Just Because....

 Breakfast is included in the price of rooms at Heritage Inn

this weekend.

 Just look at all the things we don't have to eat just because they're available!

 (I STILL have a hard time remembering it's not necessary to eat things

 just because they're offered, are part of the package price, 

 or even because they are healthier than other choices!

Plain and simply, my "window" for eating is not open.

Seeds of discipline produce a harvest of strength. Keep planting them daily.

(from Motivation to Live Well in my sidebar).

Hope & Help for the Holidays

The "title" of my blog REALLY comes into play during the Holiday Season, I'm noticing!

Each of the three words/concepts seems to take on a WHOLE 'nother dimension when sharing the house and mealtimes with additional people - of all ages, sizes, needs and preferences.  For today, I'm working on LOVE while giving up some POWER
 and maintaining SELF-CONTROL. 
(Can anyone relate????)

This is challenging,

but I can and WILL do it

with the help of God.

Holiday Appetites

In anonymous: Jesus' hidden years and yours, by Alicia Britt Chole, these words grabbed me last night as I read them.  How I needed them!  Particularly in this holiday season with its appeal to my appetite!

The second thieving rationalization that causes us to underestimate temptation in the area of appetite...says, It is better than...

In this lie, we abdicate our responsibility to discipline our appetite by convincing ourselves that what we are doing is the "lesser of two evils."  So we listen in silence to a slanderous rumor, but at least we did not start it.  We punish someone repeatedly in our thoughts, but at least we are not doing it with our fists.  We fantasize about impurity privately, but at least we are not engaging in it physically.

This kind of reasoning almost makes it seem as though we are doing God a favor by sinning, as though he should be satisfied or even proud that we are not doing something worse.  But when tempted in the layer of appetite, the question we need to ask ourselves is not, What is this better then?  but "What is this feeding?"  Whatever we feed will live to tempt us another day.

How ABOUT that last line?  

Whatever we feed will live to tempt us another day.

By the way, the FIRST "thieving rationalization" is 

"it is just until....."

as if today doesn't really count or that we will deal with the issue later.

"Today always counts," she writes.

"If we fail to deal with issues today, they will deal with us tomorrow."

Scaling Back

 Yesterday I wore the SAME skirt I was wearing in the sidebar picture a few years ago.

That was one of my goals, and I've achieved it.

Today (and the past week or so) the challenge to live 

with intention and will to eat well and wisely looms large!

VERY large.

I am leaning heavily on my bathroom scale

to keep me on track while everything around me says,

"Take!  Eat!"

(Weren't those the words of the serpent to Eve in the garden????)

So for awhile, I will weigh daily while rejoicing in the freedom and success that

Fast-5 eating has brought to me in 2012.

How are YOU doing?

A recent splurge - and dream come true!

Let the Good Times Roll!

The first of several Christmas parties and events happened last week.  We enjoyed a buffet meal and Christmas show at Bear Creek Farms (outside of Geneva, IN).   The weather was beautiful; we strolled outside and around gift shops, etc. between meal and show.

Once again, the Fast-5 eating plan was PERFECT for the day.  I simply switched snack and meal, enjoying a couple slices of a pear earlier in the afternoon and eating small portions of most anything I wanted at buffet-time!  I chose an apple/walnut dessert with a scoop of vanilla icecream on top to finish the meal.

I LOVE this season and, thanks to a decision last February, I can fit into several outfits hanging in my closet waiting for festive occasions such as these!

. 

Calorie Calculator - Check It Out

SO helpful - 

this Calorie Calculator!

I was directed there by someone on the Fast-5 facebook page.

It gives some quick and helpful information about how many calories

are necessary for weight loss, maintenance, etc.

based on personal information you enter.

Check it out!

Doing What I Can...

He knows what a wretched machine you are trying to drive. 

Do what you can. 

One day He will fling it on the scrap-heap & give you a new one. 

 (C.S. Lewis)

Thanksgiving 2012

My first Thanksgiving meal while enjoying the Fast 5 lifestyle!

Nothing was off limits.  Turkey & stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy, sweet potatoes,

cranberry cream salad, cheesy hot veggies, rolls, and pies!

