Scalability: Truth or Fiction? - Day 34

Scales are not entirely truthful units of measurement. As a scale collector, I have at least four in this house, and at any given moment, same time, same day, I can get FOUR different readings. It's enough to drive you out of your wits, if you let it. I don't. I used to, but I don't. It's only one measure. If you're curious - the digital scale saith 206.6; the manual scale saith 203. Take it for what it is. 

Note: I give you the digital reading daily because the manual scale is not that reliable, given that you can set it to zero, weigh your person, step off, and it says it's at -1 or more. :/ 

There are other metrics: 

- Measurements of certain locations 

- Physical feeling

- Appearance or disappearance of symptoms of things 

- Peetones

- Blood sugar

- Heart rate 

- Oxygen 

- Food trackers

- Bloodwork 

I've monitored all these things at one time or t'other. Personally, apart from physical feeling, I think this way leads madness. At some point, we just have to live. I know my goals. I know what I have to do to get there. I do not know how long it will take. All this data is pretty much useless. 

What matters? 

- How I feel

- Can I wear this, or do I have to wear that? 

I am tracking today, but I'm fairly certain, I will be exiting that particular realm of madness after today. As we can see, if you look back at the week, there are things I need to cut back on (snacky items, and heavy cream), and things I need more of (veggebles). 

The only challenge remaining for this week is going to the store and NOT getting more snacky items. 

Our 17-year-old refrigerator has started a reverse-functioning trend, where everything in the fridge compartment is freezing, whilst some days, things in the freezer take almost half a day to freeze. This makes produce retention a bit difficult. The more delicate counterparts (lettuce, celery, spinach, etc.) do not take kindly to being overchilled. This makes the veggeble consumption a bit more tricky, but I'll figure it out. 

The more I go on with this, the less I WANT to go backwards. Yes, there was bread. Yes, I still have things to tweak, but still, I know how I feel now v. how I was feeling the majority of the year. 

I'm still thinking about what I want to accomplish in the future, but for now, I am focusing intently on finishing out the remaining 56 days, and exceeding my initial expectations. I know I can do it. I will do it. I am doing it. THAT is what matters for now. All we have is right now, so I am making the most I can of it. 

Here - an hour or so into the next day - after ingesting half a Diet Dr. Pepper earlier, I learned that I should stop that lunacy in the evening hours. I couldn't sleep. I tried for an hour. I gave up, got up, and made a cup of half peppermint and half Sleepytime Detox tea. I'll probably regret that, but it was the only "Sleepy" tea I had, so there's that. 

It was a lazy day full of not a lot of thought or action. Tomorrow, though (today, later), the movement begins. I've been watching a lot of DDP videos about a variety of people, and I'm ready.  

Hope you have a happy Sunday. Thanks for stopping by! 

Day 34 Progress

Weight: 206.6

Steps: 2342

What I Et: 

56 Days to Goal!

Silver Mountains, Art Shows, and Spicy Chicken Salads - Day 33

Today was a good day. Started out with work. Did works. Et early lunch, then later got ready and went on our "old people" date, starting at 2:30-ish. Had an early dinner at Hideout 125. I had this: 

I also had one thin slice of focaccia bread and butter because I could, so I did. 

We then tried something we have never done. We went to an art show at a place called The Art Farm. I loved the place, and the feel of how things were decorated. It just was not our scene, and there was no art that screamed at me to take it home. It's all good. Even when we learn what we don't like, we still have a good time doing it. 

Then, we came home and watched the Dio documentary, Dreamers Never Die: 

It's challenging to track when dining out. Not all give nutrition information online, so you have to guesstimate what you had. It's a crapshoot. Even with the bread. I guess half slice because it was sliced very thinly. I probably under-guessed, but I also don't care. Ooo. A bread!  It was a very INsubstantial meal. There was very little fat. Just whatever ... At least I didn't order the chicken and waffles. 

Yes, I still had almonds. Yes, I still need to cut back. At the moment, no, I do not care. 

Tickled to see a different number at the weigh in. Progress achieved. 

Not a lot else to say. Have a good day! 

Day 33 Progress

Weight: 206.4

What I Et: 

Steps: There was a mishap and it fell off, and now I don't know how many steps I took throughout the course of the day. Life goes on. 

57 Days to Goal! 

Rabbit, Rabbit - Day 32

Not a lot to report. Another day at the "office," not a lot of movement, not a lot of anything. It's just one of those days ... (Cue Bizkit). 

