Challenges

I have to have community it seems to be a success with Intermittent Fasting (IF). It's so easy to get off track.

I just finished a two week intermittent fasting challenge on youtube. That kind of thing really helps me to keep going. I keep looking for more challenges to have someone to follow. I'm a follower more than a leader -- which can be tricky -- followers have to be very sure their leaders are taking them in the right direction. That IF challenge was the right path.

But, since that challenge, I've fallen off once again. I had quit eating sugar almost completely since last September!! I had reduced drinking my daily deadly bad habit of Diet Soda Pop down to allowing it only one day/week.

Then, I had a whopping big birthday -- my 60th. This one was quite depressing for me. I'm really getting old and there are plenty to remind me of this fact. ahem

My dad passed away six weeks before my birthday, just before Christmas and two days after he and my mother had celebrated their 66th anniversary. I realized when he died that I'd lost my best friend.

Then, a good thing happened. When I went back to have my A1C checked -- you can't fake that -- it and all those other health numbers had improved so well, that the doctor said that I needed no medication at all. Yay! I never got those prescriptions anyway. I think I sort of also wanted to break loose after such good news.

I allowed these events to slowly swallow me back down into the sinkhole of bad habits from which I was doing so well to climb out.

So, I think I need continual challenges. This new one is another 14-day challenge, but it doesn't involve IF. But, it doesn't allow snacking. That alone is a daily fasting challenge. I begin Monday. (Today is Saturday)

Do well. Get well. Fast daily.

Time to get rid of that poison!

Forty-nine years ago today, on April 9, 1967, a diamond back rattlesnake bit my leg in the Texas panhandle near Sudan. I was nine years old. A month later, my leg had to be amputated. Daddy wouldn't let the doctor take my knee, who said he'd have to later if he didn't now, but later never came, so I still have my knee 49 years later. Thank you Lord for such a wise father.

When I woke up this morning, I remembered that day. I remember, after all was said and done, Mother and Daddy telling me that the doctor told them the snake poison would always be in my blood. I suppose like all those childhood diseases will always be in your blood.

After learning about detoxing, I've often wondered if that snake poison could be drawn out and I could be rid of that snake forever. What I've read about detoxing, the most recent toxins come out first, followed by the next most recent, then the next until at last, those childhood toxins are at last released.

So, upon the coming 50th anniversary of my rattlesnake bite, I think I will begin a serious year-long detoxing. Perhaps any future complications from that slithering poison will be long gone at last.

I asked my alternative doctor about the symptoms of the snake poison making it's exit. Would it potentially make me so sick that releasing it could do more harm than good? I mean, I nearly died in 1967, they said. Could the poison coming out from hiding finish it's intended job? The doctor reassured me it would not do that much harm.

So with that reassurance, I'm devoted to doing this. I've began (again) the fast-five already, so I'll just start my detoxing with this and plant-based eating, then perhaps 100% raw vegan, water fasting, colon cleansing, dry brushing, etc. Even if the doctor was wrong, and there is no longer snake poison there, detoxing is a good thing.

I remember that Daddy had his own remedy for taking the poison out of my blood, and that was to eat plenty of raw honey. I'm not sure where he got that, if it's even correct, but he did what he could. So, perhaps that did the trick, or at least started it back then.

I wish I knew where the old pictures of me at that time had gotten to. Maybe I'll find them. If I do, I will share them here as soon as I can.

Sacrifice

This morning is especially hard. I am so hungry and thinking of cravings! Earlier this morning, I came close to making a spin through Hardee's drive-through while I was out doing errands.

But, I turned the wheel to the left instead of the right. I almost caved in. In the book, "As A Man Thinketh" by James Allen, he emphasized that to have good results, you must sacrifice but to have the best results, you must sacrifice much.

I am choosing good results for now. Raw vegan during the five to eight hour time is best results. I'm not there yet. It's just too much for now, but I do want to eventually get there.

Still, sacrifice is pain either way. You must give up what you love in order to have or to do what is right and good.

I have an hour and a quarter to go before I can break today's fast. I'll be doing cleaning until then.

How I'm Doing

Fighting that morning hunger is the worst part of daily fasting. However, you get over it with just a few days' time. Have you had a hard time with this? Did you overcome that hunger during the fast part?

I had a chiropractor's appointment yesterday, and mentioned my knee when he asked what problems I am having. I didn't think it had anything to do with alignment, but he helped my knee pain. It's not gone completely, but it was better all day. In the hip joint, the femur - thigh bone - was out of the socket just slightly, causing the muscle to be weak and the knee to be wrong, and all the way down to my foot. When he got that back in its place, I had more strength in the muscle and felt much better. I think the way I sleep pulled it back out or something, because the pain came back during the night.

