Fitness

Day 3 Fast Log

Really frustrated that MFP blogging is broken…it takes several attempts to post an entry.

Day 3 started much easier than Day 2. I had taken some acetaminophen in the early morning, but the heaviness and achy feeling was sufficiently reduced to allow me a little more clarity in thinking.

Cravings started about the usual time, between 12p and 9p, though less intense as I tried to steer clear of triggers, such as smells, imagery, and blogging about food.

Work provided occasional distractions to keep my mind off food, and with an escalation meeting looming on Thursday, I focused on keeping emotionally balanced. One of my worries about fasting is staying in touch with my moods and remaining stable.

Another thing that has occupied my thoughts are creative endeavors related to home improvement. While I haven’t applied pen to paper enough, I’ve been mulling ideas about little craft projects around the house.

Energy-wise, I do feel that I am still dragging slightly, though when I take a short walk, I get a short boost of stimulation. I did head out to my fave clothing store and bought a few pieces to buoy my spirits.

For my Wednesday workout, I completed a 5×5 squat-bench-deadlift routine, though the 145#s deadlifts really sapped my energy. I had attempted to do straight leg deadlifts at 155#s but found it too much, so I scaled back. I am thinking of adding some yoga or bodyweight routines to Thursday’s program just to help with the fat burn.

One thing I should be checking is blood pressure, as I am still taking the meds during the day.

I am also taking supplementation during the evening, though literature about supplementing during fasting suggests that taking them is more potent with meals.

I did experience a brief bout of nausea post workout when I sat on the couch, playing with the kitties. But I got up and walked around a bit, and the nausea passed. 

I did not do any gaming, so I didn’t get a chance to assess my reflexes.

Got to bed a little earlier.

I ended day 3 at 146.4 lbs. Not as exciting a difference between Days 1 & 2, but it’s still a downward trend, so I’m satisfied. 

Technical

Free hosting: near zero interaction with 1FreeHosting

If you’re looking for a non-starter free hosting service, then waste your time with 1FreeHosting. From the moment I signed up, I had zero response from 1FreeHosting about my problem trying to access the server assigned to me in order to FTP my files. Despite that the account sign up was smooth, that’s the extent of my positive experience with 1FreeHosting. Though every interaction appears to be conducted through their customized control panel, the lack of any in-person technical support pretty much turned me off from the service. Obviously if you are looking to a host your website, you’d want the ability to get your content on their servers–which never happened with 1FreeHosting despite what their help center suggests. I feel I have a number of years of experience at this sort of thing, but no amount tweaking got me the needed FTP account privileges to get a website up and running on their servers. Neither their cpanel FTP client nor my own desktop client was able to access my FTP site.

I had pretty much written off 1FreeHosting when 6 months later I get this automated cancellation notice from 1FreeHosting stating that they would be terminating my account for 30 days inactivity.

Important: we require that all websites must have index.html or index.php file uploaded directly to the `public_html` folder. Your website also must be fully operational.

Really hard to get anything uploaded to their hosting service when they can’t correct the FTP account access part. 30 days of inactivity notice coming 6 months after the fact? It’s a joke dealing with this service. Avoid 1FreeHosting.com at all costs.

Fitness

Day 2 Fast Log

The day started out as one gigantic effort. Waking up in the morning I felt very sluggish, like a tremendous heaviness kept dragging me down, and gravity worked against effort I made. There was a weight that pressed on the top of my head which persisted all day.

Despite this, I still experienced intense cravings during the normal hours between 11a to 9p. These came in waves, though they diminished when I had to attend an escalation meeting mid-afternoon. In order to avoid some of the triggers when coworkers started prepping their lunches, I took a brief walk in the warehouse or checked on my accounts on the production floor. If I even smelled food, it was enough to get me salivating, so I had to get out of the area immediately.

The ride from work to home was also long, filled with temptations which I tried to blinder myself to. During the drive, listening to the radio became more irritation than pleasure, so I puzzled over the sense of heaviness and frustration that pervaded my day. I decided to stop and shop at my fave clothing store, Maurices, to see if the visit would provide some stimulation while getting to walk around for awhile.

It occurred to me that the previous day’s exertions may have sufficiently starved me of energy. (That transition from sugar-burning to fat-burning is rough!) I also didn’t get enough sleep. So now I have to be wary of the next exercise routine and be sure to get plenty of rest afterwards.

I also noted that once I was home I was exhibiting some signs of inattentiveness and sluggish response times. I was repeatedly dying at Diablo 3 and some conversations required too much effort to make decisions. Even playing with the kitties was quite exhausting, lifting my hands to dole out string teases was taxing.

I eventually decided to take 2 acetaminophen during the evening to relieve some of the achy heaviness. I also got into bed an hour earlier than previous.

Even though I felt too worn out to enjoy the accomplishment, I did experience a sense of victory in completing the 2nd day of fasting. 

Day 1 started at 151lbs.

Day 2 started at 147.8lbs. 

