Hi,
I've been wearing my same old clothes that I used to wear but now, when I put the pants on, especially, I think about being careful or they could fall off. It must be the dryer. Ha! Isn't that what we used to tell ourselves when they were getting tighter? It's the dryer's fault. The idea of them getting looser in the dryer made me laugh so I thought I'd use as my title today.
I always weigh myself every day. It keeps me honest. It can be frustrating when you see a pound or two increase, but it also is a warning signal to look at what I ate yesterday (in my journal) and pay attention. I'm not always obedient, but I always know which direction I'm going. It is nice to be hovering around 317-320 instead of around 330 as I was before I started to do the 24-hour fasts four weeks ago.
I'm nearing the end of this week's fast, today. It is 3:02 as I write and it will end at 4:30. It may not be of unusual interest to the masses but it is interesting to me to observe the feeling of hunger inside my body -- and not only to simply observe it, but to embrace it. I actually do kind of like it. That seems odd, even to me, but along with a little bit of a feeling in my tummy which is easily satisfied with liquids like water or unsweet tea, my head feels clear and easy. My body feels lighter and I like the feelings that I experience as I fast. It makes the fasting much easier than I thought it would be.
I like to think about how my body is using this time to rid itself of toxins and burn up excess fat. It is kind of a healthy rest where processes can take place that get hampered by eating three times a day, every day. It occurred to me the other day that women feed their babies with their bodies. Once we are weaned our bodies feed themselves in a rather similar way. The stored fat is from excess food that the body keeps for future use. If we never get to the part where the body needs to feed itself, then we just keep adding more fat to it. Fasting is a way to let the body take care of itself for a change. When you fast, especially for at least 24 hours, your body is actually still taking care of itself by feeding itself from its own fat pantry. What an interesting way to look at it. I guess fasting makes you think differently.
I had the right eye procedure done and am super happy with the results. It was nearly overwhelming to see the world so differently. It is so much sharper, and shinier than I had been experiencing. The colors are more vibrant and there are edges to the trees. Isn't it funny that I did not realize I was not really seeing the individual trees clearly? They had become like walls or barriers to me. Now that I can see them, and see the individual leaves glistening and shaking in the sunshine, they are quite stunning to look at. Sometimes I get out of the car and just look around. It is so nice. I thank God that I was able to get this done. I thank God that He inspired some person to think up this procedure. I thank God that I can see well again.
I talked to my eye doctor again about the little blurry spot that moves in my left eye and she said it could be a small "bubble" that has gotten itself stuck to my retina. She offered to dilate my eyes and check it out, but I did not want to go through that again so soon. This explanation was much less scary to think about than what I had been thinking. There is a certain kind of blindness (can't think of the name) where your vision begins to get blurry right in the center and proceed from there. I had been worried that that was what I had and wondered if there is anything now-a-days that they can do about it. The news that because it moves around, indicates that it is a "bubble" (of some kind) that could just as easily get unstuck and stick somewhere else in my eye was really quite a relief. I noticed the last time I was reading my Bible that I did not see the little blurry place. It was nice. She said there is nothing they can do about the bubble but I got the impression that it is not dangerous and can improve on its own so that is a relief.
I will still need to get glasses, but I've worn glasses since my mid-twenties so that is not a problem to me. I was really surprised to see how much the frames at the doctor's office cost. I had set aside $300 to get my glasses thinking I should be able to get a really nice pair with that amount of money. I discovered that the frames can cost as much as that without any glasses in them. That is quite outrageous to me. A couple of friends pointed out that if I have some frames I like I can reuse them and get new lenses for them and save myself quite a lot. I do have one pair, for sure, and maybe two pairs that I can "refill" so I think I shall go that route, instead. No sense wasting money when it is so easy to preserve it.
I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow with my regular doctor. I will be happy for them to see the weight loss, but my blood pressure is still not under control. I am not interested in taking more drugs for the problem because I'm likely to have some dangerous reaction to it. So perhaps when they can see that I'm finally losing weight again, that the blood pressure should not be far behind. I've actually had a couple of days where the reading was normal, but they are few and far between. I'm still encouraged by the fact that they have started to show up every once in a while. It's a nice change from always being too high.
Well, I've got about an hour to go to finish up my 24 hours and I've started thinking about what I'll eat to end it. It will probably be the left overs from my meal, yesterday, so nothing fancy. I often find when the fast ends that I get hungry again rather quickly after my first small meal, so I might get a lo-carb burger at Hardees later. It is a great hamburger without a bun. They wrap it in lettuce and paper to hold it all together and it is mighty tasty. My mouth is watering so I better move on. I can think about eating later.
I hope things are going well for you. Comment below and let me know how you are doing.
Be back soon,
Marcia
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Hi,
I just finished my third 24-hour fast day in three weeks time and am really excited about continuing to continue. I am within two pounds of my first small goal of hitting 315. So... I've come down from 355 to 317. Took a long time, but since I started the 24-hour fasts once a week, I am really beginning to see progress. It has certainly broken the stall that I was in. Still heading for 315.
I had laser surgery on my left eye last Wednesday and will be getting the right one done tomorrow. I was completely amazed at how simple and easy it was. If you've ever had an eye examination where you placed your chin on the lip of a frame and put your forehead against the bar at the top that was exactly the apparatus that they used to do the laser procedure that I had done. All I had to do was look at the pencil-like device my doctor told me to look at and let her know when I needed to blink -- which only happened once.
It was a little overwhelming to see my field of vision suddenly go opaque white and seem to float, but I just kept my other eye on the spot and let it happen. It was only like that for a few seconds. It happened once more and the whole thing was over. Zip. Zap. Zowie and it was over.
I had had cataract surgery in 2009 where they removed the lenses in my eyes and put in plastic lens "transplants" but my vision seemed to be, once again, growing fuzzy and out of focus. The oncoming headlights at night had gotten the big flaring star-like streaks of light, back again and I had become frightened to drive on a rainy night because I could not tell where the road was. So if there was a church service on Sunday night or Wednesday night and there were predictions of rain, I would not go for fear of driving off the road that I could not see in the night-time rain. I was caught in the rain on a few rainy nights and still remember how hard it was to tell where the road was when traffic was coming towards me.
