No weigh-in due to Halloween

Calories burned in exercise today: 634

Friday I walked to my Safeway and bought a few things like celery, prepped that, then after Brad got off work, he and I hit his Safeway and Costco.

I fell off my diet in the early morning hours of Friday morning. I bought a dozen Halloween cupcakes at Safeway, intending to have a few and take the rest to church. I ended up eating nine of them on Friday and Brad had one. That left only two. I ate one Saturday morning and the other Saturday night so they never made it to church.

I also bough more Halloween candy at the same time. I pigged out on a bunch of that Friday and Saturday. We only got one group of trick-or-treaters so I pigged out on the rest Saturday night. Basically, it was a candy- and cupcake-fest for two days.

Saturday we celebrated Brad's birthday, which is actually today. I cooked him breakfast and did the dishes.

Saturday we left right after worship and before Sabbath School to see the new Michael Jackson movie, This Is It. With the Bay Bridge still closed we didn't know how bad traffic and movie lines would be. As it turned out it was clear sailing and very few people at the movie. We spent the time before the movie sipping Starbucks drinks and then Cabernet at a small restaurant in the complex. We toasted Michael Jackson. Brad was going to pay for my second glass but I insisted I pay for it because we were celebrating his birthday.

The movie was good, and if you like Michael Jackson's music you'll like this. It chronically the months of preparation for his "This Is It" tour. It will give you a better appreciation of how much work goes into something like this. Of course, it includes lots of songs. Anyway, if you are a Michael Jackson fan see this, and see it in the theater. It's worth the cost, even in this economy.

I bought the tickets online and then realized this could be my birthday gift to Brad so I told him not to pay me back.

After the movie Brad and I stopped at Boston Market for there $1 meal deal for this weekend only. I paid for our meal, not that $1 is a hardship, lol.

We also went to Starbucks (it's in the same shopping center) and I offered to pay for a drink for Brad. He got a tall breve latte, but the girl forgot to heat the milk so he got a cold latte instead. He decided not to drink it and had it this morning. I got a nonfat chocolate banana Vivanno. I love those.

We went back home to watch the Dr. G I thought I'd recorded, but it didn't record. We drank wine and watched a little TV and then I fired up iTunes for some dance music. A little later we reheated the Boston Market meals.

Brad was tired and sacked out. I stayed up later, played on the computer, and had a beer. I got a little hungry before bed so I ate some cottage cheese and heated some soup and then went to bed.

I got Brad up early this morning so we could do some hiking for work. We hiked in Redwood Park for about 2 1/2 hours. I gotta burn off those 11 cupcakes and all the Halloween candy, lol.

Brad dropped me at work and left for his weekly Bible study. I wanted Kombucha to help me detox so he says he'll go to the store for me after his Bible study. He loves Kombucha too (he introduced me tothis brand) so I know it's not a hardship and he'll buy one or two for himself.

This Is It - The Movie!

Calories eaten yesterday: 1189
Fat: 16g (13%)
Carbs: 94g (34%)
Protein: 140g (53%)
Weight this morning: 130
Calories burned in exercise today: 380

Up a pound from yesterday. Ug!

I'm kind of tired but I went to the gym anyway. I needed to stop at Pac N Save for salad on the way in so I cut my weight training short by 10 minutes. So I did 50 minutes of weight training, 40 minutes on the stairmaster (level 7), and walked in to work from the train, stopping at the grocery store (35 minutes).

Well, this weekend is all set! Sunday is Brad's 50th birthday. I have no money to take him out to dinner or buy him a present, so I told him I would make him breakfast Saturday morning - anything he wanted. He chose pancakes, eggs, and turkey bacon. I have low-carb pancake mix (soy free!) and egg whites. I'll make the pancakes on Friday and save me the time Saturday morning.

Saturday after church we are going to see the new Michael Jackson movie This Is It. It premiers today and I don't know how crowded it will be on Saturday so I bought tickets online today for the 3 pm showing. I'm psyched! Michael Jackson was my idol in the 80s.

Going to the movies is a splurge, but some movies have to be seen on the big screen. Pay-Per-View won't cut it for this.

Saturday is Halloween and I plan on having some candy and popcorn at the theater so I won't weight in on Sunday. I bought a small bag on "fun size" Hershey's bars in case we get any trick or treaters. I don't think we'll get many, if any at all, so I didn't want to buy much candy.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obesity, overweight, fitness

Food-wise failure and my weekend

Calories eaten Thursday: 1082
Fat: 14g (12%)
Carbs: 102g (40%)
Protein: 120g (47%)
Weight Thursday morning: 135.8 (One week ago: 131.2)
Calories burned in exercise Thursday: 219

Calories eaten Friday: 1473
Fat: 28g (18%)
Carbs: 84g (23%)
Protein: 135g (38%)
Weight Friday morning: 135.8 (One week ago: 129.8)
Calories burned in exercise Friday: 82

Weight Saturday morning: 135.8 (One week ago: 131.8)
Calories burned in exercise Saturday: 0

Calories eaten yesterday: 885 (no, that's not a typo; I pigged out Saturday, so ate very light on Sunday)
Fat: 16g (16%)
Carbs: 78g (36%)
Protein: 105g (48%)
Weight Sunday morning: n/a (One week ago: 138.6)
Calories burned in exercise Sunday: 0

Weight this morning: n/a (One week ago: 133)
Calories burned in exercise today: 328

Settle in with some hot cocoa. I have a lot to update so this is going to be long.

No weigh-in this week. Saturday was an absolute and utter failure.

Friday I did what grocery shopping I could in the afternoon. Brad came and picked me up and we hit WalMart. Then we went to Petco and got pet hair rollers (for removing pet hair from clothes). We were going to get a new scratching pad for Xena, but a customer in front of me at the register gave us a tip that Trader Joe's had them cheaper. I wanted to go to Trader Joe's anyway for a couple bottles of Two Buck Chuck.

We didn't see the cat scratchers at the store, but we asked at the register when getting the wine and they pointed to where they were against a wall, so we got that, too.

Then we hit Safeway so Brad could pick up something for dinner and I could get garlic vinegar (hard to find at my store, especially the large size). They had it on sale so I bought three large bottles.

By this time it was dusk and Sabbath so we went home. Brad portioned the salad bought earlier in the week and washed the cucumbers I'd bought earlier. I portioned out my vitamins and meds for the week in my pill organizer.

Saturday we went to church. I forgot the bulletins and my Bible so I could take any sermon notes. It's a pity because pastor always says stuff worth writing down. I ate horribly and ended up eating five (yes five) granola bars, split between the two different kinds the church has for snacks.

Brad and I left church little early. Brad had some lunch and I had a little lunch and did some cleaning up. At home Brad helped me color my hair. We dyed it red, but since I haven't used shampoo on it yet, it is currently burgundy, but will get lighter over the next few shampoos.

Saturday evening we went to Dublin to see Coraline in 3D. It was a good movie and well worth seeing, but I'm not sure the 3D was worth the extra price. At any rate, it's a good movie about being content with the life you have. Paul says much the same thing in Philippians 4:11.

I'd give the movie 7 out of 10 stars. See it, but don't bother with the 3D. It's rated PG, but not suitable for children under 10 due to how dark and creepy it is. So parents be warned! Little ones could get nightmares from this.

Food-wise, before the movie we went to Starbuck's and I got a biscotti and short skinny vanilla latte. Then we went to Applebee's and Brad and I shared an appetizer and had drinks. I also had the strawberry cheesecake dessert shooter (photo on right). During the movie we had popcorn (medium); I ate most of it. After the movie we drove to the Alameda Applebee's for dinner. I ate horribly. The Mochatini and wine weren't bad, but I got the Quesadilla burger with fries, and then ordered their brownie and vanilla ice cream dessert (shared with Brad of course). I am so addicted to sugar and I hate it!

Sunday I ended up setting the alarm for a later time and then deciding not to go to the gym at all and sleep in. Brad and I couldn't even get any walking it because it was raining. I was so bloated that I didn't get on the scale.

Today I dragged myself to the gym and did one hour of upper body weight training and 30 minutes cardio. I wanted to use the elliptical (didn't feel like the treadmill), but the kind with the moving arms were all being used, so I had to settle for the crossramp elliptical. It stopped raining so I walked to work from BART.

Tomorrow I am doing my mail run into the City. The property check should be there so I will cash it and turn it over to Brad to buy me stuff at Costco - I need Alli, two cases of Diet Rock Star, one case of Diet Coke, and cat litter. I hope $200 is enough for all that.

