Sophie's Diary--Holding Myself Accountable
- Thread starter jw372
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jw372
New member
Breakfast—one grapefruit, one oat bran muffin, half a cup hot milk (1/2%) with instant coffee and one tsp. sugar
Snack—fresh pineapple
Lunch—one slice margherita pizza, romaine salad with light caesar dressing
Snack—coffee, as above
Snack—Special K Bar (90 calories)
Dinner—three ounces lean pork with two tablespoons of ginger marinade, pureed ginger carrots, salad of spring greens with about twelve spritzes of balsamic dressing (dressing=12 calories)
Snack—one cup hot ginger milk with one tsp. sugar
Did thirty minutes on the elliptical and then my muscle toning routine. It was a little bit easier today than it was the first time, but still felt like I was getting a very good workout.
I decided that my hot drinks were stealing too many calories. I'm not giving them up, but I am trying to find ways to reduce the sugar content, which is the biggest problem with these drinks. So last night, instead of cocoa, I made ginger milk, which didn't need much sugar to taste good. This morning, I violently tweaked my coffee to have more milk and way less sugar. Hopefully this will help me with seeing results faster. I'm sure I'll still have the occasional cup of cocoa—but less often.
Received the American Medical Association Family Health Cookbook in the mail today—it seems to be absolutely full of delicious, healthy recipes. It's not really diet food, just good, fresh, nutritious meals. I'm really excited to try many of these and have already marked pages to make!
Angel, you're the awesomest cheerleader ever.
Snack—fresh pineapple
Lunch—one slice margherita pizza, romaine salad with light caesar dressing
Snack—coffee, as above
Snack—Special K Bar (90 calories)
Dinner—three ounces lean pork with two tablespoons of ginger marinade, pureed ginger carrots, salad of spring greens with about twelve spritzes of balsamic dressing (dressing=12 calories)
Snack—one cup hot ginger milk with one tsp. sugar
Did thirty minutes on the elliptical and then my muscle toning routine. It was a little bit easier today than it was the first time, but still felt like I was getting a very good workout.
I decided that my hot drinks were stealing too many calories. I'm not giving them up, but I am trying to find ways to reduce the sugar content, which is the biggest problem with these drinks. So last night, instead of cocoa, I made ginger milk, which didn't need much sugar to taste good. This morning, I violently tweaked my coffee to have more milk and way less sugar. Hopefully this will help me with seeing results faster. I'm sure I'll still have the occasional cup of cocoa—but less often.
Received the American Medical Association Family Health Cookbook in the mail today—it seems to be absolutely full of delicious, healthy recipes. It's not really diet food, just good, fresh, nutritious meals. I'm really excited to try many of these and have already marked pages to make!
Angel, you're the awesomest cheerleader ever.
heathercb04
New member
Hey Sophie! Glad to hear about the scale treating you nicely again. 
And ooOOOooo on the new cookbook! I always shy away from cookbooks as I get all of my recipes online (and subsequently can then put them in little plastic barriers so my cooking slop doesn't get all over them!) but I'll be interested to hear about what this book has to offer!
Just a thought on sugar stealing your calories, as I can certainly sympathize with - ever try Splenda? Not that I'm advocating fake food (I'm not a big processed food person), but I swear by that stuff. It literally tastes just like sugar to me, if not even a little sweeter. And you don't kill your calorie count with it!
Hope you had a great day
And ooOOOooo on the new cookbook! I always shy away from cookbooks as I get all of my recipes online (and subsequently can then put them in little plastic barriers so my cooking slop doesn't get all over them!) but I'll be interested to hear about what this book has to offer!
Just a thought on sugar stealing your calories, as I can certainly sympathize with - ever try Splenda? Not that I'm advocating fake food (I'm not a big processed food person), but I swear by that stuff. It literally tastes just like sugar to me, if not even a little sweeter. And you don't kill your calorie count with it!
Hope you had a great day
jw372
New member
Breakfast—coffee with half a cup ½% milk and one tsp sugar, Dannon Light and Fit yoghurt (60 calories), one low-fat oat bran mini-muffin
Snack—apple
Lunch—leftover stir-fry, small portion grapes, five Laughing Cow light cheese cubes (35 calories total), coffee as above
Dinner—three ounces seared beef (fat trimmed) on a large bed of spring greens with low-fat homemade dressing, brown rice with green beans and some grated parmesan
Snack—one cup hot ginger milk with one fun-size Milky Way
Thirty minutes on the elliptical at a more moderate pace than usual, but still enough to work up a bit of a sweat.
