This is Not a Zero-Sum Game

My weight loss started stalling on me about two weeks ago.  Prior to that I was averaging a 1.0-1.5 lb. loss per day.  Granted, a lot of that was water, but my clothes were also getting more and more loos, so it was not only water! I began my fast on the eve of August 11, and lost 13 lbs. in 10 days.  The following 7 days, from 21st, the weight loss creeped toward a total 2 lbs. These past 7 days, I've only lost 3 lbs. The number hovers within a 1-pound range for several day before the scale dips by another pound.  Is this a reason to end my fast, which is currently a 23-day fast?

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NO!!!

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I've actually considered halting my fast, because I've started to get hungry again.  Is hunger really relevant? Do I need to heed that call? Do I need to answer it? NO! For if I give in, then what will happen during my shorter IFs?  I don't need to act on hunger each time it growls!  And is the weight loss and body shrinkage the only consideration in my effort?

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NO!!

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Yesterday, I experienced some events that threw me off kilter, and I couldn't get back to center (equanimity).  It was a learning experience: it ended beneficially, but still... I was in a mood all day.  I acknowledge some fear and anxiety surrounding work; feelings that I need to slog through, but have managed to put off dealing with them (to an extent)--this is probably the major factor in my dis-ease that began over the weekend.  Yesterday was just pure irritation and anger. Having a miniscule headache and looking at frozen scale numbers made me question why I would continue at this point.  And yet, when I remembered the other reasons I am endeavoring toward longer fasts, such as emotional healing and spiritual growth, the desire to stop fasting disappeared! The numbers on the scale are not The End-All.  Scale numbers that don't fall fast enough do NOT cancel out all the other gains I've made! My clothes continue to loosen, exercise sessions increase in frequency and duration, (in fact, yesterday, I envisioned myself running again, starting next week! Hurrah!), emotional epiphanies that lead to change continue to occur (just like this morning!), and I become kinder to myself as I begin to incorporate my self-reminder: "How can I be kind to myself in this situation?".

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I've epiphanied (hehehe) that my fasting journey is NOT a Zero-sum Game: if I do not lose weight, it does not cancel the effort, nor is it meaningless!  The weight loss will continue, just as my fasting will continue in the form of shorter Intermittent Fasts, as a WOL (Way of Life), until I reach my goal. Then, as life evolves, so will my fasting regimen, which I plan to incorporate into my overall life plan for health and longevity. Fasting is not another diet, nor a temporary fix to a behavioral and relational problem with food and eating. I'll continue longer fasts in the appropriate season (not winter), and shorter, regular fasts into my weekly eating habits.  Whether I need only overnight fasts of 18 hours, or TRE (Time-restricted Eating) of 6-8 hours, or regular ADFs (Alternate Daily Fasts) of only eating every other day-- I will figure that out when the time comes.  In the meantime, I will continue this fast through to my 30-day goal (my micro-goal is 25 days in case I'm feeling meh), unless I feel ill or the fast becomes otherwise contraindicated. I'll recall my WHYs--reasons for fasting-- that transcend weight loss. I'll continue my victorious path. And lastly, I'll remember--hopefully in the future, as well--that I don't need to eat or break a fast to answer the grumbles of hunger. I no longer have to be the servant to that beckoning.
Another lesson learned during fasting!

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Hunger comes in waves. Stress comes in waves. Bad times come in waves. Good times come in waves. 
= Life is like a wave!

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