Oh and bonus kitten stuff!

They've both grown so much. They've almost lost their kitten look. In person they're still small and obviously kittens but in photos they look so grown


Mia (gingerkitty) does the cutest thing to the blanket. She makes biscuits and licks/nurses off of it. Well.. I wouldn't really say nurse nurse, but more like nibbles. It's adorable!


Mia has definitely calmed down too and turned back in to the chill one out of the kittens. She purrs so much and just doesn't mind at all when the kids pick her up (most of the time)



JJ on the other hand is all attitude and just barely tolerant lol. She does NOT like being held too much, doesn't purr much, and isn't afraid to tell you either lol.



They're both good though. They had their 2nd vet visit. Still had a few fleas which sucks but not unexpected either. So annoying! We were told by the vet to wait until after 2 more vet visits (months from now basically) before getting them fixed. Not really sure why? But we're not in any hurry. They're indoor cats and both female so it's not a huge deal if we wait.

So I jumped rope for the first time (as an adult) yesterday and it didn't go as bad as I thought it would. I still tripped up a lot, but didn't do terrible.
I am SORE today though.
Sore and bloated like crazy from something.
Taking the day off from jumping rope. It's a new movement for me so I don't want to push it too much an injure myself.
I hopefully should be ok to try it out again tomorrow.

We also took a 30min walk yesterday. Daughter signed up for an at home running club. She has to go out and walk/run for 30mins twice a week so we did that for the first time. Kids ran while DH and I walked. We had just eaten dinner so had bellies full of food. We weren't about to jog lol.
We'll be doing that again tonight. Not sure it will be an every day thing, but it's something at least.

Kids might be going back to school near the end of the month. Looking forward to it, but also not. Selfishly b/c it means I'm gonna have to start driving them and picking them up again and I just don't wanna! lol BUT they both really need that face to face time to learn properly. Especially my kindergartener.
He's been doing better learning some things, but I think he would learn better/faster being in a classroom. Same for my girl. She's been doing ok w/ 3rd grade stuff, but would just learn better in a classroom.

Now to drop like 15lbs before they go back so I can totally show that I toooootally didn't gain the Quarantine 15 :P rofl

jadepearl wrote: »

I can never jump rope due to bad knees A friend of mine jump rope 1000 times daily and that was the only exercise she did and she loss lots of weight.

I'll have to build up to that many a day. I can do it like.. once or twice a week at MAYBE 200? jumps before I have to stop and then rest the rest of the week lol.
I was afraid the knee that's been bothering me would give me problems from jumping, but surprisingly it hasn't really hurt.

katjustkat wrote: »

Hi I just read up a bit. Time is flying by! I just wanted to say that my sleep has been bad for years. Bad as in waking up a lot. I have been taking 2 generic benadryl tablets every night just before I turn out the lights. Really helps me a lot They are cheap at costco and walgreens. I wasn't sure if you're still having sleep problems but thought I would share what has worked for me.
Your daughter is a doll And...I'm so happy you adopted the cats together they really seem to be soooo happy together...so good to see. Take care

I take melatonin every night to help me get to sleep. If I didn't take it, I would be up all night. Hell, even the melatonin doesn't always work. Thankfully that's rare though, but it has happened.
I've taken benadryl here and there. Usually only if Ive been bitten up by bugs or am having some kind of allergic type of reaction to something, but yeah, it definitely helps w/ sleep whenever I have taken it.

Our kitties are definitely thriving together. I'm just glad we were able to at least get 2 females out of the mix from the inlaws property. They don't need anymore kittens being born. Thankfully DH's sister is living with them for the next year and plans on taking as many as they can catch to get fixed.

And just b/c.. who doesn't like seeing kitty photos? lol







And back to diet related stuff....
I haven't been keto. I'd call myself low carb though. I've been snacking on popcorn a lot and haven't bothered tracking carbs at all, but I do still eat mostly low carb stuff.
I've been tracking calories though and that's been going well. Still get that "I want to eat more" feeling a lot, but I stop myself and think... am I really still hungry? Or do I just want that sickly full feeling?
Been doing pretty good though.
Did overeat A LOT this past weekend when we went apple picking.
Lord have mercy that whole area was SO dang busy. Everyone and their mothers were out at these apple places.
We didn't do as much walking as we were hoping, but we sure did eat a ton of junk lol. Apple donuts, apple fritters, apple cookies, apple fudge and then all the junk we had at home.
AF did show up on Sunday too so that's certainly not helping my hunger issues right now either.
All I want to do is stuff my face full of comfort food. Just go fix all the french fries and eat them all.
But I haven't. I've been good. I don't want to be, but I've been good lol.

Abm4n wrote: »

Hi LiLee, I just read a heap of your thread. I like to eat a lot of the same food as you and have pretty much tried so many diets over recent times. Now I am coming back to OMAD or at least working towards OMAD as a goal as part of an IF protocol.

