Gonna give the fasting a shot!

Yes have decided to fast for 24 hours and see how I go, I will add a 'eat what I want' (within reason) day during the week - which is what's recommended. 

I won't exercise during this either, I might use Sundays as my rest days.  Sundays will also be my weigh in days, so weigh in tomorrow morning!

24 hours may seem quite a while but i've just finished my last meal, which consisted of a big bowl full of vegies...no real sustainability though.  Ideally I should have had protein in there but I couldn't be bothered defrosting some meat.  So bearing in mind that I have eaten a pretty light dinner (and coffee ;) ) I'm pretty sure that I won't quite make the 24 hours.  If I don't, that's ok....maybe I'll make 20 hours or something.

So yes 24 hours from 7pm  tonight to 7pm tomorrow night, which really....I'll be asleep for half of it, then it's jsut a matter of skipping breakfast and skipping lunch.  And if I was the type to skip breaky anyway, then really it's just lunch LOL  Drinking plenty of water in the meantime though.

It's not the first time I've fasted, as a teen/young adult, I used to fast at church, they'd have, what's called a prayer and fast where you replace meals with prayer, and whenever you feel hungry, you'd pray.  And we'd do this as a church every 6 mths or so, so I have done this before, but just not for a very long time.  As long as I haven't been going to that church anymore.

Anyway, I'll document this experiment and  how I go and see if this makes any difference to my overall weigh loss, and on Tuesday when I join the gym I'll be adding a great deal of cardio into my weekly schedule as well (just not on fasting days).

So the fun begins!

Intermitted Fasting?

Well I fell upon a blog of a nutitionist body builder guy who has some interesting theories and debunks a lot of the myths that we've all been spoon fed, for God knows how long, about weightloss etc.  Leangains.com

Myths such as, fasting putting you into starvation mode, eating after a certain time of night can make you fat, eating frequent meals can boost your metabolism etc etc  It's all very interesting seeing him debunk the FEW studies that have been done on this and offering his own logical explanations for them all.  I'm a very logical thinker so this works for me. 

One....or the main thing that he is promoting is intermitted fasting, so going a long period of time without eating...then exercising actually helps in fat loss and muscle mass.  Whereas we are led to believe the complete opposite...

Some of the things he is saying are....

Note that every damn meat eating mammal goes to sleep after consuming massive amounts of food e.g lions, dogs, bears but apparently somewhere down the line, nutritionist´s came up with the conclusion that we somehow evolved.

Then goes onto explain how researchers have come up with why it's so bad for us by studying fat people and how they eat high calorie diets, have sedamentry lifestyles and who eat heaps of junk at night while watching tv and not getting enough sleep, and claims that perhaps the other factors are more of the reason rather than them eating at that time of night.  He claims that if your living a healthy lifestyle with nutritionally sound foods then it doesn't matter what time of night you eat them. Found here.

Seemingly paradoxical, metabolic rate is actually increased in short-term fasting. For some concrete numbers, studies have shown an increase of 3.6% - 10% after 36-48 hours (Mansell PI, et al, and Zauner C, et al). This makes sense from an evolutionary perspective. Epinephrine and norepinephrine (adrenaline/noradrenaline) sharpens the mind and makes us want to move around. Desirable traits that encouraged us to seek for food, or for the hunter to kill his prey, increasing survival. At some point, after several days of no eating, this benefit would confer no benefit to survival and probably would have done more harm than good; instead, an adaptation that favored conservation of energy turned out to be advantageous. Thus metabolic rate is increased in short-term fasting (up to 60 hours)

Found here.

There are more interesting debunks of myths that have simply never made sense to me as they didn't seem logical.  He goes on to explain that 3 square meals a day is better than 6 small meals...and a lot of these ideas have been how I used to live with I was thin! 

Not saying that I'm going to out and do exactly what this guy does, after all I have a lot more reading to do before I conclude that this theory has merit, plus I haven't even looked into what all this means to females and those who don't wish to be body builders, and just want to be fit, slim and toned....nothing more.

Anyway there are some interesting articles there so I'll be reading with interest and you never know, I may incorporate some of his ideals in my quest for weight loss!

ETA - I just want to clarify, that those reading this aren't thinking that it's about not eating and anorexia or anything like.  I've read this back and realise that it might look really bad.  But that's not the case, when he talks about fasting for 12 - 16 hours then exercising in your fasted state, you would then go and 'break your fast' (breakfast).  This generally is done overnight....so you're fasting anyway.  So if you had your dinner at 6pm, 12 hours would bring you to 6am, so you'd exercise between 6am to 10am, then break you fast after that.  Some full on body builders would do it at different times but this way would be better for people like me.  I would just hold off on my breakfast until after my workout no biggie! 

I just want to make sure people aren't thinking that he's promoting fasting for days and exercising like an anorexic.  He most definetly does not promote going much further than 12 -16 hours as, he claims, it's counter productive because of insulin levels or something changes or something or rather (blah blah blah it's all so scientific).

Anyway just wanted to clarify that it's more of a different way of looking at things.  Eating 3 good square meals a day...good nutrition and just choosing to exercise to promote optimal fat loss and muscle mass.  He also promots having 'cheat' days where you indulge on things sometimes...like cake and whatnot but warns against binging.  It's about nutrition without deprivation of the things you love etc.

From what I can gather anyway....I probably misinterpreted the whole thing as he does talk in scientific language a lot and loses me....but I think I got the basics, which is all I really need.  I by no means wish to be a body builder, just want a healthier lifestyle :)

Dreaming about Sushi!

