Developing a healthier weight loss mindset and high carb day effects

And I am kind of surprised by it actually. I am not needing to write here as much. I am not needing to post on the weight loss forum as much. And I'm sticking with the program pretty closely.

There are days it's easier and days that it's more difficult, but I'm less obsessed about needing to seeing losses daily and less obsessed with NEEDING to see the scale every day.

I know if I keep doing what I'm doing, it will result in a loss on the scale eventually. I can't really do much more than I'm doing except up my exercise and what I'm doing is already resulting in losses, so all of that would be bonus.

I'm finding the mindset of thinking about the scale less is freeing. In the past I needed that check in to stay on my regime. I knew I would pay for indulgences and get rewarded for sticking to the program.

When I started this current journey, I just wanted it to be quick. I had gained the weight quickly, I wanted to be rid of the weight quickly.

I still have 35 pounds to go, but I've already lost nearly 55. I feel better. I look better and it's ok if it takes me awhile - as long as the trend is in the right direction and overall I'm making good choices.

This past month was mostly OK. I had some higher calorie days, but lower carb, so the losses were a bit slower. But I've still seen 5 pounds, so how can that be bad? Then, this last week I had one doozy of a week.

My husband was out of town. Our son was having issues with school. I had a talk to prepare. I have been happily busy at work. and I was dealing with monthly hormones. So, for two days I went on a high carb, high sugar snack fest as the stress caught up with me.

What I noticed with eating so much sugar and carbs in general: I felt lethargic. I felt blue. I felt weird twinges in my gut. I woke up with headaches. I woke up terribly congested. I really "felt" those things and realized that is how I felt almost ALLLLL winter last year and it was awful. I realized it was 100% diet and I had to drop the carbs way back down. I did.

I ate normally for two days after that... stuffiness is gone in my sinuses. Gut feels better with no twinges. No headache. I feel more energetic and happier. (Of course, having my husband home helps with feeling happier too).

Quick fixes for energy boosts - equals feeling bad overall. MUST. NOT. GO. FOR. QUICK. FIXES.

For sure though, my new eating time schedule has made the biggest difference for me. Allowing one meal a day (plus two high fat snacks) really, truly makes it easier to follow the low carb meal plan. Now if only I could make traffic better so that some days I didn't get home after 6:30 pm so that dinner isn't as last as 7:15!


And this picture is true. I'm not going to let the scale determine my happiness. While I do want to lose weight and to be fitter for a healthier me, daily fluctuations shouldn't not make or break my day and sometimes it feels like it will.

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!

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

Going to a conference Thursday through Sunday

And... that conference has meals included in the fees. Sigh... What to do about that?

When I first signed up for this (recently, not LONG ago), I thought, "Ok I will not do intermittent fasting during that conference as everyone will be eating around me and that is a good time to mingle and chat with various people. NOT eating would be weird and rude." Plus, I was thinking of taking it as a mini diet vacation as I have no other plans for a trip this summer, so it would be a minor bump in the long haul of things.

I wasn't planning on going crazy or anything, but I wouldn't be calorie restricting as much as I am now - for certain. I would still avoid big meals and probably most desserts, but even normal meals out of the home are usually highly caloric and would lead to gain territory versus losses territory.

Now that it's here - I'm leaving tomorrow, I'm not so certain I want to take a mini break. The meals are a sunk cost. They are part of the package. I can eat them - or not. I didn't pay extra for them and on top of that, it's a work expense, so it's not even money out of my pocket. I have no obligation to EAT.

And, I am on such a role. And it feels so good. I have bins and bins of clothing that are too small for me. Beautiful clothes I would love to wear again and getting there faster rather than later would be GREAT!

Also, I feel great doing what I'm doing. I don't feel starved and I don't feel like I'm having to give up anything (so I don't feel like I'm missing out). Though, it might feel that way if I'm hanging out with people who are eating!!!

Lastly, I'm going alone - not with my family. It's not going to feel much like a vacation. And the food may not even be that great! I would rather go over on calories and blow the calorie budget on trying new foods at new places and so on. Not while at a conference for work eating hotel food. This is on top of me being in my monthly stall out too. I'm already seeing little to no movement on the scale. I'm not looking forward to adding to the scale upward tick trend!

So, I'm torn about what to do. Skipping breakfast should be easy. It's the other two meals I'll have to think about! I guess I'll find out!

