Fasting Day 35 - 133

Ouch! My ribcage underneath my arms hurts from doing pushups yesterday and my quads hurt from running this afternoon. I'm going to take it easy for the rest of the evening.

Exercise:
Walked and ran (downhill parts) 1 hour
3x25 crunches, reverse crunches

Normal Day 34 - 131.8

I did the long walk around the golf course today -- the full length. I ran the downhill parts. The sun finally returned this afternoon and the sky was beautiful.

My arms feel like mush this evening. My boyfriend decided it would be cute to set his beer down on top of my rear end while I was trying to do the inverse pushups. Ha-Ha schmuck.

Food:
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal
4 oz milk
1 banana
1 pear
tuna
1 T mayo
1 T chopped red onion
1 slice whole wheat bread
1 "not beef" bouillon cube and 2 cups water to make a broth
1/4 cup shredded cabbage
1 slice red onion

Exercise:
Walked and ran (the downhill parts) 1 hour
3x12 leg extensions, lat pulldown, bicep curl, tricep push
4x20 crunches, scissor kicks
3x10 pushups girl style (my upper body strength is weak)
8 inverse pushups (wimp)

Fasting Day 34 -- 133

Finally got to take an hour long walk again today. I notice that I'm having to walk much further now in order to make it last an hour. I guess I have become a much faster walker. My journeys are taking me into unfamiliar territories some of them seem a bit scary too.

My eye surgeon finally called and he has approved my eye enhancement surgery but only in one eye. They have scheduled me for a Feb 15 appointment at 2:15 (that's 2/15, 2:15) easy to remember. I'm assuming they will be doing my left eye.

Having eye surgery is a great excuse to not wear makeup, I kind of enjoyed the freedom last time. I have pale blond eye lashes so my face tends to look a little washed out without mascara, thus I've felt compelled to wear it since I was about 13. It gets tiresome putting it on every day. Blech!

Exercise:
Walk 1 hour
3x15 bicep curl, leg extension, lat pull down, tricep push
began doing crunches today 2x30
also started doing inverse pushups -- a whopping 8 of them

Normal Day 33 -- 132.2

I ran across another article on alternate day fasting in the UK newspaper, The Independent, "Doctors Devise New Diet That Can Help Asthma and Arthritis".

....Doctors and scientists, who have been testing the diet on themselves for three years, say it can have health benefits on diverse conditions ranging from asthma to heart disease.

....Dr Johnson, who reports having lost 35lbs in the first 11 weeks of being on the diet, said: "We have observed improvement in a variety of disease conditions, starting within two weeks, including insulin resistance, asthma, seasonal allergies, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, infectious disease, periodontal disease, and cardiac arrhythmias."

.... the diet has the psychological advantage of not subjecting them to permanent food deprivation. But the scientists said what they call "up-day, down-day" dieting also has health-promoting effects.

.... "Based on a broad range of calorie-restriction studies in animals in which virtually all diseases are delayed, prevented or ameliorated by calorie restriction, we propose that this dietary pattern will delay, prevent or improve a wide variety of human diseases, including multiple sclerosis."

Wow, 35 lbs in 11 weeks! That is amazing. I've lost 20 pounds in 9 weeks. Knowing that this diet has so many more health promoting effects than a normal diet, I think it is only a matter of time before more people catch on to it. I love this lifestyle -- I feel great and I'm no longer depressed.

Exercise:
3x12 leg extensions, bicep curl, tricep push, lat pulldown front & back
20 minute walk

It started raining shortly after our walk began, we had to cut it short again. My boyfriend just had on a light jacket. Arghhhh.

Food:
1 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal with splash of milk
1 banana
1 whole wheat tortilla
1/2 cup of black beans
1/4 small avocado
1 clove garlic
2 large raw broccoli flowers with red wine vinegar
1 Boca fake Italian sausage with mustard
1 slice red onion

Fasting Day 33 -- 133.6

It is raining outside again today. I cannot get inspired to walk in the rain. I feel that I haven't yet dried out from the 10 years we spent in Portland, Oregon. However, I did pull weeds out in the backyard today in between the downpours and drizzles. Our dog looks confused as if he is asking why we haven't taken him for a walk yet.

My boyfriend and I found a couple of our dance mats out in the garage. I would like to start playing DDR again for exercise if it is going to keep raining like this.

