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How to lose weight and keep it off.
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Chana Miriam S




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Aug 09 2020, 3:15 pm
amother [ Seagreen ] wrote:
I've known for a couple of years that I'm pre-diabetic but I finally decided I MUST get on top of it. I started right before Purim and tried to eat as low carb as I could (not aiming for ketosis but just more stable blood sugar).

Eventually I met with a nutritionist who's a diabetes specialist and she gave me guidelines:
Breakfast 15 carbs
Snack can be 1-2 sq chocolate
Lunch 15-20 carbs
Snack 15-20
Dinner 30 gram
(all with fat as possible)
(I was told to have protein with carbs but she says it doesn't really slow the sugar, it's the fat.)

It's a little easier than what I was trying to do.
I lost 10 lbs pretty quickly, another 8-9 more slowly.
Pretty much plateaued now but I am not as strict as I should be.
Still blood sugar is a lot lot better though I'm still trying to get out for the a1c.
But this is it, I cant go off because I value my eyes and my toes.
Unless and until BSD I get to NOT be pre-diabetic, but I think I will always have to be careful.

Andrea you are definitely a significant factor in my inspiration!


Sea green, I’m so glad you’re doing better! Personally what you’re doing would trigger cravings for me but if it isn’t for you, then that’s great! I was reading an amazing book by dr. Benjamin Bikman last week and he was saying that the best exercise you can do is the one you’ll do. There was more to it than that but essentially what he meant was to do what you can sustain.

For me, when I had Retinopathy as a prediabetic that meant stabilizing my
Blood sugar not just making it low. And thus I accidentally found out how to stop eating like a maniac lol.

It actually thrills me when people are finding out what works for them and making it work, however they do it! It’s inspiring right on back to me!

Oh! Also I agree that this is not something that will fix you and you never have to do it again. But if you find A sustainable Way of eating, doing it forever won’t be a problem!

I am no longer prediabetic. When I wore a continuous glucose monitor a few weeks back, my
Blood sugars averaged 4.5 over the two weeks I wore it. But I’m not resting on my
Laurels. Ever. Because it will just come back if I’m not careful.
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Chana Miriam S




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 18 2020, 10:19 am
Jason Fung fans will like this! It’s official! We are now poster children!

https://I.imgur.com/6WG7pex.jpg
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Chana Miriam S




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Sep 13 2020, 10:42 pm
I just wanted to tell you all that for the first time in many years, I am shaving my legs regularly. Not because I really care about hair, or my husband, even but because I can. Also my legs look insanely good. The best part of me lol! All that exercise since November is paying off!
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Chana Miriam S




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Sep 30 2020, 11:43 pm
Well, that was an interesting experience.

My family doc now has an obesity specialist. I lose weight very slowly for the past two plus years, although of course, I do continue to lose, even at a glacial pace. More importantly, I haven’t regained. Is there something more I can be doing?

I decide ‘why not ask?’ I make an appointment.

I have white jacket high blood pressure (usually 110/75) which I did again, of course. There’s a questionnaire, which not surprisingly, does not really tell him much about me.

When I see him, he’s an older man, who clearly has an insulin resistant belly. Alarm bells go off in my head.

I start by basically telling him my story and showing a ‘before’picture for good measure. He asks me question after question. I answer. I refuse statins ( what does that have to do with my weight anyways, when they make one insulin resistant and have other side effects?)

He proudly pats his belly and tells me he’s been on statins for 25 years. I hold my tongue. I don’t tell him how ironic it is that he is overweight/ possibly obese, and it’s all in his belly area, which is a good indication that it’s visceral fat, which of course is not just an indication of insulin resistance but ALSO puts him in a higher risk category for heart attack. Who knows? Maybe the statins did it to him?

I, of course know this to be true because despite my massive weight loss, I seem to be persistently insulin resistant. Yep, you can tell because of the belly. Despite my great blood sugars. I guess 45 years of food abuse are still resolving for me.

