Category Archives: Weight Loss

Electrolytes

Extended fasting drops insulin levels dramatically (good!), which can cause the body to tell the kidneys to expel excess water. Sometimes–especially for those new to fasting–a lot of sodium, potassium, magnesium, etc., is also expelled in the urine. This can lead to a yucky or tired feeling that makes fasting more difficult.

Thankfully, we have some easy, inexpensive, and tasty ways to add back lost electrolytes that won’t break a fast:

  • Pickle juice (diluted in water if necessary)
  • Apple cider vinegar (I suggest one Tablespoon diluted in two cups of cool water; this is surprisingly delicious and refreshing!)
  • Cucumber-infused water (cucumbers are naturally high in electrolytes)
  • Carbonated spring water (contains electrolytes that purified/distilled water does not; plus, the carbonation is a nice change and can be subjectively more filling)

More Changes

  • Eliminate fluoride
    Boiling water for coffee eliminates much. For now, I’m buying purified/distilled water. I plan on purchasing a filtering pitcher.
  • Supplement vitamin D, magnesium, and iodine
  • Take Omega-3 fish oil tablets
  • Drink clove green tea
    I’ll use Dr. William Davis’ recipe. This will increase the mucus-lining in my stomach/GI tract.
  • Include turmeric in food seasoning
    Gets some curcumin moving through my GI tract.
  • Make and drink kefir
  • Make and eat probiotic yogurt
    I plan on using L. reuteri probiotic caplets and kefir for this
  • Make and eat fermented foods
    Sauerkraut, pickles, bell peppers, mustard, etc.
  • Eat more prebiotic foods
    GREEN bananas(!), dandelion leaves, RAW potatoes(!), avocados (pectin), blackberries, raspberries, apples, chia seeds, almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios, mushrooms, asparagus, leeks, turnips, onions, garlic & shallots, cabbage, brussels sprouts, radishes.

What I’m Drinking

*wink*

  1. Water
  2. Black Coffee
  3. Sparkling Mineral Water
  4. Lime-flavored Sparkling Mineral Water
  5. Almond Milk, unsweetened

The first three I may drink anytime–and I’ve significantly increased water intake. If I drink coffee during an eating window, I might add butter and/or almond milk. The last two I limit to eating windows, even though the Lime Perrier is flavored with essential oils so it shouldn’t trigger an insulin response.

I’ve cut out sodas due to sugar and artificial sweeteners. I’ve cut out a lot of things to eliminate those two in my diet and after 2+ weeks of no snacking, I very rarely want to graze. It’s amazing how little food I consume with this way of eating due to time restrictions and food bulk. While low-carbohydrate foods are certainly more expensive (here’s looking at you, government subsidies of processed grains), their bulk helps ease the pain in the pocketbook. Don’t believe me? Think about the last time you ate two servings of potato chips… then consider the last time you ate two servings of broccoli. The real food made you feel fuller.

Better Health

For the first time, my physician gave me a concerning report from blood work. I am pre-diabetic.

My obesity likely exasperated my issues with influenza type A in December 2022. After spending several hours in the ER as desperate for relief as a procrastinator for flowers on Valentine’s Day, I knew I needed to make a change. I didn’t realize how drastic that change needed to be until the blood work came back.

So, I find myself once again on a low-carbohydrate diet. But this time it’s not so voluntary. It’s as essential as water to fish. It’s easier for me to combine it with intermittent fasting (IF) since low-carbohydrate eating is not possible on-the-go in my small town with few to zero healthy choices. And with my headlong dive into low-carb fasting, I went back to Dr. Jason Fung’s The Obesity Code in earnest.

His book, of all things, inspired me to seek the spiritual side of fasting as opposed to simple IF as a lifestyle choice or way of eating (WoE). God has blessed my prayer life immensely through this season, and I am so humbled and grateful for it. I asked for the Holy Spirit to bear the fruit of self-control in me, and God has graciously granted a cornucopia.

My average daily steps have gone from 3,500 to 10,000+. Walking while praying go together for me like coffee and a cigar. Being able to wake up to the early quiet, read, and prayer-walk is a wondrous, beautiful, simple gift from the Lord.

After my morning prayer, I take a cold shower. Yes. You read that correctly. Look up the health benefits. And the craziest thing? I feel so much better and cleaner than after a hot shower. The icy flow that cuts at first soothes like minty cream after 2-3 minutes.

My next new incorporation to a healthier lifestyle is homemade probiotic yogurt. I’ve read from Dr. William Davis of the newfound importance of gut health (the microbiome) and plan to learn more while I try restoring populations of healthy bacteria I starved while gluttonously eating like a child let lose in a bakery for years.

Prayer and meditation on the Lord are more so on my mind since I start my day with them and fast intermittently. I now call prayer needs to mind throughout the day as easily as hens to corn. God has answered my prayer and changed me, sanctifying me for the better recently. Praise Him.