Jude Stringfellow's Blog, page 117

Day 3 10-Day Green Smoothie Challenge July 24, 2018

Well, it's a bit early in the day to be blogging on the 3rd day. It's closer to day 2.5, but we'll give it a go, and inform the world of all the things that are taking place in my body as I do try to keep the challenge going.

Today I decided to throw in an avocado to the mix.  Avocados are so good and are so healthy, even if they have "fat", it is the right kind of fat, and helps your body in so many ways. Rather than rattle off all the benefits an avocado has, I'll direct you to Google, so you can do your own research. It may be helpful for you to do that anyway. I simply like (love) avocados, so I'm using them.  This breakfast smoothie consists of:  1 small avocado, 3/4 cup of kale, 1/2 cup of frozen mango and strawberries, and I used grape juice as a liquid, and added chia seeds that had been soaking in water for a few minutes to let them puff up before I puree them. Next time I'll use coconut water. I think the grape juice added a bit too much sugar. Natural sugars are still sugars, and you need to be aware of that when you make yourself a healthy drink.

I read an article about the best smoothies for you, and I learned that many people use bananas and avocados in their smoothies, adding both types of fat and sugar. They also make the mistake of pouring up a 16 oz smoothie when an 8 oz drink is really all you need.  If you keep your smoothies down to 8-12 oz for each drink you have a much better chance of lessening the calorie intake and in my case the sugar content.  Next time I'll be better, I promise.

Since it's all about the poop, I'll go ahead and tell you that yes, this morning my movement was very large, and probably the darkest green I've seen in many years.  Kale has a way of changing your poop, so don't be freaked out if you waste more than you expected, and if the thickness and color are different from what you've experienced in the past.  I knew about the changes, and I was prepared for it.  Just be sure and tell yourself there will be changes, and it could come on strongly at first. You never want to over do it, and you never want to make drastic changes. If you feel you need to talk to your doctor before you make these changes, please do. I'm not a medical doctor, so I couldn't begin to tell you what is good for your body.  I'm barely qualified to say what's good for my own body, but I am getting better at it. I'm researching and putting into practice what I need to do, and what I know to do.  Better late than never.

I made enough smoothie for breakfast and lunch. I'll eat a good dinner and walk 2 miles at the barn tonight. We tend to do a bit of walking there - it's a good thing.  My pedometer doesn't give me the correct reading when I'm riding, so I just have to be sure and work out with posting to get a bit of cardio in when I can.  This is really going to pay off, I can tell.  If I can drop 2 pounds a week I'll be 164 pounds by the time I turn 57 in mid November. That would be so wonderful. My goal weight is 150, so it looks like Christmas may see me in a size 8 dress. That would be a gift in and of itself.

Day 2 Green Smoothie Challenge. July 23, 2018

Hello again, I didn't even look at the title of my last post to see if I'm being consistent with the day to day titles. I want you to be able to go from Day 1 to Day 2 and so forth.  This is the Green Smoothie Challenge or Diet. I'm not sure what I should or would call it.  I had a bit of an issue with the frozen fruit I bought, it tasted really bad, as if it had freezer burn, so I didn't drink the 2nd smoothie yet. I had the first one, and it was NOT good. I'm going to have to go look up better recipes and do a better job. I drank it, and it is now all inside of my body doing its job, but it was not the best.  I wanted to do this correctly, and have the whole wonderful experience.

I did wake up on time, I am currently not working, but I'm looking for work, so I have plenty of time to prep my smoothies.  I didn't do such as great job of that today. Must be that is a Monday!  I went on an interview, and I'll be sure and tell you if I am chosen to be the next administrator at a really fantastic place. We did talk about the 10 Day Green Smoothie Challenge. The lady I interviewed with said she had tried it about a year ago. She worked it exactly as they called for, and she lost about 6 pounds. She said it was a good detox, but not the thing she needed. She wanted to lose 40-50 pounds and her little 6 wasn't going to do it for her. She began working out 4x a week and getting thinner was the juice she needed. She only lost 25, but she's still working hard at it, chipping away.  Me? I'm going to give this a go, and if I can lose 6-10 pounds I'll keep doing it and working it, and adding back a few things to round up to 2500 calories a day. Right now I'm hovering around the 1900 mark. 

