Carol, congrats on hiting that new low. I am 2 lbs over what I was 7 years ago, but the weight is in different places, Awful when your body hurts so much that you can't sleep. My daughter bought a mattress topper for her bed as the chemo makes her hurt all over.
Trish. I have been using stevia for years, I use it in everything for sweetener. I haven't done my bike for at least a week again. I would much rather walk around outside and work in the yard, but I know it doesn't work my knee like bikin.

I made it through day 1 of IF. Timing was good for me as I was so tired on Sunday that I ate dinner around 3 pm and nothing after that. I had my first meal yesterday a little after 12:00 so I had a 21 hr fast, I had my second meal by 3pm so I will try to repeat that again today. Scale showed the exact same as yesterday, I always tell myself to be prepared for it to be 4 lbs higher so it was really nice to see the same. I took in 1200 calories and had a really nice 2 meals. the 2MD is awesome because I can afford to have quite a bit of good food and still keep carbs and calories under control. I was very satisfied with my food. I think I can do it today because i am planning on repeating yesterdays food, but I want to get in more steps.

HI all, 153 this am. I had a terrible sleep, about 3 hours of sleep then woke up with gut pain. It did not resolve after a BM, and I didn't get back to sleep until after 5 am, but then had another 2 hours. % hours of broken sleep does not seem like much in the light of day. I sure wish I could nap like Carol.
Carol: I am delighted about your loss, looks like IF really agrees with you.
Ann: I hope you are doing well it sounds like IF is ok for you as well, and I hope you see some shift.
Trish: I don't "clean fast" at all. I was never able to give up tea, but I can't do it without milk or cream.
so LOL, I use cream in my tea. Its enough fat that I wind up having about 100 calories of a "fat fast" on fasting days. Its all in the am, but I have been adding in some MCT oil later in the day when i remember to take it.
We are going to try to fix the BBQ today. we have sausages we want to cook for supper today. The upper cabinets in the kitchen are out, and we are going to take down the pantry today. Will wait a bit to do the lower cabinets, until closer to the day, because they have the sink etc.

Its warming to double digits today (expecting 11 or 12 C) with some sun. Have a good day everyone.

Mad I did a conversion and that's still not warm enough for me. I like 21. 70, Right?

I can't nap at will. It seems that this recliner is magic. If I'm watching tv and the chair is just in the right position I'm gone. Sometimes its a show i really wanted to see. One night I couldn't sleep so I came out to sit in my recliner but no, still couldn't fall asleep. These chairs were not expensive. Under $300. I wanted lift chairs in case we ever needed them and was surprised to see that feature at such a low price. The only bad thing is they are a bit short. DHs feet hang over. I told him he could wait and get a bigger one but he said No.

I switched to black coffee years ago. I never used sweetener. There for a while I was using sugar free powdered creamer in Caramel. Once they stopped making it in Caramel I tried French Vanilla but it wasn't the same and I decided it wasn't worth it, so I'm back to black. It raises my blood sugar some so I guess I'm caffeine sensitive. I rarely drink it after 10 AM.

I am waiting for DH to get up for us to go to the store. Still fasting and will probably end up getting about 23 hr fast by the time I eat today. I can drink the black coffee with liquid stevia instead of powdered and it tastes fine. Weight was back to 183 this morning very thankful for that. Plus, I've done all my exercise today even 20 minutes on the bike so walking around the store will be extra. I plan to at least do 3 days on that bike each week.

Ann, Glad you did well with your first day of IF. I read in this P:E Diet that if you start with 3 meals no snacks, then cut down to 2MAD etc that it will become easier to eventually to EF. If I can do the longer fasting times with no indigestion, I don't think I will have any problems with doing longer ones although I don't see me going longer than 23 or 24 hrs at a time.

Carol Sue, That was a good price on that recliner. I don't think I've ever seen one that low priced.

Fatmad, BBQ sounds really good. I think I will look for some ribs at the store today for us to have BBQ one day this week.

