Upcoming Book Release

After a 4 year hiatus from writing, I decided that I wanted to share NaNoWriMo with my daughter's high school, and offered to come and speak to their high school class about the program, discuss my own experiences with it, and even offer to buy a 'winner' t-shirt for any of the students who met their self-assigned writing goal for the month. (Keep in mind that there are only 16 students there). Anyway, I decided that for NaNoWriMo, I would dust off the 'Osiris' and 'Avalon' manuscripts, tweak and edit the former, and complete the latter during the month and discuss my progress with the students at the school. As fate would have it, we weren't able to get the program off the ground at the school, but I had been so focused on it, that I was supercharged and ready to get writing. That's usually when something goes wrong. In this case, my well-laid plans of edits and rewrites imploded.

Two days before the first of November, a brand-new story idea popped into my head. Keep in mind that I have a set of story outlines that I've written down over the last 20 years or so for at least fifteen or twenty novels, but this one was unique...and quite intriguing. I decided to throw out all of my plans and get to writing the story, the working title of which is 'Mountain Home Alpha'. I wrote nearly 51,000 words and again, won NaNo. I decided during the month that I enjoyed writing so much that I wanted to get my stories out there. Here's where we stand right now:

The manuscript for Osiris is currently in the hands of the editors, and will be back in my hands in a couple of weeks. The week of January 13, I'll get the cover design for the Osiris ebook, followed shortly by the completed paperback and hardback covers. I'm so excited by this prospect because when I originally wanted to publish Osiris, the only way to get published without an agent or directly-connection to a publisher was to self-publish using what's called a 'vanity press'. These, in literary circles, have a bad rap as they are usually expensive, and the writer usually pays high fees and ends up with boxes of books in their closet that they can't sell. The big publishing houses contol(led) access to bookstores, and the internet was in it's infancy at the time.

Fast-forward to today. There are a large number of ways to get a book self-published and get it into the hands consumers directly without having to buy and print a ton of books that you yourself have to sell. With Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Lulu to name a few, you can upload your manuscript for free to their online platforms, and when a customer purchases the title, they either receive a digital ebook, or a printed copy of the book from them - no author-interaction required.

I'll be formally announcing the release of Osiris soon, once I have the manuscripts back and start working on the cover design. Keep checking back for updates!

Novel Writing Background

So, a few years ago (actually more than a few) I had the realization that I'd been writing stories, mostly short stories, for as long as I could remember but never let anyone read them. I studied biology and chemistry in college, and took the one required English literature class.  After I had graduated, I decided that I wanted to take a formal creative writing class to learn or brush up on the mechanics of writing fiction, so I took a nighttime fiction writing class at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, my alma mater. I got some glowing praise from Wendy Brenner, who was the course instructor. Amazingly, she still teaches at UNCW some 20 years later!

Anyway, I came up with an idea for a full-length novel back in the early 2000's, and I started writing it during National Novel Writing Month in November of 2001, for which I 'won', by writing at least 50,000 words that month.  After NaNoWrimo, I worked, through Writer's Digest, with two published authors -  John deChancie, as well as the late Ardath Mayhar, and on editing the manuscript.

Eventually, I completed the roughly 90,000 word manuscript, and due to a couple of job changes, as well as the birth of my first child, it sat on the shelf for a couple of years collecting dust. I picked it back up sometime in the late 2000's and started looking for either a publisher, or an agent to help me find one. I didn't make much progress on that search. I had a few close friends read the manuscript and offer advice on corrections and changes, and in 2011, did a full rewrite during NaNoWriMo. The completed novel then sat on the shelf while I started the publisher/agent search again.

This time, however, I pushed hard on contacting a number of publishers and agents in the science fiction genre, and found that as a rule, the publishers wouldn't work with an agentless author, so I focused my efforts on getting an agent, while starting on story outlines for additional stories. More on that in a minute.

I had several good contacts with agents, but at the time, vampire literature was all the rage.  Think Anne Rice (Interview with the Vampire) and the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer.  All of the agents decided to pass on representing me and my new novel which was originally titled 'Dark Star', but had been rechristened 'Osiris'.

While the letters were flowing back and forth between me and the various agencies, I fleshed out story outlines for at least three more books in the series, which I dubbed 'The Avalon Series'. I started working on the second book in the series, 'Avalon' for NaNoWriMo 2012, and won with it, having written just over 68,000 words during the month of November.  I spent the next year in my agent search, and for NaNoWriMo 2013, wrote nearly 70,000 words on a combination of 'Avalon' and an as-of-yet unnamed third book in the series.  That's when I hit a brick wall.  From 2013 to 2018, I did no writing at all. I thought about it occasionally, but was focused on other things. In my next post, I'll discuss what happened this year that gave me the push to make Osiris happen.

Keto Weight Loss Update - Week 16

Week 16 results are in, and I actually worked out twice last week.  My weight came down, Yay!, but body fat went up, Boo!  Keep in mind that yesterday was Christmas, so my diet wasn't perfect, and there were a few cheats here and there.

The numbers show that my body fat percentage went up to 30%, which is still 5% body fat lower than where I started, and my weight has dropped back down to where it was in week 14.  This tells me that exercise is a requirement for me due to small amounts of carbohydrates in my diet (not to mention the occasional cheat).

As I have learned doing some research is that small amounts of carbohydrates in the diet will be converted to glycogen, which is stored in the muscles of the body and the liver. Exercise depletes this glycogen, which is replaced as a fuel source by ketone bodies and fat, thus boosting ketosis and burning excess body fat. I eliminated butter from my morning coffee a week or two ago, thus reducing the caloric intake, but kept in the coconut oil. I could eliminate that as well and see what happens. The first few weeks I was on Keto, I didn't add anything new to my coffee, and simply changed from half & half to heavy cream. This eliminated the carbs, and increased the fat slightly. If I remove the coconut oil, it would decrease the total caloric content of my coffee by ~ 2/3.  With both in, my coffee contains a total of 34g of fat (11g from the butter, 13g from the coconut oil, and 10g in the heavy cream), and 442 calories. I am considering getting some ketone test strips, to check periodically to see where I am in my ketosis.


Scott



Week 16 - Weight 183 lbs, 30% body fat.

