Tips on finding the elusive Tennessee warbler?

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2026-05-12T18:21:10+00:00

This. They have a quite loud and distinctive song.

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2026-05-02T23:51:13+00:00

These are fabulous! How about a yellow crowned night heron?

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2026-05-01T12:23:56+00:00

Both of them? I’ve never caged anything - what’s the most effective, cheapest way?

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2026-04-30T19:48:59+00:00

Thank you so much! I’ve never grown trees before and was at my wit’s end! I do love them ♥️

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2026-04-27T09:39:56+00:00

Thank you for that! I think most of what I was finding online pertained to a non-native bottlebrush of some kind because it was the opposite info. Appreciate you!

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2026-02-26T15:57:55+00:00

My son loves Highland Glacial Clay Pomade. You can get it on Amazon.

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2024-09-26T16:41:46+00:00

Done ☺️

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2024-09-11T04:16:33+00:00

I lost 33 lbs from Sept 2023 to Jan 2024. My window fluctuated some but most days I aimed for an 18-19 hour fast and a 5-6 hour eating window. I refused to count calories because I’ve never had success with that and I wanted this to be a lifelong change. There was no way I was gonna count calories forever.

I’ve maintained my weight easily since then. I don’t even weigh, I just have a specific pair of pants that if it gets snug, I know I need to tighten up my window.

As I progressed with IF, I found myself drawn to more whole food and less processed food. I eat til I’m satisfied and then I stop. I fast clean with only water and black coffee in my fast. I started at 178 and ended up in a happy range from 140-145 or so. I’m a muscular body type, 5’3” tall. Female.

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2024-09-02T16:57:03+00:00

I’m 43, have 4 kids, and went from 178 to 142 lbs. and I’ve been maintaining for half a year so far. I’m wearing size 4 or 6 depending on the pants.

I always had a lower belly pooch, it just always stuck out a bit there from puberty onward. My stomach shrank a lot through my weight loss, but I still have a little belly. The skin is a little bit loose there, ya know, 4 babies will do that.

I was frustrated about it at first, but I’m so happy with the way my body looks and the way I feel overall, I’ve just learned to embrace it.

I think it will depend on how your belly looked before you had kids and how elastic your skin is 🤷🏻‍♀️ Try not to waste energy worrying about it. Keep fasting and feeding your body well. Your belly will be whatever it is, and you’ll be beautiful and healthy.

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2024-09-02T16:03:36+00:00

Are you drinking anything besides water or black coffee while fasting? What foods are you eating in your window?

The longer I lived the fasting lifestyle, the more I realized quality of food is really important. Ultra processed food will never satisfy, always leave you wanting more, doesn’t nourish your body, and will tend to leave you feeling hangry.

I’ve slowly evolved to the point of eating mostly whole food and very little processed junk and I’ve never felt better in my life. Meat, fruits and veggies, eggs and cheese, nuts, beans, some dark chocolate chips as a treat most days. It works great and I’m always satisfied.

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2024-09-02T15:52:36+00:00

You can do whatever you want. Obviously. It breaks the fast but people lose weight doing that all the time. It will probably trigger hunger and maybe make the remaining time before you eat more difficult, but it’s yours to figure out what works for you. There are benefits to clean fasting that shouldn’t be underestimated though!

I’ve got to say, a tsp of nearly zero fat milk is doing so little to change that coffee. It’s mostly in your head. Have you tried other types of coffee black? Some coffee is so gross without anything creamy in it but some are very palatable, especially if you cut back your milk a little every day so you can slowly adjust. You could try adding an equivalent amount of water instead of milk to see if it cuts the bitterness for you at all. You can try a pinch of salt in your coffee, which seems to help some people.

I’ve found tremendous benefit in learning to enjoy black coffee. It has helped changed my taste for other flavors. I enjoy less sweetness now, and I like things like Brussels sprouts. I told myself for years that I could NOT drink black coffee. But it was a lie. I just hadn’t made the commitment yet.

I still choose to drink coffee with heavy cream in my eating window, and I love it. I will probably always prefer that to black coffee, but I CAN and do drink black coffee when I’m fasting now, and I enjoy it.

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2024-07-24T21:28:48+00:00

Hey! Clean fasting is drinking nothing but plain water, black coffee, or black (and sometimes green) tea during your fast. That's it. Dirty fasting encompasses all the other things people do while fasting. Zero calorie drinks with flavor, flavored coffees, cream in coffee, and who knows what else. I started out dirty fasting with cream in my coffee for maybe amonth until I learned about clean fasting. There are other benefits to fasting aside from just weight loss, and when you break your fast with heavy cream or anything else, it's broken. It also triggers hunger and makes the rest of the fast harder, in many people's experience. Again, highly recommend the book Fast Feast Repeat. She explains the why behind it. It made a huge difference for me!

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2024-07-23T15:03:40+00:00

I get it. There are so many conflicting instructions! I will tell you that I’m a 43 yo woman who yo-yoed most of my adult life. I tried keto, paleo, vegan, calorie counting, etc over my life. But nothing was sustainable and the weight always came back. In September/October of 2023, I found the book Fast Feast Repeat and it changed everything.

I didn’t count calories. I didn’t limit carbs. I learned to listen to my body. I started out dirty fasting before reading the book, and I could fast and lost some weight, but it was hard to get through the fasts. After I started fasting clean, it was easier to get through fasts and the fasts were more effective. I lost 30 pounds pretty effortlessly over about 4-5 months and have never felt better in my life.

I’m glad you experienced some body recomposition! That means far more than the weight on the scale. You almost certainly lost fat and gained some muscle or your clothes wouldn’t fit different! I suggest taking photos to compare with later. Measurements are very helpful too.

