Week six - 90 day keto challenge

I’m feeling a tad like the wind was taken out of my sails this week with the announcement of another covid shutdown of my gym 9 (this is the third closure).

I look so red in the image to the right because this was post walk/run!

Reminder, this was my covid weight loss plan

The Goal: Lose 15 lbs in 90 days by following a ketogenic diet, tracking my food intake, and moving my body. 

Diet: Keto with a high protein focus. I will track my macros every single day. I will do some intermittent fasting and extended fasting. Click here for my post on what a full day of following a keto diet looks like for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Exercise: 1,000 jumps a day with my jump rope AND a minimum of 30 minutes additional activity. Example: walking the dog, strength training at the gym, gymnastics (once restrictions lift, I’m registered for a weekly gymnastics class for adults!)

Accountability: I will share an update every week on Sunday evening, here on my blog to let you know how the week went and share a weekly weigh in. Once a month, I will update my photos and measurements with before and after comparisons.

I will be so thrilled with myself when I accomplish these 90 days. I hope you will follow along on my journey!

Click here to see my starting weight, scale metrics, and before photos.

I’m still screwing up on the dieting front

I guess Easter doesn’t help!

I’ve become very waffley on my diet throughout this challenge. This week I did great on increasing my protein intake and I shifted my perspective on my desire to lose weight.

I’m almost feeling a bit silly for getting sucked into the idea that losing weight would be or should be a measure of success.

How much do you weigh?

My 10 year old daughter mentioned to me the other day that girls in her class have been asking her how much she weighs and categorizing the order that they get to take turns based on their size. Sorry What!?

My immediate reaction was ”Taylor, that’s ridiculous - we all know that your weight is the most uninteresting thing about you”. Great advice for myself too.

We had a strong discussion about how she should respond when someone asks for her weight and how she shouldn't comment on someone else’s body or size. She seems to have a strong understanding that the number is not important and she wants to be strong like her mom.

A sad reality

This week I was watching a TikTok with a fitness girl I had started following. She had these beautiful quad muscles, as in she NEVER skips a leg day. Damn they were fire. She made a TikTok about the supplements she was taking and ever so quickly flashed a picture of trenbolene acetate.

Trenbolene acetate is an androgen and anabolic steroid medication which is used in veterinary medicine, specifically to increase the profitability of livestock by promoting muscle growth in cattle.

This is the reality of the fitness industry and the lengths that people go to create a muscular physique. It’s not something that I would personally entertain because I want a healthy body - not just one that looks fit. But it does make me sad that there are unattainable beauty standards in the fitness industry.

While I’d like to look fit and muscular that might not happen for me naturally. I will never risk my health for my appearance. Anabolic steroids can cause:

• Acne

• Hirsutism

• Deepening of the voice

• Male pattern balding

• Clitoromegaly (your clit enlarges to the point it looks like a mini penis!)

• Breast atrophy

• Irregular menstrual cycles

• Infertility

• Significant muscle growth

• Depression

• Mood instability

While I of course like to see aesthetic changes in my body, my primary focus first and foremost will always be my internal health. Also, I don’t want a giant clit…so yea…I’m not sure what is possible for my body naturally but I’ll find out in time.

Gym closure - now what!?

I’m sad the gym has closed down. It’s hard for me to articulate the importance of me working out at the gym. It just works for me. I like it there. It’s a positive space.

I was just getting back to a good place of consistency and connecting with my body, and it’s really disheartening for it to be gone. But, I don’t have time to cry about it. Just do my workouts to the best of my ability at home (I have some equipment) and push forward. When the gyms open up again, I hope to pick up where I left off.

I started Couch25K this week which is an 8 week learn to run program. I logged 3 runs this week and it’s fairly difficult because I’m trying to run fast during my 1 minute runs. My ultimate goal is to run 5k in less than 30 minutes.

I had a great jump rope milestone this week, logging 3000 jumps yesterday over 45 minutes. I have also become a lot more proficient and cross jumps.

#90ketodays - week five weigh in results

Starting weight: 161.2 lbs

Week one weigh in: 157.6 lbs

Week two weigh in: 159.2 lbs

Week three weigh in: 159 lbs

Week four weigh in: 160.7 lbs

Week five weigh in: 164 lbs

Week six weigh in: 164.7 lbs

Total weight lost past four weeks: +3.5 lbs

Sometimes I wonder just how much weight I would have gained had I not started this challenge. I’m almost at the half way mark and while I’m not upset about the weight gain, I am disappointed in my draw to sugar and the poor eating habits that are not supporting the healthiest choices for me.

I’m optimistic in the second half of this challenge even without the gym in my corner.

I’m 100% emotionally fragile right now though haha. I saw a butterfly on my run today and almost cried….over a butterfly. I mean, it was really beautiful.

I hope you had a lovely Easter.

If you’d like to drop your covid weight you should join me!

Feel free to tag me on Social Media and use #90ketodays so I can check in on your progress! Feel free to start at any date – even if I’ve already completed this challenge.

As always, I appreciate you reading and checking in on my journey! If you have any questions that you’d like answered about these next 90 days, please leave a comment below.

Thanks!

Joanna

Read more about my #90ketodays on these other blog posts

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