Raw Diet Numbers



Day 0 -  197 lbs, 35% body fat.
Week1 -  195.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 2 - 194.5 lbs, 32% body fat
Week 3 - 192.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 4 - 190.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 5 - 188.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 6 - 186.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 7 - 187.5 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 8 - 186.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 9 - 185.0 lbs, 30% body fat
Week 10 - 182.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 12 - 183.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 13 - 184.5 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 14 - 183.0 lbs, 30% body fat
Week 15 - 185.5 lbs, 28% body fat
Week 16 - 183.0 lbs, 30% body fat


On Day 0, I weighed in at 197 lbs with 35% fat, which equates to 69 lbs of fat. (yuck).
At week 1, I weighed in at 195.5 lbs with 33% fat, which equates to 64.5 lbs of fat.
At week 2, I weighed in at 194.5 lbs with 32% body fat, which equates to 62.24 lbs of fat.
At week 3, I weighed in at 192.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 59.68 lbs of fat.
At week 4, I weighed in at 190.5 lbs with 33% body fat, which equates to 62.87 lbs of fat.
At week 5, I weighed in at 188.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 58.43 lbs of fat.
At week 6, I weighed in at 186.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 57.82 lbs of fat.
At week 7, I weighed in at 187.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 54.38 lbs of fat.
At week 8, I weighed in at 186.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.94 lbs of fat.
At week 9, I weighed in at 185.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 55.5 lbs of fat.
At week 10, I weighed in at 182.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 52.78 lbs of fat.
At week 12, I weighed in at 183.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.07 lbs of fat.
At week 13, I weighed in at 184.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.51 lbs of fat.

At week 14, I weighed in at 183.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 54.9 lbs of fat.
At week 15, I weighed in at 185.5 lbs with 28% body fat, which equates to 51.94 lbs of fat.
At week 16, I weighed in at 183.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 54.9 lbs of fat.

#keto #ketolife

Keto Weight Loss Update - Week 15

Week 15 results are in, and yes, I was lazy again last week.  I only did a little bit of exercise - nothing like what I want to be doing.  I'm in the middle of prepping a manuscript for a novel that I wrote for publication, and that's consuming a lot of my time. There's also the holidays. That's a lot of time there as well. I had a few cheats this past week, so I expected the numbers to be up, but the numbers are odd, to say the least. Bodyfat was down, but weight was up. Weird.

The numbers show that my body fat percentage dropped to the lowest point since I started the diet. My weight is up a couple of pounds, and even with the increased weight, the total amount of fat dropped roughly 3 pounds. I took the butter out of my coffee, and have just been doing a tablespoon of coconut oil as a way to decrease caloric intake during my exercise hiatus. Must have helped. :)


Scott



Week 15 - Weight 185.5 lbs, 28% body fat.

Raw Diet Numbers



Day 0 -  197 lbs, 35% body fat.
Week1 -  195.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 2 - 194.5 lbs, 32% body fat
Week 3 - 192.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 4 - 190.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 5 - 188.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 6 - 186.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 7 - 187.5 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 8 - 186.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 9 - 185.0 lbs, 30% body fat
Week 10 - 182.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 12 - 183.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 13 - 184.5 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 14 - 183.0 lbs, 30% body fat
Week 15 - 185.5 lbs, 28% body fat


On Day 0, I weighed in at 197 lbs with 35% fat, which equates to 69 lbs of fat. (yuck).
At week 1, I weighed in at 195.5 lbs with 33% fat, which equates to 64.5 lbs of fat.
At week 2, I weighed in at 194.5 lbs with 32% body fat, which equates to 62.24 lbs of fat.
At week 3, I weighed in at 192.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 59.68 lbs of fat.
At week 4, I weighed in at 190.5 lbs with 33% body fat, which equates to 62.87 lbs of fat.
At week 5, I weighed in at 188.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 58.43 lbs of fat.
At week 6, I weighed in at 186.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 57.82 lbs of fat.
At week 7, I weighed in at 187.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 54.38 lbs of fat.
At week 8, I weighed in at 186.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.94 lbs of fat.
At week 9, I weighed in at 185.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 55.5 lbs of fat.
At week 10, I weighed in at 182.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 52.78 lbs of fat.
At week 12, I weighed in at 183.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.07 lbs of fat.
At week 13, I weighed in at 184.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.51 lbs of fat.

At week 14, I weighed in at 183.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 54.9 lbs of fat.
At week 15, I weighed in at 185.5 lbs with 28% body fat, which equates to 51.94 lbs of fat.

#keto #ketolife

Keto Weight Loss Update - Week 14

Week 14 results are in, and I admit it - I was lazy last week.  I didn't work out (really).  I did 1 minute planks twice during the week, but that's not going to burn any glycogen that's been created in my body, and get ketosis going if I've been kicked out.  It just wasn't a good week.  We also had a holiday dinner party at a friends house, and I tried to eat sensibly, but got more carbs there than I would like.


Scott



Week 14 - Weight 183.0 lbs, 30% body fat.

Raw Diet Numbers



Day 0 -  197 lbs, 35% body fat.
Week1 -  195.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 2 - 194.5 lbs, 32% body fat
Week 3 - 192.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 4 - 190.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 5 - 188.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 6 - 186.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 7 - 187.5 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 8 - 186.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 9 - 185.0 lbs, 30% body fat
Week 10 - 182.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 12 - 183.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 13 - 184.5 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 14 - 183.0 lbs, 30% body fat


On Day 0, I weighed in at 197 lbs with 35% fat, which equates to 69 lbs of fat. (yuck).
At week 1, I weighed in at 195.5 lbs with 33% fat, which equates to 64.5 lbs of fat.
At week 2, I weighed in at 194.5 lbs with 32% body fat, which equates to 62.24 lbs of fat.
At week 3, I weighed in at 192.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 59.68 lbs of fat.
At week 4, I weighed in at 190.5 lbs with 33% body fat, which equates to 62.87 lbs of fat.
At week 5, I weighed in at 188.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 58.43 lbs of fat.
At week 6, I weighed in at 186.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 57.82 lbs of fat.
At week 7, I weighed in at 187.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 54.38 lbs of fat.
At week 8, I weighed in at 186.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.94 lbs of fat.
At week 9, I weighed in at 185.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 55.5 lbs of fat.
At week 10, I weighed in at 182.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 52.78 lbs of fat.
At week 12, I weighed in at 183.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.07 lbs of fat.
At week 13, I weighed in at 184.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.51 lbs of fat.

At week 14, I weighed in at 183.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 54.9 lbs of fat.

#keto #ketolife

Keto Weight Loss Update - Week 13

Week 13 results are in.  A month of no exercise, coupled with some carbs thrown in for good measure, makes for a gain of some weight this week. Unlucky number 13, I guess.




Week 13 - Weight 184.5 lbs, 29% body fat.

