On A Diet Of…

The Ulitimate Rule ought to be:  “If it sounds GOOD to YOU, it’s bitchen;  and if sounds BAD to YOU, it’s shitty.”  The more varied your musical experience, the easier it is to define for yourself what you like and what you don’t like.  American radio listeners, raised on a diet of ____ (fill in the blank), have experienced a musical universe so small they cannot begin to know what they like.
—     Frank Zappa
From his book:  “The Real Frank Zappa Book“
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On This Day In:
2021	A Model Democrat
	Listen Mister
2020	The Main Thing: Vote!
	No Other Reason
2019	A Big “IF”
2018	Committed To Thinking
2017	More Pictures From My (Family) Retirement Party
	A Fondness For Sins
2016	Are You Waiting?
2015	The Future Myth
2014	Hands
2013	Because You Have Lived
2012	47%
2011	Conservative Values: Low And Lax
2010	A Non-Zero Sum Game
	What If “c” Isn’t A Constant?
2009	Pictures from UCLA trip…

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10 (40)

This morning I completed my 10th 40hr water fast (at 9:00am) over the last 35 days.  A bit of a delay since #9 because of scheduled company over the weekend.  My weight has been bouncing around.  Fewer visible kidney stone / grains, but still fluctuating water retention (represented by 5± overnight weight gains / losses).  The actual full day (yesterday) of not eating didn’t seem particularly difficult.  We watched the NBA playoff games last night.  The constant food commercials didn’t really set me off on a psychological hunger binge.  (That’s good!)
I’ve moved from daily water pills (Rx) to every other day.  It doesn’t seem to impact water retention (bloating) as much as eating salty (or sweet) food.  I’ve noticed a start of ankle bloating after the two day skip, so it looks like I need the water pill at least every third day.  The bloating doesn’t seem to start in my hands on the same schedule.  It’s hard to tell because of the variability of food(s).  My GP was fairly emphatic to be on them as little as possible, but stay within my cardiologist’s recommendation.
Since my scale doesn’t indicate I’ve had any weight loss, all I can go by is how do I “feel” after and during my water fast days.  My body feels good.  My head (concentration), less so.  Not really headaches or anything, just general fatigue – which is not helped by the frequent night-time “breaks”.
It looks like I may end up with “only” two days a week fasting – in which case, I will probably pick days and build a schedule / lifestyle around it / them.  It seems that will be easier than on / off every second day rolling protocol.  So, it looks like there may be merit to the “5:2” daily fast regime – although not in the way my general review of the methodology indicates.  In any case, my “reality” is I’m sitting pretty close to “5:2” anyway, just because of “life happens” and it interferes with a true “on-again / off-again” 72 hrs rolling protocol.  Anyway, slowly…  slowly…  listen to my body and go with the flow.  (“Water retention” pun intended!)
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On This Day In:
2022	Dozing In The Backyard Hammock
	10 (40)
2021	Still Learning (And Practicing) Guitar
	Still Ain’t Quite Right
	More Changes…
2020	Remembering…
	You KNEW That Man Was Trippin’
2019	Kingslanding
2018	I’d Bet On Taxes
	Ooops! I Spoke Too Soon
2017	A Cautionary Wish
2016	Slogging
	It’s About…
	Man / Man
2015	Memorial Day – 2015
	Content People Love To Share
2014	I Resemble That Remark
2013	Long Range Exploration
2012	UBI
2011	Opportunity

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9 (40) – Done

This morning I completed my 9th 40 hour water fast.  It wasn’t “really” difficult.  The only “hard” part was watching all of the food commercials during last night’s Warriors playoff win.
I dropped 8lbs from yesterday.  Obviously that was just water weight from the 15lbs over-night gain a few days back.  I don’t think my kidney grains (tiny stones) are blocking the tubes as much as I think they are simply irritating the filtering process itself.  I didn’t weigh myself before bed (I never do), but I was up multiple times during the night with a healthy flow – so that’s where the “weight” went to.  LoL…
The good news is that it dropped me into the 340’s at 349lbs.  I’m not celebrating (yet);  just acknowledging a minor achievement.  Slowly, slowly…
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On This Day In:
2022	Happy Meeting Day 38 (And Counting)
	9 (40) – Done
2021	Happy Meeting Day 37 (And Counting)
2020	Happy Meeting Day 36 (And Counting)
2019	Happy Meeting Day 35 (And Counting)
2018	Happy Meeting Day 34 (And Counting)
	Storytelling
2017	Happy Meeting Day 33 (And Counting)
2016	Picture Perfect
2015	Life Showed Compassion
2014	And Then I Met Her
2013	Defining Maleness
	The Run Continues
2012	All Set
2011	Not Always

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8 And 9 (40)

