I am still 'at it' - as in fasting. This week I had to change around my second fasting cycle from Thursday/Friday to Friday/Saturday due to social commitments, which means I am doing my second 500 calorie day today.
So far I have lost 4.75 pounds. This is actually better than expected and more than I probably would have lost just by calorie counting during the equivalent time period. I am really pleased about it. 2 more pounds and I will be back at my August 2012 weight. I remember feeling physically more comfortable at that weight, which is 165.75.
For me, once I get into the 170s, I feel uncomfortable due to the weight distribution; it is fair to day that bits of me start to touch each other at 170something which from a comfort perspective should not be touching! In bed is the worst... And seeing as I have chronic disease issues that mean I spend a lot of my life in bed, being comfy there is a priority. Suffice to say, I am starting to notice the benefits of getting a slightly more even weight distribution.
Intermittent Fasting has also been more flexible for me than doing 7 days a week of proper calorie counting. I am logging on My Fitness Pal, but approximating more than I would if I were trying to lose weight purely by counting calories. Clearly it is working! I was figuring out my weekly calorie average yesterday and it was hovering around the 1,266 area - that is why it works. I have days where I am eating 1,700 or even 2,000, but over an entire week when added to the 500 days, it all evens out to a weight loss calorie average. I am hoping that if I can keep this up, I shall also be helping myself with the fasting benefits.
One thing that I thought would be interesting is to see if IF helps my TTOTM PMS sugar cravings. These had gotten really bad again - in fact, I can't say they ever went away even when I have been doing very clean eating. Come PMS time, I am like another person - just craving all the bad stuff. So this time, I did eat a little more sweet stuff than the rest of the month, but it was way less than normal and quite controlled. I didn't feel out of control, that's for sure; so I didn't feel any feelings of shame or negativity. I shall be interested to see if this becomes an ongoing pattern. I do think that not feeling deprived, because 5 days of the week I can eat treats sensibly if want, helps to lessen the urge to grab things... And thus minimise the tendency to suddenly go out of control.
When your daily calorie count is 1200 or 1300 or whatever, the tendency to not be able to allow for one piece of cake or other sweet/savoury treat means that when you finally do cave, as you are most likely to do at some point (we are human after all), can lead to falling off the wagon big time. In my case, my own blog is testament to this. I seem to have a 'cracking' point. I can literally be like a saint, doing all the right things for months and then it's as if this urge or resentment builds up in me and boom... I find one piece of cake becomes: 'why the hell am I depriving myself of this?', which becomes an abandonment of 'the plan'; and I find myself 4, 6, or 10 months later back where I started, possibly with some more poundage in addition to the stuff I gained back.
This yo-yo diet cycle is apparently incredibly bad for you. I certainly do not relish it at all. Part of my gaining weight in several cycles has been due to endocrine health issues too, but I know that even if you take that away, my input has been more than my output for a long time. It may be because I tend to be so sedentary and I used to be so active, that my brain has never caught up with the fact that I actually cannot eat as much as I think I can without gaining weight. I still have not found that magic place where input and output are balanced.
This is where I hope that IF comes in and pretty much saves me from the yo-yo diet cycle. The way I see it, Intermittent Fasting is not a diet. It's more of a life choice/a lifestyle. You just add those two cycles into your week and that's it... For life. It's not something you abandon when you reach The Magic Number - as in, the weight you have always wished to be, where life will suddenly be rosy and perfect and all will be well with the world. It just keeps on occurring like clockwork and you surrender to the process, and reprogram your brain, just like you programmed it before to some other way of eating and being.
Saturday, 2 February 2013
Friday, 25 January 2013
The Intermittent Fast 5:2 Breakfast
As mentioned before, I seem to have settled into a rough Intermittent Fasting routine. With fast length and meal times sorted, I faced the other challenge: figuring out the perfect way to use the 500 calories.
I quickly noticed that 500 calories lends itself to a 200/300 split. I started off focusing on breakfast - eggs seemed a good idea. After a while, I started wondering if anything else might work so one IF day I tried full fat cream cheese - the Philadelphia type - but organic from Sainsbury's, which is normally very yummy. This cream cheese did not cut it at all. It disappeared very quickly and I had hunger pangs galore. It was too little substance from too many calories.
Back to the eggs, they do seem to work the best for me. Now my quest to perfect the maximum satisfaction from the 200 calories started. Today I think I pretty much cracked it (no egg pun intended).
Meet my breakfast, pictured above: 1 slice of wholemeal granary toast, 1 poached (coddled) egg, 1/2 a grilled medium tomato and 1/2 a grilled portabella mushroom. This was delicious. The tomato give moisture, the mushroom provides meatiness, and the egg is creamy against the crunch of the toast. Of course granary toast is glycemically good, and the egg is excellent protein and nutrients, so it is quite a satisfying way to end a fast. It also does not require too much preparation, which is important if you are like me and feel quite weak from fasting.
I am still struggling with the weakness on the 500 calorie days. I feel as if these very low calorie days are physical write-offs. I am at home on both days, so in some ways it is less of an issue, but at the same time, I have stuff I need to do and yet my productiveness seems way worse than normal. Maybe this is because I am chronically sick or maybe my body is not efficient at burning up fat compared to other people. I don't know, but I still feel that it is worth doing IF.
I quickly noticed that 500 calories lends itself to a 200/300 split. I started off focusing on breakfast - eggs seemed a good idea. After a while, I started wondering if anything else might work so one IF day I tried full fat cream cheese - the Philadelphia type - but organic from Sainsbury's, which is normally very yummy. This cream cheese did not cut it at all. It disappeared very quickly and I had hunger pangs galore. It was too little substance from too many calories.
Back to the eggs, they do seem to work the best for me. Now my quest to perfect the maximum satisfaction from the 200 calories started. Today I think I pretty much cracked it (no egg pun intended).
Meet my breakfast, pictured above: 1 slice of wholemeal granary toast, 1 poached (coddled) egg, 1/2 a grilled medium tomato and 1/2 a grilled portabella mushroom. This was delicious. The tomato give moisture, the mushroom provides meatiness, and the egg is creamy against the crunch of the toast. Of course granary toast is glycemically good, and the egg is excellent protein and nutrients, so it is quite a satisfying way to end a fast. It also does not require too much preparation, which is important if you are like me and feel quite weak from fasting.
I am still struggling with the weakness on the 500 calorie days. I feel as if these very low calorie days are physical write-offs. I am at home on both days, so in some ways it is less of an issue, but at the same time, I have stuff I need to do and yet my productiveness seems way worse than normal. Maybe this is because I am chronically sick or maybe my body is not efficient at burning up fat compared to other people. I don't know, but I still feel that it is worth doing IF.
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
Weight Lost So Far
So far, I have lost 2.25 pounds in total. Not bad! I am pleased with that. Intermittent Fasting for weight loss does work - for me. Of course, some people might not be overly happy with a weight loss of 2.25 in two weeks, but for me, this is on a par with what I would lose if I were traditionally calorie counting and logging. The thing I have to point out is that when I add up my calorie logs for my 2 days of fasting, plus my 5 days of eating and divide it by 7 to get a daily average, it works out at around the same as if I were calorie counting/logging the 'traditional' way.
In my measurements, the most notable descreases are an inch off my waist and one off my hips too. I can't wait for my knees and thighs to go down! They are my real problem areas. To be honest, my hips are a problem area because they are notably larger than my waist, so anything off them is always welcome. I just used this waist-to-hip calculator, and it turns out I am:
I guess it is nice to have at least one result that is favourable, despite still being officially classed as 'overweight'.
Coming back to Intermittent Fasting - what I am trying to point out (to anyone actually reading this) is that IF is not a quick fix for weightloss. It is not a magic 'melt away the fat' formula. It is not as if you just do the IF days and then can do whatever you like the rest of the time. I find that it is more flexible for me, which is what I wanted from a plan. I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the idea that the IF component comes with excellent health benefits.
