Bright-Eyed & Bushy-Tailed: A limetwist's life after losing it all

[Naples11]

Originally Posted by limetwist

I really struggled for a while after going raucously off-plan around my birthday a month ago, so I really am going to keep myself in check. On Friday, I'm going to go to Costco and get a bone-in prime rib roast to bring home and cook for the family. I will have lots of tasty, on-plan meats and veggies, in reasonable amounts. I will not stuff myself to the point of explosion. I will eat sensibly. I will succeed, and I will walk away from the whole affair unscathed.

Cris, I hear you. It's just much easier to stay on plan than to try to get back on plan after leaping off. Eat as much of that prime rib roast that you can, who cares about the rest? PRIME RIB. omg

[DairyQueen]

Great thread/blog here!!!!! the last photos are awsome~!

[Sicca]

OMG this is heaven for me! I can relate to so much here.....I found it easier to LOSE the weight than to maintain the loss. So I am gobbling up your posts and taking many notes! This is great! Congrats on your success....

I love the idea of fasting all morning. I think this is something I can do, as I usually force myself to eat breakfast.

Thanks for starting such a great blog! You've got one more follower now....

[svenskamae]

Hey, Cris, you might like the cookbook "Odd Bits: How to Cook the Rest of the Animal," by Jennifer McLagan (who also wrote cookbooks called "Fat" and "Bones.") It's not lowcarb, but it definitely has directions for cooking "weird cuts" of all kinds, from animal heads to testicles and feet and everything in between (with very tasty-looking pictures). I'm planning to make the "Peruvian Heart Kebobs" soon, myself.

[limetwist]

Originally Posted by Naples11

Cris, I hear you. It's just much easier to stay on plan than to try to get back on plan after leaping off. Eat as much of that prime rib roast that you can, who cares about the rest? PRIME RIB. omg

I dunno if you've read any of my posts around the lobby, but EAT I DID! I stayed completely and 100% on plan. No sneaking bites of anything naughty, no nothin'. I did eat probably two or three pounds of prime rib in a 24 hour period. It was that good. Seriously, guys. I didn't even take pictures of it because I was so busy stuffing myself (my family included!). PRIME RIB!

Originally Posted by DairyQueen

Great thread/blog here!!!!! the last photos are awsome~!

THANK YOU! There are more to come (AKA in this post!)

Originally Posted by Sicca

OMG this is heaven for me! I can relate to so much here.....I found it easier to LOSE the weight than to maintain the loss. So I am gobbling up your posts and taking many notes! This is great! Congrats on your success....

I love the idea of fasting all morning. I think this is something I can do, as I usually force myself to eat breakfast.

Thanks for starting such a great blog! You've got one more follower now....

Wonderful. I'm so thrilled to hear that! It's definitely been quite an experience to be in maintenance for the first time in what feels like forever when I started losing weight. I've been doing maintenance steadily since May 2012; I've had my ups and downs, and now that I'm lifting weights, the number on the scale is shifting along with the body peering back at me. It's very interesting. I'll have to post some progress pictures sometime when I start accumulating more data. Thank you for the congratulations.

The fasting is pretty much second nature to me now. I started doing it January of last year (or so) so I'm creeping up on that one year mark. I find it very mentally stimulating and sustainable on every level. I've consistently fasted for the entire year with the exception of perhaps two or three days. I would recommend it, especially to a person who normally has trouble with breakfast anyway. I was a zealous breakfast eater before!

Thanks for following!

Originally Posted by svenskamae

Hey, Cris, you might like the cookbook "Odd Bits: How to Cook the Rest of the Animal," by Jennifer McLagan (who also wrote cookbooks called "Fat" and "Bones.") It's not lowcarb, but it definitely has directions for cooking "weird cuts" of all kinds, from animal heads to testicles and feet and everything in between (with very tasty-looking pictures). I'm planning to make the "Peruvian Heart Kebobs" soon, myself.

That is SO funny that you mention that! I just looked that book up the other day, actually. I'm definitely interested in learning how to handle offal more efficiently and most importantly—more deliciously. I have yet to tackle heart from anything other than a chicken yet, but Peruvian Heart Kebobs sound UH-MAY-ZING.

--

So, about that whole Christmas holiday eating thing.

Raging success.

My fiance and I took off to my folk's place in Kentucky Friday night. I packed dinner for us to eat in the car—protein shake for me, baked chicken chunks for the two of us, and pork rinds for my lovely. He was all worried about getting crumbs all over the place. Silly boy! That's where you eat over the bag and pretend you're a horse with a feed bag, right?

I walk through the front door with a cooler full of 23 pounds of bone-in prime rib from Costco. I wasn't going to get that much, considering I was only cooking for 7 people, but my dear mother insisted. "What if we don't have enough?!"

Uh, mom. 23 pounds will be enough for a small army! However, as she was the one footing the bill, I happily obliged.

