My Adventures in Weight Loss @ Weight Watchers Week 5

I found this on my friend P.J.'s Facebook page.  It is really inspiring, but I don't see any changes yet.  Despite having reached the 10 lb mark at this weeks weigh in, my clothes still feel the same and I still think I look the same in the mirror.  My mom swears I look thinner though!  I'm going to keep going maybe by week 8 I will see the change too?  Last week I couldn't stay awake for anything, but this week my body seemed to level out and I wasn't as tired all the time.

A few weeks ago the main topic was making sure we eat breakfast.  It helps get the body's metabolism started in the morning and it helps to keep you full for the rest of the day. Well my issue with breakfast is I don't really like it at all.  I'm not normally hungry & cereal just isn't interesting enough to get me to eat it.  Plus pancakes for some reason make me sleepy.  So I decided to start making myself breakfast burritos/wraps.  The initial venture came to 7 pts. and had a flour tortilla, a slice of cheese, an egg, and some veggies.  I've been working on it and I've now pared it down to 4 pts. Instead of the flour tortilla I use a low fat/low carb wheat option.  I've also added a dash of white pepper and some red onions.  I also got some veggie sausages for the days I make the kids regular ones so I don't feel deprived.

My breakfast wrap before wrapping!

 It's filling and it tastes really good, so I actually am interested in breakfast.  After having something to eat every morning for over two weeks I have started to be hungry in the morning. I'm not starving, but I definitely don't have to force myself to enter the kitchen.

I started participating more at the meetings.  I still can't remember the coordinators name though. I really need to write it down.  I keep saying it to myself during the meeting and then by the time I get home it's completely disappeared from my brain! Plus I lost 2.8 lbs this week! YAY!  That means I get my second 5 lb star!  Also I am finally below 200 lbs.! I wanted to cry this week too simply because I was soooo happy!

6/28/13

6/28/13

So do you see a difference?

Weight:  198.2 lbs

My Adventures in Weight Loss @ Weight Watchers Week 4

Ok. So this past week I have been flat out exhausted! I don't know if it is my body reacting to a lot less sugar or if it is because of the 100+ weather or a combination of the two.  I can't say it has made me happy though.  Because even when I sleep through the night I still end up exhausted throughout the day.  Then when I take a nap I end up just waking up groggy and blech all over.

I did try a new recipe from the Simply Solo book again.

This was mine.

This was the books.

Obviously I didn't use the pine nuts. (almost $10 for a tiny bag!) and in my pic I hadn't sliced up the steak yet.  But it actually turned out really good.  It was filling and tasted great.  (I love steak.)  I was actually amazed that I was able to cook the steak at home.  I used my cast iron skillet, like the book suggested, and it turned out perfect.  I even made a separate order for the boyfriend and he enjoyed it as well.  I will definitely be trying this recipe again!

The meeting was about the same.  I've started to recognize some of the people there.  Not all the same people show up all the time it seems, but there are definitely some regulars.  I actually participated in the discussion a bit today.  But I still prefer just to sit and watch.

I was kinda down this week.  I only lost .4 of a lb.  Compared to the initial weeks 6.6 and the 2.6 of last week it is kinda depressing.  I'm blaming both the constant sleeping & the fact that when I woke up today (Friday) I was retaining water. I almost cried when the lady took my weight.  But she was really sweet. She said that Weight Watchers goal is .5-2lbs a week, not more.  Because if you loose too much weight in too short a time period it can be unhealthy for you.  So it kinda made me feel a bit better, but not much.

6/21/13

6/21/13

Weight: 201.4 lbs.

Interview with Ichabod Temperance

Tell us a little about yourself. Where you are from? Do you feel where you live influences how or what you write?

Thank you, Aimee. I am a lifelong resident of the Birmingham Alabama area. I have been involved with many forms of construction, played drums in a band for many years, was a sushi chef for a spell. I was also a karate student for over twenty years, and spent much of that time as an instructor. I have also been heavily involved with professional wrestling for the past 13.5 years. It is this association with wrestling, I believe, that helped to teach the art of storytelling. I and my character in the novels are from this area, so it definitely influences the way I write.