I sometimes wonder how we got such strict notions about when to eat food?

Where did the "rules" of eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner come from? And why is it odd if someone skips some of those meals?  LOTS of people skip breakfast and for most of my lifetime, we were chastised for not eating properly for skipping that meal. Some people skip lunch as they eat a hearty breakfast, but what about those who prefer to eat most of their calories in one meal? How and why does that seem wrong or odd?

Right now I consume about 275 calories during the day - and the rest at dinner and I LOVE IT.  I have something in the morning. My metabolism is starting, I eat something midday to keep the hunger pangs away, and then I eat a most glorious, full dinner. Oh my goodness it's lovely. I don't have to worry about overeating (especially since I cook at home). I can just enjoy (while eating wholesome, low carb foods). I don't feel deprived at all. And, as dinner is the social meal in our home, it works well. I can eat and be part of the family dinner completely.

Doing this also keeps my blood sugars low throughout the day. I don't feel overly tired or worn out as I'm getting enough energy from food, but I find it so much easier and seem to suffer less deprivity with eating this way, than with eating three smallish meals a day.

Yet, everything states you should eat at regular intervals throughout the day - many saying 5-6 small meals being better than 3 larger meals. Yet, when I do that, I feel hungrier and that makes sense as it gets the insulin flowing.

It can be tricky with lunch meetings, etc, but then I can switch WHEN my main meal is for the day, or, make this my special occasion meals and then just eat a smaller dinner (if needed) later. Yet, when you mention fasting for the most part for most of the day, most people are aghast and spout how terrible it is for my health to eat this way.

But is it really? If it means I can get within a normal weight range? What is worse? And WHY is more meals better than less meals? Research on that for Type 2 diabetics is changing too.

Ironically, I used to pshaw this approach to eating, but man... now I simply love it! Like last night I ate two farm made sage sausages, a bit of egg noodles (trying to limit carbs), several roasted mini peppers, and a bunch of broccoli. About 700 calories for the meal.

The other night, I had three (medium) sized eggs, over easy, with two pieces of buttered toast, and a salad of pepper, tomato, avocado with olive oil and vinegar for 800 calories.  The night before that I had a stir fry of chicken breast, cashews, peanut oil, and tons of variety of veggies for 800 calories. And the day before that I had 10 ozs. of steak and a bunch of roasted peppers for 700 calories.

I eat and feel satisfied. Before that, I was eating a small breakfast, a morning snack, a small lunch, an afternoon snack, and then a small dinner. I never, ever ate and felt satisfied. I ate enough to "get by" but it added up to more calories than fasting throughout the day and feasting at night.

I still keep it "lowish" carb and get most of my calories from proteins and fat, but I enjoy those foods and I FEEL FULL! Not STUFFED, but satisfyingly full.

A quick look just told me that it's the "new thing" in dieting, so I guess it is gaining in popularity, but it's still rare from what I see, but I think it's my now forever diet and I'm so happy to have found it thanks to JohnP (wherever you have landed John!)

Here are some articles - not saying it's "proven". It's not. NONE of the diet things are proven, but it works for me and works really well in making me feel less deprived.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-intermittent-fasting-might-help-you-live-longer-healthier-life/

http://www.today.com/health/should-you-really-be-fasting-3-diet-myths-get-busted-t21316

http://news.islandcrisis.net/2015/05/stay-younger-by-fasting-intermittently/

What plan works for me - it may or may not work for you

I do not follow one particular diet plan. There are things I try to do that are parts of other plans, but it's not the entire plan. For the most part though, I flip the food pyramid upside down - sort of. Grains are definitely at the lowest and everything else is pretty equal.  As the title states. This works for me. Might not work for someone else. It's taken years and lots of trial and error to find this path I'm taking. But if you are carb sensitive, most of this might work for you. And if you are loathe to give up big meals, parts of this might work for you too.  This is just "my" path.

1. I reduce/limit my carb intake. And that is ANY carb except most fruits and some starchy vegetables. Those do not create the cravings/sugar problems that I have like when I eat bread or pasta or cookies. I'm not sure if I'm in a ketogenic state most of the time or not. I don't really care about that. Though, I probably often am in a ketogenic state.