Yesterday (at 9am), I completed my 8th 40hr water fast and today (at 5pm) I’m starting my 9th.
Nothing really significant to report about the fast itself – it wasn’t easier or harder, that is.  I had a “sudden / overnight” weight gain of 15lbs leading into the start day of fasting.  I passed a medium sized kidney grain / stone in the evening and I dropped 7lbs for the morning of the full fast day.  Yesterday’s weight was another 5lbs down – so still up 3lbs from the low point (352).  Today I was up 2lbs, so I’m 3lbs up from the start of the last water fast.
And after almost 30 days of this water fasting / 40hrs program, I have lost exactly 0lbs and no inches from my “muffin” waist!!
Normally, this would be extremely discouraging…  However, in the same period I have had far fewer days of bloating, my clothes are fitting much better, I’ve had to shorten my watch band because it was too loose, and my waist is visibly smaller (the “muffin” top, anyway).  And, perhaps most importantly, I “feel” much better – slimmer / healthier – if not lighter.  In other words, I’m going to continue the program for a while…
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On This Day In:
2022	8 And 9 (40)
	Prescient (Or Not?)
2021	Or Faith In A Creator…
	It Seemed The Taste Was Not So Sweet
2020	Nearer My God To Thee, By George
	I’ve Got To Keep Working On It
2019	Laugh With Me
2018	Both Sides, Mr. President?
2017	Republicans Better Wake Up
2016	Truth Telling
2015	To Be Effective In The Modern World
2014	A Little Cover
2013	Binding
2012	Lift
2011	Another Good Movie, Another Excellent Book
	miSFits
	I’m Just Not Sure

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Second 40

Earlier in the week I completed a 40 hour water fast.  My response was good, so I decided to try again next week.  A health test has come up, though, for mid-week (two-day cardiac stress test), so I pushed ahead and just completed a second 40hrs from Friday evening through 9am today (Sunday).
I feel terrific (again) today, but I do feel yesterday was somehow a bit more difficult as a “full-day” fast.  Maybe it was because I only had a half pot of coffee instead of a full pot.  Or maybe, my wife’s cooking just smelled better yesterday than Thursday.  (LoL)
Anyway, like I said, I feel good and it wasn’t really any problem, so I’ll probably keep doing one per week and see how it goes…
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On This Day In:
2022	The Grand Essentials
	Second 40
2021	Adding Spice
	Be Who You Must
2020	Mo, Cilla, Mushy Peas And Rain
	No New Wars
2019	An Epitaph For #45 (#LyingDonald)
2018	Before And After
2017	Verbs
2016	Not Too Tidy
2015	Little Understanding
2014	Open Early
2013	Movies And A Lifetime Of Lyrics
	This Truth
2012	Cheaper To Hold
2011	Resistance Is Futile
	One Great, One Enjoyable, One Terrible…
	Unfortunately, No Approval Is Required

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40Hrs

On Tuesday, my sister called me up and asked if I wanted to do a “water fast” with her.  I asked what was involved.  She said:  “We start at 5pm today and go to 9am on Thursday.  You can have water, black coffee or straight tea – black, green or herbal.”  I said, sure, why not?  I’ll try it…
I finished dinner at 4:45pm and “started” the fast.  Other than water, all I had to drink was a pot of black coffee (68 ozs).
Initial reaction:  It wasn’t anywhere near as difficult as I thought it would be…  By starting in the evening, you miss the first day (8 – 12 hrs) of thinking about food.  By ending at 9am, you don’t have to do much to end the second day, but wake up.  I drank the coffee between 10am and 4pm and except for a rather poor night’s sleep, it didn’t bother me either.  I normally drink mostly cold black coffee anyway, so it was no big deal.  The coffee substantially reduced my hunger.  I don’t know if the late coffee (after 2pm) caused the poor night’s sleep as I’ve been experiencing poor sleep off and on for almost a year.
Post reaction:  Well, I dropped three(3) pounds – so that was interesting.  With no caloric input to speak of and a “normal” calorie burn of over 3,400, I would have expected a loss of no more than a single pound.  (Supposedly, one pound of weight is 3,500 calories.)  I didn’t do any exercise other than walking my dog for 20minutes, so that didn’t add anything to the calorie burn calculation.  Yesterday was a “water pill” day.  I take a water pill for my water retention on alternating days, but I didn’t feel bloated going into the fast and I don’t feel bloated today.  (A non-water pill day.)  From about 7pm to 10:30pm (last night), I had one of those “clarity” periods, where you feel 10 years younger (and slimmer) and your mind seems totally invigorated – so there is that…
Final thoughts:  Given my generally positive physical response, I think I’d like to try it again for a couple of weeks to see if it has any lasting benefits.  I think the Tuesday to Thursday protocol is also a good fit for me.  I’ll  post again if I have another go next week…
Oh, and my sister found it so good / easy, she added a couple of hours and did a 42hr fast!
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On This Day In:
2022	40Hrs
	Might I Have A Little More, Please
2021	All I See Are Nails
	More Money
2020	We Will Get Through This
2019	I Asked My Family Doctor Just What I Had
2018	You Have Just Begun To Climb
2017	Equal Protection Under Law
2016	A Stubbornly Persistent Illusion
2015	Or You Don’t
2014	If You Ever Fall…
2013	Glory Days (part 2)
2012	They Follow A Pattern – If You Know What I Mean
	What I Live For (Precis)
2011	Giving