The flare from the oncoming headlights plus the reflection of light from the wet pavement simply blurred everything together so that I could not clearly see where the road was. Thank God for those painted white lines on the outside edges of many roads. If not for those I would simply have not even known where the road was and I'm sure I would probably have ended up in someone's hedges or worse.
I am now able to read a little better with the left eye (the eye with the lens that focuses up close). Before I had the laser procedure, I had been seeing a large blur in the middle of the type as I read my Bible and it would only get worse as I continued. (I had to stop doing it for a while and had gotten behind in my daily reading.) That blur is not completely gone but is much improved. I am better able to read, but the small blur is still a little distracting.
I mentioned that to my doctor and she started talking about new glasses so I'm hoping that can be corrected. Looking forward to getting the other eye done tomorrow; mainly because that is the one that focuses more for distance viewing and I'm hoping that one clears up a lot. The doctor who did the original surgery on that eye told me he was not able to completely get the cataract out and mentioned at that time that I would need to have a hole cut in the back later on. That is what I am getting done tomorrow so I'm hoping the vision in that eye clears up a lot.
I've been reading (on kindle on my computer) an excellent book written by William Davis, M.D. called "Wheat Belly." Someone referenced it and I checked it out at Amazon and purchased the kindle version. It is very good reading, although, at times it gets a little technical. I would not change it though, because it is those technical details that really reveal the reasons behind his advice which is to eliminate wheat from your diet.
I've sometimes wondered about that. I'm a Bible-believing Christian and I know that bread is something that is talked about and recommended in the Bible. Remember the loaves and the fishes? Jesus fed the people bread. This was always a puzzle to me because I know that eating wheat products raises my blood sugar fast and high so I eat it only on rare occasions. It just did not make sense.
Well, now it makes sense. Dr. Davis explains with great detail that the bread we eat is not the same as the bread that was eaten two thousand years ago. That wheat had been found in the wild and planted in a farmer's field, just as it was, but our bread has gone through multiple generations of breeding for specific traits on top of genetic engineering and in the process is hardly even similar to the wheat of our ancient ancestors. It even grows on shorter stalks now because of the interference of man.
Basically the wheat we have available has much more gluten and other things in it that are not healthy for people to eat anymore. For some people it is even deadly. It causes not only Celiac disease but many other rashes, headaches, and weight gain and gluten is not the only problem. I'm not going to list all the problems he mentions because I think folks need to read the book and find out first hand.
I'm just at the part where he begins to tell people what they should eat instead of wheat and, fortunately for me, it is exactly the same as my personal plan. When you drop out the wheat (which is not easy for many people) you add in more vegetables and protein. None of us will get a "wheat deficiency" from not eating wheat and most of us will have improved health in some way or other.
I know, for sure, that eating wheat raises my blood sugar faster than nearly anything else -- even sugar. I also know that if I go without it for six days, I suddenly have much less pain in my body. No kidding. I do eat things made with wheat on occasion. If I'm at someone's house and they offer it, I am likely to consume it. Sometimes I have it at a restaurant, but for the most part, especially when I am at home, I just don't eat it or buy anything that has it as an ingredient on the label.
When it comes to blood sugar and weight gain you cannot substitute potatoes or other starchy carbs for wheat because potatoes and other starchy carbs still raise blood sugar and cause inflammation. But I have them once in a while. I know that if I want to keep losing weight and feeling good I'm better off without it at all.
I think the hardest part of getting off wheat is for those who have an addiction to it. (Like me.) Those bread and pasta cravings are coming from the wheat that affects the brain as well as the intestines. I know from experience that if you can just get past the first three days, it gets a whole lot easier. It can be done.
I really think you should check out this book at Amazon.com and see what you think. It has a lot of answers to some health questions that are usually hard to figure out. If you have one of those hard to interpret health problems, eliminating wheat might help solve some or all of the problem.
Anyway. My fast is complete. I just had half a bowl of chicken curry with vegetables and a large salad. My belly is full and happy. My ankles are still small and I think that is wonderful.
This fasting thing really seems to be working for me. Finally.
Be back soon,
Marcia
P.S. If you want to read about the fasting thing check these sources out:
http://www.eatstopeat.com
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting/chapter-6 (this one is free online.)
If you want to check out the "Wheat Belly" book, here is a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health/dp/1609611543/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343168165&sr=1-1&keywords=wheat+belly+by+william+davis+md
You can copy and paste these into your browser. God bless!!
I just finished my third 24-hour fast day in three weeks time and am really excited about continuing to continue. I am within two pounds of my first small goal of hitting 315. So... I've come down from 355 to 317. Took a long time, but since I started the 24-hour fasts once a week, I am really beginning to see progress. It has certainly broken the stall that I was in. Still heading for 315.
I had laser surgery on my left eye last Wednesday and will be getting the right one done tomorrow. I was completely amazed at how simple and easy it was. If you've ever had an eye examination where you placed your chin on the lip of a frame and put your forehead against the bar at the top that was exactly the apparatus that they used to do the laser procedure that I had done. All I had to do was look at the pencil-like device my doctor told me to look at and let her know when I needed to blink -- which only happened once.
It was a little overwhelming to see my field of vision suddenly go opaque white and seem to float, but I just kept my other eye on the spot and let it happen. It was only like that for a few seconds. It happened once more and the whole thing was over. Zip. Zap. Zowie and it was over.
I had had cataract surgery in 2009 where they removed the lenses in my eyes and put in plastic lens "transplants" but my vision seemed to be, once again, growing fuzzy and out of focus. The oncoming headlights at night had gotten the big flaring star-like streaks of light, back again and I had become frightened to drive on a rainy night because I could not tell where the road was. So if there was a church service on Sunday night or Wednesday night and there were predictions of rain, I would not go for fear of driving off the road that I could not see in the night-time rain. I was caught in the rain on a few rainy nights and still remember how hard it was to tell where the road was when traffic was coming towards me.
The flare from the oncoming headlights plus the reflection of light from the wet pavement simply blurred everything together so that I could not clearly see where the road was. Thank God for those painted white lines on the outside edges of many roads. If not for those I would simply have not even known where the road was and I'm sure I would probably have ended up in someone's hedges or worse.
