Week 13 Summary

Day 93, Feast Day #52

I have been very bad at actually alternate day fasting these past couple of weeks and have ended up just 5:2ing. Birthday parties and the bachelorette party last week have been followed by my own Independence Day party and spending an evening at the Seattle International Beer Festival. All of my feasting and ludicrous amounts of refined grains and alcohol has set me back 2 lbs total. My net weight loss is down to 19 lbs over 13 weeks. This is still 19 lbs I am proud to not be carrying anymore, but gaining back weight is still irritating, especially since it is directly related to my recent pleasure eating and drinking.

Another set back this week is being on a 10-day course of antibiotics. I am one of those people that can get really nauseous when taking oral antibiotics, and the doctor said I should take these ones with a meal, twice a day, to avoid stomach irritation. (The doctor also confirmed I likely have a celery allergy based on the mouth numbing I noticed previously). For days now, I have been eating regardless of actual hunger in the morning to make sure my medicine stays down. Ugh. Just yesterday, I had intended to do a fast day, but ended up doing a medium calorie day. The awkward 953 calories is far too high to be a fast day, but too low to be a normal day of eating.

Here are the numbers for the past week including two days of the bachelorette party and my July 4th party:

Calories

Week 1: 1,437 kcal or 76% of baseline calories (-3,213 kcal/week)

Week 2: 1,938 kcal or 102% of baseline calories (+294 kcal/week)

Week 3: 1,680 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,512 kcal/week)

Week 4: 2,196 kcal or 116% of baseline calories (+2,100 kcal/week)

Week 5: 1,829 kcal or 96% of baseline calories (-469 kcal/week)

Week 6: 1,531 kcal or 81% of baseline calories (-2,555 kcal/week)

Week 7: 1,954 kcal or 103% of baseline calories (+406 kcal/week)

Week 8: 1,196 kcal or 63% of baseline calories (-4,900 kcal/week)

Week 9: 1,638 kcal or 86% of baseline calories (-1,806 kcal/week)

Week 10: 1,637 kcal or 86% of baseline calories (-1,813 kcal/week)

Week 11: 1,681 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,505 kcal/week)

Week 12*: 2,108 kcal or 111% of baseline calories (+1,484 kcal/week)

Week 13*: 2,649 kcal or 140% of baseline calories (+5,271 kcal/week)

While ADFing: 1,806 kcal or 95% of baseline calories

Baseline Days: 1,896 kcal

All Feast Days: 2,857 kcal or 151% of baseline calories

All Fast Days: 448 kcal or 24% of baseline calories

For reference

Week 1: 3 feast days, 4 fast days

Week 2: 4 feast days, 3 fast days

Week 3: 4 feast days, 1 medium day, 1 fast day (I re-categorized my "faux-fast" as a medium day)

Week 4: 4 feast days, 3 fast days

Week 5: 4 feast days, 3 fast days

Week 6: 3 feast days, 4 fast days

Week 7: 4 feast days, 3 fast days, 

Week 8: 3 feast days, 4 fast days

Week 9: 4 feast days, 3 fast days

Week 10: 4 feast days, 3 fast days

Week 11: 4 feast days, 3 fast days

Week 12: 5 feast days, 2 fast days*

Week 13: 5 feast days, 2 fast days*

*Includes days during my bachelorette party weekend.

As you can see, my 13th week was a record-breaker in calorie consumption. I also broke records in average carbohydrate consumption (224 grams/day) and sugar consumption (85 grams/day). It's no wonder I feel so gross in the aftermath of all this. My insides are probably coated in molasses and all of the good bacteria that were once living happily in my body are now dead. 

I have been partying in a land of carbs.

Check out the cool food landscapes by Carl Warner.

I will attempt to fast again tomorrow and just eat something light in the morning while avoiding my normal morning coffee (which can upset my stomach). Hopefully I don't end up going overboard when the need for my second meal kicks in. Eating two tiny meals is far more difficult for me than eating one filling meal. Getting back on the wagon is tough!

Guest Post: Low Calorie Eating on Vacation

by Cole Millen

Watching calories for your healthy lifestyle is difficult throughout the year, and going on vacation can often derail progress. However, it is actually easy to stay consistent with healthy habits while on vacation; all it requires is a some planning and research.

