Year One, Week Nineteen: Seeing the Goal Line

At the beginning of my IF journey, I was 366 pounds. My first goal was 350. Then 325. And now I'm headed toward 300.

It's been a struggle, but I'm getting there!

I'm below the halfway point between goals, though I have a long way to go even after hitting 300 pounds.

And I'm going to hit 300 pounds! Not by next weeks' weigh-in, but I'll be a lot closer than I am today.

This time I'm going to make sure I have pictures! I'll be wearing the same shorts and T-shirt, even though the temps are in the single digits (sometimes below zero!) I'm going to find a good spot in our new house where I can show you the differences!

This week I've found myself becoming more active. Maybe it's because of the cold, perhaps it's because my butt doesn't have as much padding anymore, and it gets sore when I sit for too long, but either way, I'm doing a lot more around the house.

Of course, my husband spraining his foot helped matters a little too! But, no worries, he's well on the road to recovery!

Anticipation has been working wonders. I check the fridge, plan on what I want for the next day, and most of the time, eat what I plan to eat and enjoy every minute of it. Nothing has spoiled since I started doing this, and a lot more food has been stored in the freezer when we bulk cook- We just bulk cook more often and freeze half of it to have ready-made meals when life gets a little too hectic.

Or lazy.

Sometimes you're under the warm blankets, watching the snowfall while reading a book, and you don't want to cook. The microwave is my friend on days like that!

Yesterday, I really wanted to make a meaty dip for the plethora of tortilla chips we'd found in one of our forgotten moving boxes. But, unfortunately, the ground beef was still frozen, so we changed gears and decided to make chili today- which is really good with tortilla chips!

So I did a little delaying and will be rewarded with a nice bowl of freshly made chili (with a tomato, pepper, and onion base I made myself!) with crunchy tortilla chips as soon as I walk in the door after picking my daughter up from work. Nothing beats cold weather than something hot to eat the second you get home!

I can imagine the satisfaction- and I didn't even start making it yet!

I'm happy to report my weight is still going down- but I won't tell you how much until next week!

Year One, Week Eighteen: Being Flexible While Staying On Track

Monkey wrenches have a terrible habit of showing up unexpectedly. This week, one was thrown in our direction when my husband severely sprained his ankle on the ice.

He was getting the van in our garage across the yard right after a big snowstorm. The entire yard was a sheet of hard, crusty ice, with a light covering of snow on top.

Snap, crackle, POP! And down he went. I had no clue until he returned to the house, asking me to get our daughter from work instead. He sat down with a wince, and I went the long way around via the cleared gravel pathway that surrounds our yard. 

I have no idea why he chose the shortcut, but now he is down for the next few weeks.

This incident made me grateful for a few things. One, that my husband didn't break his foot, Two, that the roads were clear enough to get her without issues, and Three, that my IF windows are flexible because I usually open my window when he is out fetching our daughter from work.

Unfortunately, her workday begins before dawn and ends right around lunchtime- my standard eating window opening. So now I'm up before 4am and don't eat until 2pm. That's a long day before eating! I'd eat beforehand, but her schedules' ending times vary, so it's hard to plan a window when she might call me any minute for a pickup. It's easier and harder to just eat after I get her from work.

Since we're all early risers, my poor, gimpy husband needs sustenance early in the mornings and sometimes late mornings as well, and I wind up cooking all kinds of yummy things I can smell but not taste until the afternoon. 

Not gonna lie- some days it's hard! My stomach thinks all that yumminess is for it, and when it just gets water, it gets hangry. Like, 'I'm going to growl like a grizzly and gnaw on your spine until you feed me' hangry. 

But I persevered. I stayed flexible while remaining on track!

The only problem I had was overeating when my window opened. I was getting overly hungry by the time I came home and prepared myself something to eat. Unfortunately, I can't change the schedule, so I'll just gnaw my water glass until things get back to normal- whenever that is. 

Is anything normal anymore? I think not!

The menu is in my hands since our regular chef is gimpy. Lots of soups and casseroles this week! I've also been storing single-serving meals in the freezer, so we'll be eating a wide variety until he's back on his feet- literally. 

It's time to get creative because I want to use what we have in the house and avoid shopping as much as possible- the roads are still a mess up here in the mountains!

Year One, Week Seventeen: Keeping the Pace

Have you ever gone for a walk after sitting for a long time? At first, your leg muscles protest, but after a few minutes, you begin to find your walking rhythm, and you're able to walk a pretty significant distance before you hear complaints from your legs again.

That's where I am in my IF journey. Setting my pace and getting into the rhythm of good eating windows. And the run has only begun!

I started at 363 pounds. At my last weigh-in, I weighed 317. That's a 46-pound difference! It's a significant weight loss, but I need to lose at least 200-215 pounds in total. That means I've lost about 23% of what I need to lose to achieve my goal weight.

I've not even hit the quarter-mile marker yet. But I'm setting a pretty good pace.

