The Buckeye’s amazing homemade fudge, and yes! I got to indulge!
My weight this morning? 167.6lbs, less than what it was two weeks ago, before I left for an extended Thanksgiving trip, and AFTER I ate fudge yesterday! It had gone up a wee bit, 172.8lbs at some point just before Thanksgiving, but now happily I’m below the weight I was before...and it’s been that for several days. Our 5-2 diet is amazing!
For 72 days now I’ve logged my foods, seeing quickly how choices effect my weight. The accountability has been wonderful-there’s no blaming the faux “starvation mode” or lack of exercise. 100% of the time, my weight goes up because I ate too many calories, or calories that were junk food.
Not than a hand crafted IPA could ever be considered “junk calories!”
While traveling in Washington and Idaho, I worked hard to limit my calories. Five days dining out, however, put me over in Washington...it’s hard to control counts when you have to guess at how many you’re consuming.
I’m not complaining!! This grilled cheese sandwich featured bacon, gouda and “heavenly bread!” It was soooo good to spend time with the Knight’s sister:)
Still, I was quite pleased to have my regular Monday fasting day, as I drove from Yakima to Sandpoint. My undoing, however, was daily “cups of joy” in Idaho.
Complete with foam hearts and delivered by my adorable 9 year old niece/barista.
The cappuccinos were sooo yummy I often forgot they harbored calories (I’ve learned to drink black coffee at home, so to me, coffee=minimal calories) and I fell prey to it on my second fast day. I decided to let go of the fast (at 400 calories at 10am it was silly to think I would only have 100 or so more the rest of the day) and just enjoy the time with family.
As we baked and prepped most of the day, it was a great choice!Thanksgiving is traditionally only a one-meal-the-entire-day thing, and I was able to indulge. According to my log, my entire meal (hence my entire day of calories) was only 1650. Add in several “cups of joy” and I was just around the recommendation of 2000 calories for the day. The issue was I travelled the next day...and ate airport junk food. Plus I had skipped a fast day, and had put on weight in Washington. My best guess? I gained 3-4lbs over the vacation. The Buckeye, who went home to his mother’s best cooking (every meal was a childhood favorite, in addition to Thanksgiving) only gained a pound and a half.
So getting back, we got right back on track. Fasting days on Monday and Wednesday, made easy by me making my 5 can chili, which with a serving and a half and a sprinkle of cheese comes in at 306 calories. This allows The Buckeye to still have his breakfast of two hard boiled eggs and a pack of tuna and carrots for lunch; as for me I do black coffee and unsweetened tea all day and then have my bowl of chili and a glass of milk. The amazing thing is we are no longer hungry on the fast days; our bodies have adjusted. Even better? Subsequent meals this past week (we each made each other our favorites: I made him Shrimp Orleans and he made me his crockpot chicken and stuffing, plus we indulged in taco rice & cheese) we both noticed we ate less, and filled up quicker. The biggest indicator? Last night at an after rugby party we ordered tator tot nachos as an appetizer...and finished it together, full. No need to order a dinner!
This guy. He’s 49, and played four games of rugby at the tournament Saturday. Convinced this organic HIIT exercise over the past 30 years is what has kept him healthy!
One week after Thanksgiving, the big eating holiday, we were both back to our prior holiday weights. We both adjusted with no issue, simply by fasting on Monday and Wednesday. Today I ate fudge, and worried not about my weight. Why? I could only eat two pieces! Ten weeks in, we both know our metabolisms have changed-for the better. We fill up in less!!
He’s down 15lbs from our start (and makes the most AMAZING fudge!)
Thankfully for me, my 13 lbs down means three pairs of jeans fit in time for cooler temps (it was only 67° today 😉) and the knowledge I don’t have to gain a bunch of weight like I did the past two years over the holidays. With the addition of hiking hopefully returning to my routine, I look forward to fitting back into a closet full of great clothes...!
I never, ever would have kept up with this if it wasn’t for him.
Why am I still happily on a diet ten weeks later? Why did I get right back on track after a vacation?
Him.
As our partnership grows, I am so thankful to have him joining me in this journey. The accountability factor is MASSIVE for me—last Monday, just back from the trip and having plans change, I forgot it was a fast day. His gentle reminder made it no big deal, and I had no issue staying on track. The reward was quickly getting back to the previous lower weight...and having the joy of sharing it with him. I used to whine about needing a partner, but never had the right partner. I did learn to do things myself...but oh, how comforting it is to have a man walk the same journey as me.
He bought me his rugby team’s hat to wear. Loved watching him yesterday.
Tonight we ate Thursday’s leftovers, well aware they needed to be eaten tonight. We remarked how well matched we were when it came to food, and how much our appetites had changed. I logged the fudge and figured out the calories; he chuckled as I broke it all down. After dinner he got out his banjo, and I sat down with Facebook. The Adventurer has just got his own Facebook page; tonight his new sister-in-law (and guardian, his brother and his new wife adopted both of his younger siblings) posted a video of the kids making a “chopped” style competition. Looking at the yummy dishes they created I started to cry; remembering how food insecure they had been just this summer as foster kids. They now have a family who cares for them, and are learning how to make good, healthy food choices. Looking at the Buckeye, I couldn’t help but recall how he had made the choice to be a foster mentor before meeting me...and all the years of volunteering he has done with Special Olympics. Yes, the Buckeye is an amazing partner to many...and I wonder how I got to be the lucky girl who caught him.
Even if I’m still in shock that he’s a Buckeye...:)Yep, the first few weeks were hard for me in fast days, until I figured out what worked for me. Having a partner doing it with me? The entire reason it’s working, and my weight this morning is my lowest yet as I progress towards my goal. Yes, there are little hills and valleys...but as I steadily lose weight and create a diet lifestyle I love (at goal weight I plan on dropping to just one fast day a week) I am thankful I’ve stuck it out. Happier still I’ve had someone to share it with.
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