I don't think my parents were quite expecting so much meat. That thing was massive. Thank goodness I volunteered to bring home my roasting pan , because we had to chop it in half to get it to even fit in a single pan. So we ended up with two big ole' prime rib roasts. I seasoned them with kosher salt and pepper. That's it.







Isn't it gorgeous? If only I had remembered to take a photo of it cooked...

Rubbed liberally with Kosher salt, then threw the roasts in the fridge, uncovered, overnight to dry age. I wish I could have aged them more, but that's okay! What you see above is how the meat looked after sitting in the fridge overnight. The salt leeches out the water, thus concentrating the beefy flavor in the roasts.

So, I cooked these bad boys from probably, hmm... 1:30 PM to about 6:45 PM, until my instant read thermometer read 120 F in each roast. Thank goodness for my mom's two ovens...!



I also made a jus with Better Than Bouillon and simmered veggies, but I wasn't a huge fan. Tasted too sweet to me.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, here's the cake that mom ordered that I managed to perfectly avoid. The rest of the family wasn't so lucky.



It was pretty, but not that tempting in the slightest.

I had bigger fish to fry, after all.

The prime rib that came out of that oven was one of the most delectable, juicy meaty things I've ever tasted. The crust was crisp, perfect, salty, and melty all at once, and the insides were perfectly medium rare and juicy as can be. No sauce needed. GOOD GRIEF IT WAS GOOD! My dad forgot to get other side dishes that he normally loves because he was so busy eating my prime rib.

I also made braised Napa cabbage with mushrooms and goat cheese, which was pretty good. Didn't blow me away, but I did enjoy it enough.

I also sliced fancy pants lemons and limes for drinks.



I very rarely partake in alcohol, so I had none of it. Water all the way, baby! Oh, and one tea with some Truvia. I walk on the wild side, after all.

So, after eating my weight in meat on Saturday, I didn't eat until like 7 PM the next day. As you can guess, we had tons of leftovers despite trying our damnedest to tear it up. No complaints here!

I nibbled some prime rib on Sunday because I felt a little sick (due to period cramps and probably gross overconsumption of delicious beef) and then made a special meal for the fiance and myself on Christmas.

LAMB!







Perfect rare/medium rare. It was awesome. Never had lamb before, so this was a good experience. Also roasted some veggibles.



Also made buttery almond shortbready type cookies.

It was a good holiday. Kept up with my weightlifting regimen the entire time, too. Stress-free, full of good food and good times. And I didn't gain!

I won't bore y'all with my weightlifting progress (maybe later, this is big enough as it is!) but it's going well. Making steady progress and feeling REALLY great.

I went out yesterday and bought some produce at the international market, including this GIANT GREEN ONION for like 1.39:



And I made it back to work today, where I had this for lunch:



Tuna, cookies, and Pokemon.

WOW THAT WAS A NOVEL! Sorry, Low Carb Friends. YOU ASKED FOR IT.

[GailyGail]

LimeTwist, you continue to dazzle and inspire us with your fabulous recipes, resolute commitment to low carb and fun attitude! I want to make that Prime Rib and Napa cabbage dish this weekend! Good for you for staying away from that cake!

[limetwist]

Originally Posted by GailyGail

LimeTwist, you continue to dazzle and inspire us with your fabulous recipes, resolute commitment to low carb and fun attitude! I want to make that Prime Rib and Napa cabbage dish this weekend! Good for you for staying away from that cake!

You are ALWAYS so complimentary. I thank you sincerely for that. I have so much fun doing it!

Braised Napa Cabbage with Mushrooms and Gorgonzola | Serious Eats : Recipes

There's the cabbage recipe. I could have spent a little bit more time caramelizing the shallots/mushrooms, I think, but I was being rushed by the family—my dad in particular. He was hovering over me and plucking random bits out of the dutch oven as I was making it. Sigh. :P Love the man, but he drives me bonkers sometimes!

On a nerdier note, I bought a brand-new mechanical keyboard last night. They're purportedly very fancy, much nicer than your average-Joe $10 Logitech one. My fiancé got one for online gaming and I really love how it feels.

This one set me back 65 dollars, but many people report that it has a great feel to it, and people who are very heavy typers benefit greatly from a mechanical keyboard. I also play my share of online games from time-to-time, so it's a good deal for me either way.

I noticed I was getting some hand cramps after writing some of my heftier blog posts (LOL) so this is something I can definitely look forward to getting. WOOOO!

Newegg.com - Rosewill Mechanical Keyboard RK-9000I with Cherry MX Blue Switch

Oooh, ahhh...

Okay. Nerd alert has returned to green.

[Sicca]

I've never baked a prime rib before, I think you've inspired me enough to give it a shot! I always love eating it wherever we go......YUM is right! My mouth is watering looking at your RAW picture....I'm such a meat eater. Thanks! It seems so simple.....hopefully it really is that easy (for me!)!

