Date: 17 June 2018. A Day of
Reckoning (the diet)
© janice142
It all
started out with a realization that I'd gotten fat. Not just a bit
rounded, but genuinely obese. It said so on the
BMI Chart. I weighed
50% more than I had when I was 25 years old, post children. I knew I
was wearing a size Large, but... well, I'm different. Special. And really
the weight didn't look "that" bad. The fault was hammered home by a
Walker Bay dinghy. Here's what happened, and how I have dropped
30-35 pounds over the past year, almost painlessly.
The
awareness that there was a weight issue is as a direct result of a
Walker Bay dinghy. This one:

The dinghy looks innocent, doesn't it? Well it's not. This thing is
a harbinger of doom. Here's why:

The label on the dinghy clearly states a maximum weight limit.
Together my neighbor and I exceeded that limit. After all his talk about "I'll
ride you to shore so you don't have to use your trolling motor" we
looked. I read the label and it said "NOPE!"
That safety label confirmed what I already knew. I was fat. It
wasn't just me. Skipper was tipping the scales at six pounds. She
should weigh 4 pounds. I was above 150, and at 25 had
weighed 103. Ouch.
I am not
tall so weight just sits in the middle of me.

I remember having a waist and I wanted to rediscover
mine. It had to be there somewhere!
No amount of wiggle room would
allow a man and his dog, plus Skipper and I in that dinghy together.

That's
when I commenced a series of diets. I failed at each one. Food is
delicious...
When it comes to restricting types of food or even quantities eaten I
balked. You only live once, I deserve this treat, it's just a little
bit, why not? Believe me, if there was an excuse I made it. To top
that off, I am a midnight grazer. While working (writing) late at
night I would take a multitude of trips to the reefer. And I always
found something to tempt my palate.
I would toast marshmallows over an
Aladdin lamp late at night. Yummy!

Finally the
trip to Disney with my daughter and her family occurred in February
of last year. It was
wonderful. Totally 100% fabulous, and I ate. I let no treat pass me
by. We went to a "drive-in" where I even had a totally scrumptious
chocolate milkshake. Gosh that was good.

When I returned from Disney the scale had nudged past 150. I was 154
pounds. Now at nine months pregnant with Son I was 133 pounds so
this was a truly horrifying moment in time for me. I weighed more
than when I had a complete person inside me. Something had to
change.
|
Six Health
Factors |
|
About this time a neighbor
was having some health issues. His physician said six factors
contribute to a healthy long life. The first two we can do
nothing about. The final four we control.
I
needed to eat properly and exercise too. I don't smoke and
alcohol is not my thing either. |
The factors are: |
#1) Genetics
#2) Age |
#3) Exercise
#4) Diet
#5) Alcohol
#6) Smoking |
|
|
I decided to stop eating at
dark. That was at 7:30 p.m. in February. I consumed nothing after
sunset except tea or coffee. The first night I kept getting up and
heading to the refrigerator. I realized I was NOT HUNGRY. This was a
habit, and a bad one.
That discovery was an
epiphany of sorts. I could change
my routine. By eating less I would naturally lose weight.
In the
meantime Kidlet had also enrolled upon a health regime. Her personal
trainer suggested not eating for three hours prior to bedtime.
Online research pointed toward something called Intermittent
Fasting too.
For every diet
plan there are dozens of others all claiming
outstanding results. I opted to restrict food after dark.
The diet
meant that once the sun set I ate nothing until the following day.

Photo ↑ taken by S/V OreMae of sunset in Key West harbor.
Dusk in
February occurred at 7:30 so I stopped eating then. As summer
approached I did not change my cut-off time. If you would like to
try this diet plan you might pick now as the solstice nears. It is
easiest to start when it's daylight until nearly nine at night. As
the sun sets earlier, stop eating at dusk each day.
The major
problem I had was zero self-restraint. My own habit of snacking all
night was not conducive to losing weight. Eating even healthy items
in excess made me get fatter and fatter. It was quantity as well as
quality.
Repeatedly I went to the refrigerator the first few nights of my
diet. I mean every ten minutes I was up looking for something
to eat. I would head for the reefer out of habit. I was
not even hungry.
I simply
wanted to eat. That realization
was the dawning of a new era for me.
Carrying 50% more weight than I should was not in
line with a long life afloat. So I changed.

The days of eating without conscience or concentration ended.
My meals took on a more
ceremonious status. When I ate I didn't do anything else except
enjoy the experience. I really tasted the food. Flavors became more
important. I would not eat just to eat. I dined, and enjoyed the
process far more than when eating by rote.

Zucchini, turkey sausage and scallions served in an
antique dish found at a Reel Memories in Apalachicola.
I mentioned that wonderful shop in
the
Music aboard Seaweed (Alzheimer's too)
article. Pam's the owner of Reel Memories and she's a gem.
At home, I didn't eat until I was hungry. Often the initial cup or
two of hot tea would carry me until afternoon. Then I would have a
Full Meal. As I started to see progress I paid more attention to
what I was eating. The quantities decreased. Perhaps my stomach was
shrinking.
Whatever it was, I
ate less and less. Also I didn't much care if I finished the food
I'd prepared. I started to listen to my body. When I was full I
tried to stop. I confess this is one place I still could use some
improvement.
So, that's how I've done it.
For me the key was to eat anything I wanted. I did reduce the
quantity however nothing was forbidden.
The only Rule
was to not eat after 7:30 p.m.
This timing thing allowed
success to find me. I'm bouncing between 119 and 122 at present.
Still not where I want to be, but after a year I can say for me this
program of intermittent fasting has worked.
I anticipate
many healthy years aboard my Seaweed. Skipper's lost weight too.
She's at 5 pounds.

Skipper and I both need to lose more. My goal is 111.
Skipper is heading back to four pounds.
Wish us luck, and thanks for reading.
Is there one particular diet plan you've used that
worked?
And, what's your favorite food treat? I like everything, which is the
cause of my weight issues!
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