juliesifjourney

[juliesifjourney]

Clean is the 'key'

I am about 10 days into the 'Clean' fasting challenge. I am a firm believer that this is the way to go for me. The other day I needed some coffee to try and stave off my hunger...I really hadn't eaten enough during my window (more on that later)...and I chose one of my Nespresso coffee capsules. My bad on that one as it was flavored coffee. Instead of killing my hunger, it made it worse. To make things worse, I used some of the flavored coffee in my sparkling water. I didn't realize my mistake until the next day. As I have said before; this is a journey of learning. Lesson learned.

[juliesifjourney]

'Support?"

In my last blog, I talked about 'numbers.' I pointed out how obsessed I have been with 'numbers' in the past and how much IF seems to continue on with that obsession. While many tout how 'free' they feel from being obsessed by the number of macros, exercise minutes, and pounds on the scale; the discussion still focusses on numbers. I am a member of a FB group for women over 40 who are fasting, specifically IF. I have been for the past 4 months. Early on I realized that members were fasting for an insane amount of time...way over 24 hours...and totally obsessed with how much weight they have lost (or not lost). Many are not very supportive either...but that is a topic for another blog post. I started listening to a Gin Stephen's podcast. Interestingly enough, she stopped participating on FB as well...might be interesting to hear the reason why. She has a 'community', on line, which of course has a cost. Books and a paid for community. Hmmm. Again, I digress. In listening to her podcasts, she touts that she no longer is a slave to the scale and 'measures' her progress in NSV or non-scale victories. She calls Intermittent Fasting a journey one takes to heal ones self with the side effect of losing weight. I read that to mean that the only numbers that you should be concerned about are the ones that have to do with cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose...the stuff you get from Blood Panels. Yet, each time she asks a guest about their 'journey', it inevitably comes down to the number on the scale. 'How much did you weight then?" "What did you get down to?" To be fair, she points out that the numbers on the scale are not important in and of themselves. She points out the body 'recomposing' itself and the fat we lose and the muscle we retain or build. Still...I am beginning to forgive myself for getting wrapped up in my reason for doing this. Do I want to lose weight? Hell yes. Is it important? Hell yes, again. But this journey is as much about reprogramming my brain as my body.

[juliesifjourney]

Number Obsessed

I have always been somewhat obsessed with my body, but not in a good way. Some call it a 'body image' issue...I would agree. I have never been happy with my body. I am 6 foot tall (maybe a bit shorter with menopause) and always been proud of my height. But my weight has been an issue since I went through puberty. Oily hair, pudgy fat...nothing that unusual, unless you are the kid who is bullied on the playground. What a confusing time in your life that is! No wonder there are so many kids messed up about their identity. But I digress. Some may say that being obsessed with one's body image equates to appearance vanity...nothing could be further from the truth. Vanity is defined as: 'excessive pride in or admiration of one's own beauty." Diets...lots of them....Exercise...lots of it...Obsession with the scale; Check, Check, Check. What is something that all of those things have in common? "Numbers". Counting calories and points and macros; Counting minutes of exercise; and the pounds that I lose or gain. Numbers.

Since beginning this journey, I have looked for support in Facebook pages and Podcasts and You Tube broadcasts...all doing with IF. Though IF is supposed to be about getting healthy, the discussion almost always centers around 'numbers'. How much weight was lost in how much time and what was the ratio of fasting you did?

[juliesifjourney]

24 Hour Fast!

I am 10 days into 'Clean' Fasting. I can say that it isn't too hard, though I don't know that it has helped me with hunger during my fast. I will say that I successfully finished my first 24 hour fast. I was able to do so with very little hunger. I only 'opened' a 30 minute eating window before beginning my fasting again. Then I fasted for 16/8 hours with every expectation that I would do an 18/6, but this morning, after being hungry for over an hour, I listened to my body and stuck to the 16/8. I ate a lot of protein today, so I will try a 20/4 for tomorrow. I like doing those on Thursdays, for some reason.