Talking about flexibility, one of the reasons I struggled last year with calorie counting and logging was the inflexibility of it. I have a goal of around 1200-1400 calories per day. I tend to be able to eat 1200 to 1300 while being fairly sedentary and 1400 when I am doing more physical activity, and lose. Those numbers do not allow for having a cake when you are out, for going to a friend's house and having whatever they have cooked for dinner or are offering you for afternoon tea, or for visiting a restaurant and having what you want, rather than what you are 'forced' to have (to fit in with the 'diet'). With IF, it is possible to do those things on your regular non-IF days. In my case I have worked out that I still need to keep an eye on what I am eating overall. I have to aim for my average calories across the 7 day period of Monday to Sunday to be between the 1200-1400.
For that reason, I am still logging, because I know that I need to; I need to be held accountable for what I am eating. I come back, on that note, to my posts last year where I wondered if I would have to log for the rest of my life. Maybe I will. It seems that every time I lose weight successfully, I put it back on once I stop logging. I know partly this is because my thyroid problems are still not resolved/optimal, but there is still the fact that I am consuming more than I am burning and I put weight on. Since I got a Nexus 7 tablet, I have found it a lot easier to track my calories because I have the My Fitness Pal android app. I really recommend using a calorie counting app if you struggle to maintain your desired weight or if you are trying to lose weight. After a little while you get use to using it and logging becomes a habit. I don't find it straining like I did when I had to log onto the laptop every day.
Another aspect relating to logging and Intermittent Fasting is that I have noticed you can be a little more relaxed when logging calories when doing IF. That's not to say you cheat, but when I have been losing weight purely through calorie counting and logging, I have had to weigh all my food. Doing that definitely gets old FAST, but it is also the most effective way of doing that weight loss method. I hated having to do that all the time, plus when you go out, it's almost impossible to do it properly. Now on IF protocol, I will weigh things I know are easy to get wrong - cereal, occasionally fruit, and sometimes potatoes/rice/pasta. Generally, however, I am guessing and approximating, and I seem to be doing okay because I am losing what I would expect to lose if I were calorie counting and weighing it all out. Not having to weigh every single item is a massive bonus, that I really appreciate.
In my measurements, the most notable descreases are an inch off my waist and one off my hips too. I can't wait for my knees and thighs to go down! They are my real problem areas. To be honest, my hips are a problem area because they are notably larger than my waist, so anything off them is always welcome. I just used this waist-to-hip calculator, and it turns out I am:
| Result: | Estimated Health Risk: | Estimated Body Shape: |
|---|---|---|
| 0.80 or below | Low | Pear |
I guess it is nice to have at least one result that is favourable, despite still being officially classed as 'overweight'.
Coming back to Intermittent Fasting - what I am trying to point out (to anyone actually reading this) is that IF is not a quick fix for weightloss. It is not a magic 'melt away the fat' formula. It is not as if you just do the IF days and then can do whatever you like the rest of the time. I find that it is more flexible for me, which is what I wanted from a plan. I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the idea that the IF component comes with excellent health benefits.
Talking about flexibility, one of the reasons I struggled last year with calorie counting and logging was the inflexibility of it. I have a goal of around 1200-1400 calories per day. I tend to be able to eat 1200 to 1300 while being fairly sedentary and 1400 when I am doing more physical activity, and lose. Those numbers do not allow for having a cake when you are out, for going to a friend's house and having whatever they have cooked for dinner or are offering you for afternoon tea, or for visiting a restaurant and having what you want, rather than what you are 'forced' to have (to fit in with the 'diet'). With IF, it is possible to do those things on your regular non-IF days. In my case I have worked out that I still need to keep an eye on what I am eating overall. I have to aim for my average calories across the 7 day period of Monday to Sunday to be between the 1200-1400.
For that reason, I am still logging, because I know that I need to; I need to be held accountable for what I am eating. I come back, on that note, to my posts last year where I wondered if I would have to log for the rest of my life. Maybe I will. It seems that every time I lose weight successfully, I put it back on once I stop logging. I know partly this is because my thyroid problems are still not resolved/optimal, but there is still the fact that I am consuming more than I am burning and I put weight on. Since I got a Nexus 7 tablet, I have found it a lot easier to track my calories because I have the My Fitness Pal android app. I really recommend using a calorie counting app if you struggle to maintain your desired weight or if you are trying to lose weight. After a little while you get use to using it and logging becomes a habit. I don't find it straining like I did when I had to log onto the laptop every day.
Another aspect relating to logging and Intermittent Fasting is that I have noticed you can be a little more relaxed when logging calories when doing IF. That's not to say you cheat, but when I have been losing weight purely through calorie counting and logging, I have had to weigh all my food. Doing that definitely gets old FAST, but it is also the most effective way of doing that weight loss method. I hated having to do that all the time, plus when you go out, it's almost impossible to do it properly. Now on IF protocol, I will weigh things I know are easy to get wrong - cereal, occasionally fruit, and sometimes potatoes/rice/pasta. Generally, however, I am guessing and approximating, and I seem to be doing okay because I am losing what I would expect to lose if I were calorie counting and weighing it all out. Not having to weigh every single item is a massive bonus, that I really appreciate.
Friday, 18 January 2013
Intermittent Fasting Cycle 4 - What Fasting Teaches Me
Today is my Intermittent Fasting day. I am still thinking about the role of meat in fasting - I know this probably sounds weird, and it definitely sounds weird from someone who has spent some years being a pescetarian who could not face meat, but I find it an interesting topic.
Yesterday, for dinner, I ate a fillet of trout along with vegetables and some mashed potato. Last night the hunger during my fast was not overly apparent; however, I did have a bout or two of hunger pangs, which I did not have when I had eaten meat before starting the fast. I lay in bed, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling I get where my insides feel as if they are nibbling at themselves, and thought about what today might bring seeing as I had not eaten meat pre-fast this time around. Well, today it has been worse than last night. I have probably had about 3 major bouts of hunger pangs - or pains would be more accurate.
At the same time, I am counting my blessings because, despite still getting hunger pangs, they are nowhere near what I experienced in the first week. Even though I don't think the first week was particularly bad, it seems like a horror movie compared to this week. On the first week, 5 p.m. on the IF day could not roll around quickly enough. I was standing at the stove, cooking the dinner at 4.30 p.m. so that it would be ready in time for a 5 p.m. meal. This week I am a bit more relaxed because I know that if the meal happens at 5.10 p.m., I am not going to pass out and die.
Fasting is definitely raising some thoughts and feelings in me that I hadn't really expected:
Food seems delicious and amazing when you are eating the restricted (500) calories on the Intermittent Fast day. I savour my food, take my time and really enjoy it. I am a foodie, and I love food, so it's not as if I don't enjoy my food the rest of the time. Believe me when I say, I do... probably too much! On the restricted calorie day, I guess I just feel more aware of how great it is to be able to actually eat something and I appreciate my food. I feel blessed to have access to food, a luxury which many people in the world do not automatically have.
I feel powerful. As someone who gets frustrated about weight and food intake, I do feel a power from being able to control myself in this way. I have actually started working on long abandoned projects this week, a step I feel has been partly motivated by me realising that: I can do things if I put my mind to them.
It is nice to not have to think about food. When you can't have food, or can have very little, it makes you realise how much of the time you might be spending thinking about food, consuming food, shopping for food, preparing food and so on. It's not unheard of in this country to have 'something' with your cup of tea or coffee, which means that you may have 1, 2 or 3 times in the day when you are eating something that perhaps you don't actually need. I am now more aware of this, which leads me onto...
The fasting and the calorie restriction is paying off on the non-Intermittent Fasting days! Yesterday is a case in point. I was sitting at my computer doing some work, and I noticed that hours had gone by without me even thinking about food or feeling hungry. This probably sounds normal to most people - I don't know, but for me it was a breakthrough. I usually would have thought about food during that time period and probably had an afternoon drink and a snack and then felt guilty for eating something. Instead, I had water. I also have been snacking less in the evening, as once you have 4 evenings a week (due to the IF) where you don't eat anything, it is not that much of a stretch to turn that into 6 or 7, which leads me onto...