I made leiv chicken yesterday. Not sure I spelled it right. My chicken breasts were too thick though. I didn't track yesterday because not sure how to count something like that. DH saw it on YouTube and wanted to try it. The breading was good but not sure it was good for our bs as mine us up some today even with the fasting. He asked me last night if I could make it without the breading. Whew, am I glad as I had just been thinking that I bet it would be just as good without.

Read some more in the P:E Diet book yesterday and he says that whether you do lowfat or lowcarb or a combo that it will work if you do IF along with it, but that low carb is better. He also say to keep your diet plan especially IF flexible. It works just as well if you switch up how your fasting hrs are. I think that is what has made Fatmad so successful at this is that you are flexible to make it fit your lifestyle Mad.

Hope everybody has a great day.

Correction, kiev chicken not liev.

Trish, I don't think I will ever go to long term fasting over 24 hours. I did IF when I was stalled on WW and it jump started me. I am doing it now for same reason. 19/5 is about all I will plan for, yesterday and today was 21 but it just worked out that way, I read somewhere that having under 500 calories a day is a 'fast' and it is done every other day. I guess most anything will work if it has sense behind it and you can live with it. Back in the 70's my brother went to the Dr and he gave him a diet that was unlike anything we had ever heard of. It was Dr Flo's Diet, some similarities to Atkins so I have wondered if he sort of copied that, but the odd part is that you have to fast for 48 hours to start. You can have coffee or tea with just artificial sweeteners and dill pickles. Then he had two list A and B. You could chose 4 a day from the A list-non startch veggies and berries, and 2 from the B list-peas, bananas, and such. I don't remember the amounts if bread, milk, or protein, but you had to have 2 Tablespoons of corn oil per day. He dropped 30 lbs in 6 weeks, but he was also in his 20's.


I am sticking with low carb, calorie controlled and healthy food- my two guilty pleasures are 2 slices of bacon on an turkey roll up and my keto ice cream.

Carol, I can only nap if I am sick, My dad used to sit and close his eyes and doze off in minutes, anywhere, any time, it used to make my mother so mad. I bought a lazy boy reclining sofa and loveseat a year ago.. My old couch was too hard to get out of and the footrest is so nice for my achy knees. Worth every penny,

Mad, I use coconut oil for cooking for the MCT's. I dont' take as a supplement, I haven't even taken my vitamins for weeks, I just don't think of it.

Ann, I remember a diet back in the 70s or 80s that started with a 2 day fast but that's all I remember about it.

Today I had <800 calories but 77 carbs. I feel hungry but it might go away. If not I will eat tuna. I already added the tuna to MFP so it would accept my entry.

Today DH tried to move the burn barrel. It was too heavy. Now he's lying down and I'm worried. He's too old to do things like that with his medical problems.

Ann, I plan to only do 2MAD between 3ish and 7ish each day. I ended up with a 22 1/2 hr clean fast because we ate an hour earlier than usual. Since I was able to make it today with the clean fast this tells me that I can do it which makes me believe that a 19 to 20 hr clean fast should be easy for me to do everyday. A longer fast just isn't all that interesting to me. I want this to be a lifestyle for me. Not just another diet.

Carol Sue, I hope your DH is feeling better. We do have to learn that we can't do all the things we did when we were younger.

BS and her DH finally got a house to rent and they came with one of their son's and DIL to get the freezer, It is really strange how we can forget we can't do what we used to do. DBIL and DN went to lift it into the back of the truck and I caught myself just in time to stop myself from bending down tdoo help them lift iti into the truck. Just before I bent down to do it, i suddenly remembered that I can't do those things any more.

I've had a good eating day. We ended up eating earlier than usual so I had a 5 hr eating window. All is good.

