Results, You Want Results

     Well, I'm out on the road on my own, and of course, they sent me to the commercial side of things yesterday and today. Do you remember how much I dislike the commercial side of the job. Well I dislike it even more. I had to take care of to repairs, and did the work. I was then told that my work wasn't correct and I had to go back today. I was baffled. I went back, and it turns out that my work was correct. I did have to do one repair while I was there. It was one that I couldn't do yesterday because of extenuating circumstances.

     I have my own job on Thursday, the difference between that and what I've been doing, is that I have only been taking care or repairs and installing things that weren't able to be installed when the initial job went in. I'm supposed to be getting a temporary van on Thursday so that I can do the jobs that I have Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I'm definitely going to need the van Thursday. I can't fit what I need to in the little car that they have me in right now. not to mention that I will need some of those proprietary tools that I've heard so much about. I've actually seen and used them, but they were my mentors tools. I don't have my own because I don't have a van. See, its a never ending cycle. I don't know what's going to happen on Thursday if I don't get those things. Originally I was supposed to do the job with another coworker, but they got moved to another day. My plan was to use his tools that I don't have to complete the job and then help him with his job. Mine is going to be relatively simple. It's like the first job I did, only easier.

     Speaking of that first job, I got to go back to that place today. I was there for a service call, but it wan't involving the job that I did. It was more about my mentors job. There was a very small problem that is easily correctable, but I didn't have the material necessary to do it, since I was in the service vehicle. I'm going back on Saturday to take care of it. I do have to switch something out on my job as well. There isn't anything wrong with what I have to switch out, It's just that the customer liked what was in the other are better, so I'm going to replace that with what is in there. Easy peasy.

    Oh, yeah I have to work on Saturday, which is creating a problem with taking care of my mom. I reached out to family, family has other plans. They told me to use the service, I don't want to spend another $200 plus dollars for me only being gone until about 2 o'clock. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do at this point, but I'll figure it out. Me calling out, is not an option. My supervisor laid down the law last week about that, so I'm basically screwed on this one. I'll figure it out.

     I found out this week that Blogger, the site you are reading this on, is not allowing me to reply to comments. I just wanted to reply here now, since It won't let me do it. I've had this problem in the past, but it was fixed to a point, and it has gotten worse since then. Anyway, The response to the comment was something like this. You have to remember I went rather extreme on this new way of eating, but going Keto and also OMAD (one meal a day) at the same time, so my results aren't exactly normal. Your results will come, you just have to stick to it.

     Not the best way to respond to a comment, but I guess it's better than nothing. I'm taking off now, because I'm tired and I want to go to sleep, so that I can wake up and do more service calls. They kind of suck and they don't pay well. That's why I'd rather be doing my own jobs. Peace in and goodnight.

One Goal Nearly Down, Several Dozens More To Go

     I got some stuff for you tonight, or today. I'm writing this rather early, but not as early as some other days lately. First up is a few pictures of me. I don't like being in front of the camera, I prefer to be behind it. It's where I belong, but I saw a need to get some pics of me since I broke into the 170's for the first time in, I can't even remember. I weighed in at 178.5 yesterday. I thought I would maintain my last weigh in, but I still managed to lose a pound and a half. That's solid weight loss right there. Any way, I decided that it was time for me to be the model, so here are the pics.

     There you have it, me doing my best to look cool and failing.  This weekend was full of ups, so I'm waiting for the downs to hit, but it could have been the last two weeks of downs are just evening out, so I'm taking the wins.

      I had several people tell me that I'm an inspiration because of my weight loss. I myself, don't see it that way. I think I'm more of a crucible that gave birth to an idea in a couple of people that saw that even  dope like me could do it. Which reminds me, I have to get around to garbage day, and the lesson I learned from it, but I'll save that for a little later. Anyway, if someone can look at me and feel like they can better themselves, then I'll take that as inspiration.

     I got some other good news on Friday, but I'm not convinced it's real yet. I'll know for sure tomorrow. I was told by someone that talked to someone, that I'm going out on my own tomorrow. Here is the thing. A little more background on the job. When you get to the point that you go out on your own, you get a company van. The company doesn't have any extra vans right now, so I won't get one. I have to drive this little utility vehicle and go out on what are called service calls. That means I'm delayed on going out and doing actual jobs, but I will be going out and correcting mistakes or installing items that weren't available when the original job was done. I'm to do that until the new van arrives from NY. No idea when that will be. The other reason that I don't truly believe it, other than no one actually contacting me about it, is that the other trainee is driving the vehicle that I'm supposed to be in tomorrow. I have no idea what or where he is going to be next week, so I can see big problems arising tomorrow.

     I got another picture for you. Remember when I told you about Quest bars, and how they had other products. Well, I found one of their other products at Target today. They had all of their frozen pizzas. That means I can make a Keto pizza review video. Not sure if I'll do it for the CS or the TPR. If I do it for the CS, I think I'll call it "Cooking with Counterfeit Squirrel". I could always do it for the CS and then share it on the TPR. It is pizza related after all. Anyway, these are Keto friendly pizzas, and I'm hoping that they taste good. It would be a series of three videos, since they have three flavors; 4 Cheese, Pepperoni, and Deluxe.


     I'm looking forward to those. In the meantime. I made a pretty amazing meal tonight. I tried a version of this last week and blew it when I added cheese to it. This time I skipped the cheese, and added a drizzle of vinaigrette to it, just for a little added flavor.

