Halloween 2017 Inspired Cozy Mysteries courtesy of NetGalley

 I decided that for October I would focus on Halloween-ish cozy mysteries for the month.  Here are my reviews of my 3 NetGalley picks.

The Skeleton Paints a Picture by Leigh Perry
Some people have a proverbial skeleton in their closet, but adjunct Professor Georgia Thackery has a literal skeleton.  Which seems very appropriate for a literary professor whose best friend and sometimes sleuthing  partner is Sid the skeleton.  I loved this dip into the fantastic!  Being an adjunct means that Georgia goes where there is work and this time she finds herself at an art school that has decided to beef up its literary department. Apparently the school admin should have considered beefing up security because not only is original artwork being stolen from the students and resold as snazzy t-shirts on the net, another adjunct lit professor is murdered while investigating the problem and Georgia and Sid are the ones who find her. It could be anyone, from the art students to the faculty even that pesky co-worker who won't take no for a dating answer.  Sid holds it together (with sheer will power, he doesn't have any muscles and such) and helps Georgia to paint the picture and solve the crimes.



Grave Errors by Carol Perry
This was my second Lee Barrett book and I enjoyed it just as much as the first one.  Lee lives in Salem, Massachusetts, THE Salem, Massachusetts and teaches TV production in a small local school; and this time the story takes place right before Halloween.   It's not what you think, Lee isn't a witch but she does have an ability.  She can get psychic visions whenever she looks into a reflective surface.  From the mirror in her room to the gigantic shiny Buster Brown shoe behind her work desk.  These visions are usually brought on by murder and mayhem.  This time it's the sibling of a student who traveled all the way from the wilds of Alaska to find out what happened to her sister.  If that wasn't spooky enough, the class decides that it would be fun to promote El Dia de los Muertos aka the Day of the Dead as a class project which means visiting a graveyard...several times. In the midst of all this Lee will try to help her police officer boyfriend to get to the bottom of the girls death that was ruled a suicide, but was it?


A Catered Costume Party by Iris Crawford
This is the first cozy mystery I have read that started with a narrated murder. Darrius Witherspoon takes us step by step through the demise of his wife only to be found dead at his own Halloween soiree catered by our sister heroines; Bernie and Libbie Simmons.  No strangers to suspense and the occasional dead body, these ladies get busy snooping out clues while doing their best to whip up tasty treats and stay out of jail.  The local law enforcement does not appreciate their "meddling." To add to the macabre of this story is the mysterious Berkshire Arms apartment co-op where the  place overseen by it's own murder of crows.  The police say it's suicide but the girls were left instructions and promise of payment from Witherspoon just in case. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and character development was spot on.  I will take a look at the previous installments although this story did just fine as a stand alone and can't wait to try out the recipes.

Crafting Murder Triple Review

This is three reviews in one since I read two of the books back to back with the 3rd being an early release courtesy of  Kensington Books and NetGalley.com


Death Among the Doilies
Meet Cora Chevalier and her friend/business partner Jane Starr.  Crafter/blogger extraordinaire and now craft retreat guru.  Cora and Jane have relocated from the city to the quiet mountain town of Indigo Gap, North Carolina to turn a historic house into a crafters retreat inn.  The first retreat is always the most challenging from the guests to the guest teachers and it doesn't help when the local librarian turns up dead and Jane's fingerprints are found at the scene. It was the small town feel that lured the ladies to Indigo Gap but that same small town is full of whispers and locals who want justice served and an outsider is always the first to be blamed.  Cora needs to organize more than just scrapbooking if she is to save the fledgling business and her best friend. Included with the stories are crafting tips.

