Year One, Week Twenty-Seven: Arguing With Myself

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk from Pexels

It's happened once or twice...or a million. Your eating window isn't open yet, and you see or smell something that makes your mouth water- but it's not time to eat yet.

But it could be if you just opened the window a little earlier.

Wait, says that rational little voice inside of you. Just wait a little longer, and you can eat that. 

Then the stomach chimes in with a loud growl. Feed me NOW!

Do it, your mouth tells you.

It smells so good! Your nose says, getting a second whiff.

Eat it, and I'll stop gnawing your backbone, the stomach rumbles.

Your eyes glance at the clock. Would an hour early kill you? They plead. It looks good enough to eat- and see that steam? It's still hot!

Enough! Your brain yells, silencing everyone in the room. Stay on track. An hour of waiting won't kill you either.

Your stomach growls again. Your brain moves you over to the sink to drown the stomach with water.

This is the fight I fight almost each and every day, folks.

My daughter gets up at the crack of dark, and I can smell the bacon she's cooking. I hear it sizzling. Bacon is my favorite vegetable, and my stomach is thrown into overdrive. Often my husband eats with her, and I miss out on early morning family breakfasts.

Sometimes even my brain gets divided. Don't you want to eat with your family, you heartless woman? My impulsive self whines. If you don't start eating with them more often, you'll become a reclusive hermit with no friends or family. Is that what you want?

Then the rational brain kicks in. How can you join your family at mealtime if you're too fat and unhealthy to move? You can't eat with them if you die at an early age...right? Aren't you eating and spending time with them nearly every afternoon?

I know my rational brain is right. So I sigh, drink water, and find something better to do with my time until my window opens. Most of the time.

Sometimes the arguments end with me lowering my guard and eating earlier (or eating more) than planned. That's a rarity now, but it was a lot harder to stand firm in the beginning. It's easier to resist as I continue, but I still have this inner conversation almost every day. 

No, it isn't easy, but it does get easier. 

Other days, I find myself so distracted with work and writing that the time zips by, and I open my window later than intended. This awesomeness doesn't happen as often as I'd like, but it is happening more frequently. 

If I wasn't as diligent in my eating windows, time zips wouldn't happen much, if at all.

Even as I sit here, my stomach is complaining. I'm going to drown it after I post. I have two hours before my window opens, and I have plenty to do before eating. 

If you have the same problem, train your brain to shut the peanut gallery up (ooh, peanuts!) and drink to fill the void until your window opens. You'll feel better- not only physically but mentally as well. And if you can control your own body, you can conquer the world!

Year One, Week Twenty-Six: Feed the Machine

Last week was a lighter eating week. I didn't eat much when my window was open, and this week, the hungries roosted in my digestive tract. 

I ate a little more during most of this week, but not overly so until the weekend. We worked at an event, and the hours were smack in the middle of my window. So I opened my window wider for that day and fed the machine.

The machine liked it. A lot. The food wasn't even that great, but I ate anyway. And the next day at church, there was an event right after; This time, I ate within my eating window. I almost overate. We're new to the area, and I wanted to try all the home cooking of the locals. Most of it was totally worth indulging!

And here I sit on Monday, still feeling bloated because of the issues I mentioned in my last blog post.

It showed on the scale too. Let's just say I need more bananas this week. I fully intend to break the 300's this month!

Now, if you are in a diet mindset, the first thing you'll think is I slipped up. I assure you I didn't. I planned this. On occasion, feeding the machine keeps your metabolism on its toes, and since my weight didn't go in the right direction this week, I was afraid I might hit another plateau. So I planned to eat more this weekend, though I admit I'd forgotten about the event on Sunday!

Take that, metabolism!

This week, I'm back to smaller meals and a snack. My husband baked four cakes total for the first event, and the extra cake slices were carried over into the second event at church. People really appreciated the cakes, and I'm happy that there aren't a hundred additional cake pieces in my house.

I did keep a few pieces, though! 

As for exercise, my whole schedule made a drastic change this past week. Why? Because we got our deed last week! Apparently, our real estate attorney dropped the ball and forgot to send it to us- in December. Luckily God gave me a big mouth and a tenacious nature, and I called the county to ferret out what actually happened. As a result, my husband picked up the deed late last week on his way home from work!