Mad and Trish, I wasn't aware of clean fast vs dirty fast. I had to look it up So I am doing clean fast, I have herbal tea with stevia and nothing else other than water. Funny I guess if I had kept up the coffee with creamer and no food it might still have been a fast of the dirty kind. I think I do better with strict rules so I will do the clean fast. I recall reading an article about fasting every other day but you can have up to 500 calories a day, I just can't wrap my head around that being a fast. It is a super low cal day, sort of like that old Rotation diet from the 80's where you only diet 3 days a week. Was supposed to keep your metabolism up and still lose weight. Gosh, weight loss is so complicated, so many theories. I just think it is best to find a food plan you can work into your life and not feel deprived so you don't go off the rails when you hit goal. like I have done 10 times.

Scale was down .2 this am, still happy about that, I will continue my clean fast from 3pm yesterday until 11 this morning. When I go to boyfriend's house or we go out to a 7pm dinner it will change, but I don't think I have to do this 7 days a week, I do find it hard to stop something when I get into the groove of it.

My daughter and her daughters will come up here on Saturday while I am at craft fair and take care of Otis, feed him his lunch and dinner and hang out with him, It will give her a chance to relax and take the girls out walking and taking picures. Kelly is an amazing photographer and I swear she is a wild animal magnet, She drives around and just happens on bear, moose, bald eagles. owls, and gets their pictures.

Carol. I hope DH back is better

Hi all, doing well. I got the BBQ working and we had the sausages for supper, along with some fresh raw veggies. All good. I stuck to plan quite well yesterday.
We went to Lowes and ordered and got the rest of the stuff for the kitchen. The cabinets will be delivered whenever we want them in the next two weeks. So we will move things around in the dining and living rooms to get stuff in. Its both exciting and tiring to think of. The thing is that once we remove the sink we won't have that for a couple of weeks. Our thought is to go to the cottage during some of that time. Should be fun.
Today is nail day.

I hope the IF is working for others, I am pretty happy with things. I really want to keep going with what I am doing for a few more weeks and get well into the 140s.
I think seasonal diet theory says that late winter and early spring is the perfect time to lose weight, as we are programmed to use up the fat we stored for "hibernation" in the colder weather.
Might not work in warmer climates. I read about seasonal diet theory in Penn Gillette's book. Part of what he did was "trick" his body with exposure to cold etc. I gave that book away, but its available at the library I bet!

well, time to walk with Buddy.
Have a good day everyone

Funny, Ann, but I am currently rereading The Alternate Day diet. JUDDD. Reading diet books seems to increase my compliance even though I am not following said diet. The calculation for up day down day is down day is 20% of your normal calorie level. Up day is eat to satisfaction. Some people eat more than 20% on DD and some fast completely. YMMV. Some people don't do it for weight loss but for lowering inflammation. Some were able to get off asthma meds, for example. I did it for a while and did well but DH never got used to my DD. It is not a complete fast except for those not eating on DD. There is no autophagy. But I believe autophagy only occurs in an extended fast, anyway. There are still health benefits.

My fasts are probably clean because I only have black coffee, but they are not a water fast. I could do a water fast because I do it a few times a year for lab work. But I prefer to have my coffee. I find a nice hot black coffee very satisfying in the morning. Sometimes I go to bed thinking about my morning coffee.

Right now I am very strong in my resolve. I don't know where this is coming from or how long it will last but I'm going to try to take advantage of it and build on it. Maybe it has something to do with what MAD said about spring. I seem to have a fresh new outlook. I don't really have an eating plan. Nothing is off limits, and even my fasting is not on a set schedule. The weight is not falling off, but its coming down. I was in the 200s, then in the 190s, and now the 180s. And I basically hold my losses except for minor fluctuations. And I do this with very little deprivation. In my life I have only gained. No substantial loss, ever. No offense to anyone, but once I lose it I don't ever want to gain it back. I know, I know, no one loses with the intention of gaining it back. I guess what I'm saying is I don't want to white-knuckle myself down lower than I can stay long term. I'm a little afraid to say this but I haven't done any compulsive overeating in a while. I can't remember when. Weeks maybe? I've had things like ice cream but it was a planned portion and within my calorie limit. Even a few times when I thought I had really gone overboard I tracked and was within my range. So maybe I've beaten that bad habit, or at least its in remission. So I feel good about myself and I'm happy with the way things are going, which is better than I was a while back.