I'm probably not in the same kind of mood as the song would imply, but it's got a good beat and I didn't move to it. Also, Wes Borland initially freaked me out, back in the day, but now, I find him utterly fascinating. Dude has killer imagination. Go him. 

I believe I have determined, after revisiting for the past few mornings, that the morning news feed has to go. It provides nothing but the same fake talking heads, the same blah-blah-blah-blahbity-blah, and it invokes the same irritation in me. I don't need to start out every day in a bad mood. Me watching it will not change the fact that whatever they are talking about happened. Me has better things to do. I don't even want it in the range of my earholes. Just no. 

What you SEE is what you get. Garbage in; garbage out, etc. etc. yada, yeah ... 

So, with THAT all said, what makes me smile? What motivates me? 

• The upcoming Seattle stint. It's some nine days away, and it'll be here before I know it. Going to spend the weekend planning the packing, and getting the extraneous bits ready. 
• Moving. To Arizona. Soon. 
• My 12-week-year plans

This tracking thing is (albeit highly annoying) very enlightening. I can fool myself and say that I don't eat THAT many almonds, but it's not the amount, it's the "caloric density" contained therein. Ugh, those tasty lil things are NOT conducive to caloric deficits. At. All. Almost 400 calories in a little over two servings? Ffffffffffffffft. 

The other thing - the fat intake is too high. Chaffles are indeed delightful, easy, and quick to make. However, given the raucous amount of fat in just two mini-waffle-sized pieces, this is something to consume in moderation, like maybe once or twice a week. Then, there's the heavy cream. That morning pour isn't really necessary. It's a habit. Like that Stur habit, it's something I can eliminate, and if I had to choose between the morning and afternoon coffees, I think the morning coffee can just remain coffee colored. That removes at least a fraction of needless fat grams and calories. 

So, yeah. Reality bites, and I just have to face the fact that the almonds, and the heavy cream are not helping me. They are, in fact, hindrances, and I will find a way to make them a much lesser part of my dietary intake. 

All in all, as far as actual keto is concerned, if I don't pay attention to calories, the balance is fairly close to perfect - 72% fat, 20% protein, and 8% fat. However, as far as physical well being, I know how it feels to eat too much fat, on and off keto. On keto, it makes me sluggish, tired, and causes the kidney-area pain flare up. Also, maybe a touch of aches and pains where they shouldn't be. This usually only happens when there is a magical metric fuqueton of butter, cheese, and fatty meats involved. Things like a lot of taco bowls, or the Buffalo chicken dip are usually the worst. A piece of chicken with sauce, and a vegetable do NOT cause the same level of discomfort. 

I can admit that I need to consume more vegetables, at least occasionally, as well. Honestly, I am still burnt out on salad since the first trial of keto some two years back. I've tried. It's just yuck. Plus, by dinner time, I am just not that hungry. 

Which goes back to fat. Clearly, at the levels I'm consuming, I am NOT hungry a lot. Mornings are worst, and will be even more worse when I cut out the heavy cream in the coffee. Maybe I'll just be eating lunch earlier, and it will all work itself out. 

I'm seriously rambling. Thinking out loud. 

Oh, I learned the phrase "Rabbit, rabbit," from a woman I used to watch on YouTube - Sarah. She's an older woman who had lots of keto wisdom to impart back in the days when I was first learning about it. I guess it's something you're supposed to say on the first day of every month for good luck. 

I wish you all lots of luck, love, and all the other mushy nonsense. 

Day 32 Progress

Weight: 207.8

What I Et:

Steps: 2194

 

58 Days to Goal!!!!!!!!

I'm Running Out of Witty Titles - Day 31

Current mood: "What?" 

So, today's weigh in just shows to go ya that there is no logical accounting for what the body does with what you feed it. None of it kicked me out of peetosis. None of it, all those thousands of calories, or hundreds of fat grams added any poundage to the scale. I even forgot to mention the consumption of not one, but TWO Cinnamon Crunch Popcorner chips. 

Today, movement is up, only because I remembered to put the pedometer on before I left the bathroom, and I had to go to the store to get provisions. I made it out mostly unscathed, though I did purchase another Diet Dr. Pepper. Unopened, and in the fridge, so hopefully, I will just forget about it. (Update, later that evening ... It's still in the fridge, unopened). Go me. 

As we can see, I need to replace the French-fried onion snacking with something else, be it pork rinds, or celery and sunflower-seed butter, or even just a few tablespoons of peanut butter (natural, no sugar added, just peanuts). There is absolute zero value in the onions, other than they crunch. They don't even taste good anymore. Either Meijer's manufacturer changed the recipe/cooking process, or I've just lost my fondness for them - regardless, they're kind of gross. We'll see what happens. 