I am now able to read a little better with the left eye (the eye with the lens that focuses up close). Before I had the laser procedure, I had been seeing a large blur in the middle of the type as I read my Bible and it would only get worse as I continued. (I had to stop doing it for a while and had gotten behind in my daily reading.) That blur is not completely gone but is much improved. I am better able to read, but the small blur is still a little distracting.
I mentioned that to my doctor and she started talking about new glasses so I'm hoping that can be corrected. Looking forward to getting the other eye done tomorrow; mainly because that is the one that focuses more for distance viewing and I'm hoping that one clears up a lot. The doctor who did the original surgery on that eye told me he was not able to completely get the cataract out and mentioned at that time that I would need to have a hole cut in the back later on. That is what I am getting done tomorrow so I'm hoping the vision in that eye clears up a lot.
I've been reading (on kindle on my computer) an excellent book written by William Davis, M.D. called "Wheat Belly." Someone referenced it and I checked it out at Amazon and purchased the kindle version. It is very good reading, although, at times it gets a little technical. I would not change it though, because it is those technical details that really reveal the reasons behind his advice which is to eliminate wheat from your diet.
I've sometimes wondered about that. I'm a Bible-believing Christian and I know that bread is something that is talked about and recommended in the Bible. Remember the loaves and the fishes? Jesus fed the people bread. This was always a puzzle to me because I know that eating wheat products raises my blood sugar fast and high so I eat it only on rare occasions. It just did not make sense.
Well, now it makes sense. Dr. Davis explains with great detail that the bread we eat is not the same as the bread that was eaten two thousand years ago. That wheat had been found in the wild and planted in a farmer's field, just as it was, but our bread has gone through multiple generations of breeding for specific traits on top of genetic engineering and in the process is hardly even similar to the wheat of our ancient ancestors. It even grows on shorter stalks now because of the interference of man.
Basically the wheat we have available has much more gluten and other things in it that are not healthy for people to eat anymore. For some people it is even deadly. It causes not only Celiac disease but many other rashes, headaches, and weight gain and gluten is not the only problem. I'm not going to list all the problems he mentions because I think folks need to read the book and find out first hand.
I'm just at the part where he begins to tell people what they should eat instead of wheat and, fortunately for me, it is exactly the same as my personal plan. When you drop out the wheat (which is not easy for many people) you add in more vegetables and protein. None of us will get a "wheat deficiency" from not eating wheat and most of us will have improved health in some way or other.
I know, for sure, that eating wheat raises my blood sugar faster than nearly anything else -- even sugar. I also know that if I go without it for six days, I suddenly have much less pain in my body. No kidding. I do eat things made with wheat on occasion. If I'm at someone's house and they offer it, I am likely to consume it. Sometimes I have it at a restaurant, but for the most part, especially when I am at home, I just don't eat it or buy anything that has it as an ingredient on the label.
When it comes to blood sugar and weight gain you cannot substitute potatoes or other starchy carbs for wheat because potatoes and other starchy carbs still raise blood sugar and cause inflammation. But I have them once in a while. I know that if I want to keep losing weight and feeling good I'm better off without it at all.
I think the hardest part of getting off wheat is for those who have an addiction to it. (Like me.) Those bread and pasta cravings are coming from the wheat that affects the brain as well as the intestines. I know from experience that if you can just get past the first three days, it gets a whole lot easier. It can be done.
I really think you should check out this book at Amazon.com and see what you think. It has a lot of answers to some health questions that are usually hard to figure out. If you have one of those hard to interpret health problems, eliminating wheat might help solve some or all of the problem.
Anyway. My fast is complete. I just had half a bowl of chicken curry with vegetables and a large salad. My belly is full and happy. My ankles are still small and I think that is wonderful.
This fasting thing really seems to be working for me. Finally.
Be back soon,
Marcia
P.S. If you want to read about the fasting thing check these sources out:
http://www.eatstopeat.com
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting/chapter-6 (this one is free online.)
If you want to check out the "Wheat Belly" book, here is a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health/dp/1609611543/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343168165&sr=1-1&keywords=wheat+belly+by+william+davis+md
You can copy and paste these into your browser. God bless!!
Monday, July 16, 2012
The Week After the First Fast
Hi,
It has been a week since I last fasted and I am preparing for another one to begin today at 5 p.m. I have been really excited about the results of that one 24-hour fast. My weight has been trending downward each day to a total lost for the week of 1.5 pounds. Not earth shattering, but, after what had been happening in the weeks leading up to it, I consider the fast a total freaking success. What a pleasure it was to wake up to a smaller number on all but one morning. I was not really expecting that!
The one major noticeable result is still the edema which did not begin to resume until about three days later. When it did come back it also remained much smaller, too. It has only been in the last two days that it appears to have begun to swell to almost (not quite) my pre-fast condition, again. I am hoping that starting at a slightly less swollen state will make my post-second-fast ankle size even smaller.
Looking at my food journal I see that I ended the first fast with a large bowl of curried chicken to which I added one nine-ounce package of angel hair Konjac shirataki noodles. I still remember the experience. I had a real feeling of true pleasure when I simply held the warm bowl of noodles in my hand and sniffed the scent of the curry and chicken. That was at about 5 p.m. At 8 p.m. I put half of a pound of hamburger in the convection oven, then ate it with spicy brown mustard. At about 8:30 I got hungry again and had 3 scrambled eggs. The next morning I had lost 1/4 of a pound!!
For the next three days I noticed I was satisfied with smaller meals and enjoyed the actual feeling of my tummy telling me, "I can't eat another bite" after having eaten much smaller amounts than usual. That was a nice change from the usual lusting for food. It was an actual eye-opener for me. I saw that my body can act in a normal way around food when the addiction is turned off. It seems that the fast turned the addiction off for a space of time.
During the week I wanted to stick to the snack/meal/snack program but was mentally a little lax since I had done the 24-hour fast and knew that the "Eat Stop Eat" program does not include extremely rigid diet rules during the rest of the time but strongly suggests being "sensible" -- and we all know what that means.
I have noticed that my snack size is now creeping to a little larger than a true snack size, but it is still smaller than a meal. To keep myself on track without getting fanatic I began to measure with the bowls I serve my snacks and meals in. The snack bowl is about a cup smaller than the meal bowl, and I use the two sizes to gauge how much food I am eating at a sitting because on about day four my "familiar" eating habits wanted to surge back, again.