     That is chicken with riced cauliflower, spinach, and Kalamata olives, seasoned with Italian herbs and garlic salt, sautéed in olive oil. As I said before, once I plated it and placed the chicken on top, I drizzled a vinaigrette on top of it. It was out of this world good. I can't wait to make it again. Who said that eating Keto was only eggs and bacon. There are so many options, which brings me back to garbage day.

     Here is what I learned from garbage day. It sucked. I had exactly what I said I was going to have. A sugary soda with some m&m's, the breakfast burger with fries at Baci, and then my lemon pie. I felt on edge and jittery from all the carbs, and made me feel like I was falling inside of my body. It was a horrible feeling. I'm not going to do another garbage day. I have decided a garbage snack is more suitable to prove the point and remind me why I made this change in my life. A whole day of my old eating habits is no longer what I want after a month and few days of super clean eating. I will only eat clean from now on, and it will lean towards Keto, but with more veggies. On the "garbage snack day", I'll simply eat more food than usual, not my normal OMAD, and then through in either some kind of candy or small bag of chips. That should be enough to say, here is a weird reward for doing so well, and by the way, you are going to feel like crap after eating or drinking it.

     Eventually, I will probably give up that old way of eating, and maybe have a snack just to try something that I hadn't tried before. Today was a case of that. A new version of Pepsi that I have been wanting for years, finally came out, and they only had it in 12 packs, so I bought on and tried it today with my dinner. It's Pepsi with Lime juice, and it was as good as I thought it would be, but I won't have another for 28 days. They are going to last for a very long time. I'm sticking with the new lifestyle and since I'm only 3.5 lbs away from my goal weight, I know I'm going in the right direction with everything I'm doing. I'm not stopping when I hit goal, but I will adjust things to maintain rather than lose, and when I finally hit the gym, I will begin gaining again, but it will be muscle and not fat.

     Yes, that last line might have given away that I didn't hit the gym this weekend. I fell asleep at 8:45 on Friday night, and Saturday, it slipped my mind. I will have to do better about planning the gym time so that it becomes a normal weekly thing. I can do it, I just need to focus. I'm happy with the weight loss, and I'm happy that my appearance is better, but I'm not truly happy with the way I look. I'm almost there though. I can see 4 of my abs now, and that is a full upgrade of 4. I need those other 2 and then, I may be truly happy, but I'm sure I won't be. this will be an ongoing process that I will always find something that needs improving. I will have no reason to ever stop clean eating and improving. It is a single minded goal. One that my never be fully attainable, but what is a goal if it's easy to reach. Peace in and goodnight.

And So It Doesn't Begin

     It has been  frustrating couple of weeks. I found out today, that I won't be going out on my own on the 29th. The job is giving me the run around and making me jump through hoops, before I hit the road as it were. I'm bummed, but I'll over come it. I've overcome a lot lately, so no reason why I can't topple this.

     The Keto is going great. My ketone levels were lower this week which was expected seeing how I ate pizza on Saturday. I only hit 1.6 on the meter this week, and it will more than likely be less next week, since I am finally having my garbage day on Saturday. I'm still hesitant about it, but I'm going to do it, just to see how my body reacts. I don't think I've lost any weight this week, but I feel great, and I'm noticing more muscle definition coming out. I don't think I mentioned this, but tomorrow, I'm going to start hitting the gym again. It's only going to be Friday and Saturday nights, and I'm sticking with the core exercises. Those are: bench press, deadlifts, and squats. I'm keeping the weight low for now, and slowly building up and then adding more exercises as I progress. Even though the 28 days are over, I'm not done with this new lifestyle.

     I put my motorcycle jacket on yesterday and it fit better than when I first got it. It was always snug, but yesterday, it was loose and they way it was supposed to fit. It's pretty amazing that I could go from not even being able to wear that jacket anymore, to not just fitting in it, but fitting in it better than I did when I first bought it. Keto works. It may not be for you, but look it up and see what you think about it, if you are trying to lose weight, and just really want to change your lifestyle around. It has put me in a much better place, both physically and mentally. That is a huge thing considering the last two weeks of problems and headaches.

     Speaking of those headaches, I will not be on Facebook for the foreseeable future. There is too much drama and stuff that I don't need right now. I will still post this there, and I'm not deleting my account, but I won't be on their to check anything. I can post this remotely, so I don't have to go on. If you want to comment on this, you will have to come to the comment section on here, or just reach out and send me a text. I need this break from that social media platform. It is what is best for my mental stability. I don't need the headaches anymore, and this is how I get rid of them.

     I'm toying with taking some time off from here as well, but that would only be a week, just to recharge my battery, and remember why I do this. I know that when I stop for a week I'll miss it, and that is maybe something I need right now as well. I'm not going to do it yet, but when I finally decide, I'll let you know in advanced.

     I'm keeping this one short tonight. I'll be back Sunday to let you know how garbage day went. Until then, peace in and goodnight.

From Miserable To Down Right Disappointing

     Since this week was miserable, why not follow through on the weekend. I told you about what was going on through Thursday, and how miserable the week was. Well the weekend didn't get much better. It all started when I woke up Friday morning and saw that pay day had changed to tomorrow. There was no notification of that, and my coworkers were furious, as was I. We were told that it was a glitch and that are paychecks would be in by 9 AM that day. They weren't. Then we were told that they would be in later in the day, or by Saturday afternoon at the latest. Guess what hasn't arrived yet?  There is a site that I go to that shows my by pay stub for my direct deposit, it still says that the next pay stub will be available on the 22nd. I tending to not believe it. This is a big deal. There were some people that were counting on those paychecks to get them through to the next one. I'm covered for a little while, so I don't need it, but it has slowed me down in that I'm not buying anymore tools that I need for the job, and my days as a trainee are down to being able to count them on 1 hand. That means that I won't be able to get those tools here before I hit the road on my own. Also, don't forget that I have no idea if I was paid for those solo jobs like I'm supposed to be, and I won't know until that pay goes in my back. This totally sucks, and has consumed my weekend, after a really crappy week.

