Graham's Daily Check In

[Graham]

10st 9 3/4lb Waist 38" BMI 23.5, WHtR 56.7%, Body Fat 31.4%

5:11 am Poor sleep - up early, probably affects measurements (how long since last meal etc.)

[Graham]

10st 8 1/2lb Waist 37 1/4" BMI 23.3, WHtR 55.6%, Body Fat 29.6%

Better night, fasting today.

[Graham]

10st 10 1/2lb, waist 38 1/4" BMI 23.6, WHtR 57.1%, Body Fat 31.9%

Had to go out early - these figures collected around 3am this morning, 8 hours after a large post-fast meal. Hopefully a blip.

[Graham]

Weight? 10 stone 10-ish, Waist 37 1/4" definitely. WHtR 55.6%

[Graham]

10st 10 1/4lb, Waist 37 3/4", BMI 23.6, WHtR 56.3%, Body Fat 30.6%

Fasting. Only one opportunity for it this week once again (and for the foreseeable future) so weight/waist loss will be a challenge.

1K on the rower in @ 6 minutes, and a new Month on HabitCal begins. Last month ended with only 2 medals (both Gold, for EFT and Book - my two least difficult to do daily goals) A bad cold explains most of it - health before HabitCal. The month passed quickly and I'm no different in weight or waist.

Also the implosion of the choir I joined and its messy sequel has dragged on, I've been embroiled. That's been a strain.

[Graham]

10st 8lb Waist 37 1/2" BMI 23.3, WHtR 56%, Body Fat 30.5%

That fast was hard - mood low, energy hard to find, then, following a substantial evening meal, profound fatigue. I can't expect to retain all the loss, especially on only one fast a week.

I've already failed one HabitCal category - to read at least some of one of the books I'm studying every day. That was one of my 2 golds last month.

[Graham]

10st 8 1/2lb Waist 37 1/2" BMI 23.3, WHtR 56%, Body Fat 30.3%

I felt preoccupied with food yesterday. I kept to No S rules (just!) but I sensed I wanted more food than I had, my hunger pacing restlessly up and down it's cage, waiting for the next meal.

I have under-exercise issues partly because both my bikes are malfunctioning - and I don't have the space for the collection of 5 bikes every cyclist needs (a touring bike, a racing bike, a recumbent, a folding bike, a run-about for shopping) Oh - I didn't mention an off-road bike either did I? That could be the shopping bike if it had mudguards and panniers.

I only have space to have 2 bikes in use. Currently an MTB and a racing bike. Both now have punctures and maintenance issues and I'm caught in a "Repair or replace?" dilemma.
I am really bad at dilemmas. Really, really bad. Spending so much time being stuck on so many issues - I hang on to unresolved issues, living amongst the consequent clutter and hating it. Angry and unhappy about all that today AND I can't even lose weight any more. F**K!

Lest anyone think my bike issues are simple to solve : When I take long rides, my hands go completely numb. Trying to avoid that problem has caused me to try things like hybrids, Mountain bikes (fat tyres to cushion road shock - not effective, haven't tried suspension forks yet) or different riding positions (hence touring or racing bikes, their drop handlebars affording a variety of riding/hand positions).

When the bike doesn't fit I get really irritated and discouraged. (Bike fit is as important as well-fitting boots or shoes are to a regular walker - get it wrong and long-term, you're going nowhere!)

[Graham]

Thursday 10st 9 3/4lb, Waist 37 1/2" BMI 23.5, WHtR 56% Body Fat 30%

Friday 10st 10lb Waist 37 3/4" BMI 23.5, WHtR 56.3% Body Fat 30.6%

Up far too late last night, ate a meal I could have done without, look at the stats - they say "no progress". SO and other circumstances pushing me to make hard decisions, painful choices, not a diet-friendly time.

I did go to check out a bike I'd spotted on Wednesday that I thought might replace one of my current pair, but low price went with low quality, I wasn't sure how long it'd last, so I've still got no appealing solution.

6pm No S FAILURE. I felt hungry after lunch. I didn't max my plateful and ended up having seconds. Then, in fail-day mode, I ate several tablespoons of apple jelly as well. I bypassed repletion and went straight on to nausea. Drat.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE: this happened partly because I was sitting in SO's kitchen and the stuff I ate was sitting right there on the table in front of me. Had I not been there, I might not have been tempted. It's not the whole story, but it is relevant, when I'm hungry, not to be staring at food No S doesn't permit me to have (at that time)

[Graham]

10st 10lb, 37 1/2" BMI 23.5, WHtR 56%, Body Fat 29.9%

[Graham]

10st 10lb, Waist 38" BMI 23.5, WHtR 56.7% Body Fat 31.3%

[Graham]

10st 11 1/2lb 37 3/4" BMI 23.8, WHtR 56.3%, Body Fat 30.2%

Fasting. Awoke with very light headache. I do wonder about chocolate - the reactions I have to it, unsettled and needy. Enjoyable at the time, of course.

2:50pm I rowed 2K in 2 5-minute bursts. Headache stays slight except when i exercise, then increases a little.

[Graham]

10st 10 1/2lb 37 3/4" BMI 23.6, WHtR 56.3%, Body Fat 30.5%

The fast had an effect, but overall trend is upwards. The weather is cold and wet, all exercise-related strategies seem unappealing. The cold may also provoke increased eating.

[Graham]

10st 11 1/2lb 38 1/4" BMI 23.8, WHtR 57.1%, Body Fat 31.6%

[Graham]

Thursday 10st 10 3/4lb 38 1/4", BMI 23.7, WHtR 57.1%, Body Fat 31.8%

Friday 10st 13lb W 38 1/4", BMI 24, WHtR 57.1%, Body Fat 31.2%

I have a cold, not sure how that connects to drastic upwards weight trend. Damn.

[Graham]

10st 11lb 38", BMI 23.7, WHtR 56.7%, Body Fat 31.1%

[Graham]

No data today. Still recovering from a cold. Mood low some of the time. Might be more than an infection to it. The belt on my trousers isn't too tight today, no reason for pessimism.

[Graham]

10st 11 1/2lb, 37 3/4", BMI 23.8, WHtR 56.3%, Body Fat 30.2%

Fasting. 5:39pm, monitoring my own state, how well could I perform at any of my evening activities in my current state? And, how well after I've eaten? One fast a week won't do, two was barely enough before I got sidetracked.

Added on Thursday evening: after my fast-breaking meal around 8pm on Monday I was absolutely wiped out. Fell asleep on SO's sofa by 9, it was a struggle to do anything. I was NOT fit to do anything.

Had I eaten earlier would I have managed to be energetic by 9? If I had a mini-meal and a second meal later, would that give alert energy?

[Graham]

Tuesday 10st 10 1/2 Waist 37 1/4" BMI 23.6, WHtR 55.6%, Body Fat 29.1%
Wednesday 10st 11 1/4 waist 38" BMI 23.7, WHtR 56.7%, Body Fat 31%
Thursday: 10st 11 1/4lb 37 3/4" BMI 23.7, WHtR 56.3%, Body Fat 30.3%

About Tuesday: it is choir night - and PUB night. Pubs aren't my thing, particularly, but being sociable with our newly forming group, born out of the ashes of the mismanaged choir we all resigned from, is hard to reject.

Two weeks running I've seen clear evidence of weight/waist gain following pub night - and I only have one pint - and at least one packet of crisps. Wouldn't mind if I was trim, but this is an issue to address somehow.

I hoped I'd lose it all again by Thursday, but it wasn't so easy this week.

[Graham]

10st 11 1/2lb 37 9/16" BMI 23.8, WHtR 56%, Body Fat 29.6%

Be careful what you wish for.. Back from a Tango class that didn't happen, SO was tired, we were the only people there, the teacher unwilling to do it for so few people. - and the answer to my question "When can I do a second fast in my busy week?" is now answered. Friday will be it.

I am sad at how it has been achieved. There was no good answer for me, too many things competing for my time, something would suffer.

[Graham]

10st 10lb, 37 1/4" BMI 23.5, WHtR 55.6%, Body Fat 29.2%

Apart from skipping my evening meal (late breakfast, lunch at 5pm....) no special effort to produce these figures - might have been a bit of water weight involved. If I'd fasted yesterday in a deliberate effort to shed fat would I have weighed/measured any less today?

[Graham]

10stone 10 1/2lb, Waist 37 1/2" BMI 23.6, WHtR 56%, Body Fat 29.8%

Fasting and feeling the cold! It isn't that cold, I assume its the fasting on top that's making my hands and feet so chilly. Odd day - I'm not "at work" so I've not got the usual distractions from how my stomach feels, or how my eyes feel (a little weak and uncomfortable on fasting days)

No data yesterday. This week I will fast twice, (well, that's the plan. If something is drastically wrong with my work situation, I may end up job seeking and fasting will be set aside)

[Graham]

10st 10 1/2lb 37 3/8" BMI 23.6, WHtR 55.8%, Body Fat 29.5%

By the end of yesterday's fast I had a headache which eating didn't abolish - even waking this morning, I detected it faintly still. Despite the discomfort, the profit is slight - 1/8" off my waist. Hopefully my composition changed even though my weight did not.

My fast, here at home, was without benefit of fizzy water and lemon, which may have contributed to my headache - on the positive side, I wasn't so waterlogged, so my sleep wasn't disturbed.

Today is choir day - pub day? Deal with it - getting rid of needless bloat is a pain I can do without. Let me disappoint other people and please myself!

(post script on Wednesday:at choir it got tricky, No S FAILURE)

[Graham]

@10st 12lb, 38" BMI 23.9, WHtR 56.7%, Body Fat 30.8%

biscuits, Irish Whiskey, late excess. Choir numbers down, moral support at the pub required, the rest follows automatically. Good news - my voice is improving.