[juliesifjourney]

More on Measurement

As I have mentioned in the past, I am at war with the scale. It has always been my nemesis. The problem with the scale is that it one of the easiest way to measure your progress, but it also fluctuates greatly throughout the day. My weight could change from 5-7 pounds in a day. I have tried doing measurements as well...in other words, using a tape measure to measure my waist, hips. The scale I purchased is supposed to record my water and fat as well as my BMI. I really thought that my fat would stay the same, which it does not. I was anxious to see what my water would look like. Something that I both heard and read in Stephen's book, was that she played to the scale...a diet mentality...making it not such a good way to measure her progress. What do I mean by 'playing'? Watching what I ate for a day or two ahead of my 'weigh' day; making sure I drank enough water...all the weigh in tricks you learn when dieting. That is enough to drive me crazy. So what are the other forms of measurement? Besides the tape measure, Stephens suggests having a pair of 'cheat' pants that measure your progress. If they get tighter than you are going to need to do some work; if they are getting looser, then you are on the right track. Another device is the picture...taken with the same clothes and from different angles, so you can see your progress that way. If (and I am going to try this) you decide to use the scale, she suggests weighing every day and use an application that shows your progress, in graph/chart form. That way you can see your long term progress...you could even 'average' your weight progress over a week's time, and graph that progress, over time. So I will do that in hopes that I do not get too caught up in the daily fluctuations. I will also, at the end of the 28 day period of Clean Fasting, find a pair of 'cheat' pants. And I will continue to measure my waist and hips.

[juliesifjourney]

"Turn Around" to Clean Fasting

Several posts ago, I mentioned that I am fasting "dirty" which essentially means anything that is NOT considered Clean. Clean Fasting is defined as drinking only water, black coffee, & plain tea. NO flavoring or sweeteners may be added to any of the above drinks and nothing can be eaten. So how was I 'dirty'? I was occasionally using Stevia as a sweetener because it wasn't supposed to raise my insulin level. I was also drinking flavored soda waters, though they were unsweetened. I was not drinking unflavored hot tea, preferring to have a flavor in place of any type of sweetener. I am not a huge fan of hot tea, but it was helping me to sleep. Add to that the MCT powdered oil I added to my coffee, on longer fasts, to stave off my appetite and allow me to enter ketosis faster. And the occasional tums, taken in the middle of the night, and I guess I was pretty dirty. Since listening to Gin Stephens' podcasts and reading her book, "Fast. Feast. Repeat", and I decided to utilize the 'Clean Fast". According to Stephens, if you do anything else, you are not really fasting. I am not sure I totally agree with this, but my weight loss has not been that great and I want to 'do' this the right way, so I am going to start 'Clean' fasting.

[juliesifjourney]

Back In The Saddle

I am back from the Cruise and been back at IF for almost 2 weeks. I haven't lost any more weight, but not gained either. I did pretty well on the Cruise...not overeating...yet I wasn't too careful about my food choices. Now I am back to 16/8 and switching around from time to time. I have read, and my doctor has agreed, that switching it up from time to time in order to keep my body from getting to accustomed to fasting. I have started working at my business now, so my activity has gone up...let's see if my weight goes down.

[juliesifjourney]

Cruisin!!

On my first vacation from IF, but not really...

My 'program' allows days off which are earned by successful fasts. So the next week will be in response to those rewards!!

My research has shown that successful IF involves 'mixing it up' with different fasting times and some breaks from fasting all together.

For the past week I have done an 18/6. When I return, I will go back to 16/8 and 20/4.

Bon Voyage

Stay tuned to

[juliesifjourney]

The Long Haul

I would be lying if I said I don't get discouraged on this journey. I made the mistake of getting on the scale and taking my waist measurement this evening. I felt like I had lost weight and my pants were getting bigger, but neither measurement served as an encouragement. I needed to k now that my hunger was doing some good... Well, my weight was up and the waist measurement the same... 41.5 inches. My head tells me that weighing, during the evening, is a mistake as well as doing so with clothing on. I am three months in and doing 18-6 for the next few weeks, in order to lose some weight before our cruise at the end of the month, and then to take off the weight gained while on the cruise. I need to focus on the big picture...

