Hi,
Some more details for me; current weight 145 lbs, goal weight 110 lbs, height 5’5″, rarely eat sugar, no dairy except for eggs, but love the “good” carbs such as beans, pulses, ancient grains, fruit, etc.
I’ve perused this very useful forum for a couple of weeks and have read some lovely open and honest, as well as courageous, fellow dieters’ (WOL’ers’) journeys which have been incredibly helpful and inspirational. Thank you for that.
I’ve read a lot of Dr. Jason Fung’s research and trials for IF, along with some limited research (there’s just too much to read, some being contradictory) and have decided to incorporate this WOL for me as I am already in middle age and do not want to gain any further weight.
I have had a litany of medical tests done on me by and referred to medical providers by my excellent primary care physician. So far all blood tests including cholesterol, A1C, thyroid, vitamins/minerals, lead, radon, CTs, Xrays, pulmonary, hormones (not pre-menopausal), and so forth have come back very healthy range. I do have slight chronic low blood pressure, slight plaque on 1 lung, and exclusion based diagnosis of “Fibromyalgia”. Since there are no medically specific testing for Fibromyalgia I certainly am not inclined to trust that invalidated “conclusion”.
I have been chronically unsustainably exhausted for the past 5+ yrs, and moreso from when I was 5 but not nearly as severe as when I turned 40. I also suffer from occasional headaches and migraines, severe pain in my bones and overlaying muscles (not really in joints), and have absolutely no energy. I also have panic attacks where it feels like a seizure.
Asides from rx pain medication I do not take any medications. I also take pain meds sparingly as I try not to ingest such things, though I also take many natural supplements.
I used to be able to eat out for lunch and dinner with ALL the courses AND wine and still remained relatively thin in my 20’s and 30’s and if needed lose weight quickly. Now in my 40’s I can’t do that. I don’t even miss eating that way. BUT I do miss the fast metabolism.
So here I am doing ADF. I’ve actually completed 3 full 38 hr fast days. Today would have been my 4th but I just made it a NFD as I was just exhausted. I feel a lot better for it.
My diet consists of very healthy foods, all organic and for meats/eggs free range organic grass fed organic; a lot of variety of vegetables, limited fruit (love fruit but avoiding reawakening a strong sweet tooth), tofu, meat, beans, pulses, ancient grains. For condiments my favorites are; excellent balsamic vinegar, horseradish mustard, hot sauce, soy sauce.
What I find really fills me up is eating 6-8oz (170-227g) of avocado tossed in balsamic vinegar. That abates hunger for 5-6 hrs, it’s incredibly useful. Also a lot of soups and cabbage with vegetables tomato based stews with fresh herbs is both healthy, filling, and low cal. I don’t have cravings so much and don’t have a problem with my NFD diet as I can stick to 1,500 calories/day. What I can’t do is only eat 25% or 375 cal on the recommended 5:2 diet so I just water fast every other day. The water fast is no problem vs eating a pittance the whole day, though I do suffer from lethargy on fasting days. So I will stick with that.
What I’m having an issue with is exercise due to my fatigue. When I walk 1 mile I come home and need to sleep at least 2 hours for mild recovery. I do gentle yoga stretches and use the rebounder for a few minutes every few days, which also leaves me winded. I used to run marathons for charity before this chronic exhaustion made me BFFs with my primary care physician. I also lived in the gym daily and had a personal trainer before my sudden onset of feeling like I’m 90 at 40.
I’ve gabbed on too long but that’s my intro.
Please excuse any typos, I’m writing via my smartphone. It’s nice to meet you all and thank you for sharing your progress with the rest of us.
5:15 am
30 Mar 21