Today I had brunch around noon and plan to have dinner around 3:30 or 4 pm. I've been hungry for liver and onions so that is the menu for today. Calories are planned to be under 1200 and net carbs less than 50 grams. I don't know if balancing the fat, carb and protein ratio is important or even helps but I will try to balance them most days, but don't want to get into strict rules. However, I do think I do better if I eat earlier in the day rather than eating in the evenings because I seem to psychologically think that means I can snack/graze. So will center on 2MAD most days between noonish and 4 ish. Still shooting for no more than a 4 to 6 hr eating window.

Weight up .2 lbs today which isn't unusually with McDs plus the chips I had with it. Doesn't seem to matter whether I have the chips or French fries as the result is always the same.

Carol Sue, I really don't want to have any foods off limit either because that sets me up for disaster. I have to say that I don't like losing weight as slowly as I do and I really don't like losing down into a new set of 10s and hanging around there in what seems forever, but I suspect that is better for us. I was in 210s then 200s, 190s and now 180s for so long. It feels like they are teasing me letting me see the 170s once in a while to only say "nope not yet". However, I think it really allows our bodies to adjust before we see it for longer periods of time. I've decided I'd rather lose the weight this way and keep it off than to lose weight really fast like I've done in the past and gain it back.

Ann, I don't know how many times I've lost weight to only gain it back. My goal is for this to be the time that I will reach goal and stay there. I agree with you about learning to do what works for us individually. My favorite doctor was my SC doc and he told me that any diet would work. He said the key is finding the one you can live with. It looks like I have bounced around on a lot of different diets, but what I have actually done is I have tweaked and experimented to the place that I have finally found a way of eating that I can not only live with but also allow it to become a lifestyle for me as well.

Fatmad, I've always felt you have done that with your way of eating and you still are my inspiration that this can be done. You have certain guidelines you have to follow to be GF but you have made it flexible to fit your lifestyle and it is your own personal plan.

I feel the same way as the rest of y'all right now. I think spring makes us feel good about our lives as everything is coming alive things are new. I feel more empowered by my plan than I have in a long time. I've got my own personal plan of eating along with my exercise routine and I am ready to just let things fall into place. I know that no mather what I do that it works slowly for me so I have decided that I just need to learn to relax and "enjoy" the journey. I still enjoy my favorite SF vanilla creamer in my coffee so it will be something I will enjoy having during my eating window, but during fasting window I will drink the black coffee with stevia so my fasts will be clean. Some say autophagy starts after 12 hrs and some say 24 hrs. I don't know which is true, but in order to get the optimal benefits of my fasts, I will keep them clean.

Have a nice day everybody.

Well sprinkling here off and on 53 deg but windy. This morning I went shopping to pick up things for my canopy tent at the fair. I got a heavy canvas bag to put tools in, Then I decided to use my GPS to find the place it will be held. I sort of know the area, but the GPS took me to a dead end road and said i was at my destination, it was soo not. I ended up turning around twice but I found it. So glad I didn't wait until Sat morning, I am a bit nervous about this fair. The 3 I did last fall I had my daughter there so I could leave and use the bathroom and had someone to talk to. I am going to really try and chat up fellow vendors as well as customers and make the best of it. I did a test run of getting the canopy up alone and while I struggled a bit, I can do it. I am getting my items packed into totes, signs printed, prices figured out.
I had my first meal around 12:30 I made a large burger with 93% lean, just had some SF ketchup with it then some pistachio, I am done eating for the day. Something didn't settle and I don't want to add to it.

I do agree with spring making us feel hopeful and motivated. Warmer weather and longer days help me to get outside and doing things.

