Lena Llanasolion

Continues here:

This week I have been fighting a pretty bad cold that has taken away my voice for a time and left me unable to breathe at another. As I am still breast feeding, I also don't want to fall behind on hydration or over work myself. Baby E also has a runny nose and is teething to my luck. I've modified my daily workout to walking at least 20 minutes a day on the treadmill and incorporating some sort of weight exercise just to fatigue. On Tuesday I used a pull bar at the gym with a 25lb weight and today I used a gravity ball 10lbs (didn't see the 12lb ball until I was done). The past weekend I was really sick and upped my fluids and didn't IF at all. As a result I saw all of the weight lost come back - but the moment I started doing IF again I went down again below. So perhaps it was due to fluid retention or perhaps it was just a need for sleep or some such that made my weight bounce up by so many lbs. On a side note - my scale lists weight in KG and my fitbit records as lbs. I understand what my weight means in lbs and so by having it show me Kgs I don't think too much about the number itself - only that it's dropped or raised. I try not to look. I also weigh myself twice a day since I have an Aria - and that way I have a pretty realistic idea of how much my weight fluctuates daily and throughout the day. My body fat percentage has started dropping for the first time since I started IF. Husband - the man of my dreams - is attempting IF as well. I think its pretty cool. He's taken up climbing and is working hard to get back into fit form.

February Goals: Be kind to my husband Allow myself to take my time and be late for anything Let kids and husband look after themselves Hit up my gym for their February challenge 21/28 days Motivational Charge: I think; I intend, I do. Hard goals: Practice daily gratitude, Keep a mini diary, Lightly track food, track rest & relaxation Softgoals: Time away from mothering, baking, work on relationship with the husband, writing/publishing Summary: No change in hard goals or soft goals - as metrics I want to see how those improve in the long run. My personal goals reflect my need to step back from anxiety causing instances. I recognize my stress is usually of my own making because I'm wrestling with things that are out of my control. The product manager in me is trying to push my product (kids and husband) to be perfect when there is no such thing. They are perfect the way they are in their little imperfections. My motivation, is to clean up my thinking to be more streamlined and less cluttered. Know myself. Know my instincts. Know my mind. Do. (Don't question my judgement but stick to one plan)

January Goals revisited: Keep up with a Fit Mom's Whatsapp group chat I started with two other girlfriends who are looking to lose weight using IF Plan ahead for the workout tomorrow Establish habit of Intermittent Fasting (18:30:00 to 12:30:00 M-F and sometimes Sa or Su) Motivational Charge: Enjoy Life! Hard goals: Practice daily gratitude, Keep a mini diary, Lightly track food, track rest & relaxation Softgoals: Time away from mothering, baking, work on relationship with the husband, writing/publishing Summary: I met most of the goals for the last two weeks of January when I had set them. February will be the real baseline since I will be tracking for the entire month.

Just over a week later.. I've lost about 4lbs! So there's something to this current lifestyle. I'm extremely clear headed as well. Sleep has been hard extremes of either 5 hours or 8 hours... ha ha. I celebrate when I sleep enough and boo when I don't. I notice that I'm more hungry when I haven't slept well - breaking my fast earlier. Today, I started eating a lot later than usual and because of the kids, wanted to eat a little more so ended up eating a bit later into the night.

I am returning to Nerd Fitness after being away since February 2017 (A Journey of a 1000 Stairs) where I attempted to do 1000 stair climbs and lose weight accumulated and maintained post the birth of my 2nd son. I succeeded in getting down to about 180lbs from about 200 lbs. I did not reach my dreamed of 165lbs. Instead, I got pregnant with my third and final child (a dreamed of daughter) and my weight bounced right back up to 220lbs at the height of the pregnancy. For the first time I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes - which made for interesting self experimentation with a blood glucose reader and many meals. I had my baby girl in May of 2018. Recovery was better than it had been with number 2 - at least I did not have drop foot! AND I was super active before and after the birth. However, something about turning 40 and having gained all this pregnancy weight - my weight went down to 190 and then did a massive up turn back to 110. I have been hovering between 202 and 206 lbs ever since. So - given my NF experience... and I signed up to Mutu Mamas and had a physio as well in the early days post pregnancy (diastis rectii). So here I am thinking, I am crossing the T's and dotting the i's and yet.. not a single budge of my weight. This is the least stressed I have been in eons. I am not working, I have the time and ability to go to the gym at max 2 hours per day... I spent a lot of time in an active upright state. I eat wholesome healthy home made food. I work out at least three times a week and I get a decent (if not enough) amount of sleep. I haven't eaten my children yet. I have a weakness for sweets and baked goods but I am not as glutton as I have been in the past. I practice a great deal of restraint. Breastfeeding may play a part and be a factor with regards to hormones that are involved in retaining weight. So bringing it down to basic things that affect my weight - I will make an effort to drink more - I will make an effort to sleep more - I am aware breastfeeding hormones are a thing As far as diet goes, I have started Intermittent Fasting as of last week - too soon to see any difference - and last week I went to the gym for a two cardio box classes, one aquafit class, one yoga, and one anti-gravity restorative class. That's four times! This week I've already gone in for a 20-20-20 class (step meets weights). Plan is to go to the gym at least three times a week. At least one time for a yoga/restorative session. That leaves food - Granted with three kids and a bunch of carb eating junkies... I am pretty good at keeping things home made and nutritious. I started baking my own bread! So given that I started regime above only last week - too soon to tweak anything here. (I did a MFP check and my daily calories are around the 1650 mark.. so not terrible).

