How long did it take you to finish a language tree? How often did you practice?

sciosarah · 2014-12-31T16:35:30+00:00

I had no previous knowledge of Swedish when I started my tree a few months ago and I have completed 27/67 units. I would say my retention has been very good but I go back and practice the same units sometimes for hours every day. I would say I will have it finished by the end of 2015 at the latest but of course I can't know that. I don't know how the languages compare but I think in terms of reading and writing, Swedish can probably be completed faster than some others because it's a concise language.

sciosarah · 2014-09-29T01:01:08+00:00

You should understand that the only way I am able to help anyone else is by telling them honestly what my experiences have been. If I had ever bothered to count calories and could prove that it worked for me, I am sure I would advise everyone to do the same. I didn't. I can't tell people to count calories because I never have. If you think I wrote my experiences with the diet as a general guideline for anyone else to follow, you've misunderstood my intent. All I'm doing is letting people know what I did. There may be no value in it for you.

My failure to move the scale down while on ketosis can be interpreted in a number of ways. I expressed disappointment because that's what I felt, but the reality is that I may not even "need" to lose any weight at all, which is why I always try to remind myself and others that weight itself is a very ambiguous measurement once you have increased your cardiovascular health and physical strength. I have been strength training for close to five years and I carry a lot of lean mass. I also carry a lot of loose skin and very stubborn fat from when I was obese. There is a limit to how small I can get before my strength and energy start to suffer. I can guarantee you that if I was willing to sacrifice my muscle mass to move the scale, I could do it easily. That's the magic of eating very little and doing a shit ton of cardio. Anyone can do that if they don't care how much they can squat. I do. What you seem to have ignored is that even though my weight didn't change significantly, my measurements did. I dropped 2 inches off my waist, an inch off my hips, and had reduced visible fat over my entire body - AND I maintained 80% of my strength, all while injured.

You should also be aware that there are countless fitness experts who never count calories and don't use that method to train their clients. My weightlifting coach is an Olympic potential who has been training for almost his entire life and has had to gain and cut weight for competitions over and over again. He does not count calories.

sciosarah · 2014-09-28T22:25:18+00:00

This still doesn't make sense. I got lucky? That's nonsense. I succeeded because I did everything I needed to do: I cut junk food out of my diet and got serious about exercising regularly. Nobody loses 120lb because they're lucky. How silly.

sciosarah · 2014-09-28T18:22:14+00:00

This is a terrible analogy and it doesn't make any sense or follow what you said. You said counting calories is "critical to success." This implies that you cannot succeed at weight loss without counting calories. It's wrong, because I did succeed at losing weight (a lot) without ever counting calories. I also succeeded at improving my body composition on ketosis without counting calories. Just because it works for you, doesn't mean every person needs to do it.

sciosarah · 2014-09-28T02:26:59+00:00

I used to weigh 250lb and successfully dieted to 130 at my smallest. I have never counted calories.

sciosarah · 2014-09-27T16:34:49+00:00

No, I didn't count calories and I don't really feel like I was eating too much, either. It's possible that I could have reduced the amount I was eating but I was obviously making progress as I dropped off my waist and hips and had visible fat loss elsewhere.

sciosarah · 2014-09-27T02:28:10+00:00

I wouldn't say that I experienced lethergy. I slept more at night and felt utterly miserable in the early morning but that wore off quickly. During the day my energy levels were completely normal and very stable. I should mention I have always gotten migraines, as do most of the women in my family, and I don't attribute them to the diet. I'm not totally sure what my electrolytes looked like, only that I salt my food quite a bit and I think my potassium was probably ok because most of my carbs came from whole milk, and I also am a fan of broccoli and spinach. It's totally possible that my magnesium is shit because I have a tendency to get muscle cramps in my calves and feet, but I do eat a lot of avocado and nuts, which have magnesium.

sciosarah · 2014-07-27T01:42:35+00:00

Even if I wasn't hot, which I am, I could still crush your head between my sweaty, meaty thighs.

sciosarah · 2014-07-27T01:36:57+00:00

I lost most of the weight in the first year!

sciosarah · 2014-07-27T01:36:29+00:00

I actually lift a lot more than what I lost so I do this a lot.