2. As part of that, I am not on a high protein or a high fat diet in itself. I'm just on low carb and I don't really care about the division of calories from there on. Most of the time though, fats are higher than proteins as I eat a lot of nuts, olive oil and avocados, as well as meats, dairy and eggs. Fats are fine. Low fat makes me hungry. So, I drink half and half in my coffee. I use butter to cook my eggs. I will eat the skin of the chicken. I use olive oil on my salad, etc. ALL those things make me more full for longer. I don't try to load up on fats or on protein - so some days it's higher in one and another day higher in another.

3. I count calories. I cannot just eat for hunger as I cannot rely on my body telling me the truth and nothing about the truth when it comes to hunger. That's how I got to be obese! At least that's how I got obese with eating all the carb heavy foods I want. I track every morsel I put in my mouth, but I eyeball amounts (with occasionally measuring to make sure my eye is fairly accurate).

4. While I calorie count, I give myself a range and I will eat less than my allotted amount if I'm not hungry and will eat more than my allotted amount if I'm feeling very hungry. I am not stuck on a number and will not eat more just to get my calories in. Nor will I get mad at myself if I eat 100 calories more than I allotted as "ideal". These are frameworks, not something to live and die by. ESPECIALLY since calorie counting is never specific anyway. That apple you grab can be anywhere from 50-120 calories! Nothing can be so accurate!

5. I do a form of intermittent fasting and I love it. I only recently discovered this (last spring/summer when I was losing). And I feel less hungry throughout the day as I think it keeps my insulin levels lower. And little things matter! When I have coffee with milk versus coffee with half and half, I get way hungrier way earlier in the morning. That fat holds me. It costs me an extra 50 calories over whole milk calories in the morning, but saves me from a 200 calorie snack later in the day!  My typical day (right now) is coffee with half and half in the morning, a protein bar around noon for lunch and then a HUGE dinner - the only meal I make for the day anyway and it's the only meal we all sit down together for. This way I pretty much get to enjoy as much of it as I want. I don't feel deprived as I can eat a 700-800 calorie dinner without feeling guilty about it! Shortly before I got derailed a couple years ago, I was getting so hungry in the day, that I ate my allotted calories for the day before dinner, so I never got to enjoy dinner I prepared for the family or only got to eat bits of it. That stank!

6. I never eat back exercise calories. If I exercise for an hour, I do not eat more because of it. It just means I'll see more loss for the day. Unless, of course, I do feel hungry, but since exercise is an appetite suppressant for me, that's rare.

7. I work hard on trying to get enough sleep. If I can do that, it's easier to do all of the above!

And all of this should be lifelong because it's easy to follow and stick to - as long as I don't get seriously depressed or exhausted.

And, with that, the scale gave me a big drop today after holding pretty steady for days - great example of what I was talking about yesterday!

Restart 5/18/15:
Down 12.8 pounds

And just like that, the hunger decreases

Took me nearly a year to just say, "enough", but I've (for now) kicked the simple carbs to the curb. My appetite got cut down in half.  I realized on Friday (before a memorial weekend camping trip) that I had basically forgotten to eat all day where for weeks and months before that I was starting to munch by 10:30 am, then having lunch no later than 1 pm, and then dinner. Now? It's a variation of intermittent fasting again - without feeling like I'm starving myself.

In fact, I had dinner, and it feels like it's sitting on my stomach like a rock. Yes, it was a huge meal of a  protein rich green salad and one slice of light frozen pizza, but until 7pm (12 hours after waking), I had only eaten 400 calories. Most other days when I was high on carbs? I was eating probably 2500 calories before dinner. THAT is how much carbs affect me. It's INSANE!

Anyway, I didn't disappear and give in already. I disappeared because I was away on a camping trip - the first in my life!

Satisfying hunger - why are we all so different?

I'm in an interesting discussion about satisfying hunger, essentially and what it boils down to, we are all different. It takes a LOT OF FOOD to make me feel satisfied and not hungry. Takes hardly any food at all for my teenaged son. He is one of those people who don't eat much until after noon and then snacks on and off all the rest of the day.  My husband eats so differently from me too. He eats a moderate breakfast, small lunch, usually a big dinner and then an evening snack. I could eat and did eat neck and neck with my husband  and I didn't feel as satisfied as he does. I still needed more food to feel satisfied. So either my hunger button is sticky and I don't know when I'm full or I really do have a bigger appetite for food and my body just prefers to store fat. Who knows.

But, what I do know is that I feel much happier with eating that allows me to have big meals over small meals. I am LOVING having huge dinners. Now... it's still moderate compared to how much I would LIKE to eat... I never, ever eat as much as I want to eat, but I at least feel like I'm eating something substantial.