Number of stairs: 423 (no change) Weight as of this morning: 182.7 lbs (+ 2.7lb) Body Fat: 39-40% (no change) Measurements: 241 (Previous, no update) R&R and targeting the metabolic system. I have been all about R&R lately. I walk a lot but am more focused on walking slowly. My goal is stress reduction. I attended a Buddhist conference this last weekend which included much meditation. Return to my former thing self. Return to a compassionate and more thoughtful self. Practice self-compassion. I'm continuing my practice of daily gratitude. This last weekend on account of the conference I was not watching what I was consuming. Most weekday mornings I fast in the morning and have a bone broth, cup of tea, and various vitamins. Then I have a pretty filling lunch and dinner. I'm very mindful of cravings and fulfilling them. This last weekend because of the conference I indulged my sweet tooth a bit. I also missed drinking as much water as i normally do when seated at my desk. I also had shark week. All these things can be reasons for a slight weight gain. I would really very much like my weight to drop again but I think I have reached a kind of happy balance. On Trendweight, I can see that my lean mass has been steadily increasing and my fat % dropping. Both these numbers are in relation to the fitbit Aria scale which has questionable accuracy. That said, I go to my acupuncturist's office once a week and can see a comparative number. I'm determined to live out the rest of the summer in this manner. A happy balance between food, walking, and reduced stress. In the fall, I will take up the weights again and potentially a stricter diet.

Number of stairs: 423 (+20) Weight as of this morning: 180 lbs (- 1lb) Body Fat: 39-40% (no change) Measurements: 241 (+0.75) Book I'm reading: Lose Weight Here: The Metabolic Secret to Target Stubborn Fat and Fix Your Problem Areas By Drs. Jade Teta and Keoni Teta Founders of Metabolic Effect This book is in sync with dietdoctor.com and The Obesity Code. It continues the song for calming down the stress hormones. Eat Less and Exercise Less, incorporate 3 Rest and Relaxation activities into the weekly routines. In combination with intermittent fasting eat 3 meals per day where 2 meals are protein and veg and only 1 meal contains fat and/or starch in moderation. Monitor the following and edit diet/activities to keep them in check. Sleep: 8 - the sleep I get is good and I feel rested Hunger: 8 - too full lately Mood: 9 - cloud 9 Energy: 9 - high Cravings: 9 - none So I'm doing it right so far. I've also started practicing my daily gratitude, recording my rest & relaxation activities, and making sure I'm eating enough food.

Hi! I've been getting some interesting information re: intermittent fasting from dietdoctor.com. But I went further and started reading The Obesity Code by a intermittent fasting advocator Dr. Jason Fung. So even if you're fasting, try to keep to your needed caloric intake per day - so you may skip say breakfast but catch up on your eating needs between lunch and dinner. Reason here is that when you're fasting your insulin levels drop and your body has a chance to normalize itself. (He's against snacking in between meals as well). In terms of my own experience with this - I find I am hungry until I eat enough protein for the day. So I've had some success with eating from noon until 6pm and fasting the night and morning. I generally don't feel hungry and drink lots of fluids while fasting.