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Diets And Lifestyle Changes

It is far easier to write ten volumes of philosophy than to put a single precept into practice.
—     Leo Tolstoy
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On This Day In:
2021	Back To Paying Dues
	Keep Rollin’
2020	Diets And Lifestyle Changes
	Pay Attention
	Just Not Sure, And That’s Okay
2019	The Right Questions
	Day 3: Still Difficult
2018	A Thought For Those Continuing To Support President Trump
	Day 36: Pushing On
2017	Imagining Humor
2016	So Go On And Deal With It
2015	From A Letter To A Friend
2014	Your Part (Here)
2013	Complements
2012	Sound And Light
2011	Two Politicians Visit A Farm…
2010	Labor Day And Honorable Men

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A Dynamic And Adaptable System

[The following are two excerpts from an article I recently read on the benefits / effectiveness of increasing exercise on long-term weight loss.  I highly recommend clicking on the links to read the original article(s).    —    kmab]
University of Alabama obesity researcher David Allison sums up the research this way:  Adding physical activity has a very modest effect on weight loss — “a lesser effect than you’d mathematically predict,” he said.
We’ve long thought of weight loss in simple “calories in, calories out” terms.  In a much-cited 1958 study, researcher Max Wishnofsky outlined a rule that many organizations — from the Mayo Clinic to Livestrong — still use to predict weight loss:  A pound of human fat represents about 3,500 calories;  therefore, cutting 500 calories per day, through diet or physical activity, results in about a pound of weight loss per week.  Similarly, adding 500 calories a day results in a weight gain of about the same.
Today, researchers view this rule as overly simplistic.  They now think of human energy balance as “a dynamic and adaptable system,” as one study describes.  When you alter one component — cutting the number of calories you eat in a day to lose weight, doing more exercise than usual — this sets off a cascade of changes in the body that affect how many calories you use up and, in turn, your bodyweight.
…
There are three main components to energy expenditure, (Alexxai) Kravitz explained:  1)  basal metabolic rate, or the energy used for basic functioning when the body is at rest;  2)  the energy used to break down food;  and,  3)  the energy used in physical activity.
We have very little control over our basal metabolic rate, but it’s our biggest energy hog.  “It’s generally accepted that for most people, the basal metabolic rate accounts for 60 to 80 percent of total energy expenditure,” Kravitz said.  Digesting food accounts for about 10 percent.
That leaves only 10 to 30 percent for physical activity, of which exercise is only a subset.  (You can read more about this concept here and here.)
“It’s not nothing, but it’s not nearly equal to food intake — which accounts for 100 percent of the energy intake of the body,” Kravitz said.  “This is why it’s not so surprising that exercise leads to [statistically] significant, but small, changes in weight.”
—     Julia Belluz and Javier Zarracina
From the article:  “Why You Shouldn’t Exercise to Lose Weight, Explained With 60+ Studies“
The article appeared in (on):  “www.vox.com“
I found the article at:  https://getpocket.com/explore/item/why-you-shouldn-t-exercise-to-lose-weight-explained-with-60-studies
The original article appears at:  https://www.vox.com/2016/4/28/11518804/weight-loss-exercise-myth-burn-calories
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On This Day In:
2021	Republican Big Lies On The Internet
	What Did They Say?
2020	We Are All Fish
	Should We Take Another Reading?
2019	A Dynamic And Adaptable System
2018	Speak Your Mind
2017	And I Thought It Was Just Me Getting Old
2016	One For Whole
2015	A Good Present
2014	And Your Point Is?
2013	Our Never-Ending Task
	Furloughed
2012	More Mature Than I Thought
2011	Outlaw’s Music
	Can Do!

