Fasting Day 112 - 117.4 Pounds

I'm still here and still fasting every other day. My BMI is 21.5 -- smack in the middle of the body mass index's normal healthy range (18.5 - 24.9). When I began alternate day fasting my BMI was (almost) borderline obese. It was a terrifying experience to feel so out of control of my own body. It seemed no matter how much I cut calories, ate healthier or increased my activity that my weight continued to climb. I ran into an old boyfriend from High School who thought it was ironic that I had turned into a chubby woman. He taunted me about how mortified I was about fat people and look at me now. I explained that my fear was because both of my grandmothers were morbidly obese and I didn't want it to happen to me. I've struggled with my weight as far back as I can remember.

Hairy Bread & Soy Sauce

Unless you're Jewish or Muslim, you likely have not heard that the amino acid Cysteine (extracted from human hair) is being added to bread as a dough conditioner. Besides the 'yuck' factor, what disgusts me is that we don't have any way of knowing where this hair came from. The Cysteine manufactures claim that it comes from clean barber shop hair; however there was an undercover news report of a soy sauce manufacturer that was using filthy hair collected from hospital floors and wherever (morgues perhaps?). Used sanitary napkins, syringes, condoms and other litter had to be picked through and removed by hand before the hair was sent for processing. Hair itself can be contaminated with drugs, mercury, chemo, and whatever else a person may have been exposed to before the hair was removed. It would be impossible to track exactly where every bit of the hair came from that is being processed. They can claim it's clean, but what really goes on when nobody is looking? There is an interesting article on the OU Kosher website as to whether or not Cysteine is "kosher". I haven't been able to eat a slice of bread since I learned of this practice. I think I'll start baking my own bread. Now ... where the heck did I pack that bread maker my mom gave me a few years ago?

Fasting Day 89 - 123

Just wanted to check in and let everyone know that I'm still here and I'm still alternate day fasting. My current objective is simply to maintain my weight around 125 pounds -- which has been quite easy no matter what I eat on my regular day. Of course, normally I eat really healthy food anyway, but I've been able to have an occasional bowl of ice-cream and not have to pay for it the rest of the week. My body snaps right back the way a normal metabolism is supposed to. I feel wonderful.

Fasting Day 61 - 125.6

I normally keep track of my daily food/exercise and then try to go back and write some little blurb before posting it to this blog, but lately I haven't felt like writing. I just went ahead and posted the past couple of days because I don't want to fall this far behind.

For the past few days, I've been considering maintaining my weight at 125 for a month or so. My body seems to want to stay at this weight anyway. Rather than fight against my body, why not go with it? It would be a good practice at learning how to do the maintenance phase. I will continue to do alternate day fasting. My goal instead of losing weight will be to maintain weight. Which should be really frickin easy because that is what my body WANTS to do anyway.

I know we all struggle with diet "plateaus" and fight against them. Maybe we should try accepting them and letting them 'just be' for awhile. My BMI is well within the normal healthy range for my height. It's not in the ideal range, but it is still healthy. It could possibly be healthier to just allow all the body systems to readjust for awhile. Maybe that is what a plateau is for. As long as our weight is already at a healthy point, why fight it? I'm going to continue fasting every other day, eating healthy foods on my normal days and exercising as often as I can on both.

I have a lot of emotional/mental work to do right now. I was so used to dieting not working for me that finding something that does work came as a surprise. I have a lot of sadness coming out right now from spending these past 10 years overweight. People can be cruel, but not as cruel as we can be to ourselves. A lot of issues are coming to the surface that were buried and hidden beneath the weight: shyness, social anxiety, insecurity, etc. I'm going to need to work on some of these issues if I want to keep the weight off, otherwise I'm concerned I would return to using food to build a fortess around myself.

Food:
1 scoop protein powder

Exercise:
Walk 1 hour

Fasting Day 60 - 125.8

Food:
2 scoops protein powder

Exercise:
Walk 90 minutes
Run 30 minutes (15 minutes in morning & 15 in evening)

Fasting Day 59 - 127.4

It was difficult not to freak out today with the weight gain. Especially after the long hike yesterday, my calf muscles and butt are sore today. That was a good workout.

