HALF WAY MARK!

WOW! I FINALLY hit the half way mark. I thought I would have been here much sooner that I am but this has been one wicked plateau! But this morning I am officially more than half way to my 75Lb loss goal!!!!

VERY happy to see the scale move down again. It has been a while. I did really well today. The only thing I ate that wasn't fruit or veggies was a small amount of chicken parmesan that my husband made and an All Bran bar. Other than that it was salad and lots of fruit today.

Yesterday I lifted weights and did over 200 sit ups! I am sore today and it feels good! I am loving the weight training. I actually look forward to doing it, which is a first for me and exercise.

Tonight I took my dog for a half hour walk and runaround in the field, every little bit helps! Hopefully the scale will continue in this downward motion and the plateau will soon be a faded memory.

Fasting at work

I regularly incorporate all day fasts into my routine with intermittent fasting (38-48 hour fasts). I used to do one long fast per week on Sunday because that was the day that I did pottery class and so was very occupied for most of the day. Now since pottery class is on a break for the summer, I am incorporating the long fast during the week.

I have decided to do two per week in an effort to really kick this plateau's ass! Monday and Thursday are my days of choice. This means that I have to fast while at work and not have lunch with my coworkers. So far so good, as I have done a few of these already. Today is day one of the 2 fasts per week experiment. At lunch I took my book and went and sat outside in the sunshine to read for the break.

Tonight I plan to work out and tomorrow I plan to have a great meal of chicken dinner that my husband made with mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy...mmmmm!

I need to also find ways to eat less during my eating window. I overeat during this time and can't seem to put a muzzle on once I have had enough. I am hoping to curb this through reducing my afternoon snack to fruit and veggies only, which will hopefully help.

I know that the smaller I get, the less food I should eat but it is really hard. That is why I am doing this in the first place, I don't want to stop eating once I start! I am sure I eat more than a day's worth of calories in one meal, but I don't want to calorie count! The best I can think of is to really try and fill up on the good stuff first. Also, the two days per week of extended fasts should help to reduce my overall calorie intake for the week. Two days worth of calories is at least 3000 calories, so that should make a nice dent in my overall intake.

Every time I break my fast I do it with fruits and/or veggies. If I can just eat bigger salads and more fruit BEFORE I start on my main meal then this SHOULD help. I need to also try to have smaller portions of the main meal, which is a problem for me because I really like a BIG meal.

I will do my best to not eat too much tomorrow of the yummy meal my husband prepared, and keep the snacks to fruit and veggies only!

Newfoundland is Beautiful!

I thought I would post some pictures from my trip to Newfoundland. Such a beautiful place!

This is the bench that sits on the edge of my brother in law's property overlooking the ocean.

A view of the house from the cliff, the family taking a walk on the property.

The family members that were able to attend the wedding. We managed to get a great group shot.

A bonfire on the beach. So amazing hearing the crashing waves while watching a roaring fire!

Such a beautiful scene.

My brother in law drove us down the cliff in his "PUG" which he loves.

Their dog, Mango, ruling over her kingdom.

Our most adorable little niece, Daisy.

Gary and I on wedding day. I am wearing a MEDIUM dress! Shocking. I love this pic!

On SCREECH in day. A ceremony that Newfies will perform for a select few to make them "honorary" Newfounlanders. You have to eat a dried, salted fish, eat some "newfie steak, (bologna)", kiss a cod, do a shot of screech (a really strong rum) and pledge loyalty to Newfoundland.

Kissing the cod, Yes a real cod, on the lips!

During the lobster feed. MMMMMMM. Yummy!

Gros Morne Regional Park. Look at that little tiny boat!

In a small village on the peninsula called Englee.

SO pretty! Such small little fishing villages there!

Some of the over 20 mouse we saw while in Newfoundland.

The family on a night out with live music, a real Newfoundland experience.

My brother in law's property.

The view from my brother in law's house.

Longest Fast Yet

I began a fast yesterday at 4pm. It is now 9:30pm and I am still fasting. I intend on fasting until tomorrow at approximately 4pm. That will mean that will have fasted for a full 48 hours. The longest fast I have done so far is 40 hours.

I feel SO good. Full of energy and completely clear minded. I did my weight training today with no problems. It felt really good.