I've had a handful of days where I knew I was getting some carbs, based on the simple fact that I was eating out at restaurants where you don’t know what they put in the salad dressing, etc.  I mentioned previously that I was doing NaNoWriMo, I wasn’t working out during the month of November.  Well, November is gone, and I ‘won’ NaNoWrimo by surpassing the 50k words with a total of 50,813 words. Yay!  Anyway, back to working out…



Scott







Raw Diet Numbers



Day 0 -  197 lbs, 35% body fat.
Week1 -  195.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 2 - 194.5 lbs, 32% body fat
Week 3 - 192.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 4 - 190.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 5 - 188.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 6 - 186.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 7 - 187.5 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 8 - 186.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 9 - 185.0 lbs, 30% body fat
Week 10 - 182.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 12 - 183.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 13 - 184.5 lbs, 29% body fat



On Day 0, I weighed in at 197 lbs with 35% fat, which equates to 69 lbs of fat. (yuck).
At week 1, I weighed in at 195.5 lbs with 33% fat, which equates to 64.5 lbs of fat.
At week 2, I weighed in at 194.5 lbs with 32% body fat, which equates to 62.24 lbs of fat.
At week 3, I weighed in at 192.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 59.68 lbs of fat.
At week 4, I weighed in at 190.5 lbs with 33% body fat, which equates to 62.87 lbs of fat.
At week 5, I weighed in at 188.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 58.43 lbs of fat.
At week 6, I weighed in at 186.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 57.82 lbs of fat.
At week 7, I weighed in at 187.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 54.38 lbs of fat.
At week 8, I weighed in at 186.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.94 lbs of fat.
At week 9, I weighed in at 185.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 55.5 lbs of fat.
At week 10, I weighed in at 182.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 52.78 lbs of fat.
At week 12, I weighed in at 183.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.07 lbs of fat.
At week 13, I weighed in at 184.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.51 lbs of fat.

#keto #ketolife

Keto Weight Loss Update - Week 12

Week 12 results are in.  With the Thanksgiving holiday, I somehow forgot to post week 11 - maybe because I posted week 10 the day before I was supposed to post week 11, and subconsciously thought I had already posted for the week. Who knows.

Based on my numbers, Thanksgiving had an effect on my downward trend as you can see in the graphs below.  I tried to avoid carbs, but when you're eating at friends houses, you never really know what's in the food, and I wasn't going to be antisocial by eating nothing but a plate of turkey covered in butter. :)



Week 12 - Weight 183 lbs, 29% body fat.

So, you can see by the numbers that the holiday feast had an impact.  I was obviously out of ketosis, and gained some weight.  Based on the numbers, I actually gained about 0.29 pounds of fat, which makes sense if my fat intake was still high and I was out of ketosis.  The odd thing is that I gained a pound of weight, but only gained 0.29 pounds of fat, and didn't work out.  One of the side benefits of ketogenic diets is a decrease in inflammatory response in the body. Inflammation can be anywhere and everywhere, including inside organs, in joints, etc.  It's possible that some of the weight that I gained didn't show up as fat, and most likely isn't muscle because I haven't been working out, and thus could be an increase in inflammation caused by eating foods like wheat, which has been shown to cause random inflammation around the body. Who knows. At this point, I'll just chalk it up to Thanksgiving, and plan on exercising again once the month ends.


As I mentioned previously, I'm doing NaNoWriMo, so I'm not working out this month.

Currently, I am at just over 42,000 words of my 50,000 word target.  I should be able to make my target if I continue working at lunch each day, and some in the evenings as I have been.

Scott



Raw Diet Numbers

Day 0 -  197 lbs, 35% body fat.
Week1 -  195.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 2 - 194.5 lbs, 32% body fat
Week 3 - 192.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 4 - 190.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 5 - 188.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 6 - 186.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 7 - 187.5 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 8 - 186.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 9 - 185.0 lbs, 30% body fat
Week 10 - 182.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 12 - 183.0 lbs, 29% body fat

On Day 0, I weighed in at 197 lbs with 35% fat, which equates to 69 lbs of fat. (yuck).
At week 1, I weighed in at 195.5 lbs with 33% fat, which equates to 64.5 lbs of fat.
At week 2, I weighed in at 194.5 lbs with 32% body fat, which equates to 62.24 lbs of fat.
At week 3, I weighed in at 192.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 59.68 lbs of fat.
At week 4, I weighed in at 190.5 lbs with 33% body fat, which equates to 62.87 lbs of fat.
At week 5, I weighed in at 188.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 58.43 lbs of fat.
At week 6, I weighed in at 186.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 57.82 lbs of fat.
At week 7, I weighed in at 187.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 54.38 lbs of fat.
At week 8, I weighed in at 186.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.94 lbs of fat.
At week 9, I weighed in at 185.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 55.5 lbs of fat.
At week 10, I weighed in at 182.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 52.78 lbs of fat.
At week 12, I weighed in at 183.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.07 lbs of fat.

#keto #ketolife

Keto Weight Loss Update - Week 10

Week 10 results are in.  I apologize for taking so long in getting these posted, as Week 11 results get posted tomorrow.  Honestly, I forgot that I hadn't posted them.

 Last week was a pretty good week, despite traveling for the weekend.  Traveling can wreak havoc on any 'diet', especially one where you're trying to avoid carbs, so planning is everything. I made sure to bring plenty of keto-friendly snacks with me for the 4 hours drive.  Then, when you're in a different town that you're not familiar with, finding restaurants that have meals that are at least modifiable to be keto-friendly can be difficult as well.



Week 10 - Weight 182 lbs, 29% body fat.

Anyway, I ended up losing 2 lbs last week, and 1 percent body fat, so I think I did fairly well!  I didn't drink my bulletproof coffee for about half the week, so maybe that was the difference.

What's bulletproof coffee? It's my daily-driver that I add 1 tbsp of butter, 1 tsp coconut oil, and enough heavy cream to taste.  For purposes of fat loss, I need a calorie deficit, meaning fewer calories than I burn, so, I'll still continue with my regular diet this week, but just remove the added extras to the coffee.


As I mentioned previously, I'm doing NaNoWriMo, so I'm not working out this month.  Unfortunately I'm behind due to my trip, which caused me to miss 3 days' worth of writing.

Currently, I am at around 27,000 words of my 50,000 word target.  I should be, by the end of today, at around 31,600, I believe.  I should be able to make that up this week with the Thanksgiving holiday giving me 2 days off from work.

Scott



Raw Diet Numbers

Day 0 -  197 lbs, 35% body fat.
Week1 -  195.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 2 - 194.5 lbs, 32% body fat
Week 3 - 192.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 4 - 190.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 5 - 188.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 6 - 186.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 7 - 187.5 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 8 - 186.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 9 - 185.0 lbs, 30% body fat
Week 10 - 182.0 lbs, 29% body fat

On Day 0, I weighed in at 197 lbs with 35% fat, which equates to 69 lbs of fat. (yuck).
At week 1, I weighed in at 195.5 lbs with 33% fat, which equates to 64.5 lbs of fat.
At week 2, I weighed in at 194.5 lbs with 32% body fat, which equates to 62.24 lbs of fat.
At week 3, I weighed in at 192.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 59.68 lbs of fat.
At week 4, I weighed in at 190.5 lbs with 33% body fat, which equates to 62.87 lbs of fat.
At week 5, I weighed in at 188.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 58.43 lbs of fat.
At week 6, I weighed in at 186.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 57.82 lbs of fat.
At week 7, I weighed in at 187.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 54.38 lbs of fat.
At week 8, I weighed in at 186.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.94 lbs of fat.
At week 9, I weighed in at 185.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 55.5 lbs of fat.
At week 10, I weighed in at 182.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 52.78 lbs of fat.