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Promises, Promises

Here’s the thing you need to remember:  your goal is to start burning your own fat for fuel.  The ONLY WAY to tap into that stored fat is to STOP running on glucose / glycogen.  You can either be a fat-burner or a sugar burner.  The end.  Making the transition from a sugar-burner to a fat-burner is the hard art, but once you do it, you will be AMAZED at how good you feel.  I promise.
—    Gin Stephens
From her book:  “Delay, Don’t Deny“
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On This Day In:
2021	At Least Not Until Sunset
	Rain On The Leaves
2020	At Least A Little Less
	Two For The Post
2019	Promises, Promises
2018	You Mean There IS Something Else?
2017	Be Good
2016	Raise Yourself
2015	A Kids Movie Rip-Off
2014	Ready, Action!
2013	Responding To Challenges
2012	Abnormal, adj.
2011	Large Families
	On The Brink

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Day 17/18: That Didn’t Take Long

This is a long post!  (You’ve been warned…)
The end of day seventeen and the morning of day eighteen…  Elvis has left the building, folks…
Morning weight:  348lbs.  (on Day 18)
I am down / down “5/25”.  As in, 5lbs down from yesterday and 25lbs down from my fasting start weight:  373lbs (the morning of Day 1).
Yesterday morning (the early morning hours of Day 17), I didn’t sleep well.  I got out of bed a little before 3am and by dawn I’d “cheated” on my blend fast by having a two handfuls of nuts.  The rest of the day I was able to stick with my juice blend and felt pretty good in saying the cheats were aberrations and I was continuing my fast count.  Well, today the desire to chew (and taste something different) got the better of me and I had two slices of toast and two slices of pizza.  I said (in yesterday’s post) if I cheated again, I’d have to call the blend fast done, so that’s what I’m doing in this post.
The “interesting” thing is I’ve now had two five(5) pound changes in the last week.  I gained five pounds overnight a few days ago, and between yesterday and today, I’ve now lost five pounds.  It is routine to lose 5 to 7 pounds in the first day or two of a fast.  This is due to loss of stomach contact and some initial water weight loss (due to decrease of sugar and salt in the diet).  It is not common (in my experience) for this to happen after the first week without some significant change.  I have not restricted water or exercised excessively, so I have to assume there is “something” else going on in my body which is beyond my experience.  As such, and because of my prior comments about “cheating again and ending the fast”, I’m going to modify my behavior to more moderate eating habits (i.e. I’m going to start consuming / chewing food).
Below are the images from my scale to mark the end of the fast:
High end of Blend fast (348lbs) Low end of Blend fast (343lbs)
As per normal, there is a five(5) pounds variance between my “high” and “low” weights.  As explained in previous posts, the high is from me pressing my toes and the low is from pressing my heels.  When I last took my weight on a digital scale at my doctor’s office, their scale showed two(2) pounds less than my low for that day.  I wasn’t pressing forward or backwards.  And, again, I don’t know if their scale is programmed to subtract estimated clothing weight (or how much they might have subtracted).  As I’ve been using the “high” weigh-in, I feel I’m being conservative (and fair).
To summarize:  I started my “blending” fast with the parallel goals of completing one week without chewing while sticking to a plant (vegetable, fruit and legume) based liquefied diet; and, to jump-start myself on my Alternate Day Fasting (ADF) diet which I had started way back in February, but had not stuck to fairly.  I’ve ended up completing the first of the original goals and, in fact, doubling the time to two full weeks.  I said at the end of the second week, I’d like to push through for a third full week, but I was considering the process as “day-to-day” from there on.  I ended up making it through two days (Days 15 and 16), and now have cheated on two consecutive days (Days 17 and 18).  At this point, I’m calling the fast done and moving on to the second goal:  switching to the Alternate Day Fasting (ADF) or a “Modified” ADF or to a Intermittent Time Fasting lifestyle – maybe trying “One-Meal-A-Day” (OMAD).
So, which will I choose?  I don’t know…  I’m not sure I have to choose one over the others.  With the exception of having a defined protocol, I’m not sure there is any advantage to picking one of them over the others, so for the time being, I’m leaning to trying a bit of a mix and match to see which “works” for me.
Having said that, what will be my criteria:
1)  Although only specifically stated for the ADF protocol, I believe it is necessary for me to establish a longer and more consistent sleep period and schedule.  I’m therefor committing to trying to get a minimum of seven(7) hours each night.  I will set my start time for 11pm and end to 7am.
