I couldn't understand why I was about to gnaw my arm off and farmer's markets

... and then I realized it was 4:30 pm and I hadn't really eaten anything substantial since 1 pm the day before. And even that meal, while totally satiating and delicious (a Fiesta salad of romaine lettuce, black beans, a bit of sweet corn, a couple tortilla chips, fresh salsa, a half avocado and a sprinkling of Mexican cheese topped with about 4 ounces of thin, lean strips of broiled beef), when I tallied my calories for yesterday in the evening, it was low - like 900 calories low.

So, I repeated my usual half and half in the coffee in the morning and protein bar around noon, but starting at 1 pm my body was saying, "Where's the real food damn it?" And I couldn't figure out why I was so hungry! Well, doy!!!!

To hold off the demons, I just ate a quartered tomato, sprinkled from salt, picked this morning to be sold at the farmer's market. Oh my gosh yum!!! And I drank two tall glasses of sparkling water too. That should hold me until we have a yummy dinner tonight.

Farmer market season is my favorite too. I can't raise my own veggies as we have way too many critters, but I buy things from the farmers market a couple days a week. I buy a ton from there - about 2/3s of our produce during late spring through early fall comes from the markets. I also buy eggs and meat from local farms. It's not cheaper, but it's same price and WAY BETTER than the grocery store. I simply do not understand why people don't frequent them more (or do CSAs more). I don't do a CSA because I'm chicken and because I want to be able to choose more of what I want to get, but maybe next year I'll do it - we'll see.

But when I go to these markets, I buy 2 quarts of beans, a melon, a dozen or so of tomatoes, 3-4 peppers, a few squash, 8-10 ears of corn, etc. And then of course I buy fruit! We eat a big bunch of veggies with every single dinner and I buy that much every single week. Yet, for years and years when I go to these markets, most people buy 1-2 ears of corn, 1 pint of cherry tomatoes and maybe 3-4 peaches. That's it.  But then, in grocery stores I don't see people buying it either.

Today the farmer guy was saying, "What are you going to do with all that?" I said, "eat it! We all eat a ton of veggies in our family." And he said, "I do too, summer time I gorge on tomatoes." I said,  "We do too. We have tomato salad or sliced tomatoes with nearly every meal." Then he asked, "Do you can?" And I said, "Well, I did, but I haven't seen any tomato seconds, so I haven't yet." Then he said, "I have 20 pounds in the back of the truck for $20 bucks. Want 'em?" And I said, "Sure do!" And then I added 20 pounds of tomatoes to can. ONLY the imperfect tomatoes are sold at a reduced price and to this day, I have never seen what made them imperfect except for maybe a compression dent/mark on the side - you know, things that make it look like it's really from nature and not molded from plastic!

Do people just not realize how much better tasting farmer fresh produce is? Are we that lazy? Or do people simply not like vegetables? (On that, I have converted more than one person who said they didn't like a particular vegetable just by preparing it better... so there is that too - people don't know how to prepare food properly!)

There is just no comparing a farm fresh tomato and a store bought tomato. Even those that are local and sold in the grocery stores... They are still picked too soon, but when they are that deep, dark, red. oh my goodness... food bliss!

What I just said about attitudes changing?

Well, that might be true, but that doesn't mean that I like seeing zero movement on the scale either - especially after a huge uptick with vacation! I know it's from eating more carbs than usually even though the calorie count is right on. My balance of nutrients has been off which then gets reflected in other ways.

BUT... cake is gone (but gosh did I enjoy my two tiny slices) and now it's truly back to not only timing and amount of my normal food, but also TYPE of my normal food - lowish carb, intermittent fasting, under 1400 calories (on non-exercise days).

Weather here is AWFUL and it's making me realize more and more that a treadmill that can also act as a walking desk is the way to go. Truly 1/3 to 1/2 of the year it's not pleasant to walk outside, so having an alternative to outdoor walking IN the office seems like a good idea.

At home, I have other options - I can do trx, videos, dance to Wii games, or go to the gym. It's the work days that are really hard to fit it all in. I simply WILL NOT get up early (especially in winter months) to work out and I'm too tired after dinner to work out. My days are 7 am to 7:30 pm without gym days added. I need to spend some time with my family and I need some time on other aspects of life. So, I can bring the "gym" to the office! sound like an idea? On work at home days and off days, I can fit more stuff in.

Today is my long day at the office, so I had a big lunch to serve as lunch and dinner. I love those days! If I lived by myself, I would have late lunch be my meal choice always. Eat at 1:30-2pm and then just be done for the day! However, we won't be living the life of retirees for like, forever!

My attitudes have shifted

So, finally catching up since coming back from vacation and I notice some very good things about myself.

