October Sol

Cat food for breakfast

2012-01-27T05:26:00.000-08:00

aberrant curl

Okay, I didn't really have cat food for breakfast but I had the same breakfast that Buddy cat had this morning. It was guilt-inducing to have him show such excitement over the smell of tuna and not to share a little bit with him. I had to laugh when I glanced in the kitchen right before I left for work and saw the treat bowl maneuvered to the middle of the entry doorway. That isn't the first time that he has scooted the empty treat bowl there (I nearly stepped in it a couple of nights ago). I think it's his way of saying "more please!".

I had an internal struggle this morning not to toss three Quest bars into my lunch pack and go. I promised self a good while ago that I wouldn't have more than one Quest bar per day. But I also hadn't made anything for my meals today. Tuna to the rescue. I don't think I would have broken my promise but I certainly struggled as I thought about it.

It's Friday! It's Friday preceding a week of vacation!! I have a large freelance project that I will be working on next week but it's still vacation. I kicked butt and will have met all of my deadlines by the end of today so I don't have to come in at all next week. There will be no pop-in projects, I can work in pajamas if I want to, and sleeping in is definitely on the agenda each day that I feel like it. No schedule. No distraction. No stress. I only wish Cro had the week off work too.

Today's meals total 80 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 2 carbs

albacore tuna in water [20 protein]
Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]
albacore tuna in water [20 protein]
bacon [20 protein]

Jeep. Beep. Pow.

2012-01-26T05:42:00.000-08:00

My Jeep may or may not have a cracked radiator and may or may not be leaking. I don't know the inner workings of the magic that makes it go vroom vroom. I had the mobile oil change guy change my oil at work yesterday (so convenient since I don't even have to go out there and he does the work from the parking lot). He reported a big leak spot under my Jeep, said the fluid was low, topped it off and left me worrying that I might need a new radiator. Cro isn't convinced. He checked the fluid again and said that it was overfull. I guess this is another thing to watch and if fluids go low or an anti-freeze puddle forms in the garage I'll take it for diagnostics and then hopefully we'll know for sure.

I'm hoping to keep driving my Jeep for at least another 5+ years. It's paid off and still gorgeous (not that how it looks matters to anyone but me, lol). It is a 1999 and has 68k miles so far. Come on Jeep, stick around. We can double that and no one loves you more than I love you. ;)

The food truck is starting off it's SuperBowl sales this Friday. I'm not sure when the massive influx of Patriots and Giants fans will be hitting the city but a week prior to the game will give the guys a chance to practice on a slightly smaller crowd at least. The guy who sits at the desk next to mine is their print designer. He will be taking vacation days this Friday and next to help them out.

The scale is saying 181 today.

Today's meals total 70 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 9 carbs

roasted chicken [15 protein]
Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]
chicken breast with edamame [15 protein][7 carbs]
bacon [20 protein]

Tuesday tantrum

2012-01-25T05:10:00.000-08:00

I gots the Medusa curls today.

I'm copying all of the files from my desktop over to the server so I can run a disk repair utility. :/ It's a bit scary when you run "verify" and it says to restart from CD and run the repair utility because things are too hosed for it to tidy-up otherwise.

Anyway.

I have too much work to accomplish this week so I might work a couple days of my vacation next week. I wish these files would hurry up and copy. Phooey.

Buddy has been expressing his displeasure by messing with my dried flower arrangement again. He is SPOILED! I have been feeding him moist food more often (4 days per week or so). His tantrums are due to my not breaking open a can EVERY morning.

Today's meals total 63 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 14 carbs

half of an angus beef patty with onion, broccoli, cauliflower [13 protein][6 carbs]
Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]
chicken breast with onion, broccoli and cauliflower [10 protein][6 carbs]
bacon [20 protein]

Monday's over

2012-01-24T04:45:00.000-08:00

Maybe not quite as much water today. Though my FitBit said I did more walking than usual yesterday… walking to the bathroom and back.

It was very cool in the house this morning due to having thought I had flipped the thermostat to heat before I went to be but had actually flipped it to cool. 55℉ to be exact. Brrr! It was just fine until I got out of bed and my feet met with the chilly hardwoods of the hallway.

Cold floors are much easier to take than those cold blasts of water I used to end my shower with. The house is toasty warm compared to that.

I got up early to straighten my hair. It doesn't take nearly as long as I planned for and I got to work at 7:10. Most people don't get here until 9 so I have a couple hours of quiet to enjoy. :)

In a few weeks I will have been doing this 6strict, 1freeday thing for a year. Wow. It's become a way of life. I'll probably stick with it for awhile longer. ;)

I went to the grocery last night and got some calcium supplements. After I fell down the stairs (several months ago) I was told that the CT scan showed some bone degeneration. I wasn't too concerned about it then given that I had just fallen down the stairs and was shaken up. Only now did it occur to me that maybe I should be trying to get more calcium. :P

Today's meals total 63 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 13 carbs

steak with onion, broccoli, cauliflower [10 protein][5 carbs]
Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]
frozen angus beef patty (half) with onion, broccoli and cauliflower [13 protein][6 carbs]
bacon [20 protein]

Monday

2012-01-23T05:30:00.000-08:00

Cro is applying for a new position within his company today. Please wish him luck and send positive vibes his way.

Goal for today: Drink 120oz of water during work. That's 6 of my 20oz water bottle. One down and 5 to go!

updates:
11am: Two down, three to go!
1:45pm: Three down, two to go… 12th trip to the bathroom (okay, probably not that many)
4:30: Four down and can't chug 20 more ounces before I drive home so it will have to wait until I get there. It was a good try!

Today's meals total 76 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 13 carbs

steak with onion, broccoli, cauliflower [10 protein][5 carbs]
Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]
frozen angus beef patty (half) with onion, broccoli and cauliflower [13 protein][6 carbs]
bacon [20 protein]

Sunday

2012-01-23T05:25:00.000-08:00

Today's meals total 56 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 9 carbs

Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]
frozen angus beef patty [26 protein][2 carbs]
steak with onion, broccoli, cauliflower [10 protein][5 carbs]

Week 49 numbers

2012-01-21T20:59:00.000-08:00

Current weight of 179

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4HB track record: -43 pounds TOTAL loss so far

Week49: no loss

Saturday Jan 21, 2012

Week48: -1

Saturday Jan 14, 2012

Week47: -2

Saturday Jan 7, 2012

Week46: -2

Saturday Dec 31, 2011

Week45: -1

Saturday Dec 24, 2011

Week44: -1

Saturday Dec 17, 2011

Week43: -1

Saturday Dec 10, 2011

Week42: +5 (adjusted to match the doctor's scale)

Saturday Dec 3, 2011

Week41: no loss

Saturday Nov 26, 2011

Week40: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 19, 2011

Week39: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 12, 2011

Week38: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 5, 2011

Week37: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 29, 2011

Week36: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 22, 2011

Week35: no loss

Saturday Oct 15, 2011

Week34: -2 pounds

Saturday Oct 8, 2011

Week33: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 1, 2011

Week32: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 24, 2011

Week31: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 17, 2011

Week30: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 10, 2011

Week29: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 3, 2011

Week28: no loss

Saturday August 27, 2011

Week27: -1 pound

Saturday August 20, 2011

Week26: -1 pound

Saturday August 13, 2011

Week25: no loss

Saturday August 06, 2011

Week24: -2 pounds

Saturday July 30, 2011

Week23: no loss

Saturday July 23, 2011

Week22: +1 pound

Saturday July 16, 2011

Week21: -1 pound

Saturday July 9, 2011

Week20: -2 pounds

Saturday July 2, 2011

Week19: no loss

Saturday June 25, 2011

Week18: -1 pounds

Saturday June 18, 2011

Week17: -2 pounds

Saturday June 11, 2011

Week16: no loss

Saturday June 4, 2011

Week15: no loss

Saturday May 28, 2011

Week14: -1 pound

Saturday May 21, 2011

Week13: -3 pounds

Saturday May 14, 2011

Week12: -2 pounds

Saturday May 7, 2011

Week11: no loss

Saturday April 30, 2011

Week10: -1 pound

Saturday April 23, 2011

Week9: -1 pound

Saturday April 16, 2011

Week8: +1 pound

Saturday April 9, 2011

Week7: -2 pounds

Saturday April 2, 2011

Week6: -1 pound

Saturday March 26, 2011

Week5: -1.5 pounds

Saturday March 19, 2011

Week4: -2 pounds

Saturday March 12, 2011

Week3: -.5 pounds

Saturday March 05, 2011

Week2: -1 pound

Saturday Feb 26, 2011

Week1: -4 pounds

Saturday Feb 19, 2011

cinnamon rolls are bad, mmm-kay

2012-01-20T05:28:00.000-08:00

It's very quiet in blogland. Maybe I've bored you all away. Maybe you have been kidnapped. Maybe aliens.

