I was way up today, actually equal to my second "starting" weight of 250:
I guess that's not so surprising after eating so much chili yesterday. Even though I did eat a lot, I was still quite surprised that I was that high. I guess the chili must have had a decent amount of salt and I put on some water weight, at least that's what I'm telling myself.
So today I didn't eat anything. It was really hard, but I know it will be worth it. The family had rotisserie chicken, which is probably my all-time favorite comfort food, and has knocked me off the wagon many times. I was cutting up the chicken for my kids, and man I almost took a bite, but I didn't! Right now I'm not sure if I'm regretting it or happy I made the right choice, but deep down I know I did the right thing. I can get a rotisserie chicken any time, I don't have to have one tonight just because it was there.
So we'll see where I'm at tomorrow. I doubt I'll be back below the line since I drifted so far above it, but we'll see. Maybe tomorrow I'll just have a big <100 Calorie salad or something so I can actually have some food and still get myself back down to my goal.
I said in the beginning that this 50 pounds was going to be way harder than the first, since I am smaller and have a lower BMR, and so far it is proving to be the case. But I know I can do it, I will not give up, I will keep moving forward!
Well, my weight went up over the line for the first time since the first 90 days and the 10 day fast:
It's not too much over, but I do need to watch out and be vigilant.
Tonight I ate chili and some vegetables with homemade low cal Ranch for dinner:
I actually ate quite a bit more chili than than unfortunately, and I had a 90 Calorie protein bar and a handfull of nuts. Chili is one of those things that I really like, and I tend to justify that it's pretty healthy so I can have more. We'll see what that does on the scale tomorrow.
I will probably need to do one meal every other day eventually to make this fast work. This week is just crazy with school starting and I'm teaching an early morning class, which has me tired in the evenings and at work. So I'm trying to take it easy this first week and get my bearings, and not get too overwhelmed. I got pretty close yesterday, feeling pretty down and not knowing what to do. But today I feel more optimistic, so that's good. I think it will get better as time goes on and I acclimate to this schedule again.
I was a little surprised and disappointed that I hadn't gone down after having a near-fast day yesterday. At least I didn't gain anything, so I can hopefully turn it back down.
I was going to fast all day again today, but the family had pork chops for dinner, and I decided to have some, so I can fast tomorrow if I need to. I was really tired after work and decided to just relax and have some food. I didn't get a picture this time. I also had a 90 Calorie protein bar after dinner.
So we'll see how the scale looks tomorrow. I can always fast another day if needed. I know I can do this, I will not stop, I will keep moving forward.
Not surprising after what I ate yesterday. Today I just had some crio bru and a few peaches for dinner:
I know it is going to be difficult to lose another 50 pounds in another 90 days. Since I am smaller now, I need to eat even less, but I know I can do it!
The weight fluctuated up a bit today, likely recovering from my fasting, regaining water, etc.:
Today we met some family to pick up our dog. They had been watching him while we were on vacation a couple weeks ago. We met at a restaurant that serves really big portions of mostly southern comfort food.
I stayed away from the fried food, and settled on some pot roast:
It was just OK. I remember this restaurant being really super about 10 years ago, but I don't know if they've gone downhill or if I've grown up, because it wasn't as good as I remember. Anyway, despite that I ate a lot of food. I didn't eat that whole plate, but I ate most of it and a couple rolls, along with a cup of hot chocolate on the drive home.
It's the first time in a long time that I've felt really sluggish and tired due to eating just way too much. I probably should have gotten a big salad or something instead, but here's to learning and moving forward.
So I'll probably be way up tomorrow, but I also don't plan on eating anything at all tomorrow and having another full day fast. I'm pretty sure I won't even be hungry. We'll see how it goes.
So far we are under the red line to continue losing another 50 pounds in another 90 days.
Today's weight was down again from yesterday, yay!