Postscript on Thursday: Wednesday was an odd day. I experienced cravings, ate rubbish food (snack-type stuff, pasties - bought as they were half price, not as nice as I'd hoped, disappointing. There is no good time to eat rubbish food, no matter what the price)

I was restless, I did not give in to eating chocolates though there were plenty of good ones I could have had - but I did eat a couple of slices of bread long enough after my "meal" that I have to think it was like snacking or seconds - disappointing, inexplicable, but there it is: No S FAILURE. What was up with me? (and Thursday may be no better, I am out of sorts)

[BrightAngel]

Just dropped by to see how you're doing,
and to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

[idontknow]

Irish whiskey - voice improving. Are the two things connected??

[Graham]

My goodness - two visitors in the same day!

Thanks for the thanksgiving greeting BA - I wish you the same.

I don'tknow - just to clarify, the whiskey was at the pub AFTER the choir... But as I sat there, savouring a Jamesons, the thought of pre-choir intake did cross my mind.

[Graham]

10st 10 1/4lb 38 1/8" BMI 23.6, WHtR 56.9%, Body Fat 31.6%

Odd figures - what's the ongoing waist increase about? Not good, that's for certain. Still no work. Uneasy, though I've been assured all will be back to normal next week.

[Graham]

10st 9 3/4lb 38 1/8" BMI 23.5, WHtR 56.9%, Body Fat 31.7%

Yesterday was odd, today too: Fasting.

Yesterday I had restless energy and a gyppy tummy - I got a new tyre for my Mountain Bike, riding it again reminded me why I wasn't certain whether to go for a new one - so heavy, it needs a service or more to deal with rumbling bearings, so much more work to move it compared to my racing bike.

I had only brunch yesterday, went alone to tango, thought, afterwards that I might as well skip eating and go to bed - I can break my fast at 2:30, 24 hours since last meal, or go longer (I may have had tea with milk any time up to 8pm) I'll see how I feel.

Now I feel damned chilly. Fasting does seem to make the cold more noticeable.

Why am I staying so fat? Waist is up, though weight is stable - sounds like a shift in body composition - not good.

10:37pm Day stayed strange - I ate a 5-a-day mega meal, yet No-S perfect, at 4pm. Went on feeling odd. A big meal. Rested a while, then fell asleep. It is now so long since that meal that I am "entitled" to eat again - but I don't feel a need for that right now. Rather, i'd like to go back to sleep and start life again tomorrow. HabitCal reminds me I've still not done 2 things I'm trying to be regular with - decisions to make.

[Graham]

10st 9 1/4lb 37 7/8" BMI 23.4, WHtR 56.5%, Body Fat 31.2%

After midnight last night a jar of spicy snacks beckoned - and my new collection of chocolate truffles. Still, I'd only had one meal all day, and only one meal the previous day, so I must forgive myself.

5:01pm - bike day! From 11:30 to 3pm mainly working on the bottom bracket - disassembling, cleaning, lubricating, reassembling, lubricating the chain - bike felt so good I then went for an hour's ride, visiting the canal towpaths I've missed for the past few months. Wonderful!

[Graham]

10st 9 1/2lb 37 3/4" BMI 23.5, WHtR 56.3%, Body Fat 30.8%

Cold weather continues, adding to the challenge of weight-loss - the usual tendency is to fatten-up during cold weather. Fasting is a challenge, but I will give it a go. Weather apart, this is a good time to fast, I've 2 suitable days in a week, and SO's not around to tempt me or query the wisdom of my goals or methods.

1:33pm I am feeling tired and lazy today. Am I suffering from bad eating, or greater than usual exercise yesterday?

7:16pm - dragged myself out on my bike for a necessary journey, then cooking, yoga, meditation, eating a full 5-a-day meal of salad followed by minced beef stew with carrots, onions and mashed potato. As I ate salad I felt really good. After the stew I began to feel lethargy again, and now I'm eating chocolate truffles and peanut brittle - but I ate well first, I think I will cope.

[Graham]

10st 13lb, 38 3/16" BMI 24, WHtR 57%, Body Fat 31.1%

Worst figures in over a month. Yesterday - odd, certainly. Weather may be a part of how I ate and drank. I had two beers yesterday! I never do that! One was a shandy, but 2 x 25cl bottles of 4.9% lager beer. And 6 chocolate truffles, peanut brittle and honey roast peanuts -all in addition to my substantial evening meal. Earlier eating had been scrappy - but there's no way to hide from the figures, I ate and drank enough to gain 3 1/2lbs in a day. Damn.

5:28pm: Facts and reflections: Despite yesterday's excesses and today's shocking figures, as I pumped up a flat bike tyre, I felt weak. It is very cold (by London, England standards) and I have to go to a meeting tonight, so I'll be riding my bicycle in the cold and dark, not too far - but to be sensible - can I ride and then eat before the meeting, or should I have a beverage with milk and SUGAR in it to prevent me actually conking out while cycling in traffic?

News: my last surviving uncle, "Buddy" died last night. I hadn't spoken with him in many years, (family feud between him and my father) didn't feel the need. Now I feel that was such a stupid situation - there were questions only he could answer (his side of the story), and now I can't ask him. I feel like I've just woken from a dream - too late, too late.

7pm My fast is broken, but I'm very likely to break No S rules - I'm having salad in a separate bowl - and I will have a single plateful of stew with mashed potato and buttered bread - I think I once decided that I'd make salads an exception to the one plate rule as my personal mod - maybe I can still give myself a green for today?

[Graham]

10st 12 1/4lb 38 1/4" BMI 23.9, WHtR 57.1%, Body Fat 31.4%

The fast lost me 3/4lb - but I'd gained 3 1/2lb in the day before that - I can't make sense of this - cold weather might be a factor?

I am "doing right" but going wrong - except, of course, the scales and tape measure suggest I can't be "doing right" at all. I am fed up - of everything.

My stomach is still hurting from last night's gut-stretching meal - it was hurting and I STILL went on eating (with some sense of conflict). I guess I was reacting to the effects of fasting, and the cold, and maybe emotions too?

Now I am wondering about my "salads don't count" mod - especially the problem of the fast-breaking meal, and my desire to make it a 5-a-day meal, to throw such a large quantity of food into an unusually hungry body - knowing that even a painfully large No S meal may still leave me feeling needy (physiologically needy?)

What about putting sugar in my drinks instead of sweeteners in the post-fasting phase, during the cold weather? NO. I felt a sense of needy eating which was too much for my stomach - but NOT FOR SUGAR! Buttered bread was part of the excess, I really wanted to taste the butter - it was FAT that I craved.

I am concerned that I'm getting more messed-up about food. No S didn't work, adding IF worked for a while - now what? Without regular work I'm more aware of food/hunger issues, and that's not working out well.

2:48pm Finally ate lunch - 3 x beans on toast. I wasn't aware of stuffing msyelf, but my stomach hurts again, as though it were bruised. It is horrid weather and I've a choir rehearsal tonight. If I weren't so key to it, I'd give it a miss tonight.

And then the pub - again, virtually a requirement at the moment, one that I really don't want to be a regular part of, not till I can handle it - which I obviously can't at the moment. If I'd known it was a "choir then off to the pub" sort of thing, I'd probably not have joined. Now, as the best tenor (sometimes the only tenor...) I feel I'd cause chaos if I disappeared.

What I'm noticing is how guilt, a feeling that I'm responsible for keeping others happy, some sort of miserable duty, and other's happiness being more important that my own sucks me in, time after time. I know it started when I was a kid - why did those who already had so much power need me to be so weak?

Did I do success or failure? Ate crisps and biscuits - snacks FAILURE So, ended the month with 2 medals out of 10 - one gold, one bronze. My cold interfered, distorted the picture.

[Graham]

10st 10 3/4lb 37 13/16" BMI 23.7, WHtR 56.4%, Body Fat 30.6%

Weight/waist falling back, no special effort, perplexity.

A new month - and I'm feeling burdened by all those HabitCal categories I set up. Maybe I was foolish today - skipped lunch or breakfast - but ended up having seconds at my evening meal. No surprise to find myself feeling needy, and increasingly rebellious.

I don't want to start using all that failure/success vocabulary again for another month. This is getting tedious, it is not sitting well with me. I still like to write here, but maybe it should be different, something fresh is wanting.

[Graham]

10st 10 3/4lb 38 1/4" BMI 23.7, WHtR 57.1%, Body Fat 31.8%

10:14am I made some progress with No S and IF combined, then stalled a few months back. Winter may play a part? I am still carrying a lot of body fat, visible, unsightly.

BMI is pretty useless as a guide here, so are most people I know - saying "Oh but you don't need to lose weight" - what kind of crap are they talking? WHtR is unequivocal evidence that I DO need to lose weight, alongside the mirror - the "spare tire", wadges of fat that I can grasp between fingers and thumb - but it's around my waist, my face looks thin, deceiving many.

What do I want to do now? I'm running on the spot here, and fed up. Dieting and cold weather don't mix well - fasting certainly makes the cold feel colder - but it helped such a lot at first, and I still enjoy it - it's just inconvenient to fit in alongside my social activities. I think fasting on a Thursday is much better - there's one day No S before the weekend to calm things down - going straight from fasting to an S day is probably less effective.

I don't have an answer just now. Just carrying on as I have been seems unsatisfactory - it's not fun. 3 Meals a day - is that as much fun as 2 meals a day with snacks would be? I don't have a regular job with regular hours to reinforce regular meals - No S may fit better when underpinned by those sort of cues.

Age is also an issue - I wonder how many older people have made unmodified No S work for them? And, by "work" I mean achieving a WHtR of <50%. It works for at least some young people with a lot of fat to shed - but what are the overall results? No matter - it's only me that I really need to be worrying about.