I worked out on the bench for a little bit--nothing to strenuous. My hamstrings are kind of sore today, I haven't a clue what I did to bring that on. I think maybe it was the leg kicks and rotations I did while brushing my teeth the other day.

Normal Day 32 -- 132.2

I'm halfway to my goal of 110 pounds. That is terrific! Today I actually fit back into the jeans that I patched back on Jan 4th. They look cute too!

We drove around and looked at houses today. Didn't really find anything that we liked in our price range and near my boyfriend's workplace. We'll keep looking, this house isn't likely to sell in the near future with the market being messed up right now. We probably have months (years?) to find a new place.

We took a short walk (15 minutes) and I got soaked because it is raining again. I'm feeling too lazy to workout today. I sat on the bench and did 2 sets of 15 lat pulldowns and then got up because I couldn't get into working out today. Maybe I'll give it another try before I go to bed or maybe not. The rain just makes me want to curl up in bed with a book.

Food:
1 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal with splash of milk
1 banana
1.5" x 1.5" square of homemade veggie lasagna
1/4 of a butternut squash
1/2 cup cottage cheese
2 dried cherries
4 raw cauliflower uh flowers? florettes? ... pieces
1 slice of vegetarian thin crust pizza with freshly crushed garlic

Fasting Day 32 -- 133.4

Went to see the movie Juno last night. The actress, Ellen Page, is entertaining to watch. She was nominated for an academy award for her performance. It would be nice to see her win, but I'm thinking the nomination might be one of the academy's infamous "we notice you as a brilliant actor" spotlights. Then again, it is up for Best Picture, Best Director, Lead Actress, and Original Screenplay -- she could win. She also gave an exceptional performance in the movie, Hard Candy. That isn't the type of film that would receive an oscar nomination -- too avant-garde. My boyfriend and son squirmed through one scene -- if you've seen it, I'm sure you know exactly what scene that was.

Exercise:
Walk 1 hour
leg extension, lat pulldown front, lat pulldown back, bicep curl
(3x12 reps)
pulled weeds in the backyard 30 minutes

Normal Day 31 -- 133.4, 30" Waist

This marks my 2nd calendar month and time to take my measurements. I said I would share how many inches I lost, but not my actual measurements except for my waist.

Waist measurement:
2 months ago 34"
1 month ago 31.5"
today 30"

I've lost 1.5 inches off my waist this past month and 4 inches off it altogether.

I didn't take measurements on the rest of my body until last month so I don't have starting measurements:

Bust -- lost 1 inch (trust me -- I didn't need to lose any there!)
Hips -- lost 1.5 inches
Thighs -- lost 1 inch off each thigh

I lost 10 pounds this past month, that makes 20 pounds altogether. My BMI has gone from 28.3 to 24.4. I still wear the same size jeans as when I started, except now instead of being tight they are loose.

Exercise:
walked 30 minutes in the rain
worked out on the bench, my quads are sore from yesterday, so I only worked out the upper body today.

Food:
1 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal
4 oz milk
1 apple
1/2 of a butternut squash sprinkled with romano cheese
1/4 cup of cottage cheese

Fasting Day 31 -- 135.6

Walked 30 minutes and did some exercises on the bench. I don't have any residual soreness from my first few days so I'm going to start increasing the intensity of my workout.

My son's golf instructor left because he found a better job. He had a new instructor today. He said he isn't as much fun as the old instructor but he picked up a few tips from the new guy. I only did a brief walk because I wasn't sure how long his class would last with it being a new teacher and with the rain. The class ended up being over an hour long -- I just sat in my car listening to Ani DiFranco and waited and waited.

Tomorrow is the 24th, which means I've been ADF ing for 2 months now. I'll be taking my measurements to see if I've lost any inches since last month. I'm estimating that I'll have lost 20 pounds altogether in the past 2 months, but I won't know for sure until tomorrow morning.

Normal Day 30 -- 134.4 (Day 60)

I found a great weight loss community today, its called Calorie Count. I had really been wanting to find a site like this where I could correspond with other people who are also trying to lose weight. Friends and family get REALLY sick of hearing about my diet. I think in order to keep motivated it is important to have other people to talk to about losing weight. Without the support it is easy to lose the momentum and give up when things get frustrating. If you are going it alone -- like me -- and would like some additional backup, I recommend checking out the site.