I'm still going to keep to my plan of raw vegan 'til the pain is gone, though, because I KNOW the weight has something to do with the pain, not to mention all other things wrong with me: Diabetes II, high cholesterol, high blood pressure (only slightly high), upcoming early death. hm 

So far, I'm loving daily fasting.

Knee Pain and Diet

In addition to eating Fast-Five-to-Eight (heh), I am going to try an experiment.

I'm going to eat raw vegan until my severe left knee pain goes away. The last time I went to my medical doctor, he said that I have arthritis and when it gets so bad that I can't stand it, he'll do something about it.

Well, it's to that point, and being one who will do nearly anything to avoid any more surgeries, I am going to see how long it takes to take away the pain, thus reversing whatever's wrong under the skin, of my painful knee.

I'll be doing this by eating a raw vegan diet. I've done this before on Alissa Cohen's 100-day challenge. Here is her web site. (I don't think she does the challenge now, though.) I lasted all raw for four days. However, in those four days, all joint pain went away except the worst one, which was my left elbow.

I have big hopes that this will happen again. I'll be letting you know!

G-R-E-A-T Video about Intermittent Fasting

Oh - Look what I found! This is one of the best and easiest to understand videos about intermittent fasting I've seen. I've never heard of the Bulletproof Coffee recipe before. But, since I'm not a coffee drinker, it's not for me anyway. But you may be interested to see what he says about this near the end of the video in the question and answer section here.

Fasting and Exercising

Daily fasting is so very difficult for me to keep at.

I've been looking at a lot of youtube videos of intermittent fasting lately. I've learned something new: exercising and hunger go together like a hand and glove. It's a good thing to do your strenuous, or even moderate exercise after a few hours - say, over a half a day - of not eating. I don't know the scientific reasons, but I heard it from several alternative doctors, that it made sense to me.

The ideal suggestion was to do your walking, running, aerobics, about mid-morning, THEN after cooling off and shower, go eat your break-fast about noon. This kind of hunger-exercising is apparently good for the brain.

I think this scripture also tells us, if we can see it, that fasting is good for the brain:

Isaiah 58:8 (speaking of the fasting that the Lord chooses):

"Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard."

That first line, I'm now convinced can refer to clear thinking, because when you fast you can think more clearly, and it is like a light has broken forth. You just have to experience it.

Go to youtube and find videos on intermittent fasting and exercise. There are many I couldn't see them all, but this one is the one that introduced this concept to me at first:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyNTTY2zyrw

Anna

Luke 2:36-38:

Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;  and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.  And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

Lessons from Anna:

1. Anna, a woman of 84 years, fasting daily. So you see, daily fasting is not necessarily unhealthy. (I used to think she had been a widow for 84 years, but I don't think that now. If you do, you may be right about it. Either way, Anna was an old woman.)
2. Her daily prayers and fasting was not for the service of others, though it did serve others to pray for them. No, it was for the service of God.
3. She was blessed to know that Jesus was the one to bring redemption because she knew God. Daily prayer, being in the temple around the public reading of the scriptures, with holy people who shared her faith and, of course, fasting - these things brought her close to the God of all creation.
4. No doubt, she was a woman held in high honor, being a prophetess; this simple woman who fasted and prayed daily.

Not so bad, really

I looked back at the November 4, 2014 post (next to last one) and I realized how far I have actually come. I HAVE been doing my daily fasting.

Somewhat.

I have lost 17 pounds and have gotten a little better control of my blood sugar. When I went to the doctor in February, it was a normal 103. I was shocked when I saw that. The doctor was very pleased. I had lost 24 pounds since August, when I had last seen him. My blood sugar number for the six month test was down to normal range, too. He was pleased.

So, really, I've not been doing nothing as I had thought. At least some improvements have been made.

The thing now is to keep going and to make more improvements. It's one of the most difficult things to do: changing bad habits. But, it can be done.

One day at a time.

Fasting and Dresses

Daily. Fasting.

The problem with daily fasting is that it's so, DAILY.

I begin again.

Also, I saw this picture, which will remain anonymous and if anyone knows this person, I will remove it. It's just a picture I saw online and snipped it. It made me more determined to wear dresses. Is it a man or a woman? It's a woman, but, you would have had to convince me if I hadn't seen the whole page. I admit, if it were a picture of me, you might wonder the same thing. I'm more determined than before to wear dresses!

What's more, I have noticed with myself and observing others that with the habit of wearing pants, it's easy to forget how to sit and stand like a lady - feet together, knees together. It's a bad habit and I don't want it anymore. Today, I begin my month of sewing for the Spring and Summer, and get back to Fast Five. Or Fast Eight.

