How to break a LONG Fast?

[Russ Filtz]

Picked up some food poisoning or flue type thing last week. Haven't eaten anything but crackers, baked potatoes, or oatmeal since Tues night (and very little of those too)! Been needing to lose those extra 10-lbs anyway. Pretty sure it's just a bug, but the doc is going to roto-rotor me tomorrow! Been on liquids and Fleet all day. :o

Now, I'm starting to fantasize about some nice beef stew for some reason. Not sure if that would too much for a delicate stomach, or if I need to ween back onto solid food? I figured a stew would be pretty well cooked and mushy as long as it wasn't heavy on spices I might be OK.

Any good crock pot stew recipes? :D

[Don Abele]

Russ, the biggest gastric (stomach) irritants are: caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, and peppermint. Closely followed by pepper, chili powder, citrus, fatty foods, fried foods, and tomato products.

I'd stay away from all of them until you are feeling much better. As far as breaking your fast, you want to slowly bring your system back up to speed in the digestive process. That means stay away from things which are difficult for your stomach to break down: meats, vegetables, fruits. Protein and cellulose are rough on the whole process. Mom's old stand by of chicken soup is excellent (it provides much needed water, heat, and easily digestable nutrients). Of course, modern pre-made soup has way too much salt in it, so be sure to dilute as necessary.

Of course, you should check with your doctor and following his advice as he has had "hands on" to properly evaluate you.

Hope you are feeling well soon.

Be well,

Doc

[Joe Pelonio]

Stew has gravy, very fatty, and not the greatest thing for your sensitive guts. I'd go with plain with rice the first day, maybe some applesauce and cottage cheese.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Unless you have an otherwise delicate system - that's not a long fast and you won't have any issues just eating what ever you please.

[Todd Burch]

...Been needing to lose those extra 10-lbs anyway.

Russ, take the opportunity to KEEP the 10lbs off.

I'm 45 and 6' 1.5" tall. I sit on my hiney all day with a programming job - not much exercise. Back in 2004, I went on the Atkins diet Jan 1 and went from 230 down to 205 by Mother's day. I felt great. Slowly, slowly I've put the pounds back on. Earlier this fall, I got up to about 242.

I decided I had enough of a fat belly and tight pants. On Dec 1, I changed my definition of "reasonable" and ever since, have been eating "reasonably". I've lost 8 pounds so far. I gave up sodas, candy and for the most part, between meal snacks. At mealtime, I eat about 1/3 of what I was eating before.

There's been a couple times my stomach has growled. Probably not a bad thing.

Otherwise, I'm still eating the same old things. Pizza - 2 pieces in stead of 4. Pecan pie - a 1.5" wide piece instead of 5" wide. Peanut butter toast for breakfast - 1 piece instead of 2. Lunchtime, 1/2 a sandwich and a piece of fruit instead of a whole sandwich, chips, and candybar. And so on. Some days I still snack some between meals, but instead of sitting at my desk with a box of wheat thins in my lap, or pouring a bowl of pistachios to graze on, I grab 5-8 crackers between my fingers (instead of a handful) or 2-3 pistachios and suck on them for a while.

I'm pretty sure my caloric intake is below 2000 a day. Maybe somedays around 1000. It's working, and I'm very satisfied with the results.

Not quite as drastic as an intestinal bug - but probably healthier!

KEEP IT OFF!!

Todd

[Jason Roehl]

BRAT diet (for getting back on your feet after stomach/intestinal illnesses):

Bananas
Rice
Applesauce
Toast

Oh, and I'm a big fan of Pedialyte (during or right after) and Gatorade (half to 3/4-strength).

[jeremy levine]

Make very little food, your eyes will be far bigger then your stomach :)

[Curt Fuller]

Once you finish the "roto rooter" procedure, if you're like I was you'll be more hungry than you ever remember. Your stomach isn't just empty, you're entire system is empty. Unless they find something of concern with the snorkel cam you'll be just as normal as ever, just hungry.

[Russ Filtz]

Thanks all, got done and no major findings, but he didn't think it was infectious. Biopsied a couple suspect areas, but no polyps or cancer! He's still thinking IBS, Crohn's, or ischemic, but we'll see. Just said to drink plenty of fluids and stay away from too much roughage to let it heal. He gave the OK to beef stew! I'll probably make my own so it's not too fatty/spicey, etc. Eating oatmeal right now.

[Chris Padilla]

Russ, take the opportunity to KEEP the 10lbs off.

I'm 45 and 6' 1.5" tall. I sit on my hiney all day with a programming job - not much exercise. Back in 2004, I went on the Atkins diet Jan 1 and went from 230 down to 205 by Mother's day. I felt great. Slowly, slowly I've put the pounds back on. Earlier this fall, I got up to about 242.

