Week 17 Summary

Day 121, Feast Day #67

This morning I woke up a pound lighter. So that makes for 26 lbs (11.8 kg) lost in just over 17 weeks of alternate day fasting. This puts me at about 1.5 lbs (0.7 kg) lost per week so far. I am a little worried I will fast myself down too small for my wedding dress. So I tried the dress on again today. It fits right now without any shapewear and I can zip it up myself (unlike when I originally bought it and had to squeeze in with the help of a layer of strong Lycra compressing my belly and a second pair of hands). So I just have to work a bit more at eating all of my calories on fast days and possibly cutting back to a 6:1 or 5:2 schedule for maintenance if the dress gets too loose.

Yesterday I fasted 22 hours on just tea and water and then broke my fast with an African-style fish stew and a late night snack of nuts, plain Greek yogurt with a little honey, and some raspberries. I wasn't very hungry at all yesterday, maybe because I ate so much the day before. Any brief thoughts I had about food passed quickly and I got a ton of chores and wedding tasks done. I don't often experience the feelings of being light-headed or tired like I did when I first started intermittent fasting, which is nice.

Zach is off doing fieldwork, so I have been testing out new recipes while he is away and adding to my dinner tool belt. So far my favorite was this Paleo recipe for Asian-inspired pork meatballs. They were so yummy!

I added in some minced garlic and red chili flakes to them and substituted soy aminos, since I don't have any coconut ones. They are also only ~252 calories for five meatballs the way I made them, therefore perfect for an easy fast day meal.

This is how last week's numbers factored in:

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)
Week 14: 1,882 kcal or 99% of baseline calories (-98 kcal/week)
Week 15: 1,280 kcal or 68% of baseline calories (-4,312 kcal/week)
Week 16: 1,861 kcal or 98% of baseline calories (-245 kcal/week)
Week 17: 1,684 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1484 kcal/week)

While ADFing: 1,775 kcal or 94% of baseline calories
Baseline Days: 1,896 kcal

All Feast Days: 2,831 kcal or 149% of baseline calories
All Fast Days: 438 kcal or 23% 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
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*
Week 14: 4 feast days, 1 medium day, 2 fast days
Week 15: 3 feast days, 4 fast days
Week 16: 4 feast days, 3 fast days
Week 17: 4 feast days, 3 fast days
*Includes days during my bachelorette party weekend.

I feasted hardcore this past week with a fondue party and a couple happy hours with friends. It turns out what I was feasting on was notably different than past weeks. I ended up averaging just 119 grams of carbs a day, versus my average of 186 grams over the last 17 weeks, a 36% decrease. I've been trying to reduce the amount of grains I have been eating, since quitting wheat cold turkey didn't last longer than 72 hours for me. I have been feeling less tired recently despite no changes in how long I am sleeping. I wonder if my recent burst in productivity is from reducing the refined and total carbs in my diet or if I am just riding waves of wedding jitters and stress that is leading to more work getting done. Maybe it is just because I am trying to stay busy and not think about Zach being away.

Fast(ing) Food - I'm Sorry, Body Salad

Day 94, Fast Day #40

A successful fast day! I am getting back on track this week, I swear.

My body has gone through a lot of self-inflicted abuse over the last two weeks. So I decided to say I'm sorry to my organs by eating a nutritious salad. Eating a salad while dieting is obviously not some genius, original idea of mine. It is common sense if you are looking to consume a variety of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients without a lot of calories. However, not every salad is low-calorie or nutritious. If you are trying to eat healthy by ordering a salad at a restaurant, you can end up with a plate containing over 1000 calories, a lot of sodium, or a bunch of saturated fat like in these 20 salads worse than a Whopper. This past week I ate a salad at a restaurant that ended up being over 700 calories when I looked up the nutrition facts later.

This salad I threw together is not worthy of an unhealthy salad list:

Those are flax seeds, not ants. In case you got nervous about eating insects.

