Year One, Week Nine: The Weighting Game

 (postdated Tuesday, November 23rd, 2021)

I swear, if I have one more service company no-show, I'm going to chew the woodwork.

Remember last week I was waiting for the propane guys? Well, they didn't show. Again. We called the service, and they said for sure on Monday.

The Monday before Thanksgiving.

We'd been eating out of the freezer for three weeks, and I'm not going to lie, I checked myself on the scale each day because I desperately wanted to stay under my breakthrough weight. The numbers were higher, but not by much, and I think this was the only thing keeping me from stress-eating too much.

I did stress eat.

The good news is we finally got our propane on Wednesday- The day before Thanksgiving. Better late than never, but we didn't get to make everything we wanted for the holiday.

We can finally bake after almost seven weeks!

The freshly baked rolls are going to be fantastic. Don't look at me like that- I know I'm supposed to ease off of the bread- it's going to be Thanksgiving, and I'm intending on being thankful!

As for the stress of no internet, we're supposed to be getting it on the 29th. I'm praying so hard that they'll come, but there isn't much influence to get the job done expediently up here in the boonies. We shall see.

We're picking up our son later today to stay for a week. We also have our first visitors coming on Sunday! My husbands' cousin and his wife are stopping by for lunch after dropping off their son at college, and we're on the way back from Philadelphia. Now that we have a working range, we're planning on making homemade cream soup- something we haven't had since before the move on October 9th!

I'm trying to focus on the good stuff. So far, so good, though my son isn't happy that we don't have internet service yet. He's usually plastered to his phone screen. We're wondering if his head will implode from lack of stimulus. 

I'm hopeful things will work out by the end of next week.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Year One, Week Eight: Breakthrough!

(postdated Tuesday, Nov.16^th, 2021)

I've been plateauing for months. Eating windows went haywire. There was a lot of stress- both good and bad- and many adjustments- both good and bad.

I finally had a weight loss breakthrough!

I'd love to say I have it all figured out, but this breakthrough was due to something unexpected.

Remember I told you about that cool, clear, fantastic tasting water? Apparently, I'm one of those people who needs to get used to new water sources. The water itself is fine (my daughter and husband aren't affected), but I had a full two days where my body decided to clean house.

Have you ever been to the bathroom so much you felt hollow? I felt like that for three days! I was so wobbly-kneed, I wound up resting on the recliner for two of those days. Ugh.

Oddly enough, those two days were meals of Chinese take-out because that was all that seemed tempting to me. Unfortunately, there was no home cooking because our range had to be removed for the new model. The old oven didn't close, so we couldn't bake, and the burners were tilted to the center because the previous owner used a giant canning pot the size of a small state, which bent all four burners inward.

The new model is lovely but isn't electric- it's all propane- and the propane company forgot to add that to our order when we ordered propane for the fireplace. So, no range for at least a week. We're hoping to get propane in today, and I'm holding off eating breakfast until it's installed.

And that's why we had Chinese food in the fridge. Thank God!

I learned a lot about my body this week. I think the reason I haven't been losing so fast is I'm still overeating at my meals. This week I ate much smaller portions, and for a few days, I didn't eat anything snacky. I also ate slower and found myself having more energy the following days. I didn't eat much bread. I hate to say it (especially since we will open a bakery in the next year), but I might have to put bread on the Rarely Eat list.

Let's look at the numbers:

                   4 weeks ago:                       Now:                          Difference:       

Weight           326                                324                             -2 lbs.

Bicep              20"                             19-1/2"                           -1/2"

Chest             58-1/4"                        57-1/2"                           -3/4"

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

Thigh              30"                             30-1/2"                           +1/2"

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

Hips                62-1/2"                       62-1/2"                          same

Apparently, I'm still going pear-shaped, but at least I'm headed in the right direction!

It might only be two pounds, but this marks a significant hurdle- I've finally broken through another weight loss goal! The goal was set at 325 lbs.- the next goal is 300lbs.