Number of stairs: 403 (+20) Weight as of this morning: 181 lbs (no change) Body Fat: 39% (no change) Measurements: 240.25 (Previous) STRESS RELIEF! This week has been quite the adventure. First of all, my husband was off to a work retreat for a week including Victoria Day weekend and Memorial Day weekend. This left me alone with both kids. At first I was a bit anxious. Then I was a lot. I managed well every single day. The kids were happy, well rested, fed, arrived to appointments and classes on time. But internally, my sleep was a bit turbulent and I would lie awake at night worried about all the things that would and could go wrong. There is a benefit from planning in advance - that is to say - you already anticipate what can go wrong so you have planned yourself and steadied yourself to manage everything. I'm reminded of a quote "You can do Anything but not Everything." So I left dishes unwashed for the babysitter who comes in the morning. I figured out what was worth pursuing and what wasn't. I submitted to the early morning 5AM wake up call. ... And then I remembered ... I am a morning person. I love this shit. I love my kids. I find them incredibly interesting. I like walking my dogs. I also like planning meals and getting places early. Wow, remove a husband and gain a self. Now - I shouldn't cloud anyone reading this with a judgement on dear husband. He's a wonderful guy and he takes on his own lion's share of everything. I couldn't be happier with a capable individual that he is. But we - he and I - have different ways of doing things and going about things. Some of that is acceptance and letting go and some of it requires thought and debate. often times I will be reacting to his reaction. What was lovely and missing this week was the spice he adds to my life. I could only wish that every moment be a positive one instead of negative. So a quest to pursue in the coming weeks is how to achieve that. Tame the beast so to speak. --- As for the anxiety - I dropped working out from my tasks - but have been collecting more steps than usual. I also eased up on the diet but researched to find be best combination to pursue the Keto Calculator is most helpful in this. I aimed at the goal of going to bed at the right time to adjust for the early waking. This meant less time for doing things in the evenings BUT I had better peace of mind at the end of the day that I had stuck with those simple goals. I am happy. Weight is on the low end of the stagnant spectrum (181-183). Been reading Dr. Jason Fung's The Obesity Code. Helps tremendously with the obsessive woes. I'm still at 181... but happy to be at 181 and not rising. If I can't lose the weight, at least I'm maintaining it.

Number of stairs: 383 (+25) Weight as of this morning: 181 lbs (no change) Body Fat: 39% (no change) Measurements: 240.25 (-0.85 ) Wowsa, it's been painful recently. If I look at my progress I feel like I was at 185 or thereabouts for a period of 2 months. Now I feel like i've been at 183 or thereabouts for 2 months. Now at 180. I touched down at 179 for a morning and then it went back up. I reassessed my strategy. - Was I starving myself in an attempt to reach the LCHF ideal? - Did I feel energized and strong like i was aiming to be or was I trying to do all the things just to lose the weight? - Am I irritable? - How are my stress levels? - Do I feel repressed? Oh dear God. Wrong path. Back up back up. Excited and grateful for the gains but this is not the path for me. I revised my diet plan to be more of a moderate carb, moderate fat diet. Translation: under 100g carbs allowed and still minimize sugar intake. However, ease up on all the other things and get back on myfitnesspal to track what I'm eating. Really hard one - don't go extreme. So instead of a 500 cal deficit (or 1000 cal deficit as I was playing into on LCHF) - try to stay within the ballpark and keep it a 250-300 calorie deficit. Talk about hard - I suspect I was eating myself into an eating disorder. I do not have a history of eating disorders!!! Who knew? 3 good fatty meals a day and I can keep my calorie count reasonable. Add to that vegetables and the occasional home made bran muffin and I'm good. What does this give me? - I'm frickin' full all the time and not reaching for the snacks - ENERGY to get myself strong - Less irritable, more calm - is a good thing - More calm = less stress - I feel like I'm within my dietary limits and doing this for me ---- BUT am I seeing gains? Not yet - but I'm not gaining weight either. Part 2. Change up my workout routine. Dropped the NF levels.. instead - started from square one using the workouts offered up by The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess. They're tough. I needed a challenge but the level 5 stuff I was doing for NF was too challenging given that I had sprained both ankles and taken a few weeks to recover and then level 1 too easy. This felt just right - and I'm ready. NF got me most of the way there. I feel LAZY. Energy still isn't there yet and definitely feel like my recovery time needs to be a bit higher at the beginning as I work myself into a new routine. Add to that it being beautiful summery weather outside and I reduced my number of workouts per week from 3 to 2 to account for needing that recovery time. What I hope to do is to make up for it by upping my cardio or other things that I would naturally do in the summer - e.g. mowing the lawn is a work out! Part 3. Went back to acupuncture this time for weight loss. I give it 4 weeks and will review my choices. Worst case my weight stays the same and I just maintain from here out. Best case, I see a drop in weight a gain in strength and feel motivated to keep going!

