TrueNorth Water Fast: Days 7-8

I have officially completed day 8. If I really sit and think about the fact that I haven’t eaten a single morsel of food for that long and am feeling this okay, it’s pretty crazy.

Day 7, I was feeling very steady, and then yesterday I had very low energy—physically, mentally, and emotionally. I was just down and more willing than I have been on any other day to lie around, zone out, and watch something. It honestly felt like it came out of nowhere, but I rode the wave.

I also woke up with the worst taste in my mouth so far. The roof of my mouth felt sore or tender and a little inflamed, too, which was interesting. I was a little concerned but didn’t mention it to the doctors, assuming it might just pass. Sure enough I woke up the next day and it was much better, if not totally gone, so it must have been some sort of detox symptom.

Sleep has consistently been tough. I have been getting maybe 5–6 hours of shallow, broken sleep.

Waking up on day 8, I felt good. I even went for a short walk and did a gentle stretch flow. My mind felt more “on,” and I was able to do my normal journaling and reading.

I have been fairly antisocial, to be honest. I think there is also somewhat of a barrier because of the age gap between myself and the people here. But today, I actually had great conversations with a few people.

There is a retired couple from Texas who are here for their sixth round. I also talked with a guy originally from Germany who is here hoping to help his hearing. Then there was another woman I had noticed wearing a brand of mountain bike shorts. She turned out to be super cool—she’s from New Zealand and, a couple of years ago, did a year-long around-the-world bike trip with her husband. So inspiring. She is also here for her third time, getting her body strong for an eye procedure later this year.

I also caught up with an incredibly kind man I met a few days ago who sent me a page-long email with several of his favorite vegan YouTube cooking channels, along with short descriptions of each.

This is an humbling, confronting, and inspiring process from all angles.