#keto #ketolife

Keto Weight Loss Update - Week 9

Week 9 results are in. Last week was a bad week overall, and the numbers show it. On Saturday last week, I attended a large celebration for a non-profit that I'm affiliated with, and the food they served was hot dogs and sides. Now, the hot dog I can deal with - just don't eat the bun, or eat half. I ended up eating two hot dogs, but half  a bun. The sides is where I wiped out.

The only two sides they had were macaroni salad and pototo salad. I figured that potato salad would be the lesser of two evils, as potatoes are natural, and might at least have some fiber. Macaroni salad would have been carbohydrate city! Anyway, I ate about 3/4 cup of potato salad. No idea how many carbs.

Then, Sunday night, my son wanted mexican, so I did an a la carte order. I ordered a bowl of chicken tortilla soup (picking out the tortilla strips, a chile rellano, and some (jalapeno) toreados. Of course, the chile rellano was battered and fried, so I got hit there, but the real kicker was the 3 toreados in the order.

For those of you who don't know, toreados are a Mexican specialty where they take a whole jalapeno, dip it in lime juice, sprinkle salt on it, and then sear the outside over a flame to slightly cook it. It's a simple side dish.

What wasn't so simple was how I assume that the staff said, "The white guy ordered toreados! Let's give him TOREADOS!". To say that the single one that I ate was hot was an understatement. It was like licking a flaming porcupine. I was sweating, drooling, and my eyes were watering and my nose was running. I ended up chugging my son's chocolate milk. So, I got carbs from the chocolate syrup, and from the milk. Bad time all around - and don't get me started on 4am the following morning. Needless to say, that flaming porcupine came back for a visit.

I've decided to do something different now with the way I present my numbers. I have decided to present a graph, which is easier for folks to look at, now that the list is getting fairly lengthy. I'll keep the raw numbers at the end of this post, for those who want to second-check me. Below is the new format.

Week 9 - Weight 185 lbs, 30% body fat.

So, last week, I lost 1.0 lbs of weight, but my body fat at went back up to 30%.  I didn't work out at all last week, as I was just too busy with life. More on that below. In the wake of Saturday's celebration, and flaming Mexican night, I've decided to do a calorie deficit, based on my diet and activity level for the week. My numbers seem to indicate that when I have a bad week, or some cheats, coupled with no exercise, my decrease in numbers is either small, or there's an increase. So, this week, no bulletproof coffee for me. That's just a large amount of fat that I don't need to add.

What's bulletproof coffee? It's my daily-driver that I add 1 tbsp of butter, 1 tsp coconut oil, and enough heavy cream to taste.  For purposes of fat loss, I need a calorie deficit, meaning fewer calories than I burn, so, I'll still continue with my regular diet this week, but just remove the added extras to the coffee.

Now, the doctor visit. I visited my doctor, who wasn't there that day, so I met with the PA. She looked over my numbers, and as expected, she was concerned about all the FUD to do with Keto. FUD means fear, uncertainty, and doubt. She was familiar with Keto, but was apparently only familiar with the unsubstantiated rumors that have flown around, so she immediate went to look at my liver enzymes, kidney function, etc. All of which were normal. I told her that I'd read all the research I could find on NIH, CDC, etc., and that I have no concerns with the diet.  After a lengthy discussion, she didn't feel comfortable having me completely stop taking the half metformin and half statin I'm taking.  She rescheduled me for a 6-month followup. I'll see how things go between now and then, and when I meet with my regular doctor, will discuss stopping the meds if there no issues with the numbers. I don't expect any.

Why has life gotten in the way of my workouts this week? Why will it get in the way of my workouts for the next 3? NaNoWriMo, that's why. National Novel Writing Month is NaNoWriMo. I've done, and completed the required 50,000 words written on a novel during the month of November 3 times before, and I'm going for it again. This time, I chose a brand new story - one that came to me out of the blue two days before the start of November. Weird how these things happen.

Anyway, I'm super-excited about this story! It's been writing itself. I'm just along for the ride. I love it when that happens. I hope to win again this year. In order to type 50k words in 30 days, you have to write roughly 1,666 per day. So far, over the last 5 days, I've written 7,009, so I'm over 1k behind. I started out strong, staying 800-1000 words a day above the target, but Sunday and Monday were both a bit of a bust.

Scott



Raw Diet Numbers

Day 0 -  197 lbs, 35% body fat.
Week1 -  195.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 2 - 194.5 lbs, 32% body fat
Week 3 - 192.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 4 - 190.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 5 - 188.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 6 - 186.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 7 - 187.5 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 8 - 186.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 9 - 185.0 lbs, 30% body fat

On Day 0, I weighed in at 197 lbs with 35% fat, which equates to 69 lbs of fat. (yuck).
At week 1, I weighed in at 195.5 lbs with 33% fat, which equates to 64.5 lbs of fat.
At week 2, I weighed in at 194.5 lbs with 32% body fat, which equates to 62.24 lbs of fat.
At week 3, I weighed in at 192.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 59.68 lbs of fat.
At week 4, I weighed in at 190.5 lbs with 33% body fat, which equates to 62.87 lbs of fat.
At week 5, I weighed in at 188.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 58.43 lbs of fat.
At week 6, I weighed in at 186.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 57.82 lbs of fat.
At week 7, I weighed in at 187.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 54.38 lbs of fat.
At week 8, I weighed in at 186.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.94 lbs of fat.
At week 9, I weighed in at 185.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 55.5 lbs of fat.

#keto #ketolife

Keto Weight Loss Update - Week 8

Week 8 results are in, and the numbers look good again. I also have my results back from my blood work. more about that in a minute. This week, I had a couple of times this week where I cheated a bit. I ate three hot dogs (1 with the bun), but they were being served at a Fall Festival I attended on Sunday, so I don't know anything about the carb content of the dogs themselves. The bun, however, probably had 20 or so grams of carbohydrates. That said, I think things still turned out okay this week as the numbers show:


Day 0 -  197 lbs, 35% body fat.
Week1 -  195.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 2 - 194.5 lbs, 32% body fat
Week 3 - 192.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 4 - 190.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 5 - 188.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 6 - 186.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 7 - 187.5 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 8 - 186.0 lbs, 29% body fat

On Day 0, I weighed in at 197 lbs with 35% fat, which equates to 69 lbs of fat. (yuck).
At week 1, I weighed in at 195.5 lbs with 33% fat, which equates to 64.5 lbs of fat.
At week 2, I weighed in at 194.5 lbs with 32% body fat, which equates to 62.24 lbs of fat.
At week 3, I weighed in at 192.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 59.68 lbs of fat.
At week 4, I weighed in at 190.5 lbs with 33% body fat, which equates to 62.87 lbs of fat.
At week 5, I weighed in at 188.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 58.43 lbs of fat.
At week 6, I weighed in at 186.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 57.82 lbs of fat.
At week 7, I weighed in at 187.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 54.38 lbs of fat.
At week 8, I weighed in at 186.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.94 lbs of fat.