I had my cup of coffee this morning and realized I can cut out two tablespoons of creamer and add half and half. It's not that great, but it's better than allowing 70 calories to just slip in.  I ate two good sized fig cookies for breakfast, and I drank a smoothie around 10.  I had a half pastrami sandwich on whole wheat with a pile of spinach, no cheese and olive oil mayo. It sounded better than mustard, but I may do vinaigrette tomorrow. I do a half sandwich because I realized I don't really need the 2nd half. It's just extra food being stuffed into my mouth.  With all the spinach on it I could call it a spinach sandwich with pastrami on the side.

I'll have a good dinner and I'll drink an enormous amount of water today. I always do. I'm the biggest fan of water, so that's never been an issue. I don't even need lemon or flavors. I'm OK drinking warm water too, it's just something I've always been able to do.  I go to the barn a lot and have a bottle sometimes in the car or laying outside in the shade. It gets toasty warm, and it really doesn't bother me. Some of my friends comment about it; saying I'm weird, but hey, it's not something I can't do. When the rubber hits the road I'm able to drink warm water while others can't. I will survive!

Poops were good, nothing like I had hoped. I wanted to go to the bathroom and leave 30 pounds in the toilet, but that was merely a dream I had...not reality. The plumbing would have been compromised I'm sure. We'll hope for the best.  See you tomorrow.

Day 1 Green Smoothie Detox. July 22, 2018

Well this is going to be interesting!

I know we all have livers and they are supposed to be great at detoxing our bodies, but I'm afraid I've not been all that fair to mine lately. In fact, for years I've been overloading my body with sugars, and unnecessary carbs.  My poor body is just not the same as it used to be, and because it's getting older I should be treating it so much better than I am.  Today I'm going to start a new program that only lasts about 10 days, and if it works it works. If it doesn't work I really can't hurt myself by adding a bunch of green vegetables and great fruits, yogurt, ginger, honey, and nuts. At least I hope I can't hurt myself doing that.

Ten days is not that long to try something. If it doesn't work I'll continue to drink the mixes anyway to add fiber and cut down on the sugar intake. The way I see it, I can substitute a smoothie for when I go to the kitchen to get a snack. I'm the one buying the bad foods right? I just have to stop doing that. It's not as easy as it seems. I literally have to fake myself out and say "Hey, that's poison, don't do it", in order to get my mind and body on the same page.

Shopping!  I love shopping for food, so the task of going to Winco to pick out the veggies was NOT a problem for me. The problem was only getting the good things I needed.  I forced myself to behave, and I bought:  prepackaged bags of fresh kale and fresh spinach.  This was the first time EVER that I've purchased kale, but I thought of my friend Jeannie when I did it. LOL...here's to you Jeannie!!  I bought Greek yogurt, thinking of my good friend Niki Bauer, who is a gorgeous Greek woman.  I get the plain or vanilla and usually add berries or honey to it for breakfast. This time I bought it for the smoothies.  I bought a bag of unripe avocados and one ripe avocado to use today.  The others can take a day or two to get ripe. There were 4 in the bag.  I bought three Granny Smith apples to use for snacks throughout the week when my body tells my mind that it's hungry.  I bought a few cucumbers to add to the mix, and ginger root! I like the flavor, but it's also very good about helping your body deal with the gas that the kale and spinach bring.  Besides fresh blueberries I bought some frozen fruits to add to the smoothies later in the week. Done! I left the store without spending more than $20, and there will be enough smoothie materials for about a week. NOT bad. I may have to go back to get a few more things to round out the last 3 days, but we'll see.

When I made my first smoothie today I did it with the super food green powder (cocoa flavored) that I have at the house already. I just put it lactose free milk and added a little honey. The taste is different, and if you don't like the smell or taste of fresh cut grass or hay, you may not like it, but I happen to like that taste; all is well.  I drank that around 1:00 p.m. and my next smoothie I had around 5:30 p.m. I don't think I want to do one too late in case my bowels do decide to act up and groan a little. I want to be able to take another anti-gas tablet if I need to.  You do want to be sure anyone you're around over the next few days is actually going to forgive you for all the farting and strange noises your gut may make in their presence.  Luckily for me I live with my daughter Laura and our 3 dogs and 2 cats. I shouldn't have too much of a problem with them making faces at me.