Aaanyways. He basically tells me that since I have done great on my own, don’t want statins, can’t take Ozempic (which Jason Fung also suggested but I had pancreatitis so it’s a no-go,) that I basically am on my own. He also suggested bariatric surgery referral which pretty much made me laugh, although not out loud. There was a time when I would not have done it simply because I didn’t think I’d be able to follow the protocols. Now, it just seems like for ME, opening up a dangerous can of worms like surgery, just to weigh less, when I function amazingly and am healthy at this weight? No. Even now that I could follow the protocols? In the ratio of risk versus benefit, I think risk of surgery is higher than benefit for me at this time.

I asked him for a copy of his low carb food plan, which looks almost exactly like most of my days, (and he told me it would even before he handed it to me. )

Aside from the PUFAS ( bad processed oils) which he encourages -and there may be some processed stuff,) overall not terrible.

What a miracle though. Three plus years ago, if you’d told me that a weight loss physician would reject me because I had done so well on my own, I’d have laughed and called you a prankster. Today, I’ll admit, it was pretty much what I expected.
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proudmomma




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Sep 30 2020, 11:49 pm
Good for you, Andrea!
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Chana Miriam S




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Oct 01 2020, 12:10 pm
proudmomma wrote:
Good for you, Andrea!


Thanks!
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Chana Miriam S




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Oct 01 2020, 12:26 pm
I am taking a course in Nutrition for sports performance. Following are two of my assignments:

Reflection #1 (24/24!)


I used to think that where science was concerned, data reported was always the truth. That there was no room for interpretation. That ‘discoveries’ were all exactly as they were presented. That if there was a ‘study’ then there was ‘proof.’ Proof is immutable, right? Text-books were always correct. Imagine my shock when I discovered that those working in scientific fields, and their reports of it are just as prone to manipulation, politicization, and personal bias as those who work in other fields.

I have since learned that there seems to be a double standard where the reporting of data is concerned. Sometimes, the truth is inconvenient, or worse yet, simply unknown. A scientist can lie by omission or publish data in a way that supports their hypothesis (even if other data in the experiment says the opposite.)

As I have been completing our readings, what has truly struck is that despite my limited knowledge in the field of Exercise Physiology, there is an enormous gap in our textbook, Powers, S. and Howley, E. (2018) Physical Education- Exercise Physiology: Theory and Application to Fitness and Performance McGraw-Hill Education.

In Powers and Howley, if you search the word ‘ketone’ or ‘ketosis’ in the E-book, the only references to Ketones are related to Ketoacidosis, an issue that affects a very specific group of people (Type 1 Diabetics) under very specific circumstances (very low serum insulin levels, very high blood sugars, dehydration.)

What do Powers and Howley say about Ketoacidosis? On page 388, they write, ‘A lack of insulin causes ketosis, a metabolic acidosis resulting from the accumulation of too many ketone bodies (due to excessive fat metabolism.” They say nothing else.

In my opinion, this is a massive omission.

Take a look at what Richard Veech had to say in an interview with Gary Taubes (2002) What if it’s All Been a Big Fat Lie? In the article, he quotes Dr. Richard Veech:

Doctors are scared of ketosis,” says Richard Veech, an N.I.H researcher who studied medicine at Harvard and then got his doctorate at Oxford University with the Nobel Laureate Hans Krebs. “They’re always worried about diabetic ketoacidosis. But ketosis is a normal physiologic state. I would argue it is the normal state of man. It’s not normal to have McDonald’s and a delicatessen around every corner. It’s normal to starve.

I’ll just draw your attention to where Veech got his doctorate. With Hans Krebs. That Hans Krebs. In his Oxford lab. Veech continues further:

Simply put, ketosis is evolution’s answer to the thrifty gene. We may have evolved to efficiently store fat for times of famine, says Veech, but we also evolved ketosis to efficiently live off that fat when necessary. Rather than being poison, which is how the press often refers to ketones, they make the body run more efficiently an provide a backup fuel source for the brain. Veech calls ketones ‘magic’ and has shown that both the heart and brain run 25 percent more efficiently on ketones than on blood sugar.