For dinner I had a daddy-daughter date with one of my daughters. The place we went had all kinds of food, burgers, chicken wings, boneless wings, pizza. Of all of that, the things that looked the best to me was the hummus and pita bread appetizer, the buffalo chicken wrap, the cob salad, and the teriyaki salmon. It's crazy that I've come this far that those things actually sound better than burgers and pizza. Anyway, I decided on the teriyaki salmon:
It was really good. I did have two bites of my daughter's pizza and a few of her fries. That was good, too. The salmon meal was only 760 Calories. After we got home I had a mini Kind bar (80 Calories) and some Crio Bru. It's my first cup since I started fasting, so it was really nice to have.
I am really excited about my decision to keep moving forward and continue losing. There was really no reason to take a break, and I feel it's much better to take advantage of the momentum I have to keep it going.
Today I had a mandatory health screen for my work's health insurance. I had to be down below 252 or they would charge me next year. They have this thing where if your BMI is over 35 then you have to lose two points by the next year or they charge you big time. So I was 250 flat with my work clothes on late in the day. I'll say that's a win! Also, my blood pressure was way down from where it was last year.
So things are looking really good. I'm excited about my future, and I know I can do this!
My weight today was down again, so that is great!:
I finished my fast today, so I made a nice Kefir smoothies with some peaches off of our peach tree and some frozen strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, and mango.
After that I had a bit of salad and a bite of my wife's chicken fajitas:
So overall, I feel really good. It was nice to be able to eat again today. I never had any really negative side effects from the fast, just a little fatigue and some acid reflux as one ought to expect.
So I have decided that I am going to keep moving forward, meaning I'm not going to take a little break like I talked about before, I am going to continue my journey and lose another 50 pounds in another 90 days, so in effect this is Day 1 of a new challenge! You can see on my weight chart that I just extended my goal line another 90 days to capture this. So in the end it will really be 100 pounds in 180 days. I can't wait!!
I did it! I lost 52 pounds during the 90 day challenge:
I also lost 7 inches off of my waist to 48.5 inches (starting was 55.5 inches):
Here's my official last before/after photo:
I feel awesome having met my goal. I'm still doing the 10 day fast, on day 9 of that, so I get to eat tomorrow evening. I am still feeling really good, nothing really new there. I haven't had any more lightheadedness, just a bit of acid reflux still.
Tomorrow evening I'm going to have some Kefir and some fruits and veggies to break my fast. Then it will be back to regular OMAD for a few days before I start the next challenge.
I have officially lost 50.2 pounds in 89 days! I couldn't be happier! I knew I could do it. There were a couple days there where I wan't sure when I had 6 pounds left to lose and only 8 days left, that's when I decided to do the 10 day fast, and it paid off!
I'm still going to finish out my 10 day fast, and I haven't exactly decided yet what I'm going to do after that. I think I'm going to just do OMAD for a few days to settle in to being 250, then I might go for another 50 pounds in 90 days to get down to 200. My ultimate goal is 180, which is right at the top of the healthy rage.
Here's a video I made this evening where I discuss a little more:
I think I wasn't down more because I drank more pickle juice yesterday. I am feeling much better after getting the electrolytes in. I haven't had any light headedness today, so that is a big improvement.
I didn't drink any pickle juice today, so I think I will lose some of the water weight and be down more tomorrow. I have two days left to lose 1.2 pounds, it's right down to the wire!
I'm below the red line for the first time since July 2nd. I've been mostly tracking with the goal line, but just a bit above it. But today, I got back below it, mostly thanks to my 10 day fast to finish things out.
As far as the fast goes, today is day 6 of the 10 day fast. I feel pretty good. I am pretty hungry, and food is starting to look really good. I made pizza for my kids for dinner today, and that was a big hard, but OK. I don't really crave that kind of food as much, mostly I crave salad and chicken/meat and rice, that kind of thing. Though the pizza did look really good, don't get me wrong.
The biggest challenge, however, is really the indigestion/acid reflux. It hit hard this afternoon, and I actually took some antacids for it. In the past when I've had indigestion it's at night, and it keeps me up. If I get up and sit for a while it goes away. And it's usually after I've eaten way too much. This time, however, it seems to get better if I lay down, and I haven't had any problems at night. It's mostly in the afternoon and evening. I'm not sure if I get to thinking about food or preparing food for the family and my stomach starts producing acid anticipating me eating or what. Who knows.
