Size 12 by St Patrick's Day!: February 2012

150.4 Come on, Under 150!

I have decided it is time to go ahead and lose these last few pounds. I will just bundle up if I am cold. Any day now I will be under 150! I made confectioner's sugar cookies yesterday. I got a little too carried away licking beaters and my hands after forming them. I gained .2 pounds. I should be able to drop that off and then some today.

Here is everything I ate yesterday:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
4 homemade peanut butter cookies
Raw carrot sticks and 2 tablespoons Parmesan spinach dip
Leftover baked chicken, onion and carrots
Confectioner's sugar cooky dough
3 Confectioner's sugar cookies

I had a cram jam full day yesterday and didn't walk. I substitute taught and then I drove over to my new writing client's house for an orientation meeting. I have another meeting there today to sign contracts.

I am promising myself I will walk at school today. I was not able to yesterday because they were so busy they had me sub in another room during the regular teacher's preparation period, when I usually walk. I did walk a little after school around the halls until the time I could leave. I can at least do that again.

By the time I got home it was dark, and I didn't feel safe walking on the ice and snow in the dark. It will probably be that way again today, so I am reminding myself now to take every opportunity to walk the halls at school.

150.2 Still Love Hippie Clothes

Funny thing is, Walmart is the place to go now, if you love hippie clothes. Especially in their juniors department. They have tie dies, paisleys and everything in between. They have those peasant shirts we used to wear in the 60s. They have pre-faded and pre-distressed jeans -- in stretch fabric though!

I went over there to try some clothes on for fun yesterday. These are size 9 jeans from Walmart's juniors dept and a size medium shirt. They are way too young for me. I won't buy them, but it was fun trying them on and having them fit. I do want to find some used size 9 jeans at the Good Will Store or The Salvation Army Thrift Store, though.

We didn't walk the dogs yesterday. I walked all over Walmart and I walked round and round inside the school building during the regular teacher's preparation period.

Here is everything I ate yesterday and was able to lose 1.2 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
3 homemade peanut butter cookies
20 almonds
Raw carrot sticks and 2 tablespoons Parmesan spinach dip
Leftover baked chicken, onion and carrots
3 homemade peanut butter cookies

151.4 Cupcakes and Maple Bars

I ate a little bit of dessert at all three meals yesterday and still lost .6 pounds. We walked to church because the roads were icy and it was only a mile. Some nice folks insisted on giving us a ride home, and so I had time to motor over to our other church and attend a baby shower.

The first church always has donuts out, and I walked there so I felt I had earned a maple bar. There were cupcakes at the baby shower. I resisted until the very end when a well-meaning lady asked didn't I get any of the treats and brought me one for myself and one to take home to Scott. Mine was yellow with lemon filling. Scott's was chocolate with raspberry filling.

In the late afternoon we walked the dogs another half mile in the ice and snow. After dinner, Scott gave me the raspberry filling portion of his cupcake. He didn't like the filling.

Here is everything I ate yesterday and still lost .6 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
Raw carrot sticks and 2 tablespoons Parmesan spinach dip
Maple bar
Lemon cupcake
Baked chicken, onions and carrots
Raspberry filling from a chocolate cupcake

If you told me a year ago I could eat like this and still lose weight I would not have believed you!

152 Do I look like a kindergartener in my Easter dress?

I lost .6 pounds yesterday and now weigh 152.0. In this size 18 silk Easter dress I bought five years ago, I think I look like I am 5 years old! Is it as bad as that, or should I wear it?

I guess I could alter the dress, but I am reluctant to take needle to silk. At right you can see where I would tack in at the waist, if I altered the dress. I think I would find a coordinating color of embroidery thread and tack by hand.

My client interview at Starbucks yesterday went really well! I have a bunch of new writing projects to work on. I drank a small skinny caramel latte, which is sugar free caramel syrup in espresso with skim milk.

We walked the dogs a mile in half a foot of snow yesterday. I got a cramp in my right hip, so we headed home. Our power was out for eight hours, from 11:30 am till 7:30 pm. We have two Coleman camp stoves (our old one and our new one), but we ate cold food for lunch and dinner yesterday. Once it got dark, it was tempting to just go to bed, it was so dark. We played Snakes and Ladders and Parchisi by flashlight, though. That was kind of fun.

Here is everything I ate yesterday and lost .6 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
Starbucks skinny caramel latte
Cold ham steak, cold canned green beans
Cold ham steak, thawed frozen stir fry vegetable mix

152.6 Starbucks Interview Outfit

This is what I am wearing to Starbucks this morning to interview a new client for my freelance writing business. These pants are paper thin linen, so I have long johns on underneath. They are size 10 and downright baggy, except in the waist. I'll order a skinny version of whatever Starbucks drink I get.

We walked the dogs two miles in the park yesterday. I also walked round and round the school halls during the regular teacher's preparation period.