You start to evaluate whether you really need to eat something. Now I am more conscious, when I do choose to have a treat or a snack, of whether that snack or treat is something I truly want and/or need. I am not averse to having a treat, but as I have discussed on this blog before, I do have a habit of eating because other people are eating/offer me something. I know that the reason I do this is because I want to make the other person feel comfortable, and to also be sociable. I feel rude if I don't join in or if I turn their offer down. Now, because there are these sections of the week where I cannot have anything at all, or can have very little (the 500 calorie days do not allow for snacks/treats), I am having to actively turn people down when they offer me food. The very act of doing this sends not only a powerful message to myself, but to the other person as well. I think it is almost like training, or retraining, your brain to an alternative setting. In turn, I believe this will make the regular eating days easier for me because I will learn to be able to evaluate whether I want or need the food item and be able to say no if I do not want/need it. In addition, because I am doing Intermittent Fasting, which people around me know to be for health, and weight loss is just a side effect, I am actually able to turn them down easily...
For some reason if you are doing something for health, it's more acceptable to people than if you are doing it to lose weight. Picture this: you are invited to go around your slim friend's house. When you get there, he/she makes you a drink. Then they get out the cake or the cookies or whatever, and offer them to you. In the past I have actually been in the position where I have accepted one of these offerings: a. because I have not wanted to turn the person down and b. because I have not wanted to tell them I am trying to lose weight. When I tell someone I am trying to lose weight, it adds a certain pressure. Suddenly I feel that person is evaluating me and in the future is watching to see if I am losing weight and what I am eating etc. I am not imagining this, as people do comment on my weight. In an Intermittent Fasting situation, I can turn the person down and say I am doing Intermittent Fasting for my health. Somehow that is okay. It would seem really weird if they then turned around and were 'off' to me because I refused their offer of food, when I am trying to improve my health. It's slightly ridiculous, but true in my case.
Yesterday, for dinner, I ate a fillet of trout along with vegetables and some mashed potato. Last night the hunger during my fast was not overly apparent; however, I did have a bout or two of hunger pangs, which I did not have when I had eaten meat before starting the fast. I lay in bed, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling I get where my insides feel as if they are nibbling at themselves, and thought about what today might bring seeing as I had not eaten meat pre-fast this time around. Well, today it has been worse than last night. I have probably had about 3 major bouts of hunger pangs - or pains would be more accurate.
At the same time, I am counting my blessings because, despite still getting hunger pangs, they are nowhere near what I experienced in the first week. Even though I don't think the first week was particularly bad, it seems like a horror movie compared to this week. On the first week, 5 p.m. on the IF day could not roll around quickly enough. I was standing at the stove, cooking the dinner at 4.30 p.m. so that it would be ready in time for a 5 p.m. meal. This week I am a bit more relaxed because I know that if the meal happens at 5.10 p.m., I am not going to pass out and die.
Fasting is definitely raising some thoughts and feelings in me that I hadn't really expected:
Food seems delicious and amazing when you are eating the restricted (500) calories on the Intermittent Fast day. I savour my food, take my time and really enjoy it. I am a foodie, and I love food, so it's not as if I don't enjoy my food the rest of the time. Believe me when I say, I do... probably too much! On the restricted calorie day, I guess I just feel more aware of how great it is to be able to actually eat something and I appreciate my food. I feel blessed to have access to food, a luxury which many people in the world do not automatically have.
I feel powerful. As someone who gets frustrated about weight and food intake, I do feel a power from being able to control myself in this way. I have actually started working on long abandoned projects this week, a step I feel has been partly motivated by me realising that: I can do things if I put my mind to them.
It is nice to not have to think about food. When you can't have food, or can have very little, it makes you realise how much of the time you might be spending thinking about food, consuming food, shopping for food, preparing food and so on. It's not unheard of in this country to have 'something' with your cup of tea or coffee, which means that you may have 1, 2 or 3 times in the day when you are eating something that perhaps you don't actually need. I am now more aware of this, which leads me onto...
The fasting and the calorie restriction is paying off on the non-Intermittent Fasting days! Yesterday is a case in point. I was sitting at my computer doing some work, and I noticed that hours had gone by without me even thinking about food or feeling hungry. This probably sounds normal to most people - I don't know, but for me it was a breakthrough. I usually would have thought about food during that time period and probably had an afternoon drink and a snack and then felt guilty for eating something. Instead, I had water. I also have been snacking less in the evening, as once you have 4 evenings a week (due to the IF) where you don't eat anything, it is not that much of a stretch to turn that into 6 or 7, which leads me onto...
You start to evaluate whether you really need to eat something. Now I am more conscious, when I do choose to have a treat or a snack, of whether that snack or treat is something I truly want and/or need. I am not averse to having a treat, but as I have discussed on this blog before, I do have a habit of eating because other people are eating/offer me something. I know that the reason I do this is because I want to make the other person feel comfortable, and to also be sociable. I feel rude if I don't join in or if I turn their offer down. Now, because there are these sections of the week where I cannot have anything at all, or can have very little (the 500 calorie days do not allow for snacks/treats), I am having to actively turn people down when they offer me food. The very act of doing this sends not only a powerful message to myself, but to the other person as well. I think it is almost like training, or retraining, your brain to an alternative setting. In turn, I believe this will make the regular eating days easier for me because I will learn to be able to evaluate whether I want or need the food item and be able to say no if I do not want/need it. In addition, because I am doing Intermittent Fasting, which people around me know to be for health, and weight loss is just a side effect, I am actually able to turn them down easily...
For some reason if you are doing something for health, it's more acceptable to people than if you are doing it to lose weight. Picture this: you are invited to go around your slim friend's house. When you get there, he/she makes you a drink. Then they get out the cake or the cookies or whatever, and offer them to you. In the past I have actually been in the position where I have accepted one of these offerings: a. because I have not wanted to turn the person down and b. because I have not wanted to tell them I am trying to lose weight. When I tell someone I am trying to lose weight, it adds a certain pressure. Suddenly I feel that person is evaluating me and in the future is watching to see if I am losing weight and what I am eating etc. I am not imagining this, as people do comment on my weight. In an Intermittent Fasting situation, I can turn the person down and say I am doing Intermittent Fasting for my health. Somehow that is okay. It would seem really weird if they then turned around and were 'off' to me because I refused their offer of food, when I am trying to improve my health. It's slightly ridiculous, but true in my case.
Monday, 14 January 2013
Weigh-In & The Role of Meat in Fasting - Intermittent Fast 3
Drum roll please... The results of my first week of Intermittent Fasting are in...
I have lost 0.75 of a pound!
This is the first loss in a while, so I am pleased. While it doesn't seem a lot, if I lost that every week for 52 weeks, I would lose 39 pounds. So I am not 'sniffing' at it. If I lose between 1/2 to 1 pound per week, it would be ideal really as it gives my skin a chance to catch up!
I don't really want to end up like this:
On to the second part of this blog post:
For several years I was a pescetarian - eating only fish and ovo-lacto vegetarian. A while ago I deiced to trial eating some red meat as I was starting to crave it, and I believe in listening to my body. Previously there was no way I could have eaten any meat as the mere thought of it totally turned my stomach, but suddenly I actually wanted to eat it and did not feel grossed out by the texture/taste and thought. I have been trialling eating it for a while now, and generally have probably had meat maybe once or twice a month for the past 3 or 4 months. I am hoping this may have helped my iron and vitamin B12 levels.
Now I am questioning the role of meat in fasting. I am on my third Intermittent Fasting cycle. I found the first two quite challenging because of the dreaded tummy rumblings and hunger pangs (they were actually quite painful!). Now on the first two fasts I had not eaten meat anywhere near them; however, unintentionally I ate some meat yesterday, and I noticed that last night I was not hungry at all while fasting - not one tummy rumble. In addition, today has been less bad than those first two. When I woke up this morning, I was not hungry. I am unsure if this is pure coincidence and nothing to do with meat consumption - as in, I have done two fasts, my stomach is shrinking, and I therefore am getting used to fasting and eating less.
After breaking my 16 hour fast with a cup of tea at 10 a.m., around 11.15 I ate a poached egg on a toasted English muffin. I am not sure if this is also helping me because it's protein rich and eggs are quite sustaining, but I don't even feel much hunger this afternoon. I do not feel all-consumed and like I am counting the minutes down to my 2nd meal at 5 p.m, which I definitely did feel last week!
