Week Fourteen: New Year, New Body

Has it only been twenty-five pounds ago that I was in the worst shape of my life?

Does twenty-five pounds really make that much of a difference in someone over three-hundred pounds?

Can you really see a difference in the mirror after losing just twenty-five pounds?

The answer to all three is Yes, yes, yes!

Image by lumpi from Pixabay 

The New Year is all about looking back and seeing what you can do better. I'm now in my fourth month of Intermittent Fasting, and the journey has been an incredible one.

Before I started my IF journey, moving hurt. Walking was difficult. Standing was worse! And showering was so painful that I avoided it until I couldn't stand myself. I began to depend on those motorized shopping carts and contemplated getting a wheelchair just so I could go on long walks in the park with my husband.

Now? Moving still hurts, but the pain is bearable and lessens day by day. I can walk with very little pain once I get started, and it's so much easier. I can walk longer and stand longer than before. And showering isn't the ordeal it used to be- I was nearly crippled with pain when I began, but now I can get out and walk to the bed with very little pain.

Food used to be my go-to for everything. I hurt, I ate. I was happy, I ate. I was sad, mad, or frustrated, I ate. And the more I ate, the bigger I got, and the more frustrated/mad/sad I got, the more I ate. It was a vicious cycle I had to break but didn't know how.

Now I do. 

I still eat what I crave, but the desperate urge to eat is gone. I don't feel guilty when eating (sometimes I feel regret, but that's not the same!), and when I do eat too much, I just adjust for the next day. Food doesn't own me anymore! I've become a lot happier in general, and even my family notices the changes in my attitude.

I actually feel happier when not eating- how weird is that? But I do look forward to my meals more than I ever did before. I savor the flavors, sniff all the smells, and fully enjoy the eating experience. And it feels awesome.

As for the mirror and me, we never got along well. I'd even avoid the bathroom mirror that just showed my face, simply because of my double chin. I'd make a funny face at myself every time I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

When it came to the big dresser mirror? I'd just duck my head and avoid eye contact.

Now I can look at myself and not feel shame because my body is changing. It's more an analytical inspection than admiration- trust me- but I can actually see my body thinning here and smoothing there, and even see skin that I'm sure I haven't seen in decades. Granted, I'm not going out in a bikini any time soon, but I can smile a little when I see myself in the mirror now.

Mirror inspections help me to stay on track. I no longer have to remind myself that this is a permanent way of living, not some temporary diet plan. My family sometimes forgets that I don't eat in the mornings, so when they want to go out to eat or have family breakfast on the weekends I usually suggest later in the morning or early afternoon brunch instead. It will take time, but I need them to understand this is not something I'll ever stop doing. 

Yes, I can adjust the hours (and I have on occasion), but for now, eating in the morning is backfiring big time. So until I have more confidence concerning a short mid-day eating window, I'll sit there and enjoy their company if they can't adjust to my schedule. I don't expect them to do so all the time, but it is nice when we can all eat together. Sometimes they have something small in the morning, just so we can eat a bigger meal at noon. I have a fantastic family!

My resolutions this year have nothing to do with a gym membership, new diet plan, weightlifting, or yoga (okay, maybe yoga)- I want to remain consistent and steadfast in every aspect of my life. To stick with IFing, writing, and being the best wife, mom, and person I can be.

I want to walk on a beach with my husband. 

I want to go shopping with my daughter without having to depend on a cart or chair to sit in. 

I want to walk in the park with my family, chatting with them and anyone we meet, without looking for a bench.

I want to look in that mirror and see the difference in my body- and in my smile when seeing positive changes in the reflection.

I want to look better, but more importantly, I want to feel better. And I want to thank 2020 for helping me make those changes. But don't be too mad 2020- I won't miss you too much!

Week Thirteen: Close That Window!

 Sorry about the late post!

This weekend was a hot mess- too much to do and not enough time to do it all. Instead of a nice-sized six-hour eating window, I caved and allowed my hunger to get the best of me on Saturday, and I started eating way too early- 10:30 am. 

Image by Republica from Pixabay 

If I'd behaved and stopped eating at 4:30 pm, all would have been well with the world. But chaos reared its ugly head, and everything ran late, including dinner. We decided to order out, thinking foolishly that it would be faster. 

Wrongo!

The food didn't arrive until after 8:00 pm, and we finished eating close to 9:00 pm. That is a whopping ten-and-a-half hour eating window! I felt sluggish all day and went to bed at about 10:30 pm, feeling tired and bloated. I didn't stuff myself but it sure wasn't comfortable!

Sunday was better, but I felt like a hibernating bear- I just couldn't wake up. I slept late, then wound up falling into a small nap in the late morning, then a deep one-hour nap in the early afternoon. I wasn't sick- just exhausted. Maybe part of it was I was moving a lot more this week, but I really think that wide eating window was the major culprit. I had a five to six-hour window on Sunday and went to bed feeling much better.

This week I'll be doing a lot more physically, not just because of the holidays, but for the simple reason that I need to move more. Standing for long periods takes a bit out of me, but at least the dishes are getting done! 

Winter joint aches stink- they really impede movement too much, especially when out in the colder weather. I've been taking small doses of food-grade DE (Diatomaceous Earth) to help with the joint pain. The best part of that is I can take it during my fasting hours because it doesn't affect my body like food does. Tastes like mud and has the texture of fine sand but it works. It brushes out the old intestinal tract and helps the body absorb calcium. Really awesome stuff!

As for the menu this week I'm not making any additional goals because of Christmas. I plan to eat good home cooking and enjoy all kinds of holiday goodies, but I plan on keeping that window as close to shut as I can. I never want a ten-hour window ever again. Ugh!