2)  A “strict” ADF or MADF has a low-calorie day and a normal-calorie day, with both tending to use windows to extend the daily fast time period.  The preference is to wait until 10am or 11am to break the fast each day and to close the window for eating (and drinking) at least three hours prior to going to bed.  For me, this would mean, no more eating or drinking (the exception being the water required to swallow my heart pills and vitamins before bed), after 8pm.  This will give me a fasting period of 15 to 16 hours each day, with eating windows of 9 to 8 hours on both the “fasting” and “normal” days.
3)  No matter which day or time period, water, black coffee, black tea and green tea are allowed —  EXCEPT during the three hours before bed, when I am only allowed enough water to take my heart medications.
4)  On “fasting” days I will try to limit myself to between 700 and 1,100 calories per day.  These numbers are fairly arbitrary:  the low end is the “recommended” fasting number for adult males doing an ADF.  The upper number is from my prior experience using the “Fat Smash Diet“.  This “high” number is not a caloric limit that many people could live with for very long.  I no longer believe dieting is simply “calories in < calories out = weight loss”.  I now believe limiting “calories in” too severely, over too long a period of time (one or two weeks), simply tells the body to lower your normal basal metabolic rate (BMR – how many calories you need to sustain life in a state of coma).  This makes it difficult to continue to lose weight and even more difficult to continue to keep the lost weight off.  It has also been shown that it is much more difficult to restore or raise the BMR to a previous level once you have lowered it than it was to lower it to start off with.  Basically, we must somehow lose weight while not lowering the BMR.  This means your body must not sense it is ever in a prolonged period of caloric deficit.  The “trick” is to lower the average caloric input over time while convincing the body you are never “really” dieting.  This is the goal of the ADF and the ITF methods.  On ADF, you eat as “normally” as you wish during your eating window.  On the ITF, you not only can eat as much as you wish, you can eat anything you wish – as long as you stay within your eating window.
5)  I must also maintain a reasonable protocol for increasing and maintaining my “calories-out” portion of the formula.  I currently walk my dog each day for 30 minutes (about 1 mile).  I also swim a couple of times a week for 60 minutes per session.  Our local pool will be closing for the winter soon, so I will need to commit to using a “gym” more frequently.  Swimming has a natural advantage over typical gym workouts.  I believe the three main ones to be: swimming tends to be a continuous whole body workout; swimming tends to be less damaging to the support joints (feet, ankles, knees, hips, and spine; and, finally, water transfers heat energy significantly faster than air, which means you will burn more calories to maintain your own body temperature in water than you will do in air of equal temperature.  The combination of these advantages means I will need to go to the gym more frequently and stay (exercise) longer than I would have to by swimming.  The only advantages of the gym (that I know of) are: you can increase your muscle mass to body weight ratio and you can increase your flexibility.  Swimming tends to make bodies long and lean, but not strong and flexible.  Weights and calisthenics will tend to increase muscle density, muscle size and flexibility (if done in conjunction with proper stretching), but not provide a long and lean appearance.  Bottom line:  go to the gym 4-5 times a week and stay for 90 minutes, including weights, stretching and cardio work in each session.
6)  My new protocol will be a rotation of fast day, eat day, OMAD day.  All three will be time restricted, but the window will vary between days: fasting(8 hrs), eating(6 hrs) and OMAD(5 hrs).  Most fasting days will be two eggs, beans(1 can / 1.5 cups) and rice(1/2 cup), and fruits and veggies(no limit).  Most eating days will be two eggs or oatmeal, salad or fruit(no limit) for lunch, normal dinner.  Most OMAD days will be egg(1) and fruit, large dinner (all I can eat / anything I want); if I want a “snack / desert” on my OMAD, it must be eaten 75 minutes to 1 hour before the daily eating window closes.  Water, black coffee, and black tea are any day / any time.  Fruit juice or veggie-fruit blends are only allowed on eating or OMAD days and only during the windows.
I will begin the protocol tomorrow.  I will continue to post images on my MADF page each day and my weight on my “Sweat Equity” pages, but I will not be creating a daily post specifically about this protocol.  I will try to update (via posting) a couple of times a month if I have anything interesting to say.  If I have any significant health changes as a result of the protocol, I will post about those.  And, so it goes, a “lifestyle” with the simple acknowledgement that vacations, holidays, birthdays, and exceptions will happen…  And, you just deal with them.
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On This Day In:
2021	First Ask For Courage
	Shadows And Darkness
2020	My 2 Cents
	You Do It
	Must Be Why I Like Dreamin’
2019	The Opening Step
	Day 17/18: That Didn’t Take Long
2018	I’ll Trade You…
2017	Luv Me Some Meat Loaf
2016	Unless Your Name Is #AmnestyDon
2015	A Tentative First Step
2014	Making People
2013	On Reading Books
2012	On America
2011	Shiver, Me Timbers!
2010	Fiduciary Breakdown