Exercise:

Walked for an hour, did a few strength training exercises on the bench


Food:

1 cup oatmeal
12 dried cherries
2 tsp chopped walnuts
1 banana

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1 whole wheat tortilla
1 cup chopped green leaf lettuce
1/8 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
2 tsp hot sauce
1/2 cup black beans, fake meat strips, red and green bell peppers, onions
6 oz milk

1/4 tsp taste of my son's "fizzy" yogurt (He participated in a test marketing for this product about a year ago and loved it. Now it's available in stores.)

Fasting Day 30 -- 136.4

Why can't someone make home exercise equipment for shorter stature people? I've never found a leg curl machine that I can do comfortably, my legs are always too short. Is it so much to ask to make a machine built for someone under 5 and 1/2 feet tall? There must be a whole untapped market: young teens, short women, short men, dwarves?

It is cold and rainy outside today. We did a brief walk -- probably about 20 minutes. I also worked a little bit on the bench, some leg curls and presses and some lat pulldowns and arm curls. 3 sets of 12 reps

There was a link posted on the yahoo fasting group to an article by Dr. Ron Rosedale entitled "Insulin, Leptin, Diabetes, and Ageing: Not So Strange Bedfellows". It is very easy reading, and I recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about health and longevity. Dr. Rosedale mentions in this article that:

The longest-lived animals and people share the following traits:

• Reduction in fasting glucose
• Low fasting insulin levels
• Lower body temperature
• Low percentage of body (viceral) fat
• Reduced thyroid levels
• Low triglycerides
• Low leptin

Normal Day 29 -- 136.4

The normal BMI range is 19-25. As of today, my BMI is 24.9. It will likely go back up above 25 tomorrow after eating today. Still it is a wonderful milestone to celebrate. Yay! I'm NORMAL(ha-ha). We opened a cheap bottle of champagne and I had two glasses while watching the Chargers lose to the Patriots. Too bad, it would have been nice to see our new home team go to the Super Bowl.

A couple of days ago I was remarking on the effect that intermittent fasting has had on my depression. Today, I came across an excellent article that I highly recommend to anyone interested in alternate day fasting or calorie reduction in general ("The influences of diet and exercise on mental health through hormesis", Jan 2008, Aging Research Reviews).

There was more information than I could ethically quote here on my blog without sounding plagiaristic, so you'll have to read it for yourself. However, I will quote some of the snippets that I found interesting in the article:

Hyperphagia and high oxidative stress levels, the harmful by-products of energy metabolism, decrease BDNF levels, while hypoglycemia and intermittent fasting both increase BDNF levels.

Dietary constraints have been shown to enhance learning and memory. For example, either reducing the amount of calories per meal (CR) or every-other-day-fasting (EODF) demonstrated an effect on mental health.

From the standpoint of affective disorders, BDNF has been identified as the most important neurotrophin contributing to the pathogenesis of the depressive disorders. Preclinical and clinical studies demonstrate altered BDNF expression during chronic stress and increased BDNF activity during antidepressant treatment.

Numerous studies have found that there may be a link between abnormal glucose metabolism, particularly an increased risk for diabetes type II and psychiatric disorders. Psychiatric disorders such as depression, bipolar, and schizophrenia are associated with cognitive deficits and in many instances in severe cognitive impairment. Similar findings have been reported for other psychiatric illnesses, such as manic depression. A study of 203 inpatient manic-depressive subjects, reported a three fold increased rate of diabetes as compared to other psychiatric inpatients and the general US population. Schizophrenia shows the same increasing rates of diabetes as compared to controls. Controlling for the confounding factor of psychotropic medication, many of which are associated with disturbances in glucose metabolism and the onset of diabetes, it has been reported that there is an intrinsic relationship between abnormal glucose metabolism and bipolar disorder type I as well as schizoaffective disorders. Interestingly, the association between metabolic dysfunction and psychiatric disorders, especially type 2 diabetes, may be related to a decrease in BDNF expression. Illustrating the relationship between metabolism and genetics, it has been found that a BDNF polymorphism contributes to a genetic vulnerability to the development of eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.