I've lost a total of 25 pounds. It sure doesn't seem like a lot when you're as big as I am, but if you think in percentages, that's 7% of my total body weight. That's a lot for three months! I'm finding that some of my tighter shirts are less snug, and the shirts that used to fit well are starting to get a little baggy. Sweatpants are sliding down my hips so much that I need to keep hoisting them up when I stand- it makes me smile every time!

I feel really good about the future- including the next weigh-in in a few weeks. Small losses are still losses, and I have to keep reminding myself that it's a good thing not to be losing twenty pounds an hour. It took me decades to get this big, so if it takes less than four years to lose it all, it's completely worth it.

I hope God blesses you in many unexpected ways this week, and have a very Merry Christmas!

Week Twelve: One Quarter Weigh-In

A quarter can mean many things; Twenty-five cents, fifteen minutes, three months...but whatever the meaning, it's one-fourth of something. Four is always involved.

It is one-fourth of the year, and four pounds are what I lost! I'd love to say I'd lost a quarter of my weight, but I'm not even close. But that's okay- this is a marathon, not a sprint. I'm now a more slender 338 pounds. I feel so skinny!

I would've liked to have lost more, but I'll take it- especially since my husband found Lindor chocolates on sale. Yes, I am a weak-willed woman when it comes to good chocolate!

Again, no pictures until I lose at least two more pounds (10-pound loss minimum, at least for now) because there really isn't much to see...er...or maybe there's too much to see. Either way, you ain't gonna see nothing until the next weigh-in!

I also took measurements. There wasn't much of a difference, but the differences were mixed, so here goes:

Original numbers:          4 weeks ago:              Now:                Difference:

Weight 363 lbs.                  342                        338                  4 pounds

Biceps- 23"                      21-1/4"                   21-1/2"               +1/4"

Chest- 61-1/2"                 61-1/4"                     59                    2-1/4"

Waist- 58"                          57"                      56-1/2"                1/2"

Hips- 69-1/2"                   63-1/2"                  63-3/4"               +1/4"

Thigh- 32"                        31-1/2"                     31                     1/2"

Neck- 18"                         17-3/4"                   same                  none

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. 

But it gets better folks. And the holidays actually helped me this time, despite the chocolate surge. I went shopping.

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay 

Let me rephrase that. 

I. Went. Shopping. 

As in standing and walking. As in walking from the parking lot into the store, walking up and down aisles, and standing in lines. This might seem minor to most of you, but this was major for me. Hugely major.

Why?

Because my fitness level before IF almost had me in a wheelchair. I couldn't walk for more than fifty feet without needing to sit. My back would spasm, my knees would kill me, and my calves would burn like fire. My feet were swollen like footballs, and though I had no real health issues per se, I felt trapped in my own body because it hurt to move. Shopping became a pipe dream I'd never thought I'd do again.

But guess what? I did. In fact, I shopped in a store twice this past week!

Walking is no longer the pain-etched trial it used to be. While I still can't stand for a great length of time, lines are no longer as daunting as they were before. My back has almost stopped spasming altogether unless I really start to overdo it. 

I had a hysterectomy a few years back, and though it was supposed to be a six-week recovery, I kept overdoing it and it became a whopping twelve weeks of having to lie flat, which severely weakened my core muscles. So any upright activity would end up with my back in agony. I started doing core exercises which helped, but I had to stand up and move more, which was nearly impossible.

Not anymore!

It was such a feeling of freedom to be going Christmas shopping without having to worry about being a human pretzel at the end of the day. I did one trip before work, and one trip after work on a different day- and though I was hurting a bit, once I rested I was back on my feet doing what I needed at home. It's a tremendous feeling!

I even had the energy to tackle my half-organized sewing/writing space in preparation for a Christmas wrapping station. Stuff needed to be moved to make way for the uncloseting of the gift wrap, tape, bows, and scissors, and though my crafting things were put aside and not away, all that bending, lifting, and stretching actually felt good. I'm confident that I can get the room in order after the holidays.

As for the food plans for the next month- I need to add salads and cut down a bit more on my intake. Snacky stuff has taken over the house, and though I don't have to eat it, I want to. Sometimes it's a good thing to have five people living in one house...they might eat all the good stuff before I get a second taste, but that also means the junk will go fast too.

Since there are so many in the house, I also get the 'eat it before it gets eaten by someone else' mentality- I really wanted some leftover soup from the other night, only to find out everyone else finished it off. 

Ugh!

I have to remind myself I don't need a full serving of everything just because someone else might eat it. Breathe, Beth, Breathe! We can always make more! Cherish what I get, taste everything with gratefulness, and stop stuffing myself because it might not be there tomorrow.

I want to thank you for following me in my IF journey. You give me the inspiration to keep posting my progress, whether the outcome is good or bad- your support is awesome!

See you next week, and have a great holiday!

Week Eleven: Gobble, Hobble, Wobble

The beginning of the week went well- work was slow, but I got a lot more done in the house. I stood up a lot more, but the cold made my arthritic knees ache, so walking outdoors (other than work) was not going to happen.

This weekend I had two seven-to-eight-hour windows, and since it's cookie baking season for us, that's what I intended to do- at least on Saturday. Funny thing- when I bake I don't eat, and I'd planned on making cookies and other goodies the entire weekend not only to clear space in the freezer but to test how much certain recipes actually made for a food order for Christmas. 

I know that doesn't sound like IFing news, but wait- this is just the preliminary game plan. 

