Fast 5 Diary Four Week Summary March 1st - April 1st: Plateau!

Interesting fasting days in March. I hit a plateau late in February that lasted through March, and I am hoping I make progress in April.

Summary:

Fasting during the day has definitely reinforced my belief that I eat out of boredom.  At work, I find that I *think* about reaching for a snack almost immediately when I am frustrated or perplexed.  Nothing to do with hunger---It's almost like an autonomic response.  Why do I respond to frustration or anxiety with wanting to eat?

I still like feeling hungry around 3:00 in the afternoon.

I still enjoy letting down my guard a bit during dinner, but I suspect that I have let it down a bit too much since my average weight for March went up compared to January and February.

Also, I had a physical in mid March.  It's good to get a physical, but I was motivated by a friend who expressed concern for my health when I told him I was trying Fast 5.  I knew I felt fine, but decided it was reasonable to see if Fast 5 would affect my blood work.  The answer is no.  It seems to have had no effect.  Blood work looks exactly like it always has looked.  Everything was just like it was the last time I had a physical.

Pros:

1. I look forward to dinner for a few reasons because I eat what I want.  As I've discovered, maybe too much of what I want.

2. I like feeling hungry at 3:00ish in the afternoon.

Cons:

1. It is a still a little awkward not to eat when I eat lunch with folks.  Last week I tried to switch my window from evening to lunch so I could eat lunch w/friends, but I am not disciplined at night.
2. Still not convinced it will help me to have less belly fat but time will tell.

Measurements

1. Am I losing any weight?  average up in March; down 1.5 from 2011 average but up from average since Jan. 2, 2012
2. Is my waist shrinking?  Not last month
3. Can I sustain this?  Time will tell; so far so good
4. Does it suck the joy out of my life? No!
5. Does it bring any joy to my life? Yes.  One of my favorite things is making dinner, and it makes making dinner more fun!
6. Is it working for my family? I think so.  I think they enjoy the dinners I am making, and other than that should not affect them.
7. How do my my clothes fit?  Mostly the same.

Fast 5 Diary February 12 - It's a process not an event :)

Still pretty high on Fast 5.  Still in a plateau.  So if you put it in perspective, I am down about 2 pounds, which is a lot for a "little loser" like me.  I still hope I can make some headway on my waist eventually.  


My favorite part about it is STILL that I get to have a boatload of fun at dinner.  Last night we had Tom Yum Koong Soup with Mahi Mahi.
 My adjustment for February was to fast during the 5 day work week, and do whatever I normally do during the weekend, which involves more grazing.  

Pros:

1. The best thing is I am still excited about dinners.  I love that I can be less careful preparing and eating dinner.

Neither Pro nor Con
I am still indulging in the "brake" fast.  But this month I am going to cut back on the morning "brake" fast.


Cons:

1. It is still a little awkward not to eat when I eat lunch with one other person.  For example, Monday I had lunch w/my team.  I hate it when I do cause I am not good at monitoring myself at night, but it's okay.

2. In the words of my husband every morning, who also started Fast 5 on January 1st, "I'm not ripped yet." Gonna take a while.

Measurements

1. Am I losing any weight?  yes, slowly
2. Are the rolls diminishing?  (I am not going for the stomach my 14 year daughter old has, but less of that nonsense would be good) a little
3. Can I sustain this?  Time will tell; so far so good
4. Does it suck the joy out of my life? No!
5. Does it bring any joy to my life?  Kind of.  One of my favorite things is making dinner, and it makes making dinner more fun!
6. Is it working for my family? I think so.  I think they enjoy the dinners I am making, and other than that should not affect them.
7. How do my my clothes fit?  Mostly the same.

Fast 5 Diary February 6 -It's a marathon, not a sprint

Still pretty high on Fast 5.  It's all about having fun with the family at dinner.  I love that.  I am going to make a few adjustments of a psychological nature (truth is that it's all mostly mental).  I am going to plan to fast during the day of the work week, and do what I do during the weekend.  I assume that will slow down my progress which is pretty slow already but I think that is the way it is.  That's okay. This is about defining a marathon not a sprint.  It's about a lifestyle change; it's not an event.

Pros:

1. The best thing is that I still look forward to dinner because I can cook fun stuff for my family, and eat what I want.
2. Though slowly, I am trending in the right direction.

Neither Pro nor Con
I am still indulging in the "brake" fast.  But this month I am going to cut back on the morning "brake" fast.


Cons:

1. It is still a little awkward not to eat when I eat lunch with one other person.  For example, today I had lunch w/my team.  I hate it when I do cause I am not good at monitoring myself at night, but it's okay.

2. In the words of my husband every morning, who also started Fast 5 on January 1st, "I'm not ripped yet." Gonna take a while.

Measurements

1. Am I losing any weight?  yes, slowly
2. Are the rolls diminishing?  (I am not going for the stomach my 14 year daughter old has, but less of that nonsense would be good) a little
3. Can I sustain this?  Time will tell; so far so good
4. Does it suck the joy out of my life? No!
5. Does it bring any joy to my life?  Kind of.  One of my favorite things is making dinner, and it makes making dinner more fun!
6. Is it working for my family? I think so.  I think they enjoy the dinners I am making, and other than that should not affect them.
7. How do my my clothes fit?  Mostly the same.