90 Day Weight Loss Journal

Jul-05 - 5/90

So, significant changes to the plan occurred on Day 4. After waiting through some small amount of early morning nausea (very light), I wondered if my plan for two weeks of only salads and oil & vinegar dressing might be too restrictive. I asked my FB group of experts what they thought. They unanimously recommended that I do "fat fasting" instead, as a healthier and more successful way to begin on my 3x42 fasting. I took their advice and immediately consumed about five eggs and six strips of bacon! Nausea completely counteracted!

At lunch my family had a meal out, so I had to be careful. We went to Skyline Chili, my older son's favorite. I had a simple garden salad with the store's own "Light Italian" dressing. (I wanted full fat, but they did not have any.) For a holiday splurge (it was the 4th of July, after all), I had them thrown on some chicken. Afterwards, I felt almost as if I had not eaten at all. The lean meat plus the lean dressing meant there was nearly no fat in the meal at all, and I am finding that fat is what makes you feel full and satisfied when eating.

My wife made some amazing salmon "steaks" for supper, which I ate on top of a bed of salad greens with my oil & vinegar dressing drizzled on top. I have not had a hunger pang since, and it is now over 12 hours later. I sense a new mantra coming on: "Good fat is where it's at!"

So, I have modified my plan at the advice of wiser, more experienced heads than mine, and I am feeling really good as Day 5 of the new regimen begins. And I am excited to know I might get started on my 3x42 fasting (which is designed for weight loss) all the quicker. Through it all, I am reminding myself: This is not forever. This is just a temporary thing in order to lose the weight. I will not be eating restrictively forever.

Whether it is a bad sign that I am thinking such things on Day 5 I will leave as an exercise for the reader to determine. My job is to stick to the plan, and so I shall!

 

Jul-06 - Day 6 of 90 - Current Weight: 217.6 lbs, SMBI: 31.3
Highest Weight: 247.0 lbs, SMBI: 35.4
Starting Weight: 230.6 lbs, SMBI: 33.2
Lowest Adult Weight: 187.0 lbs, SMBI: 26.8 (10 or 11 years ago)
Goal Weight 1: 204.0 lbs, SMBI: 29.3
Goal Weight 2: 192.0 lbs, SMBI: 27.6
Goal Weight 3: 184.0 lbs, SMBI: 26.4
Ultimate Goal Weight: 170.0 lbs, SMBI: 24.4 (optional, and maybe not healthy; I'll reassess at 90 days)

Have I *really* lost 13 pounds in six days? No, of course not. I am sure nearly all of the loss is water weight. The scale is not always the best thing to go by for gauging general health and fitness. But, it's a number I can easily track. My test for fitness is much more simple: Can I sit down without needing to unbutton my pants to feel comfortable? It's an easy test! So, currently, I can in my 42" waist pants, but they fall off when I stand up. So, I am wearing suspenders for now -- otherwise, I would need to be constantly adjusting my belt!

Yesterday went well. The "fat fasting" has really curbed my hunger, and now, when I do feel hungry, it does not have that nauseous edge to it. Good fat is where it's at!

I can see the routine begin to emerge. I will continue to fat fast through the weekend and then plan to complete my first 42-hour fast from Sunday evening through Tuesday lunch. It seems doable. I have fasted for lengthy periods before, but have never done routine shorter fasts, so I am curious to see how this goes.

This next week, I may only do two 42-hour fasts, as my younger son's birthday is on Friday. While I won't be having any cake (sugar is a 100% no go), I would like to be able to at least participate in the birthday meal, even if I end up just having a salad or something.

Onward!

 

I also really recommend Fung's "Obesity Code." That provides the background info for the much more practical fasting guide which you purchased. I think you are someone who likes to read up on the science and such behind things, so I believe you will find this other book very much of interest.

