Flyer's diary

overlandflyer

overlandflyer

Well-known member
i was posting too much in my newcomers thread so decided to start a diary page.

to sum up my diet in 25 words or less...

i am on an intermittent fast, currently around 5/19 daily with the only diet restriction being a severe cut in sugar, 5-8 gm at most daily. ... that might be 26 or 27 words if you count numbers.... :)

let me get some of the initial questions out of the way...

-- How much weight do you want to lose? i've already dropped close to 40lbs in close to four months and am currently one number (25.8) away from a healthy BMI. i would like to wind up more in the center of a healthy BMI, maybe around a 22.

-- What is the timeframe for reaching your target weight? i am retired, so before i die would be nice. optimistically sometime in the summer of 2019 would be great. this is 25lbs we're talking about... and i am a believer in "the hardest weight to lose is the last pound you lost". so even though i have been averaging about 10lbs/ month up to now, i expect that will slow down somewhat unless the exercise kicks in more than i expect.

-- How do you want to accomplish your goal (what methods do you want to use)? i will continue to intermittent fast, but recently i have noticed a slow-down in weight loss, so proactively i have recently rejoined the Y. it is close to a mile from me so a walk there and back combined with some weights while there will hopefully re-energize my pace.

-- Who or what can support you in reaching your goal? i think my biggest support so far has been from YouTube lectures and getting smarter about how digestion works. i had it totally wrong, and i am still learning.

-- How realistic is your goal? frankly i never thought i'd ever see the weight i am at now again, so i've thrown out the book on unrealistic goals.

-- When will you start? today, the next day and the day after that. every day seems like a little adventure when you see and feel your body getting better.

see you in the funny papers.
 
a little more about my fasting diet...

as i mentioned i try to stick close to a 5/19 intermittent fast. for those who are unfamiliar, that is an eating window of 5 hours daily and fasting the other 19 hours in a 24 hour day. my eating window varies slightly, but typically starts 11-noon and ends somewhere between 3-5 pm. yes, some days i go as low as 4/20 and very rarely, but some days expand to 6/18 or even 8/16. the key time i shoot for is 12-14 hours with no food, more hours of fasting only improves the results.

the only restriction i have on food within my eating window is sugar which i try to limit to 6-8gm/ day. most of my meals are meat and vegetable based with more emphasis on higher fiber, lower carb vegetables. i have tried to cut carbs somewhat, but not even close to a keto level. i'm not about to give up the benefits of oatmeal and i like to have the occasional bagel. at least now i don't feel guilty about the butter or cream cheese.

currently i see no end to this diet, though i'm sure i will reach a point where i will start to eat a bit more and expand my eating widow to maybe an 8/16 schedule for maintenance vs any more weight loss. i will be listening to my body for those signs.

some myths i can address...

fasting causes muscle loss... i'm not Charles Atlas, but i actually feel a bit stronger now than i did 40lbs ago. it's obviously a bit tiring carrying around that baggage all day, right? UREA output (from protein digestion) drops to a very low level during fasting. if you were burning protein, this level would be orders of magnitude higher. you store fat to provide energy during lean times. it makes no sense to believe your body would burn protein for fuel with fat stores available.

you will be hungry all the time... it is 9:30am right now and after this i'm off for a walk to the bank and then down to the beach. i have not eaten in over 16 hours but have no hunger feelings at all. i have to take a daily med with food which is one reason i need to have something around noon, but i usually have to make a conscious effort to remember vs ever looking at the clock.

can't really think of anything else right now, but feel free to ask any questions, especially regarding any negativity you have heard about fasting or more specifically intermittent fasting and i will try to point you to the truth.

update requested by overlandflyer
i'd like to add a comment here that i got the IF notation backwards and didn't correct it for a few months as i recall.
 
