Soul Runnings

Today is the last day of July.  I have hereby fasted intermittently for the entire month! I laid out my plan in my fasting planner for the month of August.  I'm set! I have lost 10 pounds. I have gained more confidence, energy, discipline and time! Less time eating equals more time to do life! I am not going to say it is easy. It's not. But it is not beyond my ability.  I am still sticking to 20:4 most weekdays, and 18:6 on the weekends.   The days I have breakfast with my mother, I just have a larger eating window.  It feels right, somehow to end eating every day at 2:30 p.m. I'm not sure why.  Perhaps because I teach piano afternoons/eves.  I would prefer not to eat after work, right before bed.  Cutting off my eating right before I teach allows me to just focus on my work.  I was worried that I would be so distracted by hunger pangs, that my work would suffer. But if I time it right and eat a substantial meal about 2...

I reached a different level with my fasting yesterday. Not higher. Different. It took on a spiritual aspect. This has not been lost to me during this journey. When I first dabbled with fasting, actually as a teenager, I thought about it's ancient roots. And again, when I began intermittent fasting as a weight loss tool, I told myself I could use the time that I normally eat, to devote myself to prayer, study and meditation. Mostly I devoted myself to trying to ignore my hunger pangs and thinking about my next meal. Not so yesterday. I had this moment in the late afternoon/early evening when I felt surrounded by brilliant light. My mind felt clear. My vision seemed more acute. I pulled out some devotional books and my bible and started reading. I got goosebumps. I said some prayers. I joined some prayer groups online.  It was amazing. I wanted it to last! But alas, this morning I'm feeling a little groggy. It was breakfast with my mother day. I broke my fast much earlie...

I stepped on the scale this morning and almost screamed! But then I remembered my granddaughter was still sleeping.  One must never wake a sleeping baby! So, I covered my mouth and did a little happy dance there in the bathroom. My Weight Commander weight loss graph. You can download this for free at weightcommander.com by the way.   Look at my weight commander graph, above.  Since I started intermittent fasting end of June, (and then beginning of July for real!) notice how the curve is consistently going down. I stop and plateau for a few days, and then continue my descent! So much better then the erratic ups and downs of bygone days! As of today, I have lost 10 pounds this  month by fasting!  Not dieting. I eat what I want during my "eating window". I am pretty much doing the "warrior diet". I've found varying descriptions of this fast online.  Basically I fast for 20-21 hours everyday (I stop eating at 2:30 p.m.) and then I eat in a window of...

Today has been difficult. It started out o.k. Got really painful and weird and then suddenly I broke through the wall and I feel a bit better than o.k. As I got on the bus with my "happy iced tea" (my new concoction for fasting times from Starbucks.  Iced black tea with a splash of heavy cream and two pumps of sugar free vanilla syrup.  Tastes almost like a Thai iced tea. And helps me through the hunger pangs.  With less jitters than my "happy coffee"), an older woman said to her companion, "I'm hot and tired and I have a headache. I have a dollar to my name, but at least I have a new tent!" I smiled at her as I debussed.  I too was hot and tired. I also had a headache. But I have a bit more than a dollar to my name. And I have a roof over my head.  I should not complain! But earlier today, I felt like curling up in a fetal position in the corner and sobbing.  I do not really know why. I just felt really blue. But I didn't give in. And as...

No time to elaborate. But wanted to share another victory. I lost another pound overnight! 9 pounds down! 46 to go! I fasted 21 hours yesterday. I feel fabulous! Gotta run. Have to make time for my happy coffee befire work! Talk tomorrow! Love, Zita

I'm doing something brave today. I'm decreasing my eating window.  I am now on a 21:3 intermittent fasting plan. 21 is how many hours I fast. (21 hours consecutively!) 3  designates my "eating window". I can eat between the hours I designate.  Currently that is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. I don't worry too much about what I eat within my window.  I know how to eat healthy. My goal is discipline and weight loss.  As I get used to this schedule, I will fine tune my eating. I am loosely focusing on veggies, lean protein, fruit and whole grains, but avoiding wheat. Avoiding sugar and processed, fried foods. But this is something I have been working on for many moons. I found that I was not worried about eating this morning.  I had planned to eat at 10:30 a.m., but was not really hungry. So I pushed it forward to 11 a.m. I had a very healthy first meal, including a hard boiled egg, tabbouli, lentils, rice and fresh cherries. At 12:30 I stopped at a little Mexican...

"Coffee with Cream Conclusion: Drinking Coffee with Heavy Cream while Intermittent Fasting will NOT break your fast or knock you out of ketosis."  https://www.drbeckyfitness.com/coffee-and-intermittent-fasting/?fbclid=IwAR3g5Ubd9b42QeDzzXeRdRg-h2jCqOiltfX8LQNuv7d_gzNycnBr6XnfCBo I fasted again for 20 hours last night. I was pleased to be able to share my new life style with my brother.  I was waiting for him to pick me up at a Starbucks and happily sipping my iced coffee with a splash of heavy cream and a shot of sugar free vanilla sweetener. I was actually ecstatic, because I just read in my "dirty intermittent fasting for women" group on Facebook, that a bit of heavy cream and sugar free sweetener in your coffee will not break your fast! I think I will dub it my "happy coffee"! Hey, I'm no purist. As long as I can continue this lifestyle, continue to lose weight and be relatively healthy for however many days I have left on this planet, I'm...