[Chalagurl]

Girrrrrrrrrl....your pictures make my mouth water! The cake looked beautiful, but I am more tempted by juicy red meat any day! Yummmmmmm

[limetwist]

Originally Posted by Sicca

I've never baked a prime rib before, I think you've inspired me enough to give it a shot! I always love eating it wherever we go......YUM is right! My mouth is watering looking at your RAW picture....I'm such a meat eater. Thanks! It seems so simple.....hopefully it really is that easy (for me!)!

The Food Lab: How to Cook a Perfect Prime Rib | Serious Eats

Use this. Seriously. And follow the recipe at the end for the perfect, foolproof prime rib.

It's also cheaper than going out to eat! Granted, you have to cook a giant hunk, but still...the roast I got was 8 dollars per pound. A pound of prime rib at a fancy restaurant would run you at LEAST 35 dollars, if not more.

Originally Posted by Chalagurl

Girrrrrrrrrl....your pictures make my mouth water! The cake looked beautiful, but I am more tempted by juicy red meat any day! Yummmmmmm

Oh I AGREE. The cake DID look nice! It had this pretty glittery sugar on top, but nothing can beat the beautiful crusty Kosher salt sprinkles on top of the fat cap of that prime rib. WOO MAMA!

Today was a great day!

I posted about it in the daily menu thread, but I had free lunch Friday at work today: pork loin, salad, and broccoli. It's funny. I used to never be able to stomach any sort of greens by themselves. Drowning them in dressing was a MUST. Nowadays, I can eat them by themselves, no problem. The meat makes a nice accompaniment to the greens by itself. Don't get me wrong; I still love dressing, but sometimes it's nice to just have some crunchy, fresh greens without a whole lotta fat.



Then I made this recipe for dinner:

Melt In Your Mouth Chicken Breast Recipe - Food.com - 37336

With roasted zucchini. It really turned out melt-in-your mouth tender! I put the chicken breast chunks on top of a cooling rack to bake, so the fat and juices would drip down onto the cookie sheet below. It worked out well. It didn't get as crusty or brown as some of the pictures on that site, but that's okay. I like my chicken actually cooked at the correct temperature, and not dried and shriveled as can be. :P

I also had a fat bomb after weightlifting! Coconut oil and EZ-Sweetz and a little cocoa powder. Mmm mmm mmm!

<3

Here's my workout from Fitocracy (It's a social networking type site where you track your weight lifting and exercise).

Hula Hooping:
- 0:11:00 || Broke a Sweat
- Hoopa-hoop! Watchin' some America's Test Kitchen again while I did this.
Barbell Deadlift:
- 65 lb x 5 reps
- 75 lb x 5 reps
- 85 lb x 5 reps
- 95 lb x 5 reps
- 110 lb x 5 reps
- Yesssss! Steadily improving on this. 110 felt awesome, but plenty difficult. Should probably stick at 110 for a bit.
Bent Over Barbell Row:
- 45 lb x 5 reps
- 55 lb x 5 reps
- 55 lb x 5 reps
- 60 lb x 5 reps
- 60 lb x 5 reps
- It's amazing how much easier the 45 feels now that I've been doing this for a while. Getting better.
Standing Military Press:
- 45 lb x 5 reps
- 45 lb x 5 reps
- 50 lb x 5 reps
- 50 lb x 5 reps
- 55 lb x 5 reps
- These feel AWESOME! I love Standing Military Presses, now that I can actually get the barbell above my head.
Dip Station Bent Leg Raise:
- 10 reps
- 10 reps
- 10 reps
- 10 reps
- 10 reps
- Dip dip dip.

[avid]

Hi Limetwist.
Glad to see this blog. I am always drawn to your posts.
Your photo cracks me up.
You bring so much energy and joy to what, for many, is a painstaking process.
I too am interested in general health. I work out regularly at the local gym.
fitness and health are my goals not merely weight loss.
Thanks for starting this blog.
Your enthusiasm is contagious!

[jmc305]

Originally Posted by limetwist

The Food Lab: How to Cook a Perfect Prime Rib | Serious Eats

Use this. Seriously. And follow the recipe at the end for the perfect, foolproof prime rib.

It's also cheaper than going out to eat! Granted, you have to cook a giant hunk, but still...the roast I got was 8 dollars per pound. A pound of prime rib at a fancy restaurant would run you at LEAST 35 dollars, if not more.



Oh I AGREE. The cake DID look nice! It had this pretty glittery sugar on top, but nothing can beat the beautiful crusty Kosher salt sprinkles on top of the fat cap of that prime rib. WOO MAMA!

Today was a great day!