Saturday was supposed to be cookies all day (about twenty-four dozen), and Sunday was a day of bad-for-you baked snacks to graze on for the entire afternoon. Meals weren't entirely planned, though cookie day was also going to be homemade pizza dough day, because Sunday was going to involve homemade pigs in a blanket, homemade pizza, fried ravioli, and pepperoni dip. Not one vegetable in the lot, unless you count the tomato sauce!

Unfortunately, Saturday was a bust- errands took longer than usual, my daughter was working longer than expected, and other distractions got in the way. Saturday was written off and most of my time was spent waiting for my helpers to come home. Yes, I could have done all of it myself, but this was supposed to be family time. Ah, well. I spent the time watching cookie class videos and letting my imagination do the running instead of my aching knees.

Sunday was another story- cookie dough was made, and my daughter and I worked as bakers for most of the afternoon, at least until I realized I needed to make those blanket piggies. So while she was finishing up the cookie baking, I was making sheet after sheet of pigs in blankets, eating a few 'test bite pigs' after each batch came fresh out of the oven. 

There were a lot more of those mini hot dogs in the package than I thought. They used up most of my pizza dough, so no pizza for that nights' dinner. We did however have a fresh batch of pepperoni dip, so I made breadsticks out of the leftover dough. After filling myself with blanket piggies, there wasn't much room for the dip and sticks but it was so good, I ate it anyway.

I never did get to the ravioli. Everyone else was full of the snacky stuff too, so I put the ravioli back in the freezer for another time. I went to bed feeling like that blueberry girl Violet in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory- wondering if my stomach will ever feel empty again as I fell asleep.

Image by jggrz from Pixabay 

I felt so sluggish and bloated this morning!

Never again. At least until I forget I ever had this feeling, get cocky, and overgraze on bready stuff. Ugh.

This week the watchword is moderation. A friend of ours took the rest of the dip home with them (so it's now out of temptations' reach), my son will probably polish off the rest of the pigs in blankets today, and I will be behaving myself by eating as little bread as possible. My weigh-in is next week; I'm not going into starvation mode to 'counteract' having overdone it, but I also know that the weight loss might not be as significant as I want- if at all. 

I don't think I'll be opening my eating window as wide on the weekends as I have been- especially after the holidays are over. Eight hours is just too much time for me to overdo it, but a seven or six-hour window should allow me enough time to have a late breakfast and a light early dinner with my family.

I haven't eaten in fourteen hours, yet I still feel like an overstuffed elephant. I'm so glad I'm going back to work and not eating until after three o'clock! Apparently, I'm no good on my own. 

Oddly enough, we baked all those cookies and I didn't eat a single one, except for the initial taste test, which was one bite of my daughters' freshly baked chocolate chip cookie she insisted I try. I wish I could say the same for the savory baked goods!

Week Ten: Gobble, Gobble...NOT!

It's the week of Thanksgiving and all through the places, people were coming and stuffing their faces.

Image by Maggie Morrill from Pixabay 

But not meeee!

I had Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving, and both times I took what I liked, yet didn't overindulge. Success!

This week was a bit messed up window-wise, but I adjusted the times so before and after those big window days, I had a much smaller eating window. 

I'm finding the downside of IF is not getting to eat everything I like in the time frame I'd prefer. We now have five people total in the house, and most times I don't get a second taste of something I like. I still refuse second helpings, but I get a little angsty when I know the leftovers might not be there the next day. Sigh.

My snacks are slowly changing to healthier choices, but I still have an occasional handful of salty snacks several times a week. Nuts are still a great alternative, but sometimes a girl just gotta have some chips or cheese curls! I know these are bad for me, but at least I'm no longer eating the entire giant bag- like I used to! My husband also bought a bag of giant oranges- my favorite snack fruit!

Exercise is still a challenge. During the holiday week, I sat for the most part prepping food for the two big meals. My upper body got a workout, but my bottom half remained relatively still. The colder weather is making my joints ache a bit more, and getting up requires a little creaking and stretching before I'm able to initiate 'full movement' mode.

Unfortunately, the bakery job is on hold because of more covid restrictions imposed, so my chance of being on my feet more during work isn't going to happen soon, if at all. I'll be doing a lot more baking now that the Christmas season is upon us, so I'll be moving around a lot more in the coming weeks when at home.

Veggies have been added to the menu and now we have an abundance of healthy leftovers from the holiday. Mashed potatoes, carrots, corn, and green beans are stocked in the fridge, and I know those will last longer than the turkey and stuffing. At least the carrots and green beans will, and that's okay with me- I can make more mashed potatoes when they run out. I do love my potatoes!

I also love whipped cream- My husband made a fresh batch and whilst I was taste-testing the beater, he decided to swat me in the face with the spatula. Fortunately, my daughter recorded this little gem here:

(if you can't see the video, copy and paste this link) https://www.facebook.com/100009322582338/videos/2798544767132915/

The only tweaks I plan for this next week are cutting down my food intake a little and exercising more. All in all, it was a great week!

Week Nine: Tweak Week

This week went well! 

I managed to not eat until I got home, and though I found myself still eating too much on occasion, I didn't gorge or overdo anything snacky. I missed having breakfast foods this week, so I might be coming home and making breakfast instead of eating leftovers.

(Me in my favorite shirt!)

I was on my feet a bit more this week- I even had a standing conversation for over thirty minutes! For someone who couldn't be on her feet for more than a few minutes at a time, this is a new level of awesome. Of course, after that long, I really needed to sit because of complaining knees!