I had a semi-bad dream last night. It was long and vivid and boring for the most part. I was offering freelance coding work to a lady who owned a car wash. She wanted things done that were over my head but I faced the challenge without fear and it turned out well. After being paid she gave me instruction to stop by a certain fast food place and pay them for a meal she bought on credit. (lol) So I did and the manager was so happy that someone was honest enough to come back and pay the debt that he discounted the cost and gave me free cinnamon rolls to go. It must have been my freeday.

The semi-bad part of the dream was when I was carrying the big box of cinnamon rolls home. They were heavy and awkward. Cro was with me and we had to climb down a mine shaft to get out and go home. I asked him to go first so I could hand the box to him before I followed. He dove into the shaft head first and I heard him fall and hit the ground hard. The dream was only semi-bad because when I looked into the pit he was standing at the bottom… alive but shaken up. He looked up and said to drop the box for him to catch. When I dropped it, the corner of the heavy box hit him above the eye. :( He was still okay but blood ran down the side of his face from a cut eyebrow. It looked like my eyebrow had looked after I fell down the stairs (but before my eye swelled shut and before the black eye appeared).

Moral of the semi-bad dream: a big box of cinnamon rolls is dangerous. Well I already knew that.

In other news. Tonight at my client's food truck debut should be fun. A local brewery is also in on the event… and a live band. The weather is supposed to be utter crap (sleet, snow, cold) which doesn't bode well for most food truck sales I'd think. This one is getting outdoor heaters so the space around the truck will be warm for people to purchase food and eat. I can't wait to experience what that will be like. Heaters are a great idea since they will be a popular area for Superbowl week if people can warm-up and be more comfortable.

Today's meals total 60 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 12 carbs

sausage meatballs and broccoli, cauliflower [10 protein][5 carbs]
Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]
sausage meatballs and broccoli, cauliflower [10 protein][5 carbs]
bacon [20 protein]

Weee! Zoom!

2012-01-19T05:23:00.000-08:00

breakfast over

Before I left for work this morning I had to ask Cro if it is Thursday. He was still in bed so I don't know if "mmerph" meant yes or no. It IS Thursday though. And being thus I would expect the remainder of the week to go a little faster. After a long afternoon horseback riding, the horse perks up and walks faster the closer it gets back to the barn. At least that's how I remember it from all my years of riding. So come-on Thursday. Perk up! We are almost to the weekend. It's in sight. We are on the downward side of the mid-week hump. "Weee! Zoom!" as I used to exclaim when riding along with a friend at the performance race track (BMW, not equine).

The scale was bouncing between 179 and 180 this morning so I weighed twice. The first time it settled on 179. The second time it settled on 180. I guess that means 180. One more weigh-in day this week since freeday is going to be split between a late Food Truck sampling tomorrow evening (my client's grande opening restaurant-on-wheels celebration) and an early cut-off time on Saturday.

*fun
Type this in a facebook comment to find out your cell phone's name. (Replace the "815" with the last three numbers of your own cell phone:
@[815:0]

My phone's name is "Camille Elise Powe"

Today's meals total 60 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 12 carbs
Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]
sausage meatballs and broccoli, cauliflower [10 protein][5 carbs]
sausage meatballs and broccoli, cauliflower [10 protein][5 carbs]
bacon [20 protein]

11am

2012-01-18T08:18:00.000-08:00

It's after 11am and I'm only now taking a small break to update the blog. I was working the moment I got here due to emails requesting things done first thing if possible. None of that had anything to do with my big deadlined project that is due Friday. Getting back on that next!

I'm back to 180 today. I don't know if that bodes well for a loss this week. I wish I could say that I'm happy with my body but no, I'm not there yet. I'm getting closer though! A little at a time and a little better each week.

You know, I'm going to be watching my weight for the rest of my life. It's good to consciously bring that to mind now and then. It's not so bad… it's actually good. I feel lots better physically and lots happier when I know I'm following the rules I've set for myself. And I guess it's another way to prove that I like accomplishing difficult tasks.

Suddenly some song lyrics are in my head. "There ain't no mountain high enough… something something something." (ack. so many double negatives, lol)

Today's meals total 60 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 12 carbs
sausage meatballs and broccoli, cauliflower [10 protein][5 carbs]
Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]
sausage meatballs and broccoli, cauliflower [10 protein][5 carbs]
bacon [20 protein]

boom!

2012-01-17T05:06:00.001-08:00

There was a thunderstorm this morning complete with cloud-to-cloud lightening. Very beautiful and unseasonal. It's supposed to be 55℉ today. No wonder we had a thunderstorm. It's springtime in January. I wonder if it will hold out for the SuperBowl.

Loads of work still to do though I did get more done than expected during yesterday's blessed quiet. When I walked into the office this morning I made a mental note to enjoy the early morning because it promises to be a noisy day.

*Oh no. Here comes someone now.*

My food truck freelance website client is having their debut Friday evening so I'll have to start freeday a few hours early and buy a Spice Wrap or something. I'm excited to see the newly painted and decal'd truck and hope they get a big showing for their grande opening. Can a food truck have a grande opening? Maybe a grande opening of the serving window.

No burned steak-burger today so I expect to be a little hungry. I can always get a bunless burger and broccoli from the brewhouse next door if I need a protein pick-me-up later.

*update: Matt is ready to go on another site that I'll be designing pro-bono. I agreed to this a couple of months ago in hopes that good things will come of it. The plan is to have it live by Valentine's day. I know what I'll be doing for the next four weekends. lol

Today's meals total 60 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 12 carbs
sausage meatballs and broccoli, cauliflower [10 protein][5 carbs]
Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]
sausage meatballs and broccoli, cauliflower [10 protein][5 carbs]
bacon [20 protein]

smoke

2012-01-16T05:21:00.000-08:00

Though I know I'm above the 170's today due to Saturday's freeday, I'm also confident that the freeday gain will be gone again by the end of the week. I'm over the moon thrilled to have reached the 170's again!!!

I'm working today even though the rest of the office is on holiday for MLK day. I've traded today's holiday for Feb 3rd since I have a major deadline at the end of this week. It actually feels like a holiday since I have the whole office to myself. Quiet! No interruptions! No pop-in extra work that will cause me to put aside deadlined work to get the new thing done immediately. Soooo nice. :) I'll bet tomorrow will be chaotic with everyone back in so I have to make the most of today and get lots done.

I made enough sausage meatballs to last all week for my meals (and extra for Cro too). Since I'm not eating enough of them per meal to get in my protein requirement I am adding an extra mini-meal consisting of a grass-fed angus beef burger.

I thought I would multitask this morning and left the burger to cook on medium-low while I got my shower. Oops. The house was filled with smoke when I came back upstairs.

That isn't the first (or last) time I have burned my cooking. Luckily I don't mind the taste of near-charcoal meals. ;) I did tell Cro not to worry if the house is still full of smoke when he wakes up – it's just my cooking. I did try to air things out a bit by opening a window until I left.

