Day 85 - Fast Day #5

I had a good fasting day. I gave in at 4pm and had a couple of walnuts, but had the rest of my calories at dinner.

I was a bit hungry this morning. I had a 4 day break. I think this may have contributed.

A good day none the less! I will weigh in tomorrow morning!

Day 82-84 - Non Fasting Days

I haven't had time to post the last few days because my daughter came home sick on Friday with a stomach ache and headache. Just when we thought she was getting better, she started vomiting on Sunday morning. Thankfully, that only lasted during the morning hours and she was back to herself by the afternoon and was off to school today.

I had 3 days straight at home with the kids, cooped up in the house. I had the nibbles now and then, but nothing too terrible. I had an average of just under 900 calories for my deficit this week. So I didn't do as well as the prior week. But if this diet says you can eat what you want without overeating, I should be ok!

Today is a fasting day for me. I was a bit hungry this morning, but I just ignored it and soldiered on! Tomorrow I will spend the day with my Mom on my cheat day!

Day 81 - It Was A Good Day

I had a great day today. Was nice and busy at work, had lunch with a good friend of mine and spent time playing a video game with the kids this evening. I had less then 2200 calories today which was great! I ended up with a big lunch so stuck with a light dinner so I wouldn't over eat.

Tomorrow is date night with hubby, so we will both enjoy dinner out and maybe a movie. My goal is to get a small popcorn or none at all if we do end up at the movies. I looooove popcorn, so wish me luck! LOL!

Trophies In The Battle Of Weight Loss!

We all know the battle to lose weight is a tough one. I would like to think that when you lose weight you win and you win big! So I have come to think as jean sizes as my trophies in the battle of weight loss! I started out at my heaviest in size 28 jeans! Today I got into my second pair of 14 jeans! You know the ones I was just talking about yesterday! So I am super excited!

My next trophy that I would like to obtain is Size 12 jeans! Like I said, I bought a pair this week and hope to be in them before I know it! I don't think I've every worn size 12 jeans as an adult, let alone size 14! I had to wear mens jeans in high school as they didn't carry larger sizes for women back then. At least as far as we knew! By time I did start wearing women's jeans I was in size 24 and up!

It feels good to be winning this battle! :)

Day 80 - My Fourth Fast Day!

I decided to fast today and get it done for the week as I have a lunch date with some friends tomorrow. Now I have 4 days off until I fast again. Today went well. I was able to have nothing until dinner time and stuck with my delicious favorite spinach omelet with cheese. I was a little hungrier, then I had been my other fasting days, after dinner tonight. But nothing a little water couldn't help. Now I am fine and the hunger has passed. I'm thinking it could be because I just had a fast day 2 days ago and not 3.

I know that some fasting days will be easier then others. I am still amazed at how easy this has been! Easier then I could have ever imagined! I think not nibbling on snacks and other things keeps the hunger away. I know that some foods can trigger hunger the more you eat it. I can now say from experience that, it is sooo true! I find not eating, easier, then worrying about what I'm going to eat throughout the day. I'm not saying I want to do it everyday by any means, I'm just saying it's a lot easier then I thought it would be and I am glad. Because I know I can stick with this!

I bought a pair of size 12 jeans yesterday at the Goodwill as my incentive jeans! LOL! I have gotten into one of my two pair of 14 jeans. I hope to be in the second pair of fourteens very soon and then onto the twelves we go! :)

Day 79 - I Love My Job, But I Enjoy My Days Off!

I had a very productive day. Met my brother in law so he could take my mother in law back home and we had a nice lunch at Applebee's. I had my favorite Chicken & Shrimp Tequila Tango! If you love avocado and southwest fare, this dish is a must try!! Love it! I also had a few boneless wings. I was pretty full the rest of the day after my big lunch, so I ended my day with a bowl of cereal. I managed to stay under 2500 calories which is my goal on my cheat day.

I love my job, but I love getting a break on my day off! I enjoyed the day with my son and husband as we ran errands and hung out in Burlington. It got up to 36 degrees today and the sun was out. Which made for a pleasant day.

I made sure to park as far away in the parking lot to get in some extra exercise. I will burn just above 2600 calories today. Now that my MIL has headed home and I have my living room back, I will try to do Zumba a couple of times this week to get in some extra exercise.

My MIL sleeps and hangs out in the living room most of the time she is with us, so I take a break from Zumba while she is visiting. So it will be nice to get back to doing it again!

Now We Are Seeing Some Progress AGAIN!

I weighed myself this morning and I was down just over another pound! Woohoo! I am now 214.7  pounds with a total loss of 13 pounds exactly since I started this journey in January! So this new diet plan is working and I find it so much easier to stick with!

At this rate, I will be under 200 pounds by the end of June! Just in time for summer to really kick in! That is my hope, my dream and my goal.

Now I am off to another busy day off. I've got to take my MIL to Burlington today, pick up some supplies for the store and pick crickets for our toads! I will enjoy my day knowing that my efforts are working well! :)

Day 78 - Another Succesful Fast Day!

Well I did it! I managed to have just one meal yesterday. I had a delicious spinach omelet and used 2 regular eggs and 3 egg whites. I did add another 1/2 ounce of cheese as my omelet was bigger. Can't help myself. ;)

I also enjoyed a half of a banana and 4 ounces of blackberries! I felt like it was my dessert! :D

It was no harder to have the one meal as it was snacking on 2 servings of carrots throughout the day! I am going to stick to this new plan now that I know I can do it! I have a lunch date with 2 really good friends on Thursday so I will probably fast on Wednesday or Friday. I am thinking probably Friday but we will see how I feel tomorrow!

