So, after a long hiatus, I. AM. BACK!  Since I last fasted, I have joined a couple of gyms (one for cardio, one for classes - long story) and have started working out with a personal trainer.  I've also been back on my fitbit hardcore (took a break from that while I was in Kenya too).  I'm doing my best to get close to my steps goal every day but the eating and the drinking haven't been at all consistent.  So, I figured it's time to get back on this train.  

Today, I had a Starkist Tuna Kit (230 cals) and 1/2 cup of fresh raspberries.  Not really sure what the future holds for dinner but, likely to involve tilapia and some fresh veggies.  

My biggest weakness?  Coconut cashews from Trader Joe's.  They are kind of Samoa-y and all kinds of delicious.  

Anyway, stay tuned on progress as I embark on this fasting journey yet again!

So, I am down about 4lbs since Monday.  Again with the yo-yo but, what was cool was I was down AFTER a non-fasting day.  Of course, yesterday, I didn't go crazy on my off day.  I had a lowfat breakfast sandwich and coffee.  For lunch I had a grilled cheese with spinach salad as my side and then a Trader Joe's flatbread for dinner. And, I had a softball game last night.  It was SOOOOOO humid outside, it felt like we were playing in the rainforest. And, I'd taken a muscle relaxer for my back and had the worst cotton mouth and found myself to be fairly worn out during the game (which isn't really normal).  Again, this was NOT on a fasting day so, I found that pretty interesting. I wasn't as organized for this fasting day as I have been in the past so, I had to wing it on breakfast which wasn't easy.  I had two hard-boiled eggs, a piece of string cheese and some leftover snow peas.  Jealous? Tonight, I plan to get some sashimi from our local sushi place and perhaps some steamed vegetables. 
I have family coming into town (my favorite nephew in the whole wide world) and then we're spending the weekend with more family for a birthday celebration which means, yes. Eating, drinking and being merry.  I moved my usual Thursday fasting day to today so, I could take my nephew to some of his favorite Atlanta restaurants and actually enjoy myself as well.  We'll probably end up at The Vortex or Fox Bros.  

And, I meant to say...as much as I sang the praises of Gorton's "Simply Bake" tilapia, I thought I would branch out and try the salmon as my dinner on Monday night (1st fasting day of this week).  

It was awful.  Dry.  Very fishy tasting.  I couldn't even eat it.  It, and the other fillet (I went ahead and cooked them both) were promptly thrown in the trash. Which pains me because I paid $8.59 for them but, not even that could get me to eat them. Ewww. If you see the below in the store, BEWARE!  But, as I said - the tilapia is delicious and definitely worth a try.  At 120 calories a fillet, it fits very nicely into the 5:2 diet plan for fasting days.  

So, today I am a bit frustrated as I am definitely seeing a pattern develop.  After fasting days, weight goes down.  After days off, weight goes up.  Shocking?  Not so much but, I do want to see the numbers trend down and not yo-yo around.  Again - I know I need to make a more concerted effort to eat smarter on my off days and work exercise into the mix but, I wish the numbers would trend down (even if at a snail's pace) and stay there.  I think I am going to reread the book to refresh my memory...it has been almost 4 weeks since I've started.  Crazy.

A few things...
My weight is down which is normally is after a fasting day.  I am currently 28% of the way to my overall weight loss goal.  I'm 50% of the weigh to my pre-pregnancy weight so, that's also very encouraging.   I made the shrimp/pasta dish last night and it was delicious.  Of course, I wanted to eat more than the 250 calorie serving but, that's not surprising.  I added some chopped vidalia onion (about 3/4 cup) and some chopped tomato (medium-sized). I'd say that using fresh dill is a good move. I forget how flavorful that can be.  What's funny is, my husband wasn't hungry when I ate but he helped himself when I went to my softball game and he said it was really good.  So, I have a feeling I'll be making that again.  I tried to include a link in my original post and was unsuccessful. Let me see if this works.

Spinach pasta salad with shrimp.

Speaking of softball, the outfield was pretty drenched last night due to all of the rain we've been getting (our games the last 2 weeks were cancelled because of it) and I slipped going for a ball and really screwed up my back.  I'm not sure what the "damage" is but, I know that I am in a LOT of pain.  It will certainly put a damper on my whole workout plan (let alone the rest of the softball season).  I am heading to the doctor this afternoon and I am hopeful for some meds that will make me feel better.  I am also thinking, I've got to get yoga on the menu.  The last time I had a back injury (years ago - the result of a car wreck) doing yoga helped me more than going to a chiropractor.  Fingers crossed.

So, this is officially Day 5.  I've seen my body fat percentage go down as well as weight over the last two weeks but, today it went back up.  Likely for a number of reasons - mainly that, on my off days, I think I need to be a bit more careful.  I was thinking this morning that I may try this moving forward...on days immediately after fasting days (Tuesdays & Fridays) I will live it up so to speak.  But, on the other 3 non-fasting days, I need to be smarter about my choices.  And, I am still struggling to work exercise into the mix and I've really got to find a way to get around that.  I did enjoy my "brunch" this morning.  I had a couple of medium sized tomatoes (44 cals) with 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (14 cals) and some kosher salt, 1/2 cup raspberries (43 cals) a hard boiled egg (78 cals) and a piece of baby bell cheese (70 cals).  I haven't tried the lowfat version of the baby bells but, on the calorie counting days, I suppose I should try.  Also, I've got to think through dinner tonight.  I found a delicious recipe on Pinterest for a shrimp pasta that I may give a try (it looks delicious, right?) 

I am a bit over the tilapia for now. And, just noting that you can search Pinterest for recipes - I tried "5:2" and "FastDiet".  Not all of them are great but, I am on a mission.  I'm adding the ones that look good to my new "5:2" board.  I'll be sure to report on how good (or bad) they are as I get a chance to try them.

Today is DEFINITELY one of the tougher ones.  I am going to chalk it up to switching days and throwing off my groove.  The fact that I had an 8am meeting this morning didn't help either.  This feels like the longest work day EVER!  

So, it's been a while since I've written.  At least, it feels like it.  I shifted my schedule this week to allow for a work lunch yesterday.  I had a veggie scramble for my brunch today. Two eggs, sauteed snow peas and asparagus and a baby bell cheese.  It was delicious but, I have to say, I am really hungry.  There's a slight chance that I may be going to Africa for a photo shoot for work so, I went to get my yellow fever shot and ended up getting the pills I need to take for Typhoid as well.  Not sure if that has anything to do with how I feel today. OR, it could just be because I had an extra day of eating normal before fasting again. Either way, I am feeling it.

I still haven't mastered the art of making a more concerted effort to get working out into the mix.  I have the means to do it at home, I just need to motivate.  It's hard for a lot of reasons.  Want to play with Vincent before he goes to bed.  Then, once he's in bed, I find that I just want to drink a glass of wine and spend time with my husband.  I think the only way I'll make it work will be to knock it out in the morning.  Obviously, that will require my actually getting up early enough.  I wanted to try it this morning.  I didn't try all that hard. Perhaps tomorrow will work better knowing that I won't have to fast during the day.