Well ladies, I am down another .2 today to 170.4, which I'm pretty pleased about (I had fajita beef for dinner - lots of it - and it was delish!).

Today I'm doing another zero carb/correction day with the correction day known as A Day In Poultry Paradise. I'm allowing myself coffee with cream for breakfast and possibly an induction-friendly salad for dinner, if hunger is an issue, but my goal is to do this by the alt. correction days book, so to speak, and keep it as close to pure flesh protein as possible. But worst case scenario, it ends up being a normal induction day instead of a correction day, and I still lose weight. Win/win!

I'm very close to my window and doing well. Though it was small losses on Monday and today I am still down from 173.6 to 170.4 in five days. That's a 3.2 pound loss, and not bad at all, given that I've been correcting and then overeating for two weekends. Fortunately nothing else dietarily significant is coming up and so continuing in ketosis and controlling my weight for the time being is the plan. If this wasn't our cycle for TTC my husband requested one more shot at it before I do another P2, which fits in with the end of this P4, anyway, as I have about another month on this phase before I can start again with losing. So just coasting and controlling my weight by whatever means I like fits his plan and mine well.

Yesterday I just did my Chair TTap from the MORE DVD, which was light and relaxing. I didn't feel sore from HTFS until I actually started working out again and then I was glad I didn't do a harder routine. Today is scheduled for TWO and then the weekend for a break. As far as I can tell that lineup is just fine and I have no plans to alter it.

Piano is going well, though I am going to spend some concerted effort today on my warmup to iron out the technique that isn't really sounding or feeling like I want it to. It's not bad, but I can do better, if you know what I mean? The minuet, itself, is doing great! I ironed out the rough spots and have been working on the dynamic expression, now it sounds quite lovely to my ears. Not exactly like my teacher's version of it, but very nice in its' own right. After my lesson Saturday we will run some errands and the kids will go hang out with grandpa. Then Peter and I will be working in building the girls a long-planned sandbox in our back yard, to go with their playset. This year we also need to finish the deck and pour the sidewalks, so getting in the sandbox before we stake out the path of the sidewalk is going to be very helpful. The kids really like their box at grandma and grandpa's so I think it will be a hit.

And that's the news for today!

The Burgers Over Easy day was a success. I did it as written with no issues except I added in two servings of coffee.m this morning found me down 1.2 pounds to 170.6. I'm doing a 'normal' keto/induction day today to get some broader nutrition while losing and if I am still outside my window tomorrow I will do a Chicken or Greek Yogurt correction day to assist.

I feel great and have tons of energy right now, which is excellent. I did my HTFS TTap routine yesterday and I'm either crazy or doing it wrong but it was much easier this go-around. Still some very challenging exercises, but while I was sore I wasn't winded through most of it, and my muscles got worked out without me feeling worked over, if you get my drift ;)

Since that was a full workout and still very intense, today is just my MORE workout - either Chair, Step Away, or both if I am feeling up for it. Proceeding as scheduled, basically!

With piano I need to tune up my walking/running exercises a bit more, they are struggle this week even as the actually piece I'm assigned is going excellently. Go figure! The easy warmup is causing me more problems than the actual work, because it is isolating and exaggerating my weaknesses. I needs to happen so I can fix them, but I'm still annoyed ;)

Good news today - despite nuts and restaurant food (on plan but not ideal) it appears I stayed in ketosis and was down 1.8 pounds this morning, to 171.8. After no drop yesterday (yay water retention!) it is a welcome sight. I am not known for losing weight around this time of my cycle so any pound is excellent.

I'm slightly switching things up on correction days. I have been doing Atkins induction, but I actually plan on doing it today with even less carbs, if I am feeling good. I will be doing the "Burgers Over Easy" correction day from the Alternate Correction Day ebook, which is a zero carb day. If I find myself hungry I will add in my normal induction dinner which has been a salad with mushrooms, avocado, radish, celery, and some bell pepper, and comes out to about 12 net carbs. That will not bump me out of ketosis at all, but it may make the predicted correction day losses slightly less. Thus, my aim is to do a clean correction day according to the book (literally!) and then alter it if needed. These pure protein correction days can really kill cravings and jumpstart fat burning, so they are very useful. The hybridization of the protocol and Atkins continues!

TTap went very well last night, a solid tempo workout completed and I felt energetic and bouncy afterward. I've been dragging the past few weeks so it was really nice to hit mid afternoon, exercise, and actually feel refreshed instead of just sore AND tired. I am planning on adopting hoedowns more regularly into my routine, too, as post-meal insulin control. I haven't done this specifically and regularly for the duration of the TTap 60 Day Challenge, but I have enough of a baseline now that I can see if it makes a difference in how I look or feel. I asked the wise lovelies on the TTap forum when the best timeframe to do hoedowns after a meal would be, if insulin control was the desired goal, and they told me the sweet spot was 20-40 minutes after eating. A sweet and very helpful poster named Ayj dug up an old thread for me on the subject and it was an interesting read: Hoedown Window

In terms of piano, this is what my teacher is having me practice (and do browse her blog, it is amazing!) - Hook Minuet. It sounds very pretty when played the way she recommends, even though it is an incredibly simple piece it can still be beautiful when the phrases are shaped carefully. This is a skill Ipi haven't experienced much and it shows! I really enjoyed my practice this morning because it sounded lovely and was relaxing to fine-tune the piece, not at all a drudge. Shirley has really made me approach the piano, including pieces I already know, very deliberately and it has breathed new life into my playing. I was struggling with it being stale and stilted before, because I knew what I wanted to hear and couldn't make my hands do it. So in my opinion she is a miracle worker already, and well worth her fee and lesson format (the link discusses that a bit - she is wonderful about providing supplemental instruction and additional material to add to learning).

Well this is unfortunate, but I'm not surprised. I've hit the end of my cycle this month and am having premenstrual water retention, so despite being on plan I was the same today as yesterday, 173.6. Today was derailed by a potluck and lunch out but I stayed as close to plan as possible, so I'm hoping things will look better in the morning. Persistence and perseverence are my friends, and my weight loss looks the same around this time every month - stalled or gain!

Unless I'm hungry later I'm actually done eating for the day. I don't know where my calories are, but I feel quite full here, post-lunch. Tomorrow will proceed as planned. My workout today is tempo/BWO+ and I am eager to get to it. Some days I don't want to work out at all and others I am itching to move - today is the latter, so this should be nice.

