The initial step always presents the most difficulty.
Following a night of revelry and ushering in the new year, the first day of 2020 marked the commencement of my endeavor to essentially deprive my body of sustenance for a significant portion of the day. It also signified abstinence from consuming any food or beverages (apart from water) beyond 9pm on New Year’s Eve, so one can gather that I had an enjoyable time at last night’s celebration. Nevertheless, upon waking up this morning feeling invigorated and free of a hangover (unlike some others), I can confidently affirm that I harbor no regrets for my previous night’s activities. While others were still recuperating from their post-party hangovers, I opted to embark on an extended stroll with my canine companion and exchange greetings with neighbors to commence the new year auspiciously.
I rose at approximately 6 in the morning and sustained a fairly active routine for the first four and a half hours. However, I could sense the pangs of hunger gradually intensifying as the hour for what would have been my midday meal approached. As elucidated in an earlier discourse, I have forgone my midday repasts for this challenge since I would be preoccupied with work and my attention wouldn’t wander towards food. However, on that particular day, work was not on my agenda, and what had commenced as a splendid New Year’s Day began to morph into what felt like an ordeal. My mind was fixated on the impending pleasure of my first meal for the remainder of the afternoon.
Upon the clock striking 3, my phone’s alarm resounded, playing the melody from the game Food Fighter (an earlier source of amusement I had set). I hastened to the kitchen to satiate myself while preparing a meal. Ravished as I was, I ended up devouring two bananas and a tangerine while crafting a 1/2lb bacon cheeseburger. By the time I settled down with my burger and took the initial bite, I found myself already satiated. It was incredulous. Just a few days before, I could ingest a quarter-pounder meal and two fish fillet sandwiches with ease. How could two bananas and a tangerine engender such a sense of fullness? Well, it appeared to be one of the phenomena this challenge was instigating for me.
Owing to my abstention from ingesting food for the past 18 hours, it appeared that my stomach had been evacuated and had subsequently contracted. The inaugural day of this fast was indeed a whirlwind for me, but it proved to be a revelation, and I await with anticipation the developments that the ensuing days will bring.