At the start of the trip, it is important to plan ahead and have an idea of what healthy options will be available while traveling. Make sure to eat breakfast before heading to the airport so that you won't be hungry. This will allow you to know exactly how many calories that you are putting into your body. At the airport itself, it may seem overwhelming to have so many food options, but stick to the plan. While you are waiting for a flight try to walk around and take the stairs instead of the escalator to burn some easy calories. Pick something like, like a salad or pieces of vegetables to get you through the flight. During the flight itself, avoid alcoholic and sugary beverages, as they contain empty calories. Stick to water as this will keep you hydrated and alert without adding any calories to your body.

Once you have arrived at your vacation location, it is important to scope out the area to see what options are available. Many travelers rely on using the mini-bar for snacks, but they are often filled with calorie-laden treats. A better idea is to stop at a local store or the hotel gift shop and pick up the options that you know you can eat without going over your limit. You can also select options like oatmeal or soup if there is a microwave in the room. Careful planning will help to ensure that you make healthy choices.

Determining information and amenities about hotels and restaurants can often be difficult but can inevitable be the difference maker in staying around your calorie limits. I recently took a trip to Sin City and found a great site that listed reviews for the amenities and services of each of the Las Vegas hotels and restaurants that made eat easier than ever to plan out every aspect. This allowed me to ensure that I could maintain my calorie count the exact way that I wanted to.

Since it is a vacation, you will most likely go out to eat for a number of meals, and the best way to make good choices is to have a good sense of the menu. Before selecting a restaurant, do some research; many restaurants will include menus and calorie counts on their websites, so spend some time taking a look through the options. Seek out locations that offer very lean proteins, such as fish or chicken, as well as a variety of soups and salads.

Once you've entered the restaurant, take a closer look at the menu and consider any specials for the evening. Make sure to avoid any descriptions that include words like creamy, fried, breaded, or buttered, as these items are often unhealthy. If you plan to eat a salad, try it without the salad and you could be eating a virtually calorie less meal. In terms of side dishes, pick a variety of vegetables. A good dinner option might include a chicken breast with the skin removed, a salad, and a side of vegetables. Finally, avoid the dessert menu at all costs. Even though the choices sound delicious, it is more important to keep up your healthy habits.

While eating healthy on vacation may seem difficult, careful planning can help travelers make smart choices. Planning ahead and having a number of alternative options is beneficial to keep your diet on track. Similarly, being conscious of your choices will help as well. Keeping these ideas in mind will lead to a healthy, successful trip.

Cole Millen, is an avid traveler and foodie who never forgets that life's best memories are made through real life apprehension of legitimate "experiences." Follow his blog at Cole’s Mill.

Week 11 Summary

Day 80, Fast Day #37

I had another triple feast this weekend on account of a retirement party, dining out, and drinking with the future in-laws. Today was a needed fast day after my weekend bender of Mexican food, cured meats, and beer. About 1/3 of my calories on Saturday were from alcohol alone.  That is pretty gross. Alcohol is clearly one of the main reasons I gained so much weight over the last few years.

I was not hungry at all today. I ate a large handful of salted pistachios late in the morning after some black coffee, part of a grapefruit, a pack of roasted seaweed, kombucha, and my multivitamin for 245 calories total. I didn't feel hungry all day. I broke my fast with a good amount of food at happy hour with the office girls and indulged in a couple glasses of wine. 

I forgot to weigh myself his morning, since I was running late to work. I probably don't want to know the numbers anyway after so much feasting over the weekend plus some hormonal water retention. I feel like a blimp right now, despite the loose jeans and belt on the last notch. On to the numbers:

Calories
Week 1: 1,437 kcal or 76% of baseline calories (-3,213 kcal/week)
Week 2: 1,938 kcal or 102% of baseline calories (+294 kcal/week)
Week 3: 1,680 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,512 kcal/week)
Week 4: 2,196 kcal or 116% of baseline calories (+2,100 kcal/week)
Week 5: 1,829 kcal or 96% of baseline calories (-469 kcal/week)
Week 6: 1,531 kcal or 81% of baseline calories (-2,555 kcal/week)
Week 7: 1,954 kcal or 103% of baseline calories (+406 kcal/week)
Week 8: 1,196 kcal or 63% of baseline calories (-4,900 kcal/week)
Week 9: 1,638 kcal or 86% of baseline calories (-1,806 kcal/week)
Week 10: 1,637 kcal or 86% of baseline calories (-1,813 kcal/week)
Week 11: 1,681 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,505 kcal/week)

