Intermittent Fasting, NSVs - Long Post

Weigh In yesterday.  162.5.  +.5 since last week.  Eh.  I'm alright with this.  #1:  Didn't drink hardly any water Saturday and Sunday so I know I'm holding on to some.  #2:  Having some BM issues - all I'll say about that.  #3: Food choices have sucked.  Portions OK but choices no bueno.  So there it is.  Not too worried about it.

stolen from another blog

Activity level was really good this weekend and I had a couple NSV's to boot.  Went hiking Saturday, mall walking Sunday and house cleaning on Monday.  When we went hiking Saturday morning, about a gazillion people decided that since it's the first nice weekend we've had in AZ since May (read: not scorching hot), we had to park hell and gone from the trail than we normally would've.  So I decided that the big trail looked to flat, wide and boring so we did a little trail UP the mountain (as opposed to along the wash).  Riiiiiiight.  Well, turns out that once you reach the top, you can either go back down the way you came or keep going looking for another way down.  We decided to keep going...I mean...how far can another way down be?  Riiiiiight.  Read 3 peaks later, we found a VERY step drop down.  With two little girls in tow and a hubby who isn't good with heights, it was certainly an adventure.  I wish I would've taken a camera for some of it.  There were parts we actually had to lower the girls down to Hubby since they couldn't scoot down.  Good times.  They were troopers though.

Here's where the NSV's come in though.  We hiked for 2 1/2 hours, up and down and I actually got winded at times because it was like taking stairs up a mountain.  We get all done and we're taking a little snack and water break before heading back to the car when my girls inform us, in no uncertain terms, that they are NOT walking all the way back to the car.  So I jogged (that's right - jogged...after hiking for 2 hours) back to the car and drove up and got them.  And I wasn't even sore the next day.  I've come such a long freakin' way from this time last year with my fitness level.  It felt so good.

The second NSV happened the next day.  I was wearing one of my Breast Cancer Awareness t-shirts, not so much because October is Breast Cancer Awareness month as they're the only t-shirts I have that still fit.  I bought 4 of them last year for the 3 Day.  I remember my partner and I bought matching t-shirts for the walk and they barely fit me.  I bought the largest size they had and they felt tight.  Now, I'm swimming in them.  I thought they still fit, but honestly they're too big.  Good stuff.  Great reminders of my progress this weekend.

So Intermittent Fasting.  Primal guru Mark Sisson has this to say about Intermittent Fasting:
Sometimes, you should just say no. You’re not gonna starve if you go eight hours without eating. Your body isn’t going to immediately start burning muscle for energy if you don’t get something, anything, into your system (especially junk food). Your muscles won’t deflate if you miss a workout. The gym won’t close, and your weights aren’t going to rust over into obsolescence. You have to say no and be okay with saying it – no guilt involved. Makes sense to me.  We've talked about skipping meals, specifically breakfast, etc. before.  Throughout his blog and website, he talks about the benefits in great detail and leads you to other sites that do as well.  He's a big fan.  He's NOT a big fan of calorie restriction over a long period of time.  A day or two here or there does it.  
And when it comes to working out:  
Skipped Meal = Intermittent Fasting

Skipped Workout = Recovery Day

I'm not saying we can use this as an excuse not to work out but again...a day here and there is important to give your body a chance to rest and catch up with the work you're putting in.  So some benefits (backed up by some research in rats and stuff):

1. Longevity
2. Improved blood lipids
3. Compliance - (Com -what?)  Mark says "The obese (read: the ones who need the most help and often have the worst time sticking to a diet) were able to “quickly adapt” to alternate day modified fasting, which meant on fasting days they’d get 26% of their normal caloric intake. They were also able to maintain physical activity despite the fasting."  Mmmmkay...we'll see about this.
4. Cancer - More from Mark "Calorie restriction is proven to fight cancer cell proliferation in mice, but researchers found that intermittent fasting was just as effective"
5. Growth Hormone
6. Neurological Health - "mice who ate larger meals more infrequently saw greater increases in brain and overall bodily health. Still another study found that IF was beneficial for peripheral nerve function in mice by promoting the maintenance of the neuronal pathways responsible for locomotor performance."  So it's good for your brain.  Cool.
7. Autophagy - I had to look this word up.  I'd never heard it before.  Definition by google - 1. the eating of one’s own body.
   2. the nutrition of the body by its own tissues, as in dieting.  Sounds gross but basically it's like a cleanse and the benefits of this, according to Mark consists of maintaining muscle mass and reduces the negative effects of again.
8. Mental well being and clarity - it's like a "reset" button.

So MandaPanda, are you fasting?  Yep...and not really just for all the reasons above.  I had a "come to Jesus" moment last night and I was scarfing down Jack in the Box and found myself with a very upset tummy later.  There's a reason I wanted to cut out fast food.  Ick.  Here's the other messed up thing.  I made dinner for the girls last night.  They had homemade cheese crisps, sliced ham and carrots.  Why didn't I just eat that?  Since I hadn't cooked, I have no left overs to bring for lunch today but since I still feel kind of gross anyway, I'm skipping some food.  Give my body a chance to "reset."  So no breakfast or lunch for me and we'll see about dinner.  Really this is no different than that 5 day pouch test, only it doesn't go as long.  So there ya have it.  This will also allow me to rehydrate properly since I did such a poor job of it over the weekend.  Happy Tuesday!