It feels like I'm doing so much lately - learning Welsh, listening to Celtic (metal) rock, and doing this ketogenic diet/fitness regimen. It takes up a lot of time... and they are hobbies I've had but never went all of them at one time for as long as I have this time around.
Esme was in her room drawing comic strips and doing a really good job at it. She is getting some use out of her desk area under her new bed.
Dw'in mynd dysgu Cymraeg rwan. Dw mwynhau'r cyfle i ymarfe siarad efo chi!
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Construction Projects and Chicken
We've done a lot these past few days. Esme's bed and mattress had come (it's early birthday and something we've been wanting to do for a long time). She loves her new room. It was such a project putting it together!
All finished and everything is in place.
Looking down at me like a teenager
I swear I will be careful with this ladder!
Her room looks so bright and colorful, -- also, very full, but a cool room!
There was some swearing happening during this stage - things had to be forced into place...
I love this expression on Esme's face!
Slat, Key, Scalpel, What?
And Mark bought ten pounds of chicken on special and fried it up. He put it away in the fridge for later and Esme took some up to Grandma.
Chicken!
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Super bandito weedwhacker rabbit
Had a workout for my arms weedwhacking today. I wore a big floppy hat, safety glasses and a bandana to keep the dust and junk out of my nose. Mark said I looked like a bandit, he hardly recognized me, etc etc But it was a really good idea - as there was a LOT of stuff hitting whatever little bit of my face was exposed -- it would have been much more without the headgear.
Miss Irene walked with me in town at the park loop. I also took that chance to use the exercise stations on the walking trail, too. So I've been able to stretch out muscles I haven't in a long time. Mark said we should put a trapeze in the kitchen. Heh.
Kielbasa and bok choy on the stove simmering!
Later :
I found six feet of wall space in Esme's room to move her futon against when we build her new bed. It is a loft bed with a desk area underneath it.. and it is going to take up the entire wall where her bed is now... I should go check those measurements to make sure there IS enough room there. Swept all the corners and used the long vacuum cleaner attachment to get rid of all the spiderwebs in that unused corner. We got one big trash bag of dirty/broken toys and junk and one big bucket of possibly donateable stuff.
Tomorrow while she is at school I will wash down the floor in there with a mild bleach solution. Then when she gets home we can get all the tools and Daddy says he is going to watch while we try to build it, and then he'll help tighten down all the nuts and bolts and see if it needs to be bolted to the wall.
In yoga tonight I did a tripod and half of a bridge... I couldn't get my head off the floor but all the rest of the bridge was there, which is more than I got last time. Esme tried the tripod and succeeded. She tried the bridge and didn't... but now she knows why it's hard! I told her if she can do it now, really good. If she can do it when she gets a little older - that will be even better.
I had salmon and cream cheese and blueberries for dinner (and felt like a black bear... just kidding). 13 sugars for the day and 52 carbs, 997 calories (at least), and 62% of that was fat (30 percent good monounsaturated fats). I think I've earned some time sitting on my tail doing my Welsh Duolingo before bedtime.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
pros and cons
There are some pros and cons to this near ketogenic approach I have been taking.
The biggest 'con' isn't that bad - mostly I need to wash my face, neck and shoulders two to three times a day because I feel oilier - but I don't have as many skin issues at the same time. I'll take one over the other, yes. Another con is that my clothes are looser - not bad really either *heh*... And I can definitely feel it when I eat something with high carbs or sugar... that is a con. I can feel the change through my body systems like a very tangible ripple.
Thirsty. That's a pro and a con. I have to drink more, and more often. That's a con because I'm so used to being 'dry' except for a quart or two of coffee per day. It's a pro because I'm sure this is a healthier way to survive. I'm 'hot' and sweating more now than I did before.. when I ran terribly cold especially after eating. I do believe water is good for me - and my body is finally agreeing instead of saying 'I can't take one more cup or I'll throw it back up.' as I used to feel about large quantities of water. Now I suck down an entire 8 oz glass and it's no problem.
