Cocoa Crazy 2021-07-12 (c) Copyright Brett Paufler Data Points and Minimally Edited Notes concerning my transition from Sugared Hot Chocolate to something a little more healthy. # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # Cocoa Crazy I'm throwing off the yoke of that monkey. Let's see how it goes. Trail Mix might just be the way to go. I've got 5lbs. I'm weaning myself. Trading Hot Chocolate for Hardcore Paleo Trail Mix has got to be a move in the right direction. I probably should say, I've got a separate file for Trail Mix, which is mostly how I'm eating my Chocolate, these days. It is the sugar, as much as anything else, that I like in Chocolate? Not Really Keto (But Still Sort Of Keto) Hot Chocolate 1 Cup Water &fract12; Cup Cream (Pure, Heavy) 3 Squares Dark Chocolate Well, if was Hot Chocolate, I probably would have named it as such. A week later, 3 Water / 1 Cream plus a Scoop of Collagen was an improvement. It is Sugar as much as Chocolate, I crave. There us something beyond Sugar in Chocolate. But without the Sugar, would I ever reach for it? I guess I already said just this. But my desire for Chocolate and Sugar is Intertwined. I had Oatmeal for breakfast, first thing... followed a bit later by Eggs... Fried in Butter and topped with Parmesian Cheese. I completely forgot about Chocolate. Still, my memory is dim. I might have had a single square. Maybe, I should include some data. The first, today (and all like it with the trailing ?) will be a guess, as I really have no idea. I had two rows (I think, it's hard to believe); and now, I only have two squares. 2021-03-21: 8? As I start (after the first), I have three Bars at forty-five Squares plus two: for a Total of one-hundred-thirty-seven Squares of The Good Stuff. Though I expect to have low self-control (once I get started, if nothing else), I believe the impact (if any) from Theobromine will be increased by Pulsed Doses enforcing a Refractory Period. Perhaps, I should create a Schedule: Monday or Tuesday AND Friday or Saturday... with a leaning towards the later day in the pairing. A certain amount of sugar sets me right, whatever that might mean. 2021-03-23: 3/4 The Chocolate (72%) comes in Rows of five. In the above 3/4, three Squares were eaten and four remain on the current Row. Thus, a trailing 0 or 5 are equivalent. This is for ease of figuring the current and for Error Correcting, which I do not intend to pursue. Besides, if I keep to the trailing {stay on top of getting the remaining amount of Chocolate in the Row correct}, hitting the correct amount consumed should not be that difficult. I'm eating a Truffle Bar. Buts it's not the good stuff. So, I'm not tracking it... as such. 2021-03-25: 1.75oz Truffle Dark Chocolate I believe the above will be a workable (alternative) data type. It's ½ Bar of Upscale (or at least, Medium Scale) Chocolate. It's sweeter and has a smoother mouth-feel (softer and melts easier) than The 72% Chocolate (the baseline). But it, also, lacks that Serious Chocolate Punch, The Chocolate hitting after The Sugar. 100% Chocolate is a bit harsh (nasty, bitter, and/or unpalatable). But it might be The End Game. Go Big or Go Home. "Come on, boy. Is it The Chocolate or Sugar you like?" 2021-03-26: 3/1 2021-03-27: 2/4 I'm eating Oatmeal for breakfast. The pertinent point being that I am eating breakfast soon after waking-up. It alters my need for Chocolate: a food (and/or breakfast) substitute. 2021-03-28: 1.75oz Truffle Dark Chocolate. The other half. The last two Squares at once... a chaw in both sides. 