My 23 Hours Fasting Routine Which Is My Natural Doping
Dear Aviator,
Fasting has become a trend but is actually nothing new. Our ancestors had practised it already thousands of years ago but we have forgotten about it in the last century as food became available anytime. I have started as well and my 23 hours fasting routine is linked to cavemen, who sometimes did not have food for a longer period of time. The health benefits I have been observing are mind-blowing and I want you to benefit from them as well. Since I received so many questions about fasting on my social media, I decided to inform you thoroughly on my blog. No matter for which reason you are fasting, here is my fasting routine which is my natural doping.
My body transformed through the fasting – My natural doping!
Why Did I Start Fasting?
I am curious to try out new things – especially when my body can benefit from it. The positive health effects sounded so amazing that I had to try it. It is free and it is something simple you can work into your daily routine. Especially the fact that the release of human growth hormone (HGH) is increased which means it is natural doping for your body. HGH is increased by up to 2000% for men when fasting for 23 hours. This means my muscles do not shrink, but they actually grow!
My Weekly Fasting Routine
It is super easy and simple. I am fasting for 23 hours straight once a week. There are many different ways of fasting. Everyone has to find the optimum for themselves.
- Note your time when you ate last in the evening. I recommend around 1900 so the next day does not feel so long.
- From that time you only drink absolutely no food. Just water, tea and coffee. As few calories as possible!
- Do a light workout, keep yourself busy. When you feel tired, take a nap. Listen to your body. Do not plan intense tasks.
- Fast for 23 hours. When you start at 1900, you can eat again around 1800. Drink a lot!
- Your first meal should be a light one. No meat and not too fatty.
- Appreciate and be proud of yourself that you did something great for yourself.
Still so much energy even without food!
What Does It Feel Like?
It really depends on the day, but most of the time I feel very well. I would not say that I am hungry all the time, it is rather that I have the appetite to eat something. Appetite to eat anything and everything. 😉 Sometimes the 23 hours feel very long. Especially when I ate late in the evening prior, had a short night and I do not have much to do the next day. Usually, I feel amazing on the fasting day. I try to keep myself busy over the day with different tasks and I even do workouts. I am always surprised at how much energy I have while I do sports.
It is actually quite relaxing not to think about the next meal, what to cook and not to waste time preparing something. A few hours before breaking the fasting you are really looking forward to eating again. This is absolutely an amazing feeling. You value food much more in a time where it is available everywhere and anytime. This appreciation lets you think: “I can be very happy that I have plenty of food every day!”. Especially the point when you break the fast and have your first meal again is soooooo tasty. The flavours are so intense and you feel great that you made it and did something well for your body.
Empty plates – only beverages like coffee, tea, water, NO soda or juices with high calories
What Happens During Fasting?
Yes, you heard it right. I am fasting, which means I am refraining from eating for a certain preset period. Whether you are fasting or not, the body still needs energy. Its primary energy source is a sugar called glucose, which usually comes from carbohydrates, including grains, dairy products, fruits, certain vegetables, and beans. The liver and muscles store the glucose and release it into the bloodstream whenever the body needs it.
However, during fasting, this process changes. After about 8 hours of fasting, the liver will use the last of its glucose reserves. At this point, the body enters into a state called gluconeogenesis, marking the body’s transition into fasting mode. Studies have shown that gluconeogenesis increases the number of calories the body burns. With no carbohydrates coming in, the body creates its own glucose using mainly fat.
Eventually, the body runs out of these energy sources as well. Fasting mode then becomes the more serious starvation mode. At this point, a person’s metabolism slows down, and their body begins burning muscle tissue for energy. Although it is a well-known term in dieting culture, true starvation mode only occurs after several consecutive days or even weeks without food.
Beneficial Effects Of Fasting
- Aiding weight loss as it burns fat cells.
- Occasional 24-hour fasting can improve cardiovascular health.
- Helps fighting certain kinds of cancer
- Helps preserve memory
- Increased release of human growth hormone (HGH) stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration.
- And so much more …
I do not think I would survive the fasting day without coffee – my fuel 😉
My Fazit Of My 23 Hours Fasting Routine
I never thought that fasting will be something for me because I thought it is primarily for people who want to lose weight. In my case, I do not want to lose weight but I want to gain weight. So far I have done 8 times my 23 hours fasting routine and I could visibly notice an effect on my body. I used to have a little bit of fat around the hips. This has vanished and instead, I have become leaner and more muscular. Additionally, I have noticed that I have fewer problems with my stomach but this could also be because of my vegetarian diet.
Have you tried fasting as well? If not try it and see if it is something for you! Please do not forget to like my blog post “My 23 Hours Fasting Routine”.
Happy land healthy landings!
Your PilotPatrick
How I became a pilot IV
Welcome aboard Aviator! I am looking forward to continuing to share my story of how I became a pilot.
In my previous blog posts, you can read:
Part I: How I became a flight student at Intercockpit (Pilot Training Network)
Part II: First theoretical training in Frankfurt (Germany) up to my first flight
Part III: First fight training phase including first solo flight in Zadar (Croatia) and ATPL theory phase including the final theory exam
In this, you will read about my second flight training phase and memorable flight hours as a student pilot.
First the bad news than the good news
Our course E308 of Intercockpit was scheduled to depart to Zadar for our IFR (Instrument flight rules) training in May 2009. At very short notice the flight school canceled the training in Croatia, because of different factors leading to no capacity for us. This was the bad news and the good news was that we were going to have our flight training in Vero Beach (Florida) instead. I was so happy about this location change since I am a big fan of Florida. We would stay in Vero Beach for about 8 weeks before we continue our Multi-Engine flight phase in Zadar. This outsourcing to the flight school, Flight Safety, was necessary not to delay our training.