Piano needs some serious additional attention, and my husband has to stay later at work since we did a lunch date with him today, so I have time before he comes home tonight to get that extra bit of practice in. My new piano teacher, Shirley, has taken me back to basics. And yet her approach is so different and focuses on a skillset I haven't developed and am sorely missing, so I find it challenging and enjoyable despite being somewhat elementary. She's an excellent teacher and the Skype for lessons format we use actually works very well.

I think that is the news for today. Weight issues are stagnant, exercise is normal, piano is proceeding, and life keeps on marching. Can't complain!

Good morning! I ended up having a lovely (and yes, very sugary) birthday/Mother's Day weekend and have some water retention and likely a pound of fat to show for it - this morning was 173.6, which I'm fine with. Clothes still fit and the like, so much of this is probably nutrient-related inflammation and bloat. It was nice to spend a day without counting, though I do need to get the goodies out of the house so the temptation is minimal to keep eating them!

Sugar and wheat do indeed make me feel cruddy once metabolized. I'm noting this correlation more and more strongly as I listen to the feedback my body gives me. I wonder if I felt this way when I was at my highest, non-dieted weight and just didn't realize it? I can't remember specifics but I felt tired and rundown all the time, and nutrition/inflammation issues likely had something to do with it, as much as all the excess weight did!

I'm back on the induction diet until the end of the week, maybe a smidge longer, then will transition slowly back up to my normal level of carbohydrates (sans the foods I don't tolerate, of course). We'll see how long it takes my body to adjust back downward this time, I'm curious to see if it is faster or slower than last week and what factors may affect that (like hormones, or the fact that this was a quick regain due to cruddy food and not several weeks of slightly high calories).

TTap is planned for today, though I have been incredibly sore all weekend from the last total workout on Friday. I was surprised to be so sore, actually, it was abnormal for me at that workout. I'm taking that as a good sign I activated and fine tuned my form a bit more, since that ups the efficacy and intensity quite a bit. But either way, I am playing it by ear today. I have a TWO schedules but I may dial it back to the basic, instead, so I don't overdo it.

I think that is about the size of it right now. Looking forward to tomorrow's weigh-in!

Good afternoon!

I'm back inside my window today. Despite eating slightly excess calories over what I wanted I actually dropped another full pound to 169.2 today. That means I began Monday at 173.6 of earned fat from overeating, and have reduced it 4.4 pounds in as many days. Induction has been a total blessing for correction days for me.

Tomorrow is my 26th birthday and I'm combining it with Mother's Day so my eating it relegated to just Saturday. In addition to the cake and dinner my husband had planned for me (Sushi, yay!) my daughters also conned their grandma into baking a chocolate cake as a Saturday activity, so I'm being given two cakes. Oy! I have given myself permission to eat whatever tomorrow and not count a thing, but Sunday and thereafter is completely on track. I do fine that way - with special occasions being relaxed provided my eating day in and day out is on plan. Then Chrismas Day or my birthday is no big deal.

I assume I will need a correction day Sunday, but even if I don't I'm resuming the induction days until I get a positive or negative pregnancy test at the end of this week (I should know by next Sunday). That way I've gotten off excess weight and maybe a bit more either for maintaining until my next P2 (if the test is negative I'm doing another weight loss round) or to transition to higher carbohydrates and maintain or lose slowly during pregnancy. It is a win/win for weight control, regardless. I feel GREAT on ketosis and it has been a great tool for correcting.

With the exception of multiple junk food days in series I can maintain in my window just fine (I only needed one correction day in my entire P3, that was a big victory!), but to get slightly higher regains off I think this is my method of choice. It is easy to adhere to, no hunger, and I feel excellent. So if I am just slightly out of my window I'll do a steak day or other simple correction day, but after the holidays or a vacation, the way to get off slightly higher pounds that works wonders for me is definitely Induction, by the book. My maintenance eating is so close to later stages of Atkins anyway, it's an easy transition for me. And as I said before, the Perfect Health Diet is essentially Atkins with better nutrient balance and lower inflammation foods, so all these approaches are very naturally flowing into each other and giving me a lots of tools in my toolbox for simple maintenance. Just a little vigilance and daily weighing, plus committing to correcting immediately when my weight strays a bit, is the golden ticket for me.

TTap - workouts yesterday went very well. I was very sore in my upper and lower abs from the floor work Wednesday so I just did MORE Chair and skipped the slightly more strenuous second workout. Today is supposed to be TWO and I am planning on doing it, getting ready, and then I have that monthly babysitting for the Military Wives Potluck that our church hosts (we adopted the spouses of one of the regiments on base, and are witnessing to them and offering fellowship and a break from their kids for the evening ;) ). If I run out of time to get ready AND out the door I'll cut it short and just do the Basic workout, but the plan is for the Total as of right now.

This is my husband's day off work (he works ten hour days so every other Friday is an additional off day, which is very nice!) and we're taking the kids to the park with their bikes after lunch instead of the usual playing in the yard. Now that the snow is mostly melted (there is still a bit in our yard, but just patches) we want to really improve the girls' bike skills and our park has a great paved flat area for learning, as well as trails for when Callie gets better. She actually does very well and just figured out her hand break, but Lilah is having issues with peddling the same direction and not going backwards. She forgets which way she was going and reverses it, which of course brakes her little bike and brings everything to a screeching halt. Hopefully she'll learn ;)

And that's my day today. Can't complain!

This morning finds me at 170.2. That's .8 down and 3.4 pounds down in three days of this ketogenic fasting for correction days. WOW! I officially have that lovely metal-mouth keto-breath thing going on this morning, so hopefully I'll get the appetite suppressing effects of keto as well. I'm not hungry, but still eating fairly close to maintenance calories each day. I'd like to effortlessly drop it by about 200 calories for the next few days, but I'm not pushing it.

Only .2 until I'm back inside my range! I'll just continue this correction cycle until Saturday, and then resume it as needed. If I am losing this well each day I have no problem doing the induction-thing until then end of next week, honestly. It is a comfortable way of eating except for being light on the veggies compared to what I am used to, and I miss having grapefruit with breakfast and berries with dinner (allowed in Atkins phase two, but not induction). Transitioning back to slightly higher carbs overall will be nice, but I could comfortably lose weight this way for as long as needed. I hadn't realized just how close to induction I was already eating, in terms of nutrient composition, anyway. It's not a lifelong thing and shouldn't be, but for losing it is very nice. Beats the pants off of simple calorie restriction, in terms of losses and lack of hunger.

