Update #1: Intermittent Fasting is Working?

Of course it is working!

This morning I weighed in at 146.2.  My measurements as of September 12, 2015 around my waist were:

30"   upper
30"   waist
33.5" lower

As of this morning, September 24, 2015

29.5"    upper
29.5" waist
33"    lower

So that is a total of a half inch apiece off each!  So yeah, I'm doing the happy dance.

Intermittent fasting is a bear!  The hunger pangs are getting easier to bear.  It hasn't even been two weeks yet...if they are still around at four weeks, then I'll get concerned.  

So, long and short of it...it works!

My freshman year in college my waist was 27-28 inches.  My hips were 38 inches...They are 41 inches now and I'd rather keep them that way.  I would love to have my waist back down to 28.  

The downside to this losing weight is the deflated wrinkly look my abs are getting.  This developed after my last pregnancy...I thought gaining a bit in the stomach would "fill out" the look and look better.  This was true BUT the filling out involves gaining unpleasant, unhealthy fat.  With the added diastasis recti, I was just in dire straits.  I'll live/deal with it.  Flat abs are flat abs...I can always do exercises to help with the excess skin, right?  Hopefully I'm still young enough for the bounce back.

I'll probably update in a week...as you can see a lot can change in just one week or so.  Looking forward to it.

Back on the Horn and Intermittent Fasting

On my last update, my fitness endeavors had taken a turn for the better.  My arm was healed so to speak and I was looking forward to exercising again.  Well the second week of May is when I began at a frumpy 161 pounds, 5'3".  I only did exercises from the book that will continue to be unnamed for the time being.  I went a month and a half of doing those exercises.  The results?

I lost 2 inches off my waist, an inch off my upper abs, two inches off my lower abs, an inch off my left arm, an inch off my hips and a half inch off my left thigh as well as 12 pounds.  This also came with clean eating and intermittent fasting of course.  I was ecstatic.  Around mid July, I began incorporating weights starting with five pounds on my recovering arm and ten on my good arm.  I couldn't do squats because I had not developed the range of motion to hold the weight on my shoulders yet.

Fast forward two months.  I weigh 147 pounds solid.  I finally developed the range of motion to do squats and began doing them towards the end of August.  I think I have caught up with my previous numbers!  Here are my counts from April 30, 2014 (total 56 squats).

Wednesday, April 30th lifts in SQUATS:

1 set of 12 @ 45
1 set of 10 @ 45
1 set of 10 @ 55
2 sets of 10 @ 75
1 set of 4 @ 95

Here are my counts now:

Lifts in SQUATS as of September 16, 2015:

1 set of 20 @ 45
2 sets of 15 @ 55
1 set of 15 @ 65
1 set of 10 @ 75
Then I pyramid it back to 45 like so:
1 set of 10 @ 65
1 sets of 15 @ 55
1 set of 20 @ 45

This is a total of 120 squats!  I think I can still get away with 95, BUT I don't have a spotter so I'm not going to take a chance.  The weight isn't half as heavy as it felt back in 2014.  I'm much stronger even though I had a 7 month injury hiatus.

I'm back to benching as well.  I'm up to 15 pounds for curls/hammers now and the 40 pound barbell which is where I was before I got injured.  I'm benching sets of 65 pounds.  I bounced back in three months!

 

I reached my goal weight several weeks ago and initially (despite still having some belly fat) did not want to go any smaller.  I have found I would prefer the aesthetic of a flatter tummy rather than merely an illusion of one.  So after several weeks of omitting intermittent fasting with the intent of maintaining my goal weight (it worked), I am back on the horn.  I want to lose 10-15 pounds.  My goal weight is 148.  I'm 147 pounds.  I still have a good half inch of fat (about 1 inch on my lower abs) covering my stomach that I am no longer content with.  My stomach "appears" flat but is not.  The fat must die!  I want to get down to 135 and then gain 10 pounds back in muscle mass, a difficult feat for women but doable with the right amount of discipline and work ethic.

When I went off of intermittent fasting, I also upped my calorie intake to match my revved up metabolism.  Then I started getting sloppy and eating badly.  My boss bought apple fritters to work one day, and it was over for me.  I had one (sometimes two) every day for the next week before finally putting my foot down and jumping back on the intermittent fasting wagon.

