I'm currently 16 hours into a (semi-liquids, mostly water) fast that I only officially decided on last night. Shooting for 72 hours, and the only substances I will be allowing myself to consume will be water, tea, coffee, vegetable broth, chicken broth, the master cleanse lemonade, diet coke and, if I get especially starving, 0 calorie pickles.

The last time I fasted properly and successfully, I was 17 (besides unintentional fasting during my hospitalisation, where I was too sick to eat.) I went for four days on 0 calorie liquids (including carbonated diet drinks) and lost four pounds. However, I also started out weighing a lot less than I do now, plus my metabolism was shot to hell from starvation. So this time I'm expecting speedier weight loss, seeing as my weight at the start of the fast was 171.0 lbs. Currently it's 169.0 lbs. Ideally I would fast myself into the 150s, but that would mean committing to the fast for a minimum of 10 days. I'm not sure if I have the willpower to make it through 3, let alone 10, but I'm playing it by ear.

Obviously the appealing thing about a fast is the instant results. It's like zapping weight loss. The other appeal is not having to worry about food for a while. Thinking about food is one thing, worrying about it is another (what to eat, when to eat it, which diet to follow, etc). I hope that this will free me up some extra mental space as I have two essays to write over the next fortnight.