Getting Serious

I've been so long in writing anything here because I've not been fasting at all. In fact, it's been "eat eat eat" for my latest motto.

In August, when my doctor told me that I am a diabetic, I didn't take him seriously enough. I thought, "I feel fine, it can wait". But with my two non-impressive monthly weigh-ins and my constant tired feeling, I decided it was time to get the test strips for the blood sugar monitor I already had. So, yesterday morning when I tested my blood sugar, which should be in the 80-100 range, especially in the morning, it was 210! In his office back in August, it was tested at 173, fasting, and he was worried about that!

Okay, getting serious now. Yesterday, after that first test, I thought I had eaten sensibly. I took the supplement to lower blood sugar (and it did), but I ate three sandwiches along with my apples and celery. During the night, I had trouble sleeping - I got up and tested. It was 303. That really scared me. This morning it was the same as yesterday morning.

Time to REALLY get serious. Today, all raw. I watched this film on youtube . It's about a 30 day raw vegan challenge six people try to reduce insulin or even cure their diabetes. It's very good.

So, now I am also trying that. I'll try to report from time to time how I'm doing. So, really, this IS a daily fast. I will be fasting by doing away with cooked foods. It's not easy, but it will be worth it. But, does any good result in life have an easy road leading to it? No, not one.

Wolves in Sheep's Clothing

Since August 26, I've been more motivated than ever to lose weight and get my health back and indeed, better than it's ever been. Never before have I had such ability to resist a drive-through fast-food lunch or breakfast.

I feel as though I'm very strong in resisting the worst sweets, cheeses, peanut buttery things and breads with yeast. These are the main things I was told by an alternative doctor that my body is having trouble with now and to eliminate them from my diet. (yeast in the blood) I've been doing pretty good on this, though not perfect.

But I'm going to dare to say here, Satan has sent to me in the church office where I work, two very nice Christian gentlemen with gooey sweets just for me. This has never happened before! Ever. This is why I say "Satan" is behind it. I didn't want the Hostess chocolate-dipped mini-cake with creamy filling. I didn't want the soft fresh donut. I really didn't. But, to be polite, I ate them anyway. I didn't really want them, I just ate them. I saw sheep, but they were really wolves in this case.

But, now, looking back, I can see what I should have done - trashed those pastries. Those gentlemen would have never known. They left soon after giving them to me, so God gave me a way of escape and I didn't recognize it.

This is just the evidence I need to know that it's true that when you're just at the point you are truly trying more than ever before to stop a bad habitual sin, Satan will bring exactly what will get you off the track.

The solution? Reading more in the word of God. The closer we are to God, the more the devil runs away. I have to admit, I've not been reading as much as I should. That, and decline the gifts.

This is Sunday and my 24-hour fast time. The time I stopped eating today was 3:30, so that is when I'll be able to eat again tomorrow. I'm working my way to real cleansing of the body and healing of anything gone wrong in there.

God's Ways

In Isaiah 55:8,9, God tells the prophet that His ways are not man's ways, nor are His thoughts man's thoughts. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so are God's ways and thoughts above man's ways and thoughts.

God has given us a body that is powerful enough to heal itself. We don't have to understand why, though I do like to read and hear scientific explanations why. People in all walks of life, whether they believe in God or simply in nature (which God created), see the amazing healing of their bodies when they allow their bodies to heal themselves through right eating and exercising.

Before I began again this time, my fingernails were horrible - the layers or the nail seemed to be separating, coming unglued. I didn't know why. Age? Diet? I couldn't polish them to hide it either. Since the short time I've been not only doing the fast-five (eight) diet, but also eating closer to the natural state of food, my nails are stronger. The layers are glued back together, and they are growing faster!

I wonder what other good is going on? I know I feel much better. I can breathe better. My sinuses are less bothersome. This is just a week or so of going back. Now, I have been going to a chiropractor who gave me some supplements, but I've not been very faithful in taking them. Maybe it is both the alignments, the supplements AND the diet that is clearing up my health.

I'm thankful.

It's SO Hard!

This is only "day one" (again), and I'm having such a hard time!

I've stretched out the fast-five to fast-eight, and still it's hard. I began around 9 and was going to end around 5. However, Daughter hadn't eaten and well, I ate with her after 5. It wasn't a healthy meal either - about four pieces of a large pizza and a Dr. Pepper.

Aaaargh! and I'm beginning to feel the bleh feeling of eating unhealthy food. Regrets.

I am eating more fruit, though, and I do have a veggie juice at the juice bar in town. I'm "heading" in the right direction, but that can be said of any vehicle that gets one wheel off the bridge and ends the travelling in the right direction in disaster.

