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COFFEE TALK 02.02.20 ☕️

Greetings, and happy Ground Hog’s Day! It sounds like Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow, predicting an early spring. One can only hope there is some truth to the old superstition.

I don’t know about yours, but my weekend has been a blur.

Paul and I went out with friends on Friday night, I went out with girlfriends last night, and we spent a large part of yesterday looking for a used car for C.

She’s been driving my car because Paul’s has a stick shift, and she hasn’t learned that yet, so I’m the one who is more motivated to get her some wheels of her own. Plus, I’m a weirdo, and I actually enjoy car shopping and negotiating.

C is having fun getting in on the process too. She’s just like me when it comes to researching a purchase, so she keeps sending me links and looking up different options. It’s been fun, but I do want to settle on something soon.

In other news, I keep getting questions about intermittent fasting, but I feel like I’ve exhausted that topic over the past couple of weeks.

Maybe it’s because I share bits and pieces on various channels, and no one feels they got the big picture or the whole story? I don’t know… but I’m sure there are some who are already over it, so I don’t want to beat a dead horse.

Suffice it to say, I’m very happy with IF and definitely see it as a sustainable lifestyle change. Many of you could see body changes in my try-on hauls this week, and I’m amazed at how different I look and feel already. (I’ve been doing it for a month or so.)

Here’s a side-by-side in similar outfits (same jeans, just a size down on the right.) Unless the Nordstrom mirrors are designed to make us look slimmer (which they may well be…) I think the difference is pretty noticeable. Maybe I’ll get a picture in the same outfit (grey sweater) here at home this afternoon and see how it compares.

The scale has definitely been moving in the right direction, but I’ve also been taking measurements to get a more accurate assessment of my progress, and I’ve lost an inch to an inch-and-a-half from each of the key areas — bust, waist, and hips.

While I started intermittent fasting primarily for weight management, I’m learning of so many other potential health benefits related to this eating pattern, and I’m excited to see where it leads. (Google autophagy for more on that.)

If you’re still curious about IF, I encourage you to research it (Google is your friend, but be sure to consider the source), read about it (Gin Stephens’ Delay, Don’t Deny is a great place to start), and talk to people you know and trust.

When I wrote about Embracing Wellness in 2020 earlier this week, I had a ton of people ask what podcasts I’m listening to. The main one I’ve been enjoying is Intermittent Fasting Stories. (I also tried to listen to The Intermittent Fasting Podcast, but I couldn’t get into that one.)

Yes, Gin Stephens again. No, she is not a doctor or a scientist, but she has done a ton of research and experimented with all different forms of IF, so she’s a a great resource.

If you want to read about IF from a qualified professional, The Obesity Code is one of the most often cited, and someone else recently mentioned The Science of Skinny.

You can read through the comments on my wellness post for more for book and podcast suggestions.

As far as a microblading update goes, I’m at that stage where a lot of the ink has disappeared, and my eyebrows (particularly the left one) are really looking homely.

I’m supposed to wait a full 2-weeks before using any makeup on them (which would be this coming Tuesday), and it’s taking all my willpower to wait, but I know it will be worth it in the end

I’m definitely glad I finally went through with the microblading, and I’m so glad I went to Colleen at Color Theory Cosmetic Tatoo. She takes a very natural approach, which is exactly what I wanted. I can’t wait to see the final results. I have to wait four more weeks for my followup appointment, where she will fill them out and complete the look.

If you have more questions about the process, pricing, or before and after care, the Info section on Colleen’s website has everything you might want to know.

Let’s see… what else? I guess that leaves my kitchen reno! Nothing much has happened with that this week, except we did get my double ovens installed on Tuesday.

I’m thrilled with how perfectly the ovens fit in the existing space — they didn’t need a larger cutout or anything.

They’re also not quite as deep as my last set, so we were able to push the refrigerator back where it belongs, and the door opens just fine without hitting the new ovens. So yay for that!

I still need to make a final decision on the tile for the backsplash, but otherwise, the kitchen is pretty much a waiting game at this point.

And that’s about all I’ve got! It looks like I managed to keep this post under 1000 words, imagine that!

The last few Coffee Talks have been pretty epic (in terms of length, not importance, mind you!) so I was hoping to keep this one a little more digestible.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!

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15 Responses

  1. Thank you for introducing me to IF. starting week 3, lost 1/2 inch in my waist, 3.5 pounds. I am still hungry, but I am keeping to 18-20 hours of fasting per day (totally clean fast with only plain water all day.) I read the book (which explained so much), and I want to start listening to the podcasts (when I figure out how to get my iphone set to listen to podcasts when I am not at home and on wifi.)
    Enjoy your day! Cloudy and gray here.

