2,500 calories every day during the month of May. At the very least, this should cause me to lose about three pounds. However, I may actually lose 4-5 pounds.

On a typical day, I usually burn about 3,000-3,200 calories. This includes my base calories burned while resting, 400-600 calories from riding my bike and 300-600 from the sauna.

I didn’t go in the sauna during my first two days of the fast, but I sweated in there today for about 30 minutes. I drank extra water before and after and I have been consuming a lot of water. I have also drank some black coffee and organic green and red teas.

I will probably end the fast when I initially intended at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, May 3. I could end it earlier though. I haven’t decided what I will end it with, but it depends on when I end it. It will likely include organic pinto beans, organic raisins, organic granola and some organic chocolate.

Fasting has not made me change anything that I normally do. However, I may start riding an exercise bike at the gym soon. Since my new diet doesn’t depend on how many calories I burn, I won’t bother counting the calories that I burn on the bike. I’ll probably burn 50-150 because I don’t ride very hard. I burn many more calories on my real bike.

I am going to see when my gym’s yoga classes are because I want to take one. I haven’t practiced yoga with a group for months. However, I always do a little yoga by myself each day.

When I fast I always look leaner and younger. In fact, when I was at a cafe yesterday a much younger barista was flirting with me. She wasn’t just trying to get a tip or humor me either. Maybe I should have asked her out. Before I was married I probably would have gotten her phone number.

Interesting things always happen when I fast. Sometimes I read things in the news that give me pause. Personal things also happen that are astonishing to me. There have been a couple of each during this fast, but I don’t want to elaborate.

I downloaded 2-3 dozen songs on Spotify today. They were from all different genres and new and old songs. Katy Perry’s new song called Bon Apetit dropped and it is not what I expected, but it wasn’t bad. Maybe it will grow on me. I have enjoyed her songs for 6-7 years and I typically like ones with a hook or a catchy melody the most.

Today I completed writing an article called, President Donald Trump’s First 100 Days. It included all of the major good and bad things that he has done so far. I provided some analysis and also wrote about some things that can’t quite be considered good or bad yet.

I am working on three books and a mini-memoir called I Already Lived right now. I am on the second edit of the mini-memoir, so it may be finished soon. I keep remember interesting stories for it. The books include two books of short stories in my A Brand New World series and a book of poetry. I recently had a good story idea and an idea for a poem or two. However, I haven’t written them yet.

I may write one more post about this fast or it may just end without saying anything. I haven’t decided and I have a lot of other things to write.

Good luck in your dieting and fasting.

Thursday, April 27, 2017 3:11 AM HST - Posted by Jason

100 Day Diet Wrap-Up and 6 Day Fast

My 100 Day Diet is ending and my six day fast is beginning. My diet went well and I am looking forward to the fast.

Keeping track of all of the calories that I ingested and burned was not always easy, but it paid off. I lost a few pounds and I had the confidence that I wasn’t gaining weight. I ate a wide variety of foods and a complete diet with plenty of vegetables, fruits, proteins, carbs and fats. I also ate plenty of fiber, vitamins and minerals.

The most difficult things to count were peanut butter and wine. Peanut butter is high in calories, so a couple of heaping tablespoons adds up. Since I only drank a few onces of wine at a time, it wasn’t easy to estimate how many ounces I was actually drinking. Perhaps I can buy a liquid measuring cup and use it in the future to be more accurate.

I created a calorie deficit every day, but sometimes it was a very small one. Therefore, I didn’t lose much weight on most days.

During my next diet in May, I might start visiting another gym that doesn’t have a sauna. Since I typically sweat in the sauna 5-6 times a week for 40 minutes on average, it could make me reduce the calories that I eat by 1,000-2,000 a week.

After my fast is over, I am going to embark on a new diet. I will think about the type and duration during the fast and I will create some guidelines, so I can be successful.

I am in the sauna now and my fast began the minute I entered, which was at midnight. I am fasting from April 27 until May 3. I will drink lots of water and some organic coffee and organic tea without sugar. However, I will have a little bit of honey every so often. I will also have a little organic apple cider vinegar.

I have many reasons for my fast, but they include things like clarity and spirituality, losing fat and saving time, energy and money. I will probably lose about three pounds. During my fast I will consider the people that have no food. In America, nobody starves to death and we are lucky in that regard. In some countries like Yemen, people are starving to death.

I will burn about 2,800 calories a day without going in the sauna. That is how many I naturally burn along with the extra calories that I burn riding my bike around town. I may go in the sauna too, but I am not going to prioritize it. I could go a few times for anywhere between 30-60 minutes though.

I will take some pictures, so I have a record of what I looked like at the end of my 100 Day Diet on May 1. I am not overweight, but I would not mind getting a little leaner. Perhaps I will implement a stricter diet after my fast and reach my goal quicker.

Millions of Americans are overweight or obese now. In Hawaii, there is little incentive to get very lean. People are liberal and accepting and many people weigh too much. The portions of food that restaurants sell are too big, few people eat healthily and hardly anybody eats organic food. I haven’t met anybody that eats only organic food like I do. Therefore, I have to be my own role model and I have to strive to be the best I can be despite having nobody to try to be like.

Good luck in your weight loss and fasting endeavors.

Saturday, April 1, 2017 1:26 AM HST - Posted by Jason

6-Day Fast Update: Over in 4 Days

I decided to end my fast after about four days, but it went very well.

Sometimes I change the duration of my fast, so whatever I set out to do is just a guideline and how I feel at the time. Therefore, I don’t consider this a failure or anything like that. I ate nothing for three whole days and I also ate nothing for two partial days.

Today I broke my fast with some delicious organic food. It included a coconut milk popsicle, chips, seven grain rice with millet, peanuts and chocolate. I will likely also eat some granola, shredded coconut and raisins later.

The sauna was about 175 degrees today and I was able to sweat for 40 minutes. By the end of the day, I think I will have ridden my bike about 14 miles. This means I will burn a total of about 3,400 calories.

I am keeping track of my calories again because it is Day 63 of my 100 Day Diet. It is keeping my weight in check and helping me slowly lose weight. Speaking of weight, I think I lost about 2.5 pounds on my fast.

During my fast I noticed that the starving people in South Sudan received food by plane. The roads were too dangerous and they had not eaten regular food in six months. They were down to leaves and some fruit. During one of my previous fasts the besieged people in Syria received food. Since one of my reasons for fasting is always to be mindful of the starving people, I am always happy to hear that they have received food. I hope that they obtain a long-term solution for their food needs.

Food is expensive in Hawaii and organic food costs even more money. Therefore, I probably saved about $50 during the fast.

I have been curious about the cost of a completely organic diet and I have been counting how much I spend each month. During the month of March, I spent about $350 on organic groceries. The only time that I ate out was at Starbucks when I had to buy something to use their electricity and I bought organic coconut cookies, organic chocolate milk and organic chocolate peanut butter cups. I probably spent about $15 on those things, so my organic food total for the month was about $365 and I abstained from food for three full days.

I drank one bottle of organic wine and a few ounces of organic vodka in March, which probably cost about $15. Spending under $400 on organic food and organic alcohol for an entire month is pretty good, I think. I guess it makes it easier that no restaurants sell organic food because they are off the table. Eating out can be costly.

On Monday I intend on buying some delicious food and I have already made a few grocery lists. In case you you haven’t been able to tell, I like eating. I also like eating the healthiest, tastiest organic food that I can find. I wish that all of the local food was organic, but most of it isn’t. Close to half of it may be though.

Tomorrow there is a farmer’s market near where I live in the Kakaako area of Honolulu. Sadly, they didn’t sell certified organic food last time I was there. In fact, I had to ask everybody if their food was organic or not. Whether the food was "sprayed" or not was the thing that separated the organic food from the conventional food.

At the farmer’s market I understand that farmers might not want to get USDA certification. Perhaps they can’t afford it or perhaps they are anti-government. However, it is a little hard to trust people, so I have to quiz them about their food and use all of my faculties to discern whether they are being truthful or not. Maybe I’ll go tomorrow and check it out again. When I went a year or two ago, I bought a couple of huge, delicious avocados.

Peace and good luck.

Friday, March 31, 2017 1:01 AM HST - Posted by Jason

6-Day Fast Update: 3 Days In

I just passed the midway point of my six day fast and it has went well.

I have been fighting some dehydration, so I have been drinking a lot of water. I have also consumed some Celtic sea salt on a few occasions. It made me feel better immediately because I was beginning to get an eyestrain headache and feel depleted.

Today I was tempted to end my fast and I still may end it early, but I haven’t decided yet. I was simply hungry and I have written a couple of stories, so I figured the time might be right to stop. I wrote and published two stories online that will be in my upcoming book called, "A Brand New World: An Audience of One" and they are called Incest Down South and The Christian Charade. I have more story ideas and intend on writing more soon.

Tomorrow afternoon I will decide if I want to continue or stop. If I break my fast tomorrow, it will be almost four days of fasting. Unless I am suffering a lot, I may decide to continue.

Fasting is suffering. Psalm 35:13 says, "I humbled my soul with fasting." Some translations say "afflicted" or "chastened" my soul with fasting. Eating food is pleasurable because it nourishes your body and chocolates, hot peppers and comfort foods release endorphins. Without food life is not quite as good.

I have been ingesting a heaping tablespoon of Hawaiian, organic honey each day. I have also been drinking organic coffee and organic tea. Once a day I drink about a tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar. I also take organic turmeric with organic black pepper supplements and organic garlic supplements. Besides water and a little additional, Brazilian, organic honey from time to time that has been it.

During my fast I have ridden my bike about 6-8 miles a day. I usually sweat in the sauna for 30-40 minutes a day, but I have been skipping my sauna sessions. It is hard enough to stay hydrated and I don’t need to burn the extra calories like I do when I eat 3,000 calories. I look leaner and younger and my skin seems healthier.

I have about one day of food, so if I break my fast early I will likely eat it. It is all organic and includes vanilla soy milk, oatmeal, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, honey, cinnamon, raisins, pumpkin and rice with millet. I may buy a box of organic granola cereal and mix it with the raisins and coconut.

I was planning a trip to the North Shore, but I am leaning toward waiting until my fast ends now. It was just getting too logistically hard because it is a 2+ hour bus ride each way and I sleep days and work nights. Needless to say nothing is open 24-hours up there, but I still want to visit and may visit next week. I haven’t decided how long the trip will last and I am also considering taking another trip or two. More on that later.

Good luck.

Monday, March 27, 2017 4:22 PM HST - Posted by Jason

My 6-Day Fast

At midnight tonight I will start fasting for six days and I am looking forward to it.

I will fast until 12:01 a.m. on Monday, April 3. In reality it will be like a five day fast because I will eat until midnight tonight and I will eat after midnight on Monday. I sleep during the day and not during the night, so my waking hours begin during one day and end during the next day. Nonetheless, it will still be beneficial.

During my fast I am going to abstain from food and caloric drinks. I suppose organic coffee and organic tea have a few calories, but those are the only caloric drinks that I will have. I will also drink a little organic apple cider vinegar each day, but it has no calories. Additionally, I will ingest a little organic honey from time to time, but I consider it medicine. Drinking lots of water will be the key to success.

I anticipate burning about 2,800 to 3,200 calories a day and ingesting under 150 calories daily. When my fast is finished, I think I will have lost 4-5 pounds. Afterwards I will return to my 100 day diet and I will be 2/3 finished with it.

I have many reasons for this fast. I feel for the people around the world that are starving. Millions of Yemenis may starve to death and I wish that I could send them my food. I hope somebody helps them with a long term solution.

I am not overweight, but I want to continue losing weight until I lose a few more pounds. This fast will help in that regard. Since I only eat organic food and it is expensive, I will probably save about $100 too.

During my fasts I always have a lot of clarity. I also have more time because I am not shopping for food, preparing it or eating it. I hope to spend the time writing and doing other things. I may reduce the time that I normally spend in the sauna (40 minutes). I may reduce the miles that I ride my bike each day from 10 on average to 5-8. It won’t be on purpose though. I will simply need to ride to fewer stores for groceries.