[BrightAngel]

BMI 23.7, WHtR 57.1%, Body Fat 31.8%
I am still carrying a lot of body fat, visible, unsightly.

..carrying on as I have been seems unsatisfactory - it's not fun.
3 Meals a day - is that as much fun as 2 meals a day with snacks would be?
I don't have a regular job with regular hours to reinforce regular meals -
No S may fit better when underpinned by those sort of cues.

I wonder how many older people have made unmodified No S work for them?
And, by "work" I mean achieving a WHtR of <50%.

I am an older person...meaning over 60.
My BMI, WHtR, and Body Fat % are all in the "normal" or "healthy" range,
Most of the time my WHtR is between 45-46...depending.
I am more of a "pear" than "apple" shape,
but..thanks to my genetics...actually more of an hourglass.

However, as an endomorph, I still look just a bit plump,
as I don't have slender thighs and I'm a bit bottom-heavy.
I've learned that there is no use comparing myself with ectomorphs,
because trying to become thin in that way doesn't make one LOOK like an ectomorph,
but merely an Emaciated endomorph.
I simply cannot control where my body chooses to put fat deposits.
It is genetically determined, and
therefore I choose to put my Result focus on my weight number..

My Behavior focus...is on my food-intake.
Your statement "....seems unsatisfactory...is not fun"
seems to be a normal state of mind, especially as we enter the
Christmas Holiday season.
I know you are aware that I am a big proponent of personal modifications...
But it is my opinion that the beginning of December is a VERY bad time to make these.
Our lifetime memories and expectations of the Holiday season
tend to increase our rationalizations, justifications, and denial,
and lead us into full-fledged excess.
Now, more than any other time, is probably when one should go with whatever
Habit pattern has worked to get or keep weight off.

[Graham]

Friday 10st 9 3/4lb 38 1/4" BMI 23.5, WHtR 57.1%, Body Fat 32.1%
Saturday 10st 12 1/2lb 38 1/8" BMI 23.9, WHtR 56.9%, Body Fat 31%

@Bright Angel: thanks for your input. Seems to me your WHtR is well within the range that would be considered healthy, not sure what your comments on your genes mean in that context.

I personally don't want to look skinny - especially I don't want the gaunt face/bulging gut combination I'm cursed with, but, like you, I can't choose where my body wants to keep the fat.

I want to be healthy and I think WHtR is the best metric to use in that context, it is better able to predict health risk than BMI, so it's a better place to put a result focus than weight would be.

I too think this is a bad time to try stricter strategies, whether I can even hang on to those I'm already using is uncertain - there are increasing demands on my time at the moment and fasting and stress don't mix well, even strict No S might be more than I want to ask of myself this side of spring.

Today doesn't feel like the day to decide on future strategy. I went to a friend's 60th birthday party last night, so I'm a bit on the heavy side just now.

[BrightAngel]

@Bright Angel: thanks for your input.
Seems to me your WHtR is well within the range that would be considered healthy,
not sure what your comments on your genes mean in that context.

like you, I can't choose where my body wants to keep the fat.

I meant that my genes have not given me an apple shape,
but instead have given my body a tendency
to carry more fat in my hips and thighs,
and less in my waist.
Therefore, due to genetics, a "normal" WHtR for my body
comes more easily than it does for some bodies.

[Graham]

10st 12lb 38 1/4" BMI 23.9, WHtR 57.1%, Body Fat 31.5%

@ Bright Angel: thanks for clarification. I'm back to thinking about my question now. I know you do much more than No S to maintain your weight loss, I'm wondering how much I might have to do to achieve my weight/waist goals as No S alone wasn't enough for me.

[Graham]

11st 0 1/4lb 38 1/2" BMI 24.2, WHtR 57.5&, Body Fat 31.6%

Cold weather, and a recurrence of an old viral malady lured me into thinking I shouldn't fast today - but now, having had my coffee with milk and sugar, I feel a little sad. Might have felt sad if I'd been fasting too I suspect.

I ate a lot of chocolates over the weekend. I partly love them, but I carry all sorts of knowledge about myself to do with them - I seem to get spots after I eat chocolate for one thing - and I eat them most when I'm not cooking anything decent for myself - eating them because I'm hungry is the worst reason. And I "know" eating lots of sweet stuff is "bad" - it certainly makes me feel shamefully childish.

I also suspect something like an addictive craving effect when I stop eating chocolate. I have noticed that a craving for cigarettes often pops up the day after chocolate excess - and otherwise I've pretty well forgotten about them - which took YEARS! I used to wonder if I'd EVER get to that point, where I really didn't mind. I still don't feel safe around smokers though, I believe I have to keep them out of my life, and also avoid smoking situations - like consuming lots of alcohol around smokers, or perhaps consuming lots of alcohol ever.

I seem to recall Reinhard wasn't in favour of demonising any foods or habits - but I wonder - do some of us actually have demons? Because if we do, it makes sense to know them, name them, and treat them appropriately.

[BrightAngel]

Reinhard wasn't in favour of demonising any foods or habits
- but I wonder -
do some of us actually have demons?
Because if we do, it makes sense to know them,
name them, and treat them appropriately.

Excellent Point.
This is something I'm currently investigating for myself.
You might be interested in following some of the links
that I've posted on my Check-In Thread.

[Graham]

Tuesday: 10st 11 3/4lb Waist 38 1/4" BMI 23.8, WHtR 57.1%, Body Fat 31.5%
Wednesday 10st 11lb Waist 38 3/8" BMI 23.7, WHtR 57.3%, Body Fat 32.1%

@BrightAngel - "You might be interested in following some of the links
that I've posted on my Check-In Thread." - this will take a very long time. I have already delved a bit, did you mean things like "Big Fat Fiasco"? I've now watched that - persuasive stuff, but then I wondered, "Didn't I hear somewhere that the Finns had cut CHD by believing the lipid hypothesis and adjusting their diet accordingly?" Do you know anything about that?

Weight down a little more (I felt hungry a lot yesterday) I snacked at the pub following singing in a chilly church for 2 hours, today I "accidentally" snacked - mindlessly tasting jam from a jar.. so that's 2 No S fail days in a row.

I am pretty fed up of tracking and noting that. I've got the whole of the rest of the day to eat in some fashion. I could say, now I've "failed", that there's no reason to restrain myself at all, there's no reward on offer for today now it's all ruined. Only I don't actually want to label my day as "Failure" just for that one strange act - I don't feel at all happy calling anything that today.

I have enough of my own reasons for taunting myself without adding in some new rules to suffer over. HabitCal is also suddenly a pain instead of a pleasure - I've really fallen out of love with that. (perhaps because I'm not making any progress towards my goals with it any more?) Now I come to think of it, I think I'm quite disaffected with the whole "Goals" thing - seems pretty hollow just at the moment. (except for the WHtR thing, that is a goal, I guess, and I still desire it, just not sure now how to implement it)

[BrightAngel]

I am pretty fed up of tracking and noting that.
I've got the whole of the rest of the day to eat in some fashion.
I could say, now I've "failed", that there's no reason to restrain myself at all...

There IS always a reason to restrain oneself...on any day...no matter what the basic plan.
Excess is easy to become Habitual, and
no matter what our diet plan is, EVERY BITE COUNTS.

HabitCal is also suddenly a pain instead of a pleasure - I've really fallen out of love with that.
(perhaps because I'm not making any progress towards my goals with it any more?)
Now I come to think of it, I think I'm quite disaffected with the whole "Goals" thing - seems pretty hollow just at the moment.

Sustaining committment long-term is the hardest thing ever.
Looks like you need your spirits lifted a bit.
If you need a new toy to help with Accountability,
check out the 2 week free trial of DietPower, which is the food journal I use.
It is not perfect, and its MR calculations are often annoyingly inaccurate for my body, but..
It works with any food plan or diet, including No S, Eat Stop Eat, Fast 5, Low-carb....etc. etc. etc.
I've used it every day for more than 6 years
and it provides me with lots of personal data that I continually play with.
My own charts, graphs etc. help entertain me and sustain my interest.
Anyway the trial is free, and the program isn't expensive.
Perhaps something new will spark your interest enough to get you through this difficult Holiday month.

[Graham]

10st 10 3/4lb 38 1/8" BMI 23.7, WHtR 56.9%, Body Fat 31.5%

No data collected yesterday. Slightly less weight and waist than Wednesday. Fasting. I will also exercise. The weather's milder, for a while.

@BA: A new toy doesn't sound right just now, maybe in a while.

10:33pm. Fast is over, but the subtle headache isn't. Glad I did it anyway, except for the post fast meal being pasta.

[Graham]

10st 12lb 37 15/16" BMI 23.9, WHtR 56.6%, Body Fat 30.6%

Weight up, waist down, ILL AGAIN! Feels like yet another "cold" - sore nose/throat, mild headache, slight dizziness, somewhat congested chest -

What is this about? Is this ageing? or fasting? or the cold weather, or a combination of some/all of the foregoing? Damn but I'm sick of being sick. And sick of being fat. And of getting older (but no better alternative on offer that I'm aware of)

I fasted till Friday evening and gained 1 1/4lb by this morning. The post fast meal was heavily loaded with carbs (pasta, as SO was catering and I'd not provided a decent protein source for myself) - does that trigger fast weight-gain? (marathon runners do "carb loading" don't they?)

Waist is reduced, and I believe that matters more than what the scales say, so I'm ok with it - and I'm eating SO SENSIBLY today! I haven't had any sweets, nor any snacks! I may have had seconds... But food I'm not ashamed of (well - I had chips (french fries) cooked in lard - I happen to believe that's an ok way to cook them - see Weston Price Foundation for nice things about lard)

[Graham]

10st 10 3/4lb 38 1/8" BMI 23.7, WHtR 56.9%, Body Fat 31.5%

Eventually ate a lot of chocolates yesterday - also ate 2 sensible meals and got my 5-a-day. I have a sore throat - a mild cold perhaps? Very feverish sleep, strange dreams.