I posted about it in the daily menu thread, but I had free lunch Friday at work today: pork loin, salad, and broccoli. It's funny. I used to never be able to stomach any sort of greens by themselves. Drowning them in dressing was a MUST. Nowadays, I can eat them by themselves, no problem. The meat makes a nice accompaniment to the greens by itself. Don't get me wrong; I still love dressing, but sometimes it's nice to just have some crunchy, fresh greens without a whole lotta fat.



Then I made this recipe for dinner:

Melt In Your Mouth Chicken Breast Recipe - Food.com - 37336

With roasted zucchini. It really turned out melt-in-your mouth tender! I put the chicken breast chunks on top of a cooling rack to bake, so the fat and juices would drip down onto the cookie sheet below. It worked out well. It didn't get as crusty or brown as some of the pictures on that site, but that's okay. I like my chicken actually cooked at the correct temperature, and not dried and shriveled as can be. :P

I also had a fat bomb after weightlifting! Coconut oil and EZ-Sweetz and a little cocoa powder. Mmm mmm mmm!

<3

Here's my workout from Fitocracy (It's a social networking type site where you track your weight lifting and exercise).

Hula Hooping:
- 0:11:00 || Broke a Sweat
- Hoopa-hoop! Watchin' some America's Test Kitchen again while I did this.
Barbell Deadlift:
- 65 lb x 5 reps
- 75 lb x 5 reps
- 85 lb x 5 reps
- 95 lb x 5 reps
- 110 lb x 5 reps
- Yesssss! Steadily improving on this. 110 felt awesome, but plenty difficult. Should probably stick at 110 for a bit.
Bent Over Barbell Row:
- 45 lb x 5 reps
- 55 lb x 5 reps
- 55 lb x 5 reps
- 60 lb x 5 reps
- 60 lb x 5 reps
- It's amazing how much easier the 45 feels now that I've been doing this for a while. Getting better.
Standing Military Press:
- 45 lb x 5 reps
- 45 lb x 5 reps
- 50 lb x 5 reps
- 50 lb x 5 reps
- 55 lb x 5 reps
- These feel AWESOME! I love Standing Military Presses, now that I can actually get the barbell above my head.
Dip Station Bent Leg Raise:
- 10 reps
- 10 reps
- 10 reps
- 10 reps
- 10 reps
- Dip dip dip.

Your workout looks GREAT! It's rare to see a female using heavy weights and only doing 5 rep sets. That's the best way to build strength and muscle, way to go!! I'll give you a tip based on personal experience: barbells can be hard on the joints especially the wrists, shoulders, and lower back. You really only have 2 options for grip: underhand or overhand. You might want to get some dummbells someday because you can vary the position of your wrist and take some of the stress off your shoulders and lower back. For example, you can hold them at your sides while doing deadlifts instead of in front of you, thus taking some stress off your lower back. I do shoulder presses with a neutral grip (palms facing eachother) and that REALLY helps my shoulder joints. Barbells are great, but dumbbells offer some versatility that barbells just don't have. It's good to have both I think. Your recipes look AMAZING. You must be quite the chef!!!

[limetwist]

Originally Posted by avid

Hi Limetwist.
Glad to see this blog. I am always drawn to your posts.
Your photo cracks me up.
You bring so much energy and joy to what, for many, is a painstaking process.
I too am interested in general health. I work out regularly at the local gym.
fitness and health are my goals not merely weight loss.
Thanks for starting this blog.
Your enthusiasm is contagious!

Avid! Thank you so much for your wonderful comments.

I'm glad that you are enjoying my wacky antics. I'm impressed if anyone actually manages to read all that I have to say on my silly little journal! Hah! I do believe that it's completely necessary to make eating healthfully a fun process. Low carbohydrate plans are so variable and full of incredible, tasty foods and recipes that I find it impossible to be miserable while eating this way.

I am definitely focusing heavily on fitness and health now, especially in the coming new year.

--

Speaking of "new year," I wanted to do a little write up for my resolutions. I've been tossing a few back and forth in my head but haven't taken the initiative to pin them down with words just yet.

1. Comfortably wear a two piece swimsuit. This is a big one for me, as my stomach hasn't experienced the kindest recovery after losing all of my weight. I carried much of my weight in my stomach when I was obese, so I have loose skin around my belly button and a tiny bit of "overhang" left on my lower abdomen—an "apron," if you will. I can feel some palpable fat in that region, so I'm hoping to lose a bit more fat this year and flatten things out. Things have definitely improved this year, but I really want to focus on smoothing out this particular region. How, you ask? I plan on tackling this task via...

