Hi Doug! Glad to hear you earlier agreeing with my comment to Roberto
to not consider a fast at this time. I hope he decides to give some
of Dr. Bass's advice a try. As soon as he gives the word, I'll upload
some of the menus from Bass's "ultimate raw diet."

> I view muscularity as a negative.  I used to be quite muscular, but
> when I did my first long fast my muscles shrunk quite a bit.  The
> nice thing about being skinny is you can tell people you have AIDS.
> This can come in handy when somebody is thinking about punching you
> in the mouth.

I don't know about this skinny stuff. I'm right on the cusp again of
deciding whether to drop down to 145 or 135. I was 119 in high
school, and I looked like I graduated from the University of
Toothpick. Popped up to 125 after I got married in graduate school
and started eating regular SAD instead of living on beer, cigarettes,
and dorm cafeteria cokes and high starches. Went up to 190 for awhile
and then thought I was having a heart attack when I carried a bag of
groceries up a single flight of stairs. Started jogging and eating
better and went down to 130 for a year. Then I got injured training
for a marathon and started smoking and eating again and by the time I
really started falling apart and discoverd Hygiene I was tipping
those ole scales at a shade this side of 200 pounds. At 5'7" I looked
like a big pear with a watermelon for a butt. Hygiene brought me down
to 145 where I stayed for three years. Picked up 15 during our flood
and move a year ago and have been around 155 every since. With my
wife and kids out of town next week, I'll either fast or juice diet
for ten days and get down to 145 again and then decide whether to go
below there or not. Anyway, the point I started to make before
telling my life story, was that I personally feel better when I'm
carrying some muscle from weight lifting than when I'm down at
130-135 and all lean and twisted sinew.

I had a lot more to say, but my son's begging me to use the computer
so he can chat with his girlfriend in Alaska, so, being the good guy
I am, I'll beg off and write more either tomorrow or Friday when I
get back from taking the family up and dropping them off in
Pensacola.

Everyone have a good Christmas!

Chet
articles:  http://members.GNN.COM/chetday/open.htm