An annoying thing about chocolates - they are enjoyable, but they don't make me feel energetic, or strong, or smart, their appeal is just the pleasure of consumption. (correction - there is a stimulant effect I've noticed after consuming very dark chocolate - becoming more voluble for several hours after consumption) Crisps are just the same - fun in the moment, depleting afterwards if consumed to excess. (no correction here, no discernible benefit follows consuming crisps)

12:51pm - I have finished the chocolates. I'll have to eat food from now on.

[Graham]

Monday 11st 0 1/4lb 38 3/4" BMI 24.2, WHtR 57.8%, Body Fat 32.2%
Tuesday 10st 12 3/4lb 38 3/4" BMI 24, WHtR 57.8%, Body Fat 32.6%

[Graham]

10st 11lb 37 7/8" BMI 23.7, WHtR 56.5%, Body Fat 30.7%

[Graham]

10st 12 1/2lb 38 1/2" BMI 23.9, WHtR 57.5%, Body Fat 32%

[Graham]

10st 12 3/4" 38 7/8" BMI 24, WHtR 58%, Body Fat 33%

My chest/throat infection continues, the weather's turning cold again, I'm not fasting again - assuming recovery compromised by fasting - just a guess, might be the opposite is true. And I'm getting FATTER.

Nearly all good habits have stopped, No S compliance still possible 4 days out of 5, but I'm pretty weary of it all. Shoulder problem interferes with exercise - can't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

[BrightAngel]

Hang in there.
This is a difficult time of year.

[Graham]

10st 13 3/4lb Waist 39" BMI 24.1, WHtR 58.2%, Body Fat 33.1%

It seems as though all the progress I've been making was pulling against a long piece of elastic - the moment I can't sustain the effort I'm dragged back. All sorts of turmoil about this - it is harder than I expected when I first heard of No S, and then IF. Maybe because the proponents of these systems are much younger, deriving certainties from metabolisms that have more vigour.

What will MY answer be? Those nearer my age that succeed lead lives more tightly constrained than I'm drawn to - is that because there is no viable alternative? Licking my wounds.

One thing to consider: a potential source of pleasure, the choir, is definitely the source of a problem - the pub. It is a problem place for me. That requires thought. Both the choir master and his partner have the kind of physique youth may permit, resulting from social habits I dare not imitate.

[Graham]

11st 1lb 39 1/8" BMI 24.3, WHtR 58.4%, Body Fat 33.1%

The Concert, the Pub, the food, the drink - and singing, cycling through the snow, my throat's a little better, my cough is still with me, but chest congestion reducing.

[Graham]

11st 0 1/4lb, 38 5/8" BMI 24.2, WHtR 57.6%, Body Fat 31.9%

HabitCal is redder than it's ever been, yet yesterday brought a little joy. I ate a little less than I might have - I stayed within No-S according to my own interpretation (I have decided that a mince pie isn't a sweet and virtual plated it into the second of yesterday's two meals)

I can't measure the effect as I didn't weigh or measure myself on Monday morning. I also used my Bullworker for the first time in 10 days - I was noticeably weaker, I took it easy, but it was SO NICE!

I haven't been a couch potato over this period of struggle - I've ridden my bike every day. The snow never stopped me going anywhere, though it slowed me down a fair bit. I have struggled to maintain even the easiest of my habits - regular book study, meditation, yoga - all have fallen away - and Tango too. A grim time. At least the ordeal of the "festive season" will soon be behind me and I can begin to build towards a new and better future, hopefully starting the new year at least a few pounds lighter than the start of 2010 and making a better go of weight/waist loss.

2:11pm After an active start to the day, followed by a late breakfast (at noon), I am experiencing food lust. Blast it.

later did carols at pub FAILURE

[Graham]

11st 1 1/2lb 39 1/16" BMI 24.4 WHtR 58.3% Body Fat 32.8%

FAILURE It was the yoga class Christmas Party - a few biscuits offered to me directly by my teacher - I didn't have any artful way to say "No" - I wanted to be part, not separate from everybody, I've been too much the odd one out over my life.

[Graham]

11st 1 1/4lb, 38 3/4" BMI 24.4, WHtR 57.8%, Body Fat 32%

Some of the Christmas pressure is easing, waking with a mild headache and mild sore throat is ominous - is that my old infection reawakened, or yet another one? Can that be happening?

I note a slight weight/waist drop from the day before - but tonight I have a party to go to. I tried my best to get out of it, but so many seem to be ready to be offended if I don't go. An Indian meal in several courses, I have no hope of No S compliance without looking very peculiar, and I'm not there to offend anybody.

My issues with "don't offend anybody" are definitely part of my food problem, of life problems in general. Can I cure myself? It is a pattern based on some deep pessimism - I wonder if it might be an unconscious strategy.
11:21pm No S FAILURE

[Graham]

11st 1 3/4lb, 39 1/8" BMI 24.4, WHtR 58.4%, Body Fat 32.9%

[Graham]

10st 13lb, 38 5/8" BMI 24, WHtR 57.6%, Body Fat 32.2%

Yesterday was strange - stressful, I felt hungry most of the day yet didn't eat to excess. I did snack on fudge and biscuits and chocolate provided in the Samaritans branch where I volunteer (mainly weekends so its S days, and the biscuits aren't a problem). I bicycled more than usual, ate less than usual and I'm back, for today at least, below 11stone. One good thing.

[Graham]

11st 0 1/4lb 38 7/8" BMI 24.2, WHtR 58%, Body Fat 32.6%

[Graham]

11st 2 1/2lb 39 1/4" BMI 24.6, WHtR 58.6% Body Fat 33%

I have been stressed. I didn't fast today, waiting to resolve some worries before I took on that little challenge. Now I'm better placed to make that decision, so maybe soon.

[Graham]

11st 1lb, 39 1/8", BMI 24.3, WHtR 58.4%, Body Fat 33.1%

Fasting today, just till 6pm as I've got to go out this evening. I have been wanting to fast, yet I also feel reluctant. I can focus on that nice meal I will eat this evening and actually relish it more than if I were to be eating before then, but I know I eat partly to avoid uncomfortable feelings and there may be some of them around today.

6:45pm Ate with some restraint - slightly regretted putting less than was on offer on my plate - but that's No S integrity, I guess, can't go back without it being seconds. Damn.

I now have a mild headache, so I hope there'll be a measurable pay-off to impress me tomorrow morning. Meanwhile I have the temptation of freely available biscuits to cope with at Samaritans. Lets see how the day pans out.

[Graham]

10st 13 3/4lb 38 5/8" BMI 24.1, WHtR 57.6%, Body Fat 32%

Yesterday's @18hour fast left me with a mild headache and sore throat!. I had to take a lot of Vitamin C to deal with that - @3grams last night, another 3 grams this morning. What to make of it? Is infection lurking in my body, ready to spring forth at the slightest threat to my weight/waist? Or is fasting now so stressful to my immune system that I fall prey to every passing bug?

On the plus side, I've dropped 1 1/4lb AND 1/2" off my waist! And I kept to No S strictly, without undue anguish. I have other issues, fears of confrontations which might disadvantage me, yet are becoming unavoidable.

[Graham]

10st 13lb, 38 5/8" BMI 24, WHtR 57.6%, Body Fat 32.2%

Feeling peckish, despite a sensible breakfast. I might be getting back to some good habits, restrained eating may explain further 3/4lb drop. I thought my waist was only 38 1/4" but then, doubting, I re-measured, and suddenly the extra 3/8" appeared. Is it postural? Waist measurement is a little tricky. I do my best to relax my stomach before I measure, seems I don't always succeed.

8:50pm. I'm still having to dose myself with extra Vitamin C to stave off what feels like a sore throat trying to happen. If I fast tomorrow, and I was planning to, I think I'll have to be dosing myself with Vitamin C as I go along. This is not a satisfactory state of affairs, but I've just read the latest BBC piece on waist fat's influence on mortality rates amongst women, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12068966 which also has links to : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8629768.stm which reminds me how important it is for men to have a <37" waistline, and this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7723918.stm which reminds me why 31 1/2" is such a good goal to aim for.

Though weight and waist loss is getting harder for me, I'm facing a fight with something more than my appetite now, failing to reach my goal waist lines is putting me at such risk, I REALLY MUST KEEP TRYING!

I don't know why fasting seems to be provoking throat infections, but what are my options? I'm trying hard to eat well between fasts, I take all the supplements I believe confer health advantages, what more could I do? What should I do differently if I want to lose that weight?

EDIT/UPDATE: I'll declare this a FAILURE with a burning sense of injustice - I was at SO's she gave me soup in a tiny bowl, so I had to have "seconds" - and then everything got very disorderly after that. One kiddie bowl was a joke as a meal, what was I supposed to do? Usual No S procrustean rule and entailing anger, then drifting into despairing excess as I felt I'd blown it for the day. Could really have done without that.

[Graham]

11st 1 3/4lb, Waist 39" BMI 24.4, WHtR 58.2%, Body Fat 32.5%

So, there it is, all the weight I lost since my Tuesday fast back again, with 1/8" less round the waist. I didn't fast - knowing I'd be going out in the evening, that I had a lot of shopping to do, that I like fasting days to be low stress, and I'm wondering if I'll really get back into a 2 fasts a week routine in the New Year. I hope I can, I don't know how else I'll see the waist figures I was aiming for when I started on the No S/IF regime.

Today - I haven't failed yet, but I probably will by the end. Damn it, I don't like this whole fail thing.