I am going to see how I do on Friday and report back.
I have lost 0.75 of a pound!
This is the first loss in a while, so I am pleased. While it doesn't seem a lot, if I lost that every week for 52 weeks, I would lose 39 pounds. So I am not 'sniffing' at it. If I lose between 1/2 to 1 pound per week, it would be ideal really as it gives my skin a chance to catch up!
I don't really want to end up like this:
Picture credit: http://www.news.com.au/news/loose-skin-what-you-can-do/story-fnejnnxf-1226479027462
On to the second part of this blog post:
For several years I was a pescetarian - eating only fish and ovo-lacto vegetarian. A while ago I deiced to trial eating some red meat as I was starting to crave it, and I believe in listening to my body. Previously there was no way I could have eaten any meat as the mere thought of it totally turned my stomach, but suddenly I actually wanted to eat it and did not feel grossed out by the texture/taste and thought. I have been trialling eating it for a while now, and generally have probably had meat maybe once or twice a month for the past 3 or 4 months. I am hoping this may have helped my iron and vitamin B12 levels.
Now I am questioning the role of meat in fasting. I am on my third Intermittent Fasting cycle. I found the first two quite challenging because of the dreaded tummy rumblings and hunger pangs (they were actually quite painful!). Now on the first two fasts I had not eaten meat anywhere near them; however, unintentionally I ate some meat yesterday, and I noticed that last night I was not hungry at all while fasting - not one tummy rumble. In addition, today has been less bad than those first two. When I woke up this morning, I was not hungry. I am unsure if this is pure coincidence and nothing to do with meat consumption - as in, I have done two fasts, my stomach is shrinking, and I therefore am getting used to fasting and eating less.
After breaking my 16 hour fast with a cup of tea at 10 a.m., around 11.15 I ate a poached egg on a toasted English muffin. I am not sure if this is also helping me because it's protein rich and eggs are quite sustaining, but I don't even feel much hunger this afternoon. I do not feel all-consumed and like I am counting the minutes down to my 2nd meal at 5 p.m, which I definitely did feel last week!
I am going to see how I do on Friday and report back.
Saturday, 12 January 2013
4 fasts from 2!
I was lying in bed last night and I realised something pretty amazing (well I consider it so), that on the 5:2 Intermittent Fast protocol, you actually can get 4 fasting periods out of 2 IF days.
The way it works is this:
On Thursday night I stopped eating at 6 p.m. and fasted until 10 a.m. - 16 hour fast.
I then ate the IF day of 500 calories (for a female - 600 for males), and had my last meal at 5 p.m.
This means I have finished eating at 5.20 p.m. and as I did not have any calories left, I then went until 10 a.m. Saturday (this morning) before eating again. - 16 hours 40 minutes fast.
Effectively by eating my last meal/food intake on the IF restricted calorie day earlyish, and by not eating the next day until 9 or 10 a.m., I automatically get another fasting period of 15 or 16 hours in, without really consciously intending to. As I do this twice a week, it turns my initial idea of 2 fasting periods a week into 4. RESULT!
What makes this more tolerable for me is that it is only in 2 chunks. If I had to split this up more - say like the alternate day fasting, it would affect more of my week and my mood/energy levels. Due to my health issues, I am not a natural faster, so the easier I can make it for myself the better.
One of the reasons I am so excited about learning that I can do 4 fasting periods out of 2 IF rotations is that I watched Dr Mosley's Horizon documentary yesterday afternoon. Not only did it help me to cope with eating 500 calories (sometimes I need a bit of inspiration!), but the research thus far speaks for itself. The results of studies on mice and people are amazing. As someone for whom IGF-1 has been an issue (excessive growth) and for whom insulin resistance/type 2 diabetes is a concern (no one in my family has it - I definitely do not want it), the lowering of IGF-1, fasting glucose and cholesterol levels is heartening. I have come to the conclusion that regardless of weight, this is something I would try for the health benefits.
If you have not seen the documentary, check it out:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xvdbtt_eat-fast-live-longer-hd_shortfilms#.UPFBkJzFLni
The way it works is this:
On Thursday night I stopped eating at 6 p.m. and fasted until 10 a.m. - 16 hour fast.
I then ate the IF day of 500 calories (for a female - 600 for males), and had my last meal at 5 p.m.
This means I have finished eating at 5.20 p.m. and as I did not have any calories left, I then went until 10 a.m. Saturday (this morning) before eating again. - 16 hours 40 minutes fast.
Effectively by eating my last meal/food intake on the IF restricted calorie day earlyish, and by not eating the next day until 9 or 10 a.m., I automatically get another fasting period of 15 or 16 hours in, without really consciously intending to. As I do this twice a week, it turns my initial idea of 2 fasting periods a week into 4. RESULT!
What makes this more tolerable for me is that it is only in 2 chunks. If I had to split this up more - say like the alternate day fasting, it would affect more of my week and my mood/energy levels. Due to my health issues, I am not a natural faster, so the easier I can make it for myself the better.
One of the reasons I am so excited about learning that I can do 4 fasting periods out of 2 IF rotations is that I watched Dr Mosley's Horizon documentary yesterday afternoon. Not only did it help me to cope with eating 500 calories (sometimes I need a bit of inspiration!), but the research thus far speaks for itself. The results of studies on mice and people are amazing. As someone for whom IGF-1 has been an issue (excessive growth) and for whom insulin resistance/type 2 diabetes is a concern (no one in my family has it - I definitely do not want it), the lowering of IGF-1, fasting glucose and cholesterol levels is heartening. I have come to the conclusion that regardless of weight, this is something I would try for the health benefits.
If you have not seen the documentary, check it out:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xvdbtt_eat-fast-live-longer-hd_shortfilms#.UPFBkJzFLni
Friday, 11 January 2013
Intermittent Fast 2
I am mid-way through the 2nd cycle. Adding together my Intermittent Fast day and the subsequent calories over the 3 days since then and dividing it by the 4 days, I have a calorie average of 1350. I am quite happy with this as if I were calorie counting normally I would be aiming for between 1200 and 1400 per day.
Fasting itself is going okay, mainly because most of the fast takes place while I am asleep. I didn't find it quite so bad second time around, although I would not say it is particularly enjoyable either. I don't think I am a 'natural' faster - if such a person exists, which I am sure they do, as I seem to remember being around lots of women/girls who happily skipped meals seemingly without so much as a rumble of the tummy.
One thing I have noticed is that I really need to be prepared on a fast day. I need to have worked out an easy, satisfying and quick-to-prepare meal. When I have not eaten much for nearly 24 hours, I don't have the energy or willpower to be messing around with preparation. As soon as I get a sniff of the cooking, it needs to be ready within 30 minutes. I also am trialing this:
Cup of tea 16 hours after last meal/drink.
First meal at 12-ish. - between 150-200 calories.
Second meal at 5p.m. - between 250-300 calories.
Whatever is left over from food becomes drink calories for milk in tea. Espressos are milk-less.
Plenty of water. 1 herbal or fruit tea at night on the fasting section.
Today I am aiming to eat around 500 calories. If I can eat less than 567, which is what I had last time, then I will be pleased.
I weighed last Monday, so I will weigh again then and cross my fingers that something has budged!
Fasting itself is going okay, mainly because most of the fast takes place while I am asleep. I didn't find it quite so bad second time around, although I would not say it is particularly enjoyable either. I don't think I am a 'natural' faster - if such a person exists, which I am sure they do, as I seem to remember being around lots of women/girls who happily skipped meals seemingly without so much as a rumble of the tummy.
One thing I have noticed is that I really need to be prepared on a fast day. I need to have worked out an easy, satisfying and quick-to-prepare meal. When I have not eaten much for nearly 24 hours, I don't have the energy or willpower to be messing around with preparation. As soon as I get a sniff of the cooking, it needs to be ready within 30 minutes. I also am trialing this:
Cup of tea 16 hours after last meal/drink.
First meal at 12-ish. - between 150-200 calories.
Second meal at 5p.m. - between 250-300 calories.
Whatever is left over from food becomes drink calories for milk in tea. Espressos are milk-less.