My tummy is sticking out and I'm trying to determine the cause. So this week I am cutting back on diet soda and seltzer water to see if the carbonation isn't contributing. I also have a Parastroy cleanse kit so I am doing that. Can't hurt, might help.

About my apartment situation - Friday night the woman next door dropped by to tell Brad and I about the guy in apartment B being broken into. He had a bunch of stuff stolen and ended up moving out. I already knew about it, but in the course of the conversation, the woman mentioned that she had been broken into four times! Not recently, but still that's scary. She now has bars on her back windows.

It's also scary that I almost moved into apartment B. I didn't get it because it was taken when I decided to move to this building. Apartment D was open (and more expensive) so I took that.

The postscript to all this is that I saw the owner today going into apartment B. I asked him about my rent check and the break in. He showed me the back bathroom window they were supposed to have entered from. He showed me the window and there was so sign of forced entry so he thinks the tenant must have left the window unlocked. I am not sure but I hope it was something as simple as that.

The building is not secure and the back alley between our building and the one next door is a prime place for criminals to break in. Brad said to leave my front blinds and the front door blinds open. If someone breaks in (most likely from the back), they wouldn't want to be seen. He said to leave the TV and one light on, and to hide my computer. The apartment has a some hidden places that Brad and I didn't discover until I moved in, so I chose one of those for the computer. It's a laptop and easily stowed.

Everyone told me how much better this neighborhood is, but it's not, and the lack of a secure building makes it more so. I asked the owner today about getting bars for my back door and windows. He said he would do it, but I take that with a grain of salt. He hasn't followed through the on the heater problem I mentioned (the black soot that coats things), so I don't know if he will follow through on this.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obesity, overweight, fitness

Worst. Weekend. Ever. And Week 75 Weigh-In

Start: 154
Week 1: 150 (-4) - Week 2: 148.6 (-1.4)
Week 3: 146 (-2.6) - Week 4: 147.2 (+1.2)
Week 5: 145.6 (-1.6) - Week 6: 144 (-1.6)
Week 7: 143 (-1) - Week 8: 142.8 (-0.2)
Week 9: 143.6 (+0.8) - Week 10: 141.2 (-2.4)
Week 11: 143.8 (+2.6) - Week 12: 142.4 (-1.4)
Week 13: 142.4 (-0) - Week 14: 141.6 (-0.8)
Week 15: 139.4 (-2.2) - Week 16: 140 (+0.6)
Week 17: 139.2 (-0.8) - Week 18: 139 (-0.2)
Week 19: 138 (-1) - Week 20: 135.4 (-2.6)
Week 21: 137.2 (+1.8) - Week 22: 139.6 (+2.4)
Week 23: 143.2 (+3.6) - Week 24: 143.6 (+0.4)
Week 25: 137.6 (-6) - Week 26: 139.6 (+2)
Week 27: 142 (+2.4) - Week 28: 137.2 (-4.8)
Week 29: 137 (-0.2) - Week 30: 136.8 (-0.2)
Week 31: 142.2 (+5.4) - Week 32: 136.8 (-5.4)
Week 33: 137.8 (+1) - Week 34: 135.8 (-2)
Week 35: 137.6 (+1.8) - Week 36: 143.8 (+6.2)
Week 37: 142.8 (-1) - Week 38: 140 (-2.8)
Week 39: 142.4 (+2.4) - Week 40: 140.4 (-2)
Week 41: 139.6 (-0.8) - Week 42: 142 (+2.4)
Week 43: N/A - Week 44: 141 (-1)
Week 45: 138.8 (-2.2) - Week 46: 139.6 (+0.8)
Week 47: 133.6 (-6) - Week 48: 132.4 (-1.2)
Week 49: 138.6 (+6.2) - Week 50: 138.4 (-0.2)
Week 51: 138.8 (+0.4) - Week 52: 139.4 (+0.6)
Week 53: 137.8 (-1.6) - Week 54: 139.4 (+1.6)
Week 55: 137.6 (-1.8) - Week 56: 136.4 (-1.2)
Week 57: 136.6 (+0.2) - Week 58: 139.4 (+2.8)
Week 59: 136.6 (-2.8) - Week 60: 134.6 (-2)
Week 61: 137 (+2.4) - Week 62: 138.6 (+1.6)
Week 63: 137 (-1.6) - Week 64: 137 (-0)
Week 65: 141.8 (+4.8) - Week 66: 135.4 (-6.4)
Week 67: 136 (+0.6) - Week 68: 139.2 (+3.2)
Week 69: 137.2 (-2) - Week 70: 138.2 (+1)
Week 71: 136.4 (-1.8) - Week 72: 140 (+3.6)
Week 73: 139.4 (-0.6) - Week 74: 140 (+0.6)
Week 75: 137.6 (-2.4)
Total loss: -16.4

Ok, now to catch up on other numbers.

Calories eaten Wednesday: 1230
Fat: 28g (20%)
Carbs: 92g (30%)
Protein: 156g (50%)
Weight Wednesday morning: 129.8 (One week ago: 130.4)
Calories burned in exercise Wednesday: 89

I was in San Francisco on Thursday playing tourist for part of the day, then got called into work. :( Anyway, I ate all my meals out.
Weight Thursday morning: 129 (One week ago: 129)
Calories burned in exercise Thursday: 0

Calories eaten Friday: 1165
Fat: 16g (13%)
Carbs: 75g (27%)
Protein: 91g (33%)
Weight Friday morning: n/a (One week ago: 128.2)
Calories burned in exercise Friday: 0

Weight Saturday Weight Saturday morning: 136.2 (One week ago: 130.4)
Calories burned in exercise Saturday: 0

Calories burned in exercise today: 69

It's been a really long weekend. The past three days have just been from hell. Let's start at the beginning. If you don't want to read this post, that's fine. This is more of a public journal entry and may interest no one but myself.

I wanted Thursday, August 28th off so I could have a little one day vacation and play tourist in San Francisco. I called "S" and asked her if she wanted to fill in for me; I also asked for a few hours off on September 3 for a doctor's appointment. "S" was in Indiana at the time (on vacation) and evidently didn't write down the dates. When she finally did, she remembered the first date wrong as Thursday, September 25th, and went on the make plans for August 28th.

I had told her the correct date; she wrote it down wrong. However, because I failed to conform via e-mail (the only mistake *I* made), the wrong thing was about to be pinned 100% on me because - you guessed it - "S" didn't show up to cover my shift, and I was in San Francisco at the time, near Marina Green, at the cable car turnaround.

Let's start at the very beginning. Before the shit hit the fan, I was having a really good day. I left home without breakfast or coffee and had a donut at a donut shop, then a thick slab of pumpkin loaf with chocolate chips with a cut of regular coffee at a coffee shop.

I went to the ferry, only to discover that I had the wrong ferry. I had double checked and was pretty sure I was right, but I was not. Two guys were there checking out the schedule and they offered me a ride to BART so I could take BART into the City.

Once in San Francisco I bought a bus/cable car day pass and took the F trolley to Pier 39 to shop for a while. I bought socks and a nightshirt and had two ladies take a picture of me with Alcatraz in the background. I also saw the sea lions that take over a section of docks every year. There used to be boats docked there, but the sea lions pushed them out.

I went to Starbucks and had a latte with a chocolate biscotti and a petite vanilla scone. Then on to Hooters where I had Mozzarella Sticks with a light beer and got a photo taken of me and my waitress. I really love that restaurant. Then I went to Subway and had a low-fat turkey sub on sourdough, a large Diet Coke, and two cookies. I ate one and saved the other for later.

I walked up to Buena Vista, where the best Irish coffee is made, but I wasn't hungry and didn't want to drink too much yet. The cable car turnaround was right there so I got in line and figured I'd take a cable car ride downtown and back, then have the Irish coffees. It was while I waited in line that all hell broke loose re: work.

See, it doesn't matter that "S" didn't confirm my time off with me, or that her name was clearly written down on the shift calendar. It doesn't matter that she verbally told me she would work that shift and that she had written it down wrong. It doesn't matter that my boss "J" didn't confirm with either of us. Nope, none of that makes any difference. Because I failed to send one e-mail, "J" - being judge and god of this department - said it was 100% my fault and called me in. "It's on you. It's your shift," were his words to me.

