easybreezy

Yesterday I weighed in for the Wildcats at 169!!  I wanted to leap off that scale! I did the whole “YES!!” really loud though.  I haven’t seen any loss in months, since December actually.  If anybody had noticed my weight ticker had been at 172 for most of that time.  Heres why I’m so excited… I had reached the weight of 175 in Nov. then 172 in Dec. since Jan. my weight has been fluctuating between 178 and 175 I just couldn’t get past those weights.  This past Mon. I weighed myself and the scale said 176.  I weighed myself that day so I could go back and weigh myself next Mon. and see how well I did in the 1st week I had the Body Bugg.  I forgot about the Cats weigh in on Fri. though so I woke up dragged the scale along to the bathroom and weighed well Mr. Scale was very kind to me.  I FINALLY got to change my weight ticker!!!

It got frustrating as a lot of you know from reading past blogs, but then I just categorized it under the fact that I hit a plateau.  I heard this from one of my favorite trainers Bob Harper from the Biggest Loser he said yesterday as I was watching an episode I had never seen that “If you think you hit a plateau, then your just cheating to much.” well I believe it, it was like he was talking to me.  Now don’t get me wrong there are some who aren’t losing anything and haven’t for awhile and I certainly don’t believe this is true for all people.  I still believe you can hit plateau’s, but that wasn’t what was wrong with me.  As I said I haven’t lost since December well maybe because I was letting myself occasionally indulge in the holiday treats.  I then decide to up my calories, but I didn’t set a new limit I just went with whatever it ended at for the day I was still eating healthy meals and measuring out my portions, but I could be 1,800 cal one day and 1,500 the next.  I was losing at a steady pace when I set a limit of 1,200 so I should have set a new one.  My routine was also lacking, instead of my 2 hours of weights a day and 2 hours cardio a day I was doing whatever I wanted, as in if it was 2 hours of cardio 5 days out of the week then so be it.  Or  there were a couple seperate weeks that I just didn’t workout at all.  All this is what I believe was setting me up for staying at the same weight for almost 3 months.  This Body Bugg has really changed me for the better.

I wake up everyday at 7 a.m. to do a 2 mile Leslie Sansone jog workout (it’s a 1/2 hour).  I started with the walk, but decided I could just repeat the Dvd twice to get my metabolism going.  I then go make my huge breakfast.  Oatmeal (the weight control kind) with 1 steamed apple in it (cause it’s so yummy and filling,)  a slim fast shake (for the protein,) a yogurt which I put frozen mixed fruit in and I keep it mostly frozen it tasted good like that, 1 slice of low calorie bread (toasted) with 1 tbsp. whipped peanut butter on it and an orange.  After that I let it settle for about an hour and do a Leslie Sansone walk.  I know your supposed to let food digest for 2 hours, but it’s just a walking Dvd so it’s very low impact cardio (it’s a 1/2 hour).  After the walk that the 2 hour digesting period is up I switch to something more high impact like my Biggest Loser Dvd’s (for 2 hours)  or I go to the gym(for 3 1/2).  I try to stay moving all day so I’m constantly burning calories at a good rate.  My metabolism is pretty crappy if I stay sedentary all day I think my avg is 1.3 cal a min. when I’m still.  I’ve also learned my off days from working out can NOT be my days I have off from work or I really have to work out all day (literally)…  I eat smaller lighter meals for my next 2 meals maybe a serv. of soup and a tofu turkey sandwich for lunch and some tofu noodles and whatever sauce I can mix with them for dinner.  I make sure I get a lot of veggies and fruit in and I eat at least one snack which is usually fruit or a Fiber One bar (which I love by the way.)   I also make sure I drink at the least 1 gallon of water a day.  Having this device has really opened my eyes to what I was doing wrong and how I needed to correct it.