Weekends are harder to stick to a four-hour window, so I'm not doing that any longer. I decided that having breakfast with the family is more important. So my husband adjusted and makes a late breakfast for everyone, and I get to eat and enjoy my first meal with my husband and kids. 

Just because the window is open doesn't mean I have to eat all that time, so instead of three meals in my longer window, I had two meals with a small snack in the middle. Since Sundays are open for people to visit around dinnertime, a longer eating window not only allows me to eat with friends, but I don't feel like I'm pressuring them to eat too early, and I can extend my time by eating slower while having a conversation.

Changing the eating window times over the weekends will also help my metabolism not settle into a routine so I can burn more during the workweek. 

To recap, I have three to four-hour windows during the week and six to eight-hour windows on the weekends. I'm standing up more, eating healthier, and eating more natural snacks, like nuts. Yum!

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay 

Tweaks to work on are moving more, eating less at meals, and adding more veggies to the menu. We have been eating more veggies, but I feel we could increase the amount a lot more, and maybe have some veggies ready-cut for snacking as well. 

Some days I feel the need to stuff myself with more than I know I need, simply because I have a small window and I have an unfounded fear that I'm not going to get enough nutrition. I know it's silly, but it can become an obstacle at times. I also tend to be a stress eater, and the hunger pangs get bad when I'm stressed. That's another good reason to not have any food in the van!

I wore my leggings the other day when we went out (you know, the ones that didn't fit in the beginning?), and I was feeling so skinny! It felt really good to be out and about in clothing that fits comfortably without making me feel like a hippo. I'm starting to dislike wearing my go-to clothing (sweat pants), but it's cold out, so I'm wearing them to work- for now.

My energy level had remained pretty peppy, and walking is getting a lot less painful. I haven't done any long walks outside yet, but then again, there wasn't much time to walk this past week (I'll tell you why in my other blog, Footprints in the Mud- soon to be posted after this blog post). Now we're getting into Thanksgiving, so there won't be much time for it this week either, I suspect, but my husband took off this week, so we might have a little extra time to go for a walk while the pies are baking and doughs are rising.

Speaking of this week, I'm not 'taking off' from this eating lifestyle to feast until I burst. I plan to have a little of everything, but I also want to eat slowly and pause for a bit before the next course. The window will be as wide as it needs to be, but not more than six to eight hours- I don't plan on eating breakfast unless we eat it closer to noon.

Oh! Did I mention we are doing a Friendsgiving on Sunday? We usually have it that Friday, but we felt spacing it out would be best for everyone involved. Besides, since we're having Thanksgiving at his sisters' house, we won't have a fridge full of leftovers until Sunday!

The best part will be the leftovers will last a lot longer since I'm not eating them all within a few days. Smaller and fewer portions make the food last! I might even make a few 'Thanksgiving bowl combos' for the freezer so I can have them when I'm in a 'fowl' mood...

Hah!

That's it for this week. I hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving and don't forget to tell everyone at the table what you're thankful for this year- other than 2020 is almost over, that is- I think we're all thankful for that!

Week Eight: Mixed Results

 Whew! Week eight is a weigh-in week! Both exciting and scary, and after measuring and weighing myself, there were mixed results.

Image by Johanna Pakkala from Pixabay 

The holiday candy blast I'd had definitely messed with my measurements and my weigh-in results, but that was a minor cog in the machine that is me. Too many times I ate more than was comfortable this past month, and only in the last week did I really listen to what my body had to say, and stop when I felt full.

I did well but felt myself wanting to be on my feet more than I used to be. Sitting, something I do a lot, isn't as restful as it used to be, yet I forced myself to sit because most of the things I did this week require sitting- okay, maybe not require, but I am used to doing things a certain way, so that's how I did them. 

The good news is a lot of what I did was healthy food prep- making egg salad, a ton of homemade tomato sauce, prepping meats for the freezer, and dividing meats into smaller portions for easier cooking later on. The bad news is I did all of this sitting. I can't stand for hours, but there's no reason I couldn't do a lot more on my feet.

My eating window is getting much smaller! I've stopped taking food with me to work and decided to start my window whenever I get home. So the window usually lasts about 4 hours or less- in some cases, it was only 2-1/2 hours!- and I'm not nearly as hungry as I was when I could smell the prepped food in my van. Out of sight really is out of mind!

I also didn't add a lot of veggies to my meals like I'd planned, and I feel that also attributed to the results. But I bet you don't want to hear about the results, you want to know what they are!

Here were my measurements:

Original numbers:          4 weeks ago:              Now:                Difference:

Weight 363 lbs.                346                         342                    4 pounds

Biceps- 23"                      same                       21-1/4"              1-3/4"

Chest- 61-1/2"                 59-1/2"                   61-1/4"              + 1-3/4"

Waist- 58"                       55-1/2"                      57"                  + 1-3/4"

Hips- 69-1/2"                   64"                         63-1/2"               1/2"

Thigh- 32"                       31-1/4"                   31-1/2"                +1/4"

Neck- 18"                        same                       17-3/4"               1/4"

The loss was minimal, so I didn't take pictures this time around. I might start taking them at every ten-pound total loss instead.

Four pounds doesn't seem like much for the whole month, but it's still one pound a week- which adds up when you're doing this for the rest of your life. It's on the low side of my desired weight loss, but it's still a loss- which is great!

I've lost my desire for candy (at least for the cheap stuff) so that half-empty bowl just doesn't have the pull it did before Halloween. There are a few changes that need to be made. The food adjustments went pretty well but minor tweaks concerning food versus mobility need to be made.