My dinner was absolutely out of this world. I lovelovelove that beef salad, which is beautifully flavored with lime juice, fish sauce, grated ginger, and a tiny bit of sesame oil. And the rice and beans was so delicious too, and with very little fat since there wasn't much parmesan, and parmesan itself is naturally lower in fat than most cheeses. All in all, a fantastic, healthy dinner. I wish I could knock it out of the park like this more often.
Heather, I might give Splenda a try, at least for my coffee. I've already descended to weird little spray bottles of things that are Not Quite Salad Dressing and that I Certainly Can Believe Are Not Butter, so why not embrace this brave new technological world of foods?
Snack—apple
Lunch—leftover stir-fry, small portion grapes, five Laughing Cow light cheese cubes (35 calories total), coffee as above
Dinner—three ounces seared beef (fat trimmed) on a large bed of spring greens with low-fat homemade dressing, brown rice with green beans and some grated parmesan
Snack—one cup hot ginger milk with one fun-size Milky Way
Thirty minutes on the elliptical at a more moderate pace than usual, but still enough to work up a bit of a sweat.
My dinner was absolutely out of this world. I lovelovelove that beef salad, which is beautifully flavored with lime juice, fish sauce, grated ginger, and a tiny bit of sesame oil. And the rice and beans was so delicious too, and with very little fat since there wasn't much parmesan, and parmesan itself is naturally lower in fat than most cheeses. All in all, a fantastic, healthy dinner. I wish I could knock it out of the park like this more often.
Heather, I might give Splenda a try, at least for my coffee. I've already descended to weird little spray bottles of things that are Not Quite Salad Dressing and that I Certainly Can Believe Are Not Butter, so why not embrace this brave new technological world of foods?
nataliejo
New member
Hey Sophie!!
Good job on the scale! ITs going your way!!
and thirty minutes on that machine is so good, sweating it up, heart taking off for flight in a frenzy ..you are burning that weight off!!
Keep it up girl!!
and as far as Splenda, if you get a bad reaction to the Splenda, which a lot of people I know do ..
try sweet n low ..or equal ... they work really well and aren't as hard on your tummy ...
I wish you the best hun and thanks so much for stopping in ..
Cool beans ...the Twenty minute meal is really working for me. Try it, you might like the result !!
best wishes hun
love yas
natalie jo
heathercb04
New member
Hey Sophie! Sounds like a DELICIOUS dinner you made! Just wanted to drop by and wish you a happy Friday tomorrow. Keep up with the yummy foods!
Keep up with the yummy foods!
jw372
New member
Breakfast—coffee with half a cup of ½% milk and one tsp sugar, juice of one grapefruit, one slice whole-grain toast with one tbsp of peanut butter
Lunch—soft taco made with flour tortilla, approximately two ounces lean pork, green chilis, black beans, brown rice, romaine lettuce, salsa, and about two tbsp reduced-fat cheddar
Snack—fresh pineapple
Snack—coffee as above, one low-fat oat bran mini-muffin
Dinner—stew of lean pork, green chilis, black beans, and brown rice
Snack—one cup hot ginger milk, with one tsp sugar
Did thirty-two minutes of elliptical today—I'm trying to sneak up to more time as my body gets used to doing this.
I didn't feel quite pleased with my meals today. Not that I ate anything very bad, for I didn't, but I don't think I got nearly enough produce in. I'd have to say I had somewhere between 3 and 4 servings of fruits and vegetables, which really isn't enough. Never mind—tomorrow I shall do something clever with spaghetti squash, and all shall be well again.
Natalie Jo, thanks for the good advice and good wishes. I know I just have to keep at this and not let myself let go, even when it seems very hard.
Angel, I hear you about the fruit juice! I only let myself have grapefruit, and then only in place of the fruit, so that my choice is basically, "Do I want to eat the grapefruit or drink it?"