I almost weaseled my way out of tracking this morning, but I stood there after I poured my coffee, and told myself, "NO ... You said you were gonna do it, so just do it." Yes, it's a pain in the bupkis. Yes, it's annoying. However, it's good to get an accurate picture, so one can see the places where corrections and adjustments can be made. 

Day 31 Progress

Weight: 207.6

What I Et:

Steps: 32 (before I reset to 0) + 2946

Reading: Nope

59 Days to Goal!

The Thirdly Review - Day 30

How I would actually feel if I believed I really consumed the numbers down below ... 

It's been 30 days? How? 

A lot of things can happen in four weeks.

• Weight can be lost
• Changes can be made
• Habits can be formed
• Habits can be broken
• Plans can die
• New plans can be made
• Seasons can change
• Mindsets can change

Sometimes, I think this daily monitoring just holds me in place, but other times, I know that's not true. Life happens whether you track it or not. The day moves on whether I track it or not. I also know that what I do not track, I do not do, so therefore, tracking helps me STAY on the track I have chosen. 

In this first third of my 12-week year, I have: 

• Improved my mood
• Read at least 45 pages of a book (I can't tell you the last time I did that)
• Stopped the constant achiness and paininess in the major joints
• Improved mobility as the days progress 
• Cancelled some plans
• Made new plans
• Made plans to travel by myself to a place I've never been 
• Splurged on said travel plans to a level that I had not done up to that point 
• Got another raise (the second during my first year at the "job") 
• Achieved purging of some of the things from my past that have held me stagnant
• Learned that how I care for myself is far more important and valuable
• Lost at least seven pounds, if not more, depending on the day
• Eliminated 98% of processed sugar from my dietary intake

What have I not yet done that I said I was going to do: 

- After review, mostly, it's that movement thing. 

We have undoubtedly established that I am not a gym rat, or whatever witty name it's called now. I used to do a lot of workouts here at home, in the living room, with the TV. I don't know why I just can't get back into it. I have all the resources I need - TV, internets, streaming DDP Yoga workouts, DVDs. 

I am expert level at procrastination. I am also expert level at thinking about all the things I want to, need, and should do ... 

We interrupt the regularly scheduled program to announce this: 

Ironically, this was playing in the background as I wrote the above para: 

Since you can't see the title, it's: "Don't Wait for Inspiration. Just Do Stuff." 

As he said, you're never gonna feel like it. Just do it. 

That being said, I remembered, after approximately 5-10 trips back and forth, to put on the pedometer. I just want to get a baseline of how much I do NOT move during a normal day. There are approximately 35 steps betwixt my desk and the bathroom, so if we factor (again, pun not intended) in approximately three trips back and forth, and leave out all the other shorter-distanced movement, let's just say I got in 200 steps before the pedometer, and 35 steps for the last trip from desk to bathroom - plus whatever the pedometer says right before bed ... 

Baby steps. As some witty fitness person said, "You can't measure what you don't track." At least I'll know my starting point. 

It's not just about exercise for weight loss. It's about circulation. As my job is 95% sedentary, circulation is lacking. The feet randomly go numb, as do the butt cheex. Movement is necessary for health, just in general. Plus, it will help keep the blood sugar down at below-diabetes ranges. 

The reason, I so easily forgot, that I don't track food? DEAR LAWD, it is nearly impossible to get a precise configuration of recipes unless you have all day, every day, in between meals to look up each ingredient, and enter it into the platform (MyFitnessPal, in this case) and then transfer it to the other platform (FitDay, in this case) ... and even then, it's just not coming out right because there are variables you don't know from other peoples' recipes. Ugh. 

I do not believe the macros when it comes to the meatloaf or chaffle recipes. If I had consumed THAT MUCH Fat and Protein, I would currently be asleep; nay, comatoast. I did do much better with almond consumption, coming in at just about two servings exactly (28 grams each), but then I et some of those French-fried onions. So yeah, carbs were a bit higher today - about 32 grams, net. Oh. Well. 

Then, Fitday says I should eat over 2100 calories per day to lose the required amount of daily weight to meet my goal, so I didn't go WAY over that, but I'm going to guess that typically, I don't even get near 1800. Which is the whole point of tracking things this week, to see the truth (or as close as I can get to it) in the numbers. 

It's been an odd day. Tomorrow is a new day. 

Day 30 Progress

Weight: 207.6

What I Et:

Steps: 1860 + 235 uncounted

Reading: 8 pages (45 total) 

  60 Days to Goal!

Yes, Really - Day 29

 

Really? 