Today's meals total 86 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 12 carbs
ground beef [26 protein]
Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]
sausage meatballs and broccoli, cauliflower [10 protein][5 carbs]
sausage meatballs and broccoli, cauliflower [10 protein][5 carbs]
bacon [20 protein]

Week 48 numbers

2012-01-15T03:50:00.000-08:00

Current weight of 179

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4HB track record: -43 pounds TOTAL loss so far

Week48: -1

Saturday Jan 14, 2012

Week47: -2

Saturday Jan 7, 2012

Week46: -2

Saturday Dec 31, 2011

Week45: -1

Saturday Dec 24, 2011

Week44: -1

Saturday Dec 17, 2011

Week43: -1

Saturday Dec 10, 2011

Week42: +5 (adjusted to match the doctor's scale)

Saturday Dec 3, 2011

Week41: no loss

Saturday Nov 26, 2011

Week40: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 19, 2011

Week39: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 12, 2011

Week38: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 5, 2011

Week37: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 29, 2011

Week36: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 22, 2011

Week35: no loss

Saturday Oct 15, 2011

Week34: -2 pounds

Saturday Oct 8, 2011

Week33: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 1, 2011

Week32: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 24, 2011

Week31: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 17, 2011

Week30: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 10, 2011

Week29: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 3, 2011

Week28: no loss

Saturday August 27, 2011

Week27: -1 pound

Saturday August 20, 2011

Week26: -1 pound

Saturday August 13, 2011

Week25: no loss

Saturday August 06, 2011

Week24: -2 pounds

Saturday July 30, 2011

Week23: no loss

Saturday July 23, 2011

Week22: +1 pound

Saturday July 16, 2011

Week21: -1 pound

Saturday July 9, 2011

Week20: -2 pounds

Saturday July 2, 2011

Week19: no loss

Saturday June 25, 2011

Week18: -1 pounds

Saturday June 18, 2011

Week17: -2 pounds

Saturday June 11, 2011

Week16: no loss

Saturday June 4, 2011

Week15: no loss

Saturday May 28, 2011

Week14: -1 pound

Saturday May 21, 2011

Week13: -3 pounds

Saturday May 14, 2011

Week12: -2 pounds

Saturday May 7, 2011

Week11: no loss

Saturday April 30, 2011

Week10: -1 pound

Saturday April 23, 2011

Week9: -1 pound

Saturday April 16, 2011

Week8: +1 pound

Saturday April 9, 2011

Week7: -2 pounds

Saturday April 2, 2011

Week6: -1 pound

Saturday March 26, 2011

Week5: -1.5 pounds

Saturday March 19, 2011

Week4: -2 pounds

Saturday March 12, 2011

Week3: -.5 pounds

Saturday March 05, 2011

Week2: -1 pound

Saturday Feb 26, 2011

Week1: -4 pounds

Saturday Feb 19, 2011

`·._.·`·._.·`·._.· drifting snow ·._.·´·._.·´·._.·´

2012-01-13T05:28:00.000-08:00

Snowy and chilly. I felt bad for the guys who have to park in the distant lot. Their cars need to be scraped before they can see out of the windows to drive home. That reminds me that I should make sure the Jeep's wiper fluid is topped off this weekend. Driving with a slushy windshield… no thanks.

I used one of those cat-human age estimators. It says that Buddy cat's age is the equivalent to an 80-year-old human. I gave him moist food this morning and might start giving that twice per week rather than once. Old kitties tend to lose weight I think. Matt's kitty has lost 1-pound over the last half year. That's a big percentage of weight loss for a 10-pound kitty. Cro reminded me that cat age doesn't really translate to human age so I shouldn't take the conversion chart too seriously.

It may be a quiet Friday which suites me just fine. I have a motherload of work to do in an expedited timeline. I am approved to take SuperBowl week off as vacation though I may end up working some of it anyway –off the clock– just to keep up with projects. That will make for a less stressful week either way. Since Cro won't have that week off work I don't have plans anyway.

The scale giveth, the scale taketh away. It says 179 again this morning. ;)

Today's meals total 80 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 7 carbs
sausage meatballs [20 protein]
Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]
sausage meatballs and cauliflower [20 protein][5 carbs]
bacon [20 protein]

sing along to my stereo

2012-01-12T05:10:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking seriously about using the rest of those rollover vacation days (I have 5 remaining from last year) to avoid downtown during superbowl week. Considering how flipping packed downtown was last night due to a non-superbowl event I think it would be prudent to stick to the northside of Indy that week.

Our unseasonal springtime weather is supposed to come to an end today with lots of snow tonight. It seems weathermen often exaggerate so I'm not too worried. I do have lots of carrots in the fridge for Critter so if I need to make a snowman I'm all stocked up on noses.

The scale says 178 this morning.

Today's meals total 80 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 7 carbs
sausage meatballs [20 protein]
Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]
sausage meatballs and cauliflower [20 protein][5 carbs]
bacon [20 protein]

speed-hump day

2012-01-11T05:12:00.000-08:00

The scale says 179 this morning. I hope it sticks around for weigh-in day this week.

Stress-fest! It's not the happy sort of fest but hopefully it will make the day go by quickly.

The new food truck business that I created a website for passed it's truck inspection and might be having it's very first day offering yummy Indian food to the city next weekend. I may have to stop by it's location-for-the-day and get lunch since it may be on freeday. I'm so excited for them. My friend-coworker Brian is their print-designer dude. He designed the logo, menu, art directed the photo shoot and truck design. They didn't go with an entire truck-wrap (just base color and decals) but maybe will in future after they hopefully make some bucks. They have a contract for prime space to park and serve food on the circle downtown during superbowl week so they are set to start off successfully.

I fed Critter a tiny piece of cinnamon roll this morning (just the roll, not the icing). That little guy loves carbs! Buddy cat wouldn't try it. He knows what's good. ˆ(^x^)ˆ <- kitty face

Today's meals total 80 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 11 carbs
sausage meatballs and cauliflower [20 protein][5 carbs]
lemon Quest bar [20 protein][1 carb]
sausage meatballs and cauliflower [20 protein][5 carbs]
bacon [20 protein]

it's only Tuesday…

2012-01-10T04:52:00.000-08:00

half curly + half straight = strurly?

And the scale says I'm back to pre-freeday weight already. 180. yippee for realz.

My fitbit didn't record sleep last night so I need to read the FAQ and see what I'm doing wrong. Maybe I just checked it too fast and it hadn't downloaded the info yet.

Super busy ugg work day again. I brought an extra sertraline just in case I need an extra stress-buffer. I don't take any on the weekend and the doc says it's okay to modify the dosage to match my stress-level (within reason). Since I've only asked to be prescribed half of what I used to take several years ago that just means that on super ugg days I take the full amount that I used to. Overall I'm taking about half of what I used to. Works for me.

Reading about meds is boring I'm sure. :P

Seinfeld says that Tuesday has no feeling. I think it feels like the climb toward hump day so maybe Tuesday should be called huff-puff day or i-think-i-can-i-think-i-can day.

*update
It's 3:47 and I haven't needed the extra sertraline yet. I have a meeting at 4:30 to discuss designing unique pages for a big project that has been on hold for a couple of months. I can get through 30 minutes. :P

Today's meals total 80 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 7 carbs
sausage meatballs [20 protein][3 carbs]
coconut-cashew Quest bar [20 protein][1 carb]
sausage meatballs [20 protein][3 carbs]
bacon [20 protein]

Week 48? (wow) begins

2012-01-09T04:54:00.000-08:00

curly and stripey

I had to peek at the scale this morning to see just how much I am gaining from my freeday of late since I've had two weeks in a row of 2 pound losses. It blows my mind that I am still losing that well after 47 weeks. That's only five weeks away from a year doing this thing and I guess I keep expecting that it will slow down. Well, I suppose it has been slow to begin with, but consistent! So the scale says I've only gained two pounds from freeday so I'm pretty pumped that this Saturday might see me back in the 170's finally.

The long weekend didn't feel like a long weekend since Friday was so full of activity with Matt. It was SO fun. We went to the theater to see Hugo but after sitting in the dark for well past the time for the movie to begin a couple of other patrons left, then returned to let us know that the movie would not be shown at this time. What? lol. Okay, so we went back to the ticket office and the girl apologized, returned our money and offered us our choice of movie for free to make up for the inconvenience. We chose to see The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Excellent, though both Matt and I gasped during the kitty death scene. It was a violent movie and this version was Americanized with a love story that didn't appear in the book, nor the Swedish original movie, but still, it was very very good.

