Setting goals

Sugar fasts, intermittent fasting and 4 Minute Workout

Since the first anniversary of my weight-loss journey, I have added new health goals for the following year. 

If you have read any of the articles pertaining to the first year of my weight-loss, you know that the focus of that year was on reaching my weight-loss goals for each week. Upon reaching those goals, I would reset my goals until I had lost 40 pounds. This weight-loss was achieved without really changing any foods that I was used to eating, including fast food and soft drinks.

Not daring to abandon the course that had proved successful in reaching these goals, I stayed on the "tracking calories track," and added a new goal...clean eating. I started eating organic dairy and meat and reduced fast food to once or twice a month and soft drinks to a few times a year.

The next year I added another mile to my walks, bringing my weekly walking to 20 miles. I also added more organic food and pretty much eliminated any sweets that I didn't make myself, reducing the amount of sugar that went into them.

The next year, I studied the plant-based diets and decided to try an 80/20 plan: 80 percent plant-based and 20 percent meat and dairy. I liked this plan and decided to stay with it. I also added three sugar fasts that year: a 30-day sugar fast, a 10-day and a 7-day. 

When I set my health goals last year, I decided to expand my sugar fasts to five for the year: two 30-day sugar fasts and three 15-day fasts. 

Around the end of 2017, I had read an article about intermittent fasting and decided to incorporate it with my sugar fasts. For the first five days of my first 30-day sugar fast in 2018, I included intermittent fasting. I continued to add intermittent fasting for 3-5 days at a time for the rest of the 30-day sugar fast. I added the intermittent fasting primarily for the health benefits, since I was already maintaining my weight-loss. And since weight can fluctuate a pound or two, especially after celebrations, I knew the sugar fast would easily take off a pound or two. I completed all the sugar fasts I had planned for 2018, and included intermittent fasting in all but the last one. I really like intermittent fasting and may be writing more about it at a later time.

Last fall, I read about a set of exercises that could be done in 4-minute segments three times a day. Called the 4 Minute Workout, the concept of the exercise is promoting muscle growth through the body's use of nitric oxide. At first, I was dubious of some of the claims for these exercises, but after trying them a few times a week, I did begin seeing some results. Since there has to be at least a two- hour break between each set of exercises, it can be tricky to remember to do the next set.