[Graham]

No Measurements today - but I look FAT! I've lost a lot of ground, I'm back to where I was a year ago, but not to where I was when I started No S, or IF.

This year will have new challenges - old issues to unearth and resolve, and my father finally getting to a point where I might have to get involved in managing his care. I don't like having to diet and handle stress all at once - but maybe that's something to discover this year.

[Graham]

What is the true measure today?
On an old spring scale @11st 4lb, waist 38 7/8" BMI 24.8, WHtR 58%, Body Fat 31.6%
At home, but after a coffee: 11st 2lb, waist 39 5/8" BMI 24.5, WHtR 59.1%, Body Fat 34.1%

Can't decide between these, but the fat around the waist is visibly increased. I have been in an odd state these last 2 days: I was very hungry yesterday, unusually hard to satisfy - then I slept too llittle last night, waking early and anxious, with the things I hate and haven't done all troubling, and too hot, yet now I'm feeling chilly, struggling to fend off the cold.

I'm planning to fast tomorrow, and it's setting off an inner struggle - part of me is using all I've neglected to do as a reason not to fast - I'll be weak, demotivated, lazy - but if I give in to that, I'll probably feel so disappointed in myself I'll just let myself down in a different way.

[Graham]

11st 1 1/4lb, 39", BMI 24.4, WHtR 58.2%, Body Fat 32.7%

first fast of the new year, writing on my new laptop

[Graham]

11st 1 1/4lb, 38 3/4", BMI 24.4, WHtR 57.8%, Body Fat 32%

2:30pm Woke with very faint headache, slight hint of a thick chest, but mostly symptom-free after my fast - only I haven't lost any weight! I note the apparent 1/4" off the waist - but waist measurements are very tricky. I even took it a second time to verify it, seemed to be a stable situation, so I'll go along with it, what else is there to compensate me for yesterday's privations?

My post-fast eating wasn't crazy - it was No S compliant - but I then consumed roughly a pint of milk by bed-time. Today is a different story. I started off a bit loosely, with smoked mackerel and nothing else on my plate, I virtual plated to add an egg and two slices of toast - far from a full plate meal for me, but I'd've gone along with that had not the child I'm minding got interested in toast, and wanting my toast, with me (not his own in his own bowl) so one more slice was made, and shared - did seem like I was tricked into having seconds. Is that failure? Damn the rules, it wasn't more than I'd normally have, I was just a bit loose about how I served it up. What to do? Up to me what the HabitCal says, how puritan do I feel today?

More of interest to me, how I conduct the rest of my life - there's the exercise I do or don't do, and the mental and environmental hygeine I do or don't practise.

[Graham]

11st 0 1/4lb, 39 1/16" BMI 24.2, WHtR 58.3%, Body Fat 33%

[Graham]

10st 13 3/4lb, 39" BMI 24.1, WHtR 58.2%, Body Fat 33.1%

I have been experiencing cravings, and i suspect the night-time cocoa habit to be the cause. Ah the cocoa bean - will it prove, one day, to have done more harm than the coca leaf?

[Graham]

11st 0 3/4lb, 39 3/8", BMI 24.3, WHtR 58.8%, Body Fat 33.8%

I visited hospitable people - they like their wines and are generous hosts. I guessed the visit, ostensibly just to pick up leaflets for our new year's advertising for the choir, might turn out that way. So, I have one pound more at the start of this fast than I might have been carrying. This isn't the problem - it is the weekly post-choir visit to the pub - if I add 1lb every week during that beer and crisps frenzy, what chance have I of attaining my weight and waist-loss goals?

If I were young, fit, exercising regularly, this would be no problem at all, it would be a delight - but this older, slower body isn't so inclined to the vigorous activities that burn off the excess.

7:54pm An interesting fast: I had a pretty easy time of it, now a five-a-day meal and I'm NOT TIRED! I always get tired after the post-fast monster meal, except today. Now I'm typing on my new laptop, with it's odd keyboard - looks nice enough, but that's not the main thing with a keyboard is it? The feel, the functionality - that's the crucial stuff.

Oh, I digress. I am not tired. Strange. I wonder what I'll weigh tomorrow? Other good news: did Yoga AND Bullworker workout today. Gradually, I'm rebuilding.

Spoke too soon! Yawning. Soon off home, I will aim for an early night.

[Graham]

11st 0lb, 38 1/2" BMI 24.2, WHtR 57.5%, Body Fat 31.6%

I haven't shed all I gained on Thursday night, but my waist is looking much trimmer. Good. WOW! just noticed I've dropped nearly a whole inch off my waist!

[Graham]

weight unknown, waist still 38 1/2"

despite last night's excess - visitors, mulled wine, pumkin soup, bread, cheese, christmas cake. I overdid it, felt queasy, couldn't even work up much desire for chocolates - just a few chocolate coated raisins and a mulled wine truffle.

I will labour today - there's manure at the allotment, my plot is far from where it is delivered, every barrow-load takes a lot of work. I am looking forward to it on such a crisp, bright winter's day.

[Graham]

weight unknown, waist still 38 1/2"

despite last night's excess - visitors, mulled wine, pumpkin soup, bread, cheese, christmas cake. I overdid it, felt queasy, couldn't even work up much desire for chocolates - just a few chocolate coated raisins and a mulled wine truffle.

I will labour today - there's manure at the allotment, my plot is far from where it is delivered, every barrow-load takes a lot of work. I am looking forward to it on such a crisp, bright winter's day.

7pm I did go to the allotment, then I got let down over evening meal arrangement and have now eaten @700 calories worth of crisps and a few hundred calories in the form of chocolate raisins and a truffle. I don't feel bad just now - but it is time to look for some proper food. I will fast tomorrow.

[Graham]

11st 0 3/4lb, 38 13/16", BMI 24.3, WHtR 57.9%, Body Fat 32.3%

A little lighter and slimmer than last week, and fasting once again.

9pm. I fasted till nearly 8pm, then had a solid 5-a-day beef stew with onions, tomatoes, carrot, swede, broccoli, mashed potatoes and buttered bread. I stopped when it hurt, actually leaving some mashed potato uneaten! (but now I want chocolate biscuits! I know there's a stash here, I won't have any but I wish I didn't know they were here, singing to me)

[Graham]

11st 0 3/4lb, 38 3/4" BMI 24.3, WHtR 57.8%, Body Fat 32.1%

More or less like last week: no weight lost, but a slight waist reduction, a mere 1/16"- so small it might even be an error. My fasting days come close to S days - one just after, one just before. That results in my Monday fast being less than 24 hours, and my Friday fast being followed by 2 days of unregulated eating, which is somewhat undermining of the benefits I'm seeking. A Thursday fast would be better - I'd have one day of plain No S to steady me and consolidate any losses before hitting my S days, so I wouldn't be feeling so needy.

I wonder: what would I weigh now if I hadn't fasted? I do make the post fast meal as substantial as one plate allows - I manage to get 5 portions of fruit/veg into that meal and plenty of protein and at least one slice of buttered bread as I really want butter after my fast. Might it be nearly 1,000 calories? It wouldn't be hard to achieve. Where would I be if I didn't cycle everywhere?

Oh, forgot to say - I woke with a headache again. What a nuisance! I did have a small glass of mulled wine last night - it was the last, left over from Sunday night, I enjoyed it and wished I hadn't had it too - there was no need before it was offered, and I felt the worse for it. Damn alcohol Why is it so central to social life? Can't we be happy with tea?

Post Script: Couldn't organise eating around the choir properly, ate only one meal all day before singing - ate 3 biscuits with my tea at the half-time break - do I call that my 2nd meal or a failure? up to me i suppose. I didn't have any crisps at the pub. Then had a decent evening meal of salad, beef stew, carrots, swede, and some buttered bread. Not bad, but it might be better to have something superior to biscuits before the choir -Hell, I'm STILL going to want the biscuits! I've paid for them!

[Graham]

10st 13 1/2lb, 38 5/8", BMI 24.1, WHtR 57.6%, Body Fat 32.1%

[Graham]

10st 12 1/4lb, 38 1/8", BMI 23.9, WHtR 56.9%, Body Fat 31.1%

Here's a weight/waist loss that wouldn't look bad if I'd been fasting. Actually, yesterday was yet another 2 meal day. I ate a very substantial but late breakfast - sausages, onion, apple, egg, toast and then not again till after my yoga class - beef stew, potatoes, salad - and I didn't bother with bread that time, I sated my butter lust by putting it on the potatoes.

I was conflicted about fasting today - seems like I've "decided" to wait till tomorrow. When the weather gets warmer, I may not feel so reluctant to fast. Warmer weather makes fasting more appealing, its cooling effect becomes an advantage. Also, having excess fat becomes a more palpable burden as the temperature rises.

11pm, a confused day. Modest eating, 2 meals only, both were good, and I'm getting a little more carb conscious in a helpful way now I'm more aware of the things that make a craving for more of themselves.

[Graham]

10st 13lb, 38 3/8", BMI 24, WHtR 57.3%, Body Fat 31.6%

I wonder why that weight came back, after another day of restrained eating? I had only 2 meals, both substantial, but not noticeably more so than the day before. Ho hum. Fasting today, after overcoming some sense of sorrow and reluctance, especially contemplating my bitter coffee, milk and sweetener free.

[Graham]

11st 1lb, 38 1/2", BMI 24.3, WHtR 57.5%, Body Fat 31.4%

I can make no sense of these figures. During my fast I did drink plenty of water with lemon juice, my post-fast meal was substantial - but a GAIN of 2LBS? What on earth does it mean? I didn't avoid activity - I did an isometric workout, I went shopping, (on foot, no car, carrying an infant in sling), did some yoga.