After the movie and the gift exchange Matt and John made dinner for us. :) I'm always impressed with how Matt takes care of me by making sure that I have a non-aspartame drink and low carb foods to eat. We had sliced strawberries to snack on, and steak with fresh green beans and diced onions for the meal. Yum!

<3 my friends.

Now I'm back at work and wow, they have me overbooked with projects for the next two weeks. I suppose I'll be working late a lot this week, but that's okay, I'm ready. Matt has some potential freelance work for me too.

Today's meals total 75 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 5 carbs
steak [15 protein]
lemon Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]
sausage meatballs [20 protein][3 carbs]
? [20 protein]

Week 47 numbers

2012-01-08T09:25:00.000-08:00

Current weight of 180

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4HB track record: -42 pounds TOTAL loss so far

Week47: -2

Saturday Jan 7, 2012

Week46: -2

Saturday Dec 31, 2011

Week45: -1

Saturday Dec 24, 2011

Week44: -1

Saturday Dec 17, 2011

Week43: -1

Saturday Dec 10, 2011

Week42: +5 (adjusted to match the doctor's scale)

Saturday Dec 3, 2011

Week41: no loss

Saturday Nov 26, 2011

Week40: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 19, 2011

Week39: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 12, 2011

Week38: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 5, 2011

Week37: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 29, 2011

Week36: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 22, 2011

Week35: no loss

Saturday Oct 15, 2011

Week34: -2 pounds

Saturday Oct 8, 2011

Week33: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 1, 2011

Week32: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 24, 2011

Week31: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 17, 2011

Week30: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 10, 2011

Week29: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 3, 2011

Week28: no loss

Saturday August 27, 2011

Week27: -1 pound

Saturday August 20, 2011

Week26: -1 pound

Saturday August 13, 2011

Week25: no loss

Saturday August 06, 2011

Week24: -2 pounds

Saturday July 30, 2011

Week23: no loss

Saturday July 23, 2011

Week22: +1 pound

Saturday July 16, 2011

Week21: -1 pound

Saturday July 9, 2011

Week20: -2 pounds

Saturday July 2, 2011

Week19: no loss

Saturday June 25, 2011

Week18: -1 pounds

Saturday June 18, 2011

Week17: -2 pounds

Saturday June 11, 2011

Week16: no loss

Saturday June 4, 2011

Week15: no loss

Saturday May 28, 2011

Week14: -1 pound

Saturday May 21, 2011

Week13: -3 pounds

Saturday May 14, 2011

Week12: -2 pounds

Saturday May 7, 2011

Week11: no loss

Saturday April 30, 2011

Week10: -1 pound

Saturday April 23, 2011

Week9: -1 pound

Saturday April 16, 2011

Week8: +1 pound

Saturday April 9, 2011

Week7: -2 pounds

Saturday April 2, 2011

Week6: -1 pound

Saturday March 26, 2011

Week5: -1.5 pounds

Saturday March 19, 2011

Week4: -2 pounds

Saturday March 12, 2011

Week3: -.5 pounds

Saturday March 05, 2011

Week2: -1 pound

Saturday Feb 26, 2011

Week1: -4 pounds

Saturday Feb 19, 2011

Morning

2012-01-06T04:22:00.000-08:00

It's 7:01 and I'm still in bed. Happy joy for an impromptu vacation day. And sper happy joy for spending the day celebrating Christmas with Matt. I have gifts to wrap but I think I'll stay in bed and play on the iPad until 8ish. Then I might nuke a Quest bar for 10 seconds and have it for breakfast. Simple plans to start off what promises to be an amazingly fun day.

I started reading "Player Piano" by Kurt Vonnegut. Did I ever mention that I saw him many years ago. That's probably not huge news but I thought it was cool. He was walking out of the Rathskeller building (I guess he lived in the upper floor for awhile). A friend of mine is affiliated with the Kurt Vonnegut memorial library here in town. I should probably visit it sometime.

And this has been another addition of "Random Thoughts" by Oct. ;)

*update
The gifts are wrapped and the scale gave me a gift of its own this morning. I'm 179! It's probably a fluctuation that won't stick for my final weigh-in this week but I was so happy to see it. I'm making progress. Slowly but surely. ^_^

nyuk nyuk nyuk

2012-01-05T05:15:00.000-08:00

Curly is back and today is my Friday. wootwootwootwoot

I have Christmas gifts to wrap for tomorrow. Matt and I are getting together for our annual late Christmas celebration and maybe a movie too.

I think I will be creating a few online display ads today and oh my, I hope the day goes quickly because I have late holiday brain. Matt's Christmas tree is always so fun to see. He decorates it with miniature 80's toys and other Hallmark ornaments that light up or are active in some manner. He has little Rockem Sockem robots, mini Barbies, Scooby Doo characters, Battlecat from HeMan, mini pinball machines, even a little Easy-bake Oven and a tiny working Viewmaster.

180 today. o_o

Today's meals total 76 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 8 carbs
beef for stew (with Amy's Vegetable soup) [20 protein][3 carbs]
cinnamon Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]
beef for stew (with Amy's Vegetable soup) [20 protein][3 carbs]
Bacon [20 protein]

Mo again

2012-01-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

where's the curly? ;)

I am 181 this morning so I guess the anniversary eating didn't hurt me (nor did the sausage balls). I am SO looking forward to the 170s. It's hard to believe that this 6-day on/1-day off thing is still working for me. After 46 weeks I don't even blink an eye at the eating restriction during the 6-days on. I do think that the sausage balls may have even re-kick-started my efforts. Is there such a thing as too little carbs for too long? I was still losing about a pound a week and feel healthy so I doubt it. I do believe that my body reacts to small changes though and increasing the carbs just a little maybe, maybe is responsible for the two pound loss last week. Who knows. I'll keep on as always and not sweat the small stuff. I've long given up trying to understand why things work the way they do.

I have a few vacation days left over from 2011 that I need to take soon or they will be lost. Though I should keep track I asked our payroll person to double check and let me know what's left. She should have the number to me today and I'll make plans since work is in a lull right now, so great time to be away. Vacation time isn't as exciting when Cro doesn't have time off with me though.

Post office tonight to mail my BBFF a few Quest bars. I know I'm not in time for the stress test but maybe she'll enjoy them anyway (I do).

*update: I'm taking this Friday off work to use one of those rollover vacation days. Matt wants to get together for our Christmas that day so it works out great.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today's meals total 76 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 8 carbs

beef for stew (without the stew but with a small portion of Amy's Vegetable soup) [20 protein][3 carbs]

PB Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]

beef for stew (without the stew but with a small portion of Amy's Vegetable soup) [20 protein][3 carbs]

Bacon [20 protein]

ring in the new year!

2012-01-03T07:56:00.000-08:00

It's a good problem to have I know, but it also makes me a little sad. My wedding ring is just as it was when I got married and I love it just as much as I did then, but I've gotten much smaller. I was 280 pounds (eek) then and am 182 now. The ring is makume gane (layered golds) and to can't be sized down without ruining the layers.

Here are photos of how I've adapted and no no no, I don't want to go back to 280 just to make my ring fit again. :P

On my ring finger it will fly off easily.

My thumb knuckle keeps in on,
but it's too annoying to wear here.

It could fly off of my pointer,
plus it is annoying on this finger.

It will fly off of this one too… but this is the one
I wear it on and I'm very careful.

frisky lobsters and Week47 begins

2012-01-03T06:06:00.000-08:00

… my new mirror let's me see ALL
of the eyebrow hairs. I think I overdid it.

Oh, so many days to recap since I've been neglecting the blog. I'll recap our anniversary and gloss over the rest since they were mostly that, rest.

We exchanged gifts and cards with heartfelt messages on the morning of December 31st, 2011. I gifted him with a 23andme DNA kit with a year's membership to the website. They will send his DNA sample to the lab and then update his information on their website about a week later. I think I'm more excited than he is to see what it reveals. He will find out his percentage of genetic risk for 232 conditions along with drug sensitivities, ancestry, and origin (updated whenever they add new information). He gifted me with the most soft and warm fleece argyle pajamas and an unbelievably cool lighted vanity mirror.

