90 Day Weight Loss Journal

Day 36/90

Starting Weight: 230.6 lbs, BMI: 33.2, SBMI: 48/70 (Jul-01-2019)
Current Weight: 205.6 lbs, BMI: 29.5, SBMI: 43/70 (as of Aug-05, -3.0 lbs from last week)
First Goal Weight: 204.0 lbs, BMI: 29.3, SBMI: 43/70

Last week was my first 3x42, having done two weeks of 2x42 prior to it. And that third day of fasting really helped me out, it seems! Three pounds down in one week is my biggest "real" weekly drop so far. (I'm not counting the big drop the first week, as that was mostly water weight, I am sure.)

I carry a lot of my weight around my middle. As a result, I have been wearing suspenders the past few months so that I could wear pants a little too big for me when I standing and thus be comfortable while seated. Today, for the first time in months, I am back in my beloved grey pants (40" waist) and I have ditched the suspenders for my old belt. I am sitting in these pants and belt right now, and I feel pretty good. There is a little tightness around my middle, but it is way, way better than it has been. Progress!

Today is a fasting day, and this week looks good for another 3x42. I am hopeful I will fall below my first goal weight this week. If I do, I will celebrate on Sunday with a couple bourbon Old Fashioneds with dinner out at Longhorn -- their Seven-Pepper Sirloin salad is one of my favorites!

Also, I have to say that the magnesium supplement has helped with my regularity amazingly well. This is something I have struggled with for years, especially when I make big dietary changes. I am amazed that a simple 2000 mg supplementation of magnesium each week has been the missing piece all this time. Live and learn!

I am so grateful to the support of this group this past month. It has been a real adventure, and I have learned a lot. I would not have stayed on track so well if it were not for all of you. Accountability is my secret weapon!

 

Day 39/90

Not much to report. Two fasting days down for the week, with a third scheduled for Friday. Staying strictly keto on eating days, eating two really good, big meals per eating day in an 18:6 window. This is my WOE until I get to the place I want to be weight-wise and body-wise.

I am 70" tall. I learned recently about the height-waist ratio and how your waist measurement should be half of your height at most (a ratio of 0.5 or less). This means my waist measurement should ideally be 35" or lower. That is hard to imagine! Today I am at about 39" or 40". But I started off about five weeks ago at a solid 42", so I am headed in the right direction. A good measurement to keep an eye on as the journey continues.

I feel that I am just in the mode of sticking with what I know works, even if it does get a bit dull. There is not something to write about every single day. Some days are just rather mundane. But, the days add up. I have a story to tell already after not quite 40 days of this WOE. I will have even more of one to tell on Day 90 and beyond -- if I stick with it every day. One day at a time is the only way to proceed. And so I shall.

Onward!

 

Day 41/90

So, yesterday's planned 42-hour fast turned into a 24-hour one as I was feeling quite ravenous by supper time yesterday. I have not experienced hunger like that on the journey so far, so I decided to listen to my body and eat.

In other news, I saw a "199" on the scale this morning for the first time in many moons. Day-to-day weight fluctuates a lot, so I am sure that will go back up a bit as I eat over the next two days, but it was nice to know I am even in that ballpark.

If I am under my first goal weight of 204 lbs tomorrow AM, then I will have a bourbon Old Fashioned with supper in celebration. I am hopeful that I will be able to do so! And then, I will be pressing on toward my next goal on the low 190s.

One day at a time. Keep doing what works, and change it up as needed. Onward!

 

Day 43/90

Starting Weight: 230.6 lbs, BMI: 33.2, SBMI: 48/70 (Jul-01-2019)
Goal Weight 1: 204.0 lbs, BMI: 29.3, SBMI: 43/70 (reached on Aug-12-2019)
Current Weight: 200.8 lbs, BMI: 28.8, SBMI: 42/70 (as of Aug-12, -4.8 lbs from last week)
Goal Weight 2: 192.0 lbs, BMI: 27.6, SBMI: 41/70

I fell below my first goal weight this past week and am within spitting distance of being under 200 for the first time in a long time. Maybe by next weekend? We shall see. I am pleased with this progress, to be sure. My next goal weight will put me within 5 pounds of my lowest weight ever in my adult life since I put these extra pounds on over 20 years ago. And that milestone actually feels very achievable. Amazing!

