Note To Self: Read This When You Feel Like Giving Up

So far I'm happy as can be with this plan.  I realize, however, that this is a long journey I have just started and that I am in the "honeymoon period".  There will be days ahead where I may not feel like doing this anymore.  I am writing this as a reminder to myself of what I want and how I've felt. 

1.  You're doing this for your children and for your future grandchildren you have yet to meet. 

2.  You're doing this because you are tired of feeling tired all the time.


3.  You're doing this because no food tastes better
than the way it feels to be of a healthy weight.

4.  You're doing this because you want to be the absolute best nurse that you possibly can be.

5.  You're doing this because you are tired of never wearing shorts or a bathing suit.

6.  You're doing this because you're tired of sitting on the edge of the pool while everyone else swims.

7.  You're doing this because you're tired of dodging mirrors and cameras.

8.  You're doing this because you want to actually like to go clothes shopping.

9.  You're doing this because you are tired of sweating constantly during the summer.

10.  You're doing this because what you see in other's eyes is not nearly as harsh as how you think of yourself. 

11.  You're doing this because you've wasted enough of your life eating yourself into the grave. 

12.  You're doing this because you deserve better.

13.  You're doing this because you need to set an example for your kids.

Feelings After First 2 Fast Days

So I have successfully completed 2 full fast days, a Monday and a Thursday.  The first day I ate at 11am and then again at 7pm.  The second day I ate at 10:30am and 7pm.  Both days I had frozen Healthy Choice meals (around 250-270 calories for each one) and steamed asparagus with both meals making sure I did not go over my 600 calories per day.  Although the book says that women should do 500 calories per day, I questioned whether or not this would be safe for me being so overweight.  I'm sure that before the diet I was eating about 3,000 calories per day.  Cutting the calories back to 600 per day is still quite a shock for my body.  Plus, if I ever hit a plateau, I can always lower my fast day calorie allowance to 500 per day.  I have a long way to go on this weight loss plan and I have to think long term. 

I have to say that I have been absolutely amazed.  The fasting days have forever changed the way I think and feel about food.....already.  I have realized that I may have been over eating this whole time partly because of the fear of being hungry, or having low blood sugar.  I have had episodes in the past where I have suddenly gotten shaky and weak.  Those episodes have scared me.  The worst is being alone with my 3 kids and having that feeling hit me, not knowing if I'm going to pass out or what.  I did not experience anything like that on my 2 fasting days so far.  I haven't even really been all that hungry.  I don't wake up running to the refrigerator to cram my face full of whipped cream and sticks of butter.  I have become more "in tune" with my body and feelings of hunger and being satisfied.  This has made me realize that I have been eating for all the years for many other reasons besides being hungry.  My fear of hunger is gone.  I won't die if I don't eat for 3 or 4 hours.  I know now the real limits of my body are much more than I ever realized.  This makes me happy, very, very happy; because now I realize I can do this.  I need to lose about 130-140 pounds to be a healthy weight for my height.  That's going to take awhile.  It's going to take a change in my thinking and a change in my habits.  This is a long, long road I'm on and for the first time in I can't remember when, this seems possible.

Day #5: 2nd Fast Day

Lipton Southern Style Tea:  My go-to beverage for fasting day.

I'm more than halfway through my second fasting day on the Fast Diet.  Today has not gone as smoothly as the first, partly due to inadequate planning on my part.  I woke up this morning and thought that I would just let the kids have some cereal for breakfast..quick and easy was the plan.  Of course someone left an empty cereal box in the pantry.  UGGGH.  The only other thing I had in the house for the kids' breakfast was eggs and toast.  I had to stand in the kitchen making 3 separate breakfast plates consisting of an omelet and toast with grape jelly...torture I tell you!  For lunch I quickly whipped up some hot dogs with cheese.  Grocery planning on my part was sadly lacking this time.  I was so focused on making sure that I had my fasting day foods in place, that I forgot to plan for the kids to make my day easier...lesson learned. 

To make the day een a little harder, I started my period today so I'm fighting a slight headache and a little "crampiness".  Thank goodness I can lay low today and rest.  I don't know what I would do if I actually  had to be somewhere today.  It may have been all a bit too much to handle. 

I will say that I finished reading the Fast Diet book and I have been in agreement with the testimonials in the back of the book.  I already feel a difference...something is definitely happening.    I feel more satisfied with less food and am finding myself choosing more wisely at time and being more aware of my food choices.  I was only down a pound today from the last fasting day but I will not count that towards my stats...which I will post weekly. My weight loss might be effected by my period too.  I have always held onto water weight around this time.  All-in-all I'm thinking this is something that I can continue with.  I need to plan better, but it feels like something I could get the hang of and stick with. 