I got in my Hit The Floor Softer workout yesterday and dare I say it was easier this time? It's still ridiculously difficult, especially some of the more aerobic/strength sequences, but it wasn't impossible, either. My abs are a bit sore, but no punched-in-the-gut feeling. I just 'notice' them ;)

Today is an easy TTap day with MORE Chair and Step Away. Tomorrow will probably make up for it, as TWO is the scheduled DVD, but for today I am looking forward to intense activation and brief but energizing workouts, as I have come to expect with MORE. Good stuff. My mother was kind enough to send me some birthday money (and a lovely candle that smells like cake and looks like the ones she always made me when I was growing up) and it's totally going toward Step Away/Step It To The Max and Tempo Arms TTap DVDs. I'm turning into a junkie for it, but the results are addictive!

Atkins Induction experiment as a correction day has worked very well so far! It is essentially a high fat, moderate protein day with very low carbs. I'm actually sticking to the induction food list and rules to a T, so that should explain the nutrition side of it for anyone familiar with the program. I'm down another .6 pounds to 171.0. For doing in a series, this is tough to beat. I ate my last meal at 9:30 last night thanks to the debate and not having time to cook for myself before leaving, and yet even eating a huge salad and accoutrements that late at night, the scale was still very nicely down.

The issue with correction days is that doing them in a series is very tough and the losses slow immensely after the first one. So when larger corrections are needed, like after holidays (or anniversary weekend with rough eating ;) ) finding a way to get back in the weight window is really tough if you can't or don't correct immediately. Now some of this is my luck - I am well keto-adapted already and have no side effects from going into fairly deep ketosis. No headaches, flu symptoms, or anything like that. I just feel energetic (almost to the point of having a hard time sleeping!), clear headed, and have almost no hunger unless it has literally been 6-8 hours in the middle of the day between meals.

To put this dietary/correction day experiment in context as to why I chose it and how it fits with the other things I am trying, here are the main points:

- The Perfect Health Diet I am already committed to practicing during pregnancy or maintenance is essentially a low-inflammation version of phases 3-4 of Atkins anyway. Very similar nutrient compositions overall, except the PHD is focused on optimizing nutrition out of the same dietary percentages and eliminating inflammation from foods like soy, sugar, or wheat, which Atkins does not. The basic dietary philosophies are similar, and the PHD actually recommends ketogenic fasts once every week or two or to therapeutically treat health issues, as they are very beneficial to blood chemistry and work marvelously to kill off pathogens and microorganisms that can cause many maladies. And just like induction, the Jaminets (authors of the aforementioned PHD) have researched and concluded that our bodies are not meant to run exclusively ketotic and such a diet is hard on the liver long term. It is good for losing weight or working on specific health issues, but ultra-low carb is not an indefinite solution and many do better on 60-100 grams a day longer term, from quality sources. This is what the final phases of Atkins seek as well.

- Thus, for weight correction, short or long term, both philosophies agree that ketosis is superior for burning stored fat and correcting underlying issues like candida overgrowth or leaky gut syndrome.

- I am prone to food sensitivities and they clearly and dramatically impact how I look and feel. So given that the two diets are both sound and in agreement in their basic philosophy, blending the two with an emphasis on not exacerbating my specific food issues works very well. The induction foods list provided in Atkins New Diet Revolution, as well as the instructions following it, are in harmony with what I have discovered about myself. The PHD is primarily a wellness/maintenance diet, so something else (like hCG or ketogenic/low carb) is more suited to losing body fat.

- The hCG protocol, which I am dedicated to, requires correction of weight outside of the maintenance range, especially in phase three (the stabilization phase). Dietarily it has almost the same food composition as the first two phases of Atkins, with no sugar or starch. Seeing a theme yet? ;)

- Phase four of the hCG protocol is essentially lifetime maintenance. So if one can't or won't do another hCG round for more weight lost, another method can then be used. In my case, I maintain well on the aforementioned low carb/low inflammation diet. And since I am in a holding pattern regarding my hCG use until I find out if we conceived this cycle, it behooves me to find another method of maintaining or losing weight that is more compatible with pregnancy (the higher carbohydrate amount of the PHD or maintenance phases of Atkins are perfect, as sustained ketosis through pregnancy has questionable safety). And if I am not pregnant I still must find a way to stay within my window or get back in it during the remainder of P4, so adopting lower carb thresholds and using ketosis to get back inside that window goes hand in hand with the methods I am already using. The diets are remarkably similar, actually, with slight differences relating to their corrective goals (hCG is meant to heal metabolic damage causing obesity, Atkins circumvents the metabolic damage using ketosis to keep the malfunctions in insulin secretion as minimal as possible, and the PHD uses ketosis therapeutically to correct digestive and immune system dysfunction and then maintain the healed systems thereafter).

- For either losing weight without the hCG or maintaining my window if I slip outside of the range (and one correction day is not sufficient) as I did this past weekend, using low inflammation foods in specific quantities to induce ketosis is fabulous and working very well. It nourishes well, doesn't induce hunger as calorie restricting to correct would create, and the induction rules are both very clear and straightforward (like any correction day should be) and not at all in conflict with either my weight loss or maintenance ways of eating. I am of the opinion that all these methods support one another in research and practice, and the effect is synergistic when ketosis is combined with low inflammation. No insulin spikes to create hunger or store fat, and no systemic damage due to improper nutrition. Weight can drop without difficulty and from the correct fat stores, and the foods that cause insulin spikes or allergic responses are excluded from all three diets.. Cool, huh?

- Regarding intermittent fasting, the last piece of the puzzle I am working out: I am only using IF as a method of more easily controlling calories, since overeating will be a temptation regardless of the method of losing or maintaining I settle on. This allows me to arrange my meals in a way that a larger dinner or a party can be accounted for, or late night eating habits can be accommodated or circumvented without much difficulty. Stacking my calories into a smaller window is more mentally satisfying since the meals are larger, and physically it works very well to fuel me during my peak times of the day, by simply putting off the fast- breaking until later in the morning and not snacking. And given that I am already so close to ketosis on a given day, even when not actively seeking it, I am more satiated anyway and better able to handle the fasting times due to no hypoglycemic swings. The lack of sugar and starch in my diet saves me from ravenous hunger and the awful feeling of low blood sugar. Put simply, the type of meals I eat makes fasting much easier, and then when I do eat I am consuming nourishing, substantial food that gives me energy without deleterious effects. The fasting is just another tool in the toolbox giving me more options to live life without food battles.

- TTap is awesome exercise for strengthening and energy, I love it, and that journey would occur regardless of what diet I choose.

