Intermittent Fasting : Day 2

Short post today.  This is day 2 of the diet, today I can eat 'normal' again.  In the morning I still waited till after 9 am before I had my first latte.  I wanted to stretch the fasting period a long as possible.

Quick overview on what I ate today

Actually looking at the photos of what I ate today, helps me retrospectively realize that although it's not the worst I could have done, I could have substituted one of two thing so something healthier.   The sweetest thing I ate was a raising bun, which is not very healthy but at least this time I didn't put the usual butter layer in the middle.  I also ate two mandarins and a handful of edamame beans to balance it out a bit. 

I am guilty of 3 glasses of wine in the evening, which is not very ideal due to high calories, however I didn't eat any sweets or chocolate the whole day.  For dinner I had a delicious roasted chicken thigh with a side of potato wedges and coleslaw.  As an evening snack, I had an apple.

Exercise

My energy level was good today, so I cycled here and there a couple of times.  In total I think I cycled about 45 minutes.  In between I also went for a nice walk with my dog for over an hour.  Overall I'm feel good that the exercise has balanced the calories I ate.

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Summary of the day

• Current Weight        66.6 kg (last measurement on 6-Feb)
• Calories eaten         2128
• Calories burned       2665
• Steps                      23269

Intermittent Fasting: Day 1

Being a person that loves food, I sometimes tend to go overboard, which means, my weight starts creeping up.  Growing up I was always very skinny, no matter what or how much I ate I wouldn't gain a gram.  That all changed after I hit 25.  The weight started coming on, a few grams at a time.  I wouldn't call myself fat, but I am conscious that I can't eat anything I want, whenever I want, without paying the consequences.

Why intermittent fasting?

I have tried various diets in the past, they kind of worked for a while till I stopped dieting and then it all came back much quicker than it left.  About a year ago I did 5 weeks of intermittent fasting.  The basic rule is 2 days on and 5 days off (that is you fast on 2 days and you eat normal for 5 days).  On the days you fast, you keep it under 500 calories; on the days you don't, you eat normal.

Last year I did 3 days on and 4 days off where I lost around 4 kg.  I'm also happy to say that after I stopped, I maybe gained half kilo back.... so that was a big difference compared to other diets.

I have now decided to give it another go.  Last November I kind of started it, lasted 2 weeks and then gave up.  Too many occasions were coming along with lots of delicious food and I couldn't cope.
Then the holidays came around and after that it's January..... cold and gloomy weather and all I thought about was hibernating.  So now it's February and yes, it's still cold and gloomy, but I want to get out of the winter dip and stop chomping down on chocolate to make me feel better.
So I thought why not give fasting another go?  If not nothing else, it keeps me eating healthier and losing some fat is always welcome.  This time round, I thought I'd write about it.  I guess committing it publicly, even if people don't know me, will help me keep it up.

Day 1

Yesterday was my first day.  During the morning hours I had 2 coffees with little skimmed milk and no sugar.  In the afternoon I had an apple and I had vegetable and beef soup for an early dinner (around 17:30 hrs).  I calculate this to be around 426 calories.  I have to say in the evening I was itching to eat something else, these were 2 mandarins in the fruit bowl staring at me, but I managed to avoid it.

Exercise

I won't say I'm a couch potato, however I'm not very physically active.  To help me out, I'm using a step counter to make sure I move enough.  My daily target is 10,000 steps a day.  I've read somewhere that this is a good target which will help you stay healthy.

Yesterday it was a bit of a lazy day, I only did 4303 steps.  I was a bit grumpy because I had to restrict my food intake.  From experience I know the first week is hard because you have to adjust your eating pattern.... but I know what with patience, it will pass and I will be emotionally feeling much better in 2 to 3 weeks.... especially when I see the weight going down.

With regards to other exercise, I'm considering (but not yet committing) to some light toning up exercises.  I have a weak back, had surgery 3 years or so ago (I try to wipe the whole experience from my memory) because one of the discs in my spine was broken and had pushed my spinal nerve to the side (read daily excruciating pain here).  Therefore I don't dare do anything with weights or any particular movements that put strain on my lower back.


So anyway, so conclude my post about yesterday, overall I survived it pretty well.  I'll try to post something every day about what I'm doing, might be short posts but let's see how it goes.

If anyone is reading this, would love to hear your comments (please be kind!)

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Summary of the day

• Current Weight        66.6 kg
• Calories eaten         426
• Calories burned       1686
• Steps                       4303

The Secret of Happiness?

What do I want from life?

I think if you dig deep down to the question "What do I want from life?", one of the main things is that you want to be happy.  A very easy question, but not such a straight forward answer.  

Why?
Because we are all different, there's no one size fits all.  What makes me happy, doesn't mean it's going to make my neighbor happy.  I ponder on this item quite often, and maybe like most, I still need to find out what that 'secret' is.
We grow up hearing fairy tales with happy endings, most movies also give the happy ending...  I can remember a couple where there's no happy ending... leaves you with an empty feeling.

Don't get me wrong, I don't see myself as an unhappy person, but I always try to find a better way.... a happier way.   Here are a few points that help me in my pursuit of happiness.

Look inside, not outside

I think a good start is a good look at yourself in the mirror.  Do some soul searching of what your situation is right now.
Be truthful to yourself and write down all the ideas, no matter how crazy or impossible they seem.
In other words, find out what floats your boat.

Accept who you are

After you list down what gives meaning to your life, you need to learn to accept the truth about yourself.  Sometimes that can also pose its challenges.  Society might dictate that what makes you happy is not acceptable, but you need to overcome that.  As long as what makes you happy is not hurting others, give yourself the freedom to be who you truly are.

Appreciate the little things in life

If you're expecting happiness to come in big bursts of fireworks and grandeur, you might be waiting for a long time.  Instead notice and appreciate the little things.  We are so focused on big dramas, probably from watching too many TV shows, that we miss all the small things passing us by, leaving us with a sad, empty feeling that life has nothing to offer us.

Focus on what you have

Be thankful for all the  things that you have. There are so many people in this world that are homeless and suffer from hunger.  It's good that once in a while we stop and open our eyes to how lucky we are; even if just for the simple things that we take for granted such as a roof over our heads, clothes to keep us warm and food to fill our bellies.