On Missing The Naked Bike Race

For a moment I entertained a glum thought when asked if my weekend plans included a visit to Fremont. See, it's the Solstice weekend, including a parade and the Legendary Naked Bike Race.

And, hey, while I was there I could also visit one of Fremont's microbreweries or...

The idea of seeing a few hundred nudies on bikes doesn't really float my boat. And I no longer drink. But I entertained the glum thought nonetheless, thinking back on my more adventurous life years ago.

I hope adventures still await.  Along with a good deal more money. But once the glum thought took its leave, after a stern mental boot to its butt, I looked forward to the quieter adventures of this weekend:

--The continued fight against ageism as I attempt to change jobs before my office moves to Renton.
--The slow, demanding work of typing the first draft of my WIP.
--The scores of challenges involved in producing a spin-off from an established series.
--The daily task of staying true to a demanding new eating plan
--The weekly task of adhering to a rougher, more strategic workout regimen

I know, I know. That sounds boring to you. And, for all I know, it may well be.

But there are internal adventures, as challenging and thrilling, as climbing the Alps. Or engaging in a cage fight with a bruiser twice your size. Staying sober, getting thinner, completing a tricky new book...To my changed way of thinking, these are at least as cool and worthwhile as watching naked bods on bikes.

But nowhere near, I'll still admit, mud wrestling with a goddess. 

Back to work. My mind's clear if not clean.

Breaking a 10-day Fast

Breaking a fast is an art, and a challenge, in itself. First, the stomach will have shrunk and it mustn't be overloaded. Equally important, the body will take whatever we put into it as a fabulous reward. So we'll suffer worse than indigestion if we start off with scones, chips, candy or other old familiar treats.

Some recommend taking up to 4 days breaking a fast, beginning with juices, then adding fruit, yogurt, yogurt topped with nuts, then advancing to whole foods gradually.
Wikipedia offers this detailed plan:

http://www.wikihow.com/Break-a-Fast

I modified this as follows: light juices on days 8-10, yogurt on day 11, etc.

Observations and conclusions:
1) It isn't that much harder to fast for ten days than it is for three. That is, on one condition: try to arrange it so that the first three days--the hardest--are dealt with when you're off work. For a longer fast, even arrange a couple of days off at the end, when you're starting to feel faint.
2) Weight loss has always been about ten pounds at the end of the third day. At the end of the tenth day, I'd lost 25 pounds.
3) Even a 3-day fast would be an excellent way for anyone who's overweight to kick-start a weight loss program.
4) Cravings create cravings...so cultivate great cravings. The long fast was, for me, a chance to reprogram my appetite. And it's been working wonderfully. I feel no sense of deprivation. I don't miss the salt-laden frozen foods I cooked. I look forward to fruit, cold oatmeal, salads and mainly veggie treats, a little chicken and/or cheese as a condiment.
5) A positive long-range plan is also a must. Any of my past attempts to become a Vegan or raw foodie or 100% vegetarian were doomed by my cravings for things that others ate...and which I had enjoyed. The hostility and ridicule I met with didn't help much either. But in the end, it was my show--and I couldn't sustain completely exclusive approaches. If you too have ever fallen off the wagon...

There's this book that's turned my thinking around:




https://www.amazon.com/VB6-Before-Weight-Restore-Health/dp/0385344740/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496608497&sr=1-1&keywords=vb6

It's misleading to call this a diet, it's not. The VB6 Solution would be more accurate: no calorie counting or forbidden foods involved. You don't become a Vegan but you eat like one until supper, or 6--then you're free to add, if you like, dairy and meat. Till 6-ish, you eat fruit, salad, whole grains...

This works for me because I don't need to avoid dinners with friends or family. And it works because following a plant-strong diet has erased the old cravings for starch, sweets, meat...

Ah, it's Sunday. 2 p.m. Time for a lunch of low salt lentil soup, salad and a meatless Burger.

In another week or two, I'll need to new pants, another size smaller.

Banzai!