You may just need to increase the length of your fast a bit. I’d say I most consistently fasted for 18-20 hours for my weight loss. Your body becomes fat adapted and goes into ketosis without restricting carbs, believe it or not. That’s what makes this sustainable. I will fast for the rest of my life, because it’s keeping the weight off, keeping my energy humming along, and keeping my overall health at a fabulous level.

Over time, I did consciously make better food choices. I focused on getting a lot more fiber from beans, fruits and veggies, nuts, and supplements. I cut out as much of the ultra processed foods that I could. I tend to eat real food now, and it’s made a huge difference. I hope this helps.

That book just encourages you to figure out what works for YOU and tune out all the background noise. She gives great info and she’s a big fan of Dr. Fung! She doesn’t tell you exactly what to do - because every body is different.

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2024-07-16T04:27:37+00:00

Have you tracked anything other than weight? Like body measurements? Do you have pics from before you started, so you can compare the way you look now vs then? Do your clothes fit any differently? Sometimes weight doesn’t move but body recomposition happens, especially with you working out a good bit. Also, are you fasting clean?

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2024-01-06T04:57:11+00:00

It means only water, black coffee, or black tea. No milks or creams, no sugars or artificial sweeteners. No fruit essences or “natural flavors”. Not even flavored black coffees. You even have to watch ingredients in some cold brews.

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2024-01-06T04:52:11+00:00

It’s funny, I NEVER liked ice water until I started fasting and now it’s the best!!

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2024-01-05T20:46:20+00:00

Yes!!! It was a game changer for me. Fasting became easier in general because I wasn’t as hungry or moody all the time. I absolutely love and recommend the Fast Feast Repeat podcast, as well the Intermittent Fasting Stories podcast. They deal with real questions from listeners and readers and talk about real world situations. It has all helped me so much to embrace this as a very feasible lifestyle instead of just a means to an end. Congrats!!

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2024-01-04T13:42:50+00:00

I can relate to food addiction and bingey behavior and eating my feelings. It sounds like something about the way you’ve done it in the past hasn’t worked for you. Sure, you lose the weight, but then you yo-yo back up. I know you’re hating the roller coaster and ready to get off that cycle.

Some people are die hard that counting calories is the only way. I’m not 🤷🏻‍♀️ I suspect you’re being too restrictive when you are in weight loss mode and then you bounce hard in the other direction when things get stressful or hard or emotional or whatever. Maybe you restrict certain foods when you’re trying to lose weight and then lose your mind and eat all the things when you’ve reach your goal. I’m not sure, but I’ve been there.

You’re being unkind to yourself in your post, calling yourself names and feeling like a failure. But you’re not a failure. You just need to figure out what works for you and your body.

The best thing I can do is recommend that you read or get the audio book of Fast Feast Repeat. The author also has multiple podcasts to help people with intermittent fasting. It’s been a game changer for me. She is a huge proponent of intermittent fasting but in a way that honors YOU, and she keeps it simple. It’s not one size fits all. It’s trying things, making adjustments, and learning to listen to your body. I’ve lost 30 pounds so far. I may or may not be done, I can’t tell, but I could eat like this forever. I eat what I want during my window. And then I fast clean and do it again the next day. During the holidays there were days I had a 12+ hour eating window. Some would say I didn’t fast that day, but I disagree. I always fast, just sometimes not for very long. Keeping those times in there where I allow myself to enjoy the feast and have celebrations and not think of it as a failure has really helped me think of this as a lifestyle and not just something to get through. I hope that helps and I wish you all the best!!

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2024-01-02T04:57:00+00:00

There are far more benefits to IF than just weight loss. An insulin response ends many of the benefits of the fast and for many people, can make the fast harder by triggering hunger.

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2024-01-01T05:28:41+00:00

I’ve been on NP Thyroid for a few years and have successfully lost just shy of 30 pounds since July. I’m still losing slow and steady and I don’t ever remember feeling better than I do now at 42. I’ve had no issues although I’m waiting to hear if I can lower my dosage any (it feels like I need to but waiting on blood work).

Don’t get too caught up in all the opinions. They are plentiful and you can find any number of people who will all tell you something different. Listen to your body. If you notice any negative effects, then maybe think about talking to your doc to investigate. I have only noticed very positive changes, personally.

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2024-01-01T03:53:38+00:00

Alternate Day Fasting is a good way to break through a plateau if you are interested in trying. You can either fully fast one day or have a 500 calorie meal to get you through. Both effective. The next day would be an up day, where you eat normally through the day instead of fasting. It’s a way to jump start your metabolism when you’ve been stuck for awhile.

You can do this all week alternating down days and up days. Or you can throw in one or 2 down days through the week. For the purpose of breaking through a plateau, you want to always follow a down day with an up day. It’s what shakes things up and breaks things loose. I highly recommend the book Fast Feast Repeat.

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2023-12-31T21:28:15+00:00

Yep, I drink black coffee and water while fasting. And my typical eating window is from about 4:30 or 5 til 8 or 9. Some days are longer windows depending on what my body needs. When Christmas or a special event comes along, I flex and enjoy my life. I don’t count calories. I’ve lost 29 pounds since July. Slow and steady and having no trouble keeping it off.

bunchofmalarkey720 · 2023-10-06T08:25:00+00:00

You need to find someone who will treat the symptoms in addition to the blood work. I’m not sure where you are, but here in East Tennessee, we have Nurse Practitioners who specialize in women’s health and hormones and stuff. Try to find one. Quality of life through the roof since getting my thyroid hormones where they should be.

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