So that means, for me, right now, I prefer barely eating all day, so that I can enjoy a very hearty dinner.  So, I'm practicing a type of intermittent fasting. It feels so great to just eat portion sizes I've eaten almost my entire adult life (minus the starchy foods).

A typical day has come down to coffee with half and half in the morning and I might have 1.5 tablespoons of peanut butter for lunch and then a dinner of about 800 calories of meat and veggies with olive oil or avocado, etc for fats. Almost every night I could eat more meat or more salad than I allow myself as I really could eat a TON of food if I eat freely - easily 5000 calories a day, but I get so much enjoyment of a big plate of food every night - when I have family around me to eat with me. I can only do that, if I eat very little the rest of the day and so far that has been easy enough to do.

I do get thrown off on days my family is around more - especially my husband. I have my usual half caffeinated coffee with half and half in the morning, but then I have lunch with him (bigger with him around than by myself) and then I have an iced coffee (with whole milk) later in the day and so by dinner time I've already consumed a big chunk of calories for the day which leaves me much less left over for dinner.  BUT... I still feel as hungry as if I hadn't consumed more during the day. I still want to eat that huge dinner, but don't really have the calorie budget to do it! Well, I could do it, but then that would slow down the weight loss. And right now? It's all about getting the weight down quickly. I have the motivation and desire to get out of this dreaded state I'm in as quickly as possible. I got here quickly. I want to leave "here" quickly.

And I'm really beginning to see it. I don't think I look OBESE any more, but just significantly overweight. Or, it's that I just feel better and more energetic so that I don't feel obese. Whatever it is, I'm feeling better and better, but I still enjoy big meals! A small meal is just depressing to me. When I eat, I want to EAT!

And with that said, the scale went down again this morning. That must mean that ovulation is going to be delayed as this is NOT my usual pattern. I'll take it though - 222.1, so 10.9 pounds for the month (so far). Let's see if I can squeeze any more out of this month or not!

Twenty pounds down since April 3nd

April 1st I stepped on the scale at home. It read 241.6. April 2nd AND April 3rd (so it couldn't be a fluke) it read 243.6. Today I reached exactly, to the ounce 20 pounds since April 3rd. That is 20 pounds in 7 weeks and 2 days. That is remarkable fast. But I also gained that 20 pounds remarkably fast - I think I gained in it about 2 months too.

Things I'm doing differently this time, versus last time is that I'm being more 'free' with what I eat and I've switched to a type of intermittent fasting. It jives much better with family eating and I feel less hungry overall.

So, for breakfast I have half caff. coffee with a half cup of half and half. It's a luxuriously wonderful coffee. The fat in that coffee keeps me satisfied until 1 pm-ish. I then eat a tablespoon or two of peanut butter, maybe an apple with it too - depending on how famished I feel.

That keeps me satisfied until 6:30 pm when we have dinner. Then, because I've only eaten 300-400 calories so far for the day, I can eat as much as I want of dinner (minus the startchy carb). I can have a big piece of meat, tons of veggies, etc. Our dinners are always the most varied meal of the day, so I get to truly enjoy it. Like, last night we had scrambled eggs (made with butter) with a red pepper, purple onion and avocado salad. It was delicious!

What I'm also doing differently is that if I really want a sweet or starchy treat, I allow it - in small doses. Like, after gardening for 7 plus hours the other day, I let myself have an ice cream sandwich (180 calories). Last night at dinner I also made homemade garlic bread (italian bread smothered in chopped garlic and butter). I let myself have two thin, small slices of that for about 300 calories.  I keep those in check, but I won't deny myself them.

Mostly, I think allowing a really nice, scrumptious BIG dinner where I actually feel full has been wonderful. And for whatever reason, I am able to manage hunger during the day with a bit of fat. That leaves me with 700-900 calories for dinner at night! Yay!

I'm also not killing myself with exercise. I AM exercising and getting faster, but I'm keeping it at walking for now. I should be able to walk my entire life and some of the healthiest people I know are walkers. So.... I walk and I am already getting faster. On a walk with my husband and older son the other day they said, "Why are you running?" TWICE. I hadn't even realized I had picked up my pace that much.

And, about yesterday's post. The skies didn't fall in. I didn't die. AND, I did it!

Plan for the day is mowing and gardening and cooking. Love this time of year!