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Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2018 5:08 am
by lpearlmom
Glad today was better! I had a rough day today and ended up reopening my window for Reese’s cups. â˜ºï¸ Some days are just like that I guess.

Linda

Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2018 9:56 pm
by worth it
July 19, 2018
22/4
20 min walk
35 min Pilates reformer workout

B: skipped
L: Cauliflower and Carrots and ranch; Bologna on pretzel bread; Sunflower seeds
Dessert: Popsicle; Blow pop
Dinner: skipped

July 20, 2018
19/5
1 hour walk

B: skipped
L: Tomatoes; fried Egg; 1.5 slices of bacon; 1 sausage link; 3 strawberries
D: 2 pieces of pizza; 1 fried chicken breast; Watermelon
Drinks: 1.5 beers; 1 glass of wine

July 21, 1018
17.5/6
60 min walk

B: skipped
L: Ice cream cone; Sunflower seeds
D: 2 ground turkey tacos; Chips and guacamole ; 2.5 margaritas

July 22, 2018
17.5/5

B: skipped
L: 4 pieces of pizza; sunflower seeds
Dessert: piece of cheesecake
Dinner: skipped

Returned home from visiting my family today. Why does long car travel make me so tired and ravenous when all I was doing was sitting? Anyway, ate a lot today and pretty much a little more than normal while visiting. Oh well- I mostly stayed within my desired fasting window (have an average of 20.5 hours per day over the last week), so I still get the sense of accomplishment and feel my confidence continuing to build. I was also able to exercise so that always contributes to my overall sense of well being.

Bottom line: I would like to slowly start adding even more veggies and cut back even more on the processed foods, but want to be realistic as I have some more vacations coming up soon. The only promises I’ll make to myself is to do my best....and to keep on building my (positive) habits.

Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2018 10:50 pm
by worth it
July 23, 2018

B: skipped
L: mushroom garlic zoodles
D: uncured hot dog, broccoli ramen slaw
Dessert: Ben and Jerry’s slice

21/4

27 minutes Pilates reformer workout
50 minutes walk

Easy day. Appetite correction really kicks in when I eat lots of veggies and real food.

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 1:32 am
by automatedeating
nice exercise today too!

Also, thanks for your encouragement on my thread! :-)

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2018 6:54 pm
by worth it
July 24, 2018

21/3

B: skipped
L: slice of pizza; broccoli slaw
D: gyro
Dessert: ice cream cone

45 min walk
35 min Pilates reformer workout


July 25, 2018

20/4

B: skipped
L: bologna sandwich; broccoli slaw; pretzels; handful of grapes
Dessert: piece of cookie cake and glass of milk
D: 2fried eggs, piece of toast, glass of milk

30 minutes Pilates reformer workout



Thanks Auto! I find I just feel so much better when I workout consistently, and o feel like Pilates has really changed my body. I feel so strong 💪! However, sometimes I have a tendency to overdo it, so today I skipped out on my walk. But I’m sure I’ll pick up another one soon (probably tomorrow).

Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 3:24 pm
by worth it
July 26, 2018

20/5.5

35 min walk
28 min kettlebell workout

B: skipped
L: sauerkraut and smoked sausage; piece of rye toast; broccoli slaw
D: chicken pasta soup; 3/4 rotisserie chicken breast; few bites of mashed potatoes; glass of Pinot noir

Starving today. I had planned to fast 24 hours so I could enjoy a large dinner (I met a friend out), but I jus5 couldn’t do it. So, I didn’t, but then couldn’t enjoy a large dinner. Truth is I wasn’t even that hungry, but ate anyway.

This after trying in clothes at a Target right before. I think that put me in a salty mood. I thought I was looking good, but had the fat moments in the mirror and ruined my whole evening. That got me started on thinking about weight loss again (especially since I haven’t been feeling that much of a change in my clothes loosening as I had been earlier on) and it started even more anxiety for me than I was already having about the future of my professional career. Sigh.

Additionally, I just started experimenting with bullet journaling and I was even thinking of starting a page around habit building... and guess what number one and two were gonna be? You guessed it, dieting and working out. What’s been so ironic is that I think the reason I have been successful since starting IF is that I hadn’t been doing it for weight loss. And now something has changed subtly over the past few weeks. I’ve even been wanting to push boundaries and do things like no fasting days. Sigh. Old habits die hard I guess.

When I think back on everything over the past month or two, I seem to be experiencing some kind of discord that turns up in either excess or restriction (both with eating or drinking). Truth be told, this takes a toll on me physically too. I never quite feel good. The energy gains I was having from fasting seem to have fallen off and I’m having intestinal issues again. While I want to blame fasting, I’m realizing it has nothing to do with it. In fact, i think it has everything to do with this discord I’m experiencing.

Intuitively the way through seems to be to continue my daily rituals/habits for comfort and ride out the excesses and restrictions within those boundaries. That plus more kindness towards myself, and much more gratitude for the wonderful life I’m lucky to enjoy. THOSE are the things that should be tracked in my bullet journal!!! 😜

I’ll end my rant on a quote from Gillian Riley that I think about at least once a day... “How you do everything is how you do anything.†Ironically my new interest in bullet journaling is telling me that I’m trying to reorganize, control?, gain balance? myself right now. I can’t help wondering how this will relate to the discord I’m experiencing. I think it is related... probably has always been in some form related to BALANCE? Either way, I’ll see it through and be curious about where it takes me instead of my typical defaults of fear and self judgment. Let’s see how it goes. As one of my friends says, it will all work out- always does!

WHOA, RANDOM THOUGHTS THAT TURNED OUT TO BE.... DEEP...🤪

Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 7:31 pm
by Soprano
Ok Hope this doesn't seem to harsh but in the hope it makes you think :)

Fasting to eat a big meal later doesn't make sense. Using food as a reward is something you need to leave behind. Food should be used to satisfy hunger and your bodies needs.

Fasting should be done for health reasons with a nice by product being weight loss.

Approaching weightloss from a diet mentality is not going to work. You need to find a way of eating that you can do for life. Hopefully it will be something that helps you maintain your weight which can then be further adapted to help weight loss. Nos will do that for you.

Don't judge yourself, talk to yourself as you would your best friend, be kind to you :)

Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 11:53 pm
by worth it
Hi Soprano,

Thanks for your thoughts. Unfortunately written word doesn’t necessarily communicate our messages perfectly (we miss out on non-verbal cues and tone), but I’m guessing you didn’t intend to be hurtful.

Let me share a few things that may help clarify some of your assumptions:
1. I did vanilla No S (with a sweet mod here and there) for 4 years. I lost no weight and frankly gave up on losing any weight. So trust me when I tell you, my catalyst for being on this board was NOT weight loss once the first few years on No S produced none for me. That doesn’t mean that I hadn’t wished for it or wasn’t frustrated by it, but it just never worked for me.

2. I started fasting 5 months ago, and NOT for weight loss reasons. Again, I gave up the hope that I ever would lose weight. I was struggling with severe back pain (a bulging disc) for which I was trying to find relief from. Fasting provided relief from this pain, along with many other benefits too numerous to mention.

The diet and weight loss mentality I have been dealing with over the past few weeks has not been spurred on by fasting, but by other goings on in my life. The simple fact that I’m looking to take control of something, eating in this case, indicates to me that this mentality has nothing to do with fasting (or No S had I been practicing vanilla), but a discord I’m experiencing in my professional life (and likely want to control). I was simply sharing that I recognized this fact and I’m not going to make any changes in the way I eat based on how I’m feeling at a particular moment in time. As you can see from my 4-year No S track record, I’m interested in lifestyle changes, not fad diets. No S worked wonders to help me learn a more sane relationship with food. The past 5 months of fasting (basically a variation of No S with 1-3 meals per day), provides me with an even better understanding and relationship to my body’s specific needs with food. I don’t intend on ending this anytime soon.

3. To be clear, I am rewarded with the most delicious tasting food when I eat with hunger. As the French say hunger is the best “appetizer†(or something like that 🙂). Bottom line, this was one of the most positive lessons I ever learned from No S is that food tastes that much more delicious when you are actually hungry for it (i.e. fasting between 3/2/1 meals). So, I respectfully disagree when you say that “fasting to eat a big meal doesn’t make sense.†It totally does for me, and also teaches me that hunger is NOT an emergency. Most times, I can wait a little longer for an especially scrumptious meal, and eat to fullness, as my body requires. I was unable to do that last night (like I’m typically able to do), and unfortunately, my dinner was just not that yummy, because I wasn’t truly hungry for it (since I ate a rather large lunch earlier).

