Usually when we discuss getting to a healthy weight, people focus on calorie reduction or cutting sugar, or following a specific diet. You might do what I do, which is intermittent fasting. All these methods can aid people in losing weight, but your overall lifestyle will ultimately determine the healthiness of your lifestyle and whether you will be able to maintain your healthy weight or not.

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Today I'm giving an update on our homeschool routine as well as sharing channel news, and more. I hope you enjoy today's video. 

Homeschool: We are in our 5th year of homeschooling and continue to love this versatile and joyful way of learning. Due to my changed work schedule, however, as well as adding a new student this year (my son is now in kindergarten), we decided to make some strategic changes. We have a private tutor helping us with the homeschooling which has lightened our load and also provided a wonderful challenge for the kids. Learn about all the details in today's video. 

Channel news: We are so happy to have hit 200,000 subscribers! Thank you to our wonderful viewers! I feel that the Daily Connoisseur content is relevant now more than ever with the message to keep calm and remain classy. Today's video discusses the role that sponsors play in the channel and how I always aim for transparency.

Weight Loss: I have been documenting my health journey with intermittent fasting on the channel and blog and one thing is for sure: many lives have been changed for the better! I have countless comments, emails, and testimonials from people who have found benefits from the fasting lifestyle. Others are not happy with the content and I address the controversies today. 

I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day celebration yesterday. My day was glorious and full of lots of rest, which I greatly needed. 

I'm sharing another intermittent fasting what I eat in a day video with you by request. I do the 16:8 method of intermittent fasting, which means I fast for 16 hours (I don't snack after dinner), and have an 8 hour eating window. I love the freedom that comes from this structured way of eating. 

I like to film these videos on a whim to show you what I truly eat in a day without curating some spectacular menu for social media. This day found me at the end of the week when we were out of fruit and low on produce. This still gives you a realistic idea of what I typically eat in a day. 

Nutrition Spotlight

Elaine Brisebois is a certified nutritionist and author of The Elegant Eating Handbook and I had the pleasure of asking her what her three best tips for women are regarding nutrition. I've had the pleasure of getting to know Elaine better through The Chic Society. Here is what Elaine had to share with The Daily Connoisseur audience:

1. Aim for diversity in your diet and center meals around minimally processed whole foods – which are rich in micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and other health-protective compounds like phytochemicals and fiber. Make veggies the starring performers! 

 2. Focus on nourishing your body over depriving it. Find an eating approach that's both sustainable over the long term and gives you the results you want. Consider any "trade-offs" investments in your health rather than sacrifices. 

 3. Aim for progress, not perfection. When you expect "imperfect" eating days as part of the process, you won't use them as an excuse to quit, throw in the towel, or "begin again on Monday." You can always make a better choice at your next meal.

Thank you, Elaine, for sharing your wisdom with us! You can find Elaine at elainebrisebois.com and on Instagram @elainebrisebois

What do intermittent fasting, Madame Chic, and The Jane Austen Diet all have in common? How did I lose the baby weight after having four kids? These are all questions I'm answering in today's video. 

* Please note: This video and blogpost is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult your doctor before trying Intermittent Fasting or any of the diet or exercise advice I discuss in today's video. 

What is intermittent fasting? Intermittent fasting is not a diet, but rather a system of eating. With intermittent fasting it is not about what you eat, but about when you eat. That's not to say that you should eat an unhealthy diet... If you try IF, you should still have a healthy diet. But Intermittent Fasting does not prescribe a specific diet (like Keto, Paleo, etc.). You are free to eat how you would like to eat (which is good news for me because I do not like to deprive myself of my favorite foods).

There are many ways to do Intermittent Fasting. I do the 16:8 method, which means that I fast for 16 hours (many of those hours are while I'm sleeping), and I have an 8 hour eating window. This is how that works in my daily life: I eat dinner at 5pm (finishing by 5:30pm) and then the next time I eat would be breakfast the next day at 9:30am. That gives a 16 hour fast. 

How does Intermittent Fasting relate to The Madame Chic method? In my book, Lessons from Madame Chic, the first part of the book is devoted to diet and exercise. I share the lessons I learned while living in Paris including, snacking is so not chic, and deprive yourself not. One of the hardest lifestyle changes I had to make while living in Madame Chic's home was cutting out snacking. When dinner was finished, the kitchen was CLOSED. There was no late-night rummaging in the refrigerator as I learned on my very first night in their apartment. So not eating after dinner was difficult for me, but I am now doing this again with the Intermittent Fasting structure.

What about The Jane Austen Diet? This is a book written by Bryan Kozlowski that does a deep-dive into Austen's novels to uncover the wisdom of diet and health in the Regency Era. The book is not only informative, but really funny. Jane Austen also believed in mini-fasts as we discuss in today's video. Her philosophy also ties in to the "deprive yourself not" motto that I learned in Madame Chic's home. 

I go into these subjects much more in today's video, which I hope you enjoy. Here are some of the resources mentioned in the video: 

Lessons from Madame Chic The Jane Austen Diet My Rebounder Intermittent Fasting TEDx talk Dr. Mike on Intermittent Fasting Women's Health Magazine 

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Loved this morning’s tea time. More and more often these are unplanned. Someone will ask “Hey, it’s muffins, can we have poetry tea time?” And we quickly grab what we have around to make the table beautiful and a few good books to complete the set-up! It helps me to know if we are running a bit late I can incorporate our normal morning time activities like scripture memory and read alouds. #poetryteatime #fallteatime#homeschoollife#simplepleasures #eclectichomeschool#thelittleredteapot

A post shared by Home Made Home (@homemadehome8) on Oct 6, 2020 at 3:53pm PDT

Comment of the Week

N McN writes, "I've always bought clothes for work and social events, but I have always had this idea that at home, where I'm not going to be 'seen' by anyone, I don't have to dress up. Wearing sweatshirts, old rags etc around the house is not good for anyone's mental health though (unless you genuinely enjoy wearing sweatshirts and feel good in them), especially during these times when lots of us are working from home or spending large amounts of time at home. I've learned that beautiful things can still be comfortable, it's about choosing well e.g. choosing a lovely warm robe instead of an oversized hoodie or sweatshirt that I've had for too long that's really worn and washed out."

Dear N McN, I am so glad that you are experiencing that beautiful things can still be comfortable. Wonderful!

Thank you for joining me today. If you have any questions, please leave them below. I'd love to answer them in a follow-up video. Have a wonderful week and I will see you Thursday!

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