     I do have some good news though. I weighed in yesterday and I was at 180, that is another pound done and only 5 more to go to hit my goal weight. I also didn't do my garbage day yesterday because I had to do a TPR instead. With having to eat pizza, I didn't want to overload my system with the garbage meal that I wanted to have, so that is put off until next weekend. I'm feeling great, I'm looking great, and that is all that really matters. Oh, I forgot to share this picture of my blood meter on Thursday that showed that I hit that 3.0 mark on my ketones.

  

     I also have a picture of my side dish on Friday. It was incredible tasting until I added the last ingredients to it. It was still good, but it was better without. I'll give you the prior ingredients first, and then tell you what I added that kind of messed it up. This was riced cauliflower, baby leaf spinach and Kalamata olives sautéed in olive oil seasoned with Italian herbs, and garlic salt.

     I tried it just like this and the taste explosion was incredible. My mistake was sticking with my plan. I had two Kobe beef patties with it, and I put shredded parmesan and mozzarella on those, with the idea of adding that to the side dish as well. I should have left the cheese off the veggies. It was good, but not near as good as when it was plain. When I do this again, and I will do it soon. I'm not putting any cheese on it. It was so good even with the cheese, so my mouth is watering right now just thinking about how it tasted without.

     Another pretty good thing that happened on Friday, was meeting a new friend. It was a short and passing relationship, but I enjoyed our time together.

    He had a personality like Morty. Super friendly and followed me everywhere. He stood just above my waist, so I didn't even have to reach down to pet him. He was a stray wandering the neighborhood. His owner eventually came around and told me that he had found him, but that there was another one that was still wandering. I hadn't seen that one. I wanted to mention that his collar was too tight, and that it appeared to be a shock collar which I am vehemently opposed to, but the guy was already dealing with enough from the loss of his other dog. Here is the thing about those shock collars. They only work if a dog gradually walks towards the perimeter. If the dog is smart, and I believe this one was. They can simply run through the barrier and once they are beyond, there is no more shock. I'm still even covering how horrible it is too shock your dog into staying in your yard. I get that it is a cheap alternative to getting an expensive fence, but do you really want to cause harm to your dog? I'm hoping that he learned the error of his ways, and that shock collars aren't just horrible, but they are pointless in that any dog with a head of steam and get passed them.

     I also received a very pleasant text this morning from a friend of mine. She told me that if I ever needed it, she would sit with mom for a few hours from time to time, so I could go out and do my own thing. I will never take her up on that offer, not because I don't trust her, but because I can't put that on someone else. I'm supposed to take care of her, and my life can wait. I work and I come home, that is my life now, and I have come to terms with that. I don't have free time anymore. I will begin writing again, to have my escape, and I will also start working on the new bookcase more. I am going to have to put Saki on the lift, since I won't have any free time to ride for the foreseeable future. I'm worried about getting flat spots on the wheels, and lifting Saki and starting it up form time to time will avoid any stagnant wear on it. We will ride again, and I will be able to make new videos and take more photographs, but it won't be any time soon. I will get back to those things that I love in due time, for the meantime, I will focus more on writing, the bookcase and art. I want to fully design my next tattoo, so that when I do get that free time, I will ride Saki to a tattoo studio, with my camera, and GoPro, make a video and take pictures of the whole process. It will be a complete design by me, and I will be so proud of it. It is going to be my take on the Deathly Hallows, so don't keep an eye out yet, I'll let you know when that is getting close. Peace in and goodnight.

GRRRRRR

     Today was absolutely miserable, and yesterday wasn't much better. I was back on the commercial side of the job, and it was just as bad as before. I had to go and help out with service calls, which means that I went to help correct problems. Today was more of the same, but I was stuck with the other trainee, who is absurdly slow, and since he was driving, I was held hostage to his time, and his time was long. I also ended up going on his service calls that took me into a construction zone, where I didn't have safety equipment, so I had to stay in the car for an hour, and felt completely useless. I don't understand how, if I'm in training, I go out with another trainee. I didn't learn anything. I didn't do anything other than what I already know, and I did it faster and better than he did. I was able to finish 10 projects in the time it took him to do 4. I should have been able to head back to the office and meet up with my mentor to help him finish his job, but I was instead stuck in a freaking car doing commercial jobs once again. I actually thought about quitting. I do not want to be stuck with that other trainee ever again, if I do, I just may quit. I'm there to learn and work, not there to be someone's helper.

     I was also told today, that I may not get paid for the solo jobs that I did, and may only get trainee pay for them. That better not be the case. I did those jobs, and I earned the money from them. It's not right if they stiff me on pay for work rendered.

     Let's get on to a better subject. I did test my ketone levels yesterday. As you may remember, I pulled a 0.3 last Wednesday. A rather pitiful display for someone trying to hit ketosis. I pulled a 3.0 yesterday, which puts me at full on ketosis. That means that fat is being utilized as energy, instead of carbohydrates. Which means that my fat stores are burning off, and I am losing weight. Keto works, and I'm proof of it, if you don't believe all the other testimonials out there.