Plenty of water. 1 herbal or fruit tea at night on the fasting section.
Today I am aiming to eat around 500 calories. If I can eat less than 567, which is what I had last time, then I will be pleased.
I weighed last Monday, so I will weigh again then and cross my fingers that something has budged!
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Survived... just!
It's official, I survived my first intermittent fast (IF) night/day - 24 hours - or whatever you want to call it. I don't really see it as being a total fast, as it's a mix of fasting and then very low calorie eating. To say it was hard and pretty uncomfortable at times would be the truth.
During the IF period, I did a little supportive reading by looking at articles about IF and other fasts. I have fasted before, so the sensation of fasting and emotional reaction to the sensations was not a complete surprise to me. At the same time, it is really tough to start with. My body pretty much protested from about 4 hours in (yes, how lightweight is that?) and my tummy growled a lot when I was trying to get to sleep. The amusing thing is, there are many times in life when I go without eating for more than 4 hours and I don't feel starving, so I feel there is some psychological component to this reaction.
Anyway, I managed to get a 16 hour window of fasting in before I ingested a tea with milk. Then I waited a while before having a 200 calorie meal, and later had a 300 calorie meal as an early dinner. To be honest, the 200 calorie meal didn't really work for a 5 hour period. My body wanted something in-between! I had some coffee with a little milk, and another cup of tea and finally cracked and had 1 plain cracker type biscuit/cookie. I ended up in-taking just under 600 calories.
I weighed myself yesterday and found out that I have put on 10 pounds since I last did calorie counting. That's a lot! I thought I would be more upset by this than I am, but I think because I already have a plan of action in place, the news is not upsetting me as it normally would. I feel matter of fact about it - okay, so I have put on 10 pounds, but I can get those 10 pounds off. I am still not at the same place I was this time last year, which is a boost. The weight is, as usual, gained pretty much on my thighs/hips and middle, my arms a tiny bit, and the rest of me is much the same as pre-gain. I knew this just by sight. I look very big around the thigh/bottom/hips and this is further accentuated by my small waist. It is not a good look for me personally and is definitely not the look I am going for!
So now Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday are regular eating days. I am roughly calorie logging to keep an eye on intake. I want it to be no more than 1,800. Today, I would be happy with 1,700ish as this would make up for the 600 instead of 500 intake of yesterday. I am hoping that once I get maybe a month or two of this new plan underway, I may be able to avoid counting on regular days and just log on intermittent fasting days.
Anyway, something else I am going to blog about is an exercise concept I noticed while researching yesterday. It has been investigated by the same man - Dr Michael Mosley - who inspired me to try the intermittent fasting. He looks at whether really short bursts of intense exercise - 3 minutes - can be as effective as longer periods. Of course, given my health problems, this ideas interests me, as 3 minutes is definitely more doable than 30. More of that in another post.
In the meantime, if you are interested in Intermittent Fasting, you might want to check out Mosley's co-authored book - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fast-Diet-Intermittent-Fasting-Healthy/dp/1780721676/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357650492&sr=1-1
During the IF period, I did a little supportive reading by looking at articles about IF and other fasts. I have fasted before, so the sensation of fasting and emotional reaction to the sensations was not a complete surprise to me. At the same time, it is really tough to start with. My body pretty much protested from about 4 hours in (yes, how lightweight is that?) and my tummy growled a lot when I was trying to get to sleep. The amusing thing is, there are many times in life when I go without eating for more than 4 hours and I don't feel starving, so I feel there is some psychological component to this reaction.
Anyway, I managed to get a 16 hour window of fasting in before I ingested a tea with milk. Then I waited a while before having a 200 calorie meal, and later had a 300 calorie meal as an early dinner. To be honest, the 200 calorie meal didn't really work for a 5 hour period. My body wanted something in-between! I had some coffee with a little milk, and another cup of tea and finally cracked and had 1 plain cracker type biscuit/cookie. I ended up in-taking just under 600 calories.
I weighed myself yesterday and found out that I have put on 10 pounds since I last did calorie counting. That's a lot! I thought I would be more upset by this than I am, but I think because I already have a plan of action in place, the news is not upsetting me as it normally would. I feel matter of fact about it - okay, so I have put on 10 pounds, but I can get those 10 pounds off. I am still not at the same place I was this time last year, which is a boost. The weight is, as usual, gained pretty much on my thighs/hips and middle, my arms a tiny bit, and the rest of me is much the same as pre-gain. I knew this just by sight. I look very big around the thigh/bottom/hips and this is further accentuated by my small waist. It is not a good look for me personally and is definitely not the look I am going for!
So now Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday are regular eating days. I am roughly calorie logging to keep an eye on intake. I want it to be no more than 1,800. Today, I would be happy with 1,700ish as this would make up for the 600 instead of 500 intake of yesterday. I am hoping that once I get maybe a month or two of this new plan underway, I may be able to avoid counting on regular days and just log on intermittent fasting days.
Anyway, something else I am going to blog about is an exercise concept I noticed while researching yesterday. It has been investigated by the same man - Dr Michael Mosley - who inspired me to try the intermittent fasting. He looks at whether really short bursts of intense exercise - 3 minutes - can be as effective as longer periods. Of course, given my health problems, this ideas interests me, as 3 minutes is definitely more doable than 30. More of that in another post.
In the meantime, if you are interested in Intermittent Fasting, you might want to check out Mosley's co-authored book - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fast-Diet-Intermittent-Fasting-Healthy/dp/1780721676/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357650492&sr=1-1
Sunday, 6 January 2013
2013
Yes, I am back.
I will weigh tomorrow. I have put some weight back on, but not all. I am still wearing my 'new' clothes size from last year's weight loss - which was about 2 sizes smaller than I was in January 2012. That I am still in my new clothes is good news, but I am not happy about having put any weight back on. Therefore, I am going to try a new approach.
This time around I am doing Intermittent Fasting (IF). There is plenty of information on the web about it, and there was a BBC Horizon documentary aired last year that looked at its benefits. These benefits are not just weight loss, but health related - better blood work for starters. I am all for health improvements.
So as of 6.10 p.m., I have stopped eating, and am going to allow 16 hours before my next ingestion of 'food/drink' aside from water or an unsweetened herbal tea. This means that tomorrow my total calories will be no more than 500. I am aiming to do this 5:2. So 5 days of normal eating, and 2 of the very low calorie eating with a fasting period. Fast/VLCD this week is on Monday, and will probably also include Friday. I have to pick non-busy/non-strenuous days.
I shall keep updating with stats, thoughts, measurements etc. The whole point of IF is to do it long term. Wish me luck!
I will weigh tomorrow. I have put some weight back on, but not all. I am still wearing my 'new' clothes size from last year's weight loss - which was about 2 sizes smaller than I was in January 2012. That I am still in my new clothes is good news, but I am not happy about having put any weight back on. Therefore, I am going to try a new approach.
This time around I am doing Intermittent Fasting (IF). There is plenty of information on the web about it, and there was a BBC Horizon documentary aired last year that looked at its benefits. These benefits are not just weight loss, but health related - better blood work for starters. I am all for health improvements.
So as of 6.10 p.m., I have stopped eating, and am going to allow 16 hours before my next ingestion of 'food/drink' aside from water or an unsweetened herbal tea. This means that tomorrow my total calories will be no more than 500. I am aiming to do this 5:2. So 5 days of normal eating, and 2 of the very low calorie eating with a fasting period. Fast/VLCD this week is on Monday, and will probably also include Friday. I have to pick non-busy/non-strenuous days.
I shall keep updating with stats, thoughts, measurements etc. The whole point of IF is to do it long term. Wish me luck!
Thursday, 30 August 2012
Weigh-in
I have lost 1.25 pounds.
Pleased? Yes :-)
Continuing? Yes
It has not been too hard. Now that I have the app, I can log easier and keep better track throughout the day. I am going to try to keep this up as long as possible. Even if I have a not-so-great day, I am going to attempt to not let it put me off track.
Pleased? Yes :-)
Continuing? Yes
It has not been too hard. Now that I have the app, I can log easier and keep better track throughout the day. I am going to try to keep this up as long as possible. Even if I have a not-so-great day, I am going to attempt to not let it put me off track.