To sum it all up, the stream of consciousness that I wrote about yesterday was intended to be helpful and impactful for me, first and foremost. It’s nice to have a place to “vent†and get all my random thoughts out on record to review at a later time. Kind of like a diary!

I secondarily rely on the support and feedback from the other users on this board. So the good news is that I’m not really taking your feedback “harshlyâ€, but will consciously tell myself not to take it personally. Truthfully, I can’t take it personally because you don’t even know me.

In the spirit of support that’s been created on this board when trying to provide supportive feedback, I encourage you to choose your words wisely, especially if you find yourself starting off with a statement like, “Hope this doesn’t seem harsh...†Sometimes I find that when we do this, we might actually be telling ourselves that which we wish to hear rather than for the intended recipient.

Until next time, happy No S’ing! I hope that you find the same peace and understanding that No S has provided to me over all these years. 🙂

Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2018 12:00 am
by worth it
July 27, 2018

20/2

B: skipped
L: skipped
D: bacon cheeseburger (no bun); onion rings
Dessert: ice cream sundae, a handful of sunflower seeds

Made it to dinner with no problem today (it helped that I was looking forward to dinner out with my hubby). I was super sore from introducing a kettlebell workout yesterday that I decided to take a break from working out today. When I remind myself that weight loss is not the goal here, I feel better. It’s good to show my body self care, which sometimes is simply, needed rest. :D

Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2018 3:53 am
by Soprano
Worth please accept my full and genuine apologies my post was not intended to hurt in any way.

You are of course correct it is difficult to convey full meaning with words alone and possibly responding as I did to a single post meant I read it out of context too.

I'm sorry you have not had success with nos and to hear of your health issues.

Again my apologies and if you prefer I will if I'm able delete the post

Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2018 11:29 am
by worth it
Hi Soprano,

Hi. Upon reading your response, this time I can actually sense how you may be feeling. ðŸ˜

For whatever reason, your original post made me want to assert my personal boundaries in a way that was FIERCE. I’ll need to do some thinking about why I responded the way I did when typically, I’d just let something like that “roll off my back.â€

Either way, I don’t think you need to delete the post at at all, especially since you’ve confirmed there was no mal-intent. However, I think we should decide together, so I’ll leave the final choice up to you on whether you’d like to delete it.

Let’s both take this as a lesson when we interact with others on this forum. I know we will both strive to be supportive as possible going forward!

I’m sending a virtual handshake and wishing you much continued success on No S. I’ll be rooting for you! 😀

Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2018 12:46 pm
by Soprano
worth it wrote:Hi Soprano,

Hi. Upon reading your response, this time I can actually sense how you may be feeling. ðŸ˜

For whatever reason, your original post made me want to assert my personal boundaries in a way that was FIERCE. I’ll need to do some thinking about why I responded the way I did when typically, I’d just let something like that “roll off my back.â€

Either way, I don’t think you need to delete the post at at all, especially since you’ve confirmed there was no mal-intent. However, I think we should decide together, so I’ll leave the final choice up to you on whether you’d like to delete it.

Let’s both take this as a lesson when we interact with others on this forum. I know we will both strive to be supportive as possible going forward!

I’m sending a virtual handshake and wishing you much continued success on No S. I’ll be rooting for you! 😀
You don't know how much your lovely response means to me, I was devastated by how I had made you feel and apart from just wanting to check you had received my apology was going to leave the forum.

I may reconsider that. It's funny as I am a moderator on another forum and am very aware about the issues that can arise through misunderstandings and always try and ensure I get the tone right. I guess we are all human and make mistakes.

Regarding deletion, if you find it upsetting to read I will, if not I might leave it as an example of how things can go wrong and along with these posts how to mend it. :)

I'm sending you a hug and big thank you for understanding and accepting my apology, the post really was meant to help but I can see how it is insensitive.

Take care and I really hope your discordant feelings pass :)

Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2018 1:25 pm
by worth it
Hi- don’t leave the forum! This is a wonderful and supportive place that allows us to work through our thoughts, feelings and relationships with food, not to mention we are all here for each other... through thick and thin (no pun intended).

I agree that we’ll just leave the posts. The bottom line is that we still support one another, even if it’s hard/or have differing views. I predict we will especially be rooting for each other now! ðŸ˜

Believe it or not, as a result of our exchange, I’m going to try and be more curious about my discord rather than try to get over it quickly. There’s probably a lesson in it for me that I’m not picking up on consciously yet. Anyway, I’m grateful to have this forum and people like you who I can learn from.

Have a great rest of your day and sending my hugs 🤗!

Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 2:39 am
by worth it
July 28, 2018

35 minutes Pilates Reformer workout

20/5

B: skipped
L: skipped
D: piece of fried chicken, pasta, coleslaw
Drinks: 2.5 margaritas; shot of tequila (sigh)
Dessert: 2 chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk

Family party. I partied too hard. 😳


July 29, 2018

19/2

B: skipped
L: 1/2 salami sandwich
D: piece of asparagus stuffed chicken, salad, corn, piece of garlic bread
Dessert: chocolate chip cookie, granola bar, glass of milk

Ate a lot today. Major tummy troubles from overindulgence in the drinks yesterday. September will be a welcome respite from my party girl persona! 😀

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:29 am
by worth it
July 30, 2018

22/3

30 minutes Pilates Reformer workout
50 minutes walk

B: skipped
L: chipotle burrito bowl
Dessert: milk chocolate protein shake
Dinner: skipped

So busy today getting ready for our upcoming trip on Wednesday to Portland.

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 4:37 pm
by automatedeating
Have fun in Portland! I grew up in the Portland area.

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2018 5:10 am
by lpearlmom
Hi worth !

Been so busy so just catching up on your thread. First of all the mirrors at target suck so just put that out of your head. Secondly, I’m struggling a bit too. I just want to be thin like yesterday so I can just feel good about myself already but will I ever reach a place I can feel good enough? I don’t know. Even if the answer is yes, shouldn’t I enjoy the in between spots too? What’s the point, if I can’t enjoy the journey?

Anyway, just some random thoughts but just wanted to let you know, you’re not alone in the struggle. I wish I had the answers, but hang in there.

Linda :)

Ps. I really like my dot jpurnal but don’t get too crazy with the artsy parts.

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2018 6:36 am
by eschano
Love the idea about enjoying the journey - something never said about any diet before NoS ever 😂
Have a great holiday worth it

Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2018 4:18 am
by worth it
Monday, August 6, 2018

20/3.5

45 min walk
30 min Pilates Reformer workout

Hi All,

So I’m back to reality today... 😠While we missed our son (something awful), we loved our vacation together and got in some much needed R&R, fun and sightseeing. The Pacific Northwest is so beautiful... sigh. We really had a great time. I, of course, ate and drank a lot, but only really ignored my typical IF schedule for a day. It was easy to get back to it once I remember how it feels to have food in my digestive system all day (ugh). Here’s how I did:

T- 23/1
W-19/2
Th- 22/5.5
F-20/10.5
S-11/11
S-19/1

Thanks everyone for stopping by!

Auto: I actually thought about how cool it would have been to grow up in Portland- I would’ve been in the Gorge or Mt. Hood every weekend! Such an amazing landscape. I love places that remind me how small we really are.

Linda: I’m totally vibing with you again. I wish I could wave a wand for us to get some peace on this journey. It seems like we just get to a point where all of that steady habit building (which we rely on) ends up constricting sometimes, especially when we’ve been at it for awhile (and maybe are seeing as much progress??). Oh, who knows!! Either way, I’m on your team and am here rooting you on!!

Eschano: Lol! I bet you’re right! Who here has enjoyed any other diet before No S?? 😉

OK, now it’s time to go catch up on everyone else’s thread’s!

Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2018 9:00 pm
by worth it
August 7, 2018

19.5/4

45 min walk
30 min Pilates reformer workout

B: skipped
L: sushi roll; miso soup
D: (will be) hot dog with chips/pretzels and dip
Dessert: (will be) ice cream sundae- been craving one for days now!

