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We got disappointing news today. The inspector found water intrusion in the home our niece and family wanted to buy, which is such a shame! The home is beautiful, with amazing views. We're hoping they can find something else that is suitable in our area. We'd love to have them here more consistently. Otherwise, we had a very good week even though we're not doing very much. We use up all of our time going into White Rock and exercising. I come to my Zumba class 4 days a week for an hour every morning hour each morning. I've been doing quite a lot of cooking. We had some meals prepared and left in the freezer, but we're almost out of those, so I've been creating some weekly meals to use as sides or main courses. We just finished having some beef stroganoff, which was delicious. Steve and I like having egg wraps with several variations, including steak, sausage, onions, and cheese. We are enjoying these, and using the keto wraps works for all. Also, I've continued doing some research on insulin resistance, and I'm trying to understand it on a deeper level. I'll explain what I've learned a little at a time so I don't get overwhelmingly dull. I must delineate my understanding so that people facing the same problem can figure out how to manage themselves. I'll begin by providing an explanation relating to my basic understanding of insulin resistance. I realized my gradual weight gain began at around fifty. My decreasing estrogen levels caused decreased metabolic rates and promoted insulin resistance. I gained weight eating salad. Eating less and moving more no longer worked for me. Also, the reduced estrogen and weight gain alters the gut microbiome balance, and the body no longer reacts to food and exercise the same way. Therefore, what used to work for me quit working. I developed resistance to the cellular actions of insulin. According to my doctor, this resistance is characterized by an impaired ability of insulin to inhibit glucose output from the liver and promote glucose uptake in fat and muscle. In short, insulin sensitivity refers to how responsive your cells are to insulin. I worked hard to improve it through exercise and a healthy diet, but the weight loss was so slow I needed semaglutide support. That is likely due to my age, so others might succeed better with simple lifestyle changes, such as exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet. Of course, insulin resistance is more complex than this, and even with semaglutide, exercise and a healthy diet are a must. but more on that later.
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A few days ago, I began thinking about stopping semaglutide when I arrive at the top of my goal weight range of 152, which I project in September of this year. I won't stop keto or my current exercise regimen, but it's essential to see if I can maintain the weight loss without the hormone support. Given my past performance, I will. I lost weight and kept it off with keto and exercise. Also, I've explained the other benefits of keto, particularly for me. I started semaglutide because my weight loss was slow and sometimes non-existent, and it really helped. Studies show that those using semaglutide lose 8-10 percent of their initial weight, and so far, my weight loss verifies that. However, some semiglutide users gain weight after stopping. I hope I can mirror the majority who maintain the loss while some continue to lose additional weight. I'll always use natural ways to help with insulin resistance, which includes drinking my daily statin smoothie along with the following:
1. I'll get plenty of sleep. A lack of sleep can increase insulin resistance. Getting more sleep can help reverse its effects. 2. I'll continue exercising. Regular physical activity helps move sugar into the muscles for storage and promotes an immediate increase in insulin sensitivity, which becomes more permanent after eight weeks. 3. I'll try reducing stress. High levels of stress hormones reduce insulin sensitivity. 4. I'll continue keto to maintain weight loss. Excess weight, especially belly fat, reduces insulin sensitivity. 5. I'll continue eating health-promoting food. Soluble fiber helps feed the friendly bacteria in your gut, which connects to increased insulin sensitivity. 6. I'll continue drinking a statin smoothie. It might also be an insulin smoothie. The green tea can help increase insulin sensitivity and reduce blood sugar. Also, adding cider vinegar could increase insulin sensitivity by reducing blood sugar and improving the effectiveness of insulin. It also appears to delay the stomach from releasing food into the intestines, giving the body more time to absorb sugar into the bloodstream. So this is my plan. Of course, as usual, I'm looking months into the future, but I'm expecting it to work out. We'll see in several months. We had the nicest surprise this past week. Our niece Kelsey and her husband are looking at a home in Birch Bay. They want a place to hang out with their two little boys in the summer. Birch Bay is perfect for that. While the kids are young, they'll have a wonderful time in Birch Bay, running around looking for sea life during low tide and enjoying the beautiful views. They asked us to visit it during last week's open house. The home is absolutely stunning. It's contemporary, which I like, and the side facing the bay has ceiling-to-floor doors that create a wall. This wall opens completely. There is a grassy space in the back, so they're basically living inside and out concurrently. A long stairway leading down to the beach is at the property's edge. Of course, Birch Bay's beaches are rocky, so they're a place for exploring rather than laying around in luxurious sand. However, it's perfect for finding shells and little sea creatures. Also, there are numerous hiking trails and many parks with great playground equipment nearby. Their little boy loves Birch Bay, and they just welcomed a newborn who will also enjoy it. Their kids might be the driving force behind the purchase. Most of our visitors love this space, especially the children. I'm so happy we found and bought the property and built a house before it got too expensive. On Friday, we planted tomatoes and eggplant. I hope they do well. It's still a little cool, but they'll be fine. Ken and Trudie came up this weekend and saw the house as well. They brought Indian food carryout from Seattle. Boy, it was delicious! Today, we met our friends from White Rock, B.C., at our dim sum restaurant. The food was excellent, as was the company. We had a great time catching up. That's all we've done so far, but it feels like we've been busy! My weight is still creeping down, down, down! It makes me very happy to have good success, and I'm not miserable like so many others who try to lose weight. Hopefully, I'll be at my goal weight in the next few months.