Heather, I wish it was to be a happy Friday tomorrow. Sadly, it is the Friday on which I must finish digesting and responding to a four-hundred page book and thus is the unofficial end to my spring break. *sigh*
Lunch—soft taco made with flour tortilla, approximately two ounces lean pork, green chilis, black beans, brown rice, romaine lettuce, salsa, and about two tbsp reduced-fat cheddar
Snack—fresh pineapple
Snack—coffee as above, one low-fat oat bran mini-muffin
Dinner—stew of lean pork, green chilis, black beans, and brown rice
Snack—one cup hot ginger milk, with one tsp sugar
Did thirty-two minutes of elliptical today—I'm trying to sneak up to more time as my body gets used to doing this.
I didn't feel quite pleased with my meals today. Not that I ate anything very bad, for I didn't, but I don't think I got nearly enough produce in. I'd have to say I had somewhere between 3 and 4 servings of fruits and vegetables, which really isn't enough. Never mind—tomorrow I shall do something clever with spaghetti squash, and all shall be well again.
Natalie Jo, thanks for the good advice and good wishes. I know I just have to keep at this and not let myself let go, even when it seems very hard.
Angel, I hear you about the fruit juice! I only let myself have grapefruit, and then only in place of the fruit, so that my choice is basically, "Do I want to eat the grapefruit or drink it?"
Heather, I wish it was to be a happy Friday tomorrow. Sadly, it is the Friday on which I must finish digesting and responding to a four-hundred page book and thus is the unofficial end to my spring break. *sigh*
jw372
New member
Breakfast—oatmeal cooked with non-fat milk and topped with blueberries, coffee with non-fat milk and one tsp sugar
Snack—Special K bar (90 calories)
Lunch—three ounces lean beef on a huge bed of spring greens with low-fat homemade dressing, grapes
Snack—100-calorie bag of popcorn
Dinner—spaghetti squash with non-fat feta, about two olives, sautéed onion, and tomato; spicy chicken breast strips (half a chicken breast) with homemade low-fat blue cheese dipping sauce (used reduced fat blue cheese, one tbsp low-fat mayo, and non-fat yoghurt), fresh cantaloupe
Snack—one cup coffee with fat-free milk and three tsp sugar, two small squares of dark chocolate with wild strawberry filling
Had one Dannon Light and Fit yoghurt after posting last night.
Thirty-four minutes on the elliptical machine today, plus a toning routine. I really like the way I feel when I do the toning routine. Like, "Yay muscles!" to put it very inarticulately. I did a new routine today, to spice things up, and it was pretty hard, but it was also fun to try and master the new moves.
I feel, like, twenty times better about my eating today than yesterday. Everything I made was so tasty, and I got in loads of fruit and veggies. The awesomest thing, though? During dinner, after eating about half my chicken and all my squash stuff, I realized I didn't want any more. So, despite the undeniable tastiness of my chicken and dipping sauce, I STOPPED. And I put away the rest of that chicken to eat tomorrow. Will probably go fantastically well in a wrap with a heap of romaine.
Also, the chocolate? Was one of the most heavenly things I've ever had in my mouth. Sweets taste so fricking much better since I stopped eating them all day long.
Angel, that's a horribly long time without a break. I get another two days off next month, but since one of them is already my day off and the other is my short day…well, it's not much of a break.
Snack—Special K bar (90 calories)
Lunch—three ounces lean beef on a huge bed of spring greens with low-fat homemade dressing, grapes
Snack—100-calorie bag of popcorn
Dinner—spaghetti squash with non-fat feta, about two olives, sautéed onion, and tomato; spicy chicken breast strips (half a chicken breast) with homemade low-fat blue cheese dipping sauce (used reduced fat blue cheese, one tbsp low-fat mayo, and non-fat yoghurt), fresh cantaloupe
Snack—one cup coffee with fat-free milk and three tsp sugar, two small squares of dark chocolate with wild strawberry filling
Had one Dannon Light and Fit yoghurt after posting last night.
Thirty-four minutes on the elliptical machine today, plus a toning routine. I really like the way I feel when I do the toning routine. Like, "Yay muscles!" to put it very inarticulately. I did a new routine today, to spice things up, and it was pretty hard, but it was also fun to try and master the new moves.
I feel, like, twenty times better about my eating today than yesterday. Everything I made was so tasty, and I got in loads of fruit and veggies. The awesomest thing, though? During dinner, after eating about half my chicken and all my squash stuff, I realized I didn't want any more. So, despite the undeniable tastiness of my chicken and dipping sauce, I STOPPED. And I put away the rest of that chicken to eat tomorrow. Will probably go fantastically well in a wrap with a heap of romaine.