Iced tea continues to be my fasting day drink of choice.  I have been putting lemon in it and it is pre-sweetened with an artificial sweetener.  I do have to say that being a southerner I am somewhat of an iced tea expert.  I have found a WONDERFUL way to make southern style iced tea without the calories.  At Sam's Club they sell a giant box of "Lipton Southern Style Iced Tea" bags.  Each bag makes a gallon of tea.  Sounds like a lot, but when you are fasting you drink a lot.  I went through almost a gallon of it on my first fasting day without any problem.  Anyway, the bag is pre-sweetened and there is NO artificial aftertaste.  (I'm picky in this department also.)  So I take a 2qt saucepan and fill it up and heat it until it is boiling.  Take the pan off the heat and place one of the tea bags in the water.  Set your timer for about 5 minutes and 30 seconds.  (Yes, the time matters..LOL)  As soon as the timer goes off pour the hot tea into a gallon jug.  Fill the jug the rest of the way with cold water.  Remove the tea bag and then stir the tea and refrigerate.  I have found that if you let the bag sit in the water too long, the tea is WAY too sweet.  Also if you leave the pan on the heat while the tea is steeping, you get a bitter flavor.  I think the box of tea sells for around $13 at Sam's Club but I've been on one box for about 2 months and my whole family drinks tea.  I used to buy a separate bag of Splenda sweetener but I was constantly running out of either tea or the Splenda.  This is so much easier and I believe it tastes much better than Splenda.  Let me know what you think if you try it.

Day #2 of The Fast Diet.....After The Fast Day

It is now "the morning after" my first fast day and I cannot believe that I actually did it and it wasn't nearly as hard as I had imagined it to be.  My first meal was 300 calories and consisted of a Healthy Choice meal (250 cal) plus a package of steamable asparagus spears for the rest of my 50 calories.  In the morning I drank Diet Coke then I moved to bottled water, then to Iced Tea with Splenda and lemon.  The iced tea definitely tasted the best but I did enjoy the variety of drinks throughout the day rather than simply drinking water all the time.  I'm sure drinking water would be ideal, but I think it is important that I have a system that I am comfortable with and can stick with.  For dinner I had another Healthy Choice meal (280 cal) and a large tomato from our garden sliced up.  I think in the future I will make sure I have some more frozen veggies on hand.  The tomato was not quite as filling and maybe not the best choice before bedtime (with acid reflux).

My first meal was at 11am and the last one was at 7pm.  The only time I really struggled was about an hour and a half before dinner.  I tried to make sure I was busy doing something and away from my t.v. so I wouldn't have to watch food commercials.  The last hour and a half was a struggle but not unbearable.  My goal is to gradually increase the time between meals so that I am eventually doing the 7am and 7pm meals on fast day.  I will probably eat my first meal at 10am next time...or I might wait until next week to bump the time.  I find that this plan that I have devised causes me less anxiety than just jumping in head first into the 7am/7pm plan.

I would have thought that this morning I would have jumped out of bed at 4am wanting to cram my face with everything in the house.  That was not the case at all.  I woke up at my usual time and ate at my usual time.  I was really no hungrier in the morning than I normally am.  I did, however, eat my planned upon waffle with syrup and one piece of sausage.  This is not out of range with what I normally would eat. 

I weighed myself at about 4:30pm yesterday (because that's the first time I thought about doing it) and then I weighed myself this morning....a 7 pound difference (likely water weight).  It was still nice to see the scale move even though I'm sure the difference is water weight. 

I had hoped that my husband would join in on my fasting, but that hasn't happened yet.  The hardest part of this all has been feeding my kids during the fast.  Yesterday there was birthday cake in the refrigerator and they kept asking for cake which drove me nuts.  I found myself also resisting "picking" at leftover potato chips from my kids lunch.  It made me realize just how much I graze during the day. 

I have to say that all-in-all this was a positive and empowering experience.  I believe this is something that I could continue to do.  My only worry is fasting during school as far as my mental clarity and concentration.  It worries me to be fasting on a test day given the difficulty of the nursing tests and material. 

