How I keep weight off
It's one thing to lose weight as there are methods for that. Keeping it off is a different story.
Back in '16 I lost a bunch of weight. Wrote a book about it and everything. I may have to write a followup book to answer the question of "What happens after you're done losing the weight? What then?"
It would take a book's length to answer that, but what I can say right here right now is that an integral part of keeping the weight off is a food journal.
My food journal is nothing more than a pen and top ruled memo pad. I like top ruled because it feels better flipping a sheet up to go to the next one instead of to the side.
What do I track on the food journal? One thing and one thing only. Calories consumed per day. On the left side is what I ate or drank. On the far right is how many calories total at that moment, and the column just to the left of that is where I do a little addition math. I was using a cheap desk calculator for a while but I found it's just faster to do the math by hand. At the very top left I write the date I'm tracking.
Why not use an app?
This adds in totally unnecessary complications to something that should be dirt simple.
Yes, there are several calorie tracker apps out there, and they all work. But the process of a) getting my phone, b) launching the app, c) entering in a username and password, d) looking up the food or drink I consumed and e) adding that to the journal takes WAY LONGER than just grabbing a pen and writing it down.
Does this mean I have to read labels so I know what calories are in what? Yes, but at this point I've memorized the calorie counts for all the regular foods I eat so I don't have to read labels or look up anything online.
Do I need to periodically use a food journal to maintain a certain weight?
Yes.
It's almost too easy to gain weight just by not paying attention.
I never put back on all the weight I lost (that would literally mean I'd have to gain over 50 pounds), but there have been times my jeans have felt tight, I get on the scale and uh-oh, 10 pounds heavier...
...and that's when I break out the pen and pad and restrict to 1,200 Calories or fewer per day until those 10 pounds are gone.
Every Calorie is accounted for, including any sugar (which is 4 Calories per gram) be it added sugar to the food item or sugar I add in myself, such as for sweetening coffee.
I don't restrict what I eat, but do restrict total daily Calorie intake. This method along with a few other things I do works for me.
Again, I may write another book on this because yeah, the "aftercare" matters once the weight is off. A lot.
Does a car compass actually work?
This is something I wanted to know, so I bought one.
Short answer:
Yes, it works, conditionally.
What are the conditions? That's the long answer.
Long answer:
Car compasses are cheap. They come in many shapes and sizes, and yes they are different from a trail compass (Cammenga is the best brand for trail and field use) because a car compass is a ball that sits in liquid while a trail compass is flat.
The only place in a car a ball compass can be mounted where it will actually work is in the center of the windshield. Why? That's the only mounting place furthest away from metal so the magnet in the compass can work.
If you were to mount a compass to the side, the magnet is going to attract to the window frame and it won't read properly. Mount it high or low on the glass and you get the same problem.
It also doesn't help there are several US states that say it's illegal to mount anything to the windshield at all.
I have seen one and only one compass that hangs down from the rear view mirror, which you can see here. Does that actually work? It should, but I don't know how accurate that would be since you get close to the center of the windshield but not exact center.
Is that hanging compass legal in all 50 states? No, because some states have laws written saying you can't have anything hanging off the rear view mirror. While I seriously doubt a cop would pull over somebody for that, yeah, your state may be one of those nothing-dangling-from-the-mirror places. You'll have to check your local laws for that one.
The other option is to use a compass on some kind of bean bag mount (one for a phone would probably work because of the grips) and then place it in the center of the dashboard. No, it won't reach the center of the windshield, but your compass should be mostly accurate.
Why bother with a car compass?
If your car navigation system decides to have an "off day" or just outright fails, at bare minimum you should at least know what cardinal direction you're driving. This is especially true if you're in unfamiliar territory.
The magnetic poles of the planet never have an off day. They always work.
Why does Halloween candy taste so much better?
It does taste better and I know why.
The only time of the year where all the popular candies are at their absolute best is during the Halloween season - which in modern times now starts in August.
Examples of popular candies are Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Hershey's Miniatures variety bags that include small versions of the milk chocolate bar, Krackel, Mr. Goodbar, etc. There's also other popular candies like Kit Kat, M&M's, Life Savers, Skittles, Starburst, and so on, and so on.
But why? Why do these taste better during Halloween season?
Answer: Freshest candy you can buy, and the formula is different.
I best describe Halloween edition popular candies as having more punch to them regardless of what it is. The chocolate has more smoothness, the peanut butter has more presence, the caramel has a real nice texture to it, and the fruit flavored candies really have a good pop to them. Even the candies with nuts in them are ones where the taste is just better overall.
I'm totally convinced the formula used for Halloween edition candies is different from the regular run - especially if the size and/or shape is different.