What sort of expectations did you have when being published was on the horizon?  

Well, I suppose I thought I would be an overnight success. Much to my surprise, it is actually pretty dang difficult to become rich and famous.

What is your biggest pet peeve ?

To be truthful, I am a pretty easy going person. I try not to allow myself to be annoyed at other folks' little idiosyncrasies. Goodness knows I have enough myself!

Are you Steampunk all the time or only when you write?

I think the term Steampunk merely puts a handle on the eccentricities that I have harboured for a long time. As Popeye would say, "I am, what I am." I am the same person at this keyboard with you right now, as I am when I am running around in 1876 fighting monsters and saving the World.

Where/how did you come up with the idea for your Ichabod Temperance novels?

Some friends of mine are local independent film makers. As a martial artist/professional wrestler, I pursued them to allow me to be a part of a film that might need a fight sequence, or some other stunt work. They wrote a screen play for a sweeping, no-budget, Steampunk epic, "Engines of Destiny". This was my introduction to Steampunk. I was directed to a website, "The Steampunk Empire". This site encourages one to create a backstory for one's character. I quite stumbled onto writing the novels by accident!

Is there a genre you prefer to write? What about to read?

I am involved with an experimental story process, "Cloud-based storytelling". It is a multi-platform venue including audio, video, and written storytelling formats and an ensemble cast. I do a bit of writing and acting there. The main site is Theatrics.com, and the show is called "Aurelia". My reading tastes fall along the lines of Steampunk, thrillers, and humorous fiction such as the works of Terry Pratchett.

Care to give us a peek at what your latest writing project is?

Sure. It is same as the others. I fight lots of monsters, save the World, and get the girl. We live happily ever after.

Halloween is just around the corner will you be dressing up this year? 

No plans as of yet, but I am hoping to be inspired to dress up and go out. Thanks for the reminder, I will have to put on my thinking cap.

A lot of authors use pen names. Is there a reason for using Ichabod Temperance as yours? Are you really Batman?

I have always enjoyed using nick-names. In wrestling, no one uses his or her real name. We address each other by our "gimmick" names. It is considered rude to insist on using the "real" name. I believe nick-names, aliases, and pen-names allow a person to be even more true to his or her real self image.

And yes. I am Batman.

You can also find Ichabod here:

Facebook

Goodreads

The Steampunk Empire

My Adventures in Weight Loss @ Weight Watchers Week 3

Again this week wasn't that bad. I still had points left over most days, and I wasn't starving or anything.

I did try really hard to remember to eat breakfast.  It mainly consisted of iced coffee and snack crackers. But that's ok because at least I was getting in the routine of eating something.  Also I started making a breakfast burrito. It consists of 1 tortilla, 1 egg, 1 slice of cheese and then spinach, red onion, and tomato. It's really tasty and only comes to 7 pts. according to the tracker.

I tried making one of the egg recipes from the Simply Solo book I bought.

This is mine.

This is the books.

Mine turned out kinda looking like the one in the book.  However I didn't have the cavier to put on it, obviously. It was pretty filling, but a bit bland so I added a bit of my favorite hot sauce. At only 5 pts. it was a good dinner.



Again I sat in back of the meeting and really didn't say too much. The group is kinda fun and there are a lot of regulars at this meeting.  I know that I could change to another one if I wanted to, but the leader is nice and she answers all of the questions I have at the end of the meetings. Plus the people seem really friendly.

I lost 2.6 lbs this week. Not as great as the last two weeks. But hey at least I'm losing right?

Front view 6/14/13

Side view 6/14/13

Weight this week:  201.8

Excerpt from A World of InTemperance

Bolt perks back up, wagging his tail.

His Daddy has an idea!

It practically falls on his head!