So these next four weeks will be dedicated to:

adding more veggies to my menu

stand up more at home when prepping

doing house chores that involve moving around

More walking outside

Eating about the same as last month, but better choices

My job allows some movement, but since things have been slow, I've been moving a lot less. Winter will be here soon enough, and my knees won't let me be out in the cold for long, so it's best to get some good home habits started now while the weather is good.

I hope to keep the weight loss in the four to eight pound range (closer to eight next month- I hope), and I think being more mobile will definitely make my measurements smaller next time. 

I'm so glad I started Intermittent Fasting!

Week 7: I'm a Halloween Survivor!

This past Saturday was Halloween, and though we didn't give out any candy, that doesn't mean that we didn't buy any. 

In fact, the day after Halloween, my husband came back with bags of candy, all half off. We filled a giant bowl with goodies, most of them being chocolate-covered. My favorite kind!

There were also fruit-flavored ones as well, and I have to say, the cache of candy was colossal. 

Image by pixel1 from Pixabay 

In previous years that bowl would become a decimated pile of wrappers within a week, and I admit I had more than my share of the goodies once they hit that bowl- one of each, just to see if I really still liked them.

Surprise! I still did!

But something odd happened. I didn't have a desire to finish off the bowl as soon as possible. Once I'd had my mini-binge, I was able to walk away from it without another thought, guilt, or regret. That's an incredibly powerful feeling!

No guilt for eating more than I thought I should.

No regret at losing control- because I didn't.

No feeling like I need to eat it all before it's gone- because it's okay to let others finish off the bowl. 

And when I started feeling that way? I took a little sandwich baggie and put in a few treats I really wanted to save for later, and put it on the snack shelf with my name on it. No more anxiety over not getting special treats because someone else ate them all. I had my small stash to eat when I wanted to eat it, whether that be a few days from now or in January. I can eat it long after that bowl is empty.

No guilt about that, either!

So how about the rest of the week prior to Halloween? I did really well.

Holding off breakfast for an extra thirty to sixty minutes did a body good. I'm still eating a bit too much on occasion, but only felt a few bites too full twice, so there's an improvement. I notice now that I'm more energetic in the fasted state, and found myself holding off eating if there was something strenuous to do. I did the hard stuff first, then ate. I'm stunned at how much effort it takes to digest food, and how little energy I have during my eating window!

Lightbulb moment- All those gurus that say you need to eat a big breakfast to get energy, drink this energy drink or eat that before exercise...it's all bunk, at least for me and many other IFers. All these years I've been eating myself into a literal stupor, wondering why my energy levels are decreasing, not increasing. I was in a constant state of digestion- no wonder I was so tired all of the time!

I'm almost at a point where I don't want to eat until I get home from work because I want to keep my vim and vigor up and running until the workday is done. Then I can go home, relax, and eat while resting. 

Almost.

I'm not quite there yet, but I'm considering changing what my first meal will be. Every fast-breaking meal was breakfast oriented- I love scrambled eggs with ham, sausage, tomato, spinach, and cheese- but this is not the most portable thing to eat on the run at work. It's not great at room temperature either. 

I'm still trying to avoid bread for the most part because I feel sluggish afterward, but I might try making a homemade cheese-and-egg-based chaffle sandwich instead. Chaffles are a low-carb version of a waffle, and though many low-carbers use almond flour to make them, I'd like to try a savory version without using specialty ingredients. If this turns out well, I might have a chaffle sandwich as my first meal from now on. Different fillings will keep food boredom at bay. 

Next week I weigh and measure myself again! I wonder what the results will be after that past month of adding more food to the menu- I feel good, but I don't feel like the weight is falling off me either- those leggings I spoke of before still went on, but with the same or a tiny bit more effort than before. 

Of course, five to ten pounds of weight loss isn't much on a frame dealing with over three-hundred pounds of person, but any loss is still a win! See you next week!

Week Six: Tweak Til It's Easy

 Sorry, this is a little late- I'm having computer issues.

This week was much easier, though I still had some issues concerning overeating. I decided to try tweaking my starting window (currently 1-7pm) and trying to go at least another half hour before eating during the week. I'd succeeded three days out of five, and managed to go at least fifteen minutes on the other two days. 

However, when the weekend came around, I was a rock star.

Image by ArtTower from Pixabay 

I'd found a project could really delve into and managed to distract myself until 2:30 on Saturday, and then again until 2:00 on Sunday. 

So now I'll be tweaking my weekday times permanently by a half-hour and starting at 1:30 pm this upcoming week.

As for the food, I'm still having two meals and a large snack- and I feel it's time to knock that down a little bit. I'm not nearly as hungry when I get home, and the snack (which is 1/2-3/4 of a meal) makes me still feel a bit full when dinnertime comes around- especially since my window was a little smaller. 

You wouldn't think fifteen to thirty minutes would be a big deal, but it really matters!

The interest in junk food is waning, though I did splurge and get some Halloween candy- not for kids but for us alone- which consisted mostly of tootsie rolls (chocolate and flavored). Chocolate was way too expensive- I'm going to wait until the day after to get some of that. Heh.

The best part is I took one of each of those flavored and chocolate mini taffies and took tiny bites to savor the flavors. I'd taken about five bites of each one, just letting it melt in my mouth and enjoying the heck out of this rare treat. I love those little suckers!

Tweaking here and there is helping a lot; I have less 'skinny feeling' days, so I know I need to cut back- but I really don't want to cut back too much and risk a metabolic crash. Someone in my IF Facebook group helped me out a great deal by suggesting that hunger pangs are good things- it's your body's way of telling you it's eating all that extra fat for energy! So as long as I get a few pangs and don't wait until I'm famished, my metabolism should be good to go!