Here is what I ate yesterday and was able to maintain my weight exactly, no gain and no loss:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
Raw carrot sticks with 2 tablespoons Parmesan spinach dip
3 Peanut butter cookies
Slice of lemon meringue pie after school with other teachers
Plus 4 mini vanilla cupcakes with chocolate icing
Salmon patty and microwaved frozen stir fry vegetable mix

I wore this same outfit to school yesterday. I was cold after sitting still for a whole class period. I had to keep getting up and walking around just to get warm. This is an Angora sweater and I do have on long johns under the slacks. I was inside, so it surprises me that I got cold. I wore a parka over this while I was outside.

I am sure I get cold just because I am not used to being skinny. I am used to having a thick coat of fat on all the time. Fat is insulation that apparently works really well. I guess I will just have to bundle up more until it really is spring and the weather gets warmer.

152.6 Old St Patrick's Dress Fits!

Here is my old St Patrick's Day dress that once again fits! I bought it at Express in 1989, right before I started substitute teaching. It is size medium (8/10). It was even bigger in the waist before I took it in. It is a modern Victorian style dress with covered buttons up the back and elaborate sleeves. It is wrinkled from being in a box for 10 years.

The last time I remember wearing it was to sub on St Patrick's Day at Forks High School in 1997. One of the students said it was cool that my name was Mrs Kelley and I was wearing Kelley green. Ever since then, I have written my name on the white board in green dry erase marker.

I walked my dog 2 miles in the park yesterday. I lost 1.2 pounds of water weight that I had gained from that Marie Callender's frozen dinner on Wednesday. I still have 1.4 pounds of that to lose.

Here is all I ate yesterday and lost 1.2 pounds (which was probably water weight from eating too much sodium the day before):

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and organic soy milk
Three scrambled eggs with fried mushrooms and red bell peppers
Cajun breaded oven fried trout, steamed frozen stir fry vegetable mix
One Nature Valley Oats N Dark Chocolate granola bar
4 Hershey Drops

I am so glad we did not buy the huge box of 96 of those Nature Valley Oats N Dark Chocolate granola bars. We could not taste the chocolate in them. It was very disappointing. I had to have the Hershey Drops afterward just to calm my disappointment.

153.8 St Patrick's Day Dress Returned

I boxed up my lovely St Patrick's Day dress and returned it to Roaman's yesterday. It was way too big! I indicated that, and wrote a note asking if they could send me a catalog with sizes 8, 9, 10, for the exchange. It had been more than 90 days, too long for me to get a refund, so I can only order something else.

[Edited months later to add: Roaman's gave me a gift certificate code to use on their site to order something else. I ordered something much cheaper than the $130 I had spent on the St Patrick's Day dress. They sent me the difference by check. I spent the difference at thrift stores and bought a whole summer wardrobe!]

Here I am in one of the ladies size large cotton turtlenecks I bought last fall. Look how large the collar is around my now tiny neck!

I ate a Marie Callender's frozen dinner last night, to the tune of almost a gram of sodium, 985 mg. Here's hoping most of the 2.6 pounds I gained yesterday is water retention from eating so much sodium. That said, I did eat quite a few peanut butter cookies, too.

I subbed yesterday, and I walked round and round the school during the regular teacher's preparation period. Scott and I also walked the dogs half a mile in the park. In all, I walked at least a mile. Yes, I need to calibrate and use my pedometer.

Here is everything I ate yesterday, and gained 2.6 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries, and vanilla soy milk
About 2 dozen peanut butter cookies
Raw carrot sticks and 2 tablespoons Parmesan spinach dip
12 almonds
Marie Callender's frozen Honey Roasted Turkey Breast dinner

151.2 The Cookie Diet?

I lost .6 pounds yesterday eating cookies and Pop Tarts. It is almost frightening. Once I reach my goal, am I going to have trouble keeping my weight up? I was only trying to maintain, not to lose.

Thank God, the weather finally has turned and is in the 40s with rain instead of the 30s with snow. I no longer feel cold all the time or have chills from being thin.

I am losing weight on this indulgent keep trim eating, though, so I figure why not continue with it. I mentioned before that in the 1970s I had heard of The Cookie Diet. I never went on it or looked into what it consisted of, but it seems that now I am on it, heh!

We walked the dogs two miles yesterday. I made peanut butter cookies. Here is a picture of a few of them.

Here is all I ate yesterday and lost .6 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
2 Brown sugar cinnamon Pop Tarts
Baked chicken, onion and carrots
4 Hershey Drops
Leftover chicken, onion and carrots
6 homemade peanut butter cookies

Well, I just looked up how the real cookie diets work, and I am not on one of them! They make "cookies" out of meals. They manufacture cookies that are really made of stuff that is good for you. You just grab one of their cookies whenever you feel hungry, instead of having to plan a meal. I am eating real cookies, and still losing weight. My way is better, Sanford Siegal! (Well, OK, Dr Tarnower's way is better.)