I weighed myself about 4 days ago. I'll weigh myself tomorrow at the gym and see if I have any changes in the next 10 days weight-wise. I will be working out 3x this week, probably 4x in the next 10 days. I'll ride my horse, I'll walk at least 2 miles a day, and I'll drink a LOT of water, it's what  I do. I'm really really hoping to drop 10 pounds in as many days, but it may not be feasible or even healthy. We'll see. You can't blame a girl for hoping.  Bottoms up!

Day 27 ACV - Getting Better at This

Day 27 and I have to say, I've only let 2 days go by where I didn't drink the Apple Cider Vinegar. I still haven't seen major effects taking place. I don't seem to be any thinner for the taking of the mixture, and I don't feel any major differences. What I do know is that I am receiving a good benefit from the fact that it works as a natural anti-inflammatory and it works well to both balance your blood's white count I think it is, and it lowers your cholesterol. I'm probably a lot healthier than I realize, but I'm not seeing any of the weight loss that people talked about.  I was HOPING that on the 4th week I could say "OMG, I've lost 12 pounds" but I can't say that. I don't think I have.

Well, at least I have the hopes and knowledge of knowing that I have been working out for about 5 days now. We've gone 3x so far, and I'll go another 3x in the next 4 days. I think every week we'll go about 5x and each time we'll work out, walk, use the robotic machines, we'll swim a little, sit in the hot tub, and both the wet and dry saunas.  I need to spend a bit more time in the pool, maybe at least 30 minutes each time. That's probably going to have to start happening. My son tells me that the pool will be my best bet to get the fat off this old body.

Let me tell you, there are too many mirrors in that place for my taste. I'm not kidding you. I almost have to wear dark sunglasses to avoid seeing myself from every damn angle. ROLLY POLLY is what I see. I'm still about 40 pounds too heavy and it's all right in the middle. EVERY inch of me outside of my torso is fine. If I was in proportion to my calves and biceps, I'd be a beautiful woman. LOL I would be 5'7", 128 pounds, solid as a rock, and probably have thicker hair too.  Why not; if we're going to pretend, we may has well do it all the way.

It's becoming easier to do the work out. I did notice that. The first time I sat at the elliptical (recumbent) machine I could barely push through 3 minutes. I am doing 5 minutes now and biking about 1.8 to 2.0 miles each time. I lose 30 to 50 calories, and get the blood pumping. I walk to the track, and walk it 10 times, which is 1/2 a mile, then I do the machines on the inside of it, the arms, bi-ceps, tri-ceps, and back muscle machines. Then I walk another 1/2 mile.  I do the other machines if I feel like torturing myself further, but today I picked up the 10 pound kettle ball to do a few swings. I need to start with the 10 even though I know it's light. I want to do 50 swings and then move up if I can do those without problems.

Off to the robotics, and let them do their thing. One of them literally massages your fat. You can sit on it, lay on your back and/or belly. You can do your thighs one at a time, or you can do calves. Another of my favorites shakes your bones loose from your muscles as you lay on it. It can either be your best friend or worst enemy, depending on the day I suppose. If you lay loosely it works your back, it you tighten your belly (while laying on your back) you get an ab work out like no other. I love it and I hate it, but I use it every time!

Following the robots I take to the pool if no one is there, and to the saunas if the pool is busy. I switch back and forth and usually end up in the jacuzzi at the end of the day. Ten minutes at least in that pool right up against the jets.....Oh, yes....my back loves me after that.  By the time we finish we may have spent 2 hours in the gym, which is absolutely crazy for us, we're usually at the barn, but NO MORE. We go to the barn on weekends now, and one day a week. When the weather is better, and the sun is out more we may hit the barn first, but we'll end up in that hot tub a lot more often than not. It's a good thing I don't have one at home, I may not go to work.

Soon, and very soon, I will tell you that my pants are falling off! That will be a great thing, and it will be a bad thing if I don't invest in a belt soon.  At least I can say I know it will happen. I'm making this body listen to my mind finally. I will be 140 and I will be a size 10. I will be healthier, and I will be able to swing 20 pound kettle balls ... just not right now. LOL

Day 25 ACV - Sauna Time!