All this was compounded because "L" had called in sick the night before and Brad had filled in for her, leaving boss "J" to fill in Brad's morning shift. When no one shows up to relieve the boss, it's really bad.

No one believed me when I said I needed the day off. They just assumed that I wanted it and since "J" and "S" both had vacations, they didn't understand the stress I have been under. Other than being sick, I haven't taken any time off in ages. I couldn't go to Conference this year, so I never had any time to destress.

I melted down. I cried, in public, all the way from the cable car turnaround to BART. I was hurting too bad to care, but I did keep my sunglasses on. I stopped briefly at Starbucks in San Francisco to buy comfort food and stuff myself even though I wasn't hungry. I also ate my other Subway cookie. Total stress eating.

Brad picked me up at BART and I had a complete meltdown. Thank God "J" had left for the day. "S" got out of there fast, not knowing how to deal with me and blaming me for her having to come in for the hour or so it took me to get to work from SF. Poor baby. NOT!

I couldn't stop crying and certainly couldn't work. The stress overtook me and left me completely unable to do anything. Brad finally called "L" and asked her to come a little early. She couldn't make it until 8 p.m., so Brad got "M" from downstairs to fill-in until "L" got there.

I didn't want to go home. I was far too upset and wanted to drink. So we went to Applebee's and I had two Mochatinis and a glass of wine, plus I bought a burger and fries dinner to go. Brad and I did some grocery shopping, then went home and I had my collapsed again. I reheated my Applebee's dinner a little later and had that. I couldn't sleep, however, and it was around dawn when I finally fell asleep.

(Fair warning: skip the next paragraph if bathroom talk offends you. You have been warned.)

I slept until the afternoon on Friday and was in no shape to go paddleboating with Brad, plus it was too late anyway. I didn't leave the house all day, but managed a modicum of housework. The mental stress took it's toll physically and I had bad diarrhea all that day and part of Saturday too. In fact, when I woke up Saturday morning I had somehow pooped my pants when I slept. In case you think it was from my Alli pills, no it wasn't. I can tell the difference and this wasn't grease; it was poop. I also flet sick to my stomach and ate very little on Friday.

Saturday I felt a little better and Brad and I went to church. I was able to eat more normally. We left right after church and didn't stay for lunch. I did grab one of the potluck hot dogs on the way out, though.

We stopped at a shopping mall looking for Kragen store. There wasn't one, but there was a Bev-Mo. We looked for a bottle of Jacob's Creek Riesling, which I had been unable to find in San Francisco. They didn't have it so I settled for another Riesling. We also went to Payless Shoes because I really needed two new pairs of shoes. My current two pairs were worn out. I bought one pair of walking shoes and one pair of running shoes; also, a cute purse that was on sale.

After that we went home and pay-per-viewed a Japanese-style horror flick, Shutter. We saw the unrated "TV-MA" version, which is about 5 minutes longer than the PG-13 version. We tried to guess which scenes were deleted. The film was okay. I'm not into Japanese-style horror.

We drank wine and ate popcorn while watching the movie and rested. About 9 p.m. we went to New Zealander for dinner. I behaved and had a low-carb dinner with no dessert (lamb cheese burger, no bun, and side salad), and had two more drinks.

Afterwards, the stress eating overtook me. If the restaurant had offered chocolate cake I would have ordered it. Instead, I went to McDonald's, ordered a cheeseburger Happy Meal with a small chocolate shake, and a chocolate dipped cone. I know, I was bad. At home I had two servings of cold oatmeal - a total of 1 cup of oatmeal and 2 60-calorie yogurts. Also my cottage cheese/Muscle Milk bedtime snack.

I didn't drink anymore, but I was way over my limit and taking those Chaser pills that are supposed to help prevent hangovers. When I finally fell asleep I slept for about 11 hours.

Today I felt well enough to walk from my apartment to BART; from there I took the 50 bus all the way through Alameda and back into Oakland to work. I feel a little better, but still not 100% and I have to face boss "J" tomorrow. I'm still not ready to go back to the gym. I still have more recovering to do. Today I'm eating food that's easy on my tummy - Cream of Wheat, yogurt, and cottage cheese. Also my usual raw veggies and salad.

My weight was down today from last Sunday, but I think it's dehydration from the alcohol and I feel bloated. I need to pound the water and get back on my diet to get rid of it.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, fat, overweight, NutriSystem, weigh-in

Week 69, Day 3

Calories eaten yesterday: 1394
Fat: 34g (21%)
Carbs: 111g (31%)
Protein: 169g (47%)
Weight this morning: 132.8 (One week ago: n/a)
Calories burned in exercise today: 93

Went into the City today. I popped into GNC. They had the whey protein on sale and my Gold Card discount was still good, so I stocked up. I bought a 5 lb. tub of the Chocolate Carmel (my mainstay), and 1 lb. packets of the Cookies & Cream and the Banana Creme to try them.

I am SO sore today! That leg workout yesterday really did a number on me. I know it was mostly the walking lunges. Those leave me sore every time, even if that's the only leg exercise I do. My butt is sore, as well as my inner thighs - more sore than usual because I haven't done a leg workout is something like three weeks (I was doing the spinning class instead).

It hurts to walk, but I walked from BART to work anyway. I stopped at WalMart and bought a couple more clothing items. I found women's size 4 jeans shorts and tried them on and they fit! They are the same size as my Calvin Klein size 8 shorts, lol! But then, WalMart engages in vanity sizing and anything that's "women's" will be larger anyway. A woman's 4 is like a 6, and a WalMart 6 is like an 8 anywhere else.

The nightshirt I bought yesterday was too small but today WalMart had the correct size for me. I'll give the smaller one to my sister for Christmas. It should fit her perfectly and it is quite cute.

I hope to go back to the gym tomorrow and do upper body stuff and run. I hope I'm not too sore to run.

I was extremely hungry yesterday. I think it was the two days of working out and my calories being quite low the first day.

Abby is acting strange. Her new favorite place to sleep and hide is my closet. Granted it's large, but I would think she would feel trapped in there, not safe. When I left this morning she was settled in the back of the closet and Xena was sleeping on my bed, right where I lay. This move has messed with them. Abby is acting strange and Xena has become more affectionate and needy.

Brad and I bought tickets to see Journey to the Center of the Earth this Friday. We found a 3D showing, but it's a bit of a drive and costs extra of course. I hear the movie is only so-so, but that the 3D makes it worth it.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, fitness, weight,obese, fat, overweight, NutriSystem

Week 64 Weigh-In

Start: 154
Week 1: 150 (-4) - Week 2: 148.6 (-1.4)
Week 3: 146 (-2.6) - Week 4: 147.2 (+1.2)
Week 5: 145.6 (-1.6) - Week 6: 144 (-1.6)
Week 7: 143 (-1) - Week 8: 142.8 (-0.2)
Week 9: 143.6 (+0.8) - Week 10: 141.2 (-2.4)
Week 11: 143.8 (+2.6) - Week 12: 142.4 (-1.4)
Week 13: 142.4 (-0) - Week 14: 141.6 (-0.8)
Week 15: 139.4 (-2.2) - Week 16: 140 (+0.6)
Week 17: 139.2 (-0.8) - Week 18: 139 (-0.2)
Week 19: 138 (-1) - Week 20: 135.4 (-2.6)
Week 21: 137.2 (+1.8) - Week 22: 139.6 (+2.4)
Week 23: 143.2 (+3.6) - Week 24: 143.6 (+0.4)
Week 25: 137.6 (-6) - Week 26: 139.6 (+2)
Week 27: 142 (+2.4) - Week 28: 137.2 (-4.8)
Week 29: 137 (-0.2) - Week 30: 136.8 (-0.2)
Week 31: 142.2 (+5.4) - Week 32: 136.8 (-5.4)
Week 33: 137.8 (+1) - Week 34: 135.8 (-2)
Week 35: 137.6 (+1.8) - Week 36: 143.8 (+6.2)
Week 37: 142.8 (-1) - Week 38: 140 (-2.8)
Week 39: 142.4 (+2.4) - Week 40: 140.4 (-2)
Week 41: 139.6 (-0.8) - Week 42: 142 (+2.4)
Week 43: N/A - Week 44: 141 (-1)
Week 45: 138.8 (-2.2) - Week 46: 139.6 (+0.8)
Week 47: 133.6 (-6) - Week 48: 132.4 (-1.2)
Week 49: 138.6 (+6.2) - Week 50: 138.4 (-0.2)
Week 51: 138.8 (+0.4) - Week 52: 139.4 (+0.6)
Week 53: 137.8 (-1.6) - Week 54: 139.4 (+1.6)
Week 55: 137.6 (-1.8) - Week 56: 136.4 (-1.2)
Week 57: 136.6 (+0.2) - Week 58: 139.4 (+2.8)
Week 59: 136.6 (-2.8) - Week 60: 134.6 (-2)
Week 61: 137 (+2.4) - Week 62: 138.6 (+1.6)
Week 63: 137 (-1.6) - Week 64: 137 (-0)
Total loss: -17

I meant to take my body fat last week, but I forgot, so I did it today.