I decided I had enough of a fat belly and tight pants. On Dec 1, I changed my definition of "reasonable" and ever since, have been eating "reasonably". I've lost 8 pounds so far. I gave up sodas, candy and for the most part, between meal snacks. At mealtime, I eat about 1/3 of what I was eating before.

There's been a couple times my stomach has growled. Probably not a bad thing.

Otherwise, I'm still eating the same old things. Pizza - 2 pieces in stead of 4. Pecan pie - a 1.5" wide piece instead of 5" wide. Peanut butter toast for breakfast - 1 piece instead of 2. Lunchtime, 1/2 a sandwich and a piece of fruit instead of a whole sandwich, chips, and candybar. And so on. Some days I still snack some between meals, but instead of sitting at my desk with a box of wheat thins in my lap, or pouring a bowl of pistachios to graze on, I grab 5-8 crackers between my fingers (instead of a handful) or 2-3 pistachios and suck on them for a while.

I'm pretty sure my caloric intake is below 2000 a day. Maybe somedays around 1000. It's working, and I'm very satisfied with the results.

Not quite as drastic as an intestinal bug - but probably healthier!

KEEP IT OFF!!

Todd

Good for you, Todd! Unless one makes a conscious decision to change one's eating habits, pounds lost through some "fad diet" will come back once the "fad diet" has yielded its results. Personally, I think sugar is more evil than fat in our society. Fat doesn't make you fat...sugar does...because our bodies excel at storing it. I, too, have managed to kick soda (pop) and now primarily drink water. I'm surrounded by free soda at work all day but they also have coolers full of bottled water and I now go for that only.

I also bike to work daily (28 miles per day) and lift weights but I am trying to slowly improve my eating habits. I definately eat more fruit during the day than I used to and try to stay away from candy (some folks like to put out candy at work...boy, that is hard to stay away from).

Baby steps, baby steps. That is the best way to change old habits.

[Robert Goodwin]

and it may just be me, but I have had the dreaded food poisoning a couple of times, but for some reason, after that, or possible after having a few too many adult beverages the night before, nothing settles my stomach more than Taco Bell :eek:. Now I understand Taco Bell is not really food, so maybe that is why it works for me. I am usually a health eating guy, but when my stomach goes south, I make a run for the border.

[Chris Padilla]

and it may just be me, but I have had the dreaded food poisoning a couple of times, but for some reason, after that, or possible after having a few too many adult beverages the night before, nothing settles my stomach more than Taco Bell :eek:. Now I understand Taco Bell is not really food, so maybe that is why it works for me. I am usually a health eating guy, but when my stomach goes south, I make a run for the border.

I wouldn't dis on TB to quickly there, Robert. In my high school days of the mid-80s, I worked there. I don't think it is the case any longer, but we used to pressure cook our own beans. True, they used to add LARD to the beans but they changed that. Also, all the meat is drained pretty good but it is probably no better than 80% lean. Also, lottsa fresh veggies can be piled onto your tacos and wrapped in your burritos! :D I still make a run at least 2-3 times per months...just me, the family doesn't care for the food. :)

[JayStPeter]

Russ, take the opportunity to KEEP the 10lbs off.

I'm 45 and 6' 1.5" tall. I sit on my hiney all day with a programming job - not much exercise. Back in 2004, I went on the Atkins diet Jan 1 and went from 230 down to 205 by Mother's day. I felt great. Slowly, slowly I've put the pounds back on. Earlier this fall, I got up to about 242.

I decided I had enough of a fat belly and tight pants. On Dec 1, I changed my definition of "reasonable" and ever since, have been eating "reasonably". I've lost 8 pounds so far. I gave up sodas, candy and for the most part, between meal snacks. At mealtime, I eat about 1/3 of what I was eating before.

There's been a couple times my stomach has growled. Probably not a bad thing.

Otherwise, I'm still eating the same old things. Pizza - 2 pieces in stead of 4. Pecan pie - a 1.5" wide piece instead of 5" wide. Peanut butter toast for breakfast - 1 piece instead of 2. Lunchtime, 1/2 a sandwich and a piece of fruit instead of a whole sandwich, chips, and candybar. And so on. Some days I still snack some between meals, but instead of sitting at my desk with a box of wheat thins in my lap, or pouring a bowl of pistachios to graze on, I grab 5-8 crackers between my fingers (instead of a handful) or 2-3 pistachios and suck on them for a while.

I'm pretty sure my caloric intake is below 2000 a day. Maybe somedays around 1000. It's working, and I'm very satisfied with the results.

Not quite as drastic as an intestinal bug - but probably healthier!

KEEP IT OFF!!