Intermittent fasting is one of those things that always gets people talking, usually about erroneous facts and such.  Everyone becomes a medical professional when it comes to the issue of fasting for any period of time.

After doing intermittent fasting consistently from January 2014 to present here are some things I know for sure:

You are not starving yourself.

This is a biggie.  Apparently your body will begin to eat on your muscle mass because you are depriving it of the nutrients it needs to survive.  Most people "fast" overnight...that's why breakfast consists of "break" and "fast," you are breaking your nightly fast.  This generally makes folks pause and think a little.  That's usually at least a 12 hour fast sometimes for folks depending on how late they eat and intermittent fasting is on 16 hour intervals.  C'est la vie.

You WILL lose weight.

Apparently your body will store fat if you don't eat.  This is not a myth but a fact. The thing is you will have to not eat for quite awhile before  your body begins this process of thinking that it is starving.  16 hours is not long enough to make your body think it isn't going to ever get food again and needs to start reserving fat pockets.  On the contrary, short term (up to three days even) fasting can actually boost your metabolism by forcing your body to use its own energy reserves (your fat) for energy while fasting.  Burning calories this way instead of just from food throughout the day will obviously contribute to weight loss.

Your body will also release key fat burning hormones in your body during the fasting period.  One of the number one hormones is the human growth hormone which plays a vital role in turning your body's fat into energy you need to get through your day.  Having issues with insulin?  Intermittent fasting can help regulate your insulin levels and keep them low and steady.  Diet also plays a key role.  Whether you choose to do an intermittent fasting routine or a regular nutritional change, eliminating processed carbs (bread, rice, pasta) and simple sugars (cookies, pastries, candy, soda, etc.) can only help you in your weight loss endeavors.

Skipping breakfast is okay.

Facebook doctor:  Skipping breakfast is unhealthy and a diet sabotager.
Me:  Erhm...uh...hmm...no.

I say do whatever works for you.  I lost weight (and continue to lose) weight, and I haven't eaten breakfast in years.  I HATE, I mean absolutely HATE waking up hungry.  I HATE being hungry in the mornings.  I HATE IT!  Seriously.  So, my eating window is between 11 am and 7 pm.  In the beginning this was rough.  I suffered hunger headaches (my blood sugar was all out of wack) and dizzy spells for a few days as I got used to this, but it was all worth it.  I rarely feel hungry these days and NEVER feel hungry in the mornings.  I work out in the mornings and the only thing I crave is water.  I know some folks like to harp on pre workout and post workout meals.  Not I.  I eat nothing before because I get nauseous during the workout, and I eat nothing afterwards as I get nauseous then as well.  Again, I say do whatever works for you.

I have found that I feel hunger pangs and sweet cravings less and less, actually very rarely these days and I contribute that to intermittent fasting.  Probably something about those fat-reducing hormones.

I've been back to intermittent fasting for 6 days now and have already noticed a difference.  My ab area has shrunk, probably due to the fact that I'm not retaining water presently by eating all those unhealthy processed carbs and junk food (Utz potato chips are the devil!).  I feel better (after I got over the initial headaches from stopping most of my carb intake cold turkey).  I also reduced my overall calorie intake...not necessary (I stopped intermittent fasting initially because I was gorging on junk and STILL losing weight lol) but I figured I would get results faster.  I am avoiding the scale and measuring tape until next Saturday, September 26th.  My fingers are crossed.

Happy Belated New Year

So here it is.  April.  The end of April to be more exact.  New Year's resolutions were made.  Progress logged and yet no updates here.  

