120 hours

Finished~

I know I kind of lost the blogging momentum, but really all the days blend into each other (a side effect of living in Alaska and being over 30 I think).

Overall, it was good!  Today was the first day I felt actual hunger pangs, and that was after a 5 mile hike (easy, not a lot of elevation) and as I was heading to the store to get my break meal.

I read the best thing to break an extended fast is veggies, particularly a green salad (spinach and cucumber in my case with a little bit of walnut oil), roasted broccoli (because my steamer done vanished), and baked sweet potato (I only ate about a third of it).  No butter, a little salt, and everything tasted GREAT! 

Health wise, all is good.  My skin looks awesome, I'm not bloated, my energy is solid, and I'm cruising ever closer to my HealthyWage goal weight.  Just a week and a half to go with that, then a two week window to weigh out.  Not only do I believe I'll make it, I KNOW I will.  

I'm so glad I did this.  It gave me a chance to body cleanse, mind cleanse, confirm the power of will, and that I am always in control of my actions.  I think I have a healthier view and appreciation of food, that I hope follows me throughout my life.  I can also see myself doing an extended fast 2-4 times a year. 

Day 0 - Day 5 (wish I was wearing the same pair of pants but oh well)

                                  

48 hours

This marks the longest I've fasted thus far.  I'm not sure if it's mind over matter or proper preparation or 'practice' but so far I feel fine.  No shakes or jitters, no fatigue.  Honestly I'm not even really hungry.

Exercise-wise:  Sun was out so I made use of that and was able to walk 5 miles today (no flooding or tree maintenance to get in the way this time~).  This is pretty normal for me, and I was happy to get the extra steps I didn't get yesterday.  Tomorrow I plan on doing some light strength training as well, and some yoga. 

Overall I feel good.  Drinking lots of water, no lightheadedness to speak of, and hunger pangs are quickly passed.  Stomach will rumble but nothing debilitating or overly distracting. 

I've downloaded an app called Zero that will countdown a fast (I started mine at hour 41, so it's not as "impressive" as it would be if I'd started at the beginning, but c'est la vie).  I'm interested in checking out some others as well, see which ones encourage and support, as well as maybe make it a bit more interesting/rewarding.  Maybe someday I'll figure out how to make my own~

24 Hours

24 hours:

Woke up with a headache :(  Since I'm not eating anything I didn't want to take ibuprofen, so it was water and water and water, and when that didn't help I added in a shot of electrolyte and vitamin B MiO to an 18 oz bottle.  I don't think the headache actually has anything to do with the fasting, since it started way before any kind of hunger hit, but regardless, it seems to have abated since drinking the electrolyte infused water.  Good to know. 

Exercise wise - I took an easy 3.75 mile walk, taking it slow (still had the headache at this point), and just enjoyed being outside in the fall air (Hap' Fall Y'all!). 

Hunger wise - stomach has been rumbling a bit, but overall it's not bad.  It likely helps that I've been doing IF pretty steadily for about 8 months, and have experienced 24-42 hour fasts at least biweekly for the past 2 months or so.  In my research it came up more than a few times that the second day is the toughest, so I have some plans to distract myself tomorrow, which might include clothes shopping and virtual farming.  We all have our vices. 

So yeah, first 24 hours, easy peasy.  I'll check in again at the 48 mark~

Fasting for Five

A few months into doing Keto I started following an intermittent fasting (IF) schedule of 16/8 - 18/6, meaning I would fast for 16-18 hours, and feed 8-6.  Normally it just meant I didn't eat breakfast, lunch at noon, and stopped eating between 6 and 8pm. 

It didn't take long to get used to, and I really like the structure it gave.  No late night snacking, no rushing for breakfast in the morning, and before long I wasn't getting hungry at all until 12 or later. My body adjusted pretty easily to this new eating pattern, and I felt good, less bloated and less hungry.  

Since coming to Anchorage I've been delving a little bit more into longer fasting.  23/1 wasn't unheard of, and I think a lot of us do that unintentionally, getting too busy to eat until dinner.  Doing it on purpose, though, means NO snacking (how many times have we said "I haven't eaten all day!" to then look back and realize there was that handful of m&m's, cheese, granola bar, what have you) and being mindful of starting and stopping dinner, not just eating like a monster because you haven't all day and feel justified in compensating (again, super guilty of that, too). 

I've completed a 42 hour fast twice this summer, both intentional, and the second time I felt like I could continue with it, but was going to be doing a lot of physical activity with hiking, so fooding commenced.  

Day 0 - 9/22

Now I've researched, made sure there are no excuses, and am looking to complete a 5 day fast.  I'm legit excited to complete the challenge and see how I feel.  I anticipate it will jumpstart the weight loss again, get me into ketosis (to stay there until the end of my challenge at the very least), and give me a sense of control that I will need to complete and win this year-long challenge (and recoup my $1200 and then some~). 

To prepare I ate 2000 calories between 11:30 and 5:30 today, focusing on proteins and fats.  I also did a circuit workout and got in about 17,000 steps (9 miles).  I don't plan on doing a lot of heavy exercising over the week, but would like to continue with getting at least 10k steps a day. 

Sooooo here we go!  Starting photo, no filter, game face on!

