Fasting Blog

I've set out to fast somewhere between 2 weeks and 4 weeks duration.  I am only drinking water.  I hope to document the experience here so that others may benefit.  My background is engineering, not medicine, so nothing here should be taken as advice, only a journal of my experiences.  I plan to document my daily experience during the fast and during the recovery.  Some time after the end of all that, I will release a final report that shows changes in blood chemistry, blood pressure, and weight over time.  Herbert M. Shelton has authored a few books on fasting and appear to be the best resource out there from what I can find.  All his books are no longer in print so you have to buy them used.  Although, I don't agree with 100% of his material, his books are a valuable resource and he makes many many good points.  It is a good idea to consult with a doctor who has experience with fasting as certain conditions may prevent you from safely fasting.
I've chosen to undertake this fast in the hopes that it may improve fatigue & weakness symptoms I have been plagued with since late last summer.  I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in July of 2009.  I completely changed  my diet and eliminated all restaurants and prepared foods.  That strategy successfully resolved all measurable problems that are typical with Celiac Disease.  No nutrient deficiencies exist, and intestinal byopsies are now normal.  For some odd reason, going gluten free appears to have triggered  this fatigue and weakness that has developed since.

Experiment #1: Effects of meat on Bilirubin levels

Standard blood work has always shown a high bilirubin level for me for as long as I can remember.  Doctors generally shrug it off as "gilbert's syndrome" and don't think much of it.  They say 1% of the population has abnormally high levels and it doesn't mean anything.  I'm not so sure that is correct any longer.  My bilirubin level is typically in the low 2's although more recently it has come close to 3.0 but goes up and down from test to test.  I've been dealing with a lot of fatigue issues more recently following a Celiac diagnosis.  Aside from the bilirubin level out of whack, everything else is normal.
About a month ago I had accidentally avoided red meat for a week just before a blood test, eating chicken & turkey products as my meat.  To my shock, the bilirubin level measured came out to 1.3, still slightly high but much lower than it had ever been.  This leads me to the theory that red meat might be responsible...  it could also be the fat content of the meat rather than the "red" variety.  Sunlight exposure is another possible variable here since I have read that sunlight helps the body break down bilirubin.