Onto the next breakthrough!

Year One, Week Seven- Maintaining My Energy

The past week has been an energy roller coaster. I've been going full tilt or completely in hibernation mode. I can't tell you how many times I cat-napped in the middle of the day. Part of me really wonders what the heck my body is up to!

One minute I'm running like a rabbit, the next, I'm snoring like a bear. And nighttime is fraught with insomnia or waking up every few hours to release the dam. Either way, I'm awake when everyone else is in dreamland.

We worked on many things in the house, including bringing in our freezer from the store and reorganizing it. Now that I know what we have, I can keep better track of my eating habits. Most of what we're eating now are meals I made way before the move (yes, we're still eating food I made months ago!) I'm so glad I pre-prepped! We finally unburied all of it, and it's all organized and sitting where it needs to be in the freezer for easy access. 

The oven still hasn't been replaced due to a postponement of our propane. We have the new range for the house sitting in the store, but it won't work without propane. So no baking just yet. I hope we get it hooked up before Thanksgiving! Kinda hard to crockpot a turkey...

No worries- we do have an electric roaster- just in case. Somewhere.

The crockpots are still packed, but I have a mission this week to find them so we can do more than frozen foods (even if they are homemade) and breakfast tortilla sandwiches. 

I also bit the bullet and bought a scale.

Yes, I know- don't look at me like that! I know it's not all about the numbers. This scale reads BMI and several other neato things to figure out what's going on in my body. But, unfortunately, doing measurements isn't encouraging me enough- I'm one of those people that needs to see the scale numbers to stay on track. At least until I get closer to my last goal. 

My daughter, who gained a lot of weight these past few years, is also using it. She weighed as much as I did when I got married and is already down seventeen pounds. She, too, is encouraged by the numbers on the scale.

I, however, won't weigh myself until next week. It's tempting, but after looking at my pear-shaped numbers last month, I want another week to maintain my composure- and my energy. 

We should be done unpacking in the next few weeks, and then it's off to clean out the store and transform it into our bakery cafe. I'll be getting plenty of exercise during the winter!

Year One, Week Six: Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Hello, Internet- It's me, Beth. I've missed you!

Unfortunately, this is a drive-by meetup. We still don't have the internet at the house and had to find an alternative. I'm in a Starbucks about an hour from home.

(Hugs EVERYONE)

The new place is shaping up, and my IF windows are leveling out. OMADs haven't happened at all this week, but the meals themselves have been smaller. They're also getting a little healthier.

I should definitely be eating more greens, but the farms are nearly done harvesting, and not many have fresh greens left, so I have to wait until I get to a store. Since the closest one is seven miles away, daily trips are becoming a nuisance. It's also time to stock up on goods since we have no idea what the winters are like. 

The new oven arrived yesterday, but the propane to run the stovetop won't be in for a week. So we've decided to stick to using the old stove for now, since the electric burners still work. Either that or we hook up the new one and only do baking. Not gonna happen. Sigh.

Hunger pangs have been weird lately. Sometimes I get them really early in the morning, and other times not a peep. Either that or I'm just too busy to hear them! 

I'm happy to report that I didn't eat a lot the other day, and the next day my energy was back! I've missed being energetic for so long (probably because I spent it during the move) that after a good rest and light meal, I was good to go, go, go!

Image by Capri23auto from Pixabay 

Okay, my go-go is the pace of a tortoise, but I'm still moving in the right direction. After all, that amphibian beat a hare, so any movement towards the finish line is a good move!

Year One, Week Five: Keep Moving Forward

(postdated Tuesday, October 26, 2021)

This weekend, we moved our last load of boxes from storage into the house. Sort of- most of them went into the store since it’s conveniently attached to the house and is nearly empty.

Now, all we must do is sort everything. Like that’s a small job! Most of the unpacking will be done by me because my husband is working on repairs, improvements, and painting. My daughter will be helping us both when we need it. Poor kid.

