Debbie Cousins's Journal, 28 March 2021

I envy you your 'movement'. I am having a terrible time with not going. Am hoping my beans help the next few days.  

You've got way more than "book knowledge." My only advice is to ignore "advice" on OMAD or anything else and stick with what you know works - research, study, personal responsibility, action, observation, rinse and repeat. If you can drop 15# in 12 days on your first fast, you can damn sure figure out OMAD. Let's go! #stillgrindtime  

I do 16:8 IF, where I stop eating at 7:30 pm and begin again at 11:30 am. I really enjoy the empowerment it brings - I feel hungry, but I know I'll be just fine until 11:30, so I'm not controlled by the hunger. I do have a single cup of coffee with half a cup of unsweetened almond milk in it in the morning, which may or may not count, but I recognize my very real addiction to coffee and allowing myself that cup makes IF more sustainable for me in the long run. =) Stopping at 7:30 also cuts out mindless evening noshing, which I used to be very prone to doing. I sometimes struggle with staying in my calorie range even with IF, but I've been practicing eating more slowly and mindfully, as it were.  

Oh, I also drink a LOT of water. That helps keep the hunger in check. I've usually had around 60 oz over the course of the morning, before I break my fast.  

just keep moving your doing great increase your workouts by a set or 15 mins and i myself swear by the total gym. i just got a new one as i out grew (weight wise) my old one that i bought at a yard sale for 25 dollars. when i was home and could use it daily 15 or 20 mins per day i saw fantastic results hopefully i can do it again  

@Rckc, I've been adding chia seed and flax seed to my lunchtime salad. They are both high in Omega3 oil, and they're so high in fiber it's pretty much 1 for 1, one carb = one fiber, so it adds nothing to net carbs for the day. Very healthy for most people, and really encourages elimination later. Hemp hearts is another good choice, and then there is Psyllium husks. Good prebiotic and probiotic, so good for gut health. And all can be added to a salad or other foods. A good choice for water soluble fiber is powdered Inulin. It is taste free so you can add it to just about anything with a liquid in it; and I've added it to salad dressing too. Just don't add too much all at once of any new fiber source (and drink lots of water) since too much fiber can have the reverse effect of clogging you up. Add it a bit at a time to become used to it. I would also recommend a Magnesium supplement, if you can take it. If you take it after your dinner meal, or before bed it can help with your sleep too. Again, add it slowly, too much can make you "go" much faster and more than desired.  

I'm doing OMAD through to my dinner meal. Skipping breakfast is easy, I'm never hungry before about 10 am anyway. So, I get to work by about then and just work through lunch until dinner, which I have about 5-6 pm. This works with my hubby's schedule too. (Less conflict with schedules means more success for me.) I'm also eating only protein and fat for that meal. (Last night on my OMAD day I had breakfast sausage, bacon and eggs, and I was down another lb this morning!) Keeps me deeper in ketosis for longer since there are so very few carbs at all to metabolize.  

You do what best works for you - everyone is different. I know you will do well in time.  

@Rckc, lots of good advice about fiber in response to my post. I am also taking a Magnesium supplement, but there was mixed advice about doing it while I was doing the extended fast, so I omitted it. Better safe than sorry. @HCB, thanks for the encouragement. @DLynneGarner, I'll be doing my OMAD on quite a different schedule. I will FINISH eating at 2pm and not start eating again until 3:00pm the next day. 3pm is usually what time we have dinner. Also, thanks for all the great fiber info! Thanks for your vote of confidence @jimmiepop! @she_loves, thanks to the Extended Fast, I've got the water-drinking down pat! Thankfully, that's ALL I'm drinking. No Diet Coke! @Hooligan2, unfortunately exercise is a thing that God has yet inspired me to do, but I PRAY about it every day. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow and going to ask him about prescribing physical therapy again. I never completed it after having my two knee replacements, and I still have difficulty going up and down stairs. Praise the Lord, though, since I've introduced water-drinking and not drinking the inflammatory DC, my knee has been FEELING completely fine (NOT in pain 

IF for me starts whenever I finish dinner, then lasts a minimum of 16 hours. Some days I continue longer ie 17 to occasionally 20. In regards to Magnesium, that has become an important supplement in our home since both of us will have heart palpitations and leg cramps at night without enough, usually about 500mg. Magnesium oxide is the cheapest form and the least absorbed. Most multiple magnesium formulas will have that listed first as the main one. Magnesium citrate is economical at places like SwansonVitamins.com and many people including my husband, use it to help with constipation, from 1 to 3 (133mg) pills a day depending on his "needs" and then fill in with another form if he gets loose. I cannot tolerate the Citrate form because I tend to lean the other way: so I take Magnesium Glycinate, which at Swanson is called Albion Magnesium. But now that I look at that bottle it says it is from bisglycinate but then lists oxide as the first one. Why??? I have taken more expensive forms like Tyrate and really like them but they are too expensive. I also bought a gallon of Magnesium Oil from Swanson and just rub it on my arms or legs. It suggests foot baths but it's too expensive for that. By the way, I will discuss "independence" in my journal in a day or two. Thanks for your support. And you are doing great. I'm 100% for you!  

Thanks all for the advice. I’ve tried lots of the suggestions except inulin and flax seeds. I’ll look into them! 

Proud of you for kicking that diet coke habit, that's a tough one. =)  

Thanks @she_Loves. @Snowwhite100, thanks for the Magnesium lesson! You've got a 

Thanks @she_Loves. @Snowwhite100, thanks for the Magnesium lesson! You've got a lot of smarts! I think the first time I heard about "autophagy" was from you!