Is it just my imagination, or is my refrigerator actually following me around at work now?
Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
What's the problem?
I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
What are you talking about, HAL?
The mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.
What a chilling horror movie THAT would be!
The Fridge From Hades....
(some folks call it Hell, I call it Hades....Mmm....reckon....)
Sorry about the poor-quality video, but this robot snuck up on me in the hospital. I barely had time to film it! These things run amok all over the place.
a beautiful scene? OR a public service announcement?
The perfect diet metaphor. You think it's one thing, but you step back, gain a new perspective, and you discover that it is something completely different!
Virtual Anime?
Virtual Insanity
Lyrics by Jamiroquai
It's a wonder man can eat at all
When things are big that should be small
Who can tell what magic spells we'll be doing for us...
I laughed about this for days. Really. Days. Friendo.
Sometimes, we all need a good, silly laugh.
"Sock Tube Presents" - these guys are really funny!
I posted my menu/food items list. I normally don't show a picture because my meals are about the same thing, every day. It's a pretty simple list. Mostly wholesome, minimally processed foods. With a few exceptions - I'm only a moderate purist!
Thank you all for your kind comments on yesterday's post!
It's been awhile since I've blogged about fasting and weight-loss results.
The picture with my finger on my chin is me "before."
The pictures with my mouth hanging open is from about 2 days ago when I blogged all night, and just happened to look up as the clock struck 3 am.!
For about 2 weeks now, I have maintained a 1000 calorie deficit.
It's been just too hot to cook. I still use the rebounder, and walk a little.
Most days, I eat a small meal and maybe a snack. And/or protein mix.
I eat when I am hungry, smaller portions. I am actually just now coming out of a 8 week stall! That's EIGHT WEEKS! I kid you not. Thank you very much!
I have also lost an 1/2 inch from my left forearm. That is the only place I consistently take my measurements. There's no cheating when you take it there. But my clothes tell the real story. No need for scales and tape measures, when your whole body weighs in "nay" or "YAY!"
I made only one single change, and my two-month plateau was broken overnight.
I switched from brown, caramel flavored diet drinks, to Diet Mountain Dew. One per day. So it wasn't the caffeine, or the artificial sweetener. Or any other anecdotal thing in The Universe. Some might speculate, but I think it was just ....
...It's just a phenomenon of LoCarbing-
or
lose it, without "losing it!" 35 pounds in 17 weeks is about 2 pounds a week, averaged.
When I first started blogging, there was this great video from Ms V.
Its pretty awesome to think about something other than eating or not-eating (or talking or not talking) from time to time! I really like to post videos. Especially now that I discovered how to change HTML!
If you, or anyone you know was out late last night, like maybe going to a concert, perhaps today you could sing this little song, and stay home! Just for one day. Stay home and blog!
This is They May Be Giants - Seven Days of the Week
It "should" be so easy. Do what works. Stop doing what obviously doesn't work. Or what hurts.
Losing weight (or getting healthy) might be like any long-term, worth-while project. Like saving money, or walking from coast to coast. It should be linear - predictable. With a few stops here and there to take in some points of interest. Or a change of plans now and again. Or to compensate for bad weather, flat tires, or just being tired.
And for the times that you make bad choices, simply do this - choose again.
Every minute is a chance to start over.
And learn through correction, not punishment.
There's no place for guilt and shame when you are a dedicated learner. Students are expected to make mistakes. Babies learn to walk by falling down a lot, and getting right back up. With a little help, encouragement and positive reinforcement. "You CAN do it!"
It seems hard to do because it is hard to do! It is not easy. If you think it's hard today, wait 'till you see tomorrow! Now is the time. It will never be easier than right now.
"I set this goal for myself. And for what ever reason. Why would I let anything in this world of time and space stop me? Or delay me? Or talk me out of it completely?"
Some say the real "lesson to be learned" is in the mind. And the body merely follows.
Perhaps it is all about Love. All you need is Love! Love, and let yourself be loved.
Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 mins a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.
4 mins later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the till and, without stopping, continued to walk.
6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
10 minutes:
A 3 year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly, as the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.
45 minutes:
The musician played. Only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32.
1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ....
How many other things are we missing? The End.
Also, today is a new blogger's 2nd day. Her name is Amy. Her blog is No To The Deuce. She actually wondered if anyone would read her blog. If you get a chance, maybe stop by and tell her that someone, somewhere really does "give a hoot!" Thanks!
This is the Beatles phooning. Abbey Road. They say that phooning is all the rage in Japan right now. Like I would know... I'm just now catching up to RPS! rock paper scissors...
As for me, I have managed to take almost one full week off, just chillaxin',cleaning,doingwhatneedstobedone. Boring, yes, but remember - I am involved in the Most Boring Summer Ever Challenge...I mean that in a good way. And I think I might take first place!
Something to brighten the day...a little ditty to get you singing... Chill with me?
I shall now force myself to look longingly at jelly donuts
This was hard for me to watch.
No one on a special diet - special needs - would go off without packing a lunch, completely unprepared, and hope it will all turn out ok, all on it's own. Like magic. We wouldn't sabotage the efforts of someone we really loved - why would we do it to ourselves?