We went on two long walks today, one this morning and one in the afternoon. Then we went running this evening. By the end of the day my weight was back down to 126. So, apparently the weight gain has mostly been water from TTOTM (...that time of the month...). That is a relief.

Tonight was the final episode of this season's The L Word. I've heard that next season will be the final one and it will only have 8 episodes. The L Word is my all time favorite show (ok ... maybe it's tied with Doctor Who). No more weekly "Shane-FIX" for me. NOoooo! Can't some other network pick up the show?! Please... ?

Food:
1 scoop protein powder

Exercise:
Walk 2 hours
Run 20 minutes

Fasting Day 58 - 125.4

No more "Pants Off Dance Off" adventures for me, I bought a new pair of sweatpants today. I used to wear extra large bottoms; but I've lost weight, so I grabbed a few 'large' sweats in different styles off of the rack. Then I went to the dressing room to try them on -- they were HUGE -- no wonder my sweats were falling down last night. I went back and got some 'mediums' -- even they were a little on the loose side, but I picked out the pair I liked the best anyway. I prefer loose fitting comfortable clothes. Maybe wearing loose fitting clothing makes it easier to gain weight without noticing? You know... when you can still fit into the same size jeans you wore a few years ago -- its just that 'now' you'll rip the butt out if you bend over too quickly!

I went on two walks today, one early this afternoon and then again tonight with my boyfriend. An hour long walk is so easy now, it doesn't even feel like exercise anymore. It's too easy, time to add something more to my routine.

Food:
1 scoop protein powder

Exercise:
Walk - 2 hours

Fasting Day 57 - 126.6

We decided to have the transmission in my car rebuilt after all. It's going to cost a couple of thousand dollars and the car isn't even worth that much as a trade in. My boyfriend is almost finished paying off his car. It will be much easier for us if my car can just keep running a little while longer. aaargh!

I joined a few local hiking groups. It sounds like a great way to get some exercise, meet new people and see the sites, all at the same time. We used to hike up in Oregon. There are some breathtakingly beautiful hiking trails up there -- especially when the wildflowers are in bloom.

Food:
1 scoop protein powder

Walk:
1 hour

Fasting Day 56 - 127

My weight has gone up 3 pounds today. I was fully anticipating the weight gain today after the dinner we had yesterday, but I still feel afraid and slightly discouraged. I'm getting impatient with reaching my goal weight and tired of having to resist certain foods on my eating day. I want a day to splurge on cheesecake and chocolates, but I know that I would only feel toxic and bloated the next day if I did.

I'm interested in seeing how quickly my body can rebound from yesterday's overindulgence. I would speculate that as long as people have walked upon this earth that there have been feasting days -- when the kill was good, or the catch, or whatever. In order to help things along, I went on two separate walks today of an hour each. Once in the early afternoon and again in the evening.

I walked over to our local library to see if they had Gary Taubes book, "Good Calories, Bad Calories". It wasn't on the shelf in the 'new books' section, so I went to the health section and looked at the other books for awhile. Then I decided to go look in their online card catalog to see if they even had the book (it is a very small library after all). It said that the book has just been returned. I rushed back over to the 'new books' section just as they were returning some books to the shelf. Yay! There it was and I grabbed it immediately -- my lucky day.

Food:
1/2 scoop protein powder

Walk
2 hours

Fasting Day 55 - 125.6

It is amazing how much further I must walk now to make it last an hour. It doesn't seem like I'm walking faster than before, but my walks now take me clear across town and back. They used to just be around my neighborhood and I got winded. Now I have plenty of energy -- it's the dog who is panting.