Yesterday I woke up and worked out all morning just to at least keep my deficit even so there wouldn’t be a gain from my high calorie day, but I went a little over into a positive deficit, but I wasn’t mad or sad to see that,  I don’t care because I feel I’d worked hard to keep it where it did land it could have been worse.  Some of you would think I’m crazy and ask why would you work out so long and hard to blow it, but it was just once and it was a planned thing.  Oh and the high calorie day went good.  I made brownies I got the recipe from the Hungry Girl website they didn’t taste exactly like brownies, but it worked for me, I had reduced fat potato chips with light chip dip, slow turned ice cream so it had half the fat, and pizza rolls bad I know those were the only things that were packed full of fat and I stuck to 1 serving sizes or less for most of it.  If you knew me personally you would have guessed by now I ate a lot of the brownies though Mmm…good :o)  My sister and I watched movies from 6 till Midnight I was so tired though from waking up early that I could barely stay awake even during the first movie.  I forgot I downed 2 cups of coffee to try to wake me and the caffeine didn’t do anything for me :o(  I just waned to show my accountability for yesterday.  It had no affect on me,  I don’t want anything that I had yesterday today so I won’t be going back and stuffing my face with anything that was left over (which is a lot.)  I went to bed feeling really good I wasn’t feeling stuffed or sick which is great for me!

Silly I know, but I have found I need to let myself have a few “forbidden” foods or else I will BINGE!!  and that is never pretty.  So my sister and I have planned this movie night for over a month now and I was really looking forward to it, not having to do anything just sit there and spend time with my little sister.  This was the night we decided we’d get some snack foods to go along with the movies.  I’m a little worried now, having this body bugg really makes me accountable and I love that I’ve been busting my ass working out since I’ve gotten it set up and creating great deficits.  I don’t want to ruin it and I have been busting my ass so I don’t see a gain for the impending “storm” I’ll call it lol.  I know I don’t have to eat crappy foods, but I have been wanting brownies for ages now and ice cream sounds so yummy… anybody have some great suggestions?  I do have the Hungry Girl book and might make something  out of that.   I found a recipe that duplicates Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap supreme so I was going to make that it was a much healthier version of it and I got the recipe off of the HG website.  Now my mom asked me if I was going to eat healthy all day and snack or if we could go to this awesome chinese place and get food there.  Of course I’d love to go there and eat and initially I was going to eat healthy all day and just snack, but she has to make this hard for me.  I told her yes, but now I’m trying to think of alternatives to eat while I watch them eat that delicious chinese :o(

I have worked out so long today it was ridiculous to me.  I got up did Leslie Sansone 2 mile walk and tone.  I ate then decided that it looked warm enough outside to go walk/run for an hour.  I lasted a half an hour because my ears started hurting… I could feel an ear ache coming on so I called it a truce with myself lol.  I managed to walk fast throw some running in the mix and also a lot of lunges!  My legs are feeling it like whoa.  I came home and snacked then went to try some yoga… I had to quite I so did not want to be that person who quites, but it was to advanced for me so I found Pilates to do instead and that worked out much better.  After that I went to the gym from 1:30 till 4pm I got a bunch of weight training  in a 10 min walk on the tread mill and a 40 min on the elipticall.  I came home and went out for another walk this time I dragged my sister with me.  I lasted 15 min. this time before I couldn’t feel my hands.  So much for warmer weather… to bad we all can’t live in Cali like Nancy  who gets to go for walks in nice non snowy weather luck goose :p  I think I’m going to finish my day with some more Leslie or some more pilates actually probably both.

I gave up mindless snacking I get three “snacks” and by that I mean fruit or a piece of meat after workouts.  I also gave up eating after 9 pm unless for some weird reason I haven’t had my dinner by then.  All this for Lent.  So I have 40 days that I have to abide by and I hope that it lasts well after that too.  You ask why couldn’t I do this before, honestly I don’t know, all I do know is that if it’s for the Lord I’ll stick to it.  One year I gave up french fries, yes you heard me right french fries.  That was the hardest thing to do and I stuck to it because it was for Lent had it not been I would have caved and ate them the second day into it.

