I remembered to get on the scale today and I have had zero weight gain despite this past weekend. Amazing! So, I am still down 21 lbs after 11 weeks of alternate day fasting. I don't have any body composition data to work with, but I have got to think a good portion of my weight loss must be fat versus water, or I would have certainly gained back some of the pounds.
My achievement of the day was surviving wedding errands with my brother, despite almost killing him when he got lost in the rain with my wedding dress while his cellphone was dead. Bridezilla made a short appearance when he somehow walked past the store while I was paying for parking and could not be found at the dress fitting appointment we were already late for. Now that the dress has been fitted, I need to try not to lose too much weight, as she says everything in the bust and waist fits perfectly and suggested I keep a little extra space (since apparently stressed brides tend to retain water according to her, plus I should try to eat at my own wedding).
After running errands, I relaxed with Zach and my brother with some hard cider and enjoyed some beef stew I made in the slow cooker this morning. I am looking forward to the leftovers for tomorrow's fast day.
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| The remaining stew after Zach and my brother ate most of it and drank all the broth. I should have taken an earlier photo, oops! |
Takes 7-9 hours on low to cook, prep time is only 5-10 minutes
The slow cooker was the best joint purchase Zach and I have ever made. If you don't have one, I highly recommend getting one to improve your overall quality of life. Ours was $30 or $40 at Costco and we have never regretted the purchase.
- 1 large onion, chopped (I used a yellow onion) ~60 kcal
- 6 red potatoes, eyes taken out and quartered ~714 kcal
- 1 lb mushrooms, sliced (I used white mushrooms) ~107 kcal
- 3 medium carrots with their leafy tops, sliced and greens chopped ~116 kcal
- 2.5 lbs of cubed beef chunks for stew ~1,400 kcal
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce ~10 kcal
- 1 14 oz. can of beef broth ~10 kcal
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary ~2 kcal
- 1 tsp dried parsley ~1 kcal
- 1/2 tsp paprika ~3 kcal
- pepper, to taste ~1 kcal
- salt to taste
In the slow cooker, add onions and carrots. Top with potatoes, mushrooms, beef, and carrot tops. Add Worcestershire sauce, spices, and beef broth.
Cover the crock pot and set to low and cook for 7-9 hours until the beef is cooked through and tender. Eat!
Feel free to add celery to this. I avoided it as I am newly allergic to it.
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI just want to tell you how much I have been enjoying your blog. I've been reading it for a couple of months and your early entries and success encouraged me to try the alternate day fasting as well, along with Michael Mosley's documentary.
I have been looking for a way to lose weight that I can stick with, plus, like your fiance, Alzheimer's runs in the family.
So far I lost about 8 lbs, doing a 5:2 fasting schedule, but I think I gained another 2 lbs back after a long, sleep deprived trip to a weekend music festival (where many beers were drunk). I have also noticed that my appetite really accelerates when I don't get enough sleep and I get major cravings for sweets, too.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading more of your funny and well-written posts.
Cheers,
Anna (from the SF Bay Area)
Thanks for the kind words, Anna. I am glad you are seeing success on 5:2. I easily can fluxuate a couple of pounds within a day, so don't let that get you down. :)
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