Been Busy!

Sorry I have been missing in action for a while... I have been really busy. I went to a wedding in Victoria for the weekend of May 14th, then it was my birthday May 19th and we went on an RV trip down to the Okanagan for the long weekend. Then I came back and had a girls weekend with some friends to celebrate my birthday and another friends birthday that is on the 30th. So, I have been pretty busy lately.

But, still doing well with fasting and still sticking to my reduced carb choices three days per week. I really notice a difference in my digestion and how I feel when I don't eat wheat. I am going to really try to limit the wheat I eat as much as possible. And carbs will be limited too, within reason of course. I don't really like giving anything up completely because it doesn't really seem maintainable for me, but limiting is certainly the first step.

Here is a photo of the food I eat Mon, Tue and Wed. I also have some chocolate for dessert and later have a snack of carrots, cucumber and hummus dip.  I love how colorful this meal is. I REALLY enjoy it when I eat it, so much variety and flavor! The bread is a wheat free bread that I LOVE. It is 100% rye flower with flax seeds. In my salad is some egg, chicken, avocado, spinach, broccoli coleslaw, cucumbers, sesame seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds and dressing. Sometimes I also have some pickles and later in the day I might have a banana for a snack.

I often say that two years ago if I had tried to switch the way I eat to this meal overnight, there is no way I would have managed to stick to it. But now, I know that I will keep this up. Fasting gives my body the chance to tell me what foods it wants in the form of CRAVINGS. Cravings that are just as powerful as the ones we get for chocolate cake. I CRAVE this food now, because my body wants it, it wants the nutrients. It feels good when I give it these nutrients so it asks for more.

I am doing all of this in small steps. 

First step was deciding I had enough and making a commitment to change. 

Second step was giving up carbonated drinks and diet sweeteners.

Third step was try fasting, work my way up to the 19 hour fast.

Fourth step was adding in more veggies, always break my fast with veggies and eat them first. That is when I started eating my spinach salad.

Fifth step was adding in more longer fasts to help kick start my weight loss and keep me consistently moving downwards.

Sixth step was adding in some activity, yoga twice a week is now a must for me, and I want to add a third day. 

Seventh step was changing how I eat Mon-Wed and reducing my carbs. 

And there will be many more steps to come I am sure. There were things I tried along the way that didn't stick. Things that I just didn't enjoy, counting calories, lifting weights, cutting out wheat and dairy completely etc. The things that stuck were the things that I found I did because I enjoyed them, not because I had to do it or should do it but because I really wanted to do it. 

That really is the key, try stuff out until you find things that you LIKE to do, food wise, exercise wise and anywhere in your life that you want to make a change. And don't try to do everything all at once and make HUGE changes cold turkey. Do things one small step at a time, and eventually you will look back and be shocked at how far you have come, and it didn't even seem like it was hard to get there because you did it a little at a time.

Two years ago I was 215 Lbs, very unhappy, very unhealthy, eating almost 100% wheat, carbs and sugar, almost all my food was white. I came home every day and sat in front of the TV until bed time. 

Today I have a new life, with new friends and a schedule of fun things to do almost every evening (and very little TV). Tons of travel in my past and in my future and a healthier happier body. Fast 5 has changed my life and I am never going back!

Here are some pics from the various events I have been busy with this month.

My cousin's wedding in Victoria

My Grandma and I at the wedding,
she is 89 and got up on the dance floor for two songs!

My hubby and I on the dance floor at the reception

Hubby, me and our dog Bexley on the RV

The HUGE RV that our friends took us on this trip in

Doing some sightseeing

In one of the wineries in Osoyoos

One of our yummy lunches on our trip

The birthday girls

Girls night out

On the dance floor

Strike a pose girls!

The morning after, outside the hotel.

Great Lunch!

Today was the first day of my reduced carb eating schedule. I was really excited about lunch today and I really enjoyed my meal. I am not doing NO carbs and I am not doing NO sugar. I am just trying to reduce the amount of carbs and processed foods that I eat within the week. I don't want to deprive myself and start a "diet" I just want to find a way to make small changes that could have a big effect. 


I had my salad (Spinach, brocoli coleslaw, cucumber, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, feta cheese, egg, chicken, avacado, dressing) Some strawberries, blueberries, cashews & cheese.


Of course I need to have my chocolate so I had some fruit and nut chocolate for dessert.


I feel fantastic, and satisfied. I enjoyed every bite, my food was so colorful and beautiful to look at, I got tons of compliments on my lunch and several people said they wished they had my lunch instead of theirs. Looking forward to having this again tomorrow! I will try to remember to take some pictures of my food to show how great it all looks.

Time for a Change

Well, I have been on this plateau for so long now that I realize I am just maintaining. It is time for me to make a change in order to lose another 30 pounds and reach my goal to lose a total of 80 pounds.

Thanks to all the comments and advice from my much appreciated readers, I have decided to make my change in the form of the kinds of foods I eat. I won't be doing anything too drastic, but it will hopefully be enough of a change that I will see the scale start moving again.