Rats exposure to a diet high in saturated fat and sucrose, similar in composition to “junk food” consumed in fast food restaurants, show decreased BDNF levels in the hippocampus and deficiency in learning and memory tasks.... Conversely .... omega-3 fatty acids – primary constituents of fish oils – have been found to increase hippocampal BDNF and enhance cognitive function while reducing oxidative stress under challenging conditions.

The finding that exercise increases BDNF levels in the hippocampus – an area vital for learning and memory formation – has provided insight about the molecular mechanisms responsible for the effects of exercise on cognition. BDNF function has been shown to regulate obesity, insulin sensitivity, glucose, lipid metabolism, and oxidative stress levels, the harmful by-products of metabolism. Central administration of BDNF to diabetic mice lowered blood glucose levels and simultaneously increased insulin levels, enhanced thermogenesis, and upregulated the mRNA expression of the uncoupling protein 1 in brown adipose tissue.

Hopefully, I haven't quoted so much much from this journal article that it infuriates someone. But it was encouraging to read that there is research showing correlations between:

Intermittent Fasting and increased BDNF
Depression and decreased BDNF
Anti depressant treatment and increased BDNF

It isn't too much of a leap to assume that intermittent fasting is responsible for alleviating my depression symptoms.


Exercise:
Went for a walk about 30 minutes
Did a few arm & leg exercises on the bench, nothing too strenuous ... just enough to start re-introducing my body to building muscle

Food:
tuna & tofu with mayo & chopped red onion
popcorn popped in coconut oil sprinkled with nutritional yeast
1/2 cup of cottage cheese
2 glasses of champagne -- been saving it for today (<25 BMI)

Fasting Day 29 -- 137.8

Walked over to Target and my son bought a new video game -- well an old video game actually. He wanted to spend some of his Christmas money. Afterwards I took the dog for an hour long walk. So, I've walked a couple of hours today.

My boyfriend swapped out the Nordic Track for the Weider Flex Gym. Now, I can start adding some strength training exercises.

Today marks the 8th week I've been alternate day fasting. I've lost 17.2 pounds altogether, that's an average of 2.15 pounds per week.

Normal Day 28 -- 137.6

I woke up this morning and felt really happy for no particular reason. That's coming from someone who used to wake up crying and depressed just a few months ago. I've read that other people have also experienced a lift in their mood. It wouldn't surprise me to see a medical study in the near future on the effects of intermittent fasting on depression. I still get sad, but it's no longer this dark cloud looming over my entire day. The world hasn't changed, but my attitude about it certainly has.

Exercise:
2 1-hour walks (one around noon and one in the early evening)

Food:
1 cup oatmeal with sliced banana, dried cherries & splash of milk
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1 tsp peanut butter
whole wheat tortilla with black beans, chopped onions & hot sauce

Fasting Day 28 -- 138.8

Maybe I should have stuck with just a bowl of oatmeal after all. All the hormonal fluctuations or whatever that go on at the end of a menstrual cycle really seem to be interfering with my ability to lose any weight. A new cycle finally began today, so let's see if weight loss becomes any easier now or if it matters at all. At this rate, Saturday might just be the first time I actually gained weight (or maintained) from the previous week's weight. It's going to happen sometimes, just deal with it and move past it.

My son has golf tonight, so I get to do the fun walk with the awesome view.

Normal Day 27 -- 137.6

Temptation

Numbers on the scale
taunting me
... rising and falling ... rising and falling ...
days breathe into weeks.

Relinquish not
control
over / weight
me

Who
doth dare dangle
this not-so-proverbial
carrot?

It's frustrating being on the verge of crossing back over into a "normal" BMI of 25. I know that I'll still be a little miss chubby buns (because I belong on the lower end of the "normal" range) but I'm getting so close to reaching it. Soon, very soon.

I had been wanting to have oatmeal for many days now, but avoided it because I thought I would be hungry immediately. Was I ever wrong. I had oatmeal for breakfast and didn't get hungry again all day. I practically had to force myself to eat dinner because I didn't want to go 2 days on nothing but a bowl of oatmeal. Will definitely be having oatmeal for breakfast again.

