Ariel's Health Blog

I stole this pic from the internet

I’ve always had this thing with food where I feel like I have to finish what’s on my plate. I try to make smaller amounts, but is this still more than I really need to eat to feel satisfied? Many times, it is. One of the most important skills you need to learn to lose weight is how to notice when you are satisfied and stop eating. This is how I learned this skill.

1. Before preparing food, think about how much you might have to eat to feel satisfied. Just being aware of how much food you might need to eat will make you prepare less food.
2. Prepare your food and keep track of the ingredients with a calorie counter, such as Calorie Count, Wolfram Alpha, or the Lose It! app for the iPhone, which is what I use. Again, just being aware of what you are making will help you eat less.
3. When the food is almost ready, drink a big glass of nice cool water.
4. Fill your water glass again, take it and your plate of food to a dining table. Not the couch, not the kitchen counter, not the computer desk, but an actual table that is designated only for eating. This is especially important if you eat alone.
5. After putting each bite of food in your mouth, put down your fork or spoon, and enjoy the taste of your food. Think “Eat less; chew more.” After swallowing, take a little sip of water, then go ahead and take another bite.
6. After every few bites, stop for a moment and notice whether or not you still feel hungry. If you feel hungry, eat more, but if you feel satisfied, stop and put the rest of your food away to eat later if you want it.
7. Go do something else!

I stopped doing Fast-5 a couple weekends ago after hearing some advice from my boyfriend. Even though I was starting to see results, I was getting too obsessed about eating in the 5 hour window, and I was also having energy problems during some of my workouts (getting dizzy during Plyometrics, etc.)

Anyway, I’ve decided to go back to a low carb diet because that’s what works best for me in pretty much every way. I’ll still eat fruit but ONLY when I’m hiking. I’m also not going to drink alcohol as much anymore. I’ve been drinking daily for the last couple weeks and that needs to stop. I’m only going to drink when I go out with friends once a week or less from now on.

Today is the first day of my switch to the Fast 5 lifestyle. Fast 5, a kind of Intermittent Fasting, is a way of eating developed by Dr. Bert Herring. It’s incredibly simple: eat only in a 5 hour window, and fast for the other 19 hours of the day (including time spent sleeping). The lifestyle is modeled after what our bodies evolved to do, which was spend all day hunting and gathering, and eat when we had food at the end of the day. For most days during the past week or so, I’ve been on a sort of “fast 8″ eating schedule, where I only eat between 12:30pm – 8:30pm. I like it a lot, but I’ve been feeling that I’m not really hungry at 12:30pm, so I’m going to shorten the feeding window to 4:30pm – 9:30pm and see how I like that.

Officially, you are allowed to eat whatever you want in the 5 hour window. However, I prefer to eat healthy because it makes me feel better physically and mentally. Here’s a list of things I don’t eat and why:

• Meat – Heart disease runs strongly in my family, and cutting out meat is the best way to keep your heart healthy, diet-wise. I’ve been vegetarian for about 17 months.
• Grains (bread, pasta, rice) – These are high carb foods that spike insulin levels in the blood, which is not what you want if you’re trying to shed fat.
• Refined Sugar – I don’t think this one even needs an explanation!
• Dairy – Dairy isn’t bad for you, but it makes my skin break out, so I don’t eat it.

Right now I don’t eat fruit either, but I’m planning on adding some low fructose fruits, like berries and melons, back into my diet in a few weeks. I love fruit and I’m missing sweetness, so I’m excited about this upcoming change.

During the 19 hour fast, you are only allowed to drink zero-calorie drinks, such as water, coffee, tea, and diet soda. You are also supposed to exercise during the fast, preferably near the end of the fasting period, which I have been and will continue to do with P90X.

I’m looking forward to this lifestyle because it allows me to continue to have dinner with my boyfriend, or with my family when I visit them, and because it’s the best way to shed stubborn body fat.

If you want to learn more about Intermittent Fasting and Fast 5, I suggest the following resources:

• Fast 5 summary
• Fast 5 FAQ
• Intermittent Fasting article on Leangains
• Intermittent Fasting 101 on FitnessSpotlight

Generally, people find that they begin to lose inches within the first 3 weeks, but they don’t shed any pounds until 4 weeks or more, if ever. I’m looking to shed fat and build muscle, so the number on the scale doesn’t concern me much. I’ll update in a few weeks with a progress report!

My dinner tonight was so tasty I decided to share it with you. This is a bigger meal than I usually eat, but sooo yummy! Excellent low-carb vegetarian cheeseburger

2 MorningStar Grillers
1 Flatout low-carb flatbread
1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 avocado
lettuce
mustard
sriracha

Microwave grillers for 1 min 15 sec. Place flatbread on baking sheet, put avocado slices on 2 corners of the flatbread, put grillers on top of avocado slices, cheese on top of grillers. Broil for 5 minutes. Put mustard, sriracha and lettuce on each griller. Fold flatbread twice so the grillers are on top of each other with flatbread outside and in between.

Obviously you could add tomatoes, onions, other condiments, etc if you wanted, this is just how I like mine!

Calories: 593    Fat: 34g    Net carbs: 16g    Protein: 48g

Hi guys! Today I started the P90X lean program and I’m already really excited about it. First, lets get my current stats and pictures out of the way.

My stats right now:

Age: 23
Sex: Female
Height: 5’3 1/2″ (161 cm)
Weight: 118 lbs (53 1/2 kg)
BMI: 20.6
Body fat estimate from this body fat calculator: 26% (accurate?)

Measurements:
34 1/4″ – Boobs at nipples
32 1/4″ – Chest, under boobs
28 1/2″ – Smallest part of waist
33″ – Stomach at belly button
35 1/2″ – Hips
36 1/2″ – Thighs together, under butt
22″ – Largest part of thigh
14 1/4″ – Largest part of calf
11 1/4″ – Largest part of upper arm

Before pictures:

More about me:

I have had weight issues for a long time, but I’ve made a LOT of progress. Almost exactly 5 years ago I weighed 180 lbs! Now I’m down to 118 and the weight and fat are getting harder to lose. I’m hoping p90x will help me lose fat and tone up a lot.

What I eat:

I eat a very reduced calorie vegetarian diet because my body puts on weight so easily. I’m changing my diet a bit as of today by reducing fruit and increasing vegetables and protein. I don’t eat any grains including bread, rice, noodles, etc. For dairy I eat eggs and a little bit of milk in my coffee, but that’s it. Otherwise its all fruit, veggies, and nuts.

Supplements I take:

Every day I take the following vitamins:
Fish Oil 4000mg
Calcium + D3 1200mg
Vitamin A 8000IU
Vitamin E 400IU
Biotin 2500mcg
L-Lysine 500mg
Magnesium 250mg
Zinc 50mg
Women’s One A Day Multivitamin

Why I’m keeping a blog:

I think keeping a blog helps me stick to the program because it makes me feel accountable. It’s also a great way to track my progress. I’ll try to post at least a quick update every day, and more detailed updates every week or so. Each month I’ll post pictures of my progress and new measurements.

Day 1 – How did it go:

Today I did Core Synergistics and it felt GREAT. I had no idea there were so many different kinds of push-ups. I had a hard time with a lot of the push-ups, but otherwise I feel like I kept up pretty well. I used a mat, 5 lb weights, and 8 lb weights which turned out to be just right for me. I was definitely getting tired and pretty sweaty by the end. After I finished I did a 20 minute yoga session from Yoga Download. They have free 20 minute mp3 sessions with a pdf posture guide for each one. It’s a perfect way to stretch and relax after a hard workout.