One thing I need to do is move around more. My job was doing that for me, but work has slowed so I have fewer deliveries and more time on my hands. Most of the projects I have at home are sedentary, and I find it hard to get up and go when involved in a sit-down project. There's always housework, but who wants to do that...right?

I weigh myself in two weeks. If I lose five to ten pounds, I'm in the sweet spot concerning weight loss. I don't feel like I'm dieting or that this is a temporary way of eating. I'm getting used to it- and it feels great!

Week Five: Bad Habit Battle

I once read a book that said it took twenty-one days to break a bad habit.

Nope. It takes a lot longer than that! Especially when you've had certain bad habits for years.

Even the book Fast, Feast, Repeat said that I might struggle after the initial twenty-eight days. But I nailed it! Things should be easy-peasy now...right?

Nope again. The Hungries have lifted their little rebellious heads and have harassed me this entire week. On three occasions I found myself eating until I was overly full, though I admit, only one time did I eat until I was almost too full. Not to the point of a food coma, but enough to know I overdid it. 

So what happened?

I relaxed my mindset. I told myself I could have a little more food because I was losing too fast (oh, the irony!), so when I let myself relax a little, the Hungries tried to take over and make me overeat. They almost won too, on several occasions. Bad habit number one.

I even started eating some snacks simply because they were there. I wasn't even hungry for them. I just had to have a couple, here and there to try, to taste, to finish before anyone else could. Bad habit number two.

But was I going to let the Hungries win? Heck no! I did what it says in chapter eleven- tweak it 'til it's easy. So I shortened my window when I could, had a very light snack instead of a small meal, and found better things to do than eat.

It's working.

Image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay 

I also started paying attention to what I was eating that could cause the Hungries to bother me. One was bread (bakery-style, so less reactive, but still reactive) and I treated myself to a rare thing we seldom have in the house- soda. Each time I had either or both of these, the Hungries were worse the next day. So now I'm limiting those two items concerning my menu. 

Crackers don't bother me much at all (at least not that I'd noticed yet), so instead of a sandwich, I'll have crackers instead of bread. We'll see how that goes this week.

The energy has waned a bit, only because of the different foods I've been trying and now know to keep to a minimum. I'll be introducing the only salad I will ever eat sometime next week- chicken cobb salad- homemade of course!

Keeping myself busy after I get home from work is key to sticking to my new lifestyle of eating. Intermittent Fasting (IF for short) may not work for everyone, but it's working well for me! Prepare to be beaten, bad habits!

Week Four: End of Trial Results

                                                           

                                                              Image by Vidmir Raic from Pixabay 

It's day twenty-nine folks! Time to break out the measuring tape- er, I mean string, the ruler, and the freight scale at hubby's work and see just what's been happening!

But before my report, some details about my week:

My energy is still running high! Maybe a little too high, because I'm starting to have a little trouble staying asleep. Just a little tweak in the food department (adding not taking away) will solve this issue.

I went out for the day for the first time in a long time, and when the appetizers came, I had a taste of everything I wanted, but not one of everything like I used to do! One half of this, a quarter of that was all I needed to make a very small plate of tasty morsels before dinner.

And when dinner came, I ate until I was full, and doggie bagged the rest. No feelings of regret, guilt, or even deprivation- I just didn't want to finish off my plate. The best part was I had the leftovers for two meals, not one!

An hour after dinner, we decided to go get some ice cream. I had a double-dip waffle cone (forgetting to order a smaller one and getting what I normally polish off). I ate it nice and slow- short enough to not be a milky puddle, but long enough that I was the last to finish- and I ate the whole thing and felt just a little extra full, but not uncomfortably so. 

No guilt! No shame! And I totally enjoyed everything I'd put into my mouth!

After a few days, a five-hour window was harder than I thought, but I did it. A six-hour window works best for me, so this week, it's a six-hour window. 

I function best eating high protein with certain veggies. Not all veggies and fruits are good for my body unless I need an intestinal cleanse. Eesh!

I also did a quick re-read of the book and found that when I ended my fasting trial, I had a choice of doing eating windows or doing a 5:2 weekly up and down fast. Since I was losing an average of 4-1/2 pounds a week (which is way faster than I thought I would lose), I opened my eating window a little and will add just a little more food to my menu, simply because I don't want to crash and burn my metabolic rate. Slow and steady wins the race- Isn't that what Aesop said?

Now, to the reason we're all here today. The results of my first 28-day fast!

Here were my measurements:

28 days ago:                       Now:                              Difference:

Weight 363 lbs.                    346                                17 pounds

Biceps- 23"                         same                                 none

Chest- 61-1/2"                    59-1/2"                            2 inches

Waist- 58"                          55-1/2"                            2-1/2"

Hips- 69-1/2"                      64"                                  5-1/2"

Thigh- 32"                          31-1/4"                              3/4"

Neck- 18"                           same                                 none

And now the pictures, before and after:

Well, at least my face looks thinner! 😜

The point is I lost a whopping seventeen pounds and a lot of inches!

But this isn't the finish line. this is only the beginning!

The loss is a lot faster than I thought it would be, so I'll add a little food during my window so the rate isn't as fast. One to two pounds a week is a fair rate for my size, and eventually, I'll be tweaking this again when I hit a plateau.

I can't tell you how easy this was! Yes, sometimes I was hungry, but very few times the entire time I was near the point of bingeing. One hand with fingers left over, in fact. I see now how this can be for life because I still eat what I like- just not what my body likes. I don't even crave chips as much anymore! 