I will continue with my long fasts on Sundays and once a month doing an extra long fast of 60-72hours. But I will change up my eating a bit in the following way.

MON - WED: REDUCE MY CARB AND PROCESSED FOOD INTAKE.

MENU:

SALAD: Spinach, brocoli coleslaw, cucumber, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, feta cheese, egg, chicken, avacado, dressing.

FRUIT

NUTS

CHEESE

SNACK: Carrots, Cucumber and hummus

THURS: Add in a small amount of carbs

VEGGIE STIRFRY: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Snap Peas, Zucchini, Carrots, Chicken, Beef, Noodles

FRI - SAT: Enjoy Dinners out with no restrictions but try to keep in mind my goal and not overdo anything.

I will try to post some pics of my food tomorrow. I am looking forward to this! I think it should help. Wish me luck!

Inspiration

I am so happy to be able to inspire people to try intermittent fasting. Thanks so much to all of those who have left comments on my blog with thanks and appreciation for this blog. Please keep the comments coming, it is so great to hear from others and know that I have been able to help in some small way.

I have even inspired some of my friends and their family members to try intermittent fasting. Some have tried and decided not to continue, it isn't for everyone, we all have to do what works for us. But some have tried and done really well. Congratulations to those of you who, like me, have tried intermittent fasting and found their diet soul mate!

Still working it out

The plateau is still holding. Good that I haven't gained any weight but I really am sick of seeing the same number on the scale all the time. I remain calm though because I am confident in intermittent fasting.

I do have to curb my eating more. I know that is why I am on this plateau. I had some bumps along the way, vacation in Vegas didn't help. I will keep my schedule though and keep up the one extra long fast a month like I have been doing and work my way up to the 72 hours. I will also try to watch how much I eat during my window. I have to do better at this. I find it difficult. I don't know what it is about myself that makes me feel the need to overeat. I guess that is what got me here in the first place.

So, commitment. EAT LESS!!! Smaller portions, slower eating, more water. I can do this.

63 hours and one to go

Well, I completed another long fast. I am on hour 63 and plan to break my fast at 12 noon in one hour with a lunch of stir fry with broccoli, carrot, snow peas, bean sprouts, zucchini, cauliflower, chicken, beef, noodles and rice with teriyaki and soy sauce. I will also get my favourite onion rings to have as a treat and some dessert of peanut butter cups! MMMMMM....

I have been dreaming about food since last night. It is definitely more of a challenge doing these extended fasts. Especially when there are nothing but food commercials and people eating around you all day and night! But, I managed to get through it and this morning the scale showed a loss of over 7LBS since I weighed in before the fast!!! Pretty amazing. I think the number was a bit inflated though because I had done nothing but drink wine and eat restaurant food for a week so I am sure I was retaining a lot of water due to dehydration and too much salt. But in any case, I am back to the number I was at when I left for my vacation so that was the goal.

I am definitely going to incorporate these extended fasts into my routine. I needed to kick it up a notch to break this plateau and I really think that this will help me out. I tried eating less during my eating window and although I still will try and sometimes I am successful, it seems harder to me than having an extended fast once every month or two. I guess that is why intermittent fasting works so well for me rather than counting calories or eating small meals of veggies and protein every two hours or any of the other deprivation diets out there. I find it easier to eat nothing at all, for a certain amount of time, rather than to watch what I eat every meal, every day...so, whatever works.

I am very grateful for fasting and how it has helped me change my life.

Another long fast

Well, I am back from vacation and back up the 5 Lbs I lost before I went!!

Not really too bad considering I had a lot of wine and restaurant food on my vacation! And a lot of dessert! So 5Lbs isn't too bad.

Today I am beginning another long fast journey to try to correct the damage I did on my vacation. I stopped eating yesterday at 8pm and plan on fasting until Thursday at 12noon. That will be a total of 64 hours fasting! I am working my way up to a 72 hour fast. I think I would really like to incorporate these long fasts into my routine. Once a month do a long 60-72hour fast to fix up any extra calories that are consumed in the month.

I had a great time in Las Vegas and Texas this past couple of weeks. The weather was AMAZING! Sunny and hot every day. So nice to escape the rain out here in Vancouver and lay in the sun for a change. It went WAY too fast, but it was really great to see my best friend again who lives in Austin and to play with her two beautiful children who are such angels. Thanks to her and her husband for such wonderful hospitality.

So far I have been fasting for 19 hours. I feel fine, have had no hunger at all yet today. I look forward to going to yoga tonight as well and hope that after I complete my fast on Thursday afternoon that the scale will be back where it was when I left! Wish me luck!!

Intermittent Fasting (for the newbies)

I know there are a few newbies reading my blog and so I wanted to address the questions from them. Alice says that it is her first 3 days and she has noticed a weight gain of two pounds.

I understand that it can be very frustrating and scary to see weight gain, but don't be discouraged! Go to Dr. Herring's website, create a username and password and download his book, FOR FREE. It is a small 30 page book that will help you to understand the science behind intermittent fasting. It is helpful to determine if what you are doing is the absolutely correct way of fasting.