     I have a massive headache, that is both a combination of the day I had, and the evening I had. I got home and the nurse that is here for my mother's homecare, decided to clean out the refrigerator. She threw out or hid all my good meat, and nearly ruined my kobe beef patties. She decided that a few days is too long for them to be in there, so she threw them in the freezer. She also somehow kept all the garbage food that she and the other nurses went out and bought for my mother, despite the fact that it has been in there for two weeks. I will be throwing that trash out tomorrow. She also left a mop leaning against the wall in the walk way, where my mother could trip and fall over it. I did actually trip over it, but I didn't fall. the sad part is, this was the good nurse. I really wanted to just tell her to leave at that very moment, but I just walked away. She didn't leave until her designated time. I really wish they would just leave as soon as I get home. I feel like I'm a guest in my own house when they are there, because I can't go and take a shower, or even just take my shirt off and walk around the house, because that would be rude.

     I really didn't need that today, especially considering that I had told her specifically about what the tupperware containers are. I mentioned that that is made and eaten within a few days of each other, but she didn't like that, but she clearly liked the crappy Domino's box that has been there for much longer. I'm just reiterating at this point. The headache is getting to me, so I'm just going to head off to bed.

     Oh wait, before I go, I did run into some old friends yesterday.

     Peace in and goodnight.

Soon, It's Happening Soon

     I've finally gotten a date for when I will get my own vehicle and be out on the job on my own. April 29. That is the day that I will be doing all my own jobs, with no help from a mentor on the scene. I'll be ready. I have been watching extra closely the past couple of weeks, and I have been doing more of the work when we are out on jobs. It is a great feeling when the job is done and you stand back and look at what you accomplished, in a matter of hours. I have a neighbor that is having done the same thing that we have done, and it is taking a team of people a few weeks so far, and they still aren't done, as far as I know. I've been learning the company ways, by the best person that they have, and it is all rubbing off on me. I have done things lately that I wasn't sure I could do when I started the job. I was lost and worried that it wouldn't work out. Now I only worry out of natural instinct. It is that worrying that will ensure that I do a good job. I always have that thought in the back of my head, that I'm doing something wrong, so I double and triple checks things to make sure they are exactly right. That worry keeps me humble and true to my task, so I welcome it despite its uncomfortable feeling.

     I really don't have much else to talk about tonight, so I guess I'll just give you the weight loss update. I did my Tuesday evening weigh in, and I was up a pound. I expected that, since it was right after dinner. Eating and drinking actually weighs something, and there is also the fact that I was drinking water all day, so that all adds up in water weight. I'm not worried about that, because the mirror tells the real story, and I see the story still heading in the right direction. I will test my ketone levels tomorrow, and see if everything there is on course, despite the setback last week, when I posted a 0.3 level for ketones. That isn't good. I'm hoping for a better result tomorrow. I'll fill you in on Thursday for how it went.

     I have my first garbage meal on Saturday, and I figured out what I'm going to have. I'm going to Baci to get their Breakfast burger. It is a cheeseburger with bacon and a hard fried egg on it, with a massive pile of fries. The burger itself is almost keto friendly, but the fries definitely won't be. That could be a massive shock to my system, and will more than likely throw me out of ketosis. It could take a few days to get back into it, but after Saturday I'm back on full Keto mode for another 28 days. Oh, and I'm pretty much sticking with the OMAD, (one meal a day) for Saturday, so that garbage meal will be the only time I eat, with the exception of when I get home and eat an Entenmann's Lemon Pie. I have loved those since I was a kid, and I stocked up on three of them, so I'm good for the next three months of garbage days. The only day I have multiple meals is Sunday. I have breakfast, a Quest bar for lunch, and then a good Keto dinner. The breakfast is Keto as well, I just leave out the toast or hashbrowns, that I used to always eat with my eggs and bacon.

     Let's get to Favorite Song of the Week. The artist tonight, is someone I've been hearing a lot about lately, and when I finally checked her out, I realized that I really loved one of her songs, without knowing it was her. I thought I had never heard anything by her. I even posted the song right here as FSOTW. Remember the animated Apple commercial about the girl that wrote, but never shared, and then a strong wind came through her window and blew all her papers all over town. That was tonights artist. A young woman named Billie Eilish. She sounds a lot like Lourde, you know Royals was her big massive hit, but her lyrics are quite a bit different. The video I chose after watching quite a few of them, struck me because of how power the performance was in it. I didn't look up any information about Billie Eilish, but I can only assume from this video, that she has a background in dance, and maybe more specifically interpretive dance. I found this video and song to be remarkable, and I hope you will see why when you watch it. Here is Billie Eilish with "Hostage".



     I just find the whole thing to be beautifully sad. Listen to the lyrics and you get the bigger picture of what the video means. It is pretty amazing, if you ask me.

     I'm tired, so I'll talk to you more on Thursday. Peace in and goodnight.

Work, Rant, and GoT

     I got some time before I start washing clothes and then begin my decompress before watching the first episode of the final season of Game of Thrones. Yes, I need to decompress before the show. I want to be fully relaxed for what's about to go down.

     I guess I should start with my second solo job on Friday. It went great, and I had no help from my mentor. Well, I did ask a few questions to verify some things, but the entire thing was on my own, and I couldn't be more proud of the job that I did. This one was simpler than the job the week before, and the pay wasn't as good, but I'm guaranteed to make more from that job than I usually make for my training pay. I guess it is 1 and half times more normal pay, which is a really good day. I also had to go and do a service call before hitting the job site, and I think I might get some extra pay for that. If it is what I was told, I should basically get my training pay on top of the job pay, which would make it nearly as much as the week before. Needless to say, that would take my pay for the day, 2 times my normal pay. I am so stoked about this job.