Day 25 of the ACV and I have to admit, I've not actually taken it today. I will though, probably as soon as I finish this blog.  I'm doing the whole whey protein shake thing right now. I worked out with Laura, and we immediately broke out the new protein tub. I think you call it a tub, it's not a bottle, it's the big fat canister type thing, a container, so yeah, I'm going to say tub. We opted for the vanilla so as to not overload ourselves with too many options. I added cinnamon to mine, she added half a banana to hers. I used the hand shaker, since she was insistent on using the Nutri-bullet for hers...I could have added ice to mine if I did, but I didn't so it's cool. Tomorrow I'll let her add other fruits, but I'm not the biggest fan of bananas in drinks. I'm OK with them on ice cream and on my cereal, maybe even on a pancake, and definitely on my peanut butter sandwiches, yes, bananas do have their place in our home.  With the cinnamon though, I get a little extra pep; so you gotta love that.

OK...sauna day. You have to earn it you know, you can't just walk in the door and make a Bee-line to the saunas. I guess you could, but we make it a reward thing.  First we destroy ourselves on the floor, then we sit for 30 minutes between the whirlpool at 105 degrees for 10, then the wet sauna for 10 and then the dry sauna for 10...if we can take it. If not, we get out and swim a few laps to cool off in the big pool. Truth we told, I end up doing that every time anyway to get my body moving again and to try and take off 5-10 more calories. If I can get my deficit in I can lose fat....it's all about the fat, baby.  Speaking of fat, Laura weighed herself. I told her not to. She's not fat, but she's about 13 pounds heavier than she thought she was, and that was enough to send her to the moon and back. I think she spent a few extra minutes on the treadmill and the standing elliptical. She was all about that 13 pounds today. I'm still hearing about it, and it's been 3 hours.  OK, we get it...you're a cow!! LOL, no, she's not, she's doughy.  I have  a photo of her on my goal board. She's about 5'8" and 145 in the photo, and she's happy, just shampooing the horse. She agrees with me, when we had our own farm we were both a lot thinner and in better shape. You can't help it, you have to drag 50 pound feed bags around, bale hay, load hay, feed hay, clean stalls, work horses, and then some. Yes, you're going to be thinner and in better shape.  I miss my farm.

We live in the city now, and currently rent, but someday we'll get another farm. I don't think my daughter realizes she can get married and have her own place; at 28 shes still rather content to just hang with mom. It may happen, it may not, but no matter what happens in that realm we still have SAUNA DAY!  (I say that as if we're only going to use the saunas now and then. NOPE, we're going to use those rooms EVERY time we go....EVERY time.)  Before we hit the gym tonight we ran by Academy to pick up swimsuits and let me tell you, they still have tops and bottoms and they were on drastic sale. I picked up a long top sports bra for $10 and bottoms for $10.  We both bought thin t-shirts for $5 each, and shorts for $8.  Definitely going there Friday after work (pay day) for some future yoga pants.  I'd give it 1 month and I guarantee you I can fit in my 16s...you wait, it will happen.  Wait and watch.

She's about 145-150 in this one. My goal.

Day 24 ACV Diet: Gym Time

Day 24 ACV Diet
Gym Time!!

OMG, so my daughter Laura and I have decided that enough is enough. We wanted to work out, exercise, burn those calories, and get fit. We also wanted to do it in a gym that was both inexpensive and close to our house. The one we found is PERFECT. It's also (a huge bonus) an all-women's fitness center. No men whatsoever, and they can't be sued for it, as there would be way too many sexual harassment complaints by the members; and the courts know this. Apparently, this particular gym has been sued two times, and every member to the last has agreed to keep it men-free.  That may sound sexist and terrible to some, but too damn bad.  Women need a place they can fart, stretch in strange ways, and roll their bodies into pretzels without some man watching them, judging them, analyzing them, or harassing them. If you disagree, go ahead and disagree, I think there should be all men places too; I'm progressive like that.

We joined yesterday and went today.  When you first walk in you realize that they don't allow kids under the age of 16 either and anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent, not an adult, an actual biological or adoptive parent or guardian. Again, they were sued, but they won that one too. No place of business needs to worry about a kid being hurt and not being able to find their parent or guardian. I love it.  We will probably stay at this place long after we have shed the pounds.

