I gained four pounds. This is great news!!!
How can gaining weight be a good thing? After all, for most of us, the goal is to lose weight. Since January of 2021, I have lost over 20 pounds. Then in less than 11 days, I gained 4 pounds, and I am really happy about it! No, I have not gone mental. In the following blogs, I will explain why my vacation weight gain is a positive outcome.
Now the question is, can I get rid of the extra weight? Will it take 8 days? 10 days? 15 days? Longer? Each day, starting on September 13, 2021, I will post an update on how much progress I am making to eliminate the vacation weight gain.
First I want to talk about food. In our modern world, we are bombarded with negative advertising about food. Like: Don’t eat this food; it will kill you. This food is terrible for your heart, or that food is bad for your brain. I know you have heard it all. We see and hear a constant stream of food, gloom-and-doom on radio, television, billboards, magazines, and newspapers. With all the negative information about food, we have become
“A nation of food-fearing people.”
For the last ten months, I have been relearning how to overcome my fear of food. I have been learning how to love food. Yes, food is good. Eat food, Love food; FOOD IS GOOD FOR YOU! We all must forget the negative hype and relearn how to enjoy food without fear. Think back to your 6th, 7th, or 8th birthday. Did you worry about the cake being fattening? Did you count the calories in the frosting? The fat grams in the chocolate milk? I sure didn’t. When you were a kid, you ate with gay abandon, and you loved every bit. Kids love food. Good job, kids – keep up the good work.
We all need to relearn how to love food like an 8-year-old!
My Fun Fat Weight Gain Vacation
The first stop on my vacation was a birthday party where we all celebrated with fantastic foods, great music, and good fellowship. While I did not go on an eating binge, I did enjoy lots of great barbeque and topped it all off with a slice of cake.
Next, we traveled on to Bayfield, Wisconsin, to the shores of Lake Superior. The area we sailed is called The Apostle Islands, and we enjoyed five days of sailing with my wife and four longtime sailing friends. Sailing involves a boat, a little wind, some sunshine, and unbelievably vast amounts of food and beverages – lots and lots of food and beverages. When on land, we ate at several of Bayfield’s wonderful restaurants, and on the water, well, we ate all the time!
In past years when I would eat as I did on this vacation, I would have been full of regret, frustration, and shame. I would constantly be telling myself, “You’re eating like a pig. Pig.” Not this time. This time I planned on gaining weight! That’s not a miss print, “I planned on gaining weight!” I planned on gaining weight because I knew I could lose it all when I got back home to my regular fasting routine.
When I get home, I know I will be fasting for a certain number of hours every day, and I know that I will return to my weight loss journey. I am sure I can drop the four pounds in no time, and everything will be back to normal. So, tomorrow it’s back to my old routine. I am sure I will have some problems getting back into my weight loss routine. We will see.
The Return Home
Day 1. Monday. September 13, 2021, Back Home.
Weigth loss = 0 pounds; 4 pounds to go.
I was a little concerned. After eating three meals a day and munching snacks from sun up to sundown, and after sundown too, would I have trouble getting back into the fasting lifestyle? Just how tough is this going to be?
I started my day with a glass of water. From 8:30 am to 9 am, I was very hungry and had a cup of black coffee. It brought back memories of my first adventures in fasting. Switching from eating all the time and not eating for several hours a day was a big challenge. I hope this transition is not as hard as that.
Like a moving wave, by 9 am, the hunger passed, and I was fine until 11:30 am. The hunger was back but less intense this time, and the urge to eat was gone by noon. More black coffee. From noon to 6:00 pm, I was not at all hungry. During the afternoon, I kept busy and drank several more glasses of ice water, one glass with a pinch of sea salt. I defiantly was not as hungry in the afternoon as I thought I would be. At about 6:30 pm, I broke the fast with some cheese and ate dinner at 7:30 pm.
Total fasting for day one was 18.5 hours; my eating window was 5.5 hours.
I am feeling good about getting through the first day and hope to see some weight loss tomorrow morning.
Day 2. Tuesday. September 14, 2021.
Tuesday, I got up and hopped on the scale. Weight loss = 0 pounds; 4 pounds to go.
No weight loss today. I had expected to drop part of a pound, but no luck. Was I disappointed? Maybe, a little, but the bright side was that I did not gain any weight, and I am confident the weight loss will come in the following days.
