Happy Friday, dear reader! Each Friday for the next nine weeks, I will update my progress on the Fast Burn Challenge which is a plan outlined in Fast Burn: The Power of Negative Energy Balance by Dr. Ian K. Smith. This new plan includes intermittant fasting, clean eating, and exercises. I have completed four days on the Fast Burn Challenge, and I am feeling pretty good about my progress, so far.
On Monday morning, I weighed in at 161.5 pounds. I would love to lose at least 10 pounds; however, my goals for this challenge are to try intermittent fasting, create weekly meal plans that incorporate clean eating, and maintain a regular fitness regimen. Basically, I am striving to be a healthier version of me. I have been following the food plan pretty well with the exception of eating a handful of pork rinds on both Tuesday afternoon AND Wednesday afternoon. Also, for lunch on Wednesday, I ate 15 Lay’s Sour Cream & Onion potato chips with my sandwich. Not good, but also not the end of the world.
Kudos to Me for…
- meeting my daily water intake goal.
- meeting my TRF 12:12 goal.
- making The Burner Smoothie. Twice!
- continuing to eat more veggies.
- meeting my daily exercise goals.
Challenges
- Eating two hours after waking up.
- Drinking a cup of water before each meal.
- Preparing meals during the week.
I am not too concerned about not being able to wait two hours to eat after waking up. The only three days that I cannot follow this guideline is on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings because I have carpool duty and need to be at school by 7:00. I do not want to eat my breakfast in the car or at school, so my plan is to drink the Burner Smoothie for breakfast on those three mornings about 1 1/2 hours after waking up. I can follow this guideline and eat something different on the other four mornings.
Drinking a cup of water before each meal will eventually become a habit. I do not anticipate this being a challenge for very long. Since Monday, I have only forgotten twice.
Preparing meals during the week is time-consuming. It would be better for me to meal prep for the work week over the weekend for a couple of hours than to meal prep each evening for a couple of hours. Creating a weekly meal plan is great; however, it needs to go hand in hand with meal prepping. When I go to the grocery store this weekend, I will buy some mason jars to make a week’s worth of the Burner Smoothie.
I know it has only been four days, dear reader, but I feel like I am off to a terrific start. I am energized, optimistic, and excited. Happiness!
“The more you move, the easier it is to keep moving. Maintain the momentum.” ~ James Clear
The Kat Files 
I have to say straight off that I absolutely hate this label of ‘clean’ food. Don’t feel bad about eating those pork rinds and potato chips. Be aware of them, but don’t feel bad. I suspect if you carry on eating more veggies and maybe add a few more pulses and nuts to feel fuller longer you’ll do fine. I did 100 miles running in Jan and I didn’t lose any weight but I felt stronger and my body shape started changing. I hope this fat burn thing works for you and it helps keep food joyful. Sounds like it has some good tips, like the meal planning.
Yeah, I guess the only reason I mention that I “slipped” was because Dr. Ian never said you can’t enjoy the pork rinds/chips; however, not at every snack, and it should be your snack not in addition to snacks/meals…during this nine week challenge. And, I ate the pork rinds in addition and as a comfort thing. Unfortunately, I’m an emotional eater, usually when feeling anxious or stressed. I need to train myself to do something else (healthier choice) in lieu of eating in those moments. Either that or I need to chew on some kale. LOL.
Thanks for your feedback. I love the encouragement and support. The goal is about getting healthy and staying happy in the process.
You will do great. Even if you go two steps forward one step back, you will still move forward. If food is a response to emotions then try and keep a little notebook to jot down what you were going through when you ate the extra stuff. You may already be doing that but it is worth exploring before you unpack it. I would never chew on kale unless it’s a last resort, or unless it’s been sautéed with a bit of garlic and orange and chilli flakes!
Thanks for the suggestion of writing down how I’m feeling when I reach for food out of an emotional need instead of enjoyment or as fuel. I actually had not thought about doing that, but it’s a great idea. I love your humor! I promise I will NOT chew on kale.
I did ok with the meals/snacks this week but awful with the exercise. However, even with not being perfect with any of it, I have managed to drop 4 pounds so I’m thrilled. I know we aren’t supposed to weigh until Monday, but I honestly do better weighing in more often. It keeps me motivated and accountable. I am so happy you got me to do this challenge, and I’m so proud of how committed you are! We are going to do this!
Woo-Hoo! Good for you on losing 4 pounds. With any plan, you adjust to meet your individual needs and lifestyle. I walked for all my cardio this week and completed my flights of stairs at school. Walking is the only exercise that I could fit in this week. We got this!
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