Update on day 3 of IF and down another pound.

7 01 2009

First, just a word about intermittent fasting. The alertness and energy I feel when I’m fasting is nothing short of amazing. I love it! I’ve read that IF causes the body to release chemicals to handle stress better and to feel happier. I can definitely attest to that. In the last couple of days, I’ve felt like there is nothing I can’t handle. Which is a huge difference from what I felt almost the entire month of December.

Also, I’m down another pound! My goal is to lose 2 pounds per week, and so far I’m two weeks ahead.


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Down two more pounds.

5 01 2009

I was down two more pounds this morning. But that isn’t the exciting news. I fasted yesterday and I felt so good that I decided to go back to daily intermittent fasting! If you’ve never tried it, I highly recommend it. My energy levels are through the roof!

I also joined a great forum called the Magic Bus Trip which is dedicated to a carnivorous way of life and zero carb eating. There is some really great info there and lots of nice folks.

I’ve been doing VLC (Very Low Carb) for a week now and have to admit I feel great! I’m still drinking lots of coffee and energy drinks, but I would like to cut back. It’s going to be hard because I love caffeine.

I’m off to lift weights.


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Sleepless nights

29 12 2008

I fasted last night until 9:00 PM. After that I had summer sausage, cheese, and pickles. I was very satiated, and went to bed at midnight. At 1:00 AM, after not being able to sleep, I got up and had some more summer sausage and cheese and still could not sleep. So then I had a small loaf of banana bread. After that, I slept like a baby.  I knew this would be an issue, but I failed to take any sleeping herbs, so I had some carbs last night to help me get to sleep. No biggie. I’ve been eating low carb today and had no issues as far as hunger, etc. I will probably need to take some sleeping herbs and some melatonin tonight though, to fall asleep. I find it hard to sleep the first week that I get back to low carb and especially when I fast. Plus. to fight the hunger yesterday, I drank waaaaaaaaaay too much coffee. I fell into the same trap today, so I suspect it may be hard to fall asleep. I will limit my caffeine intake tomorrow. It is hard, because I just love the caffeine buzz.

Anyone know of a way to get the same mental effect without side effects? And something that I won’t develop an insensitivity to over time.


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Hungry Ghosts

28 12 2008

Wow, I’m listening to Joe Vitale’s Attractor Factor and he is talking about hungry ghosts. This describes my relationship with food. Even though I’m full, I still want more. Why?

I know that the reason why I eat is because there is something inside of me that feels hollow, empty, and unloved. Eating food feels like I am loving myself. It is cheap, it is easy to obtain, and it gives me immediate gratification. As I go without food today, I remind myself that I am doing this because I love myself. Not eating is triggering a cascade of changes in my genes and hormones, turning on thousands of years of evolutionary circuits that are designed to make me healthier and happier. What better could I do for myself?

What are the reasons you eat? What does food do for you? Asking yourself this question is the start of your journey. This one question is the domino that will eventually cause all of the others to fall.


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A Day of Fasting.

28 12 2008

I’ve decided to go back to fasting on Sundays. I felt so much better before when I was fasting. The health benefits alone are staggering, but I find myself handling stress and emotions much better when I fast. I’ve also hired a personal coach. His name is Ray and he clued me into a couple of behaviors I have that I didn’t realize I had in the first free session! I’m excited to see where this leads. I’m expecting great things.


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Fat Fasting and down 2 more pounds.

13 11 2008

Well, I’ve finally really gotten off my plateau. After being stuck for so long, I resorted to somewhat drastic measures. I decided to go with the 800 calorie fat fast that Dr. Atkins mentions in his book. I also decided to combine it with the Shangri-La Diet and the fat burning wonders of coconut oil. I have 6 TB of coconut oil per day along with a single serving of whey powder. This gives me 86% of my calories from fat.

Additionally, to keep my thyroid activity higher, longer, I’ve decided to add in two cheat meals per week. On Wednesdays I have a low carb cheat meal and on Sundays, I’m planning on having an unrestricted (as in macronutrients) cheat meal. I’m not sure about Sunday yet, I may keep it low carb because I like being in ketosis. We’ll see. But with my latest exercise regimen, I think that I’ll burn through most of the stored glycogen by Tuesday.

About my new exercise regimen. I decided to go for a walk last night (first time doing cardio in over 6 months!) and it felt so good that I decided to turn it into an interval workout. I went and did the same thing this morning. I’m planning on doing my interval workouts from now on on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays (in addition to my lifting on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays). Sunday is a day of rest. It feels so good to be back out there running again. The last time I did cardio, I was over 415 pounds, so I felt much lighter on my feet this time around. It’s a great feeling!

I also wanted to mention my latest supplement regimen. I added two products from True Protein:

  • Green Tea Extract – This is an amazing supplement and had me feeling nice and warm about 30 minutes after I took it! Only 3% caffeine, over 98% polyphenols, 75% catechin, 45% EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate). This green tea extract is the real deal!
  • L-Leucine – Check out the wikipedia entry on this awesome amino!

