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!

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!

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!