Also, the chocolate? Was one of the most heavenly things I've ever had in my mouth. Sweets taste so fricking much better since I stopped eating them all day long.
Angel, that's a horribly long time without a break. I get another two days off next month, but since one of them is already my day off and the other is my short day…well, it's not much of a break.
jw372
New member
Special weigh-in morning post! Check it out, another 3.7 pounds are GONE! Next week I should hit my mini-goal and be able to buy my reward DVDs and start a new mini-goal. What do you guys think would make sense for the next one? I'll be at 275--so maybe 260? I want something a little harder to reach than this one, but not as enormous as losing 25 pounds.
nataliejo
New member
Awesome Sophie!
Your stomach must be getting smaller to only need just so much of your dinner.. that is excellent news! and your menus are awesome ...
and and and lol
I know what you mean about the occassional sweet ..its tastes better when you don't eat it often .. doesnt it taste great ..
ttylater hun
love yas
natalie jo
jw372
New member
Breakfast—oatmeal cooked with ½% milk, fresh blueberries, two tbsp walnuts
Snack—Dannon Light and Fit yoghurt (60 calories)
Lunch—half a chicken breast with lots of romaine and some low-fat blue cheese dressing, wrapped in a flour tortilla
Snack—apple and two tbsp almond butter
Dinner—stir-fry with about two ounces lean beef, cabbage, carrots, collard greens, green beans, and mushrooms
Snack—ginger milk with one tsp sugar and one cranberry oatmeal cookie
I realized today that I need to swear off of regular tortillas. They just eat up way too many calories that could be more pleasantly devoured.
Today was a rest day—I meant to do yoga, but kind of didn't get around to it. Tomorrow, though, it's back to working out!
Natalie Jo, my stomach has definitely gotten smaller. It's way easier for me to get cues from my body about how much I need (or don't need) now.
Snack—Dannon Light and Fit yoghurt (60 calories)
Lunch—half a chicken breast with lots of romaine and some low-fat blue cheese dressing, wrapped in a flour tortilla
Snack—apple and two tbsp almond butter
Dinner—stir-fry with about two ounces lean beef, cabbage, carrots, collard greens, green beans, and mushrooms
Snack—ginger milk with one tsp sugar and one cranberry oatmeal cookie
I realized today that I need to swear off of regular tortillas. They just eat up way too many calories that could be more pleasantly devoured.
Today was a rest day—I meant to do yoga, but kind of didn't get around to it. Tomorrow, though, it's back to working out!
Natalie Jo, my stomach has definitely gotten smaller. It's way easier for me to get cues from my body about how much I need (or don't need) now.
nataliejo
New member
Yea I understand .. my body will quite half way through the meal or even less. Its strange, because I used to eat a huge supper, but now I have to take smaller portions, so that I don't get full. and I do the twenty minute meal...but it so small ..that it doesnt last twenty minutes ..but I am going to try to make it last twenty minutes ..
Hope you day is going well..
and there is always a day of rest
keep trecking hun
always
natalie jo
heathercb04
New member
Hey there Sophie! CONGRATULATIONS on the new numbers you have on your ticker! That is just so awesome. You're super close to getting that DVD! Can't wait to see how you like it, because I know it's going to be in your possession soon.
Sorry to hear that you had so much work to do!! What the heck kind of book did you have to read?? I keep thinking about going back to school, then I hear about other people who are doing it and all I can think is "do I REALLY want that much work to do!?" Hahaha.
Sorry to hear that you had so much work to do!! What the heck kind of book did you have to read?? I keep thinking about going back to school, then I hear about other people who are doing it and all I can think is "do I REALLY want that much work to do!?" Hahaha.
jw372
New member
Breakfast—coffee with ½% milk and one tsp sugar, grits with two tbsp reduced-fat cheddar, shrimp with low-fat gravy
Snack—grapes
Lunch—leftover spaghetti squash with tomatoes, onions, non-fat feta and a couple of olives
Snack—grapes
Dinner—leftover beef stir-fry with greens, cabbage, carrots, green beans; eggplant with punjab spinach sauce; baked banana
Snack—hot ginger milk with one tsp sugar, three chocolate cat cookies (about eight calories apiece)
It felt a little weird using up so many calories so early in the day, but I really like a luxurious Sunday morning breakfast—you know, something special that differentiates it from hurried, weekday breakfasts. And all it meant was keeping a closer eye on things for the rest of the day. Totally worth it.