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Day 16: Cheat Day

The end of day sixteen and the morning of day seventeen…   Last night / this morning was my first cheat day.  😦
Morning weight:  353lbs.  (on Day 17)
I am down / down “2/20”.  As in, 2lbs down from yesterday and 20lbs down from my fasting start weight:  373lbs (the morning of Day 1).
The three(3) pounds I had gained two days ago to yesterday is mostly gone.  Two(2) pounds of it, anyway.  The “high” weight was a loss of 2lbs.  My “low” weight was a loss of 1lb.  Whatever it was that caused the three pounds gain appears to be sorting itself out and I’ve started going back down.  Since I had coffee the last two days, it seems unlikely the coffee (or caffeine) is what caused the uptick.  If the weight keeps dropping for the next few days, I’ll just have to leave it as an unresolved aberration in the weight loss pattern.  If I spike (bump up) again, I’ll have to consider the cause may be something else.  My weigh-in was performed before my “cheat(s)”.
So…  The problem wasn’t really yesterday (Day 16), as much as it during the night / this morning (Day 17)…
I woke up at 2:30am last night and couldn’t fall back to sleep.  After laying in bed for awhile, I got up and went to log on to my computer to read my ever-growing backlog of emails.  Normally, I get up, weigh in, take my BP / HR and walk the dog (1 mile, 30 minutes).  Then, I prepare my “daily” blend.  “Prepare” means I pour my saved blend into a larger bottle, add two or three goblets of ice cubes and then top up the bottle with fruit or vegetable juice.  The “vegetable” juice is “V-8” brand or “Naked” brand, depending on which I have available and my taste for the day (saltier or sweeter respectively).  Our neighborhood is not very well lit by streetlights, so we don’t normally walk the dog in the dark.  It’s too difficult to see if we’re getting up all of the poop.  This morning, that meant waiting until dawn to walk the dog.  As it is not practical to drink loads before going out to walk the dog, I was going to be stuck for some time just feeling hungry…
To make a longer story a little shorter, I had a couple of cheats during the wait.  I had a palm-full (8 to 10) of almonds about 3:15am and then another about 5am.  I walked the dog a little after 6am.  So, technically, my blending “ONLY” fast is broken.  😦
However, being the forgiving person that I am, I’m going to let it slide and pretend it didn’t happen.    IF it happens again, I will face up to the “fast” being over.  Until then, I’ll just keep counting the days as fasting.
So…  How did yesterday go?  Not too badly.  I am still (after two weeks) missing the act of chewing.  Yesterday, I was mostly missing the taste of eating.  When I make a week’s worth of blend, there simply isn’t much variety in the taste from one day to the next.  (To me, this taste variety is THE main benefit of preparing your juice prior to drinking it or in the morning for that day.)  This is why I vary the “juice” I add to the daily bottle a more “straight” fruity juice (apple, pineapple, grapefruit, cherry, etc.) and a more “veggie” juice (the various types of V-8 and Naked juices).  Other than the mixture, the only variation is the amount of ice I add over the course of a day.  As mentioned above, I start with three 16 ounce goblets of ice cubes, then, depending on the day’s temperature, I will add another one or two goblets of ice.  Yes, this makes for a very watery drink for most of the second half of the day, but it has two benefits:  1)  it keeps the drink cold; and,  2)  it dilutes the sugar and acidic content of the drink.
The benefit of a cold drink is two-fold:  1)  it cools you off on a hot day;  and, 2)  your body has to expend additional calories raising the fluid’s temperature up to your body’s temperature.  It may not seem like much, but every little bit helps in the weight-loss process.  The benefit of diluting the sugar (by volume) content is obvious.  The reduction of acid may be less so to the average person.  I have no scientific “proof” of this, but my teeth “feel” different when I go all day drinking an undiluted blend than they do when I drink with continuously adding ice (or chasing with plain water).  When I run my tongue over my teeth, the teeth feel cleaner or “rougher” depending on which I do.  So, I either dilute during the day or I keep an extra (small) bottle of water and “sip and swish” the water after drinking some of the blend.  I also have a separate brand of mouthwash (which I use every second or third day) which is supposed to rebuild / reinforce the enamel on my teeth.  (This was recommended by my dental hygienist who said you cannot “repair” lost / damaged tooth enamel, but you can help “remineralize” your teeth with proper brushing and gargling.  She relayed the products recommended by the dentist’s office.)  I alternate the mouthwash because I am a creature of habit and my regular mouthwash makes my mouth / teeth “feel” cleaner.  The “recommended” mouthwash doesn’t have as much alcohol content, so it doesn’t give me that “burned” cheeks, tongue and gums feeling I’ve grown used to over the last 45-plus years.
And, now you know more than you ever imagined you would ever know about my dental hygiene.  And, admit it…  You are a better person for it!  (LoL)
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On This Day In:
2021	Vote NO In The California Recall
	On And On
2020	The Importance You Can Have
	Slow Dancin’
	Trump Reaffirms His Administration Is The Cause Of West Coast Wildfires
2019	A Lifestyle
	Day 16: Cheat Day
2018	The Children Are Our Future
2017	And Three
2016	Nine Parts Mystery
2015	Little Or No Common Ground
2014	Just Between Me
2013	Beyond The Strings
2012	Saving The Union
2011	Still And Too Often