So here was my last update:

*     My weight has stayed stable.  I've given up my powerlifting aspirations for now due to laziness and injury...mostly injury.  I recently dislocated/jolted my left shoulder/arm so that has to heal before I even think about whether or not I'll pursue powerlifting seriously again.
*     I am going to be in the Rosewood Arts Festival (yay!).  I'm still prepping my work.  Stay tuned for updates.
*     Dark Soul's Flight finally got framed!  I'm entering it into the SC State Fair this year (professional division).  She's beautiful too :-).
*     I am now teaching acrylic painting classes locally.  Here are pictures from my very first class:

Here is my most recent update:

*     I gained 10 pounds.  Well, 6 pounds water weight, 4 pounds actual weight to be more exact.  My arm really took the wind out of my sails.  I didn't actually "dislocate" my shoulder, I "subluxed" it apparently.  I attempted physical therapy...after my sister talked me into going to the doctor for it in late October because the swelling wouldn't subside.  Got an MRI.  No major damage.  Just limited range of motion and a constant dull ache and many uncomfortable nights.

So last Friday I pick up a book which shall remain unnamed for the time being and decided to start doing some exercises out of it.  It was specifically for the stomach but the first exercise was an underarm tightener.  It hurt like the devil to do it.  I made it through 3 out of the 25 reps I was supposed to do before the excruciating pain emanating from my shoulder reduced me to breathless tears.  I didn't even bother with the other exercises.  On my way to work later, I realized my shoulder wasn't hurting.  I called my husband to let him know.  It was the FIRST TIME since September 6th I didn't feel any pain (without the help of painkillers).  So he's like, maybe that exercise put it back in place.  Try moving it up.  Now when I said I had NO range of motion....zero, zilch, nada.  Nothing.  I could raise my arm almost to shoulder level.  Past that and it felt like gravity had turned palpable and was punishing me for being caught in its pressurized clutches.  Forcing the issue only lead to stabbing pain and swelling.  Imagine my surprise when I lifted my arm and it went all the way up with no resistance!  I was all like (see below):

Image via Sean Cunningham 

I started bouncing around and cheering...almost ran off the road to boot so had to calm myself down until I got to work to test it for sure.  I have about 90% of my range of motion back and I couldn't be happier.  The best part of all is there's NO PAIN.  None!  I don't wake up with a terrible stiff, uncomfortable pain any more.  Life is wonderful.

So now that my arm was back in order, I realized something.  Seven months of being unable to use it had taken its toll.  Fat deposits were clearly visible when compared to my still strong right arm and all muscle definition was lost.  My husband is working on a fitness plan to help me strengthen and trim it down.  Obviously I have to wait at least two weeks before being able to truly make a determination about my arm but so far so good.

*     The Rosewood Arts Festival was a success.  Nothing more to really add to that I suppose.  Oh yeah, I participated in an auction event called "Postcard Art for Africa" back in February.  A lady had seen me at the Festival and wanted to know if I wanted to donate some pieces for this event.  Naturally, of course I did.

Village Girl, Oil on Canvas, 5 x 7 inches

Untitled, Oil on Canvas, 4 x 6 inches

I donated these two pieces.  According to the organizer, they flew off the walls within the first five minutes.

I published artwork.  Yes, Dark Soul's Flight was published in Pocketful Illustration Magazine Issue 11 in January 2015.  Unfortunately she did not place at all in the state fair.  What was interesting is when I was coming to get her, everyone had assumed I did place in the fair and were all surprised that I hadn't.  No one was more surprised than me but I didn't feel bad.  The guy who won multiple prizes last year, including tops in my category didn't place with anything this year so, I suppose it is just the luck of the draw.  One person was judging over 3000 entries.  I really didn't feel bad when I learned that.

*     I am now managing a mobile art studio, The Moya Art Studio, and doing acrylic painting parties on the go!

 Bachelorette/Bridal Parties are by far the most eventful (and fun).

I go to the location and set up everything from table coverings to easels/paints/canvases.








Kids parties are the absolute best!  It is great for birthdays and so far is the most popular option.  I love working with kids.  They absolutely love playing with paint.









I love it to say the very least.  Here are some pictures from a recent party I did at a local racquet club.

The Beach Entrance is what we were painting...this was the goal.

The setup...and yest we provide the aprons too!

Great job!

Everyone's painting always looks so different!

Awesome!

 That concludes the update of my last update.  Now what's brewing?

I am participating in an art show that opens tomorrow called Selfies, Real or Imagined:  An Exhibition of Visual and Literary Art.  I entered for both.  All five of my pieces were accepted for art and all five were rejected for the literary portion so I guess not everyone appreciates my writing (lol).  The reception is tomorrow and I am definitely going to be there.