We arrived in Birch Bay last Monday and are back on track doing all our regular activities. We come to White Rock, British Columbia, every day to work out and swim at the Grandview Aquatic Center. It is so convenient to have our Nexus cards. Otherwise, we could not hop across the border so conveniently. We've also already visited our favorite Indian restaurant on Marine Drive. We love that food, and thankfully, I can have it without messing up my diet. On Friday next, we'll pick up our friend Aline and take her to have dim sum at another of our favorite restaurants. We're very anxious to see her. She had both of her knees replaced and is recovering nicely. She says she can now drive. She's spent several years depending on others to take her places and feels much freer. Our Birch Bay home is still comfortable and cute. We have such a beautiful view, and we can see the sea life transitioning from winter through spring into summer. We've even seen some Canadian geese pairing up, so I'm sure we will have gosling in the next month. I've been getting a little bit bored. I think it's because I'm avoiding diving into my writing. There are two things that I'm working on. One is a memoir, and the other is about the members of the MAGA cult. Both of these topics are deeply depressing. I am very apprehensive about another Donald Trump presidency, and it doesn't look so impossible now. I'm just praying that people who care about our democracy get out and vote against Trump and vote for Joe Biden. I think democracy will be lost if Trump wins. I never thought my country would ever go in this direction. It is such a terrible shock, and I can't believe the people are actually behind this creep. So, working on either of these things is depressing. My memoir is depressing only because of the sad parts I have to relive, including my traumatic marriage to my older kid's father and the terrible decisions I made. I'm praying that I can start writing again soon because both of these will be very good for me in the end, I'm sure. In the meantime, I'm still following the keto diet and successfully losing weight with the support of semaglutide. I've also been looking at more research relating to how the body changes over time and how things that used to work may not work anymore. I'll communicate a little bit about that next week. In the meantime, I'm enjoying my life and feeling healthier every day!
It is six in the morning, and we are sitting at the Honolulu Airport waiting for our plane to Las Vegas, where we'll connect with a flight to Bellingham, Washington. Although Steve and I were going to head out in a couple of weeks, we changed our plans several days ago. It started to get a little bit warm, and we were looking at the weather in Birch Bay, where it's hovering in the mid-60s and early 70s and low 70s, and I told him we should go ahead and head out. The good news is that our tickets did not cost more because Southwest had initially made some slight changes to our original flight, and when they did that, we could come back and modify our flight in any way we chose, so that worked out. The only bummer is that we had to leave home very early, but we will survive. We'll get there around ten and get settled. Hopefully, we'll sleep well, minimizing the jet lag. I love Birch Bay weather when it gets like this. It is absolutely perfect, and our surroundings are beautiful! So even though I'm going to miss Jake, I'm sure he will be happy to have the house to himself, and we'll be happy to get back to Birch Bay. Very little will change when we get there regarding our diet, except I won't be able to get my fresh lau lau, and I'll miss it. However, we're taking a suitcase filled with frozen mangoes for Steve. He loves those things and so do I but they're definitely not on my keto plan. While we like our workout place in Kapolei, we miss our wonderful workout place in White Rock, British Columbia, and are happy to return. However, I will miss my beautiful morning walks along Pokai Bay. It is such a gorgeous way to begin every single day, and the sites are simply beautiful. Steve and I plan on hiking more than we usually do in Birch Bay this time. There are several wonderful hiking trails right in our area that are easy to navigate, so we will do that. Last Thursday, we had one major walk near the Disney resort in Ko Olina, and at the end of it, we had Dole pineapple whip, which we love! However, we have it very sparingly. This was my one significant lapse while I've been here in Hawaii. It won't impede my progress.
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September 2024
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