Number of stairs: 358 Weight as of this morning: 181 lbs (no change) Body Fat: 39% Measurements: 241 (no change) I've been running on 'maintenance' during the weekends. Have been finding it near impossible to keep away from a bit of carb here and a bit of carb there. I'm of two minds. One mind wants me to go back to normal eating for a time. The other mind wants to stick with the supposed diet and lose as much weight as possible. The scientist in me, the geek, is shouting that the diet is not sustainable. Need to be maintenance for awhile before seeing another major drop. The soon-to-be-40 person in me is shouting that she wants to be back down another 5lbs before hitting maintenance. Just so I can say I've returned to my pre-babies 'norm'. The spiritual side of me is saying that i need to have a time of peace and healing. Enough with being unkind or unrealistic in my body and relationships. A major change since I last checked in - I had an overwhelming urge to get the IUD out. Part of my mentality was that it is the reason for at least 6-10lbs of extra weight. Inflammation being my enemy, a continuously inflamed womb is inflammation no matter the payoffs of a spermicidal environment. It translates to some part of my psyche responding to a fire. Then there was the few days where I seriously reconsidered whether to stay or leave my job. The upswing of my marital relationship that has been a work on its own on account of reconnecting with my spouse after many years with clouded stress judgement on both our parts. So April has seen the clearing of the path. Spring cleaning so to speak. So now, feels like the time to get the juices flowing, April showers bring May flowers. Time to up the exercise anti and concentrate on strength training and less on the losing of the actual weight. I had a fasting blood test done and will be finding out the results on Saturday. If everything looks good - I want to quit with the Poon clinic once and for all. I don't think they are actually helpful in the larger scheme of things. Like checking in to a parole officer more like when I never committed a single crime. Self discovery is key here. Making sure I'm in the driver's seat. Like with breastfeeding.. I could only last 4 months. Maybe I could push it to 6 months. But I don't think that in the longer term that strict adherence to a strict diet is realistic. Loose adherence to the same diet is more realistic.

Number of Stairs: 271 (up 10 as of this morning) Weight as of this morning: From 182 lbs to 181.3 lbs (-0.7 lbs) Body Fat: 39.4 % (-0.6%) Measurements: More or less the same. My weight has more or less stayed the same hovering around 185... or 183. My carb intake is regular at this point. I probably am hitting 100g carbs but mainly non-wheat and no sugar. The weight is still trending downwards so I think I am in the happy place where I have loads of energy and can do all the things. I recognize the need for some carbs also for normalcy in life and low stress. Diet should match the person and withholding too much is painful. Having a bad cold, I'd like to take in more fruits but keeping it mainly to taking daily vitamins.

End of March Update Number of Stairs as of this evening: From 218 to 261 Weight as of this morning: From 187.01 lbs to 182 lbs (-5lbs) Body Fat as of this last weekend: From 42.1 % to 40% (-2%) Measurements: - 3 inches

So it's been a week or so. My weight plateaued out in lieue of Shark Week. I've been doing a lot of reading about the mad carb cravings and mood swings. It wasn't that bad. But worse than my usual daily calm. In the last week, I upped my carb intake to be more flexible chomping on popcorn on the weekend and introducing a bowl of oatmeal yesterday. I then read up on carb up'ing. There are SO FEW articles out there that are addressed to women. Women ARE different than men. We don't have the testosterone advantage when it comes to building muscle and that monthly shark week really does give a kick in the hiney. AFTER I upped my carbs as my body was telling me to do - shark week became way more fun. Warning - going to talk periods here. Having had a history of acupuncture and tracking the color/how heavy/ and the number of days of when shark week hits - the last six months or so have seen my period go extremely light and spread out over a period of time twice as long as what I would consider a norm. I'm like clockwork and every 28 days that shark knocks on my door. But since starting a low calorie/low carb type diet - it's been knocking on my door and playing games with me. I answer the door and no one's home.. a couple of days pass.. and knock knock. It's very much like trying to hear a 5 year old tell a knock knock joke.. GET TO THE PUNCH LINE SO THIS INSANITY WILL END!!! So having been pregnant twice.. and being the obsessive compulsive sort who listens to her cravings - I figure there has got to be SOMETHING that is pushing my body to want more carbs around this time of the month. So lets eat them. I also decided to take a week off from the workouts. I'll be traveling over the next few days and the last time I took a diet/workout break was two months ago. Knock knock this morning and I'm hit with a waterfall of bright crimson. Success. Next time around when the cravings hit, I'll opt for the sweet potatoes, potatoes, and root veggies and just add them to my evening meal as recommended by Healthful pursuit. Its way better than completely falling off the wagon and feeling bad. To also be honest, although I went over my calculated limits with respect to carbs - I was still under calories when I added everything up on My Fitness Pal. I was very surprised by this! Listening to when you're hungry and when you're not.. and doing things in moderation is key. So I'm getting it right I hope. Eat when hungry - stop when full. My weight's down 1 lb (new low) this morning and I slept like a baby last night. Re: the attached videos --- she talks TOO much and pushes her other links too often. I'd rather if she just focused on giving the helpful information BUT as a resource, I did find the opinion pieces valuable. In contrast here's another video blogger who's also very long winded and too in love with her own form. She talks about pushing through the difficulty and that everything will normalize out in the end. I find it very extreme. At the end of the day, you have to walk the path you feel is yours. No one else is in your shoes. So victory points for being calm and collected and still on the LC journey. 182 lbs and dropping.