Yesterday I said I finally got it working, but that was at 2:30 pm so today was the first full day of wearing.  This was my routine to reach my awesome deficit today.  I slept in it which woke up at 7 am very groggy and tired might I add and finally dragged myself into some workout clothes to do my Leslie Sansone 2 Mile Walk and Tone for 35 min.  Once that was done I started making my breakfast at around 8 am.  It took me 40 min to prepare oatmeal (prepackaged) steamed apples, yogurt which I put frozen mixed fruit in and 2 slices of toast one with sugar free jelly on it and the other had Whipped Peanut Butter.  OK so by that time it was around 8:40 and it took me an hour to eat the darn stuff lol that was a lot to eat.  I then went back to bed for another 2 hours bahaha.  I woke up and cuddled with my cat which meant she kept me lying in my bed for longer than what I wanted but she’s just too cute :o)  When I finally got up I sauntered around my house for awhile debating whether I was hitting the gym or doing 60 min of workout videos… I chose videos because by the time I decided I had only an hour of workout time before work.  So at 1 I do the Biggest Loser Cardio Max I did the WHOLE Dvd and then got ready for work.  I had to be to work at 4 pm and was excited to see how little I burned while working (it wasn’t a ton like Holly) but I’ve learned I need to move as much as possible.  I’m a cashier at a grocery store and some nights I cashier from 4 till7 then I go in the cash office to count cash register drawers from 7 till 9:45 pm this was my schedule tonight.  So I get in the office and usually plop down on the fun chair that has wheels.  Well today I decided I’d do all the work standing!  I like it so much better, I worked faster and moved a lot more.  I would usually roll from place to place, but not ever again I’m going to stand all the time.  Before I went to work the Body Bugg said I needed to burn 955 calories and when I got home it said I had exceeded that, but I wanted to go to the gym and do the eliptical anyways so I did that for an hour.  I got there at 10:45 and hopped on the machine at 11 got off of it at midnight came hime and uploaded my info.  I program the machines I use at the gym and always kept track of my calories so I was curious as to what I really was burning… the results: The Eliptical tells me I burned 697 calories in the hour I was on it… My Body Bugg tells me I burned 345 calories for the hour I was on it what a HUGE difference!!!   So that was my routine for the whole day yes boring I know…

ok so now for some more boring stuff… I inputed that I would like to lose 2 pounds a week  on the website.  So that puts me at needing to burn 2,750 calories a day today I burned 3,517 calories.  It means I need to eat 1,750 calories a day and today I consumed 1,434 calories.  The deficit I need to reach everyday is 1,000 but everything I did today put my deficit at 2,083 today… WOWZERS!!!  If I can do this everyday I could lose up to 4 pounds a week.  I know that’s not realistic so as long as I can get to a deficit of 1,000 a day I will be happy.  I’m already thinking of things I can do tomorrow (well technically today since it’s after midnight) to get my deficit to at least 1,000 since I have the day off.   Usually I sit around the computer after my workouts, but that will get me nowhere really fast.  Well I know you all are sick of my rantings about this thing so I thought I would share a day in the life of so anybody who is curious could see how it kind of works.  I promise I’ll stop talking about it so much :o)  You see I understand no contraption is going to make you lose weight, but this thing really keeps me aware of what I’m doing and my actions.  It keeps me inline, I think of it as a video game and I need so many points to make it to the castle, but my castle is a healthier body.  I notice I move around a lot more instead of standing still I rock back and forth or pace around so I’m not completely still.  Every little bit helps.  Ok off to bed waking at 7 am again tomorrow (hopefully :op)

This is a quick one tonight…  I finally figured out the Body Bugg problem with the help from their technical support group.  I called, got through right away and told him that after I answered these questions they ask you it wouldn’t accept them.  The first thing he asked me was what internet browser are you using… well I use Firefox and he stopped me right there and told me that, that was exactly the problem.  The Java Script isn’t up to date in Firefox.  So I switched to the Internet Explorer browser and WHAM BAM THANK YOU MAM!!! Done!  It took 2 seconds and I was up and going.  I love having this device it’s very helpful although I would love to have gotten the little wrist accesory that tells you the calories you’ve burned at the touch of your fingers instead of having to wait and take it off and plug it into the computer.  Oh well I’m thankful for what I have.  I officially started it at 2:30 pm and from there and until midnight I burned well over 2000 calories that it made my deficit 1,381 pretty sweet.  Ok enough boring talk.  I’m tired I’ve been trying to get to bed earlier which early is midnight for me and its 1 am now lol… I want to get into a schedule of waking up at no later than 8 am so I can do my Leslie Sansone 2 mile walk and then eat and wait my couple hours to workout, but it’s not going to well I’m just so sleepy in the morning the earliest I can seem to wake up is 9:30 am.  I’m trying though.  I hope to achieve this tomorrow/tech. today haha.  Oh I’m going to do a Leslie Sansone 1 mile walk before bed just to see if that makes me burn more calories while I sleep.