     I was also done with the job at 3 in the afternoon, so I had the rest of the day to make dinner and relax, and that is just what I did. I watched a few more episodes of the second season of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. By the way, if you aren't watching it, you really should. It is a very dark take on Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I must warn you, that it may not be for everyone. It has a lot of talk about satan and satan worshipping. Here is the unique take on that whole thing though. It is a different view of life. What if evil was good and good was evil. They even had a quote in The Walking Dead near the end of the season, when Michonne was talking to Neagan, and he said, "You don't know you are evil when you are doing it.". It's a very interesting take. I've read a series of books with that same premise. Where the lead character is inherently good, but he is seen as evil in this world. That is the same idea with Sabrina, with the exception that she is brought up mortal so she has a sense of the "normal" morality that we all seem to subscribe too. Give it a chance, you may surprise yourself and actually like it. I did finish the second season last night.

     Speaking of yesterday, I weighed in, and I was down to 181. That is a total of 12lbs of weight loss since going Keto. That puts me 6 lbs from my goal weight. I don't expect to hit it by the end of next week, which would be 28 days, but then again, I never expected to hit my goal weight in that amount of time. To be honest, I never thought I would be this close to it at all. I figured a sold 5-6lbs by the time the first 28 days was up. That puts me way ahead of the game at this point, and I'm loving the way I look and feel. Am I happy? No, well not with the way I look and feel. I guess the better question would be, Am I content? That sounds a little better. I'm happy, but I'm not content. I want more weight off, I want more cut in my muscle, and I want to fell even better. That is a lot to ask, but I'm truly heading in the right direction, and that is why I'm happy. I'm also not giving up on this. I love the way I'm eating right now, and what I'm eating right now. I can't really see myself going back to the way I was eating. I will still do my garbage day, which will be this Sunday, but it will only be one meal and a snack right after it. It will be my first time having sweets in 4 weeks. Yes, I have had no sugar, or starchy carbs of any kind, and I feel tremendous. I did have a few cravings, like chips last night, and a candy bar a few nights ago, but I grabbed a 1/4 cup of macadamia nuts, and the craving was gone. Have I mentioned how Keto friendly macadamia nuts are. Oh, that reminds me. I got virgin macadamia nut oil at the grocery store today. I took a small shot of it to see how it tastes when I got home, and it was incredible. It tasted just like macadamia nuts. I know, that is probably how it should taste, but some times when you break things down to a liquid form, it doesn't maintain the flavor. Like the avocado oil that I got. It has this remarkable nutty flavor to it, instead of that nature fresh vegetable taste that avocados have. I can't wait to drizzle that over some asparagus or maybe on my arugula salad. It's going to be epic.

     I still need to get out and make a CS video, but I just haven't had the time. I'm at work for around 12 hours a day, and then I come home and I can't leave, because I have to take care of my mom. There is no one that will come and sit with her for a couple of hours so I can get stuff like that done, but that is my life right now. I could try and get home early one day, and have the home care stay instead of sending them home, but they are so expensive, that I'd rather have them leave and knock a few hours off their schedule. Speaking of them. There is only one of them that seems to be good for my mom. She only comes 1 of the 5 days during the week, the others just seem to sit around and watch whatever they want on tv. They also refuse to make meals from the food we have here. They end up taking money from my mother to go out and get fast food for her. That is so frustrating to me. There are tons of options in the fridge or in the freezer. Hell, they could make a simple sandwich for her. I have everything on the top shelf for them. Sliced meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. With a variety of condiments in the door, but they can't seem to do that. They can sure make a ton of bacon for breakfast though. Here is the thing about that. I make breakfast for my mom before I leave, but they keep making her way too much food. I had 3 packages of bacon in the fridge at the start of the week. When I went to make breakfast this morning, I had 2/3rds of one left. It drove me nuts, that they either wasted or made themselves breakfast as well. They are supposed to bring their own meals, but it seems breakfast isn't part of that. There is also the issue with the Keurig pods. They seem to be wasting those as well. 1 pod will give you an 8 ounce and a 6 ounce cup of coffee. That is what I get my mom each morning before I leave. I get her the 8 oz, and before I leave, I freshen it up with the 6 oz. It works out great. They are doing one 8 oz cup and then throwing out the pod. Those things are freaking expensive, and they are just wasting them. It is what it is though, and at least there is someone here to help out my mom while I'm at work. I just wish they weren't so wasteful, considering how much we are paying a week for their service. It's too much for my believe, but once again, it is what it is.

     Time to go wash clothes, and then relax, by catching up on some recorded TV before GoT comes on. I will be parking myself on the chair in front of the tv from 9 until the show is over. Don't try to contact me, because I won't answer, I don't care if it is an emergency. It better happen after the show, cause I'm not going to be there for you. Peace in and goodnight.

I'm On A Quest

     I was not on my A game yesterday. I made mistake after mistake. They were all small ones that were easily overcome, but it brought me down, that I did that. I learned from those mistakes though, and today was much better, despite the fact that things kept going wrong on the job site. It was all unforeseen events, that had nothing to do with me, which was a good thing.

     I found out yesterday, that I have another solo job this Friday. It's not as big as last weeks, but it is still on my shoulders to get the job done, and get it done right. I also have to do a thing called a "service call" after I'm done with the job. It should be an easy assignment, but I won't truly know until I get on site and check it out. Either way, I'm going to fix the problem, and hopefully that will satisfy that customer.