That's awesome!!!! I hope you get back to OMADing better than I have lol. I've failed miserably at it and honestly just don't know if I'll ever do it again on purpose.

Things have been good here. Low carb CICO has been going well for me and I think my appetite is finally adjusting to it. At least I hope so. Mentally, I still want to eat A LOT more, but physically, I'm feeling fine eating in a caloric deficit.
Just had my wedding anniversary yesterday. Didn't track and ate ALL the chocolate after having some drinks lol.
Feeling good today though. I'm sure I did bloat up some but thankfully I don't feel it.
Took a walk with the kids and yep. Feeling pretty good.
Was going to do more today, but I didn't sleep well last night so will try to do more tomorrow if I'm feeling a bit more up to it.

Things have been MEH here this week.
Been waking up with headaches or just feeling dizzy.
Like right now, just feeling light-headed and weird.
I don't think it's b/c of the diet though. I'm eating plenty.
This morning, I did wake up to my right ear aching. That's not totally out of the ordinary since it will start aching if I lay on that side for too long sometimes, but I'm really hoping this isn't some sneaky inner ear infection. I haven't had a fever and my ear doesn't hurt during the day at all so... I dunno.
Maybe I just need more sleep.
My anxiety has been really high since kids are going back to face-to-face school next week. I'm not nervous about them getting sick, it's just EVERYTHING about it and my anxiety making it 100% worse b/c... yay anxiety
Keep telling myself it's gonna be fine though. It's not going to be a huge deal. Maybe a giant PITA since they're only allowing parents to pick up in the car line though.
They used to let parents park in the back parking area. Actually required it for kids that couldn't unbuckle/buckle themselves from their carseats. Now though... it's going to be a PAIN.
I was going to just let them ride the bus, but that was really just my own laziness lol and not wanting to drive in the morning. Ugh I hate it, but whatever.
So yeah, maybe it's just my anxiety/stress causing some problems again.
I dunno but I haven't been getting out to walk or been doing anything inside either. Just.. ya don't feel like doing much when you wake up with a headache

But like I said, diet has been good. Tracking calories and not feeling too deprived. Helps that I'm not sticking to keto. Had some rice yesterday and another day I had myself some french toast (w/ SF syrup, but with white bread).
There's still that part of me that wanted MORE MORE MORE
But I think I've been doing fairly well to control myself.

jadepearl wrote: »

Hope that your dizzy spells have gone🤞 My 2 kids started school in Term 4. Both of them missed their schools and friends.😊 It's the same here, we now have different carparks to drop and pickup our kids due to covid 19. Everything has change and mask is a must now in school too. Keep up the good work with your diet👍👏

I have mommy friends from other states that have had their kids in face to face school and it seems to be going well for them so far so I'm hoping it's the same here too.
I'm the type to get to school early for drop off and pick up anyway so I'm hoping I'll be one of the first in line b/c just... UGH it's gonna be so backed up now. I know not all the kids are coming back though. In my daughter's class, it's 10 back face to face and 7 still doing virtual learning.
My kids just NEED to be in school. Virtual is not working for them.
Hell, they're probably going to be home most of the winter anyway. We're supposed to have a symptoms check every morning before sending them off and one of the symptoms to stay home is being stuffy. Like... REALLY?? My kids get at minimum 2 colds every winter. Colds that last upwards of 2 weeks (b/c we're constantly passing them back and forth to one another).
If they have any symptoms then they're supposed to stay home a minimum of 10 days from the start of their symptoms? I think.. I'll have to look that up again. Still... just if this year is like years previous, they're going to be home all winter long from school... virtual learning again. Hopefully not falling behind, but who knows.
Anyway, this is just my anxiety talking. I'm sure it will all be fine in the end and we'll all adjust quickly.

On to some good news....
I've been weighing about 183 all week (for 2 weeks actually).
This morning was 181.6!
WOO!
It's a far cry from where I was, but I'm slowly getting back to that. Slowly getting my commitment and discipline back.
Definitely going to be a challenge with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up but I think if I stick to mostly low carb CICO, then hopefully I won't feel so deprived of things.
Just coming to realize that I do binge when given the chance and have passed it off as just "Oh I'm just trying to make the most out of my cheat!" excuse.
I think if I stay within my calorie range, but allow myself to eat whatever within limit, then there will be less of a chance of things spiraling in to a week long bingefest. Just keep my 'cheat' non tracking days to JUST the holidays or whenever and then get back on track w/ counting calories while still allowing myself to eat whatever. Take Thanksgiving leftovers for example. Before, I would try to eat ALL the leftovers in 2-3 days, that way I could get back to keto and tracking carbs again. BUT with CICO though, don't have to worry about carbs and I can just portion it out over a longer period of time. Hope that makes sense lol.
I am still trying to stay mostly low carb though. It's just that if I want some fries or rice or whatever, then I'm going to have it with no guilt so long as I keep it within my calorie goal for the day. This is what I wanted to do once I reached maintenance anyway... just trying it out sooner I guess lol.

