December Challenge – 24 Hour Fasting

2 Comments December 3, 2015 Dot2Trot

Water and bone broth are at the ready during today’s 24-hour fast.

After Thanksgiving I took a hard look at my intermittent fasting (IF) schedule. I’ve gotten into the habit of doing a 14-hour fast about 3 times a week. Maybe fasting 5 days a week might help break this plateau? So I started re-reading Dr. Jason Fung’s blog posts on fasting. Sure enough I stumbled upon an important data point that could help me break my stall.

Resetting My Body’s Set Weight
We all have a Body Set Weight (BSW) – a weight your body is comfortable with. During my last physical, my doctor cautioned me that if I wanted to lose more weight I could, but my BSW might be at 185 lbs.

If I was at my BSW and dipped below it, my body compensates by increasing it’s output of ghrelin, the hunger hormone. Basically you dip below your BSW your body increases hunger and desire to eat. Your body wants to get back to its set weight.

I have to admit at the time of my physical I thought there was no way 185 was my BSW. I could still see the fat around my belly, thighs and arms. Look, I don’t expect to be super model thin. But I set my sights on 150 lbs. and that’s what I wanted to get to.

Well 8 months later and weighing 185 lbs., I’m starting to believe. Read More

Weekly Weigh-In: No Change

1 Comment June 29, 2015 Dot2Trot

I’m not ready to admit my weight loss hit another plateau…not with the empty wine bottles in my trash can. So this week, no alcohol to jump-start the scale.

No change on the scale this week, but I’m confident I’m not stuck in a plateau. Why? Wine! During the week I enjoyed vino 3 times. I’m doing everything right to get into ketosis, except for the wine. So wine is off the menu for the week.

If the scale is still stuck at 187, then I’ll need to go into some plateau busting moves, like adding a very high carb day, upping my workout (I’ve slacked off a bit) and staying more active all day.

Packing More Action In My Day
Actually, I’ve already started the “staying more active all day” bit. Lately I’ve been a bit of a slug. Sure I do my scheduled exercise – primarily long walks and running. But once I’m home I park myself on a comfy chair or exercise ball and start researching, writing or watching those blasted cat videos. Not great.

Now I’m looking to cut my sitting time. I’m trying to do more errands on foot, like mailing a letter or picking up a few items at the grocery or pet stores. This morning I set out on foot to my dentist for a cleaning. Read More

Weekly Weigh-In: Down 3.8 Lbs., Almost Out Of 200 Club

2 Comments August 31, 2014 Dot2Trot

I’m at my lowest weight in nearly 25 years. I’m so close to busting out of the 200s! Woo hoo!!!

Another awesome week as I stayed on track eating just 20g of carbs/day. I’m down 3.8 pounds. That puts my total weight loss at 121.4 lbs! The best news of all? I’m close to leaving the 200s. Yep, I officially weigh 203.6. Sweet!

I finally feel like I’ve busted this last plateau wide open. I’ve had great weight loss 4 out of the last 6 weeks. The last plateau I broke by upping my workouts. That didn’t work this time.

What’s the difference?

This time around it was all diet. Turns out I was a little lax in my measurements. So when I needed to eat 2 cups of mixed greens, I was probably eating 3 or 4 cups. An ounce of avocado became 3 ounces. Six ounces of sirloin steak turned into 8. Sigh…

There are no short cuts to weight loss. I was pretty good at measuring things with my eye or using my hand as a guide. I just got lazy…and my eyes too big for my stomach. So now I’m back to measuring and weighing everything. At some point I’ll once again gain the confidence to use my hands as a way to measure out all my food. When that happens, I’ll remind myself that I need to do some spot-checking with my scale to keep me honest.

Weekly Weigh-In: Goodbye Plateau, Hello Antibiotics!

1 Comment March 14, 2014 Dot2Trot

Success! Down 5.4 lbs. this week and finally broke free of the plateau.

I woke up this morning with a throbbing ear and a sore throat (just the left side) and promptly called my doctor’s office to see if I could get checked out today. The last thing I wanted was an ear infection over the weekend with no meds. After scheduling the appointment I decided to weigh-in today. If I have to eat carb heavy soups this weekend, I might as well weigh myself before the damage is done.

Good move! I lost 5.4 pounds this week and that puts my total weight loss at 110 pounds. Eating 20g of carbs a day paid off and kicked that plateau to the curb.

“Wow! That Throat’s A Hot Mess”
After weighing in, I headed straight to my doctor’s office. Now I’ve felt tired for the last couple of days and had a very runny nose for a few weeks. I naturally assumed I was fighting a cold and starting to lose the battle. But this morning the pain in my ear and throat was intense.

Plateau Continues; Up 1 Pound

1 Comment March 8, 2014 Dot2Trot

I'm up a pound. This little plateau is putting up a big fight. Time to cut back on my carbs and shake free of this plateau's grip.

I’m up a pound. Time to cut back on my carbs and shake free of this plateau’s grip.

Well crap! This little weight loss plateau is putting up a big fight. After a week on Simple Start I’m up a pound. Time to really shake things up by cutting back on my carbs and changing my exercise routine.

Daily Carbs Target: 25g
My daily carb count bounced between 75-125g a day on Simple Start. Time to drop my daily count to 20-25g. The bulk of my weight loss came when I ate 20-25g of carbs daily. A week or two eating at this level should help me shake free of this plateau.

Putting My Knee To The Test
Besides cutting my daily carb count, it’s time to test my knee. Occasionally I have minor stiffness after a workout, but no pain. I think it’s time to try a little running.

It’s about 60 degrees out and the sidewalks and bike paths are clear — perfect for interval training. I’ve felt like my workouts were getting stale — weight training, spinning and yoga only get you so far before boredom sets in. Crossing my fingers in hopes my knee holds up.