When you see the floor you realize the owner did everything the way she would want it, and luckily for everyone of the members, we like it too.  There are several types of machines, there are single types such as recumbent bikes and elliptical, standing elliptical and stair masters. There are treadmills and the standard regular bikes. They have spinners, weight machines, legs, arms, chests, back, hips,and gut working machines. They have the Lady Nautilus machines that are designed for women, so that we don't have our arms really stretched or our hips at the wrong angles. They have weight lifting machines and free weights, but my favorites are the motion machines. These are the type you see if you go to a Tan and Tone America. I don't know if you know what I'm talking about, but you lay down on them face up or down, depending on the device, and your body parts are moved around by the machine. You resist the force, and slowly the machine literally works the fat off of your body while it tones it. It's wonderful! There's one that just rolls and rolls and rolls, and you choose what gets rolled. I usually sit on it, and let my bum and my legs work out. It releases the cellulite and helps you flush the fat out. It really does work, and I am so glad they have these. I would join just for those alone.

They have a whirlpool set at 105 degrees, a heated pool to do aerobics or freestyle swimming in, and two saunas, the dry and the wet, both really hot, and both so awesome on your aching sore muscles. The wet sauna has menthol added, and you walk out of there with your sinuses cleared, believe me. I am so tired but I feel so good.  We spent over 2 hours there today, and we'll do it again tomorrow, but heavier on the swimming tomorrow, and lighter on the weights. There's a walking track as well, and a really cool vibration stand (they have 4 because people love them). You stand up on the machine and bend your knees for about a minute, then you stand on the ground and put one foot on it, then the next. You can do push ups with your feet on the pad, or you can lay down and put your feet on the pad. It's really kind of crazy, but it gets your blood flowing!

I was measured today, officially, and while I refused to be weighed, I know I have about 45 pounds to lose.  I am pretty sure I tip the scale right at 200, but I didn't want it to be 204 or something and freak me out, so I declined. I'll weigh after I know I've lost weight, I won't be so hard on myself then. For now it's tough just knowing my belly is bigger than my chest by 1/2 an inch. I'm not happy about that fact, not happy at all.  BUT...the great news is, it won't be that way for long!

If you need to lose weight for health reasons like I do, I encourage you to do it. Just start slowly, and give up the fatty foods, the carbonated drinks, and the simple sugars. It will suck, but you can do it. Next just find a way to move your body. I walked for a good 4 months before I finally gave in and joined the gym. I wasn't getting my steps in like I thought I would. I did on the weekends, but not during the day.  So now I have NO excuse. I can do it all at the gym. I hope you'll follow me and see the progress. I don't expect to lose it in 2 or 3 months. It will be at least 6 probably. I don't want to lose it too fast.I want it to stay off forever.

OK...my goals:  To weigh 145 (I'm 5'7") and to wear size 10 jeans and size Medium shirts easily. The current numbers?  Well, about 200-205 I suspect, and I'm wearing 18 jeans and XL shirts. It makes me sad, but it's true.  Right now my measurements are:  44, 40, 45....and my GUT is 44.5  That really makes me stop and ponder how I let this happen. We can say "life" all we want, but in the end we are ultimately responsible. We pay for the bad food, we eat the bad food, and we choose not to exercise. I can't blame anyone but myself.

I'll keep you posted. No before photos, I took them for myself, but I won't put them on the internet. I'll show you a "decent" before photo.  You can bet I'll put up the after photos!!! Oh yeah!!

Day 16 ACV Diet Tru Native Rolex

December 10, 2017
Day 16 ACV Diet

I'm not trying to be negative, I really am not trying to be a downer, but I've not really seen MUCH of a difference in my body after 16 days of taking 2 tablespoons of ACV with grapefruit juice. It is better taking it with grapefruit juice for me. Some people like the tea with lemon and honey, I prefer to get it down a bit faster. I drink about 4 ounces of red ruby grapefruit juice every day now, and pour about (or a little more) 2 tablespoons of Bragg's apple cider vinegar. It's not always easy, but I know I have to do it.  I will say this; my teeth don't hurt like they did (I need to get a couple of cavities filled, and am waiting for the insurance to kick in.) My knee, which normally hurts during the changes of weather, hasn't been hurting, so maybe the ACV is doing its job that way. I don't feel bloated either, but I don't see any real change in my size. I want change in my size! I want my belly to go away!

