Thoughts on Becoming a Fungonian

Prologue…

What led me to consider becoming a Fungonian?  It was one part disgust, and one part desire.  I was disgusted by my weight, my looks, and my disastrous addiction to sugar.  The desire was simple– I want to live a few more years so I can watch my grandson J.D. grow up some more. I want to be in good enough health to play with him, and hopefully take him camping and exploring.  I also hope to live long enough to see my other grandchildren, Holt, Lucy, Charlie, and Larz. I only have four more years before Holt turns 18.  Additionally, I was shocked and dismayed when I recently tried on my hiking pants and couldn’t fit into a single pair.  I have a trip to Costa Rica that is set to begin on February 2, 2023, so I desperately wanted to lose some weight before that trip so I could fit into my hiking clothes.  So what to do?  For years  I have dieted (and felt miserable and deprived doing it), lost weight, then gained it right back (usually plus some!) in short order.  I knew something had to change, but I didn’t know what that change should be or how to accomplish it.

The Beginning…  

I knew from past experience that if I cut out sugar and complex carbs, I would lose weight.  I called it “the straight and narrow”.  No cokes, no diet drinks, nothing with sugar, no bread, pasta, etc., etc.  So on December 3, 2022, I got on the straight and narrow and attempted to lose some weight by cleaning up my diet and doing some walking each day.

BEGINNING WEIGHT:  203.2  (12-3-2022)

I started by eating what I call my “Standard Diet”, as follows:
Breakfast:  2 oz baked Salmon, 1/2 avocado, 1/4 cup blueberries
Lunch: Salad with baby spinach, boiled egg, grilled chicken, basalmic vinegar, olive oil, walnuts
Dinner:  6 oz baked Salmon, steamed broccoli

My Introduction To Dr. Fung…

That first week of cleaning up my diet was typical–  after cutting out the sugar and snacks, I experienced slight headaches and troublesome hunger pains (all I had to do was drive by a Dairy Queen, a Kolache Shop, or a hamburger or pizza joint).  My blood pressure remained slightly elevated, despite taking medication twice a day.  But, my weight began to drop. Just a couple of days after beginning to diet, I was listening to the Michael Berry Show on KTRH Houston, AM 740, as I do most mornings. I had heard him mention that his weight was down to what he weighed in high school and that he felt great.  He also briefly mentioned “Dr. Fung” and “OMAD”.  So I googled Dr. Fung, and immediately ordered his book Life in the Fasting Lane, which arrived the next day.  I read it in one sitting, and was intrigued.  I don’t profess to entirely understand everything he set out in the book (like the explanation of hormones and metabolism), but I decided to give it a try.  I also joined a Facebook group (“Obesity Code Diet (Dr. Jason Fung)”) and was immediately encouraged by the posts that I saw there.  At first, it was almost like reading a foreign language, since I was unfamiliar with the acronyms used by the fasting community.  Here are a few of the most commonly used ones:

ADF – alternate day fasting
IF – intermittent fasting
OMAD – one meal a day
EF – extended fasting
NSV – non scale victories
23:1 – one meal a day (OMAD)
BMI – body mass index
BMR – basal metabolic rate
CW – current weight
GW – goal weight
SW – starting weight
UGW -ultimate goal weight
LC – low carb
LCHF – low carb high fat
SF – sugar free
TWL -total weight loss

So, armed with some basic knowledge and a guarded enthusiasm, I set out to explore this brave new world of fasting. 

My First Fast….

I did my first 24 hour fast on Thursday, December 8, 2022.  My last meal was the night before, when I had baked salmon and steamed broccoli.  So I fasted until dinner the next day, a simple 24 hour fast.  The morning of December 8 I weighed 197, so I had already lost over six pounds, just by cutting out snacks, sugars, carbs, and diet drinks. 

Expanding My Fasting Horizons…

On Saturday, December 10, 2022, I weighed 193.8 and began a 60 hour fast–  I ate dinner on Friday night, and did not eat again until Monday morning at breakfast.  On that Monday morning (December 12, 2022) I weighed 189.8.  The claims in Dr. Fung’s book seemed to be true…while fasting I felt fine, and was not plagued with ravenous hunger pangs.  I made it through with no problems.  I was on my way! 

Settling Into An OMAD Routine Over the Holidays…

As the Christmas Holidays approached I settled into an OMAD routine, that saw my weight dropping steadily and several NSVs.  My waistline was decreasing, as was my blood pressure, while my energy levels and general feelings of well being were increasing.  I occasionally skipped supper, resulting in a 48 hour fast (December 22-23, 2022).  On Christmas Eve I weighed 186, a total weight loss of 17.2 pounds.  My blood pressure that morning was 104/63, and I was able to fit into my old jeans and hiking pants once again.  What a great Christmas present for this old man!

Starting Off The New Year Right…

I ate lunch on New Years Day, then fasted for 54 hours, breaking my fast with dinner on January 3, 2023.  I weighed 180.4 that morning and my blood pressure was 105/63.  It was about this time that I read a suggestion  on the Facebook support page that if you did a straight OMAD, you body would adjust (adversely) and began to slow your BMR in anticipation of that nightly meal.  Sounded logical to me, so I found a fasting schedule (which I call a deviated OMAD) that went Lunch, Dinner, Lunch, Dinner, etc, etc.  By Sunday, January 8, 2023, my weight was 179.6.  I was delighted to have dropped below 180!

