Fitness Fellowship 2023: Week 25 Check-in
Jun. 18th, 2023 01:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sylvanwitchGreetings from the finally seasonal region of the world I call my home. The sun's out, the temperatures are moderate, and the air is breathable! Huzzah!
How has the week been for you? Have you had fitness challenges and/or successes? What are your plans for the week to come? Please know that you are always welcome to join us and to comment only as and when you'd like.
Wednesday, I hit my highest weight since 2020 and realized I had to make a change, or I would just continue to gain or, at best, hold steady at a point where I'm experiencing physical consequences for my weight gain.
So, I looked up intermittent fasting, which I'd read about before and which I know some of you have also tried/are trying, and I decided to give it a go on Thursday. So, since Thursday, I've been fasting 12:12 (12-hour fasting window, 12-hour eating window). In actual practice, it's more like 15:9. I tend to fast for longer and eat for fewer hours than 12:12. I think I'm working toward 16:8, which is the sort of "gold standard" of IF, but since I'm new to it and since I've had some unhealthy attitudes toward fasting in the past, I figured I'd start with something closer to my usual habits.
And so far, it seems to be working pretty well. I've had various intestinal discomforts as a result of the change, but those are normal and not likely to last once my body adjusts. The worst is being hungry later at night when I'm reading and when I usually reached for sunflower seeds or popcorn. Instead, I've been making decaf tea, and the hot liquid does seem to help lessen the pangs.
I haven't been "dieting", per se, during the eating window, though of course, I am still watching what I eat. I've been focusing on preparing my own food and on eating lots of high fiber content to help feel full, a sensation I'm trying to make last through those aforementioned temptation hours.
The result so far is that I've lost more than a pound since Thursday, even with having a splurge meal of Indian takeout last night. I've been eating more mindfully and not consuming nearly as much processed food and/or snacks and desserts. I've been trying to pack my meals with legumes, nuts, whole grains, fruits, and veggies.
I've also continued to exercise and hydrate as per normal, and I've found that my sleep has been better the last couple of nights. I've also practiced mindful breathing (boxing my breath) several times this week. I'm finding it very comforting.
So, for the week ahead, I'm going to continue with the intermittent fasting, continue focusing on fresh, whole foods and homemade meals, and continue with the exercise, hydration, and meditation/spiritual practices.
I'm sending you all the good vibes for health and fitness in the week ahead, my friends!
How has the week been for you? Have you had fitness challenges and/or successes? What are your plans for the week to come? Please know that you are always welcome to join us and to comment only as and when you'd like.
Wednesday, I hit my highest weight since 2020 and realized I had to make a change, or I would just continue to gain or, at best, hold steady at a point where I'm experiencing physical consequences for my weight gain.
So, I looked up intermittent fasting, which I'd read about before and which I know some of you have also tried/are trying, and I decided to give it a go on Thursday. So, since Thursday, I've been fasting 12:12 (12-hour fasting window, 12-hour eating window). In actual practice, it's more like 15:9. I tend to fast for longer and eat for fewer hours than 12:12. I think I'm working toward 16:8, which is the sort of "gold standard" of IF, but since I'm new to it and since I've had some unhealthy attitudes toward fasting in the past, I figured I'd start with something closer to my usual habits.
And so far, it seems to be working pretty well. I've had various intestinal discomforts as a result of the change, but those are normal and not likely to last once my body adjusts. The worst is being hungry later at night when I'm reading and when I usually reached for sunflower seeds or popcorn. Instead, I've been making decaf tea, and the hot liquid does seem to help lessen the pangs.
I haven't been "dieting", per se, during the eating window, though of course, I am still watching what I eat. I've been focusing on preparing my own food and on eating lots of high fiber content to help feel full, a sensation I'm trying to make last through those aforementioned temptation hours.
The result so far is that I've lost more than a pound since Thursday, even with having a splurge meal of Indian takeout last night. I've been eating more mindfully and not consuming nearly as much processed food and/or snacks and desserts. I've been trying to pack my meals with legumes, nuts, whole grains, fruits, and veggies.
I've also continued to exercise and hydrate as per normal, and I've found that my sleep has been better the last couple of nights. I've also practiced mindful breathing (boxing my breath) several times this week. I'm finding it very comforting.
So, for the week ahead, I'm going to continue with the intermittent fasting, continue focusing on fresh, whole foods and homemade meals, and continue with the exercise, hydration, and meditation/spiritual practices.
I'm sending you all the good vibes for health and fitness in the week ahead, my friends!
Re: intermittent fasting
Date: Wednesday, 21 June 2023 03:56 am (UTC)Exactly. And it's actually hard to eat five daily "vegetables" as defined by that old Richard Simmons' diet without a lot of planning. Corn, peas, and potatoes count as "starch" not vegetables. Beans could count as either "protein" or "starch" (it was optional which of those two categories you counted them in). Cucumbers and lettuce count as "freebies" (eat as much as you want, but they don't count toward your daily veggie intake). So I'd find myself eating a lot of extra carrots and tomatoes late in the evening when it would dawn on me that I'd made it to dinner time (again) without being close to my veggie target.
(I've been eating so unhealthily lately, that my current goal is just anything healthy, but maybe I'll be able to work myself back up to the 5-veggie-a-day goal.)
I made a pot of bean soup today and have enough leftovers for at least two more days. I'm pleased that I've got something that actually tastes good that is cheap to make.
Re: intermittent fasting
Date: Wednesday, 21 June 2023 06:09 pm (UTC)Making a pot of tasty soup or a veggie lasagne or veggie curry or something is a good way to way to get around that issue of being too tired to cook the next night and also increasing your vegetable intake. Those sorts of meals always taste better on day 2 anyway. They're cheap to make too.
I feel for you and the struggles you're having. Good luck with your 5-veggie-a-day goal. It's a good goal. I've got a vegetarian cookbook called Vegetable Kingdom, which I think is such a great title. There really is a kingdom of vegetables. I'm not vegetarian myself but since my partner turned vegetarian it's changed the way I cook and think about food. I don't try to *be* vegetarian, just to eat more vegetables and beans and pulses.