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maybe the last straw before i got serious about weight loss was shopping for a new pair of pants and discovering i had hit the 40" waistline threshold (i thought) before the jeans felt comfortable. i immediately recalled about 4-5 years ago when i went from 36" --> 38" and swearing that would be the last time i would ever step up a size. ...so much for that plan.

so, fast forward to today. i wear the same belt i did 6 months ago, but instead of some days straining a bit to get it into the 2nd hole, i now regularly pull it over to the 6th hole and without too much effort i recently discovered the 7th and final hole is a definite possibility while not even straining much. belt holes are typically on 1" centers... these are a fraction less. i haven't seen my cloth tape in years (i think an old gf nipped it) so i picked up a new one at a local fabric store last week to finally take some measurements. i was curious to see what my waist was at. my belt said size 42 and when i wore size 40 waist pants, it was on the 2nd hole... made sense, right? ... NOT!

with the new tape measure in hand i put it snugly, but not tight around my waist. expecting to see ~36" inches or maybe a bit less, i was stunned to read off 39". ...WTF! then i put the tape up to the "size 42" belt and below you can see it for yourself. when i had on size 40 x 34 pants, my waist wasn't 40", it was likely closer to 44". i am currently wearing 36x34 and 38x34 pants and while the 36's are a bit snug, the 38's are slightly loose.

am i the last person on earth to realize that the fashion industry is pulling the wool. cotton, polyester, etc, etc, over our eyes with pseudo-sizing?

i have mixed feelings today... at least i am definitely below that 40" danger line. the only physical measurement that is considered a warning sign for heart disease is girth... 36" for women, 40" for men. but i sure wish i would have seen a lower number. someday soon perhaps.

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one thing i do that i've always heard is a bad idea is weighing myself multiple times during the day. i have become aware that weight can change by up to 5lbs on any particular day and i have seen evidence of that, but rather than look horizontally (during any day), i look vertically over the past month and regardless of where i begin or end, i consistently see a ~10lb drop when i look at record lows. i cannot see how that wouldn't be a motivation for anyone(?) to explain the blank entries... i usually log 5 reading/ day, this is just the early morning weigh-in column. taken a few hours before my eating window, it usually marks most of the new lows. i used to mark highs i never see again, but pretty much stopped that practice. in fact just a few minutes ago i saw 184.5 so at this point i doubt if i'll see 190 again unless i chug a gallon of water.

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Hello

You have so much information about what you're doing, that's awesome.

I've started Intermittent Fasting recently and need to learn more about it. Do you know how many calories you eat during the eating window?

I've quit sugar too and feel really different now; my mind is clearer and I have more energy.
 
hi Bella... i really do not keep track of calories or what % carbs/ fat/ protein i ingest daily. the best i can do is give you a few example days...

today...
med size avocado
a few tablespoons of jasmine rice (i was trying to free up a pot and it was a bit too much for the container...:))
banana
black coffee

¼lb cheeseburger/ onions & peppers (sauteed)
that was on top of ½ pizza bagel left over from yesterday.
iced tea

and i just had a bunch of steamed carrots, zucchini & broccoli with salt & butter.
in about an hour i'm going to have one of my snack packs (some choc covered almonds, sesame sticks and some puffy spicy things (that one i know since i make them up... ~250 kcal, ~6gms sugar) ... i have one of these maybe every 3-4 days.

that will probably end my eating window... about 4 hours today.
===============================================

a few days ago...
steel cut oatmeal (basic one serving)
3 egg (one yolk) cheese omelet w/ some leftover veg
coffee

reverse seared tri-tip steak (~8oz), sauteed onions/ peppers.
bagel w/ cream cheese
navel orange
small amount of raw sliced almonds with a cup of hot tea
===============================================

i use Sweet'n low in black coffee and tea... almond milk in hot tea... lemon in iced tea. you can read pro's and con's re: artificial sweeteners for hours and still not have any convincing evidence if they're good or bad while fasting. my feeling is that if it works for me, that's good enough for me... i don't use as much as many of the testers.... i find Sween'n low very sweet adding about ½pack in a 12 oz cup of tea or coffee.

severely cutting back sugar wasn't tough for me... i rarely ate dessert before i started this diet. things i have quit altogether... granola, yogurt, lactose milk, orange/ fruit juices, etc... stuff i used to think was good for me!
 