2. Becoming an accomplished (heavy!) weightlifter, training at least 3 times per week. I have read over and over that lifting heavy weights is one of the keys to a healthy lifestyle—not to mention a good-looking body. I've always had horrible, weak noodle arms. After hitting my goal of 135 in May 2012, I was left with a slim figure. Slim, but I had become the dreaded "skinny fat." Weak as all heck. I got a jump start on this particular resolution after my birthday in November, when I received a weight set and bench for my birthday (best present ever!). Even in such a small amount of time, I've noticed muscle definition in my arms and legs that wasn't there before. I plan on continuing my weightlifting program in 2013 while continually striving for improvement and increasing the weights that I lift. I currently can bench 75 pounds, squat 95 pounds, and deadlift 110 pounds.

3. Hike more—and better. I can walk and hike for miles at a time, but let's face it: I am still in terrible shape. I get winded climbing even modestly sized hills on the hikes I do embark upon. I want to explore the beautiful land around me and work on longer and harder hikes. Hoping to do this when it starts to warm up.

4. Expand my palate and grow as a cook. I started to learn how to cook when I began eating low carb, and I have made incredible strides in improving both my range of tastes and my cooking skills. This year, I want to work even harder on trying new spices, meats, and vegetables. I want to try foods that I've avoided over the years due to a purported dislike. I've come to find that my distaste for certain foods is largely due to unfounded mental "blocks," or perhaps an improper preparation in my younger years. My triumphs for the past year include mushrooms, zucchini, pork rinds, and squash. I hope to expand my horizons tenfold this year by trying new recipes from other cultures in addition to unfamiliar foods. Really looking forward to this one.

5. LEARN KNIFE SKILLS. I have purchased two nice chef's knives over the past year and have fumbled my way through using them. I want to learn how to properly dice, julienne, peel, and chop. My fiancé purchased an online membership to America's Test Kitchen for my Christmas present (bless him), and I've been eagerly digesting all of the episodes ever since. I WILL LEARN. I WILL PREVAIL. I WILL CUT ALL OF THE FOODS! I want to improve and perfect my knife skills and become an efficient and confident blade wielder.

6. Clean my house once a week. Nothing inspirational to say about this one. I just need to not be a little piggy.

Honorable mentions include learning to sew and working more on my digital art, but I consider those backburner-type "I should work on this" type things rather than actual resolutions.

That's all I got for now!

[limetwist]

Originally Posted by jmc305

Your workout looks GREAT! It's rare to see a female using heavy weights and only doing 5 rep sets. That's the best way to build strength and muscle, way to go!! I'll give you a tip based on personal experience: barbells can be hard on the joints especially the wrists, shoulders, and lower back. You really only have 2 options for grip: underhand or overhand. You might want to get some dummbells someday because you can vary the position of your wrist and take some of the stress off your shoulders and lower back. For example, you can hold them at your sides while doing deadlifts instead of in front of you, thus taking some stress off your lower back. I do shoulder presses with a neutral grip (palms facing eachother) and that REALLY helps my shoulder joints. Barbells are great, but dumbbells offer some versatility that barbells just don't have. It's good to have both I think. Your recipes look AMAZING. You must be quite the chef!!!

Hey JMC, you snuck up on me while I was writing that other post. Thank you for all of the positive feedback. I'm still learning about grips and whatnot. I actually bought some grip pads off of Amazon to help with any sort of grip issues that may arise in the future when my lifts get heavier and heavier. I tried them out on Friday and it seemed to work alright. I appreciate the tips! I just have some piddly dumbbells right now, but I'm keeping an eye out for a nice adjustable set. If If I can find a decent set on sale online, I plan on picking it up. I think it'd be nice to have the variation in my workout. I'm not experiencing any shoulder or wrist pain with what I'm currently doing, but it's something I am definitely keeping an eye out for.

[scalestepper]

Limetwist, you are such an inspiration! KUTGW and Happy New Year!

[jmc305]

Oh gosh, don't get me started on the dreaded "apron." Isn't it enough that we endured being fat, then worked so hard to lose weight. And now we have to contend with that. I had one too at my goal weight (I have since put on some pounds) and it really discouraged me.

I think you will definitely want some gloves for lifting. Personally I love my rough callused hands...very manly. My wife is not so crazy about them and I can't imagine you would want your hands all roughed up. So yes to the gloves, a thousand times yes. You can also get some lifting straps (or hooks) which will help you if your deadlift strength outpaces your grip strength, which is a common thing in weight training.

You're in Nashville, well I'm not too far away. I highly recommend Play it Again Sports in Cool Springs. They are right next to Barnes and Noble. They sell weights at drastically reduced prices. About half of what Dick's or Academy sells them for. I have got dumbbells there that looked brand new but were sold to me as "used." Anyway, keep up the great work. Love your blog!

[limetwist]

Originally Posted by jmc305

Oh gosh, don't get me started on the dreaded "apron." Isn't it enough that we endured being fat, then worked so hard to lose weight. And now we have to contend with that. I had one too at my goal weight (I have since put on some pounds) and it really discouraged me.