The gain makes no sense to me at all. My only thought about my post-fast meal was that I had to share the protein with SO so it was rather less protein (@70g of chicken breast) than I would have preferred to have, but does that, in itself, explain a 2lb gain? And 1/8" on my waist too?

The good news? My blood pressure, if my wrist gauge can be trusted, is amazingly low - Oh drat, re-tested on my cuff monitor, and it is 118/73 pulse 49bpm - not so impressive as my wrist measure - that little flatterer had me at 97/68 with pulse of 41.

My body is not a slot machine. I am not a slot machine. Perhaps I'm adapting to fasting? Perhaps my body has ways to avoid dropping fat, even when hungry?

[Graham]

waist 38 1/2", WHtR 57.5%

[Graham]

10st 13 1/4lb, 38 1/4", BMI 24.1, WHtR 57.1%, Body Fat 31.2%

Feeling quite healthy, I've already meditated and done my yoga. I'm fasting today - I even almost enjoyed my black unsweetened coffee! I wonder if my tweaking of my diet - slightly more emphasis on the protein/fat/veg and slightly de-emphasising the carbs has played a part in my mood and measurements today?

Well-being affected by supplements? I take quite a few - some are "health insurance", some are "health enhancement (probably)" I just added Brewers Yeast yesterday.

I have had S day indulgences - my Saturday pancakes, and on Sunday I had several chocolate truffles, also some cake and biscuits - but I made sure I got protein too - bacon, cheese, sausages, scrambled eggs - it was the fruit/veg that suffered a little on Sunday.

I'm not hitting 5-a-day most weekends, and I'm accepting that, also that 5-a-day isn't worth insisting on if it causes me to eat more than my appetite would otherwise dictate. I will work towards that refinement in due course, but for now a shift towards less carbs and more protein and fat, with the pay-off of diminished cravings/neediness is what I want to emphasise.

A general point on Fasting: I'm not doing "real" 24 hour fasts at the moment. Last night I ate late - 2 bacon and cheese sandwiches around 10:30pm and later around half a pint of milk.

[Graham]

11st 0 1/4lb, 38 1/2", BMI 24.2, WHtR 57.5%, Body Fat 31.6%

The usual post fast GAIN... 1lb weight, 1/4" waist. Lets see how it goes over the next few days. Only I want my pay-off NOW! The feeling that I have to go on being disciplined, that I've got no slack to play with is burdensome.

[Graham]

10st 11 1/2lb, 38 1/2", BMI 23.8, WHtR 57.5%, Body Fat 32.3%

Biggish weight drop - I had a low-carb meal in the evening before choir, biscuits at the choir but no meal afterwards (so I'm calling that my third meal of the day...), a pint of lager shandy after choir. How to go on? I saw a scary video about blood sugar (and another one about how intestinal parasites were the cause of excess fat/sugar cravings/abdominal bloating etc.) and I can't think how to live any more - all I want causes conflict, where is peace and wisdom?

Other factors in play, worth a mention: I'm back to my rower, just a few minutes a day (5 to 10 - covering between 1 and 2K) AND I've re-introduced Brewer's Yeast. (Very good for blood sugar issues as it happens)

[Graham]

10st 12lb, 38 1/8", BMI 23.9, WHtR 56.9%, Body Fat 31.1% Rower 1.2K

Compared to last Thursday, I'm the same waist and just 1/4lb lighter. That doesn't seem like much of an achievement for all the effort I've put in. However, I have increased my activity level somewhat, and may be carrying a little more glycogen and water in consequence - I hope so. Otherwise I'd have to ask what 2 fasts, and other day's discipline, hunger and occasional fatigue have been for.

[BrightAngel]

Otherwise I'd have to ask what 2 fasts,
and other day's discipline,
hunger and occasional fatigue have been for.

Graham,
My answer to your rhetorical question is:

Your exercise is keeping you fit;
Your fasting is probably bringing down your calorie averages;
and your other discipline is building Character...

[connorcream]

I pmed you.

[Graham]

10st 12lb, 38 3/8", BMI 23.9, WHtR 57.3%, Body Fat 31.8%

Thanks for the PM response CC, very helpful as I investigate low-carb.

Thanks for the comments BA - But haven't I done enough character building even now? I'd just like to be dropping a few pounds!

So, today - I'm 1lb lighter than I was last Friday, though my waist measures the same. I'm fasting, I've done some "rowing", it's a chilly day, I'm at home, aiming to use my time purposefully, knowing fasting may not be so easy as when I'm working.

[Graham]

@10st 10lb, 37 1/2". BMI 23.5, WHtR 56%, Body Fat 29.9% (iffy spring scale)

Now, are there such things as low-carb treats? What are they? If I normally have pancakes on Saturday, are there low carb things to equal them in appeal and pleasure? Or should I let carbs be my treats? If sugar is bad for me, and sweeteners raise insulin too, what can I do about my sweet tooth if I want to get slim? Being sugar free seems so SAD.

If these figures are trustworthy, I have something to celebrate, and also to reflect on. What was different about yesterday's fast to other recent fasts?

1. I was at home with NO FIZZY WATER/LEMON. All I drank was either light black tea or black coffee - only 3 mugs all day - that's a lot less fluid than I usually have, glass after glass of lemon juice in sparkling spring water - I get through 2 lemons typically, quelling hunger pangs and distracting myself.

2. It was much nearer to a true 24 hours - about 23 if I ignore the milky decaf coffee with sweeteners I had around 10:30pm.

thing is, even sweeteners boost insulin production, I read, which keeps fat locked in fat cells - not what I want! I've been a permasnacker in that sense, even though I'm 100% No S compliant most days - my body doesn't know that my perpetual chain of coffee and tea with milk and sweeteners or milk and sugar aren't snacks - the insulin will go up anyway and the fat stores will stay unavailable.

I wonder, if I confine my sweet drinks to meal-times, (when insulin will go up anyway as I do eat some carbs at every meal), but have something more innocuous at "beverage" time - milk perhaps? would that work better for insulin/fat-accessing issues and bring me the true benefit of the No S "no snacks" rule?

No, that doesn't sound right, milk is real food - I need to find what I can enjoy drinking that isn't sweetened with problematic stuff (can't get Stevia here, the sugar lobby got to the EU bureaucrats damn their black hearts!)Yet is still a pleasure/mood lifter - Unsweetened tea and coffee seem so grim, so sorrowful, so lacking, something in me is a little child, so disappointed by life anyway and now not even any candy?

[BrightAngel]

Now, are there such things as low-carb treats?
What are they?
If I normally have pancakes on Saturday, are there low carb things to equal them in appeal and pleasure?
Or should I let carbs be my treats?
If sugar is bad for me, and sweeteners raise insulin too,
what can I do about my sweet tooth if I want to get slim?

Being sugar free seems so SAD.

I agree with you about how sad this seems.
Personally, I choose not to go that route,
and I find that artificial sweeteners fill the bill for me.
Sure, they aren't as good for one as going totally without,
but considering the alternatives, it's a vice I can live with.

Many low-carb people appear to be able to have artificial sweetners without any problem.
It is my understanding that splenda is one of these which DOESN"T raise insulin...
(low-carb people who oppose it think any "sweet" taste is bad for one)

Anyway, I always use liquid splenda in my tea,
(a powdered pkg counts as a carb because of the binders)
and I allow myself occasional treats made with splenda...
and even some with sugar-alcohol.

The majority of low-carb people seem to do the same.

I have a favorite pancake replacement that I'm using on low-carb.,
I use a very small amount of bottled sugar-free maple flavored syrup with it,
but it is good with just a pkg or two of Splenda sprinkled over it.
Here's the recipe.

Mock Pancakes

1 whole egg,
2 egg whites,
1 TB cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 pkt splenda

Blend all ingredients thoroughly.
Spray non-stick coating on small skillet
heat on medium high heat.
Pour mixture into heated small skillet
Then cook like pancakes - except
lift the edges to allow the batter to flow under
like one does with an omlet.
When the bottom is browned and the top is almost set,
Spray non-stick coating on top of pancake,
turn it over and brown.

I used to do this recipe when I was doing low-fat,
and then I used 1 TB ricotta cheese, and no butter.

But on low-carb, I put butter on it, and then a couple of tablespoons
of sugar-free syrup.

I've been using this recipe for quite some time,
and it is one of my favorite go-to breakfasts.
It tastes good, and makes my body feel good.
In fact, I feel really abused if I ever have to have real pancakes.

Even my husband, who doesn't eat "diet" foods loves it.

Try this and see if it helps out.

[Graham]

@10st 12lb, 38", BMI 23.9, WHtR 56.7%, Body Fat 30.8%

@BA thanks for the recipe - I'm a bit nervous about splenda - i wish the stevia products were available here, I'm thinking it sounds safer. Years ago I knew a successful WW dieter and she had cut out sugar in her tea altogether, she said after a few days she just didn't miss it at all, and now sugar tasted sickly, I never did try that experiment though I have asked myself this question "do I really like tea or coffee if I have to have sugar to make them palatable?"

Last night a chocolate biscuit binge - I had about SEVEN ! And one expensive chocolate. Felt a bit disappointed at the time - they weren't as much fun as I wanted them to be, and now, today, the weight/waist gain and the self-loathing.

Of course some of the weight would come back, perhaps water, 7 biscuits is way less than the whole box - but I'd already had 2 slices of toast for breakfast, and dumplings made with breadcrumbs and egg in my soup, so there was room for more carbs, and carbs make room for themselves! It was fascinating to notice how eating the first biscuit just made me want the second, and the second made me want the third, and so on - horrible yet instructive. If I can find indulgences I enjoy but that don't have that "more! more!, I could eat this forever" quality, I'll be sorted.