Studying the high side of the mountain, our intrepid hero, (yours truly) selects just the right spot...

BAH-WHOOMP! POW!!!

A brief pause. This is a long shot.

…

I meant a long distance!

A bright green flash, at the base of a particularly large overhang of snow and ice.

A satisfying, BOOM!, in the distance.

A dramatic tension and silence in its wake.

And then, a creak.

Followed by, an “Eark!”

A few light puffs of powder appear.

A shudder is evident.

A low rumble can be felt to be building.

Slowly at first, but quickly gaining speed and momentum, the pendulous promontory Winter's weight starts to lose its battle with gravity.

My Ectoplasmic trumpet brings down the Walls of JericKlondike carnage.

An avalanche.

This one should be called an,

“AVALANCHE!!!”

Laughing at the puny trees that had loomed so large to me moments before, the onrushing mountain of snow pounds some pretty pugnacious Pines into powderized dust.

“Do you think you may have acted a tad, rashly sir? I'm not so sure that we have much of a chance surviving this one.”

“I wasn't really counting on it. I just did not care for the alternative.”

“Point taken.”

The crashing wall of snow has caught the back end of our pursuers!

Like the edge of a wave, as it pushes itself up on a beach, pushing a foamy froth before it, and then subsiding back into the Ocean.

Only this wave does not subside back into the Ocean. It continues to push and crush and pick up more rubbish to play with, substituting trees, rocks, boulders, and monsters as its foamy lather flotsam.

But it quickly gains on us.

“Sorry to have gotten you into this, Mr. Cogito.”

“Think nothing of it, Dear Ichabod!”

The man of tin, though not designed for facial expressions, nevertheless, appears to be beaming with delight.

“I would not have traded the experience of the past few days for another hundred years of existence! To have known friendship! I am blessed!”

“Me too!” I agree.

“Roof! Roof!” agrees Mr. Bolt.

“Cheerio! Mr. Temperance! Sayonara!”

“Domo Arigato, Mr. Cogito.”

“Yipe!” from Mr. Bolt as we are slammed into and swept away by a hundred million tons of hurt.

Amazon

Check out my review of A World of InTemperance here!

Excerpt from A Matter of Temperance

Tucking the mysterious box inside my vest, I grab Miss Plumtartt by the hand and pull her from the chapel. We fly to an outside door. I hurriedly unlock it and pull.

The door opens an inch.

I put my boot to the wall and pull with strength. The door slowly opens another couple of inches, but stops. Some horrible glue-like substance holds the portal fast. We can hear rapid movement outside the house. Dashing to the front door, the way we came in just a few minutes prior, only to find it in the same condition as the other door. I take up a heavy bust, and with a running start, I heave the object through a window. It sticks, halfway through. The windows are sealed against us.

Something heavy enters an upstairs hallway. Something big. I put on my "Beauties". A rapid, and terribly stout tapping quickly reveals our antagonist.

I nearly falter at the sight. Bigger than a grand piano, is our uninvited guest. Putting a few of his legs on the upstairs rail, the grotesque aberration looks down upon us. Clusters of eyes, much like bunches of grapes, spin with dizzy thoughts of consumption. Many pairs of slathering mandibles work and click in fevered expectation. Despite the creature's bloated weight, it leaps to the ceiling of the grand entrance hall, runs across the wide expanse, and drops upon us.

Amazon

Check out my review of A Matter of Temperance here!

Starting at the Start ~ Guest post by Maureen O. Betita

Morning, readers! Maureen O. Betita here, writer of pirate adventure! Got a question for you… I write a series…a very long, linked story series, called Forever A Pirate.

Recently, it was recommended to me, by a promotional professional, that I should remove the nice big numbers from the covers and set the reader free from knowing it is series. (Okay, I made it sound snarky, she didn’t really advise trying to trick the reader.)

(But that’s how I read it.)

I wrestled with this for days… I mean, Arthur Conan Doyle didn’t number the Sherlock Holmes stories…even if they do read better in order. But better isn’t the same as making sense.