Fasting is a great time to break away. I already reject most of the things that people do because I think that they are sinful and foolish. Abstaining from food is simply one more thing and it actually is not that big of a deal to me anymore. I have fasted a lot.

I want to write a book about fasting. I type very fast, so it probably won’t take very long. It will include information about my fasts and things that I have learned. I will probably also mention different types of fasts and spiritual fasts.

I don’t believe in juice fasts anymore and I think they are counterproductive. I started rejecting them a few years ago and I have seen scientific evidence to back it up recently. I stopped doing them after I discovered there was sugar added to the fruit and vegetable juice that wasn’t mentioned on the bottle. Scientists are saying that the spike in blood sugar without the fruit’s fiber is bad for you and could cause health problems. I agree.

I may take a trip during my fast because it is always easier to travel when I don’t eat. Since it is difficult to find organic food, I always have to bring my own. It is also like a treasure hunt wherever I go, so fasting will liberate me. I may visit a different island, the North Shore, the windward side of the island or somewhere else.

Good luck in your fasting and dieting. If you have any questions or need encouragement, you can find me on Twitter.

Monday, January 23, 2017 9:50 PM HST - Posted by Jason

End of Day 2 - 100 Day Diet

Day 2 of my new diet went well and I won, so to speak. I have been creating a 500 calorie deficit each day. I probably worked off the extra that I consumed on the day before I started!

It feels great to be going in the right direction. Sometimes I wonder if I am overweight, but when I am burning calories every day fasting or dieting, I know I am doing what I can. We get a lot of messages to eat and to look a certain way, so it is not easy to go against all of them, eat only organic food and become an ectomorph, at least not the way that I was raised. Nonetheless, that is my goal and eventually I will make it.

Dieting this way has made life simpler because I like counting my calories and knowing how much I eat. When I don’t count, I don’t think about a stopping point. I have not felt hungry during the last two days, so I know that I ate plenty of food.

Losing a little weight each day makes sure that my clothes don’t get too tight. They naturally shrink in the dryer.

I estimate that I would have spent about $3-4 in organic food, so I should save $300-$400.

There is nothing like having self-control. It looks like a lot of people live by their uncontrollable urges, but to objectively take the reigns of your body is another thing.

When this diet ends on May 1, I will do something very similar. It already feels like the wind is at my back, but I will need to keep counting and set another goal. I may even decide to fast at some point, but we will see.

I found some organic food at Walmart after they dropped their prices, so I bought a few of them. My gym’s sauna wasn’t working well today. Those things may not seem like they matter much, but if you count every calorie they do. I just used will power and restraint and counted and it worked.

I have eaten about 1985 and 2170 calories on the first two days. I have burned about 1,000 calories during that time, which is almost one-third of a pound. To a smaller person, eating that many calories would be a lot and it feels like plenty, so I am happy that I lose fat while ingesting that many.

Another change I have made at the same time is I switched to morning showers. Now I don’t eat very late because I don’t have any calories left and I get cleaned up after I awaken. Those things have given me a little structure and been positive, even though I don’t usually like putting strict boundaries on myself. I think the grunge look is misunderstood in Hawaii. Also, I think my digestive system is happy with a rest between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. each day. I didn’t eat too much later, but I also didn’t know when to stop eating.

When I was a kid, I did a diet by Weight Watcher’s with my mom and we filled in boxes when we ate food. We didn’t count calories, but we ate their food and when we filled in all of the boxes we were done for the day. It was a brief experiment, but their ice cream sandwiches were tasty.

Good luck.

Saturday, January 21, 2017 6:00 PM HST - Posted by Jason

8-Day Fast Ended Early

I ended my 8-day fast early because I thought it was time to.

I have ended a small percentage of my fasts early for various reasons. Usually they are not because I am ill, but because I want to try something else. I have probably ended 1-2 fasts because of feeling ill and 2-3 to change paths.

In this case I think I figured out what I was supposed to do. I never had any New Year’s resolutions except I decided to stop drinking Rockstar energy drinks. It saves me about $40 a month maybe, but I didn’t make any other changes or goals. As a goal-oriented person, I think I needed the structure of my new diet plan.

For the next 100 days (January 22 - May 1) I am going to diet like I wrote about in my book, Do the Math Diet in 2012. It was the only diet (or fast) that has gotten me into the low 140-pound range. I haven’t weighed myself in awhile, but at the end of this diet I think I will be more than halfway there. I think it’s the safest, healthiest and simplest way; just eating less and consuming fewer calories than I burn each day.

Each day I will write what I eat and how many calories are in it. I will also write my exercise totals and how many calories I burn. Each day I want to create a 500 calorie deficit. This will ensure that I lose a pound a week. In 100 days, I could lose 15 pounds. I guess I am around 160 now, so that may take me close to my previous best (not counting when I was in 8th grade).

I create portion sizes and read labels, so I eat a variety of healthy things each day and know how much I consume. I also eat only organic food, so it alleviates a lot of potential temptation from restaurants and most parts of every market and store. I have felt healthier since I went organic and I know it is a lot better for me and the environment. It has been about 3-4 years now and it has not been easy to find and afford everything that I need, but it has been worth it.

A lot of food causes all sorts of degenerative diseases and resistance to antibiotics. Some of it has carcinogens and steroids too. If it is not certified USDA organic, it can also be grown in sludge and with synthetic herbicides and pesticides. It is rare for an organic product to be recalled and I think it is because there is a high standard and more scrutiny in the organic industry.

Each day I will probably ride my bike about 7-8 miles. This will probably burn about 350-400 calories. I may also sit in the sauna and when I do it will burn about 100 calories for every ten minutes.

While I fasted I felt the urge to eat when I wasn’t hungry. I remembered how emotions make people want to eat for a variety of different reasons and how we don’t have to fulfill those urges. It was good to obtain that willpower again.

If I can put off eating a few hours in the morning and drink copious amounts of water, it will help. I think I will burn about 2,300 calories (as a baseline) on a regular day, plus whatever extra exercise I do on the bike or in the sauna. There are calorie calculators online that will help you calculate yours and your BMI. Try using at least two of them though because they can give vastly different numbers.

Good luck in your fasting, dieting and endeavors.

Friday, January 20, 2017 8:33 PM HST - Posted by Jason

My 8-Day Fast

I am fasting from the third quarter moon phase until the full moon.

I have never fasted between moon phases before, but the moon effects the earth. For instance, the tides are created because of the moon’s pull on our planet.

Some people think the planets have an effect on earth too. For instance, when the planet Mercury is in retrograde (it appears to move backwards), some say that more communication problems than usual arise. Whether that’s true or not is probably up to one’s perspective, but the moon’s effects on the earth are factual. If people believe it does other things, then it might serve to fulfill a self-fulfilling prophecy too.

Astrology may or may not be true. Some people think that if you take a snapshot of where the planets and moons were in the sky the moment you were born that it tells everything about you. I think there is a chance that parts of it could be true, but it is fascinating to consider anyway.

Anyways, this fast will involve abstaining from food and everything except organic coffee, tea and honey. I will also drink organic wine. I began at 5:14 p.m. HST yesterday and I will finish in about a week from now. On Friday, January 27, at 7:07 p.m. HST, I will end the fast and eat.

I have fasted fewer days and many more days, so this shouldn’t be very difficult. In fact, it will make life easier in Honolulu. I only eat and drink organic food, so I take everything with me in my backpack as I go places and write. Now I don’t have to find, buy or take any food with me.

I’ll definitely be ready to eat by next Friday night. In fact, I may do a little grocery shopping earlier in the day to prepare a meal.

People always ask me why I fast and I have a lot of reasons. I like to connect with people that have nothing. I like that empty feeling in my stomach as it’s just me that flows through this world. It’s the most intense weight loss mechanism and it’s spiritual as well. Keeping deposits of fat next to vital organs is a horrible idea.

I like the health benefits of fasting. It burns fat and toxins. I will probably go in the sauna a few times while I am fasting, but I will need to hydrate a lot.

If you are thinking about fasting, just start slow. Outline some guidlines beforehand like how long and what you will consume. Most people at least drink water, but every fast is unique and personal. Perhaps you want to abstain from something else or do something differently each day.

I don’t think I’ll take any before pics, but I will take some after pics. When I am finished, I will eat about 2,000 calories a day for three months. I think this should help me lose about 10-15 pounds. To me, the maintenance part is harder than the fasting, but I can do it if I try. I will need to write everything that I eat and get used to eating less than I am now, which is fine and great. Saving money, losing weight and looking and feeling better will be powerful motivators!

Good luck.

Friday, October 28, 2016 9:01 AM HST - Posted by Jason

40 Day Fast Wrap-Up


On Monday I rode my bike to the store to get some groceries and it was taxing, but I enjoyed it. The trip took two hours and I spent about two hours in food preparation. I know I have to eat eventually, but it requires a lot of time. At least cooking is something that I enjoy, so it does not feel like hard work.

I boiled a dozen organic eggs and they are chilling for tomorrow. See my blog for my hard-boiled egg recipe. I also cut organic broccoli into pieces and separated organic chips, macadamia nuts and sunflower seeds into portion sizes (some with organic raisins and coconut flakes). I rehydrated organic pinto beans for eight hours, cooked them for four hours and stored them in the frig. I cooked a big chunk (48 ounces) of tofu in bread-sized pieces and seared it with sesame oil.

Before I slept I cooked dried, organic pinto beans and they turned out well. I made delicious, healthy burritos with half of them and I might take some on the road. A few years ago I went on a long trip and brought lots of bean burritos and they kept well for a few days without refrigeration as I drove across the country.



Since I only have a few more days left on this island, it is good to have my grocery shopping and most of my food preparation for the week complete. I wrote a menu for the first two days, but I haven’t stuck to it. I may blog my organic pancake recipe if it tastes good. Organic blueberries, oatmeal, yogurt, cinnamon and coconut should spice up the batter.

Who are your favorite bands?

Who are your favorite bands?

I have so many that it is hard to list. Led Zeppelin, Green Day, Switchfoot, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden are some of my favorite rock bands. I could go on and on because there are 100s (new and old). Lady Gaga, Kesha, Katy Perry, Ellie Goulding and Rihanna are probably my favorite pop-alternative-soft rock singers. As for country music, I like Taylor Swift, Dierks Bentley, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban and Luke Bryan. Ice-T, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, N.W.A., Eminem and DJ Quik will always be my favorite rappers.

In the beginning of my fast, I grew a beard for more than three weeks and shaved it. It was thick and it took some time to shave the whole thing, but I have been shaving weekly since then. I will probably shave every day next month, so I have enjoyed giving my face a rest. I like a close shave or 1-2 day stubble sometimes.

Growing up and attending churches, I learned about the death penalty and how some Bible verses supposedly support it. I have recently analyzed the verses again and I don’t think they are a good argument for the death penalty. In fact, I don’t think I believe in the death penalty at all and most countries have banned it or stopped it.

In America, states are running out of lethal injection drugs because drug makers don’t want their products used, so some states are bringing back execution methods like firing squads. 19 states have banned the death penalty (aka capital punishment).

These verses are not specific. I looked up the Greek words for some perspective and cross-referenced them with the rest of the New Testament as well. Regardless of what it could have meant, it would be wise to take it in context and understand that it applied to 1st century people and has little to do with us. We should also remember that the New Testament was not written like an unbiased news article, but like a poorly constructed, persuasive speech.

I fought some dehydration especially toward the end of my fast and I could tell because my urine was yellow. I kept drinking water, but I needed to drink a little more. It is easier to stay hydrated when I eat because food often contains water in some form. When Jesus finished his 40 day fast, the Bible says that he thirsted and it makes good sense.

A year or two ago I bought a bathing suit that was too small for me and I think that I probably fit into it now. It is on another island, so I will have to wait and see, but it is rad and it has a 28 inch waist. A few times I had considered returning it, but I am glad that I didn’t because I could use a new bathing suit and that one is unique. I think that my suit will fit well now too.