No Charm Intended
Having learned many lessons from their first retreat, the crafty ladies are back to work with clay and a new batch of retreat guests.  Having become friendlier with the townsfolk, Jane often uses Gracie Wyke, local nanny/law student to watch over her daughter while working a retreat class.  Gracie's boyfriend Paul shows up on their doorstep distraught over the disappearance of Gracie who seems to have disappeared down the yellow brick road and is no longer in Indigo Gap.  Paul insists that Gracie would never run off and leave him even though the authorities insist there are not clues. It's up to Cora to balance it all while keeping her anxiety at a low and her energy up high as she charms her way through this latest mystery.


Macramé Murder
Mollie Cox Bryan does not disappoint.  This third installment takes the crafters to a retreat away from home and to the coast.  Who ever said that a bad day at the beach is better than a good day at home would usually be right.  After all, Cora is getting a chance to spend quality time with Adrian, her new boyfriend.  At least until he is put under house arrest for being the number one suspect in the murder of a well to do mermaid folklore writing islander who not only is found dead on her wedding night but is also an old flame of Adrian's.  Cora must quell her fears and handle her anxiety attacks while still being the excellent blog teacher she is known to be while getting to the bottom of this fishy situation at the Big Island Craft Retreat filled with mermaids, murder, and macramé.

Move Over Uber, Here Comes Lime Bike

 I've noticed this Lime Bike around the office over the last few weeks and was intrigued. Why would someone just leave a bike unattended and not in a bike rack.  As you can see it is essentially in the middle of Halifax Mall hanging out.
Lime Bike is the new way to get around in the urban sprawl, which is going to be quicker than by foot or with the traffic crawl.
These bikes can be found in only three states and I am pleasantly surprised that North Carolina is one of them.  This reminds me of the Zipp Car idea, use an app take a drive, pay for service.  The Lime Bike is the same way, use the app, take a ride, pay for service.  The bike has a special locking mechanism that will become freed up when using the app and a QR code reader.  Becoming increasingly popular on college campuses, I can only deduce that this was at State and the biker made their way to the downtown area.  The website states that the first ride is free so perhaps instead of a lunch time run, I'll try the Lime Bike on these rolling hills and go for a spin.

Dead and Ganache

It is time to head into fall with tasty treats and excellent reads.  The next two months picks will be Halloween related but I just can't start until October so this month I will end with a chocolate book after all isn't Halloween about sweet treats.




Chocolate, who wouldn't like a story about chocolate?  Added bonus we get to learn a bit more about Harvard aka, Hayden's voice crush financial advisor who faces his fear of flying to be by her side (and she didn't even ask him to).  The muscle of the story, Danny is laid up from eye surgery so we have a flip flop of roles.  Hayden Mundy Moore, chocolate whisper, is in a small French village to wish her mentor Philippe Vetault happy retirement when he is brutally murdered with a chocolate chipping tool that apparently no true chocolatier would ever use.  So many possible culprits there is the Mentor's latest protégé to a French pop star's video crew to the rival company that is marrying into the Vetault family and even his own wife and her lover, not to mention the usual town suspects.  Another great book with great recipes and I LOVE that Travis made a visceral appearance and hope to see him just as involved in future installments!

Coke Zero or Coke Zero Sugar

Who can resist those cute little aluminum cans that various Coke products can be found in these days.  I certainly could not when I saw the new Coke Zero Calorie.  I tend to stay away from artificially sweetened beverages since starting the Bulletproof Diet way of life this past January.  According to the nutritional information (sounds like a misnomer right) both products have the exact same ingredients.  So then they should taste the same, right?  However I realize that if you add a little more of something and a little less of something else it will change the flavor of what you are concocting. My guess is that the true ingredients are proprietary so we will never really know what gives Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, or Coke Zero Sugar the flavors that they are infused with.  For my part after trying the new improved Coke Zero Sugar, it tastes like they upped the clove flavor a tad and there isn't the after taste quite as much as with a Diet Coke but all in all my taste buds detected very little in the way of a NEW and IMPROVED flavor.  Both products are/were sweetened with Aspartame and not sugar so they are/were both zero sugar either way.  My  house is more of a stevia group these days and we try to stay away from the lure of sugar sweet syrup disguised as thirst quenching beverages. 