Then I considered Tarzan…if a reader picked up book ten and read about Jane and Boy…and then read book one…wouldn’t that be a big spoiler? (Tarzan gets Jane in book one? They have a son? Wait! What?)

(Yes, my examples are from the long ago time. Hey! This is when my writer gestation took place. Trust me, it would be a big thing!)

I’ll try to find a modern equivalent. If the Star Wars movies were books… and there was no obvious best order to read them…so you pick up book three first…then read one. (Oh my god, that is sick! He kissed his sister? Who is their father? What?) (Yes, I’m ignoring the other three movies.)

Awkward!

For this reason, I eventually landed on the side of refusing to remove the numbers from my books. Yes, it’s a long series – 30 books. Yes, that’s a long series to commit to. (Yes, you can put a book down and take a break.)

But! Would you rather know from the very beginning that the book you just glanced at, and was intrigued by, is part of a big series before you buy it and read it? Are some of you going to see that number and decide not to read? Sure! I’d rather you know and not be pissed at me and feel tricked… I’d rather a reader see that fat number on the cover and get excited about a big, meaty series. Give me the enthusiastic, not the angry, reader.

With that in mind… I just put out book nine! And it’s a good one, full of action, adventure, daring, sex, romance, heartache… It’s called Summoned Home and I so want you to read it!

But…I’m going to recommend you start with book one, A Caribbean Spell. And you know the nicest thing about book one? It’s FREE! On Amazon, Barnes&Nobles, and Apple! (Yes, B&N has the old cover…)

So… Pirates! Adventure! Romance! A dashingly lucky pirate captain! A time traveling sexual witch! An adventure to save the world against a vicious, nasty, evil villainess! Love! Wit! Fun! It’s A Caribbean Spell!

Now, the question! … What are your thoughts regarding series and the numbering of said series?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Links to a Caribbean Spell:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Apple

Link for Summoned Home:

Amazon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks Maureen for stopping by! I always love your visits!  Want to know what I personally thought of Caribbean Spell? Check out my review here!

The Adventures of Ichabod Temperance

A Matter of Temperance

Book One of The Adventures of Ichabod Temperance

By: Ichabod Temperance

Amazon Summery:

In a past that never was... 
The year is 1869. Earth experiences the close pass of a comet never before seen. In its wake, many of Terra's inhabitants find themselves changed. Among men, prodigies rise in unprecedented numbers, while many ordinary adults suddenly find themselves possessed of preternatural genius. Likewise, non-hominid animals become self-aware and intelligent. 
Fast forward to 1875. A young “comet prodigy” from humble beginnings, Ichabod Temperance, has become the world's foremost inventor. He travels to England to deliver his latest brilliant invention to a famous explorer, until Fate intervenes. Meanwhile, a lovely young Bluestocking, Miss Persephone Plumtartt, survives an experimental accident only to find herself imbued with a power she can neither understand nor control, while dark forces and malevolent creatures pursue her, leaving a gruesome wake of death. 
Yet, worse is to come. The naïve young inventor and the lovely intellectual find themselves fighting not only to save their own lives, but to prevent the destruction of all life on Earth.

A World of InTemperance

Book Two of The Adventures of Ichabod Temperance

By: Ichabod Temperance

Amazon Summery:

It is New Year's Eve, 1875. In this humorously told Steampunk tale, adventure-prone Ichabod Temperance and his lovely sweetheart, Miss Persephone Plumtartt, once again find themselves swept up into a whirlwind of misadventure and international catastrophe. The entire world totters on the brink of war, as various nations develop arsenals of dreadful power. It seems as though every nation on Earth lusts for Empire. A sinister plot boils to change the course of human history. Along with a remarkable cast of characters, including sapient animals and clockwork men, our heroes find themselves plunged into unimaginable peril!