Yesterday I even had an additional snack in the evening but made it purely raw vegetables. I cut up a bowl of raw broccoli, added a few grape tomatoes and put dressing and seasonings on it. Afterwards, I still felt hungry so I had an avocado after which I ate a teaspoon of coconut oil. The high oil content of the avocado and the CO seemed to quench the desire for more food.
My final observation yesterday was to realize that I am, after all, doing more of small meal/medium sized meal/small meal. So the meal is not as large as before, but the snacks are not as small. Over all I lost weight. I am happy with that so feel as though I am moving along successfully. I can see the goal ahead of me.
Be back soon,
Marcia
It has been a week since I last fasted and I am preparing for another one to begin today at 5 p.m. I have been really excited about the results of that one 24-hour fast. My weight has been trending downward each day to a total lost for the week of 1.5 pounds. Not earth shattering, but, after what had been happening in the weeks leading up to it, I consider the fast a total freaking success. What a pleasure it was to wake up to a smaller number on all but one morning. I was not really expecting that!
The one major noticeable result is still the edema which did not begin to resume until about three days later. When it did come back it also remained much smaller, too. It has only been in the last two days that it appears to have begun to swell to almost (not quite) my pre-fast condition, again. I am hoping that starting at a slightly less swollen state will make my post-second-fast ankle size even smaller.
Looking at my food journal I see that I ended the first fast with a large bowl of curried chicken to which I added one nine-ounce package of angel hair Konjac shirataki noodles. I still remember the experience. I had a real feeling of true pleasure when I simply held the warm bowl of noodles in my hand and sniffed the scent of the curry and chicken. That was at about 5 p.m. At 8 p.m. I put half of a pound of hamburger in the convection oven, then ate it with spicy brown mustard. At about 8:30 I got hungry again and had 3 scrambled eggs. The next morning I had lost 1/4 of a pound!!
For the next three days I noticed I was satisfied with smaller meals and enjoyed the actual feeling of my tummy telling me, "I can't eat another bite" after having eaten much smaller amounts than usual. That was a nice change from the usual lusting for food. It was an actual eye-opener for me. I saw that my body can act in a normal way around food when the addiction is turned off. It seems that the fast turned the addiction off for a space of time.
During the week I wanted to stick to the snack/meal/snack program but was mentally a little lax since I had done the 24-hour fast and knew that the "Eat Stop Eat" program does not include extremely rigid diet rules during the rest of the time but strongly suggests being "sensible" -- and we all know what that means.
I have noticed that my snack size is now creeping to a little larger than a true snack size, but it is still smaller than a meal. To keep myself on track without getting fanatic I began to measure with the bowls I serve my snacks and meals in. The snack bowl is about a cup smaller than the meal bowl, and I use the two sizes to gauge how much food I am eating at a sitting because on about day four my "familiar" eating habits wanted to surge back, again.
Yesterday I even had an additional snack in the evening but made it purely raw vegetables. I cut up a bowl of raw broccoli, added a few grape tomatoes and put dressing and seasonings on it. Afterwards, I still felt hungry so I had an avocado after which I ate a teaspoon of coconut oil. The high oil content of the avocado and the CO seemed to quench the desire for more food.
My final observation yesterday was to realize that I am, after all, doing more of small meal/medium sized meal/small meal. So the meal is not as large as before, but the snacks are not as small. Over all I lost weight. I am happy with that so feel as though I am moving along successfully. I can see the goal ahead of me.
Be back soon,
Marcia
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Update to Today's 24-hour fast:
Hi, again,
I am within 25 minutes of breaking my fast and I feel great about having done it. My body feels good and energetic especially since I tossed out the unfinished half cup of green tea and made a cup of "Plantation Mint" instead. The PM has always set a little better on my stomach. I do feel slightly tired but not enough to take a nap or anything -- I am really not ready for sleep. I feel awake and fine but I'm not ready to run a marathon, for sure.
The one big visible result I have noticed is that my normal every-day edema is greatly reduced. I actually record my edema by observing the size of my ankles every morning, giving it a number between 1 and 10, and have recently noticed that by the end of the day they are really swollen. Not today. The fast has done something in that area that I am really pleased about. My ankles are still at "morning levels" meaning they are not completely without edema but they are not as swollen as they usually are by this time of day. I think that is excellent and I am very happy about it and the fast.
I spent most of today reading "Eat Stop Eat" again because I needed to refresh my "reason tank" and be reminded of all the health benefits that are possible from giving my body a rest from eating. My body seems to have liked the rest. And I do too.
I wish I could share all the stuff from ESE because I am so excited about it. Really I think anyone who is concerned with their eating habits or excess body fat should at least consider it. It is simple, you don't really have to change what you eat the rest of the time so much as simply be sensible about eating the rest of the time.
The fasting accomplishes the weekly caloric decrease in a simple, direct, unfussy, way. My experience of it is that it does take a decision to do, and you have to keep your eye on the goal and reasons for doing it, but the actual doing is not at all as scary as I might have thought a few years ago.
I remember the fear that would slip in when I considered fasting. I really did not believe that I could go without food for a whole day and felt anxious about it. I worried and wondered if I could eat just a little something and still call it a fast. I worried that I would get sick or feel really bad from it. Oddly enough it was way easier than I used to fear. In fact, I discovered that there really does not need to be any fear at all!! The fear and worry were way worse than the actual experience of skipping a few meals for a short time period -- from dinner one day to dinner time the next.
The fact that I have experienced some immediate results (reduction in edema) is really quite amazing to me. Get the book. Read it. Try it. What have you got to lose?
www.eatstopeat.com
Much love,
Be back soon,
Marcia
I am within 25 minutes of breaking my fast and I feel great about having done it. My body feels good and energetic especially since I tossed out the unfinished half cup of green tea and made a cup of "Plantation Mint" instead. The PM has always set a little better on my stomach. I do feel slightly tired but not enough to take a nap or anything -- I am really not ready for sleep. I feel awake and fine but I'm not ready to run a marathon, for sure.