Friday, 24 August 2012
Logging
I am back... to the blog and to logging.
Previously, I had given up or taken a break - whichever fits... both, I guess. I was focusing for a while on my health issues. Focusing on them did help me, but like dieting, it becomes tiring and tedious after a while.
The reason I am back to logging my calories is two-fold. Firstly, I now have a nexus 7 tablet, which gives me the ability to lo easier with an app and secondly, I have managed to maintain my measurements since I blogged the penultimate time. Actual weight, I am not sure. Anyway...
I needed to get new jeans and I managed to comfortably fit into a pair from Marks and Spencers that were a size or two smaller than I would have fitted at the beginning of the year. This being the case, I do not want to get any bigger. I would be pleased to be between 5-10 pounds smaller. Obviously even smaller would be better for me with my mobility struggles and my issues with my legs, but even 5 would be great too.
As I was having some success with losing by logging, I decided to revisit it and see what happens. I have just finished day 2 of eating up to 1340 calories and logging via My Fitness Pal app.
Aiming to weigh once a week for now - Thursdays.
Previously, I had given up or taken a break - whichever fits... both, I guess. I was focusing for a while on my health issues. Focusing on them did help me, but like dieting, it becomes tiring and tedious after a while.
The reason I am back to logging my calories is two-fold. Firstly, I now have a nexus 7 tablet, which gives me the ability to lo easier with an app and secondly, I have managed to maintain my measurements since I blogged the penultimate time. Actual weight, I am not sure. Anyway...
I needed to get new jeans and I managed to comfortably fit into a pair from Marks and Spencers that were a size or two smaller than I would have fitted at the beginning of the year. This being the case, I do not want to get any bigger. I would be pleased to be between 5-10 pounds smaller. Obviously even smaller would be better for me with my mobility struggles and my issues with my legs, but even 5 would be great too.
As I was having some success with losing by logging, I decided to revisit it and see what happens. I have just finished day 2 of eating up to 1340 calories and logging via My Fitness Pal app.
Aiming to weigh once a week for now - Thursdays.
Monday, 25 June 2012
Moving on to something new...
I am moving on...
I am about the same size in terms of measurements as when I last posted. Last week I started overhauling my eating. I am now eating a gradually increasing proportion of raw food (vegetables and fruits). I have always eaten some raw, but now I am aiming for about an average of 50 per cent raw per day. I haven't quite got there... some days I am probably doing that and others not so much.... I will have to start keeping note and tallying up to get a better idea of it. In the long-term, I would be happy with eating 60% raw.
Part of this decision comes from this: I am really conscious that in order to deal with my weight, I need to deal with my WHOLE body - holistically... I have been doing a lot of research into how I can facilitate this and I realised that I need to find a way to improve my overall health. I am leaning towards the Hippocrates 3 week eating plan/Ann Wigmore's diet. The Hippocrates Institute in Florida (and many other similar and cheaper clinics/retreat centres) have amazing results in helping people with diseases (especially cancer). I don't have the money to go to a clinic or the Institute. If I am to have any chance at achieving any results, I need to do it by myself. So I am making strides in that direction.
In other news, I have been somewhat more active, but I am so stiffled and frustrated by the fact that I am so stiff and swollen, in a lot of pain, and have little stamina to do anything whether it be physically or cognitively (even going out of the house is a major event for me).
One thing this journey so far has taught me is that whereas I thought it was all about my weight, it's actually very little about my weight and very much about my whole. That is to say that regardless of whether I weigh what I weigh now or slightly more or slightly less, if I am still this unwell, I am still going to be unhappy. Health is pretty much everything in this world and for so many years I have not had the blessing of healthiness... I am going to try to get it back or as much as I can.
Wish me luck!
I am about the same size in terms of measurements as when I last posted. Last week I started overhauling my eating. I am now eating a gradually increasing proportion of raw food (vegetables and fruits). I have always eaten some raw, but now I am aiming for about an average of 50 per cent raw per day. I haven't quite got there... some days I am probably doing that and others not so much.... I will have to start keeping note and tallying up to get a better idea of it. In the long-term, I would be happy with eating 60% raw.
Part of this decision comes from this: I am really conscious that in order to deal with my weight, I need to deal with my WHOLE body - holistically... I have been doing a lot of research into how I can facilitate this and I realised that I need to find a way to improve my overall health. I am leaning towards the Hippocrates 3 week eating plan/Ann Wigmore's diet. The Hippocrates Institute in Florida (and many other similar and cheaper clinics/retreat centres) have amazing results in helping people with diseases (especially cancer). I don't have the money to go to a clinic or the Institute. If I am to have any chance at achieving any results, I need to do it by myself. So I am making strides in that direction.
In other news, I have been somewhat more active, but I am so stiffled and frustrated by the fact that I am so stiff and swollen, in a lot of pain, and have little stamina to do anything whether it be physically or cognitively (even going out of the house is a major event for me).
One thing this journey so far has taught me is that whereas I thought it was all about my weight, it's actually very little about my weight and very much about my whole. That is to say that regardless of whether I weigh what I weigh now or slightly more or slightly less, if I am still this unwell, I am still going to be unhappy. Health is pretty much everything in this world and for so many years I have not had the blessing of healthiness... I am going to try to get it back or as much as I can.
Wish me luck!
Monday, 11 June 2012
Getting Active
Yesterday was an active day. Yay! I took my dog on a walk - and gave myself a blister in the process... not so yay - and...
I got out into the garden and did about 1.5 hours of gardening, which mainly consisted of pulling up and hacking off (trees) my nemsis: ivy. The day before I did a little 'taster session' where I cut a box bush into a ball... but the ivy really started to annoy me, so that was somewhat motivating to continue yesterday. Apparently this strenuous activity burnt between 400-500-ish calories. I'll take that! Anyway, there is plenty more ivy where that came from, but unfortunately, the weather has taken a turn for the worse and is TIPPING it down...
Boohoo!
The challenge for me this week = to log Monday to Friday. I have a 'housewarming' lunch to attend on Saturday and Sunday is Father's Day, which means homemade treats. I am under no illusions over the futility of trying to log those days; it's bad enough trying to log 'normal' days. Anyway, I have made a good start.
I got out into the garden and did about 1.5 hours of gardening, which mainly consisted of pulling up and hacking off (trees) my nemsis: ivy. The day before I did a little 'taster session' where I cut a box bush into a ball... but the ivy really started to annoy me, so that was somewhat motivating to continue yesterday. Apparently this strenuous activity burnt between 400-500-ish calories. I'll take that! Anyway, there is plenty more ivy where that came from, but unfortunately, the weather has taken a turn for the worse and is TIPPING it down...
Boohoo!
The challenge for me this week = to log Monday to Friday. I have a 'housewarming' lunch to attend on Saturday and Sunday is Father's Day, which means homemade treats. I am under no illusions over the futility of trying to log those days; it's bad enough trying to log 'normal' days. Anyway, I have made a good start.
Tuesday, 5 June 2012
This blog is real...
So I could lie and pretend all was well in the weight loss department.
The truth - Nope...
This is HARD. When I started my next phase, I forgot that this weekend (just gone) was a holiday that went on for 4 days. Holiday = holiday food. The result is more like this:
I am enjoying being honest. I have a diet buddy who I share my successes and failures with. I have found it cathartic to be honest with her when I am going wrong... e.g. yesterday when I ate 2 ice creams and today when I ate a cream cake. I have had so much guilt and shame over eating things I shouldn't in the past, that I have found being open about it when I am eating so-called bad foods (they are not bad, they are foods that are treats and should not constitute the largest part of your diet if you want to get all your nutrients) to be novel and take away some of those shameful feelings that I am bad, wrong, failing...
I went out today and bought a lot of fruit and vegetables. I am going to make some fresh juice tomorrow and on Thursday I hope to make a nice soup and have more juice... flush my system with some vitamins and minerals and get back on the wagon.
If anyone ever reads this blog, especially if the person reading is a person who has struggled with their weight, I want them to see reality... that this is hard, that it's not an automatic thing - e.g. you start 'dieting' and lose weight and this continues till you hit your target weight... some people do manage that and some people don't. If I wrote how amazing I was doing and there were no slip-ups or hard patches, I don't think I would really be dealing with my 'food issues'.