I did drink some more pickle juice today. It was good, and I haven't really felt lightheaded like I did before since I have been drinking it starting yesterday. I did get just a slight bit woozy today when I ran up a flight of stairs. I had to stop for a second at the top, but it quickly passed and wan't nearly as bad as what I was feeling yesterday.
So that's about it. I have been thinking about what I'll eat to break my fast. I usually crave and like to have some Kefir after a longer fast like this. Not only do I tend to crave it for some odd reason, it is great to repopulate the gut biome and get ready for digestion again. So I might have a day where I just drink Kefir or make a Kefir smoothie. I think the first real food I'm going to eat is some home made Kung Pao chicken, which I have been craving. That or some bbq, which is a staple here in KC.
Oh, and I made another YouTube video documenting my fast:
I had a huge weight loss from yesterday, over two pounds:
So that is great. I am now quite confident that I will make my goal of losing 50 pounds in 90 days, thanks in part to this 10 day fast.
I am feeling really good this evening. I was feeling pretty light headed and lacking energy earlier today. I helped a friend work on his car, and every time I squatted down and then got back up my head would swim for a while. Then our family went swimming, and I was feeling pretty sluggish there and just wanted to really take it easy, walk slow, and just be pretty docile. The kids did talk me into going on the high dive, which I fought at first but then gave in and went on it. It was fine, but it got my heart rate up, and I had to swim pretty quickly to the other end of the pool so I could get out and the next person could dive. I was feeling pretty sickly for a few minutes after that and had to get myself settled down.
I had a couple NSV's during that time. I had to work under my friend's car, which I've done before. Usually I have a hard time getting under there and have very little room to work, with my chest often being wedged under there. That's not a good feeling, especially since I'm a bit claustrophobic. Well, today I had plenty of room under there to work freely, so that felt great. Also I was able to wear a swimsuit to the pool that my wife had gotten me at the beginning of summer. It was to small and never really fit. Well, today I couldn't find my regular suit, so I grabbed it and it fit great! So that was awesome too!
Today the kids had fish fillets with salad and zoodles and that looked really tasty, especially the salad and fish. I fed the baby again while they ate, which is fine. So I was feeling really hungry today, and then my wife and I went on a "date" to the mall and walked through the food court. I wanted to do that, I'm not sure why. I just like seeing and smelling all of the food, even when I can't have it. I also torture myself by watching food reviews and recipe videos while I'm fasting.
Anyway, so I was really hungry today and feeling kinda crappy, and when we got home tonight I was sitting in my chair thinking about how I was feeling, and it came to me that I felt like I had a salt imbalance. That's a risk of drinking only water, your body can get out of balance because you are not taking in enough salt, like the infamous "hold your wee for a Wii" challenge. So I was going to eat some salt, before when I've done extended fasts I just put a teaspoon or so of salt in my palm and eat it, which would have worked, but the kids had just finished up a jar of pickle spears, and I figured I could drink the juice and get my salt that way:
So I drank the juice, and let me tell you it tasted really good. I usually don't like pickle juice, but it was just what I needed tonight. I drank the whole thing, and now afterward I feel 1000% better. I don't feel light headed anymore, and I really don't feel hungry either. I think my big problem was just the salt imbalance. I think the acid helped my stomach too, because I was having quite a bit of indigestion/heartburn, but after the pickle juice that went away as well.
So that's about it for today, I am excited to finish out this journey, and I'm excited to finish out my fast and get back to eating one meal a day!
Oh, almost forgot to mention, I also made an update video today on my YouTube channel:
Today's weight was down quite a bit from yesterday:
I believe I'm going to make my goal!
Today was day 4 of the 10 day fast, and I'm feeling pretty good. I still have a bit of indigestion in the evenings, but still not too bad. I have been drinking lots of water and taking a multivitamin every day.