Food:
1/2 scoop protein powder


Exercise:
walk 1 hour

Fasting Day 54 -126.6

Yes, measuring out 1 scoop of protein powder, stirring 1/2 tsp of it into the glass of water that I'm drinking, really does alleviate any hunger or weakness throughout the day. At days end, I didn't require an entire scoop -- something about that slow but steady stream of amino acids I guess. I could easily down 3 or 4 shakes on my fasting day when I mix the entire scoop into a glass of water; but that seems to be just enough calories to thwart the depression alleviating effects of this diet for me. I like to feel happy even if I'm barely losing any weight right now.

Food:
1/2 scoop protein powder 43.5 calories

Exercise:
walk 1 hour

Fasting Day 53 - 126.2

A special welcome to Christy. Good luck to you and I am really grateful to have you to chat with!

We took my car to the mechanic this evening. We waited until after dark when the traffic has subsided. The car wouldn't go into reverse, so we had to drive it through our back yard and out the back alley. I suppose we could have pushed it down the driveway. We are going to get an estimate to see if it is worth fixing. Bummer that I already paid for my son's golf lessons this month, since we can't get there. Maybe they will let me roll the payment over for next months lessons.

It seems that the lower my calorie intake on my fasting day the happier my mood is overall. I had less depression symptoms (actually, I would describe my moods as being ecstatic) when I didn't consume any protein on my fasting days. However, it is easier to get through the day if I have the protein shakes. Compromise. I measured out one scoop of protein and then add a pinch of it to each glass of water that I drink. This way I get a small boost of energy all day long.

Food:
1/2 of a protein & water shake 43.5 calories

Exercise:
walk 1 hour

Fasting Day 52 - 127.6

My weight seems to have plateaued and its been bouncing around this number for the past few weeks. I'm thinking of doing a protein sparing fast for a few days and see if I can get the numbers to budge. As long as we continue to have this beautiful spring weather it should be fairly easy to do.

I found another good health site, http://www.sparkpeople.com/. They even have a group of people doing the Johnson Up Day Down Day diet -- which is very similar to what I am doing. If you are interested just go to the sparkpeople website and search for "Friends of Dr Johnson".

It would be nice to have the support of a group of people who can relate to my experiences. I've found that people who are dieting by cutting calories are kind of freaked out by fasting and people who are fasting get kind of freaked out by eating every other day. I don't really feel 'safe' posting my experiences on a diet or fasting site for fear of getting slammed with criticism. Therefore, I've been going this alone. Which is fine, but like I said, "it would be nice to have a support group".

Exercise:
Walk 1 hour

Fasting Day 51 - 125.8

Feeling kind of stranded now that my car broke down. I'll have to find a way to get it into the shop. If we still lived up in Oregon, I could have had a friend of mine look at it. He could probably have fixed it for me cheaper than a shop. Maybe its time to get a new car? Mine is 20 years old. I've been waiting for someone to introduce hybrid toy mini-truck on the market. I don't want a mid-size truck and I definitely don't want a big truck. It would be nice to be able to haul something the size of a small dresser once in a while. I thought those Subaru Baja's were pretty cute -- if something like that would come out as a hybrid -- that would be ideal.

I guess I'll get more walking in now. In addition to my normal hour long walk, I walked over to the grocery store to pick up some things. That was kind of creepy in the dark. Maybe being without a car will be a fitness boon.

Exercise:
Walk 1 hour

Fasting Day 50 - 128

The aminophylline cream cream arrived today. I ordered it online yesterday from VitaminDeal.com. That was fast! Plus, it was half the cost that drugstore.com charged for the exact same product. Here is the abstract from the article, "Topical Fat Reduction From The Waist", in the May, 2007 edition of Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism:

Research methods and procedures: Fifty men and women who are 21–65 years of age with a BMI greater than 27 kg/m² and a waist to hip ratio ≥average were randomized in a 1 : 1 ratio to 0.5% aminophylline cream to the waist twice a day or no treatment to the waist. All subjects were instructed to follow a 1200 kcal balanced diet, participate in a walking program and return biweekly to encourage compliance. A theophylline level was drawn monthly, and the waist, BMI and waist to hip ratio were remeasured at 12 weeks.