I have had very little hunger today and hopefully that will continue tomorrow. I am hoping to kick start my body into losing some weight! I have been on this 5Lb plateau since May and I am ready to get back in the regular downward movement.

I intend on breaking my fast with a salad and some fruit and then later on enjoying a bbq dinner consisting of grilled chicken, potato salad, dinner rolls, chips and chocolate cake...

Going to be a great meal tomorrow!

Love this post

Love this post by Brad Pilon of Eat, Stop, Eat. Here is an exerpt:

Fruit Makes You Fat.

Sugar Makes You Fat.

Carbs Makes You Fat.

Grains Make You Fat.

Aspartame Makes You Fat.

Fat Makes You Fat.

Animal Fat Makes You Fat.

Soy Makes You Fat.

Milk Makes You Fat.

Caffeine Makes You Fat.

Processed Foods Make You Fat.

Not Eating Enough Makes You Fat.

High Fructose Corn Syrup Makes You Fat.

Your Metabolism Makes You Fat.

Your Genetics Make You Fat.

Nuts Make You Fat.

Animal Protein Makes You Fat.

Chocolate Makes You Fat.

Hormones in Meat Make You Fat.

Sadly, in the world of weight loss, ‘eating too much’ rarely makes this list. Weird, I agree, but the simple answer is rarely the sexy answer.

SO Funny! See the full post here.

Great Video

Awesome Video from Brad Pilon here.

I love this because I am always trying to explain to thin people why it is so hard to lose weight and they all look at me with this puzzled expression and I know that in the back of their mind they are just thinking stop over eating every day...

Thanks for this!

Home and time for weigh in....

Well, I am home now...and it is time to face the music. I need to get on the scale after not weighing myself for over two weeks. I have been doing well with intermittent fasting but not so well with keeping my eating in check during the eating window. I ate A LOT on vacation. And had at LEAST two desserts every day.

This morning I stepped on the scale with crossed fingers. Before I left I was on a plateau of between 178 and 181...I could never seem to break that range. The week before I left I was

181.4
177.7
177.6
177.4
178.3
178.8
179.4
181.5

I had a big gain the last day so not sure if this was water or actual weight but in any case, the weigh in before I left was 181.5....And this morning I weighed in at 180.1 so TECHNICALLY I am actually DOWN! I can't believe it! I am glad to at least be in the same range as when I left. PHEW!

Now it is time to buckle down and really try to get off that plateau! I am going to be careful of how much I eat during my eating window and continue with my weight training two to three times per week. I am also going to incorporate two full fast days per week rather than just one. Once I smash that plateau to pieces I will go back to only one full fast day per week.

Ok 160's, WATCH OUT, HERE I COME!

Vacation and IF

Fasting while on vacation = Easy
Not over eating during my eating window on vacation = Difficult

Man oh man it is hard not to over eat and extend my eating window while on vacation. There are SO many celebrations that revolve around food. Especially this vacation as it is for a wedding. There are tons of family gatherings, bon fires on the beach, dinners out, treats and snacks and special meals that food is absolutely EVERYWHERE and so, so good that it is really hard not too eat too much for too long once I open my eating window.

Also, it is impossible to stay on a steady schedule so my eating window keeps moving around from lunch to dinner. I have no idea how all of this will reflect on the scale but I am sure I am up. At least my clothes still feel good so it can't be too bad I guess.

We are leaving tomorrow morning and so I can get back to my normal schedule and hopefully things will go back to normal on the scale too...

Last night was amazing. We took a bunch of wood and brush down to the beach (which is at the bottom of a cliff on the edge of my brother in law's property) and had a big bonfire. It was so awesome to hear the crashing waves of the ocean on the island of Newfoundland and see the beauty of the big blazing fire. We roasted marshmellows and enjoyed the warmth of the blaze. So great. Then we sat as a family and played a board game where you have to figure out the names of some of the remote Newfoundland towns. Really fun.

Today is our last day, and then it is back home to our loving fur baby, Bexley. Looking forward to that but sad to leave this paradise of a place. I will post some pictures when I get home so you can see what I mean. It is really such an amazing place, especially this property where our family lives, Heaven on Earth!

Lobster feed

Yesterday was amazing. We had planned to have a big lobster feast while we were here, it was really on the top of our list. There are so many local lobster fishermen here that fresh lobster is everywhere.