I'm Sorry, Body Salad (Yields 1 large serving) ~133 kcal/serving

Takes 5-10 minutes

Feel better with 240% of the vitamin A, 128% of the vitamin C, 19% of the calcium, and 13% of the iron that is recommended daily in one big bowl. Plus some omega-3s, potassium, and fiber.

• 1/4 of a small onion, sliced (I used a yellow onion) ~7 kcal
• 3 big leaves of lettuce, chopped (I used romaine) ~14 kcal
• 1/2 medium apple, sliced (I used a Braeburn apple) ~36 kcal
• 1 small carrot, sliced (I used a purple one) ~20 kcal
• 1/2 large bell pepper (I used a green one) ~12 kcal
• 5 grape tomatoes ~10 kcal
• 1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped ~3 kcal
• 1 tsp flax seeds ~17 kcal
• 1 tsp unsalted, shelled sunflower seeds ~14 kcal

Chop up all your fruit and veggies, mix in a bowl, sprinkle on seeds. You can add a dressing of your choice to toss in with the salad.

Why did I use a purple carrot? Purple carrots and other darker, smaller variants of fruits and vegetables that are more like their wild relatives, are more nutritious than common agricultural crops. Check out this lovely chart from the New York Times about nutrition in wild versus supermarket produce.

I like to make my own salad dressing when I have the time to whip one up. Here is the honey mustard vinaigrette I threw together for this salad:

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing (optional) ~264 kcal/serving

• 2 tbsp olive oil ~250 kcal
• 1 tbsp vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
• 1/2 tsp honey ~10 kcal
• 1/4 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning (or mix of marjoram, thyme, oregano, and basil)
• 1/4 tsp ground mustard powder ~3 kcal
• pepper, to taste ~1 kcal
• kosher salt to taste

Salad dressing is a very personal thing. I recommend experimenting with varying amounts and types of honey, vinegar, mustard, and spices depending on your tastes. Plus experimenting is fun.

Sure, salad does not require much by way of culinary skill and is quick. Sorry if this recipe didn't blow your mind. This is real food I prepare and eat on fast days. I need to spend less time cooking and more time wedding planning, so I see more salads in my future.

Fast(ing) Food - Quick Rainbow Couscous

Day 59, Feast Day #31

There are some days when you just don't figure out what you are making or eating for dinner until you open the pantry and fridge (there are periods in life where this happens everyday). This was one of those days. I found a leftover bag of couscous, part of a bag of frozen corn, a can of beans, some veggies and fruit from Zach and my weekend trip to Seattle's famous Pike Place Market, and cilantro from the planter outside our apartment. This is what I made:

I ate my own bowl with avocado on it before remembering to take a picture, whoops!

Quick Rainbow Couscous (Yields 4 servings) ~355 kcal/serving w/avocado, ~275 kcal w/o
Takes 10-15 minutes

I am calling this "rainbow couscous" because of the different colors of veggies and fruit in this dish. No unicorns, leprechauns, or Lisa Frank creations were harmed while making my dinner. Eating a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables is a good strategy for both children and adults to eat a variety of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.

• 3/4 dry instant couscous (the smaller sized kind) ~488 kcal
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth ~13 kcal
• 1 medium tomato, diced ~35 kcal
• 1/2 a bell pepper, diced (I used an orange one) ~25 kcal
• 1/4 of a onion, diced (I used a yellow one) ~15 kcal
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped ~2 kcal
• 1/2 cup of sweet corn (I used frozen) ~50 kcal
• 1 can of beans, drained and rinsed (I used red kidney, black would have made sense if I had some on hand) ~385 kcal

• 2 tsp of olive oil ~80 kcal
• 1 lime's juice ~5 kcal
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4-1/2 tsp Adobo seasoning
• black pepper to taste
• your favorite hot sauce, to taste (I use Secret Aardvark Trading Co.'s Habanero Hot Sauce, because it is amazing)

• 1 large avocado, sliced ~322 kcal - optional

Put the broth in a medium to large pot. Throw in onions into pot. 

Bring broth and onions to a boil. Once at a boil, cover the pot and remove from heat. Let sit  covered for 5 minutes. Don't peek or your couscous won't cook right.

