Down the Scale or Shrinking over here, boss!

Looking back fondly at our ’71 VW Bus that came in second place in Car Talk’s photo contest lamenting that VW is no longer making them in Brazil or Mexico.

I have emerged from the Holidaze five pounds lighter!

Having joined a Facebook group, “Alternative Day Fasting, or ADF” I’ve been getting tips from more experienced ADFers, some that have lost hundreds of pounds and now maintain themselves at BMIs of less than 19!

My weight loss sped up again when I forced myself to eat midday on on down days and added a bit more food to down days, sometimes exceeding the 400 calorie cap.  I had been starving and eating nothing on down days and that stalled my system and caused another plateau in November.  My weight loss also sped up when I skipped two down days (Christmas Eve and New Years Eve) so as not be “unsociable”.  Who knew?

This is counterintuitive.  How in blazes can I lose weight faster by eating more?  I can’t say, but I am willing to add a few calories on down days in the form of a pinch of Parmesan cheese to my Caesar salad or a bite of hubby’s dinner.  And my routine has suddenly changed from sewing and crafting alone at home every day to driving to town on our icy country roads to town each day to the county courthouse.

I have been summoned to sit on a lengthy jury trial as a juror with a group of very sociable folks.  Our “breaks” in the jury room sound like a cocktail party with everyone visiting and noshing on all the snacks that are arrayed every day on our big conference table.  Last year I would’ve been the “fatty” of the group, but thanks to ADF, I am now AVERAGE!!  I’m in between a size 14 and 16, down from a size 22 since April.  It is tough to get dressed as most of my clothes are just too damn big.  But digging around in bags of old clothes I have stashed away (and forgotten about) I found four pairs of jeans and some shirts.  Three pairs of jeans are already too big, but one pair fits great with a belt to keep them from falling down.

I’ve made myself some clothes, but not enough to call a wardrobe.  I might have to break down and go buy a pair of skinny jeans since the ones that fit are bell bottoms and pretty much out of style.  At least they’re not “mom” jeans.  And I’m back in my old bras that are comfortable, and getting looser kind of fast.

And last of all, and maybe most of all, I am scheduled to see the Orthopedic Surgeon on the 20th (a holiday, so no jury duty that day) to begin the process of getting both knees replaced.  So my blog will have the added dimension of a shrinking old lady becoming a hundred thousand dollar old lady with new legs as well.  Wish me luck and my best to all of you in 2014 fellow fasters!

Weigh Day number 6

Happy to report that the “plateau” thingy seems to be receding in the rear view.

Harvest and “putting up” the harvest season is in full swing.  Check out the bitchin’ salsa I’m canning (and chowing down fresh).

I am down now to a weight I can actually write down without wanting to dig a hole and pull the hole in after me to cover my shame.  After six full months of alternate day fasting, 400 calories or less on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays without exception or cheating, I now weigh 188 lbs.  I’m sure, gentle reader that you can do the math and compute my starting weight, but since since that heavy number is now history, we can move on and just say that I’ve lost a cool 43 lbs!  I have not suffered (much), and I have a new skill.  I can plan, cook, and serve a meal to others without eating any of it, not even to taste.  This new skill was my number one doubt about going on a permanent weight loss lifestyle.  (Note I didn’t say DIET.  This is not a diet; this is forever.)  I didn’t think I could do it.  I have gone to parties, events, etc. and managed to not cheat.  I am used to sticking to the fast knowing I will eat tomorrow.  I now arrange my life around the alternate day fasting, because being a healthy weight is THAT IMPORTANT.

When I was a young gymnast and figure skater, I controlled my weight through fasting.  But the only fasting routine I knew was a three day, zero calorie liquids fast–coffee, tea, water, diet soda, and what I jokingly called “bowls of air”.  A teenager can handle this because they are made of youthful energy and vigor.  But my old post menopausal self?  Not so much.  I get dizzy and feel really weird on day two of a full fledged monk’s fast, and by day three I’m sure my electrolytes and blood sugar levels could be dropping too low.  One day fasting, on the other hand, goes by quickly especially if I keep busy, and despite the growling guts, I feel perfectly fine all day, (just a little jealous of others tucking into the terrific food I cook up for them.)

I am nearly halfway down to goal–my former normal weight of 130 lbs.  I should be having the two big surgeries this winter, about three months apart.  If I keep losing six pounds a month (and I might not and that’s OK), I should be approaching goal weight in about ten months, just in time for bathing suit season!  Woot!  Hopefully, I will be both slim and ambulatory enough to do some awesome swimming and diving next summer!

Weigh Day #2

I just stepped off the scale.

For the last five years I’ve shied away from the scale as the pounds piled on.  At the highest point I felt so buried and encased that movement was impaired, as if a giant elephant sat on me.  Rolling over in bed became an effort, getting up out of a chair, and of course walking.  Walking is the key to the weight gain in the first place since my knees are completely shot.  They shake, they buckle, they HURT like hell.  Clothes seemed to shrink, and the tops riding up and the pants riding down grew worse and more annoying.  My blood pressure soared and I was always hot.

In the back of my mind, I knew the last straw would be bras and underwear.  I was up to the largest size in the only bras I could find that are comfortable and wearable.  If I got any bigger I’d have to go without a bra!  There is no way I could do this, and I’m sure the “bra police” would bust me if I tried.  (No pun intended.)  Is it me, or are the plus size unmentionables the cheapest, most poorly made, ill fitting Chinese made crap out there?  I tried all of them, and none of them fit.  I have a whole drawer full of Hanes and “Just My Size” (which I now call “Just Too Small”) panties where the leg openings are gigantic, yet the hip is too narrow, as if made for a Martian.  So they migrate right up the crack in four strides and are thus unwearable.

And why are the neck openings gaping and huge in plus sized tops, while the arms seem kind of tight creating a rumpled look on the shoulders?  For the love of Mike it’s hard enough to cover up all this fat without the clothes taking on a life of their own and conspiring to twist and deform with every move I make, making me even more dumpy looking.  And jeans.  Oh, jeans.  To get the butt and thighs to fit, the waistband is about four inches too big.  So I take in darts on each side in the back.  But that pinches my fat “Venus of Willendorf” stomach when I sit down pushing all that blubber right into my diaphragm so I can barely breathe.

The problem isn’t the clothes, it’s my misshapen, obese body.  I’m short waisted and narrow shouldered, and very long legged, and being fat on top of this is a fitting nightmare.  I HAVE TO GET THIS WEIGHT OFF!

Two months ago I embraced a weight loss strategy I could live with for the rest of my life, and I am glad I can step on the scale and for the second time, whoop with victory.  Fasting on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays is bearable because I know I can eat whatever I want on Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays.  This is working for me!

I’m only weighing once a month, on the “First Friday” of each month.  Today is June’s first Friday.  The pool is up and the weather is warm and beautiful.  When I stepped on the scale I was pleased to see I’d lost another eight pounds for a total of eighteen since I started the alternate day fasts.

I’d have lost a full ten like the first month, I’m sure, if I’d refrained from pigging out on a fast day that fell on Mother’s Day.  We took my mother in law to the all you can eat Asian buffet (she’s diabetic).  If you’re going to eat in a restaurant and you have “issues”, make it Asian.  Asian cuisine is the lowest in fats and the highest in nutrition to calories because they use so many veggies.

Today is the big eating day, the celebration day.  My reward will be Death by Chocolate!

YUM!