Of course, once I have a little bit of wine my will power not to eat goes out the window anyway.

exercise:
walked 1 hour around golf course -- ran the downhill part

food:
1 cup of oatmeal with banana slices, dried cherries & sliced almonds
tortellini with pesto sauce and grated fresh romano cheese
baguette slices with brie cheese
green olives
glass of red wine

Fasting Day 27 -- 138.8

For exercise today, I worked out in the backyard, digging weeds and piling yard clippings with a pitchfork. The backyard is mostly crabgrass and weeds and needs a lot of work. It is a little more difficult than normal trying to do yard work on an empty stomach. My son mowed the lawn. Someday, we'll be able to do all this work for our own home and our own lawn.

That new program, the Sarah Conner Chronicles ("The Terminator"), is great! We recorded the first two episodes and I watched them. Wow! That's going to be a really great series! I really liked Summer Glau in Firefly and the 4400.

Normal Day 26 -- 138.8

My son and I walked over to Target to get a bag of dog food. That was a heavy load to carry back. I went for another long walk later in the afternoon. All together I walked over 2 hours today and 1/2 hour of that I was carrying that bag of dogfood.

I want to move the Nordic Track back out to the garage and swap it for our exercise bench. I think I'm getting a decent enough cardio with the walks I take every day. We have this bench (I think by Weider) that uses bungee cords for resistance and it can give a decent workout for the average person. I won't use it while it is out in the garage because our garage is infested with black widow spiders and they creep me out.

I waited until after 6pm to eat for the day. I'm experimenting with varying the time that I eat to see if it will have any noticeable effect.

food:
3 recipe crumble tacos on soft corn tortillas with cheese, lettuce, onions, black olives, cilantro, avacado and hot sauce
8 oz milk

Fasting Day 26 -- 139.8

These videos on obesity from Howard Hughes Medical Institute are very informative -- especially "Lecture One - Deconstructing Obesity". Dr. Friedman also has a second video on obesity available here on the role of the hormone leptin. I highly recommend them.

They also say on their website that these videos only work with RealPlayer version 10.5, which is available here: http://forms.real.com/real/player/blackjack.html

Normal Day 25 -- 137.6 (Day 50)

We have been informed that the people who own our house have decided to sell it. We went though that once before and found it inconvenient and annoying to have people coming over to look through our house with only a few minutes notice. We don't have any desire to go through that experience again, unless it's our own house that is being sold. This house was too small for us anyway, most of our belongings are stacked ground to ceiling in the garage. We only had a few hours to find a place when we first moved to S. California last year and this was the first place we found. So, we will begin the process of finding a new place to live. I'm a little concerned that the moving and packing will make it more difficult to fast every other day. Then again, maybe the weight will come off even faster.

I'm starting to see a pattern that I eat more when my boyfriend is home. Sometimes he has a tendency to be overly critical and judgmental and angry and I feel utterly drained sometimes. He is easily hurt if anyone tries to point his behavior out to him when he is being so "intense". Maybe that is one of the reasons why I've gained so much weight since I've been with him. I eat when I'm sad, angry, depressed, bored, etc. I have a tendency to use food for comfort. I crave sweet foods when he is around, like I'm trying to self-medicate. I also want to sleep more. He works a lot and I guess I would be a really grouchy person too. I guess it's easier for me to try and blame others than accept responsibility for myself.

Our dog has been really good since he began taking his doggy vitamins. However, he bit my boyfriend for the first time since he has been on them. He bit him hard and refused to even let go. My boyfriend didn't do anything to invoke the attack. I've had many dogs in my lifetime, but I've never had such an out of control, ill-tempered dog. I don't know what provokes his attacks -- its not just my boyfriend -- a stranger at the door, a person walking down the street minding their own business. He just loses control. We have to really keep an eye on him, lest we get sued oneday.

food:

1 cup raw cauliflower with 1 tablespoon ranch dressing
1 cup steamed cauliflower
2 cups lentil minestrone soup
small handful of dried cherries & dry roasted peanuts
1/2 oz mozzarella
1 bartlett pear
grilled salmon with teriyaki sauce, corn on the cob with scant 1/4 tsp butter, 10 tater tots
1/4 of a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie
8 oz milk

Fasting Day 25 -- 138.6

The eye clinic has tentatively approved my getting an eye enhancement. The doctor will look over my chart and give me a call back. I had eye surgery back in August, but they did not correct my eyes quite enough. I am still using the exact same reading glasses. I want the dang things to GO AWAY! Up until today they kept telling me to "wait a little longer" for the enhancement surgery. I'm tired of waiting -- I want to be able to tell the difference between the shampoo and the conditioner bottles when I'm in the shower. Maybe they finally approved it because I sat in their waiting room reading a book with my reading glasses on -- that probably doesn't look very promising to the potential customers who are also in the waiting room at the same time. (I'm sure that had nothing to do with their finally approving the adjustment surgery -- the other clients likely assumed that I was also there inquiring about vision correction -- I'm just laughing at the humor of it.)