As Mr. Lennon said, "Life is what happens when you're busy making plans ..." So, today started off as a fail. I failed to track anything. Tomorrow. TOMORROW I will start tracking. I already know what's missing, or what needs to go, but I haven't committed to that yet, either, clearly. 

I did not factor (pun not intended) in the fact that I had to take Ms. Jezebel to the vet for a follow-up appointment at 8:50 this morning. That ran all the way up til the morning meeting at 10am. By that time, pffffffffffffffft. Also, since I slacked off during the holiday half week, I am way behind in work stuffs, and will be spending much of the afternoon trying to float back up to the surface. 

In other news, I have read 39 pages of the Choose Yourself book that I mentioned some days (read weeks) ago. I have decluttered much stuffings that needed to be declutterized. 

I think a lot of my recent Diet Dr. Pepper intake comes from eliminating the water additive (Stur). There's some deep-seated need for something more than just water with lemon and stevia drops. I'm almost afraid to eliminate the stevia because what else will I start craving? 

Some days, I am more batterscrained than others. I didn't sleep great. Kept waking up, and then going back to sleep. Probably due to snacking right before bed. It's just a day. I had no expectations that the scale results would be positive this morning.

There are things to adjust. I could get my yarn together and make sure it is stationed by the television-watching seat, so that I have something to do other than chew, whilst watching a show. I CAN eliminate the Diet Dr. Pepper by just not buying it, or thinking it sounds good. I know it's not good. It's not good for weight loss. It's not good for the diabeetus diagnosis. It's just junk, and mostly poison, when you peel away all the moving parts. I know the almonds are going to have to go. The Elote ones in particular. They are like candy. They have to go. The Spicy Dill and Salt N' Vinegar ones are fine because they are so strong, and mostly eyeball-curling, and so I am not tempted to eat them by the dozens plus. 

Then, there's the movement, or lack thereof. The only one who can do that is me. I just haven't yet figured out WHEN to do it. Do I do it right after waking up, when I haven't even fully re-entered my physical being? Do I do it before lunch? After lunch? I do know, from past experience, that night time is not the right time. It really, really mucks up my sleep if I get the heart rate up, and do a bunch of movey-movey stuffs. 

Just a brain-scrambled kind of day. First day "back at work." Not even organized enough to make my to-do list this morning. Oh, and I forgot, there's another meeting at 3pm. May try to weasel out of that. (Update: I did weasel out of it, and instead started the data entry of some 20+ courses that will, at some point, go live in the app tonight, tomorrow, and the rest of the week) 

Update, later in the day - I can tell, phsyically, and mentally, (see, I can't even spellz correctly), that I have consumed FAR TOO MUCH caffeine. This may be one of those monobipolyphasic sleep nights (as the kids are calling it now). In other words, sleep is not looking promising, at this point. I can just feel things boiling in the bloodstream. Jitteriness might be the more apropos nomenclature. 

Lesson: Get rid of the pop. Lesson: Make that Afternoon Coffee last ... You don't need ANOTHER one. 

So, the goal(s) for tomorrow: 

• Track foods/beverages 
• Wear the pedometer all day
• Eradicate the Diet Dr. Pepper

Let's DO THIS. Thanks, as per usual, for stopping by! My jittery self appreciates you! 

Day 29 Progress

Weight: 209.4

What I Et: 

- The morning coffee 

- Factor Garlic & Herb Chicken Breast with Smoked Cheddar Cauliflower "Grits" 

Perception

v

Real Life

- Some Elote almonds

- A Diet Dr. Pepper (see, I know what I need to get rid of ...) 

- The Afternoon Coffee

- Another Afternoon Coffee, several hours later

- Leftover meatloaf sauteed in butter, with a side of the sugar-free BBQ sauce

61 Days to Gooooooooooooooaaaalllllll! 

Baby, We Can Talk All Night - Day 28

I think my scale is having a meltdown. At the very least, the battery is probably dying. For a brief and shining moment this morning (before caffeine), I stepped on, and it kept cycling rapidly through the 199-lb range. I was like, "Wait ...That's not right." It's just a vision of things to come, I suppose. It's not that far off, and I'm looking forward to it. 

I have learned that you can't keep doing the same things, day after day after day, and then expect different results. What matters is not the external. What matters is how I am - how I think; how I respond; what I tolerate, what I won't tolerate, and what I choose to do.  