Definitely not going to reach my 30lbs gone by the end of the year goal lol. This year has just been a giant UGH, but if I can at least get to the end of the year chiseling some of this weight off, then I'll be perfectly fine with that too.

I'm going to make the next year coming up one I can look back on with no regrets. One I can think back to and say "Yep, that's the year I finally reached my goal". I know I can do it if I can just hold on to the discipline I know I have.

Lol my 2 were comparing what they ate for breakfast and lunch at school and if they got to have recess. SIGH. I wish things were that simple for all of us.
They've been doing good though so far!
Unfortunately, spotted ringworm on my daughter last night on her leg. Weird spot and no idea where she could've gotten it. Either at church or at her granny's house. Makes me itchy just thinking about it!

Diet has been going pretty great I think. Tracking calories has been easy and it's becoming easier to keep calories within my limit. I mean.. there's still a part of me that wants to eat MORE!! But resisting that urge has become easier. Helps to have low calorie snacks.
My weight is stalled at about 181 though. SIGH
So frustrating, but I'm fairly certain it's just b/c I've been eating A LOT of high sodium stuff.
Like my pork neckbone soup. I use A LOT of ramen seasoning in it. Then last night I fixed something w/ premade Italian sausage in it. Just sodium on sodium on sodium.
So I'm hoping that I'll have a "whoosh" soon and will finally be back in the 170's!

Not tracking today though. Not sure if this will be a weekly thing, but I just need a break from tracking calories today. I'll still be somewhat aware of how much I'm eating, but I'm not tracking sh_T.

Oh and I chopped a lot of my hair off earlier this week. I was seriously seriously close to shaving my head. So tired of seeing my long hair falling out at such an alarming rate.
I wouldn't look good with a shaved head though so just decided to cut it short. It's at my shoulders and OMG this was needed so much. Hair is getting greasier quicker b/c I keep running my hands through my hair. My hair is still coming out a lot, but well.. at least it's not super long pieces anymore? rofl

Thank ya Thank ya!

Things are going well here. I saw 177.4 this morning. Saw 178.4 yesterday but I did end up peeing A LOT during the day/night so I think that is where the sudden pound lost came from. I'll wait until next week to update my weight on MFP so FX it's still that low or even lower.

Calorie counting has been going pretty well. Some days I eat a little over, Some a little under so it all averages out at the end of the week.
I've been doing pretty good with it though. Helps that I'm not limiting my food. So if I want some french fries (still craving it like crazy), I can have some.. just within my calories.

My hunger has been tremendous lately and I'm pretty sure it's just b/c of where I'm at in my cycle (about a week before period is due if things stay regular).
I've been ok controlling it, but if I eat a little more, I'm not gonna worry about it.

Aaand yeah. THat's been it so far. Keeping myself busy trying to make my new christmas decorations so I can get them up.. hopefully before THanksgiving or right after.
Good grief. I can't believe we're already at this time of year!!! 2020 can suck it though! 2021 better be better!! lol

Oh and kids are doing great in school! So far so good. Got report card for my daughter and... lordy, I really hope there isn't another shut down or she gets a cold or anything so has to stay home. Her grades were TERRIBLE when she was doing virtual. If she ever has to go back to it (which I'm sure will happen at least once)... I'll have to make her sit with me so I can make sure she's paying attention. SIGH!

So I saw a 176.6 weight this morning after a good poop lol.
I'm still not putting it in to MFP just yet, but I SEENT IT!
That puts me at just 11lbs over my lowest. Slowly inching my way back there and then time to kick my own a-- so I don't gain weight back again so I can get to my ultimate goal! WOO!
I don't want to dwell on that too much though. My ultimate goal could be a year or longer away just depending on my body and out of my control circumstances.
Just gonna keep doing my thing and adjust if I need to. Keep doing these baby steps! Might be slow (sometimes), but I'll get there eventually!

My weight will probably be up the next few days. Food tonight was extra salty so I'm sure that's going to be at least a lb or 2 on the scale. PLUS AF should be arriving next week so I'm sure my body is extra excited to pack on some of that good ole hormonal bloat....... yay

Excited for Thanksgiving. We've had a turkey in the freezer for a year now lol. I'm terrible at it, but I love at least trying to make a good turkey. (dry brine.... DRY BRINE IT!)
PLUS I totally expect to gain like 10lbs on just that day b/c I'm eating EVERYTHING! Especially some stuffing and baked Mac & cheese.
I don't even really want dessert (at least not at this moment).... I just want all the savory stuff!
Crispy turkey skin (I guess w/ some meat too lol), gravy, deviled eggs, fresh baked rolls, just.... NOMNOMNOM. Give it to meeeeee.

Aaaand with that being said lol... my diet has been going well! I did go over today, but it should still be below my maintenance range. Not too worried about it. B/c it all averages out to be in my caloric range for the week.