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:56 am
by worth it
August 8, 2018

19.5/3.5

45 min walk

B: skipped
L: bologna sandwich; handful of chips; veggies and dip
D: 2 silver dollar pancakes; 2 sausage links, 2 eggs

I’ve been such a brat the past few weeks, sigh. Even though I’m technically following my IF protocol “perfectlyâ€, I just wanna push boundaries and I continue to eat more than I need to, and generally junkier food. Totally didn’t need to eat all I did at dinner, but did it anyway. Grrrr.

I’m resigned to just facing this “uncomfortable-ness†head-on, but I’ll admit, it’s been hard. I guess I’m proud of not giving into all of the urges I continually have to eat outside my window, but I do wish I didn’t have the urges all together. This mild, vague anxiety I seem to be having is really a downer lately. I think I need to amp up my gratefulness quotient to dig me out of this. As I read this last line I wrote, it occurs to me that perhaps I should keep digging to the bottom of this “hole†I’m in to see what the problem actually is. Do I even know how? Sigh. Wish things were easier right now, but I keep thinking I probably need to go through this valley to get to the other side. Blah.

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 5:15 am
by lpearlmom
I’m sorry *hugs*. For the record, that doesn’t look like s very big dinner to me. You’re human, food tastes good, you want more. It’s normal although frustrating.

You’re doing great & maybe just in a bit of a funk right now but I know you’ll come through this successfully. Btw, I can relate. I had lunch today and really wasn’t hungry for dinner but I like eating dinner so ate it anyway. Wish I could be a bit better about trusting my body’s signals. I guess it’ll take time.

Hang in there. You got this. 💜

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 6:28 am
by eschano
It is so funny how anxiety can affect our eating - it definitely does for me. I hope you get to the bottom of it so you can move through it quickly.

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 2:52 pm
by automatedeating
Hi Worth It! Hugs from me, too. Those funks suck! But as you said, sometimes through them we must go. I guess as I get older I realize the other side is never too far away and once I get there I appreciate what I've learned and also feel grateful for the good times.

We are all here for you and this is a great place to work through those feelings.

Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2018 9:03 pm
by worth it
August 9, 2018

45 minute walk

20/3.5

B: skipped
L: 3 slices of pizza; 3 breadsticks
D: skipped
Dessert: Atkins milkshake; 2 pieces of sugar free chocolate


August 10, 2018

21/3.5?

45 minute walk
25 minute Pilates reformer workout

B: skipped
L: salad, 3 slices of pizza; 2 breadsticks (leftovers)
D: skipped
Dessert: (will be) ice cream cone

Hi everyone! Can I just say how lucky I feel?! I truly â¤ï¸ my No S peeps! While I am having an easier time today, it’s so nice to feel such a great connection to each other through this board. I really do feel like you guys have my back! And, more/just as importantly, I hope you feel the same from me.

So, who knows what’s changed, maybe just more consistent family time?? But, I feel a lot better today. I definitely know exercise helps significantly too, so I’ll also remember that a double dose seems to help when anxiety runs high.

Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2018 10:09 am
by eschano
I know! Such an amazing community here and you are a big part of it. Hey, wish the mum community out there would be like this board!

Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2018 12:07 pm
by Octavia
Glad you’re feeling better, worth it. :) it’s a great mystery how anxiety comes and goes. With me, I know there’s s strong connection to my gut, but it can still be very random and nonsensical. Sometimes we think we must be doing something wrong, but life is just like that.

Funny that Eschano-Tess mentioned the ‘mums’ community’. I never felt very safe posting on mumsnet- people could be so mean and judgemental, always ready to pounce and decry. I would certainly never share my problems on there. The No S forum is extraordinarily supportive and understanding! I too feel really grateful.

Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2018 1:35 pm
by automatedeating
I'm also glad you are a feeling a bit better, but if you feel like crap again by the time you read this, we are here for you as always! :-)

And I have to chime in with eschano and Octavia -- as soon as I read the words "mum's community" I felt myself tighten up. Gotta watch yourself around other mums online! Like nasty hen-pecking!

Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2018 3:34 pm
by worth it
August 10: 20/3.5 (35 mins Pilates; 50 min walk)
August 11: 12/12 (30 min Pilates; 45 min walk)
August 12: 19.5/4.5
August 13: 20/5 (30 min walk)
August 14:23/1 (30 min Pilates; 40 mins walk)

August 15, 2018

Window: 19.5/3
Exercise: 45 min walk/15 min Pilates

B: skipped
L: butternut squash and veggie pasta
D: mock Olive Garden salad; 2 panino
Dessert: 1/2 piece of cake and a glass of milk

So last several days have been crazy. I have been working, in the midst of trying to prep my son for back to school next week, dealing with a sick (and VERY grouchy) husband, who is also traveling all next week for work. Sheesh. Life never slows down!!!

However, this craziness has been prompting me to revisit a very unconventional "diet" book I read in the past, which I believe is much more about self love and how one lives their life rather than an actual diet. It's called the "Slow Down Diet" and explains the physical and spiritual importance of HOW you eat, not just what you eat. To me it focuses on the PLEASURE of eating and how that can improve metabolism and more importantly your relationship with food. Once again, I think I am perhaps needing a rest and/or some self-love and I really want to focus on being grateful for all of the wonderful gifts I have in my life (including the fact that I'm able to nourish myself and my family). I clearly need the reminder!

Here I go again with the deep thoughts, but I have to tell you, when I get in a mindset like this, anxiety over weight loss and achieve goals lessens for me... and I find myself becoming more balanced. Again, this is what I should be trying to attain than any kind of shape/body I "should" have. I am committing to setting aside weight loss in exchange for peace, self care and pleasure. All else be damned! : )

Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2018 2:47 am
by lpearlmom
That book sounds great worth. I know we have moments where being thin feels super important but deep down we know it has nothing to with what really matters. Do I still want to lose the rest of my weight ? Of course, but it’s good to have perspective. So I think you’re on the right track!

Also, I hope things calm down for you. Weren’t you supposed to be winding down the work thing soon?

Wishing you best of luck on your journey. 💜

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2018 7:19 pm
by automatedeating
The book sounds interesting, and good job on prioritizing your mental well-being. So key to the good life!

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2018 11:28 pm
by worth it
August 16, 2018- 19/5.5; 40 min walk, 20 min Pilates Reformer workout
August 17, 2018- 24.5/3; 50 min walk
August 18, 2018- 21/2.5; 35 min walk; 20 min walk

B: skipped
L: 2 panino; pretzels; tomatoes; a few leftover chicken nuggets
D: sausage sandwich; Fritos; 2 low sugar margaritas
Dessert: nutty bar and glass of milk

Yucky day food-wise. I got over hungry (due to my sons football game scheduled at an inconvenient time) and ate whatever I could find instead of truly enjoying my meals today. Oh well, I’ll just sit with an upset tummy.

Still working on trying to fully enjoy my meals... make them more ritualistic. Definitely did not achieve that today, but wii keep trying.

Linda and auto, thanks for your words of encouragement. It’s funny- there’s almost like there’s this accountability now to prioritize my own self care when I have your support. I promise (myself)I will do better tomorrow! 😜

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:41 pm
by worth it
August 19, 2018: 21/3- 30 mins Pilates Reformer workout; 50 min walk

August 20, 2108: 19.5/2

B: skipped
L: scrambled eggs, sausage link, toast
D: salami sandwich; Fritos
Dessert: pop tart

The eating of garbage continues. I have no excuse or don’t even want to think about it today. Sigh. Tomorrow is another day.

Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2018 11:02 pm
by worth it
August 21, 2018

18/5

45 min walk

B: skipped
L: Popcorn and Icee (went to see a movie with my son for his last day of summer break)
D: egg salad on toast, veggies and ranch, a few pretzels
Dessert: apple slices, Atkins payday bar

Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2018 1:48 am
by automatedeating
Last day before school starts! That's always an emotional day for me. How old is your son? I am guessing he is in high school, but I'm not sure why I think that. :-) I do know he is the apple of your eye!

What movie?? Mission Impossible?

Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2018 11:32 pm
by worth it
August 22, 2018

40 mins Pilates Reformer workout
45 mins walk

19/5

B: skipped
L: veggies and dip; Italian sausage on a low carb wrap; small salad
D: salami sandwich; carrots and ranch; handful of pretzels
Dessert: glass of milk; low carb PB Cups

Hi Auto, my son is actually still “littleâ€- he’s 8 years old and just started 3rd grade. And, we saw Ant Man and the Wasp- pretty good. It’s such an awesome age! Not to mention we just “vibeâ€- he just fills my life with sunshine. I miss him a lot whenever he goes back.
(Maybe you thought HS because of all the sports he plays?)

And I know you have 2 boys, I think pretty close to my sons age. Are they going back soon, or did I remember you do home schooling?

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2018 4:38 am
by ladybird30
worth it wrote:
we just “vibeâ€- he just fills my life with sunshine.
How lovely.

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2018 1:38 pm
by automatedeating
Oh your son is 8!! I agree - a super wonderful age. Mine are 9 & 12. And they are going to school this year, both of them (we've had varying arrangements over the years). And we are ALL excited! :-) They start next Tuesday.

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:26 pm
by worth it
August 23, 2018

19/4

30 mins Pilates Reformer Workout
40 mins walk

B: skipped
L: Chinese! Sweet and Sour chicken, wonton soup and fried rice
D: 1/2 boiled egg, piece of bacon
Dessert: homemade ice-cream sundae

A really good day! So my husband is back from being out of town for several days and I can feel my stress level reduce by 90%. Sometimes I don't realize how important it is for me to have my partner around not just for the adult responsibilities, but for his companionship (and love). Not to mention, I received a really nice voicemail from my son's new teacher, saying what a great example he sets in class, he's respectful, etc. I don't know if it's part of her beginning of the school year "protocol" to give a call home to all her students, but it was an awesome surprise. Anyway, these things have me feeling very grateful today! I can't help but notice how this positivity directly translates to other areas in my life, including how I eat. While today I didn't eat the healthiest, I truly didn't care. I really enjoyed everything I ate and felt relaxed during my meals...This leads me to some posts on our board that I have been reading over the past few days about how IF could be considered as "disordered eating."

When I first read this several days ago, I wondered if I was perhaps "triggering" this person and then even started to feel guilty. Truth be told when I first got serious about IF, I even wondered if it would feel like disordered eating for me, but I quickly discovered all of IF's benefits and actually find that most of the time it's cured me from thinking about food too much. I had come to the conclusion that I'm essentially doing No S with a few mods (skipping a meal or two during the day, and not saving sweets for S days) and decided not to worry too much about triggering anyone.

Then, yesterday I read another post about someone claiming they thought IF was disordered eating, made them crazy, etc. Again, I thought long and hard if I should perhaps stop posting in the case I was triggering someone into disordered eating behavior. I even talked a little bit about it with my husband, and he said, "Aren't all of you on that board suffering from some type of disordered eating? Isn't that why all of you started No S in the first place?" And I said, "That's exactly right. All of us who found No S (and then IF), seemed to want to heal our relationships with food." Once I realized this, I no longer felt as bad.

This is not to say that if any of the posters that think IF is triggering disordered eating for them and really would like me to stop posting here on the board, I would certainly consider it...but I'll say it would be a major bummer for me since I use this board mainly as a personal "diary" and to sort things out for myself. I would also dearly miss the support I receive from other posters here, but it IS a No S focused board and if need to follow the rules for the sake of others, I would do it. I'll leave it open to their choice- if they feel like IF is just not another No S mod and is triggering them, please be sure and respond on my thread (or even privately if you like).

At the end of the day, I just can't ignore the fact that are of on this board are all in this together and that any way of eating we have (whether No S or IF) goes through periods of difficulty and ease... which is probably just a reflection of what we are most likely going through in our lives at that point in time. In the case that I no longer post here, I just want to say that I've been grateful for all I've learned and for the support of those on this board- whether you agree with my way of eating or not.

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:57 pm
by automatedeating
Please please please don't stop posting!!!
The BEST thing about these boards is how (typically) non-judgemental we are. If someone is triggered, I really think they could just learn to avoid a particular thread. I do remember long ago I stopped reading herbgirl's thread for a bit because the bite-counting was making me worry that I was eating too much. After a while, it didn't even bother me anymore and even with that I was able to admire that we all have different paths.

Reinhard was a tinkering that found NoS worked for him, and I like that we are all tinkerers, just trying to find what works for us.

And for what it's worth, I think IF is a perfect fit to go with NoS. Talk about Simple!!! If Reinhard couldn't stay at a healthy weight with 3 meals a day, I bet it's the mod he'd choose!! :wink:

I love your posts, I love your support, and I love that you too consider this an online diary! :-)

Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2018 1:46 am
by ladybird30
Don't stop posting Worth it - we are all practising ordered eating here instead of disordered in our various ways. As far as triggering goes, personally I would rather learn how to deal with my thoughts than try and live my life without ever exposing myself to a different way of thinking.

Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2018 3:11 am
by lpearlmom
I second auto’s pleas! I’d really miss your posts and support and of course you know I have no issues with IF. I did worry about this at first too but people seemed interested in my journey so I decided to continue. Also, I agree it’s so easy to just not read someone’s particular thread so that shouldn’t be a problem.

Funnily, when oolala posted about IF awhile ago, I found it upsetting and avoided her thread for awhile because of it. Then a couple of months later I was feeling desperate to get more weight off for health reasons (reflux) and remembered oolalas posts about IF. I decided to look into it and really learn what it was all about.

Once I understood the science behind it, I was comfortable trying it and it’s been just so amazing on many different levels. Did you know my mom went to the neurologist the other day for some issues she’s been having and he recommended Intermittent Fasting? Unfortunately there’s still a lot misconceptions about it but in the meantime I’m going to keep on keeping on.

Anyway, hope you’ll stick around.

Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2018 11:52 pm
by worth it
August 24, 2018

20/4

40 min walk
3 hours house cleaning (yuck!)

B: skipped
L: a little soup, a little salad, salami sandwich
D: 1/2 piece of low carb bread, 2eggs over easy
Dessert: 2 Oreos, 1 piece of sugar free candy, 1/2 low carb shake

First of all, the coast is clear. I have not heard from anyone asking me to stop writing about IF. Secondly, THANKS SO MUCH to everyone for stopping by! When I wrote my post I didn’t realize it but when I re-read it today, I suppose it did sound a little melodramatic, which was not my intention. I was going more for a diplomatic and “open and understanding†post...but at any rate it was what it was.

What was so awesome about all of your responses is that they validated pretty much everything I had been thinking. There have been times in the past where I have avoided others threads and times when I’ve been extremely fascinated from the different ways of thinking and how others have arrived at their own ways of eating. Again, this just confirms what I originally thought – we are all here for both similar and different reasons, and I believe that we can all exist respectfully of each other on this board. Thanks again for the support- you guys rock! I â¤ï¸ No S!

Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2018 4:53 am
by lpearlmom
Yay—glad you’re feeling better about stuff. Great job on the housecleaning. I’m lazy and pay someone. Of course that still leaves the other six days. ☺ï¸

Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2018 11:08 am
by Soprano
Hey Auto, I've not been on for a while so have missed the threads about IF and disordered eating.

I agree with most of what has been said, don't stop posting, members can choose not to read about IF they wish.

I had my doubts about IF until Ipearlmom kindly explained it and led me to some relevant websites.

I do think people should be careful using it just for weightloss if they are likely to treat it as a diet. By that I mean do it, lose the weight get to goal and then think they can return to their old way of eating. Personally I am using it occasionally and very much keeping in mind my default position is NOs, as I know with that I can maintain and lose slowly.

I'm actually really interested in the other health benefits of IF and see any boost to my losses, which have been slow as a bonus.

We are all on a different journey and I agree most of us have a disordered eating problem albeit of varying degrees.

Take care

Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2018 11:29 pm
by automatedeating
Hehe Soprano I think you meant WorthIt but I totally loved your post.

Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2018 12:57 am
by worth it
(LOL! TO both Soprano and auto!! 😠Love that we can have joke and giggle on this board!)

August 25, 2018

21/4.5

38 mins Pilates Reformer workout

B: skipped
L: 2/3 fried chicken breast, small salad, a few bites of mostaccoli, and a small roll (niece’s 1st birthday party- she DID get frosting all over her face!)
Dinner/Dessert: homemade ice cream sundae, sunflower seeds, piece of sugar free candy, handful of pretzels

Effortless day today- I’ll take it.