It was kind of a really lazy day. It was miserable outside - rainy, windy, cold, yuck. Inside, just blah. I mostly did work, played Solitaire, watched Tulsa King, took a brief nap, lather, rinse, repeat. The one bright and shining moment was this: 

My beloved found a recipe for keto meatloaf, and made it his own, and it was sublime. This and the asparagii kept me full even by the time we had leftovers for dinner. 

What my beloved did to make it even more spectacular: 

- Added provolone slices in the middle

- Added (as he says) about four shakes of seasoned salt 

- Used some Rufus Teague Smoke N' Chipotle Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce instead of ketchup

  (We get this at Meijer. Do NOT get it on Amazon. That price is stupid. Link just for pictorial purposes) 

The first serving, at lunch, was divine. There was no graininess from the almond flour. However, second serving (leftovers at dinner, reheated in microwave) was decidedly odd in texture. Flavor was still good, but that texture was a bit offputting. 

My guesstimate is that you could either cut the amount of almond flour in half, or do half almond flour/half Pork Panko, or just do Pork Panko (crushed, pulverized pork rinds) instead. Also, if you are not doing keto, and you're not used to that level of protein, I would say you only need to use one half an egg per pound of beeves. My beloved said he also would cut back on the amount of onion. I disagree, but you decide. 

Regardless of leftover status, I think it was amazing, especially given that it was the first time he ever made a meatloaf in his entire life. It was perfect, and I wouldn't change a thing about it. 

Day 28 Progress

Weight: 208.4

What I Et:

- The morning coffee 

- Two almonds

- The meatloaf (See above) and roasted asparagii 

- More almonds

- The Afternoon Coffee 

- More meatloaf

- More almonds 

- Some French-fried onions (I have lost my taste for these, they just aren't that great anymore) 

- Pork rinds and chip dip

62 Days to Goal

Every Little Thing - Day 27

Pudgy since the beginning ... 

Why do holiday weeks go so fast, and yet also incredibly slow? Why do you get to Saturday night and realize just how much you could have done, and yet, here at Saturday night, you're just feeling blah, and not in the mood for much of anything? 

It's not even like holidays of years gone by, where there was a magical metric F-ton of family to visit, dine with, etc. It was just us, and my parents. Pretty casual; relatively quick; nothing profound. 

I got profusely exhausted after the first meal - probably too much protein and fat - but I did manage to get quite a bit of progress made on the Great Purge of '22. I am learning to let a lot of things go. Today, I let go of a coat that I supposedly wore as an infant, along with two archaic pairs of baby shoes. Buh-bye. I also got rid of numerous things I'd been holding on to in the "arts and crafts" department because it's mostly apparent that I was never going to make anything with those things, and they were beyond usefulness for anyone else, either. Paints do have a shelf life. 

I also went on a rampage of purginess in the "tool" cabinets, which were badly in need of cleansing and reorganization. 

I did, too, manage to get some work-work done, and am also purging my inbox, as I got kind of lazy with it over the course of the past year. 

It feels good to let go. I may not be losing any personal poundage, but my mental self is getting exponentially lighter every time I tackle something else. I do little bits here and there. Nothing is organized, or planned. One time, I'll weed through my Google Photos and get rid of duplicates, and really terrible shots. The next time, I'll start working on my other cloud storage, decluttering the digital wasteland of my past. Then, it's a drawer here, or a cabinet there. 

Every little thing's gonna be all right. Decluttered, and perfectly all right. 

Day 27 Progress

Weight: 208.6

What I Et: 

- The morning coffee 

- Leftover pork from the previous night's dinner sauteed with Cajun butter, some red onions, atop a large chaffle with sour cream. Don't ask. It was good. 

- The afternoon coffee

- Grilled chicken tenderloins (probably 2.25) with a side of melted butter

- About 2 bites of that salad that was left over the previous night, as well. It was disgusting. I could not. 

- Several Elote almonds 

- Pork rinds et chip dip later ... 

- One Diet Dr. Pepper 

63 Days to Goal

Black-Friday-Holed Sun - Day 26

This is Roho. He was the first one we adopted. You should adopt him, or one of the others, too. You really should. It will bring your heart joy. 

Early to bed, early to rise ... I think we both were up at 4:15am. Mainly because we went to bed before 10:30 the night before. It took a couple of hours to get caffeinated, and motivated, but then I got up and just started purging assorted stuff, like used candles, and stuff in my office, and a good clearing out of the linen closet. Two garbage bags later, (well, 1.5), I took the garbage out, and then took a bunch of burnable stuff out, and lit it on fire. We had A LOT of boxes. Good lord. 