Results: At week 12, there was a significant reduction in BMI from baseline that was not different between the groups. The reduction in waist circumference was 11 ± 1.0 cm in the aminophylline cream group and 5.0 ± 0.6 cm in the control group (p < 0.001). The reduction in waist circumference was significant for both women and men, but the women lost significantly more waist girth. The waist to hip ratio, a measure of fat distribution, declined. Aminophylline levels were undetectable, and there were no adverse events.

I applied it to my stomach and neck. I don't think your supposed to put it on your neck -- the skin is too thin. The lotion absorbed right through, I could taste it and it made my throat numb -- then I got really sleepy -- could hardly keep my eyes open. Haven't checked, but I bet one of the side effects of aminophylline (or some other ingredient in the lotion) is drowsiness. Better just stick with applying it to the abs for now. Even if it doesn't speed up fat loss -- at least it makes a nice lotion.

Exercise:
Walked - 1 hour

Fasting Day 49 - 126.8

Tomorrow my son has his state testing for writing. In my opinion, the people who own the company that landed the government contract to provide the testing are the only ones who benefit from these tests. It stresses out the teachers, the schools, the students and the parents. It only proves whether a person is good at taking a test -- not how well they know a subject. I already know that my son is a good writer -- he knows that he is a good writer. He writes for fun. He took it upon himself to write his own third book for the Eragon series based upon what he imagined should happen next. It wasn't for school -- it was just because he felt like it.


Food:
2 protein/water shakes

Exercise:
walk 1 hour

Fasting Day 48 - 127.2

Still feeling queesy, but I started feeling better tonight. This is a new month, I'm not aware of any potentially diet sabotaging events coming up. Maybe I can get back on track now. My weight loss really slowed down this past month.

I went to a couple of different stores looking for aminophylline cream. Couldn't find any. I found several different types of 'cellulite cream' but none of them contained aminophylline. Drugstore.com sells it but they don't currently have any in stock. They charge an extra fee -- above and beyond the normal cost of the product and shipping -- to preorder or backorder an item. That is ludicrous -- they expect their customers to pay extra because THEY don't have it in stock. Most businesses give customers a discount or special benefit for preordering an item. Drugstore.com must be on drugs! I'll order it somewhere else!

Food:
3 protein/water shakes

Exercise:
walked 1 hour

Fasting Day 47 - 129

I had a little hangover today -- I'm not used to drinking that much. I couldn't keep up with everyone and had to stop early. I felt like crap all day today.

We drove to Balboa Beach again, but didn't stay long today. We walked over to the ocean for a little bit. I wore protective goggles to keep the sand out of my eyes --I must have looked a little bit of a freak to the other people on the beach.

We went to see the movie, "The Signal". The scenes at the coctail party were amusing. The whole theater audience laughed -- all 5 of us. If they would have stuck with that kind of humor through the whole movie they would have had an underground hit on their hands. Instead -- it was just disturbing.

Food:
2 protein/water shakes

Exercise:
walk 1 hour

Fasting Day 46 - 128.8

I don't want it to be true, but drinking these protein shakes on my fasting day might be what has slowed my weight loss. Maybe protein sparing isn't really necessary? I've read anecdotal stories claiming that while fasting -- old and diseased tissues are targeted before young and healthy ones. It is possible that the body has some sort of mechanism capable of this. We know so little about metabolism and even less studies have been done specifically on fasting metabolisms. I've noticed that my skin looks younger and the cysts and growths in my ovaries certainly seem to have been targeted in the first couple of months of alternate day fasting. The healing might also have something to do with the inflammatory response in my body lessening (this corresponds with studies on alternate day fasting).