When I set my goals for 2019, I decided to continued the sugar fasts and intermittent fasting, according to the same schedule I followed in 2018, and to add the 4 Minute Workout. My goal is to do three sets a day and gradually increase the reps in each set. Today, I remembered to do all three sets. Yay! Watch the video for the correct form for the exercises and more information about the health benefits from them. 

~~~B~~~

  

Reviewing my sugar fasts and intermittent fasting

As I sat down to summarize my five sugar fasts during 2018, it seemed as though it's been months, rather than six weeks since I finished the last sugar fast. Maybe it's because I've done a lot of baking during the holidays and consumed more sweets than usual, but I'm looking forward to my next sugar fast which is scheduled in a little more than a week. My first sugar fast for this year will be for 30 days.

When I started my first 30-day sugar fast in January 2018, I decided to add several days of intermittent fasting, using the 16/8 eating pattern, which means fasting for 16 hours and eating all meals within an eight-hour period. After reading about the health benefits of intermittent fasting, I decided to try it with sugar fasting.

In addition to the two fasts, I also reduced my daily calorie allowance by 500 calories per day to allow for a one-pound weigh-loss per week. By removing all added sugar from my diet, the daily reduction of 500 calories was more or less a wash, since most desserts and sugar treats amount to as many calories. My scales were showing a weight gain of 3-5 pounds from the Christmas holidays, and I wanted to take those extra pounds off during the fasts.

During the first week of my first 30-day fast, I did the intermittent fasting for five days. The second week, I added three days of intermittent fasting to the sugar fast and continued that pattern for the duration of the sugar fast. I had read that in addition to the health benefits of intermittent fasting, there was also the benefit of a modest weight-loss. At the end of the 30-days, I had lost six pounds. I wasn't sure if the intermittent fasting had contributed to the weight-loss, because I usually lose a few pounds during a sugar fast.

About my sugar fasts...

When I started my weight-loss journey six years ago this month, I intentionally eliminated treats and foods with added sugar for the first eight weeks. I'm so glad I did that. Not only did it free up calories for nutrient-dense foods, but it gave me a benchmark to look back on.

Now when I start a 30-day or 15-day sugar fast, I can always look back and say to myself, "Hey, you have gone eight weeks without treats. You can do this for 30 days or 15 days."

At the beginning of this year, I set goals to do five sugar fasts this year: two 30-day fasts and three 15-day fasts. So far, I have done four of them, leaving only a 15-day fast to complete my goals. For this post, I'm not going into all the health benefits of leaving off sugar for a period of time. I think most of those benefits are well known. But I think the benefits extend beyond even the health aspects.

Each time I complete a fast, I do have a feeling of accomplishment. It may be a small accomplishment, but I still reached a goal. And a little discipline can also extend to other areas. Little goals combined with discipline result in a consistent effort that produces lasting achievements.

As for the benefits I've received from these sugar fasts...well it's my hope and intention they have provided a means to detox some of the environmental stuff.  And for someone like me, who does have a "sweet tooth," it helps to know I can go without my favorite treats for a period of time.  

As a result of these sugar fasts, I am adding a new page with a few recipes for treats made without added sugar.

~B~

Rethinking calorie counting

“Lose five pounds or more in a week. Never count calories again. Eat these foods and drop pounds without dieting. Eliminate these foods from your diet and drop pounds. Get rid of inches with these exercises and don’t worry about the pounds.”

We have all heard the spills from ads for diet program memberships, supplements and exercise programs, all promising great results, while sparing us from the dreaded and detested  calorie-counting.

I bought the memberships for weight-loss programs, fitness center membership and for a while worked out with a personal trainer in a group setting. For all the money and effort, the most I ever lost was 12 pounds, and the longest I ever kept those pounds off was about six months. Within a few weeks, I would reach a plateau, get discouraged and quit.

Counting calories was the last thing I wanted to do, but it was also my last hope in reaching any kind of substantial weight loss and maintaining it. I wanted something slow and sure. I didn't want to do this for a few months and return to old habits. I wanted to establish new habits.

Experimenting with date sugar

 

Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies sweetened with date sugar

At the beginning of a sugar fast, I stay in strict mode and don't even use sugar substitutes, nibbling on a piece of fruit for a bit of sweetness. But by the third or fourth week, I'm thinking of a real treat and usually something chocolate. 

During my last fast, which was 30 days, I was approaching the last week before I gave in to looking for a sugar substitute for a treat. In the past, I've looked at Forks Over Knives recipes for ideas for treats made with sugar substitutes. One of their muffin recipes, in particular, is a favorite of mine.

But I wasn't in the mood to do a lot of chopping and cleaning up from all that. I had been thinking about trying date sugar to see if it worked as well as chopped dates. When I asked the clerk at the health food store the difference between chopping dates and using date sugar, she said the chopped dates probably had more fiber. She did caution me not to use the date sugar in any recipe or drinks, such as coffee, that needed the sugar to liquify. 

I was planning to use the sugar in my favorite FOK muffin recipe, but I was out of several ingredients. Since I didn't want to make another trip back to the store, I wondered if the sugar would work in the Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies, a favorite in my family.

Thankfully, I didn't end up throwing away a recipe with an expensive ingredient...date sugar. Yes, it is a little expensive, and I wouldn't buy it to use on a weekly basis. I thought the cookies turned out pretty good. They were not as sweet as those made with regular sugar, but the unsweetened coconut added a slightly rich layer to the texture. Although coconut is not in the original recipe, my husband I both like coconut, and I sometimes reduce the oats by 1/2 cup and add 1/2 cup coconut.

With this recipe, the unsweetened coconut helped absorb some of the extra moisture of the date sugar. As soon as the mixture began cooking, the date sugar returned to its orignial form as fruit and began thickening quickly. On the fly, I quickly added water to get the mixture to the 3-minute cooking time, constantly stirring and occasionally removing from the heat to prevent scorching. Somewhere between the 2-3 minute mark, I removed the mixture from the heat and stirred in the vanilla, oats and coconut. With a tablespoon, I dropped them on wax paper and waited to see if they would set up.
They did set up nicely, but they are not as firm as the cookies made with regular sugar.

My husband and I both liked the cookies, and between us, we finished the dozen in a few days. Although, they are not as sweet as the orignial recipe, they do have a clean taste. I did make a second batch and noted the amount of water I added when the date sugar began looking fruity and thick. I would definitely make these again.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup date sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 ounces milk (I used whole milk.)
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup coconut, flaked and unsweetened
3/4 cup water

Cooking instructions:
In a heavy pan, melt butter and add milk and cocoa. Stir in date sugar, blending with liquid mixture and cook on medium. As soon as mixture is thoroughly heated and begins thickening, add the water and let the mixture cook for about three minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla, oats and coconut. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto wax paper. Allow cookies a few minutes to set up on the wax paper. Makes about 12 cookies.

Nutritional info:
Serving: 1 cookie
Calories: 120
Total Fat:        5.4 g
   Sat. Fat:       3.7 g
Cholesterol: 5.8 mg
Sodium:       4.1 mg
Total Carbs:   17.5g
         Fiber:      2.1g
         Sugars:    6.5g
Protein:            2.1g

~~~B~~~

Health Goals

It's time for a sugar fast

When I started my weight-loss journey in 2012, I put myself on a sugar fast for the first eight weeks. I'm glad I did that. Since then, I've completed a sugar fast one or more times a year...sometimes for 30 days, sometimes for 7-10 days. Remembering that I've done a sugar fast for eight weeks helps when I start a fast for 30 days.

