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!

Listen to your Body while Fasting

This week's two day fast was not a good one. I didn't feel well yesterday during my first day of fasting. I had a headache and I was really grumpy...plus all I could do was think about eating an entire pizza...

So, today I decided to just eat lunch as normal.

I always recommend that you listen to your body while fasting. Maybe you are tired or fighting off a cold. Maybe your body is just not in the fasting state of mind...it is ok. Just listen to your body and eat if you feel you need to.

I usually feel really good during fasting but occasionally there is a day here and there that I just don't feel at my best and eating is what I need to feel better.

Intermittent Fasting has transformed my tastebuds

I have noticed more lately how much I enjoy food. Fasting two days per week has given me new appreciation for the joy of chewing and the flavours of food.

But even more interesting is that the food I really enjoy the most is the whole, natural foods. The junk is not as appealing and I find that it seems too rich for me when I do have it.

I used to be able to eat two huge cookies no problem and try to contain myself to eat a third. The other day I bought one of those big cookies from Starbucks and half way through I had to stop. It was way too much for me.

Today I broke my fast at noon with a delicious salad, two hard boiled eggs, 1/4 of an avocado, a handful of cashews and a slice of wheat free bread with flax seeds. It was all SO good. It tasted amazing and was way better than any chocolate chip cookie!

I love how intermittent fasting has transformed my taste buds.

The Fasting 5:2 diet

My husband has been continuing on with his version of an Intermittent Fasting schedule called 5:2.

He decided to try this after we had watched the BBC Documentary "Eat, Fast and Live Longer."

He lost 8 pounds in 5 weeks and an inch off of his waist. This 5:2 option is a great place to start with intermittent fasting. If you struggle with the 19 hours per day way of fasting, take a few weeks off and try the 5:2 option instead and see if that helps. It is a much easier plan and seems to have similar results.

I have been continuing on with my own version of 5:2.... Fasting 19 hours per day as usual five days per week and then doing a full day fast for two days per week. So far I have lost 10 pounds.

There is a great article about the version of 5:2 diet that my husband is trying here

Below is a breakdown and excerpt from that article:

The 5:2 diet: what is it and how does it work?

• With the 5:2 diet, you can eat whatever you like five days a week — so-called feeding days. On the two “fasting days” you eat 500 calories if you are a woman, or 600 calories if you are a man. 

• It doesn’t matter which days are spent “feeding” and which “fasting”, as long as the fasting days are non-consecutive and you stick to the 5:2 ratio. 

• On fasting days you can consume your calories in one go, or spread them through the day — there is no medical research into whether filling up at breakfast or snacking throughout the day is more effective for weight loss. 

• A typical fasting-day breakfast of 300 calories might consist of two scrambled eggs with ham (good sources of protein), plenty of water, green tea or black coffee. For a typical 300-calorie lunch or dinner, try grilled fish or meat with vegetables. 

• On feeding days you can eat whatever you like. Most dieters, rather than feeling a need to gorge, found that they were happy to consume around 2,000 calories — the recommended daily intake for women (2,600 for men) — and did not crave high-fat foods. 

• Contrary to popular opinion, fasting can be a healthy way to lose weight. It can reduce levels of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1, which leads to accelerated ageing), switches on DNA repair genes and reduces blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels. 

• According to current medical opinion, the benefits of fasting are unproven. As a diet, it is not recommended for pregnant women or diabetics on medication. Anyone considering a diet that involves fasting is advised to consult their GP first, and to do it under medical supervision.