Where it all began....

I actually created and quickly abandoned this blog many years ago for a drop an anchor weight loss challenge. It seemed appropriate for my purposes to bring it back to life.

A little about me, I'm a 45 year old mother of three, currently attempting transformation through the keto diet. I've been in that super enthusiastic, annoy the crap out of your friends and family with reports of every carb avoided and every ounce lost stage. I'm going to assume the enthusiasm may eventually wane and I may begin to bore even myself but until then it felt like it might be a good idea to not make every post on social media be about my diet.

So brief history, like many women I gained weight with each pregnancy, became less active, had my share of hormonal issues, started eating like crap and puffed up. I've followed the Oprah model of yo-yo weight and dieting over the years, some successes, some failures, nothing really stuck for very long. At some point I will reveal my start weight but in my own good time, when I no longer cringe saying it! I had heard about the keto diet from others for quite some time but didn't feel inspired to try myself until something curious happened.

So this January I turned 45 and instead of feeling depressed about that, I felt strangely excited. It probably helps I rang it in in Italy. ;-) But it wasn't only Italian wine that had my feeling sort of rejuvenated. For whatever reason, that's when I decided I was at peace with me. A few weeks later, I'm on holiday with my husband celebrating my 25th anniversary and it's amazing. I was feeling bold and sexy and fun and younger than I had in years. The result was when we returned home I wanted to harness all that energy and confidence and so I decided since my spirit felt so good I wanted to take the leap and work on my physique next.

I started my keto plan February 20th. Keto is basically low carb, high fat moderate protein. Meats, dairy, above ground veggies, healthy fats are all good. There are off limits foods as well (namely grains, sugars, and starchy below ground veggies). You eat to your ideal macros and avoid the bad foods.  After scoping lots of pages and calculators I found this group on Facebook that laid out the simplest formula imaginable. Your desired weight = grams of fat, divide that in half = grams of protein, stay under 30 = grams of carbs. There are some tweaks, for example women are not recommended to get more than 65G of protein if you can help it. Protein apparently can convert in some cases to glucose if you have too much. I found several apps to track my macros and have narrowed them down to what works best for me.

Since starting I've lost about 15 lbs which is great but really- the 4 inches off my waist are what motivate me most! For the record, I am doing this because I care about my health and because of the brain clarity that comes with this way of eating- but I am also doing it to lose this weight (Or as the blog title suggests- drop an anchor.) I'm still a relatively young woman and I want to be able to wear a hot little dress now and then without worries of rolls hanging out. ;-) I have quite a way to go to my goal weight, but along the way I am greatly enjoying WAY fewer gastro problems, less achy joints, more energy and greater clarity of the mind. I used to eat and feel so tired afterward, barely able to keep my eyes open. I felt like I was on the verge of diabetes- and right now I NEVER feel that.

Along the way here I'll be sharing my food journal, recipes and food pics, my own progress and stalls, challenges that rise up and moments of victory.

Keto on friends!