well i decided to make my yearly Christmas shortbread (though about ½ of the batch i usually make) and on top of that i did the math and it;s not as bad as i thought it would be. only three ingredients, so it wasn't that tough to calculate. below are the results. now my plan is to get it all out of the house as fast as i can! about half i'll send to my few remaining relatives and the rest i'll give away to friends. the bits i cut around the edges is what i usually keep for myself... :)

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i believe i will try to make a batch with almond flour. i've looked for it before and remember it being pricey, but once a year, what the...

if anyone has any advice on substituting nut flour for all-purpose flour, please feel free to leave a note.

thanks.
 
overlandflyer said:
hi Bella... i really do not keep track of calories or what % carbs/ fat/ protein i ingest daily. the best i can do is give you a few example days...

today...
med size avocado
a few tablespoons of jasmine rice (i was trying to free up a pot and it was a bit too much for the container...:))
banana
black coffee

¼lb cheeseburger/ onions & peppers (sauteed)
that was on top of ½ pizza bagel left over from yesterday.
iced tea

and i just had a bunch of steamed carrots, zucchini & broccoli with salt & butter.
in about an hour i'm going to have one of my snack packs (some choc covered almonds, sesame sticks and some puffy spicy things (that one i know since i make them up... ~250 kcal, ~6gms sugar) ... i have one of these maybe every 3-4 days.

that will probably end my eating window... about 4 hours today.
===============================================

a few days ago...
steel cut oatmeal (basic one serving)
3 egg (one yolk) cheese omelet w/ some leftover veg
coffee

reverse seared tri-tip steak (~8oz), sauteed onions/ peppers.
bagel w/ cream cheese
navel orange
small amount of raw sliced almonds with a cup of hot tea
===============================================

i use Sweet'n low in black coffee and tea... almond milk in hot tea... lemon in iced tea. you can read pro's and con's re: artificial sweeteners for hours and still not have any convincing evidence if they're good or bad while fasting. my feeling is that if it works for me, that's good enough for me... i don't use as much as many of the testers.... i find Sween'n low very sweet adding about ½pack in a 12 oz cup of tea or coffee.

severely cutting back sugar wasn't tough for me... i rarely ate dessert before i started this diet. things i have quit altogether... granola, yogurt, lactose milk, orange/ fruit juices, etc... stuff i used to think was good for me!
Click to expand...


Hello again

Thank you for explaining with details. I tried your approach today (eating without calculating calories throughout the eating window), my stomach ended up very satisfied but I realized when I "start" eating without calculating it beforehand, it's way too hard to stop eating.

About sugar, unfortunately, I have been a sugar addict almost all my life (I would wake up just to have my super sweet coffee with biscuits or chocolates) but about three months ago I decided that I know enough about it to just stop. and that was it, I quit it completely with no regrets and not looking back. some people might say it's about willpower but I know that's not my case. Thing is when you don't have sugar, you're not drawn to it anymore. and by not having it I mean not even artificial sweeteners. that's only my idea by the way.

Apart from quitting refined sugar, I watch other forms of sugar intake as well. I used to make a lot of natural fruit juice at home but not anymore because it's basically taking all the sugar out of fruits. I've also quit having natural honey, syrups, ... because they have the same effect on the body as any other form of sugar.
 
overlandflyer said:
i believe i will try to make a batch with almond flour. i've looked for it before and remember it being pricey, but once a year, what the...

if anyone has any advice on substituting nut flour for all-purpose flour, please feel free to leave a note.

thanks.
Click to expand...

I'm not familiar with "Christmas shortbread" specifically so what I'm about to say might not be proper for this kind, But I usually replace flour with two things, one is "fresh grated zucchini" and the second one, "dried grated coconut". Both work perfectly in cakes.
 
shortbread is a bit if a Christmas tradition in Scotland where my mom's side of the family is from. it's actually a good workout recipe. if you notice the only moist ingredient is butter, so adding those last two cups of flour really puts your arms through the paces.

i have my mom's cookie press, too, if i ever felt like going full blown Christmas cookie mode... makes those Christmas tree shapes, wreaths, reindeer (i think), etc, etc. after playing lake hockey all day, i suppose my body treated those treats much differently in my teens than they would today, though.

thanks for the sub tips... i'll have to try them with/ on something, but for the shortbread i think i'll start with a nut flour. i have read some other traditional recipes for shortbread that use rice flour, but i cannot see that being much different nutritionally than plain wheat flour.
 