An example of this is Reese's Bats. Obviously not the shape of the regular Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. This means they have to be made differently. The chocolate, peanut butter, sugar and salt content all have to be adjusted so the shape holds its form. This does affect the flavor.
Using the same candy, Reese's Miniatures. Those ABSOLUTELY taste different than the full size cups. The chocolate to peanut butter ratio is drastically different just so the mini-sized cup can hold its shape. However, they don't taste as good as Halloween edition Reese's with the custom shapes. Oh yeah, they still taste great, but custom shapes like the Bats really bring the punch.
With both Hershey's Miniatures and Nestle's Minis (mini Crunch bars, specifically), those absolutely taste better than the full size bars. When in compact form, again, you really get that punch out of them and they bring the flavor.
If you really want a popular candy at its absolute best, specifically seek out a Halloween version, even if the only thing different is the Halloween packaging.
Second and third best, in this order, are Easter edition and Christmas edition candies. But for the best of the best flavor, Halloween candies are always on top and most likely always will be. That actually does make sense to me. I totally expect candy companies to be at the top of their game for Halloween, and they always deliver.
Casio MWD100H is a weird one
The Casio MWD100H just appeared in my life...
...and I actually like it.
I did not buy this watch. Rather, it was given to me. The guy who owned this before got the watch, literally never set it and put it on a shelf. The last time I was at his place, I said hey, cool watch. Some time later, he remembered I said that and gave it to me. Now I own it.
The MWD100H is not expensive at all, but at the same time a model I never would have actually bought just based on the sizing alone.
This model has a 51.8mm lug-to-lug, 50.7mm diameter and is 13.7mm thick. Going by those numbers, the MWD100H should look like a pie plate on my small, flat wrist (about 6.6"), but it doesn't. It actually works. The somewhat-cushion shape of the case combined with the fact the bulk of the size comes from the bezel rather than the dial is where the magic happens.
There is part of me that still can't believe I can wear a watch almost 51mm in diameter and get away with it, but with this one, I can.
Strangely classy?
There's real metal on this thing. The bezel itself is a brushed steel with real set screws while the rest of the case is that fake steel shiny resin stuff, and underside has a steel plate for battery access.
That brushed steel bezel, for some reason, even with all the printing on it, gives this watch a classy look. But it's a classy look that will mess with your head.
Somehow, this watch escapes looking cheap even though it is. You see that metal bezel play with the light, reflections happen and you think hey, not bad. When you see the watch on your wrist in the mirror from a distance, you once again think hey, not bad.
This watch has presence while at the same time not being in-your-face about it. It looks more expensive than it is. It looks high-tech even though it's not.
And there's the whole big-yet-not thing going on tying it all together.
Like I said, the style of this watch will mess with your head.
I can't explain in photos, videos or words truly why this watch works. It just does.
Ultimately, this is a darned fine cheap daily wearer, especially for G-SHOCK owners or people that just prefer digital over analog.
One of the prettiest Jazzmasters I've ever seen
This one made me a believer in gold anodized pick guards.
The Fender Vintera II '50s Jazzmaster comes in two colors, Sonic Blue and Desert Sand. Don't even bother with the blue.
Before getting into this, "Vintera" means "Vintage Era", meaning vintage spec. 7.25" radius fingerboard (and it's a slab board, thank you very much), a fatter '50s C neck, 21 frets, and so on. This is basically a '59 Jazzmaster except it's new.
But let's talk about the gold anodized pick guard.
Firstly, the proper name for it is "1-ply gold anodized aluminum" pick guard, which Fender spells as pickguard.
Is it super-reflective? No, and it never has been. It's brushed, so it has a reflection that's diffused, i.e. normal. I'm totally fine with that because super-reflective attracts ugly fingerprints and scratches like crazy. Ask anybody that's ever used a mirror pick guard. Dumb idea to use one.
From a technical point of view, this style of pick guard is supposed to dramatically decrease signal noise. You know how some guys put aluminum or copper foil shielding on the back of the entire pick guard? Well, just imagine if the entire pick guard was a piece of aluminum instead. That's what this Jazzmaster has...
...but I don't care about that. What I do care about is how it looks.
I've seen this gold pick guard on many Jazzmasters and always hated the way it looked. It looks bad against any Fender body color you can think of - but not this one.
The Desert Sand finish absolutely and totally fits with the pick guard's look. It's the first time I've seen ANY finish that works with the gold guard.
Can you tell I like it? I sure do. And I'm certain anybody that gets one will like it too.
I suppose some will like the gold guard against the Sonic Blue finish, but I'm not one of them. Desert Sand all the way.