Here is a caveat to those who might be thinking about purchasing those diet pills advertised online. One word -- NIGHTMARE !! I don't have health insurance and I was really desperate to do something to lose weight ANYTHING. "Please oh please, just help me find the way back to better health." Back in May 2007, I tried purchasing Phentermine from an overseas company. The product never arrived, so they reshipped. I received a package in the mail of obviously homemade capsules stuffed with who knows what. They were unmarked, no instructions came with it. They were stuffed into a plastic baggy. No way was I going to experiment on myself and take one of those pills. They offered to reship again, again they never arrived. I requested a refund. It never arrived. I have dozens of emails between the company and myself -- I swear their billing support department is run by mentally deranged imbeciles. I've been through a NIGHTMARE with my bank disputing the charges. First there is that push-button quagmire to get through to a human being, then I get hung up on twice, transferred around and told basically, "too bad for you -- nothing we can do about it". Persistence paid off and I finally reached someone who would help me and she filed the dispute for me. I just need to make copies of my correspondence with the company to prove that they claim they refunded the charges. Its sad to know that there are people out there who prey upon the desperate to make a few bucks. How do they justify it to themselves? How do they look at themselves in the mirror? They seem such wretched pathetic ugly little creatures. Rise up people. Do unto others as you would have done unto you!

On the brighter side, its probably good that my order never arrived. I have found a better, healthier way to lose weight. Although, I must admit that something to help ease the hunger pains on my fasting days would have been extremely helpful in the beginning. Perhaps, doctors could use alternate day fasting in addition to prescribing appetite suppressant medications for the fasting days. Maybe this would make the Alternate-Day Fast a more palatable choice for dieters.

Normal Day 24 -- 138.0

When you exercise and diet and still you gain weight and nobody believes you. If this is your story, know that I believe you, I experienced it too.

I'm convinced that there is a missing piece of the puzzle. I suspect it is something artificial that is clogging up the works. Perhaps a man made chemical that blocks a critical enzyme or hormone or receptor? Something that blocks the way and the body can't figure out what to do with it? Obviously, some people's bodies must be more adept at dealing with it. Alternate day fasting works well for me. Could it be giving my body a chance to clean out whatever is clogging up the works? It all seems so egotistical to say the weight loss is merely because I'm consuming fewer calories. There is something more causing this obesity "epidemic" I know it -- I feel it -- I can sense its presence so strongly that I can almost touch it.

I've given up trying to extol the virtues of this diet. I guess those who need it will find it the same way I did -- through questioning and research. That's unfortunate, because if someone had told me about this back when I first started having uncontrollable weight problems I would have kissed them with joy!

It is strange how when we gain weight, we are horrified by how much we weigh and think we are so disgustingly fat. However, when we lose weight, we are so happy just to get back down to that very same weight that we once complained about. I'm thrilled to weigh 138 pounds again. But oh how I cried when I first weighed over 130 pounds.

I walked up the hill behind the golf course today. There is a large vacant field overgrown with shrubs that overlooks the city beneath. It was beautiful and touchingly sad looking out over the setting sun and the strange misty orange skyline, watching the streaming red light of cars on the freeway down below as people make their way home from work. Some of this area was burned by the recent wildfire, it is all green now with fresh lime green grasses springing up everywhere. It's so calm, quiet and melancholy standing all alone on top of the hill. One of these days, I'll bring a camera along with me.


Food:
steamed broccoli
lentil minestrone
popcorn cooked in coconut oil topped with nutritional yeast & salt
slice of mozzarella cheese

Fasting Day 24 -- 139.8

I've been doing short 30 minute walks the past couple of days. My son has his golf lesson today. I wish that I could do the entire walk around the outside of the course, but I don't want a repeat of last week where everyone except my son had left a half hour earlier. It is a great walk with a fairly steep incline and then a long descent. Oh well... I'll walk up the incline and then then turn around and come back. That doesn't take as long. I'd time how long it takes, but our ferrets stole my watch a couple of months ago and I still haven't found where they stashed it.

