I’ve gotten back on track. I was able to fast yesterday, and today I’m down almost five pounds. It feels good. My back aches less, I’m not wheezing when exerting myself, and I just feel less fat. It’s a huge psychological boost.

I’ve recommitted to going to the gym four days a week. Because of a broken toe that hadn’t finished healing and some chronic pain in my (extremely flat) feet and rickety ankles, I got out of that habit and found it difficult to get back into it. But because exercise is critical to maintaining my mental health, I’m back to the elliptical and weights.

My exercise regimen is best described as “moderate.” I’m middle-aged now, and the reality is my body doesn’t have the endurance, strength, or range of motion that it once had. I’ve started to accept that I just can’t do the kind of workouts that I used to engage in, so I do what I can.

Diet has always been the biggest determiner of my weight, and that’s even more true given my constraints when exercising. Strenuous exercise does help with weight loss, of course, but it’s not the most significant factor. Still, cardiovascular exercise does burn calories, and lifting weights grows muscles that are more metabolically active than fat (see Basal Metabolic Rate), so even a little of both can accelerate weight loss.

Although logic might suggest that engaging in exercise increases hunger, I haven’t found that to be the case. If anything, I feel less hungry after a workout because I’m thirsty, and thirst inhibits hunger. I’ve read that people often mistake thirst for hunger, so they eat when they don’t need to. Maybe a good practice would be to hydrate when you feel hungry to avoid that particular phenomenon.

Actually, hydration is really important when dieting, especially with intermittent fasting. I drink a LOT of water (specifically sparkling water) on fasting days because it makes my stomach feel less empty. It does result in having to pee every hour, but that’s a minor inconvenience and indicates that I’m well-hydrated. I also drink more coffee than usual when fasting. Caffeine suppresses appetite, and, because it’s a diuretic, it helps with evacuating the bowels (pooping). In other words, it cleans you out.

I should mention something that isn’t uncommon with intermittent fasting: liquid poop. I don’t know the physiological reason for this, but it happens on both fasting and non-fasting days, especially when breaking a fast. The intake of food stimulates peristaltic contractions of the gastrointestinal tract, which can quickly move digested food through it, ultimately resulting in “elimination.” Having a bathroom nearby is a good thing.

Anyway, enough poop talk. I get to eat this morning, so I’m indulging in some yogurt and blueberries.