Friday, August 27, 2010

My Low Carb Alternate Day Fasting Experiment - Day 4

Note: The hunger on ADF days is most apparent when I'm lying in bed drifting off to sleep. Probably due to fewer distractions than during the daytime. It's not major but more noticeable than in the sunlight hours. It also doesn't last very long as I've been falling asleep rather quickly lately.

Note #2: One of the most striking changes so far is how full the refrigerator remains now. It makes sense but it's also rather dramatic to see for yourself. I did make a store at a health food store to pick up some groceries today but the big was significantly smaller than usual.

Note #3: I wanted to briefly mention this while I remembered it. Some of you may know that a long time ago I struggled with an eating disorder known as anorexia nervosa. A long, long time ago. One of the psychological underpinnings of eating disorders is a desperate need for control in one's life. During my adolescence, I felt as though I had very little control over my destiny. But it occurs to me now that taking control over my eating patterns needn't be destructive - if it's done consciously and judiciously. I believe that's part of what I'm doing now. I'm managing my food intake in such a way as to improve my health and to help me feel more confident and in control of my life. This is all the more important now that my/our life seems a bit less certain in general.
  • Wake up time: 7:00 AM. Fell asleep around 1:00 AM.
  • 7:30 AM - a cup of organic coffee with a scoop of inulin powder (a prebiotic) and a splash of unsweetened, vanilla almond milk
  • 8:45 AM - Blood Pressure: 124/74. Blood Sugar: 68 mg/dL.
  • 9:00 AM - 1 cup of Fage Greek yogurt *, 1 Tbs of Nature's Hollow (sugar-free) strawberry preserves and a few ounces of organic raw pecans + morning supplements
  • 11:00 AM - a cup of organic coffee (black)
  • 1:00 PM - a strong cup of organic white tea with mint (3 tea bags)
  • 2:15 PM - a large slice of homemade Italian Basil Egg Bake and lightly roasted broccoli + mid-day supplements
  • 6:30 PM - a large bowl of homemade (organic) guacamole and chicharrones, a small serving of traditional pot roast and a glass or organic red wine (Syrah) + evening supplements
  • 10:30 - a strong cup of Traditional Medicinals' Every Day Detox tea (2 tea bags)
* You've probably noticed that some separation occurs when you store opened yogurt in the refrigerator - the semi-solid (yogurt) and the liquid. Pouring out the liquid further reduces the carb count. In the case of Greek yogurt, this in effect causes it to be "doubly strained".

More to come ... I hope!

6 comments:

~Oct said...

Go JP Go! (thought you could use a cheer). :)

Harry/JP said...

A cheer always helps! Thank you, Oct! :-)

Anne H said...

I did a little fasting this week, with you all the way.
To counter balance my recent bun-fest!
Now I'm calling it a done (bun) deal!
Yay! Another cheer!

Harry/JP said...

Excellent, Anne! You go girl! :-)

Did you see that Vadim might join in on the fun? How cool would that be?

BTW, Mad's also intrigued by the idea. Who knows? :-)

Anne H said...

When I first started blogging -
oh, so long ago,
I wrote alot about my fasting...
I think it helped set the tone for a great year.
I'm glad you added that part, JP.
Any tool can be used constructively
and mindfully.
Please give my best to the lovely Mad!

Harry/JP said...

I do recall that, Anne! I'm a slow learner but things eventually sink in. :-)

Mad sends hugs back at ya! Me too!