My waist is about 39", so I'd like to see a reduction there of another 4" or 5". That also seems do-able, although I seem to be losing more on the scale than I am in circumference. All in good time, I suppose!

Fasting today for the first of three planned 42-hour fasts this week. The 2x42 or 3x42 protocol I have been following the last five weeks really seems to be working well for me.

I did end up celebrating my weight milestone last evening with a bourbon cocktail at dinner. I thought I might have two, but one proved more than enough! I did have a small piece of bread with my meal, too, and enjoyed it with a healthy pat of butter. But I enjoyed the sirloin salad a lot more.

Perhaps the next time I write it will be from that mythical country called "one-derland." Onward!

 

I am finding all the tools I have acquired in fighting PMO are perfectly applicable to the fight against poor diet. Being held accountable by a group of cheerful, positive supporters, checking in on a regular basis, etc. It is like finding the secret to self-improvement!

 

Day 45/90.

Forty-five days ago, I committed to radically altering my relationship with food over a 90-day period. That would be time enough to learn some new habits and give them a chance to become the new normal.

I am halfway through that 90-day period, and I thought I might share a couple photos. They tell the story so far as well as anything. The left photo was from a couple years ago, when I was close to my heaviest, at just under 250 lbs. The right photo was taken earlier this morning. I am just under 200 lbs. today, so about 50 pounds lighter than before.

It's my own face, but even I look at it and can't help but say, "Wow!" Who knows what the next 45 days will bring! (And then the rest of my life after that.) I am so grateful for Dr. Fung's work on "The Obesity Code" and for this amazing, supportive community!

 

Day 50/90

Starting Weight: 230.6 lbs, BMI: 33.2, SBMI: 48/70 (Jul-01-2019)
Goal Weight 1: 204.0 lbs, BMI: 29.3, SBMI: 43/70 (reached on Aug-12-2019)
Current Weight: 199.8 lbs, BMI: 28.7, SBMI: 42/70 (as of Aug-19, -1.0 lbs from last week)
Goal Weight 2: 192.0 lbs, BMI: 27.6, SBMI: 41/70

I am officially in One-derland! Just a few weeks ago that seemed like an impossibility. I had hoped to get into the low 200s by the end of the year on my previous "diet" plan. Now I can envision getting to my final goal weight by the end of the year, if not sooner. IDM fasting protocols are a little bit magic, I am sure of it!

After a big loss last week, this week saw a much more modest reduction on the scale. But I continue to trend in the right direction, and I can see progress in the mirror. My mother-in-law asked me if I was losing weight the other day, too, so the changes are getting to be enough that others are noticing. All in all, I will call it progress.

I had my first taste of sugar since Jul-01 the other day. My son had bought donuts and left the container open. As I closed it to put it away, I got some doughnut icing on my finger and licked it off without thinking (it was not a fasting day, at least!). The taste was so sickly sweet as to be acrid. It was initially sharp and sweet, but then turned almost acidic and burning. So, it is nice to observe that my taste buds are changing. My brain is getting adjusted a bit more slowly to the idea that I will be leaving added sugars behind forever, but even it seems to be coming along now.

I will be sticking with my 3x42 or 2x42 plan again this week, with 18:6 TRE windows on eating days. It seems to be working well. Until I hit a plateau, I will keep doing what works. I couldn't do this nearly so diligently without the great support I am getting here, so thanks to you all!

 

Thank you for your kind and encouraging words!

 

Day 57/90

Starting Weight: 230.6 lbs, BMI: 33.2, SBMI: 48/70 (Jul-01-2019)
Goal Weight 1: 204.0 lbs, BMI: 29.3, SBMI: 43/70 (reached on Aug-12-2019)
Current Weight: 198.6 lbs, BMI: 28.6, SBMI: 42/70 (as of Aug-26, -1.2 lbs from last week)
Goal Weight 2: 192.0 lbs, BMI: 27.6, SBMI: 41/70

It's been an interesting week. When I saw my weight on the scale today, I felt dejected, because I thought this was the same weight I was last week. Not sure why. When I realized I had continued to lose, I felt better, but I also reminded myself that the scale is not always very reliable at every step along this journey. I know it's not, because I have continued to notice non-scale victories (NSVs) this week, even though my weight has not moved a great deal.