While ADFing: 1,702 kcal or 90% of baseline calories
Baseline Days: 1,896 kcal

All Feast Days: 2,782 kcal or 147% of baseline calories
All Fast Days*: 471 kcal or 25% of baseline calories

For reference
Week 1: 3 feast days, 4 fast days
Week 2: 4 feast days, 3 fast days
Week 3: 4 feast days, 3 fast days*
Week 4: 4 feast days, 3 fast days
Week 5: 4 feast days, 3 fast days
Week 6: 3 feast days, 4 fast days
Week 7: 4 feast days, 3 fast days, 
Week 8: 3 feast days, 4 fast days
Week 9: 4 feast days, 3 fast days
Week 10: 4 feast days, 3 fast days
Week 11: 4 feast days, 3 fast days
*Includes faux-fast day that was my mama's birthday dinner.


I have been eating in this 80-something% of my baseline calories for awhile now. I hope that means I am leveling off in terms of my sky-high calorie feast days. However, this upcoming 12th week is likely going to bust through all previous feasting records because of my weekend bachelorette party and beach trip. It could end up just being a 5:2 week, but I may try to shortened my Thursday feast day so I can get in a 4:3 and still claim it as an alternate day fasting week. I feel like such a cheater with all of this weekend social eating. However, I am not going to let a diet stop me from having fun, so I am being flexible about special occasions.

Mom's In Town

Day 69, Feast Day #36

Nine days and no progress on the the scale. I was expecting another plateau, but that doesn't make it any less irritating. The good news is that despite breaking my fast with half of a frozen pizza, I did not gain anything back. Zach had a rough day at work and was feeling mopey and tired, so I picked up a frozen pizza to cheer him up, along with some necessary supplies for when my mother comes to stay at our apartment for the next few days (aka a large bottle of white wine and whole milk for her coffee). I know it is not good to emotionally eat or encourage that type of eating, but in my defense Zach was hungry, we had a lot of chores to do to prepare for my mom's arrival, and it did cheer him up a lot more than some Swiss chard would have.

I may end up with an extra feast day or two this weekend with my mom being in town for my brother's college graduation. We'll see how things go. She normally only eats one meal a day (dinner) aside from coffee and likes to take an hour long walk daily, so maybe I will just roll with her one meal schedule and try to walk with her after Friday. I guess my mom is an intermittent faster already. I used to be unable to understand how she could go so many hours without eating. Now I understand that the body adapts to a one meal schedule like anything else.

I am a big fan of National Public Radio and pretty much all public media operations. While I am off doing family stuff for the weekend, I recommend reading this interesting NPR article that was posted today on how anthropological research is pointing toward diet as the source of obesity, not lack of exercise. Exercise is still good for you, so don't think this justifies being a coach potato.

Week 4 Summary

Day 30, Fast Day #14

Fasting today felt great after putting my body (especially my liver) through a bit of hard labor this weekend. I found I was not very hungry today and craving mostly fresh, raw produce after  eating a bunch of grilled meats, pastries, and fried foods over the last couple of days. I had a ton of energy today, got a lot of sleep, and was enjoying the great and unusual summer-like weather we have been having in Seattle.

Zach and I added in an additional feast day this past week because friends visited us from out of town and there was lots of celebrating with friends to be had. I weighed myself again this morning and I am still holding steady at 13 lbs lost in total despite two consecutive days of going out, day drinking, night drinking, and eating lots of rich foods.

Calories
Week 1: 1,437 kcal or 76% of baseline calories
Week 2: 1,938 kcal or 102% of baseline calories
Week 3: 1,680 kcal or 89% of baseline calories
Week 4: 2,196 kcal or 116% of baseline calories
,
While ADFing: 1,856 kcal or 98% of baseline
Baseline Days: 1,896 kcal

All Feast Days: 2,952 kcal or 156% of baseline
All Fast Days*: 498 kcal or 26% of baseline

For reference
Week 1: 4 fast days, 3 feast days
Week 2: 3 fast days, 4 feast days
Week 3: 3 fast days*, 4 feast days
Week 4: 3 fast days, 4 feast days
*Includes faux-fast day that was my mama's birthday dinner.