Just one jelly donut, what could it hurt?
They say the first year or so of change is the hardest. Relearning long-term habits.
Is changing really too hard, or do I tell myself that to justify my excuses?
It's like being of two minds. Fully committed to goals that are diametrically opposed and mutually exclusive. Having your cake, and eating it all, too.
I see myself in a list of excuses - reasons - they all seem valid at the time.
What are some of your favorites? I'll bet I thought of them first!
Now playing at a theatre near you - widescreen, in 3 dimensions!
I just got back from a wonderful, two night Drum and Bugle Corp show. Not the kind of Bugles you eat, either. I always love these shows! I try to get my tickets on the front row. Months in advance.
When I was in college for a few years, I was a music major. I played percussion. I even marched in a corp one year.
My happy times on dietary ketosis just ended. I guess it's time to get off the very-low-calorie kick for a while! I was cryin' and carryin' on about how much I missed my former life as a musician.
I seem to remember that alot of college musicians go around hungry all the time. The "starving artist" thing. Kinda Bohemian. Milk crate furniture. Skinny by default. We literally practiced our butts off. Besides, "What do you do with a B.A. in English?" to quote Avenue Q!
I guess the grass is always greener... Or perhaps the Monsters are always greener!
This is a nod to yesterday's post about my induction story. If anyone who loves pics wishes to see more! Click the pic for a larger view. I actually HIKED these places. And the pictures tell a story - a pictorial Haiku!
A pseudo-haiku - emphasizing irony, satire, humor, and human foibles, with a reference to the seasons; autobiographical, and written in the form of a travel journal.
It has been 4 months since I went on the vacation that started it all. 2 months since I started blogging. Perhaps it IS time to share my story! If anyone wishes to read it...
In March 09, I drove from Dallas to California for an ACIM seminar. Taught by Ken Wapnick. Went to the ocean - typical California tourist stuff. Walking on the beach in Oceanside. Walking around every little town from Temecula to La Jolla!
All my life, I have never "gone on vacation!" I've gone places, but the Army doesn't count as vacation! I never weighed, but I was probably 205 pounds, or more. Some have estimated / calculated 225 or 230! I wore a size 24 and I'm 5'2". Do the math.
That spring, there was a late snow storm. Do you remember? As I neared the Grand Canyon (on the way home) it started to snow. 7,000 feet up and snow. "How pretty!" I thought, until the 70 mph winds started!
I finally got to a little fishing lodge in Marble City AZ. That's a link to the Cliff Dweller's Lodge. RV's were toppled over, fishing boats were capsized. People were stranded everywhere! The roads were closed, the power was out. Wifi and cell phones didn't work. No way to pump gas, or even buy anything unless you had cash. No cooking, either, because they couldn't run the vents in the kitchen. So I had hot tea, hard boiled eggs, beef jerky, and pistachios. And protein mix.
The next few days brought power back intermittently. There was an old propane wall furnace in the lodge. So it was cozy. During the day, I hiked through the Grand Canyon. Once for 3 hours. Hours, not miles!
When I finally could send a text out, my nurse friend wrote back that I had just gone through Atkins induction phase. The hardest part was over - why not go for it? And don't look back!
The stars at night were so close, it seems you could reach out and touch them. And so bright!
A few days later, I detoured through Sedona, AZ, hiking and bragging to some friends about "surviving" a massive snow storm. Did I mention hiking? Not quite up to Cathedral Rock...maybe next time!
Headed home, I got stuck again in Santa Fe, NM! Pretty good places to get stuck! There was electricity there, but the interstates were closed. I sludged through the narrow streets - another 2 days of mega hiking! I opted out of "tourist" food and stuck with the hard boiled eggs, hamburger patties, salads, and Atkins protein shakes. And Georgia O'Keeffe for days!
Finally, the storms were over and I headed for home. But NO! Route 66 was still closed. So I drove through Roswell, NM. (But no aliens!) And then to Carlsbad Caverns. And got my butt whipped by hiking there as well! Atkins protein shakes all the way.
When I got home, people thought I had gone for liposuction or a lap-band! "Right..." they said. "You go on *vacation* and come back sun-tanned and 15 pounds lighter! Uh-huh...sure!" ;) "Stranded," I told them, "But not banded!"
I was stuck and incommunicado for 5 days. What can you do when you can't do anything? The trip was an apt metaphor for my life. Stuck, bewildered, not in good shape, not knowing where, or how to start. Driving through the desert alone, just an ipod loaded with all kinds of music - Sara McLachlan, Loreena McKennitt, Jeff Johnson. It was a healing experience.
Next time I go, I want to go camping, maybe ride the mules, with no worries about weight restrictions! Maybe even rent a dog. Do they have a Rent-A-Dog? Well, they should!
And that's how I started Atkins! On a trip. Hence the name Carb Tripper. Plus I like The Beatles, and it's like Day Tripper.
Thanks for reading. Hope it wasn't too long or boring. :D Luv Ya!