Gluten Free & Intermittent Fasting

So it has been quite a while since I went Gluten Free. I haven't really been keeping track, but about a month or more...

I think I am going to keep doing this because I definitely notice a difference. I feel better and have much better digestion, less bloating and I don't crave pastries and cookies as much as before.

I have also been reading Wheat Belly. Which is a great book and I think I will incorporate some of the recommendations in there for diet. I already do most of what he recommends in the book except that I still eat french fries and corn chips once in a while and I have the occasional gluten free dessert or cookie.

I am still going to the gym and working out hard. I still haven't seen any significant weight loss and I am waiting for results from a test on my thyroid to see if that could be why I am not losing.

But, all I can do is keep up my schedule and see if it is just time that I need.

Plateau

So I have been doing Gluten Free for about a month, been working out 3-4 days a week, eating MUCH less sugar, juicing, intermittent fasting and not even indulging in gluten free substitutes and I am UP 3 pounds, and my clothes are still tight so it isn't the whole, "you've gained muscle, muscle weighs more than fat" thing...

Oh brother...

Who knows how all this stuff works...I was losing more weight when I was NOT exercising and enjoying cookies and pastries. I really don't get it.

I am not giving up though...going to stick to my schedule and my plan and schedule an appointment with the doctor to see what the hell is going on! So frustrating!

No Wheat Again

I have been a busy bee lately. Working as usual, going to the gym four days a week, pottery class and still trying to keep a social life. We also just went on a vacation to Texas for a week.

I didn't take very good care of myself in Texas...ate a lot of restaurant food and very little fruit and veggies. I noticed a big difference in how I felt when I came home and went on a veggie binge this week to try to correct the problem. I also decided that I am going to stop eating wheat again.

I tried it once before and found it difficult to do but did notice a difference in how I felt. So I am back to eating no wheat. This week was pretty easy because I really don't eat that much wheat during the week anyway. I just have salad, a couple of hard boiled eggs and some nuts for my one meal usually. But, sometimes I have a pastry or treat when they are available around the office (which is a lot.)

So, I just had to stop eating those treats and stick to my regular meal and I was fine. I made a few other changes to my sugar intake. I switched out my cadbury chocolate that I usually indulge in with 70% Coco chocolate with mint instead, which is more than half of the sugar. I actually really like it.

Last night my treat was corn chips and salsa with an apple and some cheese.

I feel a lot better already. Way less bloated. The challenge for me will be the weekends, especially this weekend since it is a long weekend.

But I do feel that I am starting to look at food differently. I feel more cravings for the healthy real foods and when I see the cookies or pastries I just think of how bloated and uncomfortable I feel when I eat them.

I am committed to be more healthy. Not just lose weight, which is still my goal and intermittent fasting is still my tool, but also change what I eat, when I am eating and try to reduce my sugar and chemical intake.

I will keep you posted on how I do this long weekend.

Train Moving Again

You know when a train is going full force in one direction and then the engineer decides to stop and reverse? It takes a while for the train to slow, then stop, then begin moving in the opposite direction again...

That is what has been happening with my weight since my detour around the holiday season. I gained a bunch of weight after indulging in a week of all inclusive resort fun and Christmas treats...

January 1st I was back on plan and I also added in exercise which I have been regularly doing three days per week (Pilates, TRX and Spinning). I have been really frustrated though because despite exercising really hard, following my eating window to a T and eating really well during my eating window, I saw no results on the scale or in the way my clothes were fitting.

But, I stuck to plan because I am confident in intermittent fasting. It has never let me down before. When followed correctly and consistently, the results are always there.

Finally, this morning when I stepped on the scale, I saw a loss of three pounds. The train is moving in the right direction again...full steam ahead!

Fasting Article

Great new article. The fasting bug is spreading fast!

The Daily Mail.

Self Tourture

Honestly, I don't know why I do this to myself...

All during December I was off plan and eating way too much. Throw in an all inclusive resort vacation and Christmas treats right afterwards and you have a recipe for disaster. Now that I have been back on plan for a couple of weeks I find myself wondering what the hell is wrong with me?!

I feel SO much better and calmer and happier already and during December I felt like crap. I was so tired and grumpy and uncomfortable.

Is all that food really worth feeling that way?! Apparently.

Why do I torture myself?

I continue to worry about those who make me feel like crap, I continue to give to those who only take. I continue to eat when it makes me feel so bad.

I am back on the right path and I really don't understand why I ever strayed?

This torture is the source of why I struggle with weight in the first place...and unfortunately even though I strongly believe in intermittent fasting and it has fixed so many things, it is not a cure for my main issue...someday I will figure this out. For now, I will take this experience and try to learn from it.

Week two of my new routine that includes exercise...who would have thought that I would be including exercise into my routine, but I am and I am optimistic about it.