The one big visible result I have noticed is that my normal every-day edema is greatly reduced. I actually record my edema by observing the size of my ankles every morning, giving it a number between 1 and 10, and have recently noticed that by the end of the day they are really swollen. Not today. The fast has done something in that area that I am really pleased about. My ankles are still at "morning levels" meaning they are not completely without edema but they are not as swollen as they usually are by this time of day. I think that is excellent and I am very happy about it and the fast.
I spent most of today reading "Eat Stop Eat" again because I needed to refresh my "reason tank" and be reminded of all the health benefits that are possible from giving my body a rest from eating. My body seems to have liked the rest. And I do too.
I wish I could share all the stuff from ESE because I am so excited about it. Really I think anyone who is concerned with their eating habits or excess body fat should at least consider it. It is simple, you don't really have to change what you eat the rest of the time so much as simply be sensible about eating the rest of the time.
The fasting accomplishes the weekly caloric decrease in a simple, direct, unfussy, way. My experience of it is that it does take a decision to do, and you have to keep your eye on the goal and reasons for doing it, but the actual doing is not at all as scary as I might have thought a few years ago.
I remember the fear that would slip in when I considered fasting. I really did not believe that I could go without food for a whole day and felt anxious about it. I worried and wondered if I could eat just a little something and still call it a fast. I worried that I would get sick or feel really bad from it. Oddly enough it was way easier than I used to fear. In fact, I discovered that there really does not need to be any fear at all!! The fear and worry were way worse than the actual experience of skipping a few meals for a short time period -- from dinner one day to dinner time the next.
The fact that I have experienced some immediate results (reduction in edema) is really quite amazing to me. Get the book. Read it. Try it. What have you got to lose?
www.eatstopeat.com
Much love,
Be back soon,
Marcia
24-Hour Fast Today
Hi,
I'm in the middle of my 24-hr fast today and just wanted to blog at this point in time. It has been interesting and it is slightly different than the 16-hour fasts I had been doing. I seem to be more hungry but water and tea, which are permitted, are very satisfying, so I'm indulging as I feel the need. I drank a 12-oz bottle of water upon waking and had another when taking my supplements and one prescription. I made a cup of hot green tea but it is so warm out that I prefer to let it cool down to tepid before drinking it.
I started last night at 5 p.m. and will eat again today at 5 p.m. so it is not like I'm starving and don't know where my next meal will come from. I live in the USA and in a part of the city that has three fast food joints in a row about half a mile from my house. There are more across the street. There is no lack of food available. And THAT may be the problem.
I got out my copy of "Eat Stop Eat" for a refresher as I began and I was reminded that fasting is a normal part of the human experience. I believe that small meals must have been part of that too. We have access to so much food in the USA that we have forgotten what the real human food experience of our distant ancestors really was like.There are people in the world who still eat that way, but not so much here in the US. We do still have a few religious folk who fast but, as far as I know, there is not must fasting going on here. When was the last time you fasted?
We think of dieting as managing our food intake, or eating a certain kind of food, but have not noticed that "not eating" is actually a part of that, too. It is like type on a page. We notice the black words strung out in paragraphs but don't notice that the white space around them is what makes them usable.
To lose weight you have to eat less food. Short fasts that you do from time to time is a way to eat less food. Fasting also lowers insulin and sugar levels and allows the body to use some of its "storage." Gee, what a good idea!! Use up some of the storage. If taken to extremes fasting can cause problems but you are not going to suddenly become unhealthy because you missed a meal or two or even a whole day of food.
Some of us remember parents who sent them to bed without dinner as a punishment for misbehavior, usually at the dinner table or just before. Nobody died from missing one meal. My parents did not use that particular punishment. Maybe they should have! LOL. The point is that we often forget the simplest form of calorie reduction is to stop eating for a short time. Skip a meal every once in a while.
Brad Pilon's extensive research on fasting is contained in his book, "Eat Stop Eat" and makes for excellent reading. In it he offers his once-a-week 24-hour fast as a way to reduce weight without all the "fuss." He answered every question about fasting and health that I could think of and some I didn't think of. He is selling his PDF online for about $10 at this URL: http://www.eatstopeat.com Well worth the small price. He covers all the misconceptions we may have about fasting and also points out the extensive health benefits, too.
There are really only two states a person can be in, in relation to eating. You are either eating, or not eating. That's it. Normally we spend more hours not eating than eating, but if things have gotten out of hand and you've been eating too much, extending the "not eating" time is actually good for the body and the mind. It can give the body a real rest from always processing food.
It is now about 1 p.m. and my fast ends at 5 p.m. so I have about four more hours to complete this fast. So it has been about 20 hours since I've eaten anything and, yes, I'm feeling it. But it is not really so bad. I'm thinking some of what I'm feeling may be because I took my supplements on an empty stomach. Perhaps when I'm fasting I should leave them out temporarily, too. I felt fine until I drank half of my tepid green tea. I'm not usually a tea drinker so maybe that is it.
I'm keeping the reason in mind. The reason I'm fasting is to use up a little of my fat. I'm thinking about how successful I will feel when I come to the five o'clock hour and then break my fast. It is only once a week. I will see if it actually helps me to reduce my weight. If it works, it is a lot easier than counting every calorie I put in my mouth the rest of the week. I'm still planning on doing my snack/meal/snack the rest of the time. This is my introduction to a possible new life style.
It always boils down to: you won't know if you don't try it out. Who knows... maybe this is the last time I'll have to try something new. If it works, I'll just plug along at it. If it does not work, well, I'll cross that bridge if I come to it.
Be back soon,
Marcia
I'm in the middle of my 24-hr fast today and just wanted to blog at this point in time. It has been interesting and it is slightly different than the 16-hour fasts I had been doing. I seem to be more hungry but water and tea, which are permitted, are very satisfying, so I'm indulging as I feel the need. I drank a 12-oz bottle of water upon waking and had another when taking my supplements and one prescription. I made a cup of hot green tea but it is so warm out that I prefer to let it cool down to tepid before drinking it.
I started last night at 5 p.m. and will eat again today at 5 p.m. so it is not like I'm starving and don't know where my next meal will come from. I live in the USA and in a part of the city that has three fast food joints in a row about half a mile from my house. There are more across the street. There is no lack of food available. And THAT may be the problem.
