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Some people are having a lot of success with the keto diet. I lost about 10 pounds the first 2 months I was on it. Then I hit a donut and fell off the wagon. I'm kidding. I fell off because I didn't have any support and my cooking space was limited. I have no excuse now because I joined a Facebook group that is super supportive and I have a full kitchen all to myself.Not long after writing that, I checked my urine with a keto stick and saw that there was a slightly noticeable result. I ran over and updated my Amazon review. The next day I used another keto stick and... nada - as in not a result at all. I'm going back over to update the Amazon review when I finish this post. ~sigh~
I'm not giving up on the KetoFast though. I haven't used it enough to give it a fair chance. Also, I'm sure that pigging out on pasta didn't help the second results.
Again, as I admitted in that other post, I haven't exactly been back on the keto wagon. To be honest, I don't think I can full-time keto. I think I can do alternate days of keto. And that's where this intermittent fasting comes in. But first, a little history.
Before my sister passed, she was in the hospital for a couple of weeks and, of course, I stayed right there with her. I was about 185 pounds when she was admitted. When we had her funeral, I weighed in at around 145. I know this because all my pants were hanging off my hips and I had to dig in the closet for a smaller size. Within a month, I had put back on all the lost pounds and they brought friends. I topped at 200 pounds. I know why. I was depressed and eating to fill the emptiness that came with the loss of my sister. And I didn't really even care about how overweight and uncomfortable I was.
I tell you all that to tell you why I am trying Daily Intermittent Fasting - specifically the 16-hour fasting routine. I think I can handle this, guys.
DIM is basically what I was accidentally doing while my sister was in the hospital. I wasn't even exercising. I would have a coffee in the morning with maybe a vending machine pastry. Lunch was one of those plastic-wrapped burgers (also from vending) or a burger and fries or chips from the cafeteria. The rest of the time, I was drinking coffee or nibbling on chips. By 6 or 7 o'clock in the evening, I was so bored that I would just doze off. The cafeteria shut down at a certain time and I'd be sick of the vending machines. Pretty much, after 7 or 8 p.m. I was shut down for the night.
I started the DIM routine last night by not eating anything after 8. It wasn't too bad because I'm not awful about nighttime snacking. If I get hungry at night, I don't exactly snack - I heat up a meal. And because I can't count on when I will have energy enough, I tend to cook something for the whole week. Usually, spaghetti.
Because I want to practice keto at least part of the time, this is the plan I decided to alternate from day to day.
Keto Day - 2 meals; at least 32oz of water; and restrict myself to 2 cups of tea/coffee (instead of my usual 5 to 6 cups). One of the 2 meals will be keto-friendly.
Non-Keto Day - 1 keto-friendly meal and a small keto-friendly snack; 64 oz of water and all the tea/coffee I want during eating hours.
I like this graphic that I snagged from Pinterest.
This is the only the second day for me and I don't plan to start the keto-alternating until next week. First, I have to get used to the fasting itself.
Yesterday, I did fine waking up not starving but it was really hard not to have my morning tea or coffee. I cannot drink black coffee at all and drinking plain tea was almost as bad. I did get one cup of plain black tea down though because I hear it's great for the metabolism.
I'm not a breakfast eater, which is why I chose the 9-1 fasting period. I read that it's best to pick what works with your routine. For instance, my niece is a breakfast eater because she can't handle her pre-work gym time without it.
On this second day of the IF routine, I did better about getting through the morning without tea or coffee. I did drink a LOT of water though. By one o'clock, I was really ready for some food and the fasting made me appreciate the meaning of breakfast or "breaking fast". All I had was a cup of tea and some toast and, man, wheat toast never tasted so good!
I love this next graphic just for motivation and positive reinforcement:
Yeah, it's too small to read. So go over to the source site to check it out.
Anyway, I will be updating about my progress with the IF routine as I go along. By the way, I got my start by using the calendar and information over at the 3 Day Military Diet Menu site. There is a lot of information there so do check it out.
Peace
--Free