This is where you have to tell yourself, “I’m a good person; I can do this.”
In the morning, from the time I got up until 10:30 am, I was not hungry. At about 10:30 am, my stomach growled once or twice, and I was a little hungry but not as bad as the first day. I reminded myself that that stomach growl is “The warm, wonderful feeling of weight loss!” I made a second cup of coffee and continued with my normal activities. The hunger passed in about 30 minutes. I drank lots of water in the afternoon and did not get seriously hungry again until after 6:30 pm. I broke my fast with dinner at 7 pm.
Total fasting hours = 19 hours; total eating window = 5 hours.
I feel confident that tomorrow will bring some weight loss.
Day 3. Wednesday. September 15, 2021.
Weight loss = 0.4 pounds; 3.6 pounds to go.
It looks like the return to my routine is starting to pay off.
I was only slightly hungry in the morning. I was still full from the night before. I was surprised that I did not have more waves of hunger today. I thought for sure it would take a few more days, at least a week or more, to get back into the fasting routine. It turned out that my system adjusted back to fasting much faster than I had imagined.
I did have periods of hunger during this day, but they were very mild. I handled it with black coffee, plain club soda, or ice water. I added a pinch of sea salt in one glass of water to maintain my electrolyte balance. I will break my fast around 7 pm with some fruit, and later, I plan on homemade vegetable soup with saltines and some cheese for dinner. Later in the evening, I will have a kohlrabi as a snack and a small bowl of ice cream.
Total fasting hours = 19 hours; total eating window = 5 hours.
Yes, from time to time, I eat ice cream. Will this sabotage my weight loss effort? We will find out when I weigh in tomorrow morning.
Day 4. Thursday. September 16, 2021.
Weight loss = 0.6 pounds; total weight loss = 1 pound; 3.0 pounds to go.
Amazing, I had no severe hunger waves for the entire morning. First thing in getting up, I had my usual glass of water and drank 2 cups of black coffee throughout the morning. Around 1 pm, I had a glass of ice water, and still no serious waves of hunger. I assume I will get hungry later in the day, but I will hold off and break my fast at 6 pm. I plan on eating a regular meal and, later in the evening, 2 bite-size candy bars if I need a treat.
I have been fasting for just over 9 months; during this time, I have not had one food graving. When trying to lose weight in the past, food cravings have always been a huge problem for me. During the day, when fasting, I sometimes wish I could have a treat like chocolate, a cookie, ice cream, etc. When this happens, I hold off until my food window opens and have the treat then.
I am enjoying being back to my fasting routine. It feels good. Just as I hoped, the weight is slowly starting to melt away. Fantastic! Granted, 0.6 pounds is not a huge weight loss, but remember, the best way to lose weight is at a slow and steady pace. In the evening, I had a regular meal and some dessert mid-evening. My goal for tomorrow is to drop another 0.4 to 0.6 pounds. Let’s hope all goes well.
Total fasting hours = 19 hours; total eating window = 5 hours.
Now that I am experiencing a minimal but steady weight loss, I am confident that I will lose small amounts of weight from now on. Goodbye, 4 pounds!
Day 5 Friday. September 17, 2021.
Weight loss = 3.4 pounds; total weight loss = 4.4 pounds; 0 pounds to go.
I am in shock!
I did not expect such a significant weight loss in one day. Can a person lose 3.4 pounds in one 24-hour period? The short answer is “yes.” The average adult’s weight can fluctuate from 1-3 pounds or more throughout the day.
It is not unusual for a marathon runner to lose 5% of their body weight during a run. That’s between 5 and 10 pounds of weight loss in one day! The main reason for this is water loss. Every day we all experience water weight gain and loss. For more information on the relationship between water and weight, go to the tab titled “Get Started:” “My weight goes up and down every day. What’s wrong?”
Those of you who have been following me know that I do not believe in crash diets, diet pills, magic potions, or other extreme weight loss schemes. I don’t think it is healthy or advisable to put that much stress on your body. My approach is always slow and steady, slow and steady. So, when my body takes an unexpected turn, it does get my attention, and this one is a real surprise!
When I have had this kind of sudden weight loss in the past, I have noticed that I generally regain from 1 to 2 pounds the next day as my body restabilizes. You might say the weight drops, bounces back, and then evens out.
Total fasting hours = 18 hours; total eating window = 6 hours.