Got done with that. My beloved went over to spend some time with his family before they left to go home, and I did some work, paid some beels, and did some more thinking about the trip. We ate lunch around 11:30 am, and by that time, we hit a wall. 

Going back to the illogicality of life (I'm testing this name/title for something in the future. I kind of dig it), how does it make sense that I had sugar, by way of cake, and probably a very carby selection of gravies with Thanksgiving lunch yesterday, and yet I lost weight? 

Thankfully, it wasn't a significant enough amount to affect me mentally or physically. The beloved says the cake was a model-sized serving. It was small, but DAYUM it was full of sugar O.O. I spent a lot of time at the restaurant being silently judgy, which is my flaw. I should stop it. It's just easier than taking a look in the mirror, I fully realize. It's none-a-mah-bizness. Period. You all do you. I do me. We all be happy. 

There is no one I can control, or want to control, other than me. 

Today was just a pretty productive day, except for the probably three-hour nap, or body-exit-session I took this afternoon. I am completely OUT of body when I nap. I don't know why, but it is some HARD SLEEP. I turn into a block of concrete, lay in one position for the entirety, and hear absolutely nothing. Oh, and the dreams are acid-worthy. 

Now, here at 10:39, having watched a delightful documentary about Sheldrick Wildlife, and part of a Bowie documentary, I'm pondering what I can purge tomorrow. 

I have no other thoughts. Hope you had a great Friday after Thanksgiving! 

Day 26 Progress

Weight: 207.4 or 207.6 - I can't remember!

What I Et: 

- The morning coffee 

- Factor Sliced Italian Sausage & Broccolini with Parmesan Cauliflower Mash & Lemon Basil Butter

Reality + a bit of cheese

Honestly, this is probably one of THE BEST factor meals I've had. The flavors were perfection. I would order this every week if I could.

- Some French-fried onions

- Another Diet Dr. Pepper

- The Afternoon Coffee 

- Shredded pork, green beans, and a side salad from 330 BBQ in New Haven with a side of Cajun butter, made at home, like I used to get at Rack & Helen's until they discontinued it. :/ 

- Some Elote almonds, because I got more :/ 

- A somewhat mousse made of whipped cream cheese, 6 fresh raspberries, and probably 1/2 teaspoon of cocoa powder, some heavy cream, a speelash of almond milk, and some stevia

64 Days to Goal

I Really Am Thankful - Day 25

I am thankful for a lot of things. 

Today, I was thankful that it was very warm, given the late-in-the-season date. 

I am thankful for my beloved. 

I am thankful for the life we have built - we never gave up, and it was worth the fight because it showed us what we were capable of, regardless of all the BS outside. 

I am thankful for my children, no matter where they are, or how often we don't get to see each other. 

I am thankful for airplanes that will take me to see at least one child and allow me to visit a place I never thought I would go. 

I am thankful for window seats, and the ability to choose them when you buy a plane ticket! 

I am thankful for my ability to keep trying, even through the times I thought I would never survive. 

I am thankful for the many brothers and sisters I have gained throughout the years as I continued to learn about who I really was. 

I am thankful for ALL of the parents I have had - adoptive, birth, and in-law-ish types. They have all taught me something I needed to learn. 

That's just a short list ... 

Today was a good day. We had Thanksgiving lunch buffet with my parents. Yes, I had a small piece of cake. No, I do not care. We drove back home. Very easy, very mellow, very relaxed kind of day. It's a holiday, and with very limited family-type interaction, we're pretty much free to do whatever we want, and we have. 

I'm frustrated that I'm not losing, even though the eating has been mostly on track. However, in the same breath, I know that things are starting to change, and I also know from past experience, that it takes a minute. 

Sometimes, I wonder why I even keep a blog, but then I remember that I am doing this mostly for myself, so I have record of the ups, downs, and all arounds. 

In the upcoming week, I think (at this moment) that I will track my eating for an entire week, just to get some concept of what's going on. I also think it's time to break out (read: turn on the app on the TV) the DDP Yoga and start moving. 

I also need to achieve a few things for the upcoming Seattlian(?) adventure. Namely, some sensible, yet not-hidyous shoes/boots that are made for walking. I have some sort of heel thing going on that flares up, especially when wearing short heels, or my boots that have seen better days. Support ith key. I also have no clue what the weather will be like, so there's that to research, too. 

The only thing that sucks about the trip is that my beloved can't come with me. However, since he was just out there about a month ago, and also got to visit with Child #1, it makes it a bit easier. 

I had a tremendous deal of anxiety even making the arrangements, given the failure of previous plans. However, since I know this trip will take me to someones who actually want to spend time with me, then it makes it much easier. All the worries are pretty much gone. 