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A Lifestyle

In a nutshell, there are two main types of intermittent fasting strategies:  Plans you do every day (an “eating window” approach), or plans you implement a certain number of times per week (an “up / down day” approach).
Which approach to intermittent fasting is the best?  It’s the one that makes you feel in control and the one that you can follow long-term as a lifestyle.  That’s important to understand from the beginning —  intermittent fasting is a lifestyle.  It isn’t something that you start today and then end when you get to some arbitrary “goal weight.”  Something you start and then stop is DIET.  Intermittent fasting isn’t a diet —  as I said, it’s a lifestyle.
—    Gin Stephens
From her book:  “Delay, Don’t Deny“
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On This Day In:
2021	Vote NO In The California Recall
	On And On
2020	The Importance You Can Have
	Slow Dancin’
	Trump Reaffirms His Administration Is The Cause Of West Coast Wildfires
2019	A Lifestyle
	Day 16: Cheat Day
2018	The Children Are Our Future
2017	And Three
2016	Nine Parts Mystery
2015	Little Or No Common Ground
2014	Just Between Me
2013	Beyond The Strings
2012	Saving The Union
2011	Still And Too Often

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Day 14: End Of Week 2

The end of day fourteen and the morning of day fifteen…
Morning weight: 352lbs.  (on Day 15)
I am down / down “2/21”.  As in, 2lbs down from yesterday and 21lbs down from my fasting start weight:  373lbs (the morning of Day 1).
Well, the good news is I have made it through two full weeks of blended fasting.  At 21lbs lost, I am averaging a loss of 1.5lbs per day.  This is not terribly good or bad.  It’s pretty average for a veggie juice type of fast with moderate exercise most days.  I am continuing to walk my dog each day for 30-45 minutes in the morning and going to the pool for a swim (or to tread water) for an hour for ten(10) of the fourteen(14) days I’ve been fasting.  All of the swim sessions have been breast stroke and I’m doing between 40 and 48 lengths an hour.  (FYI:  1 length = 25 yards;  1 lap = 2 lengths;  18 laps = 1/2 mile.)  Basically, I’m swimming 1/2 mile 5 times per week (so far).  The pool will be closing for the season in a little over a week, so I will have to make other arrangements to get exercise after that.  I haven’t done any treading water sessions since starting the fast, and only a handful of times during this summer season.
How am I feeling?  Thinner.  Which is good!  Even though the loss is only a little over 5% of my starting weight, it already feels easier on my knees to get up from a sitting position.  That’s the “movement” test.  I am also beginning to experience more flexibility and range of motion.  The flexibility I’m putting down more to doubling my average number of days of swimming per week (from twice – maybe 2.5 – to five times per week), than I am to fasting.  The range of motion I’m putting down to less fat getting in the way of any given stretching action.  So, that’s due to the fasting.
As promised, here’s the face shots from on day 1, after week 1 and after week 2:
Day 0 Day 8 Day 15
I, for one, am hard pressed to see much difference between the three photos.  Of course, it is ONLY two weeks.  If anything, there appears to be slight decrease in puffiness in the area of the zygomaticus (major and minor).  That’s the upper cheeks between the nostrils and the ears to us normal humans.  There (to my eyes anyway) appears to be the start of a jaw line between the face and neck.  Of course, both of these changes could just be due to the difference in lighting.  And, I could just be seeing what I want to see:  my face getting thinner.  (LoL!)  I guess time will tell…
And, here are the images of the scale:
Day 0 (373lbs) Day 8 (361lbs) Day 15 (352lbs)
Note:  The morning of Day 15 shows 348lbs in the image, not 352lbs.  The scale was bouncing between the two weights and I am using the high end for the day’s weight as it is only two pounds less than the previous day.  If I used the lower weight, it would mean I lost about 6lbs from the prior day.  Thus, the lower limit is unreasonable and why I am using the high end.  The photo just happened to catch the bottom end of one of the bounces.
What now?
I am fairly encouraged, despite my off and on preoccupation (obsession?) with food / chewing.  I’m not finding the blend fasting process too bad, although the sense of wanting to chew does seem to be greater than it was during last year’s juicing.  As mentioned in prior posts, that may be a side effect of strictly blending rater than strictly juicing or mixing juicing with blending.
For now (the afternoon of the Day 15), I have four full bottles of blend left in the refrigerator.  That should get me through at least the next three days.  After that, if I’m going to continue, I’ll need to restock.  Bottom line:  I intend to keep going day-by-day / hour-by-hour, and see how far I get.  I have now doubled my target (two weeks, instead of a single week), so even if I break my fast tonight, I’ve still had a successful fast.  (Yea, me!)
In the meantime, I’m  giving serious thought to returning to Planet Fitness.  I joined last year and haven’t gone since mid-January because I got a bit full of myself and fed up with the New Year’s Resolution crowd.  I will have to just get over it (and get over myself, too).  We’ll see…
For now, I’m just enjoying keeping on – keepin’ on…  (I’ll drink to that!)
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On This Day In:
2021	Dreaming Of You
	Sweet Memories
2020	He Ought To Be Unemployed
	May I Have A Little More, Please
2019	Cash Only, Please
	Day 14: End Of Week 2
2018	House To Home
2017	Got Education?
2016	Necessary Company
2015	Reality Vs Imagination
2014	Penalty Period
2013	Theft
2012	Cranky Old Man
2011	A Man’s Got To Know His Limitations

