The Kat Files

Happy Friday, dear reader! I am currently in Week #6 of the Fast Burn Challenge, and I’m flying by the seat of my pants. On Monday morning, I weighed in at 154 pounds. I lost 1 pound last week with a total loss of 7.5 pounds since starting the Fast Burn Challenge on 19 April. My week has been a bit fractured and all over the place since officially starting my summer break. I’m already out of my routine which entails going to bed late and waking up later in the morning Thankfully, I have been on this program long enough to know what to eat and when to eat, so all has not been lost.

Week #6 begins the third and final part of the plan (Acceleration) with four weeks left to complete this challenge. While my week feels slightly willy-nilly, I am still hitting most of my goals for the week. I tried two new recipes that were both delicious. One saving grace for me is having the right kinds of foods in the house. If all else fails, I can throw together a salad or fix a veggie plate with a serving of brown rice.

Kudos to Me for…

• meeting my daily water intake goal.
• trying the Sumptuous Strawberry Shake. Yum-Yum!
• trying the Gramma’s Old-Fashioned Scratch Pancakes. Delightful!
• continuing to eat more veggies.
• meeting my daily exercise goals.
• choosing wisely when eating at a conference.

Challenges

Unfortunately, I did not plan or prep my meals this week. So far, Monday has been the only day that I followed the food plan for the entire day that is outlined in the book. On Tuesday, I attended a Teacher Leader Summit in New Orleans. While I ate the catered lunch (salisbury steak, green beans, small lemon square; declined mashed potatoes and bread), I packed water and healthy snacks to consume throughout the day and ate a decent dinner.

My TRF for this week has not been consistent. I have either been on the IF schedule of 14:10 or 16:8. My body feels the inconsistency. For the remainder of this week, I will stick with 14:10. Fortunately, I am waiting two hours after waking up to eat breakfast and going to sleep at least two hours, if not more, after eating my last meal.

Earlier this morning, I felt a slight twinge of disappointment in myself because I had the expectation that this week would be perfect because I am out of school for the summer. Thank heavens, those feelings dissipated quickly, so I can get back on track and enjoy this beautiful day. My family and I do not have any set plans this weekend, so my hope is to reorganize, finish this week strong, and plan for next week. Happiness!

“Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.” ~ Voltaire

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Happy Friday, dear reader! I am currently in Week #5 of the Fast Burn Challenge and at the halfway point of the challenge. Even though there are guidelines to follow this week, it is less restrictive. On Monday morning, I weighed in at 155 pounds. I lost another .5 pounds with a total loss of 6.5 pounds. This week’s weigh-in followed another Mother’s Day celebration. My hubby, youngest son, and I took my mother-in-law out to lunch at Murphy’s Seafood Restaurant to celebrate Mrs. Billie, and YES, I made another wise choice. I thought this would be harder than last week since my favorite meal and the only one that I order at Murphy’s is Eggplant Sarah (fried eggplant medallions over angel hair pasta topped with crawfish cream sauce). Instead, I ordered Grilled Catfish with a baked Sweet Potato which was quite tasty. I only ate one piece of catfish and my entire sweet potato and saved the other piece of catfish for dinner with veggies on Sunday. Except for this meal, I followed all my guidelines outlined for that day. Planning and moderation working well together.

Kudos to Me for…

• meeting my daily water intake goal.
• meeting my TRF 12:12 goal.
• trying the Blustery Banana Shake. Yummo!
• trying the Knockout Brussels Sprouts. Delicious!
• continuing to eat more veggies.
• meeting my daily exercise goals.
• planning my meals and snacks for the week.
• choosing wisely when eating at a restaurant.

This week, Dr. Ian allowed you to choose your IF schedule, so I went back to the 12:12. It is my last week to report to school before breaking for the summer, and the 12:12 schedule allows me to eat breakfast before leaving for work which is more convenient for me. Since this week is less restrictive, I ordered a Michelle Roll for dinner on Monday evening. It consists of snow crab, crabstick, boiled shrimp, avocado, asparagus, and cucumber wrapped in soybean paper with NO rice. I had a serving of the Knockout Brussels Sprouts left over from Sunday night’s dinner, so I ate that as well.