For the Love of Temperance

Book Three of The Adventures of Ichabod Temperence

By: Ichabod Temperance

Amazon Summery:

The sovereignty of Planet Earth is under assault by interplanetary invaders. Ichabod Temperance and Persephone Plumtartt return in this thrilling Steampunk adventure. The duo fight bloodthirsty monsters bent on Earth's conquest. Featuring a cast of unforgettable characters, including the world's greatest actor and a telepathic dog, For the Love of Temperance will scare you and amuse you by turns.

A Study In Temperance

Book Four of The Adventures of Ichabod Temperance

By: Ichabod Temperance

Amazon Summery:

"'Twas the hand of fate that brought Miss Plumtartt and me together, for, in truth, we have been happenstance-stricken and adventure prone ever since." -Ichabod Temperance, For the Love of Temperance 

Such is the case once again as Ichabod Temperance and his lady love, Miss Persephone Plumtartt, are hurled into adventure and mystery. This time, they return to Persephone's ancestral estate in England, where they hope to enjoy a much-needed vacation. However, fate has other plans for the young couple, as a series of murders close in upon the innocent pair. A notorious Victorian Era London detective assists the plucky protagonists through a tangled web of intrigue involving an incredible cast of suspicious characters.

Spotlight on Ichabod Temperance

So I'm turning the spotlight on:

Ichabod Temperance!

His current works include:

A Matter of Temperance

Amazon Kindle

A World of InTemperance

Amazon Kindle

For the Love of Temperance

Amazon Kindle

A Study of Temperance

Amazon Kindle

Be sure to stop in later this week for my interview with Ichabod. Also check out my reviews of A Matter of Temperance and A World of Intemperance.

My Adventures In Weight Loss @ Weight Watchers Week 2

Ok. So this past week was A LOT easier than I thought it would be.  On Weight Watchers I have a daily limit of 30 points as well as 49 extra points that I can use throughout the week.  I kept a daily log of what I ate and how many points it was worth.  I was able to stay within my daily points all week except for the day before the meeting.  But in my defense it WAS my birthday!  I didn't load up on cake or anything, but I did go for a free breakfast at Denny's and then after skipping lunch and running around all day I went to Del Taco for dinner. Sorry but it's my birthday and I didn't want to count points.  I did write down everything I ate and I put down the points for them, I just waited until the next day to calculate what I had at Del Taco.  Denny's was a bit different.  The Eat Out book I'd bought at the first meeting gave me a really good list of items for my grand slam so I tried to keep it somewhat sane.  For example I got egg whites instead of plain eggs. But by the time I got to Del Taco I just wanted to enjoy my food!

The meeting this week was pretty much the same as the last week. I saw a lot of the same people, but the people that had been in my Power Start group from the week before weren't there. There were some new faces and a really couple of ladies who let me sit at their table while we waited for the room to open.  They were really encouraging about my first week and had some good hints and tips.

The meetings topic this week was about eating breakfast.  I commented later to the session leader that I REALLY don't do breakfast, but would try.  When I asked what I should do if I'm just not hungry she said I should still eat breakfast and try to make sure I eat during the day so I stay healthy.  Weight Watchers definitely does not encourage starving yourself. Not that I would, but sometimes my meds make me nauseous and sometimes I'm just not hungry.

I once again sat in back and observed.  However, I did get my first 5lb star!! YAY ME!!! And a Bravo sticker!  At weigh in I had lost 6.6 lbs. VERY encouraging and awesome! Also very coincidental considering my birthday is 6/6....and 6/6 was just the day before.....Haven't figured out how to work it all together...but still kinda awesomely coincidental!


Here are the pics for this week:

6/7/13

6/7/13

I've decided to wear the same outfit to every meeting.  (Don't worry I washed it during the week! God what kinda blogger do you think I am?!?)  But this way for every pic you can see if there is a difference or not a little easier and I don't look bigger or smaller because of the cut of a shirt or pants or anything.

Weight this week: 204.4

(Again any trollers out there wanting to comment go troll yourself)