So now the real work begins, and I'll be up to my armpits in exercise- mental and physical. There's so much to do now that we can finally apply for grants and loans to build our bakery!

I definitely want to be a lot thinner when the doors officially open. Baking is a stand-up, on-your-feet job, and though I'll have a chair nearby to rest on occasion (because I'm the co-boss and I said so), I really need to concentrate on building up my stamina. 

The machine is fed- back to my regularly scheduled meal plan!

 

Year One, Week Twenty-Five: Setting a New Pace

It's hard to believe it's Monday already! So much has been going on, and life is starting to move faster.

I was eating two meals a day in a two-hour eating window, and I figured by the time I got down to 300 pounds, I'd have to start cutting down my portions a little. I was also dreading this change because I like eating two meals a day. I pick what I want the day before, and I look forward to eating what I crave the following afternoon.

However, something funny started happening. I'd forget to eat that second meal.

When I felt ready to eat a second time, I realized my window had shut- sometimes an hour or more afterward. It was getting frustrating because I'd have to wait until the next day to eat what I'd planned. 

Then I'd forget again.

Once, it happened three days in a row!

And now, when I eat two meals in the allotted time, I feel almost sick and very bloated for about an hour after my window closes. So I changed my portions to one and a half meals, or one meal and a snack.

A new pace was set. Much better.

My tummy is much happier, though my mouth had a few complaints. Sometimes what I want is something I have to prepare, and when I want it again a few days later, the leftovers are gone. Sometimes, if it was a soup or casserole dish, I could take out a few portions and freeze them for myself, but many times they aren't freezable, and if I forget to eat it, my family does because no one wants a fridge filled with rotten 'I was going to eat that' food.

I fight with the little hoarder inside of me every day. I used to hoard things, and when I nipped that in the bud (which took years btw), I started hoarding food. When we moved here, it was great! We had a whole freezer full of ready-to-eat meals, but when our stove hookups didn't happen for three weeks, my stash was nearly depleted. I still have to tell my little inner hoarder that this is a good thing.

I'm also setting a new pace physically since my husband is starting a new job today. We're still going to open a bakery here, but the county is slower than molasses buried in the polar ice caps in getting our deed due to the pandemic. Unfortunately, we need the deed to apply for permits, grants, and loans to get the business started.

Since we were told it would be six to nine months before getting the deed, we had to find another way to bring in income. So off to work he goes, because overweight homemakers, talented as we are, don't get paid well in the workforce after nearly twenty-five years out of the loop.

He goes back to work, and I go back to housework. And writing. And sewing. Proverbs 31, here I come! Okay, I was already there, but this time I have to pick up the slack since no one else is home to clean up after themselves- and if you live with a chef or a young adult, you know they both love making messes.

Much of my exercise will be spent doing extra chores and the occasional walk outside when it's warmer.

I've been on my butt too long, folks. Being mobile not only greases the old joints but stretches muscles I didn't even know existed. I see more of them now that the insulation has thinned. I think I even felt a rib last week!

Before the move, I used to keep a schedule book. It had all of the appointments, work schedules, and things that needed doing for the entire year. Unfortunately, I've gotten out of practice, and though it might take a few days to restart, I'm working on bringing my scheduler back to life.

This is an actual book; It's a mini binder with pages I create, print, and hole-punch to insert in my binder. Maybe I'm old-fashioned for doing so, but I like to see an entire week at a glance than to try squinting at a tiny phone screen. I also enjoy writing out everything. I only use my phone alarms for things I can't miss- like appointments or classes. 

To be honest, I almost set my phone alarms for eating windows, but I figure if I'm not hungry by the time the window closes, I probably don't need to eat.

Wow- did I just say that?

I've already started doing a few extra chores, and the house is looking better already! Maybe because no one else is home but me? Possibly. They can't be messy if they aren't home...right? And that gives me time to play catch up!

What changes of pace have you made since your IF journey? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments!

Year One, Week Twenty-Four: Pipe Cleaning Weigh-in

Last weeks' numbers, though a bit premature, were good. This week, they're even better.

Why?

Part of it was simple body mechanics. For example, when the pipes are clogged, you weigh more.

No, I'm not going to get gross by diving into the details, but I promised to tell all when I started this blog, and waste management is part and parcel of the human body.