My First Extended Fast…

As I headed toward the middle of January, my weight loss had slowed, but I was feeling great, and those hard to lose fat areas on my body were slowly beginning to melt away a little.  I was so proud of myself for making it through the Christmas Holidays without deviating from my clean eating habits and my fasting schedules.  On January 13, 2023, I took a little trip to Harlingen, Texas, and the Rio Grande Valley, to take a good friend’s grandson to lunch and to do some bird watching.   Typically on long car rides, I would snack.  Typically on trips, I would over indulge at mealtimes.  But not this trip.  Again, I was very proud of myself. 

After dinner on Sunday, January 15, 2023, I decided that I would fast the next day.  At the end of Monday, January 16, 2023, I had only had one cup of black coffee and water the whole day, and was feeling good.  I decided to extend the fast.  At the end of Tuesday, January 17, 2023, ditto.  Wednesday, January 18, 2023 I decided I might as well turn it into my first 5 day fast.  

So, as I write this blog post, it is Friday morning, January 20, 2023.  This morning I weighed 173.2 pounds and my blood pressure was 92/58 (a little low, I need to check with my doctor about discontinuing my medication!).   The last time I ate was the previous Sunday at dinner.  Each day I have had nothing but black coffee and water, with some electrolyte drops.  I feel great.  I have walked two times each day this week.  I walk for thirty minutes first thing each morning (indoors, inside my home) for about 1.35 miles.  Later in the day I have walked at a local park that has some modest elevation changes (enough to get my heart rate up!) for at least two miles, sometimes more.  I have a grass fed sirloin strip in the fridge, along with some organic brussels spouts and broccoli– it is going to be a wonderful supper feast tonight.  As a breaking fast appetizer I plan to have a few cucumber slices with a dab of hummus.  I can’t wait!

What Lies Ahead?

I want to get rid of my “love handles” and any remaining bulges of fat on my body, and, in the process find my set weight.  I have an upcoming challenge–  On February 2, 2023, I leave for a two week trip to Costa Rica.  I will spend a couple of days on my own, visiting some archaeological sites near San Jose.  I will then meet up with a guide and a small group for some birdwatching.  We will travel for ten days all over Costa Rica, exploring different ecozones and looking for birds and other wildlife.  My challenge will be to stick to my intermittent fasting schedule and to not eat anything unhealthy when I do eat.  I am confident that I am up to the challenge.  Stay tuned to this blog, as I will periodically update my progress, as I trudge along the Fasting Lane!

RECAP:

SW –  203.2  (December 3, 2022)

CW –  173.2  (January20, 2023)

TWL-  30 pounds

FASTING REGIMEN- DEVIATED OMAD, WITH OCCASIONAL EFs

An Update, Post Costa Rica

I returned from my Costa Rican trip and was elated and encouraged to find that I had lost weight, far surpassing my goal of just not gaining any weight.  This morning I was working on my Costa Rican Blog Post and I included a blurb about my eating while on the trip.  Here is what I wrote on the blog, which kind of brings my efforts at EF up to date:

“A SIDENOTE ABOUT MY DIET WHILE IN COSTA RICA

In early December, 2022, as I was looking ahead and preparing for this trip to Costa Rica, I realized I couldn’t fit into many of the clothes I had planned to wear.  So I cleaned up my diet, cutting out all sugar and most carbs.  About a week into this process, I heard my homeboy Michael Berry mention Dr. Andrew Fung.  I ordered his book Life in The Fasting Lane, and in short order embarked on a regimen of intermittent fasting.  It has changed the life of this sugar addict.  Prior to leaving for Costa Rica, I had settled into a fasting routine that I call “a 32/16 deviated OMAD”.  I was eating one meal a day, alternating between lunch and dinner.  On December 3, 2022 (when I began tracking my weight), I weighed 203 pounds.  On February 2, 2023 (the day I departed for Costa Rica), I weighed 172 pounds, a loss of 31 pounds.  My goal for Costa Rica was to enjoy local cuisine, but not gain any weight.  I decided to do a straight OMAD (one meal a day), eating only dinner each day.  The day I got home I stepped on the scale, and, to my surprise, I weighed 162 pounds.  I had lost ten more pounds!  Since my return, I seem to have settled in at 165, and I am feeling great at that weight.  I am committed to this change in my diet and eating habits, and am motivated by my upcoming (August, 2023) trip to Brazil.  For more details about my fasting adventures, take a look at my blog entitled “Thoughts On Becoming A Fungonian”.”

So I seem to have settled in at about 165, and am currently doing a standard OMAD.  I still have some small “love handles”, but it appears to me that they are melting away, albeit very slowly.  I am fine with that, and hopeful that some light weight lifting will replace that last remaining bit of fat with a little bit of muscle.  We shall see.  I have also noticed a couple of NSVs, as follows:  First, as I have lost weight my prostate symptoms (BPH) have gotten markedly better, which is fantastic for me.  On my Costa Rican trip, my bladder was not a problem or a factor, day or night.  I am very grateful for that!  Second, I have suffered from Tinnitus for the last several years.  In the last 2 years it has steadily gotten worse.  The other day I realized it has lessened a bit.  Coincidence?  I think not, but we shall see.

Well, that is about all this Fungonian has for now, but I will keep you posted.  Hope your 2023 is off to a great start!