So, until tomorrow, the only thing I can do is wait and see if I regain some of the water weight.
Day 6 Saturday. September 18, 2021.
Weight loss = 0.6 pounds; total weight loss from day 1 to today = 5.0 pounds.
It looks like the answer is in; my weight did not bounce back. It would seem that my body adjusted back to the fasting lifestyle much faster.
than I could have imagined. I made a super-fast recovery in a very short time. Way to go, body!!! I am now back to my fasting routine.
My meal routine for day 6 was like the ones above. I fast through the night and during the day and then open my eating window around 6 pm to 7 pm. In the early days when I first started fasting, I could not do this on a day-to-day basis. When I was in Phase 1 of my transition from SAD (Standard American Diet), I fasted every other day. It took me about 4 months before I could fast for 18 hours 3 days in a row.
Fasting note: Most people, about 80%, find they are the most hungry in the late afternoon or early evening. For them fasting during the day and opening their eating window in the evening works best. For the other 20%, the morning folks, eating a big breakfast or lunch works best. I am sure you have already figured out that I fit into the evening group.
I am very interested to see what tomorrow brings. If my weight does not increase, then tomorrow will be our final day. If I gain weight, I will continue the experiment until I am sure my weight is stable. Time will tell.
Total fasting hours = 18 hours; total eating window = 6 hours.
Day 7 Sunday. September 19, 2021.
Weight loss = 0.0 pounds; total weight loss from day 1 to today = 5.0 pounds.
Today there was no change in my weight. Over the past 9 months, I learned that there will be days when my weight does not change. When I have one of these days, I tell myself, “Look on the bright side – you didn’t gain anything!”
Where do I go from here? I have lost over 20 pounds, but I am still overweight. I continue to set short-term goals such as 2-3 pounds of weight loss per month. In the long run, I am working on getting my A1C below the pre-diabetic level. A normal A1C level is below 5.7%; I am just into the pre-diabetic range at 5.9%. I hope to drop another 10 pounds over the next six to eight months through fasting and diet. Fingers crossed!
Total fasting hours = 18 hours; total eating window = 6 hours.
Thank you all for sticking with me for my vacation weight gain and loss adventure. As you can see, my vacation was from my daily routine, but it was a vacation from fasting and dieting. It is essential to take breaks from fasting to ensure your body does not become so conditioned to the fasting state that it is no longer effective. I have learned some new lessons along the way, and I hope you have picked up a tip or two on just how effective fasting can be.
No Magic Bullet
Thoughts on fasting: A person does not just start fasting and magically lose weight. In my fasting plan, there are three phases of transition into a fasting lifestyle. I have studied diets for most of my adult life. Over the past 40 years, I have lost from 20 to 30 pounds, only to see my weight slowly creep back up. I always thought it was my fault – it turns out that is not true.
Traditional diets are doomed to fail about 99% of the time, and there is lots of great science to back up this statement. The good news is there is a way to lose weight, keep it off, improve your health and live a longer, happier life. After a lifetime of searching, I have found an approach that works and has changed my life forever.
I would love to share more information on weight loss with you. Also, I would love to hear your story. Please feel free to use the email link in my website’s “Contact” section to get in touch with me to chat or to set up a free phone consultation.
Or email me at: lovethisdietplan@gmail.com.
Remember: You are a good person – you can do this.
Update September 29, 2022
Life goes on. Since last summer, I have continued to follow the Love This Diet fasting and diet plan and have lost another 10 pounds making my total weight loss 30 pounds. I eat the foods I love, and I eat quite a lot, not as much as much as I did two years ago, but I am never famished, and I never have any crushing food cravings. Chocolate? Ice cream? Steak? I eat them all and much more.
The question of sustainability has been questioned on the internet lately, and I can say that I have sustained this lifestyle for over 22 months and have no intention of stopping. IS a diet and fasting lifestyle sustainable? YES, and I love it!!!
By the way, I am no longer prediabetic! No pills or meds, but by simply making some adjustments to my lifestyle I have ended my prediabetic condition.
Another “WOW” moment, I have taken drugs for arthritis joint pain for the last 30 years, and, as of this year, I no longer take any medications for arthritis joint pain!
Please note I am not a doctor or dietitian. The information provided is from my personal experiences, successes, and failures. Before starting any diet or making significant changes in your dietary lifestyle, always check with your doctor or health care professional.