I’m wearing the Body Bugg as of right now and I’m hoping I have it on in the right place and that I’m wearing it correctly.  It doesn’t give you any clue if its properly working so I could be wearing it wrong or it could not be on and I would be wearing it for nothing I hate not being able to upload the information online.  I still haven’t figured out the problem and why I can’t get the program working.  Why must they make things so difficult to work??   I asked my friend  to come over tonight and see if he could get it figured out and he told me yes he would,  well he called and I missed it because I didn’t hear the phone so I called him back and now he’s at the gym he told me I took to long.  By the time I get to the gym he’ll be leaving it so it looks like I won’t get it up and going tonight.  It feels like I’m never going to get it to work.

On another note I went out this weekend and did great Friday night.  I went to a bar for a friends birthday and ordered a pitcher of water rather than a pitcher of beer which used to be my normal beverage of choice when I went to the bar.  I drank the WHOLE pitcher of water too :o)  I just stuck a straw right in it and drank right out of it lol…

I went to MSU Saturday and ate great during the day knowing I was planning to make it a cheat night.  I shared a 5th of Bacardi Razz (which I’m told has no calories) with a friend and  used Sprite Zero to mix it with which also has no calories.  I thought for sure I would be shitty wasted even after drinking half of the 5th, but the only thing I got was a buzz which I’m thankful for I hate getting drunk it’s just not a pleasent feeling.  So that was all I drank for the night, but I did eat at Noodles and Company.  I’ve never been there and it’s a very cute place you order your meal in a Trio you order your pasta then your protien (which was Tofu for me) then your soup or salad and I chose salad, it comes in a small size and yes it was actually very small.  It was very good I got the Indonesian Peanut Saute  it was the hottest item on the menu, but it was just right for me.  The big splurge  came later as we drank we had Doritos, Cheetos and Chedder Sun Chips along with Chocoaate chip peanut butter cup cookies.  I had some Doritos which aren’t really that yummy anymore and sun chips those tasted better and of course some of the cookies.  I didn’t measure out a serving because most all of my friends think I’m psycho enough already I didn’t want to add fuel to the fire and well I knew I’d be eating them anyways.  The next day they were asking if I wanted some more chocolate and cheetos which I don’t like anyways I said “Nope”  I thought that was very strong of me because usually if I eat bad one night I’ll continue onto the next day.  I think I’ve learned from the past that I need to have a cheat day more often as crazy as that sounds.  I was waiting a month inbetween cheat days and well it was to long for me I’d cave and eat, eat, eat &&& yup you guessed it eat.  Today I went to work and while I was on break my cousin which yes I work with him also (the one who keeps bringing the cookies to my house) asked me if I wanted some of his goldfish.  I said “Hell to the NO”  I asked him why he keeps asking if I want food thats bad for me and he said “Well your doing so good I thought you’d might want some”  haha I laughed and told him to stop bringing over shitty food and stop asking me if I want fattening foods to eat.  I told him thank you for the offer, but no thanks.  I told him if he wants to reward me then he could do so in the form of currency lol.  I told him as long as it was green and in dollar denominations I would accept it with open hands.  Well I’m off to go workout now I’ve been doing The Biggest Loser Dvds I have all of them and decided to forgo the gym for the past week and do these.  I’ve still not lost anything I’m still holding at 172 for over a month now and it’s been frustrating, but I hope my Body Bugg gives me a clue as to why maybe it’s in what I’m eating or that I’m not burning as many calories as I think I am.

I think this is a pretty funny picture, well obviously I’m drinking water, yet I still manage to look very drunk :p

I don’t know if it’s me or my dumb ass computer, but I’m having one hell of a time setting up this Body Bugg.  All I want to do is wear this thing, but I can’t seem to download the program onto my computer and it is really angering me.  I’ve been sitting at my computer since midnight and it’s now 2:30 am and I have gotten NOWHERE Ahhh!!!  Can anybody please, please help me out with any information they have to make this easier.  I’ve created the Apex account and entered my Body Parameters it took my answers,  but when it got to answering Food Preferences I answered all of them clicked “Done” and nothing happened it wont take my answers and it wont let me hit the “Go” button for the  Set Up Armband option to answer those questions.   So this is where I’m stuck… oh wait once it let me do the Set Up Armband option I clicked Run then went to install then the Instashiel Wizard popped up and I did all that it asked from that and once I got to the last step it said I had to restart my browser so I did it didn’t work so I restarted my computer and then it’s like I did none of the following I had to start over and that when it wouldn’t let me do none of it not even what I had already done and finished it’s like I never did it at all.  I’m sorry if this doesn’t make sense.  I’m trying to explain so if someone reading this has one will know what I’m talking about.  I’m not sure if anybody else has had this problem, but it’s very annoying :o(   So I’m stuck, I’m at a loss and I’m going to bed because I wanted to go to bed early to wake up early to workout early before I have to go to work.  I don’t see that happening now stupid thing :o/