Heat your corn according to the package directions if using frozen like I did. Drain.

Mix olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, cumin, Adobo seasoning, pepper, and hot sauce together. Pour this sauce onto the couscous after the 5 minutes is over. Fluff the mixture.

Dump in the bell pepper, corn, tomato, cilantro. Mix together. 

Serve with sliced avocado on top. If there is any lime juice left, drizzle it on your avocado. Enjoy!

Fast(ing) Food - Mushroom Mini-Quiches and an Easy Veggie Side

Day 20, Feast Day #11 - Triple Feast

After my double feast day birthday I was not looking forward to getting on the scale. However, I managed to not gain anything and am still at 10 lbs lost. Another birthday present? Perhaps it was a gift from the Wizard of Oz.

Eating "reasonably" today just didn't work out. I managed to skip breakfast and not eat for 16 hours, as I had hoped to. This means I had at least a 16/8 type intermittent fasting schedule. But from there it was all downhill on Calorie Mountain. 

There was a box of strawberry cream Pocky biscuit treats on my desk this morning. That was my late breakfast at 11:30 am. Then on this rare warm and sunny late April day in Seattle, our office went on the building rooftop and had a barbecue to celebrate the April birthdays in the office. There was hot dogs, pasta salad, corn chips, rhubarb custard pie, and beer. Lots of calories.

Tomorrow I fast. I need to get back on track. I made a yummy lunch to motivate me. Zach and I like to do weekly food themes so we don't waste as much food and need to buy less in general. You may have guessed it is Mushroom Week:

Mushroom Mini-Quiches (Yields 12 pieces) ~98 kcal/piece
Takes 45-55 minutes

• 6 large eggs ~420 kcal
• 1/4 cup skim milk ~21 kcal
• 6 low fat butter crackers (I used Ritz Reduced Fat crackers) ~84 kcal
• 1 cup of shredded cheese (I used Parmesan since I had it on hand, I would recommend medium cheddar or mozzarella though) ~431 kcal for Parmesan
• 1/3 cup buttermilk pancake milk ~160 kcal
• 1/2 cup spinach ~3 kcal
• 1 small onion, diced ~15 kcal
• 4 medium to large mushrooms, diced (I used crimini mushrooms) ~18 kcal
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped ~1 kcal
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• Cooking spray ~23 kcal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease muffin pan.

Crush crackers (I usually just put them in a plastic bag and smash them a few times). Add 1/4 cup of cheese to the crumbs. Sprinkle crumb/cheese mixture into the bottom of the muffin tin cups. Pat down crumb/cheese mix.

Lightly spray a frying pan or skillet and heat up to medium. Throw onions and mushrooms in the pan and cook until tender (onions become translucent). Set aside.

In a medium to large bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, pancake mix, remaining cheese, spinach, parsley, salt, pepper, and the cooked onions and mushrooms. Mix.

Pour mixture evenly into muffin pan. There should be about a 1/4 to 1/3 inch of space left in the tin for the quiche to expand.

Pop the muffin tray in the oven for 25-30 minutes (until tops start turning a golden brown). Take mini-quiches out and let cool for 10 minutes. then pop them out with a knife. I also garnished with a little sprinkle of paprika.

A Quick, Easy Veggie Side Dish (Yields 4 servings) ~97 kcal/serving
Takes 15 minutes

• 1 medium onion, sliced ~46 kcal
• 2 carrots, sliced or cut into sticks (I leave the skin on) ~50 kcal
• 5 medium mushrooms, sliced (I used crimini) ~15 kcal
• 1 can of green beans, rinsed and drained ~70 kcal
• 1 tsp of minced garlic
• 2 tbsp butter (I use unsalted) ~204 kcal
• oregano or italian seasoning
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large frying pan or skillet. Throw in onions, carrots, and mushrooms into the pan. Cook until onions and carrots are tender.

Throw in minced garlic and green beans. Turn heat to medium-low and cook another couple of minutes until green beans are hot. Sprinkle on oregano, salt, and pepper. Eat.