Operation Slim Kim

Pardon the pun feel to this but…

There are apparently layers to chins. It’s not just double sometimes.

Cuz like… my face is getting thinner… but there was apparently a sneaky chin that’s now ready to be in all the videos.

Why? I didn’t send for you.

Maybe we’re all a little wiser and more thoughtful as we get older, or maybe it’s just another example of how great they are but... I really appreciate how much support my friends have provided me as I start this keto journey.

I’ve dieted on & off my whole life and there’s always someone who (while meaning well in their head) isn’t the best at support. They’re quicker to judge and slower to respect. I’ve been loudly questioned or chided/admonished in groups or in public in the past. It makes you not want to go out, tbh.

But from Dougie letting me know the wings weren’t breaded to Kelly making dip for me to Dan trying the coffee I ruined & telling me the bread on our cheese plate was awful... everyone has just been... sweet. Made it so easy for me to stay on track while on vacation. Thanks guys.

My last post was about how hard it was to get back on the horse and be motivated. It took me quite some time to get refocused, but I did around mid-October.

After seeing significant results from people I know, and reading a LOT, I decided to try the ketogenic diet. I lost five pounds almost immediately... and then it was birthday and holiday time! Lol. Thankfully I held stable. I decided to use the time to fine tune and learn more about how to be effective.

It’s harder to cheat on this than I’d thought it would be. I’m not inclined to eat much “bad” foods, which made transitioning back into keto eating fairly easy when I got back... and I lost about four pounds last week versus the last time I checked on 12/24.

A friend suggested that I read The Obesity Code & I was reintroduced to something I have always thought made sense... flexible intermittent fasting (FIF). I’m going to use it to manage & basically retrain my insulin response.

I’ve decided I won’t be full on keto forever. I don’t want to be that restrictive, but I am committed to a life where I mostly have very little refined carbs and processed sugars. I think this is a healthier way to live.

As for FIF... just finished my first 16/8 fast. It wasn’t bad. Not at all. I can definitely do this twice a week.

Plus I’m exploring how to keep my food options interesting. I need to prep meals and have things on hand so that I stay focused. Pinterest and YouTube are amazing in this respect. Today I’m going to make slow cooker tikka masala & chicken & mushroom soup.

I don’t really think I’m in ketosis yet, but the FIF should help spur that transition. Just gonna keep at it.

Well, that’s enough typing for now. Just wanted to document my start. I feel good about this. I’m excited. I’m finally motivated.

I did it.

 After months of guessing and throwing out assumed numbers. Of secretly hoping I could just wait this thing out & never have to formally acknowledge it. Of playing more games with myself than a casino in Vegas. I lady-ed up and stepped on the scale.

 As you may have guessed from the lack of activity on my little micro-blog, my tiny break has been WAY longer than I planned or frankly needed.  And while I easily rationalized to myself exactly what had happened and why (I took a break to be realistic about my BD/holidays, I’ve probably only gained 7-9 lbs, it should equalize & then I’ll just get back on the horse, etc), I was reluctant to actually STEP on the scale & make my suppositions reality.

I didn’t want to enter in a gain into my fitness pal.  I didn’t want this to be REAL.  I didn’t want to feel like I’d failed.  So I ignored it.  I simply decided NOT to weigh myself. I told myself I’d just start exercising again and then I’d lose the extra curves and it would be like this had never happened.

 Except that didn't happen.  I had a moment of motivation around the time my friends were all running marathons, but I wasn’t working out. I watched what I was eating, kind of, sort of, maybe, when I felt like it.  But I wasn’t logging into the site regularly. Me. The girl who logged in her food & exercise while overseas.   

I was hiding. I even rationalized that and told myself the numbers for calories needed weren’t really right anyway if I had gained… And even then I WOULD NOT just STEP on the SCALE.

 So, finally, after a day of flu (I’m not perfect, I’m real) I did it. I weighed myself.

 6 pounds.  It’s not as scary as I thought.  The world hasn’t ended. And yes I put it into my weight tracker. And no I didn’t even check to see if it would broadcast that to my friends before I logged it in. Guess what? It feels AMAZING!!!! There’s nothing to hide behind. No more excuses.  I’ve been liberated from myself. I don't feel like a failure - I feel like a ROCKSTAR. 

Seems completely counterintuitive hmmm? I've fought for, struggled with, cried about, and painfully eeked out every pound lost last year.  I had near panic attacks about group trips simply because I didn't know what I would eat. I literally said to friends "I'm not on vacation" while we ate meals in Disney World, tracking every single calorie I consumed, good or bad.  How could I be okay with a six pound weight gain? Had I simply lost it?

 Then came my “lightbulb moment”: This journey has been all about accountability for me.  I’m successful when I’m accountable.  I flounder when I’m not.  And I couldn’t be accountable to myself if I wouldn’t even step on my scale.

I'm baaack...

After hemming & hawing did a kettlebell workout today. I needed this. 368 cals burned later I feel great :).

Since I'm in LOVE with Kettlebells & the results I've seen in how my clothes fit since using them, I was a little concerned when I didn't "feel the burn" as much on my last few workouts... I'm on a hard core mission here ya' know?

After consulting my panel of experts "i.e. Twitter peeps" I decided to do the right thing & increase my weight from my 10lb bell to a 15lb-er. 

I really like the construction of the GoFit Kettlebells so I decided to stay with them & their cute/useful color coding system for different bell weights. This bell looked different from my 1st one - it's contoured! REALLY helpful as the traditional bell doesn't really "fit" against your arm for moves like the "clean".  It also has a nice wide handle & body for grip.

As was the case with my 1st bell, this one came with a workout from an instructor who has their own fitness DVD series.  GoFit has partnered with Bob Harper (of Biggest Loser fame) to deliver the workout with these new contoured bells

The workout comes from his Kettlebell Cardio Shred DVD & it is serious. Your HR gets right up there & you sweat.  I also sadly enjoy the fact that Becky struggles as much as I do (using the same weight), despite clearly being a very fit girl. 

I was initially concerned that @MyTrainerBob didn't take enough breaks (CRITICAL for a KB workout) but I realized as I started doing the workout that he was just very clever about them, using them for moments of instruction & stretching.

A sweaty me after "Denise Austin Strength Intervals". Not bad for a twenty minute workout. Definitely got my HR up into the fat burning zone & kept it there. Found her voice disconcerting but it was a solid routine. And it confirmed that I need heavier handweights.