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

I wish I understood why we sometimes hold water and sometimes release it

I used to have very regular weight loss patterns. It followed my menstruation cycle pretty perfectly (if I were sticking to my eating plan). I would stay the same weight and then slightly gain for 14 days. Hold steady for 3 days, and then after ovulation, I would release all the weight for 9-10 days, stabilizing a day or two before my period. It was that predictable. My weight loss chart looked like stair steps going down.

But now I'm in peri-menopause. My cycles even if regular, are not the same quality. And I sometimes have anovulatory cycles. I'm 45. That's to be expected. So, my weight loss pattern has changed.

Since I started 3 weeks ago, my eating and movement (not much) have been consistent. The first 2 weeks I lost quite a bit every day - as is expected as my body depleted it's glycogen stores (glycogen holds water too). But, for the last several days the weight has been roughly the same. It's only a few days, I'm not worried or annoyed by it. I know it will come off as NO  WAY am I eating for maintenance, but WHY is it holding water is the mystery.

Yesterday, for instance, I weighed 1/10th of a pound less than today despite eating on plan yesterday. That is 1.6 ounces, or approximately 3 tablespoons of water/weight.  That's nothing? Right? So, no one should worry about it.

And actually, when you think about how little that is, it's amazing that we can not fluctuate more in weight day to day when we eat different foods, drink different amounts, have varying salts and minerals, and room temperatures can vary too (we tend to hold more water in hot weather than in cold weather). Somehow, miraculously, we tend to weigh about the same day to day despite all the things that can affect weight.

Getting a WHOOSH (say, losing 1 pound overnight) is the same as a tall glass of water. We think when we see it on the scale, "Wow! I lost a whole pound overnight!" Well, you didn't really lose it overnight, it's just the body finally released the water it was holding as you were dropping the fat/muscle.

So, why do we hold water? And more interestingly, why is some of it different for different people? I mentioned my menstrual cycle pattern. Most women don't have this pattern at all. Or, they have an opposite pattern, losing before ovulation and holding steady or gaining after it. I never gain weight during my period, many women do. THAT is super interesting as supposedly the same mechanisms are in play - same hormones being released, but how our bodies react to it are very individual. Akin to how some women get PMS with the hormone fluctuations and some women don't.

Basically, I'm fascinated with how the body works and I'm fully aware of how much we still don't know about how and why we work the way we do. And with such variations person to person, it's no wonder there is hardly anything that is one size fits all literally and figuratively.

Editing to add next day: and just like that, for absolutely NO REASON, I dropped 1.9 pounds overnight. Or, the equivalent of two of those tall glasses of water. Fascinating.

Coming up with a fitness plan

I need to come up with something that a. I will enjoy and b. is easy to do with my schedule.

When I did this thing eons ago, I did fitness videos and that worked great (all VHS). I threw in a bit of running toward the end of that too.

This last time 4 years ago, I started with walking video game, then I started hitting the gym for various cardio and weight training classes. I had a lot of free time and flexibility so it worked well. Now I don't have as much flexibility.

What I "think" I want to do fitness at home. I love step aerobics, so I want to get some step videos and maybe some zumba videos. For strength (I'm a bit hesitant with that yet as I'm still dealing with some injuries) I would like to try to do TRX mostly, but maybe my husband and I could fit in going 2 times a week to the gym for that. Once on Saturday and maybe once some other evening or early morning. That one is "iffy" as I have to be careful.

I can "say" I want to walk, but I freaking hate the humidity. Doing it midday at work would be icky as I would get so hot. Mornings are so rushed, that it would be tight and by nighttime, I'm tired.

To do workouts at home though, we have to fix up our basement. That initially will have to be the first workouts as we pull up carpet, pads and then lay cork flooring. Having a home gym would be great though! And for working out is about the only thing I would want to do in the basement. I hate dark, windowless rooms!

All of this "thought" is good though. Means I am getting back in the groove and wanting to move more!

Restart 5/18/15:
Down 11 pounds

Seratonin and Carbs - How did I Miss the Connection?

A couple days ago on a forum post someone wrote this:

This what I've learned from my Neurophysiology class. This is a very simplistic explanation for some very complex processes. 

If you've had a lot stress, depression, or anxiety it can result in you gaining a lot weight. For a lot of people stress leads to stress eating and usually those are carbs because carbs are needed to help tryptophan get into your brain. Tryptophan breaks down into 5-HTP which then increases serotonin levels which help regulate mood. But carbs also tend to come with a lot of calories. 

I read that and thought, huh... let me look up some more. And then I found TONS of stuff. I found this on webmd: http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/craving-carbs. Hmmm...

And then this abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8697046 and then this: http://www.livestrong.com/article/458140-do-carbohydrates-raise-serotonin-dopamine/ and even more articles.

What I finally concluded about myself recently, that I'm using carbs as medication is spot on with this research and findings. Below is some of my life history and when I've gained weight.