I think you will definitely want some gloves for lifting. Personally I love my rough callused hands...very manly. My wife is not so crazy about them and I can't imagine you would want your hands all roughed up. So yes to the gloves, a thousand times yes. You can also get some lifting straps (or hooks) which will help you if your deadlift strength outpaces your grip strength, which is a common thing in weight training.

You're in Nashville, well I'm not too far away. I highly recommend Play it Again Sports in Cool Springs. They are right next to Barnes and Noble. They sell weights at drastically reduced prices. About half of what Dick's or Academy sells them for. I have got dumbbells there that looked brand new but were sold to me as "used." Anyway, keep up the great work. Love your blog!

The apron has been the scourge of the limetwist for months now. Grr. The fact that I have a lopsided apron is even grosser, hahaha! WHAT THE HECK. Whose cruel idea of a joke was that? :|

I have a callous developing on my left hand. It looks totally awesome. I love it, but I just want to make sure that I have proper grip. I have no interest in preventing awesome weightlifting callouses. I agree with you. My hands are already roughed up from burning them/cutting them while cooking all the darned time.

I'll remember the advice about the straps too! I see all this stuff and just don't know what it's used for exactly yet.

Anytime I see someone here from TN, I wonder if they're nearby! That's really awesome! I've been past that Barnes & Noble more times than I can count, but have never stopped at Play It Again Sports. ... have I even seen it? I'm vaguely recalling a mental image of the sign. Cool Springs has such an abundance of stores that I swear I can never actually take them all in as I drive by. I go to Costco once every couple of weeks, so the next time I'm down 'round that area, I'll certainly check it out. Thanks for that. I got all of my stuff at Academy for what I considered a pretty decent price, so if you say it's even cheaper?! Nice. Thank you for both the advice and wonderful compliments.

[jmc305]

Originally Posted by limetwist

The apron has been the scourge of the limetwist for months now. Grr. The fact that I have a lopsided apron is even grosser, hahaha! WHAT THE HECK. Whose cruel idea of a joke was that? :|

I have a callous developing on my left hand. It looks totally awesome. I love it, but I just want to make sure that I have proper grip. I have no interest in preventing awesome weightlifting callouses. I agree with you. My hands are already roughed up from burning them/cutting them while cooking all the darned time.

I'll remember the advice about the straps too! I see all this stuff and just don't know what it's used for exactly yet.

Anytime I see someone here from TN, I wonder if they're nearby! That's really awesome! I've been past that Barnes & Noble more times than I can count, but have never stopped at Play It Again Sports. ... have I even seen it? I'm vaguely recalling a mental image of the sign. Cool Springs has such an abundance of stores that I swear I can never actually take them all in as I drive by. I go to Costco once every couple of weeks, so the next time I'm down 'round that area, I'll certainly check it out. Thanks for that. I got all of my stuff at Academy for what I considered a pretty decent price, so if you say it's even cheaper?! Nice. Thank you for both the advice and wonderful compliments.

Your welcome. I am about 50 miles from Nashville and we go to Nashville and Cool Springs on the weekend some. Play it Again is a used place. Kids outgrow their hockey skates and baseball cleats at an alarming rate. So they sell back their size 5's and get size 6's and so forth. They also deal in used workout equipment and free weights. It's a neat place. They used to be next to Toys R Us but they got a (slightly) bigger store. I'm sure I've resulted in many a hernia from the guys carrying my stuff out to the truck.

One more thing, don't overlook bodyweight exercises as a great strength builder. You can build up to doing dips with your bodyweight instead of using a bench and you can do pushups and PLANKS. Oh how I LOATHE planks. But they are really good for you.

[Jrw85705]

I am enjoying read your blog. Your focus on the positive aspects of low carb is infectious.

I have been working with weights, and a trainer, for about a year. I have arthritis and was having trouble with my wrist using a barbell. My trainer had me get and EZ-Bar. It wasn't very expensive and has made it much easier on my wrist and hands.

Thanks for the blog and keep up the good work.

[JMacB]

I love hearing nashvegas references - I went to Vanderbilt and wish I'd been there today for the bowl game!

[limetwist]

Originally Posted by jmc305

Your welcome. I am about 50 miles from Nashville and we go to Nashville and Cool Springs on the weekend some. Play it Again is a used place. Kids outgrow their hockey skates and baseball cleats at an alarming rate. So they sell back their size 5's and get size 6's and so forth. They also deal in used workout equipment and free weights. It's a neat place. They used to be next to Toys R Us but they got a (slightly) bigger store. I'm sure I've resulted in many a hernia from the guys carrying my stuff out to the truck.

One more thing, don't overlook bodyweight exercises as a great strength builder. You can build up to doing dips with your bodyweight instead of using a bench and you can do pushups and PLANKS. Oh how I LOATHE planks. But they are really good for you.

Cool Springs is the best, man. I can't wait to go! Too bad I just went down this past weekend. My fiance works there, so maybe I can cajole him into checking it out on his lunch break one day!