Lots of pies.

Two of my siblings and their husbands, 3 nieces & nephews,

 my mother and father at the table...

 Our meal was followed by aThanksgiving Trivia Quiz & Game Time.

 (We're great at table games!)

Counting my weight loss and health as MAJOR blessings this year

and praying the same for anyone who reads this.

Vacation Choices

The Fast-5 Lifestyle was ideal for our week's vacation!  I even lost a pound!  When the mealtimes of others were outside my "eating window",  I enjoyed a glass of water or cup of coffee along with the table company and conversation.   At restaurants, I chose salmon or fish.  On the train, I snacked on a Braeburn apple and some almonds.  Food just was not the focus - which meant more time and attention to spend on people and experiences.

Fast-5 = No food off limits.  How weird is that?
Fast-5 = Eating only during a 5-hour "window".

Have Your Cake & Eat It, Too!

Pumpkin Roll!

If you take two steps forward and one step back, you’re still getting someplace.
Don't give up the moment you slip up. Press on!  

This quote in Motivation to Live Well today came at a very good time for me.  I DID slip up a time or two this past week.  Sugar IS my nemesis!  A discussion about this with Myra earlier this week helped strengthen my resolve to control my intake of sugar.  I am determined to maintain the weight I am currently enjoying if I have to write and remind myself here EVERY week!

That being said, I DID enjoy a piece (or two) of the pumpkin roll I purchased from my favorite Amish baker and served at a small gathering we hosted Saturday night.  I ate it during my Fast-5 "window--so counted myself successful while enjoying a special treat.  Just proof that you CAN have your cake and eat it, too!

Live Well

From Today's Motivation to Live Well (in my sidebar) today:

Live not in what has happened, or fear of what may come tomorrow. 

Live Well in the here and now, and treat this as your defining moment.

That's pretty much my goal today.

I'll "open my Fast-5 window" at 11:30

when I meet a friend for lunch at a Chinese restaurant.

It's a little earlier than I usually eat, 

but I'm thankful for the flexibility of this lifestyle

that lets me enjoy an endless variety of food 

without calorie counting or measuring, etc. 

Yesterday I had a craving for something sweet.

Unfortunately it "hit" after my window had closed.

I resisted the temptation and enjoyed a cup of

hazelnut cream decaf coffee instead.

I'm REALLY glad I didn't give in to the urge.

I feel stronger and healthier for having made that decision.

 

 

A Lifetime Challenge

Only now would I be "courageous" enough to again admit to writing this book.

Published by Victor Books, then a division of Scripture Press,

it was one in a series of Bible studies for women.

Self-discipline has always been an area of challenge for me.

Once again, I've achieved a goal in the weight loss department.

But it's only the beginning.

The book has been out of print for quite awhile, and I had kept no copies for myself.

I stumbled on this one awhile back in a thrift store, brought it home to put on a bookshelf,

and occasionally pull it out to remind me of where I've been, where I am,

and that some challenges are for a life-time!

Maintenance Strategy

Monday - a grilled pear salad.  With goat cheese, bacon and currant vinaigrette dressing!

It was the major part of my eating for the day.

An hour of thrift store shopping with a friend preceded it;

lovely conversation accompanied it.

It was SO good that I'm thinking of repeating the salad

when we go out for a mid-afternoon dinner today!

Hovering around my 135# goal and planning my

Maintenance Strategy are the focus of my healthy lifestyle efforts these days.

135#

If my goal weight is 135#, then I am HERE!

I began Fast-5 on February 6.

I know that I weighed at least 180.

SO....

that's losing 45 pounds in about 8 1/2 months.

I plan to ease into "maintenance" the first week of November

while continuing Fast-5.

It has worked well for me in areas besides weight loss

and I'd like to continue those benefits into the next phase of my life.

I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to do that, 

but I have a couple of weeks to figure it out.

I'm open to suggestions.
(I'm wearing an "old" dress that's been hanging in my closet
just WAITING for me to arrive at its size.
Feels so good!)

Enormous!

 I'm anticipating some healthy eating

after being gifted with this ENORMOUS sweet potato!

Autumn is a great time to enjoy soups made of combinations of

all KINDS of vegetables! 