This is a book that teaches soon-to-be professionals and working professionals in the world of Fitness about Fitness and Performance. It concerns me greatly that in a book that includes topics such as Sports Physiology, Bioenergetics, Exercise Metabolism and Factors Affecting Performance, ketones would be mentioned only in relation to a specific medical condition, unlikely to be seen outside of an Emergency room.

This omission sincerely makes me question what else is missing from our textbook. If Powers and Howley were not well-versed enough or were not convinced of Ketosis as a metabolic process, it seems they might have mentioned this. There are plenty of places in the book that refer to unknowns or make a point of saying that something is hypothetical. Why not this topic?

How did this book, in describing how we fuel our bodies, completely miss references to ketosis and ketone bodies?
There are vague references about endurance sports being fueled by fat, but they are trifling and almost incidental. There are no further explanations, and worse yet, not even an indication that something is, in fact outstanding or unknown.

Why am I so sensitive? Let’s go back to the last three years of my life. After years of massively disordered eating, super morbid obesity, and a disturbing array of health issues suddenly, I was going blind. Somehow the fear of dropping dead or being maimed by other health issues never had the effect that going blind did, on me.

I could keep living as I was and go blind, or I could try to stop the process. My initial research was depressing. Type 2 diabetes, was progressive and incurable. Retinopathy would steal my vision and because I had sugar damage with such a low A1C, I was likely going to have other damage. As I left my Opthalmologist’s office, he said “If you have a choice between low blood sugar, and stable blood sugar, go for stable. That will create the optimal healing environment in your body.”

After doing some research, I understood that low carb was the way to do that. I had no idea what ketones were, or ketosis, but I knew I was going to give it one last try. Two days later, I felt satiated, for the first time in 45 years. Not ‘stuffed and still wanting to eat,’ but satiated. I was hopeful. I was still scared, but I knew that as long as I wasn’t eating like a maniac, I was going to be better than if I was.

When I finally learned about Ketosis, months later, I could not understand why no one had ever suggested this to me before. Not one Doctor, not one Fitness Professional, no one in Overeaters Anonymous, no Dietician or Optifast, or Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig consultant. The solution was so simple. In 1921, Rawle Geyelin, presented his findings to the annual American Medical Association Convention: He had tested 30 patients with Epilepsy using therapeutic fasting to induce Ketosis. 87% of the patients were seizure free. Clearly, Ketosis has therapeutic value, if that kind of impact can be seen on the Central Nervous System. Given the import of the CNS on Sport performance, this also seems to be a big omission.


It’s a good thing that I didn’t read Powers and Howley when I was researching how to recover from Retinopathy.
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Chana Miriam S




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Oct 01 2020, 12:27 pm
Reflection #2 (also 24/24!)

I once heard a trainer say “Keep your caloric intake to fewer than whatever number the current year is.“ Agreed. And thank God, I’m Jewish (Year 5780)
(Andrew Roffe @ASAP_ROFFE)

I know that today in class, I sounded a little repetitive about blowing up CICO. I feel quite strongly that CICO is not an entirely valid way to calculate actual energy needs, in every situation. I'm going to discuss this in the context of weight loss, because that is my experience. It strikes me, however that the unknowns I recognize in weight loss are also possible in other aspects of Nutrition and Sports Performance.

I’ll use this as an example. Over the past 6 months, I was burning thousands of calories a day (according to my fit bit, anyways) as a result of the amount of walking that I was doing. We keep a pretty brisk pace, but certainly not anything like what you were describing today in class. At the same time, I was probably eating about 1200- 1500 calories a day, on average. I admit that I rarely keep track of what I eat due to its negative associations to me personally. This reflection, is going to be based on general principles, rather than precise measurement.

