2021 Goals and Update

 

It's 2021! Finally!

I know it's been a tough year for many of us, some more so than others. My year wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible either.

So where have I been? Since my last post I have gone through so much. I had to take a year off work due to illness and chronic pain, I went to see multiple specialists and most couldn't help me. We almost lost our home. The last specialist finally helped me a little, and I was happy with that at the time. It was decided that I had nerve damage and with some medication and CBD oil I was able to manage the pain enough to go back to work. I started with a 6 month contract position to make sure I could handle a full-time job again before accepting a permanent position, which I am happy to say I have been at for just over a year and only missed 2 days due to illness, unrelated to my previous medical issues. (I got the flu.)

However, I continued to put on weight, even though I was barely eating anything due to the pain. It was very frustrating. My highest weight reached was 190.9 at the beginning of August 2020 and seeing that number on the scale crushed me. My clothing was tight. I was uncomfortable. I had pain everywhere. I had no energy. I felt old. My husband came to me and mentioned all the research he had been doing on keto and carnivore and suggested we try it. He said not only would it help with weight, but also physical and mental health. I was willing to try anything!

On August 9th of 2020 we started keto. My husband went more the carnivore route but I found I was having a very hard time eating enough food due to the past pain associated with eating, especially meat. I had been watching a lot of YouTube keto videos and had stumbled across a product called Keto Chow. This was my saving grace. I find that by having a Keto Chow at work for my breakfast/lunch and then eating one meal for dinner and also an after dinner snack I was able to get closer to my required calories, and I began to lose weight. I also started adding in 18/6 intermittent fasting, and that has been great as well. I just kind of naturally moved into it without even trying because eating keto keeps me satisfied much longer.

As of today I weigh 162.6 lbs, a total weight loss of 28.3 lbs! The most I have ever lost on any diet I have tried before. I don't even remember the last time I weighed that low. This is exciting. Low carb works for me! I haven't cheated in the 5 months I have been eating this way, and it shows. AND I don't really miss anything!

I plan on continuing this way of eating until I reach my target weight goal, which currently is 150, but once I hit that I might try for even lower! But 150 has always been my main goal. Once I hit that goal I plan to maintain by adding back more carbs, but still staying low carb, but just not as low as keto. I also plan on starting to work in some more movement and exercise. I have been looking into some virtual challenges to help motivate me, both in FitBit (I got a new FitBit versa 2 for Christmas) and with The Conqueror Events.

Anyhow, blah, blah, blah...here are my goals for 2021, which will also be tracked on my Goals page.

January 2021

• lose 4 pounds (1 a week)
• clean off my main home office desk
• clean off my living room desk
• clean off my living room end table
• read 10 pages at least a day
• move for at least 10 minutes a day
• read at least one book
• start a virtual challenge (more info to come later)
• attempt to meditate at least 5 minutes a day
• work on paying down debt
• run the dog in the yard daily

2021

• read 10 pages at least a day
• read at least 15 books
• move for at least 10 minutes a day
• complete at least 1 virtual challenge and receive medal
• blog more
• review books
• work on meditating daily (Waking Up or something similar)
• learn to kayak
• lose at least 15 pounds (goal weight of 150 or less)
• buy new clothes that fit
• work through anxiety book(s)
• knit more from stash
• finish more WIPs
• knit a pair of socks
• clean off hutch and file paperwork
• clean of dresser
• sort and clean out old clothes
• clean the house more 
• work on paying down debt
• run the dog in the yard daily

Lifetime Goals

• visit Costa Rica
• visit Machu Pichu
• visit France
• visit Scotland
• visit Greece
• go on the October Vampire Tour to Transylvania
• visit Stephen King's house
• finish a novel
• publish a novel