Let me tell you one more thing that even surprised me, the chipoholic. Today I had a sandwich bag of potato chips with me to snack on while at work, took a few before I realized they were stale. Would that have stopped me before? Nope! I would've eaten them anyway! But this time I decided they weren't eating because they just didn't taste good, and I tossed the rest of the bag in the trash.

Who is this person in my mirror, and what did she do with my chips??

Yep. I tossed them. Because I only was delicious things to eat now. I am not a garbage can who will accept anything edible anymore. And that's huge.

From now on I will weigh and measure monthly, giving you updates weekly. I hope you enjoy your trip with me down the scale and measuring tape, and I hope to encourage you that if I can do it, so can you!

Week Three: Starting to Click

                                            

                                                    Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

Everything's starting to click!

Adjusting to a six-hour window was actually easier than the seven-hour window. I found that I was stopping before I could finish a meal once or twice, so I started giving myself smaller portions.

Only once when I gave myself a much smaller meal did go for seconds (which was the first time I had seconds since I started this lifestyle); I only got a few bites more, but I could tell I'd had a little more than enough. All I needed was about two more bites to be full, and I took about four or five.

Isn't that incredible? Me, the bottomless pit, could now tell when I needed to stop eating and be satisfied with more than half the amount I used to eat!

I also found out that homemade bread is okay for me in occasional doses, and I'm good with milk, cheeses, meats, and certain veggies and fruits. Homemade bread doesn't affect me at all, while store-bought bread makes me feel bloaty. Cereal, one of my favorite snacks, makes me feel bloaty too, so I know it's the cereal, not the milk. Sigh. I just bought myself a few boxes right after I started this new way of eating too...oh well, someone else can eat it.

I'm finding myself getting pickier about what I'm eating because I'm down to two meals. Do I want this or that? If I have this, will there be any of that left for tomorrow? Can I have a smaller amount of both? Can I just forgo the one and enjoy the other? Some things just aren't worth putting in my mouth anymore when time and tummy space is limited.

I have hoarding tendencies and I see now that kinda slipped into the way I eat too.

My husband used to drive me crazy when he left a bite or two on his plate, claiming he was full. Seriously, I just couldn't fathom how he could just leave food on his plate like that! But today I had my first meal, and a few bites before finishing, I stopped and put the rest away. I can't tell you how hard it was to put that little bit back, because I was always taught to clean your plate and to finish off the last bites so it doesn't get wasted. 

And before starting this plan I was not only finishing my plate but my husband's and kids as well. Really bad habit to break, and I'll be honest- after an hour I finished off that last little bit of my meal- but I waited an hour, which is a start.

The best part?

I have energy when awake, and I'm sleeping so much better than I was. Not only am I more mobile, but I want to get up and do things! Even my friends noticed I'm more animated and happier than I've been in a long while. 

Pain is disappearing, and I feel thinner during the fasting part of my day. Everything is less swollen or not swollen at all, and I can actually look in the mirror and see some slight differences. Even doing simple tasks like bending over to get something or walking up the steps is no longer a pain-filled chore I would avoid like rabid crocodiles. I'm not out of breath anymore either!

Showering is not the trial it used to be. Such a simple thing that's a pleasure to most folks, was an ordeal for me. Not only was it pretty claustrophobic in the shower stall, but I couldn't stand for very long and the pain that would radiate from my calves and back was excruciating! By the time I was out of the shower, I was almost crying it hurt so bad, and it took way too long to hobble over to the bed so I could sit down and make the pain stop. Sometimes I sat there and did cry- not just from the pain but the self-hate I was feeling by not being able to control my eating.

Now? I took a longer shower than usual, even doing a few smaller standing-up chores beforehand. It hurt a little, but I could walk straight from the shower to the bed without the slightest gimpiness- that alone was worth starting this lifestyle way of eating!

Next week is going to be even better when I go down to a five-hour window. I'd never thought I'd say that, but it's true. A smaller eating window is going to be easier than a bigger window. Crazy, right? Next week's window will be from 2:00pm to 7:00 pm.

And after next week, I have to weigh and measure myself all over again. That part is scary and exciting all rolled into one. 

Just a few more clicks in the gears and I'll be running like a well-oiled machine!

Week Two: Stead-fast

                                                     

                                                            Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

I made it through week two with flying colors!

I won't say it was all easy (especially when you have a chef for a husband), but I learned a lot about myself and I'm already starting to see changes- most of them good.

My feet are normal size most of the time instead of swollen footballs all the time. My shoes fit better, and I walk better too!

I have more energy and am naturally more active. Sitting still for too long is beginning to bother me, and everyone is happy that I'm not asking them to fetch me food anymore- if I want it, I get it. I'm also eating a lot less than I was before this program, and am now down to two meals a day.

Dietary issues have also been revealed. Beets, though I love them, give me issues. Never noticed that before, but after test tasting them out a few times, they will only help me if the plumbing is clogged. Let's just say the colonoscopy people would be able to use beets as a substitute for that jug of juice they want me to drink. On a positive note, I do fine with higher levels of protein, and fats don't seem to bother me either.

My joints, on the whole, have stopped hurting- unless I overdo it. And of course, since I was feeling good, I overdid it a lot! I need a lot less rest to ease joint pain than I used to, and once I get moving, the pain stops. All the more reason to get off my butt and do more...right? I haven't started outright exercising yet, but when I'm ready, I have all the tools I need to get started- without a gym.