I am learning to do things for myself. That oh-so-popular "Self Care." I finally realize that I have worked hard, and I deserve to take care of me, instead of sitting on the back burner, and waiting til everyone else is kosher. Don't get me wrong. Nobody except for me ever stopped me from doing this. It was always a mental block, but something has busted that, nay, shattered that to bits. 

I hope you had an excellent day. Thanks, as always, for stopping by. xo

Day 25 Progress

Weight: 208.8

What I Et: 

- 1.5 Morning Coffee 

- Cheese omelet - three eggs, splash of HWC, slice of American chee 

- Thanksgiving buffet in my home town ... 

    I had: 

    - salad with some grape tomatoes, red onion, shredded cheddar, and ranch. NO CROUTONS!  

    - Approximately two chunks of beef tips in gravy

    - One small forkful of stuffing

    - Turkey and gravy (at least I think it was turkey) 

    - What appeared to be fresh steamed green beans 

    - 75% of a small square of yellow cake with some super-sugared caramel icing

    - One bite (small) of a brownie 

- The Afternoon Coffee 

- Diet Dr. Pepper

- Maybe half of a Factor Queso Fundido meal

- Perhaps about five pork rinds, and a bit o' chip dip 

- Two Salt n' Vinegar almonds 

65 Days to Goal

Technically Frustrated ... Day 24

So, I got the pedometer, but not sure if it's working correctly. It's weird. It won't count anything, then all the sudden it'll jump up 10-20 steps, then stop again. It may go back. This 583 was me walking out the door, and all around the perimeter of the property ... I would think it would have been more than this, but I also could be wrong. I would just like something accurate. I don't think this is it. 

You don't know until you try, right? So, it just happened kind of naturally, with no plan in place. I ate last night, around 11:00 pm, and have not had anything but 2.25 coffees with heavy cream, and that scrap of cheese this morning. It's now 7:40 pm, and still not et. Maybe by 8:00 pm, we'll be eating dinner. He's having pizza; I'm not. 

I'm not hangry, or anything, but I've had a mildish headache for the past few hours. I did chew on about 1/3 of a beef bouillon cube, just to get some salt/mineral intake, and that took the headache down a few notches, but all in all, it's not been bad. 

Meanwhile, because when you're not eating, what else will you encounter on the internets but a ton of delicious-looking recipes, like this Spaghetti Squash Casserole, by All Day I Dream About Food: 

From her website - see link above

 I am a fan of the spaghetti squishes, so this definitely has potential. Would probably go great with some grilled pork chops, or chicken. 

This steak sand they made looks very similar to a combo of their Chicken Florentine chaffle plus the Faux Philly Cheese Steak thing I made earlier this week ... I can say it will definite be given a try. The soup doesn't even look half bad. 

So, yeah, all these fasting and OMAD freaks can keep it all to their merry selfs. It's just not something I'm ever going to be good at. I'm good with a 2MAD approach. It's what I'm used to, pretty much since Jr. High, and what I'm even better at, now, without the random all-day snacking (like yesterday). 

So, that all being said, I am fairly worthless when I don't get at least 5.5 - 6 hours of sleep. We were up so late, and yet, I was up so early this morning. It just all goes downhill from there. I managed to get a nap this afternoon, but it did nothing for my frame of mind. 

Tomorrow is Turkey Day ... Yay. At least we no longer have the huge gatherings at someone's house, where there would be all manner of carb- and sugar-laden temptations. It'll be just us and my parents going out for a Thanksgiving buffet, which will contain some format of meat, and a salad, so I don't anticipate real struggle. 

Sorry, nothing riveting, exciting, or otherwise noteworthy to report today. Just looking forward to bed. 

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday and get to spend it with the people who make you happy, make you feel loved, and you have a great day. 

Day 24 Progress

Weight: 207.4

What I Et: 

- The morning coffee 

- A very small scrap of mozzarella cheese

- The afternoon coffee 

- Factor Loaded Bacon & Spinach Shredded Chicken with Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Ranch Sour Cream (and a large chaffle that you'll see in a minute ...) 

Misleading expectation 

v. 

Disheartening reality ... 

v

Still disheartening after assemblage ... 

The flavor of the main course was fine. Just looked less than ideal. The Brussels sprouts, I could do without. Soggy Brussels are not my thang. Just throw some broccoli in there and call it a day. The large chaffle, so artfully folded is visible up there in the corner. Exciting stuff. 

