Today's Beautiful Thing

Today is a Good Day

Today is my best friends birthday. We started out at a family owned local pancake house and I had steak and eggs. My friend had an orange juice, an omelet, hash browns, sourdough toast and pancakes. When I told the waitress that all I wanted was the steak and eggs. No fruit, bread, potatoes or pancakes, she looked at me like there was something wrong with me. But who had the healthier meal? 

We're going out to my favorite restaurant tonight, Boulevard,  and I'm looking forward to an extraordinary meal. There are so many choices that are good choices for someone on a low carb diet. 

All the meats and fish are from the best possible sources. I'll avoid the higher carb sides and have a taste of birthday dessert, but I'll have cheese from the cheese menu for my dessert.

Eye Opener

I'm a big fan of Jimmy Moore. I think he's done a lot, and continues to do a lot, for the Low Carb world through his blog, forum and podcasts. I post on his forum regularly and was just over there ranting about how I need to learn patience because I'm not losing weight fast enough. Jimmy's advice? 

"Consistency in a persistent manner, Bear. That's what will get you there. Be encouraged, my friend!"

I realize now that I've been trying to tweek my diet to get fast results, instead of sticking with one plan that will work for me over the long haul. This is not a diet that I will go off of after having lost the weight I want to lose. If I want to keep it off it has to become a lifestyle. I guess in some ways we all tweek this WOE so that it suits our needs. But at some point we have to settle in on a plan and stick with that plan. I'm wondering if I need to do that for awhile, without trying too many new things. Make a commitment to follow one plan for at least a few months and see where it takes me. 

Now to decide just what that plan will be. 

Another IF Day

I'm very hungry today. I've noticed that IF is much easier on days that I work. I'm busier and have less time to think about my own stomach.

Maybe I need to talk about what I do for a living. I'm the Chef and Nutrition Coordinator for the Meals on Wheels and congregate meal program for seniors for a small Northern California coastal community. 

So since I cook in the morning, I'm surrounded by food. Although very little of it is food I eat, I still can and must taste the food I'm preparing. I write my own recipes for the most part so tasting is essential. I pride myself on preparing wholesome food that does not look or taste institutional. I use fresh ingredients whenever possible but I'm limited by space in the amount of foods I can have on hand. We have very little storage or refrigeration. I cook for between 70 and 120 people per day, 5 days a week. 

So tasting even small amounts of food does have an impact on my appetite and satiety.

Today's Beautiful Thing

I took this photo of Koy at the Buddhist Temple on Oahu. I love this shot.

IF and Weight Loss

I'm down nearly 5 pounds from Monday. Although I woke up hungry, I did not eat and will not until 3 o'clock. 

The hunger has passed anyway but I do find myself thinking about eating not because I'm hungry but because it's something to do. Always a bad reason to eat. This way I can look forward to breaking my fast with something delicious and with the knowledge that tomorrow I will be a little farther along in my journey. 

Today I will be cleaning out the refrigerator and throwing away all the old stuff, and all the bad stuff. This is the best thing about the new year to me. The fresh start. Having said that, I'm so glad that I made my dietary changes in November rather than waiting for today as so many people do. 

Doing that has made it feel like a real life change rather than a New Years Resolution. I've seen too many people fail at those resolutions because they are not ready for that commitment. They're doing it because of the day and they feel they have to. I need to research how many people are actually successful at their New Years Resolutions. I have feeling the number is pretty small. 

Happy New Year

Today is the Lovely Sophie's 1st birthday. 

Happy Birthday Sophie!

This is Sophie shortly after coming to live with me.