That about sums up what I've been blogging about, in increments, for the past few months. My research has been focused on finding out how my body interacts with sugar and starch, which Simeons noted promoted obesity and lack of stable weight. This connected very nicely to what Atkins discovered was the insulin hypothesis of weight gain, where endocrinology affects fat storage and health (and Simeons sought to heal that regulatory damage). The Jaminets have acknowledged these hypotheses and practices to correct in dealing with excess body weight, but ignore the effects of high circulating sugar on other health issues and how many diseases and conditions are connected to improper nutrition or imbalances in blood chemistry. Their work seeks to strike a lifelong balance based on these endocrinology principles, which is what I want for maintenance. Health and weight control.

Each researcher had a piece of the same puzzle and came at it from a slightly different way. I am finding that connecting the methods and adjusting specifics as needed, based on where I am in time and what I am doing, has been perfect. My ultimate conclusion is that carbohydrate control is crucial for me, along with meeting my body's nutritional needs and not causing more food sensitivities or exacerbating the ones I have. But I can't do hCG all the time, and the Jaminets have too high a carbohydrate intake for correction days or losing weight, and ketosis can't be done during pregnancy. All these diets were missing pieces I needed based on the odd place I find myself right now - needing to control weight but not being able to use my proven method (hCG protocol) to do it. So for short term control or correction, ketosis is optimal (and induction is a healthful, balanced way to induce ketosis quickly). And should I find myself pregnant, the PHD is optimal for pregnancy and breastfeeding weight control. It is health promoting in numerous ways without exacerbating the conditions that cause my obesity.

I am glad I have found something to navigate the limbo I am in for the next few weeks. I am (obviously) a list-maker and like having a course of action, and so having great plans for every contingency (weight correction, pregnancy/maintenance, another round, etc) makes me feel more at ease. But without citing piles of research I am pretty sure my blog has just gotten confusing over the past few weeks as I have enacted but not fully explained several courses of action. Rest assured, just as with beginning the hCG I am not off-my-rocker-nuts or being extreme - these various causes and effects of obesity and endocrine regulation are well documented and agree with one another far more than it appears they do, on their faces. But none are mainstream and the misinformation, especially regarding low-carb or hCG protocol, is ridiculously prevalent.

The one thing that cannot be argued with, however, is success. I have been a successful loser and maintainer for almost four years now, and my journey continues. Figuring out that calories in/calories out isn't a magic bullet for me, with my body damaged from extreme obesity and metabolically programmed to resist maintaining lowered weights, has been SO key. Healing that damage and letting my poor regulatory system (hypothalamus and adrenals, thyroid as well!) rest and rebalance, eliminating foods that interfere with normal and healthful regulation of said systems, and finding a way to balance my weight day to day so that I don't regain, has been SO important. Key. I have been and continue to be dedicated to maintaining the body I have worked so hard for, improving it more as I can. That requires all parts of the equation discussed above, and finding a way to make what I know work together for the easiest and most fool-proof maintenance possible has been my journey over the past few months. I think I'm there, especially with now discovering that induction/ketosis is a marvelous way to correct slightly bigger weight swings than a steak day can handle.

Vigilance, low carb/low inflammatory daily nourishment, and reshaping through TTap, have been crucial to my success. And I am confident in what I have chosen. That peace of mind might almost be as priceless as giving my husband whiplash with a pencil skirt and stilettos ;)

Yesterday's ketogenic correction diet went well, I felt great and had no hunger. I am partially keto adapted anyway, after P2/P3 eating it isn't a far move to adjust macronutrients a bit more. The correction day used to correct the abortive steak day and weekend evens netted me a 1.8 pound loss, which I'm very happy with. I am now at 171.6 after about 20 net carbs and 1700-ish calories. We'll see what continuing today nets me in terms of loss, I should see the water retention receding as well which will be only be a good thing in terms of daily weighing.

I ended up having to shop yesterday instead of work out in my usual block, so I only was able to get in two sets of hoedowns. I'm bummed, I hate being this busy and getting in less TTap, but I do what I can throughout the day regardless of whether I get a solid block with the DVD or not. In fact, I was mysteriously sore yesterday morning and couldn't figure out why - then it occurred to me! I had been practicing my TTap sitting position during church and it engage my core and back muscles so much I was actually sore as though I'd had a vigorous workout! Pretty cool, I'd say.

On a final tangent, I am still doing intermittent fasting even with this current correction cycle. My eating window has shifted a bit, it is about 10:00-6:00 now, sometimes an hour longer. I am not sure if it will stay that way, but given when I feed the kids and that it isn't convenient to eat between 10:00-noon I sometimes have a hard time making it all the way to noon without anything, and thus have to shift the entire thing several hours earlier. The problem with that is that it isn't ideal with my preferred evening schedule, and so somewhere I have to compromise. Oy!

I'll think up a better solution one of these days, but right now I am still playing around with the variables. Three meals in an eight-to-nine hour spread, with one being small and two being larger quantities of food, has worked pretty well. Now it is just landing it on the schedule conveniently!

Tonight is another one of those busy nights, we have a debate we need to go and record at 6:30. I'm feeding everyone, myself included, before we go, and it is being held in a rented room at the back of a coffee shop here in town. I'm making my own coffee drink before I go so I am not tempted to buy one of theirs and have problems with how it is made. Going without being hungry will make saying no to any possible junk much easier. Though I have to start dinner an hour earlier than I'd like, to have everyone fed in time to go, I should still have a few minutes to get my BWO+ in today. Fingers crossed!

So I was doing perfectly fine with a correction day yesterday, as expected after big restaurant meals on Saturday. Then we had a meeting in the evening and the lovely host, who is a friend of mine, turns out to be a food pusher of the finest pedigree. I refused pie THREE TIMES before another guest passed me a plate thinking I just didn't want 'that piece'. I decided it wasn't a battle I could gracefully win, especially given the nature of the meeting (strategizing for a political campaign, pusher was the woman I am trying to get elected ;) ) and gave in. Rhubarb pie. Then later in the evening I ended up nibbling on a piece of stollen/sweet bread.

Yeah.

Perfect correction day, foiled!

I also ovulated last night (it was quite an achy, crampy affair, as it often is these days. I can actually tell which ovary is releasing an egg based on which side is tender, which I was never aware of before watching my cycles and having children), which causes massive water retention for me.