66 Days to Goal

Illogicality - Day 23

I get a decent night of sleep. I didn't eat heavily yesterday. I got rid of even more sugar/junk by way of the Stur. Result? I GAIN WEIGHT. Go me. 

It is ONE day out of 90 ... ONE day out of however many I have left. This too shall pass. 

I can tell you that whatever I ate made me profusely tired. Going to guess it was the onions. Too many carbs in full ketosis makes one very, very tired. Like wearing a full-throttle lead-lined, chain-wrapped vest tired. 

It was a moment when I was NOT in control of making the most brilliant decisions. I was hungry. I was annoyed. I just went with it. Life continues on. It's those little moments that are the things that derail me, because then they snowball. 

I think also, that lack of sugar from the Stur is causing residual carb cravings because here in the middle of the afternoon, I could totally start nibbling away on nonsense again, for absolutely no reason. I'm very restless. 

... Many hours later, I made more coffee around 4:30. Clearly, cutting ALL the sugar out was NOT going to be ask easy as I thought. 

Also, it was a bit nicer out this afternoon, so Nettie and I went on a micro-excursion around the yard. Soaked up a bit of Vitamin D, inspected the perimeter of the homestead. Just good to be outside for a hot minute. 

At a very filling dinner, and then very late, say 11:00pm or so, I was snacking again. What. The. CAPITAL. Fffffffff. I do think, though, that if I can get through tomorrow, and not give in to the snack urges, that I will be able to get over the sugar hump and move forward. 

I was super productive in the evening. My beloved's cat has become ill, so he took her to the clinic, where they proceeded to wait for many hours before they could even get in a room to be seen. I got quite a bit done - dishes, a bit of laundry, and some more work. Go. 

Eventually, we'll get to sleep. It's 12:30 am, as I write this. Not my best day, eating wise, but otherwise, it was a decent day. 

Day 23 Progress

Weight: 209

What I Et: 

- The morning coffee

- Seven grams of Sargento Mozzarella sliced chee

- Factor Queso Fundido with cauli-rice, and a heaping spoon of sour cream, because ... 

- French-fried onions, also because 

- Some Elote almonds 

- The Afternoon Coffee

- Another afternoon coffee

- Factor Italian Roasted Pork with Roasted Broccolini

Serving ""Suggestion"" 

v 

Real Serving

Regardless of how less-than-enthused the pork looks, it was still pretty  good, and impressively enough, the broccolini actually WAS roasted. The flavors in this meal were A-OK. I would definitely get this one again. 

- Some more Elote almonds

- Some French-fried onions - okay, a lot of them.

- And finally, another serving of Elote almonds. 

67 Days to Goal

On Getting Things Done, Walking It Off, and Blood - Day 22

This fell out of the closet at me this morning. Must be a sign ... 

In writing this a day later, I don't remember what I really wanted to talk about. Nothing of too much import, I suppose. Anywhoo, read on ... 

So, what, if nothing, do you find when you watch random YouTuub vidyas? Inspiration! That's what. So, I ran across this couple a while back, but never subscribed. They just try random experiments and see what it do - the good old N=1 (or 2, in this case). What is life, if not one giant experiment to see how slow or fast we can leave this planet? 

Today, up popped this: 

I can do this. I cannot (read: will not) be doing 1000 steps per hour, but I WILL be challenging myself to 100 steps per hour, and regardless, it will be more movement than I currently get during the workday. I also had (strong word, that) to order a new pedometer, as my old one is dead. That will be here Wednesday. Meanwhile, I know that it takes approximately 35 steps to walk from my desk to the bathroom, so if I do that twice per hour, that's over 100 steps. Maybe that's too easy. Yes, that is. Let's go for 300 steps per hour to start. Then, if that's too easy, I will bump it up. 

In other news, guess what???????????????  22 DAYS, and I am now in the LOWER PRE-DIABETIC range. Twenty. Two. Days. It could just be an anomaly, but whatever. It's the lowest reading I've seen. The high was 186. Anything below 100 is NON-DIABETIC. This was my reading: 

Day 22 Progress

Weight: 207.8

What I Et:

- The morning coffee 

- One scrap of a slice of mozzarella chee (not the greatest cheese I've ever had) 

- One Sour Cream and Onion Popcorners chip

- A little under half of a SECOND morning coffee 

- ANOTHER Chicken Florentine Chaffle sandwich ... I know! 

- A few Elote almonds 

- The Afternoon Coffee 

- Factor Blackened Salmon 

- Some French-fried onions because I had to get the salmon taste out of my mouth

- Some more Elote almonds 

Some days, I just don't feel like taking pictures. This was one of those days. 

68 Days to Goal