Tomorrow is the first day of work!! I'm so very excited, and not just because I can start paying my bills on time. I am excited because I can join a gym next week, and I can get my teeth filled very soon. I think I have to do that check up first with the cleaning, and schedule the "plan" again. I had a plan two years ago and then lost my good insurance. That's not to say I didn't have insurance with my last job, I did, but I didn't know I needed the work done until my teeth began hurting me, and that was about 4 months ago.  So yes, the ACV has helped that. There you go.

OK...let's talk about horses.  This week Laura, 1st daughter, bought her newest and probably her last horse for a while. This one will be the one she really works hard at training and then keeps. For years she's been working them, training them, selling them, or flipping and trading. This time it's a keeper. His name is Tru Native Rolex, and he's an American Paint Horse. He is about 14.2 hands tall now, and will grow only about 1 more inch. He'll top out at about 900 pounds. He's really pretty. With Paints you have to take photos of both sides, they have different patterns. I've taken a couple to show you. He's a Tobiano, meaning, his legs are white from the knees down, and there is more white than color. He is out of really good lines and should be quite athletic. She'll train him from the ground up and make him her top priority in both barrel racing and trails. She may try to be competitive, but she's really just very very happy to have found him.

People in the horse world will try to muscle you, and bully you into doing things their way. Laura and I have had to stand our ground a few too many times. With a horse like Rolex, most people would expect that he would cost $4000 but he was literally only $500. People will say you get what you pay for, but when it comes down to it, you get what is bred, and what you put into it. Laura intends to put her heart into this boy, and soon he'll be both.  I'll keep you posted. You can look Tru Native Rolex up on All Breed Pedigree, he's a 2014 model. www.allbreedpedigree.com

Day 12 of ACV Diet Bays and Sorrels

December 6, 2017
Day 12 of the ACV diet.

Again, not much to report here regarding the ACV Diet, but how about our President declaring Jerusalem to be the eternal Capital of Israel? WAY TO GO MR. TRUMP!  If you know me, you know I am a staunch supporter of Israel, I even named my cat Benjamin Netanyahu.  I suppose I could tell a truth about myself, and let you know I have a crush on Bibi. I have had one for many years.  In another place, at another time, maybe things could have worked out. LOL

Since there is nothing to report on the diet side of things, I'll tell you about my hair being dyed instead. Obviously I need to go back to work, I'm even boring myself nowadays. If I'm bored, you're bored, because I'm the writer, and you're the audience. That's how this blog thing works. I write what comes into my head, you read what I write, and it goes into your heads. Speaking of heads, I woke up a few days ago and realized I had more gray hairs, and I didn't really feel like I should be gray. If I were a horse I would say I was roaning, but I'm just an older than younger woman who has a few gray hairs coming out of her head at a time when she should be nearly completely gray.  I'm 56 and know women ten years my junior with more gray than myself - - either I'm less stressed, or I took on my father's darker roots gene, because I normally only see a few here and there at any given time. However, this is now, and that was as they say, then. I now have more gray! What to do? Well, I wasn't going to do anything, I'm not vain, and I really don't care about my hair, but my daughter, a freak of nature with the perfect color of reddish golden hair all over her damn head, suggested I color my hair for a completely different reason; she said it gives fine hair body! OK...we'll go with that.

I titled this blog "Bays and Sorrels" because a bay horse is brown and a sorrel horse is red. Most of my adult life I've been one or the other. I've had natural brown hair all of my life, and artificially colored red or brownish strands, hence the bay or the sorrel.  When my naturally sorrel headed daughter suggested I dye my hair, I decided to go a rich deep chestnut, but my hair had other thoughts. Sure, the box said medium auburn, but that's not what happened. I won't say "seal bay" but I could lean towards saying "dark liver chestnut" for sure.  I'm not sure I like it. I'm not sure I even recognize myself in the mirror at this point. When I applied my makeup I found myself using darker browns and bronzes to accommodate the hair color choice. Who does that? (Oh, I know, a criminal who wants to remain anonymous, that's who does that! Only they do it on purpose!)