It was the most calorie-heavy week since starting alternate day fasting. I ate well over the calories during my baseline days. How did I manage to consume so many more calories than the previous few weeks? One word: Alcohol. Between Friday and Saturday, the consecutive feast days, I consumed about 39% of my calories within just 29% of the week. On Friday, 41% of my entire day's calories where in alcoholic beverages and on Saturday, 33% of my day's calories were in alcoholic beverages. Don't worry, this is NOT my typical drinking behavior and the booze was not all consumed within the same window of time.

What I find most interesting about looking at my numbers from the last month is that my total calorie consumption, as of now, is not significantly less than my baseline calorie consumption. However, I still am down the 13 lbs of weight. 

It is possible the baseline calorie consumption I am using for myself is lower than the number of calories I actually ate on average in the past, since I only tracked two days worth of eating prior to Zach declaring the third day a fast day. (Again, this is not a scientific experiment I am doing, this is just me trying to figure out how intermittent fasting effects my body). My level of physical activity has not changed, so I doubt that is a factor. If my average calorie intake was much higher than my baseline, it is possible my calories are more reduced than I know and this is why I have not regained the weight this week.

The only noticeable nutritional difference that I know of between my eating now and 4 weeks ago, is that my sugar consumption (but not total carbohydrates) is 42% lower. I am not eating much less in overall calories or carbs, so I don't think the lower amount of sugar is a factor in preventing my overeating. However, there is research that suggests that blood sugar levels and glycemic response are related to fat storage. One theory could be that I am not storing fat in the same way because of the large reduction of in sugar in my diet. I have also been eating foods lower on the glycemic index since starting ADF, and therefore explains how I am eating carbs, but not as many of the simple sugar ones. I figured all of those Marie Osmond infommericals selling Nutrisystem was all gimmick, but perhaps there is science behind eating lower on the glycemic index to lose weight.

My only other theory is that the pattern in which I am eating on it's own is changing how I metabolize food. That I will explore this theory on another night, since it is past my bedtime.

Fast(ing) Food - Spicy Pan-Fried Shrimp & Tex-Mex Rice with Corn and Beans

Day 17, Fast Day #9

Sticking to 800 calories for my mother's birthday dinner didn't really worked out like I had imagined it to in my head. I ate more like 1,100 calories on Saturday. This is what happens when a loaf of fresh, crusty bread gets put in front of me when I haven't eaten in 20 hours. To be fair though, I would have eaten way more than 1,100 calories without any restriction.

I also went a bit overboard yesterday on my feast day since it was a good friend's birthday. We took her out to a hard cider bar in Portland and then to one of our favorite 24-hour greasy spoons at midnight. Eggs benedict happened. Then Zach's mother made us an apple pie (which one cannot say "no" to) so we ate a slice of that for second breakfast. Then actual lunch time rolled around and we had yet another breakfast. This time I had french toast. Zach's wonderful mother also made me a chocolate cake for my birthday, since my actual birthday is Wednesday. Did I mention there was a potato salad snack? There is a reason I had a mere salad when we got home for dinner. So I ended up slightly surpassing 3,200 calories yesterday.  Yikes.

As you can imagine, I really did not want to step on the scale this morning. Especially since I peeked at the numbers midday on Sunday after I had eaten and I had gained 5 lbs. Well the good news is that I gained no net weight this weekend and am still at a total of 9 lbs lost. I made no progress, but I also did not gain anything.

Today's fast day is already starting out pretty brutal since I am going back to 500 calories today. However, I have a yummy lunch to look forward to. These recipes are also very easy:

Spicy Pan-Fried Shrimp (Yields 3 servings) ~181 kcal/serving

Takes 70-75 minutes (if marinating for 60 minutes)

• 1 lb of shrimp (this will taste better with raw shrimp, but I was cheap, lazy, and tired when I made this at 10pm last night) so I got the pre-cooked, deveined, no shell medium-sized shrimp) (~308 kcal)

Marinade:

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (~120 kcal)
• the juice of one large lime, you can substitute with a couple tbsps of lemon or lime juice out of the bottle (~15 kcal)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic, or a few fresh cloves minced (~15 kcal)
• one half of a 7 oz can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (this is normally found in the "International" aisle of my grocery store), chopped, include the sauce in the marinade (~60 kcal)
• a handful of chopped cilantro, no stems (I love cilantro) (~3 kcal)
• 1 tbsp paprika (~20 kcal)
• a dash of cayenne pepper (~1 kcal)
• a dash of pepper (not even a calorie)
• a pinch of kosher salt (not even a calorie)
• a couple dashes of red pepper flakes - optional (not even a calorie)

If you are using frozen shrimp and do not know how to thaw them, look at my last shrimp recipe. Thaw shrimp and start any shrimp prep first.