Oh just a little more (edit No. 3) - I'm really getting more and more out of my yoga practice - it is actually reaching inside and helping my mood and outlook, very healing. Also getting back to regular Bullworker and Rowing, regular meditation, regular book study(a humble goal to read at least a page or two minimum a day). HabitCal has been a real help with that, though at times it feels very nerdy to let something like that influence my life.

[connorcream]

so there was room for more carbs, and carbs make room for themselves!

That is the absolute truth and I find it particularly revealing- I never eat just one more something of fat or protein, they same way I do with carbs (and I mean even the "whole, clean" carbs). Maybe I will get anothe small cheese cube, put I will not eat another pound of cheese. Another slice of chicken, but not the whole chicken perhaps.

Enjoy your journey of you.

[Graham]

10st 12 1/2lb, 38 3/8", BMI 23.9, WHtR 57.3%, Body Fat 31.7%

Fasting, feeling the cold. I ate a late slice of bread @ 11pm last night (it was SO's fresh sour-dough - how could I refuse?). A true 24 hour fast would require me to wait till 11 to eat tonight. I don't think I'll want to do that. And exercise today? Do I want to waste reserves on that when fatigue will probably threaten another unproductive day?

I will lose this whole day if I don't make some effort to be active, despite fasting.

3pm. I've made some progress: I developed a mild headache while doing isometrics - that would be at only about 14 hours into the fast. I think my body is not too good at mobilising it's fat resources. Nevertheless I was later able to do a quick "row" - 1K in about 5 minutes without making the headache any worse. (yes, if you're a serious rower you can call that pathetic, but, from a HabitCal point of view, doing it on the days you don't feel like it might be more of an achievement than it looks)

4:54pm I'm feeling better - more energy and optimism. I've been somewhat productive here at home, nothing too amazing, but it won't be a washout. Earlier in the day I had this annoying problem with my eyes, I seem to have more trouble focusing on print when I'm fasting, and my eyes feel foggy - as though there's sleep to be rubbed away, but it won't go. My eyes still don't see this text well, but the tired-eye feeling is reduced.

I'm beginning to plan the cooking of my evening meal, to look forward to the pleasure of eating. I'm at only 18 hours though - and I really do want to get closer to a genuine 24 hours, so more of my body fat will get accessed and metabolised. I'm getting fed up of fudging these issues - I've done the toughest bit already, why spoil all the effort I already made for the sake of a couple of hours? I'll aim to go beyond 6pm - should I aim for 7? Or can I go till 9? 10? (that would be good enough if I got to 23 hours, it was only a slice of bread after all - my proper meal had been around 8pm)

10:15pm. I ate around 9 to 9:30. I went "low carb" - by my standards - no bread. I had 180g chicken breast, 80g onion, 80g mushrooms, 80g capsicum, 80g pineapple, all stir-fried with a mix of coconut and rapeseed oil, and 80g boiled kale. Some soy sauce, some butter on the kale. A few walnut and cashew pieces sprinkled on as well, and spices, salt, pepper. Tasty, filled a plate and leaves me curious - how will I feel about skipping the bread? Will that affect how I react to the meal? There's a post-post-fast meal wave of lethargy I'm familiar with, and I've been wondering, is it the food, or the carbs? There are still carbs in the veg, but less. I could work it out I suppose? Anyway, what I want to know is whether I'll feel different.

Right now, I feel a subtle wish for more - but it is a very gentle desire. I suspect, if I'd had bread, I'd experience a more urgent prompting for more and more till I was stuffed or comatose. I noticed with some pleasure how calm I felt when I was out buying the provisions for this meal, walking briskly, feeling light and pleasant. I could eat some carbs if I wished without violating the No S "no seconds" rule. I decided, before the meal started, that I had 2 slices of bread and butter on my plate. I didn't actually make them, but they exist, I have simply chosen to leave them uneaten.

I like how calm I feel about one plate provided I've got plenty of protein and fat and vegetables and haven't got a pile of starch. It feels somehow saner and safer. Time for my decaf coffee with milk, sweeteners and maybe 1/4tsp of sugar, if I'm inclinded. (thank goodness there aren't any chocolates here! I would be troubled by that, I realise. This may be telling me that skipping carbs isn't entirely OK - perhaps I need them? Or is it just that I desire them?

A serious plan for Saturday: to try at least one batch of low-carb pancakes. I may try more than one recipe - I'll be a glutton, telling myself "it doesn't matter, it's low carb!" Long ago I made a mistake like that eating nuts - I thought I couldn't get fat as I was 100% vegan at the time. WRONG.

Finally, I've had my first ALL GREEN DAY on HabitCal this month. I have 2 medals out of 10, I might scrape a third - but things can go haywire, medals can be lost, too. Fingers crossed for more green days. I'm hoping low-carb makes that much easier to achieve.

[Graham]

10st 11 1/4lb, 38", BMI 23.7, WHtR 56.7%, Body Fat 31% _ Row 10min 1.8K

So - this fast had an immediate effect. My usual recent pattern has been no effect or even a small gain following a Monday fast and post-fast meal. The differences?

1. Though I did have fizzy water with lemon, it was less - I used less than one whole lemon in a day. I did have about 3 mugs of caffeinated beverage - 2 tea and one coffee, but it felt like overall I was drinking less than on other fasts.
2. I had NO BREAD with my post-fast meal. (I did have a dream about chocolates! I was looking at luxury chocolates and SO took them away, though only to replace them with different ones, equally tempting)

I DIDN'T GET POST-FAST-BREAKING MEAL FATIGUE! It is maybe too soon to say I know exactly why, but strongly suspect it was the CARBS that were causing that sudden collapse, not food as such. I didn't sleep as long as I might have, I went to bed around midnight and woke a little after seven.

1:06pm BRUNCH FATIGUE! - Can 2 slices of toast do that? In 20 minutes? I just had first meal of the day - fried sausage, mushrooms, egg, cheese, and two slices of buttered wholemeal toast, washed down with coffee, milk, sweeteners. (The label tells me I just had about 27grams of carbohydrate in my mass-produced loaf) And hey presto - within 20 minutes, there's this strange "yawny" feeling - like I might benefit from a nap!

This is ridiculous! What am I going to eat? I can't just go on frying stuff all the time, I must seek low-carb stodge experiences - wherever they are to be found - but I can't go on with this level of bread, it seems. I might be more affected by wheat or some component of it than by carbs in general - that will take some separate experiments to determine. I think sugar is similarly problematic, again, I'd need to experiment to be sure - and other factors like time of day, even the daytime light levels might all play a part on regulating how my metabolism responds to inputs.

7pm, all is rushed, and nearly missed, I've eaten rushed but no bread, no spuds

[Graham]

10st 10 3/4lb, 38 7/16", BMI 23.7, WHtR 57.4%, Body Fat 32.3% _ Row 10min 2K

Further weight drop but what happened to my WAIST? I had 1pt beer in the pub last night, and had a little bowl of fruit with cream afterwards - but no snacking, No S compliant day, - was it the beer? (Normally I have a shandy - 50%beer, 50% lemonade -not sure if it's more or less calories or carbs, certainly half the alcohol which, in these days of ever stronger lager, I prefer)

Then there was the bread and post bread reaction - but, prior to my recent low-carb experiment, I was eating roughly that quantity of bread, or more, pretty well every day. Hmmm.

No matter, I'm getting on with needful things today - I've already done some reading, meditation and 2k on the rower - good start. One thing is clear - low-carbing is not harming my energy levels - quite the reverse.

11:56am. What I'm experimenting with currently: Lower Carbs along with No S and ESE. The current mini-experiment is this: I just had brunch: It was similar to yesterday's but WITHOUT BREAD. Now I'll wait and see - do I get "yawny" again? I will make myself a coffee with milk - might try Splenda too now I've bought some - just to know how it tastes. It is damned expensive!

Short-term observation on "tiredness": For the past two nights I've only slept about 6 1/2 hours and woke feeling alert. Yesterday that changed abruptly after I had 2 slices of buttered toast with my breakfast. Today I've not had the toast. There were still some carbs in my meal. 1 fried onion, fried mushrooms, sausage (95% meat) in rapeseed and coconut oil, with 2 large eggs scrambled with milk & cheese, cooked in butter. Salt and pepper added, and a little "real" ketchup (that has sugar in it, I know, not sure whether I want to go to the trouble of getting low-cal everything.)

So, an almost equally calorific meal, but without the toasted whole wheat bread - does it make me tired? A bit? subtly, perhaps?

12:49pm To be accurate: I feel a slight echo of how I felt after brunch yesterday - but only a hint, something easily brushed aside (just did my whole isometrics workout with no sense of struggle or resistance to it, nothing to overcome).

OK, so if I need to reduce/eliminate bread, what will give the texture of bread or other stodge that is low-carb? What gives a bread experience without the downside?

I wonder, if I had this breakfast again tomorrow, but put sugar in my coffee - what would that feel like?

4:21pm update on post-consuming fatigue: Shortly after writing the above i had coffee, with milk and splenda granules, and took all my tablet form food supplements, and not long after I began to feel rather more like yesterday. Still not nearly so much, but to an increased degree. Also there's a frying pan issue - I'm getting a lingering after-taste which I suspect is due to my pan being cast iron. I need to do a similar breakfast but in my stainless steel pan to see if that solves that annoyance.

[connorcream]

What gives a bread experience without the downside?

That is a key question and will as you vary. I am fine w/o bread as a matter of course, ordering it out as a treat- like ice cream. But I miss oats, so I sprinkle 1 tbs (+1 tbs of nuts) over my baked apple crisp. I maintain easily, have the cruncy oat experience, delightful dessert. But it took me time to figure this out. I have this dessert a couple times per week.Alternate with other choices.

It is not easy but worth the effort figuring out what parts of the food/meal one enjoys and then adapting if necessary to fit ones health goals.