Tomorrow is a new day. Use it!

It's Not Just A Fascination Anymore

The doctor told me today some bad news. If I don't get serious about my weight, I am doomed to prescription pills for the rest of my life. He told me he's seen about 300 or so in my situation and only one has taken a change of lifestyle seriously.

I like my doctor. He is really great. For an a doctor.

I mean, he let me give changing my diet and exercising another chance without lecturing or fussing at me. He said he wants me back in six months. (soooo long from now) Blood tests will show then how well I've done.

Yet, he did say to come back every month to weigh so it can be recorded in his office. I'm already being weighed in TOPS, but this will be good to go to his office to weigh in. I'm looking forward to it.

In TOPS, I'm finally losing weight. Believe it or not, for nearly two years of being a member, I've not lost any real significant weight. The vacation with all that walking and fresh-food eating seemed to be my catalyst to finally see that I can walk and that I can be patient with meal preparation. (Read: I've gone to too many drive-throughs with their fried foods).

So, eating less each day and eating healthier is no longer something that I find fascinating and might like to try. I'm considering this a matter of life now.

I'm leaving the verse up, even though it's a few weeks now that it's been there. I need to continually remind myself how much I don't want to be a bad example to others. That's one of my motivations.

Vacation Surprise

I have been on vacation for a week. Before that, I slipped AGAIN into my regular bad eating habit of anything and everything and anytime I want to eat.

So, I had gained some weight.

On vacation, however, my husband, daughter and I went to a Caribbean Island - St. Martin. I was determined to eat light. I did! Now, I had meat, yes. I ate one-half of a French pastry, yes. Husband said "no" to any more - kind of expensive for what they were, he thought.

But, the pastry and the meat were what I'd consider "whole foods" because it wasn't as processed as what I'd been eating. The pastry did have white flour I admit, but there were fresh, raw raspberries on top. The fruit was the main part of the pastry. Yum!

I lost weight on that vacation!!! Surprise!!!

We did walk. You had to walk a lot if you went shopping or sight-seeing. We did a good amount of driving, but I did more walking there than I've done in years. Yes, years. I really think that's the reason of my weight loss.

Also, I didn't have many sodas. I had mostly unsweetened tea and water. We bought a watermelon, and I had that for one or two meals - just watermelon. I made beans, greens and cornbread in the hotel room. Restaurants were getting too expensive, and we were missing our staple Southern food!

A salad that I had, had shredded beets! I'm going to start including shredded beets in salads I make at home. It makes the salad pretty and shoots the nutrition value 'way up the scale! Two things I've had in the states, but not since my grandmother was alive were oxtail and goat meat. Both very delicious and so tender. The menu for the oxtail said, "Oxtail and lima beans". When it came, there were no lima beans that I could see. I asked the waitress if I misunderstood. She took my fork to lift the meat, and sure enough, there were three lima beans! Crunchy and "blackened", too. :-) I had to chuckle to myself. The menu was right!

I'm so happy to say that losing five pounds, eating very little fat, walking... I feel wonderful!!! My skin is smoother, and not at all oily feeling. I can breathe better. I'm not at the best health still, but so much better and that's good.

Now, since I've been home these past three days, I've eaten fairly well. Not the best, but better than the way I said I was eating earlier - anything, everything, anytime. Last night, watermelon supper. It was soooo good - sweet and juicy, that if anyone had watched me eat, they'd think I was praying as I closed my eyes and hugged my shoulders as the sweet taste and water felt like a miracle food inside me.

Okay, I'm starting to sound weird maybe.

Today, I'm beginning to limit the time I eat again. I'm doing the 8-hour window this time. I hope to get to the 5-hour window again soon. No more anything everything anytime eating for me.

Here is the new "Verse of the Week": 1 Corinthians 9:27 "But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."  nkjv

My One Success and a Book

I believe the one and only good thing I'm doing for my health is to eat between 12 and 5. Even if I mess this up a little and eat between an eight hour frame, it's still considered a daily fast, going by the message in the video I posted previously.

As far as the dress wearing is going, not too well. However, I think I know the reason, and I found it in words here. I'm not happy with the styles and colors. Hey, try to buy anything besides black in my size. It's possible, but not easy. Plus, I have to like the style and it has to meet my standards of modesty. When you're my size, modesty is more of a courtesy to the onlookers. It's certainly not an enticing view. Ahem.

I'm on a quest to find more dresses to my liking so that I don't fall guilty of what the above blog link says will ultimately happen: give up dresses because I feel drab in them.

