I’m back down to (about) 250 pounds. Because yesterday was a fasting day, I lost four pounds, which is at the upper limit of weight loss for a day of not eating for me. Tomorrow would normally be a fasting day as well, but I’m having lunch with a friend, and I’ve decided not to avoid the occasional social meal. My self-discipline tends to stick the best when it’s an all-or-nothing endeavor, but I feel guilty about avoiding invitations to meals with friends. So I’ll probably eat chips and queso tomorrow, followed by some tacos. There is obviously the potential for weight gain, but I plan to make lunch my only meal of the day, so maybe I can get by with just maintaining the weight I’m at today.

I feel noticeably better at my current weight. While I’m still contending with brain fog, my body feels better. I don’t ache as much, I don’t have any subtle wheezing when I breathe, and it’s just plain easier to move. I’m still a long way from being at a healthy weight, but I think I’m making good progress. The weight loss trend has been less linear than I thought it would be, but I’m aware that my intermittent failures to avoid sugar and flour (and overeating and grazing) have been responsible for the periodic upticks.

The brain fog is really frustrating. I don’t know how much of it might be the result of poor eating habits, though. As I’ve mentioned previously, my sleep is terrible, I’ve had COVID-19 twice (an interesting account of one woman’s battle with COVID-induced brain fog can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/5n7pfu8s) and I’m obviously getting older. Because chronic inflammation can be a source of brain fog, I’m determined to get a better handle on my diet and see if that at least helps.

Despite my swearing off of Cheeseburger Weekend, I may try it again. I’ve become interested in becoming better at cooking, and getting better at any skill requires practice. But this weekend I’ll try to practice some self-restraint as well: I’ll skip the homemade fries, try to refrain from eating more than one hamburger bun per day, and try to avoid overindulging in cheese. The ground beef is still problematic as red meat is fattier than other choices (and it causes inflammation), but I’m giving myself permission to eat less-than-ideally on weekends. As long as I don’t over-consume or graze, I may be able to avoid any weight gain and (hopefully) may actually lose a bit. That’s the plan, anyway.