I gain weight or fall off the dieting wagon EVERY winter of 8 winters I've tried to lose weight save two and ONE of those times it was only partially successful as I did go off plan and go carb crazy for a month and gained 20 pounds in that month! At that point, I was kin to Cookie Monster for real!

I have gained weight EVERY SINGLE TIME I have started a new job -without exception: 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2014. Why? probably stress of new job and adapting to new habits with life that naturally follows a new job - especially if it involves a move (many of them) and in this last case, going from part-time working, mostly stay at home mom, to a full time working mom. I use carbs to boost my seratonin levels then too.

I also KNOW I depend on carbs, as I have done it in the past, when I had super late nights at work. My go to for a while at work past midnight was a can of Mountain Dew and a Snickers bar. That would keep me going for a couple more hours. Caffeine and carbs!

So, here I am on a low carb diet which is good for my blood sugar, good for my cholesterol levels, and good for more overall feeling of good health as I am terribly carb sensitive, BUT it lowers my seratonin levels which then creates carb cravings - especially in the darker months of the year. I actually DON'T eat super low carb, just much lower than the average person. Add in Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD) and I am truly depressed in winter and I crave carbs - lots of carbs and then I start eating them and then I'm out of control.  So, SAD already makes me depressed, but throw in the low carb diet and I'm making that even worse!  I need to figure that out to break that cycle!

There are a couple things I could do - I could go on a higher carb diet, but I have done that before with Weight Watchers years ago and still got derailed come winter. I remember making tons of apple crisp in the late fall and then completely giving up as I got so tired that exercising in the mornings became torture, and then that stalled the weight loss and then I went crazy on carb heavy foods by January. After that incident, I gave up trying to control my weight for over a decade - it was that demoralizing and I felt so self-defeated as I didn't understand how I was doing so well and then totally derailed and ended up heavier than when I started (which also included a job change).

Now, I could try to up my carb intake with healthier carbs in winter with more fruit (apples) and healthy grains, but I think I need to accept and realize that I need an antidepressant to get me through the dark months. Once mid April hits, I'm usually OK and good to go until October. AND, I need to be faithful about using my SAD therapy light in the mornings.

So, a 3 pronged approach? Slow weight loss and increase calories by upping slower burning carbs in winter, take an antidepressant and use the SAD light. If that combo doesn't work, I'm out of ideas and honestly, that might make me feel hopeless! Oh, and add in (keep) exercise as that too is a mood lifter - so a four prong approach.

But seriously, how did I not ever notice or take note of carbs and depression before when it's so obvious for me that when I'm depressed I crave and give into carbs in a HUGE way?

Ok, so the body has shrunk a wee bit

A few weeks ago, out of desperation of having absolutely no summer clothes that fit (as I donated all my fat clothes), I went to Marshalls and Goodwill to find some clothes to get me by until I dropped some weight.  2 dresses, a few t-shirts, a couple dressier shirts, and 2 skorts and one pair of shorts.  The dresses and t shirts and shorts fit fine, but both skorts were snug.  Wearable, but a muffin top definitely visible.

Well, Friday night we went to a party (oh my gosh did I feel out of place - hipster 25-30 year old super brilliant people and me) and I wore on of the dresses.  The dress was definitely baggier and didn't fit as well as the day I tried it on.  Then today I wore the other dress I bought.  Again, baggier (with armhole exposing bra on the side thing going on with both dresses). Good thing for summer sweaters.

Then just now I needed a pair of shorts.  The only pair that fit is in the dirty laundry, so I pulled out the skort and now while still a bit tight, not muffin top tight!  I guess 10 pounds, even if mostly water and glycogen weight, do make a difference.

I won't be needing to do much real shopping on the way down.  I will be doing definite closet shopping!

The weight loss isn't visible, but I feel better about myself

It happens every time - the scale starts to go down, nothing really changes in how I look or how my clothes fit, but my mood just lifts because I just KNOW I am treating myself well and taking care of myself after months of neglect. I feel more self confident.

I notice I'm sitting up straighter, holding my shoulders back better. I am wanting to do more stuff because my mood is up. Yesterday I planted a bazillion things on the deck - and then cleaned the masses of dirt and debris and got it all out for yard pick up and recycling. This morning I got some more plants and planted those and did a bit of weeding. Tonight I'll weed some more and then delve into at home stuff with getting the craft room more put together. Here's some of the stuff I did yesterday:

I'm looking to see what's next - I need to tear up the carpet in the basement and haul it out. And the padding. Then get the floor all set for laying down a cork floor. Like this:

After that I'm looking to add a gated, fenced in raised garden to put in this fall (hmmm.... we would probably need to level the ground... Hmmm...) It's exercising with a PURPOSE.

Even the other day at Goodwill I found a smaller step for $5 and I thought maybe my son and I could start doing step together (he loves fitness songs/videos on Just Dance). Once our basement is fixed up, we can make an exercise studio down there - adding the TRX stuff that we bought have never used (as I got injured shortly after buying it). Some googling made me realize I found a Jane Fonda step!

I have one of these for myself:

Oh if I could just keep this energy! Why is winter so cruel to me????