Intermittent Fasting Wk 2, Day 1

Weight: 171.2

Needless to say, there was no skipping of meals this weekend. Although the individual meals were fairly healthy, I know that I definitely snacked too much and ate too many carbs.   In fact, just yesterday we had sushi rolls for lunch.  They were yummy!  But I'm sure I'm paying for it.

So I've been reading mark sisson's blog www.marksdailyapple.com.  It's full of very good information.  I just don't know if I'm ready to jump two feet into this primal lifestyle?  I just don't think it's for me and my family.  I have two kids at home. Both kids already have many dietary restrictions due to their food allergies. To arbitrarily further limit their choice of foods seems stupid to me. However, I do buy into the eat less refined carbs argument.  

It's currently 9AM, I have already eaten some boiled bok choy and tofu for breakfast. I guess that means I'm not really fasting today.  But at least those weren't carbs! I guess I'll try to go no rice/noodle on non-fasting days, and eat rice and noodles on fasting days?  That sounds like a happy compromise!

1:30PM. I went home for lunch. It's a slow day at the office, and I wanted to go home for a little bit. This was the beginning of my consumption stumble.
1. I heated up some left over fried chicken for my husband and myself. (beginning of the slipper slope).
2. First I ate a big bowl of peas and carrots. (Good beginning.  I actually got full eating the peas and carrots.. but I kept going. thinking that I needed some PROTEIN.)
3. Then I ate some of the experimental slow cooker lamb I made. I wanted to test the flavor and make some mental notes on how to make it better.  I was definitely very full now.  But the chicken was reheated, and needed to be eaten... or else it would taste bad.
4. Ate 1 drumstick and 1 thigh.  at least I ripped the fried parts off right?
5. Drove back to work, but first grabbed one fun size snicker, one peanut butter cup, and one bag of peanut m&ms. (ALARM BELLS SHOULD BE RINGING~!)
6. I figured I had already fallen off this cliff of sugary, fatty badness. So might as well go full-tilt. So I stopped by Jack in the Box to get some jalapeno poppers and croissant donuts. (yea, I know... I'm guilty for my own destruction....) 

It's a good day to be ashamed...  Where did I go wrong? Ate when I wasn't hungry. And continued eating bad foods even when I knew I didn't really want it.  It's self-destructive behavior. It reminds me of when I was an adolescent and I would purposely hurt myself...  I stopped that behavior when I noticed scars were starting to form.  I guess somehow the self-harm tendencies have continued in a different form...

This is definitely something to think about.

Intermitten Fasting Day 4

Weight: 169.4

WOW! What a bounce back!  And not in a good way.  I didn't even binge... I just indulged a little! I guess that just proves how easy it is to gain and lose a pound or two of water weight.

Due to the unhealthy food choices of last night I woke up quiet hungry. I really didn't know what to do about it...  So I microwaved an egg and ate it.  At least it's high quality protein!  FYI, easy way to cook an egg is to crack an egg into a bowl, place a plate on top and nuke for 30 seconds.  It effectively steams the egg for a quick semi-runny hard boiled egg.

So it's 12PM right now.  I'm trying to decide whether to skip lunch and go run some errands or try to do something productive and work related.  -_-  Unfortunately it's a bit difficult to concentrate.  Been thinking about my financial obligations... and the difficulty in building significant wealth has me a little bit bummed.  -_-

O well...

Intermittent Fasting Day 3

Weight: 168-169 pounds
Result: ~ 1.5 pounds down

LOOK I LOST WEIGHT! The scale must not be very accurate though. The weight ranged from 168 to 169. (Depending on if I had just drank water, and how much clothes I wore.) Funny how when you are trying to lose weight, you start factoring every little thing: "Am I wearing heavy clothes? Did I just drink a large glass of water? Have I had a bowel movement yet?"

Because I ate white rice right before bed, I started feeling hunger pains within 30 minutes of waking up.  Today is going to be a tough day for me.  It's Taco Thursday at work. This guy comes in with delicious taco plates during lunch time.  The smell of the food is so great. The convenience factor makes it even more tempting!  But Thursday nights is also the night when my friends come over and we all eat dinner together!

I think logically, it'd be best to simply skip lunch and wait for dinner. But Thursday night dinners tend to start around 7:30.  That'd a really long fast... and I didn't bring any snacks to work today help ease the afternoon jitters.  :-(

12PM, well I gave in. I ordered a taco plate, went easy on the chips... and it was delicious. Unfortunately after that I gave in to some halloween candy as well.  And then I munched on a large handful of pringles on the way home.  That's definitely not something to be proud of.