Time is a wonderful thing -- soon I will step into the shower (a few dozen times) and I can be back to being the bay I knew I was before trying to hide the roaning. There is nothing wrong with gray - on a horse you spell it "grey", but it's the same thing, its FINE, it's perfectly OK to be 56 and GRAY!  Well, at least for this Christmas season granny will be hiding in the coals and no one will even know I'm there. I bet that  red headed freak of nature of mine will laugh and call it payback for something, I have no idea, but something.  By the way, when it comes to horses I prefer the sorrels to the bays, but somehow have ended up with a few darker hay burners in the pasture. I'll be watching myself a little closer next time around, you can bet on that. Just watch me! And, when I head over to the Health and Beauty side of things at Target I'll pick up a box that says "Flaming Angel" or something...maybe not that drastic, but I'm not suited to be this deeply bay. It feels weird.
Norman is a BAY Mustang (gelding)
Jade is a SORREL Quarter Horse (mare)
LAURA, my red-headed wonderful daughter. I have two wonderful daughters, the other is a BAY. LOL, and we both believe Laura is from outer space. 

Day 10 ACV Diet Fantasy Horses

December 4, 2017
Day 10 of the ACV diet.

Nothing to report regarding the Apple Cider Vinegar Diet. I've been dutiful, I've been faithful, I've been normal, and nothing out of the ordinary has happened. I may feel that my calves are less tight, which means the fat in them must be breaking down. I feel that my pants may feel a little loose, but until I can snap the size 16's in the closet, I'm not going to think I've really accomplished too much. We just move ahead, we plow through, we do what we do every day, and hopefully it all works out.
I will say that I'm watching what I eat in terms of high calorie foods, and the frequency of them. I am not eating nearly as often as I did before, and I don't keep snacks in my office, as I did before. Taking the snacks out, and forcing myself to get up and walk the kitchen gives me the chance to think about what I will eat and how much of it will be eaten.  Good plan.

So, fantasy horses, huh?  Yes, I am one who just loves an online livestock auction if horses are being sold. I have my account at Cattle USA so that I can check in on any given auction on any given day, and I can pretend to buy gorgeous horses whenever I damn well feel like it. With an unlimited amount of pretend fantasy cash on hand, I can buy what I want!  I am quite fair with myself however, I don't out bid everyone, and I am honest about what my high bid would be before the bidding begins. Only every once in a while will I change my bid to win a particular pony!  Last night during the Bowie Auction online, I picked up 6 horses! That number actually surprised myself even, I was thinking I may come home with 2 maybe 3. Never did I imagine that I would continue to bid way into the night. The damn thing ended around midnight.

One of the pretend horses was an 8 year old sorrel gelding. He was grade, and wasn't much to look at, but he had a sweet eye, and I was danged if I was going to let him go to slaughter! I bid $500 thinking surely someone else would pick him up. When they didn't I was twice upset: once that I really didn't have the $500 to recover him, and secondly because he wasn't picked up, and now he faced going to slaughter. I was extremely happy to hear a few minutes later that the owners have decided to keep him on their property and bring him back to the auction next month. I wish I could get him then, but I'll just have started my job, and I know it will be impossible. Still, I will pray for him. He'll be OK.

Another fantasy equine was a 2004 model Paint mare. She was a little thin, and only went for $575. My top bid was $600, so I got her too. I decided to pretend to give her to my daughter who has a gelding that looks just like her in real life. They can party in the pasture.   Still another horse was in fact a 6 year old bay Mustang gelding. He was broke or I would not have bid the $700 that I did. He only sold for $650, so he's mine as well. You can pick up an unbroke Mustang in Oklahoma for $25 (yes, you really can, at the BLM in Pauls Valley, OK) and train them for a year. After you have them trained you can sell them for upwards of $2000!  Not a bad way to flip a horse.  I don't do it because I'm rather short on things you'd need to do it, such as a farm with an indoor arena, outdoor arena, round pen, and lots of time on your hands. It can be done.