Using the concept of CICO, I believe I should have been losing weight steadily and at a higher rate than before I started exercising regularly and with duration. Instead, my weight bounced around on the scale, without any particular losses, going up and down repeatedly. It seemed to be the same five or so pounds and then down again, for an overall loss a half a pound since March. This isn’t to say that my body has not changed. My legs have become quite muscular and defined. I have to work harder to get my heart rate up. If you are strictly looking at the gravitational force of my body on my scale, then it would seem that I have not accomplished much in that time.

I realize that we are not really talking about athletes like me when we are talking about performance. I also understand that for most of the clients that our class will be advising, weight loss is really going to be much more of a competition-class issue, rather than an obesity issue.

My intention is to work with people like myself, who have struggled with weight and exercise. One of the things that strikes me about my own experience is that for most of my life, I was taught that CICO was essential to weight loss success. It was terrifying to walk around hungry all the time. The very idea that I was going to need to starve myself for the rest of my life, if I ever wanted to be slim, was a nightmare.

You were saying today, "If you are hungry, you have to eat to maintain your metabolism." This is the opposite of the guidance that I was given from the age of 7. Nothing but calories was ever discussed with me. Even macro-nutrients were viewed completely in the framework of how caloric, and thus how ‘fattening’ they were. It is incredibly ironic that I stopped being hungry (including from the profound insulin reactions created in me when I ate starchy and sweet carbs) that I finally lost weight. Though I am still obese, have been able to maintain that loss and slowly continue to lose weight for over 3 years.

I don’t think that calories are irrelevant, but I do believe that calories are not all created equally. Some calories influence some reactions in our bodies. Other calories influence other reactions. I find the idea that people advise others on weight loss, or even gain, based on calories alone, irresponsible. Sadly, this is a common place situation.

I am grateful that in the beginning of my weight loss, I was able to eat colossal amounts of food and still lose very large amounts of weight, quickly, simply by changing what I ate. That really helped me confront my fear of hunger, by not having to change everything all at once.
Once my ability to feel satiety developed, my eating evened out, and the amounts normalized. After my weight loss slowed down, I learned about plateaus and tried to figure out how not to be in the 95% of people that regain weight.

When I read Dr. Jason Fung’s (2016) The Obesity Code, Greystone Books and (2018)The Diabetes Code, Greystone Books, I realized that the history of modern weight loss was predicated on assumptions that had not necessarily been proven by scientific means. There is still massive uncertainty about the mechanisms that allow weight loss and more importantly, maintenance of weight loss. If something was universally successful, we would not have a runaway obesity epidemic.
In class, today, I understood clearly, that like the rest of Bioenergetics and Metabolism, there are all sorts of things that seem unrelated to each other, but are in fact, enmeshed.
The RMR, can be affected by many things, and most of them do not seem to be within our control. If we lose lean mass as we age or if we get a fever, that can affect our RMR. When we get better from the fever, that can affect our RMR too. As mentioned in the slides, psychological stress as well as the hormones thyroxine and epinephrine can affect the RMR.
In addition, as you spoke of the factors of reduced metabolic rate, exercise and non-exercise energy expenditure reduction as well as digestion and metabolism of nutrients affecting weight loss resistance.

In my reading of various materials related to weight loss and metabolic health, I’ve learned that insulin resistance, genetics and even pain, sleep and emotional wellness, can all influence cortisol and other hormonal influences. These influences can cause cascades of other effects including weight loss resistance. These things are unrelated to caloric intake in a direct way.

For so much of the history of weight loss, we have blamed the people with the weight to lose for being non-compliant, when really, the entire picture wasn’t (and still isn’t) completely clear yet.
There is an old saying which I'll sum up by saying “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” I would posit that the problem with relying on CICO without context is causing us to hammer our metabolisms into oblivion.
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yonabets




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Oct 17 2020, 3:14 pm
andrea levy wrote:
I just wanted to tell you all that for the first time in many years, I am shaving my legs regularly. Not because I really care about hair, or my husband, even but because I can. Also my legs look insanely good. The best part of me lol! All that exercise since November is paying off!