Thirty-five minutes on the elliptical today, yay, and my strength routine. I wanted to get in a really good workout since I probably won't have time to do very much tomorrow.
Natalie Jo, isn't it awesome that we don't need to eat pounds and pounds of food at every meal to feel full anymore?
Heather, the book I had to write about was <I>Sex and the Gender Revolution</I>, a historical examination of a new male heterosexuality that emerged at the end of the seventeenth century and its effects on sexual relations. I totally understand what you mean about the return to school looking a bit fearsome. There are days when I'm run off my feet between teaching, my fellowship, and my coursework. At the same time, after four years of graduate work, I can honestly say that it beats the heck out of a 9 to 5, for me anyway.
Snack—grapes
Lunch—leftover spaghetti squash with tomatoes, onions, non-fat feta and a couple of olives
Snack—grapes
Dinner—leftover beef stir-fry with greens, cabbage, carrots, green beans; eggplant with punjab spinach sauce; baked banana
Snack—hot ginger milk with one tsp sugar, three chocolate cat cookies (about eight calories apiece)
It felt a little weird using up so many calories so early in the day, but I really like a luxurious Sunday morning breakfast—you know, something special that differentiates it from hurried, weekday breakfasts. And all it meant was keeping a closer eye on things for the rest of the day. Totally worth it.
Thirty-five minutes on the elliptical today, yay, and my strength routine. I wanted to get in a really good workout since I probably won't have time to do very much tomorrow.
Natalie Jo, isn't it awesome that we don't need to eat pounds and pounds of food at every meal to feel full anymore?
Heather, the book I had to write about was <I>Sex and the Gender Revolution</I>, a historical examination of a new male heterosexuality that emerged at the end of the seventeenth century and its effects on sexual relations. I totally understand what you mean about the return to school looking a bit fearsome. There are days when I'm run off my feet between teaching, my fellowship, and my coursework. At the same time, after four years of graduate work, I can honestly say that it beats the heck out of a 9 to 5, for me anyway.
heathercb04
New member
Hi Sophie! Congrats on adding strength training to your routine - sounds like you are definitely kicking some butt between the cardio and weights!
The book sounds. . . .um, well interesting? Probably more interesting to you. :-D Although I admit, anything that is written well can be interesting. What are you in graduate school for? I hear you on the school vs. 9-5 thing. Although with my current situation - between wedding planning and the fact that I'd have to keep working full time if I wanted my schooling to be paid for (and I dread the idea of taking out loans to get by if I were to do full-time school). I dunno. . .thank god nursing is so fluid and I can hop around until I find a specialty that I do have enough interest in to go back to school for!!
The book sounds. . . .um, well interesting? Probably more interesting to you. :-D Although I admit, anything that is written well can be interesting. What are you in graduate school for? I hear you on the school vs. 9-5 thing. Although with my current situation - between wedding planning and the fact that I'd have to keep working full time if I wanted my schooling to be paid for (and I dread the idea of taking out loans to get by if I were to do full-time school). I dunno. . .thank god nursing is so fluid and I can hop around until I find a specialty that I do have enough interest in to go back to school for!!
jw372
New member
Breakfast—banana lassi (basically a banana smoothie with non-fat yoghurt, but with the ever-magical cardamom!)
Snack—yoghurt (60 calories)
Lunch—leftover stir-fry, kiwi, low-fat oat bran mini-muffin, half an ounce of cheese, spicy cabernet Chocopod
Snack—Special K bar (90 calories)
Snack—low-fat cocoa
Dinner—corn chowder with shrimp
Snack—hot ginger milk with one tsp sugar
Throughout day—four cups of coffee, three with a teaspoon of sugar, and all with some non-fat dairy additive
Utterly, utterly wretched day today. My car's performance gets iffy in the rain sometimes and thus I spent over forty-five minutes sitting in parking lots waiting for the car to start and then driving very carefully so it wouldn't stall. And there was cold and wet feet, etc. By the time I got home, I was far too tired to even contemplate exercising or anything except filling myself with hot liquids. It probably didn't help that I only had about four hours of sleep last night.
