Fasting Space

Welcome.

So nice to have you here.

Fasting space. I'm Doctor Z.

So nice to

connect with you today,
but I'll space to relax.

Hopefully center the mind
and our thinking for this day.

Wherever we're at in it.

And move toward health and wellness

and body, mind and spirit.

We are rolling forward.

Happy Thursday.

Yes. Good to see you. Absolutely.

Enjoying the fall.

Whether we got going on here.

So good.

A beautiful season in Madison.

It is raining today, and,
But that's all right.

We've had some gorgeous seasons here.

Gorgeous days.

What is this season been like for you?

In health and life.

I've taken a big space.

Personally, to get some projects done.

Really deep work on some things
for my diabetes project.

Doctor Z method.

You can see that in the link.

If you have friends or family with type
two diabetes, have them check that out.

Some really good things happening there.

And then also a season
as we transition here

into the fall out of the summer.

What a summer.

Are some good time
for personal reflection?

Have you been able to find a space
like that in life lately?

The last

fasting space session that we did,
if you were with me creating space

for change, and I thought that was just
a powerful session, powerful mindset,

thinking about a goal that we have,
whether it's in the health space or life.

And isn't it the same because all of this
is wrapped up together in our being,

our journey as we are traveling
through this experience?

I did love that thinking about learning
and growing

and taking everything
that we have experienced and,

bringing these resources
to our present moment.

So during this,

reflection time, you know,
something that really came to me.

Fasting space is important to me.

It is meaningful to me.

Both the, the fasting space

actually in the body and fasting space.

This program,
our sessions, the conversation.

I say fasting space is a conversation.

You and me.

As we are walking

forward through this pretty interesting
time, right?

Isn't this an interesting point?

To be alive and trying to be healthy
in this modern moment?

And, you know, in my,

life as a doctor trying to help people
navigate that, it's the same thing.

I'm trying to navigate
like everybody else.

You know,

It's a partnership, right?

This is medicine is in its ideal
form, right?

The partnership. Doctors. Patience.

And here we are
out of this standard sort of context.

Just like people, you know, navigating

and thinking and sharing ideas.

So I love it.

Fasting came to me.

If you're new to the channel,
I'll tell you.

It came to me my like a gift.

One day in my medical practice,
it just kind of came together for me.

Realizing I saw a patient had to do
just some fasting

that people have to do in medicine.

They're getting a medical procedure.

And I was like, oh, then their blood
sugar came down and they felt better.

And I'm like, whoa.

And I started really listening to people.

So many people come to my medical practice
from around the world

when I was at the university.

And, you

know, interestingly, is mainly people
from outside of the United States,

you know, would come in
different perspectives, have cultural,

spiritual traditions
where fasting is just a part of it.

I wasn't really exposed to much of that.

And then I see, oh, isn't it interesting?

A space with nothing and health

can arise out of it and flourish.

So to me
that has felt really good to explore,

and that has led into, a deep study

and a practice in the research
and so many things we could talk about.

So a little space

from the space we had,
that was our end of summer hiatus

and it was feeling right to me.

Dive back into it a little bit.

Fasting
in the body can be just very simple.

We're trying to mirror it in our session
here.

Just grab a coffee.

And the ideal.

State in the body for it is

low pressure low stress, low expectations.

Everything simple and just flowing.

You know,

as I was reflecting on this time,

you know, step away from the lives
for a little bit.

I watched
a, you know, some other channels.

Obviously there's other channels out
there.

Talk about, fasting.

Not a lot of channels.

I didn't find any, actually, that is like

being it, you know, here
we are, a fasting space.

We are

embodying the practice
for just a little bit together.

And to me, I say that is,

cool, I like that.

It's like taking a deep breath.

Take a deep breath
at the beginning of the day.

Center the mind.

You know, I read a great book over
the last few weeks,

Inside the Box

How Constraints Make Us Better.

And by David Epstein

and just the title
I think we can glean a lot from.

We like to and I know I certainly do.

I see myself in all the possibilities.

See it could be this, it could be this.

And they're like so many times
the actual benefits, like there's

obviously there's benefit from broad
thinking, but then how do we dial things

down into a space where,

We can really channel

the energy in a positive direction

to a really accomplish one specific thing?

So many interesting
anecdotes in this story of

of places where there were no boundaries,
there were no limits.

And so to me, in our space, that concept

really dials into the type of thing

that we are trying to accomplish
in a fasting space,

fasting space,
a period of time without food in the body.

Everybody gets some overnight, you know?

So like, unless we are sleepwalking
to the cupboards,

it's like, hopefully not.

Body is comfortable in a fasting space.

Body knows what to do.

Say we can shut down some food systems
for a little bit.

It is one of the
the baseline functions of the human body.

And because it is so simple, because it is

in fact nothing very easy to overlook
because like, how do you not overlook

nothing?

It's like the air between us
and the camera, right?

This is just you don't even see it.

But isn't it vital because, like,

we couldn't go more than a second or three
without it.

So think a lot about this book.

The constraints,
how constraints make us better.

We see
everybody says think outside the box.

He says no,
we should think inside the box.