2021-03-29: 4/0 2021-03-30: 2/3 2021-03-31: 1/1 Since I started the 1st {entry below} with a new row, the data from the 31st (or 30th) is clearly wrong. But as I did not record it correctly, I will not change it now. At final remove, my best guess is that I had two additional unrecorded Squares on the 30th and recorded the starting rather than ending condition on the 31st. So, it's really two errors. But who really knows? Or perhaps, the 2 and 3 are transposed? So, see? I really (really really-really) don't know. 2021-04-01: 2/3 2021-04-02: 2/1 2021-04-03: 2/4 It is true. Chocolate is mostly a Food Replacement... the way I eat it, anyhow. If full, I have next to no craving for the stuff. 2021-04-04: 3/1 I want the second Square much more than I ever desired the first. My mouth is literally watering... as it cleans the remnants from the last. I just dropped (ate: dropped being slang for drug use, Sugar in thus case) a few handfuls of Milk Chocolate Drops. It's definitely a Sugar Thing and not a Chocolate one. 2021-04-05: 3/3 I tend to (almost always) eat The Chocolate by The Square, breaking off a chunk and placing it between my left side cheek and gum like a plug of tobacco. Ideally, it sort of melts in my mouth and I eat it like a sucker. But if I am hungry, I tend to chew it up. While it's melting is a good time for meditating. 2021-04-06: 5/3 Prior to a Road Trip, I snapped off Five Squares (a Full Row) and put them in my pocket. Let's see how many I eat. There won't be that much other food. So, I'm expecting to consume quite a bit. 1 Bar = 17.6oz = 8 Rows x 5 Squares Currently, I have 2B-1R-3S remaining of The Good Stuff. 2021-04-07: 1/2 2021-04-08: 2/0 2021-04-09: 2/3 2021-04-10: 2/1 2021-04-11: 1/0 I just threw out the wrapper on the third. I have two Bars left. 2021-04-13: 4/1 2021-04-14: 3/3 The last was consumed as Hot Chocolate, as will likely the next few. I have a Gallon of Milk. And I can see no reason not to have a cup or so a day of Hot Chocolate until it is gone. 2021-04-15: 7/1? 2-HC And if you can't figure out that Syntax (Hot Chocolate, you dolt), I don't want you on My Site. S#!?! Don't Go! Look, I'm Sorry! Come Back! Please? Pretty Please? I've got Chocolate... I've got Data... 7/1? 3-HC: I lost track, so I back-figured (hence, a spot-on? guess) seven Squares consumed over the course of Three Cups, both of the later two being partial rebrews and refills of the previous). I believe My Gum Health (especially around my left molars) has improved greatly. 2021-04-16: 3/3 1-HC 2021-04-17: 3/0 1-HC My Chocolate Consumption is Down. The data is there for the analysing. But not too long ago, I typically consumed 1-3 Cups totalling 3-8 Squares with 2 Cups at 5-6 Squares being a reasonable average. I tend to suck Cheese, Chocolate, Suckers, and Vitamins between my Cheek and Back Left Molars, causing Bleeding & Irritation (though, really, only when Brushing or Flossing), a complaint which is currently in remission. This is where I still melt my squares. And I've gone Semi-Keto, which means my overall Sugar Consumption is way down (but nowhere near zero). So, there are confounding variables. Semi-Keto: Most Meals are Full-Keto. But I tend to eat Sugar Snacks twice a day: midday on my walk {via Suckers} and at night {some kind of before bed snack}. 2021-04-18: 6/4 2-HC ERROR: 2021-04-19: 1/0 Clearly, we have another error. I believe Sunday's entry is wrong somehow. But I cannot recall having more than Two Cups of Hot Chocolate. Nope. I was left with a Singleton and Triple Square. But I assumed the Triple was a Full Row. And so, my count was off. Error Corrected. 2021-04-19: 1/3 Since folks are going Keto around here, I've been gifted a ¾ Bar of 70% Mint Chocolate. There are (or were) Six Small Squares left... prior to just eating one. But not all Squares are equal... nor is all Chocolate. This is, certainly, not The Last Chocolate I want to consume 2021-04-19: 2/4 MINT 2021-04-21: 4/0 MINT 1-HC Half that Mint Bar in a Cup of Hot Chocolate. 