Intermittent Fasting

As if giving up clothes for the year wasn't bad enough - now I'm giving up food!

Well, not really...

I've been reading about intermittent fasting for a while and as I have a few more pounds to shift and they are being very stubborn, I've decided to give it a go. The principle is that you incorporate a fast period into your diet - different people advocate different periods but the way I am doing it is to fast from 6pm one day to 6pm the next, twice a week. Essentially, all I am missing is breakfast and lunch (and the post 6pm supper on the first night -  this is what I miss most!)

On the other days, you can pretty much eat as you like but bear in mind, if you want to lose weight, you gotta be a bit sensible. I have also timed it so the days I fast are not the days I run, I think that may be a little much for my body to cope with.

Today is my first day and I feel pretty good, the hardest thing is cooking for other people while I can't eat but as I'm not missing out on the big meal of the day, it's been ok. Poor Rebekah got a few pieces of toast thrown at her for lunch while i tried to not eat the crumbs!

It's not just about losing the weight  - the articles I have read point out the health benefits to your body of taking a break from eating and allowing your body to repair rather that always digest. I don't know how scientifically it has been tested but I reckon it can do no harm.

It also got me thinking about the principle of Biblical fasting - while I was a student, I used to do a biblical fast on a Wednesday. I can't actually recall if I prayed and read the Bible any more during that time than any other day! I think I gave it up because I didn't really understand the whole concept of Biblical fasting and I'm not sure if I do now either but maybe this time of 'secular' fasting will give me time to have another think about it. I do know having this very rare feeling of a completely empty stomach, has made me very grateful for the blessing of food.

On the clothes front, I have been staying well away from temptation and haven't found it a big problem yet. I did rip my running trousers but they aren't too bad and I reckon i can sew them rather than chuck them out and buy new ones, which is what I would have done last year!

So, it's the 3rd January and I am three days into the new year of no new clothes - I have managed two trips into Marks and Spencer without buying anything which is quite an achievement. The real test for me will be my weekly shop in Asda, adding some cheap supermarket clothes to my food shopping had become a bit of a regular occurrence!

Anyway, the reason for todays post is to share a dilemma. Back in October, I ordered 2 things from Boden (actually Johnnie B, Boden's teenage section, so happy I can fit into this section!) One was delivered and the other put on back order....well, today it arrived:

You see, it was a lovely red cable knit cardigan (with a lovely red velvet trim!) which I thought would be perfect for Christmas, but Christmas is over and what do I do - keep or return? Is it in the spirit of no new clothes to keep it?

You know, I'm not even sure why I am asking because I know the answer, it's staying.... it may even keep its labels until next Christmas or I may bring it out in some dark moment when I am feeling particularly in need of a new clothes fix.

It's arrival has also tempted me to sneak a look at the Boden sale website but so far I have resisted - the night is young though! - looking isn't buying :)

Janine
x

Ok, so it has been ridiculously long since I have updated this blog  - 5 years in fact.  Life has changed a lot - 2 more kids, new house, older but no wiser!

Anyway, the reason I have chosen to restart this is to explain my new year resolution for 2013 -  I have been pondering whether to go for it or not for a few weeks but the decision has been made and here it is:

I will not buy any new clothes in 2013

Doesn't seem so dramatic when I write it down actually.

So here are my reasons:

1. I have lost a good bit of weight in this past year and consequently have felt better and better about buying clothes. This has meant that I have bought many more clothes this year than I have previously and I feel a little guilty about it! I now have a wardrobe full of lovely clothes that fit well so have no real reason to buy anymore.

2. I have been thinking about how to get through to our kids that part of being a Christian is about being different from this world - One area that I think western Christians are particularly poor at this is our attitude to the accumulation of stuff and I am as guilty as anyone else. Stopping this one area of spending is my attempt to change this.

3. I quite like the challenge and am going to make serious efforts to become a bit more handy with a needle and thread and make the clothes I have feel like new ones!

I do fully intend to accept donations of any clothes that anyone is giving away :)

And should I slip up, my penalty will be to donate the equivalent amount of money spent to charity.

Who knows - I may even blog some more about the experience but going on past performance, don't hold your breath!

Janine
x

Turn around

Well, the baby has done a little somersault and is now the right way round so no ceasarian for me :) We're back on course for the 20th December now - or whenever this little one decides to make it's appearance!

Just waiting

Hey there - you can tell that things are pretty quiet around here due to my lack of posting. I'm typing this while listening to some Christmas music, such is my desire for the festive season to arrive. It is only due to the fact that I cannot physically carry anything, that I am not in the garage getting out the decorations!

I'm just killing time now until this wee baby makes it's appearance. At the last scan it was breech, and at yesterday's check up, so they are going to scan me again on Friday and see if it has turned. If not, they will either try and turn it (which sounds like a complete nightmare!) or book me in for a c-section.

Now, I have been given a list of exercises to do which are supposed to help it turn but, to be honest, I've just been doing nothing! I'm am undecided as to which would be worse - natural childbirth or a section. Having experienced the natural way twice, I know what I am in for and it's not pleasant. However, I know the recovery can be a nightmare with a section so basically I'm just going to wait and see what happens. One advantage of the section would be that they would take me in early so I would be home and well settled by Christmas :)

So, that's the craic with me - everyone else is well. Dave is still away two or three nights a week and the kids are great. Andrew is having his Christmas concert on 14th December and we get little snippets of the song he is singing every now and again - it sounds great!

France and School

Hello again - big stories of this week are our return from France and Andrew's first day at school - they say a picture tells a thousand words so here are a couple of thousand for you.












David has just headed off to Slovenia for his friend's wedding. I was supposed to join him on Thursday but have decided not to go - got a lot on at the moment, not least Andrew's first homeworks which I am struggling with already!

Remember me

Oh, I am such a disgrace at keeping on top of this blog thing. You will notice the last time I posted was when I started that new internet research job. Well, I'm afraid it has kinda consumed my online life. I can't get past the fact that I could be earning money online when I go to do anything else. Anyway, that mercenary side of me has been suppressed for a while and I can just surf and waste time like a normal person (to be honest, it's just that there are no questions to answer at the moment!)

So, since May - what has happened? Well, most recently, we spent the week at New Horizon in Coleraine which was great. Kids were in creche and SU and loved it. I just went and bought Andy his school uniform - complete with cap and blazer. He is so cute but also scarily grown up looking in it. I'll post a photo when we get the last few bits. I've also just noticed that the Ark Farm website has been updated and has two wee photos of me and Rach under the Gallery section.

Tomorrow we go for the 20 week scan which is really exciting - even though I've seen it all before - it's so nice to see your wee baby moving about. We're going to try and find out the sex, not that we really mind, but it would be nice to be able to get rid of some of the mountain of baby clothes (either blue or pink) that are filling our garage.

Then on Saturday we head to France for 2 weeks. Had a momentary panic when I thought that I had lost my driving license and Dave would have to do all the driving . Only joking pet!
It;s found now - Rachael had hidden it under the sofa - she is getting the blame anyway.

So I'll not be back for 2 weeks - and I will try very hard to take some photos so you can remember what we all look like and see how enormous my bump is getting!

Oh yes - other big news is we got a trampoline! It's the best thing in the whole world.