Adapting my window to work ratio isn't as easy when the window is getting shorter and shorter each week. The first week was eight hours- easy enough, it was 11:00am to 7:00pm- but last week I missed a few things by the end of my window (like dessert because the family usually eats dinner between six and seven), so by the weekend, I shifted the time from 12:00pm to 7:00pm and 1:00 to 8:00pm respectively. 

On occasion, I did feel hungrier, especially when my window closed and my husband started baking one of his fabulous desserts after dinner. Food smells (when not in my eating window) hit me like a speeding truck and it made my stomach want food- Right Now. 

I knew it was bad one day when I was out driving for work and got a whiff of fast food- then realized it was McDonald's. If you know me (and most of you do) I wouldn't touch McD's food with a ten-foot fork, not even if I was starving. I knew I had to rein in my sniffer, so I closed the window until the feeling passed.

Next week will be different because my husband was switched from night hours to morning hours for three days, so he'll be home for dinner instead of us depending on leftovers on those days. We both cook, so one of us will be making dinner since everyone will be home. My window is now six hours, and my main concern is being too hungry when at work since I usually eat breakfast right before we leave. 

The plan is to make breakfast portable so I can take it with me to work. Breakfast is always eggs, bacon, and sausage, with a little ham and cheese tossed into the eggs. Don't look at me like that! These foods work for me much better than other breakfast foods like oatmeal or fruit. I might make a breakfast sandwich instead, but not every day. I've found that unless I bake it myself (and eventually I hope to grind my own organic flour instead of using store-bought), bread makes me tired. Not good for working!

Now if I can just resist tasting my breakfast as I make it, I'll be okay. I'm planning my window from 1:00pm to 7:00pm this week since the 7:00pm mark is my best choice whether he is doing morning or night shifts, so I'll have to make my breakfast at 11:30am and pack it until I can eat it at 1:00.

I've started reading the second half of the book, and right now it's mostly information about making better choices and tweaking what works and what doesn't- like the beets. I'm still a little unclear as to the seven days of fasting (two days no food or 500 calories worth- which is the only calorie counting she does in the book- and five days of different sized eating windows), but by the time I've finished, I'll be ready for it.

Two more weeks to go!

Week One: Easy Come, Not So Easy Go

The first week was both very easy and yet, not so easy. Old habits die hard and it was the bad habits that were more of a hindrance than the actual food itself.

Let's start from the beginning. 

The first week I was supposed to be using an 8-hour eating window. Nailed that sucker to the wall! However, after looking at the book Fast, Feat, Repeat mid-week, I'd forgotten something. I was supposed to skip a meal. Oops.

The book says two meals a day, no snacks. Now I'll be honest here; before I started this fasting program, I was basically eating four meals and a snack a day. Breakfast and lunch before work, come home to a half meal and a snack, then dinner. Most times dinner would have second helpings. Now that I see this in print, that's a lot of food, though it didn't seem so when I was eating it.

So at the beginning of the week, I was having breakfast for lunch, having a small snack during my work hours and after work, then have dinner about thirty minutes before my window closed. My eating window was 11:00am to 7:00 pm.

Then I reread the fast requirements. I was still getting really hungry by mid-shift at work, so I trimmed the snack down to one thing, ate it during my shift, then had dinner in the evening. It's still too much food (according to the book), but still much better than the amounts I was eating.

By the end of the week, the bad habits started kicking in, but just for a second or two.

I'd finish my iced tea by the end of the window, but the tiny bit of tea was left around the ice cubes. The cubes would melt, and I'd drink the infused tea water. Big no-no. Not calorie-wise of course, but I'm not supposed to have anything but water or unsweetened drinks (no sweeteners at all) because that sets off my body to think food is coming. By the end of the week, I did this twice accidentally, and now I put the glass in the sink after I eat and get a fresh glass with water to drink until bedtime.

Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay 

Then we had pizza on Friday. A rare treat for us, and though I didn't overindulge, when we were done and my eating window was closed, we were putting away the rest of the pizza and I grabbed a bit of meat and cheese out of the box (my favorite part!) and popped it in my mouth. 

I stopped short, realized what I did, and immediately spat it out into the now empty pizza box. My husband realized why I did that and we both started laughing. He knew I was trying to behave myself. I rinsed out my mouth and got my water for the night.

By the end of the week, I was having two meals, no seconds, and one small snack. Still not quite the book requirements, but I still have another week to work on it before the next gauntlet- one meal and one snack by the fourth week.

Here's what the entire month looks like:

Week one- 8-hour eating window, two meals

Week two- 7-hour eating window, two meals

Week three- 6-hour eating window, two meals or one meal, one snack

Week four- 5-hour eating window, one meal, one snack

Week two will be a window from 11:00am to 6:00 pm if I'm eating leftovers, and 12:00pm to 7:00pm if I'm cooking. Breakfast will have to be made ahead of time and packaged for eating during my shift when I do the latter hours, so some adjustments have to be made. My biggest hurdles will most likely be the snack skipping and eating dinner before the window closes. I still have a lot to do after work, and last week I actually skipped dinner because I was involved and forgot I had to eat by a certain time.

At this point that's probably a good thing!

I'll be looking at the next chapters in the book starting week 3 so I'm ready for the next steps. As for how I'm feeling? I found my energy going up on most days, and though I feel hungry sometimes, it's not that overpowering 'gotta eat now' kind of hunger that leads to binge eating. Being busy helps a lot, and since I have more energy, I've been putting it to good use after I get home. 

I never realized just how much I was eating because I was bored or tired!

All in all I think I did fairly well for my first week. The best part is even if I backslide, I can get right back into it without beating myself up! This is a learning process and it allows a lot of wiggle room to get it right- and I love that!