Oh yes. I was into pushups before I started lifting. I guess I could do both...but I kinda stopped the pushups and planks when the heavy pieces of iron started to rain down upon my head. PLANKS ARE ROUGH! I imagine they're somewhat easier now after lifting for a month and a half...maybe. I hear great things about them too.

Originally Posted by Jrw85705

I am enjoying read your blog. Your focus on the positive aspects of low carb is infectious.

I have been working with weights, and a trainer, for about a year. I have arthritis and was having trouble with my wrist using a barbell. My trainer had me get and EZ-Bar. It wasn't very expensive and has made it much easier on my wrist and hands.

Thanks for the blog and keep up the good work.

Thank YOU for the wonderful words! I have actually used the EZ-Bar at my old apartment complex for Bent Over Rows. I found it, well, easy to use! I just don't have one now since I have a big girl barbell in my house. I may look into them for curls, though. I just use dumbbells right now and can't hoist up the Olympic barbell.

Originally Posted by JMacB

I love hearing nashvegas references - I went to Vanderbilt and wish I'd been there today for the bowl game!

There are quite a few Nashville folk around here! Good to know! And yes, I heard all about that. I'm not a sports person, so my only concern was it screwing up my commute since I work close to Vanderbilt. All was well, however. Sorry you missed the game! Come back and visit sometime!

--

Had a simple lunch of tuna/collard greens. Here, have a pic! I love collard greens when used as a raw wrap. I personally like that slight bitterness.





As for this evening...

Tonight was a GREAT night, exercise-wise. Here's my weightlifting log (thanks to Fitocracy):


Hula Hooping:
- 0:07:00 || Broke a Sweat
- Warm up warm up.
Barbell Squat:
- 65 lb x 5 reps
- 75 lb x 5 reps
- 85 lb x 5 reps
- 95 lb x 5 reps
- 100 lb x 5 reps
- ONE HUNDRED, BABY! What a way to wrap up the Old Year and bring in the New.
Barbell Bench Press:
- 55 lb x 5 reps
- 60 lb x 5 reps
- 65 lb x 5 reps
- 70 lb x 5 reps
- 75 lb x 5 reps
- Feelin' good about this one. Man, does that 55 sure feel light now. 75 is still a struggle. Hoping to improve on it this week.
Dumbbell Bicep Curl:
- 5 lb x 5 reps
- 5 lb x 5 reps
- 5 lb x 5 reps
- 15 lb x 5 reps
- 15 lb x 5 reps
- Once again in lieu of my ability to do a pull-up or chin-up. Upped the weight on Set 4 with my baby dumbbells. At least it's an improvement?
Dip Station Bent Leg Raise:
- 10 reps
- 10 reps
- 10 reps
- 10 reps
- 10 reps
- Dippin' dippin' dips.

SQUATTED 100 POUNDS! Yessss! I can't wait 'til I can squat my own bodyweight. It feels amazing. I love weight lifting so much. Best way ever to end the year.



GRRRRRRR!!!! I can't believe I have muscles.

My parents are coming down to visit tomorrow! I'm cooking prime rib and made homemade Caesar dressing and a homemade creamy horseradish sauce.



Oooh, lookin' good, Mr. Caesar.

I'll actually take some prime rib pitchas tomorrow and try not to swarm it like a rabid starving hyena like last time. Gonna start it a bit earlier and time it better this time. It'll be only 4 of us rather than 7 and a baby. Looking forward to it.

Good night, LCFers and enjoy your New Year's Eve. I plan on settling down and watching some America's Test Kitchen and playing Pokemon while sipping a nice hot glass of black tea. <3 Life is great.

[shelby'snana]

You are doing great Cris ! Oh by the way, love the kitchen you were cooking in .... your Mom's ? Wow ! So pretty......

WTG on muscles ....

[tracymitch]

I was thinking of trying this, but my work day is 5a-1p. I'm not sure I could go my entire shift without eating. Can you recommend a good 8-hr chunk of time for eating? I know you're 12-8... Maybe 9-5 or 10-6 for me? I'm usually asleep by 8:30. Thanks so much!

And I love this blog!

[avid]

Your photo's crack me up. You have a tina Fey thing going.
Very pretty but with funny expressions.
I'm loving this blog.

[Cara]

Great Blog! Loved seeing the use of uncooked collards. I can't wait to try that. You are quite the inspiration. Thank you so much!! Happy New Year.

[Tilly]

subbing, this looks terrific and the weight loss is phenominal!!!

[limetwist]

Originally Posted by shelby'snana

You are doing great Cris ! Oh by the way, love the kitchen you were cooking in .... your Mom's ? Wow ! So pretty......

WTG on muscles ....