One, I enjoyed my vacation. I TRIED to stay mostly with in my plan and that mostly succeeded for 4.5 of the 6 days. The last 36 hours were a bit haywire with eating because I had less control over it, but even then, it was moderate.

I weighed myself the first two days and then stopped. At that time I was eating no more than 1200 calories and I was gaining a pound a day. I could see the trend and could see that there was nothing I could do about it and torturing myself by watching the rise wasn't going to help my mood - especially since I had been following the plan to a T.

I didn't weigh myself the morning we came back as I knew I was bloated and not in the mood for seeing a high weight for very little indulgence. But I did weigh in the second day... a full 6 pounds heavier than from before vacation. AMAZING!

I KNOW that the new low I had was probably a fluke - perhaps not, but a likelihood. And I know it is not possible for me to have gained more than a pound TOPS while on this vacation. And well, I'm OK with the higher weight as I know it's temporary.

I didn't stress about having to make my mother in law's birthday cake. I enjoyed a sampling of the frosting and a small (half the size of everyone else's) piece. I will do the same today.

Scale is down 2 pounds already (in 2 days) and I know it will just keep falling. This vacation didn't derail me. Seeing the jump on the scale didn't derail me. Having to deal with cake didn't derail me... and for the first time, it didn't upset me. Whenever I've lost weight before and had this glycogen weight gains with eating more carbs, I would get so frustrated with the progress "lost". Now? I know I'll lose the glycogen weight and I know this is just part of a long term weight loss. And it's funny I have this acceptance because in so, so many ways, I'm more impatient with this weight loss because I just want to get back to where I was 2 years ago. Yet somehow, I've mellowed a bit and in a good way.

In other news, I'm still looking at getting a treadmill desk. The amazing deal I "thought" I had lined up fell through as there was no way to get the treadmill from Bergen County, NJ to here. It's almost worth renting a truck and driving up to get it, but... my husband would kill me and after driving all that way TWICE in a month, I'm not feeling up to it again - just to pick up a 50% off treadmill with full warranty!!!

 But, I do think for my office I want this kind of treadmill desk - one that can be a regular treadmill AND can fold away as well as act as a desk, walking treadmill. For home, getting a sit and stand and walk HUGE desk makes more sense. http://www.proform.com/fitness/en/ProForm/Treadmills/proform-thinline-pro-desk-treadmill 

And today my mother in law leaves for a 2 month trip to Croatia... Can you see me smiling through the monitor? It probably looks like this:

Traveling weight gains

There is something about travel or eating away from home that wreaks havoc with the scale.

So I brought the mini scale with me. I've been exceedingly good for a vacation, but the scale keeps creeping up.  It's almost certainly partly because my carb count is up and probably sodium too.  But I am eating one meal a day and making good decisions with what I get.

Like driving day we had no choice but to stop at a New Jersey Turnpike rest stop.  There they had a Burger King double bacon cheeseburger.  I took off the bun, and ate half of it (earlier in the day I had a cookie and a protein bar as well as half and half in my morning coffee). In the morning after travel I actually had a drop on the scale.

Second day, after arriving to our destination, I had a wee bit of half and half in my morning coffee, a slice of black bean, tomato, cilantro and avocado vegetarian pizza on a thin crust for lunch and at night a few apricot dumplings - like 3.  That resulted a weight gain of 1 pound over night.

Yesterday I didn't eat at all until dinner (as I was saving up for this meal as it was the meal I was anticipating the most). I ate the entire 12" cracker thin crust pizza which was topped with a spicy rosemary tomato sauce, spinach, roasted sweet potatoes, caramelized onions, and goat cheese. I was so full after that, but my 10 year old son also ate his entire pizza, so it's not like it was a HUGE amount of food.  In the hotel I had a cookie as I just needed something sweet.  This morning I have a 1.4 gain on the scale.

I know my eating is a bit more than usually, but I also know it's not weight gain territory either. Calorie count estimates for each of these days is: 864 on travel day, 1109 on first full day of vacation and 1406 yesterday. Yesterday also included about 5 miles of walking too.

Oh well... I'm enjoying my vacation and knowing I'm doing about as good as can be expected while also enjoying the food tremendously.

Scale is unbelievably cooperative!

All packed for our trip! We leave today around 3 pm or thereabouts.

The scale gave me a nice parting gift of dropping a pound overnight. Perhaps a fluke, perhaps not - only time will tell! Driving 7-8 hours today will definitely make me hold water though, so I won't be holding my breath on a good weigh in tomorrow!

Today I did more closet shopping. I'm wearing a dress again this week I couldn't fit 2 months ago AND I packed a pair of shorts that were too small for me too. Swapping those out for ones now 2 sizes too big for me (and were being held up by the tie string as otherwise the quite literally fell off. They were a tad loose before the weight loss - 32 pounds in and they are WAY loose).