7:30PM Friend brought over KFC. Delicious =)   I ate ONLY one piece of chicken... but had a huge plate of costco spinach and bacon salad that was drenched in delicious vinaigrette.  I also had a rather large helping of mac and cheese as well as a biscuit and mashed potatoes. I think I'm going to pay for this tomorrow.

What did I do wrong today? I think eating lunch was not a big deal. But I should have avoided indulging in halloween candy.  I think eating the chicken wasn't a big deal either. But I should have avoided indulging in such a large heaping plate of delicious carbs!

Intermittent Fasting Day 2

Morning Weight: 169.4 lbs
Results: 1/2 lb less than yesterday!

My energy levels today are alright. Skipping the morning routine of breakfast hasn't sent me off kilter yet. I did accidentally snack on some of the oven fried potatoes I made the children.  They were delicious. =P  Not sure if the 2 bites of savory carbs first thing in the morning would ruin the effects of fasting?

I lost SOME weight! I don't care if this is simply water weight. Any weight will give me motivation to keep going.  My ultimate goal is to break free of the hold that food has on me. I want to develop healthy habits, and make my body my slave. There are so many times when I give into my physical WANTS. I need to be able to say "no" to my body sometimes. 

3 hours into work, no trouble concentrating. No sign of nervous energy.   No sign of hunger either. Although... I am drinking my coffee with some cream and sugar. Does this still count as fasting?

12 PM. I'm getting jittery. I'm also getting hungry. I tried going on a walk to get the blood flowing and get my mind off of my physical discomfort. As I walked, I noticed that my palms were a little bit sweaty.  But at the same time, my hands feel cold.

1PM, I can't take it anymore, can't concentrate on my project, I drink the bowl of oxtail soup I brought from home. I'm not hungry as much as I just can't concentrate. Instantly the jittery, shaky feeling subsides. Wonder if the caffeine on an empty stomach is causing the shakes? I will definitely have to try no caffeine tomorrow.

4PM, my hands feel shaky again. Maybe it's the stress of this project that's getting to me?  I really do feel quite a bit of nervous energy. I want to do a few burpees... but I'm sure that will elicit odd looks from my coworkers.    ^_~

6PM, DINNER TIME! Rice, chinese meatloaf,  zukes + mushroom, and more oxtail soup. I'm sluggish, and I'm worried that my patience level might be a little bit low.  Thankfully the children are not difficult today. We walk to a friends house to play, then go home and shower and sleep.  Before bed I finished the rice that the children didn't finish. Part of me just can't stomach the idea of wasting food. On the other hand, treating myself as a trash can for leftover food shows very little self respect.

What did I do wrong today? I probably shouldn't have eaten the children's rice right before bed.  Tomorrow I will dish the kids less rice so there will be nothing leftover. 

Intermittent Fasting Day 1

I'm used to spending a good 20 minutes in the morning lingering over a large breakfast while surfing the net.  This morning, I had to force myself not to do this. The change in routine made me I feel a little mentally off balance.  I tried to psych myself up, imagine myself as a sleek, young professional, unburdened from the mundane task of eating, about to embark on a ridiculously productive day at work.

The first 3 hours at work were spent frantically trying to distract myself. I was nearly humming with nervous energy.  Just as this energy wore off, lunch time started. As people began to heat up their lunches, the office was filled was various savory aromas. It's funny how hunger makes your nose so sharp to potential food.

3PM was the 17 hour mark! I gave myself a pat on the back. When was the last time I avoided eating for so long. By now my hands felt a little bit shaky, and I was also cold! It was as if my internal furnace was on low.  I also allowed myself to snack on some pringles... maybe some food in my stomach would make me warm up?

5:30PM!  At last! Time to go home!  Husband had fried up some potstickers. I thought I would be ravenous and consume 20 of them. But because there was only one plate of potstickers, I held myself back so that the rest of the family would have enough food. To fill up the belly, I had a bowl of oxtail soup. It's basically a vegetable soup with oxtail. That has to be healthy right?

I don't know if it was the fasting, but I felt my patience for the children was a little bit short. Or maybe they were just being extra bratty that night?  All I know is that there were lots of screaming and crying by my 4 year old because she wasn't getting her way.  (=_=)  And the husband and I didn't want to deal with her because we had soooo many chores to do.

I ended the night eating 4 ounces of broiled escolar before bed. I wasn't hungry, but I was afraid the fish was going to go bad... and if I was going to cook it then I was going to eat it while freshly cooked.

What did I do wrong today? I didn't drink enough water. I drank 1 cup of tea, and 1 cup of coffee at work. That's obviously not enough liquids. Tomorrow I will drink more liquids.