I got out my copy of "Eat Stop Eat" for a refresher as I began and I was reminded that fasting is a normal part of the human experience. I believe that small meals must have been part of that too. We have access to so much food in the USA that we have forgotten what the real human food experience of our distant ancestors really was like.There are people in the world who still eat that way, but not so much here in the US. We do still have a few religious folk who fast but, as far as I know, there is not must fasting going on here. When was the last time you fasted?
We think of dieting as managing our food intake, or eating a certain kind of food, but have not noticed that "not eating" is actually a part of that, too. It is like type on a page. We notice the black words strung out in paragraphs but don't notice that the white space around them is what makes them usable.
To lose weight you have to eat less food. Short fasts that you do from time to time is a way to eat less food. Fasting also lowers insulin and sugar levels and allows the body to use some of its "storage." Gee, what a good idea!! Use up some of the storage. If taken to extremes fasting can cause problems but you are not going to suddenly become unhealthy because you missed a meal or two or even a whole day of food.
Some of us remember parents who sent them to bed without dinner as a punishment for misbehavior, usually at the dinner table or just before. Nobody died from missing one meal. My parents did not use that particular punishment. Maybe they should have! LOL. The point is that we often forget the simplest form of calorie reduction is to stop eating for a short time. Skip a meal every once in a while.
Brad Pilon's extensive research on fasting is contained in his book, "Eat Stop Eat" and makes for excellent reading. In it he offers his once-a-week 24-hour fast as a way to reduce weight without all the "fuss." He answered every question about fasting and health that I could think of and some I didn't think of. He is selling his PDF online for about $10 at this URL: http://www.eatstopeat.com Well worth the small price. He covers all the misconceptions we may have about fasting and also points out the extensive health benefits, too.
There are really only two states a person can be in, in relation to eating. You are either eating, or not eating. That's it. Normally we spend more hours not eating than eating, but if things have gotten out of hand and you've been eating too much, extending the "not eating" time is actually good for the body and the mind. It can give the body a real rest from always processing food.
It is now about 1 p.m. and my fast ends at 5 p.m. so I have about four more hours to complete this fast. So it has been about 20 hours since I've eaten anything and, yes, I'm feeling it. But it is not really so bad. I'm thinking some of what I'm feeling may be because I took my supplements on an empty stomach. Perhaps when I'm fasting I should leave them out temporarily, too. I felt fine until I drank half of my tepid green tea. I'm not usually a tea drinker so maybe that is it.
I'm keeping the reason in mind. The reason I'm fasting is to use up a little of my fat. I'm thinking about how successful I will feel when I come to the five o'clock hour and then break my fast. It is only once a week. I will see if it actually helps me to reduce my weight. If it works, it is a lot easier than counting every calorie I put in my mouth the rest of the week. I'm still planning on doing my snack/meal/snack the rest of the time. This is my introduction to a possible new life style.
It always boils down to: you won't know if you don't try it out. Who knows... maybe this is the last time I'll have to try something new. If it works, I'll just plug along at it. If it does not work, well, I'll cross that bridge if I come to it.
Be back soon,
Marcia
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Getting the Fire Going
Hi,
Setting goals used to make me crazy but I think it is time to give this a try in the area of weight loss. I have been successful over the past year or more at taking off about thirty pounds but I am definitely stuck there. My weight hovers around the same numbers week after week. I go up a few and then down a few. I can hit a new low number but that does not mean I stay there. I am not clean with following my own programs.
There are two things that I have accomplished and I am very happy to remind myself that I have not gone back up to my original starting weight and I've reversed my prediabetes. Those two things are pretty much miraculous in my book and I am very happy to have done them. It is that third goal, the one of losing weight that I believe I need to examine a little more closely.
I think that I have not accomplished the feat of "getting thin" because, inside my deepest heart, I don't really believe it is possible. I see other people losing weight and I wonder why I cannot. See that? I said "cannot." I did not say "have not" I said "cannot" which means "not able to." Yes, I have seen that inside me before and I think it is time to address it.
I've shied away from setting weight loss goals because I have followed the diet du jour rules in the past, set the goal, and not reached it so many times that I began to believe that setting the goal was idiotic. It also became scary to face, so I simply left it behind. Right now I even feel like if I continue to examine the powerless "why I've not done it" I will never get to the "accomplishment" so, for this moment, I am going to face the other direction and begin to be empowered.
For inspiration I am using John Barban's book the: "Anything Goes Diet," -- the separate additional PDF called: "Thinking Thin," which is about programming your mind for weight loss. I definitely need to reprogram my mind for weight loss. Since his is not a "hypnosis" session, it is simple for me to try out. (In case you would like to try it out here is a link to his blog: http://www.anythinggoesdiet.com/blog/ ) I am going to focus on the first two steps he shares. (As I am writing I've tested the link and it leads to a blank page, so I've contacted the author to let him know something is wrong. Hopefully it will be fixed, soon.)
The first tip is to ask yourself "What is this food going to do for me?" He suggests that asking yourself this question before you do an on-the-fly adjustment to your program, which usually means adding a snack, a meal, or doing something that is not on your agreed upon program, will allow you to admit to yourself exactly why you’re eating that extra meal or snack and decide if you really need it.
It gives you a moment in time to examine what you are doing to see where this action will eventually take you. If eating that food will satisfy a legitimate need that is one thing, but if it will only serve to screw up your weight loss, then maybe you need to set it aside and choose to do something else. It could go either way, so this is not a "moment to beat yourself up," it is simply a moment to step back and take a look to see if you want to end up where eating that item at this time will take you. Since we've previously established that "we are what we eat," will eating this food make you what you want to be?
While that is not actually "setting a goal" it seems like it would help you "keep headed towards your goal." This is about commitment. You will discover if you are really committed to your goal of getting to a particular size or if you are committed to satisfying your current food lust -- craving. Then you get to decide where you really want to end up.
His second tip incorporates your vision of your goal. He asks you to imagine that you have reached your exact goal. Imagine that you have been successful at your weight loss attempt and you fit into the size you always wanted to be. Assume that your weight loss is guaranteed and then imagine that your future successful self is standing next to your current self and having a discussion.
What would your future self say to your current self in any challenging situation? Would your future self allow your current self to over eat? Imagining that you have reached your goal will create feelings of success, accountability and responsibility right now to make that future a reality. Your future thin self will never exist if your current self does not do what it takes to get there.