When I sat down to eat and break my fast after 6:22 p.m., Stairway to Heaven began to play. I had programmed several Led Zeppelin songs to play and that one was up. Later I watched Jimmy Page talk about the creation of that song on BBC on Youtube. They were an epic band.

Here is a list of random things that I was able to accomplish during the fast.

* Got a replacement social security card
* Got an 808 phone number
* Got my cavity refilled with white filling
* Lost about 20 pounds
* Healed my infected gum and root
* Cured athlete’s foot on both feet
* Cured skin infections on both legs
* Saved money
* Saw and filmed beautiful geckos
* Took pictures of amazing flowers
* Experienced living on the windward side
* Experienced living in a suburb with a bike
* Experienced an outdoors shower and toilet
* Experienced using catchment and well water
* Experienced living in one of the rainiest cities
* Got a haircut, manicure and pedicure
* Wrote several poems for my 10th poetry book
* Pre-paid for some Internet services
* Connected with people that are unable to eat
* Designed a new website
* Designed a new password protected landing page
* Password protected my backups folder
* Broadcasted first Periscope video
* Created a series of unique fasting blogs
* Got a replacement ATM card

Before the fast I saw and filmed an active volcano and after the fast I ate some organic food that I had never eaten before. Kilauea erupting was surreal and some people that live nearby think that it will flow through the city again some day.

Good luck and don’t underestimate what you can do.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016 8:08 AM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 40

Thanks for following my fasting journal. I will write one last entry, but it is over. I made it and it went well.

Good luck.

Monday, October 24, 2016 5:57 AM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 39


There are about 37 hours to go and I already wrote a grocery list.

My trip to Hilo, Hawaii went well, but it was not uneventful. If you want to see pics, I uploaded 50 of them to my blog. There are lots of amazingly beautiful flowers in Hilo.

My friend dropped me off on one side of Hilo and I shopped and did errands while walking to the other side. In total I walked about eight miles and it was a little taxing because I haven’t eaten or exercised very much in a long time. I never felt dizzy or lightheaded though. I was also adjusting to my new body and probably putting weight on different body parts because my center of balance has changed. Since I lose about .5 pounds a day, I have probably lost 18-20 pounds and I may lose 25 before it is over. It is difficult to say how much water weight I lost and how much will stay off because I could have been retaining extra water with extra fat.

The dentist examined my teeth and refilled a cavity with white filling and it went pretty smoothly. Waiting and filling out forms and the appointment only took about two hours and I could not be happier with the results. In fact they were seeing me on an emergency basis because I needed a root canal, but I healed it before I could walk-in and they decided to fill it anyway. The hole from the previous filling that had eroded was a food trap, so it could easily get infected after I started eating again. I asked the dentist if I was a fantastic flosser and brusher would I still need to get it filled and he said yes.


One guy in a big, raised truck with another dude beside him almost hit me as he pulled into a gas station. We both obviously thought we had the right of way. He did not look very smart, so he probably forgot that the pollution comes out the back end (like his butt), so I made sure he remembered. Hawaii is a leader in pedestrian fatalities and I have a lot of things to think about and do and worrying about getting hit should not be one of them.

On the way back I rode the bus for the first time and it went well. I met some interesting people and we talked about pollution, fasting, food, tea, weed, science, etc. I also spoke to the bus driver because I was the last one to get off the bus. He looked like the "gentle giant" type of Hawaiian and we made small talk.

It was a long day because I left at about 5 a.m. and I did not sleep all night and I returned at about 6 p.m. Fortunately I made it back right before dark because the route from the bus stop to the cabin would have been pitch dark if I would have taken a later bus.

The geckos in Hawaii are beautiful and there are three of them that come and leave the cabin at their whim. However, there is also one albino one. The first time I saw it was in the morning after I woke up. It was sitting on some white tissues on the sofa and I thought it was a dead gecko at first because it didn’t have any color. Its tail was smaller than the others and it ran off when I approached.

A few days ago I saw the albino gecko a couple of times in the ceiling above my seat on the sofa. There is a crack and I looked up and it was looking down on me! It is hard to know what these creatures are thinking, but they all like honey and I have been applying honey to my body and throwing tissues in the trash after I wipe off the excess. To them that appears to be a delicacy. It is also the one and only edible thing that they will find anywhere unless they eat a bug. They have gotten leaner since my fast began because there are no crumbs and no food trash or bugs that are attracted to those things.

When it rains hard the Internet goes off for a few minutes. I think it hits the satellite dish and moves it, but after it recalibrates it comes back on. Since I am on a volcanic island thousands of miles away from everything, I can’t complain.

I had a normal ocular migraine one minute before 1:40 a.m. on Wednesday. I was twisting and looking up toward some light when it happened and it lasted about 5-10 seconds. I simply saw about a dozen little flashes like lightning squiggling a few a times, but my eye doctor said that it is probably nothing to worry about. It is interesting that doctors don’t yet know why the phenomenon occurs.

By using an Excel spreadsheet, I have created a template to keep track of my calorie consumption. On November 1, I am going to write down what I eat and how many calories are in it and stick to a 2,000 calorie a day diet. I should lose a pound a week at that rate because I will be active, but that is the plan until the first of the year and then I will reevaluate it.

Do you use a comma after a preposition? There is a simple rule that is easy to remember. If there are fewer than five words in the prepositional phrase, then you do not use a comma. However, if there are five or more words, then you use a comma.

I like food.

Organic Food I Have
Organic Grocery List
cider cheese
orange soda large eggs
root beer whole wheat tortillas
island fruit Rockstar nonfat milk
macadamia nuts tofu, pickles and salad
Ezekiel bread broccoli and mushrooms
sunflower seeds whole wheat cake flour
dried pinto and black beans yogurt
blueberries shredded coconut
honey lemons, oranges, bananas
whole wheat flour apple cider vinegar
sesame oil tomatoes
vodka raisins


Some of the things that I intend on making include blueberry and coconut pancakes, bean and cheese burritos, grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches, tofu sandwiches with sesame oil, hard-boiled eggs, omelletes, whole wheat tortilla chips with sesame oil, some sort of mixed salad and maybe oatmeal raisin cookies. It should be exciting and it may give birth to a new recipe or two.

I will probably only post one or two more messages in this 40 day fast journal. Tomorrow at 6:22 p.m. I will break the fast because it will be exactly 40 days. I will take some pictures and a video or two. If you want to read some new poetry, I blogged one yesterday and I will blog another one this morning.

Good luck.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016 12:03 AM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 34

Jason Gastrich

What does your poop smell like? Guess what mine smells like. It is difficult to describe, but sometimes it is odorless and sometimes it smells a little like honey or bile. If you ever fast like I am be prepared for some (not all) loose bowel movements.

It is fascinating to me that overeating solid food allows your body to store it as fat, but when you burn that fat it is no longer a solid bowel movement. I can attest to that because I have probably lost about 15-20 pounds and I have had only a few very small bowel movements. I have been drinking copious amounts of fluids and urinating a lot (which doesn’t really smell like anything), but I do not think the fat is exiting that way either. It appears to be burning into nothing as my body needs fuel.

When my 40 day fast ends and I leave, I will have avoided food for nearly half of the time that I have spent in Hawaii island. I will be here a total of 88 days (87 if you count the days when I came and go as half-days), which is about 46%. There are many great reasons for my fast, but two of them are saving time and money. When I have more time I get more things accomplished and not having to leave to visit the store, buy food, store and prepare it and eat it has saved me many hours. Also, since organic food is very expensive in Hawaii I likely saved between $500-$750.

One benefit of my fast is it has allowed my body to repair a tooth and gum issue. My white filling eroded in about 10 years like the dentist predicted and it has needed to be refilled. Unfortunately, I have not gotten it done and it has been open for about two years and it is a food trap. Over time it became infected and about a month ago I noticed that the infection was bad and spreading, so I started sucking on organic rooibos tea bags and it went away. This is not to say I am in the clear yet though. It is difficult to get rid of an infection that is under a tooth and in between teeth, but I am working on it. On Thursday, I have a dentist appointment to get it filled and my teeth cleaned and I hope I don’t need anything else. I do not like shots or antibiotics and I definitely don’t want a root canal if I can avoid it.

For safekeeping I have uploaded my .mp3 files to my server, so I can download them to other machines and indefinitely hear them anywhere. However, I have duplicates of some of them, so I am making sure that I delete the duplicates. Most of them are ripped from CDs that I purchased and it was a long process to convert them to .mp3 files, but it was worth it. It appears that I have over 7,000 songs, which makes sense because I have spent a lot of money on music over the years.

I am very happy that I am not subject to any company’s "cloud" server. Clouds are insecure (as we have seen in the news) and I do not want to depend on a third party’s quirks and rules to get my files. For instance, I have no interest in downloading, installing or using iTunes. It is a memory hog and I have no use for its intrusions. I think that Apple should add a micro SD card slot to iPhones, so people can have easy, unhindered access to their data.

During my fast about a dozen times I have drank 1-2 ounces of organic vodka. I don’t think it did any harm and it may have done some good. Usually I swallow some organic honey first to pave the way for the hard, straight drink. It does not give me much of a buzz, but I think it could clean out my insides like rubbing alcohol cleans the outside of my body. I know it’s not exactly the same, but all alcohol cleanses and I won’t drink rubbing alcohol.

Do you like stories?

Do you like stories? Who doesn’t like stories.

Before the 1900s, my dad’s German side of the family lived in Germany. However, after the Nazis starting rising in the early 1900s, they changed their last name at least twice and came to America. Before I was born my family’s last name was Gastreich and the translation may mean "rich guest". My name Jason means "healer", but I digress. Since my family was German and lived in Germany it seems odd that their name would be "rich guest". Nonetheless, that is the earliest version of my last name that I know of.

My elderly aunt Dixie in Hollywood, Florida told me a wild story when I was a child. It was probably inappropriate to tell a child, but I think that aging people sometimes impart sensitive information when they think that they may not get another chance. On a visit to her house from California, she said that she researched it and was married to a Jew for many years and she may have discovered (or concluded) that one of my great, great grandparents may have had a relationship with a high-ranking Nazi officer which may have resulted in a child, so they changed their name and left Germany to escape. I was in my early teens, but I recall her telling me that story when my mom was temporarily elsewhere and saying it probably was not Adolf Hitler.

Dixie is not on my dad’s side of the family because she is on my mom’s side. Nobody on my dad’s side of the family has ever said anything like that and when I told my dad the story he shook his head no and said she is getting old and a little batty and sometimes says things that are not true. Therefore, I took it with a grain of salt and filed it under "unlikely". Something obviously happened, so maybe I can figure it out one day. She also said that I may be related to the Jews that were being persecuted in Nazi Germany, but I don’t think that there is any evidence for that either.

Speaking of stories, I have published three books of short stories and I am preparing to publish a fourth one. On September 14, 2012, I published one called The Plan and it was about the situation in Benghazi, Libya that happened two days earlier. You can buy A Brand New World: The First 15 Months (in Kindle, paperback or ebook formats) and other books of mine by clicking the Books link on top of this page. However, you can read the story below because I figured it’d be relevant to post it now because presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (then Secretary of State) initially lied about it and the media repeated her lies, but I was not buying it.

The Plan

"Just give them what they need, father," Ramin said to his dad Amin.

"Son, you don’t know what you’re asking. Do you hear yourself? You’re asking for a world war," Amin declared.

"No, I’m not. I just think this could be the beginning of something great. Our people need to rise up. They’ve been getting the worst end of everything for too long. The ugliest, hottest part of the world. The disgusting filth the Great Satan’s excessive cravings have given us. We’ve felt them polluting our hearts and minds while we push back and," he said until Amin held up his right hand.

"Sit down," he said. With his head in his hand, he began to speak.

"If we give them weapons and they kill some Americans, they could send an army of troops over here," Amin said.

"They won’t! Plus, by that time, there will be protests and demonstrations all over the world! Our allies in the brotherhood will be encouraged and they’ll do the same thing!" he said with indignance and continued.