If you don't have enough water, you get dehydrated, and your body starts to suffer. The same goes for when you can't get rid of the stuff your body doesn't want. I don't know what works for you, but for me, bananas are my go-to food for cleaning out the plumbing.

However, without moderation (more than one banana every 2-3 days), let's just say one doesn't need that special fluid the docs give you for a colonoscopy. The pipes are cleaner than a newly scrubbed hospital room. It took me a while to figure this out, and I'd gone without said fruit for over two weeks.

This week, we remembered to buy bananas. Thank God.

Constipation isn't fun. I wasn't so bad that I qualified for a political office, but it was close. Bloating, abdominal pain and a hard-packed belly don't do a body good- especially for weight loss. Learning how to hydrate and stay regular can be a challenge.

Again, thank God for bananas.

I also started walking again. Not long walks, but smaller, regular ones. The weather is warming, and those walks outside are quite invigorating for the body, mind, and spirit. Breathing fresh mountain air also does a body good- especially when the farmers haven't fertilized their fields yet.

This week is the actual weigh-in week, so let's get to the numbers!

                   4 weeks ago:                    Now:                       Difference:       

Weight           311                          303                        -8 lbs.

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

Chest             58"                            57"                        -1"

Waist             53"                         52-1/2"                     -1/2"

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

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

Hips                61"                           60"                         -1"

An eight-pound loss this month- how incredible is that? And I'm just three pounds shy of my next goal, and when that happens (not if!), by the next weigh-in, I should be out of the threes and into the twos for the first time in nearly a decade.

I also hit a total loss of sixty pounds. Sixty. That's more than a bulk bag of flour. I still can't believe I was carrying all that just two years ago. It blows my mind.

Intermittent fasting has saved my life and my sanity. And if you're still on the fence about IFing, I highly recommend you give it a shot. 

No, it's not for everyone. But if you've tried everything else and all you got was frustrated, this might just be the answer you were looking for.

And if you're already on your IF journey, I hope these posts inspire and encourage you to keep going. Join a Facebook group for IFing like I did. Lots of support and suggestions if you're stalled or just want to talk and share your story.

I'd love to hear your story in the comments!

Year One, Week Twenty-Three: Will the Real Week Please Stand Up?

I have a funny story.

My brain decided to take a vacation last week, and I posted that it was week twenty-three, when in fact, it was week twenty-two (I fixed the issue.) However, I didn't realize it until I had already done my weigh-in and wrote down my measurements.

Wrong week- Whoops!

                                      You're not week Twenty-three...I am!

So I have my numbers, but I can't tell you yet, because I have to redo them next week... 

However, the news is good. Really good. I've not hit the 300 goal yet, but it's a lot closer than it was the last weigh-in! And the measurements are all smaller too- including my neck!

I can tell you a few other things that I forgot in last weeks' post. One is pretty significant.

In the beginning, I had a hard time showering regularly. It just hurt too much, and I was trying to avoid pain as much as possible. Sometimes I'd go as long as two weeks before facing the agony of showering. I couldn't even wash everything because I couldn't reach-  my husband had to help me. When I came out of the bathroom, I was nearly crippled in agony. Everything hurt, and my hips refused to work right, and I had to hobble two feet towards the bed to sit and get relief.

That was when my bathroom was in the bedroom in the old house.

In this house, the bathroom is next to the bedroom, and the bathroom is enormous compared to the tiny shower stall we used to have. Now I have a tub shower, so I need to step over the tub wall to get into the shower. It was harder to step inside when we first moved here, but at least I could stand the entire time and not be crippled by pain.

As of today, Nothing hurts anymore when I shower. I'm getting in once a week, and soon it will be twice a week. I can wash my body entirely now and reach all the parts I own! It feels good to bend and stretch with little pain, and I feel invigorated after getting out. Do you know how freeing that is?

Concerning the other improvements, I'm more active and can stand for more extended periods. I know I'll get more fit when the weather warms and we experience our first Spring up here in the mountains! In fact, I'm looking forward to it!

I'm seeing a significant difference in the skin on my neck and arms, and my face is thinner and less round. Clothing fits better or is even loose in some instances. I've yet to break out my capris (I wear them starting in the Spring), but I have a feeling I might have to take them in or donate them. Isn't that awesome?

Next week is weigh-in week. Sorry about that! I really liked the new numbers, and I hope to share even lower ones with you next week!