(Part 2) Best products from r/xxketo4u2

• I thought I was so fat when I was in my early 20s. I was probably at 190-200 lbs and a size 16. I had amazing skin, looking at old pictures of me. I thought I was fat.
  
• Helena Bonham Carter, because I love her.
  
  So I am very happy to have the scale moving downward just more, and even better my pants are super loose ! Just another few weeks or so I should be out of the size 20 somethings and into the size 18 work pants. My 18 jeans fit fine, but the work pants are just too tight in the waist and lower belly.
  
  Speaking of lower belly, I have decided to up my foundation garment game. First, I want to reduce how much my mother's apron hangs down, to get it more in line with where it should be, and to improve my posture. I bought a postpartum waist support garment, which is much more approachable for me than any of the other garments I saw. I don't want to have to undo the crotch every time I go to the bathroom, which is a lot!
  
  Also, the bulge there is keeping me from wearing a lot of newer clothes that fit otherwise.
  
  Recent clothes purchases. I learned that the style of jacket that looks best on me is called a topper jacket, I just bought this one. I have a few things to wear with it, mainly pants and simple shirts. But I think it will look great with my new blue sheath dress from Amazon (only $13!). I also bought a black wrap dress from the same company for $19.
  
  Food was good, we had salmon and pork belly with a vegetable saute and stuffed jalapeno poppers. Unfortunately, my pepper tolerance is greatly reduced right now, so I could only enjoy one. I'll have another tonight.
  
  Lunch is yogurt chicken and the last of the kohlrabi linguine and cucumbers. Dinner will be ribs and chicken thighs with cheesy cauliflower "grits".
  
  Physically, I still have lots of soreness in my ribs from laying on the MRI table. It takes me a few days to get over that. I got my shingles vaccine first dose and will be getting the second in late summer.
  
  KCKO! ♥ Kitten tax 1 and kitten tax 2. Bones has ear tufts.

It's so close to Friday and yet it feels so far away. Last night's hamburger beef stroganoff was delicious as always and super quick- I actually had dinner done start to finish in 30 minutes!

My new bra arrived yesterday. It fits well enough although the lining is a bit thinner than I'm used to. And of course there's gap at the top of the cups but it's on par with my other bras in that respect though so I think I'm just destined for that to be a thing. On the positive side I feel like it makes my boobs look smaller and it's actually cute.

Tonight we're stopping by my IL's after work to drop off a second programmable remote that FH set up for his mom (he gave the first one to his dad last weekend). After that the plan is to grab food on the way home. We'd talked about getting pho but I'm not sure if that's what we'll end up getting or not. I kinda wish we could go out-out because I'd really like a glass of wine but obviously I don't want to buy a whole bottle since all I would get out of it is one glass anyways. On the one hand I feel it isn't fair to bring alcohol into the house because I know FH has a problem. On the other hand I don't like modifying my behavior because of his issues and what I feel like is a lack of respect for me. I don't want to resort to, like, having my own locked liquor cabinet but I don't know what a better option would be. I just want to be able to have a glass of wine when I want it and not have to actually go out every time I want a drink. I feel like that's not unreasonable?

Alright, time to get on with it. KCKO y'all! Have a good Thursday. ❤

Edit: AAAAAAAH I forgot to add all my cat tax from yesterday. I got stretchy cats, cuddly cats, and a Tiny Cat having some (supervised) fun in a plastic bag.

Damn, I'm slammed tired from yesterday! Gym, and then non-stop garden work, both my own own yard and the Market Garden. Damn, how I love watching other people work! Trust me, I got mine, too. I managed to clock myself in the head while trying to lift a t-post driver, yes, I saw stars and birdies and now am sporting a nice goose egg on my forehead. All I want to do now is crawl back in bed, but I have to get moving here in a bit, to take my sister to a doctor's appointment, then work after.

We have a kind of peace here now, with all of the young dudes calling the local detox center today and getting their skinny butts into treatment. They've been quite helpful of late, trying to clean up after themselves, being respectful of our needs (can ya please smoke downwind so the smell doesn't get blown into the house?), offering to do yard work. I feel like this peace is fragile, but for now I'll take it.