It’s a good thing that I am in this less restrictive week because I ate out again on Wednesday afternoon to celebrate my friend and co-worker’s retirement with my team. We went to a Mexican restaurant where I consumed a few chips with salsa, a scoop of guacamole, and a shrimp quesadilla. The only stumbling block is I ate the entire quesadilla. I should have eaten half and taken the other half home because I felt a little uncomfortable. Thankfully, we ate earlier in the evening, and I walked when I got home, so by the time I retired for the night, I felt much better. However, I did have a little tummy trouble the next morning. I suspect the salsa may have been the culprit.

Challenges

My only challenge this week is managing my stress. I’ve been a bit overwhelmed at work trying to wrap up my duties before summer break, and feeling a bit overwhelmed at home dealing with my geriatric dog Sophie. She is not sleeping well at night which is causing me to not sleep well. When I’m tired, stressed or feeling overwhelmed, I want to eat all the wrong foods. I have been VERY good and have not caved, but it has not been easy. I keep reminding myself that this is temporary and will pass. I keep reminding myself NOT to undo my progress. I keep reminding myself that the bad food choices will only make me feel better for a moment, and then immediately afterwards, make me feel worse. Therefore, I feel my feelings until the overwhelming moment passes. I’ve also had to take quite a few deep breaths and drink more water.

All in all, dear reader, I am proud of how far I have come on this Fast Burn journey. I am making progress, eating better, and exercising more. I really think being a part of the Facebook Fast Burn community has helped me stay on track. The people in the group, along with Dr. Ian, provide so much valuable information, support, and inspiration. My summer break officially starts this afternoon, so I am looking forward to stepping it up a notch in the exercise department and finishing this challenge on a high note. Happiness!

“At the end of the day, the rule of moderation is still the cord that can tether us to a food life that is well lived and positive, a vital part of who we are.” ~ Ian K. Smith, M.D., Mind Over Weight

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Happy Friday, dear reader! I am currently in Week #4 of the Fast Burn Challenge, and Dr. Ian’s words rang true for me at the start of this week. On Monday morning, I weighed in at 155.5 pounds. I lost another 2.5 pounds with a total loss of 6 pounds since I started the Fast Burn Challenge on 19 April. I am both proud and delighted with my progress, especially since this week’s weigh-in followed Mother’s Day weekend. My hubby and I took my parents out to lunch at Perrin’s Restaurant to celebrate my momma, and I am happy to report that I chose my meal wisely and absolutely enjoyed it. I ordered a Grilled Shrimp Wrap with Sweet Potato Fries. I ate half for lunch and the other half for dinner. Except for this meal, I followed all my guidelines outlined for that day. Planning ahead is the key!

Kudos to Me for…

• meeting my daily water intake goal.
• meeting my TRF 14:10 goal.
• continuing to eat more veggies.
• meeting my daily exercise goals.
• prepping most of my meals and snacks for the week.
• choosing wisely when eating at a restaurant.

One of my favorite meals to eat is a veggie plate with a cup of brown rice. This veggie plate had sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts that I air fried. I sautéed the mushrooms and spinach in olive oil with minced garlic. For the brown rice, I buy a package of Minute Brown Rice that contains two microwaveable cups. Since I do not really enjoy cooking, this is one of the easiest, quickest, and tastiest meals to prepare.

Challenges

So far, I have NOT encountered any challenges this week. On Sunday, I created my weekly schedule which included attending the 8th Grade Graduation at my school on Wednesday night. Next, I scheduled all of my exercise for the week. Then, I planned all of my meals. Afterwards, I made my Burner Smoothies. I already had prepared food in the freezer from last week thanks to my sweet hubby, who also grilled me some carrots and broccoli. It is also terrific that three of the seven days called for plant-based meals. I happen to love salads, so prepping for this week was pretty easy. Again, planning is the key!

My Fast Burn journey continues to not only be exciting, but also enlightening. I am learning new ways to challenge myself physically through exercise. I am learning new ways to properly fuel my body. I am ultimately learning how to transition into a healthier way of living. Furthermore, I am not missing the sugar, processed foods, or that pregnant whale feeling that comes from overeating. Better choices make for a better me. Happiness!