Little Changes Make A Big Difference! My goals for the week!

Today I am on a fasting day. After reading some of the book, "The Fast Diet", I am going to make some minor changes. To get the most bang for my buck, including the best health benefits of fasting, I am going to try to stick to one meal on my fast days. For me that will be dinner. I made it to almost 3pm on Thursday before I had a snack, so I think I can do this. Having just one meal will make the fasting period about 24 hours and will be more beneficial to my body.

The second thing I am going to do is use egg whites for 2 of my 4 eggs in my spinach omelet tonight. I was planning on changing what I was eating, but the book says if you like a certain meal, you don't need to necessarily change it, because if you like it you will look forward to eating it and will stay on the plan. For now, I looooove the spinach and egg omelet and it keeps me full for the evening. So if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Well maybe a little. The egg whites will bring down the fat in my meal. Which is healthier for me! So far so good on day 3 of fasting!

Here are some of my goals for this week:

• Try to bring my fat % down for the week to 35% or less.
• Move more!
• Keep my off day calories to 2000 calories or less per day.
• Eat at McDonalds no more then 2 times this week.
• My average calorie deficit per day to be at least 1000 calories.

I am finding that by making little changes in how I live my daily life, I can fit exercise in a few minutes here and a few minutes there. I have been making it a point to park in parking lots as far as I can to get some extra walking in. I find that I burn, by far, more calories in those days. I look for opportunities to use the stairs and to walk and before I know it, I've got in my moderate activity for the day.

I also have been sneaking in more fruits and veggies then ever before. I have enjoyed making my berry and spinach smoothies during my off days to make sure I am not forgetting to eat my fruits and veggies!

To meet my goals above everyday this week, it will take just a few small changes, but those small changes will make a big difference in my numbers next week and my overall health! ;)

Day 77 - End Of First Fast Week! End Of Week Report

I had another good off day today. I made a nice big family dinner of Lasagna & Garlic Bread with a low fat Pistachio Pudding Pie for dessert! I printed out my report today to review the last week. There are some adjustments I would like to make in my diet to make it a little healthier, but all in all, I think I did pretty well!

Here are my results for last week:

Week Ending March 23 (Average Per Day):

Calorie Burn: 2659

Calories Consumed: 1672

Calorie Balance: 987 Deficit

Physical Activity: 30 minutes

Number Of steps: 6752
Fat %: 41%

My fat percent was a little on the high end. I like it to be 35% or below. But I found last week to be a good experiment week and I enjoyed the foods I loved, just as the book suggests, without going crazy on calorie intake. I went to McDonalds, which is my big weakness, a few times. And I made some of my favorite meals over the weekend which included lasagna & enchiladas! In my next post, I will outline my goals for the week, as I would like to get my diet on a bit of a healthier path, even with the fasting!

Day 75 & 76 - My Off Days

I have been doing well with my off days (days not fasting). I have enjoyed eating normally and not having to restrict my calories. I do keep track so I stay between 2000-2200 calories a day. Yesterday I was on the run and had breakfast and McDonalds with my little Marcus. I had a McMuffin & A Fruit & Yogurt Parfait. For lunch, on the run again, I had a McChicken. Now normally I would have gotten to McMuffins and no Parfait for breakfast and for lunch I would have had 2 McChickens. I have noticed with this diet I am enjoying foods I like, but trying to make healthier choices or not eating as much of the foods that are not so good for me. Yes, I can enjoy a McChicken. But one is enough!

I think about it more. I think doing the fasting, I want to eat what I like on my off days but I also want to eat right, too! It just feels good and it feels right. For dinner I had steak and potatoes that I scarfed down before my tax appointment. All in all, I ended up with 2400 calories that day

I made up the difference today without a problem as I did tons of cleaning at home and will burn about 3000 calories today! I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Enjoyed a smoothie that had milk, yogurt, berries, strawberries and spinach in it for a snack. Again, being conscious of getting in those fruits and veggies. Had another McChicken for lunch, but only one and ended the night with a nice Mexican dinner I prepared for the family of enchiladas, lime rice and beans. Of course we had to end the day with a little dessert, so I made Ghirardelli Brownies! Yum! I ended up with 2200 calories.

One more day to go and I fast once again!

Day 74 - Second Day Of Fasting

Well, I had another great day of fasting today. I did very well. Wasn't hungry until lunch time and had my first serving of carrots then another at 4pm. I keep forgetting to bring my books home I ordered, the ones in my prior post. I really need to do that so I can get some more ideas of what I can nibble on during the day.

I had the same omelet as the other night and enjoyed it very much! My stomach growled a little more then last time. Maybe 2 times instead of 1. So really, not too bad.

I have really surprised myself. I am finding this diet a lot easier then I ever imagined it would be! I really do hope this diet works for me, because this is definitely something I can stick with.  I will weigh myself once a week if all continues to go well and the weight drops. So Tuesday will be the big moment to see how I do after weighing in this past Tuesday.

Was all 3 pounds I lost from the fast?? I don't know. I think some of it was from the past week, but even if a pound of that was from the fast, I would be happy! But now, only time will tell. So I will be anxious to weigh in next Tuesday and assess how this diet is effecting my body. I will have one more fast day before my next weigh in.

But before that I get to enjoy 3 days of normal eating! Woohoo!!