An update on things going right or nearly so in my world:

• Nominated for Parsecs.
• Working on 5th (?!) Zulu-5 Story
• 11 babies outside my back door! From 2 litters born several weeks apart.
• Figured out how to put map files in Open Arena
• Have lost 66 Lbs.

Caveats to above:

• "OMG, I could have sent a better submission! WHAT HAVE I DONE?!"
• "Working" on the 5th Z5 Story means sitting at my desk in the Temple writing out the jumbled mass of scenes in my head one to an index card with the intent to somehow make some kind of outline of them, and wondering how the frell am I going to turn this goopy mass of aimlessness into a coherent story.
• 11 Babies means 18 lb. bags of cat food every week, and realizing I needed to get automatic feeders for DragonCon, and spending $100 at PetSmart. Then the smallest give me the most disgusted look when I put the 3 gallon water tank out for them as if to say, "You expect me to drink from THAT?"
• Sure, I've got new maps for OA... and now the sound has gone out on the laptop.
• Have lost 66 lbs but my metabolism has adjusted by slowing my heart rate by at least an average of 10 beats/minute. So I will have to begin exercising to keep the metabolism up to burn off the remaining 40 lbs. Grrrr....

Other than that, the Stargate guy I met at LibertyCon sent me a nice e-mail saying he was starting to read the print-outs of the stories I gave him, so hey... one of them is "Wings of Icarus", tho, and I've warned him at least twice that it's slash, so if he sends me a disgusted e-mail re "Jack and Daniel SLEEPING TOGETHER?! WTF?!" he was warned. If he gets through that without squicking, then I have no fears for the copy of "Seeds of Invasion" I put in with it. 'Nuff said.

Well. I'm sitting here doing this while I let my lunch go down before I go to the gym. (bangs head against keyboard)

So much for being a professional lazy slob.

I haven't mentioned it on here yet, or maybe I have, I don't remember, but since about the middle of November I've been losing weight. I've dropped from 225 lbs. to 187, and intend to go down to my so-called "ideal" weight of 120.

I get asked all the time at work how I do it, what diet am I using, etc. So here's the explanation.

It started with a philosophical hypothetical: Why do people go on a diet to lose weight, eat less, etc., with little to no planning as to how they're going to live with food afterward? You eat a regimented diet while you're dieting, but what will you do for your meals once you've got down to your target weight? Start eating like you used to again? You'll gain back the weight. Vow to be vegetarian/low-carb/lima bean and tofu/what have you for the rest of your life? Cut out such and so from your diet permanently?

No. You'll go back to eating what you normally eat. Because that's what you normally eat when you're not dieting.

So I asked myself, what would happen if you didn't diet, but instead just began living the way you're going to live when you get to your target weight, but do it now, at your present state of overweight? It's not a diet. It's changing the way you live and getting used to it. Along the way, you automatically start losing weight.

So you take a good hard look at your life and arrange your life with food around that, because nothing else in your life is going to change. People are inherently lazy. I am no exception. So I said, okay, I'm not going to exercise. Therefore, figure this on the basal metabolic rate of a female at 120 lbs. Daily caloric intake for such is around 1200 calories per day. Divide that by 3. Eat 300-350 per meal, with some left over for stuff like ketchup, mustard, Parmesan cheese, and other incidentals. Eat whatever you like, but only 300-350 calories worth per meal. I stopped eating between meals, but I didn't really do much of that except at night here at the computer so it wasn't hard.

You don't drop the weight quickly, but you do lose weight. I've lost 37 pounds so far.

Things I have found useful:

Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice are your Friends.

Fiber One's breakfast stuff is surprisingly good. Escpecially the Chocolate Chip breakfast bars.

Lightlife vegetarian meat substitutes will make your life complete. (Makers of Smart Strips, which come in a beef flavor that makes WONDERFUL stir fry in only MINUTES. More on this later.)

Subway isn't kidding about the low-cal menu. Heed their words, grasshopper.

Applebee's Weight Watcher menu will have you asking all your friends to go there whenever you want to go out to eat. Get the steak skewers, or the steak with portobellos. Mmmm, steak.

Minute Rice's brown rice microwave cups will save your sanity.

Love Broccoli. Your life will be so much simpler.

Balsamic Vinegar makes everything taste better.


And now, recipes.

Sanity-Saving Tastes Like Beef Stir Fry

• 1/2 package (3 oz) Lightlife Beef-Flavored Smart Strips
• 1 microwave cup Minute Rice Microwavable Brown Rice
• 2 cups or more of your choice of fresh vegetables (broccoli, carrots, onions, mushrooms, snow peas, asparagus, zucchini, green beans, whatever)
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water or broth of your choice
• Teriyaki or soy sauce
• Minced garlic to your taste
• Ground black pepper to taste

Make sure to open one corner of the microwave rice cup to vent and put in microwave. Microwave for 1 minute on 100%, set aside.

You will need a large skillet or wok with a cover, preferably non-stick. Put it on top of the stove and put the heat on to pre-heat while you cut up your vegetables. When the skillet is hot, put in the Smart Strips let cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Gather them to one side of the skillet and put in the vegetables, then put in a couple tablespoons of water and put the lid on the skillet to steam everything for 2 or 3 minutes.

While the veggies and Smart Strips are steaming, mix your water or broth, the cornstarch, garlic, pepper and Teriyaki or soy sauce in a cup or small bowl. Take the lid off the skillet and mix all the veggies and steak strips up, and add the cornstarch/broth mixture. Let it come back to a boil. This will cause the sauce mix to thicken somewhat. Stir as it does so to prevent lumps. When the sauce is thick enough for your taste, take the pan off the heat and add the rice. Mix everything up, put on a plate, and eat. If the above recipe is followed, it should come out to 350 calories or less.


I will post more of my recipes in the future. I've got a couple I'm still trying to perfect, including a good chicken and rice and a handmade not-frozen pizza.