Between that and the aforementioned pie-spoiling-my-steak-day, I was actually UP to 173.4. Such is life, but it is a tad annoying. I'm now in P4 and want to get it back into my window post haste, so I am adopting a fat fast/ketogenic fast/Atkins induction for at least the next week. High fat, moderate protein, low carb, and controlled to keep calories around 1800 or so. That will get the weight off and help with my appetite, too, given that it doesn't stimulate cravings. Now that I am essentially off wheat and sugar, having it back three days in a row has stunk! It definitely makes me feel icky and achy, in addition to creating noticeable and severe hunger for more of the same. Sugar and starch noticeably shreds my appetite control, and it is just solidifying my already-firm commitment to have my daily eating be on the lower end of the carbohydrate scale. I can do a little, but I do better with a whole foods, fat-dominant, nutrient-heavy way of eating. And since eating ad lib of foods that aren't nice to me has caused massive weight jumps that hormones just exacerbated, it is an excellent time to correct.

And tonight, I have no sweet little pie pushers foiling my progress with their insistence that I gobble their creations. That is very helpful!

In terms of exercise, today is supposed to be TWO. I don't see any reason for that to be put off, so unless something goes awry I will plan that this afternoon. Also, I love my new piano teacher. That is all.

Good morning! This one is a quickly check-in, as the troops are getting restless and I have lots to do today. Last night my husband helped me get two of three desserts ready for a pro-life/ pregnancy resource center fundraiser I am helping with tonight. They need to be plated and the remaining dessert baked before my kids eat them ;)

I will be SO glad when this week is over, we have been getting to bed late every night for one reason or another and it is making staying of schedule in the morning tough. TWO in one form or another is planned for this afternoon and I have one more day for piano rehabbing before my Saturday lesson, too. Nothing else of note (that I remember, anyway!) is going on, and I'm grateful for it.

I am willing to call myself officially weight-stable for this P3 - I have only needed one correction day and that was a direct result of too much food, too late at night, with lots of sodium (ie: my weight didn't bounce around so much as the contents of my guts did!). Other than that, my weight has been in the 167-169 range, with 168.6 (about half a pound above my LDW, likely due to exercise and solidly refeeding myself!) being the number I have seen pop up often. So too, today - 168.6 was my weigh and tomorrow is the last day of P3.

Since I have been weigh stable I am decided to cut P3 just slightly short so I can enjoy some dessert with my husband for our anniversary. While it is officially on Sunday, the kids will be with their grandparents tomorrow and so we have time to do a date. I always look forward to those and am prepared to skip the breadbasket but consider the brownie in the meal. While my WOE for life is low to moderate carb (because they don't make me feel great, as well as causing cravings and weight gain with insulin spikes) out of the house special occasions are the few times I am willing to indulge in a great, since the quantity is controlled and not taunting me from the fridge.

If my weight was bouncing around more I'd be concerned, but to be fairly stable even with ovulation right around the corner makes me confident enough that a slightly more sugary food event is no big deal. I have a steak on hand for correcting Sunday, if I go outside my weight window.

The plan for P4 is still fuzzy in terms of losing/maintaining. I am debating going ketogenic for a bit and shuffling off some weight that way, along with the IF I have been doing, but it is more fertility-promoting to maintain on moderate carbs than low. So I'm waffling. Either way I'm ready to move onto the next stage of my diet but I haven't decided the specifics.

TTap continues to go well and I *think* I am seeing differences in my shape. I am not using the tape measure right now but will do so in a few weeks and we'll see what I've netted in terms of inches lost. I am certainly gaining better posture and strength, and those are worth it all on their own!

My brain is drawing a blank, this is what I get for blogging mid-afternoon instead of in the morning, like usual!

I was back down to 168.6 today, almost a two pound loss from my steak day. All in all it went well and my busy day contributed to making the fast easy - I wasn't home for most of it!

TTap went well yesterday and today - I did the BWO+ instead of HTFS, because I didn't get to it until after the kids were asleep, at 9:00-ish at night. Despite being a workout I have done a ton, it was very, very intense and I focused a lot of squeezing my shoulders together and pulling down my lats. You wouldn't believe how much that increased the difficulty. Then today was a restorative, refreshing session of MORE Chair and Step Away. Easy but it got my heart rate up and a fair bit of muscle activation.

No news is good news, what can I say?

170.4 today, I earned a correction day fair and square through overeating!

I've been doing okay staying at maintenance calories most days, though I stopped fasting with the convention and am indeed finding it harder to stay in my calorie budget, so as much as I love breakfast foods I do better eating them at noon than 10:00!

Peter is gone through midnight tonight and I've been managing things fine without him when it comes to the house and kids, but my ability to get piano and exercise in is MUCH less, and given that I am still doing the 60 Day Challenge on the TTap front and have to polish up a few pieces for my first lesson with my new piano teacher Saturday morning, I really need that extra time I haven't had! It's stressing me out.

In fact, Peter being gone hasn't caused the eating issues - being insanely busy has! I have had something every day this week, including a meeting this afternoon at IDEA, a homeschooling co-op I have joined, regarding completion of paperwork for both Callie and Lilah. They basically oversees the homeschooling minimally and allot some of the student funds the state would be getting for the girls back to us, to supplement our schooling budget. They're an excellent group and don't control the curriculum or turn us into a charter school, which is nice, but they offer lots of support and expertise. Nothing but positive reports have come from all the families we know who work with them, and so while I am generally a fan of completely independent homeschooling I don't mind submitting quarterly work samples and exchanging the occasional email with a teacher for 5k added to our schooling budget each year! That will allow us to do things like put the girls in swimming and piano, which are very important to us, as well as supplement some of my school supplies and curriculum consumables like workbooks.

Anyway. That meeting is today, yesterday was chiropractor and shopping, the weekend was its' own beast of busyness, and this upcoming one isn't better. Today and tomorrow I need to make three chocolate desserts for a fundraiser at our local Pregnancy Resource Center, Saturday is my piano lesson, likely our anniversary date, and garage/yard work, and Sunday looks clear (which means I'm just going to get something sprung on me last minute ;) ).

I haven't succumbed to loneliness eating, but snagging bites here and there as the evening drags on or in between events? Yup. And I knew I was doing it, too, this is no surprise. I started feeling full and kept eating, and it was calorie dense food. That I was only a little outside my window is pretty impressive, actually.

I'm bummed my exercise didn't happen yesterday - I was dressed for it and everything, but literally ran out of time while making dinner and then having to get myself and everyone ready for my appointment and shopping. In fact, we were late as is! Today is scheduled for Hit The Floor Softer and I have every intention of doing it during the nap block, but I acknowledge it might not get done. The IDEA meeting starts at 1:00 and I'm going to pick up my steak on the way home, but by the time everyone gets down to nap I will likely have to be making dinner. Still, it is on the books and in my plans until otherwise bumped. Peter won't be coming home until midnight tonight, so I will use the evening to get in the piano practice I slept through this morning. Each night has been very late in just trying to get stuff done, and I am dragging by morning. I really just need a clean day overall - with eating AND time. I'm resolving that will likely come at the beginning of next week with time but the eating I can fix now, and will. We'll see where a steak day lands me tomorrow morning.