There is a short story behind that mirror. When I was a teen I had a lighted vanity mirror that I loved and I mentioned to Cro probably a year or more ago how I miss that mirror. He remembered. Just the fact that he remembers such things blows me away. My new vanity mirror is 100 times nicer than my old one.

We went to Morton's Steakhouse for dinner. Morton's is super expensive but thankfully we had a $100 gift certificate that one of the sales reps that Cro manages gifted him for Christmas. The bill was nearly $200 but a once-per-year splurge isn't crazy.

Morton's gives a live presentation of their menu (well only the lobster was live but more about that in a moment). Everything looked so good. We ordered steak, chicken for me and yummy brussels sprouts to share for our side. I tried a bite of Cro's bone-in ribeye and it was the best steak I've ever tasted - so tender. Back to the lobster - they were parked on the presentation cart between showings and during this time they sometimes tried to escape (I don't blame them). I flagged down a waiter at one point to let him know that one of the lobsters had backed nearly off the cart and was about to fall. After repositioning the little (BIG) guy he returned to whisper to me that sometimes the frisky ones jump right off of the cart.

One of the Morton's staff came out with a camera to take an anniversary photo. :) I loved that but Cro doesn't care for having his photo taken. Ah well, it's just for us and I love it.

We were too stuffed for dessert but our waiter brought out the selection for us to choose from and insisted that we pick, saying that dessert was on the house for us. We accepted a piece of cheesecake to go but it's still in the fridge for Cro since there was no way I could eat any of it. I did eat the strawberry that came with it, lol.

And now a new week begins. I hope you all had wonderful New Year celebrations.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today's meals total 76 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 11 carbs

2 Sausage meatballs [18 protein][6 carbs]

Lemon Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]

beef for stew (without the stew but with a small portion of Amy's Vegetable soup) [20 protein][3 carbs]

Bacon [20 protein]

Week 46 numbers

2012-01-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

Current weight of 182

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4HB track record: -40 pounds TOTAL loss so far

Week46: -2

Saturday Dec 31, 2011

Week45: -1

Saturday Dec 24, 2011

Week44: -1

Saturday Dec 17, 2011

Week43: -1

Saturday Dec 10, 2011

Week42: +5 (adjusted to match the doctor's scale)

Saturday Dec 3, 2011

Week41: no loss

Saturday Nov 26, 2011

Week40: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 19, 2011

Week39: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 12, 2011

Week38: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 5, 2011

Week37: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 29, 2011

Week36: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 22, 2011

Week35: no loss

Saturday Oct 15, 2011

Week34: -2 pounds

Saturday Oct 8, 2011

Week33: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 1, 2011

Week32: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 24, 2011

Week31: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 17, 2011

Week30: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 10, 2011

Week29: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 3, 2011

Week28: no loss

Saturday August 27, 2011

Week27: -1 pound

Saturday August 20, 2011

Week26: -1 pound

Saturday August 13, 2011

Week25: no loss

Saturday August 06, 2011

Week24: -2 pounds

Saturday July 30, 2011

Week23: no loss

Saturday July 23, 2011

Week22: +1 pound

Saturday July 16, 2011

Week21: -1 pound

Saturday July 9, 2011

Week20: -2 pounds

Saturday July 2, 2011

Week19: no loss

Saturday June 25, 2011

Week18: -1 pounds

Saturday June 18, 2011

Week17: -2 pounds

Saturday June 11, 2011

Week16: no loss

Saturday June 4, 2011

Week15: no loss

Saturday May 28, 2011

Week14: -1 pound

Saturday May 21, 2011

Week13: -3 pounds

Saturday May 14, 2011

Week12: -2 pounds

Saturday May 7, 2011

Week11: no loss

Saturday April 30, 2011

Week10: -1 pound

Saturday April 23, 2011

Week9: -1 pound

Saturday April 16, 2011

Week8: +1 pound

Saturday April 9, 2011

Week7: -2 pounds

Saturday April 2, 2011

Week6: -1 pound

Saturday March 26, 2011

Week5: -1.5 pounds

Saturday March 19, 2011

Week4: -2 pounds

Saturday March 12, 2011

Week3: -.5 pounds

Saturday March 05, 2011

Week2: -1 pound

Saturday Feb 26, 2011

Week1: -4 pounds

Saturday Feb 19, 2011

¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º>

2011-12-30T05:16:00.000-08:00

Happy second to last day of 2011. Tomorrow Cro and I celebrate our 6th and I can't wait. We actually got married today six years ago (December 30th) but since we wanted it to be on the last day of the year that is when we have decided to celebrate it.

My FitBit says that I slept about 3 and a half hours last night and woke 15 times even though I was in bed for nearly 8 hours. I had a 46% sleep efficiency reading. Odd because I wake up not really sleepy at all. I guess I don't need as much or have too much thinking to do to waste it sleeping. I think I get lots more sleep on the weekends in the form of a well-enjoyed afternoon nap.

I've decided to read another George R.R. Marten novel. This one is called "Fevre Dream", has won a couple of awards and received great reviews. I read the first bit and haven't been drawn in yet but if it is as great as touted I will be hooked soon.

I have the entire design area to myself today since the two guys who share the space with me took vacation today. I'm hoping it will be a quiet day that goes by quickly because I'm ready for tomorrow!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today's meals total 76 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 12 carbs

2 Sausage meatballs [18 protein][6 carbs]

Cinnamon Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]

2 Sausage meatballs [18 protein][6 carbs]

Bacon [20 protein]

"Balls!" cried the queen… (Alice in Wonderland)

2011-12-29T05:33:00.000-08:00

Scrunched again.
Also pictured is my new FitBit.

I made a recipe that Cro is famous for around our house. Sausage and sharp cheddar meatballs. It does contain a small amount of Bisquick and sharp cheddar but still weighs in at only 3 carbs each. This violates my goal to not have dairy during the 6-strict days, but I'm livin'a little. We'll see if the cheese gives me a lactose stomach ache. I doubt it, I'm not totally intolerant, but enough that avoiding dairy on the 6strict days has been working out for me.

Anyway, I was proud of how well they turned out since I'm not the best cook. I made 60 of them. One or two makes a very easy to pack, quick to heat (25 seconds in the microwave) and delicious meal.

Cro's work relented after much outspoken shows of poor morale by many of his coworkers. He gets Monday off for the New Year holiday. Yay!!! So we now both have a three-day weekend for our anniversary. Very happy.

Here's how I made the sausage meatballs:

2 lb Tennessee Pride spicy hot sausage (100 protein, 0 carb)

32oz sharp cheddar (448 protein, 64 carbs)

1.5 cup Bisquick (13.5 protein, 113 carbs)

Divided by 60 meatballs = (9 protein, 3 carbs each)

Roll into raw meatballs (mine where about the size of an egg), space out on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today's meals total 76 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 13 carbs

2 Sausage meatballs [18 protein][6 carbs]

ChocoPB Quest bar [20 protein][3 carbs]

2 Sausage meatballs [18 protein][6 carbs]

Bacon [20 protein]

inefficient zzz's

2011-12-28T13:47:00.000-08:00

Cro gifted me with a FitBit activity tracker for Christmas. This is my sleep log for last night:

I think I don't sleep that great during the weekdays… but I'm not sleepy in the morning and always seem to wake up before the alarm.

Not bored with curls yet…

2011-12-28T05:31:00.000-08:00

2nd scrunchy-hair day

Another curly day. I weighed in this morning and was happy to see that I'm back to pre-Christmas weight already. :) I'm still liking this 6-days-on, 1-day-off thing.

Today is a bacon day. I have chicken breast at home ready to cook but bought some microwavable packs of bacon and the easy aspect won out. I guess I'm still in "recovering from holiday and being sick" mode.

I finished "The Long Walk" by Stephen King last night. I almost had that thing read in one day! Fast read. I must say that although it is an awesome piece of work the ending left me dissatisfied. That was the author's intention I'm sure and the feeling it left me with was appropriate to the subject matter of the entire novel. Still - what a downer.