151.8 Losing Weight Getting Easier

Explain to me how I am still losing weight! I ate bacon and bacon grease yesterday, as well as a Pop Tart and a full serving of Hershey's Drops. I lost .4 pounds! I am not complaining, but I wish it had always been this easy to lose weight! Here I am on keep trim eating, taking it easy until the weather warms up, and losing weight almost without effort!

In total, I have lost 88.2 pounds. I started at 240 in May of 2011.

I can see now that the hard part will be when I am out of weight to lose and I need to maintain exactly. Good thing there is a 5 pound leeway built into my plan. My goal is 145 so that even if I am over a bit I should weigh in at under 150. I am getting so close to my weight loss goal!

Here I am showing yet another ladies size medium shirt that I loved, last time we went shopping. If it weren't winter with the threat of icy roads I would probably be out trying on clothes all day and all night whenever I didn't work, heh!

We walked the dogs two miles in the park yesterday.

Here is everything I ate and still lost .4 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
1 Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tart
Half a piece of bacon
Eggs scrambled in bacon grease with fried onion, red bell pepper and mushrooms
Baked chicken, onion and carrots
15 Hershey's Drops

152.2 Lobster Ravioli and Homemade Pesto Sauce

We finally broke out this lobster ravioli for dinner last night. I made pesto sauce and steamed veggies to go with it. Yum! It was a great dinner!

Pesto sauce is really easy to make at home. I buy dried Basil leaves in bulk at Costco for really cheap. I get a small bottle of olive oil and a small jar of wet ground garlic at the grocery store. I mix two parts olive oil to one part each of wet ground garlic and dry measure Basil. That's it!

We bought the lobster ravioli pre-made at Costco. We still have another tub in the freezer. Lobster is too rich for me, eaten on its own, but it tasted great inside pasta.

I lost .4 pounds yesterday without even trying. My activity level was high, though. I sang at church. We walked the dogs 1.3 miles.

A guy at church shared that he had been bedridden the last 5 weeks and the doctor just figured out he is diabetic. There was nothing to eat but sweets at coffee hour, so I gave the guy some of my carrot sticks and one of my Diet Cokes. It felt so good to be able to help this guy out. He commented that he had cut carrots out of his diet because he mistakenly thought they converted immediately to sugar, but then he found out it is corn that does that. I told him peas convert immediately to sugar as well, based on Dr Tarnower's book about The Scarsdale Medical Diet.

I ate all this yesterday and still lost .4 pounds on keep trim eating, without really trying:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
Raw carrot sticks, 2 tablespoons Parmesan spinach dip
1 frosted soft sugar cookie at church coffee hour
6 lobster ravioli, 1 tablespoon homemade pesto, steamed Kirkland frozen stir fry veggie mix
8 Hershey's Drops

152.6 My New Sweaters Fit!

Here I am in one of the women's size medium preppy argyle sweaters I bought last November. They fit! I am so happy! I will be wearing this outfit to teach high school freshmen science on Tuesday.

Yesterday started out as a diet day, but:

1) The Costco samples smelled way too good, and

2) I get cold easily now. I am thinking maybe I will hold on to these extra 7 pounds until the weather warms up a little. I am really cold and shivering whenever we go outside. My hands stay cold even inside my gloves. My body has not yet adjusted to being this thin, in the cold weather.

Here is what I ate yesterday and was able to maintain my weight perfectly at 152.6:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk

Scrambled eggs with garlic salt, fried red pepper and fried mushrooms -- no fat nor oil used in preparation

Costco samples: boneless skinless chicken breast marinaded in Korean spices and fried in Pam, chicken veggie patty, popcorn pepper shrimp fried in spicy sauce with stir fry veggies, raspberry scone

Sliced cucumber with balsamic vinegar, ham steak

I tried to tell myself those Costco samples had been my dinner, but I was really hungry after being outside in the cold. That is part of why I think holding on to these extra 7 pounds might be a good idea until spring when it starts getting warmer.

Spring is close. The birds are already singing in the trees outside our back door, whenever I let the dogs out to do their business.

152.6 Alternating Diet Days and Keep Trim Days

I subbed yesterday. One of the lunch ladies offered me a free hot ham sandwich after I had already eaten my carrots and Parmesan dip. It sounded so good that I accepted. I had 5 minutes left and I gobbled most of it down. This morning after my ham sandwich indulgence, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had lost a whole pound!

My guess is that consecutive diet days cause a weight loss plateau. I am going to try alternating diet days with keep trim eating days, and see if that speeds up my weight loss. I only have 7.6 more pounds to lose!

Here I am wearing a tank top from the juniors department, juniors size large. We were shopping last night for new tire chains. Ours are rusted. We bought the type we wanted and tried them on our truck in the parking lot, but they didn't fit. Meanwhile, the sun had set and it had gotten very cold outside.

In all, I think we walked more than a mile, in the parking lot and inside Wal-mart. We took this picture toward the beginning of our trip, while we were still smiling, heh!

Scott tried again to talk me into stopping at my current weight. "You are skinny enough already," he told me. I think he might be worried that I have anorexia. I promised him I will stop losing weight when I reach my goal of 145. I calmly explained that I am aiming for a body mass index of 22, which is supposed to be the healthiest. He wasn't convinced.

