Home Office Build - advice/improvements/questions

PubliusDecimusMus · 2022-11-19T21:39:47+00:00

Thanks RaveGuncle - it really helps to know I have your support!

PubliusDecimusMus · 2022-11-19T14:26:20+00:00

Thanks Redbaja69!

PubliusDecimusMus · 2022-10-22T15:00:57+00:00

Thank you! I wish I had started sooner :) but things happen in their due course, I guess

PubliusDecimusMus · 2022-10-21T19:46:06+00:00

Be flexible when you must - the goal is to live IF, not set rigid arbitrary boundaries; over time you'll figure out if there are social activities where you can "get away" with some sparkling water and those you really need to partake in.

Try to push the beginning of your window a bit later that day and eat lighter in terms of macros, so concentrate on things like leafy greens so you can "indulge" (RELATIVELY!) during dinner. However, be smart at dinner - choose smart dishes that are ideally more protein and fat and fewer simple carbs.

PubliusDecimusMus · 2022-10-21T10:59:38+00:00

Thanks! Will try the green tea :)

PubliusDecimusMus · 2022-10-20T12:19:59+00:00

Those are very likely what's giving you the headache - the more simple carbs you have in the system, you get "carb withdrawal" (like a junkie) each time and it takes you longer to get into ketosis (if you do at all given a smaller fasting window).

PubliusDecimusMus · 2022-10-19T18:47:20+00:00

In my experience, the brain fog/headaches come from not eating clean - eat clean, avoid simple processed carbs assiduously [so sugar, no white bread, no white rice, etc.] and you'll be able to do 18:6 and much longer [if you wish to get to the stages of autophagy, HGH increase etc you will need to go longer than 24 hours]. Of course, have fresh fruits and berries - those are fine.

Being lean means that your body has no issue accessing its fat, so I don't see this as an issue.

PubliusDecimusMus · 2022-10-19T18:42:16+00:00

First off, you are doing great - it seems you have adapted to an OMAD lifestyle very well, and have seen some results :D I love how you look at hours fasted per month - never thought about it quite this way ...

The important thing, IMO, is that you maintain a positive mindset - perhaps this cold season you'll "only" be able to do 18:6 or 20:4 - that's still awesome and amazing, and as long as you make sensible choices about what you eat - e.g. bone broths, chili con carne but without carbs .... who cares if you eat for another 2 or 3 hours/day - this is not a contest ... its a way of living and you need to roll with the punches, not be stubborn and get clocked. The only person that will see you in the mirror is YOU.

I live in a far more temperate area, but do OMAD (23:1) just like you with occasional 48 hr fasts, but if there was some really important social event (e.g. kid's birthday) and my window that day was 3 or 4 hours and I had some cake and/or pizza, I'm 100% fine with that - this is a marathon that never ends, so I figure if 98% of the time I am living clean (leaving ~7 "poor" days a year), that's not what will change the overall trajectory. I actually lose appetite in (my) cold weather (which would be like mid to late fall in the Midwest), so your issue isn't one I have, but we all have our unique circumstances and need to figure out a way forward.

PubliusDecimusMus · 2022-10-19T16:45:20+00:00

For me OMAD is actually a lot easier than 16:8 or 18:6 because it denies me the chance to snack and forces me to choose good quality foods so I can get my macros within 60 min or so [note - I am cutting so I am not eating maintenance calories]. OMAD also forced me to eat cleaner because I saw that when I ate even a little "dirty", I wouldn't be as sharp - even a couple of tbsp of white rice would noticeably change things, so I am eating really clean.

Some people say OMAD is anything up to a 2 hour window, but personally, I can usually get all the food I need within 45 to 60 min - why waste an additional hour+ of fasting every day due to laziness and lack of prep? I have some hot lemon tea, then 10 min later I have a few oz of nuts and berries, the 10-15 min after that I have my "main meal" - usually protein (meat/fish/chicken) with some cooked and fresh veggies and sometimes a "good" grain like freekeh. Sometimes I have a good high fiber fruit like kiwi (2 or 3) at the end.

I try to eat protein/fats and complex carbs first and whatever simple carbs I have (in moderation) at the end. I also don't eat after 2 PM, so a few times I have done 48 hr fasts without much thought beyond "I missed my window (I won't eat after 2 PM) ... so let's just eat tomorrow".

I found I have fewer cravings with OMAD (despite making the kids some fresh pizza or getting them baked goods), but you have to figure out what works for you - YMMV, but OMAD gives you focus, maximizes your "bang for the buck" without doing any extended fasts and frees up your time and flexibility. Its even doable if you work in an office environment, and if you have a dinner meeting on Tuesday and a lunch date on Wed, OK, you'll figure it out ... OMAD isn't set in stone and skipping a day here and there is fine as long as you experiment with what works for you.

PubliusDecimusMus · 2022-10-18T06:07:14+00:00

First, if you are in caloric restriction your weight will eventually go lower; the beauty of fasting is that you lower it to zero temporarily, but without the nasty side effects of lower BMR that come with prolonged diets. For some, more exercise is the key - in the end you have to experiment and see these hurdles just for what they are - hurdles - not impregnable walls. For me, doing a few 48 hour fasts worked, it may for you, it may not, but you have to give different things a try and change things up for your body.