I do my gym work at a US chain called Planet Fitness. They offer massage and tanning as a part of the deluxe monthly deal, and a thing called Total Body Enhancement. It's like a stand up tanning thing, but instead of UV, the bulbs put out a red light that is supposed to stimulate collagen production in the skin, thus helping diminish wrinkles etc. There's also a vibratory plate you stand on for some kind of passive exercise. I viewed this whole thing with great suspicion when I joined, but I decided to do some research about the red light business. I found a small study that seemed to be reasonably well designed that found some benefit. So yesterday, I decided, what the heck, I'll give it a go, twice a week for a month. But the problem turned out to be that I didn't wear my glasses into the room, and didn't read the instructions. I guess one of the meds I'm taking may be photo-reactive. I'm not hurting or burnt today, so that's a win. I'll do a better job of reading the directions next time! I'll check in later with any new information.

Moanday it is, but make it moan louder as you make it happen, friends!

Hello Beautiful Bombshells!

Tinkerbell and I have been up for the last two hours and hubby for the last hour. Why are we awake so early you ask? Neighbors. Neighbors working on their back yards. Shouldn't there be a noise ordinance or even common decent courtesy to not start working at 6 am with heavy equipment? Ok...rant over.

How are ya'll on this beautiful Saturday morning? It's very foggy here right now (and noisy!). Sorry...that one slipped in there.

Lunch yesterday was the Chaffles or Okie Eggos again; however this time I made them into a McGriddle like sandwich. Drooling over it still today :) I put 1/4 tsp of maple flavoring, as well as a drizzle of sugar free caramel syrup, in with the beaten eggs before cooking. It gave it mostly the "taste" of maple without all the sweetness. I think to up the sweetness factor, I would drizzle the inside with a little sugar free maple syrup. I'm definitely getting better at making them! For the inside of the sandwich, I did a thin layer of Eggbeaters with a sprinkle of cheddar and then folded in half twice. I also cooked up two pork sausages and placed them in the middle of the eggs. So good!!!!

Dinner was the Stonewall Kitchens Roast Pork Loin with Blue Cheese Herb Mustard Coating. I subbed in pork rind crumbs for the panko to keep it keto, otherwise followed the recipe exactly. It turned out so good! I steamed up a bag of cauliflower rice and added it to our leftover cheesy cauliflower from the night before and then beat it with my beaters trying to make a mash. The cauliflowers did not want to mash :D Still tasted good though! And at the last minute, I remembered the zucchini and yellow squash, so I three it in the oven while the pork was resting. I paired it with a 2014 Savannah Chanelle Pinot Noir. Hubby didn't even talk during dinner. It was that good.

I was talking to a friend yesterday and I think I may have to get back to the basics instead of experimenting with all these delicious recipes so I can make it to my goals. I'm wondering if I go to just plain meats, seafood, and veg if the weight will come off a little faster? Or if I just do that during the week and then let loose a little during the weekend with recipe experimentation? Look at my weight chart since I started. There are more bumps than I would like in there and I need to do something to get back to where I want to be. Any thoughts?

We are keeping it cool today. I'll work on some crochet squares and binge something on Netflix. I hope you're doing something you enjoy and KCKO! XOXOXO

Hmmmmmm. I love it being perfectly legitimate to turn on my electric blanket, to drink copious amounts of tea and coffee, and wear the fuzziest of clothing while cuddled up with it.

On the other hand, I also love a good solid prance in my green peacoat. I'm hoping to get new black Isotoners and wraparound earwarmers to be even more match-y.

This weekend, my roommate and I are taking a glassblowing class! I think we're making either a flower or a round paperweight. Should be a fun time, and it'll certainly be novel. I'm most excited about that!

Then there's a birthday party on Sunday afternoon - a double party for my friend and her two-year-old, which will involve seeing friends I haven't seen since summer.

Good morning! Workout is done, shower and breakfast are coming, it's going to be warm today, and I've got a date tonight (hopefully #9!).

Yesterday was pretty good; got several new shirts for my new job as it's business casual and I had exactly two tops. I still only have three pairs of pants, but I do have a couple dresses I can probably make work for now. How many pairs of dress pants does one need? I'm thinking at least 5, one for each work day, but I also don't like to have so few options. Hm. I'll have to see.