Applause Applause Hooray Hooray you are amazing!!!
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amother
Aubergine


 

Post Sun, Oct 18 2020, 10:48 pm
wow!! this all sounds amazing!! I just switched from low carb to a calorie counting diet (with mostly whole grain carbs/healthy carbs) and I feel much better on it than the low carb. I guess every body is really different; I know I recently had cream of broccoli soup and I got rapid heartbeat but I'll eat a whole wheat bagel (scooped out) with tuna and feel fine. while I loved the cream of broccoli soup, it's not a good meal choice for me, not sure why...also, in terms of cravings and satiety I feel MUCH better now. while I was on low carb, I was constantly craving foods....now I feel much better
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Chana Miriam S




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Oct 18 2020, 11:02 pm
amother [ Aubergine ] wrote:
wow!! this all sounds amazing!! I just switched from low carb to a calorie counting diet (with mostly whole grain carbs/healthy carbs) and I feel much better on it than the low carb. I guess every body is really different; I know I recently had cream of broccoli soup and I got rapid heartbeat but I'll eat a whole wheat bagel (scooped out) with tuna and feel fine. while I loved the cream of broccoli soup, it's not a good meal choice for me, not sure why...also, in terms of cravings and satiety I feel MUCH better now. while I was on low carb, I was constantly craving foods....now I feel much better


It’s important to Do what works for you. Recognizing that is half the battle. Recognizing it’s sustainability is the rest. How long have you been at the new plan? Glad you’re feeling good!
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amother
Aubergine


 

Post Tue, Oct 20 2020, 9:30 pm
thanks, I started this in July...I had been on the low carb for about two years, while I lost weight, I didn't feel good, always edgy and hungry and craving food...for example I work with kids who eat school lunch (NOT gourmet food) and they would bring with them, and the SCHOOL LUNCH looked good to me....my guess is that my blood sugar was just too low....everything called my name, the rugelach in the grocery store, the farina in the café (I wouldn't actually eat it, but I wanted to!)
now I'll eat a small whole wheat/oat/honey muffin with a coffee for breakfast and feel great and energetic for a few hours (until I feel hungry and I eat a snack) I think too much protein isn't good for me. it's funny cuz as a girl I used to tell my mother that chicken gives me headaches (I don't think I was making it up!)
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Chana Miriam S




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Oct 20 2020, 9:47 pm
amother [ Aubergine ] wrote:
thanks, I started this in July...I had been on the low carb for about two years, while I lost weight, I didn't feel good, always edgy and hungry and craving food...for example I work with kids who eat school lunch (NOT gourmet food) and they would bring with them, and the SCHOOL LUNCH looked good to me....my guess is that my blood sugar was just too low....everything called my name, the rugelach in the grocery store, the farina in the café (I wouldn't actually eat it, but I wanted to!)
now I'll eat a small whole wheat/oat/honey muffin with a coffee for breakfast and feel great and energetic for a few hours (until I feel hungry and I eat a snack) I think too much protein isn't good for me. it's funny cuz as a girl I used to tell my mother that chicken gives me headaches (I don't think I was making it up!)