Normal Day 23 -- 140

I'm tempted to make my regular eating day into an intermittent fasting day. So many people have had such wonderful results from intermittent fasting. I'm concerned that fasting that many hours straight would trip the starvation response. That would then make it even more difficult for me to lose weight and keep it off. I don't want that.

Food:

pinto beans with lettuce, onion and kefir on a whole wheat tortilla

bowl of lentil minestrone sprinkled with shredded mozzarella

couple handfuls of popcorn cooked in coconut oil sprinkled with nutritional yeast and salt

Fasting Day 23 -- 142.0

Why the sudden weight gain? Hopefully it's just water retention as my body is nearing the end of a menstrual cycle. It's a bit frustrating and humorous. Imagine if you will... getting on the scale ... " What ?! " ... get off the scale ... get on the scale again ... off the scale ... shake the scale ... get on the scale ... kick the scale ... you get the picture.

Patience, I must have patience. The time will pass regardless of my actions. Patience. Breathe. Smile.

Normal Day 22 -- 139.2

My son watched an episode of the cartoon, Southpark. Apparently they were making fun of Jewish people and the holocaust. He thought he was being funny by mimicking what he had heard. My boyfriend and I were appalled. We tried to explain to him the seriousness of genocide, but he didn't quite understand. So, I researched some movies that we could watch together. He is a very sensitive person, I figured if he saw a heartbreaking movie or documentary he would begin to comprehend that it isn't funny to laugh or joke about genocide. I made a list of movies and the first video store we went to didn't have a one -- not even Schindler's List! We drove to another store and were able to find Schindler's List and The Pianist. I was really hoping to find a 9 and a 1/2 hour long documentary that aired on PBS called Shoah.

We got home from the video store and my son was in his room reading the book we bought him yesterday. He was annoyed and angry when he realized that it was a children's book about the holocaust. Even more pissed when I made him sit through Schindler's List. I remember the first time I ever saw the movie, I curled up in a fetal position on the living room floor and sobbed for an hour when it was finished. By the end of the movie he understood that the holocaust and genocide is NOT funny.

We also researched together and found that thousands of people with my mother's maiden name had died or been murdered in the death camps and ghettos. If you're curious you can look up your own family name on the Shoah website . You can also add to their database if you have information on people who should be listed.

Breakfast: 1/2 cup tuna & tofu with 1/2 tsp mayo 1/2 tsp coconut oil and chopped onions, 1 cup of steamed brussels sprouts

Snack: small handful of dried cherries & almonds, 1 organic apple

Lunch: 2 cups of homemade cooked pinto beans with kefir drizzled on top

Snack (or should I say -- SNEAK?): tsp of Nutella (straight from the jar)

Dinner: salmon & tuna sushi, green olives, 2 tablespoons Baileys in 1/2 cup milk

Pinto Beans

Rinse a bag of dried pinto beans, cover them with water and leave to soak overnight

In the morning, drain and rinse the beans again. Put them into a pot and cover with water, leave them to simmer 2-3 hours. If you want, smash some of the beans with a wooden spoon against the side of the pan to make a thicker broth.

Season the pot of beans with the following:

1 tsp Better than Bouillon Mushroom base
1 tsp Better than Bouillon Vegetable base
1 tsp Coconut Oil

Fasting Day 22 -- 140.2

My stomach growled with hunger this evening. Perhaps because I drank a glass of water mixed with 1 tsp artificially sweetened metamucil in the afternoon? I don't know, but it was quite uncomfortable -- reminiscent of the very first day of fasting. On my next fasting day, I will go without the fiber.

A heavy storm is buffeting the west coast. It is raining outside and dreary, so we decided to visit a bookstore. My boyfriend got some tech books. I got my son the book, "Number the Stars", a Newberry Award winning book by Lois Lowry. For myself, I got Dan Brown's "Angels & Demons" the special illustrated edition. It's not quite the page turner that the DaVinci Code was -- but it's a fun read despite its inplausibility.

Normal Day 21 -- 139.8

Today was a milestone of sorts ... dropped below the 140 pound mark. Although, I can't really claim that this is my true weight after fasting for 36+ hours. The day AFTER my eat day would be closer to my real weight. Nonetheless, I celebrate this achievement!