Here is a book I've started:  I purchased mine at amazon, link below -

The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, Phd and Thomas M. Campbell II, MD

So far, I think it's a great book. It's everything and more that I've heard about it. I like it, too, because it's written by a good ol' down-home, uppity professional know-it-all kinda guy. :-) What I mean is, the (main) author is intelligent, but humble, and from my own country too. I thought I'd have to struggle with Chinese anecdotes and locations that I wouldn't understand, but this author speaks of raising cows and gardens and being in a family when he was a young boy in Virginia. I understand that. He has a wife of 43 years at the time of the book with a family of five children. I love that about him. He is close to his wife who is the reason this book got written, he acknowledges. It just keeps getting better. He has courage, yes, courage - something many prominent men lack. He thinks on his own two feet, not leaning on what others may say of him if he reports something that is different. Thank God, and I do mean "thank God", for men like this. I'm going to enjoy reading this book and reporting here what I read. I do have to keep a dictionary handy to look up words like, "obviate".

My Last Blue Jeans

While folding the clean laundry one day last week, I was taking out what we no longer need. I pulled out two pair of jeans to put in that pile. One pair was my last pair of blue jeans. I'd done this before, you see. These were my best fitting and favorite pair.

I was holding onto those because after all, a girl needs a pair of blue jeans once in a while, right?

Not necessarily.

I will have to admit that because of my lack of many dresses or skirts and matching tops, I've worn pants for three days. Yes, I do still have pants. Two pair of those are a khaki and a black of what would be classified as "jeans". I also have two pair nice slacks and one pair that is suitable for either patches on other clothes, fabric for crafts or garden work only. So, yes, I am still hanging onto pants.

Since March 2, I have worn pants for three of those days. I'm coming along.

Now about the fast-five. I've lost 5 pounds since I have started it again, about two weeks ago. Yay! There are days that I eat outside of the five hours, but I do keep it to a minimum.

How do I feel? Lots less pain shooting through my back and sides. In fact, that has gone from a daily occurrence to only occasionally. I don't feel as beat down either.

Now, for a new verse that has needed changing for a long long time:

• My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

This is from James 1:2-4. James 1 has a LOT to say about temptation, but I chose these three verses together for my verse of the week (for about a month or so. :-} ). I'll write more on it later.

I hope this has been a blessing to you.

Aunt Bee's Wardrobe

Here is my dress today:

 

 

My teenage daughter and I have been watching The Andy Griffith Show on Netflix for a few weeks. I have been taking note of what Aunt Bee wears because, by now, we are about the same age and weight. She, though we're not supposed to know it, has a designer making her clothes so that she looks good on T.V.

 

Here are some things I have noticed about her clothes:

• Her nicer dresses have a self jacket and self belt (all of the same fabric) as the dress. Sometimes, as in the first picture, it's a blouse and skirt.
• The jackets have 3/4 sleeves and a round or squared collar, when there is a collar, which is usually. Sometimes, there is lace attached to the collar.
• Embellishments to the dress are generally at the neck, which draws attention to the face.
• Her house dresses are generally a shirt dress with a pretty apron over it.
• And, not the dress, but notice how often she wears a string of pearls. Again, drawing attention to the face.

Now, I'd love to make myself an Aunt Bee dress, but try to find a pattern! You'd think this style is a basic style, but I just can't find anything to copy her dresses. I've even tried to look up any fashion drawings by her designer, Robert O'Dell. Well, as I can find, he was the main one. Nothing.

 

I never would have believed that I would grow up wanting to imitate Aunt Bee's wardrobe, for crying out loud. As a girl, I always thought of myself as wanting to look like  Jackie Kennedy or Grace Kelly, but Aunt Bee? But, in fact, I'm now in love with her. Enjoy looking at these pictures from The Andy Griffith Show and her dresses. I'm going to go watch a movie with my daughter now and eat no popcorn! Just drinking water, which I'm really learning to love.



Fast-Five and other IFs

I just wanted to share again the Fast-Five web site and the free downloadable ebook you can print out. It is slightly different from the link I put on that first blog entry. Here it is: www.fast-5.org. Go see and read.

I had problems getting on here, but I finally figured it out. I wanted to share that yesterday I did wear a dress, just didn't get a picture. It was the same dress as the day before, though I had my hair up in a French roll. I think it was better than the stringy look. If I get a picture today, I'll post it tomorrow.

Also, I wanted to share this (hour long) video of Intermittent Fasting. It's not especially the Fast Five diet, but all daily fasts and why they work. I don't like that he keeps saying that we evolved. Will they ever learn?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZZWOXhoFpo&feature=player_embedded

I hope these links work for you. You may have to copy and paste.