Well I survived the convention, and while it was busy and crazy, things went reasonably well from a personal perspective and unfortunate but not insurmountable, from the political side of things. It was the worst run convention I have been to and had major logistical issues and execution, in addition to a bevy of obnoxious attendees. But despite some undesirable policy shifts and new chair/vice chair of the Party whom I did not want to elect, nothing earth shattering happened.

I did a correction day Thursday and it worked well. Unfortunately the menu was fixed and cruddy, so my options for eating properly P3 or even generally low-carb were non-existent. I had bread, sugar, and even some things like chips. None were particularly delicious but I'd have been ravenously hungry if I avoided the meals completely and packing from home wasn't an option. Amazingly, after the correction day Thursday (since I was just above my range Thursday morning), even with the prohibited foods I never did rise outside my range for the rest of the weekend.

I felt terrible though, my nose started running and my throat was mucousy and itchy, along with body aches. At first I thought it might be a head cold coming on, but as soon as I resumed my normal, low-inflammation diet, all symptoms cleared. Literally within a day I felt back to normal. Thus, the malaise was food intolerance related.

There was one big upside to the weekend. I ended up having a badge picture taken after almost three hours in line for registration (just the beginning of the logistical nightmare and failures in executing a decent convention) and despite wearing six inch heels that entire time, talking off all my lipstick and sweating off half my makeup, my badge picture turned out pretty darn good! If my new license looks half as good as this impromptu mugshot does, I'll be thrilled! And I also think it captures me pretty frankly, with no manipulated camera angles or flattering light.

And you know what? I still look normal and attractive. Not obese, or in any way remarkable. That just makes me feel good! Not looking like the elephant in the room or feeling self conscious at all, just blending in with the professional crowd or even being on the more eye catching end of it... Major, major non-scale victory. All from a cruddy ID badge.

*****

My weight this morning was 168.6, right in range and fine by me! I'm looking forward to resuming my normal TTap schedule and not dealing with screaming political delegates this week. My husband is out of town until Wednesday at midnight, but me and the kids will manage fine.

My new bras came in from Poland literally a half hour before I left for the convention. They actually fit very well, except they are about a size too small in the cups (my previous experience with this company was that the cups ran big for my type of breasts, so I downsized my calculations to compensate. I just downsized a bit too much!). I am not returning them, because another five pounds of weight gone should make the cups fit perfectly, but I may order another of the same band size and a cup size up in the meantime, especially if I conceive on this cycle (breast growth and all).

I'm very pleased with things right now, all in all. Not much to report.

*****

I wanted to make a note of it here on my blog, as a last bit to this random, piecemeal report. I was responding to someone on 3FC about body image issues and perspective shifts regarding weight, and it was a good summary of my thoughts and feelings on the matter that I wanted to preserve here. So often women link their weight with confidence, self worth, and beauty. This is a destructive and false premise I want to disprove, if at all possible. I definitely understand the disconnect between what we seen the mirror and our actual size, and our brains do play tricks on us. That mental work is THE most important thing in the universe of weight loss. I truly believe it is what separates the regainers from those who maintain some or all of their losses. So here is what I posted:

I so hear you on the body/mind disconnect. I think that is honestly how I got so heavy - for so long I knew I was fat, but I didn't realize what I looked like in reality; the picture of myself in my head influenced what I saw in the mirror and it wasn't until pictures of LOSING weight that I truly 'saw' how I looked before. It wasn't 'me' in the mirror, my brain substituted images and impressions in for reality.

To use an analogy, think of weight loss as a tent. The poles and structure are your habits, and they dictate the strength and shape of the tent. The ground beneath you is who you are, and it is unchanged and independent of the habit changes - it isn't improved or diminished by the thing above it. And the shell of the tent is our physical appearance. It is what everyone sees and the final product, but it is nothing without the strength and firmament underneath, no matter what appearances may suggest.

And that's a wrap for today, folks! Doing my piano and TWO later, will update on that tomorrow.

I'm not crazy, it is official. Two correction days in a row and I'm only down to 169.2 today, but I measured my waist and hips and am down an inch and a half total between them. My paunch is visibly tighter and my back is smoother, too. So hormones and exercise are exerting force on the scale, because I am positive I take up less space today than I did a week ago, despite being two pounds heavier. I'm not submitting to the mind games - I am within my range by just shy of a pound and stronger and more trim every day. I can't count that as anything less than a victory.

Speaking of TTap muscle density, the Beginner Rehab was insanely hard. Like a universe more challenging than Instructional #2. It may well be too much for me at this point, actually. I am giving it one more go next week and if it is still exhaustingly challenging I will just use half the video one day and half another, because the cumulative fatigue was almost too much for me. I found myself getting really emotional and frustrated with it, too. Turns out a fair number of those moves can be very stimulative in pumping the groin, among other things, and can cause hormonal fluctuations. In fact, the Ladybugs workout (aimed specifically at menopausal women) cautions on that very point, that users may feel emotional or weepy during the workout because of how lymphatic it is and that it triggers hormonal responses.

One of the TTap trainers cautioned me to dial it back a bit so I don't get burned out or overworked and I think I may take her advice. I like having a full workout schedule but I don't benefit by doing too much and overtaxing my system, either. So I may swap out my Monday workout for the BWO instead, at the very least. I need to mull it more.

Even with muscle gains, water retention, hormones, and eating dinner at night (7-8:00) I am still within my window. When I frame it that way, it's actually darn impressive ;)

Just what it says, folks! My weight isn't quite outside my window but I'm doing a correction day anyway, as it is close enough. Yesterday was the same and I did a high fat day, but no dice, still the same number this morning. I am thinking it is my period and the tapping, because my jeans are actually fitting better! It is likely I am building muscle density with how much I'm working and since a correction day yesterday didn't budge me it is unlikely to be diet related (or I should have seen a drop).

Either way I am still sticking to 1850 calories most days (rare exceptions here and there), working out five days a week, and having no issues with my new, smaller clothes, but I would like to try to sink more toward the bottom of my window if I can. I am torn between a steak day or an egg day today, and am still thinking it over. I'll fast until at least 2:00 either way, as I intended regardless, and today is the TWO day on my exercise schedule. I may be brave and try the beginner rehab TWO, which is a level up from the instructional and loooong (combines the basic and total workouts together), but I'll do some form of TWO either way.

