I'm now at the crux of the marathon that is the IF lifestyle. The initial speedy start is over, the pace has been established, and now I'm starting to feel those fasting muscles burn as I settle into a new pace.
Muscles don't like to run marathons- they'll initially fight and burn and ache, but once they get the idea this isn't some short-term sprint, they settle down and prepare for long-term stamina.
Stomachs don't like to fast. They rumble, they want food- or so we are taught. It doesn't help that food was made to smell awesome, and the nose lets the stomach know that there's something yummy nearby.
The stomach, however, is not in charge of the feet- the brain is. And the brain will do one of two things- reason with the stomach and find something better to do, or go with the flow and cave to the stomachs' wants.
This is where I've been all week. Even typing about food just made my stomach rumble, and it's not even 8:30 in the morning- and I don't eat until at least 3:00 pm.
Mondays are usually harder because I'm coming from a weekend of wider eating windows- but before 8:30 in the morning? Sheesh!
The week started with my daughter making herself breakfast. I could smell almost all of the ingredients she used to make breakfast, except for one. It was something meaty, but I couldn't pinpoint it. The smell of the mystery meat was driving me crazy!
I held off as much as I could, waited until most of the smell went away, then came down to ask what on earth did she make herself for breakfast. She'd made herself an omelet with bacon, sausage, and a little cheesesteak steak leftover from the strombolis we made the previous night. Oh man, that cheesesteak omelet smelled so good!
I wanted one of those omelets. Bad.
Holding off the cravings wasn't easy. I admit that I almost did cave in and make one. But I drank a boatload of water and promised myself that I'd make one once I came home from work, which is usually when I open my eating window. My stomach wasn't happy, but my brain was in charge, and I went upstairs to keep busy until it was time to go to work.
There was no way I was going to stay downstairs near temptation!
It was like that most of the week, though not as bad as that day. Water was my friend, and though I was constantly using the bathrooms during my work route, I stayed away from anything food until I got home. Then I ate what I was craving and all was well with the world.
Narrowing the weekend eating windows is something to consider, even though I won't be eating with the family for at least one meal. I still want breakfast for lunch, but maybe convince the family to have an earlier dinner- around 5:00 pm. They can have a snack later on in the evenings if they want (I can resist eating that stuff easily enough), and my fasting time will be longer with less food.
I definitely ate too much over the weekend. I know I did, but my stomach wasn't bloated or even overly full, just satisfied. I'm still debating whether that's a good thing or not.
This week it's back to my Cobb salads. I didn't have all of the ingredients last week and I felt the difference! I had more energy and felt thinner the next day after eating them, and I want to keep it that way. I also realize I have to cut down on my chip consumption. Shocking, I know, but I found myself eating them even when I wasn't craving them. That's grazing- something I definitely don't want to do!
One big hurdle to leap is getting my family to understand that it's okay if I leave the ice cream in the freezer until I really want it, it's okay to leave food in their packages until I want them, and it's okay to not eat everything in one sitting (like I used to).
My kids just don't get that the stuff in the freezer won't go bad. They keep pressuring me to finish off leftovers instead of freezing them. A bag of chips can be eaten in a week instead of a day or two.
I'm still learning not to panic when they finish something I like because I didn't eat it 'in time'. I'm not a garbage disposal, and we can always make or buy more if I really want it again.
Breathe deep, Beth...breathe deep.
Those IF muscles ache right now. But I know they'll settle into this new pace until I'm ready for the next leg of the race. In the meantime, I'm staying as far from the kitchen as I can before I go to work and enjoy what I crave when I get home.
And when I do crave something as badly as that omelet, my stomach knows that if it just waits a bit longer, it will get what it wants!
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