As a dietary supplement, leucine has been found to slow the degradation of muscle tissue by increasing the synthesis of muscle proteins.[3] Leucine is utilized in the liver, adipose tissue, and muscle tissue. In adipose and muscle tissue, leucine is used in the formation of sterols, and the combined usage of leucine in these two tissues is seven times greater than its use in the liver.[4]

Especially check out the external links on L-Leucine:

I’m adding L-Leucine into my whey in the morning. I take 5 grams.

Speaking of which, I’m running late (as usual!) and I need to take my protein.


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Categories : BodyBuilding, Fasting, Fitness, Health, Journey, Low Carb

Down one more pound.

15 10 2008

I had a great fast yesterday. I didn’t break the fast at all. In fact, I haven’t had breakfast yet.

I’m down one pound on the scale. At this point, I seem to be losing about 4 pounds a week, which I think is pretty good progress. It isn’t as good as when I started, but I’ll take it.


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4 days and still not in Ketosis!

29 09 2008

I definitely don’t feel like I’m in ketosis, and haven’t lost any water weight, and the Ketostix aren’t even showing trace. I need to figure out what I’m doing wrong. I think my fat intake has been too low and maybe the peanuts have been keeping me out of ketosis.

I just read some interesting posts on a low carb forum about coconut oil helping to boost metabolism and get into ketosis faster. So I put a tablespoon in my coffee this morning. I’ve also read about adding things like cinnamon and chromium to the diet to help speed the elimination of sugar from the bloodstream.

The most frustrating thing is that I even fasted yesterday until 6:00 PM.

At any rate, I’m determined to get back into ketosis. Breakfast this morning was boiled eggs and cheddar cheese. Should be high enough fat (with the coconut oil) to help me get there. Lunch will be canned tuna with mayo. This should also be high enough fat.

The trick is to have so much fat that you force the body into ketosis. Having too high of a protein/fat ratio could cause gluconeogenesis (the conversion of protein to glucose). We really don’t want that.


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Up five pounds from my cheat meal last night.

26 09 2008

Well, I’m up five pounds this morning. This is a combination of water weight and transient matter in the colon. This weight will be gone probably by Sunday.

Now that I’ve met my 10 pound weight loss in a week goal, I’m looking to the future and deciding what I want to do next. I may be able to do the 10 pound weight loss in a week again, but the returns will start to gradually diminish. I think it is better to go the slow and steady route (thanks for reminding me Tusc!).

With that in mind. My new goal is to weigh 350 pounds by Thanksgiving. I will need to lose 3.5 pounds per week to make this goal. I think this is achievable while not continually starving myself. I will continue my intermittent fasting, but this frees me up to eat at least 2000 calories on my non-fasting days. On those days, it will be low carb. I may still give myself a cheat meal once in a while, but in the first five weeks I didn’t have one. I should, however, have at least one a week, to keep my metabolism up.

I will then enjoy Thanksgiving (and leftovers) the old fashioned way, with lots of fat and carbs! I will not worry about my weight too much for the 3 days following Thanksgiving. I will just enjoy what I eat and try to focus on the simple things:

  • Getting enough Water
  • Getting enough Fiber
  • Getting enough Sleep
  • Eating smaller portions
  • Eating lots of veggies
  • Getting out and walking (or other activities) every day

I’m trying to find my non-dieting strategy of weight maintenance. I will also be taking a break from lifting weights during this time, as you should take a break from this every few months to give your system a chance to fully recovery. I will start walking during this time, as I’ve read that walking helps people who’ve lost weight to keep more of it off, long term, and because walking soothes the soul.

Once I’ve done this, I will probably do what I did last week, just to jump start the process (and quickly take off any weight I’ve regained) for another week, and then switch back to my 2000 calorie per day low carb diet/intermittent fasting until Christmas. Christmas will be a one day thing (no stretching out the Holiday eating for the entire month of December!) and New Years Eve, I’ll have a glass of champagne.

For the New Year, I should start out at a weight of 335 or so. Not bad, considering what I started out 2008 at (425 pounds).


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Can I lose 10 pounds in a week? Part IV.

24 09 2008

So it has been 6 days and I’ve lost 8 pounds. I weighed myself tonight after work, and I was 383.5 or so, so I’m hopeful that I will make my goal weight in the morning. I know I will be at least a pound lighter.

9 pounds in a week? I guess I can live with it.

I fasted yesterday, ate about 900 calories today (90% protein) and will fast tomorrow. I may actually hit my goal weight later in the day, so technically, if I do, I will consider that 10 pounds in a week.

Slow posting day, was very busy at work and woke up very tired this morning. I guess I’m feeling a little depressed. I need to nip that in the bud.


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Categories : Fasting, Fitness, Food, Health, Journey, Low Carb, PSMF

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