Also got lunch yesterday with a former coworker and friend, it was nice seeing him. Dance started up last night and I'm glad I'm doing it. I wasn't going to because it's not a class for improvement, it's just for fun, but after the Summer of Horrible, I need some social interaction other than work. And those ladies are fabulous. We started with the jazz routine last night and I'm in love with the song: That Man by Caro Emerald. I can't remember the lyrical song, but the tap song is Moderation by Florence + the Machine. It's going to be a good year!

Today the brewery president and I have a meeting with a church in Beverly about having events there and then Rollie has a check up. Hopefully he's fine, but he's been vomiting a bit more frequently lately 😕 I can't lose my job, my husband and life, and my cat all in one year. I can't.

Happy Wednesday and KCKO!

I'd read a blog post that said the classic Burberry was just canvas and not even waterproof, and it's $2k! I was a bit startled to realize that it wasn't even practical for the weather. It doesn't mean I still don't WANT one but realistically if I'm going to spend that much money it would have to be something that has more use than a dry day, and living in the PNW that's 2 months of the year. They have other regular raincoats with removable lining, detachable hoods, etc. and they are half the price which helps but I'm a cheapskate.

The London Fog coat is supposedly comparable in style to the useful Burberry. I went on a hunt last Wednesday to try on the LF coat and ended up liking it. But they didn't have the one I wanted, which is this one with the removable lining and detachable hood. Anyway, I hope it fits ok. My concern is how the arms will fit with the liner in it. I don't want to size up since it'll then be too big everywhere else. We'll see what happens!

As for the book, it's The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It. It's a pretty good read and I see myself in so much of it. I don't know how it'll impact me in the long-run, particularly since I have to actually do some soul searching and implementing what is said (and clearly procrastination is a huge thing since I'm on Reddit when I should be working on my giant list of things to do).

Good morning!

Not too much to update this morning. I was slammed at work yesterday. B and I ordered poke bowls for dinner last night and mine was delicious as always. We also watched the penultimate Masterchef Australia for the season!!! I have to avoid Instagram today because I think the last episode already aired in Australia and I follow literally everyone from the show on there hahaha. I've been accidentally spoiler-ed every single year since 2015, so I'm making 2019 the year of surprise!!

We're back on a schedule I can sort of count on with B, and this tour even has an actual spreadsheet of dates they work so I can finally follow along (if I wanted). It looks like Operation: Painting the Kitchen Cabinets is happening the weekend of August 3-4. I'm pumped. It's still a secret and I think B's going to be super shocked and love it!! I've rethunk the backsplash - I think I like this best now. But this was the one I was going to do before. What do you guys think??

I hope you all have a great rest of your day! <3

Welcome to all the new keto ladies :)

I woke up to the sound of rain and it made me so content.

Leg is feeling moderately better! Huzzah! I spent a LONG time rolling yesterday and realized the foam roller wasn't getting where it should be so I located my blue Orb ball. It's large enough not to be like 'omg daggers' but still works the heck out of the little sore spots around my hip. Then I went to bed after applying copious amounts of heat balm. I did not wake up with new leg cramps, just general tightness/soreness which I think is from straining it while overdoing my new PT exercise. It's been a shit week for PT progress. I've been too sore/weak to do hardly any strengthening exercises.

SO made ribeyes last night with a slightly different technique (high direct heat for some color and then longer time for indirect heat) and OMG SO GOOD. He does a great job normally but this was amaaazzinngggg. Needless to say, ribeyes for lunch today with english cucumber slices and lemon-dill sauce that is quite yum. I'll probably do tuna for dinner to level out the macros.

Hopefully there will be a break in the weather for me to go on a walk. I found a gorgeous new trail near my office to go down. I didn't do any PT this morning other than rolling. I'll do some on my break and finish the rest at home this evening.

Keto on :)

Have you ever tried Smooth Moves tea? It works very, very well. Be by a toilet for a few hours after drinking and follow the steeping instructions, it is pretty much a natural laxative but really is gentle. Doesnt make you crampy or anything you just really gotta go! lol. You can get dependent on it if you drink it frequently, but if you are feeling like you need to go and cant you might want to pick up a box of this stuff and give it a try. It has been a life saver for me in the past. Just a suggestions if they have this brand at your local super market :)