Okay, what's next. Grace suggested a novel that looks good but I haven't gotten it yet. I may turn to something by H.P. Lovecraft or Kurt Vonnegut since I do have several of those downloaded to the ipad.

But reading has to wait. I have a deadline to meet even though the office is running skeleton crew this week due to SEVERAL people taking vacation days to fill in between the two holidays.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today's meals total 80 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 2 carbs

Bacon [20 protein]

Cinnamon Roll Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]

Bacon [20 protein]

Tuesday (the new Monday… at least this week)

2011-12-27T05:16:00.000-08:00

trying curly (scrunching)
rather than straightening

It feels odd to be at work today. I guess two sick days, two holiday days and two weekend days turned my sense of time on its ear. What's with all of these old sayings? See.

Cro and I celebrate #6 Saturday (and are going to Morton's Steakhouse). :) It's been a great six years and feels like so many more than that (and that's a good thing). It's hard to imagine my life before he became a part of it.

I was surprised to see about an inch of snow on the ground when I woke up. It's still snowing lightly but it isn't difficult to drive in (I actually enjoyed the drive in this morning). Traffic is what makes it suck. :P

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today's meals total 80 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 2 carbs

chicken [20 protein]

Lemon Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]

Chicken and broccoli [20 protein][2 carbs]

Bacon [20 protein] (if I make it to the grocery)

Monday holiday

2011-12-26T09:44:00.000-08:00

I'm reading Stephen King's "The Long Walk". Oldy but goody as they say.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today's meals total 80 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 2 carbs

Sausage [20 protein]

Coconut Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]

Bacon [20 protein]

Chicken and broccoli [20 protein][2 carbs]

Week 46 begins

2011-12-25T11:09:00.000-08:00

This is a strange week in that today is Christmas and I only just now realized that I need to update my blog. Next weekend is Cro and my 6th wedding anniversary and we are going to Morton's Steakhouse for our celebration dinner. Cro was gifted with a $100 gift certificate to Morton's from one of the sales reps that he manages. Very nice.

We both have tomorrow off work as part of the Christmas holiday. We visited my mom and sister for an early Christmas yesterday and saved our personal exchange of gifts for today. We gave mom a digital photo printer which she seems to love and a vegetable steamer which she is very excited about. My sister received clothes, books and things for her new cat. I think her fav was a movie monsters book that Cro picked out. It was nice to spend some time with them and to hear mom exclaim how great I look when she first saw me.

From Cro I have a new fitbit.com activity monitor to play with along with a new webcam for my home desktop, a Jot Pro stylus for the ipad and a gorgeous leather shoulder bag that will hold everything that I normally carry in my purse along with my ipad and iphone.

I got Cro a balisong knife, a tactical pen and a Drone remote controlled flying thing that is controlled from his iphone or ipad.

Gifts aside it is very nice to have an extra day off work with my guy. :) I hope you each had a nice celebration.

…and I'm feeling better after the unwelcomed strep throat. :P Strep hurts!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today's meals total 80 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and _carbs

Sausage [20 protein]

Strawberry Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]

Sausage [20 protein]

Week 45 numbers

2011-12-25T10:43:00.001-08:00

Current weight of 184

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4HB track record: -38 pounds TOTAL loss so far

Week45: -1

Saturday Dec 24, 2011

Week44: -1

Saturday Dec 17, 2011

Week43: -1

Saturday Dec 10, 2011

Week42: +5 (adjusted to match the doctor's scale)

Saturday Dec 3, 2011

Week41: no loss

Saturday Nov 26, 2011

Week40: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 19, 2011

Week39: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 12, 2011

Week38: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 5, 2011

Week37: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 29, 2011

Week36: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 22, 2011

Week35: no loss

Saturday Oct 15, 2011

Week34: -2 pounds

Saturday Oct 8, 2011

Week33: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 1, 2011

Week32: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 24, 2011

Week31: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 17, 2011

Week30: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 10, 2011

Week29: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 3, 2011

Week28: no loss

Saturday August 27, 2011

Week27: -1 pound

Saturday August 20, 2011

Week26: -1 pound

Saturday August 13, 2011

Week25: no loss

Saturday August 06, 2011

Week24: -2 pounds

Saturday July 30, 2011

Week23: no loss

Saturday July 23, 2011

Week22: +1 pound

Saturday July 16, 2011

Week21: -1 pound

Saturday July 9, 2011

Week20: -2 pounds

Saturday July 2, 2011

Week19: no loss

Saturday June 25, 2011

Week18: -1 pounds

Saturday June 18, 2011

Week17: -2 pounds

Saturday June 11, 2011

Week16: no loss

Saturday June 4, 2011

Week15: no loss

Saturday May 28, 2011

Week14: -1 pound

Saturday May 21, 2011

Week13: -3 pounds

Saturday May 14, 2011

Week12: -2 pounds

Saturday May 7, 2011

Week11: no loss

Saturday April 30, 2011

Week10: -1 pound

Saturday April 23, 2011

Week9: -1 pound

Saturday April 16, 2011

Week8: +1 pound

Saturday April 9, 2011

Week7: -2 pounds

Saturday April 2, 2011

Week6: -1 pound

Saturday March 26, 2011

Week5: -1.5 pounds

Saturday March 19, 2011

Week4: -2 pounds

Saturday March 12, 2011

Week3: -.5 pounds

Saturday March 05, 2011

Week2: -1 pound

Saturday Feb 26, 2011

Week1: -4 pounds

Saturday Feb 19, 2011

NyQui...

2011-12-23T07:47:00.000-08:00

I still feel like I'm in a NyQuil-induced haze but I have only taken a couple of DayQuil today. I called to refill my Sertraline prescription and found myself having pleasant feelings toward the Walgreens automated prescription fill voice. I even said "Thank you" with a smile on my face. Yeah. NyQuil.

I have to get my hair cut today and wrap a mountain of gifts, oh an cook the chicken-sausage-mushroom-cauliflower casserole and figure out what low carb dessert I'm going to make. I must have been feeling out of it when I went to the grocery because I got part of the ingredients for three choices but thought I'd figure it out when the day to make it came around. Well, that is this afternoon.

It will be fun to see mom and Laura tomorrow and hopefully they will like the gifts.

I need to find a new book to read. I am reading "Somewhere in Time" by Jack Finney right now but that isn't going to last too much longer. Although Stephen King recommended it at the end of his latest book, it isn't resonating with me like "11-22-63" did.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today's meals total 80 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and _carbs

Chocolate-peanut butter Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]

Bacon [20 protein]

Chicken breast [20 protein]

Broccoli

Bacon [20 protein]

Sick

2011-12-22T15:05:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to let you know I'm still alive. I've had a fever and painfully raw throat for the last two days. NyQuil to the rescue.

BOOTS

2011-12-20T05:01:00.000-08:00

I now own a pair of EXTREMELY red Dr. Marten boots thanks to Kon. I feel very brave today wearing these. Not because they make me feel tough but because who in their right mind would wear these to work?? Me. :P

I watched The Next Iron Chef finale last night (DVR) and it didn't turn out they way I like. Skip the next paragraph if you don't want it to be spoiled.
--- S P O I L E R ---
Chef Faulkner didn't win. I wanted her to but maybe that has something to do with the creepy dream I had about Geoffrey Zakarian. It's hard to believe that being an Iron Chef meant so much to that group of very successful chefs but when Chef Faulkner had tears in her eyes I believed it did mean a lot to her. I told Cro that I think it lends legitimacy to the whole Iron Chef thing, which I saw as a bit of a joke before (maybe due to the crazy sound effects and Bruce Lee actions of the "chairman".

Chicken and broccoli again today. Oh! And another new flavor of Quest bar. I'm trying the cinnamon roll this time. I love cinnamon so I hope it lives up to expectation.

Two more work days for me this week and my throat is scratchy. Just in time for Christmas. Boo.

cockoo for coconut

2011-12-19T05:50:00.000-08:00

I made a couple of posts regarding Buddy cat's lip on some cat message boards like this one http://board.catchannel.com/Topic67932-17-1.aspx Maybe someone will have good info that we (and the vet) haven't thought of.