- I am comfortably in 38" waist territory when standing. I am continuing to wear my 40" waist pants for now, since that is where I am most comfortable when seated. (In fact, I think I will know I am at a healthy long-term weight when I can sit and stand in the same pants and not have to always be adjusting my belt!)
- I bought shoes online a few weeks ago. I really like them but they were just a little tight, especially on one foot. Today I can wear them comfortably and they are even a little loose. Inflammation is decreasing all over my body!
- My wedding ring is very loose. I will need to take steps soon to make sure it does not slip off and get lost.

But the most fun this week happened earlier this morning. I meet a friend for breakfast every Monday. It's been a busy summer, though, and we have not been able to meet for the past few weeks. The last time we met, we were talking about needing to lose weight. This was just before I embarked on IDM ADF protocol back in early July. He and I are about the same height and build and had similar starting weights.

When we got together this morning, he told me about his new calorie counting plan and how that's been going the past few days. Then I told him about my results with ADF and keto. He was astounded. (He is basically at the same weight as last time we met. I am down 25 pounds in that same amount of time -- along with all the other NSVs I have experienced these last few weeks!) And I had a chance to educate him about calorie counting, actual "good" nutrition, etc. In fact, I talked almost the entire time. He was riveted.

I sent him some links to IDM materials after I got home. I am not sure I made a Fungster out of him, but I certainly got his attention! So, that's pretty cool. To be able to share this life-altering information with friends who are struggling with unhealthy weight is a really awesome thing.

I am so grateful to this group for the support and to Dr. Fung and IDM for all I have learned. Onward!

 

Day 64/90

Starting Weight: 230.6 lbs, BMI: 33.2, SBMI: 48/70 (Jul-01-2019)
Goal Weight 1: 204.0 lbs, BMI: 29.3, SBMI: 43/70 (reached on Aug-12-2019)
Current Weight: 194.4 lbs, BMI: 27.8, SBMI: 41/70 (as of Sept-02, -4.2 lbs from last week)
Goal Weight 2: 192.0 lbs, BMI: 27.6, SBMI: 41/70

Another week down. I am solidly at a 38" waist and will be trying my 38" waist pants tomorrow. If I can sit in them comfortably, I will begin wearing them regularly. The 40" pants are getting a wee bit loose!

I had some 100% peanut butter yesterday (only ingredient in it is peanuts). This is my first deviation from a "no nuts and no seeds" policy since Jul-01. I do not want to slow my weight loss with nutrient- and calorie-dense foods like nuts, but I needed some fats yesterday (or felt like I did anyway), and the PB was handy, so I went for it. It was very filling! I felt a bit bloated afterwards, but it seems to have had no lasting ill effects. After a lifetime of paying almost no attention to what I eat, I now scrutinize just about everything that I am putting back into my diet. I think it is a better path!

Magnesium continues to be a marvel to me. If I take some in the morning and some in the evening, about 12 hours apart each day, I am keeping quite regular. For someone who has had difficulty in this area for many years, especially when making big changes to diet, this is nothing short of miraculous. I have spent hundreds of dollars in the past to try to resolve my gut issues. Who knew that is was a simple magnesium deficit this entire time?

3x42 has been working quite well for me, so I will keep at it. My weight loss goal for the year was to get below 203. I am already nearly a full ten pounds below that, so anything from here on out is gravy! I am also now within a few pounds of my next weight loss goal of 192 pounds. When I get there, I will be within five pounds of my all-time lowest adult weight. Will the wonders of ADF ever cease?

Onward!

 

Day 71/90

Starting Weight: 230.6 lbs, BMI: 33.2, SBMI: 48/70 (Jul-01-2019)
Goal Weight 1: 204.0 lbs, BMI: 29.3, SBMI: 43/70 (reached on Aug-12-2019)
Goal Weight 2: 192.0 lbs, BMI: 27.6, SBMI: 41/70 (reached on Sept-09-2019)
Current Weight: 191.6 lbs, BMI: 27.6, SBMI: 41/70 (as of Sept-09, -2.8 lbs from last week)
Goal Weight 3: 184.0 lbs, BMI: 26.4, SBMI: 39/70

In a little less than a month, I have reached my second goal weight. Hooray! Only one more goal to go before I set my sights on my final destination somewhere in the 170s and a 35" waist. I am hoping to achieve my next goal weight sometime in the next 40 days and my ultimate goal by the end of the year.