I also explained: I want to weigh in at less than 150. If my goal is 145 I will have 5 pounds leeway for Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthday parties and other feasts. I also explained that at the doctor's office they weigh me with my clothes on, so that 5 pounds leeway should make me still weigh in at under 150. The 5 pounds leeway for feasts seemed to soothe his worries.

I ate all this yesterday and still lost a pound, along with walking around the high school where I subbed and walking about a mile inside Wal-mart and in the parking lot:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
raw carrot sticks and Parmesan spinach dip
Hot ham and American cheese sandwich on a six-inch French roll
8.5 oz Healthy Choice Ravioli Florentine Marinara frozen dinner (230 calories)

153.6 Quick Post, Gotta Run to Work

I lost 1.4 pounds yesterday! We walked the dogs two miles in the ice and snow. I subbed, which means I walked extra at school. Here is what I ate:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
raw carrot sticks and 2 tablespoons Parmesan spinach dip
Leftover baked chicken, onion and carrots

The hot dog I ate at the snow cookout the other night made me feel bloated with gas all the next day. I guess hot dogs are off my menu.

155.0 Diet Day 2

I always pack a lunch, for work. This started because substitutes often have trouble getting school lunches. We don't know where to go or who to ask. Also, school lunches are unpredictable. One day it might be chef's salad or something else good, but the next day it might be greasy. It's also cheaper to pack my lunch than to buy it off campus.

Now that I am losing weight, I am really happy that I got into the habit of packing my lunch. There is just no comparison, calorie-wise, between my packed lunch of carrot sticks or leftover baked chicken and the school's bread and cheese heavy offerings.

I had walked about a third of a mile yesterday when a loose dog attacked my dog. Blessedly, this happened through a fence. There was a gap in the fence up ahead, though, and the dog could have gotten to me. Something told me to walk back the way I had come, and I was able to get away. I called animal control as soon as I was safe.

Here is all I ate yesterday and lost .4 pounds with just a 1/3 mile walk:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and organic soy milk
Leftover baked chicken, onions and carrots
Hamburger patty, 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce, steamed frozen stir fry vegetables

155.4 Snow Cookout!

Well, yesterday turned out not to be a diet day after all, but it was a terrific Valentine's Day! The kids pointed out it was snowing around the end of 5th period. Scott and I had previously decided to have a snow cookout in the park the next time it snowed, and we did!

We got the granny cart he uses for fishing and filled it with charcoal briquettes, lighter fluid, a lighter, tin foil, hot dogs, buns, ketchup, mustard, relish, plates, cups, hot tea in a thermos, napkins, spoons, sugar, and tongs. He pushed the cart through the snow and I slung our lawn chairs over my shoulder like skis -- and we walked to the park in the snow and had a cookout! Putting the fire out with snow was fun, too!

Earlier, we walked the dogs two miles in the park in the snow. I also walk around quite a bit whenever I sub.

OK, so it was Valentine's Day at a high school. The secretary had Dove chocolates out for the subs. One of the teachers had dipped pretzels in white chocolate and covered them with red sprinkles. I ate eight candied pretzels and three Dove chocolates! So good, and I still lost .2 pounds. Here is all I ate yesterday:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
3 Dove dark chocolates
8 candied pretzels
raw carrot sticks with 2 tablespoons Parmesan spinach dip
hot dog on a bun with mustard and relish

155.6 Iron Jeans Retailers?

While searching for Iron Jeans retailers I found the website of the brand's publisher, Mark Rangel. I wrote to Mark and asked him if these jeans are still in production and if any retailers carry them. Perhaps Mark will write back.

I was disturbed to find several auction sites that listed Iron Jeans buttons and rivets for sale. Alibaba.com lists several manufacturers of Iron Jeans hardware. Bizrate comes up in a search for Iron Jeans, but it no longer lists any for sale. A helpful soul at Yahoo! Answers suggests that Hot Topic sells Iron Jeans, but none are listed on their website. If you know any retailers who sell Iron Jeans or have details on why we can't buy Iron Jeans anymore, please let me know.

I got my Iron Jeans corduroys used, and I love them. I would buy three or four more pair if I could find an Iron Jeans retailer. Their logo is cool looking and the jeans fit well and flatter. I am thrilled to be wearing size 32 x 32 jeans, too! I washed these yesterday and they have tightened up a bit, but they still fit.

Scott told me last night he would be happy if I stayed at 156 pounds. I explained I am aiming for a body mass index right between 19 and 25, where medicine indicates I will be healthiest. I am losing this weight primarily for my health, but being able to fit into cool skinny jeans is a fun side benefit.

We walked the dogs two miles yesterday. Here is what I ate and still lost .8 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
Ham steak fried without fat, steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots
Baked chicken, onion and carrots
4 Hershey Drops
--------------------------------------------------------------

Guide to Thousands of Unlisted Job Openings in the US!