Dr. Herring does mention that you could see no weight loss for up to two weeks...and that it is normal to overeat or binge in the beginning until you are used to the schedule and your body adjusts. Don't worry, it is normal.

You could have a weight gain for an infinite number of reasons.

That time of the month

Water retention (too much salt, or not enough water)

Not enough bowel movements

Time of weigh in fluctuating

Food still in the stomach

Also, it is possible that during the fasting period, calories are getting in somehow. Milk in coffee for example. Sometimes, even artificial sweeteners will stop the fasting process. Dr. Herring's book explains so well how the fasting process works. We need to keep our bodies in the fat burning state for as long as possible. Artificial sweeteners can trick the body into thinking it has had food. Some diabetics can't even have sweeteners because it increases their insulin levels. Even chewing gum during the fasting time could hinder your progress at first.

The other thing you need to consider is how much you are eating now in comparison to how much you were eating before. That is the real key. We need to reduce the amount of calories we are eating. Fasting is a way to keep us in line, we can skip two meals and eat our one meal as we would have before which would actually reduce the amount of calories we consume.

However, if in your eating period, you are eating more than you ate before you started fasting and were having three meals a day, then yes, you would probably see weight gain. If you are finding that you binge a bit when your eating window opens, don't stress to much about it, eventually you will find that you calm down a bit and eat less. This is something that I have struggled with though and so may be a stumbling block. I suggest that you try to think of your eating time as a normal meal that you would regularly have when eating, not a licence to eat everything you ever wanted. Moderation is the key here. Have dessert but don't eat the whole cake.

Take all of the above into account and stick to it! You WILL see results.

Fasting on Vacation

A lot of people ask me what I am going to do about my eating when I am on vacation. I always find this question a bit comical. I have been eating this way for over a year and I have taken several vacations. If I was going to throw my eating habits out the window while I was on vacation, it really wouldn't take that long for this lifestyle to fail all together.

When on vacation I eat the way I always eat. I fast for 19 hours per day and eat within a 5 hour window. Fasting on vacation is no different than fasting at home. The only difference is that I move my window usually to dinner time. This is because dinner seems to be the most important meal during vacation. Where ever you are, who ever you are with, it will be easy to determine which meal is the "important" meal of the day. Usually there are plans for what to do in that day, or where to go. With this information, you can easily determine which meal will be the dominate meal. That is when I eat. During that "special" meal of the day with whoever I am traveling with or visiting.

I have been doing very well while on vacation. The only difference is that there is much more restaurant food than in my day to day life. I have found that this has only a small effect on the big picture, so I really don't worry about it much.

I have been in my swimsuit quite a bit, the weather is hot and it is so enjoyable to lay in the sun and swim in the pool. I feel so confident in my swimsuit, much better than ever before. Confidence. Confidence is beautiful. I really notice a difference. Confidence is the key.

Who to tell and when

One of the most common things I hear from fellow fasters is that they get lots of criticism from the people around them about how they choose to eat. It is natural that people would react this way. What we are doing is against the norm, against society and against what everyone is being taught by the food and diet industry.

Diet industries don't really want us to get thin and stay thin. They want to keep selling books and powders and pills. How better to do that than to create a diet that is impossible to stick to long term, you would then re-gain the weight and go right back to them, buying their "updated version" of the book and the newest powders and potions.

Food industries want us to eat, and eat lots. They make BILLIONS of dollars getting us to do that. TV sells us the midnight snack and chips and dips for that big game. It is all about food and lots of it. They say thinks like, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." "Your body neads fuel to run, you wouldn't drive your car with no gas would you?" "Your metabolism will crash if you don't eat regular meals every day."

I have being fasting now for over a year, others who follow this blog have been fasting double or triple that time. We will all tell you that the claims above are simply not true. Our experience backed by countless research studies highlighted on this blog prove that it is not true.

But, everyone needs to do what is right FOR THEM. There are lots of healthy people out there who eat three square meals or six small meals a day. There are lots of healthy people out there who eat no carbs, or do the zone, or follow weight watchers or have surgery to make their stomach smaller. All of these methods are great, if they work for you then all the power to you! And by "work" I mean long term maintainable results that last!

It is ok if not everyone shares your enthusiasm for fasting. If it works for you, ignore them all. In the beginning, I would strongly suggest that you tell very few if not no one what method you are trying because the truth is that they will have a hard time buying into it at first glance without seeing real results.

I got TONS of slack in the beginning. I tried not to tell too many people, but the people I told were not very supportive. BUT, once I had lost a significant amount of weight and the people around me began to see the changes in me, their criticism had less effect on me and frankly less effect on them too, they couldn't deny that it was working for me. I was looking better and feeling better and acting better too. I was happier and calmer, they saw that.

After a while people just began to accept, and those who didn't, my standard response was, "It really works for me and that is all that matters, we all have to do what works for us."

For those of you who are new to this way of life, keep intermittent fasting under your belt for a while. Eventually your belt will get so big on you that intermittent fasting will have to be revealed and by then, the argument will seem irrelevant.

You have to do what works FOR YOU!