[juliesifjourney]

Scams

I have been on Social Media for a while...both as a merchant and private person. This has been my first attempt at Blogging. I guess I should have expected that a public forum would net some Scammers... How sad.

[juliesifjourney]

Insomnia

I have had difficulty sleeping these past few weeks. it seems that every other night, I am up until 4 or 5 in the mornings, sometimes with so much energy I could paint my house. I am restricted to what I can do due to my arm being in a cast, so I wonder if that has something to do with all my energy and sleeplessness. After a lot of research, it would appear that this 'insomnia' is a byproduct of my fasting. Why did it decide to wait until now after almost 70 days? Several of the sites I researched state that my body is finally detoxing the bad stuff and regenerating the good stuff (hormones) and that this state of sleeplessness is a good thing and temporary.

[juliesifjourney]

Two Months

I have been actively fasting for over 2 months now. I have learned so much and I believe I am getting healthier. I feel better. It is hard to tell if my levels are better, and my weight hasn't gone down a lot. One of the lessons is that it takes a while to see the pounds fall off until your body is fixed...could be up to 10 weeks...and if that is true, then I am right on target. My weigh ins may not be that accurate as I am wearing a cast and in exchange for the lower carbs, some of my sodium counts are higher...so salt retains water... My cast comes off on the 7th. Next, official weigh in, is on the 8th.

[juliesifjourney]

Precious 'Nugget" of Wisdom

Every one has a different journey! Do NOT get in the trap of comparing yours to anyone elses!!

[juliesifjourney]

Journey Wisdom

If you are on a journey and you do not gain some sort of wisdom, or self-knowledge, along the way then the trip has been in vain.

[juliesifjourney]

My Choice to Fast 'Dirty'

In my last blog entry, I explained what I understood 'Dirty' Fasting to mean. A quick review: Anything consumed, besides water, black coffee, & unsweetened tea, constitutes a 'dirty' fast. A choice to fast this way depends on the individual's goals and ability to adhere to a 'clean' fast. So why did I choose to fast 'dirty'? My goals are to lower my A1C & fasting blood glucose; lower my BP; and ultimately lose weight. I also tend to get hungry during my fast, so I have discovered an MCT oil that can be added to coffee or tea that suppresses appetite and assists in the body's ketosis. I also like to add a bit of sweetener to my tea to make it more palatable. Stevia is my choice because it doesn't affect my insulin. So, by strict definition, I am fasting 'dirty', but I can live with that.

[juliesifjourney]

Dirty? Fast

What is a 'dirty' fast? After realizing that my Metformin Gummies were actually breaking my fast (minimal amount of sugar/carbs), I researched the amount of actual sugar it took to raise insulin levels and realized that any macro that you introduced, during your fast, essentially was 'dirty'. The only way a fast could be clean is if you only drank water, black coffee, or unsweetened tea. There has been a lot of scientific study about what happens to your body during 'clean' fasts, but the 'dirty' fasting phenomena is relatively new in the IF world. So there were no answers as to what happens to your overall fast/health when you introduce any sugar/carbs into your fasting period. Many of the articles centered around adding creamer to coffee or artificial sweeteners into your beverages. Sweeteners, with the exception of monk fruit & stevia, are thought to artificially spike insulin. The creamers, also tend to slow the results of your fast; however the articles concluded that if it took the addition of these ingredients to remain consistent in the IF fast, and deprivation would ultimately mean abandoning the IF lifestyle, then the small cheat, or dirty fast, was preferable.

[juliesifjourney]

Mixing It Up

I have just completed my first 20/4 fast. It would seem that mixing things up, in the way of Fasting ratios, works better. I am not sure, but it can't hurt, so I am up to a regular 16/8 ratio with a 20/4 once a week.

It really wasn't that difficult, and I even got some exercise in while fasting.