Candles, Centerpieces, Company

This centerpiece welcomed guests Saturday evening 

and another full table at noon on Sunday.

By managing/adjusting my Fast-5 "window"

I was able to enjoy my frozen pumpkin dessert, some hot cider

and ALL of the foods that everyone else enjoyed.

I'm SO thankful for this way of eating.

By the end of this month, I expect to be at my goal of 135#, 

so I'm beginning to think about my strategy for November.

How are YOU doing in the area of healthy living? 

Left Overs - Yummy!

I'm home alone for a few days.  I decided to use up some leftover onions and tomatoes from the weekend's Brat and Burger Bash.  Chopped 'em up and added them to a partial package of chopped cabbage.  I made a dressing by thinning down the meager amount of mayo left in the jar with some red wine vinegar, a tad of sugar and a bit of soy sauce.  

I'm here to tell you, it was DELICIOUS!

And FILLING!

I ate it during my Fast-5 "window", of course.

Not an End....Just a Beginning!

Attaining your goal is not the end...on the contrary, it’s just the beginning!

So reads the Motivation to Live Well on this first day of autumn.

My new weight goal for September 30th is 138#.

Stepping on the scale this afternoon as I showered to get ready for a party this evening,

I see that I have reached it.

Fast-5 has proved an effective plan and since February 6,

I've lost at least 42 pounds.

I'm thinking that by the end of October I shall have reached

a reasonable weight to maintain.  135#.

Not an end....just the beginning!

The Rebel in Me

After reading a post about someone's experience exercising at a health club (I believe it was), I decided to be honest about my own experience and philosophy of exercise.

I confess to being quite frugal with money and not liking to sweat very much.  I also admit that I wouldn't consider myself an extremely active person.  Maybe these traits contribute to the fact that  I've never been a huge fan of "artificial" exercise. 

It seems to me that there's always some new class or stream of exercise calling for fees, equipment, clothes/shoes, and inconvenient scheduling.   My first instinct is to resist these.  That's why at age 63,  I'm more conscious of and committed to incorporating "natural" movement, activity, and thoughtfulness into everyday chores. 

Maybe it's an age thing.  Maybe it's just the rebel in me...
but when, why, and how did exercise become Big Business?
 

Perspective

OK.  That's what I get for messing around with my posts.

I deleted a couple of the most recent ones and have a feeling they are irretrievable.

Fortunately, I also jot down daily notes in longhand in my journal.

These are about as permanent as humanly possible., I guess.

Thankfully there are SOME words that are ETERNAL!

“All men are like grass,

and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;

the grass withers and the flowers fall,

but the word of the Lord stands forever.”

I Peter 1:24-25

It's important to keep things in perspective!
Even weight loss.

Stretched!

Practicing before hitting the streets...

  This was a new experience for me!

 It "stretched" me in many ways - some of which I listed HERE.

Besides the fun experience, we toured neighborhoods

with Frank Lloyd Wright designed homes.  The landscaping beauty

in these old, established yards was amazing.

Trying this "new thing" was invigorating and a confidence-booster.

I'm SO thankful for my health and a rebirth of energy

since I've been practicing the discipline of Fast-5 eating!

Trending

"Giving in eventually leads to giving up. (With temptation, addiction, parenting kids, 

and many other areas)" ~Rick Warren

I'm really glad I did NOT give in the past few weeks.  The scale seemed like it would never budge.  I just kept on keeping on!  This morning, I was down a pound or two.  I have an old scale, so it's a little difficult to be 100% accurate.  I just go for the general trend...and I'm trending in the right direction.

A Walk in the Park

A walk this evening was a calm way to end the day.

 

 The pace was moderate.

 I REALLY need to invest in a good pair of walking shoes.

 I took my shoes off, walked barefoot,

and ended up with blisters on the bottom of my feet.

  It was worth it though!

The wildflowers and grasses were beautiful...

 And my blood pressure was 116/77 when I returned home!

The combination of the Fast-5 eating schedule,

weight loss, and exercise have resulted in normal blood pressure readings

for the first time in a LONG time for me!

I'm thankful.