 

Candy Coated Cozys from NetGalley

Sweet Taffy and the Marshmallow Murder by Dana Moss

 

Taffy Belair is not your run of the mill gal. Nope, she is high class all the way, this "Wilhemina Wonka" dresses to the 9's and has a heart of gold. When she is not running her candy business/factory she is spending time with her forest ranger boyfriend Ethan. Not that Taffy is an outdoors sort of a girl unlike Ethan's new assistant Melanie who is naturally good at everything. To make matters worse, while bird watching (the things she does for her guy) she not only spots a jay but also a vulture and a body in a boat. Now most people would leave well enough alone but not Taffy. she is determined to help the lead detective on the job, her best friend Maria, much to Ethan's chagrin. Not sure how far she will get talking with the teens but that won't deter her. She is more likely to have issues with trying to keep up with and/or sabotaging Mel than with getting info out of 17 year-olds. It's almost comically how someone as sophisticated and sweet and drop dead gorgeous can feel insecure. It makes Taffy a more relatable character which makes this book that more enjoyable. A great read full of surly characters, seductive secrets, and the great outdoors (what is a girl to do).

Mother's Day, Muffins and Murder plus PTA tips

I truly enjoy a good mystery and who couldn't use helpful hints along the way?  This could very well be a "how to" manual for working with a school PTA and keeping events organized especially where volunteers are concerned.  It was also a great story that kept me guessing all the way to the end as to "who done it." 

 

Our heroine, Ellie Avery, is an Army mom who also doubles as a professional organizer as in clutter and a little bit of a reluctant sleuth.  She is extremely efficient and friendly to boot, unlike the other pro in town, Gabrielle Matheson.  Unfortunately for Gabrielle, while being the organized person she is, she finds a dead body in a closet.  Or does she?  After a false fire drill the body has disappeared and Gabrielle is looking foolish until the body shows up on the woods on Field Day.  Gabrielle decides that it is up to Ellie to get this matter organized and solved as quick as possible. 

 

You would think that an elementary school would be a safe place but apparently this one is full of secrets and hazards.  It's no secret that this is a nice little cozy mystery that would be perfect for any day and not just Mother's Day.  The other perfect piece to this cozy puzzle are the tips and easy to follow directions for PTA volunteering found between chapters.

My July Ipsy Bag

My July Ipsy Bag 

I've seen a few people post about the Ipsy bags on Facebook so I thought "why not" it might be fun trying some makeup and skin care items.  A truly girlie thing to do in a house full of men, right?  So here is my July bag offerings.  Since I am such a newbie when it comes to make up I actually had to look up what 2 of the items are and how to properly apply them.  I wasn't allowed to wear makeup growing up so while my friends developed a morning make up routine, I slept in.  So now that I have re-entered the workforce in a grown up job with adults I figured I should maybe try to look nice.  So for $10 I received everything yo use in the picture.  Absolutely love the small sizes, as a FlyLady FlyBaby I have to say that I have tossed many a tube of lipstick and so forth out because I don't use it often enough and believe it or not, make up can go bad in that it will become a breeding ground for icky things.  

For skincare, there was a small bottle of Avenue Cleanance MAT toner. This is an astringent and works really well without drying my skin out.  Keep in mind that I don't have dry skin to begin with.