 

Jul-08 - 8/90

I made it through my first weekend of this new approach to food. Weekends used to be the time when I indulged a little (or a lot!) in the things I really enjoyed -- sugary treats, diet soda, fast food, pizza, etc. It was odd going an entire weekend with none of that. I can see how long-term deprivation is unlikely to be sustainable. I am hopeful I can form enough new habits over the next 90 days that when I return to "normal" eating, normal will look significantly different.

After "fat fasting" the last few days, today is the first of my full fasting day. My plan is to embark on 3 days each week (M, W, F) where I fast for 42 hours at a stretch. I may ease into this a bit if the full 42 hours seems too much. For example, my first fasting period may be more like 36 hours instead of the full 42. But we'll see how it goes. I am about halfway through 36 hours of fasting right now and I feel a little hungry, but nothing that won't pass in time. And I do not feel nauseous or dizzy or anything worrying.

I used to try to figure out how I might sneak a little P or P-sub into my mind without it breaking the rules. A little "cheat" just to get some of what I craved. Now, I have very little desire to do that. I know P for the poison it truly is. I don't fully trust myself not to go back into that, but it is not what I long for on a regular basis any more. I am hoping to find the strength and support to do the same hard work and get to the same place with my eating. I know it will take time.

Onward!

 

Day 9/90 - 10% complete!

First day of fasting about to be broken for lunch today. My first fast was 39 hours due to a late supper on Sunday. I will eat lunch and supper today and then go for a second day of fasting, hopefully for a full 42 hours. Other than about an hour of intense hunger about 24 hours ago, I have felt really good. No nausea or dizziness or feelings of weakness. I think the fat fasting kick-off really helped.

My scale is telling me absolutely crazy things which I know have no basis in reality, so I will let things settle down a bit before I check that again.

I am excited to see how the rest of this first week of 3x42 goes. Thanks for all the support!

 

Day 10/90 - can't believe it's 10 days already! (But a long way to go)

I really enjoyed breaking my fast yesterday with a romaine lettuce salad, topped with locally sourced chicken, two strips of bacon, avocado cooked in the bacon grease, and some great oil & vinegar dressing. I ate a big portion and felt very good. That held me over just fine until supper. My wife made something amazing with the same chicken, some broccoli, and a low-carb sauce of some kind she made from scratch. (I am really awful in the kitchen, and she is a bit of a mad genius, especially with leftovers.I cannot keep up with her amazingness.) I finished food consumption by 6 pm, and will be fasting again now until lunchtime on Thursday.

I begin to see how fasting like this can become enjoyable. On fasting days, I have no concern for what I will or will not eat. I simply do not eat at all. This simplicity of focus is very much akin to the "fasting" we do around PMO. When the answer is a simple "no," compliance, while sometimes difficult to perform in the moment, is very simple to assess. That simplicity aligns with the peace and rest I know in Christ. I follow that peace as an indicator that I am on the right track. So, fasting seems to be a way to move toward that peace while still doing the hard work of remaining diligent in discipline.

All in all, good stuff! I'll continue to update you here on how it is all going. Thanks for your continued support!

 

Day 11/90

Finished my second full 42 hours of fasting today at lunchtime. My hunger occurred later during this fasting period, but lasted a shorter period than during the first day. I woke up with a small headache. And I have noticed feeling a bit of "brain fog" during the fasting times. I am learning today more about the need for supplementing with salt during fasting periods, so I will be incorporating that into the routine going forward.

Overall, I feel good and do not foresee that continuing on in this mode will be a significant hardship. The scale continues to report wild swings up and down, so I am not paying it much attention.

My younger son's bday is tomorrow, so I will likely not be doing a full fast on that day. But I will be back at it for sure next Monday and plan to complete a full 3x42 next week. I am also planning to remain keto at all meals and stick to an 18:6 as best I can each day I am eating, only veering from that schedule if bday parties go past my normal eating time in the evening.

Onward!