Thanks all for stopping by today, and for the giggles!
Linda- I don’t think you’re lazy, just smart. I don’t know why I’ve never got a cleaning lady even though I dream about it all the time. Unfortunately I think I’d be one of those people that cleans the house before the cleaning lady arrives! 🤪
Auto- I second you! Loved Sopranos post!
Soprano- (as already mentioned, loved your post)! In the spirit of your post, lately I’ve been toying with the idea of adding one longer standard 8 hour “N-type†day each week to my IF regimen and maybe even a little cream to my morning coffee. While I’ve never been a really big breakfast eater, it would be nice to be more relaxed about the option to have it in the case my family does. I may not even use it each week, but I think it may help support me sustaining fasting as a long-term way of eating. I’ve been at it for 6 months now and I’d like to make sure I don’t get so dogmatic about it that the pendulum swings to an extreme. After all, at the start of this journey, it was not about the weight loss, but the health benefits. Besides, I think the weight loss has slowed down for me anyway, which I’m trying to frame positively as sometimes it has, perhaps, been a distraction for me. We’ll see how it goes, and it’s nice to have the different view points on it. Thanks!

Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2018 8:08 am
by Soprano
automatedeating wrote:Hehe Soprano I think you meant WorthIt but I totally loved your post.
Ooops sorry yes :)

Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2018 2:40 pm
by lpearlmom
Worth—looks like a great day. I’m definitely trying to think long-term and what’s sustainable these days too. I posted this on Allison’s thread but found this IF blog that’s helped me relax a bit. Now I’m using a little half and half in my “coffee†and I’m taking one day a week off. Here’s the link in case you’re interested:

http://sixmilestosupper.com/

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 1:11 am
by worth it
August 26, 2018

20/4

40 mins Pilates Reformer workout

B: skipped
L: bun less bacon cheeseburger; steak fries
D: skipped
Dessert: small ice cream sundae; handful of Cheetos

August 27, 2018

20/4

40 mins Pilates Reformer workout; 45 min walk

B: skipped
L: mock Olive Garden salad; 2 panino
D: 2 pieces of pizza
Dessert: Ben and Jerry’s slice; handful of Pistachios

Another easy day today. I’ve been feeling like I want to push boundaries lately, so this has been a welcome relief.

I had some great perspective reading through the website in link that Linda provided in her post below (Thanks Linda!!). This person is just so relaxed about IF it inspired me to really think about what feels moderate and consistent for me, within the boundaries of IF. It was eye-opening the other day when I thought about how long I’ve been doing IF. Even with all the success and confidence it’s provided me with, I would now really like to make this next six months about even more moderate eating within my eating window. It’s been helpful to realize that over the past 6 months I’ve had very few technical “ fails†(maybe 2 or 3) and I never “slid†back into my previous chaotic eating. This gives me some confidence to start the next phase of my journey where I plan on adding one day each week where I have longer eating window of up to 10 hours should I need it. This will allow me to eat breakfast with my family guilt free if the opportunity arises. Additionally I plan on trying to add back cream to my coffee, should I want to. I feel like these two “relief valves†could help to further support my journey long-term. The good news that I’m open to try whatever it takes to keep me consistent and confident around food. I remembered how awful it felt not to trust myself in this basic human right to eat and I that’s what I’m more worried about going back to than gaining any amount on the scale.

I have a vacation coming up starting on Friday so I plan on starting these changes along with my no alcohol month when I return on September 10. Looking forward to seeing how this goes!

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 4:50 am
by lpearlmom
Isn’t she cool? I’m glad you found it helpful. If nothing else, it’s a refreshing perspective. I’m really enjoying the addition of s little cream in my coffee. The day off yesterday however just about wrecked me. I never did get my S days down and looks like I still can’t handle them.

Question? Do you still stick to the one plate rule per meal when doing IF? I did at first but have let that slide. I’m thinking it might help me on my longer window days.

I love how you are looking at this long term and prioritizing sanity over weight loss. I’m so tired of trying to lose weight. I’m about ready to call myself done and just focus on maintenance.

Hope you have a fantastic vacation!

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 6:33 pm
by worth it
August 28, 2018

19/4

35 min Pilates Reformer workout
45 min walk

B: skipped
L: scrambled eggs with tomato, feta, green onion; piece of low carb bread
D: vegetable “Marsala†(cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, garlic)
Dessert: 2 pieces of sugar free candy

I decided to try a low carb day and noticed that I couldn’t finish my dinner. Appetite correction was very strong yesterday.

August 29, 2018

19/5?

45 min walk
B: skipped
L: cauliflower “hash brown†skillet with veggies and 2 over easy eggs. 1/2 avocado
D: PB&J; pistachios; glass of milk
Dessert: Nutty buddy; 2 pieces of sugar free candy

Hi Linda, she IS so cool and very good for some perspective. In fact, anytime I get an inkling that I might be “out of balanceâ€, I plan on going to her website for a reminder. To answer your question, I used to be much more strict with the one plate rule when I started too, but after thinking about my recent meals, I tend to unconsciously follow the one plate rule when I eat twice in a day (about 80%) of the time (including my dessert- would’ve fit on the dinner plate); but not so much when I only eat once during the day (maybe 30% of the time). Hope that helps!

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2018 4:06 am
by lpearlmom
Your meals look good. I really don’t mind doing low-carbish. I think it’s because I just like all foods. I can do vegan, low carb, low fat as long as there’s food. I cannot count calories however and I can’t be fanatical about anything or I’ll rebel.

Speaking of rebelling, I tried to limit myself to one plate the last night and it did not go well. I think I can count plates or hours but not both. â˜ºï¸ So glad your enjoying six miles to supper. I get excited when she has a new podcast up.

Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2018 12:06 am
by worth it
September 10, 2018
19/4.5

B: skipped
L: a few slices of salami, 2 panino, pistachios
D: homemade chicken Marsala, salad, slice of bread, a few bites of pasta

(No wine!)

September 11, 2018

23/1

50 min walk
30 min Pilates Reformer workout

B: skipped
L: skipped
D: cucumber, tomato and bacon salad, bunless bacon cheeseburger, 1/2 avocado
Dessert: banana protein shake

Hi All,

I’m back from vacation. Overall I stuck to my fasting routine with the exception of two days-1 was a 16 hourfast and another was a 12 hour fast. Back to business this week and feeling good. I’m looking forward to catching up on everyone’s threads. 😀

Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2018 2:10 am
by automatedeating
Welcome back!
And happy Dry Days!

Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2018 5:49 am
by lpearlmom
Yay! So happy you’re back. Did you have fun? Great job with sticking to some kind of fasting regime even on vacation!

Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2018 12:57 am
by worth it
September 12, 2018

19/5

47 mins walk
30 mins Pilates Reformer workout


B: coffee with cream (forgot to share I went back to adding cream in my morning coffee about a week ago- it hasn’t affected my hunger levels AT ALL. Not sure about if it will affect weigh loss, but I don’t think I care really. It’s so good to have it back!)
L: Large crepe stuffed with scrambled eggs, avocado, cheese; coffee with cream
D: sunflower seeds, candy bar (PayDay) and a glass of milk

Still keeping dry.... but I may have up to 2 glasses on Saturday. 😠I’m going to try to refrain, but my SIL is visiting and bringing me a bottle of wine I requested awhile back from a winery she went to and I don’t know if I’ll have the guts to refuse. We’ll see. Geez- the social part of this is harder than I expected!

Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2018 5:43 am
by lpearlmom
Yay for creamer back in your life. I’ve been putting a little in my tea too. I figure if it’s good enough for Dr Fung, it’s good enough for me.

I agree on the social aspects of drinking being the most difficult part. I wouldn’t worry about it too much if you decide to have some wine on Saturday. Seems like a worthy special occasion.

Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2018 7:52 pm
by Octavia
Just a quick hello! Thanks for popping by my thread the other day - my cold is definitely on the way out, thanks! Hope you’re well too. Good luck with Saturday’s wine conundrum! It is the social side that’s so tricky.... but as Linda said, it’s a special occasion, so maybe you should just enjoy a glass or two.