Anyway, I am still of the mindset that if I could get back to exercising it would definitely help offset where I am slipping up with my food. I have decided I am also going to focus on this. Anything is better than nothing right?
The truth - Nope...
This is HARD. When I started my next phase, I forgot that this weekend (just gone) was a holiday that went on for 4 days. Holiday = holiday food. The result is more like this:
I am enjoying being honest. I have a diet buddy who I share my successes and failures with. I have found it cathartic to be honest with her when I am going wrong... e.g. yesterday when I ate 2 ice creams and today when I ate a cream cake. I have had so much guilt and shame over eating things I shouldn't in the past, that I have found being open about it when I am eating so-called bad foods (they are not bad, they are foods that are treats and should not constitute the largest part of your diet if you want to get all your nutrients) to be novel and take away some of those shameful feelings that I am bad, wrong, failing...
I went out today and bought a lot of fruit and vegetables. I am going to make some fresh juice tomorrow and on Thursday I hope to make a nice soup and have more juice... flush my system with some vitamins and minerals and get back on the wagon.
If anyone ever reads this blog, especially if the person reading is a person who has struggled with their weight, I want them to see reality... that this is hard, that it's not an automatic thing - e.g. you start 'dieting' and lose weight and this continues till you hit your target weight... some people do manage that and some people don't. If I wrote how amazing I was doing and there were no slip-ups or hard patches, I don't think I would really be dealing with my 'food issues'.
Anyway, I am still of the mindset that if I could get back to exercising it would definitely help offset where I am slipping up with my food. I have decided I am also going to focus on this. Anything is better than nothing right?
Monday, 28 May 2012
Back to the land of logging...
So I am back!
I have decided to give this another shot. I don't know my current weight, but I do know my measurements. They are roughly the same as on the 3rd of May. That being said, I am guessing that I have probably put on between 1-5 pounds during my time off. I have no idea of the actual amount. My clothes are still loose; smallest jeans are still too big... so it can't be that bad.
I will weigh next Monday.
I already logged my breakfast. I shall be aiming for 1,200 to 1,400 again. I am hoping if I can keep this up for a couple of months at least, I can lose between 7-10 pounds. I would be pleased with that.
I do find the whole process frustrating. I realised a bit about myself during the time off:
I have decided to give this another shot. I don't know my current weight, but I do know my measurements. They are roughly the same as on the 3rd of May. That being said, I am guessing that I have probably put on between 1-5 pounds during my time off. I have no idea of the actual amount. My clothes are still loose; smallest jeans are still too big... so it can't be that bad.
I will weigh next Monday.
I already logged my breakfast. I shall be aiming for 1,200 to 1,400 again. I am hoping if I can keep this up for a couple of months at least, I can lose between 7-10 pounds. I would be pleased with that.
I do find the whole process frustrating. I realised a bit about myself during the time off:
- I enjoyed not being fixated on food
- I enjoyed eating a mixture of things - including fattening things I would normally not be able to eat on a 'diet'
- I tend to eat without thinking - this is still a big issue for me
- I tend to eat companionably - i.e. so-and-so is having one, so I will have one too... regardless of if I am hungry/need it or not
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
Relationship With Food - Feeling The Best I Have In Ages!
The decision to give up on this hyper-focus has probably been one of my better decisions of late. I am in the best place I have been regarding food for an extremely long time.
Talking about exercise, this is going to be my focus for a bit. I think I shall keep an eye on my calories and try to aim for around 1,600 on my higher days, but I am not going to sweat it and get all tangled up in labels and numbers. I really want to concentrate more of my efforts on getting this body moving. I remember earlier in the year I was really enjoying doing yoga and some TurboJam and ballet workouts and fun stuff like that. I lost my way a bit due to not feeling well and also concentrating so hard on the food aspect of this journey. I really need to figure out more of a balance if I can. So focusing on the exercise part is a good start. I did a walk yesterday with the dog. I did keep my walks up as much as possible, which wasn't all that much at times due to the weather, but I do feel I made an effort, which is more than I can say for other things.
My exercise plan is to get kick-started with something different. I don't fancy doing TurboJam for some reason (mainly all the jumping around) so I think it's time to dig out Leslie Sansone and start Walk Away The Pounds again. Most of Leslie's workouts that I have looked at are PERFECT for people who have joint and muscle problems or who are very overweight/unfit/deconditioned as they are not focused on leaping around so much. They usually have good modifications. In terms of movement they are more of a power-walk than a run. Yet, in the past I have found them incredibly useful for burning calories and increasing my stamina. I do have one that is a bit more intense because it is intervals of strength training mixed with cardio, but the rest seem okay. So I shall start with the 3 mile one and see how I get on.
- I am enjoying food
- I am eating what I feel I want
- I am not feeling bogged down by restrictions
- I am not going crazy & eating with abandon
Talking about exercise, this is going to be my focus for a bit. I think I shall keep an eye on my calories and try to aim for around 1,600 on my higher days, but I am not going to sweat it and get all tangled up in labels and numbers. I really want to concentrate more of my efforts on getting this body moving. I remember earlier in the year I was really enjoying doing yoga and some TurboJam and ballet workouts and fun stuff like that. I lost my way a bit due to not feeling well and also concentrating so hard on the food aspect of this journey. I really need to figure out more of a balance if I can. So focusing on the exercise part is a good start. I did a walk yesterday with the dog. I did keep my walks up as much as possible, which wasn't all that much at times due to the weather, but I do feel I made an effort, which is more than I can say for other things.
My exercise plan is to get kick-started with something different. I don't fancy doing TurboJam for some reason (mainly all the jumping around) so I think it's time to dig out Leslie Sansone and start Walk Away The Pounds again. Most of Leslie's workouts that I have looked at are PERFECT for people who have joint and muscle problems or who are very overweight/unfit/deconditioned as they are not focused on leaping around so much. They usually have good modifications. In terms of movement they are more of a power-walk than a run. Yet, in the past I have found them incredibly useful for burning calories and increasing my stamina. I do have one that is a bit more intense because it is intervals of strength training mixed with cardio, but the rest seem okay. So I shall start with the 3 mile one and see how I get on.
Friday, 4 May 2012
Given Up - Focusing on my relationship with food
I have been physically quite 'extra' unwell the past few weeks and I am mentally struggling. I have a lot of things I am processing in my mind about my life that have nothing to do with my weight. I need to change so many things and make decisions about situations in my life and I find that all takes guts and time and energy. I am very tired and pretty fed up with the situation as it stands and I don't really know what to do, where I am going or how to get there. As a result, I feel quite depressed.
I am still conscious of my food intake and what I am eating, so I am keeping somewhat of an eye on it. I reckon I am eating about 1,500-1,600 a day on my 'looser' days and 1,250-1,450 on my more controlled days. I have logged on and off over the past month. I haven't lost more weight since I last posted weight loss. Exercise is still challenging due to the not feeling well and I have only managed walks here and there. If anything, I would love to change this aspect - if the weather was nicer and the sun was shining, I could imagine myself getting outside... but it's been flooding here and so grey (am sure this does not help my mindset).
At the moment, I am aiming to either stay the same weight or perhaps lose if I can get a deficit. I am logging on the days when I feel like it and not bothering on the days when I don't. I am not going to waste time and energy on worrying about logging when I could be using that energy to do something else. I am hoping that being kind to myself and being less obsessive about the whole 'diet' and 'exercise' regime will actually allow me to revisit a more structured regime in a few weeks or a month or two. I don't know when, but I want to get back there.
AIMS -
So my biggest aim is to not gain.
To be able to be comfortable with what I eat and not to be so hung up on everything.
I don't want the emotional state to result in comfort eating or eating without thinking.
I want to deal better with my situation from a food perspective... perhaps to focus on repairing my relationship with food, so it is not the enemy and neither is it the friend - it just is... fuel, that I enjoy, but that I eat because I need it, not because my life is a mess and/or I feel down.