I was just getting ready to get online and look to see if they sent a tracking number when what do I here the beeping of a very large truck backing up.  Sure enough I seen that big brown truck backing into my driveway.  I started running around my house saying “Yay! Yay! Yay!” repeatedly.  We were watching my grandma so she probably thought I was a nut as does the UPS man I’m sure.  I couldn’t even compose myself to sign for it my mom had to hahaha.  I haven’t got to set it up yet and they say I have to charge it before using it.  It’s so hard to see it sitting there and I can’t use it I probably won’t be able to set it up until Monday.  I’m going to come home from the bar early tonight so I can try setting it up.  I’m kind of a blonde in the computer area though.  Ok I should be getting ready to leave now even though I don’t want to go :o(  It’s for a friends birthday though so I have to.  Don’t worry I’ll order a pitcher of Water and receive a funny look from the bartender as I do as always lol.  I’ve done very well my cousin brought over no bakes today and I told him to take them back he told my mother they are a reward to me!  I told him “no more rewards for  Briahnna in the form of food!”  He’s the one who brought over the stupid date pinwheels I ate, grrr I should be stronger… oh this is from the family who doesn’t think I’m dieting the right way.  Ok I really am signing off now.  Any advice from Boddy bugg users as to making getting started easier I would appreciate it.  I guess I should mention why I’m so excited, yes my Body Bugg finally arrived although I’m sure most all the people who read my blogs alot know what for.  Have a great night everyone :o)

I am super PISSED off!!!   I just wrote a blog that took me about a half hour to finally compose and edit and this site says that “this user does not exist”  so now its gone into cyber space.  I tried using the back arrow go back to it and that didn’t work.  I’m very mad because I stayed up later than I wanted to just to blog.  It was a long one that I really do not want to go back and retype.  I think I’m so irritated I may cry and if I don’t cry then you may not see me on here for a few days because I’ve thrown my computer out of my window and ran over it a few thousand times!!

So here goes the beginning of the last blog.  It basically said… I’ve been doing very good these past couple of days.  It continues to be a struggle for me I’m not sure why, but I’ll keep chugging along.  I did my push-ups today for Nancy (and me) it was only about 20, but its the effort that counts.  I’ve done great eating wise I just think twice about my food choices and I think of Holly everytime because that poor girl is always having something yummy shoved in her face.  When I’m working out I just think about all the calories I’m expelling and all the fat I’m getting rid of.  And I of course think of all my buddies who continue to show their wonderful support especially in my last blog I posted.

I’m still waiting very impatiently for my Body Bugg.  I was hoping it would come today, but no such luck.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow though.  I’m also going shopping for charms for my charm bracelet tomorrow.  I’m going to this little German village (I don’t think it’s big enough to be called a city) called Frankenmuth.  It has the largest Christmas store on earth.  Its so cool there.  It also has this little shopping mall (very tiny) where you walk around outdoors to get from shop to shop… oober cute place.  It also has a “downtown” that has a bunch of little shops.  It’s a major tourist place.  I’m glad I live 10 min. away I can visit this awesome place anytime :o)

Oh and a buddy sent me a msg and I just loved his parting paragraph and although I should keep it privite because I didn’t ask him if I could share I just really loved what he wrote.  It thought it was sweet and thoughtful of him.  I really hope he doesn’t hate me for it.  If your reading this I hope you understand it’s out of appreciation and thanks that I’m sharing this.