2021-04-21: 2/1 1-HC So, that's my Second Cup of Hot Chocolate, on the day. I landed Two Boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. It's really amazing how much Sugar is in this house. The Mint Bar is gone. Along with it was a Half 3.5oz Bar of 72% w/ Almonds, split into Six Smallish Squares. 2021-04-22: 3/3 ALMONDS I am vaguely thinking that when I am completely out of Chocolate, I'll put in an array of Different Bars and do a tasting of sequential offerings. Because I am chewing The Almond Squares, they pack a fairly large Chocolate Hit. Or maybe, I'm just hungry and working off an empty stomach. I did not Buy (but I certainly did Shop for) a new Horde of Chocolate. When I run out, that first week will be hard. 2021-04-23: 3/0 ALMONDS Becky Sharpe drank Hot Chocolate. 2021-04-23: 4/2 1-HC I am out of Milk. No more Hot Chocolate... for who knows how long? 2021-04-24: 3/4 ERROR: Yeah. I need an ERROR Syntax. The next day, there are only Three Squares left in The Bar. 2021-04-24 (starting count): 1-0-3 -- 1 Bar, 0 Rows, 3 Squares. Man, Data Collection is Hard! 2021-04-25: 2/1 2021-04-26: 1/0 2021-04-26: 1-0-0 I have exactly One Big Bar of The Good Stuff left... along with Two Small Bars at 85% and 100%. It is tempting to restock. But I will, at least, wait until I am completely out and have suffered for a day or two. I'm thinking that 100% Bar will last awhile. Pure Chocolate doesn't taste all that great. {At the end of Data Collection, I have more than half of The 100% Bar remaining.} 2021-04-26: 1/4 2021-04-27: 2/2 2021-04-28: 3/4 2021-04-29: 1/3 2021-04-03: 3/0 I amend the numbers (+1/-1) as each Square is consumed. 2021-05-01: 3/2 2021-05-02: 1/1 2021-05-03: 3/3 The Chocolate Supplies around here are getting quite thin. 2021-05-04: 3/0 2021-05-05: 1/4 2021-05-06: 8/1 HC If I limit myself to Three Squares on Saturday, that gives me another Eight Square Hit Chocolate Blow-Out on Sunday to End an Era. My teeth will thank me. They already do... a little. 2021-05-08: 3/2 HC Tomorrow is the last of The Good Stuff. I'm going to make a nice big pot of Hot Chocolate, first thing. 2021-05-09: 8/0 HC 2021-05-09: 0-0-0 And that's it for The Good Stuff. I have Two Bars left: 3.5oz/each at 85% & 100%. I'm going to use half the 85% Bar to make some Hot Chocolate. 2021-05-10: 4/6 85 HC 2021-05-11: 4/2 85 HC I'm out of Milk, now. 2021-05-12: 2/0 85 I'm breaking open My Last Bar: One Bar = Twenty-Four Squares. Though, it does not seem like the Squares are all there. The End Nine (or so), seem to be part of a Logo or Visual Effect. But there are definitely Four Squares in The First Row. Wow, I almost forgot to say: 100%. 2021-05-13: One Bar of Six Rows of Four Squares, which deviates at end. 2021-05-13: 1/3 100 I've been sick, puking and such. So, Chocolate (especially, 100% Chocolate) has been a non-contender. 2021-05-21: 1/2 100 It's much harder to get excited about 100% Chocolate. 2021-05-22: 1/1 100 2021-05-23: 4/1 100 HC With Chocolate Nibs. That HC was a mistake. 2021-05-24: Hot Chocolate (By Others): 2 Teaspoons 100% Cocoa Powder. This may be my terminal Chocolate Drink of choice in times to come. 2021-05-25: HC-2 Will such a Syntax hold? It's a Cup of Hot Chocolate made from Two Tablespoons of 100% Cocoa Powder w/ No Added Sugar. I've neglected to record my consumption of Hot Chocolate over the past few days. 2021-05-26: HC-2? 2021-05-27: HC-2? 2021-05-28: HC-2? I'm pretty sure I will be having the same, today. 2021-05-29: HC-2 Such data is boring, though. So, I doubt I will record it in detail... or a guy has to do something, so why not this? The unsweetened drink is working well. But I fear it causes the same (or a similar) degree of gum problems. 2021-05-30: HC-2.5 2021-05-31: HC-2.5 I expect to take a break from Hot Chocolate, after The Milk is gone. 2021-06-01: HC-2.5 2021-06-02: HC-2.5 This is a far healthier pattern than where I was when I started This Project. It's (now) one cup versus two; and no added sugar. 