Most people are aware of the many health benefits obtained from a sugar fast, so I won't delve into that here. A sugar fast is also a great way to kick off a weight-loss plan or to quickly shed a few pounds that have crept back.

When I was setting health and fitness goals for this year, I decided to plan for five sugar fasts throughout the year, beginning with a 30-day fast in January, and later following with three 15-day fasts and an additional 30-day fast, for a total of 105 sugar-free days for the year.

Dates for these fasts have been carefully selected to avoid holidays and family celebrations. For other events, I will just work around those as they come along.

In the days prior to my first 30-day sugar fast, I was actually looking forward to it. I knew that I had overindulged in sweets during the holidays and picked up 3-5 pounds. I was ready to start that first fast in January. I started the fast after my husband's birthday and ended it Valentine's Day.

For the first two weeks of that fast, I planned to exclude all sweets, except fruit. Sometimes during a 30-day fast, I will add treats made from Forks Over Knives recipes, using sugar substitutes during the third and fourth weeks. But it was at the end of the third week for this fast that I made a substitute treat sweetened with dates.

Yesterday was the first day of my second sugar fast, a 15-day fast. Both a 30-day and 15-day fasts are relativity short term goals, but the fullfilment is a super accomplishment when they are over. For this 15-day fast, I have several events to plan around. I plan to bring food that I've made to eat. Not only do I obstain from sugar, but I use these fasts as a time of naturally and gently detoxing from environmental toxins with whole and organic foods.

With a few hundred calories saved each day from not eating sweets, I'm expecting to drop a couple of pounds down to my "crusin' weight." After losing 40 pounds, I weighed 140. During the second year of my weight-loss journey, I dropped another three pounds and weighed 137, which I consider my "crusin' weight." Of course, weight can fluctuate between 2-3 pounds daily. I started this fast at 139, so at the end of two weeks I expect my weight to be 137 pounds.

~~~B~~~

Ginger Cookies

Crunchy on the outside and soft inside

Ahhh!!! Who doesn't love the smell of ginger? Gingerbread cake, pancakes, coffee... the list goes on. For a long time, I've wanted to find a good ginger cookie recipe that doesn't produce rock hard cookies that take so much work to chew and are somewhat perilous to your teeth.

Last summer, I tweaked a ginger cookie recipe and came up with a version that I love. This cookie is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. A combination of four spices leave a lingering aroma of "somethin' lovin' baked in the oven" in your house for a day or two.

The ginger cookies shown here were slightly flattened on the 

baking sheet, resulting in a thinner cookie. Cookies baked in a

round ball will have cracked tops and a thicker texture.

These are the only cookies that I don't freeze. They still taste fresh five days out of the oven, and the flavors seem to enhance a bit more. I just leave them out on the counter and offer them to anyone who drops by the house. If I'm making soup to share with someone, I'll gather up a dozen of these cookies to take along.

And, of course, I have a few of these most mornings with my first cup of coffee.

When I first started making these cookies, I didn't have any molasses and compensated with a bit more (1/4 cup) sugar. I really like making these with brown sugar, but if I'm low or out, the organic cane sugar works fine. Other than the White Lily bread flour, all the ingredients I use are organic. The molasses do add a bit of flavor, but I've found interchanging molasses and brown sugar for plain sugar does not affect the texture.

I'm listing the ingredients from the first batches I made that resulted in the sweetness and texture I love, along with notations for using molasses.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour ( I use White Lily bread flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup sugar (This can be all cane sugar, all brown sugar or 1/2 cup of one and 1/4 cup of another)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
Optional: 2 tablespoons molasses (If I add molasses, I decrease the sugar by 1/4 cup)

Instructions:
Combine flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg in a bowl and set aside. In a larger mixing bowl, beat softened butter and sugar together and add molasses, if using, and egg.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter, sugar and egg mixture. Mix well until all dry ingredients are moist. From the dough, form walnut-sized balls of dough and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

You can leave the dough on the baking sheet in round balls, and the cookies will have the nice cracked tops and will be thicker in texture. Or you can press each ball down slightly for larger and thinner cookies. Both taste wonderful. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes.

This recipe makes 36-40 cookies.

Nutrition info:
Serving: 1 cookie
Calories: 55
Total fat: 2.4g
    Sat fat:1.5 g
Cholesterol:10.3 mg
Sodium: 61.2 mg.
Total carbs: 8 g
     Fiber:  0.1 g
     Sugars: 3.5g
Protein:         1g

~~~B~~~