“You have achieved so much, like a star rising in the darkest sky, there will always be the clouds that pass to hide the light, but those will clear and those hidden tears we are all so afraid to cry, will fall and disappear, fear not those moments of weakness when self loathing and fury rises as even those sweetest moments leave so quickly as the sweet nectar disappears from the senses on the tongue, for to make mistakes, to fail and err sometimes means you are simply human, so in those moments of self deception, just smile and say “better to fail on the odd occasion and avoid the arrogance of perfection”

bisous

Wow that was beautifully put thanks for that it put a smile on my face.

p.s. there was a whole paragraph between the two I have at the top that I didn’t rewrite because that’s the one that took me the longest on the one I lost.  Maybe it wasn’t meant to be that I post the original.  It was personal, but I really needed to vent/open up my feelings about something.  I think I may try again if I can remember most of it.

I’m going to party it up at Michigan State University Sat so I’m not sure if I’ll make it back on here this weekend.  I’m going to try to pry the computer away from the others here tomorrow so I can get my buddy fix in before I leave.

Okay I am going to be brutally honest…  I have been doing good weighing, measuring, and writing everything down I’ve eaten during the day.  When it has come to night time I have been eating what I want and measuring some things and not the others.  I have no clue why I’m sabotaging myself.  I keep thinking why would I do this to myself!?  The only thing I can think of is that when my body bugg comes I will HAVE to do everything right to make it usefull.  That shouldn’t matter though because it’s not like I’m just starting this journey and trying to eat thigs before I do.  I’ve been doing this for months for crying out loud eating healthy and right for the most part and all of a sudden it’s like I’m rebelling.  I notice a pattern in myself.  I do this for a while then I get to a point where my mind takes over and tells me I must have some bad stuff so I break and give in.  Oh how I wish I was as strong as my buddies.  I know that when I get this contraption I will make sure I do everything right for myself and for the fact that if I didn’t it would be a total waste.  It’s weird because here I am about to get some extra assistance with my weight loss and I have to try on dresses yet I’m sabotaging myself.  It’s a vicious cycle it really is.  I’m going to break it down.   I’ve eaten  a whole thing of hummus in a day, half a bag of pretzels, half of a brownie like probably 2 serv. if it was coming from a pan, 3 date pinwheels (I can feel the sugar in me now) I’m all antsy, the rest of it was fairly healthy food yet I just didn’t need to eat them at the times I did… oh and this is just extra food I have been eating my healthy stuff for my meals this is all snacking stuff.  I don’t want to come across as a weakling, I don’t want pitty!  I just needed to be honest with someone because it obviously wasn’t working with just being honest with myself.  I think it’s a switch in my head because all of a sudden its like I have this urge what feels like a need then all of a sudden it’s off.  I really love eating my healthy foods they are actually yummy.  I’ve got to straighten up my act I feel like I am failing you guys,  all my buddies and my team.  Thanks for taking your time to read my confessions.   No pitty or remorse please, just give me a swift kick in my ass… Thanks!

I feel myself slipping into that black hole… I don’t want to and I’m not going willingly so with that I’m just plain not going!!  I’m not depressed or anything, but for some reason I just want to say Eff all this and stop the counting and weighing like a psycho path.   But it’s a LONG and tough road and nobody can walk, jog or run it for me there’s only me here for myself.  I will confess I ate very well Valentines day only about 600 calories were consumed before dinner then dinner came and my mom wanted to go out to eat as her gift.  She chose a little mom and pop Italian restaurant located in the middle of our little city.  I could have chose the lisagna(sp?) or the spaghetti for that matter, but nope I wanted that heart attack on a plate know as fettuccine Alfredo.  I ordered it with broccoli though lol I asked for a to go box to scrape more than half of it into it.  I only ate about 1/4 of it, but had 2 bread sticks.  It doesn’t taste the same as it used to so it wasn’t hard to stop eating it I gave it to my sister.  Oh how mean am I :p  lets feed the little sister the shit on a plate.  I didn’t get my workout in this weekend seeing that I had that little munchkin he is a handful… I swear the child has ADHD it’s horrible how bad his attention span is it always looks like the Tazmanian devil was at my house when he leaves.  I’m getting ready to prepare my dinner because I want to get my 2 hours of ass kicking cardio in.  I look forward to this week because my body bugg should be arriving midweek :o)  I’m really excited for it.  I’m thinking having this will help keep me in line better.  Thanks for the comments on my last couple blogs I haven’t gotten to read yours from the weekend so I’m going to do so as my dinner cooks.