After 6 months on Keto

I've been pretty faithfully living the keto lifestyle for the past 6 months, and am pleased with how it's going.  

Left: Brunch with the girls in September. Right: Selfie in the classroom in May

I feel energized, I feel happy, I am going to need to do some clothes shopping when I get back to Anchorage which is always kind of annoying but also the kind of problem you want to have in this instance.  

I also found out, taking this lil quiz here, that I am an Upholder, which is why I can stick to things like Whole 30 and Keto.  It was a neat little insight into why I can do stuff like this, and how it's both awesome and detrimental (ie, I miss out on things because I am too strict with myself). 

I also want to take a second to talk about HealthyWage, which is a big component in my current success and steadfast attitude.  Putting money on the line with the possibility of winning 2-3x as much back is a big motivator for me.  I went big specifically to keep it on my mind, and keep me pushing forward, no excuses. 

But of course there are excuses!  I was in my friends' wedding, and I went to DisneyWorld for a week, and for sure didn't limit myself to only a keto lifestyle during those times.  But I was more mindful of what I was eating and how it was affecting me, and the moment I got home I went right back to my normal keto eating routine.  What was neat was I saw the put-on weight drop quickly, and often went past where I had been previously.  I know I can't do this all the time, but I think about once a month having a "refeed" day (or extended weekend) really works for me, as long as I immediately get back to it~

I'm excited and a little anxious about getting to Anchorage (ONE WEEK!).  On the one hand, I CAN WALK/JOG OUTSIDE!!!  And go to a legit gym! And eat fresh food!  But I also can go to many restaurants, and buy ice cream that's not $11 a half gallon, and have regular drinks with friends.  So I guess this will be the balance test.  How do you live a life that's fulfilling for all sides: physically, emotionally, and socially healthy?  Guess I'm gonna find out!  Because I am GOING to win that money back and not lose all my friends in the process!

Keeping up with Keto

So, long time no update.  Christmas has come and gone, which is honestly a bit of a relief.  Christmas, while definitely one of the favorite and most fun holidays in many ways, is also one of the most food heavy.  There's always an excuse to indulge, and eventually overindulge, because 'Christmas comes but once a year~'.  I definitely fell in with the overindulgent category.  Before Christmas I had been on Keto for 22 days and had lost as many pounds.  And during my feast-fest I put on 12.  That's... a lot.  in 4 days, that's more than half of what I lost in 22 days.  A nice eye opener for me.

So now I'm back in Barrow, fridge and cupboards properly stocked.  I'm still having issues with making time to cook and not just going for the ready-made Keto friendly snacks (which you've got to watch anyway because it's so easy to overdo it), but today I finally got something done.

Look who used her zucchini before it went bad!

And it was DELICIOUS. 

It was nice to cook something I never had, with ingredients I don't normally use (hello shrimpies), and have it turn out super good.  Gives me that ego boost I need to feel indomitable.  Also it feeds me and makes me happy.

The good news is I am less than a pound away from meeting my pre-Christmas weight. And I know it's not about the scale it's about the feel, but it's nice to have something quantifiable to chart and say, hey, look at your progress!  It's working~

The other reason I'm a little more focused on the scale readings is because I am still in the midst of my HealthyWage and REALLY want to recoup my $1,200 and then some next October.  I'm 56 pounds away from my goal, and 100% believe I will make it, so long as I keep positive and focused.  It helps that I have a wedding to look stellar at and a 10k to train for, and no more Christmas excuses (though family reunion is basically Christmas for a week so we'll see...).

So here's to the new year!  I got this!

PS here's my bridesmaid's dress for the wedding in March!!  I love it!

Day 10 - Still Going~

Long time no update, I know!  But a lot has happened.

I went down to Anchorage to check on my house.  Fortunately most things were fine, just a bit of a mess.  Only a couple things I love got broken, and overall it gave me a chance to clean up and clear out the clutter. 

I also was able to successfully stick with my strict Keto.  I'm following the idea of carbs under 25 g, net carbs under 20 g.  I use the LoseIt app (upgraded to premium for a year for $20) where I log everything and track my macros.  I try to keep it at 5% carbs, 75% fat, 20 % protein, and normally fall somewhere within 10% of those ranges, so I think I'm doing okay.

Physically I feel good, I'm not bloated, I have energy, I look forward to getting things done.

Today though, I was hit with a migraine and nausea that had me tossing out the last bit of my lunch and having the lowest key of all dinners (a fathead pizza crust I'd made and frozen last week dipped in Wholly Guacamole and a Babybel cheese - not my finest moment).

What's got me a little more anxious is that I didn't prep anything for lunch tomorrow.  I thawed some reindeer sausages and if I wake up earlier enough can saute up some cabbage and throw on some feta and be fine to get me through til dinner, when I can try out one of the recipes in my queue. 

I had more I wanted to say but the migraine really threw me for a loop.  I don't think it's Keto flu related, probably more to do with barometric pressure or something like that, but tomorrow I'll be drinking a couple propels, just in case.

Just know I'm still going!  I wanted to do 30 days of strict keto to assess how I feel, but that literally takes me right to Christmas, so I may be a little lenient for a few days, but truly plan on getting right back on, assuming it's working for me (but so far, so good!).