We bought 16 Lobsters for 9 people and just ate and ate until we couldn't eat anymore. SO good and really good for you too. Lobsters are almost non-existant in calories. A two pound lobster would only be about 200 calories...Amazing! The claws are the best part. So weird that they really only serve the tail in restaurants. To be honest, the tail was the least flavourful part! I ate a tail and three claws and didn't even want another tail that was left over, I was looking for more claws though!

It was so good and fresh, I did use a bit of garlic butter but it didn't need much. Very yummy!

Yesterday was a good day, and I have been doing alright since I have been here. The fasting is going fine, it is just the over eating during the eating window that I struggle with.

I really need to work on that area. But I guess that is why I was fat in the first place right? I overate. The reasons for that haven't necessarily been resolved fully yet and so it is still a struggle for me even though I have so easily fit IF into my lifestyle.

Thanks to IF, I have been able to get my weight on the right path, but the overeating part is still an issue. I used to over eat three times a day, now I only over eat once, so that helps, but I really need to think about it. I have started doing something a little bit weird but it seems to work. After I have eaten my meal, I go to the washroom and look in the mirror and talk to myself. I say to myself, NO MORE, NOT ONE MORE MORSEL! THAT IS ENOUGH, YOU HAVE HAD PLENTY. Then when I return to the day, I have that thought in my mind with the visual of myself saying, NO MORE. It has helped.

Anti Aging

WOW...this image comes from Brad Pilon's blog and the source is www.anti-aging-guide.com. I find this to be very interesting. It really makes sense to me, considering how I have felt since I began IF. I have felt younger and certainly started to look younger too.

Fasting on the ROCK

Hello all from Newfoundland (lovingly referred to by locals as THE ROCK)

I am here in Stephenville for two weeks on vacation and to be here for a wedding. My husband is from Newfoundland and a lot of his family still live here. We have been having a great time so far touring the island and visiting with family.

I have been sticking to my fasting but not doing to well with the schedule. Eat lunch this day and dinner that day and back to lunch again...so I don't know how that will show up on the scale ( i am not weighing myself out here, thought I should wait until I get home to have accurate results ). I am keeping the 19 hour fast daily though, as much as I can. I find it so much easier being on vacation and practicing intermittent fasting than it was when I was on vacation and on a diet. THAT was impossible. Dieting while on vacation, yeah right. First of all it isn't much fun being on a diet while on vacation, because part of the fun is the food. Second of all the flexibility. If you are not in control of what you eat because you are on the road or staying at someone's home then dieting is almost impossible.

With intermittent fasting, I can eat what everyone else is eating and celebrate and have that meal in your host's favourite restaurant etc... with no worries. IF just molds to the vacation.

Everyone is accepting of what I am doing and haven't really even asked me much about it. They all see the results I have had losing almost 40 Lbs. They don't really question it, just let me do what works for me which is great. I easily just skip breatkfast and lunch and eat dinner for the most part with everyone, since dinner is usually the time when we all gather and socialize, I have switched to dinners for the duration of my trip. There have been a few times where lunch worked better and so I just switched to lunch for those days...again FLEXIBILITY.

Hopefully I will not go up on the scale as I am not doing my all day fasts while I am on vacation, they usually help keep me steady. I also haven't had the opportunity or the time to do my weight training. But, I have been doing lots of walking and have even done a little hike up a mountain, so that should help.

My food hasn't been the best. In fact, for the first four days I didn't eat one fruit or vegetable! I think it is switching to dinners that caused that a bit. Plus, just eating out and stuff doesn't help. It was really weird actually. On Sunday, my body was just SCREAMING for some nutrients. Nothing I did would help until I got a big bag of fruit and veggies at the grocery store. We were travelling around and staying in a hotel for a few nights. I just got the fruit and veggies and ate almost a whole container of blueberries, a huge amount of grapes, a big salad, a big bunch of carrots and some sliced peaches all in one sitting. I felt awesome after that.

It's weird because I hardly ever ate fruit and veggies before I started IF. Now, if I go a little while without them my body is not happy. So I will be watching that from now on.

So hope all is well in IF land. I will try to touch base again while I am here, but I am busy enjoying Newfoundland's scenery and people.

Chow for now!