Postby zephyr » Fri Jan 12, 2018 12:17 pm
Lee wrote:zephyr wrote:
Today is Thursday and I was just unhooked from the pump. I started fasting - a modified fast of less than 500 calories per day - on Sunday and I'll continue through today. 5 days total. The instructions were to start the fast 48 hours before chemo (Tuesday) to get the normal cells into hibernation, and then to fast through all 3 days of chemo. This has been my easiest chemo round ever. Amazing results. I will absolutely continue to do it this way.
Wow, most interesting!!! What type of food did you eat (500 calories). I just can't imagine getting by with so few calories without passing out, especially after a few of it.
I wasn't very imaginative but it worked for me. I planned it out ahead of time and made sure everything was here so that I didn't need to go into a grocery store. It turned out to be easier than I expected. I started the morning with herbal tea because I found that coffee was a little harsh on my stomach. I didn't eat anything until/unless I felt true hunger; if it was just boredom, I found something to do or sipped on vegetable broth. Usually around 11:00 a.m. or later I made a 1-egg spinach & mushroom omelette (120 calories, including a tiny bit of Irish butter for flavor and easy flipping) and that often got me through the day. If I wanted more later, I sipped on vegetable broth or had a cup of organic vegetable/barley soup (60 calories per cup, Cedar Lane brand from Costco). If I just needed crunch, I cut up a cucumber and munched on that (about 16 calories per cup). I made sure to drink at least 64 ounces of water/broth/herbal tea every day because I read that staying hydrated would prevent headaches that sometimes occur if you're dehydrated during fasting. Next time I might add grilled asparagus spears from Trader Joe's (about 100 calories for the whole bag of 4 servings) or some cantaloupe (about 60 calories per cup) or a little bit of hummus with cut up vegetables (about 120 calories depending on the ingredients and amount of hummus).
I was told it helped to avoid heavy meals of meat, fats, and pasta few days ahead of the fast to make the transition easier.
Below is the vegetable broth I made ahead and froze in small freezer baggies to keep on hand. It has more flavor than any vegetable broth I've ever tasted, including a bit of sweetness that I like. There are several ingredients that make it look daunting but it's actually pretty easy to make. There's a video at the end of the recipe where she demonstrates how easy it is to make and mentions substitutions.
https://www.rebeccakatz.com/magic-mineral-broth/I'm seeing a naturopathic physician who specializes in oncology and has the blessing of my oncologist. The N.P. was the doctor who gave me instructions and the go-ahead to fast, and she's only an email or a phone call away if I have questions or run into problems. I don't think anyone should consider fasting during treatment without first checking with their doctor.
Nov-2009 Early stage CRC, routine colonoscopy
2010-2014 F/U colonoscopies, all clear
Jun-2016 CRC during F/U colonoscopy, surgery, Stage 4, KRAS, MSS
Aug-2016-May-2018 Folfox, 5FU, Folfiri & Avastin
Aug/Sep-2018 YAG laser surgeries (Germany), 11 nodules removed
Nov-2018 clean CT scan
Mar-2019 New lung nodules
Apr-2019 Dec-2020 Xeloda/Avastin, SBRT, cont. Xeloda/Avastin
Mar-2021 Forfiri/Avastin
Mar-2022 Ablation & Thoracotomy
Feb-2023 Folfiri & Avastin
Nov-2023 Xeloda & Avastin