Walked for about an hour today. Finished patching an old pair of levis with some bits of leftover christmas ribbon (gold lame' and red velvet). They look darling, although this particular pair won't fit me again for a while yet. I finally had to dig a belt out of storage because my regular pants are starting to get a little bit droopy.

Breakfast: 1/2 of a tuna and tofu sandwich on whole wheat
Dinner: 1 boca burger taco on whole wheat tortilla with cheese, salsa, lettuce, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, avacado and a tablespoon of whole milk plain kefir (healthier than sour cream)

Fasting Day 21 -- 141.2

I really love alternate day fasting. In addition to finally losing weight, my depression is lifting. I feel alive again.

I walked for an hour today around the outside of the golf course. That is a marvelous little hike. My son's golf lessons were supposed to be an hour long now, but everyone left early and my son was the only one left with his teacher. My son got a private lesson out of it, but I hope his instructor doesn't think I expect him to be a babysitter. I need to think of a gift or something to give him to thank him for not abandoning my kid. I guess I can't do the complete circuit until I can jog or run the entire distance because it takes too long.

Normal Day 20 -- 141.2 (Day 40)

We took the dog to the beach yesterday and walked around because it was such a beautiful day. There is a beach over in Del Mar where people take their dogs and it gets quite rowdy with hundreds of dogs all barking and running and playing. Afterwards, we went to see the movie National Treasure 2 (whatever its called). It was okay, probably a little better than the first one.

Went on a short walk today probably about 20 minutes, and Im planning on riding the Nordic Track later this evening.

Breakfast: 2 cups brown rice with garlic, slivered almonds and soy sauce
Lunch: 1/2 cup cottage cheese and dried cherries
Dinner: slice of mozzarella cheese on fresh spinach

Fasting Day 20 -- 142.8

I posted the following on the yahoo fasting group

A recent article, "Overeating Could Be Due To Lack Of Brain Chemical Caused By Faulty Gene ", in Medical News Today states:

"Using genetically altered mice, scientists in the US have shown that lack of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), in certain parts of the brain, leads to overreating and may be a contributing factor to the rising obesity epidemic. The researchers said the study is relevant to humans because, for instance, a quarter of Americans are estimated to carry the mutated form of the BDNF gene."....

This is interesting to me, because I've recently been reading studies around the internet on Matt Mattson's work showing that intermittent fasting increases BDNF in animal models. I found numerous references when googling Matt Mattson BDNF, such as this one, "Fasting Away Disease"

.... "Study author Mark Mattson, Ph.D., hypothesizes that intermittent fasting works because each fast is a mild stress. The animals respond by increasing production of substances known as stress-resistance proteins, which may make them more resistant to disease. In addition, the intermittently fasting mice produce more of a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which promotes learning, memory and the growth and survival of nerve cells. This BDNF appears to make the animals more resistant to a neurotoxin that produces brain damage similar to Alzheimer's disease, Mattson says.

The intermittently fasting animals' cells also become more adept at scavenging glucose from blood. That, says Mattson, is an antidiabetic effect, detectable on glucose tolerance tests." ....

It's my personal belief that this so-called "mutation" enabled our ancestors to survive periods of famine. Perhaps those of us who inherited this "faulty" gene actually have a biological need for fasting to maintain health.

*****
Perhaps "biological need" was too strong of a phrase. Perhaps I should have said instead that fasting is helpful to maintain health in times of plentiful food supply. Look at what happens to a desert cactus as an over watered, over nourished houseplant. The pitiful thing rots and dies. This marvelous plant has adapted to survive in a harsh climate -- indeed it truly needs the time without water in order to thrive. It stores the water to be used later as it is needed. Couldn't some of our bodies have adapted just such a mechanism to utilize our nutrients?

It's not surprising that 1/4 of Americans have inherited this "faulty gene". After all, American immigrants were frequently the poorest and downtrodden of other countries. People who were used to surviving -- strong people, hardy people. People who have known suffering and at times -- starvation. The weaker ones died off from hunger and sickness the strongest of the strong survived along with the just plain lucky. It's no great wonder that America is the fattest nation in the world now. We should be thankful to our ancestors for their strength. At least I know that if there was a famine in my lifetime -- I would surely survive -- and in that I am lucky.