Body fat on Tanita scale:
Year start: 26.6%
Last month: 25%
This month: 23.6%

It jumps around because the method isn't perfect, but this is the lowest yet that I've seen it.

Ok, now to catch up on other numbers.

Calories eaten Thursday: 1309
Fat: 26g (17%)
Carbs: 100g (29%)
Protein: 147g (43%)
Weight Thursday morning: 130 (One week ago: 128.2)
Calories burned in exercise Thursday: 96

Calories eaten Friday: 1639
Fat: 29g (16%)
Carbs: 129g (31%)
Protein: 148g (36%)
Weight Friday morning: 129 (One week ago: 129)
Calories burned in exercise Friday: 227

Weight Saturday morning: 132.8 (One week ago: 131.6)
Calories burned in exercise Saturday: 53

Calories burned in exercise today: 451

No loss, no gain this week. Considering the weekend, I'm thrilled with that. I woke up twice during the night Friday and ate a lot, and then Brad and I ate A LOT of popcorn at the movies Saturday so I thought for sure I'd be up today. I did drink a lot of water before bed last night so maybe that helped.

What a busy weekend! Friday I did more organizing and then Brad came over and we took off to look at four apartments (two were in the same building renting by the same company).

The first two were nice and had a laundry room on premises, but they told me point blank that they would be raising the rent every year. I don't want to do this again in three years, so no thanks.

The next one was in a bad area of town (good bus service, though), but is the tiniest "apartment" I have ever seen. There was only one main room and one wall of it was lined with a very basic kitchen. Cheap (only $550 a month), but too tiny for me, even though the guy said he didn't plan on raising the rent. There was also no laundry room in the building.

The last apartment was nice and they may or may not raise the rent every year. No extra cat deposit, and quite roomy. There's even a small room on the other side of the kitchen meant to be a dining room but could be used for anything. The downsides are no laundry room which would mean doing my laundry during the day down the street, and that's a good little walk. The bus service at night isn't great, but it's in my old neighborhood only about a mile from where I live now. Daytime buses are fantastic, but I'll have to look at late night buses. It's right on 14th Street (dangerous), but as long as I mostly walk the back streets coming home at night I should be pretty safe.

I plunked down $20 for a credit check and they said they would get back to me tomorrow. If they don't call me, I will call them because this looks like my best bet. I hope I get it.

Between the first two and last two apartments Brad and I got in an hour and 40 minutes walking in the lake area, so at least we got something in.

Then we went grocery shopping (and I bought more Two Buck Chuck) and then home.

Saturday we went to church, but skipped the lunch potluck. We went to Jack London Square, had a couple drinks at a restaurant, and then saw the new Narnia movie. Brad sprung for my ticket and the popcorn. He got a Diet Coke for himself which I took some sips of. The movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian was tre cool! Do be sure to see it. I actually cried at the end when it was revealed that Peter and Susan wouldn't ever come to Narnia again.

After the movie we got coffee at a bookshop and walked around the area a bit. On the way home I asked about a shoe store. I noticed earlier how frayed my sandals were getting. After finding one Payless Shoes closed we ended up at Southshore Center (now called Alameda Towne Center) at the Mervyn's store.

Mervyn's is closing that store so everything is on sale. It's where I usually buy my bras, so I snapped one up (I think it was $24 on sale). I don't need a new bra at the moment, but I will at some point and won't be able to buy it there. Then we continued to the shoe department. It took some hunting but I found a decent pair of sandals for $30, on sale for $21. :)

Neither Brad or I got much sleep on Friday night, so we were pretty wiped out by the time we got home Saturday. Brad asked to stay the night and crashed out on the floor. He drove me to the gym this morning. At the gym I did one hour of weight training (arms, shoulders, and back) and 31 minutes running on the treadmill (3.03 miles).

Brad was still in the area walking the lake so we met at his van and drove toward work. I asked him to let me off at this one trail so I could get some extra walking in (in lieu of walking to work from BART), and he decided to walk with me for a while. In the end, we walked about 20 minutes out the trail (and were near work), and then 20 minutes back to the van. So I got a little walk with him on a Sunday. :)

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, fat, overweight, NutriSystem, weigh-in

Week 63 Weigh-In

Start: 154
Week 1: 150 (-4) - Week 2: 148.6 (-1.4)
Week 3: 146 (-2.6) - Week 4: 147.2 (+1.2)
Week 5: 145.6 (-1.6) - Week 6: 144 (-1.6)
Week 7: 143 (-1) - Week 8: 142.8 (-0.2)
Week 9: 143.6 (+0.8) - Week 10: 141.2 (-2.4)
Week 11: 143.8 (+2.6) - Week 12: 142.4 (-1.4)
Week 13: 142.4 (-0) - Week 14: 141.6 (-0.8)
Week 15: 139.4 (-2.2) - Week 16: 140 (+0.6)
Week 17: 139.2 (-0.8) - Week 18: 139 (-0.2)
Week 19: 138 (-1) - Week 20: 135.4 (-2.6)
Week 21: 137.2 (+1.8) - Week 22: 139.6 (+2.4)
Week 23: 143.2 (+3.6) - Week 24: 143.6 (+0.4)
Week 25: 137.6 (-6) - Week 26: 139.6 (+2)
Week 27: 142 (+2.4) - Week 28: 137.2 (-4.8)
Week 29: 137 (-0.2) - Week 30: 136.8 (-0.2)
Week 31: 142.2 (+5.4) - Week 32: 136.8 (-5.4)
Week 33: 137.8 (+1) - Week 34: 135.8 (-2)
Week 35: 137.6 (+1.8) - Week 36: 143.8 (+6.2)
Week 37: 142.8 (-1) - Week 38: 140 (-2.8)
Week 39: 142.4 (+2.4) - Week 40: 140.4 (-2)
Week 41: 139.6 (-0.8) - Week 42: 142 (+2.4)
Week 43: N/A - Week 44: 141 (-1)
Week 45: 138.8 (-2.2) - Week 46: 139.6 (+0.8)
Week 47: 133.6 (-6) - Week 48: 132.4 (-1.2)
Week 49: 138.6 (+6.2) - Week 50: 138.4 (-0.2)
Week 51: 138.8 (+0.4) - Week 52: 139.4 (+0.6)
Week 53: 137.8 (-1.6) - Week 54: 139.4 (+1.6)
Week 55: 137.6 (-1.8) - Week 56: 136.4 (-1.2)
Week 57:: 136.6 (+0.2) - Week 58:: 139.4 (+2.8)
Week 59:: 136.6 (-2.8) - Week 60:: 134.6 (-2)
Week 61:: 137 (+2.4) - Week 62:: 138.6 (+1.6)
Week 63:: 137 (-1.6)
Total loss: -17

Ok, now to catch up on other numbers.

Calories eaten Thursday: 1321
Fat: 20g (13%)
Carbs: 117g (35%)
Protein: 140g (42%)
Weight Thursday morning: 128.2 (One week ago: 130.8)
Calories burned in exercise Thursday: 82

Gave blood Friday and binged out on the cookies and such in the snack area afterwards. :-p
Weight Friday morning: 129 (One week ago: 130.2)
Calories burned in exercise Friday: 193

Crap. I gained since yesterday. My body really hates me.

Weight Saturday morning: 131.6 (One week ago: 131)
Calories burned in exercise Saturday: 264

Calories burned in exercise today: 454

I know why I showed a loss even with the cookie binging on Friday. It's because I did pretty well yesterday, and drank two bottles of water right before bed last night. Lots of water always seems to help me drop weight.

Okay, I gave blood on Friday. This time instead of just taking photos, I made a video of my experience donating blood. Click here to see the video, but be warned not it's not for the squeamish and I recorded them sticking the needle in my arm.

