November 04, 2018

Intermittent Fasting Trial, Days 3-4: Lots of projects to keep busy

Intermittent Fasting Trial

The first two days of my intermittent fasting trial were super smooth. I found it easy!

Yesterday was a different story.

I wasn't exactly hungry, but I wanted to Jerry said watching me was like that Siri commercial with Cookie Monster. I would describe it, but it's something you just have to watch. I LOVE this commercial!!

I was looking at the clock way too frequently to see if my fasting time was up yet.

I didn't have as much to work on yesterday, because I am literally waiting for paint to dry. Painting the cupboard doors has been quite the process. I have 23 doors, and can only fit half of them on the tables. I put on two coats of primer and two coats of paint. The primer and paint are oil-based, which take a good 24 hours to dry between each and every coat. 

When I paint one side of all of the doors, I have to wait 24 hours before turning them over to apply the first coat to the back! Some of them, I turned too early and you can see smudge marks. Once they are all on the cupboards in the kitchen, I'll go through and touch up where needed. For the most part, though, I am loving how they are turning out! I finished the first half and attached them.

I attached cup handles to the drawers using this AMAZING jig by Kreg that allowed me to do all seven drawers in less than 20 minutes. (I'll eventually write a post showing all the tools and paint and stuff like that we used). I promise you, if you have to put knobs or pulls on cabinets, you NEED THIS JIG. Jerry thinks it's hilarious that I am super into tools and woodwork now. I bought a couple other nifty gadgets to use on some more kitchen stuff. 

Kreg knob pulls jig

Anyway, I was dying to eat all day long, but I did manage to wait until the Chicken Taco Soup was done in the crock pot. I'd forgotten about this soup and hadn't made it in years, but the family raved about how good it was. It's super filling, because there are lots of different beans in it (including a can of refried beans, which makes it very thick and hearty. 

Chicken Taco Soup

I ended up eating later into the evening than I would have liked as well. I still managed an 18-hour fast window, though. 

Today, I woke up feeling like I wanted to eat again. So, I tried to keep myself as busy as I could, even with insignificant things. I've been really into contact paper lately (I've been lining the kitchen drawers) and I decided to line a box that I've had since 2004(!). 

It's just a cardboard box (very heavy and good quality) that someone gave me a baby shower gift in (when I was pregnant with Noah). I liked the box and I've never been able to bring myself to get rid of it. So, I put contact paper on it, and then used it to store extra plastic wrap, aluminum foil, etc., underneath my sink.

gray contact paper

I really wish I'd thought to do that years ago! 

I've been trying to think of a solution for storing dog/cat treats, and I'm having a hard time with it. We used to keep them in the cupboard attached to the wall we took down, and that's obviously no longer there. I searched Pinterest for some ideas, and I thought it would be really cool to make a "pet feeding station"--where we keep the cat food, dog food, water, treats, etc. 

I thought about building one, or going to Salvation Army to buy a piece of furniture that I could turn into one, but then I remembered a shelf in the garage that I bought a long time ago at Salvation Army. I planned to paint it, but I still hadn't gotten to it. 

Anyways, this is what it looked like before:


I'm still not done with it, but I removed the middle shelf and cut out two holes with a jigsaw. Joey's dog dishes will fit in the holes...

Then, I attached the shelf down near the bottom. On the very top, I cut out two more holes. One is for the cat food (on the top shelf, it's out of Joey's reach!) and the other is a hole for the cats to climb through to the top (they could jump to the top, but Estelle loves to climb through things). 

After that, I primed the whole thing, and I'm going to paint it tomorrow. I can put the pets' treats on that middle shelf. The shelf fits perfectly next to the refrigerator, and it's not bulky, which is great. I'll post a photo when it's totally done.

Today, I put the Moroccan Meatballs in the crock pot, and they were SO good. I've always cooked them on the stove, but they definitely taste better in the crock pot. 

Moroccan Meatballs over Orzo

So, I'm hoping tomorrow feels easier! I'm sure that since the kids have school, I'll stay super busy between driving and working on the stuff at home. 


  1. Wow from DIY kitchen cabinets to a few great recipes, great post! Check out this months Discover magazine; interesting article about fasting! I need to go back and re-read your first post about your intermittent fasting schedule!
    As always enjoyed reading,

    1. Thank you, Rose! I've been posting recipes lately because I prepped 27 meals to go from freezer to crock pot this month--crazy, right? So, that has been a bit of an experiment in and of itself!

  2. I'm really impressed with all your DIY home renovations and projects! I would be afraid of cutting off a digit if I used a jigsaw, lol! Great job!

    1. I LOVE doing wood work stuff now! I can't wait to get all the other stuff done for the kitchen so that I can think of other projects to make ;)

  3. LOVE the pet feeding station what a great idea!

    Good luck with your IF challenge! After reading "the 8 hour diet" I attempted 8/16 IF. I was miserable. I counted down the seconds until I could eat again. I settled with 12/12. I am not miserable and Ive lost 50 pounds with IF and walking 5x a week.

    1. Congrats to you!! That is awesome--not just the weight loss, but that you found something you enjoy and that works well for you.

  4. A question about the intermittent fasting...
    I thought that the eating window still needed to cover a full day of calories, just all those calories compacted into 5-6 hours instead of throughout the day. So I'm wondering if I misunderstood that or am not understanding how much you eat at night (it seems like you are just eating a normal dinner from your post descriptions)? Thanks.

    1. Yes, I guess I didn't explain that well! I do eat a full day's worth of calories (I'd guess maybe 1800? I don't count, though). I just break the fast with an early dinner (and a larger portion than I would have if I was counting calories). A few hours later, I'll have a high calorie snack (cheese, crackers, nuts, and an apple is a favorite). But I'm definitely getting in a full day's worth of calories.

  5. The trick to intermittent fasting is to ensure you're still eating a day's worth of calories in that short time frame. Maybe eating earlier and denser meals would help?

    1. I'm definitely getting in enough calories (see my above response). But I think I need to make a shorter window--maybe only four hours. I'll see how the first week goes and adjust from there!

  6. That pet feeding station is genius! I can't wait to see the finished project.

  7. Keeping busy really helps with IF!

    Also I admire your home improvement skills!! Your pet cabinet is going to turn out awesome. I can't wait to see your completed kitchen too :)

  8. I've been doing IF for about 6 months and I do 16/8. I eat from noon to 8 pm and I am also in a deficit (working with a trainer). I find it's so much food to fit into the 8 hours, even at a deficit, that I literally don't have time to "cheat". It's so interesting. Also after this time doing it, I am not hungry until noon. It's so cool how my body has gotten accustomed to it and it just seems natural. It's the most normal I have ever felt while in a deficit :)

  9. I LOVE that pet feeding station! We def need to see pics when its done! Great job on all your projects!! You're turning into quite the handy woman!



Featured Posts

Blog Archive