I have been doing really well back on my regular fasting schedule and last week I did a TRX class and a personal training session of Reformer Pilates. The TRX class was a killer and I was sore for several days afterwards but I am signed up to do it again tomorrow.

I am also going to try a spinning class and see if I can incorporate that into my routine as well. So hopefully I will be able to maintain:

Mon: Reformer Pilates 1 hour
          Spinning Class 1/2 hour

Wed: TRX Class 1 hour

Thurs: Spinning Class 1/2 hour

I still feel strongly that exercise is best for health and fitness but not the best course of action for large amounts of weight loss unless it is combined with a major change in diet. That is why the fasting is very important in this equation.

That said, I do believe that my fasting schedule with the added boost of the workouts will kick it up a notch and help me get to that elusive goal weight!

New Year, New Routine

Well, that was a crazy holiday season. Sorry, I have been out of sight lately. Been on the move. Jamaica for a week, then Christmas with family, shopping in Seattle and finally a few nights in Victoria visiting.

Now I am back home and back to routine. Jamaica was fabulous but FULL of food and alcohol. I gained too much weight to even say out loud. Didn't fast while I was there and didn't fast through Christmas. It was a nice break with bad consequences...weight gain and returning ache! Plus, I have been feeling super tired, bloated, uncomfortable and unhappy.

So, I am even more focused on continuing my schedule of fasting. I started back to my normal routine on Jan 2nd and already I feel better. My ache is slowly healing with no new pimples in the last few days and I am getting my energy back.

Strange how more food gives us less energy...when everyone always talks about food an energy source. It is true to a point but when you are eating as much as I eat when I don't fast, then you will certainly slow down. How in the world would you not when the body has so much digesting to do?

I also signed up with a personal trainer. I started yesterday and I feel really good about it. I will have personal one on one sessions for Pilates and then join their classes for strength training and cardio. The good thing about this place is their classes are only 3 or 4 people so you get much more one on one time with the instructors.

I feel a new motivation to stop living on this plateau and work towards reaching my original goal of 140 pounds. I am sure that if I keep up my fasting and add in the exercise that I will see some more results.

January 1st was my three year anniversary living the Fast 5/Intermittent Fasting lifestyle. I will always live this way, even if I have moments like these past few weeks, I will always come home to fasting.

New year's resolution was not weight focused...as I find I never keep them but I did make a resolution to take one photo every day for a year. If you are interested I have started a photo blog to post those photos. I plan on making a photo book at the end as well, Enjoy!

ayearinthelifeofjlf.blogspot.ca

Almost Jamaica Time

This Friday my hubby and I are heading to Jamaica! So looking forward to our vacation in the sun...

Despite my efforts, I was not able to make my goal of feeling comfortable in a bikini...but I am happy to wear my one piece instead...I know that I will get there...just need to be patient.

This week I have an appointment with a personal trainer...I thought it might be time to bite the bullet and see how I can incorporate exercise into my routine. I have been on a plateau for so very long. I know that I must do more in order to ever see my ultimate goal.

I am very lucky to have a job that generously gives $600 per year for wellness and this includes the services of a personal trainer...so, I will be using my wellness money to try it out and see where it takes me. I have chosen a trainer that offers a fusion of traditional workouts with Pilates mixed in. The place is walking distance from my commuter train station so I can easily walk there after work and hubby can pick me up from there instead of the train a couple times a week.

We will see how I like it for these first few sessions and if it goes well, I will purchase some more.

Looking forward to a new chapter and hopefully the push that I need to get me moving towards my goal again!

Getting Back on Track with Fasting

I have had a comment to ask how to get back on track after taking a break from fasting.

Sometimes it is easy to get off plan, when little by little the food cravings take over. This happens to me from time to time.

I notice my cravings are worse when I eat more sugar. During Halloween they were at an all time high and eating all that sugar made me crave food something fierce. I wasn't just craving sweets but craving food in general. The yeast in our bodies feed off of sugar and the more you eat, the more they want and so they scream out for sugar in any form, carbs and sugars mainly.

If you are having trouble getting back on track with fasting because of cravings, try to avoid sugar for a few days before you go back on plan. This should help to keep those cravings down. Also, drink lots of water to flush out the system.

Once you start your fasting plan again, the best thing to help you along is to keep busy during that fasting time. Schedule in a project that will keep you occupied for most of the time. Avoid TV as much as possible...I always find that watching TV increases my food cravings because there is almost always food or eating on shows and movies, not to mention all the food commercials ( and even if you PVR and fast forward through the commercials, it isn't hard to miss all those close ups of burgers and pizza!).

Continue to drink lots of water or clear tea with no sugar during fasting as that also helps keep the cravings at bay.

Let me know what helps you get back on track?

Good Luck!