“To keep the body in good health is a duty…otherwise we shall not be able to keep the mind strong and clear.” ~ Buddha

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Happy Friday, dear reader! I am currently in Week #3 of the Fast Burn Challenge, and I am continuing to do well with my diet and fitness goals. On Monday morning, I weighed in at 158 pounds. Although I did not lose any additional weight in Week 2, I did maintain my weight loss from Week 1. I would be remiss if I did not mention that I was a little bit disappointed.

Thankfully on Tuesday, Dr. Ian posted a live video session on the Fast Burn Challenge Facebook page addressing the rate of weight loss. This is what he had to say, “Good weight loss is considered to be anywhere from 1 to 1.5 pounds a week, on average. What does that mean? That means that you may lose 3 pounds one week, 0 pounds the next week, 1 pound the following week, 2 pounds the next week. Your numbers are going to vary from week to week. Most people do not lose consistently for all kinds of reasons. But, we’re taking the average. The average of what you should go for is 1 to 1.5 pounds per week. So, if you look at a four-week average of your weight loss, and it says you lost between 4 and 6 pounds in a month, that is considered to be very good weight loss.” Once I heard that information, I felt much better.

Kudos to Me for…

• meeting my daily water intake goal.
• trying the Honey Glazed Chicken. Delish!
• continuing to eat more veggies.
• meeting my daily exercise goals.
• eating mindfully at my crawfish boil.
• making wise breakfast/lunch choices during Teacher Appreciation Week.

This past Saturday, my hubby boiled crawfish with all the fixins. I had one tray of crawfish with a potato, brussels sprouts, mushrooms, and a piece of sausage. I drank a cup of water before eating and throughout the meal. While I enjoyed my mudbugs immensely, they were salty and had a lingering effect of sodium overload on my body. Mercifully, it was temporary.

Challenges

• Making poor eating decisions due to poor planning and emotions.
• Making the time to plan meals for the upcoming week.
• Changing my TRF to 14:10.

Well, this week I made a poor decision concerning dinner on Monday night. I had prepared salmon for dinner, but did not have time to eat it before my evening activity. When my activity was over, I ate a quick snack (string cheese and 10 pretzels) before riding my bike. I felt it was too late to eat my salmon and veggies, so instead I ate two Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts with a glass of milk. I should have drunk a Burner Smoothie before my activity. Then, on Tuesday afternoon after having a funky day and feeling blue, I consumed six donut holes. Ugh! Of course, it made me feel worse, not better. I need to feel my feelings not eat them.

This past weekend I ran out of time and did not plan my meals for Week 3 as carefully as I did for Week 2. I am definitely a work in progress in this area. Fortunately, I had the staples I needed for my meals and snacks, and my hubby cooked the Honey Glazed Chicken on Sunday. I also prepped my Burner Smoothies for the week. In addition, this happens to be Teacher Appreciation Week, and the Home and School Association provided breakfast and lunch every day. I have been SUPER good all week and only ate the healthy offerings. NO desserts! I made sure to avoid the boardroom and any foods that would tempt me. Out of sight, out of mind!

Lastly, I was supposed to change my IF schedule from 12:12 to 14:10. This means a 14-hour fasting window and a 10-hour feeding window. I was successful Monday-Wednesday, but not Thursday or this morning. Because of my work schedule yesterday and today, I needed to adhere to the 12:12 IF schedule. I should not have any issues on Saturday and Sunday with following TRF 14:10.

In general, I physically and mentally feel better. I continue to do my best which looks different each day. Adding more exercise to my daily walking routine has been nice, and I now look forward to riding my bike throughout the week. I keep reminding myself to enjoy the journey which I am not doing alone. Dr. Ian has created a fabulous community page on Facebook where he gives us lots of tips, support, and encouragement, and we (the challengers) can encourage and support one another. And for that, I am grateful. Happiness!

“At the end of the day, remind yourself that you did the best you could today, and that is good enough.” ~ Lori Deschene

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