Pros. I'm not hungry as often, unless I splurge on a high-carb thing, and then I am hungrier even with the rest of my food in me. If I stick to the list I'm full sometimes long past the normal time I would eat another meal.
Also, I've lost inches. My waist and hips are down 2 inches each, and my legs are still steady at one inch less than before I began the ketogenic part of this diet. My stomach doesn't stick out as much, but there is still some ways to go. Since there is water weight included in this and not just body mass - I think it would be safe to lose a bit more than I was originally planning because the water weight will come back afterwards.
Muscles. I feel like I have more control over some muscles (like the ones in my rear that grip the exercise bike seat, and my shoulder muscles as I ride hands-free to use more of my core muscles) and that I have more energy in my muscles than I had before. That's contraintuitive to the glycogen things I read about, where I should be depriving my muscles of the stored glycogen from carbs and then refilling them slowly with new glycogen made from the ketones...
I can get big bursts of speed on the bike (it has a speed thing, and I used to ride for 6 to 10 minutes at 8 to 10 mph and now I ride for 10 to 15 minutes at 10-13 mph), and I can lift more things over my head at work that I wouldn't think of powering up before. I'm talking about a 20 lb well tank, not an elephant. But still, it is nice to have that power in reserve and know it is there. I'm up and down and lifting things all day and I only occasionally feel like I'm about to fall apart on the floor and need to be picked up. And now, when that happens, I know I've probably done some effort worth the response.
Most of my little cuts and scrapes are closing back up remarkably fast, unless I get dirt in them, and then they have a little inflammation. I am bruising a bit more on my arms (because I'm lifting and doing more) but they are healing up pretty quick, too.
Yesterday I was at 76 carbs and 21 sugars. Today, I refused the other half of Esme's cereal bar (like I had been doing for more than a week but had went back to sharing it with her the past two days) because I really didn't want that 12 carbs and 6 sugars on my 'plate'... I'm hoping to go back to 65 carbs and less than 20 sugars.
The biggest 'con' isn't that bad - mostly I need to wash my face, neck and shoulders two to three times a day because I feel oilier - but I don't have as many skin issues at the same time. I'll take one over the other, yes. Another con is that my clothes are looser - not bad really either *heh*... And I can definitely feel it when I eat something with high carbs or sugar... that is a con. I can feel the change through my body systems like a very tangible ripple.
Thirsty. That's a pro and a con. I have to drink more, and more often. That's a con because I'm so used to being 'dry' except for a quart or two of coffee per day. It's a pro because I'm sure this is a healthier way to survive. I'm 'hot' and sweating more now than I did before.. when I ran terribly cold especially after eating. I do believe water is good for me - and my body is finally agreeing instead of saying 'I can't take one more cup or I'll throw it back up.' as I used to feel about large quantities of water. Now I suck down an entire 8 oz glass and it's no problem.
Pros. I'm not hungry as often, unless I splurge on a high-carb thing, and then I am hungrier even with the rest of my food in me. If I stick to the list I'm full sometimes long past the normal time I would eat another meal.
Also, I've lost inches. My waist and hips are down 2 inches each, and my legs are still steady at one inch less than before I began the ketogenic part of this diet. My stomach doesn't stick out as much, but there is still some ways to go. Since there is water weight included in this and not just body mass - I think it would be safe to lose a bit more than I was originally planning because the water weight will come back afterwards.
Muscles. I feel like I have more control over some muscles (like the ones in my rear that grip the exercise bike seat, and my shoulder muscles as I ride hands-free to use more of my core muscles) and that I have more energy in my muscles than I had before. That's contraintuitive to the glycogen things I read about, where I should be depriving my muscles of the stored glycogen from carbs and then refilling them slowly with new glycogen made from the ketones...
I can get big bursts of speed on the bike (it has a speed thing, and I used to ride for 6 to 10 minutes at 8 to 10 mph and now I ride for 10 to 15 minutes at 10-13 mph), and I can lift more things over my head at work that I wouldn't think of powering up before. I'm talking about a 20 lb well tank, not an elephant. But still, it is nice to have that power in reserve and know it is there. I'm up and down and lifting things all day and I only occasionally feel like I'm about to fall apart on the floor and need to be picked up. And now, when that happens, I know I've probably done some effort worth the response.