You can find this product here http://www.aveneusa.com/collections/cleanance/cleanance-mat-mattifying-toner

Next is the Tarte Bronzer.  I am very happy to say that this can found at ULTA and if anyone would like a 20% off coupon let me know, I have a spare one.  So bronzer is definitely an item I needed to look up to see how it is properly used.    The Tarte website even has a video tutorial to make it easy.  This is a great product and again was not too heavy and my skin was not irritated but rather had a nice soft glow. Side note it is vegan friendly and more info can be found at  http://tartecosmetics.com/tarte-item-park-ave-princess-matte-waterproof-bronzer 

Then there is the illuminating highlight powder made by Nomad, a "silky soft highlighter infused with moisturizing ingredients in a champagne shade inspired by the illuminating glow of the ever-present sun above the horizon even during the long summer nights."  Nights in the Nordic, not night in North Carolina.  I'm not sure I would know what to do with all that sunshine going into the night.  Most likely I'd be more productive. Here is the only place I could find it on the web so be sure to leave a comment if you know of a better place. https://nomadcosmetics.com/pages/Stockholm

My favorite product in this bag was the Wonderwand.  Eyeliner has always mystified me.  It can give such depth or the ability to make one's eyes bold and beautiful.  This was a kohl colored liner with a built in brush for blending.  I checked out the website https://www.ciatelondon.com/collections/makeup/products/wonderwand-liner?variant=29102559303 and was amazed to see the tutorial video showing a variety of colors and just how great it looked when multiple colors were layered and blended and since they used a model with "hooded" eyelids I could actually see that this would work for me.  Eyeshadow tends to be lost on me in that you can't see it on me unless I put it up by my brow line.  There are 10 colors to choose from and all come with the blending brush on the end.

The last item was my least favorite, and this is most likely due to the color.  It was a pink that looked too pink, too pale pink with a matte finish.  It looked like I had put pink chalk on my lips and was a little difficult to remove.  It goes on wet like a lip gloss and the product website has a tutorial (love all these tutorials) to show you how to put it on.  I know you're thinking, it's like lip gloss, I can figure it out.  I didn't realize that the top lip should start at the middle of Cupid's bow and go out hugging the lip line. Here is the web link https://www.winkylux.com/collections/double-matte-whip-liquid-lipstick and there are 5 colors to choose from or save money and get all 5 at one time.

Flying Tips

A couple of quick tips when flying

Ask for a free upgrade, if you never ask the answer is always no.

Bring a blanket or dress in layers.

Ask for a whole can of your drink of choice or you will only get one glass per flight.

If you have a carry on bag that is a little weighty and you are vertically challenged do not pay the $25 to check your bag unless your flight is severally under booked.

 Bring a pair of ear buds, although they can be purchased for only $2 with Delta.

Check in as soon as the 24 hour check in window opens and don't forget to double check your seat assignment, things change and you may be able to find a better seat.

The Little Free Library

The Little Free Library


What a great concept and a fun way to get a few books out of the house.  This one is located downtown Raleigh on the corner of Hargett St. and Salisbury St.  Actually that little corner has had a bit of a facelift and is one of the more artistic corners that I have seen so far.  The Little Free Library is a non-profit group who create little libraries to encourage reading, foster community and take the worry out of  due dates and late fees.  I have often donated books to the local library and will now have another venue when the next fit of feng shui over takes me. I walk by the library at least 3 times a week if you ever have a book you'd like to donate I'd be happy to drop it off and find you something in exchange.
Happy Reading!

Trying Fine Wines while reading Dying on the Vine

 

     What an incredible vacation I have just returned from.  A tour through 12 vineyards in 4 days and oh the wines we tasted!  From a behind the scenes tour of the Castello de Amorosa to the mini museum on Francis Ford Coppola's winery, home of the prestigious Inglenook wines.  Beautiful grape vines and luscious wines from the Lobo Cabernet to the fantastic Fantasia, but I digress.  This edition is not about pairing foods and wines, which B Cellars and Darioush did most elegantly it is about an unexpected pairing between the pages of a book and the grapes on the vine.