Todd

Excellent!. I did the same thing starting last year around this time. I was pushing toward 210 when I started. My pants were all too tight and I really didn't want to move up yet another size. So I cut down on soda, candy, and ate slightly smaller portions. I started back on a regular excercise program. I had excercised regularly (including competitive training) for a long time, but some nagging injuries made me stop. My eating habits were terrible. Due to lots of excercise, I never had to worry about what I ate ... now I do.
I had to modify my training routines for my age and injury status and am working out with a trainer to keep me on track. I lost a couple pounds a week and have been steady around 178 for 6 months or so. I feel 10 years younger and working out with the trainer has really strengthened my core and helped my back and neck problems significantly. I did have to buy all new pants, but back to my old smaller size. I don't want to have to do that again, so I plan to keep it up ... it's worth it IMO.

On topic, last time I was sick enough that I couldn't eat for a while I started craving milkshakes. I wound up having quite a few McShakes at the end. As stated, you fill up fast so don't bother making a huge quantity. Eat whatever makes you happy for a couple days to get your body nourished.

[Jim Becker]

I'd suggtest you avoid the beef...start with chicken stew/soup and work your way up. Beef is harder to digest and can also produce a bit more gas than I suspect you want or need... ;)

[Jason Roehl]

Hey, Chris P., that's a good post!

Refined sugars are terrible--they're pretty much a drug with calories attached. I had started to put on some weight a few years back (not that it was all that bad in my case, I was 6'/145 lbs, but it was slowing me down). So I told my wife to quit buying soda--2 Cokes a day is a bad habit. Now I treat soda as a treat, so I maybe have a couple per week. I'm much more likely to grab a barley soda. :D I didn't use to think Coke from a can was all that sweet, now it tastes very sweet to me. I've since stabilized my weight at about 175 lbs, with only a little evidence of my adult suds habit.

The key is that I am pretty active in my day-to-day activities as a painter (or in the case of today, I'll be working on a wood floor).

[Dave Sinkus]

I think you can easy into the non-greasy fatty stuff and eat what you eat but start with smaller portions. Don't gorge or try to get it all back at once.

Also, there's no problem with fantasizing about the beef stew, unless there is a particular outfit you keep fantasizing the stew wearing :)

[Robert E Lee]

Hey, Chris P., that's a good post!

Refined sugars are terrible--they're pretty much a drug with calories attached. I had started to put on some weight a few years back (not that it was all that bad in my case, I was 6'/145 lbs, but it was slowing me down). So I told my wife to quit buying soda--2 Cokes a day is a bad habit. Now I treat soda as a treat, so I maybe have a couple per week. I'm much more likely to grab a barley soda. :D I didn't use to think Coke from a can was all that sweet, now it tastes very sweet to me. I've since stabilized my weight at about 175 lbs, with only a little evidence of my adult suds habit.

The key is that I am pretty active in my day-to-day activities as a painter (or in the case of today, I'll be working on a wood floor).

Jason, 6'/145 I don't you have a (big) problem. :eek::D
Bob

[Jason Roehl]

Bob, 6'/145 wasn't the problem--it was that I had shot up about 20-25 pounds in about a year. Putting on an extra 15+% of your body weight in a year is generally not good... It's especially not good if it's concentrated in one area of the body--much of my gain was around the middle. I've since been able to get some of that weight to relocate to other areas and change from blubber to muscle, so I'm not really concerned.

Part of what I'm getting at though is that the refined sugars are bad not just in terms of weight gain, but other effects they have on the body. Substitue in more fruits and vegetables, drink more water (most people are chronically dehydrated and don't know it), and you'd be surprised at how much better you feel and how much more energy you have from day to day. Get yourself healthy, then it doesn't matter so much if you have a few extra cookies and such over the holidays (he says, wiping the crumbs from his beard...).

[Ted Shrader]

Russ -

Good luck on the recovery. Hopefully the diagnosis will come soon.

What Doc Abele says is good info. But I know what you mean about craving something (stew). For me it was KFC. Oddest thing is, I never eat KFC anyway, go figure. Eating progressed normally after a dose of the Colonel. Your craving is a good sign.

Ted

[Russ Filtz]

OK, now the problem is my beef stew SUCKS! Kind of bland (which is good I guess). Each component tastes like it should, beef, potato, carrot, but overall just doesn't have that stew taste. Got to be missing something. Only thing I added other than a little salt/pepper was a bit of Worcestershire and paprika that was called for in the recipe. Not very much either for a whole pot. Didn't have any bay leaves though and it called for that.

One thing is I didn't have any stock, so I just used water. Maybe a bullion cube, but don't those have loads of salt?

[mark page]

Not going to speak much of food and the medical aspects of what to eat, how much to eat, etc. What I do know is no-one cooks like mom & dad, or grandma, used to cook. I can follow a recipe exactly and it just does not taste the same. Of course those folks are all gone now, but I can still taste the food in my mind.