So, last week, I lost 1.5 lbs of weight, but lowered and kept  body fat at 29%.  I only worked out twice, again, not nearly as often as I would like. I've started just doing a 45 minute weight routine, and have cut out the cardio as a means of building up lean mass. I will start doing the cardio again with the shortened weight routing I've talked about previously to see what effect that has on my fat loss, but it appears that the most fat loss happened when I was doing the cardio routine with the shorter weight routing. I'm at my lowest weight again, which is awesome!

After only 8 weeks on a 'diet', I've lost a total of 11 lbs. That's 1.4 lbs per week. Typical weight loss on a ketogenic diet is 1-2 lbs, so I'm still right in the middle. I actually lost just over 15 lbs of fat, so I've gained some muscle with the weight training I've been doing.

Now for the interesting stuff. My blood work numbers. Below is a chart showing my before keto, and after 8 weeks on keto blood values for the things I deemed keto-appropriate.

Results from 6/4/2018                                              Results from 10/24/2018
A1c on 6/4/2018 = (H) 5.7  (<5.7)                            A1c on 10/24/2018 = 5.2

Lipid Panel                                                               Lipid Panel
Total Cholesterol = 151                                             Total Cholesterol = 156
HDL - 49                                                                   HDL - 45
Trig - (H) 198                                                            Trig - (H) 169
LDL - 72                                                                    LDL - 84

Metabolic Panel                                                      Metabolic Panel
Fasting Glucose - 120 (H)                                        Fasting Glucose - 90
Sodium - 140                                                            Sodium - 138 (135-146)
Potassium - 5.0                                                         Potassium - 4.8 (3.5-5.3)
Chloride - 103                                                          Chloride - 103 (98-110
Alkaline Phosphatase - (L) 31                                 Alkaline Phosphatase - 38 (L)

A1c and Fasting Glucose results are a clear positive. Fasting Glucose tells you what your blood sugar level was at the moment that your test was performed. A1c is an indicator of your blood sugar over a period of time. The higher the number, the higher indicator of diabetes. My result showed that my A1c, which was borderline high in June (3 months prior to my starting keto), but down in the normal range.

Lipids (cholesterol) numbers tell an interesting story. For 2 months, I've been eating lots of fats, some 'good', some not so 'good'. I love bacon, and eat it occasionally. I use bacon grease to fry things in quite a bit. I also made a batch of soup, and used ghee as the primary fat (in addition to whatever fat the beef had in it). This, coupled with the fact that I reduced my statin by half (from 40mg to 20mg daily), and saw a rise in total cholesterol of only 5 points. My HDL, the so-called 'good cholesterol', went down 4 points, while my so-called 'bad' cholesterol went up by 12 points. I think this is to be expected owing to the decrease in statin, and the increase in fats and meat in general. Of course, new research is showing that cholesterol numbers play ZERO role in development of heart disease on their own, so these numbers are likely moot anyway. :)

The weird one is my triglycerides. I expected them to rise, but they decreased by almost 30 points. NIH (National Institutes of Health) say that keto diets can lower these numbers, as well as LDL. They took measurements at 8, 16 and 24 weeks. However, the study participants ate only polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (those good fats I talked about earlier). It's been know for years that removing the saturated fats in the diet and replacing them with good fats such as olive and avocado oils, will do the same thing to cholesterol numbers. Not to discount the study, as they were able to accomplish both the weight loss and cholesterol goals by using a ketogenic diet!

Unfortunately, mainstream medicine has yet to fully accept the ketogenic lifestyle as an ideal way to reduce or eliminate many common ailments, but with more and more studies done by these large medical organizations, it's only a matter of time before people start to realize how healthy the ketogenic lifestyle actually is.

Scott


#keto #ketolife

Keto Weight Loss Update - Week 7

Week 7 results are in, and the numbers look good. I was worried this week, as I had a camping trip over the weekend, and while I tried to keep my foods keto-approved, I did have a few bites of things that were out of bounds. I then had a nice trip on Sunday to Ruby Tuesday, and ate a few things that may or may not have been good. So, I stepped up on the scale, and the numbers are below:


Day 0 -  197 lbs, 35% body fat.
Week1 -  195.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 2 - 194.5 lbs, 32% body fat
Week 3 - 192.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 4 - 190.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 5 - 188.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 6 - 186.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 7 - 187.5 lbs, 29% body fat

On Day 0, I weighed in at 197 lbs with 35% fat, which equates to 69 lbs of fat. (yuck).
At week 1, I weighed in at 195.5 lbs with 33% fat, which equates to 64.5 lbs of fat.
At week 2, I weighed in at 194.5 lbs with 32% body fat, which equates to 62.24 lbs of fat.
At week 3, I weighed in at 192.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 59.68 lbs of fat.
At week 4, I weighed in at 190.5 lbs with 33% body fat, which equates to 62.87 lbs of fat.
At week 5, I weighed in at 188.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 58.43 lbs of fat.
At week 6, I weighed in at 186.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 57.82 lbs of fat.
At week 7, I weighed in at 187.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 54.38 lbs of fat.

So, last week, I gained 1 lbs of weight, but lowered my % body fat by 2%.  I only worked out once, so not nearly as often as I would like, but I went camping, so I did a lot of lugging heavy things around, squatting to set things up, etc., so it looks like I burned a good deal of fat during that, and built some muscle. I'm at my lowest amount, by body fat yet, and

After only 7 weeks on a 'diet', I've lost a total of 9.5 lbs. That's 1.4 lbs per week. Typical weight loss on a ketogenic diet is 1-2 lbs, so I'm still right in the middle. I actually lost 14.62 lbs of fat, so I've gained some muscle with the working out as well.

I have a doctors appointment tomorrow to get my blood work done, so it'll be interesting to see what the dietary changes have made to my numbers. I cut my statin (for high cholesterol) and my metformin (for high blood sugar) in half, and have been taking that for a few weeks now. I hope to be off of both of them completely soon, if not immediately after this visit. The numbers will help to decide.

Scott


#keto #ketolife

Roraima Camping Table Product Review

As a self-described 'regular guy with a wide range of interests', I enjoy camping. I'm a Cub Scouts Den Leader for my local Pack, and just enjoy being out in nature. So, when I found Roraima was looking for people to try out their camping table, I was happy to test it out for them. They sent it to me at no cost to myself so that I could get it and see what I thought of it. As I always tell companies, you get my opinion. You don't get a free pass on anything. If I see something I don't like, I'm going to let people know about it. That said, here's my review.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the rather large box it came in was that it came in a nice nylon bag with a shoulder strap, making it easy to carry. It's quite light. More on that in a minute. As you can see, I have it sitting beside a 5 gallon bucket that contains some of my tent equipment.

