Exercise Cancelled Out by Treats

   Out early this morning but I held off on eating breakfast until just before I left home - a 12 hour fast so not too bad.

   Milder and sunny today but still needed my winter coat. It was the last fitness class of the year - someone brought a box of chocolates! Sort of defeated the purpose of working out for an hour. Of course I didn't have to indulge but, as I said, will power is not my strong suit. There were also samosas still warm from the oven, I ate one and brought two home to have with dinner. Pickle Ball this afternoon for a couple of hours - there will be one more next Friday then nothing until the New Year. 

   I will be finished dinner tonight by 6:30 and won't have breakfast tomorrow until 8:30 so that will be 14 hours. Tomorrow I am going for a massage, hope it helps my sore back. I could hardly get up off the floor at Gentle Fit this morning!

Trying to be Strong

   A big lunch again today (Probus Christmas Party) but in actual fact not too much food. I had selected Salmon and, although it came with a salad, potatoes and other vegs, I didn't feel stuffed afterwards. There was also an ice cream dessert (not too large) with absolutely divine raspberry coulis drizzled over it. I had a glass of red wine, red being healthier than white according to the media!

    Since then I have just had a bowl of guacamole with tostitos and a clementine. It is 6:45 p.m. so I will try not to eat again until breakfast tomorrow. Wish me luck (or, more likely, will power)! I will wait until next week to weigh myself - last weigh-in I was 146 lbs. which is a bit heavier than my usual.

Avoiding the Worst of the Weather

   The family "Festive Special" outing on Sunday went well and the tree is now decorated, thanks to the grandkids. I love Swiss Chalet chicken and indulged in a glass of wine along with the meal as I wasn't driving. Instead of just five adults at these special meals we now have six as oldest grandson (almost 14) can polish off as much food as his Dad, and ask for more. You'd better not leave anything on your plate or it will disappear "toute suite"!

Don't know why it's so out of focus, but, hopefully, you get the idea.

    Today was the last Osteo Fit class and the Senior's Centre was very quiet so I didn't stay in the kitchen making coffee and heating pies too long. We have one more class on Friday and then a break until the New Year. My new eating regime went quite well - no food from 8:00 p.m. until 9:00 a.m. I need to shave an hour off that (it's supposed to be a 14 hour fast) so will start dinner earlier tonight so that I am done eating by 7:00 p.m.

   Currently I have the last wizened tomatoes from the garden bubbling away in the kitchen to make the last jar of tomato chutney. It smells delicious so I hope it turns out well. A snow squall just blew through (seemingly there was a 30 car pileup on the main highway from Toronto to Montreal earlier this afternoon) so I am glad to be indoors, warm and dry. 

Time-restricted Eating

    I read about this in today's newspaper. Basically it refers to limiting your food intake to just 10 hours a day. For instance, breakfast at 8, last meal at 6. For me it would work better if I waited until 9 to eat breakfast as my usual dinner time is 7. My problem would be not to snack during the evening as I seem to get off to sleep better with something in my stomach.

    The improvements noted in the trial subjects were, among other things, lower blood pressure and cholesterol (both of which are high for me and require medication) and better sleep. However, subjects had to be careful to avoid dehydration. Also, by following this regime, their caloric intake was reduced resulting in some weight loss. This wasn't the goal of the program, rather allowing your organs to recuperate during the rest period. I'm all for that!

   I might try to follow this for a few weeks and see how I feel. Getting a better night's sleep would certainly make it worth while. I know I will find it hard as will power is not one of my strengths!