Do you know anyone who is over 40 and has a college degree, but no job? I wrote this book for them. Tell them about it, or better yet, buy them a copy. Turnover is high in these jobs, so there are almost always openings. With this guide, a substitute can do the job so well they actually like it. I do.

I hope they will at least "look inside" the high school substitute teacher's guide I wrote. The free book sample you get by "looking inside" tells you not only how to get a job as a substitute teacher, but also my qualifications to write the book: my education and detailed substitute teaching work history (since 1989).

This book is available in paperback, in Kindle mobi format at Amazon, in Nook format at Barnes and Noble, and in any other format you could possibly need through Smashwords.

156.4 Diet Day 1 of 13

I lost .4 pounds yesterday, even eating cold cuts, cake and a roll at our church's annual meeting. We did walk the dogs two miles in the park. Here is all I ate and still lost .4 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and organic soy milk
Roll with two hunks of roast turkey and two small slices of cheddar cheese
Handful of baby carrots
Tablespoon of ranch dressing
Slice of red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, Scott's frosting
Salmon patty
Steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

We walked about an hour after eating the cake and roll, and I'm sure that made all the difference. It was in the high 40s F and felt almost warm, compared with the freezing weather we had in December and January.

One of our dogs had a seizure yesterday and gave us quite a scare. He seems to be OK now.

I tried on the two pairs of size 10 jeans I couldn't wear before, this morning. They fit, although the one pair is still quite snug at the waist. I need to do more crunches and get a flatter tummy. My seat is slimmer than it has been in 25 years. That is usually my block to clothes fitting. My tummy was small all my youth and I never thought about it. I guess a tummy is what I get for living into my late 40s. I'll take it.

I have discovered that recliner crunches are painless! Crunches are easy and painless when I do them in the easy chair. I just read my book and make as if I am getting up every few seconds, but don't quite get up.

Here are links to days when I lost a pound or more on my diet, so that you can see what I ate and how much exercise it took on a day when I:

156.8 Valentine Banquet Picture with Scott

There were 27 of us at the Valentine's Banquet and we all had a great time. It was a buffet. I stuck pretty closely to the keep trim eating rules, but I did have dessert. After dinner we had a sermon, a song and a numbered gift exchange. Someone was nice enough to take this picture of Scott and me together.

The numbered gift exchange was a fun addition to this Valentine's Day party. We did not do a white elephant where you can steal each other's gifts. We just each brought a gift that got numbered as we set it down. There were numbers at our places that determined which gifts we brought.

The only wrench in those works was some gifts were meant for a certain sex. The giver would call out if the host was about to give a boy gift to a girl or a girl gift to a boy. The host would set that gift aside and get back to that person once a sex appropriate gift had been set aside. The host brought two extra gifts just in case.

We were at Walmart again yesterday a few hours before the party, buying those gifts. I bought a potted mini rose plant in a cute ladybug pot. Scott bought a water proof box. There was a limit of $6 on each gift. I received a gift card for a local coffee house. Scott received a pocket knife.

We did not get to our walk in the park with the dogs yesterday. We were going to and then we remembered we had to shop for those gifts. Here is all I ate yesterday and only gained .4 pounds, even without walking:

(I slept through breakfast.)
Healthy Choice Golden Roasted Turkey Breast frozen dinner (280 calories, 500 mg sodium)
1/4 plate medium grilled steak
1/4 plate cucumber salad pre-dressed with oil and vinegar
1/2 plate cooked broccoli, cauliflower and carrots
6 breaded fried ochra
Dessert bowl full of shortcake and cherry pie filling
From Scott's plate:
bite of mashed potatoes and gravy
bite of brownie
bite of fudge

156.4 Breaking Dawn DVD Walmart Bella's Wedding Edition

Look at all the swag I got last night at Walmart's DVD movie release party for "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1"! I am a huge fan of all Kristen Stewart's movies, so I really enjoyed being with other fans. We watched the movie and they gave us a trivia quiz, cupcakes, punch and swag! And sold us the DVD.

I bought Walmart's special Bella's Wedding edition two DVD set. It comes with this cloth poster of Bella and Edward in their wedding clothes and includes: Breaking Dawn, director Bill Condon's commentary, a six part documentary on making the film, Bella and Edward's personal wedding video, Jacob's Destiny commentary by Taylor Lautner, jump to Jacob or Edward, and four music videos.

The music videos on Walmart's white Breaking Dawn DVD are: Bruno Mars "It Will Rain," Christina Perri "A Thousand Years," Iron & Wine "Flightless Bird, American Mouth," and The Belle Brigade "I Didn't Mean It." I am happy to have a copy of "Flightless Bird." Kristen Stewart picked it out to be the song Edward and Bella dance to at Bella's prom. She says so in her commentary on the Twilight DVD.

I lost 1.4 pounds yesterday, even though I ate a scrumptious cream-cheese frosted cupcake. Wow, was it good! It was supposed to be a piece of Bella Swan's wedding cake, but I guess cupcakes were easier. The two pounds I gained at the ladies' Valentine's Day luncheon the day before must have been mostly water retention from too much salt.

