LIFT ALL OF THE THINGS!

During the holidays, which spanned most of halloween through epiphany, I ate everything I could find.  I went down to Mexico and there was no way I wasn't going to fill up on quesadillas, tacos and tamales, or have chocolate at christmas, or wine at new years... yeah.  The weird thing is that I got to the point where I no longer felt going in and out of keto.

Of course, all this food brought along its friends who bullied me into getting serious into exercise.  I started January 9 with the Stronglifts 5x5 program and, while I am still neurotic every day that I am fluffy and keep gaining weight, Dan keeps reminding me that I AM getting much stronger, my form is epically better, and I'm even seeing an improvement in my skating after having taken december off.

When I started with derby 2.5 years ago, I was 185 lbs.  In the first few months of keto I dropped to 165, with an all time low of 145 for a very short time.  I have been stable mostly between 150-155, but went up to 160 while away.  After a few days of strict keto, I got back to the low 150's, but back up to 160 with the month of lifting.

And now I decided to go off keto and have gone up to 165 this wonderful week of Carnaval.  I've been playing with the idea of trying Paleo, but really can't find the logic to it.  The lines are too tenuous and shifting, and Paleo means so many different things to people.  Someone shared this post on the Seven Shades Of Paleo and it started to gel with me.

So, in theory, I plan on trying this Paleo thing (Lent?) but follow the more basal definition of it.  I want to avoid eating (to a certain degree) over-processed foods in favor of more natural foods.  Have I told you how much I had missed fruit?  I have been eating the everloving shit out of it the past week!  And milk.  Damn, did I miss milk.  But yeah, less processed foods.  Steel cut oats instead of rolled oats or other chemically processed cereals.  Milk, fruit, meat, veggies.  

Another thing that I'm having trouble with is completely changing my appetite.  Yes, I'm craving fruit and milk, but I'm also still craving ALL OF THE CHEESE and meat and cream, but now it really disagrees with me, especially if it follows or is combined by some large source of carbs.  This is something I need to work on.  I need to find a balance where I'm not constantly starving or stuck to the toilet.

Now, for something more interesting:  data!

Jan 11 > Feb 12

Squat 5x5 @ 65 lbs > 110

Bench press 5x5 @ 45 lbs > 60

Deadlift 1x5 @ 135 lbs > 175

Barbell Row 5x5 @ 65 lbs > 70

Standing Dumbell Press 5x5 @ 30 lbs > Standing Plate Press 2x5 @ 45 + 3x5 @ 35 lbs

Chest 37" > 38"
Arms 10" > 10.75"
Hips 37.75 > 36"
Waist 33" > 32.5"
Thighs 20" > 20.75"
Calves 14.25" > 15.75"
Forearms 8" > 9"
Shoulders 41" > 42"
Neck 12" > 13.5"

(PS:  I'm on bodybuilding.com and MyFitnessPal for anybody willing to harass me)

[recipe] All-of-the-dairy-in-the-house and Broccoli Soup

1/2 C Grated mozzarella

1/2 C Grated cheddar

1/2 C Grated parmesan

1/2 C Full fat ricotta

1/4 lb Cream Cheese

1/4 lb Butter (1 stick)

1/2 C Heavy cream

1 lt Chicken broth

1 lb Broccoli (frozen works)

1/2 C Bacon crumbles

Blend or process all the cheeses and butter until homogeneous.  Slowly incorporate the heavy cream and then some of the broth.  Transfer to a pot on medium heat and slowly add the rest of the broth until soupy and warm, making sure you stir it so that it doesn't separate.

If necessary, heat up the broccoli in a pan before adding to the soup, along with bacon.  Season to taste with garlic, onion, pepper or chilis.

A dollop of sour cream makes for an awesome garnish.

Things I am thankful for.

I've been a bit down lately, so I decided to make a list of all the things I'm thankful that people have made for me.  It's a pretty long list, and I know I must be missing something...

Isilzha made me these fantastic socks that I've been wearing around lately.  They are a perfect fit!

I got Anya inspired stitch markers, scissors and a tape measure from knittinkitten13 that are currently in my project bag.

Nubsmom gave me a sock book that I've been addicted to the last month and chai tea that just vanished.

I still carry MediaPeruana's lunchbox in my car for all my protein shakes ^_^  And I finally got to use the DPN's she got me for those socks!

My TARDIS/Weeping Angels bag from meglw2008 is in regular rotation.

The purse I got from Aranov is THE BEST THING EVAR!!!  I have been using it non stop since I got it ^_^

meredithparker's spats are also fantastic!  They fit perfectly and I've been wearing them every day right now with this cold.  And I absolutely love the DHSAB shirt and stitch markers.

The yarn heathen13 sent me was perfect for a pair of gloves I test knit for GlennaC I swapped out, and I should still have enough to make them for me.

I wore this scarf a whole bunch last winter from Sparkleshan.  It was really good for keeping my shoulders from hunching up with the cold.