But I'm all set to tackle this vacation! All days I'll try to keep low carb except for the night/day we go to this fantabulous pizza place in Boston. I am NOT dieting or watching carbs that day as that's the best pizza in the whole wide world!!

And now... work!!!

2 months into the reboot!

Today marks two months into the reboot and I'm very happy with my progress!

Here's my stats so far:

Top entries are from my weight loss from 4.5 years ago. Bottom entries are from this weight loss. Start weights are close.

And here's how it looks in chart form:

So, first month I lost 20.2 pounds. This month I lost 11.4 and that includes being away at a conference where food was included!!!

Another big deal to me is that I've started to closet shop. With being down over 30 pounds, I am finding all my clothes getting really baggy. Today I tried on the skort I had bought at Goodwill 2.5 months ago that I couldn't even begin to zip up. Now I can wear it and it fits perfectly - no muffin top or anything. Last Sunday I wore a dress I hadn't been able to wear at the beginning of this reboot.

Now, allllll of these clothes are still my super fat clothes, but they aren't my SUPER DUPER FAT clothes. That felt good. It shows physical signs of getting significantly smaller. Yay!!!

Now, we leave for vacation tomorrow afternoon for 6 days. Here's to hoping I can MAINTAIN for that time. I have no goal of losing, but maintaining my current losses would be awesome. Let's see if it works!

Feeling pretty good:

Reboot 5/18/15:
Lost 31.6 pounds since the reboot.

Vacation plans and my fingers are crossed

We are going to the Boston area for 6 days. We did this trip 4 years ago and it was right around the time I was approaching a big milestone weight. I tried really hard to stay on plan and walked and did a lot, but even with the best efforts, I gained a pound.  That was probably mostly water weight.

This time I'm approaching eating differently and bringing a scale, so it makes me wonder  how the week will go,  I will still follow a pattern of fasting most of the time with just eating one meal a day and a light snack for the other meal (just half and half in my coffee for breakfast). It worked for the conference, so it should work for this! I'm hopeful!

Now, keep your fingers crossed for me too. I might have a sweet deal on a treadmill desk lined up.  I'll know today or tomorrow probably.

And a nice little drop on the scale today.  Tomorrow will be 2 months on plan, so we will see what the totals are!

Next iteration of office layout

I have gone back and forth with so many options, but I think I've finally settled on something. STORAGE is the key, but when I went to the classrooms to really investigate the storage downstairs, I realized that I wouldn't be able to live with those cabinets in my office. One, they are semi-built in.  Removing them will mean repairing the floor and the walls. AND there is so much surface damage to these units. In the LEAST, I would want to take off the doors and just have interior storage things put in like this, just with more shelves:

But when I was looking at this on IKEA, I saw the Stolmen series. Now... whoa! What is this??? I got excited. I could get shelves and drawers and horizontal work space off the floor and up to 10 feet tall (and I have ten foot ceilings). And it's more airy, so I will feel less boxed in.That's all BONUS! With a few tweaks, I can get them wall to wall too.

Here's a similar set up to what I'm thinking about - just more upper shelves:

I also went back and forth on type of treadmill and desk one last time.  Big desk? Smaller desk? One for computer and sitting and one for laptop and walking. So many options! But, I'm sticking with my previous plan - large desk for sitting and walking. I simply don't have room to have two desks in my office.

Scale is the same for the last few days! Grrr....

Planning a vacation

Four years ago my family went to Boston. I was quite literally in the middle of my weight loss at the time. I was 30 pounds lighter than I am now.

I could be discouraged about that, but I'm not. I'm working on it and the good thing is that I haven't given up. I'm just having to learn new coping strategies. And it's actually a good thing.

Last time around, I relied heavily upon exercise to make my caloric deficit AND to keep my appetite in check. I started to run into troubles when I got injured or if we went on vacation. I stalled out because I was eating at maintenance, which for me, at close to my ideal weight, unfortunately, is about 1500 calories. I was HUNGRY on 1500 calories. And lack of exercise days often led to weight gains!

But, by changing my way of eating, I've found ways to not be hungry (or at least be hungry in a manageable way). I've upped my fat intake in the morning, satiating my body for several hours. A small protein/fat boost midday gets me through until dinner where I can eat a modest to moderate dinner.

Exercise is going to be part of my plan, but now I know I don't have to rely on exercise to create a deficit. I can massage my calories better and I can do that better by changing when I eat.

It's a good feeling actually. When I exercise more, I will eat more. When I am not exercising, I know how to decrease my eating.

I feel more confident in knowing how to deal with vacations too. I will do as I do at home - half and half in my morning coffee, a light snack for lunch, and a moderate dinner low on the carbs (and not going crazy on the calorie dense meals).