We walked the dogs two miles in the park, and then we walked all over Walmart and the parking lot. Scott ate dinner at Panda Express. I accompanied him and just had a diet green tea. Well, I also picked all the carrots out of his fried rice.

The temptation to eat more than one cupcake was there, for sure. They were really good, though, and oddly that helped me resist having more. I could still taste the moist cake and the yummy cream cheese frosting for a good while after I had eaten it, and it was actually quite filling. I guess that cupcake was my breakfast this morning, because I slept until lunch time, once I finally got to sleep. We didn't get home until 1 am.

Here is all I ate yesterday and lost 1.4 pounds, probably mostly water weight:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
Raw carrot sticks and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan spinach dip
Leftover baked chicken, onions and carrots
--------About 1 tablespoon of highly salted carrots from Scott's fried rice
--------One bite of fried cream cheese rangoon
--------One moist white cupcake with lots of cream cheese icing
--------------------------------------------------------------

Guide to Thousands of Unlisted Job Openings in the US!

Do you know anyone who is over 40 and has a college degree, but no job? I wrote this book for them. Tell them about it, or better yet, buy them a copy. Turnover is high in these jobs, so there are almost always openings. With this guide, a substitute can do the job so well they actually like it. I do.

I hope you will at least "look inside" the high school substitute teacher's guide I wrote. The free book sample you get by "looking inside" tells you not only how to get a job as a substitute teacher, but also my qualifications to write the book: my education and detailed substitute teaching work history (since 1989).

This book is available in paperback, in Kindle mobi format at Amazon, in Nook format at Barnes and Noble, and in any other format you could possibly need through Smashwords.

157.8 GAINED 2.2 Pounds Yesterday

I took a day off for a planned cheat on my diet yesterday for the ladies' Valentine's Banquet. Here is all I ate and GAINED 2.2 pounds, even though I walked 3+ miles:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and soy milk
7 Hershey's Drops

Salad plate full of cantaloupe, red grapes, and fresh pineapple
Tuna salad sandwich on thick wheat bread
Small chocolate heart

1 Costco combo slice of pizza

I was just trying to maintain, but I am amazed I gained two plus pounds. What an eye opener. I took it easy on the chocolate, but the fruit, bread and pizza crust snuck up on me. The fruit was by far the most enjoyable thing I ate yesterday.

Today will be a diet day, and half of tomorrow. Tomorrow evening we have a couples' Valentine's Banquet to attend. I guess I can only have one "normal" meal per day, if I want to keep my new trim figure.

Mom, I used the money you paid me for doing your resume to buy the outfit in this picture yesterday. The sweater set is size medium Spring Mercer and the pants are size 10 Gloria Vanderbilt. I got it all at Costco. I also got some Levi's, but although they did fit, they were way too young for me. I will return them.

155.6 Keep Trim Day 1 of 6

Here is a picture of the Baked chicken, onion and carrots I eat so often. It is one of the easiest recipes I have ever made:

I buy everything at Costco. I get the chicken boneless and skinless in one pound packages, 6 to a bundle. I like the breasts the best, but the thighs work just as well. I buy the big bag of baby carrots, already skinned.

I pour a bunch of baby carrots into the bottom of a covered casserole, rinse and dump the chicken on top and cover it with sliced onion. I bake it covered for an hour at 400F and voila! The chicken comes out tender and moist. The vegetables and the chicken each flavor the other. [Edited later to add: I like it even better with Brussels sprouts added in with the carrots on the bottom.]

We walked the dogs two miles in the park yesterday, in the falling snow. It didn't stick. I lost .6 pounds yesterday.

I am taking 6 keep trim days around all the Valentine's Day activities on my calendar. I am going to a ladies' luncheon today at a nursing home, through one of my churches. I am wearing two hand me down clothing items from before Mom got down to size 6: the size medium purple velour sweater and the size 10 silver linen slacks.

Here is all I ate yesterday and lost .6 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and soy milk
Leftover baked chicken, onion and carrots
Hamburger patty, 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce, steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

156.2 I lost my pound yesterday!

We practiced our shooting yesterday on milk jugs filled with water, out here in Bureau of Land Management territory. I hit a jug dead center on my first shot, and then missed on the whole rest of my clip. Scott took this picture of me as I was untangling my hair from all the head wear, even though it had been in a pony tail.

I walked up and down those hills I don't know how many times, carrying jugs of water half the time. After we were done shooting, we brought the dogs in there and collected brass bullet shells and aluminum cans for some recycling money. I wish I had worn my pedometer, but then again this was up and down hills, so it would not have done my exercise justice.

I wore my new red men's size medium snow pants because the wind was up and it was FREEZING! Not literally, but 48 degrees can feel like freezing when there is an icy wind. I have the red coat to match these red pants. Aren't they hot? They make me feel like a hockey player. They make my hips disappear, so when I'm all bundled up you can't even tell I'm a girl.