So. Both of these supportive thinking exercises depend on having a specific goal in mind and not only having the goal, but believing that you can reach it. (Ha. I just got overwhelmed and headachy... I'm going to go for a swim to give me a little "distance" and to have a little more time to think about me and my personal intention.)
Ok. I went and got myself ready to go for a swim (have not gone yet) and it has dawned on me that I do have goals. I've had them in my mind all along. I've talked about them before in this blog. I just did not blow a trumpet and make a list of what they are. Not keeping my current goals is what has been frustrating me. So I'm going to use the two tips to support me in my current, already existing goals which are:
1. Daily: obey my eating program today
2. Ultimate: Wear a size 12 dress.
3. Intermediate: Reach the weight of 315 and use my success as a catalyst to set the next goal (current weight today is 329.25)
I will envision myself in a size 12 dress which would be an absolute dream come true for me. I can see what my body will look like in a size 12 dress. My tummy will be small. I will have a visible waist and my back will be smooth. I see myself wearing a cotton, flower print, knee-length, A-line, size 12 dress and looking in a mirror to admire how good I look. I can see my future self talking to my current self and being my "support group" of one who encourages me and reminds me to believe that I can do it. My future self knows that I can do it, because she is proof that it can happen. It is possible! She did it. So can I. I know because she is me.
My intermediate goal is reachable, too. As I go along I will set up new intermediate goals as needed to be markers of my successful journey.
That about sums up my current program and goals. Praying that the Lord Jesus will give me the strength I need to remain committed to doing something good for me.
Remember: It is better to obey, than to make a sacrifice for sin
Be back soon,
Marcia
Setting goals used to make me crazy but I think it is time to give this a try in the area of weight loss. I have been successful over the past year or more at taking off about thirty pounds but I am definitely stuck there. My weight hovers around the same numbers week after week. I go up a few and then down a few. I can hit a new low number but that does not mean I stay there. I am not clean with following my own programs.
There are two things that I have accomplished and I am very happy to remind myself that I have not gone back up to my original starting weight and I've reversed my prediabetes. Those two things are pretty much miraculous in my book and I am very happy to have done them. It is that third goal, the one of losing weight that I believe I need to examine a little more closely.
I think that I have not accomplished the feat of "getting thin" because, inside my deepest heart, I don't really believe it is possible. I see other people losing weight and I wonder why I cannot. See that? I said "cannot." I did not say "have not" I said "cannot" which means "not able to." Yes, I have seen that inside me before and I think it is time to address it.
I've shied away from setting weight loss goals because I have followed the diet du jour rules in the past, set the goal, and not reached it so many times that I began to believe that setting the goal was idiotic. It also became scary to face, so I simply left it behind. Right now I even feel like if I continue to examine the powerless "why I've not done it" I will never get to the "accomplishment" so, for this moment, I am going to face the other direction and begin to be empowered.
For inspiration I am using John Barban's book the: "Anything Goes Diet," -- the separate additional PDF called: "Thinking Thin," which is about programming your mind for weight loss. I definitely need to reprogram my mind for weight loss. Since his is not a "hypnosis" session, it is simple for me to try out. (In case you would like to try it out here is a link to his blog: http://www.anythinggoesdiet.com/blog/ ) I am going to focus on the first two steps he shares. (As I am writing I've tested the link and it leads to a blank page, so I've contacted the author to let him know something is wrong. Hopefully it will be fixed, soon.)
The first tip is to ask yourself "What is this food going to do for me?" He suggests that asking yourself this question before you do an on-the-fly adjustment to your program, which usually means adding a snack, a meal, or doing something that is not on your agreed upon program, will allow you to admit to yourself exactly why you’re eating that extra meal or snack and decide if you really need it.
It gives you a moment in time to examine what you are doing to see where this action will eventually take you. If eating that food will satisfy a legitimate need that is one thing, but if it will only serve to screw up your weight loss, then maybe you need to set it aside and choose to do something else. It could go either way, so this is not a "moment to beat yourself up," it is simply a moment to step back and take a look to see if you want to end up where eating that item at this time will take you. Since we've previously established that "we are what we eat," will eating this food make you what you want to be?
While that is not actually "setting a goal" it seems like it would help you "keep headed towards your goal." This is about commitment. You will discover if you are really committed to your goal of getting to a particular size or if you are committed to satisfying your current food lust -- craving. Then you get to decide where you really want to end up.
His second tip incorporates your vision of your goal. He asks you to imagine that you have reached your exact goal. Imagine that you have been successful at your weight loss attempt and you fit into the size you always wanted to be. Assume that your weight loss is guaranteed and then imagine that your future successful self is standing next to your current self and having a discussion.
What would your future self say to your current self in any challenging situation? Would your future self allow your current self to over eat? Imagining that you have reached your goal will create feelings of success, accountability and responsibility right now to make that future a reality. Your future thin self will never exist if your current self does not do what it takes to get there.
So. Both of these supportive thinking exercises depend on having a specific goal in mind and not only having the goal, but believing that you can reach it. (Ha. I just got overwhelmed and headachy... I'm going to go for a swim to give me a little "distance" and to have a little more time to think about me and my personal intention.)
Ok. I went and got myself ready to go for a swim (have not gone yet) and it has dawned on me that I do have goals. I've had them in my mind all along. I've talked about them before in this blog. I just did not blow a trumpet and make a list of what they are. Not keeping my current goals is what has been frustrating me. So I'm going to use the two tips to support me in my current, already existing goals which are:
1. Daily: obey my eating program today
2. Ultimate: Wear a size 12 dress.
3. Intermediate: Reach the weight of 315 and use my success as a catalyst to set the next goal (current weight today is 329.25)
- Benefit: my blood pressure will normalize as I normalize my size
- Benefit: I will no longer have to be embarrassed from noticing others judging me (they may still judge me -- but it won't be about them looking down their noses at my body shape and size and making assumptions about me)
- Benefit: I will feel like I fit in when I want to and I don't have to "fit in."
- Benefit: I will be happy to go shopping at the "normal size" store
- Benefit: I will be happy to be able to purchase size 12 items on sale
- Benefit: I will be happy to boast about what the Lord has done for me!!