Fitness

Starting a 7 Day Fast + Day 1

After a weekend long binge of fried foods and gigantic portions, I’ve decided to embark on a water/liquid fast to help break me of my impossibly crazy cravings and get back to some semblance of normal eating habits. Yes, I realize a strict fast puts me in great danger of the yoyo binge-diet cycle once it’s done and over with, but I hope that journaling my experience will align me mentally to avoid that trap.
Of course, part of focusing my energy on "Not Eating" means I may be populating this blog with recipes and catching up on Yelps. So part of the challenges especially in Days 2 – 4 will be staving off the harmful thoughts that can crater my experiment.
Initially I will be experimenting with a 7 day fast, examine my results, and determine if it’s feasible to proceed another 7 days afterwards.
Fast-breakers include work and exercise, though I can easily give up one but not the other. My concern is undertaking the long drives to and from work and the mental energy required to stay focused at the job. I’m also apprehensive with the muscle catabolism that might occur if I avoid eating altogether.
Exercise is generally abstained from during water fasts, especially prolonged fasts due to the lack of energy that’s needed to fuel extra activity. The body will need to maintain its own necessary functions and to stray outside of the normal energy expenditure risks injury or damage,  not to mention cause spikes in hunger and mental anguish.
I am dreading the strength decreases or the supposed muscle wasting that a fast could produce (although recent research seems to debunk conventional wisdom), so I am weighing the options of taking a protein shake after moderate weight lifting sessions 3 times a week.
 
Day 1 concluded as I suspected. There were several periods throughout the day in which I had intense cravings, generally at times when I’d be snacking/eating: midday, midafternoon, evening. It was particularly distracting when coworkers were heating up their meals while I worked at my desk. Of course, it didn’t help that I was blogging food recipes. Drinking water didn’t really stave off the hunger either.
 
To distract myself, I read literature on fasting, gamed on Diablo, and performed a less strenuous 5×5 workout consisting of squats, military press and bent over rows at about 80-85% RM. 
 
I was sleepy on the drive home, but I attribute that more to lack of sleep than lack of food. When I was home, I was alert again. I did go to bed a little late again, but it seemed that as soon as I hit the pillow, I was out. 
 
I survived Fast Day 1. 
 
Dining, Recipes

Recipe: Lamb Meatballs in Pumpkin Marinara

I had leftover pumpkin from my blondie recipe so I had to find a creative use for it. A coworker previously mentioned adding pumpkin to spaghetti sauce for extra fiber, and it sounded like a great idea. The natural sweetness of the pumpkin will take the edge off the acidity, while adding a little volume to the sauce.

This recipe provided an opportunity for me to clear out some fridge space as well. We had ample leftovers of bbq sauce and spaghetti sauce that needed to be used. About the only thing that I needed to purchase was the ground protein and the cheese; I stocked everything else in my pantry.

You’ll also notice that these meatballs are grain-free…no breadcrumbs. In the cooking instructions, I explain how to keep the meatballs together while it slow cooks. It does take an extra cooking step, but the results are worth it!

  • 8 oz(s), Canned Pumpkin
  • 4 fluid ounce, Bbq Sauce
  • 8 fluid ounce, chunky garden (tomato, onion & garlic) spaghetti sauce
  • 1.50 oz(s), Garlic, raw
  • 13.50 ounce, Onion
  • 2 ounce, Kraft Parmesan Finely Shredded
  • 56 g, 2% Mozzarella shredded
  • 0.50 tsp(s), Spices, ground cumin
  • 2 tsp(s), Spices, chili powder
  • 1 tsp, ground, Spices, pepper, black
  • 1 tsp(s), Spices, parsley, dried
  • 1 tsp, leaves, Spices, basil, dried
  • 1.75 cup (121 g), Diced Basil, Garlic, & Oregano Canned Tomatoes
  • 1 egg, jumbo egg
  • 2 Tbsp (14g), Coconut Oil (Virgin, Unrefined, Cold Pressed)
  • 0.25 tsp, Sea Salt
  • 16 oz, Ground Chuck Beef 90/10
  • 16 oz, Ground Lamb

Add half of the dried spices, pumpkin puree, bbq sauce and spaghetti sauce to a slow cooker turned to high. While these ingredients start simmering, warm coconut oil in a saute pan over medium heat.

Chop the onions and garlic, add to saute pan. Cook until translucent and aromatic about 3-5 minutes. Take off heat and add 3/4 of the garlic/onion mix to the slow cooker, reserving the rest for meatballs.

Meanwhile, mix beef, lamb, egg, cheese, and half of the dry spices in a bowl and knead until thoroughly incorporated. Add the garlic/onion mix and continue to knead. Divide into 12 portions and hand-form the meatballs.

Add meatballs to heated saute pan or cast iron skillet and sear on all sides. The idea is to sear the outside but not cook the meatballs through. Transfer meatballs to slow cooker, taking care to drain fat.

Cook low and slow over low heat for 1-2 hours in the slow cooker.

Yields 12 meatballs + sauce. My preferred serving size is 2 meatballs, garnished with chopped green onions.

IMG_20160826_231056321

Nutrition calculator:
Calories 291 (per meatball/sauce)
Total Fat 17 g
Total Carbohydrate 16 g 5 %
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Sugars 9 g
Protein 19 g