I made some almond flour cookies yesterday at the request of my kids. I ate a few, and they were good but not addictive like a wheat flour/sugar based treat would be. I don't have a desire to binge on them nor are they 'calling' to me, which is nice! I have to say I just don't miss bread and sweets very much, more ketogenic diets seem to favor me these days. I still can't go super low carb if I am TTC, as it doesn't promote fertility, but I am quite happy with my calories being 15% protein, 15% carbohydrates, and 70% dietary fat, all from whole foods. This gives me energy, mental clarity, more weight stability/losses, and a lot more satiety for less calories. At this point I will likely enter P4 and begin using my fasting in earnest with a combination of 1600-1800 calories more strictly to weight reduce, as it seems unlikely (given my history) that I will have another hCG round before pregnancy.

My goal during pregnancy would be to keep my insulin as low and stable as possible, as this makes for very healthy babies, and keeps pregnancy weight gain to a minimum. I did this with Seth's pregnancy and not only lost a bit of excess weight underneath the belly, but had a very healthy and vigorous baby as a result. Eating to satiety on nutritious foods is never a bad plan, and I will keep up my tapping throughout to build and maintain muscle tone. I don't mind trying to lose some more weight here in two weeks in P4, while we are trying to conceive, since another hCG round is unlikely. If we were planning on delaying a baby I'd just focus on P4 being stable, but now it's a matter of getting off whatever I can while I can!

So. Almond flour treats are good but not very alluring. Another correction day today, because I'm toeing the line on my range. Workout set, too, and fasting until after that workout unless I'm ready to eat my arm off (right now I'm not even hungry, and it's been twelve hours since I ate). Everything looks great but the scale.

And that's your update for Monday, April 23, 2012 ;)

Good morning all! I have some interesting observations to make, which should preface my weigh in. Yesterday I did Instructional #2 again and it was SO challenging, even though I barely got movement in some of the moves because I was so focused on keeping my core activated and in linear alignment. Despite less motion, it was a much bigger muscle burn. Form is ALL that matters in TTap, and that is where the reshaping happens. I have gotten noticeably stronger and my posture is improved, as is my awareness and activation of my muscles even in daily tasks. The TTap DVDs almost feel more difficult because I am really engaging and working as hard as I can at them, and the better and stronger one gets the more effective they become. I can totally see how this is a lifetime workout, and how you need less of it down the road, if every sessions is so much more effective. It was a hard workout and I am sore, but it was excellent even though I just about fell over by the end!

I had a terrible migraine that started around 4 am and continued into the morning, so I have taken about 800 mg of ibuprofen this morning to deal with it. Now it is just a dull thud rather than a stab, which I am grateful for, but still uncomfortable. I am not breaking my fast until about 2:00 and I will be doing light eating, as Peter and I have a date night tonight and I am saving calories for the restaurant, but thus far I am NOT hungry at all (it is 11:15 am) and seem to have gotten over the most ravenous part of P3 in tact. The medicine and water to take it didn't break my fast, but it may have skewed the scale.

Yesterday I began my period, it looks like my cycles have stretched out from 28 days to 30, with slightly later ovulation than previously. It has been a few months of this trend and so I think it is about right. I think the period may have triggered the headache, as I can't identify anything else other than barometric pressure that could have been the cause.

Upon waking up the second time, for the second dose of ibuprofen, I noticed that my stomach and waist is noticeably more flat in these new boyshort underwear than it was a week ago, when I bought them. I did a mirror analysis and in fact my whole torso is less bumpy and fleshy. I can feel the muscles under the flab, but this is the first time I've really noticed them changing my shape. Smoother torso, tighter look.

So all these things are factors, positive and negative for today. I'm likely retaining water, from hormones and strenuous workouts. I already had some to drink today, thank to drilling brain pain, and I look visibly more trim by all clothing and visual indictors.

My weight today? Bounced up half a pound to 169.0. Still a pound below my correction window, but higher than yesterday. I'm fine with that, given that I don't actually think I have gained any flab from overeating (my eating has been on plan and fine) and I am stronger and more trim. I honestly have no clue if the scale is high because of my TOM (likely, I've spoken extensively on my pattern of gaining a pound or three in the week of my period before subsiding again), water consumption this morning, muscle repair, who knows. But unlike the mysteries of the scale, the fit my of new clothes and appearance of my stomach is NO mystery. It is consistent, hard work with TTap paying off. I'm not dropping an ounce on the scale, but am visibly smaller. And I'm wearing mediums and size twelves while still obese by BMI classifications, and when, as a teen at this same weight, I was a size or two larger.

I can't say the slight scale gain doesn't bother me - I'm aware of it, sure - but I'm not upset or even confused, I'm not despairing about it. There are a dozen good reasons I am heavier today than earlier in the week, and in light of looking better, the number matters a heck of a lot less. In the end, nobody knows my weight by me - but how I look is what the world sees, and I'm so proud of all the hard work showing! I feel great and look trim, how could I complain about that for a little period bloat?

Not much to say today, really. Maintenance is fairly boring to read, after all. I was 168.4 today, which is right within my range and excellent again, hanging right out in the middle of it. I had chile verde from a local Mexican restaurant for dinner while my family had pizza and it was delicious!

I actually scarfed the toppings off one slice of it, just to quell a craving and see if it tasted as good as it smelled. And you know what? It was rubbery and greasy and awful! The crust is what makes those pizzas good, and even then they aren't nearly so good in my mouth as my head says they are. I have quelled pretty much any desire for a bite in the near future, because it was gross and unsatisfying. Certainly not worth the calories. The pork and tomatillo cup was awesome, the chicken garlic pizza toppings, kind of ick.

I actually made my eating window bigger yesterday, instead of smaller. I ended up having a very hungry day and breaking fast at noon rather than 2-3 pm. The shorter the window the better I like it, I am discovering, but I also wasn't going to ignore genuine hunger cues! I ended up having a hardboiled egg, nuts, and a steak Caesar salad, which tided me over for dinner. Today I'll be aiming for the same - mid-afternoon for breaking the fast.

The workout yesterday was a nice break, MORE Chair. I really focused on activating my lats and lifting my ribs and I could definitely feel the burn throughout my core from the work on Wednesday! Today's workout is the Total Workout again, and I will be doing the instructional #2 for it. Then next week I will try the beginner rehab level of it (one level up) for the first time. It combines the basic workout as a warmup and then commences the total workout, so it is one of the longest TTap routines at about an hour in length. Very rigorous, but I think I am up for it after my rest days on the weekends. Hopefully today's will go ever smoother as I have been gaining strength and neuro-kinetic connections.