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2018 12:02 am
by worth it
September 13, 2018

20/4

53 min walk
30min Pilates Reformer workout

B: coffee with cream
L: salad, 1/2 sandwich, chips
D: 2 eggs with toast, banana with PB
Dessert: granola bar with milk, a few m&ms, sunflower seeds

Ate a little more than usual today. I’m thinking my body needed it. I was happy to oblige 😉.

Linda and Octavia- Thanks for stopping by (and for cutting me some slack)! I’m thinking that if I do have some wine on Saturday, I will consciously ensure it will be for enjoyment, NOT to get drunk, or escape any uncomfortable feelings. We’’ll see how it all works out.

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 7:59 pm
by worth it
September 14, 2018

23.5/1.5

30 mins Pilates Reformer workout
50 min walk

B: coffee with cream
L: coffee with cream
D: 3 chicken soft tacos, a few chips and guacamole
Dessert: small hot fudge sundae



September 15, 2018

(Will be) at least 22.5/1

30 mins Pilates Reformer workout
35 min walk

B: coffee with cream
L: coffee with cream
D: grilled Italian sausage; chips, salsa and guacamole
Dessert: 2 cookies and a glass of milk

No wine!! I was able to “get out of it†by arriving late. Everyone had already been drinking by then and I just said we’d open the bottle next time. I ended up with just water and no one really noticed. Phew- I got outta that one ok, but we’ll see how I do the rest of the month. It’s only been a week and I am struggling!

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 11:32 pm
by lpearlmom
You’re doing great. Hope the wine thing went okay. Is it October yet ?

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 5:26 pm
by worth it
September 16, 2018

(Will be) 20/2?

30 minutes Pilates Reformer workout
20 mins walk

B: coffee with cream
L: (will be) large ice cream cone
D: (will be) pizza and salad

Lol Linda! What does that say about me that I’m struggling so much only one week in to being dry? Anyway, I’ve been conscious about trying to keep it to one meal a day for the last few days since this week will be a bit crazy. I’m going to be starting a new job on Monday it’s only part time however for the first week I have to go in nearly every day. According to my schedule, I already have three lunches planned with my boss and some coworkers, so I will likely just have to eat. I’m not overly worried about it, but just trying to strengthen my habit muscle, especially since I won’t get to work out either. We’ll see how this goes!

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 5:58 pm
by Soprano
Good luck with the new job.

Jx

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2018 1:39 am
by automatedeating
Oh wow - a new job! That is a big stressor, even if it is in a good way, ya know? Good luck with the change in routine.

Congrats on the water only night!! Even though it's tough, I bet you felt super proud of yourself that night. Good job! Hang in there -- I feel your pain. 2 weeks to go!

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2018 4:42 am
by lpearlmom
Yay—you made it through the wine thing! Gl with the new job!

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 1:02 am
by worth it
September 17, 2018
20/7.5
Had to go to lunch with a new co-worker
*Ate a lot after I got home from work


September 18, 2018
14/7.5

Had to go to a Welcome Lunch lunch with entire new team
*Ate a lot on way home from work (sigh)

September 19, 2018

22/0.5

30 min Pilates Reformer Workout
45 min walk

B: coffee with cream
L: n/a
D: salad, 2 Italian sausages (no bun), 2 breadsticks
Dessert: 4 Oreos, handful of PB filled pretzels, glass of milk

Hi All, had a few mins after work to pop in. Thanks to everyone for stopping by... yes, I can’t believe I made it through last Saturday night with no wine! I was definitely proud of that. This week has been hard without the wine for sure... I have started a new job doing HR consulting (HR has been my field since I started my career almost 20 years ago) and while Im going to be working only a day or two most weeks, this week is crazy because I’m going through Orientation at the company’s corporate office. I’m drained every-single-night... too many new people to meet, make small talk with, etc. It’s very difficult for me since I’m such an introvert. Sigh. Oh well. It will get better soon since I will eventually be in a smaller company office for about 60% of the time. Just one more day tomorrow and then I go to the smaller office on Monday (only one day next week-phew). I realize that this is the stuff that continues to build character for me and sometimes I just have to feel uncomfortable... but man is it hard, especially since my new companys’s culture seems filled with extroverts.

Oh well, I’m hobbling along and am overall looking forward to keeping current in my field, while still being able to have the family time I desire. I hope I will be able to maintain balance I was anticipating, especially since I’m not willing to entirely give up my career. I feel fortunate to have found this part-time opportunity since most of the jobs Ive been presented with are at a higher/executive level, which means 70 hours per week (NO LIFE BALANCE). Been there, done that before and it’s just not worth it for me. I have nothing to prove to anyone (or myself) anymore. So fingers crossed that this arrangement could work out long-term for me. Time will tell. (Not to mention, it’ll be nice to have some extra money coming in to pay for all of my online shopping ðŸ˜.)

Eating-wise, things were a little crazy the first two days since I kind of had to have lunch for social reasons at work. I didn’t like that and I think it made me rebel or something since I ate junky (and a lot) of food on those two days. I’m back on track today and will hopefully be tomorrow since I won’t be “forced†to eat when I’m not hungry for my meal. I can spend my lunch hour tomorrow getting a coffee or running errands! 😜

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 4:46 am
by lpearlmom
Big hugs from one introvert to another. It’s so drain8ng, isn’t it? Sounds like it’ll be a great fit for you long term though. You get to spend more time with the family but not give up the work thing completely. How great!

Looks like your back on track today with your eating. The nice thing about IF is that it’s fexible and I usually look forward to getting back to it (unlike other diets).

Great job with the dry days. Is t it crazy how strong we are? Going all day without food, not drinking even when everyone else is? And I always thought I had no willpower!

Hope things calm down soon!

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 4:51 am
by Soprano
Well done getting back on track. You obviously have the habits well ingrained. Going through all that without a drink is fabulous. Give your self a pat on the back :)

Jx

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:18 am
by Octavia
Sounds like you are coping incredibly well with the work challenges, worth! I’d find it exhausting, too. I think I’m an introvert. I really need to withdraw from people when I’ve been ‘out’ too much. But it sounds like your new schedule will work really well and bring you some balance in life. 🙂 Funny you should mention internet shopping... I think I do it when I’m working too much. It’s like feeling that I’ve given too much of myself, and now I want to get something back. So for me, it can be a sign of depletion. On the other hand, I really DO need new tights....😂

I wonder if the older generation had the same challenges with life balance? Are we particularly unable to find time to renew ourselves? Working hours have crept up in the last few decades. It certainly doesn’t help with our eating patterns! Anyway, enough of my philosophy....sounds like you’re doing brilliantly with your food and drink routines!

Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2018 7:56 pm
by worth it
September 18, 2018
21/1.5

September 19, 2018
23/4

30 min walk
30 min Pilates

September 20, 2018
19/5

September 21, 2018

45 min walk
30 mins Pilates

26/6.5

September 22, 2018
18/1.5

65 min walk
30 mins Pilates

B: coffee with cream
L: Veggies and dip
D: fish fry
Dessert: 2 chocolate chip cookies; glass of milk


September 23, 2018
23.5/1.5

75 min walk
30 mins Pilates

B: coffee with cream
L: Salad
D: pizza
Dessert: cookie, nutty buddy bar; glass of milk

September 24, 2018

18/6

B: coffee with cream
L: Coffee with cream
D: burger, some coleslaw, a few fries
Dessert: Small hot fudge sundae


September 25, 2018
22/3

75 min walk
30 mins Pilates

B: coffee with cream
L: Chipotle fajita bowl (no rice/beans); a few chips and guacamole
D: 1/2 soft pretzel
Dessert: 2 donuts; glass of milk

September 26, 2018
75 min walk
30 mins Pilates

B: coffee with cream
L: Low carb bread, 2 eggs, 3 slices bacon; coffee with cream
D: (will be) 1/2 roasted acorn squash, cucumber, bacon and tomato salad
Dessert: (will be) 1/2 protein bar; glass of milk

Crazy busy. Hope everyone is doing great. Soooooo excited for a glass of wine this weekend! I’m going to call September “dry†on Saturday. I know it wasn’t a whole month, but it proved I could do it, when I didn’t think I could. I also seemed to have lost a little more weight (clothes are getting a little loose), which is surprising with all the large meals I’ve been having. Who knows anymore?

Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2018 8:24 pm
by lpearlmom
Woot—you’re doing great! I’m calling Saturday done too! ðŸ·

Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 1:50 am
by oolala53
The world is about 75% extroverts. I guess I get a little satisfaction thinking how they would fall apart with a fraction of the alone-time I have.

Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 7:57 pm
by Soprano
Well done Worth & Linda on your dry September :)

Jx

Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2018 3:18 pm
by Soprano
Hope all is well with you Worth it? :)

Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2018 1:28 pm
by worth it
October 9, 2018

26(?)/3(?)

30 min Pilates Reformer workout
50 min walk

B: coffee with cream
L: (if needed) an avocado
D: TBD- going out for Aunt's birthday

Hi All. I’m still here, plugging away. I’ve had 2 “slip-ups†in the past few weeks- one where I ate ALL DAY (10 hour eating window) after fasting for 20 hours and one where I broke my 19 hour fast guideline early at 16.5 hours. Of course I worried I wouldn’t get back to my habit, but I have with no problems.

I’ve learned that I just worry way too much about sabotaging myself (which I haven’t) and that any of these “slip-ups†are simply the result of drama playing out in other areas of my life. For example, I’ve been feeling really defiant lately about lack of time (I think due to my new job, which ironically is going really good), I had a day where I was defiant and didn’t exercise and ate for a much longer eating window and much more than I normally would have. Oh well- i’ll bet there will be days like this and it’s good to realize that one or two of these days once in a while will not derail all of my efforts over the past seven months. Again, I remind myself that fasting for me has been such a great gift for my health and receiving the benefits it provides is not something that can easily be disregarded. It’s not like other “diets†I’ve barely gotten through in the past.

Anyway, my 19 hour guideline has already been met for the day due to unusual window timing from yesterday, but I am not hungry and probably won’t be until a bit before my typical eating window. Since dinner Tonight is about three hours after that, I may eat an avocado to Time me over to dinner if I need it.

I hope everyone is doing great- I’ll check in again soon!

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 10:42 pm
by worth it
October 18, 2018

30 min Pilates Reformer workout

19/1

B: skipped
L/D/Dessert: a binge.... ate lots of things. It’s amazing what I shoved within an hour. ðŸ˜

I’m not surprised... I think there are probably a few reasons this may have happened that I’m aware of and maybe a few reasons that I’m not aware of.

Here’s what I do know: Yesterday I fasted for 27 hours due to being at work all day and ending my previous days window rather early after eating a great deal for my single meal that day. I noticed on days after I have fasted for considerably longer than 19 hours, I am typically hungrier. Today, I had been starving ever since I woke up, but was able to make it to my window.

Secondarily, I have been struggling in nearly every area of my life since starting my new job. Ironically, I want to work and want to work at this company, but I seem to be placing some unreasonably high expectations on myself and I think it’s really been getting to me. As a result it’s made me want to control various areas of my life, including my eating habits. I believe this binge is a backlash from my latest habit of having only one very large meal per day.

While I been sticking to my fasting window and have not been gaining any weight (or at least I don’t think so by the way my clothes feel), I am realizing that a purposeful one meal a day does not work for me. Large meals hurt my stomach and don’t feel as satisfying to me because I don’t seem to be loving what I’m eating. I want to make adjustments as soon as possible but I seem to be over analyzing and thinking that, “here I go again-trying to control this too.†Until I decide what to do I’m going to keep at it and try to be kinder to myself. When I was having two smaller meals per day over a 5 hour window, I was easily able to stick to the one plate rule. So maybe that’s the answer. We’ll see what happens over the next few days.

Until then, hope everyone else is doing well.

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 11:04 pm
by lpearlmom
Hey worth! It’s funny how we’re often on the same page. I was really trying to do 23/1 but it just is not very enjoyable and makes me anxious since I can’t stick to it. Then I’m all over the place and can’t be consistent which doesn’t feel good.

I was watching Kayla’s video about frustrations and she talks about how if you’re frustrated with not losing, you should consider making your plan easier not harder. It should be so enjoyable that you don’t mind the weight loss taking a long time. So I’ve switched back to 19/5 and it’s so much better. I can easily continue with this for a long time and I’m so much more relaxed about it.

I don’t get the sense that weight loss is your main goal but sounds like OMAD wasn’t really a good fit for you either? I’m sorry about the binge but I like how your taking it as useful information to help you with your journey.

I do think it takes a really long time to find the best fasting regime for each person so hang in there. From looking at the ppl in the fb groups, it seems like it takes at least a year to find a really good groove.

Sorry for taking over your thread and making it all about me but hope you can find a good balance with your work soon. I think it’s pretty normal to feel stressed in the beginning but as you get more comfortable with your job, I’m sure you’ll feel more relaxed about the whole thing.

Best of luck!
Linda

Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2018 2:13 am
by automatedeating
Hey worth it, hope you start adjusting to your new job really well. Please continue to be gentle with yourself. Sounds like a lot of things are shifting a bit under your feet, and that can NOT be easy.

Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2018 11:40 pm
by worth it
October 19, 2018

20/5
B: coffee with cream
L: salad with 2 pieces of pizza
D: 1 sushi roll, small glass of wine
Dessert/snack: sunflower seeds, 3 strawberries

A much better day today. Simply knowing that I would have two reliable meals today allowed me to eat reasonable amounts at my meals. I’m sure that this crazy work week is over and I feel much more relaxed also had something to do with it. Since I was unable to get my exercise in this week I am actually REALLY looking forward to my exercise tomorrow and for most of the next week (since I only have to work one day next week).

Linda, we really are on the same page! I totally enjoyed my 19 five window and felt so much more relaxed today. I know that this is something I could do for the rest of my life. It’s so nice not having an over full belly and even more not feeling so over hungry that I can eat and truly enjoy my meals. I’m glad you are feeling the same way. Also, I want to thank you for sharing the information with me from Kayla’s page as well as the information that it may take up to a year to decide what works best for your own body. That was really valuable for me especially since I’m only about 9 months in.

Auto, thanks for stopping by. After reading through your thread, I caught a few posts where you are also dealing with “work issues.†Darn, I really wish this could be so much easier for us. It’s so good to know you are here and rooting for me too. Can we all just win the Mega Millions tonight?! Lol! 😜

Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2018 12:11 am
by worth it
October 20, 2018


21/3

30 min Pilates Reformer workout
35 min walk on treadmill

B: coffee with cream
L: (most of an) Italian sausage sandwich; 2/3 of a chopped salad; 2 crinkle cut fries
Dessert: piece of Oreo pie with a cup of decaf (with cream)

Felt great to exercise today (such a mood lifter)and so much more relaxed about my meals today. While I only had one true meal today, it was all good. I hadn’t planned it but it worked out that way...and since I didn’t plan things that way, somehow psychologically it didn’t have its recent effects excessive and fast eating. I’ll take it!

Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2018 2:12 am
by automatedeating
Glad to hear you mood has lifted a bit today!

Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2018 4:48 pm
by Soprano
Glad to hear you are feeling positive :)

Jx

Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2018 10:21 pm
by Octavia
Hi Worth! Thanks for dropping by to say hi on my thread. I really appreciate it!

Great to hear that you’ve been enjoying your exercise and feeling positive in general! I too love Kayla’s videos. She is so down to earth. Might go and check in with her right now....!

Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2018 8:05 pm
by worth it
November 8, 2018

19.5/5(?)

30 mins Pilates Reformer workout
45 mins walk

B: coffee with cream
L: cauliflower and veggie “hash†with 2 eggs on top; 2 sugar-free buckeyes
Snack: string cheese and a piece of salami
D: (will be) 2 low carb pancakes (cream cheese and eggs mixture); bacon/sausage; decaf with cream

So, this is my second day in a row of low carb. A few days ago, I (nearly) binged on Halloween candy, and I noticed that day that I had eaten high carb too (it had also been a LONG day at work, I only ate one meal and was drained). It appears that eating mostly carbs for meals in a day knocks me off balance, so I decided to do low carb for a day or two. I’ll go back to my more moderate mix of carbs, protein and fat tomorrow.