Perhaps it's just the weather, but I've been experiencing some depressive episodes lately. I've read studies that memories and emotions might also be stored within the body itself, not just in the brain. (For example, Candace Pert's work with peptides being the molecules of emotion.) Could fasting be releasing depression inducing substances that were encapsulated within fat cells? We, emotional eaters, frequently eat to bury away our feelings. What if we truly are doing that -- what if our emotions are being stored in the fat tissue right beside the excess calories? Incapable of dealing with them in the past, we must once again deal with these feelings as they are released from their hiding places.

Food:
2 protein/water shakes

Exercise:
walk 45 minutes

Fasting Day 45 - 129

Our internet service provider (COX) keeps having outages. I either can't get online or when I do, the connection is so slow that websites time out. I'm having to backpost to this blog. This also means our phone service is down because we use Vonage which relies upon our internet connection. My son cannot do most of his schoolwork, because his "classroom" is on the internet with K12.org. My boyfriend needs it to connect to his work. We will be going with a different service provider when we move. Cox is too unreliable. However, their cable television service stays up and running -- maybe they should just stick with cable tv.

Today we drove over to the Mexico/California border. They have a large outdoor mall filled with outlet stores. I bought two pairs of Levi jeans: one pair is a size smaller and the other is two sizes smaller. They both fit. The larger size is a little loose, but I think they will shrink to fit perfectly once I wash and dry them. The other size fits perfectly now, but will probably be too small once they are washed and dryed. I will have to "shrink" into those.

Food:
2 protein/water shakes

Exercise:
walk 45 minutes

Fasting Day 44 - 130.2 (Day 90)

BBC Horizon recently aired an episode entitled, "How to Live to 101". It looked at the citizens of three different locations that have more centenarians than other places on earth: Okinawa, Sardinia, and Loma Linda. What is it that these people are doing differently than the rest of us?

Researchers found that Okinawan's eat 20% less than most people in Europe or America consume. They even have a saying, "Hara Hachi Bu", which basically means "Eat until your 80% full". (This corresponds with the research about longevity and calorie restricted diets. Alternate Day Fasting appears to confer the same benefits as a calorie restricted diet according to recent studies.) Their diet consists of a variety of fruits, vegetables, and soy protein/tofu. The researchers said that Okinawans eat more soy products than any other population on earth. They found that Okinawans age more slowly than the rest of us and their levels of the hormone DHEA declines at a slower rate.

Interestingly, the researchers also followed up on Okinawan's who moved to Hawaii. As their descendents developed a more westernized diet, they became even more unhealthy than westerners on the same diet. It is as if this group of people's bodies have adapted to require the calorie restricted, healthful diet of their ancestors.

The next group of long-lived people are located in the town of Ovoddo, Sardinia. Apparently this population's genetic lucky card was the result of inbreeding among the early population on this remote island town. (Yuck!) Inbreeding increases the odds of birth defects, but in this case the inherited defect was an advantage. The long-lived Sardinians are deficient in the enzyme G6PD. Researchers are hoping that by studying the Sardinian population they will be able to isolate which genes are beneficial for longevity.

The last group of people are in Loma Linda, California. This town has a high percentage of 7th Day Adventists. Their religion promotes a vegetarian lifestyle and prohibits smoking and alcohol consumption.

The documentary also briefly touched on the people of Glasgow, Scotland, whose aging is accelerated. The researchers hypothesis for this was interesting. They said that in the early to middle of the last century their were over a million people living in a few square miles. Childhood diseases ran rampant throughout the area. Some of the children developed heightened immune systems that protected them from infectious diseases -- a condition called inflammatory response. These children lived long enough to reproduce and thus people with this tendency for inflammatory response increased in the general population. This same overactive immune system is likely to turn on itself later in life and create inflammatory related diseases. Their descendents have inherited this heightened inflammatory response even though the conditions that originally created it are long gone. They are doing all the right things (lowering stress, eating healthy, etc.) but their bodies are still operating as if they are in the environment of their ancestors.

BBC News Magazine has an article, The Towns Where People Live The Longest, if you are interested in reading further.

***************
Exercise:
Walked - 40 minutes

Food:
2 protein/water shakes