Finally, on the piano front, I hav temporarily shelved learning new bible songs for the kids to focus back on rehabbing my previously-learned classical pieces. If I have extra practice time in the afternoons or evenings I will pick the kids stuff back up, but since my repertoire of classical stuff are commonly played pieces they are going to be used to give Shirley, the new piano teacher I am hiring, an idea of where I am starting out and what my weaknesses are. I have about two weeks to get stuff back into shape and perhaps finish the g minor minuet I began and shelved in favor of scale work about six months ago. My first lesson with her is on May 5th and will commence with hour lessons weekly, each Saturday morning. Peter will watch the kids upstairs while I'm playing downstairs and it should work out well.

I think that is about the size of things here! No weight issues, good progress and calorie control with intermittent fasting on my P3 diet, finally some direction on the piano front, TTap still hurts but in a good way. Can't complain ;)

Good morning! Today found me at 168.2, which is excellent, as that is the lowest weight I have been since the first day of P3 and only a fifth of a pound above my last dose weight. So I am firmly in my maintenance window.

The fasting is going excellently and I'm thinking of pushing it to only eating after my workout (4-6 hour eating window, instead of 8 hour window) because I have been feeling so good on the fasting side of it. Yes, I do get some hunger pangs, especially as I approach lunchtime, but they tend to go away or not be particularly severe, which is nice. I cannot tell you how much easier sticking to 1800 calories a day is when I'm not trying to fastidiously divvy them up throughout my schedule, but lump them together in more substantive meals. I don't know if I can maintain intermittent fasting through something like pregnancy or even nursing, but for now I love it! I might have to add more calories in when I drift toward the bottom edge of my window (166), since I am working out as well, but we'll see.

Speaking of working out, I'd forgotten how hard Hit the Floor Softer is. But I completed it and felt pretty good, except that my abs, butt, and thighs are massively sore. I was even more surprised to see 168.2 on the scale, given that I am pretty sure I am retaining water right now in all these sore muscles!

Today is a light day, just the MORE Chair exercises and MORE Step Routine if I feel like adding in another workout. It's good - very energizing and gentle for recovery, while still building strength.

On a closing note, I heard back from my friend with the nursing issues I was helping with on Tuesday night - they are doing MUCH better, with more frequent feedings and almost no pain (she's still healing from the damage initially caused by the latch problems). Her son was nursing so much she didn't have time to pump any milk, which I consider a big success. All's well that ends well, and I think we got over the biggest nursing hurdle for her and this will be the beginning of a long and enjoyable relationship for both mom and baby. That makes my sleep deprivation feel a lot more fruitful ;)

Scale was at 169.0 this morning and I am THRILLED. You want to know why?

Let me give you a rundown of yesterday.

It included not one, but TWO restaurant meals, one with daddy after morning bible study at church (planned) and one at a local pizza parlor at 7:00 in the evening (unplanned). In addition to go, go, go as I was expecting in the morning, I spent the afternoon once we got home frantically catching up on chores my busy day on Monday had caused me to fall behind on. Then my husband got an email from a friend and political candidate, last minute, that she wanted us to videotape her and the other candidates for this particular office (state house) during their speeches at the aforementioned pizza parlor. It was going to run two hours past Seth's bedtime, but otherwise we weren't too worried. So I went from busy with chores to busy making myself P3-compatible salad dressing to take with, and then getting myself ready while my husband did the same with the kids. The afternoon was also spent emailing back and forth with a wonderful Skype piano teacher I am planning on taking lessons with soon, trying to get things set up and policies understood, etc etc. No exercise occurred for obvious reasons.

That event went well, though my calories for the day were already high from the restaurant meal earlier and dinner didn't help. All kids stayed quiet enough that they didn't disturb anyone during the speeches, which is awesome for that time of night. At this point it was 9:00 and we were rushing around to get everyone in bed and not collapse, ourselves.

When I got home, however, there was a message on my answering machine from a friend with a week old baby. I wasn't sure what was going on, but given that she had called at night (however sweetly) I obviously didn't want to let it sit overnight, in case she needed help with something or had to go off with the newborn and needed a babysitter for her older daughter. So I left a message with her and she got back to me with nursing problems and needing assistance. At this point I was tired and stressed and indulged in some pumpkin with cream to give me some energy and likely as a little stress eating, too. Controlled and logged, but by that time in the night I was just getting through!

I drove over at 10:00 last night to show her some tips and troubleshoot his latch and position. That went very well and we were able to figure out two nursing positions she liked that made latching him properly much easier and hopefully will allow her to heal without further tissue damage. For being so cute and little, those babies are vicious sometimes!

By the time I got back from her place it was 11:30, and mind you I only got about four hours of sleep the night before, waking early to complete my bible study and having gotten to bed late the night before. But waiting for me in the kitchen was bread I was letting complete its' rise from being mixed earlier in the day and shelved for our impromptu recording session for dinner. I had fully risen bread waiting to be baked, at almost midnight. So on the oven went while I took a quick shower, then I set the timer and baked the bread, before collapsing into bed around 1:00.

And that was my crazy day, after an only slightly-less crazy day on Monday.

Coming up on my period again, with cruddy sleep, restaurant eating that is hard to calculate and tough to order for P3, running hither and yon the entire day, and ending the night with semi-emergency new mommy situations AND baking? That I was still within my window by a pound is a sheer miracle! When I was expecting to do a correction day and ended up at 169.0 (range is 166-170) it's like a golden egg under my pillow in the morning - lovely and completely unexpected ;)

Fasting has been going well and did help me go less over my calories than otherwise would have. I made it to noon before that lunch date with my husband broke it. More and more, I'm actually thinking 2:00-9:00 or so might work better for me. I like pushing that morning fast as long as possible and it has been comfortable while helping me control my calories.

Though yesterday's exercise didn't happen I am continuing on with my schedule today. Hit the Floor Softer is my Wednesday selection and I am hoping it is easier than it was last time! My focus is more on my core and keeping it curled, regardless of what my legs are doing (or not doing, as the case may be!). The strength will come, but the core tuck is what creates inch loss and protects my spine, which is most crucial.

I have gone over on calories twice in four days and it has netted me small gains within my range. However I have no want or need to make a habit of that, so I'm shooting for 1800-ish calories daily right now to draw my weight back down a little. It's all a part of management - dealing with the stress, finding a sweet spot, and rolling with the punches of some crazy days!