It felt warmer inside the canyon with the sun on us, downright comfy in fact. Shooting will be easier in summer when we don't need to bring all this cold weather gear.

Here is what I ate yesterday and lost a pound, along with walking all over these hills shooting and picking up brass:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk

Raw carrot sticks and 2 tablespoons Parmesan spinach artichoke dip

Baked chicken, onions and carrots

Added months later: Here are links to some more days when I lost a pound or more on my diet:

157.2

I taught in the fawn corduroys and Mom's hand-me-down powder blue sweater yesterday. It was an effective outfit. The sweater made me look like enough of an adult that the cords were not a problem, heh!

We walked the dogs two miles in the park yesterday. I had been on my feet most of the day at school -- and my ankles were not sore! It is much easier for my ankles to support 157.2 pounds all day than it was for them to support 240 pounds all day. Part of me is angry that I didn't do this years ago. Most of me is thankful that I finally am losing weight.

I really don't know why I didn't lose any weight yesterday. I did cheat a little. I ate two Hershey's Drops after dinner, for a total of 16 calories. I don't think that could have sabotaged my whole day?

Here is all I ate yesterday, and stayed on a weight loss plateau:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and soy milk
Cup of raw carrot sticks and two tablespoons of Parmesan spinach dip
3 eggs scrambled with garlic salt, ham, red pepper and mushrooms -- no fat used in preparation
2 Hershey's Drops

157.2 Diet Day 6 of 8 or 10

Most of losing weight is cooking from scratch instead of eating prepared meals loaded with sodium. (Just as you told me, Mom.) Scott took this picture of me cooking yesterday. I was making scrambled eggs with ham and veggies for our lunch after church. I put a few teaspoons of garlic salt in the eggs before I cooked them, and boy did they taste good!

There might be 8 or 10 diet days in this cycle. It depends if I get called in to substitute teach on Thursday or not. If I don't, I will attend a Ladies' Valentine Luncheon at one of our churches. I will put myself on keep trim eating instead of the diet, if I attend.

We confirmed yesterday that the other church's evening couples Valentine Banquet is this coming Saturday night at 6 pm. I am so excited! I plan on wearing these fawn colored corduroy pants with the purple velour top that has the lace waist and sleeves. I posted a picture of me in it at McDonald's a few days ago.

We walked the dogs two miles in the park yesterday. Here is what I ate and lost .6 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and organic soy milk
3 scrambled eggs with ham, mushrooms and red peppers
Salmon patty, steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

157.8 Cheated Yesterday

Scott and I went to a car auction in Idaho yesterday. I brought a lunch, but the breakfast burritos everyone was eating looked and smelled so good and were so cheap that I gave in and had one. The eggs and ham in them were no problem, but the tortilla, hash browns and cheese were -- along with the entire burrito being fried in lard! Yum, it was good, though!

And here is where I can actually see my lifestyle change, even from this cheating incident:

1) I craved a savory burrito instead of the sweet rolls, muffins and candy bars other people were eating. This is a major change for me. My sweet tooth is notorious in half a dozen California counties.

2) After this meal I ate a sensible dinner and only ended the day up .2 pounds. I didn't throw in the towel and say, "Oh well, the day is ruined, let's go wild!"

Scott took this picture of me day before yesterday. It is one of the less flattering photos taken of me lately. It shows my abdomen area, which needs to tighten up more than the rest of me does at this point.

Most of the time I hide my abdomen with a sweater, but I really don't want to have to do that all the time. Besides, I won't be able to in summer. Summers are over 100 even here in Spokane. I do have almost 13 more pounds to lose. Maybe losing those pounds will trim down my tummy all on its own.

We walked the dogs a mile in the park yesterday and then I walked all over Wal-Mart and Costco. I wore my pedometer to the stores, but not to the auto auction. I walked more than two miles yesterday. Here is what I ate:

Small bowl of Special K and soy milk
Fried burrito with eggs, cheese, hash browns and ham (major cheat and tasted so good!)
Hamburger patty, 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce, 1 cut up cucumber, half a raw carrot

157.6 Cheese Is Mostly Fat!

While preparing my dinner last night, I looked at both the nutrition charts in the pictures above. A third of a cup of cheese and a salmon patty both have 80 calories of fat. The cheese has 110 total calories, which makes fat 72% of the cheese. The fish has 170 total calories, which makes fat 47% of the fish. Which one looks more satisfying? I picked the fish.

I just learned we excrete most of the calcium we eat! We poop and pee out our calcium. This is because our livers are acidic from all the processed food, hard cheese, fatty meat, and grains we eat. Our livers buffer this acid by releasing alkaline stores of calcium in our bones. We can stop the calcium being released from our bones by eating fewer acid-producing foods and more fruits and vegetables. All this is according to Loren Cordain, Pedro Bastos, Nell Stephenson, Chris LaLanne and Maelan Fontes in the "Calcium and Bones" section of their page about the paleo diet.