I was starving and caved into all the snacks they had sitting out. I had two packages of Nutter Butter cookies (about 220 calories per package), one package of Famous Amos cookies (about 320 calories), three Pro 70 bars (70 calories each), a package of a nut/yogurt chip/raisin mix (about 150 calories), a package of Cheese-Its (about 220 calories), a Special K snack bar (90 calories), and a Nutri-Grain cereal bar (about 170 calories). I probably ate a days' worth of calories just in sugar and other junk. By the way, stay away from the Nutri-Grain cereal bars - the first ingredient is high fructose corn syrup (!).

In my defense, I did well that morning and fairly well the rest of the day. I didn't use it as an excuse to binge the rest of the day. I ate more than usual, but I kept it healthy and had my normal dinner.

Brad and I went walking, but we only did an hour and 25 minutes. We were doing a lot of uphill and I didn't have the blood volume for that kind of hike.

We went home, watched TV, and ordered a Pay-Per-View movie to watch on Saturday.

Saturday was church and then Brad and I walked around the lake - twice. I had more energy and felt I could handle the loop twice (6 miles total). It took us just under two hours. Food-wise I did okay. Becky brought homemade bread to church, but I kept myself to one slice of cinnamon bread and one slice of regular bread.

Then we went home, made microwave popcorn (low-fat of course), and watched our Pay-Per-View movie, The Golden Compass. Brad really wanted to see it. It was okay. I could definitely see the anti-Christian elements in it. The guy who wrote the book the movie is based on (part of a trilogy) is anti-Christian and it comes through in the movie. I won't be seeing anymore sequels that come out.

Next week we get paid and hope to see Prince Caspian on the big screen.

Today I went to the gym. I did upper body weight training for one hour - arms, shoulders, and back. Then I ran on the treadmill for a half hour. I felt tired all through the weights and for part of my run, but eventually my energy got better and I was finally able to get up to 5.9 mph (though it took me longer than usual). I covered a total of 2.87 miles. Tomorrow I'll do lower body.

I've been tired a lot and I think cutting back on my meds may be part of the reason. I know my tiredness this weekend can be blamed on giving blood, but I've been feeling more fatigued since at least last week.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, fat, overweight, NutriSystem, weigh-in

Week 60 Weigh-In

Start: 154
Week 1: 150 (-4) - Week 2: 148.6 (-1.4)
Week 3: 146 (-2.6) - Week 4: 147.2 (+1.2)
Week 5: 145.6 (-1.6) - Week 6: 144 (-1.6)
Week 7: 143 (-1) - Week 8: 142.8 (-0.2)
Week 9: 143.6 (+0.8) - Week 10: 141.2 (-2.4)
Week 11: 143.8 (+2.6) - Week 12: 142.4 (-1.4)
Week 13: 142.4 (-0) - Week 14: 141.6 (-0.8)
Week 15: 139.4 (-2.2) - Week 16: 140 (+0.6)
Week 17: 139.2 (-0.8) - Week 18: 139 (-0.2)
Week 19: 138 (-1) - Week 20: 135.4 (-2.6)
Week 21: 137.2 (+1.8) - Week 22: 139.6 (+2.4)
Week 23: 143.2 (+3.6) - Week 24: 143.6 (+0.4)
Week 25: 137.6 (-6) - Week 26: 139.6 (+2)
Week 27: 142 (+2.4) - Week 28: 137.2 (-4.8)
Week 29: 137 (-0.2) - Week 30: 136.8 (-0.2)
Week 31: 142.2 (+5.4) - Week 32: 136.8 (-5.4)
Week 33: 137.8 (+1) - Week 34: 135.8 (-2)
Week 35: 137.6 (+1.8) - Week 36: 143.8 (+6.2)
Week 37: 142.8 (-1) - Week 38: 140 (-2.8)
Week 39: 142.4 (+2.4) - Week 40: 140.4 (-2)
Week 41: 139.6 (-0.8) - Week 42: 142 (+2.4)
Week 43: N/A - Week 44: 141 (-1)
Week 45: 138.8 (-2.2) - Week 46: 139.6 (+0.8)
Week 47: 133.6 (-6) - Week 48: 132.4 (-1.2)
Week 49: 138.6 (+6.2) - Week 50: 138.4 (-0.2)
Week 51: 138.8 (+0.4) - Week 52: 139.4 (+0.6)
Week 53: 137.8 (-1.6) - Week 54: 139.4 (+1.6)
Week 55: 137.6 (-1.8) - Week 56: 136.4 (-1.2)
Week 57: 136.6 (+0.2) - Week 58:: 139.4 (+2.8)
Week 59: 136.6 (-2.8) - Week 60:: 134.6 (-2)
Total loss: -19.4

Ok, now to catch up on other numbers.

Calories eaten Thursday: 1420
Fat: 22g (14%)
Carbs: 118g (33%)
Protein: 150g (42%)
Weight Thursday morning: 128 (One week ago: 128.6)
Calories burned in exercise Thursday: 95

Calories eaten Friday: 1595
Fat: 26g (15%)
Carbs: 100g (25%)
Protein: 163g (42%)
Weight Friday morning: 127.4 (One week ago: 127.4)
Calories burned in exercise Friday: 170

Weight Saturday morning: 130.8 (One week ago: 130.6)
Calories burned in exercise Saturday: 133

Calories burned in exercise today: 452

Well, I finally saw my goal again. The last time I hit goal on my official weigh-in day was back in February when I had the flu. But when I got well again I had a huge rebound. :( Today I think I'm just dehydrated from too much wine yesterday. I actually woke up thirsty this morning and that's not normal for me.

I will show a big rebound next week (if I weigh-in at all) since it will be the Bay To Breakers race and I am carbing up on pizza and desserts the day before, and will be taking in lots of carbs before, during, and after the race.

Because of the possible dehydration and the weight I will gain next week, I am not changing my ticker. Still, it's good to see goal again, and I will get there for sure eventually.

It was an insane weekend. Friday I went to the dentist for x-rays, a check-up, and a cleaning. After the x-rays and check up they told me I had two new cavities and the filling was cracked on an old cavity. X-rays and check-up - $99. Three fillings - $405. I don't have that kind of money. Even with the reimbursement (which takes time), that's still $100 out of pocket.

I was still numb from the Novocaine and got out of the dentist so late (my appointment was at 2 pm and I got out at 5), but Brad and I still did some walking, just a shorter walk than I would have liked. We did about 1 hour and 15 minutes, then went to look at a couple apartments.

The first apartment was in a really bad section of town and some sort of police action was going on as we were leaving. Too bad because it was a nice apartment and a one bedroom instead of a studio. The bus service at night wasn't great and it would not have been safe for me to walk there from the nearest stop.

The second apartment we looked at is promising and in a better area. But the bus service at night is not great, and the apartment has no bathtub (just a shower) and not much storage space. There's a second unit opening in the building, so even if the first gets taken, a second will open right about the time I need to move. I'm putting this on the "maybe" list.

Saturday at church was a special Mother's Day potluck and there were brownies. I admit; I caved. I took a 1/2 brownie here and there and probably ate about four brownies total. :-p Oh well, pick yourself up and move on. After church Brad and I walked around the lake once, then Pay-Per-Viewed Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was an okay movie. Kinda lame, but a decent way to kill 90 minutes.

Today Brad picked me up and took me to the gym. I did one hour of upper body work - arms, shoulders, and back - then ran 31 minutes on the treadmill for a total of 3.01 miles. I walked to work from the train station.

