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!