If you have a low tolerance for chile spice, feel free to ease off some of the marinade ingredients or marinate for less time. I like my food spicy.

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Toss in defrosted and towel dried shrimp.

Let the shrimp get happy in the marinade for an hour or two in your fridge. (This will still taste good if you can only afford 30 minutes of marinade time.)

Heat up a frying pan or skillet on medium-high to high heat (my oven burners are powered by devil fire, so I use medium-high). Toss shrimp in hot pan. Cook and stir until shrimp are opaque. If you are using precooked shrimp like me, this will only take a couple minutes.

FOOD SAFETY TIP: Raw shrimp can carry salmonella like raw chicken. If you intend to use excess marinade it is very important to make sure your marinade reaches a boil in the pan for a bit and is reduced before using. You can also not use it.

Tex-Mex Rice with Corn and Beans (Yields 8 servings) ~103 kcal/serving

Takes 25-30 minutes.
This recipe is also SUPER cheap. About 50 cents a serving.

• juice of one small lime, you can substitute with a couple tsps of lemon or lime juice out of the bottle (~10 kcal)
• 1 regular-sized can of black beans, drained and rinsed well) (~385 kcal)
• 1 regular-sized can of corn, drained (~210 kcal)
• a couple dashes of ground cumin (not even a calorie)
• a handful of chopped cilantro, no stems (I love cilantro) (~3 kcal)
• Mexican-style hot sauce to taste,Tapatio or Cholula works well - optional (not even a calorie)

Rice Prep:

• 1 regular-sized 8 oz box of yellow rice (I used Zatarain's) (~98 kcal)
• water for rice prep (2 1/2 cups for Zatarain's, but use the amount of water on the box)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (I substituted the butter in the directions for olive oil) (~120 kcal)

Boil water and olive oil in a medium to large pot with lid. Add rice. Lower burner to a low-medium heat (3/10). Cook for 20-25 minutes.

It is important not to peek on the rice while it is cooking. Otherwise it will take longer because it needs the steam it has built up in the pot. When the rice is done, the water will be absorbed.

Fluff the rice (aka, stir it up, especially on the bottom and sides of the the pot where it sticks). Dump the corn, beans, cumin, cilantro, and hot sauce in the pot. Done.

So Many Birthday Dinners, So Much Food

Day 14, Feast Day #8

One of the worst things about alternate day fasting has got to be when a fast day lands on a special occasion, holiday, or other important or rare social occasion. Being hungry alone is tolerable. But it is just masochistic to be hungry in a group dinner or party setting. For me, April is a birthday laden month which includes myself, my mother, and friends.

Now I have no plans to be so strict with this diet that I end up offending people on special occasions or holidays. Especially when the person likely to be offended is the same person that carried me 9 months and brought me into this world. 

My mom's birthday is next Monday, so Zach, my brother, and I are driving down this weekend to spend some time with her. The drive is three to four hours depending on traffic, so we won't make it into town by the end of today's feast day. So what is a girl to do about mom's birthday dinner on Saturday, a fast day?

Zach and I have come up with a decent compromise for this type of socially obligated eating and/or drinking function: the occasional 800 calorie not completely cheating day. 

Why 800 calories? It seems that a good number of the research papers I have looked at related to intermittent fasting will use a 800 calorie day as the fast day calorie allotment. Some even go up to 1,200 calories on a calorie-restricted today. So it is cheating in that 800 calories is much more than the usual 400-500 I get on a fast day. But 800 calories is still only 40% of a normal 2,000 calorie diet or 50% of a 1,600 calorie diet. With 800 calories one can eat a decent meal and have a drink easily.

I know very well without any restriction, I will overindulge. After all, my eating habits up until this point lacked boundaries. Hopefully Zach and I can stick to our cheat day strategy and not go crazy. I am also hesitant to just full out eat on a normal fast day because I feel like it would make the next fast day much more difficult.

Have a great weekend!