"We won’t tolerate their troops on our land, anyway. Will we? I don’t think the people will allow it," young Ramin said.

"You know the answer to that. If they pay enough, they can put troops throughout Libya. Will the people get upset? Sure. They might even riot, but the government will be getting paid extra. Plus, we get a lot of money in aid from the United States. Remember, we have to play the game with them or we don’t get it," Amin said to his son.

President Amin was happy to train his son in his ways. He knew one day he’d be unable to rule, so he wanted to teach Ramin everything and he did. Ramin remembered how powerful his dad was. Being the president’s son was a big responsibility, but being the president was an even bigger one.

"So, let’s do this," the president said in a hushed voice. "Let’s start small and we’ll give them a couple rocket launchers and see what happens. I’ll have them shipped in unmarked crates and they’ll be there in the morning."

As he walked out of the room, he yelled back, "Let the brotherhood know!" Ramin got excited. Would people get hurt? Maybe, but it didn’t matter. He believed that if he or any of his brothers die in an act of war they immediately get an extraordinary, heavenly award. This, of course, made no logical sense because the afterlife can only be assumed and estimated. Nonetheless, this irrational belief had sustained them for hundreds of years in submission and in the desert, so they weren’t going to abandon it without a fight.

The next day, the rocket launchers arrived and were used to shoot at the United States embassy in Libya, killing four Americans and damaging several structures. Subsequently, protests, riots and religiously motivated murders on Americans ensued in Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Gaza and throughout the world.

Good luck. We shall see.

Monday, October 17, 2016 10:27 PM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 32


Having under 10 days to go is a mental victory because the days remaining are finally in single digits, but it is even better to know that there is only one week left to go.

On Thursday night, I dabbed some organic honey on my shin and it immediately improved a long-time skin issue. I think it was a collapsed pore and it was on the front of my shin and it looked a little like a pimple. However, it was persistent for a few years and sometimes it would bleed and turn into a scab. I rubbed more honey on it on Friday for good measure, but I am happy to see that this skin thing is almost unnoticeable now.

At the end of Day 30, I took some pics. I had taken some on Day 1 and Day 20, so I figured Day 30 was a good time to take some more. The pic below shows my body from my left side. I am going to wait until Day 40 to release more before and after pics, but I wonder how dramatic the differences will be.

Do you think that the Holocaust happened? When I heard that some people deny the Holocaust I was shocked. I think it happened, but in my experience numbers are usually wrong. Therefore, I think that the numbers of deaths and such could be false. Since I am part German, I would like to visit Germany and perhaps I can gain more insight into what led to Adolf Hitler’s rise and what exactly happened in the aftermath.

The third and final presidential debate between Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is on Wednesday. It’s too bad that it qualifies as a debate and it is too bad that they don’t invite a dozen other candidates. There are many great ideas out there and those two people (and their parties) clearly don’t have all of them. Imagine that.

Illegal immigration is a topic that the candidates have discussed because some people think that it has cost Americans jobs. It probably has because workers have overstayed their visas and eventually gotten better jobs that Americans actually want. You can’t pick organes your entire life, for instance. If the government decides to deport more people I think they should use a "last one in, first one out" policy. If illegal immigrants are so brazen as to sneak in the country after the national outcry against illegal immigration, they need to leave and wait in line like law-abiding immigrants or apply for a waiver if they can prove that they were in a conflict zone.

It appears that my freezer and refrigerator stopped working for several hours due to a power surge. It could have been sabotage too because the circut breaker by the curb was thrown. After it was returned to the original position, it came back on, but sadly my frozen bananas were lost. Luckily, I salvaged the organic, frozen blueberries and organic drinks that I am saving for after my fast.

When I came to this cabin, I did not want to use the refrigerator and freezer because I had gotten used to life without them and I knew that they require a lot of energy. However, the landlord said he wanted to keep it on to prevent mold, so I decided to put a few things in it and make some ice cubes. It would be wise for single people to use a small, personal refrigerator until we convert to clean energy though.

Do you smoke weed?

Do you smoke weed? Since doctors are "recommending" it for a wide variety of medical conditions, marijuana is obviously a beneficial herb. I am fascinated by the way that zero cases of lung cancer have been associated with smoking weed. I think it is because of the healthy qualities in the plant that offset the potential harm. Part of the human body consists of carbon and smoking pot injects more carbon into your body, which probably is not a big deal. The challenge with smoking pot is heat management because it is an expectorant and it will pull junk out of your lungs, but you could add to it if you burn your insides with hot air. Water pipes and some vaporizers attempt to remedy this problem.

Manuka honey is supposed to arrive tomorrow and it is taking a little longer than they thought. I cannot recalling using UMF certified honey, so I am starting with UMF 5+. I will ingest it orally and rub it on some places to see what it does. It is renowned for its healing properties from New Zealand, so I am interested to see its effects.

Organic honey may have cured the black toenail fungus that found its way under my big toenail. I rubbed the honey into the spaces between the skin and the nail 2-3 times a day for about 2-3 weeks and it looks gone now. I don’t like using prescription or over-the-counter medicine, so I am happy that this has worked, but I will continue to treat it a little longer.

Instead of returning the local, dried, organic turmeric, I decided to simply throw away the diseased pieces. I only found little five pieces with tiny black moldy dots on them. The rest looked good, so I ground it and spent an hour making about 120 gel capsules. I also made about 100 organic garlic caps. Those are the only supplements that I regularly take, so I am set now.

I had never ground turmeric before, but as soon as I did it became pungent. I have a little left, so after my fast I may sprinkle it on some food or cook with it. When I ate meat, I used to apply turmeric to meals like chicken and tuna fish, but I may be able to put it on something else now.

Friday, October 14, 2016 1:41 PM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 28

I have not eaten for a short month and I feel great.
A few days ago I ran out of organic turmeric because Island Naturals did not have any more. However, they had dried, local organic turmeric, so I bought it. I didn’t realize until later that it had some little black spots on a couple of pieces. I did some research and it is common for it to get moldy when it is made this way, but I don’t think I want to consume it.
Since I was unable to return to the store, I threw it in another plastic bag and put it in the freezer. It was only $6 and I don’t like returning things like that unless I immediately do it, so I might just throw it away. I have already purchased many great things from the same store.
On November 1, I will begin an exciting and challenging maintenance program. I will be getting used to my new body size and shape while trying to maintain the health gains and add on to them. Therefore, I will need to exercise and eat a limited amount of organic food each day. I am 100% ready though and I already have a flexible plan laid out.
On my forehead I have had some skin lesions that the skin doctor has removed by freezing. It is a fairly ordinary practice for people with fair skin and I have 2-3 little places on my face that could be removed. However, I started treating them with organic honey the other day and I hope to get some good results, so I don’t have to see a doctor. We’ll see what happens.
Can you believe that I hated talking on the phone so much in Honolulu that I would walk or ride my bike places instead of calling in advance 100% of the time? It made life a certain way and I liked it. However, I get 250 free cell phone minutes each month, so I am thinking about using them a little more often.
On the next island, if they save me a bike ride and a walk through a large store, that is a lot of time saved. I would typically wait and lump my visits together, so I never wasted a trip to the store, but sometimes I must go for one or two things.
Sucking on organic rooibos tea bags and doing some other things has healed my inner gum! I am so happy to see it too because it was worrisome and I thought that I might have to get an antibiotic shot or even a root canal. These are the things that I did that make it go away:

* Sucked on 3-4 organic rooibos tea bags a day on the infected spot for 2-3 weeks (usually after I brewed them for tea)
* Pulled organic sesame oil about a dozen times, each time for at least 15-20 minutes
* Drank water, unsweetened organic coffee and organic tea and occasionally some apple cider vinegar
* Brushed my teeth, tongue and flossed
* Rinsed and gargled with sea salt and water
* Rinsed and gargled with hydrogen peroxide and water (50/50)
* Daily took self-made gel caps with 1.5 to 3.5 grams of organic turmeric powder/black pepper and organic garlic powder/granules
An Indian girl that I met on Twitter said that her dad pulls organic oil every day. It is good for your health because it brings out toxins as the healthy oil absorbs them. You could also use organic flaxseed oil, organic olive oil, etc. If you have gum disease or an infection in your mouth I think it would be wise to try it as well. Lately, I have been ingesting less honey, but not on purpose. I simply use it sporadically to stave off upset stomachs. It is also medicinal, so squirting some into my mouth only helps. However, I did not have a bowel movement for about three days until yesterday and it was very small and obviously just used honey. This is normal when you don’t eat any food and it has been one less thing to think about. I experienced some gas in the last few days and I think it may be because of the fat that I am burning. The first fat was likely organic fat from the organic food that I had been eating for the last three years.
These are things that Hillary Clinton has recently said that I think would be a good idea.

* No tax increase if you make under $250,000/year
* No more ground troops in Syria
* 500 million solar panels
* Free college tuition if you make under $125,000/year
* Expanding ACA to become universal healthcare
Donald Trump has proven that he has at least one billion dollars. He may have more too, but it is likely difficult to add all of his money and assets because they are in different parts of the world and their value fluctuates. Nonetheless, when he won the Republican nomination Trump started relying on GOP funds instead of his own to fund his campaign. I think this shot him in the foot because he has much more money (and probably less baggage) than the GOP. Perhaps it just goes to show what many of us forget. Very rich people love money and they want more money and they grudgingly let go of what they have.
Trump made fun of other candidates for using a teleprompter and then began using one. He bragged about using his own money to fund his campaign and then he began relying on the GOP’s money. I think Trump’s accusations against the GOP candidates had some merit, but nobody ever gives money without expecting something in return. A pastor of a Southern Baptist church told me that in private. Consequently, his bragging about being independent and being unable to be bought falls flat now. The GOP is paying his way and will expect x, y and z from him.
Sadly, most of Trump’s ideas sound like they were conjured in the 1950s. For instance, he wants to get rid of the Environmental Protection Agency and see the resurgence of dirty energy and I have not heard one word about renewable energy. America reportedly has gas reserves to last 100 years, but it would be wise to keep them in the ground and switch to clean energy now. Trump is not the only one with an antiquated picture of ideal America, but many others see things the same way which probably goes to show how much they have been lied to and how gullible they are.
Donald Trump has said little that I like, but his strength is drawing attention to things that America needs to fix. He has untested plans to fix things, but at least he has been able to identify things like immigration and infrastructure that need fixing because political candidates don’t always do that. Nonetheless, things like that need to get fixed as soon as possible because our enemies and nature itself could exploit the country’s weaknesses.
In and around the cabin that I am living in, I have found all kinds of interesting bugs and animals. It is in an undeveloped area of Hawaii and there is lush rainforest everywhere. I’ve seen crickets, frogs, fruit flies, mosquitoes, cats, ants, spiders, fleas, geckos, cockroaches (flying and terrestrial), chameleons and several unidentifiable bugs. I can also see about 20 different plant species and many different birds from my window and it is gorgeous. Needless to say it feels close to nature. My organic shirt is comfortable and I wish that I could easily buy organic clothes. I would start with socks, underwear and shirts because they stay close to my skin. I might buy some online, but they are more expensive and I might have to get white shirts. Buying organic cotton and having them dye it seems foolish. They are about $5-6 a shirt and some people don’t ship to Hawaii. I’m disappointed that zero local stores and big box stores carry organic clothing (in the mainland and here). I bought my organic shirt at a roadside stand in Waikiki and it was not even made in America.
Speaking of America, the TSA is making me decide which four liquids to bring on the plane. They only allow four, 4-ounce containers. What would you take? I bought large bottles of organic soap and organic sesame oil, so I will probably take eight ounces of each or perhaps three containers of soap and one spray bottle with oil in it. Unlike the airport in Molokai, they actually search you in Hilo. Maybe you guys are just idiots and that’s why I look like I am God to you, Jesus. Did Jesus ever say that? Are you sure?

Wednesday, October 12, 2016 2:00 PM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 26



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela
There are nearly two weeks to go until I break the fast.