I do remember hearing that cola was making my bones release their calcium, but it was never explained in terms of acid vs base. The paleo diet people also have an acid vs base food chart on their website. Coffee is strongly base producing in the liver: -1.4 according to their chart. Coca-cola produces acid in the liver: 0.4 on their chart. It looks like Apollinaris mineral water is a good base-producing cola alternative: -1.8 on the chart. Parmesan cheese is the highest acid producer at 34.2. The most base producing thing on their chart is raisins: -21.0.

I don't see a need to change over to the Paleo Diet. Dr Tarnower's Scarsdale Medical Diet and lifelong keep trim eating program says the same thing as the paleo diet: eat mostly lean sources of protein, vegetables and fruits. In his book, the doctor says he doesn't believe in milk drinking for adults and that grains and cheese should be taken in strict moderation. I do appreciate the Paleo Diet acid vs base info on how to retain more calcium, though.

We walked the dogs two miles yesterday. I finished off my Valentine's treat of Shari's Berries. I lost .2 pounds. Here is all I ate yesterday:

Small bowl of Special K and soy milk
2 white chocolate dipped strawberries from Shari's Berries (I like the brown ones better.)
3 eggs fried in bacon grease with red peppers, onion and mushrooms
1 strip of bacon
Salmon patty and steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

157.6 Not Blowing My Diet at Restaurants

Scott was quiet at dinner last night, and I asked him, "What are you thinking about?" "How different you look," he said. So, I had him take this picture. He says I can stop dieting now, that I look just great!

I explained that my body mass index is still close to 25, and I will be healthier if it is under 24, so my goal is to weigh 145. I further explained it might be fun to be able to say I have lost an even 100 pounds, so I might go down to 140. I also will adjust my goal a bit depending on how my clothes fit once I reach 145. If a few more pounds would make clothes more comfortable, then why not lose a few more pounds?

This is the sweater that I plan on wearing to the Valentine's Day banquet, unless I find something even prettier. In this picture we are eating dinner at McDonald's after shopping at Wal-Mart. It was already 5:30 and I usually eat dinner at 5. I don't like to eat after 6 pm. When I do, I don't lose as much weight.

We did not walk the dogs yesterday, but we mall crawled all over Wal-Mart, and we parked in the farthest corner of the huge lot. I forgot to wear my pedometer. Here is what I ate yesterday and lost 1.4 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K and soy milk
5 chocolate dipped strawberries from Shari's Berries
1 strip of bacon
3 eggs fried in bacon grease with onions, red peppers and mushrooms

McDonald's cheeseburger (from the $1.00 menu)

159.0 Diet Day 2 of 8

I lost 1.4 pounds yesterday while eating my Valentine's Day gift from my husband: chocolate covered strawberries from Shari's Berries! I think it was mostly water weight from the salty lasagna I ate Monday night at my sister's birthday dinner. We walked the dogs two miles in the non-icy and non-snowy park. Here is what I ate yesterday and still lost 1.4 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K and soy milk
Three chocolate covered strawberries (100 calories each!)
Leftover baked chicken, onion and carrots
1 strip of bacon
Mushroom, onion and red pepper eggs scrambled in bacon grease (yum!)

I receive a bunch of "fat lady" clothing catalogs in the mail almost every day. It is satisfying to toss them. One of these days I need to tell them to stop delivery. I do receive a few catalogs that have "misses sizes," including Monroe and Main. I had a great time this morning looking through their catalog and noting that everything in there would not only fit, but would look good on me!

160.4 Diet Day 1 of 8

I gained only .2 pounds the week I was gone! I don't want to jinx myself, but it looks like I really am keeping the weight off. It was not even that difficult. I indulged in lasagna and cannoli at my sister's birthday dinner. I ate normal food the whole week. I just stuck with the lowest calorie options available unless something really sounded good (like lasagna and cannoli!).

Aunt Helen's memorial was very sweet. I am really glad I went and saw everyone. My mom gave me a dozen sweaters that I can really use up here. I hadn't seen my cousins in a long time. I got to meet all my sister's new dogs, too, and I especially like this one in the picture with me. He is a rare dog who really wants to make people happy.

Before my aunt died, Scott had ordered me chocolate covered strawberries from Shari's Berries for Valentine's Day. They arrived while I was gone, and he ate some, but I had one for breakfast dessert just now (100 calories). Wow, yum! There are 5 more dark chocolate ones left. I don't really care for the white chocolate ones.

I'm only scheduling 8 diet days this cycle because of Valentine's Day events. There is a ladies' lunch on the 9th and a couples' banquet on the 10th or 11th. I will take a few keep trim days for those and then resume the diet right after that.

I don't want to recall all I ate for the whole week, but yesterday I had:

Veggie omelette, a few bites of hash browns, a few bites of dry rye toast
Two cookies (in-flight snack)
4 ounces of trail mix (peanuts, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, raisins, cranberries, M&Ms)
1 crunchy taco supreme at Taco Bell