     Another thing that bummed me out yesterday, was my blood testing for ketones. I tested myself like I said I would on Wednesday right when I got home from work. I had only eaten a Quest bar around noon. I'll talk more about Quest bars in a second. Anyway, I should have been fully in Ketosis based on my diet and the intermittent fasting, but when I did the check it came up 0.3. That isn't even close to being in Ketosis, and it threw me. I don't know what I did wrong. I haven't had sugar for 3 weeks. My only bad carbs were brought in last Saturday, when I had to do the TPR, and even then, I only had two slices of pizza. This is why I said I was only going to do it once a week. Going from 1.3 to 0.3 in a day was devastating to me. I'm sticking to my word and only going to check my ketone levels on Wednesdays. I can't handle that much up and down.

     This wasn't a plan, but I ended up fasting for 27 hours today. I ate dinner at 5:30 last night, and then only had water until my meal tonight at 7:30. Did I mention that it was a long day. Anyway, I had a Quest bar with me, but I didn't feel like or need to eat it. My energy levels felt good and I wasn't the least bit hungry. I guess now is a great time to talk about Quest bars. These are protein bars that are very Keto friendly. They also taste amazing. I have tried several flavors, but some of their odd ball ones are Maple Waffle (tastes just like a maple waffle). Cookies & Cream. Yeah, it's exactly what you would hope it to be. White Chocolate Raspberry (haven't eaten it, but I have one), Birthday Cake (same as before), Blue Berry Muffin (yet again, it's in waiting), and a new one that I just got a box of today, and no I haven't tried it yet, Chocolate Sprinkled Doughnut. I'm going to be having that one tomorrow. I'm going to break my fast around noon again, so It won't be another 27 hours, but it will still be in the high teens. If I do it around noon that would make it a 17 hour fast. Back to the bars. The bars keep the sugars really low. Usually around 2 or under grams. The protein is around 20+ for each bar, and the fat content is moderate with no trans fats involved at all. They are generally a 4-5 net carb gain for the day, so it is really easy to stay low on your net carbs, with these bars. Yes it is a meal replacement, and I only have 1 a day, if that. They are around 200-210 calories, so it's a tasty meal for lunch. I really can't wait for that Chocolate Sprinkled Doughnut. That just reminds me, I took a picture of the box to send a friend of mine.

     Quest Nutrition sells a bunch of other products, that they call clean cheating. It's a way to get that sugary fix without eating sugar. They have cookies, pizzas, chips, powders, and of course the bars. I may have left a thing or two out, but you get the idea. If you are interested in trying them, just check you local grocery store or Target. I know they have them at Target, because I bought a few boxes from there. S'mores, Maple Waffle, and I ordered Peanut Butter Supreme from Amazon. Oh, the first two I got at Target. They are a bit pricey, so be ready for spending a few extra dollars for a healthy candy bar. I think a box of 4 was around 9 dollars. I could be wrong and they were more expensive, but that's the price you pay for a healthy alternative to snacking.

     Time for me to go to sleep, so I can get up and get going on this new solo job, so that I can get my company vehicle and be out on my own. It's a bit scary, but also a bit thrilling. This job isn't going to pay as much as the last one, but I should still bring in more than my training pay. Peace in and goodnight.

Ketosis Is A Thing I Am In

     Let's get this done early tonight. I got off work at 1 today, so today was pretty great. Tomorrow is going to be a different story though. We have three jobs to do. We will get them done, but it's going to take a lot longer than a 1 o'clock finish time.

     I was told yesterday that I should be prepared to move from Trainee to the full position that I'm working towards. They didn't say explicitly that I would get my vehicle this weekend or Monday, but I'm supposed to be ready for it. Which is a little weird because the other Trainee, who started a couple of weeks before me, still isn't in his own vehicle. I got to work alongside him again today. He and his mentor where in the same area as we were, so I got a good look at how his training is going. I was a little shocked that he was still doing menial work. I was doing a lot of the tougher things that have to be done, while he was still doing the bare basics. It shows that my mentor is really training me, and not just having me there as a helper. I'm happy about that. It's for that reason I was able to do that solo  job last Friday. The other trainee hasn't done a solo job yet. The company has a little bit of faith in me, and I greatly appreciate that.

     I posted this picture a couple or maybe even a few weeks ago. This was before I started my new way of eating, and going Keto. This was also peak into going down the spiral. I'm nearing the top. Anyway. This is just an example of what I looked like on the commercial end of the job, and how miserable and unhealthy I was. I have a side by side picture coming up, that
is going to show you me today, versus me a few months ago when I was at my peak weight of around 210 lbs. It's not pretty, and the crazy thing is, that picture is my profile shot on Facebook. Considering I really don't care about Facebook, I have no intention of changing things up any time soon. Even though I'm not done with the weightless, and then moving to maintenance, I wanted to share the side by side to show you how the weight loss shows in my face. It's pretty evident, so much so, that even I can see it, and I'm usually oblivious to things like that. Anyway, here is the side by side shot.

     Just look at how fat my neck was. I still have a good ways to go. My goal weight is 175 and I have 8 pounds to go to reach that, but that isn't the end of this. This will be on going. I will lose use much weight as I can in the first 28 days, and then I will shift to maintenance. I will go full extreme from time to time every few months, just to shock my system. 

     I got a blood meter from Amazon today, so that I can monitor my ketone levels. I checked it right after dinner, so my levels should be lower because of that, and they were. I hit 1.3 which is about right in the middle of where I want to be. In order to be in ketosis, you have to have a level of 1.0-3.0. I want to be closer to that 3.0. That would have me in optimum ketosis. That means that my body is burning off the fat for energy at a high level. I'm only at a moderate level right now. Not bad, but I want it to be better. 