Last time I went to Boston I was wondering how I would manage. This time I know how I will manage.

Oh! I haven't told you either, I don't think! I got myself a travel scale to take with me! And it's within .1 of my scale at home, so I TRUST IT too.

Another thing I know about myself? I don't go overboard if I know I will have to weigh in. So, I will weigh in while on vacation! Cost me 20 bucks and it's about the size of a Kindle and has it's own case.

Isn't it cute?

Sorry it's been a couple of days!

Life just got busy. I try to write late at night to post sometime midday next day, but I got way busy. I had a cake to make, an event to go to, then work (which had a later than usual meeting on Sunday), and then on Monday I was just wicked tired as I hadn't slept well the night before because I was vexing about which treadmill desk to get!

So, I got up early on Tuesday to write!

First, weight stuff. It's still going down, but it's slowed up. I didn't help it by eating a carb heavy day on Saturday, but I made a delicious cake (light passion fruit white cake, injected with passion fruit curd, and then iced with passion fruit Italian buttercream).  It was divine - that perfect combination of sweet and sour.

However, despite eating within my calorie limit for the day, the scale jumped up a pound because of eating more carbs than my body is used to. (Glycogen holds water).  Scale has now release that water weight, but not much more progress downward other than that.

Now, about treadmill desk.  I "was" going to get the one I talked about the other day, but decided against it. I do not want to wait until December to get the treadmill part of the treadmill desk. THEN, I opted to go with a bigger desk so I can sit and stand/walk side by side.  I came to this conclusion after realizing I would have to have two places in my office to work, OR I would have to sit on a small stool/chair on top of the treadmill. Which is fine and people do it, but it would mean, ultimately, spending more money and I would have a possibly less comfortable chair. This option (larger desk) also means, if I hate it, I can take it home and see if my husband likes it.

Then, I found on another site, a scratch and dent section of their bamboo tops which is better than the laminate at the other place. And it has a longer warranty period etc. So, decision is made.

Then.... how come I'm having a horrible time pressing the "buy" button? When it comes down to it, I hate spending big money! I can spend a little here or a little there all the time, but big money makes me NERVOUS!

But this is what I'm getting. I think... I'm trying to decide now between a 72" wide and 83" wide. I can't quite decide if it will make the room feel tight upon entering or not if it's a bigger table/desk. Thoughts on my design here? There is one big window - floor to 8 feet that is on the top. the other things on the wall mark where there are electrical outlets (that stick out 2-4" from the wall, depending on the wall. I would have to cut out the back of one cabinet to get it to fit properly, but just the one. Bigger problem is that there is an air vent in front of the big window. I don't want to put the treadmill over it, but it will be TIGHT with the smaller desk... as it's shown in the upper configuration, the treadmill would be covering the vent by about 3 inches. I would have to slide the treadmill closer to the chair. Or, move the whole desk over 3-5 inches and then the difference between 72 and 83 inches for a desk is cut in half without the extra desk space to make up for it.

The bottom image would have no problems with the air vent, but perhaps entering the room RIGHT into a desk/table would feel bad/off putting. So... get squished a bit or feel squeezed at the door?

The cabinets shown along the left wall in the room are 96" tall (on 4 inch legs, so 100" tall) wardrobe cabinets. They are currently in the classrooms and will be moved out when we get new ones that will go in the hallway versus the classroom. They are plain white and need a bit of work (paint) and better interior fittings, but reusing makes the most sense.

That will replace these cubby things in my office that are beat up and non-adjustable. Their interior 11" space makes them pretty difficult to use for more than kid lit and the kid lit books are moving to another office, so they are just not serving a useful purpose any more. (unless we use one or both in the  other room).

BUT... that means the same problem persists that has been always persisted in that office - lack of horizontal space, which is why I'm leaning towards an 83" wide desk.

Ah... decisions!!!

Editing to add, according to room set up folks and feng shui, I should set up the room like this:

However, for a desk that is tall and open (more like a table), at most I could add a 12 inch modesty panel. I think that would look silly.

Or, there is this arrangement too - but again crowds the door and crowds the treadmill AND it means rerouting wires up and around the door frame because internet/phone is on the right side of the room. And, I would max out at the 72" table (above is 83")

Having support is wonderful and treadmill desk!

No marriage is perfect... or... another way to say it is that no person is perfect and therefore, no marriage is perfect. Even the best of marriages are just two flawed people trying their best to support themselves and their partners and anyone else in their realm.

Your spouse will annoy you. Your spouse will hurt you. Your spouse may not do exactly what you need them to do, but then, it's ditto for them - you annoy them. You hurt them. And you may not do exactly what he/she needs you to do. The better marriages are the ones where your partner annoys you less than anyone else you might possibly live with. They don't intentionally hurt you, and they try to do what you need them to do - and vice versa.