2021-06-03: HC-2 2021-06-03: HC-2 Doubling Up. No Mistake. 2021-06-04: HC-2 And now, I'm out of Milk. Let's see what happens. If I had Hot Chocolate available, I might have gotten up a bit earlier, today. 2021-06-05: 1/0 100 2021-06-06: 1/3 100 I was craving Hot Chocolate, this morning. Milk is back on the list. 2021-06-07: I had a Homemade Molten Chocolate Lava Cake for Breakfast, which included Two Tablespoons of Chocolate. 2021-06-08: HC-2 2021-06-08: CAKE-2 2021-06-09: HC-2 2021-06-09: HC-1.5 2021-06-10: HC-2 2021-06-10: HC-2 2021-06-11: HC-2 2021-06-12: HC-2 I haven't been recording all The Cake. I've been hitting it a lot. 2021-06-12: HC-2 These aren't repeats. They are second cups. I started a brownie_cake spreadsheet. I don't know where it will end up. I've got a 4T {of Cocoa} Banana Brownie Cake ready for The 'Morrow. Since I've got another spreadsheet going for that, I will endeavour to mention it here no more. 2021-06-14: HC-2 2021-06-15: 1/2 100 I got milk again. I'm doing Hot Chocolate, again. But thus time, with no added sugar... the straight stuff. 2021-06-16: HC-2 Maybe, I missed The Milk as much as anything else. 2021-06-16: HC-2 2T=6t: Tablespoons/teaspoons. The later being less accurate, each scoop being only just good enough from a measuring point of view. 2021-06-17: HC-2 2021-06-18: HC-2 I had Angel Food Cake, yesterday, with a Coffee Chocolate Frosting. I've never cared for Coffee Flavoured stuff. And I barely know why it is making the list. Well, I consumed 4-6 Tablespoons of Semi-Chocolate Frosting, that's why. 2021-06-19: HC-2 2021-06-20: HC-2 I had Hot Chocolate yesterday, but did not record. Likely, the previous two days, as well. I've not been making it myself. (Thanks Sweeties!) I find it interesting (eh, maybe only mildly interesting) how such a small thing effects my record keeping. 2021-06-24: HC-2 I'm pretty sure it was only one a day on the missing preceding. 2021-06-24: HC-2 I am forgetting to record servings more and more regularly. The first following was recorded a day late, as I lay in bed, wondering if I should consume the last of the milk this morning. 2021-06-25: HC-2 2021-06-26: HC-1 Two Gallons of Milk have been procured. Most will be consumed as Hot Chocolate. 2021-06-27: HC-2 2021-06-27: HC-1 2021-06-28: HC-2 2021-06-29: HC-2 2021-06-30: HC-1.5 There was some spillage. 2021-07-01: HC-2 2021-07-01: HC-1 I got a bar of Chocolate (or will) on my birthday. But I have opened it, already. This 72% Big Bar of Chocolate is way better than the powdered Cocoa. 2021-07-02: 4/1 2021-07-02: 4/2 2021-07-03: 4/3 2021-07-03: 3/0 2021-07-04: 4/1 2021-07-04: 4/2 2021-07-05: 4/3 2021-07-05: 2/1 All these last have been made with Milk as Hot Chocolate. But I am now out of Milk. 2021-07-06: 1/0 Eaten as a straight Square. I have two rows left. The pure form is a much bigger hit. 2021-07-06: 1/4 2021-07-07: 3/1 2021-07-08: 2? 2021-07-08: 2? I'm pretty sure I had two cups of straight Cocoa, yesterday. 2021-07-09: 2 {The above would need to be changed to "2021-07-09: 2-HC" in order to make it consistent with previous entries.} I am saving The Good Chocolate to either eat as Squares or savor in a Cup of Hot Chocolate at a time when I am best/better able. I have a vacancy in my proofreading schedule. So, this is as good a time to end this project as any. Besides, it's getting (more than) a bit boring and repetitive. 2021-07-10: 2 # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # For straight Data Collection, I am sure Spreadsheets work better. But then, Spreadsheets have the problem wherein Comments & Notes are harder to include. So, yeah. Multiple Documents! But then, is this data even worth the single document? Only, The Future AI can know.