This is fantastic. I am really interested in this method, and think it can help kickstart me into better habits. Good luck and I’ll be interested to keep reading how it goes for you!
 
disappointment of the day.... apple cider vinegar.

i watched a few videos that praised this for an ok beverage while fasting, but... *yuck* horrible stuff!!

i tried looking up recipes, but all so far combat the taste with forms of sugar.
if it's an "acquired" taste, sorry, but i believe i'll leave this one unacquired.
 
another month snapshot... still keeping up the pace apparently.
yesterday was a very low carb, no sugar, short eating day, but i'd reserve giving that too much credit....

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who says "beware the Ides!" ... :)
 
there is a nice side benefit of intermittent fasting that seems pretty obvious... more free time. i spend less time shopping, i spend less time preparing meals, i spend less time cleaning up, ... i spend less time eating. last week i roasted up a dozen chicken legs... that became three days worth of meals. today i broiled a steak but only ate half... tomorrow i might steam some vegetables, but the steak is already there as the main course. when i make oatmeal, i make a cup which takes 25 minutes, but i only eat a 1/3 and the next two days breakfast is 90 seconds in the microwave vs 30 minutes on the stove.

why it never seems like i have any spare time is another matter.
 
well, i made my first trip to the Y today and was bummed... they got rid of my favorite machine, an interactive rowing trainer. on a screen you could challenge computer generated rowers and watch the race in progress... oh well. i settled for a stationary bike for ½hour. 200 kcals... have to say i thought it would be more. but combined with the walk there and back (about 40 minutes total), it probably beat the alternative would would have been to do a few chores around the house.

one thing i believe i've finally run into is the point of little return being on intermittent fasting combined with little to no exercise. for the past 2-3 weeks i've been bobbing between 182 and 185. no reason i can't get to the Y seven days a week, but think i'll start a lot more slowly and not burn out.

i'm going to start throwing in more very, very low to zero carb days which should keep my insulin to glucagon ratio low enough to almost fool my body into staying in or at least close to fasting mode, and also toying with the idea of skipping a daily eating window completely. i discovered that the only med i need to take with food is an anti-inflammatory drug, and on better days, i can probably get away without taking it. gives a little different meaning to "no pain, no gain" ... :)
 
so i decided to skip my eating window today... just passed 24 hours and the best part is that i do not feel in the least bit hungry. not a new feeling, though... as i have mentioned, many days i have to remind myself to eat or it creeps into the afternoon screwing up the following day. for the moment i think i'll just skip this one day, but we'll see what tomorrow brings and perhaps reaccess things then.
 
not sure if there are similar things i can state with such certainty, but i'm 100% sure yesterday was the first day in over 65 years that i have gone 24+ hours without eating. so far this seems like a normal morning in which i've eaten the previous day, so i'll have to see how the rest of the morning goes. of course i feel like i could eat something, but it is definitely not an overwhelming factor. it may seem odd, but my concern is mostly not wanting to waste the leftovers from two days ago i was planning on eating yesterday. just passed 36 hours.
 
thought i would mention that i made no changes in my routine yesterday except that i was overly conscious about keeping hydrated and probably had 3-4 more pints of water than usual. that is, a few times during the day when i really wasn't thirsty, i quaffed a pint or so. the only other fasting beverage i'm using overall is black coffee with sweetener. i use Sweet'n Low (sodium saccharin) and have even cut back on that a bit. i use less than one pack in a 20oz glass.

i swore i wouldn't weigh myself during this extended fast, but i just couldn't help myself this morning.... 181.5 lbs (82.3 kg). ...so far so good.
 
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