I think I have a very good marriage. (Even though my husband and I got in a spat last night over cookware... I know... arguments are so reasonable sometimes, right?) Most of the time, we are peaceful, but we are two strong headed people with strong opinions. HOW we make it work is that, thankfully, we are both loving, giving people to those we love especially. That goes a long way in making a relationship work.

So, with all of that said, I was nervous to bring up the idea of getting a treadmill desk. It's not a small expense. I finally got up the courage to mention it as something I think I/we should get and his response was, "I've been looking into those too. I think we should get one. They have gotten a lot better."

Ok, that was a first shock. Now, me, trying to be fair and sharing said, "Maybe we should get one for home as we both need to move more and we both work from home several days a week between the two of us (only Wednesday is one of us not home for either work or leisure and even on leisure days we do a lot of sitting. Like right now... Fridays are my day off and where am I? Sitting at the computer, responding to emails, writing this blog post, reading a forum. all things I could be doing while walking instead of sitting.)

His response, "I think you should get one for your work/office first. See how you like it, try it out, and then if you and I both like it, then we can get another one for home."

Well, blow me over with a feather. My husband is a cheapskate yet he's willing to get two treadmill desks soon! But then, he is also very mindful of health and is willing to spend money on things that improve our quality of life.

And then I realize... "Man... that man really loves me. He truly does." And as I type that I have tears in my eyes. I'm a very lucky woman. I'm also shaking my head and snickering to myself too as my husband does not have an easy personality, but his love is so strong and is just a constant support. Something I so need and something I'm so grateful for and sometimes lose sight of.

So guys!!! I'm getting a treadmill desk!!!!! YAY!!!! I already know what I'm getting too - I'm getting this, the Omega Olympus from iMovR:

Only difference is that I'm getting it electric as right now there is a promotion that makes the electric cheaper than the crank handle, believe it or not!!! AND... on the monitor arm, I'll get one for a laptop and then a separate laptop keyboard/mouse for use while I'm walking. Initially, I'm going to have the main computer on a separate desk and then this one with a laptop. I can always change that out if I want to. Having it be ergonomic is CRUCIAL for me as I run into wrist and shoulder pain and neck pain if I don't position myself well.  Squee!!!

Here is a double wide, double set up of the same desk:

The big decision comes in deciding on which treadmill to go with this desk. This one is the one that everyone says is the best for a single/couple people users: TR1200-DT3

BUT... everyone complains about it having terrible software and annoyances with having to press the treadmill 20 times to get up to speed as it doesn't record where you left off and do a slow start. No, you have to start with .4 and click, click, click unto 1.5 or whatever speed you want to walk.

There is this new firm, iMovR (same maker of the desk) that really does seem to be making a name for itself that is making a new treadmill. Price is a tad higher, but software and annoyances are thought out - hopefully not being replaced by other annoyances, or worse, defects. Do I risk getting a new to market one? or stick to the tried and true one that might soon be considered obsolete (and that one has been around for a few years)? CHOICES!!! Here's the new one: ThermotreadGT.

The deciding BIG factor might be that the new one won't be available until December!!! 6 more months of waiting??? Maybe what I'll do is get the Lifespan one now, and if we love treadmill walking while working, we can get the newer one a bit later once we know what other reviews have to say about it?

Anyway... it's exciting and I had no need to worry to talk about it with my husband at all! He's 100% on board! Woohoo!

More info on the differences between the treadmills:

We’ve compiled below a feature-for-feature comparison between the new iMovR ThermoTread GT, the LifeSpan TR1200-DT3, and TR5000-DT3 treadmill bases:

	ThermoTread GT	LifeSpan TR1200-DT3	LifeSpan TR5000-DT3
Price	$1,499	$999	$1,999
Duty Cycle	No Usage Limitations	Limited to 6 hours per day	Limited to 10 hours per day
Controller Type	Future-proof, high resolution, full-color, touch-screen LCD with remotely updateable software	Primitive gym-style membrane keyboard and LED display	Primitive gym-style membrane keyboard and LED display
Displayed Parameters	- Distance, Speed, Time, Steps, Calories - User login - “Click-wrap” liability waiver - Usage and goal tracking - Desk height, monitor height control (with optional CloudStation™ and specific iMovR desk models)	Distance, Speed, Time, Steps, Calories	Distance, Speed, Time, Steps, Calories
Internet Connectivity	Using iMovR CloudStation™, real-time connectivity to the iMovR Cloud. Uplinks user and machine performance, downlinks user preferences (for treadmill and desk settings), and numerous other advanced software features expected in 2016	Only through a highly unreliable Bluetooth Link, only provides very basic one-way info to a PC.	Only through a highly unreliable Bluetooth Link, only provides very basic one-way info to a PC.
Console Dimensions	8″ x 7″ x 6″	12.5″ x 3″ x 2″	12.5″ x 3″ x 2″
Built-in USB	For software updates	For charging a cell phone	For charging a cell phone
Motor	3.0 HP 4000 RPM	2.25 HP 2400 RPM	3.0 HP 1725 RPM
Fan	Whisper Silent	None	Loud, always on
Deck Type	Bakelite 1″	0.75″ phenolic	1″ phenolic
Walking Belt Area	20″ x 52″	20″ x 56″	20″ x 56″
Deck Height	Under 5″	6″	6″
Deck Suspension	6 Compression Shocks	6 Compression Shocks	6 Compression Shocks
Belt Type	Ultra-quiet 2.5mm rubber plus 2-ply fabric	Standard 2-ply	Standard 2-ply, wax impregnated
Noise Signature (ear height at 2.0 mph)	42.7 dB	48.9 dB	49.2 dB
Speed Range	0.5 – 2.5 mph	0.4 – 4.0 mph	0.4 – 4.0 mph
User Weight Rating	400 lbs.	350 lbs.	400 lbs.
Side Rails	Non-scuffing aluminum	Scuff-prone plastic	Non-scuffing aluminum
Desk Options	All ThermoDesk and Omega models in numerous sizes and colors, with all ergonomic accessories. Omega GT models can be controlled from the treadmill’s desktop controller	LifeSpan DT5, DT7 – one color, one size, no ergonomic keyboard tray options	LifeSpan DT5, DT7 – one color, one size, no ergonomic keyboard tray options
Weight	Base: 149 lbs Console: 1 lbs	Base: 131 lbs Console: 3 lbs	Base: 145 lbs Console: 3 lbs
Overall Footprint	67.5″ L x 28.4″ W x 9.5″ H	70.5″ L x 29″ W x 9.5″ H	70.5″ L x 29″ W x 9.5″ H
Boxed Dimensions	79.5″ x 42″ x 15″	73.5″ x 30.6″ x 11.4″	73.5″ x 30.6″ x 11.4″
Gross Shipping Weight	195 lbs	132 lbs	157 lbs
Lubrication	Easy-lift belt, no-mess lubrication takes 1 minute.	Messy, difficult, lubrication requires removal of motor housing.	Wax-impregnated belt the requires replacement when depleted
Warranty	3 years on motor 2 years on parts 1 year on labor	3 years on motor 1 years on parts 1 year on labor	3 years on motor 2 years on parts 1 year on labor
Cloud-Direct Connectivity Options	iMovR CloudStation™ available 2016	None	None

Guess I'm a Warrior intermittent faster

I didn't know it had a name. I didn't really care what it was called as I'm not following a system, just following a way of eating that works for me after years and years of tweaking. And oh my goodness it's wonderful! I have never had it feel so easy to lose weight and not feel deprived. Might not work for everyone, but totally works for me!

So, this Warrior Intermittent Fasting Diet. Here's what I found out after someone on a forum said that was my approach - which made me look it up. From The Daily Burn.

The Warrior DietStarted by: Ori HofmeklerBest for: People who like following rules. The devoted. 

How It Works: Warriors-in-training can expect to fast for about 20 hours every day and eat one large meal every night. What you eat and when you eat it within that large meal is also key to this method. The philosophy here is based on feeding the body the nutrients it needs in sync with circadian rhythms and that our species are “nocturnal eaters, inherently programmed for night eating.” 

The fasting phase of The Warrior Diet is really more about “undereating.” During the 20-hour fast, you can eat a few servings of raw fruit or veggies, fresh juice, and a few servings of protein, if desired. This is supposed to maximize the Sympathetic Nervous System’s “fight or flight” response, which is intended to promote alertness, boost energy, and stimulate fat burning. The four-hour eating window — which Hofmekler refers to as the “overeating” phase — is at night in order to maximize the Parasympathetic Nervous System’s ability to help the body recuperate, promoting calm, relaxation and digestion, while also allowing the body to use the nutrients consumed for repair and growth. Eating at night may also help the body produce hormones and burn fat during the day, according to Hofmekler. During these four hours, the order in which you eat specific food groups matters, too. Hofmelker says to start with veggies, protein and fat. After finishing those groups, only if you are still hungry should you tack on some carbohydrates. 

Pros: Many have gravitated toward this diet because the “fasting” period still allows you to eat a few small snacks, which can make it easier to get through. As the methodology explains (and the “success stories” section of The Warrior Diet website supports), many practitioners also report increased energy levels and fat loss. 

Cons: Even though it’s nice to eat a few snacks rather than go without any food for 20-plus hours, the guidelines for what needs to be eaten (and when) can be hard to follow long-term. The strict schedule and meal plan may also interfere with social gatherings, which can be tricky for some. Additionally, eating one main meal at night — while following strict guidelines of what to eat, and in what order — can be tough, especially for those who prefer not to eat large meals late in the day.