I cannot say enough good things about this WOE and WOL. So, for now, I will simply say: Onward!

 

Day 78/90

Starting Weight: 230.6 lbs, BMI: 33.2, SBMI: 48/70 (Jul-01-2019)
Goal Weight 1: 204.0 lbs, BMI: 29.3, SBMI: 43/70 (reached on Aug-12-2019)
Goal Weight 2: 192.0 lbs, BMI: 27.6, SBMI: 41/70 (reached on Sept-09-2019)
Current Weight: 193.0 lbs, BMI: 27.7, SBMI: 41/70 (as of Sept-16, +1.4 lbs from last week)
Goal Weight 3: 184.0 lbs, BMI: 26.4, SBMI: 39/70

For the first time on this journey, which started on Jul-01, my week-to-week weight has increased. Not much, but it did go up. This has led to my greatest non-scale victory (NSV) since embracing this new way of eating (WOE) about eleven weeks ago.

I was initially discouraged when I realized I was going to report a weight gain today. I'm eating really well. I'm fasting a good amount of time each week. I'm doing all the right things. I've seen good progress in the past. Why now would I be seeing a slight stall? I had planned to enjoy a celebratory steak salad and cocktail this past weekend as a way to celebrate hitting another weight goal and was upset to realize I would have to put that off yet another week or more.

But then it dawned on me: In no universe is the progress I have made over the last 78 days not simply miraculous! There is no way to look at the changes I have made in this short period of time -- and the very obvious effects they have made on my body and in my health -- and not say unequivocally that significant progress has occurred.

I have changed the way I eat and am loving it enough to have no desire to go back to my SAD diet. I am fasting routinely and am doing it in a way that is sustainable and healthy. I look forward to my fasting days now. I do know what to do to control my weight, and I know that I can do it. I plan to continue to do so.

That is something I have never achieved before with any other WOE. So, I went for my celebratory meal yesterday, even though I was a touch over my goal weight. That number on the scale doesn't matter much any more. What matters is what I have learned and what I have proven to myself that I can do. I am committed to this WOL for the long haul, and I am completely confident I can keep going until I reach my ultimate health goals.

That is something to celebrate. Onward!

 

Day 85/90

Starting Weight: 230.6 lbs, BMI: 33.2, SBMI: 48/70 (Jul-01-2019)
Goal Weight 1: 204.0 lbs, BMI: 29.3, SBMI: 43/70 (reached on Aug-12-2019)
Goal Weight 2: 192.0 lbs, BMI: 27.6, SBMI: 41/70 (reached on Sept-09-2019)
Current Weight: 190.4 lbs, BMI: 27.3, SBMI: 40/70 (as of Sept-23, -2.6 lbs from last week)
Goal Weight 3: 184.0 lbs, BMI: 26.4, SBMI: 39/70

Another week of trusting the process of 3x42, and another week of some solid gains. I am now within a few pounds again of my lowest adult weight ever of 187, and I am within a week or two of needing to check into some 36" waist pants, which I have not been in since that lowest weight (and then only briefly before I put the weight back on again!). And, in another six pounds, I will be at 39/70 on the Smart BMI scale, which puts me at a "normal," healthy weight according to them. Hooray!

My goal is still to get my waist measurement to half of my height, so a waist of 35". That once seemed a far-off, unimaginable number. But now I see that it may actually be a reality. I will continue plugging away.

My original commitment was to radically change my relationship with food over 90 days. I will cross that mark this week. I'll do a full 90-day recap next weekend. It has been a life-changing journey. Onward!

 

Cut off your source of P, no matter what it takes. Get some APs and start checking in with them every day. Do not entertain sexual thoughts at all -- stop them the moment you are aware of them in your mind. Practice these things consistently over a period of time and you will find yourself free. I am praying for you and cheering you on!