But it should be a very thoughtful box.

I just love that.

To me,
fasting is like a very thoughtful box.

Like he says in here,
it's like when when there are

no limits, when there are no boundaries,
anything could be happening.

We could be eating anytime.

There's no organization or structure.

A lot of vibes in this book of thoughts
that are like

the structure that brings freedom.

We have talked about
things like that in the past,

so who likes rules?

We did the session.
No rules for weight loss.

I love that only things that work
only and things that don't,

and only things that serve us
and things that don't

is a space I really like to lean into.

Paradox.

Finding a line between two
apparently contradictory ideas.

But we see that there is an intersection
and we try to balance right on this point.

See, this is what I want the sessions
to be, what I think they have been.

You let me know.

If we're doing it,

bringing things into balance.

We're going to bring our life
into balance.

Bring health into balance.

Here.

When we think about constraints,
this is we said

we constrain things to make things better.

Here is a constraint.

Eating two times in a day
instead of more than two times

on the broad

structure
of spectrum of constraints in life.

I really believe that
this is one of the most powerful

constraints that there is,
one of the most powerful rules

that you can bring into your life
if you are trying to lose weight.

If you are interested
in improving the metabolism,

you know these are difficult things to do.

Our society is seemingly on a one way,

track toward metabolic dis health.

I think it is the most important thing
that we can focus on in medicine.

I think it should be the highest priority
of the entire medical system.

And of course, we cannot make that happen
in some broad sense.

All we can do is take care of ourselves.

And isn't that enough?

But as we do that,
this is what I think happens.

We become healthy apart
from any health system.

In fact,
the process of people becoming healthier

actually fix the health care system
without any legislation.

How much better is a health care system
going to be when people just healthy

and don't need it very much?

There's a way to solve the

problems in the health care of the money.

It just don't need it.

So those are big thoughts here.

Constraints
bring it down into a simple thing.

Here's our life right here, even in
just this one day.

We start to limit the possibilities.

David Epstein has a book before this one,
before inside the box called range,

which is like the opposite, which I love,
which is like

very big and have like

varied experiences
and unlimited possibilities.

And I love that.

And I love this how even in this day,

right here.

Can we bring some space?

Space both in mind?

Had you feel this, the pressure of society
these days.

Everything faster, everything more.

Pressure.

Gotta produce, gotta consume.

It's just a never ending cycle.

Okay.

And then in the body to.

It's like so much value
in space, in the body.

And these two ideas come together.

Body and mind.

Fasting space.

Meditation space.

Space for the mind to, rest a bit,

just stop the cycles, space
for the body to rest a bit.

So we're in a weight loss space.

Say we're trying to get energy
to flow out of the body, right?

Energy has come into the body.

More of it is there than we want
trying to get it to flow out.

And I think this is
one of the most beautiful

places to sit in, in the body,
in a fasting space,

just to feel the energy in the body,
to feel the power of it.

What is your experience?

Been to sit in a space, a struggle,

trying to lose weight,
to be very frustrating.

We can start to feel this antagonism
with the body that.

Why won't you do what I want? Why is it?

Why are you making things
difficult for me?

It's like I picture something like this.

This is like a
not like just this monkey. Not.

You know,
we're trying to untie this mess of rope,

loosen stuff up a bit

so that it can.

Relax and flow.

Energy

flowing in the body, energy
flowing in the mind,

but peacefully, you know, not a struggle.

This is what I want for your day.

This is what I want for my day.

Flowing toward

health, healing
happening in the body wherever we need it.

Open up space to let the body work.

Realize
that the power and the energy is there.

Can you feel that even right now,

somewhere in here

can take a deep breath with me
here, right now

and feel that breath head
into the whole body.

Literally seconds after we breathe.

The body has taken the oxygen out,
and it's sending it out into the body.

That oxygen is like the fuel.

It is the fuel.

It's combining with ourself

provide power for every cell in our body,

every beautiful, important
one of these trillions of cells.

This whole ecosystem
is like a whole universe inside the body.

The making up our being here.

So we want to bring health in each

breath, bring in health,

bring in life in vitality.

Breathe out the stress.

Breathe out any negative,
self-limiting belief

that you have about yourself
and what is possible.

Maybe in that space, if you have a moment,

if you're not driving.

Close your eyes

and just think about whether you're
listening to this later in the day

and you've got an hour left in this day,
or you're just starting out.

Do a little visioning of your life.

And what does the healthiest approach
to this day look like?

Here we have this gift in front of us

one day in our life.

One puzzle piece
in the puzzle of our life.

That is the only opportunity

we have to

experience this day.

I'm thinking of this quote Kierkegaard.

Life is not a problem to be solved,
but a reality

to be experienced.

I think we can put health into that

health, even at least many times.

Not a problem to be solved,
but a reality to be experienced.

This experience health.

Today,

even in the midst of any difficulty

that we are experiencing.

It's the fact that we are alive
here in this moment, with whatever cards

have been dealt in our hand,
we have an opportunity.

Power up that human spirit
with some gratitude and our breath.

And in here is that line right?

Even in the struggle of it,
even in the difficulty,

you know, so many times we see life.