     I had requested several books for review and had not had the chance to get to them earlier this year.  I expected to have some free time on the plane while traveling from coast to coast.  Incidentally it is a somewhat odd sensation to race against the setting of the sun via airplane.  Once we were settled into our seats, belts fastened, drink choice selected, and cool air blowing I pulled out the Kindle.  I love a cozy mystery and had several new ones to choose from but was drawn to this particular one.  Mind you, I have no way to know what the book cover looks like after it gets to my e-reader and I requested them so long ago that I did not remember what the cover looked like in the first place.  I was quite elated to realize that I had picked a story that takes place in the wine country!
    
     Our main character and heroine, Kelsey McKenna is a destination wedding planner who finds herself being the person of interest after discovering a fellow wedding planner and self proclaimed "Queen of Wine Country Weddings", Babs Norton, dead.  It does not help that Bab's assistant, Stefan (aka the ankle biter) is going around telling people that Kelsey killed Babs to get her clients.  This case becomes as complex as the flavors of a 2005 IL BARONE Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, which we did indeed sample at the castle when it seems that there is no end to the possible criminals from the deceased's sister to a father of the bride and it doesn't help when people unexpectedly glimpse Kelsey's murder board and see their names notated.  No cozy mystery is complete without a little romance and while this book waits until the last few chapters it does not disappoint as Kelsey learns that she should have listened to her photographer pal, Brody, and let him play cupid sooner.  Much like a fine wine, better late than never.

     I almost always learn something new and interesting while reading fiction that actually turns out to be a nonfiction fact, and this one was no different.  Do you know why roses are planted at the ends of the rows of grape vines?  Or why the vineyards are building caves?  I didn't know the answers either and you'll just have to read the book to find out.  So grab a glass of wine and relax with this great read.

Can't Believe it Worked!

 
 

Can't Believe it Worked!

 

 

 

 

Thanks to my running/bunco buddy Kathy I have managed to lose another 6 pounds!  She posted on Facebook about DietBet and challenged people to join in.  I was skeptical at first, but she assured me it was legit.  So it's a dollar buy in with the goal of at least getting your bet money back if you can lost the specified weight.  For this first bet it was 4% of total weight.  So between the realistic weight amount and the fact that I put money on the line I was determined to not fail.  This is probably the first time where being a loser was necessary for being a winner!  So back to the Bulletproof diet plan and this time I got serious!  I had been eating a Dark Chocolate Cherry KIND bar as a regular dessert item whether I was hungry or not before bed.  It was better than a cookie and my carbs are supposed to be consumed at night, right?!  Well I decided that I wasn't REALLY hungry I was just using it as an excuse to snack. So out the door those went or rather, the didn't make it past the door as in I didn't buy then so they weren't there to tempt me.  Next step was to add the Brain Octane instead of the coconut oil.  Gabe says that Brain Octane is super purified coconut oil and it takes the fasting to the next level.  I buckled down and ate salads and a meat for lunch every day for work.  I didn't give up the Pint & a Pie special on Wednesdays after running but I did give up the chocolate chip cookies.  I didn't fall off the wagon, although there were a few times I was dragged behind it a little bit.  It probably also helped that I was already taking part in a walking challenge through work so lunch time was spent hoofing it around the downtown area.  I was excited to see the first 3 pounds come off quickly.  Then 1 pound came back, 2 pounds left, 2 pounds back, and so on and so on.  Sounds like a Cha-Cha doesn't it!  When all was said and done and the final weigh in needed to be posted I had managed to dip below 130 and was so happy to see 129.  Mind you I am back at 131 but I know that I can get to 129 and then keep going to 125 with determined persistence.  Oh and did I mention that there was a little bit of a payout?  That's right, my initial investment and a little dividend to go with it.  I think I just might have to find another 4% or 5% challenge and try my luck again.  Check them out for yourself https://www.dietbet.com/games?betSize=10,500&gameStatuses=starting-soon&type=all

 



Cozys for Petsitters

     This week's cozy mystery courtesy of NetGalley.com is Bethany Blake's Death By Chocolate Lab (Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery #1).  Who doesn't like a little chocolate and since we just passed Valentines and are going into Lent it seemed like a great choice.

