And Another One
So, some observations about 16:8 intermittent fasting:
1. Thyroid. TSH below 5 is normal. They don't necessarily treat until you hit 10. Mine was 6 or 7 when I started Synthroid. My puffy face got better, some weird aches and pains and itching (especially areas with hair, for whatever reason) eventually resolved. But in spite of a steadily increasing dose my TSH seemed to be rising too. My endo tells me hypothyroidism is a progressive disease, so okay. I was futzing around the 5-6 range. Started intermittent fasting, what is it? Two weeks ago? Had some frequent waking and other weirdness and asked for a TSH. I was 0.6. The doctor was happy with that, but I don't like feeling so revved, so we agreed I will back it off a little, dropping one pill q 2 weeks (or maybe 1 week) and recheck. Did I heal my gut? Is leaky gut A Thing? I'm starting to think so. Maybe just the longer faster period meant I absorbed the med better.
2. Hot flashes dropped off dramatically. I only get them at night and only once or twice, and I DO sleep with the Human Torch. I've tapered off the black cohosh. We shall see.
3. Weird aches. My hips, right worse than left. Worse at night, better when I get up and move. It was bad a few days ago. Getting better. Thyroid? Old age? My weeny version of fasting? This is also apparently a thing (I Googled it), described even in 100 year old literature. Apparently it gets better. My favorite theory I came across is that your body, freed from constant digestion, has to find other things to do, so it decides to work on old injuries and get them cleaned out. Sounds dubious, doesn't it? But I like it, so I'm going with it.
4. Smaller but no real weight loss. My pants are looser. It's weird. Don't know what to tell you about that.
5. BP is highish. 130/80. Usually it drops when I exercise as I have been doing (just swimming/water jogging and occasional Zumba). Age? Fasting? ??
6. Get very tired and sleepy after eating, especially lunch.
7. Lower tummy dwindling. Clearly my system's favorite place to pull from when a snack is needed. Again, not quite the usual pattern.
8. I've been tracking calories out of curiosity. Easier when you eat only 2 times. I stay under 2000 without much difficulty-- I don't think I broke 1500 today. Normally 1500 calories would be very difficult for me but that was all I wanted, if you don't count wanting breakfast which I didn't eat.
But it was a mild want, not that urgent desperate feeling I used to get. Of course I don't want a slower metabolism from Biggest Loser style restriction, but I feel fine and fewer calories are supposed to be good for you. Less oxidative stress, whatever that is. Sounds like rusting, doesn't it?
9. Steel cut oats are the bomb. I don't know why it took me this long. You make up a bunch and heat them up later. With a little cookie butter, it's a happy happy thing. Plus they keep you full forever.
10. Out of interest to no one but me, I had brunch at 11:15-- smoothie made with coconut drink from Trader Joe's, frozen fruit, and apple, a leftover pork chop, and steelcut oats with cookie butter and pecans. (OK, I eat weird things.) Dinner at 6 was a plate of beef stew and 2 figs. I wasn't even particularly hungry for it. Weird.
11. I should care more about my weight. I am still very close to obese by the charts. But I feel fine, I think I look all right. I would love to lose 30 pounds but I'm not in a hurry or terribly worried about it. I'll try to write more about fitness because I don't have anything dramatic to share on the weight loss front.
12. Which brings me to current fitness regime, which is a weeny 2 or 3 times a week of swimming/water exercise for 30 minutes, and maybe one Zumba class a week. Still doing my 1 Sun Salutation with 30 second plank every day.
And that's the news, folks.
1. Thyroid. TSH below 5 is normal. They don't necessarily treat until you hit 10. Mine was 6 or 7 when I started Synthroid. My puffy face got better, some weird aches and pains and itching (especially areas with hair, for whatever reason) eventually resolved. But in spite of a steadily increasing dose my TSH seemed to be rising too. My endo tells me hypothyroidism is a progressive disease, so okay. I was futzing around the 5-6 range. Started intermittent fasting, what is it? Two weeks ago? Had some frequent waking and other weirdness and asked for a TSH. I was 0.6. The doctor was happy with that, but I don't like feeling so revved, so we agreed I will back it off a little, dropping one pill q 2 weeks (or maybe 1 week) and recheck. Did I heal my gut? Is leaky gut A Thing? I'm starting to think so. Maybe just the longer faster period meant I absorbed the med better.
2. Hot flashes dropped off dramatically. I only get them at night and only once or twice, and I DO sleep with the Human Torch. I've tapered off the black cohosh. We shall see.
3. Weird aches. My hips, right worse than left. Worse at night, better when I get up and move. It was bad a few days ago. Getting better. Thyroid? Old age? My weeny version of fasting? This is also apparently a thing (I Googled it), described even in 100 year old literature. Apparently it gets better. My favorite theory I came across is that your body, freed from constant digestion, has to find other things to do, so it decides to work on old injuries and get them cleaned out. Sounds dubious, doesn't it? But I like it, so I'm going with it.
4. Smaller but no real weight loss. My pants are looser. It's weird. Don't know what to tell you about that.
5. BP is highish. 130/80. Usually it drops when I exercise as I have been doing (just swimming/water jogging and occasional Zumba). Age? Fasting? ??
6. Get very tired and sleepy after eating, especially lunch.
7. Lower tummy dwindling. Clearly my system's favorite place to pull from when a snack is needed. Again, not quite the usual pattern.
8. I've been tracking calories out of curiosity. Easier when you eat only 2 times. I stay under 2000 without much difficulty-- I don't think I broke 1500 today. Normally 1500 calories would be very difficult for me but that was all I wanted, if you don't count wanting breakfast which I didn't eat.
But it was a mild want, not that urgent desperate feeling I used to get. Of course I don't want a slower metabolism from Biggest Loser style restriction, but I feel fine and fewer calories are supposed to be good for you. Less oxidative stress, whatever that is. Sounds like rusting, doesn't it?
9. Steel cut oats are the bomb. I don't know why it took me this long. You make up a bunch and heat them up later. With a little cookie butter, it's a happy happy thing. Plus they keep you full forever.
10. Out of interest to no one but me, I had brunch at 11:15-- smoothie made with coconut drink from Trader Joe's, frozen fruit, and apple, a leftover pork chop, and steelcut oats with cookie butter and pecans. (OK, I eat weird things.) Dinner at 6 was a plate of beef stew and 2 figs. I wasn't even particularly hungry for it. Weird.
11. I should care more about my weight. I am still very close to obese by the charts. But I feel fine, I think I look all right. I would love to lose 30 pounds but I'm not in a hurry or terribly worried about it. I'll try to write more about fitness because I don't have anything dramatic to share on the weight loss front.
12. Which brings me to current fitness regime, which is a weeny 2 or 3 times a week of swimming/water exercise for 30 minutes, and maybe one Zumba class a week. Still doing my 1 Sun Salutation with 30 second plank every day.
And that's the news, folks.
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