I'm having a coconut-cashew Quest bar today and wow, I didn't expect to like it this much. It socks you in the face with coconut flavor… in a good way. :) Oh, eggface is giving away a mixed box on her spectacular blog so check it out if you are interested in trying them for free.

Christmas week! Lots of work and that lovely holiday brain for the next 4 days. I'm glad it's a short week because I have lots of gifts to wrap and a casserole and low-carb dessert to make before we travel to mom's house. I plan to make that chicken-sausage-mushroom casserole and maybe the strawberry cake that Angie posted.

I'll have to make a trip to the grocery first and I'm thinking that today or tomorrow would be best since the grocery becomes overrun by holiday bakers prior to Christmas. It's funny (not!) how holiday bakers don't always shop in a holiday spirit. Not unless the holiday is demolition derby day and the spirit is run down your fellow man.

The Survivor finale was last night. I won't spoil it for those who might not have caught it yet but I must say that I wasn't really excited about any of the finalists winning.

The Next Iron Chef - Superchefs finale was also last night but I couldn't stay awake for that much tv. I'll watch it tonight. I'm cheering for the girly (but don't remember her name, lol).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today's meals total 80 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and _carbs

Coconut-cashew Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]

Chicken breast [20 protein]

Broccoli

Chicken breast [20 protein]

Broccoli

Bacon [20 protein]

Vet

2011-12-18T11:02:00.000-08:00

Buddy cat's vet adventure began with us putting him in the new carrier. He went in easy as can be but as Cro transported him downstairs I heard "oh no, he's throwing up". He was stressed and calling out with worry before even getting out the door. Thankfully the vet is less than 2miles from our house so the journey was a short one.

They gave us access to the examination room almost immediately so we opened the carrier top and reassured him while we waited. When the vet assistant entered the room he gave a big warning hiss and began growling. :( That is so out of character for my loving kitty. He acted so scared and threatened.

She took his temp, weighed him (9.6) and listened to his heart before telling us the vet would be in soon and taking her leave. I was surprised at his weight. I thought he was much heavier than that.

The vet came in and Buddy greeted her with another big hiss and growls. He tried to duck under my arm and hide. The vet looked at his lip and listened to his heart (which was racing). She then gave us options: we could allow him to be sedated and a biopsy taken of his lip by needle, we could schedule surgery to have the lump removed and a biopsy be done of the entire mass after removal, or we could take him home and keep close watch, bringing him back to have surgery if the lump becomes larger.

We decided to take him home and keep watch. It doesn't hurt him, evidencd by him petting harder into my hand when I touch it. I'd rather not put him through the stress of surgery and recovery if it's benign and doesn't grow larger.

It's upsetting to both of us to have seen him so stressed. We are going to take a photo every week to compare in addition to observing. I hope it doesn't change but at first sign that it is we will schedule surgery. In the meantime I plan to post photos to kitty health boards, hoping that someone else has seen this type of thing

Oh, and the vet said she was hoping that it might be something known as "rodent ulcer" but that isn't it. That would have been easy to treat.

Week 45 begins

2011-12-18T08:38:00.000-08:00

Lazy Sunday posting from me iPad. Blogger's WYSIWYG editor doesn't work on the iPad (you really need to work on that, blogger!) so I'm writing this post in the HTML editor.

That means it will likely be a single paragraph since I'm doing this the lazy way and not messing with adding any div, paragraph, break, etc tags.

I had one of my new Quest bars for breakfast and pronounce it yummy. I had a lemon one. It was softer than previous bars I've tried and the first to use erythritol. I have evil chicken breasts to make for this week's meals along with my ever trusty friend broccoli. Hopefully the short work week will be productive and pleasant. I have Friday off and will be wrapping Christmas gifts that day along with making a dish or two to take to mom's.

Today's meals total 80 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and _carbs

Lemon Quest bar [20 protein][2 carbs]

Chicken breast [20 protein]
Broccoli

Chicken breast [20 protein]
Broccoli

Bacon [20 protein]

Week 44 numbers

2011-12-18T08:08:00.000-08:00

Current weight of 185

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4HB track record: -37 pounds TOTAL loss so far

Week44: -1

Saturday Dec 17, 2011

Week43: -1

Saturday Dec 10, 2011

Week42: +5 (adjusted to match the doctor's scale)

Saturday Dec 3, 2011

Week41: no loss

Saturday Nov 26, 2011

Week40: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 19, 2011

Week39: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 12, 2011

Week38: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 5, 2011

Week37: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 29, 2011

Week36: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 22, 2011

Week35: no loss

Saturday Oct 15, 2011

Week34: -2 pounds

Saturday Oct 8, 2011

Week33: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 1, 2011

Week32: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 24, 2011

Week31: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 17, 2011

Week30: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 10, 2011

Week29: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 3, 2011

Week28: no loss

Saturday August 27, 2011

Week27: -1 pound

Saturday August 20, 2011

Week26: -1 pound

Saturday August 13, 2011

Week25: no loss

Saturday August 06, 2011

Week24: -2 pounds

Saturday July 30, 2011

Week23: no loss

Saturday July 23, 2011

Week22: +1 pound

Saturday July 16, 2011

Week21: -1 pound

Saturday July 9, 2011

Week20: -2 pounds

Saturday July 2, 2011

Week19: no loss

Saturday June 25, 2011

Week18: -1 pounds

Saturday June 18, 2011

Week17: -2 pounds

Saturday June 11, 2011

Week16: no loss

Saturday June 4, 2011

Week15: no loss

Saturday May 28, 2011

Week14: -1 pound

Saturday May 21, 2011

Week13: -3 pounds

Saturday May 14, 2011

Week12: -2 pounds

Saturday May 7, 2011

Week11: no loss

Saturday April 30, 2011

Week10: -1 pound

Saturday April 23, 2011

Week9: -1 pound

Saturday April 16, 2011

Week8: +1 pound

Saturday April 9, 2011

Week7: -2 pounds

Saturday April 2, 2011

Week6: -1 pound

Saturday March 26, 2011

Week5: -1.5 pounds

Saturday March 19, 2011

Week4: -2 pounds

Saturday March 12, 2011

Week3: -.5 pounds

Saturday March 05, 2011

Week2: -1 pound

Saturday Feb 26, 2011

Week1: -4 pounds

Saturday Feb 19, 2011

party

2011-12-16T05:15:00.000-08:00

It's hair slicked back day.

The office Christmas celebration was fun. First we had our monthly company meeting and it was revealed that everyone gets a $500 Christmas bonus. Nice.

Then the company bought us all lunch and drinks (even rented the huge private dining space) at Scotty's Brewhouse next door. I had a bison burger, no bun, add bacon and jalapenos, with a side of steamed broccoli. And a couple of shots of Patrón tequila.

Next we walked back to the office (short was since it is next door) and had our gift exchange. We did a Yankee Swap this time rather than white elephant. The white elephant exchange last year was more exciting since due to not trusting the unopened gifts (some of them were duds, like a collection of Arbies coupons) there were a lot of steals (choosing someone's already opened gift and sending them back to choose another one to open). This year there were only three steals because the gift rules meant there was no risk of getting a dud. Ah well, it was still lots of fun to exchange gifts.

Finally everyone stood around and chatted while listening to music and drinking. I had a third Patrón and to maintain my little tipsy feeling of joy. One girl became a slightly angry drunk on beer, lol. O_o She was only angry because one of the group wandered off and didn't come back for 30 minutes or so.

I'm sure there will be lots of hangovers today (I'm not one of them). Lots to do today. I thought it was going to be a light day but more pop-up work happened overnight. That should make the day go faster.

The American Horror Story mansion is for sale (4.5 million). We should all pool our money and buy it. :P That would be a dream, but not realistic I suppose. It would be fun to live in the bloggers mansion though. Rethinking it, we wouldn't need to blog if everyone lived in the same house, lol. I like us far enough away to make blogging worthwhile.