When you open the bag via the drawstring at the top, you see that the bag is actually sewn into sections where the various components go, helping to keep them from flopping around inside the bag while you're walking with it. That's a nice feature that I didn't expect. When you pull out the items from the bag, you see the table top (top), the table top support rods (2nd from the top), the storage shelf/bag (2nd from the bottom), and the table base (bottom).

To be honest, I didn't read the instructions at all, based on how simple the table is to set up. The first thing I did was to unfold the base and attach the table top support rods. There are U-shaped clips that they drop into that have a metal peg that fits into a hole in the rod, making it so that the table won't fold up on you. Another nice design feature that I hadn't expected. One thing I did notice was that the base seemed a little difficult to unfold. This could be due to it being new and having never been unfolded before. It could also be an indicator of poor manufacturing, causing stress on the joints, making them hard to slide and fold. I'll hold judgement on that until I use it a bit more to make sure it's not an issue with the table.

The next thing I did was to attach the table top. In hindsight, I should have attached the storage shelf/bag underneath, as it's a bit difficult to manage once the top is on. More on that later. The table is built from multiple slats that run parallel, and are connected via elastic cords, so that you can stretch the table to insert the ends into the support rods on each end. This is another nice engineering aspect that I found pleasantly surprising.

The last thing I did was to attach the storage shelf/pouch underneath. This is the one area that the table has an issue. The shelf attaches to the legs at the top by a clip, and at the bottom by a hook and loop strap. The weight of the shelf is supported by the cross-support of the table. You can see this arrangement below:

The problem with this arrangement is that it makes getting things in and out of the shelf difficult. You can see in the final pictures at the end of this post that I have a few things in the shelf, including a roll of paper towels, which had to be inserted at an angle and I didn't dare lay it down completely, as it would be almost impossible to get back out. What I ended up doing (not pictured) is using some inexpensive carabiners that I had with me, to clip onto the table's cross support, and then hooked the shelf/bag hook onto the carabiner, thus lowering the entire shelf by about 3". This made getting things in and out much easier. It's not a deal-breaker by any means, but Roraima should consider a way of lowering this shelf for better ease of use.

I used the table briefly without the shelf as you can see below, but later decided that I wanted to add it back on with the carabiners.

Ultimately, it's a pretty nice table for camping. It's light, as I mentioned before. Really light. Part of my brain kept telling me that light=cheap, but I should know better. As a former mountain biker, current camper, etc., I know that companies spend a lot of money trying to make things light, and that in many cases, light=expensive. This table runs around $50, which is a little bit more than a cheap, white-topped folding table that you can by just about anywhere, but this is much more portable, making it ideal for camping, when every pound (and every inch of space it takes up) counts. I'd rate this table a solid 4.5 stars out of 5, with the half star taken off just for the way that the shelf it includes is difficult to use without banging into the leg supports every time you put something in or take something out. Having recently paid $40 for a white, plastic-topped folding table that is quite difficult to carry around, not to mention store, I would definitely pay an extra $10 for the storage space usage and portability that this table provides.

The basic information Amazon provides on the product is below:

• Sturdy construction with Aluminum frame, with capacity of 120 Lbs, product size is 27.56"x27.56"x27.56", Perfect height, weight, Family of 4 could easily eat off for camping.It is a great company with a folding camping chair, or great for Outdoor BBQ
• Sets up fast & folds small within 30 seconds, Folding in a carry bag with only 3 steps to put up and down. Extra mesh storage nets included, great space for preparing camping stuff,like dishes, fruits, toys and others.
• Rustproof,Fire proof, do not need to worry about too close to fire, you can even cook directly on this table, save money to buy extra camping kitchen table.
• Easy to clean , wipe all the messy stuff with a microfiber towel, Clean and tidy just so simple. Easy to carry with you in the Cars, RVs, etc
• All RORAIMA product includes a 1-year warranty with life time custom service, if you have any questions, pls feel free to contact with our custom service team. Thanks for again to buy RORAIMA products.

The Roraima camping table is available here:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077YTG9Y6

#campingtable

Keto Weight Loss Update - Week 6

Week 6 results are in, and the numbers look good. I had another trip to our local Mexican restaurant, and ate a few chips, but either stayed in ketosis, or got kicked right back in using Keto by Design as discussed in my post here.


Not sure what to make of the sugar readings, but the numbers are in, and they are pretty solid:

Day 0 -  197 lbs, 35% body fat.
Week1 -  195.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 2 - 194.5 lbs, 32% body fat
Week 3 - 192.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 4 - 190.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 5 - 188.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 6 - 186.5 lbs, 31% body fat

On Day 0, I weighed in at 197 lbs with 35% fat, which equates to 69 lbs of fat. (yuck).
At week 1, I weighed in at 195.5 lbs with 33% fat, which equates to 64.5 lbs of fat.
At week 2, I weighed in at 194.5 lbs with 32% body fat, which equates to 62.24 lbs of fat.
At week 3, I weighed in at 192.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 59.68 lbs of fat.
At week 4, I weighed in at 190.5 lbs with 33% body fat, which equates to 62.87 lbs of fat.
At week 5, I weighed in at 188.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 58.43 lbs of fat.
At week 6, I weighed in at 186.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 57.82 lbs of fat.

Last week, I lost 2 lbs of weight, and stayed at 31% body fat.  I was only able to work out twice, so not as often as I would like. I'm at my lowest amount, by weight and body fat yet, and I expect those numbers to continue to decline as my weight drops, and I continue to exercise to prevent muscle loss. I had really hoped to drop down to 30% body fat, or lower, but alas it didn't happen. I should continue to watch my overall stats, and we'll see what happens.

After only 6 weeks on a 'diet', I've lost a total of 10.5 lbs. That's 1.75 lbs per week.
I actually lost 11.2 lbs of fat, so I've gained some muscle with the working out as well.

I have a doctors appointment in a couple of weeks to get my blood work done, so it'll be interesting to see what the dietary changes have made to my numbers. I currently take a statin for high cholesterol, and metformin for high blood sugar. I hope to be off of both of them soon, if not immediately after this visit.

Scott



#keto #ketolife

Sarki Air Fryer XL (12 t) Product Review

I was recently contacted by a company called Sarki, who makes various types of small appliances. They asked me if I'd be willing to do a product review for a thermal laminator for them. They offered to send me this laminator at no cost in order for me to look it over, review it, and post my reviews on various social media platforms that I use. I agreed, and while I was waiting to receive the unit, I started researching them, and found that they also made an air fryer.  I'm a 'regular guy with a wide range of interests', and one of those interests is cooking.  I've always wanted an air fryer, so I asked if I could review it as well, also for no cost, and they said YES! I was so excited, as I've read great things about air fryers in general, and have wanted to get my hands on one.