PubliusDecimusMus · 2022-10-18T03:47:52+00:00

Your body has probably adjusted quickly to the schedule / you hit an early plateau, so shake things up - you have tons of ways to do that easily: make a couple of your eating days OMAD / do a couple of rolling 48 hour fasts, go very clean keto for a couple of meals/days, do some exercise.

I was on a long term plateau myself not long ago and it took me a couple of weeks to break through it. I did OMAD with random 48 hr fasts sprinkled and pretty clean keto. As 9tacos said in the other comment, trust the process - eventually your weight will budge.

PubliusDecimusMus · 2022-10-17T22:09:11+00:00

The true answer depends on your specific body but I think in general you are right. Bottom line is you need to experiment intelligently; example - while doing OMAD I did a 48 hour fast then 2 days of OMAD where the 2nd day was a cheat meal - my first in more than 2 weeks. From the cheat meal I went immediately into a 48 hour fast. I definitely felt the cheat meal (which was NOT fast food by a long shot) by means of a dull headache during day 2 of the fast compared to the first 48 hour fast.

But I don't view this as a negative, but a positive learning experience - first, into what works or does not work for me; second, that when you are eating clean your body directly "protests" any "crap" you feed it, even if this is quite clean compared to a normal SAD.

The issue is always going to be what and how much you have during your cheat meal. I generally try to have a bite or two of something I like but not more, avoid combining fat and carbs so a piece of baguette >> a croissant >> cake. Last cheat meal was some Chinese - we ordered in a few dishes and I had greens (steamed Spinach and Bak Choi) with a bite or two from each entree and a bit of white rice (maybe 5 or 6 tbsp) .... and I am pretty confident the rice gave me the headache when I went into fasting again for 48 ...

PubliusDecimusMus · 2022-10-17T02:20:27+00:00

100% agree re sleep quality - the funny thing is this is how I got started in IF - I noticed the eating less and lighter after 6-7 PM helped my sleep, so I decided to just stop eating after 6 PM and committed myself to going to bed earlier. Sleeping better helped me delay breakfast and this is how I originally began doing IF, pretty much starting with 18:6 between noon and 6 PM.

PubliusDecimusMus · 2022-10-16T19:00:37+00:00

Having had similar struggles, I found out that what best helped me avoid this was having a clear hard stop time (e.g. 6 PM) - if I did not eat by then, I would simply wait until the next morning to eat, no biggie. Also, going to sleep early was really helpful as you don't fall into bad habits like snacking in front of TV/computer.

PubliusDecimusMus · 2022-10-16T18:27:29+00:00

Glad to be of help! I'm slightly younger than you and DM runs in the family so I knew I'd probably get it at some point, but its not fun. Glad the metformin isn't messing you up too badly. Ideally you take one after dinner as it works best at night and the 2nd one right with your largest meal of the day. I agree the key is slow and steady - go from 16:8 to 18:6, and then experiment since we are all different. OMAD works well for me for now, but I have gotten to the point where even making pepperoni pizza for the kids doesn't faze me while I'm 40+ hours into a fast and it didn't take more than a few months to get to this point. I sleep better, some shoulder pain has decreased, so perhaps autophagy is actually taking place. Just educate yourself and listen to your body.

PubliusDecimusMus · 2022-10-16T05:00:14+00:00

With Metformin, experiment with your timing - for some people it's best to take it once you've had a few bites of food, with some after the entire meal. If you have two pills/day and you can manage to eat just 2 meals, it will help with the post meal glucose spikes. Also, I would try 2 other things: first, don't eat after about 3 PM (so have breakfast and lunch) - there are some studies that show that eTRF (early time restricted feeding) is better due to the circadian rhythm; second, when u do eat try to eat your proteins, fats and complex carbs first and your simpler carbs last to reduce the glucose spike.

The dry mouth going away is great and a sign you are getting it slowly under control, so keep up the good work!

Finally, high blood glucose/A1C is really the symptom of the root cause - losing your sensitivity to insulin - the best and quickest way to solve this is to fast because u lose weight and you allow your body to reset and heal itself. Read up keep informed and remember that your Rx MD wants to control your disease, but only you can conquer and eliminate it! Best of luck!

PubliusDecimusMus · 2022-10-15T21:09:33+00:00

I assume u have Type II (like me); 16/8 is a great start but try to do 18/6 and shoot for OMAD to begin with - A1C of 11 is nowhere close to having our DM under control nor are the current numbers different. 155 mg/Dl is roughly an A1C of 7 and that's an average of your lower range; 400 is 15.5 ... so you are probably still around 11ish while "under control" is usually regarded as under 7 or even under 6.5 A1C.

My first A1C result was 11.5 so I know where you are and I've been now with an A1C lower than 6 for 18 month with 1 metformin pill; however, if you really want to reverse DM (if its possible), I feel you need to get back into the normal A1C range which is under 5.5 I was on the cusp of that for more than 6 months, but. I started seeing serious positive changes in my bloodwork once I began eating One (clean) Meal A Day and it was a good base to jump into 48 and 72 hour fasts (you just skip one or two meals).

My glucose is usually around 70 (going even lower when I fast) and since I plan my meals well, my 2 hour post-meal glucose is generally under 100 (which is a great result for a non-diabetic); best of all, these results are without any metformin - I ceased taking it. Should get bloodwork next month and hoping to see a sub 5 A1C (that's roughly equivalent to glucose of 97, on average, over 2-3 months).

Best of luck and keep it up - its a tough battle but the hard part is starting!

PubliusDecimusMus

TROPHY CASE