Day 19 diet.  I'm amazed I've even made it this far.
Found some Atkin diet shakes at the grocery store yesterday, the only one low enough in carbs was the vanilla version at 4% carbs so I got those.  Drank one earlier and it was quite filling actually. Full of fat too, lots of protein, pretty much what you want.

But before that, I weighed myself.  Down to 211 pounds. That's a 16 pound drop since I started this thing 19 days ago. That is amazing results if I do say so myself.  Far better than anything I expected.  whether that kind of drop will continue remains to be seen.  So far I have yet to cheat on this diet.

This isn't just about wanting to look better or even feel better or vanity purposes.  My career requires a body mass below some certain point, I'll have to look it up.  But the fatter you get, the closer you get to that line and the closer you get to being disqualified.  And some companies including mine will require you to take a sleep test for sleep apnea after your neck line goes over whatever amount of inches.

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Like 14 hours later lol.  My keto breathalyzer came in, I figured to do that than these test strips.  You just blow into the thing and it tells you where you're at. I'm in moderate range, which their card says is ideal for fat burning.  They don't seem to think you want it in the extreme range.  I dunno, but the diet is working, I can say that.  Whether it's because of ketosis or because of low caloric intake or likely a combination of the two, I had to move my belt another rung down to hold my pants up on me.

My pants are literally just falling off me with no resistance from my body at all now.  The thing that is incredible, at least to me, about that is the fact that they were so tight before I started this diet, I was facing having to go out and buy the next size up.  I've only been in 35's for maybe 6 months, if that tells you how fast I was gaining weight and fat.  I might even try getting back into my 34's, at least see where I'm at.  Well heck, out of curiosity sake I'm going to try right now.

Well I'll be a monkey's uncle.  I actually fit into these things.  Just at the edge of it, but not uncomfortable or too tight.  I couldn't even get these things on before I started this diet.  Just amazing how fast this is working.  I do wonder if there are plateaus tho. Most diets you run into a plateau and you have to figure out something else to do.  I thought I had run into one but the next day the scaled showed dramatic change that was quite surprising. 

Anyway, just got off the phone with mom.  She wanted to know what I wanted to eat when down there.   I reiterated to her again that I wasn't going to be following this diet down there.  I just don't see it possible with going around visiting people and Thanksgiving dinner and all that.  I can definitely watch my caloric intake of whatever I'm eating tho. She suggested that I would probably be surprised at how I might take the diet into consideration when eating even if not following it for 5 days. We just picked the wrong time of year to start this diet. If we had started 6 months ago we'd probably be at our ideal weight and stopping for a few days wouldn't be an issue.

I guess the part I don't like about going back is that my middle brother may or may not be there.  I had the discussion with mom.  She tried to tell me "it will all work out".  Mother, you know how he is, he's started shit with me at previous holiday events, what makes you think he won't start now? Especially after that melt down the last time I talked to him?  Well Thanksgiving is going to be held at mom's house, she said she'd stop it if he starts it.  I'll be ready to call the police, frankly.  He got so heated up the last time that I figured if I had been present with him he would have taken some pot shots at me.  I'm not going to get into a fistfight with my brother, that's juvenile garbage. I'd defend myself, but I certainly wouldn't even think about taking the first blow or even wanting to get into such an altercation.  I'd just as soon not go if he's going to be there, but mom needs my help to get the dinner ready. She is getting up there in age and freely admits that she doesn't have the energy she used to.  She's still in good shape tho.  I'll help her cook the turkey and get set up for everything and take everything down again.

But, I'm probably going to go have some beers with an old friend at his house in Tempe.  I haven't had a beer in a month now,  I'm not really sure I should even be doing that lol.  Probably go straight to my head and make me drunk in 2 beers haha.  Mom wants me to drive her truck instead of taking Uber, but in the case of my friend's house, I'll be taking Uber.  Just in case that happens.  No need to get into trouble driving.  I don't plan or even want to get drunk, but it doesn't take much to get to the limit. You see, I don't know if they count commercial driver's license against you even if you're driving your personal vehicle or not?  In a Commercial vehicle, the limit is .04%. In AZ for regular drivers it's double that.  I think you could possibly get to .04% in less than 2 beers. I dunno, but I'm not taking the risk. I've looked to try and find that info and have never found a definitive answer.

Anyway, that will be my visit for the year.  Christmas will either be spent here or on the road. Not sure which.  I kind of agreed to Christmas driving if I could have Thanksgiving off.  It wouldn't surprise me to be out on the road on Christmas Day or Eve for that matter.  I don't want to but I don't want to do a Christmas with family.  That almost never ends well and it's just not worth it.  Thanksgiving is a major holiday but not like Christmas, people get together on the day of Thanksgiving but there isn't usually any family visiting or such for it. 

Well that's it. I made a Keto pizza yesterday which tasted like crap, I took a few bites of it and threw the thing into the trash can. That was the spaghetti squash crust.  No crust to it, it was water and gross.  Just yuck. Today, I tried this FatHead pizza crust recipe that is taking the internet by storm, or so every site says anyway.  I tried making the crust with both almond and coconut flour, almond flour won out hands down. 

Well this day is over for me.