Year One, Week Twenty-Two: Fighting 300- And I Don't Mean Sparta

I can see the end of the first major leg of the race. My legs have just started to relax into the pace I set, and now my body is getting ready for the next big hill- a three-hundred-pound hill.

Almost one-and-a-quarter years it took to get here, but the fight isn't over yet- it's just the first lap, and I can see many hurdles ahead.

Imma nail those hurdles to the floor!

The next leg of this war against fat is approaching fast. I'm almost to my next goal- 300 pounds.

Getting into the 200's is going to be epic. I haven't been under the 3's in more years than I can count on one hand, with one to three fingers leftover on my other hand.

That's a long time to be this big.

I wish it wasn't so blasted cold outside- I want to go out for walks regularly now! There's more than fifty pounds of 'insulation' gone from my body, and I feel the cold a bit more. Not that I'm a winter snowflake- I usually use my hot flashes to keep me warm- but the temps have plummeted into single digits, and that's only good if you're a husky or polar bear.

Which I ain't.

Some people are asking how I'm doing it. When I tell them, they look skeptical. It's hard to become a warrior, fighting your own body and bad habits. People want to change without effort. But I have to tell them this has to be the least amount of effort versus suffering that I've ever experienced!

Diets make you suffer. They do! It's all based on what you can't have. And we all know that in society today, that makes a lot of people rebel. They want what they want when they want it...now. So instead, they go for the fast and furious ways- starving themselves or eating foods they hate for the quick short-term loss, being miserable for the entire time they're dieting. 

And making everyone else want to become a hermit to avoid you.

IFing gives you choices. Oh sure, you can eat that entire bag of chips in the beginning, but when the window closes, you'll find yourself regretting not having that bowl of soup or that sandwich with the chips as a side. Perseverance proves fruitful, and though hunger happens, you know that when your window opens, you have the option of having that one thing you've been craving since your window closed the day before.

Options.

Adjustments.

You eat what you like- not something someone else tells you to have.

You're in control.

No guilt because you start fresh the next day.

And each day gives a bit more incentive to sharpen your sword to fight fat a little better.

I never thought that perseverance would also mean freedom. Forgive the pun, but that's huge.

And by the time I'm done, fat won't mess with me again!

Year One, Week Twenty-One: Viva La Difference!

After my last weigh-in, I thought about all the things I'd do once the extra weight was gone, but also what I've accomplished since I started this journey. So here are a few self-realizations:

I'd lost 52 pounds. That's more than a bulk bag of flour.

My knees stopped hurting. I still have osteoarthritis in my hips, but I can walk longer and farther now. I don't need the motorized carts to go shopping anymore! Why is that exciting? Because shopping was becoming so painful, I refused to go into the stores anymore. I limited myself to staying in the car and letting my family do the shopping. Even doing fun shopping like clothing or craft supplies was near torture because they didn't have motorized carts, or they only had wheelchairs that required someone else to push.

Showering is no longer the ordeal it used to be. Of course, the tub rim at this new house is high (the old house had a walk-in shower stall), but other than bending my knees a bit past my comfort zone, I can stand without pain and reach a lot more places than I used to. 

I'm starting to like clothes again. I was never a clotheshorse, but I hated looking in the mirror and seeing nothing but fat tucked into straining fabrics. I just put on what used to be a very tight pair of insulated leggings, and to my delight, found I could slip them on with barely a wiggle! 

My face is thinner. My cheekbones are more prominent than before, and I can see a significant difference in my chin and neck. My face lights up when I smile now, and I don't see the top of my cheeks as much when I do. Also, my reading glasses aren't smudged by pudgy eyelids anymore (I didn't even know your eyelids could lose weight!), and I'm beginning to see more definition in my jawline.

My husband can reach entirely around my waist and touch hands now! I also can touch bones that I knew were there but were too...um...insulated for me to feel them. I definitely see a difference in my waist-to-hip ratio, and my feet aren't swollen like over-inflated footballs. In fact, all the swelling in my body is gone!