The other three were:  gaited black mare, unregistered, grade, no one knows if she's a Walker or a Paso Fino.  She's about 15 hands and went for $575. I bid $650.  Another was another sorrel, this time a mare, and she was everything I needed; she had a blaze, 4 white socks, and was about 14 years and 14.2 hands tall. She was a ranching horse, and was registered to boot. I threw it all in for that girl, and got her for $1000!  She sold at the auction for $975.  The last horse was a bit of a sweet thing. I only got her because she was 17 and pregnant. She is a loud leopard Appaloosa, and was bred to another Appy, but I didn't know his coloring.  Her name was Dory, and I thought she looked like an angel. I would very much love to raise a baby, so I bought her with my pretend cash, and had her and the rest of them brought up to the pretend fantasy barn that I found on Zillow.  I'm going to have a pretend fantasy vet, farrier, and equine dentist come out this week to check them all out when they settle in.  Geez, this sort of hobby can sure wear on you!  I hope I can afford the fantasy feed.


This photo is of a horse much like the $25.00 horses you can get at Pauls Valley. They have an adoption of selected horses once a month too. It is held the 2nd Tuesday of every month, but it will not be held in December. Those animals go for $125.00 and are protected by the BLM.  After a year of ownership you will get a title of ownership and can sell if you wish. The $25 animals are sold as is, and have no protection under the BLM, but they are 100% Mustang, so if you're thinking about owning one, please invest the time it takes to know the breed. They are NOT domesticated animals. They do NOT behave like a quarter horse, paint, or thoroughbred.  With a Mustang you need to ASK permission every time, but when they learn, oh, they learn!! You'll have a friend forever. 

Day 5 ACV Diet

November 28, 2017

Not much to report today. In fact, it's rather boring. I have no way to weigh myself, and I didn't put on any clothing that hasn't fit in the past. I did however decide to up my ACV to two juices or teas rather than just one. This morning I poured about 4 ounces of grapefruit juice into a glass and added 2 tablespoons of ACV and a little honey. I've always loved grapefruit juice, but have also only liked drinking 4-6 ounces of it at a time.  I can handle the fruit itself but I don't have the time to fight with a half piece of fruit in the mornings.  The ACV was barely detectable in the juice. I even wondered if I needed to add the honey; but I did, so there's that. I may  not add it tomorrow.

I don't like breakfast. I never have, and I really really wish I did. I don't mind eating breakfast foods around 10 a.m., but before that hour I'm lucky if I get anything at all, even a breakfast bar. I just don't like to eat early. Everyone screams at me, and they tell me it's the most important meal of the day, but I think it's not. I think for me I like lunch. I would rather eat around 10 and then 12, and then 3, and then 6, which I'm told you're supposed to do anyway for metabolism boosting. I don't know, I'm not into that so much, but I do like to snack on healthy foods throughout the day.

I'm the type of dieter who finds what works and then works with that. I don't starve myself, and I don't cut out 100% of anything. I feel that you should do everything within bounds and you're allowed to have bad things too, but not a lot of it. A small piece of cake is good, and a cookie here or there, but not 10 at a time. I love pizza, and so if I go out I'll have a good sized slice, but not 3. I may have two smaller pieces, it just depends on how it is cut. I make sure my chicken and rice is compact and not overflowing on the plate. I like salads, but I'm not about to pay the price these days! I will eat a good salad once a week for lunch, the rest of the time I can get my greens by adding spinach to my sandwiches.  For drinks I'm good. I don't like sweet drinks. I have never really been a sweet tea drinker, and even when I was a kid I couldn't finish a full 12 ounce bottle of Coke. I didn't like it. It was gross to me. I think I was that weirdo that drank unsweetened tea in High School, but I complained if it wasn't fresh. Coffee is my choice of morning drinks, and I don't have to have sugar as long as the creamer is available.  I'm even OK with just Half n' Half.

Boring day so far, nothing major to tell you - - I went to work and hung out for 3 hours. I don't start for 13 days so I'm more or less just learning and trying to figure out what I need to learn before I start and go into training. I drove around the Edmond, OK location where my office is located, and I found a few houses in the area that I could possibly get into this time next year. I hope to have my taxes and my student loans paid off by June or July, so that would raise my credit score to about 750 or higher!! I would then try to save the residuals to a point that I could trade them in for $15,000.00 and put that down on a house that is around $160,000.  If I can do that my house payments will be $750 with tax and insurance. I will be ONE happy gal! (For those living outside of Oklahoma, the cost of living in this state is amazing.)

Good plan.