Focus Month: An Experiment in Finding Clarity

Tomorrow, I'm kicking off something I've been meaning to do for ages: Focus Month. Ironically, I’ve been too unfocused to start it until now!

Beginning October 3rd, the first nine days of Focus Month coincide with Navratri, a time for reflection and prioritizing what truly matters. It's not just about fasting from food, but also from distractions.

In many religions, fasting is an act meant to purify the mind and body. Fasting during Navratri is not an obligation, but a spiritual practice helps one to focus on the divine, detaching from materialistic desires. The nine days of Navratri are dedicated to worshiping the nine forms of Goddess Durga, and fasting is seen as a way to show devotion, discipline, and gratitude. It's believed to help in cleansing the body, controlling desires, and enhancing concentration.

So in the sprit of Navratri, I'll be taking a break from Twitter and social media. I won't vanish completely. A bit of YouTube for educational content will be my treat at the end of the day.

Updates

I’ll be documenting my progress here, sharing my thoughts and experiences. Wish me luck!

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Day 1 - 2024-10-03

Disclaimer: This is definitely not for everyone, and I cannot comment on whether this is even healthy to try. This post is to just document my journey, and is not meant as a guide for anyone to replicate.

My journey with fasting

This is my 4th year doing a Navratri fast.

At the end of the fast, I could really feel the increase in focus and self control, which I generally struggle with a lot. I try to keep the process simple but challenging - so here’s my process:

Usually I get my protein with a shake, which minimises calories. Apart from this there are fat rich foods (fats are the source of energy once in ketosis)

It started with 2 simple guidelines:

1. Eat less
2. Eat clean and healthy

And has now evolved into the following set of rules I try to follow:

1. Avoid carbohydrates as far as possible.
2. A small amount of protein to avoid muscle loss.
3. Eat raw/home cooked, bland if possible.
4. Avoid random snacks/indulgences, even if it 0 calories.
5. Aim to quickly settle into ketosis.

This is pretty different from “Indian fasting”, which a lot of people treat like a “change of menu”. Nothing wrong with that, but I personally like having a challenge. A tough goal for myself once in a while.

Other than these guidelines, I’m pretty flexible - I don’t consider any food as “allowed” or “not-allowed”. All this to help keep my focus away from food in general, which was the main point anyway.

What do I eat?

The goal is… to eat pretty much nothing, unless I’m really hungry or low on energy.

Usually I get my protein with a shake (try whey or pea), which minimises the calories. Apart from this there are fat rich foods (fats are the source of energy once in ketosis) and leafy vegetables for fibre.

While these are great options, I do try to keep it vegan. So no cheeses and yogurts for me.

You would think that the first day would be rather easy, and then it gets harder day by day. Surprisingly, it gets easier. This definitely blew my mind when I first experienced it.

Today was pretty easy. No food. I had 1 fruit, and a lot of water. I did have some black coffee, which wasn’t exactly perfect, but that’s okay.

Day 2 is probably hardest, because you’re still craving food - your body has not adjusted to the sudden lack of carbohydrates, and has definitely not settled into ketosis.

In my experience, Day 4 onwards is easier. You don’t really think about food at all, and somehow you still have enough energy. Around Day 6/7 is really when you start feeling the lack of energy.

That’s where the mental test begins. I’m pretty excited!

Day 2 - 2024-10-04

Exactly as I had anticipated, day 2 turned out to be pretty hard.

Somehow having a lot of work to focus on helps you tune out all the background thoughts easily. If not for that, I would probably had a much harder time.

Anyway, I had decided very early on what my eating schedule would be like, and for the first 2 days, it would be a water fast, and I would eat something on the 2nd night (ie. today).

Again I started my day with a black coffee, and that was pretty much it for the entire day.

Around lunchtime, I felt really hungry and restless, and the restlessness carried over for the next few hours. Exactly the opposite of what I want from focus month (I told myself that this is only temporary 🤞🏼).

For dinner I made myself some millet salad - barnyard millets, which is called भगर (bh-gar) or वरई (va-ra-ee) in Marathi, with lightly sautéed lettuce, curry leaves, green chilli and carrots. The idea is to keep it below 50g or carbs to maintain ketosis, easy to digest, and focused on basic nutrition (rather than flavour).

Day 3 - 2024-10-05

Going into the weekend, I knew it was going to be tough, since I would be at home all day, and without the structure of a regular work-day, my mind would be free to focus on the feelings of hunger and discomfort.

Still, I woke up feeling great - the small meal I had yesterday was enough for me to not have to think about food or eating for a while.

Today was a good day - spent time catching up with friends, working on side projects and a lot of reading.

For lunch - I had a light salad - lettuce, nuts, cherry tomatoes, carrots and a small amount of feta cheese and olive oil - which should be close to 50 calories, and 10g carbs. To complete the meal, I also had a protein shake.

The key to maintain ketosis is to stay below 50g carbs per day, and not cause any insulin spikes. This works well if you also get enough fats, which is why cheese, nuts and oil are a good addition.

Proteins are really important here to prevent muscle loss. Your body will try to break down muscle before breaking down fat, and supplementing protein can help move the ratio slightly towards burning fat for energy. It also helps to maintain a light exercise regimen during fasting to signal muscle preservation to your body.

I did not get any exercise so far into the fast, but I’ll get to it soon.

Day 4 - 2024-10-06

I stayed up very late last night - around 4 am.

Fixing my sleep schedule is a big part of focus month, so I definitely need to be careful about this.

Still I was happy to see how much energy I had - didn’t feel tired or sleepy at all, and even today I feel surprisingly well rested after ~5 hours of sleep.

I usually aim for ~7.5 hours of sleep, but I’ve noticed that you can do with less sleep during a fast. I don’t know why exactly this happens, probably something I’ll read more about soon, but my guess is it has to do with 1. Less energy spent on digestion and 2. Reduced energy expenditure throughout the day

For lunch I had a light quinoa, pumpkin and avocado salad, and it felt amazing. Every single flavour was very pronounced - I cannot overstate how much I enjoyed eating this small treat.

I spent the evening outdoors - walking and playing tennis. No fatigue or tiredness, although I did lose the match pretty badly. I guess that has to do more with being out of practice for the last 5 years.

Finished the day with going out with friends, and had another salad, although I wasn’t very hungry, I did eat something as that is more socially acceptable.

Day 5 - 2024-10-07

I started the day with a banana. Fruits are divisive in ketosis and fasting discourse. Indian fasting does recommend fruits, but in terms of nutrition they do have a lot of fructose which can cause insulin spikes and pull you out of ketosis. Still some people argue that the fibre contained in the fruit can dampen the effects of fructose, which is not well established.

I don’t have access to a ketone or glucose monitor so I can’t say for sure. But eating a banana makes me feel good and that’s more important to me right now.

Pretty regular day at work - I had good energy and focus, although I did feel a bit lightheaded at some points.

Day 7 - 2024-10-09

Afternoon - Sauted Vegetables

Night - Spiced Makhana snack at home

Day 9 - 2024-10-11

Watched Spiderman in Hindi, to relive some childhood nostalgia