Food has to taste good and be good for me long after I have finished chewing.

[BrightAngel]

...if I need to reduce/eliminate bread,
what will give the texture of bread or other stodge that is low-carb?
What gives a bread experience without the downside?

My low-carb experiment is very new,
but I've found some eating satisfaction
through the way eggs can be used to simulate bread.

I previously provided you with my "mock pancake" recipe,
which is primarily eggs.
Another way to use similiar ingredients
is a rather famous recipe in low-carb circles, called "oopsie rolls".

This is made by separating eggs, whipping the whites with a bit of cream of tarter,
and beating the yolks with cream cheese,
then folding it together and baking it on a low oven.
Then exposing them to air several hours on a cooling rack.

The result is like a very delicate bread.
You can google "oopsie rolls" and get detailed recipe instructions from many sources.

After making them I divide them into individual baggies,
then place those baggies together in a larger bag and keep in my freezer.

There are many uses,
but my personal favorite is to take out a frozen oopsie roll,
sprinkle it with 1/2 oz of cheddar cheese,
and microwave it for 30 seconds.

This satisfies my desire for my old favorite, melted cheese on toast.

[Graham]

Thanks Connorcream and BrightAngel. I was wondering, CC, do you stick to No S now or just low carb or is it low carb plus calorie counting or what?

I am sometimes thinking, if I have low-carb, and intermittent fasting, do I need to keep No S as well? I suppose any mixture that works, works. I have benefited from No S, but how much of that benefit is owing to having to exercise restraint because of difficulties handling carbs? If you address the carbs issue, do you then still need the No S structure as well, or is that pointless duplication?

Again - is fasting necessary alongside low carb? So many roads...

Anyway, can't say I've got low-carb sorted yet, need to get a handful of good recipes that I can live with in the long-term, but I'm keen to find a way to live happily without bread now I've identified it as a source of an annoying sense of weariness.

[connorcream]

I was wondering, CC, do you stick to No S now or just low carb or is it low carb plus calorie counting or what?

I think the term low carb is not even well defined. So sources say 25 gms, some 72, others a range 50-100,

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-s ... blueprint/.

So I find it helpful to think reduced carb because I have found with tracking that <100 carb I lose. >120 I gain, taking my cycle variations into account. I do not like posting calorie counts because the low calorie police show up. But the truth, is if I ate what the calorie calculators say I can, then I would get fat again. I definetely am having way to much fun being trim to get fat again.

I also think calories matter and it is no more difficult to monitor my calories along side my carbs. I have an easy time staying low if my calories are high quality, nutritious, satisfying most of the time. Yesterday, I flew by lunch. Too busy, too much energy to stop. Today, back to my usual eating. On the lower side weight (125.4#) wise but tomorrow night after a rather high profile event, I will enjoy a nice outing with DH to an Italian Restaurant complete with bread, evoo, and maybe dessert. That should cause a nice bump up. Then low cal/carb because sat going to a luncheon with dd and dessert is a choclate lava cake which I want to enjoy. I will not eat the roll or starchy side/grain. I will enjoy the salad. I will call ahead to get mine w/o dressing (prefer it that way w/ fresh squeezed lemon juice) and no starch on plate. Otherwise will tolerate basalmic dressing and send back potatoes.

When I track my money with DH: we balance the checkbook, look over investments, save for retirement, plan our giving, etc... It is not just one thing. When I think of my family: I study their health, know their interests & friends, send them emails about those things, go to doctors, etc... The things that matter, and my health matters a lot, like these other important interests, have many facets to it.

So yes calories count, a lot of low carbers stall because of their high consumption of cheese and nuts! However, equally as important, is where those calories come from. Tonight we had a delicious white chili (no beans or other starch) w/ full fat sour cream (1tbs), absolutely devine, only carbs from veggies (added zuchini, celery, onions), no need for the corn bread that I fixed for those in the family eating grains. Then an apple crisp for dessert with decaf coffee. (427.8 cal total 35 carb total). Majority of my cal/carbs eaten at night this is no execption.

I will be full and content until breakfast tomorrow morning and ready for Italian food enjoyment tomorrow night. I preplan for major splurges, jsut like money. If a big withdrawl is coming soon, I save up for it. DH & I are taking a cruise for 30th anniversary this summer. Paying cash for it, no debt, saving. It is just a way of life.

So find your happy foods, take them apart, decide what parts you like, then make it for yourself. You can do this. It is not beyond you or anyone else for that matter. With something as important as our health, we really should not leave it to someone else.

[Graham]

10st 10lb, 38 1/4", BMI 23.5, WHtR 57.1%, Body Fat 32% _ Row 8min 1.6K

Thanks for the detailed reply CC. It is good to get concrete examples of what works, even though we are all different. I was a little disappointed to see your observation about low-carbers getting stuck because of too much nuts or cheese - that would seem to suggest that "get your carbs down and you can eat as much as you want without getting fat" is a false hope - for some, at least.

I had been having my own thoughts about all this anyway - Atkins diet devised for the bed-bound - but I am not bed-bound. What I want is a diet that gives me energy by day and sound sleep by night, that keeps me trim and supplies enough energy for me to want and enjoy exercise. I want to look and feel good - that's the diet I want.

Reducing my carbs has left me feeling rather strange at times. I waited too long for my second meal of the day and in a hurry threw together the only quick meal I had the ingredients for - almond pancakes. I had a puzzling reaction afterwards - my stomach seemed to be saying "did we eat or what?" Like I was both full and empty at once.

If I reduce carbs successfully, what will happen to my muscle and liver glycogen stores? When I want to exercise where will the energy come from? Will I be accessing ketones eventually with the same ease I use glucose now, or does something else happen? Are all people equally able to tap their fat reserves? I suspect I am not good at accessing my fat reserves - I'm more of a sprinter than a marathon runner. I'm not sorry about that, it's just a question of defining where there might be a minimum carb requirement and getting it.

So, today - the plan?

One issue is about my cast iron frying pan. I could have breakfast like yesterday but in my stainless steel pan and see if that repeats on me like on previous days.

At some point I want to cook a meal to which I will add fried potatoes - to see what effect it has, in a bread-free context. I love fried potatoes - but I've had a couple of horrid experiences with them. I've bought fish and chips (US = "french fries"? but thick, not like McDonalds!), the chips tending to come in massive portions these days, and I couldn't stop till I ate them all, even though my stomach literally hurt. So odd, I was eating till I was absolutely stuffed, but NOT GETTING SATISFACTION! That felt disturbing - to be so "wrong" about food, and not know how to find my way to "right".

Oh - low carb has cost implications! My almond pancakes cost at least 3 times as much as standard ones would have done. Replacing white flour with ground almonds is a pricey switch.

11:52am OK: had brunch, SS pan, now instant coffee/milk/sweeteners and a wave of something sweeps over me: now I wait for half an hour or so to draw conclusions. I did feel more tired last night, and slept a little longer, defining cause and effect remains challenging, but the absence of an unpleasant tang seems likely to convict my cast iron pan.

I now need to do yet another experiment: what if it's the post-meal coffee/milk/sweeteners triggering this mini-slump?

12:23pm SO INTERESTING: My Stomach and my Brain are experiencing my food differently! I think my Stomach is sort of sleepy - and my head isn't! I still want to address the issue - I don't want a sleepy stomach either - but, yes, my head is distinctly clear, my stomach is where the sleepiness seems to be focused! (it sort of radiates out from there, it's sort of inside, but no mental fog. I just yawned, - what is to blame: the food, the beverage? Now I'll have to do a separation test to get my next answer. Not tomorrow though - I guess I'll be fasting then.

Do my black, unsweetened tea and coffee make me sleepy/yawny on fasting days? I remember now, years ago, a kinesiologist noticing how many coffees/teas I drank and suggested I replace some with water - and I actually got more refreshment from the water! Not what I expected, but it's another of those assumptions ("coffee and tea perk you up") I need to re-examine. I seem to have been fighting fatigue by inappropriate means for many years.

My hope, tentatively believed: low-carbing will give me weight-loss without weariness.

11:36pm Decided to start my FAST today (fits in more easily) - anyway, doesn't it make more sense to be asleep during the later part of the fast when I'd likely be unproductive? Well, lets see. I'm cheating a bit, I did have a hot drink or two with some milk after my @11am meal, but I think it will be ok, combining IF with low-carb is all new territory to me anyway.

[connorcream]

that would seem to suggest that "get your carbs down and you can eat as much as you want without getting fat" is a false hope - for some, at least.

What I want is a diet that gives me energy by day and sound sleep by night, that keeps me trim and supplies enough energy for me to want and enjoy exercise. I want to look and feel good - that's the diet I want.

Oh - low carb has cost implications! My almond pancakes cost at least 3 times as much as standard ones would have done. Replacing white flour with ground almonds is a pricey switch.

My hope, tentatively believed:low-carbing will give me weight-loss without weariness.

My diet has provided exactly what you are looking for. I sleep soundly, I am not hungry, I have energy, my skin is beautiful. I have energy for the tasks in my life. I also think some do look for the eat all I can and not have to worry about the effects mentality. This is true regardless of what "plan" one follows. One can get fat eating anything to excess. True it is more difficult with some things as opposed to others, but everything costs. This is one reason, I find journaling what I eat very important. No isle of denial. Some people never balance their checkbooks or get dental checkups. I have zero desire to do that. Same with calories/carbs. Way to easy with computer, internet, apps.

Pricey is a matter of choice. I have not had to raise my food budget since 2006. I basically budget $75-100/person/month including cleaning supplies and some office items. There are a number of budget/low cost carb reduced websites. It takes time to think through and process it. I suggest it is worth the effort.

Keep us posted. You are on a mission and it is a pleasure to watch it:-)[/i]