catching up

A few posts ago I mentioned our locally owned and run cinema was running 'Flashback Fridays' during the summer. We saw The Big Lebowski a couple weeks ago and are planning on at least going back in July for The Princess Bride.
Last week they were showing the new zombie movie with Bill Murray and Adam Driver. We went for that. Skipped the zombie themed cocktail though. I just had a local beer and some goobers.

We stopped for dinner first, at the 'bistro and bar' in the same parking lot. We love that place and are pretty regular at the bar.
It's been a few places...Summer Stock, Bar Lilly, Center Stage I think...all 'cinema/playhouse' themed as there is also a summer playhouse on the same grounds.
Nothing ever stuck around for more than one season but Encore has been year-round (which the others were not) and I think it's made all the difference.
Yes, summer business is big, but if you don't care about the locals enough to stick out the winter months, they'll notice.

Anyway, back to our date night!
We decided to just do the 9 o'clock show instead of rushing around. Which we found out when we got there was actually 9:15...that was my mistake.
I got the goobers because we skipped dessert, but that's okay.
We split the Buffalo Chicken Meatball app...

...and for dinner we also split the Scallop and Bacon flatbread.

I'm in love with their Ruby Red Crush cocktail, which is basically grapefruit vodka, soda and basil (with a splash of grapefruit juice) so I had a couple of those, too.

Onto the show!

Cape Cinema has been around forever. They hosted the premiere of The Wizard of Oz!!
There is a mural on the ceiling, done by Rockwell Kent and they have lovingly restored it as needed.

I always have to take a picture in the bathroom, because I have a friend who just loves the tile and '20s feel...

...can you blame her!?

So that was a fun night.
Last year it was Throwback Thursdays and I could never go because of my early workdays!
Fridays work so much better for me, so I'm hoping to get my self out of the house more this time around.

In other news, my new diet phasing has just gone 2 full months. I'm starting month/phase 3 tomorrow.
The first phase (basically Keto centered) yielded a loss of 9 pounds and 5 inches overall.
This past phase (more plant-based) has been more difficult for me. In fact, the last time I did it, I jumped ship at about week 2. This time around I did not get so hung up on 'no meat' but rather 'more veg'.
I snacked on a bit of cheese, since plants do not keep me feeling satisfied. I had very low energy the first 2 weeks.

I stuck it out though and adjusted as I needed. I lost 2 more pounds and 3 more inches. I continued to have an elevated mood (no depression) and at the end of week 2 I did feel some energy coming back.

In an attempt to feel like I was getting some great treat out of veggies, I made zucchini fries. Every other time I've made them, the breading fell off or they were mushy or just not tasty. This time I took the time to really do it right.

They turned out so good! And it's just a zucchini...so I ate the whole bowl!

This third, and final, phase of the 131 Method of diet phasing is called 'Renew'. It's basically phasing WEEKLY.
So 2 days of plant based, 2 days of high carb (good carbs like sweet potatoes and grains...not bread and pasta), then 3 days of a more keto based plan.

I didn't do this phase last time. It was just too much planning and thinking for me. This time I am prepared with charts and lists and just an overall feeling of 'I'm doing so good! don't stop!' so I am ready to try it out.

It's becoming clear to me, as I test foods and eating plans, that I really do best on a Keto type plan. One thing the Nourish phase (the veg phase) has taught me is that I can't forget the micronutrients I get from plants, but my body does best with animal proteins.
I don't have any sensitivities to dairy or eggs...but I do have mild reactions to nightshades and soy.
Since giving up sugar and refined flours, my once painful knuckles and knees are virtually pain free! When I think about how tight my finger joints were a few months ago, compared to now, I seriously want to cry because all it took was a little tweaking of my diet.

So here I go, onto the final phase of 131 Method...Renew...a sort of 'carb cycling' approach.
As I said, last time I quit before I could really get an understanding of this phase.
This time I have my first week planned and shopping done. I am adding in some workouts and some mindset exercises and I'm ready to keep improving.

In 4 weeks, I will reassess and decide how to move forward with my diet phasing. I'm actually excited this time!