Me Yesterday

Me, yesterday.
Dressed and ready to go to our
no-longer-Red-Hat-Club dinner.
It was at a Chinese buffet.
I ate what I wanted - not as much as I might have
six months ago.
I topped it off with two small scoops of ice cream.
I'm currently at the weight goal I set for the end of August.
At this rate, I'll definitely be at my goal weight
by the end of September (or sooner).
I've gotta work on my smile.
I'm really much happier than I appear,
but too busy concentrating on running to pose
within 10 seconds of setting my cell phone camera up!  
It's NOT easy!

Pleasures Abound!

I like the Fast-5 plan for how it makes a way for me to participate in occasions such as THIS.  By  varying the time my "window" opens now and then and still observing the five hour boundary, I don't have to miss out on the pleasure of food and company!  There were so many tasty and healthy foods at our last Home Connection....

The Governor

Honestly, I know NOTHING about engines.  I HAVE heard of a "governor" related to an engine though.  I looked it up thinking it might help me describe why the Fast-5 approach to eating has been and IS so successful for me.  Wikipedia says that a governor (or speed limiter) is a device used to measure and regulate the speed of a machine.

 Bingo! 

That is the PERFECT description of how the five hour "window" of eating works for me.

When it's "open", I eat.

Usually a meal and then later a snack of fruit or peanut butter wrap

or something ELSE that I've made or saved to enjoy when I am hungry.

My appetite is regulated by this.  

I don't get anxious or spend exorbitant amount of time and emotional energy

worrying about what to eat. 

I've been consistent in this pattern since February 6.

My State of mind and body have a good Governor!

This Old Truck

"Beat Up a Little But Still Going Strong"

Sometimes I feel like this old truck!

I can kind of identify with the words in black along the side of the truck bed.

But really, since I've been Fast-5-ing, I can tell a difference in this old body.

I take the stairs much more easily,

tire less,

and have seen tangible improvement in my blood pressure numbers.

(The truck was in the PARADE that passed by our front porch this morning

for our local Harlan Days celebration.)

A fun time was had by all!

July Goal Met & Moving On

I achieved my July weight target

and have recorded my goal for August.

There really IS power, love and self-control available for the asking!

(2 Timothy 1:7)

As an added bonus, I'm enjoying some of my lowest blood pressure readings in years....

and I'm fitting into some clothes
I haven't been able to wear
for a l-o-n-g time!

Here Today; Gone Tomorrow

 I found this WONDERFUL vintage book at a thrift store yesterday.

 

Its oversized pages included precious stories and TEN full-sized illustrations!

 

It has already been claimed by a friend who couldn't resist its charms.

"Here today.  Gone tomorrow," as they say.

So it is with pounds.  Oh, not QUITE that simple,

but when I look back on my journey since February 6,

these words DO apply...

With three to five more pounds to lose in August,

I'll be ready for "maintenance" before I know it.

I'm Trying to Change That

 

I'm trying to change that!

Well, the first three words, anyway.

(I couldn't resist copying this when it appeared on my facebook wall.)

Finally!

That "one pound" moved and took another one with it!

This morning I left the 150's behind.

Wonder if it was due to the 2 small pieces of apple pie I ate yesterday?
(Probably not.)
But that's the beauty of the Fast-5 plan.
Nothing technically off limits.
It works for me.

Miscellany

•  I need to walk today (or tomorrow) to meet last Monday's goal.
• I will probably fall one fish meal "short" of last Monday's goal.
• I am usually inspired by the "Motivation to Live Well" feature in my sidebar.  
• I frequently cringe over the spelling errors in "Motivation to Live Well" - for instance today:  "Attitude fuels every step that we take, choose your's wiseley each day."
• Our scale isn't 100% accurate, but I'm pretty sure I've dropped at least 1/2 of that 1 pound that was bugging me.  By morning, I think I'll see it ALL gone.
• It stormed severely yesterday.  I spent awhile picking up the smaller branches and trash scattered around our yard.   We are blessed to have electricity and a roof over our heads.  So many sustained serious damage. 

EXCITING UPDATE!

After an exhausting hour of raking up debris in the heat of the afternoon,

I showered and stepped on the scale.  Guess what!  The pound was GONE!