     I plan on checking again tomorrow, right when I get home from work. That will be before my meal and should be a more accurate reading of where I am. After that I will do it on Wednesdays when I get home from work. I don't want to do it every day. I'll go mad when the levels go up and down, and I fully expect them to go up and down. I just won't be able to deal with that rollercoaster ride without having anxiety when I see them go low and then high and then back low. 

     I don't have any Favorite anything of the week. Let's just do this, My Favorite Thing Of The Week, is you, so have a great week. Mine is going pretty good. Peace in and goodnight.

Look At That

     I'll just start this off with the news you have been waiting for. The job went really well on Friday. I finished with help form my mentor, and it looked great. I learned a couple of things from this experience. I can do this job, and do it right. I also need a little more training. I'm not ready to be out on my own just yet, but maybe in a week that will change. I want to be perfect when I go out. I was good, really good in fact, but not perfect, and I expect perfection from myself when it comes to a job that pays as much as this one does.

     Speaking of the pay. I mentioned that I what I make as a trainee is what a lot of people would love to make for a living. It's good money. I made 3 days pay for Friday's job. That is three times what I would normally make in a day for one days work. That is insane kind of money, and it feels really good that I can do that. What this means is a great deal for me, Morty and my mom. With this job, they won't have to worry about any needs. I can pay for everything. I will be able to get better camera gear for better videos and pictures (when I can find the time to do either of those). It will mean security for those above as well. Let me put it this way. If I were to only work 3 days a week for a month at the pay rate, I would make more in that month than it would take me to make in 4 months at my current trainee pay. That is only 3 days a week. I will be working 5 and sometimes 6 days a week. I will make in 1 week what I now make in a month. Morty and my mom are set, and I couldn't be happier about that.

     Off the job stuff. Let's get to the lifestyle change stuff. I posted this picture on Facebook on Friday, only because I couldn't wait until today to post it for people.

     This is kind of a normal Keto meal for me. Those are 2 Kobe beef patties, with grass fed butter, shredded cheese, and Kalamata olives on top. The side is bacon wrapped asparagus drizzled with avocado oil, and season with Italian spices and a little garlic salt. Let me tell you, when I say it is good. I mean it is beyond anything you have ever had, and it's surprisingly healthy. I know it doesn't look it, but it is. I weighed in yesterday morning and I was at 183. That is down 10 pounds when I started all of this, and the weight is still coming off. I will hit my goal of 175 and potentially go beyond that. I do have plans to get back in the gym, since my energy levels are back up and even better than I felt before I started this way of eating.

     I made tacos for the fam today, and that gives me extra taco meat for my other favorite meal that I created. Taco Omelette. I know what you are thinking, "that sounds ridiculous.". It probably is, but it is really really good. Here is how you make it. Scramble your eggs, and heat up your left over taco meat. Once you have the eggs in the skillet, put some of that meat in the center of the omelette and add some baby leaf spinach and shredded cheese. Fold the omelette to your liking. Finish cooking your omelette and get it on that plate, then add shredded lettuce and more cheese with a little diced tomato. You will not regret your decision to eat this. I'm telling you right now, it will blow your mind.
Oh, I put a little butter in the skillet for that extra good fat content to balance all that protein. I don't have a picture, but maybe I'll get one this week and share it with you either Tuesday or Thursday.

     I did a TPR yesterday, and it was the first time in 2 weeks that I had an abundance of carbs. I haven't had sugar or bread of any kind during those 2 weeks. I stuck with my plan though. I had only 2 slices. I counted it as 10 net carbs for the day, and then had a solid protein and fat meal for dinner, so that I didn't explode my net carbs. I stayed in ketosis, and didn't over do the carbs, and I didn't miss those extra slices of pizza that I could have easily eaten. That is a good thing. When 28 days are up and I have that first garbage meal. I'm going to be able to get around it with no problem. This is going to work and it's going to work well. I can keep this up for as long as I live. I will add more and more vegetables in as I go, but I'll still watch the net carb count, so that I don't over do it. My hope is that I can go at least partially vegetarian. I've already looked into suitable protein substitutes, and it turns out that pea protein is one of the best sources of protein that you can consume, so that will be in my future. I can get my fats from oils and nuts (macadamia nuts are a big part of my diet now). It's possible to go Keto and do it vegetarian or even vegan. Oh, that reminds me. I tried a little thing yesterday to cover some of those chocolate cravings that I have had. I made a mug cake. This is a low carb cake that you can make in a coffee or soup mug. There is only sweetness and I used almond flour to make it, so it has no sugars or wheat in it what so ever. The one decadent part of it, is the chocolate chips, but I found vegan unsweetened chocolate chips that taste just like semi-sweet chips. Ok, it's not chocolate cake, or even close to it. Consistency wise it is great. Nice and moist and maybe the best cake you could have from that stand point, but the taste, is a different matter. It has a distinct diet anything flavor to it, with the vegan chocolate chips being a big highlight. When I make it again, I'm going to throw a few macadamia nuts in with it, to give it a little something extra. I think it will make a big difference. I'll let you know how it goes.

     That is all I have for you today. I'll keep posting you on the new lifestyle and the job as long as you keep reading. Peace in and goodnight.

The Big Test Is Tomorrow

     Well, tomorrow is the big day. It is going to be a pass or fail. I would prefer pass, and I'm going to do everything in my ability to pass. I am doing a solo job tomorrow. As I said before, My mentor will be in the same area to give me guidance when I need it, but the onus of the job will be on me. Oddly though, I don't feel nervous. I feel pretty relaxed. This is a feeling that I haven't felt in a long time. I have to go back to my kung fu days for that feeling. Whenever I was doing a performance or the rare times that I was in a competition, I would fall into this overly relaxed state right before whatever it was that I was doing. I wouldn't be worried about making any mistakes, I was just prepared to do what needed to be done, and then I went out and did it. I'm hoping that this odd relaxing feeling that I'm in, is going to lead to the same out come.