Curious. Were you eating sweeteners and fruit?
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amother
Aubergine


 

Post Tue, Oct 20 2020, 11:35 pm
my low carb diet was eggs/egg whites/tuna/almonds/non-starchy vegetables/sugar free high protein yogurt/chicken/meat/salmon/fresh salad with light mayo/fresh lemon/avocado and I would have a sugar free frappe everyday....(no fruit). I didn't feel satiated and constantly craved carbs...I did this for 2 years...I went to bed hungry and nauseous, a weird combination Smile

now I'm focusing on whole grains and moderate proteins (I eat salmon, meat, a little cheese, but always pairing it with a whole grain, like salmon with brown rice), and capping the calories every day to make sure I'm not overeating (I'm trying to cap at 1,300 calories per day though if I feel hungry I will go a bit over) and I'll allow more calories for Shabbos. I feel so full. like I'll eat a whole wheat bagel and tuna with vegetables and I'm full for hours, and I'm not craving rugelach or nauseous orzo from the school lunch!!! I think it's a low blood sugar thing, I know I run low, I get shaky. also, whenever I eat candy or something that my body is experiencing as sugar overload, I get rapid heartbeat.

it's so amazing how you learned and know so much!! do you think my theory is right?
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Chana Miriam S




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Oct 21 2020, 12:36 am
amother [ Aubergine ] wrote:
my low carb diet was eggs/egg whites/tuna/almonds/non-starchy vegetables/sugar free high protein yogurt/chicken/meat/salmon/fresh salad with light mayo/fresh lemon/avocado and I would have a sugar free frappe everyday....(no fruit). I didn't feel satiated and constantly craved carbs...I did this for 2 years...I went to bed hungry and nauseous, a weird combination Smile

now I'm focusing on whole grains and moderate proteins (I eat salmon, meat, a little cheese, but always pairing it with a whole grain, like salmon with brown rice), and capping the calories every day to make sure I'm not overeating (I'm trying to cap at 1,300 calories per day though if I feel hungry I will go a bit over) and I'll allow more calories for Shabbos. I feel so full. like I'll eat a whole wheat bagel and tuna with vegetables and I'm full for hours, and I'm not craving rugelach or nauseous orzo from the school lunch!!! I think it's a low blood sugar thing, I know I run low, I get shaky. also, whenever I eat candy or something that my body is experiencing as sugar overload, I get rapid heartbeat.

it's so amazing how you learned and know so much!! do you think my theory is right?


I think it sounds like you didn’t eat fat along with your low carb which would definitely have been a way worse experience than with lots of fat.

Re blood sugar going low, literally the only way to have that if you aren’t taking exogenous insulin is eating carbs. Really the thing to do would be to pick up a cgm ( continuous glucose monitor and see what’s actually happening. Eat a week of low carb ( with extra fat) and a week without and compare the lines?
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shaynala




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Oct 21 2020, 5:50 pm
it's a good idea, I just love how I'm eating now, so I don't want to switch, I hope it's good for me in the long run...….
Thanks for the idea though! maybe I'll get the glucose reader anyways, you wear it all day?
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Chana Miriam S




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Oct 22 2020, 2:48 am
I don’t have the biggest faith in cgms. I realized that none of the ones I wore were even remotely accurate. Finger sticks, however unpleasant were more accurate. But the thing is that hypoglycaemia is not really so normal. I think you should check with your doctor. Regardless of how you eat.
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Chana Miriam S




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Oct 22 2020, 2:49 am
Sorry I know I suggested it but when I thought about it, I kind of disagreed with myself lol.
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penguin




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Oct 23 2020, 1:57 pm
Andrea, can you please list all the low-carb vegetables you eat?
I am making myself crazy experimenting with which vegetables won't raise my blood sugar too much (and I know it's probably pretty individual) but maybe you can give me some new ideas.

I'm getting a little bored of lettuce, zucchini and string beans.
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Chana Miriam S




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Oct 25 2020, 5:07 pm
5 flowers and counting. Much like sometimes it seems like I’ve been doing everything right for years and still not all the way there, this orchid plant was flower less for two years and with patience and watering, and time, it’s really blooming! We think there will be as many as 8 flowers! So just like I’m not at any kind of goal size, I kept this plant alive for long enough to flower again. I guess the big thing here is that sometimes you can’t see the changes and then they just come like from nowhere. But you were working toward it all along! As long as you don’t quit!

https://I.imgur.com/RrWEXSx.jpg
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