Here are the pieces I entered:

Two are 5x5 inches, oil on board and three are 6x6 inches, oil on canvas.  Mini beauties.


On the working out front, I've been slack.  My hubby's been so busy in the mornings it has cut into workout time, and I haven't made any additional efforts otherwise.   My arm being indisposed had a lot to do with it but that's no excuse for my diet.  My diet went straight to hay and while I have been loving all the sweet stuff, my gut and butt are crying for a reprieve.  Like I said I only gained four real pounds but I still have to work it off now.  I began intermittent fasting again last Friday.  I'm down three pounds of water weight so far (starting weight 159, now 156).  I went to the gym on Saturday morning (see I can make time)...no idea when I'm going to get there again.

So this is a crafting/fiber arts blog.  I have updates coming soon!

That's all for now, so until next time:

icanhascheezburger.com

Long Time No Blog

It's been FOREVER!  A lot has happened since May so I'll update in list format:

*     My weight has stayed stable.  I've given up my powerlifting aspirations for now due to laziness and injury...mostly injury.  I recently dislocated/jolted my left shoulder/arm so that has to heal before I even think about whether or not I'll pursue powerlifting seriously again.

*     I am going to be in the Rosewood Arts Festival (yay!).  I'm still prepping my work.  Stay tuned for updates.

*     Dark Soul's Flight finally got framed!  I'm entering it into the SC State Fair this year (professional division).  She's beautiful too :-).

*     I am now teaching acrylic painting classes locally.  Here are pictures from my very first class:

 The demo (left) and my piece (right).  I deviated a little bit because if you're going to do color...do color!  Also clouds are loads of fun.  Seriously.  They really are.

 One of the attendees...she surprised herself!

The class portrait.  Just half as some had left already and some weren't confident in their piece (although everyone's ended up looking great!)

I call this a very successful first class!

*     I picked up a part time job as an education coordinator at a local arts and crafts store.  My job is to hire/train instructors primarily but also includes other store f unctions such as cashiering, stocking, and creating displays.  PLUS I get a great employee discount.  Dream. Part-Time. Job.

This is about the gist of it.  I'm busy prepping for the arts festival...10 MORE DAYS! Yikes!

I'll try to update more often.  Lots of stuff happen in absentia, no?

My Various Interests Converge...

Okay, so my ultimate goal is to compete in a powerlifting meet in the 148 pound weight class.  I am much closer to meeting that goal than I anticipated.

Wednesday, April 30th lifts in SQUATS:

1 set of 12 @ 45
1 set of 10 @ 45
1 set of 10 @ 55
2 sets of 10 @ 75
1 set of 4 @ 95

Today was an off day for benching.  My shoulder was just too gimpy.  I couldn't even do a simple lat press.

Oh, well.

Progress!  Oh, yes, how far I've come from when I first started working out in October until now.  SIX WHOLE MONTHS.  My girls are freaking out saying that I'm trying to be a "fashionista."  No...can't blame me for wanting to look nice sometimes.  Usually I prefer sneakers and sweats, even now as I'd rather be comfortable than turn heads but I change it up every so often.  Those squats are doing a body right though!  Give or take five pounds, I am at a satisfactory weight.

I did eat strawberry ice cream and marble coconut cake this entire weekend though for my baby's birthday but an off day or two shouldn't hurt considering.  It really wasn't all that great...I kept waiting for the sugar high that never came and left me feeling jilted and wishing I hadn't indulged in the first place.

Study for Symphony 5"x5"

So May 1st was the Opening of a local art exhibition called "Smaller Beckons" at Tapp's Arts Center in Columbia, SC.  All pieces of work in this exhibit have to be 12" x 12" or smaller.  I had 3 pieces chosen for inclusion (yay!), my more recent black and white oil painting studies, and a piece completed last year that was included in a similar show at the Columbia Museum of Art (ONEx100).  It was a great opening night.  I'm glad I took my pictures early because it was standing room only just an hour or so in. 