Most of my little cuts and scrapes are closing back up remarkably fast, unless I get dirt in them, and then they have a little inflammation. I am bruising a bit more on my arms (because I'm lifting and doing more) but they are healing up pretty quick, too.
Yesterday I was at 76 carbs and 21 sugars. Today, I refused the other half of Esme's cereal bar (like I had been doing for more than a week but had went back to sharing it with her the past two days) because I really didn't want that 12 carbs and 6 sugars on my 'plate'... I'm hoping to go back to 65 carbs and less than 20 sugars.
Sunday, September 24, 2017
bit
Did the increase today, and went to 75 grams of carbohydrates, but less than 12 grams of sugar. I had lots of ambition - did a LOT, especially in the morning. It was one of those 'more done by noon than done all week' sort of days again... But by four o clock I was ready to go home and rest, have dinner and take a nap! I didn't get the nap - we watched a movie. And in a few hours it will be time for bed. I'm trying to stay up long enough to read Esme her bit of book. I can sleep a little later tomorrow.
Will go by the same plan tomorrow, and see if my energy picks back up after getting used to the change. I was thirsty again, today, too - very thirsty, all that water adding back in to process the carbs.
I bought some better olive oil, new green olives and more coconut milk - as I won't be completely changing the way I was eating the past week, just adding the carbs in to balance things out. I'm still eating less than the recc. amount of calories, so we'll see what happens - weigh myself sometime towards the end of the week and see how things have worked out.
We got some of Esme's birthday presents in the mail the other day, and I wrapped them up already. Also got a new book for us to read after 'A Wrinkle in Time', - which is 'The Sixty Eight (Thorne) Rooms'. I really liked reading that book myself last year. My Dropkick Murphys CD has come and I'm still waiting on my 'Run Away (killer rabbit)' tshirt ;)
Will go by the same plan tomorrow, and see if my energy picks back up after getting used to the change. I was thirsty again, today, too - very thirsty, all that water adding back in to process the carbs.
I bought some better olive oil, new green olives and more coconut milk - as I won't be completely changing the way I was eating the past week, just adding the carbs in to balance things out. I'm still eating less than the recc. amount of calories, so we'll see what happens - weigh myself sometime towards the end of the week and see how things have worked out.
We got some of Esme's birthday presents in the mail the other day, and I wrapped them up already. Also got a new book for us to read after 'A Wrinkle in Time', - which is 'The Sixty Eight (Thorne) Rooms'. I really liked reading that book myself last year. My Dropkick Murphys CD has come and I'm still waiting on my 'Run Away (killer rabbit)' tshirt ;)
Saturday, September 23, 2017
easing off the ketogenic diet
I did the near-ketogenic diet for a week.
I've lost 6 lbs so far and have another 6 or so before I will reach my target. But I don't want to do it in such a way that I will just bounce back - there is a relationship to carbs and water weight I've been reading about. I'm increasing my carbs now to 65 to 75 grams per day, and the sugar to 20 to 25 grams (or less). If that doesn't continue to feel like it is benefiting me, then I'll reduce it again. I do like the feeling of eating much less sugar, bread and rice etc. I'm not sure if I can keep up eating NO bread and rice for the long term.. so starting back with one or two servings per day under the mentioned limits until I find a good medium ground.
I've lost 6 lbs so far and have another 6 or so before I will reach my target. But I don't want to do it in such a way that I will just bounce back - there is a relationship to carbs and water weight I've been reading about. I'm increasing my carbs now to 65 to 75 grams per day, and the sugar to 20 to 25 grams (or less). If that doesn't continue to feel like it is benefiting me, then I'll reduce it again. I do like the feeling of eating much less sugar, bread and rice etc. I'm not sure if I can keep up eating NO bread and rice for the long term.. so starting back with one or two servings per day under the mentioned limits until I find a good medium ground.
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