I have been resting a little more lately. When I pushed my body on a bike ride last week, my legs had extra lactic acid for about 24 hours, which is normal. However, I have been keeping odd hours and staying up all night sometimes. I like to vary things and I have even taken a nap or two.

Do you ever get the feeling that politicians are fighting the wrong battles? I do because the air is not clean, we still build, sell and use war machines and the food is unpure, for examples. It seems like their priorities are wrong and that may contribute to why Americans typically give Congress single-digit approval ratings and the Senate barely higher than that.

A few days ago Donald Trump apologized for lewd comments that he was caught saying to Billy Bush in 2005 and some people complained about his apology. Everybody should be weighed on their own merit, but it is a pet peeve of mine when people want a better apology. Some people never apologize and others are bad at it. I cannot imagine that Trump gives heartfelt apologies very often, so the fact that he apologized was noteworthy. In my experience, people have used apologetic confessions to hold people down by saying that they need to say it better or do penance and I think those people miss the point of an apology.




I created a new launch page for my links because I like to access them anywhere and open all of the web pages that I like to use. I password protected it and embedded my calendar on the page too. Where is it located? That’s a secret. It took a little time, but it was worth it and it looks great. It is one of the few web pages that I have made that I hope that nobody ever sees. There is nothing terribly private on it, but my links help me quickly get around the Internet and my calendar shows me what’s going on from any computer in the world.

Did you know that hops are good for you? The bitter herb that they use in many beers has been used for a long time to heal. They say that hops have anti-inflammatory and estrogenic effects, antioxidant activity and anti-tumor and anti-infection properties. Therefore, I drank some organic hops a few days ago to put them to the test and they were good.

When I healed the skin infections on my inner thighs with organic honey, another nearby skin infection a few inches away healed on its own. I was pleasantly surprised, so I treated it with some honey once or twice to make sure, but it is definitely gone. It was under hair, so I know I didn’t accidentally treat it or it would have been sticky and I would have remembered. Thank God that I have never had an infection on my scrotum or penis, but with ones that close I was a little concerned.

It appears that organic honey has cured the toenail fungus that I had around one big toenail. It is difficult to tell if it is completely well or not, so I am going to keep treating it until I get a pedicure and then I will wait to see if it returns or not. I think that will reveal whether it worked or not. It has not been a horrible case, but it has been persistent for a few months without any medicine.

Columbus Day was on Monday and it is also know as Discoverers’ Day in the islands. Recently the holiday has been increasingly scrutinized because of Columbus’ record with the Indians. He was a brave explorer, but far from an angel regarding the way he treated people.

On September 15, I started my fast at sunset and it was 6:22 p.m. Since the sun sets a little earlier every day, when I end the fast on October 25 the sunset will happen at 5:50 p.m. To make the fast 40 literal days I am going to fast an extra 32 minutes before I stop, but I will start preparing food earlier in the day.

On Friday, some shipments from Amazon.com are finally arriving. I don’t mind the wait too much if they get here because I understand that I am in a remote location. It took some of the sellers awhile to confirm and ship things and I thought that some of them might refuse to ship to Hawaii. However, it looks like I have shipments arriving and one should be here this week. I am expecting UMF 5+ Manuka honey, a hoodie, bandanas, a SD card reader, organic peppercorns, Brita water bottle filters, laptop adapter, an epic bike lock and a guitar strap. Basic supplies.

Since I will travel from Hawaii to Honolulu with only carry-on bags, I didn’t want to order anything large or "dangerous". I had to avoid ordering disposable razor blades because the TSA does not allow them in carry-on luggage. I also cannot bring honey onboard if it is over 4 ounces. However, I will have two weeks to consume it, so that should be enough time.
Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela



Blue Hawaiian Gumamela

Saturday, October 8, 2016 6:36 PM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 24

23 full days of not eating are complete. That means that there are about 17 days to go and I was thinking...

Illegal immigration is a hot topic in politics right now. In America, people are mainly concerned about Mexicans and Central Americans illegally crossing the southern border. People are also concerned about refugees that come to America from countries that have terrorists.

Growing up in San Diego, California, which is a border city with Tijuana, Mexico, I had a unique look at the illegal immigration problem progressively getting worse. I saw news reports and heard stories about people tunneling here, running drugs, crossing in wheel wells of cars, etc. I crossed the border and visited Mexico dozens of times and never saw anything like that, but the border patrol is very strict and thorough regarding entry to America. They always stop me and ask me questions about the reason for my visit and they have searched my trunk before too. There are certain laws regarding what you can and can’t bring back to America, so they enforce them and make sure that illegal aliens don’t enter.

One problem is the border wall stops and doesn’t cover the whole southern border and some of it is not monitored well enough. Another problem is the war on drugs that we led and gave to Mexico. It is destroying their country via drug cartels and drugs have been sent into America from Mexico by countless drug dealers. In San Diego there was a grade of weed called Mexican aka Mexi and it was a lower grade weed because they grew it outside in fields in 55-gallon trash cans and it sometimes got a little pollinated by the wind and you got a seed or two, further degrading it. It was the cheap stuff.

As for Syrian refugees, I think it is a tragedy that the U.S. is in Syria. It is not our war. Nobody asked us to be there. Syria asked Russia to be there. John Kerry said there is no military solution to the war. The war is causing sieges and starvation. I think that America should win the war and redraw the Syrian map or pull out and let them take care of it. If America is playing politics, it will never end and it is the civilians that are suffering the most.

If the U.S. wants to keep bombing (e.g. paying to keep military in Syria, dropping bombs, training "rebels", etc.), they should help to relocate civilians that are in harm’s way. I would doubt that America is the best place for them since it is thousands of miles away and they may not speak English or want to come here. However, the U.S. can build a facility there for them to take refuge in until the war is over or until a local shelter is found.

This gecko likes to get really close to me and stare. It has even jumped on me twice and licked my foot a couple of times.



I had an ocular migraine that lasted several minutes. It was trippy because I saw colors in the upper left corner of my vision. It looked like every color of the rainbow and appeared like neon lights in store windows or stained glass in a Catholic cathedral. I used to keep a journal of when I had them, but they rarely happen. Never before had I gotten one this colorful or one that lasted this long. Usually they last seconds and they look a little like the game Asteroids with a few asteroids shooting in different directions. I have talked to my eye doctor about them and he does not think they are anything to worry about, but I think something on the computer screen may have trigged this one.

I imagine that on Day 35 I will look roughly like what I will look like in the days following my fast. I say that because I remember past fasts and because the body weighs less without food in it. When people eat normally their body can have up to a few pounds of food in it that it is digesting. Since I am losing about one pound every two days, I think it will be a similar amount. I am already feeling leaner and I took a seven mile bike ride yesterday that went well.

Roads in Hawaii island have poor bike and walking lanes. Sometimes vegetation grows into them and forces pedestrians in the street. It is dangerous and if drivers are not paying attention they could hit somebody. It is very beautiful except for the cars and most of them stay clear of people, but the roads are clearly set up for cars and pedestrians were an afterthought. That’s a shame because it is bad enough that people that care about their health and the environment have to get polluted on cars and be in danger, but having to be in more danger because the place is overlooked or underdeveloped is sad. I’ll take some pictures on one of my bike trips to illustrate what I am saying.

I registered to vote yesterday because Monday is the last day before the upcoming election in November. I figured that I should do it by Friday to give it enough time to get to Hilo and be processed. I am looking forward to voting, but I still cannot imagine voting for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.

At the health food store, I bought some organic apple cider vinegar, organic apple cider, organic orange soda, organic root beer and some organic garlic powder and granules. I am saving the cider and soda until after the fast because there is sugar added. They will be tempting, but a bunch of white sugar is not what I need or want right now. I also bought this organic tea and it is very tasty.



Apple cider vinegar may increase fat oxidation, contain polyphenol antioxidants and lower blood sugar by causing you to partially digest starch, which likely feeds the good bacteria in your body, so it works as a prebiotic. I bought nine of them at the health food store today and I drank one. They are all organic and in different flavors like lime, cinnamon and honey.

On April 21, 2012, I published an electric guitar cover of Don’t Stop (Color On the Walls) by Foster the People on YouTube. I liked the song as soon as I heard it, but I wanted to jazz it up with crunchy electric guitar. Shortly after I released this cover they released an electric guitar version that is similar.



Don’t look at me. I didn’t do it.

Wednesday, October 5, 2016 11:55 PM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 21

Since it is the halfway point of my fast, I took some pictures. Can you tell the difference?

Yesterday I uploaded two songs to my website by Big Tent Revival and Imagine Dragons. It is interesting how a song can mean one thing one day and another thing later. I guess that is the beauty and mystery of ambiguity.

In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, self-actualization is the final stage. It is attained after all of one’s basic needs are met. It is "the realization or fulfillment of one’s talents and potentialities, especially considered as a drive or need present in everyone." It is basically the point where a person can invest in others and the world around them because all of their needs have been met. Since I had a good childhood, I think that I got to that point in college and I have been that way ever since. It is really a frame of mind.

Have you ever been to a chiropractor? When I lived in San Diego, I paid a monthly fee to Gilden Chiropractic and went unlimited times. It felt good to get my back adjusted as needed and Dr. Ken used the Gonstead technique. He gave me a great piece of advice one time. He said, "If you keep yourself in great shape your body will make its own adjustments." He also said that you can make your own adjustments if you know how. Each time I get lean my back cracks more on its own and it cracks easier, so I think he was right.

I stretch and do a little yoga almost every day. However, I am looking forward to doing it after I finish. Being 20-25 pounds lighter should make it easier to get into poses and easier to hold poses for a longer period of time. Being overweight puts undo pressure on ankles, wrists, knees, etc. I am going to work myself up to longer yoga sessions soon.

Do you ever use Twitter? I like it much better than Facebook because it is an exciting way to learn new information and connect with people around the world. In 2011, I created a Twitter account and it has been an exciting social media journey so far.

One thing that I do on Twitter is visit celebrities’ pages and laugh at the things they write. Some of them just tweet advertisements, but others make a lot of funny jokes. I created a page to easily visit their pages and the link is on the left and called Laugh and Learn.

On the mainland, when I stopped trusting and using lotions and weird chemicals I turned to organic flax seed oil. It was fantastic and I would buy bottles of it at Walmart. However, they stopped carrying it in Hawaii, so I started buying and using organic sesame oil instead and it is fantastic as well.

These are some of the uses that I have found for sesame seed oil.

Uses for Organic Sesame Oil
Moisturizing lotion
Baking and cooking
Oil pulling
Extracting essential oils
Lubrication
Shaving cream and aftershave
Gel caps
Add to oatmeal
Hair conditioner


Stay out of trouble.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016 11:08 AM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 19

A few days ago I uploaded another song of mine and it is called Cut Away. It’s another instrumental jam and I use an acoustic guitar. You can listen to it below.



My body has been colder lately and that is a normal sign of fasting. My body temperature lowers because I am not eating any food and generating the body heat required to digest it, but I don’t mind it too much. A little more clothing or a warm drink helps. The outside temperature is comfortable as well, so that helps too.

If you fast, don’t think that you won’t have to brush your teeth. On the contrary, you need to brush your teeth a little more than usual because of bad breath. Your mouth is burning dead cells too and you need to brush your tongue and your teeth at least twice a day. If you will be around people, you should definitely brush your tongue and gargle something to kill germs. I have been gargling a roughly 50/50 mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide. It is an effective, safe, inexpensive mouthwash that doesn’t expose you to lots of weird chemicals.

I have been tasting some funny things, but my body has not been smelling very much. I just scrub on some natural deodorant once or twice a day and I am fine. In the past, I have both smelled really bad all over and not smelled hardly at all like now. The fasts before I ate only organic food were when I smelled, so all fat must not be created equal.

If my calculations are right that I will save $750 by fasting 40 days, I have saved about half of that or $375. It’s hard to know for certain, but when I visited Costco a few days ago, I would have spent about $300 instead of $25. To get a complete organic diet for the month, I would also need to buy about $300 of food at one health food store and $100 at another one.

