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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

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Today is the big day, dear reader! For the next nine weeks, I will be participating in the Fast Burn Challenge with Dr. Ian K. Smith, Shelly, and thousands of other participants. We will be following Smith’s program outlined in his newest book, Fast Burn: The Power of Negative Balance. I will be intermittent fasting for not just one month, but for two months. I will be starting with the 12:12 method (TRF or time-restricted feeding) which means I will be fasting for 12 hours and then have a 12 hour feeding window. There are additional guidelines I will be following along with intemittent fasting.

I have purchased all of my food, planned meals for the week, scheduled my fitness goals, taken my body measurements, and weighed myself. Now, I simply have to make the effort, have a good attitude, and enjoy the journey. It is not just about losing weight. It is about getting healthy again, feeling better, and boosting my confidence.

I am eager to interact with the other participants, try some new recipes, and get back into shape. I am also hoping I will be able to get back to running again. I will update my progress weekly on Fridays with a series called Fast Burn Friday. It will be another way to hold myself accountable. Let the Fast Burn Challenge begin! Happiness!

“The more confident you are in the ability to succeed, the more motivated you will be to stick to your plan and ultimately reach your goals.” ~ Ian K. Smith, M. D.

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June has come and gone, and yesterday America celebrated Independence Day. Due to the impending bad weather and social distancing, I spent the day at home. I walked in the morning, read some, and finally wrapped up answering some questions from Mind Over Weight that I needed to answer before rebooting (again) my exercise/clean eating routine. Needless to say, I was not successful with getting back on track with eating properly or incorporating additional exercise into my daily routine. Clearly, I was not really ready to change my indolent ways. So, since I have now listed all the reasons I want to take this journey, selected some motivational strategies to keep me on track, and created an action plan with some realistic goals, I think (eye roll) I’m ready to take the first step starting tomorrow morning.

I have two main goals:

  • Lose 20 pounds (#5 on my 20 for 2020) by 06 December 2020. I weighed in this morning at 159 pounds. I haven’t lost anything since June 1st, but I also haven’t gained anything.
  • Run a 5K (#20 on my 20 for 2020) by the end of 2020. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has currently halted road races. Therefore, if I cannot actually register to run a race in 2020, I will have to create my own 5K. I ordered new running shoes which should arrive sometime this week. I will start my run/walk program next Monday.

I must think about my future self. Obviously, I am not getting any younger. If I do not commit to a healthier me TODAY, it is evidently not important enough to pursue, and my future self will be the one that suffers when it’s all said and done. If not now, when? Without sounding overly dramatic, the answer is never. I have made the decision that if I cannot change my ways in the health and wellness area of my life at this point in time, then I’m done. I’m tired of talking about it. I’m tired of thinking about it. Frankly, I’m tired of dealing with it.

Additionally, I will be spending the next 30 days breaking up with my phone. A couple of weeks ago, I listened to Episode #6 (“Dial D for Distracted”) of Season 2 of The Happiness Lab podcast. It was an eye-opening conversation between Dr. Laurie Santos and Catherine Price, a science journalist and author of How to Break Up With Your Phone. Yes, I bought the book! Sadly, I am addicted to my phone, and COVID-19 has added fuel to that fire. In order to protect my brain, I must reevaluate the relationship I have with my phone and set some boundaries with it.

The next few weeks of my life should be interesting, dear reader. I’ll be going through withdrawals from sugar, a breakup, and the pain of having a tooth extracted, so approach with caution if you see me in public. I hope my future self appreciates everything that I’m doing for her. Happiness!

“If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? But when I am for myself, then what am “I”? And if not now, when?” ~ Hillel the Elder

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