Day 42, Fasting on a Snowy Day

“Everyone can perform magic, everyone can reach his goals, if
he is able to think, if he is able to wait, if he is able to fast.”

 

~ Hermann Hesse (Siddhartha)

 

 

 

After a few unsure days lately, my JV Life Tracker (Vibrancy) scores are up again.  On October 22, 2020, I added a set of 30 points for eating within the calorie ranges, most likely to produce results with my weight.  I have scored three days since.  Each day, I earned 30 additional points, as you can see above.  I think I will only need this check item for a few weeks.  Then I can adjust my calorie level up, depending on how my body responds.

 

You may wonder if it is fair to give yourself so many points for one activity.  If it is crucial to your progress, yes.  I think you realize that eating within a specific calorie range is not a single activity; it constellates many activities.  Eating within a specified calorie range may require fasting as well.  Getting it right takes practice.  It is so easy to mess up.

 

 

What is for breakfast?  Another green drink, this time with an organic spinach and kale mix.  I even got my husband to take a sip.  He said it was good.

 

 

That sets my morning up beautifully.

 

 

 

Fasting Stats, which show up on the Cronometer mobile app, indicate that I have:

 

 

I am just getting started.

 

It is snowing today.  The temperature is below 20 F.  I do not think I will go outside for my walk, though I may walk the building’s halls.

 

 

Here is a mindmap of today’s reminders.

 

 

 

So far, I have made a weekly plan, eaten a green drink for breakfast, meditated, scored JV Life Tracker, and walked the halls.  I have eaten 1017.5 calories, so I have a few calories to go, and then I can start fasting.

 

 

I now have 18 days with a six-hour or smaller eating window out of the 41 so far on this journey.  That is almost half.  A six-hour eating window corresponds to 18 hours of fasting.  Eating for a short time, followed by fasting for a long time, contributes to my diet’s success.  I had hoped it would help me sleep better, but I am still looking for a solution.  Even my morning walks in the sun are not resetting my circadian clock.  It could be that I have challenges with my sleep from having bipolar disorder that are resistant to the treatment I have given them so far.  It is possible, though, that I am doing better than it seems because my sleep could be much worse.  During periods of manic activity, I sleep very little, if at all.

 

 

I want to commit to an intermittent fasting lifestyle over the long haul.  I have tried other behavior modification techniques such as:

 

I have failed in behavior modification interventions.  When I start eating, instincts take over, and I am no better than a wolf.  I think I eat a little slower than years ago, but that is not sufficient to keep me from gaining weight without additional intervention.  For me, that is intermittent fasting.  

 

 

Two medications for my bipolar disorder cause weight gain, sometimes severe weight gain.  If you are on similar medicines, you may be thinking, “What’s the use?”  These medications change your brain so that you get hungrier.  They can also lower your metabolic rate.  I was just getting my weight under control when I had my first manic episode in 1985.  Hospitalization added several pounds, then I gained about 25 more.  I had difficulty complying with my medication because I was aware of what it was doing to my weight.

 

 

If you are in a predicament like mine, consider some of the techniques I use to lose weight.  Do not mess with your medication.  Your medication is a necessary evil.  If you go on and off of it, it will not work as well, and you will gain more every time they put you back on it again.  Some doctors never take you off of anything.  If they cannot keep you stable, they will add one medication after another until you have no idea what interactions your meds have.  They have never been tested together.

 

 

If you can, get off of unnecessary medications.  However, do not do it alone.  Find a doctor who will help you do it.  Most doctors try to take you off meds too quickly.  Give yourself even more time to taper than you are advised.  If you start having symptoms, backtrack until you can get off safely.  Sometimes, you may be forced to continue taking a small dose.  That is still a success.  Once your body gets used to a med, it depends on having it there, even if it never needed it to begin with.  Doctors claim psychotropic meds are not addictive.  However, they do have addictive properties.

 

 

It looks like I ate barely enough sauerkraut to have too much calcium.  However, calcium intake is not far over the limit of 2,000 mg.  Everything else looks great.  1243 calories are enough to do me until breakfast.  I set up an eighteen-hour fast from 2:30 PM to 8:30 AM.  I have 290 calories remaining in my budget.  

 

Due to slow elimination, I did not get a weight reading today.  However, it will come out eventually, so I will wait, maybe even several days before getting a weight reading.  My goal is to weigh 51 kg by the end of the week.

 

 

 

AFTERNOON PRAYER

Lord,   I have completed the Cronometer game for another day.  There are many ways to score.  I think I did okay today.   Lord, I touched on medications today.  I am not a medical person, so I cannot give medical advice.  However, I have been around the block first hand.   I believe I can offer help in nutritional matters.  Unfortunately, nutrition is not a cure for bipolar disorder.  However, it can help provide stability and even positive feelings.  It is the only way to solve weight conditions.  There is bariatric surgery, of course, but even with surgery, nutrition is still the answer.   I have a friend.  It seemed that bariatric surgery was the only answer for him.  He learned that it causes severe dehydration because the stomach cannot hold much water once the surgery is performed.  He found another solution:  eating a nutrient-rich food in the right portion size.  He lost over 200 pounds.   Hopefully, the suggestions I am offering in this blog journey are the same:  nutrient-rich food in the right portion size.  People may get tired of green drinks, but they can be varied.  I found they taste good with V8, even though V8 is not a perfect food.   The coming winter months will present a challenge to my walking routine.  I plan to do the best I can.  I want to rest now.  I got up about 3:30 AM.  I love you, Lord.  Please bless my readers to know what questions to ask.   Amen.

 

If you would like to join me on this journey from the beginning, please start with Day One.  If you wish to download a FREE copy of my ebook (with no need to enter your name or email), click on the book below.  Please continue this journey with me by clicking on the arrows at the right of the page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This article, with its diet diary, shows what worked for me.  I do not claim that it will work for you.  Consult a licensed medical provider to determine your diet and medical care.  These blog entries do not diagnose or treat any disease.  If I provide any clues for you or your provider, I will be happy.