Saturday, May 3rd, was National Free Comic Book Day!  Yay!  Yes, I love comics btw.  That's how I first learned how to draw people from the book, How To Draw Comics the Marvel Way.  One of my favorite artists these days is Siya Oum.  I give her support for being a female comic book artist in a male dominated field and for being such a great inspiration to my daughter.  My daughter loves to draw and any female artistic inspiration I can give her (other than myself), I welcome wholeheartedly.  Here she is waiting for her sketch from the artists who were at the comic book store.  The kids were surprised when I told them of my love for comics.  Sure they've seen me read them but they had no idea I grew up drawing my favorite Marvel heroes (very well too).  I'm more geared towards fine art but I still dabble in comics here and there.

It was a busy past couple of days but well worth it all!

Another Art Study

Before I go crazy in kitty land I decided to do one more oil study for a larger piece I am considering in charcoal.  The name of this piece is Symphony.  I have a coming of age story in mind revolving around a young character named Symphony as well so the two would be in tandem.

I chose a slightly different approach with this piece.  I am using water mixable oils, mostly for convenience purposes as I don't have the facilities for the chemicals/smells involved with traditional oils.  These still are technically oil colors they just have an additional option.  The previous study was done with just water.  The paint was hard for me to manipulate and control.

Then I remembered that I have oil painting mediums that can make my life much easier.  I dug them out a played a little bit. and the results were dramatically different.  I also changed my approach.  I did an acrylic underpainting in umber which still shows through in some places.  This is fine...it's only a study.

I tried to take progress pictures of each step.  First there's the drawing.  Some argue that pencil should not be used, perhaps charcoal or even paint but not pencil.  I don't know their rationale for that and when I studied with a portrait painter in my youth I did everything in charcoal but these are tiny.  I'll worry about archival issues when they arise.

The second step was the acrylic underpainting to help me establish the lights and darks.  The third step is when white is added to the piece.  I was taught to fill in the the piece with the middle tone and background first but this was tiny so I figured altering my usual approach couldn't hurt.

The fourth piece shows the final results.  It's much smoother and more refined than the other piece as the oil painting medium gave me more control.  Obviously I deviated a bit from the sketch but I have to do what "moves" me.  It's only a study, after all so might as well play!

Switching Gears...

This is an oil painting study I worked on last night.  It is on canvas and is ACEO size (2.5" x 3.5").  Pretty darn small.  I can't seem to get as much detail with oils as I can with watercolor  and ink but I'm happy with the results .  I made some changes when I got home from work that I am happier with.

It is only a study and not a finished piece after all. I am NOT an oil painter.  I prefer mixed media working primarily with charcoal, watercolor and gouache so this is a serious deviation for me.  I really just felt like messing with the oils last night though.  I personally do not want a refined look to my art any more these days.  I think I did so much of that anal retentive nitpicking in my younger years, I just want to be free and just draw these days.

I have an idea for another painting...I'm going to do several thumbnails today and see what I can get done tonight.  A show is coming up locally in which all of the pieces have to be 12 inches or smaller.  I participated in a similar show last year at the Columbia Museum of Art that opened on my birthday (woohoo!).  This one opens on May 1st and I have to have my pieces sent for approval by April 26th.  I'm cutting it thin but I only have one piece that is ready to hang.  The rest are unframed/matted and I won't be able to get that done before May 1st.  Before leaving home this morning I gessoed a 5" x 5" wood panel so I can be ready to go when I get home.

Fitness wise?  I'm hurting but in a good way.  Apparently I can do my chin-ups with more ease and less rest in between.  2 sets of 5 chin-ups every workout day (including leg day).  By the time I get to the 5th I'm a little beat but hey, progress.  I thought I had accomplished something until my husband kindly reminded me that I wasn't actually doing pull-ups but chin-ups.  Pull-ups, the real ones are a completely different animal.  The difference is in the hand position.  Chin-ups are underhand which uses more biceps and arms while the pull-ups are overhand which puts your back to work a little more.  I managed to hold myself for 5 seconds before I just couldn't any more.  A far cry from the 70 second hold that marine women have to do.  So my new goal is to do real pull-ups and not pull-up lookalikes now.  My next goal for chin-ups is to do them without touching the floor.  Baby steps of course.