THANK YOU! And yesss! That's my parent's place. I'm in love with their kitchen. Just look at that oven vent/hood! It was custom built and painted. It's an absolute joy to cook in. My kitchen, however, is just middle class America at best...:heh:

Originally Posted by tracymitch

I was thinking of trying this, but my work day is 5a-1p. I'm not sure I could go my entire shift without eating. Can you recommend a good 8-hr chunk of time for eating? I know you're 12-8... Maybe 9-5 or 10-6 for me? I'm usually asleep by 8:30. Thanks so much!

And I love this blog!

Hmm, I think you could pull it off. You could even make your window something like 1 PM - 9 PM. That way you could eat lunch when you get home from work, then a dinner whenever, and be off to bed. That's what I would do at least! You may not like the idea of eating right before bed, though. You could have lunch at like 2, then dinner at 6. Or just eat one big huge meal at like 3. As long as you get in your day's calories within that 8 hour window, nothin' else matters!

Originally Posted by avid

Your photo's crack me up. You have a tina Fey thing going.
Very pretty but with funny expressions.
I'm loving this blog.

HAH! Now that is a real compliment to me—thank you! I do enjoy my facial expressions, after all. I like to goof off.

Glad you're loving it.

Originally Posted by Cara

Great Blog! Loved seeing the use of uncooked collards. I can't wait to try that. You are quite the inspiration. Thank you so much!! Happy New Year.

Heck, I love uncooked collards. Even more than the slow-cooked stuff. I'm not a fan of the traditional southern preparation; I prefer to treat them as a tart salad green. Happy New Year to you too! THANK YOU!

--

So, today went sooooo well. I woke up at 6 AM to take the prime rib out of the refrigerator. I needed to let it come close to room temperature so that it would roast more evenly. In she went at 8! I dry-aged it in the fridge, uncovered, for two days. Here's what we looked like before heading into the hotbox.



Close-up of the scored fat on top:



That's just Kosher salt and pepper, by the way. Freshly-cracked, of course.

My parents got here around 11:30; they brought down their old dishwasher because they got a new fancypants LED one for their house. And who am I to look a gift washer in the mouth? :P We gratefully accepted their generous offer to replace our clunky loud Frigidaire (stainless with a plastic tub and overall just kinda cheap) with a shiny new, all-stainless Kitchenaid washer!

While Dad installed it, I worked on the meal prep.

I made herbed green beans (recipe here: Cook's Illustrated's Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic and Herbs | Serious Eats : Recipes ) and used herbes de Provence rather than thyme. Turned out awesomely.

I also made a homemade Caesar salad, horseradish sauce, and quick pickled English cucumbers and onions.

A very nice spread.



We had a very good meal, and everyone was incredibly well-fed by the time it was over. My fiance and I gnawed on the rib bones while my Mom chuckled at our barbarism. Hey, my house!

I've never been the cooking type, so this is a new experience for my parents. I always stood by the wayside as mom made the meals, occasionally lifting a finger, though mostly disinterested. Unsurprisingly, I often subsisted on take out, fast food, and JUNK. They took a moment to really compliment me on how much of an accomplished cook that I have become and were incredibly grateful for the meal. I could tell they really liked it. It was a great moment for me. This is only the second time that I have cooked for them, so I think they're slowly beginning to trust me. I can't wait to try more and more for them.

Lunch was great, and we had a ton of good conversation and meaningful interactions.

My Dad also installed my KITCHEN PEG BOARD AND MAGNETIC KNIFE STRIP!

I AM IN LOVE!







It clears up SO MUCH SPACE for me. I've always wanted one. I painted the board a few weeks ago, but never had the umph (or guts) to hang it myself. Thank goodness for my Dad. <3 He's a miracle worker. It looks awesome and works amazingly. I squeal in glee every time I pass by the kitchen.

This limetwist is one happy girl.

Thanks, everyone, for tuning in. Have a great year.

[Cryssi]

Can I move in with you? I'll do the dishes!

[shelby'snana]

I'll move in too, but NO DISHES I just wanna help eat all her leftovers

Love the peg board, I've never thought of doing that......may have to hit up DH for one

Cris, do you make your own broths ?? I am gonna attempt it maybe tomorrow ( bones and all ) - lots of interesting posts about it on another thread. I knew you wanted to try new things

[alex_in_wonderland]

This is a GREAT blog! I have to say you remind me of myself at a younger, pre-parent age, oh if only I had started my low carb journey back then!!! Love your outlook on things, and thanks for all the great pics! Inspiring and drool-worthy. You have me thinking of ways I can do something like your peg board in my little apartment kitchen...but I have to child-proof too b/c all those shiny pots n' pans would be like a toddler beacon just calling out to my little guy!
I started LCing last year, and I love listening to America's Test Kitchen and Splendid Table on NPR, and thinking of ways to LC the high carb stuff.
Cheerio for now, Happy New Year, and KUTGW!