Some days I'm hungrier than others. Sometimes I forget to eat after one meal, and if it's a light one, it's an ordeal making myself wait until the next day before I can eat again. But I'm learning!

However, after my window closes, one habit I've established is to think of something I'd like to eat the next day. Looking forward to my next meal helps me resist eating anything in the fridge, thus avoiding acting like a garbage pail for leftovers. In addition, it keeps me from obsessing about what I can eat when the window opens the next day.

It also keeps me from forgetting to eat those special meals and snacks I wanted the day before. Nothing irritates me more (and tempts me to eat after my windows close) than forgetting to eat what I wanted yesterday! Then the leftovers are sitting in the fridge for another day- or two, if I forget again- and sometimes the stuff goes bad before I remember it's in there.

Now? I make a point to remember it. I put it in the front of the fridge, so it's ready to go, or on the kitchen table if it doesn't need refrigeration. Or I defrost it the day before if it's from the freezer.

No more rotten food! I hate waste, and if I know I won't be eating it again anytime soon, I freeze the leftovers. Yay me!

Slow and steady wins the race, as long as I keep up the pace!

Year One, Week Sixteen: Down, Doo-bee-doo, Down, Down!

The plateau has been broken!

My last goal was 325 pounds, and for ages I was hanging at 326 pounds. Finally, after some constructive coaching and shortening of eating windows, the weight was coming off- WOOHOO!

After the holidays came my birthday, and after that hurdle, I'd lost even more weight. Everything was falling into place.

This week, I got sick. I did two monumentally dumb things. I still tried to do my fasting, and I ate when I had a fever. Ugh! That 'starve a fever, feed a cold' thing has serious merit, folks! The next few hours were spent being quite uncomfortable, bloated, and unable to fully rest.

The following two days, I ate lightly, but I kept the windows fluid simply because I needed to eat with some of my medication and because I desperately needed to drink my homemade cold and flu killer tea at 4 am.

I stepped on the scale, hoping to see further loss (I should've lost since I was sick...right?), and saw I'd gained three pounds. I still don't understand the logic. No matter how sick I get, I always gain weight! 

Maybe because I'm dehydrated, bloaty, and constipated from the meds? Maybe. But there's still a loss- and a pretty significant one at that!

Let's take a look, shall we?

                4 weeks ago:                    Now:                       Difference:       

Weight           326                          317                        -9 lbs.

Bicep           19-1/2"                     19-1/2"                     same

Chest           58-1/2"                     58-1/2"                     same

Waist           55-1/2"                     54-1/2"                     -1"

Thigh           29-1/2"                        29"                       -1/2"

Neck            17-1/2"                     17-1/2"                    same

Hips                63"                           62"                        -1"

Nine pounds! How awesome is that? I'd gotten down to 314 right before I'd gotten sick, but it's still a significant dent on the scale. Unfortunately, I can't get pics at this time because my husband is working and my daughter is also sick, and I'm not about to wake her for a photoshoot.

I'm on the mend, and I went back to my fasting schedule yesterday. I'm feeling better already!

I have two things to say for those of you who have stalled. Don't give up. Ask for help. Do these two things and find out the why behind your plateau because you're too close to often find the solution on your own- trust me! I've lived on a plateau for almost a year.

I should have asked for help a lot earlier than I did. But I won't dwell on 'could-haves' and 'should-have-dones'- I'm using those lessons as stepping stones to move forward!

Year One, Week Fifteen: One Good Thing After Another

I learned a lot during Thanksgiving and Christmas. As a result, I was determined to do better.

We had a second Christmas with the family back in our old city neighborhood. However, it was a long drive and a big meal later in the evening. So, instead of blowing off the entire day and leaving my eating window open, I took something with me to eat during the latter part of our trip, so I wouldn't be overly hungry when dinner was made. 

It worked out great because dinner was delayed, and though my window was open longer than I intended, it wasn't much longer- about an hour longer than expected. And when dinner was served, I didn't binge.

As for the second good thing, today is my birthday!

Since we have no friends or family nearby, I told my husband to nix the cake, and make some homemade popcorn instead, so we can watch a movie together as a family in the afternoon, and I can include the popcorn as a special snack. He is also making me breakfast at lunchtime, and my window will only be an hour longer than usual, so I can also have a smaller meal- homemade stromboli. 

It's one good thing after another, and I'm re-learning that this is a lifestyle, not a temporary fad diet! Finally, all the ducks are lining up for success!

Sometimes I forget this is something I need to do for the rest of my life. I need to stop some bad habits I've developed- like feeling deprived when my family eats out of my designated eating window. They don't have to do what I do, and I need to get over myself and deal with it. 

There's no guilt, mind you, but there has been quite a bit of envy, and that needs to stop. 

IFing isn't a fad.

IFing is a mindset.

IFing, for me, is a lifetime commitment. If I don't stick to it, I don't lose weight. It's simple, really.

The proof will be on the measuring tape and the scale next week. I have a feeling I'll be posting pictures this time!