Piper Arrow of Flight Safety in Vero Beach (2009)Flight Safety at Vero Beach
I was one five flight students who passed the theoretical exam with the first attempt. This granted me to be one of the first one to start the next training phase in Florida. We flew with Lufthansa from Düsseldorf to Miami on an A340-300.
Vero Beach is located on the East coast about a 2,5 hours drive north from Miami. It is a hotspot for elderly people of the USA to retire. By law bars and restaurants had to be closed at 1 am the latest. That is why we also called it Lame Beach. So an ideal place to entirely focus on our flight training without any discretion. Most of the time we went to the beautiful beaches and went shopping in oversized department stores. The entire course stayed at shared apartments on the Flight Safety campus, which was located on the premises of Vero Beach airport. Simple two story buildings without any luxury amenities, except of a small swimming pool. Flight students from all over the world used these training facilities of Flight Safety. The fleet of nearly 90 aircraft granted a good availability.
Vero Beach airport with the Flight Safety campus in the middleIFR flight training
After flying under visual flight rules in Zadar the training was taken to the next level in Florida. From this stage onwards we were trained to fly under instrument flight rules. This means that the pilots entirely rely on their instruments to fly and navigate the aircraft. This technique is used in everyday airline business to fly through bad weather and to land at low visibility. But before being in the air again I had to pass 12 IFR sessions on an FNPT II flight simulator. This was a fixed based version and not like the full flight simulator you got to know during my type rating on the A300-600.
Cockpit of a Piper Arrow for IFR flight trainingWhy Florida?
Florida offers ideal conditions for flight training. In close vicinity of Vero Beach are numerous airports to practice approaches, go-arounds and holding patterns. In the beginning, the air traffic was difficult to understand. Nevertheless, they did a fantastic job fulfilling our requests. The weather and the shallow terrain are additional factors which make this location ideal. Even though there are a lot of thunderstorms in spring and summer, they are usually isolated so it is easy to detect and circumfly them. The sunshine state Florida enable to fly the whole year around. My training started in the beginning in May and the weather was already so hot at that time.
Palm trees in West Palm Beach FloridaIFR flight student
Our training device was a piston-powered Piper Arrow with a retracting landing gear. The instrument rating consisted of 22 flight missions with an instructor. Every mission latest about 4 hours. 2 hours of pilot flying and 2 hours sitting in the back watching your fellow flight student flying. To simulate IFR flying conditions (e.g. in clouds) I had to wear a big glasses which restricted to view outside.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eey7LYxHlA4?rel=0&w=640&h=360]
Most of the mission we did cross country flights to airports around Vero Beach. For the first time, I experienced approaching a high-density traffic airport like Orlando. This was an amazing feeling to be between big airliner aircraft. I could choose from a wide range of airports to practice ILS (Instrument Landing System) and non-precision approaches. Every flight mission had to be planned precisely taking into account the current weather conditions, the fuel on board and other legal restrictions.
IFR flight training on a Piper ArrowMy highlight Miami
The entire flight training was exciting on the one hand and on the other quite demanding since I had to get used to a new aircraft type and to new flying procedures. I had two memorable flights I want to share with you in detail.
- I planned a flight going to Kendall-Tamiami Airport, which is an executive airport, to do a fuel stop and crew change. Due to its close proximity to Miami, this airport is used by many private jets. In the end, we were parked next to a big Gulfstream jet and in front of the private jet terminal, called signature Flight support. At that time I never have seen a Gulfstream and such a luxury terminal before. For crew and passengers, they offered a small cinema, billiard room, a library and so much more. I was totally impressed. To top it all we received the clearance to depart in an easterly direction overflying Miami Beach at a low altitude. That view was thrilling!
My highlight Cape Canaveral
- Several days prior a launch of a space shuttle from Cape Canaveral I approached space coast regional airport to practice missed approaches when the air traffic controller called us for an unusual request. On his radar screen, he had an unidentified aircraft without radio contact overflying the launch pad of Cape Canaveral. He asked us if we could chase him to find out his registration since this airspace is absolutely prohibited. We acknowledged his request and so we were allowed to enter that airspace. Unfortunately, we were not able to read of his tail number, but we had the chance to see the space shuttle situated in its launch pad from the air. That was a one in a lifetime experience. I tried to take pictures, but for some reason they all became fuzzy.
Leisure activities
During the weekends we had off so we could tour around to explore Florida from the ground.
Course E308 In front of Costa d'Este Beach Resort of Gloria Estefan- Orlando: Famous for its Amusement parks and shopping malls. I can recommend the Premium outlet mall.
- Tampa: Amusement Park Bush Gardens. Great roller coasters, but I disliked the fact that they kept wild animals in their park.
- Cape Canaveral: A must for every aviation and space enthusiast. Great exhibition and museum of NASA. I was lucky to see the space shuttle start of Atlantis from a beach south of Cape Canaveral. Even miles away the launch was so noisy it gave me goosebumps.
- Miami Beach: I am a big fan of Miami. Such a vibrant city with an amazing beach. Visit Lincoln Road Mall and rent a convertible to cruise along the famous Ocean drive.
The flight training in Vero Beach was a memorable time and I was really lucking to have the chance to discover Florida from the air and from the ground. Stay tuned for my last blog post of my series how I became a pilot.
Have you visited Florida before?
Your Pilot Patrick
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