Wow... that's a whole lot of stuff about why it's good to eat at night... isn't that like anti everything we've ever been told about eating at night - that it's better to eat the first part in the day.

I used to do that. Eat the bulk of calories in the first four hours of the day upon waking and then lunch, and then nothing the rest of the day. I could do that now too, but I actually find that harder to do when around other people, and well, harder to do overall.

Supposedly what I'm doing, based on old research is that I'm not boosting my metabolism and then eating a lot at night (though typically 5 hours before going to bed). This supposedly is how you gain weight or inhibits weight loss. Maybe not?

Like with everything - I'm taking all this eating stuff with a grain of salt. This works for me, so I do it and do it successfully.

OK, so let me do some more poking around. Who is this Ori Hofmekler? I've never heard of him, so to Google I go. Huh, I just found this article on Muscle and Fitness: Become a Modern Day Warrior: The Diet that Broke All the Rules. And I laughed at the first sentences as it about stated what I just said above - I'm breaking all the rules I learned about eating!

Always eat breakfast, eat every 2 - 3 hours, and avoid hunger: these are three diet rules you never violate—at least, never on purpose that is. For example, we accept that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, that eating frequently boosts our metabolism, and that hunger pangs lead to overeating.

Yet, in the late-1990s, one diet broke all those rules and encouraged you to skip your hearty breakfast, stop spacing your meals, feast at night, and, oh, under-eat all day, too.

Surely, you can’t thrive with this diet—let alone gain muscle—right? Nutritionists have long warned us about skipping meals and starving ourselves. How can you succeed by committing diet heresy? Over time, however, something interesting happened:

The diet grew. What’s more, it pioneered a new genre of diets called “intermittent fasting.”

It’s all thanks to the Warrior Diet. Created by Ori Hofmekler, it introduced fasting and under-eating as method of fitness by itself and demanded the discipline to treat your nutrition like training. “The Warrior Diet focuses on total human fitness,” says Hofmekler, “not partial.”

So, it's been around since the first time I started to try to lose weight, yet, this is the first I've really heard it by name.  Andy OMG!!! It's basically listing my diet - that I discovered on my own!!! I drink coffee with half and half, then have a whey protein bar for lunch and then for dinner a low carb, high protein and lots of veggies dinner (no grains or low grains).

During the day, food choices shift from light-and-fluid to dense. For example, start the day with water, vegetable juices, coffee, or tea. (Anything watery and thin.) As the day continues, have light snacks like whey protein, berries, yogurts, etc. Finally, at night, have large, dense, and cooked meals that your ancient ancestors would’ve recognized as food. 

Now, his method was for building muscle, but it burns fat.. And, I can see it does.  It also says you can eat freely in this method. Obviously, this man hasn't ever met a person who can pack away as much as I can when I want to. Now, when I eat low carb and high protein and fat and lots of veggies, I do fill up and don't get hungry. However, I could eat double what I do in the day - especially if I had a 4 hour window instead of the 30 minute window I usually have (which is really just 15 minutes - the amount of time it takes to eat dinner!).

So, see I am following a diet and I didn't even know it! There's a book and everything!

And as I'm in the big loss part of the month:
Reboot: 5/18/15
Amount lost since then: 28.3 pounds

Mixed energy and tidying

I've been on a cleaning and rampaging streak at work - cleaning up my stuff, purging material, sorting what I have. Getting ready for next fall, basically, to start with all the clutter and mess dealt with so it's easy to find what I need. I know once we get going, that will be it. I won't have time to do it again until next summer. Now, I have the time. It also helps me plan for next year as I sit here with clear space, so it's easier to have a clear mind. I feel energized. I feel ready.

Then, there is home. I think I am so completely overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the work I have to do at home. I simply could not force myself to deal with any of it over this long weekend. Now, it's true, I needed down time and "kid" time, but man, I really need a "purge and organize" time at home!

I don't know if my desire to purge now came from reading this book 2 weeks ago, or if I read this book because I was ready to purge. Probably the latter. I am just ready.

Despite what this book said about not going room by room, (probably mostly works for Japanese homes and small apartments or condos, not for big, American homes) that is what I'm going to do. I'm going to go room by room by room. Stuff that doesn't belong in that room I will take out, but one room at a time I'm going to toss, toss, toss. (Which really means, donate, donate, donate.) A few things I might try to sell, but a ton of stuff I have been holding on to sell for 5 years, I haven't sold, so donate it is! I hope I can get my husband on board with that too!