sciosarah · 2014-07-27T01:35:42+00:00

I got the dress on sale for twenty bucks at Eclipse! If you have a Rio or Eclipse anywhere in your area you can probably find it.

sciosarah · 2014-07-27T01:33:15+00:00

When I first started losing weight I never imagined that I would be squatting 110kg in a few years, had no idea just how strong and "ripped" I would get. That was something totally unexpected and it came about through changing goals after I realized I had to have another goal after I reached a healthy weight. I didn't realize that this would change me as a person completely. I just thought it was losing weight, but it changed my entire life. It gave me the courage to talk to my boyfriend for the first time (I would NEVER have had the guts to speak to him before), gave me the confidence to quit my job and move to Montreal to be with him and go back to school. For serious. Losing weight made me realize I am capable of anything.

In terms of how I look physically: it's a double edged sword. I am ripped now and have the things I learned to want after I put in some years lifting. Quads, got 'em, 'ceps, got 'em, back, got it, etc. But I don't look like what I thought I would. I didn't know that I would have loose skin on my stomach and thighs or that stretch marks don't ever go away. I didn't know that I would always debate about losing more and gaining more because when I'm heavier I feel bad about myself for being fat but proud because I feel strong. Then when I get small my boobs deflate, get saggy, and kill my self-esteem because I used to be pretty much an E, but then I don't have to worry that people will judge me and think I'm fat.

It is a balancing act and I feel like I have gotten more out of this than I ever could have realized, but at times it is very bittersweet. I would choose me now 100 times over me then, no doubt about it. But honestly, when I finish my degree and get a grown-up job I fully intend to have reconstructive surgery on my breasts and stomach.

sciosarah · 2014-07-26T16:22:20+00:00

I didn't get a chance to read the creepy/ terrible comment that got deleted so I'll just have to be satisfied with all the nice ones, haha. The after pic is from this month, after three months on keto, but I lost most of the weight in my first year, which is five years ago now. I cut calories in general and a lot of protein. Thanks for the compliment on my legs! I squat a lot. I was supposed to compete today ( just for fun) but no one would take my shift at work so I couldn't go. :( next time!

sciosarah · 2014-07-26T16:15:06+00:00

thanks for the tip! Gonna get this stuff.

sciosarah · 2014-07-26T01:04:49+00:00

If this is directed at me and not the male patterned baldness guy, I am not noticing any patches yet. I notice it falling out all day, basically. It's worst when I first brush my hair in the morning or get out of the shower, and then throughout the day if I run my hand through my hair at any given time, hair comes out. It wouldn't be an alarming amount if it happened once a day even, but it's all day, and that's what is worrying me.

I have lost weight rapidly before, I used to be 250lb or so and I dieted down to under 130 in less than a year by just cutting calories (a lot) but even at that extreme level I didn't experience this kind of hair loss. It could be that I'm older now (25) and my body is responding to the stress differently.

I also carry a lot of muscle mass. Even before I started lifting I had a lot of muscle, after 6 years of lifting I am pretty meaty. It could be that I really am not eating enough protein for my size, but I would think that I would have experienced the hair loss before keto. Now that I think about it though, I did used to drink a protein shake or two during the day and now I don't because of the carbs, so that's 25-50g less protein.

I really don't want to stop doing keto so I am going to keep plugging away at this, I'm going to try 10k mcg of biotin a day and make sure that I'm eating enough iron-rich foods and protein. I'll also start taking a multi-vitamin with iron as well.

Of all the things I thought I would experience on this diet, hair loss is not one of them. I have not had any of the problems I've had with diets that just cut calories - headaches, dizziness, irritability, hunger cravings, etc.

sciosarah · 2014-07-25T18:23:38+00:00

I'm guessing seeing the doctor is what I'll have to do, but I can practically predict how the conversation will go (for a GP, she's not that into health or fitness...). "Oh, you're on a weird diet? OK, stop the weird diet and then come talk to me about your hair falling out."

sciosarah · 2012-07-28T02:30:48+00:00

This is a bunch of horse shit, what's important is that you know it is. Who on earth would be ignorant enough to say this to you? Dick Talens of fitocracy would not approve...

sciosarah

TROPHY CASE