I'm joining this late so I doubt I'll get all caught up.

I'm a 42 year old SAHM living in Western Canada. Before kids I was a high school science teacher but since having my boys, ages 13, 11, 9, I have been home with them and homeschooling them. It looks like I'll be going back to teaching or substituting though since hubby was laid off again - he's in the oil industry so work has been spotty and is getting harder to find.

I lost about 40lbs on this woe, maintained it for a few months and then regained about 10 lbs when my health took a bit of a down turn. I am in keto for the health benefits to my autoimmune issues and insulin resistance.

What is your go to exercise when you are lacking motivation?
Walking is my only real exercise. I have some rapidly advancing hip and knee arthritis so if I play my sports of choice (basketball, hiking the mountains, jogging and weights) I pay for it in pain for days afterwards. Sometimes it is worth it, sometimes it isn't.

How do you decide who to friend here and what would make you unfriend someone?
I don't tend to request friends because I am rarely on the news feed - maybe every 2-3 weeks - so I'm not very helpful to people. If people request me, and they are LCHF, I will accept.

If you could choose any animal to represent you, which one would you choose?
Oh, I don't know. Some over bred dog who is generally happy but has a few health issues.

What is your stretch goal for 2016?
Re-lose that 10 lbs and get back to P90X. I like being strong and lifting. I am hopeful that if I get enough uscle it may help with my joints.... My biggest strech would be to be well enough to play basketball but that is quite a stretch.

What is your favourite low carb recipe?
Cheeseburger pie.

What is the first thing that pops into your head when you're trying to stay focused and motivated to do this?
Health. I'm a celiac and can not eat gluten. I try to think of higher carb diets that way; I can't eat that way or it hurts my health.

City or country life?
Probably city. The kids are in martial arts, basketball, soccer, classes and homeschool co-ops so being away from all of that would be a hit for them. Plus, I am at the library a few times per week. I'd suffer without my library.

I would love to live near by in a small hamlet in the foothills. it's a 30 minutes drive from the city.... maybe when the kids are gone, and we have a steady income - we can't afford it out there yet.

If you could go back and give yourself 1 piece of advice, what age would you be and what would you say?
Don't blindly listen to doctors. Question everything. I did that for too many decades to my detriment.

What is your favourite book? Do you have a favourite author?
This is tough. I read a LOT. Fiction? I love Harry Potter and Game of Thrones. Number 1 Lady's Detective Agency is hilarious. Lord of the Rings. I'll read anything that is a good book.

If money wasn't an object, where would you move?
Move? Nowhere. But we'd get vacation proteries in the Rockies and on Vancouver Island.

What is your favourite LCHF vegetable?
Sanp peas. Not exactly low crab but I LOVE them.

Camel/Straw moment and motivation?
I became prediabetic and was close to 190lbs. I felt yuck.

Response I get from others who hear of my diet?
Happy for me but often disbelieving that it is healthy. Most people are used to me bringing my own food everywhere due to celiac disease, so they are used to my "weird eating" already.

Favorite month/season?
Summer probably. I like Christmas and January too, but winter lasts into April here so I get sick of snow for 6+ months of the year.

Favorite holiday destination?
Vancouver Island. Camping.

Is your family supportive of your LCHF lifestyle?
My immediate family, yes. Extended family is a mostly.

Of all the changes you've seen in yourself since starting this WOE or your weight loss journey, what has been your favorite?
Mental clarity. Weight loss is nice but the increase in mental clarity was shocking and scary. I don't want to lose that!

NonnaTurtle wrote: »

nvmomketo wrote: »

If you could go back and give yourself 1 piece of advice, what age would you be and what would you say?
Don't blindly listen to doctors. Question everything. I did that for too many decades to my detriment.

This is so insightful and resonated with me.
I wonder how many of us would be in better health today, if only we had questioned our 'all-knowing' Docs, back in the day. *hand raised high*

For me, it was my primary care doc telling me to take Vitamins with Iron for chronic anemia. I ended up getting an emergency blood transfusion and was finally referred to a hematologist who put me on a regiment of iron infusions. What a.....Quack! Quack! Quack!

Yeah... I first saw a doctor about my "tummy aches" when I was about 7 or 8. I was told that I was just one of those people who got a stomache ache after eating. I finally figured out celiac disease 30 years later. ... I need an eye rolling smiley here. Same goes for a few other issues.

Nowadays? I know what is wrong before I see my doctor. I on;y go to him for his lab requisition and prescription pads. LOL I know Dr Google can lead people down the wrong roads but the internet has been a HUGE help for me. HUGE! It led me to keto too.

genmon00 wrote: »

I love, love, love the no 1 ladies detective agency it's one of favorite series I even watched the hbo series

@genmon00 LOL The author is great! His voice is perfect. I was shocked when I found out that he was an older white guy and not a middle aged, plump, black, Botswanan woman. LOL

Water. I drink water all day long. Even with my BPC in the morning I have my water too. When I drink a diet soda my latest favorite is Diet A&W Root Beer...it's a treat!

genmon00 wrote: »

@nvmomketo I love, love, love the no 1 ladies detective agency it's one of favorite series I even watched the hbo series

One of our family's favourite series too... we own the whole set of books and our library has the tv series... SO great! My husband's family is from south africa so it's extra special to his family.

My plans today were to put away the dishes, go for a walk, and take a shower. Done, done, and done. I just spent the last 20 minutes digging date pits out of a homemade ice cream mixture because my husband and son didn't bother to check if they were pitted or not... I have ingredients to make keto ice cream later this weekend... LOL

Well I did what I planned yesterday and it was a good day! I got a good shoulders/abs workout in with my hubby and daughter, stayed keto even with lunch out at the pub, did some housework, cooked some great stuff for dinner, spent an hour or so on my deck reading my new book, "Gardens of the Moon", and wound up exhausted and sleeping by 9:30 pm. I slept for nine hours, which is obnoxious for me - I'm usually a 7 hour person, but 9:30 pm - 6:30 am.....damn!

Its chest day at the gym today, grocery shopping, and some more housework. I'd like a bubble bath later and some more time with my book!

I got the all-clear to run...sort of. I'm supposed to do a "walk-to-run" program for 2 weeks to ease back into it. How many runners do you know who ease into anything? HAHAHA

Seriously though it looks like it is a program designed for "I've never run more than 40 seconds in my life" people, not for someone who is used to running (or was) 3 miles on an easy day. The first week is building up in 5-minute increments of walking, starting with 5 min a day. Five. Minutes. Hells bells, I do that just walking in to Walmart from the farthest spot in the lot where I park every time I go! So I think I'll probably start on 15-minute walking day and just do it for an extra day, then advance to the 20 min walk day and do that maybe 3x as well and then do the walk-run-walk days as directed.