The eating windows have varied in a good way this week, but the weekend was a mess because of the final moving of all our junk- I mean valuable merchandise. Only one day went by where my window was open an insane amount- thirteen hours- and I felt like a slug the entire day. Can you guess which day that was?

Maybe I’m still in a ‘diet’ mindset. Eat when you can, where you can really doesn’t work well for me, and I wonder if I should have made days like those into complete fasts instead.

I learn and I keep moving forward.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay 

Surprisingly enough, I took two days to do some canning. Tomato season is over, and I’m surrounded by farmers, and all of them were practically giving away their produce by the days’ end. I wound up with about six gallons of tomato base with peppers and onions. Yum!

When we were in Philly getting our stuff from storage, I took a side journey to get a load of fresh ginger, thyme, and rosemary. I’m going to be making a huge batch of my cold and flu-killing tea ice cubes today as well- hopefully, these will last for the next six months to a year. 83 cubes to be exact!

I hope I can find someone who grows ginger here, otherwise, I might have to start ordering it! As for the rosemary and thyme? I can grow that myself if no one around grows it. Maybe the ginger too. My husband is building a mini greenhouse in one of the upstairs bedrooms, so there’s a good possibility I can do a little self-sustaining gardening.

The biggest hurdle is not eating when my family does in the mornings. It was so much easier when my husband and daughter worked out of the house, but now they’re here full-time, and it’s difficult to not eat with them. Eating is the only time we really socialize because the rest of the day is filled with things to do.

One habit we’ve started is in the evenings when the work is done. Instead of watching something (since the internet is out still), we settle in my sewing room and read, sip our favorite drinks (mine is water, they usually have tea), and read, chatting about our day.

We found the DVD player the other day and I admit, it was like sitting in a movie theatre when we watched a movie. Before we moved, the TV was packed, and we watched shows on my husbands’ small laptop. Our TV screen feels enormous now!

However, we still prefer that quiet time as the sun sets just to be together, enjoying our books. I’m working on moving the furniture around in my sewing space a little, so we have a family reading nook that won’t interfere with my sewing. Tea spills and fabrics don’t mix!

Each day a little more progress is made in both the house and my IFF journey. I get farther every day. The weight took decades to put on, and it will take a lot fewer years to get it off. I just need to be patient with myself, and keep moving forward!

Year One, Week Four- Going Pear-Shaped

 (postdated Monday, Oct. 18^th 2021)

It’s measurement time!

Luckily for me, I found my IFF notepad, so I can at least figure out how well I did this month. The downside is we still don’t have internet access and no phone service because our phone upgrades are still somewhere in the postal system. Thanks a lot, pandemic!

Let’s look at the numbers:

 Original numbers:      4 weeks ago:          Now:              Difference:       

Weight 363 lbs.                ?                       ?                       ?                  

Biceps- 23"                   21"                      20"                    -1"               

Chest- 61-1/2"              59-1/2"             58-1/4"               -3/4"                 

Waist- 58"                    54-1/2"              55-1/2"                +1"           

Hips- 69-1/2"                  62"                 62-1/2"                +1/2"              

Thigh- 32"                   29-3/4"                 30"                   +1/4"          

Neck- 18"                    17-1/2"               17-1/2"                same             

My top is getting smaller, and my bottom is getting bigger. Egad, I’m going pear-shaped!

 Image by PIRO4D from Pixabay 

This month was a series of events that created a lot of chaos- eating windows were too short, or too long, too much food versus OMAD, and a lot of ‘eat it before it goes bad/gets packed/gets tossed’ moments. Moving wasn’t good for me during my IF journey, despite my plans. But a lot has changed this week that surprised me.

Good stuff.

I find out here in the country, I’m not as famished as I was in the city. I’m a lot more mobile (unpacking a massive amount of cra-…er, I mean valuable belongings does a body good, except for the cramps from muscles long since unused to such expenditures.

Move it or lose it, indeed!