Heather, like most academic books, it's interesting if it's in your field (which this was at least related to issues I've worked on in the past and may again in the future). I'm getting my PhD in English, and my concentration is in Victorian fiction and more specifically still in secondary education of girls in nineteenth century England, both historically and as represented in the novels of the period. I totally get where you're coming from, though. I'm now at the stage where they pay me to go to school, but back when I was paying to do it and taking out loans and such, it was pretty miserable. My advice, if you'd like it, is to never go back to school until you've got an overmastering reason to do so. For me, I can't live the life I want or do what I want without a PhD, so it's pretty much a no-brainer.
Snack—yoghurt (60 calories)
Lunch—leftover stir-fry, kiwi, low-fat oat bran mini-muffin, half an ounce of cheese, spicy cabernet Chocopod
Snack—Special K bar (90 calories)
Snack—low-fat cocoa
Dinner—corn chowder with shrimp
Snack—hot ginger milk with one tsp sugar
Throughout day—four cups of coffee, three with a teaspoon of sugar, and all with some non-fat dairy additive
Utterly, utterly wretched day today. My car's performance gets iffy in the rain sometimes and thus I spent over forty-five minutes sitting in parking lots waiting for the car to start and then driving very carefully so it wouldn't stall. And there was cold and wet feet, etc. By the time I got home, I was far too tired to even contemplate exercising or anything except filling myself with hot liquids. It probably didn't help that I only had about four hours of sleep last night.
Heather, like most academic books, it's interesting if it's in your field (which this was at least related to issues I've worked on in the past and may again in the future). I'm getting my PhD in English, and my concentration is in Victorian fiction and more specifically still in secondary education of girls in nineteenth century England, both historically and as represented in the novels of the period. I totally get where you're coming from, though. I'm now at the stage where they pay me to go to school, but back when I was paying to do it and taking out loans and such, it was pretty miserable. My advice, if you'd like it, is to never go back to school until you've got an overmastering reason to do so. For me, I can't live the life I want or do what I want without a PhD, so it's pretty much a no-brainer.
jw372
New member
Breakfast—yoghurt parfait with non-fat yoghurt, apricot sauce, raspberries, agave nectar, and about three tbsp of homemade low-fat granola
Lunch—carrots, black bean burrito with one tbsp sour cream and salsa, half a grapefruit
Snack—soy protein bar
Dinner—maple soy salmon, brussel sprouts and whole wheat pasta in mustard sauce, three Hershey's kisses
Had an apple after posting last night.
Did thirty-five minutes on the elliptical and twenty minutes of strength training today. Hopefully soon my scale will start going in the correct direction because I am not digging the numbers I'm getting the last couple of days, and I'm so close to my first goal! I need movement, darn it! Mind, I'm getting close to that time of the month, which may have something to do with it as well.
Lunch—carrots, black bean burrito with one tbsp sour cream and salsa, half a grapefruit
Snack—soy protein bar
Dinner—maple soy salmon, brussel sprouts and whole wheat pasta in mustard sauce, three Hershey's kisses
Had an apple after posting last night.
Did thirty-five minutes on the elliptical and twenty minutes of strength training today. Hopefully soon my scale will start going in the correct direction because I am not digging the numbers I'm getting the last couple of days, and I'm so close to my first goal! I need movement, darn it! Mind, I'm getting close to that time of the month, which may have something to do with it as well.
nataliejo
New member
Hey Sophie,
I love your degree, its mine too lol Except I haven't decided which avenue to take with Literature. ITs English literature, but I am taking World literature as well and am in the middle of working on a book, so I want to start taking writing courses as well .. I am in the 300 level literature courses and will be moving into the 400s by 2009.. I am so excited. They are going to get harder, but I have built a good base. Took extra classes to get ready for the harder classes, more loan money that way, but well worth it ..
and as far as Aunt Flo during that time of the month, just to let you know .. you burn 500 more calories exercising .. I try to make sure I exercise during Aunt Flo... otherwise I gain tremendously .. still did ..but not as much this time ..and I worked off my cravings ..or feeding my cravings ..and dropped below 280 .. you can do this hun!
Keep trecking
always
your friend
natalie jo