Weigh in Day - Another 2lbs!

 I  am down to 226.8!! 

Woot Woot! 

Since starting this journey - I have lost 8.2Lbs! I am pretty happy about that. Still the heaviest I have every been, be I will take it! I am slowly creepy into the teens and I am hoping that by the middle of August I will be under 220lb. 

I was kind of hoping that by my family vacation I would be under 200lbs  - but since my vacation starts August 20th, I am thinking this goal is unlikely. I may be under 220 but NOT under 200. I wish! 

I am still waiting on the new Spark360 website to be finished - I really hate having to restart on August 17th, but I have not choice. I hope they have a journal feature and then I can just work off of one website. Journaling my progress is my favorite part of this whole process. I love to look back at where I began and where I am now. 

Intermittent Fasting

 I have lately watching through YouTube a channel called GrowWithJo (absolutely LOVE her channel) and found one of her videos about Intermittent Fasting. 

Intermittent Fasting

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Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where you cycle between periods of eating and fasting. It does not say anything about which foods to eat, but rather when you should eat them. There are several different intermittent fasting methods, all of which split the day or week into eating periods and fasting periods.

Read more on healthline.com

She does a what is called a 16:8 schedule which means that she eats from 12pm-8pm and then fasts for the rest of the time. I thought "I could do this!" and started on Monday to see if Intermittent Fasting was a good program for me. 

On Monday, I woke up and already started feeling hungry. I think it was my mind playing tricks on me because I knew that I wouldn't be eating until 12pm. By 10:30 my stomach was making loud gurgling noises. I was HUNGRY! 

When the clock struck 12pm, I couldn't open my protein bar fast enough. I eat normally the rest of the day until 8pm, I said goodbye to food. I went to bed with a headache and moody. I yelled at my kids for no reason, things irritated me and I was just done with the day. Could this fasting cause all this? 

The next day I decided to Google side effects of intermittent fasting and found this: 

#1. Intermittent fasting may make you feel sick.

Depending on the length of the fasting period, people may experience headaches, lethargy, crankiness, and constipation. To decrease some of these unwanted side effects, you may want to switch from adf fasting to periodic fasting or a time restricted eating plan that allows you to eat everyday within a certain time period.

Source: Health Harvard Publishing

So that explains my crankiness and headache - was this worth it? I decided to give it a full week before giving up. 

I am now on day #4 and I must say, its getting easier. My stomach hasn't gurgled for hunger, I have an easier time staying within my calorie range and I have been feeling pretty good (no grouchiness). I still want something to eat around 10:30-11 and sometimes waiting for that clock to hit 12 is hard, but I am doing well. I will give this a full 2 weeks and see how the scale reacts to this. If I am not losing weight, then I will switch back to my regular eating schedule (eating every two hours from the time I wake up). 

Let me know if you have any experience with intermittent fasting - did it work for you? Do you feel a difference? Is it all worth it? 

1st Weigh in Day!!

 Got on the scale and.....

I love 6lbs!!

I am down to 229.8lbs - which is still the heaviest I have ever been but its in the right direction!

First Weight In [Insert terrifying music]

No lie, it has been just about a little over a year since I stepped on a scale. I have been avoiding it and honestly was afraid of what it would say. 

My scale likes  to mock me with its big red numbers that beep with laughter once a number pops up. I hate it.  HATE IT!

I know that part of my self love quest is to feel comfortable in my own skin. Honestly, right now I don't feel AT ALL comfortable with my body. My back hurts, my legs get sore after being on them too long, my pants feel like they will burst with one good sneeze and I just altogether feel awful. 

Lets back this up a bit - This whole quest started yesterday when I found that both my feet were swollen. I asked someone I am close to what that would mean and they point blank said "It's hot outside, you don't drink enough and your overweight."

Excuse me!?!

I just expected them to tell me that my shoes were not the right size or that I had some kind of foot disease. Not that I was overweight. Yikes, that one hurt and I know they didn't mean it to hurt me. But it did and I had a good 10 minute pity party about it where I cried through half a box of tissues. 

This was was the kick in the butt that I needed to get me going. I signed up or Sparkpeople.com and vowed to make a change.  Now fast forward to today and I am faced with having to step on this torture device to get a good idea of my weight. 

Beep. Beep. BEEEPPPPP --235lbs 

So overall not the worst (I thought I was 250lbs) and is manageable. It is the heaviest I have ever been and the sting of seeing that number is done and over with. On my 5'3 frame, this weight is not good. I can be faced with diabetes, high cholesterol and heart issues -all which my Mom suffered from.  

So I set up my diet profile and   I plan to do the following to get me jump started: 

1)  Take in 1350-1450 calories a day. Sparkpeople wanted me to take in 1250 but that seems a bit too low. 

2)  Do 10 minutes of exercise a day

3)  Log in everything I eat.

4) Journal my highs and lows during the process

5) Cut out sweets, chips and other junk food ::cries while holding a box of ding-dongs::

6 Drink water daily - like a lot of water. 

7) Cut out diet sodas. I heard they make you crave sweets, not sure if it is true but I don't want to risk it. 

8) Make healthier choices for meals

9) Eat at least 2 servings of fruit/veggies a day

10) Forgive myself when I make a mistake!   

 Lets do this! 

Day 1

 

I am starting this blog as a way to journal finding Self Love. 

What is Self Love you ask? 

self-love

[ˈˌself ˈləv]

NOUN

1. regard for one's own well-being and happiness (chiefly considered as a desirable rather than narcissistic characteristic).

I have been in a funk since my Mom passed away in 2018. It was devastating and her loss still covers me in darkness.  I have gained weight, stopped doing things I love and just overall haven't been myself. In early 2020, I tried to regroup and get my life back in order. Then COVID hit and well... 

In my quest for self love, I am planning to work on my health, finances, and inner peace. I apologize if my blog is depressing. In order to heal, I need to feel. Sometimes being depressed/sad/upset/angry is just part of the process.