I stopped at WalMart on the way to work for some drinks (Perrier, Diet Iced Tea) since it will be a long day and I will have to space out my food more than normal. I have overtime and will be at work until 3 a.m. Monday morning. My calories are a teeny bit over for the day, but with the long shift I am not stressing over it.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, fat, overweight, NutriSystem, weigh-in

Week 57 Weigh-In

Start: 154
Week 1: 150 (-4) - Week 2: 148.6 (-1.4)
Week 3: 146 (-2.6) - Week 4: 147.2 (+1.2)
Week 5: 145.6 (-1.6) - Week 6: 144 (-1.6)
Week 7: 143 (-1) - Week 8: 142.8 (-0.2)
Week 9: 143.6 (+0.8) - Week 10: 141.2 (-2.4)
Week 11: 143.8 (+2.6) - Week 12: 142.4 (-1.4)
Week 13: 142.4 (-0) - Week 14: 141.6 (-0.8)
Week 15: 139.4 (-2.2) - Week 16: 140 (+0.6)
Week 17: 139.2 (-0.8) - Week 18: 139 (-0.2)
Week 19: 138 (-1) - Week 20: 135.4 (-2.6)
Week 21: 137.2 (+1.8) - Week 22: 139.6 (+2.4)
Week 23: 143.2 (+3.6) - Week 24: 143.6 (+0.4)
Week 25: 137.6 (-6) - Week 26: 139.6 (+2)
Week 27: 142 (+2.4) - Week 28: 137.2 (-4.8)
Week 29: 137 (-0.2) - Week 30: 136.8 (-0.2)
Week 31: 142.2 (+5.4) - Week 32: 136.8 (-5.4)
Week 33: 137.8 (+1) - Week 34: 135.8 (-2)
Week 35: 137.6 (+1.8) - Week 36: 143.8 (+6.2)
Week 37: 142.8 (-1) - Week 38: 140 (-2.8)
Week 39: 142.4 (+2.4) - Week 40: 140.4 (-2)
Week 41: 139.6 (-0.8) - Week 42: 142 (+2.4)
Week 43: N/A - Week 44: 141 (-1)
Week 45: 138.8 (-2.2) - Week 46: 139.6 (+0.8)
Week 47: 133.6 (-6) - Week 48: 132.4 (-1.2)
Week 49: 138.6 (+6.2) - Week 50: 138.4 (-0.2)
Week 51: 138.8 (+0.4) - Week 52: 139.4 (+0.6)
Week 53: 137.8 (-1.6) - Week 54: 139.4 (+1.6)
Week 55: 137.6 (-1.8) - Week 56: 136.4 (-1.2)
Week 57: 136.6 (+0.2)
Total loss: -17.4

Ok, now to catch up on other numbers.

Calories eaten Thursday: 1412
Fat: 19g (12%)
Carbs: 135g (39%)
Protein: 135g (39%)
Weight Thursday morning: 129.6 (One week ago: 131.2)
Calories burned in exercise Thursday: 85

Calories eaten Friday: 1563
Fat: 22g (13%)
Carbs: 133g (34%)
Protein: 137g (35%)
Weight Friday morning: 129 (One week ago: 128.2)
Calories burned in exercise Friday: 226

Weight Saturday morning: 131.2 (One week ago: 132.2)
Calories burned in exercise Saturday: 130

Calories burned in exercise today: 456

Oh well - up 0.2 lbs. I attribute this to the two hot dogs I ate at the potluck yesterday - WITH buns, and cheese, sweet relish, and ketchup. BAD Victoria! I tried to undo the damage as much as possible by drinking a buttload of Crystal Light before bed, but alas, I am still up 0.2 lbs. from last week. Oh well. I'm still just 0.6 above my goal. I'll continue with my higher-carb diet and keep the calories under 1400 on workout days and under 1300 on non-workout days.

The weekend:
I worked overtime on Friday. It's my day off, but I worked a half shift. I walked from the train station to work that day, and after work Brad and I went around the Lake. Total distance - about 4.5 miles.

After church Saturday Brad and I did some shopping (well, I shopped, lol!). Brad needed to stop at a gas station and at the station I saw the Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr. Pepper. It turned out to be on sale so I bought every bottle they had! Across the street from the station was a shopping center with a GNC and a Payless shoes. I bought more whey protein at GNC and another pair of running shoes at Payless (I like to have two pairs at all times). My old shoes are pretty well done for so this new pair brings me up to two new pairs - badly needed.

Brad and I did the Lake again - 3 miles, then Pay-Per-Viewed I Am Legend. Pretty good movie.

Today I hit the gym again. Did one hour of upper body weight training - arms, lats, and back. I never got to abs. Also calf raises which I do every gym session. Then I ran on the treadmill - 3.02 miles in 31 minutes, starting at 5.2 mph and going as high as 6.5. I spent most of my time around 5.8 or 5.9. Great endorphin rush! I felt on top of the world, like I could do anything. :)

I had my protein and carb snack while waiting for the train, then walked to work from the train station. Total calories burned: 456.

I planned to hit the gym tomorrow and do my bi-monthly San Francisco trip on Tuesday, but I was offered overtime tomorrow (12 hour shift). That means I'll get only two gym sessions this week, but I really need the OT money. I'm also getting more overtime this Friday - another half shift on my day off.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, fat, overweight, Atkins, weigh-in

Obeying God

This Saturday really got me thinking about God and my own spiritual life.

First there was church. It was unusual. We had over 30 people (big for us), due mostly to people visiting family for the Thanksgiving holiday. Eric was there so we did two sets of praise songs instead of one set of hymns and one set of praise songs using Brent and Carla's worship CD. Live music! Oh yeah! There was something about Eric being there and the energy of more people than usual. I was on the end of a row closest to a set of windows. I couldn't help but stand up, move slightly off to the side, and truly worship, arms raised in the air. It was a wonderful feeling, one I haven't felt in a long time. I really felt praise and had to express it. I couldn't keep it in.

The sermon was about obeying God. Pastor Steve challenged us to find just one area of our lives where we struggled with obedience, and obey God in that. There's so many areas I hardly know where to start. I've slacked off not just on prayer (which is normal for me), but even on my daily devotional readings.

I also need to get more serious about obeying Him by not buying stuff on Sabbath. That means not going to Starbucks for coffee or breakfast sandwiches, and not eating out on Friday nights after sunset (like the days I give blood I go out to eat and binge).

These are just a few of the areas where I have trouble obeying Him, and yet I know I should obey.

Saturday night Brad and I Pay Per Viewed Evan Almighty. I was not disappointed. It was a good movie and was also about obeying God no matter what the consequences, or whether or not it makes sense. At the end of the movie you can see that God did know what he was doing and it all does make sense.

I liked Bruce Almighty which is why I wanted to see this movie. I highly recommend either. They are not anti-Christian in the least.

One thing I didn't realize until I recently read the synopsis on Bruce Almighty it that Bruce loses out to Evan Baxter for the anchor position at Channel 7 news. Yes, the same Evan! He has just a small part in Bruce Almighty where Bruce torments him with his new powers. Evan Almighty begins with Evan leaving his anchor position for the business world.

At any rate, Saturday's theme both at church and at home watching the movie was about obeying God. It's scary. God is calling me to a deeper relationship through obedience. I guess after more than 10 years I find it easier to trust Him, so the next step is obeying.

I don't even know where I'm going with this post, or if I'm going anywhere. I just needed to put down my thoughts on this and what God is trying to say to me.

What is God saying to you right now, trying to teach you? What does He want you to do for Him?

Technorati tagged: Bible, Baptist, God, Jesus, Christ, Christian, Christianity, church

Happy Reformation Day, and weight loss photos

Calories eaten yesterday: 1321
Fat: 34g (24%)
Carbs: 103g (33%)
Protein: 136g (43%)

Weight this morning: 132.2 (One week ago: 132.2)
Calories burned in exercise today: 100

I was real happy with my weight this morning until I saw that it was exactly the same as a week ago. :-p The bloat is going down a little though, so I am feeling a bit better about myself. It's still there, but not as bad as it was.

I had no money for groceries so I slept in today. I did need salad and cottage cheese though so I stopped at Pac N Save on my walk to work from the train and used my last $3 on salad and raided the quarter jar (need quarters for laundry) for $5 for the cottage cheese.

Back to the gym tomorrow.

Speaking of weight loss I've been putting together some before and after photos of my weight. Today I spotted the Polaroid of me taken right after I started working out. Other than my eyes being closed it's a good shot and really shows how heavy I was. So I took a picture of it. Here are two sets of befores and afters I put together. The "photo of the photo" is the first picture in the second set. Click the photos for a larger size.


August 9, 2003 - around 200 pounds and still gaining
September 7, 2007 - 132.4 pounds


February 24, 2004 (about 206)
August 1, 2007 (about 140)
I went from size 16W (like an 18) to size 8.
Since this is a Christian blog, instead of celebrating Halloween today, I'm celebrating Reformation Day. Wikipedia has this to say about it:

On this day in 1517, Martin Luther posted a proposal at the doors of a church in Wittenberg, Germany to debate the doctrine and practice of indulgences. This proposal is popularly known as the 95 Theses, which he nailed to the Castle Church doors. This was not an act of defiance or provocation as is sometimes thought...Also, the theses were written in Latin, the language of the church, and not in the vernacular.

Read the whole entry.

English translation of the 95 Theses and photo of original.

All I am doing for Halloween is wearing bunny ears, and of course I'm working.