So Far...So Good

Here's the scoop about the Action Plan I formulated Monday...
1.  I had my first fish meal today - Salmon at Sandra D's in Auburn, IN!
2.  I've walked 2 mornings.  One to go.  (I will probably exceed THIS goal.)
3.  I've continued the Fast-5 plan faithfully.

It's a big boost psychologically to meet and surpass goals, don't you think?

Action

"Action is the foundational key to all success.”
-Pablo Picasso 

Here's my ACTION PLAN for this week:

1.  Continue to observe the 5-hour-window for eating.

2.  Three meals incorporating fish (1 salmon)

3.  Walk 30 minutes 3 days

I did NOT "release" that pound that I referred to in my previous post.

I'm hoping for that to happen before the end of the month.

One Pound...

...that's all I need to "release" (as some people phrase it)
by this Sunday morning.  

Special Occasions

Seems like we've had lots of "special occasions" lately...If not planned FOR and planned AROUND, these can be challenges to a weight-loss crusade!  Just in the last two days, I've planned AROUND an "anniversary extended day" and a Father's Day dinner.  So far, so good...

Now I'm planning for a couple of lake days with girl-friends. 

 In all these cases, the Fast-5 eating plan has served and WILL serve me well. 

Almost There

Working outside - nothing strenuous...just steady.

Good for the body, mind, and soul.

Consistency in observing my "5-hour-eating-window"

is paying off.

I like not having to worry about WHAT foods I eat or

weighing and measuring them.

I've found my appetite diminished;

my weight loss gratifying.

I'm almost "there". 

Lights, Camara, Action

Lights.  Camera.  Action.

After a few days of all three with our grandchildren,

an added blessing was stepping on the scale

this morning and finding I'd lost another pound or two!

I'm almost to my "primary" goal.

Choosing Beauty

A few days ago, a large piece of slate with faded paintings of dragonflies

fell and broke in two as we were cleaning off the potting bench.

At first I was ready to discard the broken piece.

But then I saw potential.

My husband drilled a second hole in the larger piece

and I chose two words to stencil on them.

(Only now do I realize that standing together they say, "Rose Garden"!)

On February 6, 2012, I was about ready to give up on ever being

at a sane weight again.  

I believe that on that day  I was given grace to see the future as a clean slate

on which I could create beauty out of brokenness.

I am receiving DAILY grace for DAILY clean slates.

Each day I can choose to throw possibilities away or to create beauty.

I choose beauty!

What Is Is

See that photo of me from a few years ago over at the top of the side bar?

See the date below the picture?

Yes, my hope was to be looking like that by June 1.

Well, here it is--June 2.

I got a late start.  If I'd gotten serious earlier, I would look like that TODAY!

I'm about 10 pounds from that.

I'll get there.  Just later than I wanted to.

I'm ecstatic that I DID start and am so close to my goal.

(I thought about deleting the date or changing it.

I decided against that.)

What is is.

Eating Out

 Such interesting and healthy choices!

 I had the salmon salad - spinach, avocado and ruby red grapefruit slices 

 with a vinaigrette dressing!
I passed on the breads and desserts--but don't these breads look yummy!

Honey on the Table was a new spot for me...

had a European flair.

There was outdoor seating, but it was full yesterday.

I expect to return here soon.

The Fast-5 eating plan let me enjoy so many pleasurable foods

and still lose weight.

It's 4 me!

A Facebook Exchange

She said: "Mexican at 10 at night? What were we THINKING?"

I answered: "That's why I like the Fast-5 thing I've been 'doing' since February. It kind of does the thinking FOR me. From the start, I found its psychological benefits equal to or surpassing the physical ones."

Goal-Setting

Somehow, it helps.

At the beginning of each month, I record weekly (and realistic) weight-loss goals
in my purse-sized date book. 

Today is the 24th and I am at the goal I projected for the 27th...
(if you click on the picture, it enlarges--and you can see how much I weigh)

so I've turned the page and written down my targets for June. 

Post your goals where you’ll see them often, along with notes of inspiration.
 Reminders are a good thing.
(from Motivation to Live Well, 6/4/12)