LEAVE ME ALONE...I'M STARVING!

so i've gained a bunch of weight recently for various reasons (fried fish sandwiches mostly) and now i have to lose it. so i kicked it off with a fast last week. i started monday and intended to go through wed or thurs. the BHE and i have done many 3 day juice/veg broth fasts in the past and find them to be a great cleanse (and how!), and also a time to assess how/what/when we're eating and take some control over it. sort of like a reset button. we do it safely and carefully...like not if we're sick to start or have major runs or other intense physical requirements during that time. and we also use 100% fruit juice and veg broth, so at least our brains are getting carbs the whole time.

but tuesday i did 4 vascular cases back-to-back without much of a break, which is enough to sap your energy on any day, but without any solid food and just the minimal calories of juice, i was pretty tired by the end of it. and then that night i worked late and was on call tues night...so when i got a call at 9pm that i would have to come in at 11pm and would probably be there all night, i ate.

i was worried that in the middle of the night with minimal fuel in me i might be a risk to the patient. i didn't want shaky hands or sleepy reflexes while operating. i didn't end up having to go in to work after all, but i still think i made the right call by breaking fast early.

i've worked with docs who fast for ramadan (islamic month of fasting) and, although that is only a dawn to dusk fast, i've often wondered if any of them worry about losing mental sharpness with patients on those long days without energy. and theirs is an absolute fast (no juice or broth or even water i think?), so that's much harder. i know there are exceptions for people who are ill, elderly, pregnant and nursing women, but i don't know if anyone opts out (instead feeding the poor, saying certain prayers?) because of their job. i'm guessing for these doctors i know, they get used to it pretty quickly. and they're probably better disciplined and healthier than me in the first place and their bodies don't require a bagel an hour to maintain its happy glycemic load.

anyway...food for thought. get it? heh.