We've been having some unseasonably bright weather, so I've been able to get out for walks lunchtimes on a pretty regular basis. Boy, does that help with the winter blues - it's so wonderful to have a break from the everlasting drizzle and overcast that is fall, winter, and spring in Vancouver!

I've also started intermittent fasting, and I'm pretty excited about it. I've been doing the Fast Five plan, which basically involves consuming only calorie-free beverages except between the hours of 5:00 and 10:00 pm. I've been on the plan for just over a week, and guess what - I'm down over three pounds!

It's really quite astonishing. I'm averaging about 1200 calories a day, spread over five hours (a big meal and a couple of snacks). When I've limited to 1200 calories in the past, even eating low carb, I'm hungry day and night (sometimes I don't sleep well), and lose maybe a pound a week, if that. On IF, I'm full of food from 5:00 pm until the following morning. The first few days I was pretty hungry in the afternoons, but as time goes by I'm feeling more and more comfortable with it. And the payoff is not only faster weightloss, but a general sense of wellbeing, good energy, and .... more time!

Now, I've always been a confirmed foodaholic, but I have to say, I LIKE this plan. It's a bit counterintuitive, but the tradeoff for missing breakfast and lunch, which I always considered pretty boring meals, is that I get to eat pretty well whatever I want to, till I'm happily full, in the evenings.

I'm not sure I'll stick with IF in the long term, but it's sure nice to have yet another tool in my low carb arsenal.

Rachel