Hah! I'd like to have been part of the "Great Resignation" but it was loosely planned for a couple years, as I turned 70 last year. Funny thing that while I've always enjoyed my work in years past, my focus changed recently wanting to do more that really matters now. Good advice to not rush into anything right away. My company wants me to continue, but I'm going to choose what, if anything, I do on my terms. It's a good point on potentially being more busy in retirement, so I've consciously put the brakes on a few things in the last few months to figure it out. I'm beginning to enjoy being in control of my time. Good advice.

Just posted this link of Marty's interview with Dr. Mark Cucuzzella in Low Carb Media/Research, as it covers a broad range of topics. If you're on the ON email list, you've probably already received it. If not, it's a very worthwhile exchange:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnJfVbrPeL4&t=2390s

Just dropped down to my lowest weight since starting this. Woo hoo! I haven't seen numbers this low since 2014 I think. I'm not doing challenges, just tweaking my diet a bit and keeping my appetite and blood sugar under control.

I have discovered that my homemade chicken pho with shiritaki noodles is awesome for this diet. It is going to become a staple. YUM!

Excellent. It's always nice to know you're heading on the right path with data confirmation. Playing with DDF over the past year+ has opened my eyes to how I can eat in a healthy way and has actually opened the door to some foods I was very strict with before. Now that they are hosting DDF with Mighty Networks, this FB denier, is involved in my first challenge in a group setting. I'm really enjoying the information exchange with my fellow participants, and the online DDF tool eliminates having to rely on the old spreadsheet. Bottom line is that once you've been through this, you can do it on your own as effectively as in a group setting.

Edited to clarify: I'm not only a former FB denier, I'll vigorously continue to be a FB denier.

:clap: :dazzle: Whoa, Nancy! Sneaking in that low weight. Congratulations. We miss you in the new community, all fancy with a new DDF book, 186 pages, many photos, and ways to filter if you don’t want to see it all.

This morning, I'm 1.6 pounds above my lowest weight, even eating desserts and wine over the holidays, never gained more than five. Going lower than 150 will definitely take some effort.
I’m re-reading Atomic Habits; it reminds me that even though Marty is an engineer, he has the whole behavioral aspect to making small changes in habits for long term success nailed down. It makes maintenance easier.

Pho might be interesting if I could overcome my distaste for shirataki ;) someone posted a photo of black soybean noodles…those looked worse. The ON recipe uses zucchini spirals and mung bean sprouts. https://optimisingnutrition.com/beef-pho/

Worth joining the main ON group just for the free NutriBooster recipes. Lily Bee is still posting daily, and some new members with Asian inspired dishes.

Going to start a round of DDF on my own. I've been stuck at this weight for several weeks. Had some intestinal issues which helped to get me stuck, but I'm ready to move on now. I want to wave goodbye to the 180's. I can't even believe I'm saying that. I was in the 180's for so long. Then I was in the 190's for maybe even longer, and messed around in the low 200's for a bit before I lost this weight.

So very close to 20 pounds lost now. Woo hoo!

And, it seems effortless to maintain this weight. The biggest factor was the hunger training, even though I confess I don't always wait for uncomfortable hunger before I eat. In maintenance I just eat whenever. But I know when I start getting cravings and start overeating that my blood sugar probably is getting too high and I have to reign in the carbs and fat. Yes, fat seems to have a role to play in this. I'm not low-fat, by any means, but I'm not HFLC either.

If you have unlimited, you can join the class anytime. The first one this year is only half over. Even if you don’t want to join this challenge for the last two weeks, the free Premium Content is good and DDF Manual went from 160 to 186 pages. New inspiration for when you do the program on your own.

Yesterday was 18 months with DDF and ON programs. I agree it is easy to maintain the weight loss. Up no more than 5 through the holidays and ended up 150.2 this morning for end of the first Macro class. Which is just crazy.

I’m getting way too chatty about using DDF to find your optimal fasting protocol. :lol: I posted another chart update for 18 months using DDF, while also testing my limits over the Thanksgiving to New Years holiday, so Marty Kendall also updated the article on the Optimising Nutrition website:

New: Julia’s 18 Months of Data-Driven Fasting

https://optimisingnutrition.com/jul...driven-fasting/

I have to get back on track. My weight is holding fairly steadily but I know I am still overeating. I did get a Fitbit to monitor my sleep, but it is also encouraging me to exercise more. Feeling pretty good at the moment! 6 months to retirement!

Holding steady is a win in my book!! Those pauses between challenges are built in to "practice maintenance". Even if I was not consciously fasting, I had trained my hunger. You can exercise when retired…all day if you want :)

Results!

https://optimisingnutrition.com/jul...&utm_term=Email

:wave: Thank you, Thud It is a bit freaky to open an email today and see…myself!
Are you returning for this next challenge? I definitely do better with DDF than the last weeks of Micronutrients class…too many little details to monitor.

Nice job, Julia! For some reason I always thought your first name was Janet. :lol:

Depends on which social media outlet you are on…but they all begin with a J :lol:

The Divine Ms. J!