Weight Loss Grants

Canada is awesome. Free health care AND a big fat cheque if I can stick to my weight loss goals. Yes. Please.

Ok, it’s never that simple.

The program is on an approval basis and is a reimbursement, not necessarily a pay out. If I meet the criteria and lose the weight I said I wanted to, in the time frame I chose. The Government will reimburse my costs.

I have my official weigh-in and consultation on Friday (next week). I have to use the resources provided, in my case a wellness clinic with Nutritionist, Naturopath and physio therapist. So I am all signed up.

Worst case scenario, I don’t lose the weight and I don’t get any money at the end.

Best case scenario, I lose the weight and get all my money back.

Wish me luck. I made a 5 year plan 4 years ago and it involved losing all of the baby weight by 2018. 

I am running out of time and have gained since that plan.

I am losing to my self. I hate that.

What is starvation mode?

Change is new and weird and must be destroyed. That’s the vibe. That’s what I hear from all the people who ask, do you want [insert delicious breakfast food here] and I say no; and when they persist I say, ‘Actually I am doing intermittent fasting and I don’t eat until 1pm’. This is when the eyes go wide and it is announced I must consume breakfast or else my body will go into starvation mode and shut down and I will just gain weight. Lies. I have never believed the ‘Starvation mode’ discussion as I am sure it takes more than a couple hours of hunger for my body to decide I am dying of starvation and all my precious fat must be preserved.

Read This: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

I couldn’t agree more with the author. The general public is so misguided with health myths, that no wonder we’re all squishy in the waistline trying to follow all the rules. It’s more complicated than religion; damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

I can’t bark at other peoples’ judgment and then judge them, but you have to find what works for you. Everyone knows the basics, eat good food and exercise, but you to make it work with your life. IF seems to work with my life. At least I feel like I am doing something, when I don’t have time for anything.

Mel

Ps – That was my subtle cry for the gym, I miss you. 

What is IF?

Hi,

I’m back with a new fad to attempt. I know I get suckered into everything. I am aware at the naivety deep inside me to the wonders of ‘get skinny now’, ‘millions have done it’. Actually… I do this all for you, the reader. I am such a generous giving soul.

This latest ‘trend’ is IF, intermittent fasting. It is exactly what it sounds like. Short stretches of hunger, that have an affect on the amount of fat your body is-- using… eating… getting rid of. I don’t know the terminology.

This is a great article with all the technical details… http://jamesclear.com/the-beginners-guide-to-intermittent-fasting

As always, I am going to discuss the ‘how it affects me and those that surround me’ details, not the medical terms.

I first heard about this a few years ago when a girl friend of mine, known for doing crazy things to lose weight, started IF and dropped an amazing amount of weight. We all scoffed at the unhealthy method and vowed we wouldn’t go to that extreme for weight loss. Bah!

Fast Forward to the end of 2016, when we all gained what we lost in early 2016 and we needed something new to try. Thus, the research began and the above article appeared. Now we’re one week into this IF thing and I like it. I actually love it. It is the easiest program I have tried. I reserve eating for 6 hours, from 1pm-7pm. The hustle of the morning is eased without the need to eat. The hustle of the day is eased without the calorie counting and restrictions on my diet. I still pack my lunch full of healthy options, but hardly have room for everything, which leaves me only eating the veggies/fruit and proteins. During the week it’s tricky with pick-up and bedtimes, once this week I had to miss dinner, because it was just too late (the following morning seemed to drag on FOREVER).

My body is getting used to the routine, the first couple of days my belly was in a weird (and uncomfortable) knot. I think it could be a long-term resolution.

Now my opinion; it’s the same BS that has been spun a hundred different ways. I have always been told to drink more water (which is the only thing you can consume to curve the hunger pains (do you curve the feeling or curb the feeling? Like change it’s direction or put something in its way??), and I do with this program. I have always been told to give up eating early in the evening to go to bed empty, this is exactly that. The only change is the start time, which I don’t think is any different then if I slept in till noon.

So… the internet said it was a good idea so I am doing it. I want to lose 50lbs this year. Whewf!