    1. The hunger will eventually dissipate. Also, you can play around with different types of foods in your eating window. Some people find having more protein and less carbs helps curb their hunger the next day, and some people actually find that having more carbs helps… we are all different.

  2. I’m loving following your kitchen reno!! I am looking to possibly replace our dishwasher – I’ve seen you comment about Bosch brand and see your oven is that brand. Is your dishwasher that as well and if so are you pleased with it? Trying to find a good quality one. My husband and I are empty nesters now so it doesn’t get run daily like yours might as you still have a family but I’m looking to find a new one. Thanks and LOVE reading your blog!!

    1. Hi Daisy, We purchased a Bosch dishwasher when we built our home almost eleven years ago. I absolutely love it. It’s been trouble free, is very quiet and has never failed to get our dishes clean. We are empty nesters as well and probably run it about four times a week.

    2. Hi Daisy,
      We purchased a high end Kenmore but it had the guts of a Bosch. We absolutely love it, never a dirty dish…

      1. I had a Kenmore dishwasher and loved it! It was so quiet. During my kitchen Reno I went with KitchenAid appliances which I love, except the dishwasher. It isn’t as quiet as my Kenmore and that is important in a great room setup. 

    3. Hey Daisy, I’ve done a lot of dishwasher research over the years, and Bosch is the only dishwasher I’ll ever have. I don’t think anything cleans better and is quieter — two huge plusses in my book.

      I recommend staying away from the 500 series — it has a different rack structure than the 800 series, and I found it very awkward. (It was the one this house had when we moved in.)

      This is the one we had in our last house, which we loved: https://shopstyle.it/l/bc70K

      This time, I upgraded to this one for a nicer 3rd rack: https://shopstyle.it/l/bc70w

      Both have the Crystal Dry setting. (The only complaint I’ve ever heard about Bosch dishwashers is that they don’t dry as well as some, but if you use the Crystal Dry setting, it dries things very well.)

  3. Good morning and happy Sunday! No question there’s a difference in how you look – wow! Can’t wait to see the final results on your kitchen. I know you’re going to enjoy it so much – congrats!

  4. Thank you for sharing intermittent fasting recently. I bought Gin’s book and I am on day 4 of 16/8 fastng. Can’t wait to see results! I am only 10 lb from goal. You look fantastic and your new appliances are outstanding! Thanks again!

  5. Love kitchen. And I can tell you have lost weight. Sometimes 5 lbs makes a different in clothes. I’m working on that.

  6. You enjoy car shopping!!  We can’t stand it.  With that being said, Larry definitely knows how to strategize and we go into it with him having a game plan.  When we bought our current Ram, we knew that we were leaving the dealership in a new truck, but we did not dare give them any indication of that.  And he knows how to get it to a price, usually with zero interest, that benefits us.  I’m glad that you are feeling better with IF!  As you stress, there is not one right way for all of us to lose weight.  Staying healthy is so important.  I hope that y’all have a wonderful afternoon, doing whatever you want to do.

  7. You look great and glad the IF is working. I am not totally doing the IF its just the way I tend to eat each day, but I am thinking of creating more of an eating window. For me the no snacking at night will be hard . I don’t care too much if I skip breakfast… so we shall see.

  8. You look terrific and have told us your energy levels have increased so IF seems to agree with you. It may not work for everyone and other weight management approaches may work better. Its up to us to do our own research and make our own decision so no pressure on you to feel responsible to educate us or be our IF mentor! If one weight mgt strategy worked perfectly, the diet industry would not be a billions dollar industry. Speaking of diet 😂, letting loose today watching the Superbowl game, the commercials, 1/2 time show and eating yummy (but not low cal! Kale chips are not quite the same!) snack and party foods. I’ll go back to healthy eating tomorrow. Go 49ers go!! Enjoy your Sunday.

    1. Yes, exactly. I think that’s so important to realize – we are all different, and different things work for different people. I’m not trying to make converts, just sharing what is working for me, and how freeing it is not to be counting calories or macros or limiting myself to certain food groups. 🙂

      I have no strong feelings about this year’s Superbowl, so I’m going to just enjoy the food and probably read my book while the game is on. 🙂

  9. Well, I gave IF a month to work but I’ve come to the conclusion it’s not the diet for me. I had more success on the Keto diet, so I will be starting that right after my cruise. 

    You’re so fortunate your double wall oven were a prefect fit. Renovating a kitchen is always exciting. Thank you for including us. 😀

    Let’s hope we do get an early spring. I’m not a winter person. I love the freshness of spring, the promise of life as everything buds, and changing my wardrobe up. 

    Enjoy your Sunday! 

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