Ann, Hope you are feeling better.

I have done better today with my eating. Eating window was 4 hrs and now I'm within my fasting window. So far even the exercises I plan on doing up to this point has been done. This makes me feel good about myself and my plan.

Trish, you are doing so welll on your exercise. you put me to shame. I have such a hard time getting myself into a routine to do a scheduled exercise. I was doing the bike religiously during winter and I really do think that along with the weight loss it helped my knees, If it is decent weather out, I would much rather putter in the yard, pick up sticks, rake leaves. and see what I can make in my workshop.

Carol, I am glad your resolve is so strong, I would imagine it is more difficult to stay on plan when you have foods in the house that you don't want to tempt you and a DH who offers you food you had not planned on. I like spring too, it is like a rebirth and a chance to do things better. I always have a lot of melancholy in the fall, i love the weather and the colorful leaves but I dread the winter and being cooped up.

Mad, good luck with the kitchen, losing the sink was the worst. I bought 2 small plastic totes and used them for washing dishes. I think I was without it for 6 weeks. I used paper plates and microwave food, but I still had my coffee pot and other items. I got home from work every day and worked on the kitchen until bed time. I wanted to save the cabinets up over my sink in a nook, but they were built ins done in the 40's and I saved the doors, but I had to cut all the cabinets to get them out. Nothing fancy but I was hoping to use in my garage.

I am doing a happy dance this am. I was a bit worred about the scale this morning due to the salt from the pistachios I ate yesterday. I was more than pleasantly surprised to see that I am down another 1.6 lb since Monday, So far this gives me a 2.6 lb loss for April. I am just half a pound from a 25 lb total loss!!!! I just bought myself a gift. I have a number of powertools that run on battery and they are so convenient. I have a chain saw but it is a really big one and heavy and I am a little afraid of it, so I bought myself a Dewalt battery powered chainsaw, It came yesterday and i can't wait to play with it. It will cut up to a 10" branch or tree, I am goin to use it for trimming brush, will be less work than using loppers. I also watched a Youtube video of a guy cutting thin slices from a 4:inch branch and making coasters from them so I might try that. I need to stop adding crafts and hobbies. I made 3 wooden tic tac toe boards yesterday, I need to frame them up and polyurethane them. Hoping they sell.

IF is really working and I am quite happy with the process. The first 3 days this week, I have showered and gone out to run errands in the morning just getting back home around noonish, But I don't think today will be an issue as I have a lot to get done. I plan out my first meal and really look forward to it. Only have 2MAD is nice as I can have a little bigger/better meal. A little bacon on my turkey sandwich, a little butter on my dinner veggie.

Today we had to take Rusty for a haircut at 9 am. It is 5 minutes away and I just throw on anything. I figured I would wake up early like I always do and enjoy coffee until its time to go. Didn't happen that way. DH got up and woke me at 7:15 but my body wasn't ready to get up. I started to fall back to sleep but forced myself to get up at 7:45. Really dragging. I probably could have slept for a couple more hours. After the haircut we went out for breakfast and I won't need to eat the rest of the day. I'm really tired and freezing. Its chilly and raining and that makes me chilled to the bone.

Ann, with your activities I don't think you have to be concerned about formal exercise. Our ancestors didn't exercise but they had an active physical lifestyle. Its the newer laid back lifestyle, like mine, that necessitates exercise.

Trish, I think what we experience is a weight setpoint, the weight your body automatically wants to return to. As you go from 200s to 190s you keep bouncing back to 200 for awhile until your body accepts 190s as the new set point. It takes time. Then the same thing happens as you head toward 180s. Its slower but your body is more willing to accept the lower weight. When someone quickly drops a lot of weight its easy for them to gain it back because the body is not ready to accept the new weight that soon. This is my opinion so maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm just trying to justify my slow loss.

I will try to find the information I read about fasting and when autophagy starts.