The water here is all well water, and I must say it is the best water I’ve ever tasted! Straight from the rocks; the locals told us they would show us the origin of our spring when we’re more settled. We used to filter our water in the city, and even then, it smelled faintly of chlorine. Ugh.

As for eating, mostly everything we’ve had so far has been from our freezer or from the local restaurants or diners. Eating out allowed us to do double duty- One, take a break from moving in, and two, check out the competition for our own business when we get started.

But that’s another blog post for another day.

Unfortunately, the current stovetop oven doesn't work well, and only the burners are functioning. The oven door doesn't shut properly, which is good for making jerky in the winter, but not much else. I have no plans to use it at all. Our new oven should be here in a week or two.

My family usually has a big breakfast in the early morning, and I usually don’t eat with them because that’s just too early to start my eating window. Even mid-morning was too early because once I ate, I felt more than a bit sluggish. Not good when you need to work all day unpacking. 

One great thing about country life is there’s lots of peace and quiet to hear your body talk!

After some experimentation, I found myself much happier and more energetic if I eat a light breakfast (aka half of what I normally eat) around 11:00 to Noonish and eat again before 5:00 or 6:00. I’ve eaten after that time on occasion because there just wasn’t time to eat at that point, but for the most part, this has been my eating routine give or take an OMAD that wasn’t scheduled.

I’ve decided on days that I start eating after 2:00 or 3:00, that will be my OMAD instead. I’m not planning them anymore, but I’m going by just how hungry I am instead. And no two OMADs in a row if I can help it.

Mobility has always been an issue, but I can honestly say this move had been the best (if painful) thing I could do for my body. I ache like crazy at the end of the day, but not overly so; it’s something I can work through. The feet swelling has been gone since the move, and the previous owners left behind a recliner that I use after the day is done.

After removing my husband, daughter, and cats from it, that is!

All in all, despite my pear-shaped beginnings, I think this move was the best thing I could do not only for my health but for the health of my family. I hope to report smaller numbers next month!

Year One, Week Three- Changin’ and Rearrangin’

(postdated Tuesday, Oct 12^th 2021)

We moved into our new home this weekend!

There were a lot of hiccups. A lot of stress. My eating windows were practically non-existent. We had to eat when food was available, and where food can be found.

What do I mean by that, you ask?

When food was available- that means out here in the mountains, there aren’t any fast-food places. No franchises of any kind. And diners are few and far between. Most are only open a few days a week.

Where food could be found? Well, because of those lovely hiccups, time was running out and the unloading crew put all the boxes in one spot in the store- including our fresh food. We’re still trying to find most of it.

So we ate when we could, when we found it, be it a diner or food box.

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay 

At the time of this post (which will be post-dated due to no internet service), we have most of our stuff here and are planning to move the rest in a few weeks.

There’s also a lot more to fix than we thought, so stress levels are still high, but hopeful.

Things should settle soon so I can get back to Intermittent Fasting full-time. Because the eating schedule is so odd, it’s hard to listen to my body tell me what it needs. But there’s some good come from all of this; being out here in the country is just what we all needed.

I don’t feel the excessive need to eat, despite the stress. I find myself sleeping a lot more instead. Unfortunately, my allergies are running full throttle, and sinus headaches are putting me off from eating as much as I normally would.

We have an electric stove. I used to use one as a teen, but when we switched to gas that was a huge game-changer concerning cooking! There are no gas lines up here, but there is propane- though it’s expensive, we plan to buy an electric/propane hybrid so we can cook with flame on the stovetop, while we use the electric oven for baking. It should be in by the end of October.

However, the propane to use the stovetop won't be in until late the first week of November.

I’m looking forward to buying produce, meats, cheeses, and milk from the locals. Talk about fresh! Most of the food up here is naturally organic, and we can get milk in its raw state- not something that’s allowed in the city.

Next week is measurement week. Good thing I know where my measuring tape is! However, my little notepad with my previous measurements is buried somewhere, so if I don’t find it in time, I’ll just post them as is in my notes and compare them later.

I'll keep you posted as much as I can!