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Today's meals total 80 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 6 carbs

Laura's lean ground beef [20g protein]

green beans [1 carb]

Quest bar [20g protein][4g carbs]

Laura's lean ground beef [20g protein]

green beans [1 carb]

Bacon [20g protein]

jingle all the way

2011-12-15T05:05:00.000-08:00

Today is office Christmas party day… well, afternoon. First it's monthly company meeting day and finish up this deadline day. ;)

I'm going to miss the jingle bell collar after I stop making Buddy cat wear it (after the vet visit). It is so cute to hear jingle bells when he moves about the house. When I got up this morning, for example. He knew I was about to get out of bed and I heard "jingle jingle jingle" as he got up to follow me. Two more days of jingles.

Speaking of jingles, Mr. Jingles and his nipping no longer startles me so much. I've finally accepted that he isn't going to bite me hard in a mad dash to get a treat. As soon as he realizes that what he's nipping isn't food he stops and lets me pet him while he eats the real treat. I love my little animals. They make the house seem full of family.

American Horror Story was so good last night. I have no idea wear it's going for season two now that a large percentage of the cast are ghosts. I love love loved the confrontation between Constance and Chad. He is probably the only one who can best her at her own game of cattiness. I won't say more since I don't want to spoil it for anyone but wow, I feel like Homer calling the Mr. Sparkle help line. "You have many questions Mr. Sparkle."

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Today's meals total 80? protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 6? carbs

Laura's lean ground beef [20g protein]

green beans [1 carb]

Quest bar [20g protein][4g carbs]

~~Laura's lean ground beef [20g protein]~~

~~green beans [1 carb]~~

bison burger with two strips of bacon and jalapenos
steamed broccoli

Bacon [20g protein]

when life gives you lemons (yum)

2011-12-14T05:08:00.000-08:00

I got this pet carrier for Buddy. It's the large size, top and front load, soft fuzzy flooring and nice carrying handles. He seems to like it though I haven't made the move to carry him in it yet. I just left it open in the living room for him to investigate.

I also got him some neck bling. A little black collar with a jingle bell. I thought it would drive him mad but he doesn't mind at all. It's fun to hear him jingle everywhere he goes but after the vet visit I won't make him wear it. This is mainly for safety. I don't expect him to bolt, but better to be prepared. Vet offices can be loud and scary to kitties. Especially when the doctor starts poking.

Nothing new for meals today (same as yesterday). Though I did order some new flavors of Quest bars. They aren't here yet but I'm looking forward to trying the lemon! I think I'm lemon-crazy. I especially love a squeeze of lemon over calamari.

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Today's meals total 80 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 6 carbs

Laura's lean ground beef [20g protein]

green beans [1 carb]

Quest bar [20g protein][4g carbs]

Laura's lean ground beef [20g protein]

green beans [1 carb]

Bacon [20g protein]

napping with my dad

2011-12-13T06:47:00.000-08:00

cat got my tongue

2011-12-13T05:24:00.000-08:00

Is it really only Tuesday? I guess so.

Something completely different (sort of) for meals the rest of the week. lean ground beef mixed with green beans. Why green beans? I thought I had a can of organic black beans in the cupboard, but I was wrong. I did have green beans though. Low carb and yummy.

Woe, I almost started typing about what I got Cro for our 6th anniversary. Since he reads my blog that would have been a cat-out-of-the-bag moment. I'll talk about it after the first of the new year. Keeping secrets is difficult when you are so anxious to see if they like it. :P

I guess we aren't having a carry-in party Thursday so there goes my plan to make Angie's strawberry cake. I could make it anyway but with this restrictive 6-days I should wait until a freeday to try it since there is no carry-in.

I plan to go to PetSmart tonight to buy a new kitty carrier for Buddy. Does anyone have experience with the soft carriers? They look appealing but maybe I should get the normal plastic type. Then there is the top load kind that is supposed to be less stressful to get them to go in. I dunno. I'll choose when I get there.

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Today's meals total 80 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 6 carbs

Laura's lean ground beef [20g protein]

green beans [1 carb]

Quest bar [20g protein][4g carbs]

Laura's lean ground beef [20g protein]

green beans [1 carb]

Bacon [20g protein]

Week44 begins

2011-12-12T04:56:00.000-08:00

Week 44 began yesterday actually but I didn't post. :P

I'm having catfish today and took a photo to show how beautiful it turned out. At least I think it turned out beautifully. There is no breading though I lightly dusted it with cinnamon on both sides and some Adobo seasoning. Catfish = yum.

Buddy cat has developed a poofy bottom lip. I noticed his lip looked shiny a few weeks ago but though I wondered why, I didn't think much of it other than it was probably a sign of his age. This weekend I inspected him a little closer and was able to touch it while he curled up with me for a nap. It is swollen. He doesn't act like it hurts but it's definitely concerning me now. After discussing with Cro we decided to make a vet appointment and watch it for the next week to see if it improves. We think it might be bacteria from his food getting wet so I disinfected his bowl and will give his moist food treat in a separate one from now on. Poor kitty. If it's bacteria he will likely have to be on antibiotics for a few days. It might be a tooth problem though. If it doesn't correct itself before his scheduled appointment with the vet I'm sure she will get to the bottom of the problem. <3 Buddy cat.

Christmas Christmas. Our office party is Thursday and I got an email from Matt proposing a movie and get-together sometime soon. Fun! :)

I plan to go to the grocery tonight if I can. I need to get another protein since I only have one catfish filet left in the fridge. I should also get a veg to go along with my meals.

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Today's meals total 80 protein (60-90 grams per day is ideal for me) and 4 carbs

catfish [20g protein]

Quest bar [20g protein][4g carbs]

catfish [20g protein]

Bacon [20g protein]

Week 43 numbers

2011-12-12T04:42:00.000-08:00

Current weight of ~~181~~. (Adjusting to match the doctor's scale: 186)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4HB track record: -36 pounds TOTAL loss so far

Week43: -1

Saturday Dec 10, 2011

Week42: +5 (adjusted to match the doctor's scale)

Saturday Dec 3, 2011

Week41: no loss

Saturday Nov 26, 2011

Week40: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 19, 2011

Week39: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 12, 2011

Week38: -1 pound

Saturday Nov 5, 2011

Week37: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 29, 2011

Week36: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 22, 2011

Week35: no loss

Saturday Oct 15, 2011

Week34: -2 pounds

Saturday Oct 8, 2011

Week33: -1 pound

Saturday Oct 1, 2011

Week32: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 24, 2011

Week31: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 17, 2011

Week30: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 10, 2011

Week29: -1 pound

Saturday Sept 3, 2011

Week28: no loss

Saturday August 27, 2011

Week27: -1 pound

Saturday August 20, 2011

Week26: -1 pound

Saturday August 13, 2011

Week25: no loss

Saturday August 06, 2011

Week24: -2 pounds

Saturday July 30, 2011

Week23: no loss

Saturday July 23, 2011

Week22: +1 pound

Saturday July 16, 2011

Week21: -1 pound

Saturday July 9, 2011

Week20: -2 pounds

Saturday July 2, 2011

Week19: no loss

Saturday June 25, 2011

Week18: -1 pounds

Saturday June 18, 2011

Week17: -2 pounds

Saturday June 11, 2011

Week16: no loss

Saturday June 4, 2011

Week15: no loss

Saturday May 28, 2011

Week14: -1 pound

Saturday May 21, 2011

Week13: -3 pounds

Saturday May 14, 2011

Week12: -2 pounds

Saturday May 7, 2011

Week11: no loss

Saturday April 30, 2011

Week10: -1 pound

Saturday April 23, 2011

Week9: -1 pound

Saturday April 16, 2011

Week8: +1 pound

Saturday April 9, 2011

Week7: -2 pounds

Saturday April 2, 2011

Week6: -1 pound

Saturday March 26, 2011

Week5: -1.5 pounds

Saturday March 19, 2011

Week4: -2 pounds

Saturday March 12, 2011

Week3: -.5 pounds

Saturday March 05, 2011

Week2: -1 pound

Saturday Feb 26, 2011

Week1: -4 pounds

Saturday Feb 19, 2011