Today the kids and wife had hamburgers and zoodles (Zuchinni noodles), and it looked really good, but I stuck to my guns and didn't eat anything! I recorded a quick update video this evening:
I am feeling pretty good on the fast so far. I haven't been overly hungry, just when other people are eating it is tough to see the food and smell it, but I know I can pull through. The family had tacos/taco salad for dinner and that looked really good. I fed the baby her baby food carrots while the family ate dinner, and even that was looking not too bad, lol.
I made another youtube video on my progress so far. It is uploading now, so I'll embed it when it's finished:
Other than that, I am just enduring to the end of the challenge. I can't believe it's gone by so fast. It seems like yesterday I was starting, and now here we are just 84 days later and I'm feeling so much better. I am excited to see it through.
Well, I finally saw a loss on the scale after the four day plateau:
I still have a long way to go in just one week to make my goal. It will be close, we'll see. My only chance is to continue my 10 day fast right up until the end.
I did fast again today. It was particularly tough today and yesterday because the family had rotisserie chicken from Sam's Club, which is one of my all time favorite/trigger foods. Last time I had a long fast that tripped me up. This time I held strong, despite my helping out to cut up the chicken into pieces for the kids. It smelled really good, and the temptation was there to just pop a bite, but my desire to reach my goal and not succumb to base desires won out!
So we'll continue the fast until the end of this challenge. Today was day two,and generally day three is when things get easier. Right now I feel like I have a lot of energy overall, though I am moving a bit slower. By the end of the ten days I expect I'll be quite depleted of energy, at least that was my experience last time.
I'm also trying to fight irritability and impatience that tend to come. I've found myself feeling impatient with the kids, and have really worked to suppress that. I guess the correct term would be hangry, but I think that will start to subside too starting day 3.
On a positive note, my wife and family have started trying to eat healthier. Today dinner was rotisserie chicken breast and a huge platter of veggies and fruit. I should have taken a picture, but didn't since I wasn't actually eating it. My wife is going to start a 5 and 1 plan where she eats 5 ~100 Calorie snacks throughout the day and then a "lean and green" dinner, similar to Medifast/Optavia, but much cheaper, and admittedly less protein. She tried OMAD, but had trouble sticking with it, due in part to the fact that she is still breastfeeding our baby, though not exclusively.
So things are looking up. I'm hoping I'll find time to make an update video tomorrow. I'll also plan to take my measurements and get updated before/after photos.
I almost can't believe we're this close to the end. The time has really flown by in a blink. 90 days really is not that long, and to see what I've accomplished in such a short time, regardless if I technically meat my goal, is astounding to me.
That's a pretty long "plateau", four days in a row the same weight (minus one day where I didn't weigh).
Today I start the 10 day fast that will finish out the program. I do feel hungry, and it was pretty hard at dinner time, but I feel really good that I met my goal of fasting today. I did drink a lot of water and I took a multivitamin, which I will every day.
For this fast it's water only, no diet sodas, gum, or even Crio Bru, just water and a multivitamin every day.
We drove home across country starting Sunday night and arriving home Monday night, 1700+ miles in 24 hours. We are all pretty exhausted.
I did eat some snacks and Arby's for dinner, mostly to stay awake and pass the time. It was probably not a good idea.
I decided I'm just going to do a ten day fast for the remainder of my challenge. That decision was part of why I decided to go ahead and eat today. I am confident I can reach my goal and feel better about myself as I do this fast. I'll write about how it goes.
I need to lose a bunch in the next 10 days. I'm still confident I can meet my goal, considering I am planning to do a 5 or 7 day fast here at the end. I'm still on vacation, so when I get home I'll plan that out. I am excited for it, I always feel really good when I do a longer fast.
