Physical

I have always been a person who believed I can change my fate if I really put effort into something. Whether it was completing my Bachelors Degree while working full time and raising kids, landing a perfect job, passing difficult certification tests, winning art contest, etc. I belive I am lucky, but I also work hard when I really want something. Weightloss and fitness were probably the only areas where I have ever had doubt, but now that I've been living a low-carb life I believe I have a lot of control over these too; if I eat the right things and fast, I improve my metabolic health and my body burns fat for fuel. March was a bit of an eye-opener for me. I ate keto all month, even when we ate out. I fasted part of the month, but when progesterone phase hit me I did have 3 meals a day and keto snacks too-peanuts and pork rinds. My weight fluctuated, getting down to 150.0 before my period started and it jumped up to 153. I had labwork drawn at the end of March and had my physical 4 days later. As soon as I had my labwork done, I stopped to get chips and an energy drink, the first unclean food I'd eaten all month. With labs behind me, I let my hair down with food for the weekend. By the time my physical appointment came the following Monday, my weight was up to 157, and my period was in full swing. Those was a new doctor for me and I was so at ease by his upbeat personality. He really listened to me and even offered a medication for my sun reaction, which very few doctors know how to handle it or know that there is often an autoimmune link. He and his wife also fast so I really felt comfortable with him and I finally got up the courage to bring up my anxiety. I told him that I have become more aware that what seemingly started out as just having anxiety over drivingin snow, has really now grown to so many areas involving all the things I care about (my son's, husband, dog, job, parents, etc). So he started me on a low dose of a medication that helps with both anxiety and depression. I have been on it for a little more than a week and can definitely tell I am less stressed. It will be interesting to see how it feels over time. One negative side effect is that it can cause weight gain because it can increase appetite. My labwork was perplexing. I thought I would have great results, based on last year's labs. This time, my cholesterol was slightly higher (not high enough that he was concerned) and my blood sugar was a few points higher than last year. He said both cholesterol and blood sugars can change by the hour and he wasn't concerned about the numbers, but I really just wanted to wear that badge of "I fixed my own health" on my chest, so the results were not as satisfying as I'd hoped. My blood pressure, on the other hand, has been in a really good place, so he decided to take me off the blood pressure medication and see how I do. I was really happy he was willing to do that! All things considered, I am in a good place. After a weekend of indulgences I got right back on track and the weight has dropped back down to the same old rut around 153-4. I am having heavy cream in my coffee this week and I suspect that also makes me hold onto weight. I was trying to see if I could switch from taking a caffeine pill and also drinking a big mug of coffee to just having a "shot" of coffee concentrate mixed with heavy cream. It did not go well and it really upset my stomach due to how bitter/concentrated the coffee was. So I have scratched that idea and once the cream is gone I'll give it up again. I absolutely love it in my coffee, but that makes it really hard to stop at one coffee and the carbs and calories really add up. I am toying with getting rid of my favorite liquid stevia drops that I use un my water too. We have just been going through some financial issues lately and the rate I consume it, I am spending about $30 a month on that, and it's just creature comfort/habit. Money is a big motivator for me so I will try to come up with a cheaper alternative. Regular liquid stevia without flavor is much cheaper. I am also considering just doing lemon juice or skipping adding anything to it. I think I at least need a transition sweetener to bridge the gap. So that will likely be my next big experiment. Maybe I'll go back to drinking plain water during my fasting window and allowing sweeteners during my eating window. I seem to lose more that way anyway. I have been spoiled by having sugar-free sweet drinks at will but I know it is a bad habit and though sugar-free, it can still produce a cephallic response, whereby your brain thinks you are giving it real sugar and triggers your pancreas to release insulin. So some people will actually have a lot tougher time losing weight if they rely too heavily on sugar-free products. I will decide what to do as I use up my last bottle. I know I should get back into the habit of working out and I think my best way of making it happen will be getting up 30 minutes earlier. I have not yet pulled the trigger. I need to prepare mentally for all that. I know I would feel great physically if I did, I just have to get over the mental hurdles. I do vigorous walking with my dog every morning for roughly 30 minutes, but then I sit the rest of the day and evening. I can tell any strength I built up from previous stretches of exercise has been lost. I remember how proud I was to have achieved last year's goal of being able to do 10 legit push ups, and now I doubt I could. I think about working out a lot, I just have decide I'm going to, then commit. Once I make up my mind about doing something, I know the one I let down (if I back out) is me. So I think I will start that soon. What better time than spring, when everything seems thriving and happy!