The unit they sent me turns out is one of the largest, if not the largest size of air fryer made. It's a 12 quart capacity model, but what I like about it the best is that it has a door on the front, and not a basket like many other models. I think this gives a much greater degree of flexibility on its use.

I filmed the unboxing of the unit, which includes a 6.3 quart air fry pan (pot) with an integrated stirring gear in the bottom, a three-bladed strirrer, a pizza tray (which I used as a drippings catcher (more on that below), a roasting rack, a chicken roasting rack, and even an oven mitt. I was rather impressed with the heft of the pizza pan and the air fry pan. They are both quite heavy. For my testing, as outlined below, I used the roasting rack, and the pizza pan.

I was immediately struck by the controls, which are a very nice touch panel:

The items on the touch panel are pre-programmed settings for various foods, such as french fries, fish, pizza, etc. These can be altered after they are selected.  For my first test, I chose the french fries option, which automatically set 400 degrees for 20 minutes, because I was cooking some chicken nuggets. I figured that 20 minutes was too long, as my usual cook time for chicken nuggets was about 12 minutes. I changed it to 10.  I fired it up, and it got hot pretty fast.

It got so hot so fast that I only let the nuggets go for 6 minutes, because I was worried that they would be too crunchy for my son to eat. I asked him when he was eating, and he said that they probably could have gone 1 more minute and would have been perfect. 7 minutes for perfect chicken nuggets is fast. Not microwave fast, but certainly fast enough for everyday use. It's faster than our convection toaster oven, which we do most of our small-scale cooking in, by the way.

My next test was some beef sausages by Kiobasa. They were frozen, so I used the defrost setting, which ran for, I believe, 6 minutes.  After that was done, I set it on 350 for 7 minutes, and they came out perfect. They were hot in the middle, had a good crisp snap on the outside, and were really juicy.

I threw a quick spinach salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette on a plate with one and had an excellent, keto-friendly lunch.

Juicy and delicious!

After filming and playing with the unit, I'm rather impressed. The retail price of the unit is ~$230 and, while steep, makes it a bit of a fringe item I would think.  It's not going to take over the spot in the kitchen that the microwave holds.  It's just too pricey, and that's unfortunate, because I see this as having a much wider range of cooking options than the good old Radar-range.  For example, I couldn't imaging cooking a whole chicken in the microwave, unless I wanted a slimy mess afterward.  The same goes for thinks that are pre-cooked and frozen, such as chicken nuggets, fish sticks, etc., unless they come in special microwave-crisping packaging. The bottom line on this is that it's essentially a convection oven on steroids. It has dual-zone heating, which is activated by your selection on the panel.  If you choose something that should be heated from above, the top element lights. From below, the bottom one.  I didn't test it, but I assume that there's a setting that will light both elements. Overall, I'm think this is something that I would have saved my money for if I'd seen one in action at a friends house, or on TV.  It might very well replace our toaster oven, as it heats faster, cooks faster, and is just cooler in general.


The basic information Amazon provides on the product is below:

• 12QT XL CAPACITY --- 12 Quart airfryer with 6 Quart frying pan. Equips with 5 removable and QuickClean accessories, the family sized fryer can fry up all favorite snacks and foods for your friends and family with ease and less time consumed, is the best choice for your family.
• RAPID AIR CIRCULATING TECH --- New version air fryer with rapid hot air circulating system, enable your food cooking in all directions and evenly heated with little oil to no oil added. LESS FAT, MORE HEALTHIER.
• AUTO-STIR FUNCTION --- Auto stirring blade combines with unique bottom design moves the air throughout the air oven for an even, perfect cook. ONE-CLICK STIRING, WITH NO TURNING NEEDED.
• EASY VIEWING WINDOW --- ETVR air fryers feature a large see through cooking window with a working light. Let you monitor cooking progress without opening the door. Now, begins your healthy frying lifestyle with ETVR Air Fryer.
• Lifetime Warranty --- Warranty for 100% satisfaction: return or refund for any reason within 3 months , exchange or replace for any quality issue within 1 year , and lifetime for repairing and technical support. Please feel free to reach us if you have any problems.

The Sarki Air Fryer XL is available here:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GQRG4Q2

Sarki Thermal Laminator Product Review

So, I was contacted by a company called Sarki, who makes various types of small appliances. They asked me if I'd be willing to do a couple of product reviews for them. They offered to send me this laminator at no cost in order for me to look it over, review it, and post my reviews on various social media platforms that I use. Here's an overhead screen capture from the video that I made and will be uploading to YouTube soon. I got the black one here, although they also make a white one here.

After filming and playing with the unit, I'm rather impressed. For the retail price of $79'ish, I sure hoped that I would be. This thing is business-class. It will laminate using 3-5 mil pouches of varying sizes, giving a fair amount of flexibility. I purchased the package (out of my own pocket) of laminating pouches below from Amazon to do the testing, and if I decide to keep the unit, some home laminations. I wanted the maximum amount of flexibility, so I spent a little of my own money, just in case. If I decide to do a giveaway on my YouTube channel for it, the pouches will go ,too.




So, for the demonstration in the video, my inner nerdness came out. I decided to laminate a character sheet from Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. I used a classic character sheet, because that's how I roll. Laminating a character sheet is excellent because during gameplay, as characters take damage, they can use dry- or wet-erase markers to keep track of things like hit points, wounds, armor class, etc. as they can often change during the game.

The laminating process with this unit is simple. You turn it on, and press the button for the thickness of the laminating pouch you're using. This button will light up. There's an LED light beside the 3mil button that will turn green when the unit has warmed up sufficiently to laminate that thickness. It only seemed to take about 30 seconds to heat up for the 3mil pouch.

Then, simply slide the item to be laminted (in the pouch) into the unit from the top, as indicated by the red flashing arrow, and the unit will pull the pouch through, laminating it as it goes. My 8 1/2" x 11" 3mil lamination took right at 45 seconds as you can see in the image below:

The finished laminated character sheet would be indestructible at the gaming table. If you know that you're playing with kids, or just dirty slobs who eat while playing, you don't have to worry about drink spillage, pizza droppage, or any other calamity that might befall your character.

In general, I have to say that I really like this product, as it's made very well. In a small office environment is where this would really shine. At home, where I have it, it will only occasionally get used, but that's okay. There are lots of things I can use it for, such as laminating phone number lists to stick in the kids' school backpacks, or if the print is small enough, in my wallet. It can be used to laminate certificates, pictures, just about anything you want to protect, but I think, if I keep the unit, that I'll use it for things like character sheets, etc.