     As it turns out, I was right.  It was a nice little mystery that was big on story and light on calories.   Daphne Templeton is the perfect pet sitter, although she does seem to have a better rapport with the pets than with their owners.  Her unique background, PhD in philosophy and vegetarian lifestyle gives her a quirky edge unlike her vet older sister who is no nonsense.  Then there is Maeve the realtor Mom who is a mover and a shaker and not always the most motherly towards Daphne, who "could be doing better" in Mom's opinion.  Apparently Mom has a favorite, Daphne's older sister Piper.  Thankfully Piper doesn't let it effect her relationship with Daphne and the two are supportive of each other.  Especially since Piper lets Daphne live with her rent free.

     While hunting a home for her foster Chihuahua one eared Artie, she manages to get herself and her loyal basset, Aristotle embroiled in a mystery.  Piper, her sister , might be Mom's favorite but she falls short in the love department and was still nursing some sore feelings for Steve Beamus, a guy that thinks higher of himself than well, everyone. Not only does he end up dead following a spat with Piper; he is found on Piper's property Winding Hill farm the day of the dog agility trial.  It's Daphne who comes to the rescue to clear her sister's name, of course she might have let it slip that she saw Piper and Steve have a not so happy encounter the previous evening. How was she to know that the lead investigator was behind her.  Speaking of the investigator, he is the new-to-town and dreamy Detective Jonathon Black who's past is a mystery that Piper would like to understand better.  She isn't sure why she is looses her faculties when he is around.  After all she has been content so far with her uncategorized relationship with Dylan Taggart, the hang loose dude, mellow vet tech.

     This story is loaded with many interesting characters and some possible romantic entanglements, especially when there is dog walking involved.  I would say more but I really don't want to give anything away.  A great read, looking forward to the next installment.  Want to see what Daphne is like?  Check out Dru's Blog for a day in the life of Daphne Templeton https://drusbookmusing.com/2017/02/27/daphne-templeton/#comment-70976

Dial Meow for Murder by Bethany Blake

Great follow up to Death by Chocolate Lab. Our Ph.D toting pet charmer Daphne is back  and this time she needs to use her observation skills to clear her own mother. Maeve Templeton is a real estate agent bent on being the best and this time that just might not be good enough when the owner of the Flynt Mansion turns up dead.

What sort of treasures have been left behind in Flynt mansion? In addition to the oh so precious Tinks the Cat or as others like to call him, Tinks the Terror! That won't stop a pro like Daphne who will get to bottom of this cat-tastrophy with or without distractions like handsome Detective Black.

I really enjoyed this second installment of the Lucky Paws Petsitting series and can't wait to read the next one, Pawprints and Predicaments. The story line is moved along nicely, although I'd like to see more along the lines of Daphne and the Detective scenario. Excellent read, perfect example of a cozy.

Flying Commercial is for the Birds

     It isn't often that I vent. in fact I try to be an upbeat and positive person.  After all you'll get back that which you toss out into the Universe.  So here is my beef...  It has probably been  5 months since my darling, dear, Gabe has been able to land at Raleigh Durham International Airport on time.  I suppose I should be happy that at least he makes it on the same day that he boards the plane but quite frankly, he could almost make it home by car in less time. 

     He is currently contracted out to a pharmaceutical company in New Jersey, Mondays thru Thursdays and I get him back Thursday nights.  So he flies out dark and early (there's no bright when I drop him off at the airport) Monday morning.  Usually there is no problem with this leg of the weekly journey.  It's the return trip that leaves one wanting.  Wanting more than the lack luster attitude of the major airlines.  That's right I used the plural.  He has switched between airports and carriers in an attempt to make it home without an extended stay in an airport or on the tarmac.