We had an earthquake yesterday! It happened at 8:04 pm. I felt it and it lasted a really long time - it just rolled and rolled, not too much shaking. Here's the details from the USGS site. It reminded me of the Loma Prieta quake in 1989 except a much smaller magnitude. 5.6 is considered "moderate." The epicenter is a bit south from me and happened on the Calaveras fault.

I want to see the new movie Into the Wild! It's based on the book of the same name by Jon Krakauer. I loved the book (I highly recommend reading it!) so I definitely want to see the movie. Don't know if I will be able to see it in the theaters or not, but if not I will definitely catch it on Pay Per View.

Technorati tagged: diet, low fat, weight loss, health, exercise, obese, overweight, NutriSystem, Christian, movies, earthquake, Atkins

Over 150 :(

Calories eaten yesterday: 1736
Fat: 84g (46%)
Carbs: 49g (12%)
Protein: 163g (40%)

Calories burned in exercise today: 100

Went grocery shopping. My weight this morning was 152. That's a 10 pound gain from my goal weight and a 14 pound gain from my lowest weight. I'm now a size 10 once again trying to squeeze my fat tummy into size 8s. I need to get serious cutting back on the calories and fat and just try to keep my protein up. I bought turkey ham for breakfast instead of bacon, extra lean ground beef (7% fat), and chicken breasts.

When I got back home I cooked the lean ground beef I bought last week (10% fat), froze it, froze the extra lean ground beef I bought this week (still raw), and prepped the chicken breast. All I need to do is pop it in the oven when I get home.

I'll use up the food I have and then start eating the extra lean stuff.

I don't know why I'm gaining. You can look at my FitDay journal and see that for every day (except Saturday when I don't count) I am burning more than I'm eating. Even counting Saturday as 3000 calories I am still burning more than I am eating overall.

By the way, my journal can be accessed anytime in the sidebar on the right. Just look for this graphic and click on it.



Also take some time to peruse the other links in the sidebar. There's all sorts of stuff!

I am seriously considering NutriSystem. You can pick your own meals and they do have lower carb/higher protein options. Also, when it calls for a starch I could just sub in a protein instead - same number of calories per gram. Their idea of how much protein a person needs per day is, in my humble opinion, seriously deficient, especially for an active woman like me looking to lose fat rather than muscle.

This weekend after church we are going to Pastor Brent's house to see One Night with the King, the story of Esther. I haven't seen the movie and would like to so I'm going. The problem - it's also an ice cream party and there will be other carby snacks.

To keep myself away from the ice cream I am going to make the Dixie Diner donuts. High as hell in calories (due to being more fat than anything else), but it should keep me away from the high-carb, high-fat ice cream. The other option is the Atkins brownies, but they make me fart because of the sugar alcohols and I'm going to be around people. They would be a good choice otherwise. I may do both and then give the unused portion to Brad.

My only exercise was walking to work from the BART station, stopping at Pac N' Save for shredded cheese for the cauliflower "potatoes" I'm going to make this weekend. I'm going to make it with a half can cream soup and only a little cream cheese since I have to use the last half can of soup before it goes bad.

I also bought a glass bowl for mixing stuff. I only have one large bowl and I used it this morning to put the cooked ground beef in. I've needed another for ages. I'll use it tonight when I make up the cauliflower recipe, but I won't get a chance to actually bake the dish until later this week. Oh well, it's for Saturday so it's not like there's a big hurry. I'll make the donuts and/or brownies on Friday.

I finished pumping up the exercise ball last night. The ball-as-chair is working out okay but I definitely should have gotten the smaller ball (55cm instead of the 65cm ball I got). Oh well, it will still work.

I feel kind of sick today. I hope I'm not coming down with something. I guess I'll know when I wake up tomorrow! No matter what, I am going to Ash Wednesday services.

Today is Love Your Pet Day. I gave Xena and Abby wet food for breakfast before I even knew this. :) They are both doing well, by the way, and their fur is soooo soft on the high protein cat food I give them.

Technorati tagged: atkins, diet, atkins diet, low carb, weight loss, health, fitness, exercise, obese, overweight, fat

Day 7

Well, tomorrow is the Week 1 weigh-in on "the diet". I know I'll show a gain over my start weight of 144 due to behaving so badly on Saturday. I'll do better once I get past this Thursday and there's no more eating of meals that I didn't prepare.

I did well yesterday, with about 1642 calories and 50 carbs. Burned 279 calories at the gym, and logged over 10,000 steps total for the day. Even counting for the "steps" it counts when the bus bounces, it would still be over 10,000. This does count all my gym time, including my half hour on the crossramp elliptical and 20 minutes walking on the treadmill.

Click for original image.
Today was my bimonthly mail run into San Francisco, so I couldn't go to the gym. In fact, I won't make it to the gym the rest of the week. Tomorrow is voting day and my monthly meeting with Helen, Wednesday I have to do groceries because Thursday I'm having lunch with Pastor Ray, and Friday I hope to see The DaVinci Code movie since I am almost finished with the stupid book. That also will mess up my diet, though the theatre does have sugar free candy available. The sugar alcohols always make me gain weight. I could also take my own snacks in. It will make for higher calories, but I'll be able to track unless I go out to dinner at the mall where the theatre is - a distinct possiblity since they have so many restaurants there and many offer Atkins-friendly meals.

I did manage to walk the last leg to work today, so that's some exercise at least. Stopped at Starbucks and got a small coffee with sugar free vanilla syrup and did my Purpose Driven Life study. Only two more days left! Yay!

Got some money from my Dad, deposited it, and ordered three more months of medication from RxCareCanada.com. For 100 Celexa pills I'm only being charged $71.94, including shipping. It works out to 72 cents a pill - quite a deal as Celexa is a very expensive med. I could never afford my medication if I had to pay U.S. prices. This is the best med I've been on so far. I think it even works better than the Zoloft. I began Celexa December 6, 2004.

My Netrition.com order came today - extra virgin coconut oil (for baking), low-carb Big Train drink mix, five bottles of sugar-free BBQ sauce, and two Baja Bob's mixers: one for margaritas and one for pina coladas. Yum! Now I can have a low-carb pina colada anytime I want!

Technorati tagged: atkins, diet, atkins diet, low carb, weight loss, health, health and wellness, food, obesity, obese, overweight, fat, exercise, fitness, the-diet

My favorite movies

Found this cool toy on Diddiditwife's blog.

My favorite movies:

Create your own Movie List @ HotFreeLayouts!

Technorati tagged: Bible, movies, God, Jesus, Christ, Narnia, Passion of the Christ, religion, faith, movies, Star Trek, Star Wars, exorcism, Emily Rose, The Exorcism of Emily Rose

Dinner with Rob and Julie

Went out with Rob and Julie. We went to this little Mexican place. I didn't see anything I could eat at first, but I told the guy at the counter what I couldn't eat, and also asked if they had salad, and he was able to put together something I could eat - grilled shrimp and veggies, diced cucumber, tomatoes, and shredded lettuce, and sour cream and sliced avocado on the side. The guy at the counter asked if I was on Atkins and I said yes. He said his wife was on it.

Then we had to decide on a movie. Rob wanted to see King Kong, which I had no interest in and it was really long besides. We went to the video store and eventually decided on Corpse Bride. It was pretty good with a happy but sad ending that brought me to tears.

The Chronicles of Narnia, the movie opens!

The Chronicles of Narnia, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" opened today and I was there! It was a good movie. My biggest complaint is the same as my complaint with Lord of the Rings - they departed from the book when there was no reason to except to make the movie more exciting. Frankly, I'd rather have a more boring movie that stayed closer to the book. The one change I did like is when the Queen returns the day after killing Aslan (and having his mane shaved), she's wearing his mane hair around her shoulders. That was a nice touch.

The movie also practically skimmed over the "deeper magic" aspect when it was so big in the book. I felt this took away from the Christian meaning of the film, and the true meaning of the book. Lewis was writing Christian alagory.

All this said, the movie is worth seeing, and worth seeing on the big screen. It's PG, but don't take little kids. Some of the monsters would be really scary to them, and probably the big battle scene, too.

I hope Disney does more movies like this.