I'm more active and looking forward to being outside when the weather warms, just to go for a walk or even do some spring chores like sweeping and clearing away last years' leaves. 

How awesome is that?

The mindset is so different from before IFing, but also since the last time I was my current weight. I want to do active things. I want to go out for walks and shop in stores for extended periods. I want to savor the pace of a stroll as I peruse the craft store shelves without having to worry if there's seating nearby. I want to dig up the weeds outside our house and plant herbs and flowers. 

And I'm starting to enjoy the idea of working behind the counter when we open our bakery!

The attitude has done a complete one-eighty. I know I can lose weight. I know I'll be more fit and healthy. I know I'll be more active and happier as the pounds go down. 

Like that old 80's song, 'the future's so bright, I gotta wear shades'- with no eyelid smudges!

If you're IFing, what positive changes have you noticed about yourself? I'd love for you to share in the comments!

Year One, Week Twenty: Gettin' the Skinny- Pics and Weigh-in

A lot has happened since my last photoshoot.

It's been so long since I took pictures, I forgot where I stored them! I promised you pictures this weigh-in, and I have them. It took a while, but I found the pics I took at the beginning of my journey for comparison.

But before we get to that (and the numbers), I have a few lessons I learned and wanted to share with you.

Smaller windows mean smaller hips. I made the mistake of keeping 4-6 hour eating windows and tried the yo-yo method (up and down days) when I hit a plateau. Unfortunately, that plateau lasted more than six months, and I'll never get that time back- or the possible weight loss.

The biggest lesson about that wasn't changing my windows- it was asking for help. If I'd asked after my second month of plateauing, I would be further along in my journey toward a thinner, healthier me.

That's really the only regret I've had since I started intermittent fasting!

When I happily tell people I've lost over fifty pounds, they always ask how, and when I tell them, they look at me in pity, like I stopped eating anything tasty and have been depriving myself of goodies. But when I tell them I can have anything (including my favorite snack, potato chips), then I see hope in their eyes. 

I can't tell you how many extra copies of FFR I gave away to people. We always get additional copies of any book that profoundly impacts our lives, and I know I've given away at least five copies. Of course, it's up to them to read it and do what it says, but I always ask them if they decide this isn't for them, to either give me back the book (so I can share with other people) or gift it to a friend of theirs that might read it.

I also learned busy hands make the stomach forget what time it is. So when I get the hungries really early in the day (usually after a lightly eating the previous day), I drown my stomach with water and find something to engage my mind and body. 

I'm a creative person, so I've been sewing up a storm as of late, making a wedding gift for a friend and hairbows for me, my daughter, and some to sell during the spring farmers' markets. We've never spent spring up here in the mountains, but I hear people will be buzzing about like bees when the weather warms up.

I've also found my stamina has strengthened since I started losing again. I can even go shopping in those big stores now without having to use the motorized carts or needing to sit every five minutes! That alone is encouraging me to keep going.

I'm almost to my next goal of 300 pounds, and I'll have to start toning down the volume I eat soon. As long as I'm losing an average of 1.5 pounds per week, I'll stick to my current amount. Now it's time to see some numbers- and pictures!

                   4 weeks ago:                    Now:                       Difference:       

Weight           317                          311                        -6 lbs.

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

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

Waist           54-1/2"                        53"                       -1-1/2"

Thigh              29"                        28-3/4"                     -1/2"

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

Hips                62"                           61"                         -1"

WOOHOO- no red numbers!

And here are the pics I promised!

                                     Then:                              Now:

I've lost a lot in my chin, belly, and butt. There's a definite difference in my upper arms, and you can also see a difference in the way the clothes drape across my body. I wish I'd taken some pics of me stretching that waistband just so you can see the changes better!

I still have a long way to go, and to be honest, I'm surprised that the clothes still fit after a fifty-two-pound weight loss. I think I might make a wardrobe change soon, but not until the shorts are nearly falling off of me and you can't see my body under the shirt.

I hope this inspires you that you can lose weight, feel better, and give you hope to live a better life. I know I'm looking forward to the next year!