What happened to June?

Well, I will force myself to happily report that I haven't gained any more weight, but I'm still up 25 pounds from my great weight.  I am getting much better at the blood draw - it's not as scary as it once was.  My ketone numbers vary greatly from .5 to 1.5 and haven't seen anything higher.  I don't yet understand the dramatic variance but I haven't lost weight.  My belly fat is still here and it makes me very sad.  My official blood test came back normal, other than liver numbers had doubled (to 40) but Dr. says he doesn't worry about anything less than 100.  So .... I have no answers on my weight gain.  Other than I'm older and haven't been lifting weights.  Also dealing with some pretty intense depression.......

Trying Again

As a low-carb success story for many years, I enjoyed wearing my skinny jeans and feeling confident in my own skin.  It pains me to say that for whatever reason, I have gained 25 pounds in two months and I can't seem to stop this upward trend.  My thighs are suddenly huge and I have belly fat that I've never ever had before.   I've tracked, researched, starved, ate, reviewed, etc. and I sit here today being nothing more than bewildered and scared.  Is it menopause?   I'm 45.  I still adhere to low-carb dieting and I lift weights.  This isn't about willpower or making bad choices!

I added this new category to my blog so perhaps as the days pass, I can update this area with answers and successes.  I am strong, determined and I will figure this out because feeling good about my body was a wonderful emotion.  I want to bring me back to life.

Initial steps taken:  blood draw complete and waiting on blood analysis on all things typical as well as T1, T3 and T4 thyroid counts.  Ketone monitor and blood testing devices ordered and waiting for arrival.  This is extreme for me, never did this before, but did I mention I'm scared?

Things to ponder: 
- In my constant research on all things nutrition, over the past few months I have eliminated dairy from my diet and added coconut oil as a replacement.  I think I'm allergic to dairy as without it my acne and bowel moments have improved.  Coconut oil is high calorie - and although I know calories aren't supposed to matter - I can't help but wonder if this isn't related to my weight gain.  

- I am to blame for not drinking enough water as compared to before - but that changes today! 

- Although red wine is completely acceptable to a low-carb lifestyle, I need to stop for awhile.  I may have hit the age threshold of it doing too much damage to my metabolism.