     I realize that weather can be an issue, after all; act of God and all that.  I also understand that things happen, one crew might be delayed because they haven't arrived from a connecting flight.  What I don't understand is WHY does this seem to happen EVERY SINGLE WEEK?  I suppose that in all honesty, I understand the "why."  After all it has become a bit of a game for me to track the flights back to there origin for the day and to see that one plane is used for 3 different flight before it even makes it to the Newark Airport in New Jersey.  So when it starts out in Chicago and the flight is delayed it starts a cascade failure, where wait times grow exponentially.  Oh and in case you were wondering, Air Traffic Control is likened to act of God according to Delta's customer service because it is out of their hands as a company if the Tower won't let planes go on time.

     Case in point, just this past week I was looking up the flights, writing down the origination locations and keeping track of the layover times.  We were looking good, there was plenty of room for delays and then the flight going to Newark was changed so that it originated in Charlotte by way of Texas.  Originally the plane was to go from Houston to Newark and then it appeared that a completely different plane would be doing the Newark to RDU leg.  It was going to be delayed getting to Newark, but it was still going to have plenty of time for an on time departure from Newark to RDU.  We should have known that we did not have Vegas odds that it would finally work out and be on time.  On time would have meant landing in Raleigh at 9:31 PM.  Nope, didn't happen, his arrival time was 10:39 and he didn't make it curbside until 10:55 PM.  Ironically they were delayed waiting on the flight crew to make it to Newark, the same flight crew that was coming from Houston before the flight was altered to include Charlotte.

     What I really don't understand is the complete lack of concern on the part of the airline companies.  Other than the fact that it is essentially a monopoly that is completely unregulated giving the consumer no where to go if they do not posses their own plane or take part in the Net Jet option.  Most of us are not at that financial status just yet, but rest assured; the Condie family has made it a life goal to not only get out of "cattle-class" but to get out of the main terminal and let Net Jet be our travel companion.  After all, if it's good enough for Warren Buffett it is certainly good enough for us.

     On the plus side, I had some extra time to read this week's free NetGalley download for review of When the Grits Hit the Fan by Maddie Day due out March 28, 2017.  See I really am a positive person.

The Bulletproof Diet aka Healthy Choices and a Slimmer ME!

     Bulletproof, it's not just a super hero strength; it's a way of life.  A healthier way of life that doesn't take countless hours of exercise or fad diets.  It is based on the book by the same name, Bulletproof Diet by Dave Osprey.  It is an easy read that is 75% science and 25% instructions based on clean eating and proper timing.  It is actually quite easy to follow and you will have more energy and less weight in no time. 

     It's about good fats, and not about depriving yourself.  You choose what level of commitment you want to follow.  I start my day with a cup of coffee and blended into the coffee is 1 tablespoon of grass fed organic butter and 1 teaspoon of unrefined coconut oil.  Yes it sounds icky but it is actually not much different that adding cream to your coffee and it keeps me going until lunch time with no hunger.  That's what I mean by good fats.  My body is using up the fats instead of storing them because I did not  give it carbs for breakfast, like a granola bar, cereal, or yogurt.  There is no "cheating" because that's not the thought process behind this diet ie eating habit.  There are days when your body will tell you to eat carbs because you need it not because your mind says "it's snack time, grab a candy bar". Now this doesn't mean you need to hit McDonald's for a combo meal, make good carb choices.

     It did take me about a week to skip the afternoon snack that was a habit not a need but now I don't even miss it.  I have dropped 11 pounds in 2 months time and like I said, I'm only about 90% bulletproof because that is the current level of comfort for me.  I am choosing to be a healthier person not because I have a health issue right now but because I don't want to have one in the future. 

     Check out the blog for how to get started and don't just take my word for it, my other half (more disciplined half); Gabe, has lost 18 pounds in  the first 45 days and he has only just started adding exercise back into his routine now that he has adjusted his eating habits.  Here is a link to the blog, https://blog.bulletproof.com/the-complete-illustrated-one-page-bulletproof-diet/.  Happy Health!