The basic information Amazon provides on the product is below:

• ◆Fast Warm-up: Only takes 3 minutes to warm up, definitely time-saving while laminating.
• ◆2-Roller system: Hot and Cold Laminating system satisfies different pressure requirement with an amazing speed of 12.6 inch/min and makes the project material laminated in a perfect and flatten way.
• ◆Perfect size: Laminator with maximum width 13.3 inch (A3 size paper) and speed of 12.6 inch per minute. Supported thickness of laminating item is up to 0.02 inch.
• ◆Automatic shut off: Laminator will automatically turn off, if it stays idle for 20-30 mins. Which is more convenient and safe for you.
• ◆Easy-to-use Design: 4 temperature settings for cold pouch, 3 mil, 4mil, 5 mil with LED Indicators, and single operation switch, clearly show you the status of machine and quite easy for the beginner to use and suitable for applying in home, school and office.

The laminator is available on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DVQ8X4D

Keto Weight Loss Update - Week 5

Week 5 results are in, and the numbers look good. I had a scare last Wednesday, as I was feeling a little odd, with a little bit of dizziness, so I checked my blood sugar. It was about an hour after I had eaten breakfast, which consisted of 2 muffin pan frittatas, along with 4 turkey breakfast sausages. When I checked it, it was 132, which scared me a little, as there should have been no carbs in my breakfast, unless there was some that snuck in with the ham that I was eating in the frittatas, or from the dextrose in the Splenda I had put in my coffee. I started also worrying about gluconeogenesis (latin for new sugar creation), which is where the liver converts dietary (and even muscle) protein into sugars for metabolism if you aren't fat-adapted. I freaked out, quit using Splenda in my coffee and switched to a mixture of monk fruit and Erythritol, and stopped eating my breakfast frittatas. I have been keeping an eye on my sugar, and saw the next day that it had risen again.

One other thing I did to help push me into ketosis was on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, I did an intermittent fast. Basically, what that means is that the night before, I didn't eat after 8pm. In fact, I didn't eat after dinner, which is usually 6-6:30pm because I wasn't hungry. Then, the next day, I didn't eat breakfast, and waited until noon to eat lunch, which means that including sleep time, I fasted for 16 hours. What makes that fairly easy is that I wasn't really hungry Saturday or Sunday morning anyway, but I also learned that bulletproof coffee does not break the fast, so even with putting my coconut oil, heavy cream, and monk fruit/erythritol sweetener in my coffee, it has no effect on a fast, so I had that, which kept me from being hungry.

Not sure what to make of the sugar readings, but the numbers are in, and they are pretty solid:

Day 0 -  197 lbs, 35% body fat.
Day 7 -  195.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Day 14 - 194.5 lbs, 32% body fat
Day 21 - 192.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Day 28 - 190.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Day 35 - 188.5 lbs, 31% body fat

On Day 0, I weighed in at 197 lbs with 35% fat, which equates to 69 lbs of fat. (yuck).
On Day 7, I weighed in at 195.5 lbs, with 33% fat, which equates to 64.5 lbs of fat.
On Day 14, I weighed in at 194.5 lbs, with 32% body fat, which equates to 62.24 lbs of fat.
On Day 21, I weighed in at 192.5 lbs, with 31% body fat, which equates to 59.68 lbs of fat.
On Day 28, I weighed in at 190.5 lbs, with 33% body fat, which equates to 62.87 lbs of fat.
On Day 35, I weighed in at 188.5 lbs, with 31% body fat, which equates to 58.43 lbs of fat.

Last week, I lost 2 lbs of weight, and went back down to the 31% body fat I was at on week 3. I think the fasting helped to get me back into ketosis, as I noted 'keto breath' a few times during the week. I was able to work out three times, so not as many as I like, but enough. I'm at my lowest amount, by weight, of body fat yet, and I expect those numbers to continue to decline as my weight drops, and I continue to exercise to prevent muscle loss.

On a side note, I did some searching, and found a place locally that does Bod Pod measurements to get a professional body analysis, and damn, it's expensive. In general, they run $130 per reading. I'll kick that around for a while, and decide if it's something that I want to save my pennies for.

Scott


I don't have any recommendations on any good keto books this week, but I do have some internet references for anyone considering a low-carb diet. See these video resources:

Dr. Ken Berry is a no-nonsense proponent of the ketogenic diet. He's a family practice MD from Tennessee, and he holds no punches when it comes to old modes of thought regarding diet, health, etc.

KetoConnect is Matt and Megha, a couple who have been on the ketogenic diet for a couple of years, do shopping trips to various locales, do cooking demos, and have even written a keto cookbook.

#keto #ketolife

Keto Weight Loss Update - Week 4

10 Years. It's been 10 years since I was at this weight. I'm impressed, to say the last.

So, week 4 results are in, and the numbers are a bit odd. Over the past week I missed 3 of my 5 workouts again, and had a day where I ate significant amounts of carbohydrates. The morning after our night out, I took three capsules of Keto by Design (as discussed during Week 0).

That said, here are the numbers:

Day 0 -  197 lbs, 35% body fat.
Day 7 -  195.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Day 14 - 194.5 lbs, 32% body fat
Day 21 - 192.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Day 28 - 190.5 lbs, 33% body fat

On Day 0, I weighed in at 197 lbs with 35% fat, which equates to 69 lbs of fat. (yuck).
On Day 7, I weighed in at 195.5 lbs, with 33% fat, which equates to 64.5 lbs of fat.
On Day 14, I weighed in at 194.5 lbs, with 32% body fat, which equates to 62.24 lbs of fat.
On Day 21, I weighed in at 192.5 lbs, with 31% body fat, which equates to 59.68 lbs of fat.
On Day 28, I weighed in at 190.5 lbs, with 33% body fat, which equates to 62.87 lbs of fat.

Last week, I lost 2 lbs of weight, but gained 2% body fat. Could this be a bad reading from the scale? I doubt it. Here's why - I started trying to eat high fat, as dictated by the Keto experts. They say anywhere from 60-75% fat, and 15-20% protein, with 10% or less of carbohydrates. So, my guess is that the days that I was kicked out of ketosis, I was eating high fat, and thus my body stored the extra fat. I'm not fussed, partially because I am going to start doing a better job of avoiding the carbs, and because I'm going to start pushing to work out at least 4 times a week, if not 5. I detailed my usual workout scheme last week.

Another reason why I don't think it was a bad reading from the scale is that I take my reading every week on Tuesday morning on an empty stomach, right after getting out of the shower. I have nothing to eat or drink before I get in the shower.

Anyway, what I will likely do is find a place locally that does Bod Pod measurements and get a professional body analysis, and if it's not too expensive, repeat this monthly.

Scott


I don't have any recommendations on any good keto books this week, as I've been reading and compiling recipes from my previous suggestions. See my previous posts here, here and here.

#keto #ketolife