Ok this might be a strange post but I had to post it #1 because it's funny and #2 because it's just plain weird, but I dreamed of sushi last night.

Now just so you know, I hate Sushi!!!  I can't stand the stuff.  The thought of eating raw fish makes me dry wretch and my sister tied to get me onto chicken sushi years ago, that smelt really nice I admit...but....the sea weed turned me off!  It smells and it tastes like....dirt, really!  Needless to say Sushi is off my radar, it's never even hit my radar, I never consider eating it when out.  Don't think about it, don't care about it...don't talk about it and yet....

Last night I dreamt that I had the best sushi ever!!!!  I don't know what type it was but it was sooooooo yum, and I wanted more and more.  I just kept eating sushi and marvelling at how scrumptious it all was.  Just kept taking bites out of it and I couldn't get enough LOL

Then this morning I woke up with a huge craving for Sushi!  Not the gross, sea weed (although the ones in my dream did have sea weed but it actually didn't taste like sea weed), raw fish kind....but the yummy kind I had in my dream.  I'm even disappointed that such a yummy sushi doesn't exist!

So now I'm wondering....is there such a thing as yummy sushi???

Sushi anyone?

Inspiration shots...

I realise that I have absolutely no photos on here of myself so I think I'll put some of what I look like now and what I looked like 6 years ago.  I think people are quite shocked when I show them these because when I tell people that I was thin 6 years ago, they look at me like they almost don't quite believe me you know?  So I do have pics to prove it LOL

So anyway here goes...

What I look like now, well a couple of months ago anyway LOL....

I'm the one in the pink...very wide waist now, thicker arms, you can't see it but my but sticks out and thighs touch. 

And this is me 6 years ago....

Sorry for the bad quality but they are photos of photos....but yeh this was the day I met Aaron...

And....

A huge difference 23kg makes hey!  And just to note, that I was 30 years old and had had 4 children!  This is what Aaron met 6 years ago.  This was my life.  This was the size I'd always been.  Yeh ok I'd gain about 8kg after each baby but then I'd lose it within the year.  But I grew up this size.  And to get from that to this in ...well more like 3 years....well yeh!  It's shameful!  It really is. 

Yes I know I've had 2 more children but come on I'd had FOUR there!  I was 57kgs!!!  I was considered underweight....and I only want to get to 60kg!  Funny I used to think evertime I gained and got to 60kgs I'd have to lay off the fat for a bit cos I thought I was getting too big.  Being over 60kg was a big no no for me and now I'm 80!  LOL  *sigh* funny how things go hey!

But there you have it...these photos are now on my fridge as inspiration of what I  know I CAN get back to.  Even my son joked this morning and said "Mum  I don't think you're going to be able to get back to that....you were pretty young"....err no I wasn't son!  I was 30 and fabulous!  LOL

Week 1

Sunday - Ab workout, calorie intake under, portion control
Monday - Ab workout, calorie intake under, portion control  - chocolate cake
Tuesday - calorie intake under, no exercise, failed portion control for dinner
Wednesday - 2x Ab workout to make up for yest., failed portion control for dinner, calorie intake under
Thursday - Write off!  No workout, blew calorie intake...still kept to portion control though
Friday - Ab workout, portion control, calorie intake under.
Saturday - Portion control, calorie intake under.

Weigh in

First weigh in

Current Weight - 80kg
Waist - 96.5cm
Hips - 110.5cm
Chest 97.5cm (above the boob...no point measuring my boobs I don't want them to lose weight LOL)
Thigh - 93.5cm
Upper arm - 33cm

First Goal

75kg

How I'm going to get there

Counting calories at Calorie King.

Drop portion size by eating off a bread and butter plate.

DRINK WATER

Ab exercises

Workout dvd (for now....just waiting for next pay to join the gym - YES I'M JOINING A GYM)

Next weigh in

Sunday 7th Jan.

What I hope to be

79kg

Getting my sexy back!

2012 the year I get back to 2007, yes it was 5 years ago that I fluctuated from 57 - 60kg.  I was proud of the fact that after 4 kids I was still quite slim and sexyish and I so want to go back there. 

Funny thing, it never took any effort really to maintain that weight.  I wasn't overly active, I didn't exercise and I didn't really watch what I ate either.  Ok my diet wasn't bad but that was because that's what I liked, it was a diet with good sized portions of good food and some not so good food in between.  If I gained a few kilos I'd take it as an indication that I need to lay off the fatty foods for a bit....so I'd do that and voila!  Kilos gone!

Now....5 years and 2 more kids later I'm not the same.  I've slowly been gaining, and 3 years is probably a more accurate timeline, of how quickly things went downhill.  I still don't regularly exercise, I eat the same good sized portions of good food and some not so good food......and yet....I'm this!  80kg!  That's a 20kg gain!  I've never been this fat in all my life!

Well the time has come, obviously, where I'm going to have to start watching my weight and...wait for it.....exercise!  Never had to before, but obviously something's changed within my body that has now required me to do so.

So...as of today I'm making a start in changing my lifestyle to incorporate my new body so that I can get back to my old body...the one that had people look at me with such envy!  Today is the day that things are going to change.  My exercise habits, eating habits and portion sizes are all going to change this year and my goal, for this time next year is to be 20kg lighter!  I can do this!

First goal is to lose 5kg.  Once I've done that, then I know I'm well on my way!