The money will come in handy (when doesn’t it?) and I intend on donating $100-150 to the Nature Conservancy when I leave this cabin at the end of the month. That is about how much I am costing in electricity for three months, so I am donating to reforestation in North Carolina to cover my carbon footprint. On Charity Navigator it appears that about $7-8 out of every $10 goes to helping the environment and the other part goes to operating expenses, advertising, etc.

It is funny how fat is sort of an investment. I have lost about 10 pounds so far and I am feeling lighter on my feet. When I am finished I will probably walk and it will feel like gliding.

I finished organic coffee beans from Papua New Guinea and I am almost done with organic Ethiopian ones. I will still have some organic Guatemalan and plenty of organic Mexican and German left. I also have several varieties of red and green teas. Everything will likely suffice, but I would not mind trying organic Nicarauguan coffee from the local store because I haven’t had it and $10/pound is a good deal.

Is there anything worse than televison commercials? I hate seeing pharmaceutical drugs advertised on TV. The list of side effects is always laughable, but not funny. We are raising and retiring generations of pill poppers. So, those commercials are crap and if you look at the horrible food advertised, the vehicles that pollute the environment and the chemicals that nobody should touch or smell there are very few good commercials.

For many years I have been backing up my files and hosting websites on a server. After using several smaller companies and learning a lot I went with GoDaddy and I have been using them for a long time. I have never trusted Apple’s Cloud and I never used to backup my files there when I used iPhones and iTunes. After the Cloud was hacked and naked celebrity photos were leaked on the Internet it seemed like I did the right thing.

Hosting your own files is the way to do it. You just use file transfer protocol (FTP) to upload and download them. I have backed up my photos and music on the server for many years and it is always available, no matter what happens to my devices.

Apple’s iCloud
GoDaddy’s Hosting
Does not work with Android Works with any device with FTP
1 TB space: $10/month Unlimited: $10/month
Host no domains Host unlimited domains
Was hacked and leaked photos Was not hacked to our knowledge
Hides music and videos in iTunes Can upload and download all files


I took inventory on the food that I have left and I probably have enough to feed me for the days after the fast before I go. I have organic black beans and organic pinto beans (both dried), organic honey, organic carrots (that might stay good in the refrigerator) and frozen organic bread, organic bananas and organic blueberries. Even though I could probably squeeze out about a week of meals, I think I will buy a few organic things to celebrate the conclusion of my fast. Nothing too decadent, but a few tasty things will be great.

I just noticed that I also have some organic oatmeal and organic sunflower seeds remaining. On my tentative grocery list, I have organic cheese, raisins, orange soda, chocolate, eggs, peanuts, apple cider vinegar and tortillas. I am thinking about making organic bean burritos and organic oatmeal raisin cookies, but we will see. Everything sounds good right now!

Have you ever heard Natalie Tran’s comedy videos on YouTube? She is an Asian girl that lives in Australia and she has produced ten years of videos to entertain people. I think she is hilarious and to spite her cheeky warning that clip art is dead, I’m going to post some old school clip art right now.



Good luck.

Sunday, October 2, 2016 10:00 PM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 18

Yesterday I drank some organic apple cider vinegar with cinnamon and it was good. It was 32 calories and organic stevia and organic cinnamon were in it. Many reports say that it is good for detoxification and for maintaining good health. It tasted good and I sipped it over the course of an hour or two. I am not drinking any fruit or vegetable juice, so that will be the closest thing to it.

I’m at the end of my organic shampoo and conditioner, so I tried my organic body wash soap on my hair and it worked well. I was a little surprised, but I have a big bottle of it, so I’m stoked. Dr. Bronner’s Almond scent is my favorite and it has coconut, hemp, olive, palm kernel and jojoba organic oils in it. The bars are good too, but the liquid soap has many uses.

Do you ever use encryption? Some countries are battling encryption rights because they apparently don’t think their citizens should be able to anonymously browse the Internet. For instance, France has banned the Tor browser that gives you anonymous access to "95% of the Internet" through proxies around the world. Encryption is also offered on cell phones, for emails and it is a valuable add-on. In the days to come I hope that they don’t take away encryption rights because everything is already very intrusive.

If you fast and ingest nothing except water and organic coffee, tea and honey, this is what your poop may look like (just in case you want to know).



Do you play any instruments? I can play about a dozen of them and I started with piano. I also played flute and trumpet a little when I was young.

In college, I picked up the tenor saxophone and learned how to play it. Eventually I traded it in for my first guitar in 1994 and it was an Oscar Schmidt acoustic dreadnought. A few years later I bought my first electric guitar and then upgraded it a few years later to an American Fender Stratocaster and I still have it today. It’s epic and it might literally sound better with time. I don’t have my Marshall or my Fender amps that I used to have, but I have a Roland Micro Cube.

After I started teaching guitar lessons in San Diego in 2002, I bought a Yamaha keyboard and started playing piano again. After brushing up, I taugt piano lessons too. I also bought a bass guitar for my ex-wife to play, but since she never did I learned how to play it and eventually taught bass lessons. My Ibanez bass guitar was not too expensive, but it sounded good and I used a Korg effects pedal and a Crate amplifier. If a song had a cool bass line in it, I would learn it and sometimes teach it to my students that week.

In 2006, I picked up the drums because I rented an office from a church and they were always in the sanctuary. I took a lesson or two from a good drummer there and eventually figured out how to play them. Sometimes I would teach a guitar lesson and accompany the student with drums to give them a band-feel, if that was their thing. It helped, they liked it and it was fun.

Around 2008 I bought harmonicas in every key and taught myself how to play them. I had played harmonica before and it is simple. Each one is in a different key, so when you know the key that a song is in all you have to do is play the one in that key and every note will sound good.

In the early 2010s, I upgraded the keyboard to the M-Audio Venom 49 synthesizer and it was fun to play. Sliding in between notes is a great feature with the pitch bend wheel. Katy Perry’s song called Roar is a good example of using one. Check it out.



I also bought and learned how to play the congas, a rainstick, shakers and the tambourine.

What do you think about President Obama’s reign?
This is what I think.

The Good
The Bad
New Hawaii and New England marine sanctuaries No action on marijuana legalization
Vetoed Keystone XL pipeline Approves Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
Restricted oil shale and tar sands development United States Postal Service is bankrupt
Halted coal mining leases on public lands Has been unable to radically reduce gun violence
Signed and ratified the Paris Agreement Taxpayer money for warrantless wiretapping caught nobody
Will see the U.S. national debt double to $20 trillion
The birth and rise of ISIS in light of U.S. interests
Obamacare offers no dental care
Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo) still has 61 prisoners


If you fast, you should consider eating some sea salt. Your body needs salt to perform its daily functions and when I chew up and swallow a few pinches of it with a glass of water, I feel more aware and like normal. I would not substitute table salt though because there are strange additives in it.



Imagine if you could read everything this fast.

Sometimes if you want to know what a graphic is you can right click it, choose "Inspect" and look at the file name and it might give you a hint.

I will probably upload about 40 new pics to my blog soon. They will compose Photo Album 59. I already have about 34 pics ready to go. This was going to be one of them, but I decided to put it here first. This is a gecko that visits me from time to time.

Thursday, September 30, 2016 5:55 AM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 15

Hawaiian flower


I took a break from daily blogging and visited the other side of the island, so I haven’t written in a few days, but I am well.

This is Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii. It is close to where I am living and it is an active volcano.



After about three weeks of growth, I shaved most of my beard. My razors became dull and it was difficult without clippers, but I have left a fu manchu for a few days. I’m probably going to reshape it and eventually shave it all off.

Fu Manchu


Speaking of hair, my hair is getting long, but I am going to maintain its length soon. I want to put it back in a ponytail, so I can stop growing it after my bangs get a few inches past my chin. The back is plenty long now, but the bangs barely reach to the end of my chin.

Hair is a fun way to express yourself. I have grown my hair long a few times and I usually donate it to Locks of Love. If you are considering a major haircut, you should look into them because they help kids with no hair.

My body has already changed quite a bit on the fast and I can see more definition. I just looked at my pictures from Day 1. At the end of Day 20, I will take some more pics because it will be the halfway point of my fast. I will wear the same thing and stand in the same place the same way and do it again at the end.

Organic Hawaiian honey


While I was in Hilo, I visited a great health food store called Abundant Life. They were selling lots of delicious, organic food that I could not buy because I am fasting. However, I bought the organic honey pictured above and it is tasty. I drink very small amounts from time to time and I occasionally swish it around inside my mouth for 10 minutes. This local honey has a thick consistency, so that may make it harder to swish.

Honey is 86 calories an ounce and it is good for many purposes. It has literally healed four skin lesions or abnormalities. I think the ones on top of my feet were athlete’s foot that was accidentally spread from the bottom of my foot with oil. The other two on my inner thighs that may have been yeast infections completely cleared up and went away in about a week of honey treatment. Both of them had been stubborn and with me for months. Now I have no more skin issues like those and I have discovered the healing power of honey and the human body.

I have a few theories regarding why organic sesame oil did not heal the skin problems. It moisturizes and nourishes the skin well, but I think it may have been feeding and partially sustaining the infections. I also think that since the oil has a high smoke point and conducts heat, instead of the infection getting air and cool temperatures it got more inflamed with oil. I am happy that it is no longer a concern and I am in the process of healing other things, but more on that later.

I’m a fan of the news and I think I always will be. Growing up, my dad and I watched the news and talked about it. He knew all sorts of insightful things and would explain stories and back stories to me. Most of the time we watched local San Diego news that also talked about the world a little.

When I was betrayed by the government in 2011, I became very interested in journalism. In the horrible experience, I realized that bad things go on behind the scenes as far as spying, entrapment, red tape, the system, etc. are concerned. Now I want to know what is going on everywhere and the news link on the left side of the page will help you do the same thing.

There are a lot of interesting anchors on TV news stations. Some of my favorites are Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, Steve Doocy, Brian Kilmeade, Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota, Erin Burnett, Brian Williams, Anderson Cooper, Don Lemon, Megyn Kelly and Jake Tapper. There are lots of good ones though and I like new ones as well. I don’t have many expectations when I watch the news, but I get many different messages from the broadcast and I interpret, consider and apply or reject them.

In Hawaii, I have listened to the radio a lot. While I lived in Honolulu, I heard all sorts of amazing reggae and alternative music. They have some great stations there. I also like listening to talk radio.

Hawaii Public Radio is a great company because they offer commercial-free music and news 24-hours a day. They broadcast a couple of other things as well, but there are never commercials, so I have been happy to donate to them. I have also learned a lot in their news programming and it helps me stay on top of things.

Geckos like to climb stuff. Here is living proof.



#PEACE

Sunday, September 25, 2016 12:20 PM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 10

I have been a sports fan and an athlete since I was a kid. Growing up in San Diego, I quickly became a fan of Chargers and Aztecs football, Padres baseball, Clippers basketball, Gulls hockey and Sockers’ soccer. My dad has great season tickets to the Chargers, so I have been lucky enough to go to a lot of their games. An epic tailgate party always goes down beforehand, but I digress.

Playing tackle football before you finish growing is dangerous. You could stunt or change your growth. That’s what happened to me in Pop Warner football in between 7th and 8th grades. It was a cheap shot too, but the injury may have taken a few inches off of my height. My recollection and interpretation of those events have evolved over time, but I remember it all too well. I grew five inches that summer, so unfortunately it happened during a growth spurt. In retrospect and in light of reality and CTE cases, I think it is a really bad idea for legal guardians to let the kid they are trying to keep healthy and strong play a violent game like tackle football where they could easily sustain a life-threatening injury.

There is too much war and not enough peace. It seems like each country lacks a delegate focused entirely on keeping the peace and making peace. Things could head that direction, but like they say, it could get worse before it gets better.

I think dirty energy has been holding clean energy back for decades. A number of energy sources can fuel our transportation and homes, but businesses have chosen and the government has allowed the cheapest ones that pollute the most. Since they are entrenched in providing this energy (e.g. politicians and others have stocks in them, make deals with them, etc.) and since the amount of pollution and the environmental and fiscal cost of pollution were either unknown, underestimated or concealed, there has not been a rush to renewable energy. Also, since US’ foreign policies led to record low prices for oil, people seem to find it easier to disregard what burning gasoline is doing to the planet.