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Ghrelin And Leptin

When we follow restrictive diets, count calories, eat according to an arbitrary meal schedule, etc., we disconnect from our satiety hormones.  We eat because it is time to eat.  We eat because food is available.  The more we do it, the worse shape we are in.
Bottom line, if you have had trouble sticking to a diet, it isn’t your fault — it’s your hormones.  The overwhelming drive to eat is coming from ghrelin, telling you to eat more.  You are no longer able to get the signals from leptin, telling you that you have had enough.  Understand that uncontrollable or constant hunger is a sign that your have made some dietary choices that aren’t working for you.  On the other hand, satiety is a good sign, telling you that your body is happy with what you are doing.
—     Gin Stephens
From her book:  “Delay, Don’t Deny“
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On This Day In:
2021	Current Heroes (II)
	Glued To The TV – 3,000 Miles Away
2020	Current Heroes
	I’m Mid-West Born, But California Raised
	Appropriated To Her Being
2019	All In Good Time
	Day 13: Pause & Resume
	Ghrelin And Leptin
2018	Gratitude And Warmth
	Remembering Loss, Sacrifice And Service
	Making Little Ones Out Of Bigger Ones
2017	Never Forget
2016	It’s All Greek To Me (Well, Latin Actually)
2015	Truism
2014	Thank You
2013	Really
2012	Ordinary Five Minutes Longer
2011	The Wealth Of Sons (And Daughters)

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Day 12: Pause Or Plateau?

The end of day twelve and the morning of day thirteen…
Morning weight:  355lbs. (on Day 13)
I am same / down “0/18”.  As in, 0lbs down from yesterday and 18lbs down from my fasting start weight:  373lbs (the morning of Day 1).
This is the day most folks trying to lose weight dread.  The pause…  Is it the start of a gain?  Just a one day / one off, or an actual plateau?  Did I do something different yesterday?  Was I simply standing differently on the scale?  And, so it goes…
I’m afraid most of the time, there simply is no reason for a one-day pause (assuming that’s what this is).  It could be anything from a slight change in water retention to the body simply saying enough is enough for now.  As mentioned in a prior fasting post, the human body is not only a complicated system, it is a complex system with hundreds of factors interacting with each other in the process we call life / living.  In any case, only time (a few days) will tell…  Pause or plateau…
One of the things I’d forgotten about was (for me) the main difference between juicing and blending (particularly with a thick / hearty blend) is when juicing, after a few (three or four) days your stomach settles down to getting a limited amount of calories with almost no substance / roughage.  Effectively, this means you stop getting the persistent sensation of:  “I want to eat and I want to eat NOW!!”  You settle into a “I’m tired” or “I’m energized” kind of toggle-state.  When you’re blending this doesn’t happen.  The blend tells your stomach there is more to come and your stomach tells your mind:  “Now!!”  At least this is how I feel when I do blending.  And this is what I went through the day (Day 12) with – thinking about food.
Today (Day 13), I’m trying to nip this in the bud by having my blend earlier and more consistently throughout the day.  I’ll just have to see how it goes…  At this point, I’m only two days (today and tomorrow) shy of a full two weeks, so I am momentarily setting aside my “one day at a time” attitude and pushing to finish the week.  If I make it easily, I may continue day to day.  If not, I’m intending to switch to Intermittent Time Fasting.  I’m thinking of going straight to a “6/18” window with “one” meal a day (OMAD).  My understanding of this is “one meal” is not one eating session.  It is one “meal”.  You get a “snack” to break the fast (typically an egg, a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts), you then get your one “full” meal where you can eat as much as you want and anything you want, and then you have the option of another snack before your daily window closes.  The meal is usually timed at two hours before your eating window closes and the final snack is usually in the last fifteen minutes before the window closes.  On a 6/18 with a window of 1pm to 7pm, this means “break fast” between 1pm and 1:30pm, full meal about 5pm through 6pm and the second snack at 6:45pm.  During the fast period, you can only have water, black coffee or unsweetened / unflavored tea (green or black).
I must admit, I am looking forward to trying this “new” (to me) version of eating / fasting.  This is what my sister has been doing and she says she is having good results.  And so it goes…
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On This Day In:
2021	In My Unending Story
	Say You Will
2020	A Day With No Sun
	A Beautiful Thing
	A Moment To Rejoice
2019	Where And Why
	Day 12: Pause Or Plateau?
	Eating Later
2018	Here And Hope
2017	Choose
2016	All I Ever Wanted
2015	Compassionate Toward Yourself
2014	All And None
2013	Voices In The Dark
2012	Does Uncommonly Flexible = Flip-Flopping?
2011	A Modest Review Of A Modern Day Classic
	Encouragement Is The Path To Immortality

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