Anyway, things are status quo. I focus on a 19/5 fasting schedule, but many times fast for longer depending on what I have going on. Most days, I eat the equivalent of two medium meals and I feel great. No idea how things are progressing with my weight (yup, still refusing to get on the scale), but today I noticed my stomach felt the flattest it has in years. And my SIL who I hadn’t seen in a few months went on and on about how great I looked. Meh, I’ll take it, but I have to say that it’s such a relief to be more comfortable in my clothes and, more importantly, in my own skin. Onward I go... hope to do this forever.

I truly hope everyone is doing well as move towards the upcoming holiday season!

Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2018 12:54 pm
by automatedeating
Wonderful to see your post, Worth! You sound like you are feeling powerful! :-)

Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2018 5:18 pm
by Soprano
Great to read things are going well for you

Jx

Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 4:52 am
by lpearlmom
Glad you’re still around and that things are going well. I keep thinking 19/5 is the way to go.

Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 2:55 pm
by alene1
Worth It, it sounds like you and I both eat a similar way. My body is really sensitive to too many carbs as well, and it affects my hunger the next day. I'm experimenting with the right amount of carbs at each meal to give me energy and make me feel good, and also keep me full. I'm thinking I might do more of a mix for my lunch, and then lower carb at night to make my morning fast nicer. :) It looks like things are going very well! My tummy was definitely feeling flatter today too! :)

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2018 3:35 pm
by worth it
November 17, 2018

(At least) 19/5

B: coffee with cream
L: TBD
D: TBD

30 minutes Pilates Reformer
30 min walking workout

Hi All,

Thank you so much for stopping by AND the encouragement! I have certainly been needing some lately. Now that the colder weather is coming in, I’ve been feeling a little “blah†and find myself wanting to push my boundaries in all “dangerous†areas- eating, shopping, drinking, etc. The good news is that I have strong boundaries around eating and exercise that are already set, and it helps me to simply maintain what I’m doing and continue to build confidence with my consistent actions even through these times of boredom or restlessness. This trickles into helping with the other dangerous areas, as I realize if I can stay in the limits most of the time with eating and exercise, I should be able to in those other areas too. Maybe that’s what life is all about for me- being able use my good habits to ride out those times when things are not so great emotionally for me? (DEEP THOUGHTS-lol! ðŸ˜).

Anyway, I continue to do 19/5 and find that just riding out my “unhealthy†food choices during my eating windows as of late is just about all I can seem to sustain right now. Just gonna go with it and celebrate the days when my body feels at its best by eating the best nutrition. On the days it doesn’t (and I eat junky food), I’ll just celebrate the fact I stayed on my habit. 😉

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2018 3:54 pm
by automatedeating
I think you are on to something, Worth It! Probably part of wisdom is knowing how much we can push ourselves before we rebel. :-) We have to know our icky side and our good side and reward our inner "good" guy to keep doing more good.

Also, you know how people say you can see someone's true character when the chips are down? That it's not how we act when things are good that shows our character; it's how we act when everything falls apart? That's when our "habits" carry the day, whether they are ability to moderate our eating (not really a moral thing) or about whether we steal money when the opportunity is there (a hugely moral thing).

Anyway, here's to hanging on by the skin of our teeth during the holidays!

Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2018 3:56 pm
by lpearlmom
Checking on you. Doing okay?

Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2018 9:27 pm
by worth it
Friday, December 7, 2018

20/5(or maybe 6; depending on when the party ends)

35 min walk

So I’m in OH visiting family this weekend and have decided that I’m going to have breakfast tomorrow, so my fasting time will be shorter than usual.

The good news is that I have been very consistent with the 19/5 eating window, but the bad news is that I still continue to push boundaries and have been overeating or eating junk food during my eating windows. I don’t think I’ve gained much weight if any, but I am clearly not losing anymore. I Have drastically cut down the days where I’ve only had one meal a day, so I’m guessing that’s why my losses have stopped. I guess I’m just not willing (or able) to make the effort right now, so I’m just not doing it. Some days it feels like more of a bummer than others, so I’ll just keep riding it out I guess.

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a safe and happy Holiday season.

p.s. thanks for checking on me Linda! I’m on my way to catch up on your thread!

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2018 3:14 pm
by lpearlmom
I really think just maintaining during the holidays is a great goal. Also gives our bodies a chance to adjust to our new lower weights and will be ready to let go of more when we up our routine in January. Remember fasting is supposed to fit around our social schedules not the other way around so enjoy that breakfast!

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 11:33 pm
by worth it
January 6, 2018

18/3
55 min walk

Happy New Year, Everyone!!!

Just coming off a morning of gratitude, realizing that I am so darn lucky. I’m documenting this because I am not always good at seeing how wonderful my life is and how thankful I am for my family. Feeling especially thankful for our good health and financial situation.

I was talking with my husband this morning about our cousin who we recently found out does intermittent fasting. At a family party the night before, we were saying how great she looked, as her skin looked really clear and she looked like she had also lost weight too. Then after actually talking with her, she told us that she only does fasting on every third day and fasts for only 15 hours. I was somewhat surprised that such a small change could result in such drastic transformation for her. Because my fasting regimen is much stricter(?) I started to wonder if it was even worth it for me to put in “all of this work†when I could have simply done something like she did and perhaps had similar results.

After thinking about it for awhile I came to a conclusion, I need to just give myself a darn break and trust myself. If I’m honest with myself, “All this work†has not really been all that difficult. During the discussion with my husband this morning I was telling him that while maybe I’m not as small as I once was, I really just feel great. I am no longer embarrassed when I see people I haven’t seen in a long time, I am no longer embarrassed about how my clothes fit, I feel super limber, healthy, have improved digestion, clearer skin, and have limited aches and pains. I also love the feeling of my flat stomach in the morning and love the taste of my first meal after having fasted for at least 19 hours.

Over the past few months, I have maintained my weight (by monitoring how my clothes fit) even though some days I ate a lot of junk food, some days I ate a large amount of food, some days I only ate one small healthy meal, some days were mixed, etc. but most importantly, I realized I am just not willing to change to try and lose more weight. Frankly I just don’t care anymore because I am so lucky to be feeling better than I did 10 years ago.

This has led me to a sort of shocking conclusion that after almost a year of fasting (and two clothes sizes away from my “dream outfitsâ€), I am finally ready for maintenance- which just means that I’ll continue with my 19/5 fasting regimen and at least 30 mins of exercise most days, knowing I’ll probably hit those goals about 80% of the time and I’ll be able to maintain not only my weight, but (hopefully) also my good health. Don’t get me wrong, I believe this goal of maintenance may actually turn out to be an even bigger challenge for me than the habit building and weight loss of the past year, especially because for the last 12 years or so I have always been in the mindset of trying to lose (or watch my) weight. I wonder (to myself) if even just the thoughts of weight loss have been a certain kind of habit for me? 🤯

Anyway, I’m looking forward to figuring out how to navigate life without having the goal of losing weight whether it has been in the forefront of my mind (and I was trying to ignore it) or as a “secondary†goal like it has been for especially the past few months. It’s almost like this next year will be an effort in habit breaking (thinking about weight loss all the time) vs habit building. I’m excited for the challenge and the upcoming year! Here’s to everyone’s health and happiness in the New Year!

Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2019 4:13 am
by ladybird30
Heres to you too Worth it, and thank you for your inspiring post.

Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2019 6:21 am
by Soprano
Lovely to read your post Worth. I'm sure you'll sort maintenance no problem, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if you lost more.

Wishing you luck

Jx

Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2019 1:47 pm
by Octavia
Hi worth it, it really is lovely to share in your positivity. Happy new year to you too! X

Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2019 4:47 pm
by automatedeating
worth it wrote: I really just feel great. I am no longer embarrassed when I see people I haven’t seen in a long time, I am no longer embarrassed about how my clothes fit, I feel super limber, healthy, have improved digestion, clearer skin, and have limited aches and pains.
This gives me tingles of joy for you!!

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:09 am
by lpearlmom
Yay! I’m so happy for you! I keep thinking I should go into maintenance at least for awhile to give myself a break but my brain literally doesn’t not know what to do with this concept. I’ve been trying to lose weight since I was 10 years old and it just tends to ruminate on weight loss several times a day. It’s like a smooth rock somebody rolls around in their hand for comfort. Without it I feel a little lost.

Anyway, didn’t mean to rain on your parade. That will not be you. You will rock it and maybe I can follow suit!