I am still conscious of my food intake and what I am eating, so I am keeping somewhat of an eye on it. I reckon I am eating about 1,500-1,600 a day on my 'looser' days and 1,250-1,450 on my more controlled days. I have logged on and off over the past month. I haven't lost more weight since I last posted weight loss. Exercise is still challenging due to the not feeling well and I have only managed walks here and there. If anything, I would love to change this aspect - if the weather was nicer and the sun was shining, I could imagine myself getting outside... but it's been flooding here and so grey (am sure this does not help my mindset).
At the moment, I am aiming to either stay the same weight or perhaps lose if I can get a deficit. I am logging on the days when I feel like it and not bothering on the days when I don't. I am not going to waste time and energy on worrying about logging when I could be using that energy to do something else. I am hoping that being kind to myself and being less obsessive about the whole 'diet' and 'exercise' regime will actually allow me to revisit a more structured regime in a few weeks or a month or two. I don't know when, but I want to get back there.
AIMS -
So my biggest aim is to not gain.
To be able to be comfortable with what I eat and not to be so hung up on everything.
I don't want the emotional state to result in comfort eating or eating without thinking.
I want to deal better with my situation from a food perspective... perhaps to focus on repairing my relationship with food, so it is not the enemy and neither is it the friend - it just is... fuel, that I enjoy, but that I eat because I need it, not because my life is a mess and/or I feel down.
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
4th Day
I am on my 4th day of logging. I keep getting back on the wagon, but I am still annoyed that TTOTM is interfering so much with my weight loss... it seems to completely de-rail me each time.
There was an interesting article in the Daily Mail yesterday. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2134162/Research-shows-trying-lose-weight-alters-brain-hormones-youre-doomed-pile-again.html
To be honest, the research was interesting and slightly depressing (to me, as someone who is doing what the research findings are is telling us is bad); however what was more distressing were the comments in reply to this article. People are SO narrow minded. They think that every overweight/obese person is sitting there stuffing their face and not moving a muscle. Just because there are some people in the world who can eat 3 meals a day, a bit of chocolate and the odd takeaway and not be/get fat, doesn't mean that this is the same for everyone... I can eat that and get fat! I hate the way some people tar everyone with the same brush - sure there are people who do overeat and don't exercise, but there are also a lot of us who struggle due to health problems and who yo-yo etc.
Urgh!
There was an interesting article in the Daily Mail yesterday. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2134162/Research-shows-trying-lose-weight-alters-brain-hormones-youre-doomed-pile-again.html
To be honest, the research was interesting and slightly depressing (to me, as someone who is doing what the research findings are is telling us is bad); however what was more distressing were the comments in reply to this article. People are SO narrow minded. They think that every overweight/obese person is sitting there stuffing their face and not moving a muscle. Just because there are some people in the world who can eat 3 meals a day, a bit of chocolate and the odd takeaway and not be/get fat, doesn't mean that this is the same for everyone... I can eat that and get fat! I hate the way some people tar everyone with the same brush - sure there are people who do overeat and don't exercise, but there are also a lot of us who struggle due to health problems and who yo-yo etc.
Urgh!
Sunday, 22 April 2012
Dealing with disappointment
One of the things I am learning to deal with is disappointment.
I feel disappointed in myself this week because:
I feel as if I should have been able to 'control' myself better.
I feel as if I have wasted about 1 week when I could have been losing weight. (Not sure if I have or not as it's my not weighing week).
I feel as if there is not much point trying when I may end up putting it all back on.
A lot of these feelings come back to my need to totally control the eating/diet/logging situation or else completely fall off the wagon and give up. I find it frustrating that I am a total all or nothing person. I either am committed to the program, or I am not. There's not 'partial' with me. I find the whole idea of this all or nothing to be totally disturbing because I cannot see how it will work when it comes to the idea of maintenance. Does it mean that I have to be forever on a diet and forever logging?
I would be lying if I said I have not thought about the fact that I may not lose more weight and I may not reach my goal. Weeks like the one that has just passed lead me to that kind of thinking. 17.25 pounds in and I can feel that the novelty of logging, calorie counting and being in the weight loss/diet zone have completely worn off. Now it is a chore. This completely flies in the face of the fact I have lost the weight and my clothes are falling off me etc. Shouldn't that be a motivator in itself? Why isn't that enough to keep me from straying?
These feelings and situation are totally compounded by TOTTM - it's a difficult time for me. I have dreadful, really excrutiating periods with what seems like some kind of endometriosis/interstitial cystitis going on. My hormones are all over the place and the PMS runs pretty rampant. Being able to control myself in the face of this has proved too much. I just ended up giving in and eating what I wanted.
The part that really irks me is the fact that I have been dilly-dallying around this 165ish weight for a while... I feel that by now I should have moved on and be well away from it, but I know that if I am not careful, all this extra eating and not exercising is going to see me back at 165 and pretty much ready to throw the towel in.
So yes, I am disappointed and I am frightened. I don't want to be this weight... I feel really uncomfortable.
I feel disappointed in myself this week because:
I feel as if I should have been able to 'control' myself better.
I feel as if I have wasted about 1 week when I could have been losing weight. (Not sure if I have or not as it's my not weighing week).
I feel as if there is not much point trying when I may end up putting it all back on.
A lot of these feelings come back to my need to totally control the eating/diet/logging situation or else completely fall off the wagon and give up. I find it frustrating that I am a total all or nothing person. I either am committed to the program, or I am not. There's not 'partial' with me. I find the whole idea of this all or nothing to be totally disturbing because I cannot see how it will work when it comes to the idea of maintenance. Does it mean that I have to be forever on a diet and forever logging?
I would be lying if I said I have not thought about the fact that I may not lose more weight and I may not reach my goal. Weeks like the one that has just passed lead me to that kind of thinking. 17.25 pounds in and I can feel that the novelty of logging, calorie counting and being in the weight loss/diet zone have completely worn off. Now it is a chore. This completely flies in the face of the fact I have lost the weight and my clothes are falling off me etc. Shouldn't that be a motivator in itself? Why isn't that enough to keep me from straying?
These feelings and situation are totally compounded by TOTTM - it's a difficult time for me. I have dreadful, really excrutiating periods with what seems like some kind of endometriosis/interstitial cystitis going on. My hormones are all over the place and the PMS runs pretty rampant. Being able to control myself in the face of this has proved too much. I just ended up giving in and eating what I wanted.
The part that really irks me is the fact that I have been dilly-dallying around this 165ish weight for a while... I feel that by now I should have moved on and be well away from it, but I know that if I am not careful, all this extra eating and not exercising is going to see me back at 165 and pretty much ready to throw the towel in.
So yes, I am disappointed and I am frightened. I don't want to be this weight... I feel really uncomfortable.
Friday, 20 April 2012
Struggling & TTOTM
This week has been a TOTAL nightmare...
It's TTOTM and I kinda went crazy and have not been within my calorie allowance for the past 4 days. It's not a complete disaster - I have been having between 1,500-1,700ish calories and apart from one day, which was my day off, I have forced myself to log so that I can get an accurate picture of how much I am consuming. I do feel proud of myself in a warped kind of way... for actually logging even though I know I was not within my allowance at all. The sad thing is that most of the extra calories have gone on cravings - chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate, cakes, dates, a granola bar... not all bad, but still not ideal.
Today I have been pretty much bed ridden for the whole day... in severe pain. So no exercise to even out the extra consumption. I am hoping that once TTOTM is out of the way, I can go back to my 1,400 allowance and stay within it.
It's TTOTM and I kinda went crazy and have not been within my calorie allowance for the past 4 days. It's not a complete disaster - I have been having between 1,500-1,700ish calories and apart from one day, which was my day off, I have forced myself to log so that I can get an accurate picture of how much I am consuming. I do feel proud of myself in a warped kind of way... for actually logging even though I know I was not within my allowance at all. The sad thing is that most of the extra calories have gone on cravings - chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate, cakes, dates, a granola bar... not all bad, but still not ideal.
Today I have been pretty much bed ridden for the whole day... in severe pain. So no exercise to even out the extra consumption. I am hoping that once TTOTM is out of the way, I can go back to my 1,400 allowance and stay within it.
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