What if global climate change actually makes places like Saudi Arabia or Russia more habitable? That is what seems to be happening and that is why it was renamed climate change instead of global warming. Some hot places are cooling and some cold places are warming. Since they have lots of oil reserves they are probably in no hurry to move to clean energy.

Someone on Twitter approached me with a document that he was writing about big money behind some bands. It made sense, but it was sort of rambling and difficult to understand him. Nonetheless, it helped to confirm what I already knew that these new bands aren’t simply talented like millions of others, but they are also backed by millionaires that do as much as choose the songs and words for them.

Speaking of Twitter, I enjoy connecting with people on there. I learn through my searches and connections. It is also a good place to have friendly debates and discussions from time to time. The poll feature is interesting because you can get people to quickly vote on something. As I write this, I am waiting to see the results of a 15 minute poll about smoking cigarettes. The results may surprise you.

Last night, I shot my first Periscope video. Somehow a frog came inside, so I restarted the song that I was listening to because it had a cool intro and I grabbed the camera. When I got close to the frog, it started jumping and it jumped several times.



While I have lived in Hawaii, I have experimented with different sleeping patterns. My body does well with the typical 7-8 hours at night, but sometimes I get creative at night and stay up all night. I even decided to sleep days for many months in Honolulu because there were fewer cars at night and the nights were peaceful and beautiful.

Here on Hawaii island, the satellite dish Wi-Fi is faster at night, so I’m going to sleep during the day and I will be more productive online. I just started the transition and it is working pretty well. It’s not that hard to do when you live on the edge of a distant island that is many time zones away from the mainland and others. With this routine I should be able to catch BBC’s Outside Source that airs at midnight. I have been listening to it for a couple of years and it’s informative and brings me stories that I wouldn’t normally hear. Many of them are related to the UK, but others are about the US, the UN, countries they colonized and important issues.

It would be great if society would stay open 24-hours. If things like libraries, grocery stores and more businesses stayed open all night more things would get done. It could help the economy too. That was one disappointing thing in Honolulu. After midnight there were no places to go for organic coffee and Wi-Fi and few places that even had Wi-Fi.

One exciting aspect of my website is the photo albums. On my blog, I upload about 30-40 pics every week or two. Some are original .gif files that I make and others are still screenshots or interesting photos I find online. Around Hawaii I find all kinds of things to shoot. I just uploaded 36 new pics to Photo Album #58 and they are from the last 12 days and one was recently taken of me.

I ran out of organic garlic a few days ago, so I have been only using organic turmeric with organic black pepper supplements. Turmeric is good at fighting inflammation, but if they really studied it lots of people would use it instead of pharmaceutical drugs because it works better without side effects. If you research its health benefits you will see what I mean. In 2016, there is no excuse for turmeric’s medicinal qualities to be anecdotal and keep citing the ancient Indians and their practices, as if to make it sound more foreign to Americans. Anyways, I just ate two grams of them because they work. They relieve inflammation all over the body and they are safe. I buy the powder and make my own gel caps though because most of the supplements on shelves are bogus. 21% are legitimate according to a study.

The funny thing is that some companies are worried about artificial colors and they are starting to use turmeric, which is bright orange, for coloring. It is a healthier option and it would be ironic if the food coloring industry began using turmeric before the scientific industry called it what it really is.

I’ve been drinking several cups of organic rooibos, herbal tea each day and sucking on the tea bag. Rooibos has antioxidants in it, no caffeine and it is from a bush in Africa. Sometimes it is known as red tea. I have three varieties and most of them are plain, a few have organic vanilla and one has organic: cardamom pod, cinnamon bark, ginger root, clove bud and stevia leaf. It is tasty and called Chai Rooibos by Yogi.

In a little more than 24 hours, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton will engage in their first presidential debate. I am looking forward to watching or listening to it. It will be interesting to see how they perform under pressure because they have different strengths and weaknesses. I think they should have let the top 10 candidates debate.

I didn’t vote for him.

Friday, September 23, 2016 9:38 PM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 9

Baby gecko lizard


At sunset tonight, eight days or 20% of the 40 day fast was over. I feel fine.

I’m seeing more definition in my abs. I imagine that I have lost about 4-5 pounds so far. I rarely use a scale, but before and after pictures won’t lie.

My body has been getting colder. That’s a typical side effect of fasting. It actually feels good because it stays warm here. The temperature ranges between about 90 in the day to 70 at night, but it’s usually in the middle and cooler inside.

Getting tan is part of this transformation, so I will start tanning in a few weeks. My skin is pretty white, but if I start slowly and build a base tan I can get pretty dark. Unfortunately, I think I have some combination skin on my face because of some bad lotion I used as a kid. Otherwise, the rest of my body seems to have inherited some of my father’s skin tone.

My body is in a state of ketosis. That’s when it shifts from burning fuel to burning fat for fuel. It turns out that fat is actually a great fuel source when it is already on your body.

Wikipedia says, "deliberately induced ketosis serves as a medical intervention for various conditions, such as intractable epilepsy, and the various types of diabetes. In glycolysis, higher levels of insulin promote storage of body fat and block release of fat from adipose tissues, while in ketosis, fat reserves are readily released and consumed. For this reason, ketosis is sometimes referred to as the body’s ‘fat burning’ mode." For some more information, see Ketogenic fasting.

Fasting is an all or northing ordeal for me. I could never have a snack and continue, for instance. If I did, it would destroy my resolve and end the fast physically, spiritually and mentally. I have had some urges to eat, but I say, "Zero" immediately and shut it down because there is no way that I will eat anything until I’m done.

I have enjoyed the extra time that fasting has given me. Without counting every hour, I have probably saved $150 and 10 hours without having to buy, prepare and eat food. I have also cut back on some of my social media time online, so I can focus.

Which parts of the world are not fighting a war right now? Sometimes I get tired of hearing about it, but I won’t let it happen without knowing about it. I wish I could stop all of the fighting. People all need the same things and I realize that there are some evil people that will never talk peace, but I think a lot of the fighters would gladly put down their weapons of their demands were met. There will be a day when everyone comes to the table and ends this foolishness because like with dirty energy if you keep us on the current course there probably won’t be much left of this world in 50-100 years.

On a lighter note, when they came out I used to watch several TV shows like Dawson’s Creek, Beverly Hills 90210, The X-Files and The OC. Before that there were shows like Seinfeld, Friends, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Monk, Forensic Files and The 4400. I would watch them alone or with friends and we would talk about the episodes. In retrospect, it was a very American thing to do as I grew up. The drama and the storylines were captivating. Nonetheless, I have been more interested in comedies and horror in recent years.

I am using organic honey to treat a skin problem on the top of my foot and it is working (I use it at night or geckos try to lick it off during the day). It is the third thing that I have tried, but the first thing recently and every day I can notice it getting better. A little bit of the skin problem was on my other foot and it already cleared that up. Honey has some powerful properties and I hope people endeavor to protect honey bees and the environment. The United States already gets almost all of its organic honey from other countries. The USDA assumes bees got pollen from GMO flowers in most cases, so it cannot be certified USDA organic. The stuff I’m using is from Brazil and I have to go an extra mile or two to get it, but I was fortunate enough to get enough for the fast.

The animal rights organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) considers honey an animal product and said that I should avoid it because they are against it. I told them that I think it is medicine because I disagree with them. Bees make it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s unethical to use honey. I only use the organic stuff though.

If you are interested in Bible prophecies and the like, check out this tweet. A Russian politician named Vladimir Zhirinovsky has been reelected and he supports Donald Trump. Books have been written about him because people have compared him to Adolf Hitler and said that he has aspirations to take over new lands.

Stay out of trouble and don’t make me bail you out of jail again.

Thursday, September 22, 2016 3:33 PM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 7

Jason Gastrich


The fast is about 17% done and I’ve been doing well.

I’m growing a beard for three reasons. First, shaving is a pain in the butt. I want to see the white spots and use it as a cautionary tale or a teaching moment about chemical lotions and I’m going to shave it either before I finish or when I finish the fast. Either way, I should notice thinning in my face. It is nice to give my facial skin a break from a sharp razor because I typically like to shave every day.

I’ve uploaded some new original instrumental songs and poems to my website. I played the songs on my American Fender Stratocaster. I used an RP-7 pedal by Digitech and one of them was recorded in an alternate tuning that nobody will probably ever find.

In November, I’m publishing my 10th poetry book. Since January 6, I have written 72 new poems for it. It will be the 22nd book that I publish. I’ll say that I have, "Published 21+ books" and it will look like I have published adult material.

Booming Backlash is the name of a new story that I wrote and published online. After scribbling the idea in my notepad around July 2, I found it because I was looking for story ideas from the beginning. I probably have a dozen, unwritten, story ideas and a half dozen great ones, so it’s worth leafing through.

I found a different looking gecko today. It was brownish and had rougher skin. I took a brief video of it before it ran away, but I was able to put it on Vine.

I’ve been noticing more definition in my arms and legs. I’m not very dehydrated because I ceaselessly drink water, organic coffee and organic tea. I also swallowed some organic cinnamon in my coffee.

Cinnamon is anti-bacterial and anti-clotting. It fights diseases and infections, contains fiber and has vitamins like calcium, iron and manganese. There are 6 calories in a teaspoon of powder.

Organic sesame oil inside of a pump spray bottle is good for a lot of things. I use it instead of lotion on my body, to cook with, to clean my mouth and as a foot moisturizer. I’m sure it’s much better for the body than all of the weird chemicals that are in lotions too.

In 2012, I wrote a story about a deadly superbug and I published it in A Brand New World: The First 15 Months. Since the United Nations met in New York this week to discuss the impact of superbugs, I figured I’d post my story here. Here you go. This is Super Bug.



Super Bug

A Brand New World:
The First 15 Months

Super Bug

"Just spray it more with this," Shannon said to Ms. O’Malley.

"We have to be careful. We don’t want to waste it."

Ms. O’Malley was referring to the chemicals they used in the hospital to kill germs. A one liter bottle cost 20 Euros. It was made with a litany of chemicals Ms. O’Malley couldn’t even pronounce.

Taking the bottle from Shannon, she shook it up and continued spraying.

This was one, funky mess like they had never seen. Last night, a drunk man with meningitis and syphilis threw up on the floor and it stunk. They could still smell the stench and even taste it a little.

One week later, a little boy was visiting his sick mother in the same room.

He dropped a gum ball on the floor and it rolled to the corner where the sick man had thrown up. Instinctively, the little guy put his mouth on the floor and as his tongue touched the cold floor he sucked the gum ball into his mouth.

Two days later the boy died from a super bug virus he contracted on the hospital floor. It was resistant to antibiotics. Fortunately, he didn’t pass it on to anyone. It killed him too quickly.

THE END


Need more scrolls? More scrolling?

Check out my friend’s tree and screen. He is a crack up, but he doesn’t like crack.

G


I’ll stay alive. You do the same.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016 10:40 PM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 6

I have been posting each day in a unique way. Today is only text. If you want to see a new pic of me, I uploaded one to Twitter tonight.

Since I’m starting and ending at sunset this is actually the beginning of Day 6. Day 5 went well. I have been resting and I took a good nap today because I woke up very early.

If you want to hear some great music, click the music link above. I uploaded a few new songs there today.

I bought some organic honey from the store today. It is a huge part of my diet because I try to avoid even organic table sugar and I only eat organic food, so that doesn’t give me many options. Honey has some amazing antimicrobial and antibacterial properties though and it never goes bad.

When I make my own organic supplements, I know what is in them, so I prefer to do that. They conducted a study in New York and only 21% of the time was the advertised supplement actually in the bottle. They are not regulated, so they lie and get away with it. I typically prefer less government intervention, but they could help.