Today I did good fasting until dinner again. Lunch today was particularly hard when everyone was having nachos and other good stuff, just eating whatever and big portions. I got pretty frustrated with wanting to eat and everything looking so good. But I pulled through. For dinner the kids were having pizza rolls and tater tots, so I made myself a nice salad:
It's amazing how a big salad can be just 300 or so Calories as opposed to just a few tater tots and pizza rolls. So I ate my salad, and I just couldn't resist a few tater tots and pizza rolls. Well, I shouldn't say I couldn't resist, I could have resisted, and should have, but I didn't. Today is the last day of vacation, so I won't have that specific temptation again. We are diving back across the country tonight and tomorrow, so probably no weight in the morning, but I'll have one Tuesday night most probably.
Well, my weight fluctuated up a bit, as I expected after yesterday's eating:
Today we had a long day at the local county fair. The kids rode the carnival rides while we walked around. It was super hot, and three of the kids ended up with a stomach ache and feeling sick just from the heat. We got them some ice water and they felt better. It was good to at least get a little exercise walking around, instead of just sitting all day like I've been doing.
The food there looked really good. The kids had cheeseburgers, soft pretzels, pizza, etc. for lunch and there were funnel cakes, shaved ice, cheese fries, all the regular fair food. And we all did really good. I did not have anything to eat at the fair, so that was a big win.
So I did good again up until dinner. My wife and I didn't end up going out like I expected but the family ordered pizza for dinner. I did eat some:
I actually ate more than I took a picture of, unfortunately. I'm not sure what it is about being on vacation that makes it so much harder to have control. I meant to eat a big salad before having the pizza, but I forgot when it got here and didn't. So I probably ate 4-5 of those slices, and I had a coupe red vines and a couple pieces of salt water taffy. I finally said enough is enough, and I made myself a cup of Crio Bru, which tasted pretty bitter after all of that rich food, but it was really good and it jolted me back into reality and I did good after that. I'm hoping I don't take too much of a hit on the scale, since I didn't go too crazy like yesterday.
Well, I finally got a good weight on my scale this morning:
I'm pretty happy with that, feels great to break below 260! The hard work the last few days has paid off.
Today was a bit of a different story. I had planned to fast all day again today, since I am planning to go do dinner with my wife tomorrow for our anniversary, but that didn't work out. The kids were having nachos, and they looked really good, so I had a bite. That was a mistake. My son didn't eat his nachos, so I decided well I'll just eat that for dinner, and I ate that but didn't stop there unfortunately. I had a few more things, including a couple oreos and some red vines. Not quite as much as I ate the first day here, and not nearly as much as I would have eaten normally, but way more than I should have on my current plan. And I didn't get any pictures since it was more of a spontaneous thing.
So I'll probably be up a bit tomorrow from all of the salt and sugar. I'll not be giving up for sure. Never give up, keep moving forward! I know I can do this, and I can achieve my goal. I'm still planning to go do dinner with my wife tomorrow night, I'll just try to make it the single meal and I'll have to be a little more controlled than if I had done better today.
Also, I have been planning all along to do a 5 or 7 day fast during this journey. Well, we're almost to the end and I still haven't done that yet, so I'll probably do that when I get back home, so it will be pretty close to the last week of this challenge. I almost can't believe I've come this far. I know now it is possible, now I just need to keep going.
One thing that I think contributed to my gaining the weight back last time, and my keeping it on so long, is the thought that I lost it once, and it wasn't all that bad, I can lose it again if I need to. I'm not sure how to totally put that behind me, but I know I need to overcome that thought if I am going to keep the weight off this time.
Well I got my scale back this evening, so I went ahead and weighed myself:
That's pretty good for the evening, I should hopefully weigh less in the morning.
I had Subway for dinner tonight, it was really good:
I also had some popcorn and a couple of See's candies. I'm back with my family, which is awesome, and we went and got dinner and I had gotten my wife some chocolates for our anniversary. I just need to stay on track for the next 13 days so I can achieve my goal! I'm so close!
We did a lot of walking as well this evening to go exploring. It was nice to walk around and get some exercise. I haven't had much exercise in a while, so hopefully I can do better there. I've been thinking of different things I can do. So far it's just been walking. I like biking, but I don't have a bike here on my trip.