We see it as beautiful and terrible
at the same time.

And in the midst of that space.

To find hope and love

and strength in our human spirit,
take the best step forward that we can.

Are you seeing it today?

Maybe the constraint
that we need in this day.

So maybe eating twice is
enough in this day.

You know,

like we've
been conditioned in this society.

Always consume,
consume your way to health.

Buy your way to happiness,

fasting,
showing us a completely different model

that we are strong and powerful
and that energy is here.

And meaning and purpose
and strength is in the body

without buying anything else for it,
without consuming anything else.

That actually the process of saying no

for a period of time.

Can be one of the most beneficial things

that we can do,

that a fasting space

can actually be the root of health
when we strip everything else away,

and then we build on top of that,
we find a solid foundation,

and then we add every good thing to it.

Of course, we need solid nutrition.

We need the healthiest nutrients
coming into the body.

Put it in its proper place.

It's like a bricks
that we stack on top of it,

and we need to move our body
in the healthiest ways.

Just.

Allow that energy to flow out

in these beautiful movements of the body.

Big phrase
I've been thinking about in this space.

You know, I did this
big project, got my diabetes

project done.

Do you ever have this in your life,

like all or nothing, thinking
this is something I think a lot.

It's like something has to be 100% or

then it is like zero.

And I think, I think this can bridge

a lot of gaps or there's a bridge over
into like perfectionism,

like, oh, if something isn't 100%, then it

it's not good enough.

Like, don't even do it.

This has reminded me
of a quote in this book.

I think I wrote it down.

It was basically

the author was saying,
he's talking to perfectionists

and he's saying perfectionists will say,

when you are just wanting me
to have low standards

or you are telling me
to lower my standards.

And it's like pushing back against
perfectionism

is not about having low standards,
he says.

It's about having any standard.

That leaves enough space

that you can find contentment
with what you have done.

To paraphrase.

If perfection is the goal,

you can basically never be happy.

And so something can be good

without being perfect, and

we can find contentment and happiness

in that satisfaction.

So the phrase that came out of

that to me was like,
life does not have to be optimized.

This is the

kind of

connect to that Kierkegaard quote,
you know.

I know I can get into a space.

I think we can get into a space like,

oh, there is some perfect way
that I should be living my life.

There is some perfect set of things
that I need to do.

And then if we fall short of that,

then we can be back into a cycle.

Have you had that where we are criticizing
ourself or feeling bad about ourself?

Judging ourself, right.

Do you ever do this?

Our life does not have to be optimized.

And this is a big vibe
that I want to bring into this space.

I've spent some time over just this open
space, just looking over the, you know,

health landscape.

Even on YouTube, you know,

and it's just it's
an endless series of hacks

or things that we have to do
is like chasing some perfection.

So I was thinking all of these things
coming together, you know,

our life is not a problem.

Like, we could even stop the, quote
right at that point.

And it's not a problem to solve
as a reality to be experienced.

And how do we actually experience it?

How are we experiencing it?

A big, idea
that I've tried to share on this channel

that health is
like an artistic expression.

It's something that we create,
something that we be and embody.

And,

that idea, trying to do that

together in this conversation here
has been very meaningful to me.

It's something that I want to continue,

as I have thought about

it and just something to experience.

You know, these sessions for me
have been an experience.

It's been a place really to, think.

And I know for me,
the it's been interesting

as I opened up a space
to try to really dial

in on a project.

I kind of missed just starting my day
doing this reflection.

I feel like I think I am personally more
productive in a day, more thoughtful

when I actually take some personal time
to just reflect,

really frame the mindset.

I hope that you find that as a reflection
like this

help center this day,
you know, just it's like a power up,

you know, power up the
mindset and then go do it.

This has this has meaning to me.

A lot of talk in this book on meaning,
how do we actually create meaning,

especially in a, a world that seems

where everything is so rapid and fast
and like

what.

I was trying out,
I was trying out this new background.

I learned how to put the background
on here.

Clear.

I thought would that be fun.

But now I see that it is hard to read.

I might undo that and we'll see.

When on vacation.

Stayed at a hotel that had a beautiful
24 hour cookie bar in the lobby.

Amazing.

Every day we optimized the cookie bars.

We came back.

That is fun.

That is fun.

Yes. Return to fasting space.

Let's do it. That's awesome.

Feels good to do it.

Feels good to be here.

Nice to connect with you. In this day.

I hope you have a beautiful day.

Check out I did.

I did one bonus fasting space experiment.

If you didn't check it out, I did a night
session like an insomnia stream.

Check that out.

I killed all the lights and lit a candle.

And sometimes I think, oh, maybe the vibe

I have is better
just at night, like, chill out and relax.

And, I don't know,
I think they both have value.

I find value in thinking like this
to, like, really power up a day.

And I know people have emailed me to and
say, oh, I put on your session at night.

It helps me relax.

So check out the, stream.

I think I titled it, Like this will help

you avoid late eating and, you know,

turn down the the lights
and I might do more of that.

I might do more of that, too.

So have a beautiful day.

I will be back tomorrow and look forward
to carrying on the conversation.

Have a great day, everybody.