Have you ever tried synthetic marijuana? I haven’t and I don’t intend to. I’m sure I would live, but I’m sure I would prefer actual marijuana. Sadly, synthetic pot has killed people because of the harmful chemicals in it. It is probably like drenching a cigarette in vodka, drying it and smoking it. More trouble than it’s worth.

Sometimes I use a browser called Tor and it is excellent. It automatically connects you to the Internet through various proxies. It also allows you to visit "95% of the Internet", which is sometimes called the dark web or the deep web. Unlike traditional browsers, it lets you visit .onion websites and there is a lot of interesting information and stuff you could get into out there.

What do you do when your eyes need a rest? If you really want your eyes to be refreshed, then try cupping them for a few minutes. Find a dark place, close your eyes and cup them with your hands. This disallows all light from entering. Our eyes are exposed to all kinds of light at all times of the day and sometimes the night. Cupping them gives them a real rest.

It rained again yesterday and today. It rains almost every day. In fact, this city is one of the rainiest places on Earth. When I picked a new place to live in 2012, I avoided places that got lots of rain because I get a little seasonal depression. Nonetheless, it is a welcome change, usually brief and keeps everything green, so it doesn’t bother me. It also fills the well and the catchment for me and many other people.

In the last 6-7 weeks, I’ve been catching up on some shows and movies. I don’t watch many things twice, but I wanted to continue some shows that I had started watching a few years ago. So far, I have watched Dexter, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Workaholics, Community, Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Tosh.0 and Portlandia. I might watch new shows called Kevin Can Wait and Madam Secretary.

As far as movies go, I have watched Borat, Dumb and Dumber, Star Wars 7, Napoleon Dynamite, Up In Smoke, Silver Streak and Stir Crazy. I intend on watching Dumb and Dumber To and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom soon. I have never seen Jim Carrey’s sequel, but I bet it is hilarious.

Do I have exquisite taste or what? I actually like many different types of movies and shows. I was disappointed to see that Bear Grylls stopped filming his wilderness survival show right when I stopped watching it. I was hoping to binge watch a few seasons of it; Good Eats with Alton Brown as well.

I’ve enjoyed many different kinds of organic coffee during this fast. This coffee from Germany, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Papua New Guinea and Mexico is great. I ground four of them and the other one is instant organic coffee. Apparently, instant coffee is just coffee that has been freeze-dried. I think it darkens your teeth more though because it dissolves in water and you don’t filter it like typical coffee.

Coffee has a lot of antioxidants, vitamins like Magnesium, Manganese, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Potassium and Riboflavin and almost no calories. I drink it black and I drink it pretty much all day. In a typical day, I can easily brew 5-6 cups of coffee. It keeps me alert and helps flush toxins.

I’ll write more tomorrow and try to integrate another unique perspective.

Monday, September 19, 2016 11:13 AM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 4

OUCH!


I was bitten by two mosquitoes last night. They left giant welts and red splotches on my abdomen, but they are much better today. I hope I didn’t contract anything. A mosquito would have to be infected with a disease from another human or animal to spread it and there are very few people in this area, so I am probably fine.

Recording a video on laser hair removal was postponed because I want my hair to grow a little longer.

At sunset today, I will be 10% done with my fast. It has went very well overall. I got the squirts earlier though. At least that crap is getting out of me. Note: if you eat a lot of honey when you fast you will get the squirts. I learned that the hard way, so I have consumed only about one ounce a day.

I have rinsed my mouth for several minutes with sea salt twice and I have rinsed it with organic honey twice. They were cleansing and left my mouth feeling refreshed. I have also squirted organic sesame oil in my mouth from time to time.

My body burns about 2,000 calories a day now and I consume under 200 calories a day. About 100 calories are from honey, 15 are from organic garlic capsules, 10 are from organic turmeric/organic black pepper capsules, 30 are from organic coffee and organic tea and 30 are from organic sesame oil.

Creating a 1,800 calorie deficit for 40 days will burn 72,000 calories. Since there are 3,500 calories in a pound that means I should lose about 21 pounds. I did not weigh myself beforehand, but I imagine that I weighed about 170. 149 will be a much better weight for me. I may do a few physical things and I may retain less water at that weight, so it could be lower.

Since I don’t have to buy food or drinks for 40 days I am going to save a lot of money. Organic food is very expensive in Hawaii, so based on what I spent the previous six weeks, I think I will save about $750. That will come in handy. Sadly I think some religious leaders avoid calling people to fast because of how much it would hurt the economy.

In a way, body fat is an investment. It can be difficult to lose weight for many reasons, but when you do you save money. Nonetheless, with the food supply as it as I recommend getting as lean as possible as quickly as possible. I eventually want to get even leaner and make sure that I lose all of the fat that was created before I switched to organic food.

I prefer eating organic food because I know that it is healthier than the other stuff. It can be difficult to find though. Sometimes grocery stores sell food that is locally grown and they don’t know if it is organic or not. However, organic is always better for the body and the environment because it doesn’t have pesticides, insecticides, antibiotics and it can’t be grown in sludge. Organic simply has higher standards and I want to live as good and as long as possible by treating my body as well as I can. It’s stunning that only a very small percentage of Americans eat organic food, but I hope that is changing.

I wrote a new story in my, "A Brand New World" series. Writing short stories is exciting and I like dreaming up a scenario and painting a realistic picture that tells many different stories and lessons. Sort of like a prophetic parable and they are typically based on something happening in real life; like the backstory to a news story.

After Hillary Clinton lied about Benghazi, on September 12, 2012, I decided to start writing stories. I watched and read the news and I knew that it was not a random event or a lone wolf type of terrorist attack, but it was planned well in advance, so I wrote the backstory. After publishing that story online on September 14, I started publishing more stories and eventually removed them from my website and published them in a book. So far, I have written, The First 15 Months, What Happens Next and From Station to Station. Outside Like Islands will be the fourth book in the series. Click the stories link above to read the newest ones or the my books link to buy copies of them.

Gecko lizard


The gecko above was captured on a cardboard box through a screen. They hang around the house, inside and out. They also make for interesting vine videos. Check these out. I captured geckos, a chameleon and a frog in the act.









Have a great day and week.

Take care,
Jason

Sunday, September 18, 2016 1:01 PM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 3

Jason Gastrich


Day three is going well and day two was fine.

I uploaded some gecko vines and the link is on the left. These lizards are outta control. They stick their tongues out and jump on me. They are beautiful too. Lots of people in Hawaii just let them live inside with them. They eat bugs.

I hate weird chemicals. Check out my dynamic .gif above. See my beard? I used to always rub suntan lotion into my face first where it is white. Also, my hairline has turned white and that was always the place where I rubbed suntan lotion (and shampoo and conditioner) into my skin as well. Even from childhood, my parents bought brand names and I have used them for most of my life, but I stopped in 2012. I only use suntan lotion in emergencies like when there is no way that I can void being in direct sunlight for many hours.

It is a shame that the government has approved products that do this to your hair. Look at President Obama’s hair. Look at many different men and women that don’t color their hair and you can see a pattern of gray where the folicles no longer produce color and there is probably a good reason for it. They probably rubbed something into it.

Hair dyes are horrible for your scalp too. Chemicals are obviously doing something to our skin when our hair changes color (dies) and stops growing. I used to use hair dye for about a decade, but I felt it was impeding hair regrowth. Everybody loses a lot of hairs every day and that is normal, but when you dye your hair it makes it harder for new hairs to grow back. Now I only use organic shampoo, conditioner and soap and I don’t dye my hair. I think those are important when it comes to keeping your hair intact and its original color.

If you are an adult with spotty gray hair, try to recall what you rubbed into your scalp or face. A high school friend of mine had two spots of gray hair and I wonder if his parents experimented on him.

My back has been making lots of adjustments. When I am heavier it doesn’t crack as much or as far. It is good to hear and my chiropractor would be proud.

I pulled organic sesame oil last night and I will keep doing it from time to time. It is a good way to disinfect and cleanse your mouth. I just swish it around for about 15 minutes and spit it into the trash and then rinse my mouth and tongue a few times with water.

I am officially on well water now. My grandparents Ma and Pa Rose in Elkin, North Carolina used to have a well. They canned their own beans too, but I digress. I was paying about $1.25 for 5 gallons, but the well water is free and closer. It tastes and smells good, but I still filter it through my Brita filter bottle. I filtered the reverse osmosis stuff too. I could save $30-40 because I drink a lot of water.

I interviewed my mom about the shooting that happened at her school 15 years ago and it went well. I am going to write it soon, but I probably can’t publish it right away because a news company asked for it. It may be an opinion article, but it won’t be over the top.

Some of my blogging and journaling will be done by video. I will just embed them in this page, so you won’t have to go anywhere. I intend on posting a video tomorrow on electrolysis and laser hair removal because I have some experience and knowledge about those topics.

Peace,
Jason

Saturday, September 17, 2016 10:00 AM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 2

Jason Gastrich


Eyestrain headache led me to bed early or I would have stayed up late. I got hot sweats throughout the night and I threw up water. I felt better afterwards and went back to sleep for a few hours.

I wrote a new poem called On the Inside that will eventually go in my next poetry book. I also uploaded some songs. Click the links above to visit my blog and music page for everything.

I’m interviewing my mom today because she was a high school shooting survivor. I’m writing an article about it and it has been 15 years since it happened. She was unhurt, but it happened right in front of her.

I watched some news on YouTube this morning. MSNBC from yesterday and the previous week and month was good. I also watch Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers’ late night TV shows. I typically only watch the comedy bits and the bands that I like though. Some interviews are good.

I posted a couple of vines this morning. Yesterday I caught a frog jumping around and a chameleon in between two panes of glass. The wildlife made for interesting, unique videos.

I feel much better today. My headache went away and I don’t feel nauseous. I have been drinking lots of water and it helps regulate my body temperature and keep me hydrated.

At sunset tonight, I will have completed two days of fasting. That is 2/40 or 5%. Fortunately, I don’t have a physical job or much physical activity that I have to do. I have plenty of energy and expect to throughout the fast, but I can get a little lightheaded when I vigorously exercise after fasting a long time, so I will try to avoid doing that.

Good luck and I’ll post again tonight or tomorrow.

Friday, September 16, 2016 9:20 AM HST - Posted by Jason

Day 1

Jason Gastrich



The first step in a journey. This is Day 1.


Wednesday, September 14, 2016 7:20 PM HST - Posted by Jason

The Discipline of Fasting

99% Full Moon



Fasting is a great way to break away from the norm.

I could write thousands of words on fasting and I will, but this is a brief introduction to some of the key elements and my upcoming fast. I’m excited to be fasting from sunset on Thursday, September 15 until sunset on Tuesday, October 25. However, I would start much shorter and work my way up to a long fast if I were you. That’s what I have done over the course of many years of fasting.

There are many types of fasts ranging from juice fasts to Ramadan fasts to abstaining from everything. Which fast is best? It is like exercise. Whichever fast you get the most out of and do the most is the one that is best for you.

I am going to fast without food, but I will ingest a few things. I have a small arsenal of fasting necessities and I am at the end of my food, so it is good timing. Here is what my fast will consist of:

Water
Several organic coffees and teas
Organic honey
Organic powdered garlic supplements
Organic turmeric with organic black pepper supplements
Organic sesame oil
Sea salt

Caffeinated coffee and tea will help me stay awake. There are also antioxidants and other benefitical compounds in them. I drink coffee and tea without sweetener, but the honey is a very important element. I consider honey medicine because of its healing properties and it helps stave off nausea, so I will squirt a little in my mouth from time to time.

I will pull the sesame oil to remove toxins in my mouth and I may use it in medicinal gel caps too. I always buy vegetarian gel caps and make my own supplements.

Those are my ground rules. I will take pics and record videos throughout the fast and upload them to my website. I probably won’t follow a consistent format, but I am going to utilize audio recordings, video recordings, pics, poetry, blogging, etc. as I feel led. I typically like to journal and get a lot of things done, so I will blog about the fast as well.

Good luck in your fasting and your endeavors and I hope we all learn some new and interesting things.