The first aid kit I got in my first swap from ladyval75 is in my car and the bag is constantly being used. Too bad the pins don't like staying on :/

Oh, fantasy novels, how I love thee! Let me count the ways...

I live in a perpetual state of guilt.  Most of it is due to my extreme lack of time.  I'm always in my car driving to derby (which I have been slacking on this last month -_-;;), and have too many options for when scheduling my free time.  Shall I craft?  Shall I cook?  Shall I read?  Shall I catch up on Star Trek? (seriously people!  Why didn't anybody ever tell me how fucking amazing TNG is???)  And then I need to make sure to spend time with the boyfriend and to remind the cat he belongs to me.

I can watch TNG while curled up with Burn and torture Herb between rows while cookies are baking, but reading is the one thing I can't overlap.  Hence the guilt.

I love reading!  I miss reading.  I really need to catch up on waaay too many books.  But there are several that I have read!  And boy have they impacted my life.

NEVER ENDING STORY

I used to read a lot in elementary and was addicted to things like Baby Sitter's Club and Madelein L'Engel.  And then I got to middle school and was forced to read crap, and I completely lost my love for literature.  Until high school, when I was made to read The Never Ending Story.  Damn.  I love this book!  I gave it away to someone I'm pretty sure was special Back In The Day (I can't remember who, though), and have repurchased it another three times since then.  Unfortunately, I keep on giving it away to some poor soul that had never read it before being able to get back to it.  But one day!  I swear I'm going to read it again and I know I'll still be in love with Atreyu and The Multi Color Death.

HARRY POTTER

I jumped on this wagon a bit late.  I just didn't get the draw of some children's book.  Until the fourth one came out and the guy I was dating's little sister convinced me to read them all.  And I was hooked.  Addicted, you might even say.  My entire social circle since I moved to PA is due to me getting up the balls to go to a Harry Potter university club (The Three Broomsticks) when I first moved here.  I love Harry, and I love people that love Harry.  My favorite of the seven books was the fifth (Order Of The Phoenix), probably because I read it while I was in a very similar whiny position about a year from finishing college.  This also presents one of my favorite characters ever: Severus Snape.  Yes, he does follow some trite tropes in characterization, but he is beautifully done.  Lily was blind and the Marauders were assholes, and I really just want to hug Snape until everything is ok.

VAMPIRE CHRONICLES

I read several Anne Rice novels during my College Goth phase while waiting for the next Harry.  I was young, and damn did I love them!  Mnemnoch The Devil is one of my favorite books ever, mostly because I read it while I was still young and naive enough to still be philosophical about religion and I really loved the presentation of the main character.  While I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to read those books again with a straight face, IwtV is still one of those movies that I can watch over and over and over and over again.  }}swoon{{

TERRY PRATCHET

He is so adorable!  I've read all the books involving witches, wizzards and DEATH.  And damn do I love DEATH and DEATH OF RATS!  And the witches.  Granny Weatherwax!  I just love these books and want to hug everybody in them.  I just can't articulate at all right now, but I love them ^_^

JIM BUTCHER

Oh, Dresden...  This is what I'm currently reading and am completely enthralled.  I love the characters, the plots, the tone.  Especially the tone!  I'm currently reading Small Favor and am kicking myself that I am so far behind.  My roommate took off work today to read Cold Days and is grinning from ear to ear.  I've managed to listen to one of the books on tape read by the ever so dreamy James Marsters while I had a knitting deadline, but it really doesn't compare to reading it myself.

JOHN DIES AT THE END

I... have absolutely no clue whether I liked this book or not.  It took me forever to finish it due to the spastic storyline, but I am very eager to watch the movie.

TOLKIEN

I read them early in college.  I absolutely loved The Hobbit.  I struggled through the other three and died about 1/6 from the end of the last one.  Meh?  It was a good series, and it definitely did a great deal to progress the genre, but I very much do not live in such a slow paced world to be able to completely appreciate it.


CHARLAINE HARRIS
I also read all of the Sookie Stackhouse novels a couple of summers ago in one week.  They got very good once she got rid of that horrible Bill.  I haven't read the last two, though, since I've been stuck on Dresden.  I really enjoyed them (yes, you can have vampire stories without it completely devolving into poorly written smut) and I fucking hated the abomination that they made into the show.

I love reading.  I want to read more!  And I am very excited for this next swap.

Keto Links

Every once in a while someone will ask me for info on keto, so I should probably start keeping all the articles I'm constantly asking Dan to re-find for me in one place.

r/Keto FAQ

r/xxketo differences between dudebros and chicks

Bodybuilding.com: In depth look at Ketogenic diets and Ketosis

Long term effects of ketogenic diet in obese subjects with high cholesterol level

Lipid Hypothesis (video)

Duke University lifestyle proposal

Diet Doctor: LCHF
his video

Keto macro nutrient calculator



BOOKS

The Ketogenic Diet

Good Calories, Bad Calories



RECIPES

- General keto/paleo/GF blogs
I breath... I'm hungry
Chocolate Covered Katie

-Baked goods
One Minute Muffin

I'll continue to edit this list as I find decent things.