     This has been a crazy week work wise. We had our job pulled on Monday due to others making huge mistakes. The next three days I was finished super early, then today, we were prepared for a terrible day, due to someone not doing their job to prep our material. Today turned out really chill though. We brought everything we needed for basically two jobs, since our orders weren't clear at all, but my mentor had a feeling of what to expect, and the best case scenario played out once we were on sight. Our nearly impossible job, became a fun day, but still took a little while since we were up in the northern part of Central Florida, so even though we finished somewhat early, I didn't get home until 6:30. That's the life I have now. My hours aren't set, and are decided by the job itself. I did have to battle Orlando traffic to get home, so that hung me up about 45 minutes. Not too bad, but still inconvenient. 

     We are going to be filming our first TPR since I started my new way of eating. That means that this will be the first time in 2 weeks, that I will have wheat based carbohydrates. That also means that I'm going to moderate what goes in on that day. Only two slices of pizza for me, then it is super clean food for the rest of the day. I have been maintaining the high fat, high protein, and very low carbs, for two straight weeks and it is working like a charm.  I won't weigh in again until Saturday morning, so I don't know how much weight I have lost, but I feel like it is at least a couple more pounds. That would be fine by me. I have said it before, healthy weight loss is usually 1 and a half to 2 pounds a week. I am just fine with that. If that is how it goes until my first four weeks is over, I will have lost a max total of 12 pounds and that would put me only 6 pounds away from my goal weight of 175. That is a massive accomplishment, seeing how the lowest I have ever been able to get in recent years is 186. I was only 1 pound above that on Sunday when I last weight in, so I have to be just below that right about now. I'll find out for sure on Saturday morning.

     I really don't have much else for you tonight, so let's keep it short, so I can get to sleep, wake up, and get tomorrow done. Peace in and goodnight. 

My Team Is Better Than Yours

     I have had two short days in a row at work. Monday because the job was pulled due to the horrible measuring of our salespeople, and today because we just slayed. We completely knocked our full job out in 3 and a half hours. That's team work right there. We even had two side jobs to do before and after. I was home by 3 o'clock, which is a great thing.

     My mentor told me that he had to do a written evaluation of me, and I had a chance to look at it, but I chose not to. It's none of my business, and I'll find out soon enough when the big bossman pulls me in his office to talk about the future, and how soon I'll be in my own company vehicle. I should be driving one on Friday for that solo job that I have to do, but I don't think it will be given to me that soon. This job could depend exactly how soon I get one though, and that will mean I will be on my own, no more mentor to watch over me, and then I will be giving up the training pay and working solely on commission, and that means big money.

    Enough about work. Another trigger for the spiral is out of the picture. For now at least. It is one less thing that will hold me down, and I'm beginning to see the edge of the top of the spiral now. I'm not out yet, but I'm getting there. The new eating lifestyle is working wonders. I told you about the skin and how it's feeling better, but this week I'm feeling better as well. I can feel my energy levels not only getting back to normal, but also rising, and that is an incredible thing. I love cooking meals the Keto way, and they taste amazing. I do fancy myself a pretty good cook, but it's not just about slapping some food on a plate and going to town. I also like to create a presentation, even if it's just me eating it. I think food should not only taste good, but it should look good as well. Here's an example of my meal tonight. It was two Kobe beef patties, with butter, shredded Mexican blend cheese and Kalamata olives, with bacon wrapped asparagus on the side. If you don't know the health benefits of Kalamata olives, then you should really look them up and then give them a try. Or maybe do it the other way around. My carbs for the meal were super low, as well as my overall carbs for the day, and I don't feel run down at all. I feel quite the opposite.

     Oh, I don't know if I mentioned this, but last week I was taking 3000mg of Omega 3. This week, since my body is more balanced, I took that down to 1000mg. That is to counter the Omega 6 fats that are coming from all the meat I'm eating, but I have chosen very good meat, so I shouldn't have a large amount of Omega 6's in there. This is all in an effort to get to where I am now, and that is in Ketosis. That is when your body starts feeding off your fat stores, instead of using carbs for energy, and it is really working. I'm down another pound since Sunday, and  I won't weigh in again until Saturday. I'm hoping for another 3 pounds dropped by then. If it's more than that, I may just keel over. My goal is 175. I'm at 187 as of this morning, and that is down from my highest as of lately of 210. That was a few months ago, and Keto isn't responsible for all the weightless, but it is why I've broken through the 195 plateau. This lifestyle may not be for you, but check into it if you are struggling with weight loss, and see if it may work. You may find alternatives that work even better for you while you are doing your research.

     I'm watching my two teams play each other tonight, the RAYS and the ROCKIES. I will always root for the RAYS first, and they are killing it to start the season. They lost the home opener to the Astros, but they have gone on to win the next 4 games, and right now they are leading 4-0. I love seeing the RAYS win, and they are doing it the right way, but playing really good baseball. Good pitching, good hitting, good fielding. I hope they can maintain this all season, but it's still only the first week and there is a long way to go to get to October. Oh, and don't forget, but team is better than yours, no matter what the record is.

     I don't have a Favorite anything this week, except maybe bacon wrapped asparagus, and possibly cauliflower with buffalo sauce. Oh yeah, those are two very Keto friendly items, and you won't believe how great they are.

     I'm going to finish watching this game and then go to bed 4 am calls very quickly. Peace in and goodnight.