I will envision myself in a size 12 dress which would be an absolute dream come true for me. I can see what my body will look like in a size 12 dress. My tummy will be small. I will have a visible waist and my back will be smooth. I see myself wearing a cotton, flower print, knee-length, A-line, size 12 dress and looking in a mirror to admire how good I look. I can see my future self talking to my current self and being my "support group" of one who encourages me and reminds me to believe that I can do it. My future self knows that I can do it, because she is proof that it can happen. It is possible! She did it. So can I. I know because she is me.
My intermediate goal is reachable, too. As I go along I will set up new intermediate goals as needed to be markers of my successful journey.
- My eating program is currently the snack/meal/snack with a 24-hour fast on Monday/Tuesday.
- I need to have fresh raw salad available for my meal and snacks every day.
- I need high quality animal protein for all meals and snacks.
- A snack is half the size of a meal.
- On Monday, before the beginning of my evening fast, I can have two meals.
- I can have shirataki noodles two times in one week.
- I can have 1/2 of a potato or sweet potato if I go out to eat with friends once a week.
That about sums up my current program and goals. Praying that the Lord Jesus will give me the strength I need to remain committed to doing something good for me.
Remember: It is better to obey, than to make a sacrifice for sin
Be back soon,
Marcia
Friday, July 6, 2012
Focusing on the Snacks
Hi,
Things I've learned from trying out the "one meal and one snack per day" idea:
Be back soon,
Marcia
Things I've learned from trying out the "one meal and one snack per day" idea:
- The meal is pretty easy to manage. It is the snacks that need purposeful attention and management.
- One meal/one snack worked for a few days -- but I soon added one more high protein snack. So now it is "One Meal and Two Snacks" but some days I still only have one snack.
- Snack, Meal, Snack, seems to be the best order of eating. The meal in the middle of the day seems to work best for me. I use the first protein snack in the morning to get me going and the second protein snack in the evening to keep me on track before bed time.
- I still need a "binge" or "cheat" day from time to time. These are unscheduled. I am not going to plan a binge or cheat day once a week. Having the binge day when my body needs it is more useful than trying to pre-plan when my body will need it. There is no mistaking when my body needs it. If I can go along without one for a long period of time, well why would I want to mess with that? My body does not need a binge or cheat day to be scheduled. When it arrives, it arrives all on its own.
- After the Binge day would be an excellent day to do a 24-hour fast. It can be a real fast, meaning no food or drink, or I can drink a sensible beverage of my choice throughout the day. The fast should start immediately at the end of the binge. So if the last binge thing I ate was at, say eight p.m., then I simply don't eat again until eight p.m. the next day.
- An alternative to the 24-hour fast would be to have a three-snack day. All of them actual high protein. We know that a "binge" day is not going to be a high protein day... we binge on carbs: sugary, sweet, high carb items. So don't have any carbs the next day and keep the three snacks "snack-sized" and spread out to cover the whole day.
- Drink lots of water. Every day. Especially in the summer when it is hot. Making sure the water is ice cold when you drink it will actually help you lose weight. Your body will have to work to heat it up and you will actually burn a small amount of fat in the process.
- If your "one meal" is as big as a Sumo Wrestler's (or contains a lot of high carb items) then you will still pack on weight. It is still important to have an estimated calorie range for the entire day and the "one meal" should be sensible. (We all know what a "sensible meal" is.)
- I cannot use cheese as a high protein snack. For some reason I react to cheese (any dairy products) as if they were carbs. It can set off unscheduled excessive eating.
- Mixed nuts or peanuts appear to do the same thing. I notice that if I have either cheese or mixed nuts in the house -- intended to be used as small high protein snacks -- the snacks get bigger and bigger as I go along and I soon am eating whole bricks of cheese or half-cans of mixed nuts at a sitting. That is not a snack. This will definitely mess up my weight loss.
- Actual protein snacks work very well. One or two eggs (only) is a great snack for me that sticks to my ribs (so to speak) and tides me over to my actual meal time.
- How the egg is cooked seems to make a difference in how long it tides me over: if the egg is cooked "over easy" with a liquid center, I seem to get hungry again faster. If the egg is scrambled it just seems to stick with me longer. So a really good snack for me is one or two scrambled eggs. Been thinking about hard boiled eggs, but not done them yet.
- A can of tuna with a few walnuts is an excellent "tide me over" snack. I soon forget about food if I eat tuna. I season it with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings. I also use a little coconut oil as a dressing. It is not your grandmas tuna salad but it is not bad for a snack.
- Walnuts last in my house. Mixed nuts do not. I can manage walnuts because I don't seem to binge on them and the serving size does not change when I consume them. I really can add five or six walnuts to my tuna fish and not worry about the eating machine. Mixed nuts is another story (see #10 above.)
- Two hot dog franks (chicken, turkey, beef, pork, any kind without nitrates really -- read the label) is a good snack. I find that I don't like to cook them in my convection oven because they seem to come out "salty." I prefer to steam or boil them on top of the stove which removes some of the saltiness. I don't eat them often because of this, but they do seem to tide me over nicely as a high protein snack when I do eat them and they add a little variety to my eating life.
- A hamburger pattie is also a good high protein snack. I like to kind of smother it with Spicy Brown Mustard for the flavor. I don't use ketchup, not even the reduced sugar ones because they still have sugar alcohols in them which can affect the eating machine. I season the pattie according to how I feel at the moment.
- I have discovered that I love to sprinkle a thick coating of curry powder on a hamburger pattie and cook it in my convection oven. It tastes really good and I don't seem to need the dipping mustard with it. My favorite is the Tones brand of curry powder that I get at Sam's in a big container for a small price.
- I don't "schedule" the snacks and meal.... I eat when I am hungry. That just seems to work for me. If I'm not hungry in the morning, I might not eat anything until much later in the day and that will usually turn into the meal.
- If the meal tides me over until bed time, I don't worry about the evening snack.
- The snacks are "available" when I need them. This gives me a sense of freedom and control. I hate all that rigid timed eating stuff. If things are flexible then I can adjust things on the fly as needed for that particular day. This keeps me happy and on an even keel.
- If I follow the plan I lose weight over night.
- If I do not follow the plan I gain weight over night.
Be back soon,
Marcia
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)