Day #1: The Fast Diet Begins

Day #1 of The Fast Diet: 


I started reading The Fast Diet

Day # 1 of The Fast Diet

about a week ago.  I first saw Dr. Mosley on the Rachael Ray show and was impressed by what I heard.  I have gained and lost many pounds over the past 40 years that I have been alive; probably 2 or 3 "people's worth" over my lifetime.  I have used herbs, ephedra, smoking, weight watchers, etc.  You name it and I've probably done or used it, still today I'm fatter than I've ever been.  It's not even a matter of looking good anymore, it's life or death at this point.  I haven't worn shorts in years and a bathing suit of any persuasion is absolutely out of the question.  I recently went on a beach vacation this summer for the first time in 6 years and never once put on a pair of shorts or took a dip in a pool.  It was depressing to say the least.  I'm embarrassed to say that I'm currently a nursing student and realize that I am well on my way to being the biggest hypocrite that ever lived, teaching others about health when I, myself, am probably on my way to the grave if I don't make huge changes soon.  I'm sure I'm flirting with diabetes even as I type this, not to mention I'm setting a bad example for my children.  The list of problems associated with my weight goes on and on. 

I tried this past spring to rejoin Weight Watchers because of successes I've had in the past with their programs.  As long as I stick with their plan, I have always lost weight.  Once I stop attending meetings, it usually is the beginning of the end for me.  Being in school has made committing to counting points and attending weekly meetings an impossibility at this time.  I t didn't take long to realize that I needed a new way to lost weight, and now.

The Fast Diet appealed to me, with its calorie restriction for 2 days per week and freedom from counting calories for 5 days of the week.  All I have to do is stick to 500 - 600 calories twice a week.  As long as I don't pass out from low blood sugar, I think I can do it.  Seriously, that has been a concern of mine.  I was most struck by Dr. Mosley saying that when we eat every 2-3 hours during the day, we really become out of touch with our hunger and our bodies.  We eat because we are bored, tired, happy, depressed, anxious, or even thirsty.  We eat because other people are eating or just because the food is there in front of us.  By fasting, we reset our bodies to become more in touch with the feelings of satiety and hunger.  I like that.  I also like the possibility of correcting my insulin sensitivity.

Day #1 of The Fast Diet
 

So here I am, on day 1 giving it a try.  I didn't plan this, just woke up this morning and thought to myself that this might be a good day to start.  Why today?  I have no idea.  Maybe it's because the weather is cool and nice and because I have nothing else planned.  Oh and today is Thursday.  My plan is to imitate Dr. Mosley's plan of fasting on Mondays and Thursdays.  I was a little scared of dropping down to 500 calories because of my increased weight.  I thought that might be a little too drastic for me, so I'm doing the 600 calorie plan for myself.    This will still be a massive change in my usual eating pattern.  I'm sure that I'm normally consuming over 3,000 calories per day.  I'm also starting with the 11am and 7pm eating plan.  I was not sure that I would be able to do the 7am to 7pm schedule so I'm trying 11am and 7pm first and if that works out, maybe I could gradually stretch it out.  It's my safety net, what can I say?  I think I'm really scared about doing this...which is amazing to me, the fear associated with being hungry.  Probably one of the reasons I am where I am today. 

I had no idea what to allow myself to eat today. I have 3 kids and wanted this day to be as simple as possible.  I picked up 2 Healthy Choice meals today that were each under 300 calories.  I also picked up a bag of frozen asparagus spears to steam in the microwave to add bulk without adding calories.  I've been drinking a mixture of diet coke, water, and lipton iced tea with splenda.  I really wish I had some fresh lime to squeeze into the water and tea.  I'll try that next time. 

Waiting until 11am to eat was a no-brainer for me.  My morning routine is so hectic with feeding the kids and cleaning, that sometimes I forget to eat until late anyway.  Waiting until 11am was hardly even a struggle.  It's now 4pm and I have to say that I am starting to "feel the fast" now.  I'm trying to drink as much as possible and that is, indeed, helping.  The tea tastes the best to me. 

I've decided to blog about my experiences on this diet as well as my feelings, etc.  This is partly for my own research and partly to pass the time while I attempt this fast.

I would be lying if I didn't admit to thinking about what I'm going to eat for breakfast in the morning.  I've already decided on a waffle with sausage...maybe not the best choice but it isn't too far from what I normally would eat.  I'll probably have a sandwich or salad for both lunch and dinner.  I try to keep thinking to myself that tomorrow I can eat what I want.  That's helping to get me through this.  I don't want to make it sound like I am really struggling right now, just aware that my eating has changed today.  I'd also be lying if I didn't admit to counting down the hours until I can eat at 7pm.

I need to weigh myself (which I have not done yet) and include that in my blog posts.  I hope that my "diet diary" will be helpful to someone else out there who might be struggling with their own eating issues.  I would love to hear from others who might be in the same boat. 

Day 1 Stats:

Ht:  5'6"  Weight:  278 lbs.  Pants Size:  24W  Shirt Size 2X