I woke up feeling light and clear-headed.  I fasted for 20.5 hours.  I broke my fast with a grainfree tabouli salad  (no bulgar), heavy on minced, fresh garlic and freshly squeezed lemon juice.  I added a scoop of slow cooked lentils, fresh spinach with blue cheese dressing, a handful of walnuts and a few cherries. I am feeling the need to decrease the animal products in  my eating.  When I tried the keto diet, I appreciated how satiated I was with all the fat.  It quelled my fear of scarcity, kept my belly happy and full. But I ended up feeling too heavy and bloated after awhile. I know I ate too much meat.  There was that fear of being hungry. Interestingly, I am conquering that fear.  I am beginning to welcome the empty belly feeling.  And the hunger pangs that accompanying are not perceived as pain anymore. Just inevitable. I am still hovering at an 8 pound weight loss - up a pound, down a pound, depending on my food int...

Summertime has finally arrived. I heard rumors of  90 degree weather tomorrow. It was in the upper 80's today. I was so happy to get on a nice air-conditioned bus at the end of my teaching day. I looked forward to relaxing with a book, or Words with Friends. I am purposefully staying off of social media.   It raised my blood pressure. So there I was. Nice, air conditioned bus. But something was different.  There was a strange odor assaulting my nostrils.  Wait a minute. Odor! My sense of smell has returned! Oh, joy!  Why couldn't it have returned as I was walking past a bakery, or a rosebush. Nope.  It returned on a hot summer day. On a crowded Tri-Met bus. Sigh.  Who knows how long it last. I should be grateful. After all, a sense of smell could potentially save my life.   Gas leak. Fire in the kitchen. That sort of thing. I am trying to work on gratitude.  And a positive attitude.  It is not easy when yo...

Today marks 30 days of intermittent fasting. The last week I have really started noticing a difference. It has gotten easier.  Most of this process is mental and emotional. My eating rituals had a strong hold on me. I dare to say I was an addict. It has gotten easier, but the struggle is still there. And very real. The hardest times for me are from about 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. The hunger pangs start and my need to eat to ease my pain assaults me. Having a strict eating window and fasting window has saved my butt many times! This is my fasting/eating schedule so far for the month of July: (EW = Eating Window;  TF = Total Fast time 7/1  EW: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.  TF: 15 hours 7/2  EW: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.  TF: 16 hours 7/3  EW: 8:30 a.m. to 7p.m.  TF: 13.5 hours 7/4  EW: 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.  TF 11. 5 hours 7/5  EW:10 a.m. to 7 p.m. TF 15 hours 7/6  EW:10 a.m. to 7 p.m. TF 15 hours 7/7  EW:7 a.m. to 5 p.m. TF 15 hours ...

It is 6:04 p.m. I quit eating today at 2:00 p.m. I am finding it easier to fast.  Not only am I conquering my food obsession, but there is a spiritual component to fasting.  Be right back. Going to consult Google. O.K. I put in "spiritual component to fasting" and got scads of hits!  I like what I just read on Guideposts.org: "Many of us think of fasting as a spiritual duty to God, depriving ourselves of food and drink for a period of time in order to prove our love for Him. While long-suffering is a part of being human and certainly a part of being Christian, fasting should not be included when we think about “suffering for Christ.” On the contrary, fasting is less about what we’re giving up and much more about what we’re making room for. When we fast, we exchange what we need to survive for what we need to live—more of God..."  https://www.guideposts.org/better-living/health-and-wellness/5-spiritual-benefits-of-fasting I have been quite focused on what...

I feel a little tired and achy today.  I am going to make sure I drink a big glass of water before I leave my blogging station here at the library. I am finding it interesting to notice that I am not feeling as compulsive around food as I have been in the past.  I am sticking to my intermittent fasting way of eating.  Not doing keto anymore - I was overdoing the animal fat, cheese and dairy.  I have been reading the comments of other IF's on some of my secret groups on Facebook. They agree with me. But most say that keto is a good way to detox from sugar and carbs. I do agree. I am staying away from added sugar and processed carbs. I'm also reducing meat and dairy.  And allowing some fruit back into my life.  I am here at the library, my home away from home.  I had a big revelation as I perused the new book shelf. I am no longer interested in reading cookbooks! This is huge! I have been reading cookbooks obsessively since my kids were bab...

I fasted for 20 hours and 25 minutes from yesterday at 2:20 p.m. until today at  10:45 a.m. I seriously could have fasted longer. I wasn't really very hungry at 10:45 a.m. I am never usually very hungry in the morning. But with my teaching schedule, I decided to make my first meal at 10:45. Today is day 30 of intermittent fasting.  But I really kicked it into high gear this last week. I cannot believe I fasted for 20 hours and lived to tell about it! I have lost a total of 8 pounds in the last month.  Part of that was keto diet, most of it was fasting 16 hours, and eating in a "window" of 8 hours. My new plan is to increase my fasting to 20 hours and decrease my eating window to 4 hours on weekdays. On the weekend I will fast 16 hours and open my window to 8 hours. It feels so good to have this much control over my eating! I am retraining my brain to accept hunger pains and a growling stomach as positive. I am not going to starve to death. I could live off my...

Today is my 28th day of Intermittent Fasting (IF). I'm easing off of hard core keto.  I am still trying to keep carbs low and focus on lean protein, veggies, nuts and seeds, but adding fruits and whole grains like oatmeal and brown rice. I am going to cut back a bit on dairy.  And TADA! The scale continues to move downward! I have officially lost 8 pounds!  YAY! I am aiming for 18:6 IF. This translates to 18 hours of fasting with a 6 hour eating window. I am gravitating towards 19:5 and eventually 20:4.  I would like to do the OMAD (one meal a day), but not sure I am completely ready. Baby steps, I am telling myself. Even though I am a 57 year-old woman. Still learning so much about life after all these years! I am noticing that I get really hungry in the evening, but in the morning, don't even think about food. I will say that again: I DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT FOOD! Who am I? I have been obsessed with food my whole life. In fact, I will admit right here...