I also will use the time my mother in law is gone on a trip for two months. For stuff I need to sell or donate or even pitch, I will put it in my mother in law's part of the house until I can hire someone to haul it out. I might do a yard sale, but only maybe. I'm not holding onto this stuff any longer. It needs to go!!!

Then, once I have gone through room by room and put all the misplaced stuff  away, then I will see if there are things we need to replace for appropriate "storage" or furniture. We have made do with so many things and I'm done with that too. It either completely works for our area, or we get rid of it. This is our forever home. I don't want to put up with stuff that only sort of works!

I guess that is the one thing I got from this book and perhaps the one thing that is relevant and useful. Only keep the stuff that brings you joy. The clutter is definitely not bringing me joy and it's bringing me lots of work.

It's funny then, that this same author says not to buy special organizing things, just to use shoe boxes and the like for storing, but that would bring me no joy. A row of beautiful, boxes that fit the space, would give me joy. Seeing cardboard boxes would make me feel like a student again (as that's what I used as a college student). And it could never use the space as efficiently. For her, she is a super, super minimalist, as what gives her joy, is minimal stuff period. She keeps all her books on the top shelf of her closet. She unpacks her purse completely every day (even if she will reuse it next day). Living like that brings her joy and it always has. That would not bring me joy.

I guess that is where I get a little bugged by the book and philosophy of her tidying up. It has the right idea of only keeping things that bring you joy. Organize things like with like. Fold and store things that can stay nice and neat, but... her idea that most people only need a few things or only a few things brings them joy is too simplistic. Or, it's too short sighted. I share a home with 4 other people. I can't tell my husband or 18 year old son to purge if they don't want to purge. I can't say, "let's get rid of 90% of these books because they don't give me joy." When 80% of the books bring my husband joy. Because there are many of us, we will have more stuff.  Marie Kondo is young, unmarried (I think) and has no children. How will she adapt when she has to share her space?

Anyway...I'm in a purge mood. So watch out!

And, as it's a nice round number today, I'll put in a weight loss update.

Weight loss reboot 5/18/15
Weight lost since then: 27 pounds

How hunger differs from day to day

I just came off of two days I really wasn't very hungry. At the end of the day when I tallied my caloric intake, both days were around 800-900.  Now, I didn't set out to eat that little. I just wasn't hungry. If anything, I felt super full (and even worried that maybe I was getting sick!) as how could I feel satiated with so few calories?

Well, today, I feel ravenous! I'm still doing my fasting for the most part during the day (half and half in the coffee and a protein bar until dinner time), but today, the first time this ENTIRE 7 weeks since being back on the program, I'm hungry. I'm more than hungry. I'm ravenous!

And I would eat a snack, but we are having flank steak for dinner. And broccoli from the farmer's market. I might even eat a small potato. Potatoes, for whatever reason, don't affect my blood sugar levels - unlike most people. While I do not have sugar issues, I also don't want to spike my insulin because that will just make me feel hungrier! Dinner is looking to be about  900 calories and will be super filling. I want to be able to eat that meal and not have to say, "no" to more of any of it. No snack will taste as good as that meal! (I love grilled flank steak!)

I'm just glad I don't usually feel hungry! If I still feel hungry after dinner, I'll eat a snack.

25 pounds down, a gazillion to go!!!

But, it s a really, really good start and it's still easy.

This long weekend I decided that I needed to get a walking desk at work. Any movement I can throw in there WHILE working, the better. Reality is (for me), I work in a beautiful area, but I would never take a walk during work if it meant I needed to stay at work even longer.

I love my job. I really love my job, but I also love being home with my family and staying at work longer means I get less time with my family.

So, that will be my birthday/Christmas present to myself for a LONG time to come as it's pricey, but it's worth it.

I did several mock ups of my office and I could make it fit in any number of ways. I also realized that if I absolutely HATE IT, I can return it, or better yet, sell it to someone who wants to use it. If I buy high quality stuff, it will hold most of its value.  I think the arrangement I like best for the office is this one:

Furniture are right size, but not right colors/shapes. Like, the app I'm using doesn't have a treadmill, but has an exercise bike, so I scaled that to size.  I think I would keep my current desk for now. It is for certain that I need a place to sit as well as stand/walk... I just don't know if I want to invest in something that can sit and stand NOW. Or go with something just for standing. AND if I like it for sitting and standing, I can always put a chair on the treadmill (yes, you can do that, just has to be a type of chair that won't hurt the treadmill. People do it all the time.

I don't know... big desk? Small desk? If I do a big desk (big enough for sitting and standing), then the only floor layout that works well is this one. (Or flipping it so that the desk is at the door, but that would mean removing a wall shelf... something I could do in the future. This way though, I can look out the window which helps my spirit!) 

Insane idea for working in an office just 3 days a week? One day is at home, another day I'm  running around the entire time I'm here, so not sitting!