Here's my previous posts on the matter (will not open new window):
Narnia Quiz, May 3, 2005
brings explanation of my results on the Narnia Quiz, May 4, 2005
Two Pre-Screening Reviews, September 12, 2005
Moviefone web site with movie trailers, October 27, 2005
Official movie site and first sighting of commercials, November 21, 2005

More on Star Wars

Here's another quick link to another blog that talked about this film. It's a well-written review:

http://danc.nomadlife.org/2005/05/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-sith.aspx

More on Star Wars

Here's some thoughts from Brian on Anakin, the Chosen One, the Sith, and the Jedi.

From: Pendell1    4:14 am
To: Sapphire Princess (Newbirth) unread

Couple points. 

I actually think Anakin WAS the chosen one.  He was supposed to fulfill the role of Nebuchadnezzar. 

Read Jeremiah 25:15-26.   Isreal at the time was completely corrupt, and so were the surrounding nations.  So God appointed Nebuchadnezzar (the king of Sheschach, or Babylon, in the prophecy) to serve the cup of wrath to all the surrounding nations and to Isreal. And when all of them had drunk the cup to the dregs, the king of Babylon would drink it too. 

I see this as a perfect parallel to what the Jedi experienced at Anakin's hand. The Jedi, like ancient Isreal, were at the height of their power -- and they had a beautiful temple. But like the ancient Isrealites, they had lost their way.  In their fear of the dark side, they had allowed themselves to forget the true source of their power, which is compassion. Love. 

Because of this, they had lost touch with the true Light, and they became blinded.   They were no longer aware of the Sith's moves, having lost their foresight to delusion and ASSUMING they knew what the prophecy meant when it meant something else entirely. 

Weeds do not grow in a well-tended garden. The reason Palpatine was able to flourish in the senate and subvert the galaxy as he did was because the Jedi had neglected their watch, fallen asleep, grown complacent and confused. 

As Nebuchadnezzar was to Isreal, so Anakin was to the Jedi -- an instrument of violence to throw down the old, corrupted order and to make room for a new order of Jedi, the one starting with Luke.  One that would remember it's basic principles. One that would try to SAVE those in darkness (like Anakin), not destroy them.

This is a clue that Obi-wan and Yoda never quite latched onto.  Luke had a better sense of the force than they did, for Luke never lost sight of the potential for redemption in his father, and worked for his restoration to the Light. Obi-wan and Yoda had completely lost this faith, and not only advocated that Luke destroy this man, but that they deliberately lied to try to trick him into this choice!  

As I said, the old Order had completely lost it's moorings.   And so Anakin was appointed to be an instrument of wrath, clearing away the old detritus that the Jedi order could be reborn anew.    Darth Vader swept through the galaxy destroying all the Jedi, and he continued to do so until *every last Jedi* of the Old Order was destroyed.  Not until Obi-wan and Yoda were safely in their graves did Darth Vader at last die.  He couldn't. Because if the emperor had been overthrown *at any given point* before this had happened, the Old Order would have re-asserted itself, and it all would have been for nothing. 

When the last of the Old Order had died, the purpose of the Sith was completed.  Now that they had successfully served the cup of wrath to all the galaxy, the time had come for them to drink the cup they had served to so many others.  And so at last Luke had the power and the ability to conquer Vader -- not through the raw, naked force of the Dark Side, but by love and compassion drawing him back to the Light.   And so Anakin, who had been driven to the Dark by the Old Jedi's lack of compassion (remember Yoda's counsel to Anakin in the temple when he was afraid for his wife's death?  It still makes me burn with anger!)  was drawn back to the light by the compassion and love of the new.  He was at last empowered to break the dark servitude he had been enslaved in for decades,  and overthrow his hateful master.   So both the Emperor and Darth Vader died that day -- the one by annihilation of the body, the other by the free choice of Anakin Skywalker to kill that part of himself.

And so Anakin fulfilled the prophecy of bringing balance to the Force. Not only had he successfully destroyed all the Sith, but he also destroyed all the Jedi as well, leaving the galaxy free to become a Republic under the guidance of younger, wiser Jedi.

---

And more from the same person:

From: Pendell1    4:34 am 
To: Sapphire Princess (Newbirth) unread

Wanted to add one more thing. 

The novelization explains the whole "bring balance to the Force" thing. 

From the Jedi point of view,  the Dark Side always exists.  It's like a weed.   It doesn't matter whether the Jedi live or don't live. It doesn't matter if every Sith in the galaxy is dead -- still the Dark Side will flourish and grow again, because men (and aliens) are selfish, greedy, self-absorbed, self-centered. 

Evil always exists.  "Balance" happens when evil exists but is kept in check, by the government and by the Jedi.   If the galaxy is a garden, and weeds always exist, the garden is in balance when there are gardeners keeping the weeds in check, uprooting them so that healthy plants can live out their lives without being strangled or crowded out by self-seeking weeds.  There can be no better condition than "balance", because the utter eradication of evil cannot be brought about by human hands. It is part of human nature, and cannot die while humans live.

But when the instruments of Order THEMSELVES become weeds -- then the balance is decisively tipped to the dark.   When the gardeners pull up the healthy plants and allow weeds to grow, then the whole garden is in danger of becoming weeds.  The garden becomes a jungle.   This is what happened when the Sith took over. With the removal of the Jedi and the subversion of the Republic into an entity that actively fostered evil, the balance was badly upset.

Truth be told, the balance was ALREADY upset in Episode I.  The Republic was already fast becoming an agent of evil, due to it's corruption.  The Jedi, as I demonstrated in the last post, were nowhere near what they should have been in preventing the spread of evil.   The balance faltered, until it tipped so heavily that Republic became Empire, and the Jedi were destroyed. 

Anakin restored the balance not only by destroying the Emperor and the Sith, but also by destroying the Old Republic and the Jedi as well.

You see, it wasn't enough simply to kill the Emperor.  The Emperor (as we learn from the ROTJ novelization) was taking advantage of and furthering trends that already existed.  Even without Palpatine, The Old Republic was STILL corrupt and the Jedi were STILL blind.  Anakin had not only to destroy the Empire, but to destroy the CONDITIONS that had brought about the Empire in the first place. 

Had both Anakin and Palpatine died in Episode I, the Old Republic STILL would have become the Empire. It would just have taken longer.  It's corruption and the Jedi's blindness were great, and becoming greater. So great that sooner or later some evil man of power and purpose could take over the whole thing -- not because he was so strong, but because the immune system had utterly failed.  

Only when the last vestiges of the Old Republic were swept away in Ep. IV, and only when the last of the old Jedi had died in Ep. VI, was it possible for a New Republic and a New Jedi Order to arise, one that would start out far less corrupt than the old, and give the galaxy peace for another thousand years or so. For nothing mortal remains incorrupt.    

When this happened at last, the Sith had no more reason to exist. And so they were destroyed -- not by the power of Darkness, but by the power of Love and Compassion, two weapons that the Enemy does not understand at all, and thus cannot enter into his calculations.

That is why Palpatine died. He could not perceive compassion as anything but a weakness, and for all his foresight and his cunning and his immense power and his mighty battle station and the uncounted Imperial Navy he was undone because he simply could not perceive the real power and strength that lay in love. And so he was destroyed by a Father's love for his child.

---

Could Anakin be the Chosen One of the prophecy? What do you think?

Two more thoughts

Forgot one other thing about the movie. Buzz' post on Adam and Eve reminded me. The chancelor is like Satan and Anakin like Adam and Eve. Yoda specifically and the cousel as a whole are like God. Anakin's downfall was believing the lie that there is more, than the Jedi are holding something back from him, that they do not have his best interests at heart. Like Satan with Eve, the chancelor gets Anakin to doubt the goodness of the Jedis; he gets him to believe that they are trying to hold him back from his full potential.

And the Jedi were, because we all have the capacity for both great good and great evil, and they wanted to protect Anakin from that forbidden fruit; they wanted his to only use the force for good. Just as Adam and Eve knew about good AND evil after eating the fruit, so Anakin chose to believe the chancelor and learn about evil so that he would be more powerful than any Jedi before, just as Satan told Eve she would be "like God."

Last thought, and not sure how it relates to God. I'll take any of your guys' thoughts on the subject. When Anakin turns to the dark side, he starts thinking in black and white absolutes. Obi-Wan tells him that is how a Sith thinks. The Jedi see all sides of things and tend to mould their actions to each situation. They kill when they have to, and spare when they have to (something Anakin was terrible at - he *always* did the wrong thing, killing when she should have saved and saving when he should have killed). Jedi generally don't kill; they save lives, yet it would have been right to kill the chancelor. Anakin only sees in black and white. How does this relate to our faith as Christians, or does it?