 

Day 12/90

No headache today. I skipped my workout yesterday because I felt a little weak. I did it today and felt a tiny bit light-headed, so I took it easy. I am hoping to procure some Himalayan or Celtic salt this weekend, and I am looking forward to seeing if that alleviates these symptoms. If this 3x42 schedule is going to be my normal for the next 90 days, it would be good if I could do all of my normal life things without hindrance during that time.

Nothing else to report really. All is well!

 

Jul-15 - Day 15 of 90 -
Current Weight: 213.4 lbs, BMI: 30.6, SMBI: 45/70 (as of Jul-15)
Highest Weight: 247.0 lbs, BMI: 35.4, SMBI: 51/70
Starting Weight: 230.6 lbs, BMI: 33.2, SMBI: 48/70
Lowest Adult Weight: 187.0 lbs, BMI: 26.8, SMBI: 40/70 (10 or 11 years ago)
Goal Weight 1: 204.0 lbs, BMI: 29.3, SMBI: 43/70
Goal Weight 2: 192.0 lbs, BMI: 27.6, SMBI: 41/70
Goal Weight 3: 184.0 lbs, BMI: 26.4, SMBI: 39/70
Ultimate Goal Weight: 170.0 lbs, BMI: 24.4, SMBI: 36/70 (optional, and maybe not healthy; I'll reassess at 90 days)

This weight was recorded after 4 days of refeeding, so I think it is a fairly accurate assessment of where I am atm. Today is a full fasting day of 42 hours, the first of three this week, if all goes to plan. I procured some Himalayan salt this weekend and took my first pinch this morning in some coffee (ugh!). I will continue to supplement with salt, but I will not be putting it in coffee again -- horrid! I think I will just place a pinch under my tongue at periodic intervals in the future.

I am seeing changes in my face, arms, and legs. I still feel as if I have quite a gut, especially when seated. As this is the main thing I am trying to eliminate, as I know weight around the middle is especially bad for one's health, I will just stay committed until I start seeing changes there, too. It is just a matter of time, I imagine.

I feel good physically and mentally. I will be curious to see how the salt supplementing helps with brain fog, headaches, and fatigue. Onward!

 

16/90

Well, salt supplementing during a fast is a great help! I had some fatigue, headache, and brain fog last week during my fasting days. Yesterday I began supplementing with pink Himalayan salt -- just a pinch under my tongue every few hours for a total of 3-4 pinches throughout the day -- and I can report that after 40 hours of fasting, I have no headache, no fatigue, no brain fog whatsoever. I did my normal strength workout this morning and felt fine. Last week, I held off on my fasted mornings, as I felt a bit weak. Who knew a little bit of salt would have such a big impact?

So, I have learned something very helpful, and this knowledge makes prolonged 3x42 fasting seem really sustainable. I am looking forward to lunch in another hour!

 

17/90

Yesterday saw my first serious error during the 90 days so far. In addition to my salad at lunchtime, I ate an entire 16 oz. block of cheese. Cheese is definitely keto and so an approved food item, but that much cheese in one sitting (something I used to do not uncommonly) is far too much! I felt very lethargic and almost ill the rest of the day and could barely eat the wonderful supper my wife cooked up.

One of my food tendencies is to get an item out, sit on the couch, and then eat all of whatever it was I got out. I need to counter this by getting out only a smaller amount. Sitting down with a block of cheese or an entire log of summer sausage or etc. is definitely a no-go for me, and something I need to eliminate from my routine. It simply is not fun to eat that much. I stop enjoying it and even ruin the pleasure I initially did have from eating something good.

So, lesson learned!

My 3x42 this week is again getting messed up due to scheduled commitments. I have a dental appointment on Thursday afternoon and do not want to eat just before I go in. I also don't want to fast for longer than 42 hours at this point. So, I will be eating today and then fasting all day tomorrow instead. if I can fast on Saturday, too, that will get my 3x42 in this week. If not, then it will be another 2x42, and I will plan to 3x42 next week! One day at a time. It's not a sprint; it's a marathon!