21
Sep
Back in 2018 I did a return flight to the US from Australia with no swelling and no jetlag. I flew across 14 time zones all up (7 time zones on the way there and 7 on the way back) … 17 hours flying time from Sydney to Dallas and then another 17 hours back again 10 days later.
I’ve done a LOT of long-haul flights over the years, and usually jetlag and swelling just go hand in hand, as any of you who have experienced a long-haul flight would know – even those of you without lipoedema and lymphoedema.
This time there was zero jetlag, zero swelling, in both directions. How is this possible?
I did a shortish flight about a year prior to that and did a little experiment by fasting for a few hours prior to the flight and also while I was on board. Jetlag on this flight would have been minimal anyway (only crossing 3 time zones), but I was surprised to see that my jetlag was nil, and also that my swelling wasn’t impacted like it usually was. I have lymphoedema and lipoedema so it doesn’t take much for things to get out of control with the swelling.
So for the 2018 trip I decided to fast for 24 hours prior to departure, and also for the duration of the flight – 41 hours in total. And when I say fast, I mean water and electrolytes only. On the return leg, I fasted for 28 hours in total.
It wasn’t hard at all – although thinking about it was tough lol – but the results I experienced were pretty astounding!
I’m heading to London later this year (YAAAYYYY) and will be doing the same little routine – 24 hour fast with water and electrolytes, and I’ll be onboard for 24 hours so that will make it a 48 hour fast. I don’t usually do these long fasts anymore, but given that I want to avoid the swelling and jetlag associated these long-haul flights I’ll be making it happen!
I’ll be wearing my usual flat knit compression, and doing my little MLD and diaphragmatic breathing tricks onboard so that I arrive in comfort and ready to enjoy time with my family and collect some yummy and healthy information about food in the UK!
I should also highlight that I WON’T BE FASTING TO LOSE WEIGHT. It’s purely to minimise swelling and jetlag. I hope it works as well as it did last time!