Not Much (ho hum....)

Not much to report on today. I'm considering a new format for my blog entries, more to come soon...

Check-in with McConnell tomorrow...

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/31:

South Beach bar

4 oz fresh pineapple (mmmmmm)

12 oz milk

62 oz water

20 oz coffee

Lunch 1/31:

16 oz salad w/ fat free ranch and 1 oz mozz cheese

32 oz water

Afternoon Snack 1/31:

12 oz salad w/ fat free italian

1 banana

Dinner 1/31:

Chicken fajitas (4 oz chicken, 3 oz veg, 1 oz cheese, 1-1/2 tortillas)

1 c Lipton Rice Sides Spanish Rice

12 oz water

Reflection

I've gone through my food choices for the past week, and I've decided that I didn't do any one thing poorly, I just indulged too often. Monday I had a big dinner, Wednesday I had a big lunch, Friday I had a largish dinner with little vegetation, and Sunday I ate too much pizza. One or two of those would have been OK, but put all of them together, and it adds up to a bad week.

On a thoroughly non-related note, I finally got around to updating my main site. There's work to be done, but drop by and have a look, and let me know what you think.

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/30:

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

tangelo

12 oz milk

62 oz water

20 oz coffee

Lunch 1/30:

Ham (3 oz) and swiss (1 oz) on bread w/ mustard

8 oz salad w/o dressing

4 oz celery

apple

32 oz water

I had a cup of coffee between lunch and dinner.

Dinner 1/30:

Shrimp teriyaki stir fry (4 oz shrimp, 3 oz veggies)

6 oz carrots

1-1/2 c rice noodles

20 oz water

Weight Update

Weight as of 5 AM 1/30: 201.0

I could make lots of excuses, but there wouldn't be any good ones. I know I didn't get as much exercise as I should last week, but I didn't realize it would have this dramatic effect. Also, I'll need to review what I ate. I thought I maintained control, but maybe I was deluding myself...

Massillon Weekend

No update yesterday, Amy and I went to Massillon for her sister's birthday this weekend.

I had a pretty bad week last week with regards to excercise. I made up for that on Saturday. We went geocaching on Saturday and walked for about 4 hours. OK, Amy and her mom walked about 3-1/2 hours, I finished the last two miles in 30 minutes to get the car. All in all, I went about 8 miles (we weren't really trying to make good time until the very end).

Weigh in tomorrow morning, though with a heavy dinner tonight, it might not be a good one...

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/28:

"Potato flip" (~10 oz potato, 1 oz cheese)

12 oz milk

8 oz water

24 oz coffee

I had 20 oz coffee on my drive to Massillon.

Lunch 1/28:

~1-1/2 c cheeseburger soup

6 oz salad w/ fat free raspberry walnut vinagrette

6 oz mixed veggies

20 oz water

I had about 12 oz water in the afternoon.

Dinner 1/28:

Sloppy joe sammich (~4 oz sloppy joe)

~18 oz salad w/ 2 tbsp italian dressing

1 clementine

20 oz water

I had 2 beers (Dortumunder Gold) before bed.

Breakfast 1/29:

8 oz light yogurt

10 oz milk

10 oz water

30 oz coffee

Lunch 1/29:

1 chicken pocket (~2 oz chicken w/ cream cheese and ranch dressing in a croissant)

2 oz extra chicken

12 oz salad w/ 2 tbsp italian dressing

~1/3 c Lipton pasta side (chicken)

~1/3 c baked corn

20 oz water

Afternoon Snack 1/29:

1 small slice red cake

30 oz coffee

a few potato chips

1 clementine

Dinner 1/29:

7" pizza w/ sausage and pepperoni

8 oz salad w/ fat free italian

4 oz carrots w/ 1 oz hummus

12 oz water

I'll probably have some wine before bed.

Bad Habit

Somewhere along the line, I have learned a bad habit. I learned how to turn off my alarm while sleeping. It's actually kind of hard, because the button is very small, but this morning, I managed to turn off both alarms without waking up. It wasn't until Amy's alarm went off over an hour later that I finally woke up, far too late to work out.

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/27:

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

apple

12 oz milk

40 oz water

20 oz coffee

Lunch 1/27:

22 oz salad w/ bleu cheese dressing

1/2 turkey and bacon on ciabatta bread

5 oz grapes

20 oz coffee

Dinner 1/27 (Fujiyama's):

3 oz salad w/ ginger dressing

1 c soup (whatever kind of soup they serve, it's just broth and mushrooms)

6 oz chicken and filet mignon

3 oz veggies

1 c rice

30 oz iced tea

I Need To Weigh My Food!

I think I need to weigh my food more often. I had decided to have some fries tonight with my gyro from Nazareth's, something I usually don't do. I decided to have 6 oz and pitch whatever was left. However, the entire order was only 5 oz! Woo-hoo for me!

In other news, I had planned on doing water aerobics today. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my swim trunks last night when I was packing, and they weren't at the lost and found at the gym. Bummer. Looks like I'll need a new suit. On the plus side, my calves and butt won't hurt tomorrow...

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/26:

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

banana

12 oz milk

62 oz water

20 oz coffee

Lunch 1/26:

Ham (3 oz) and swiss (1 oz) on potato bread w/ mustard

16 oz salad w/o dressing

apple

32 oz water

Dinner 1/26:

Gyro (from Nazareth)

Fries (from Nazareth, 5 oz)

1 oz hummus w/ 1 pita and 6 oz carrots

24 oz water

Evening Snack 1/26:

Compromise

I'm a stress eater. Well, I'm a "pissed off eater," too. I've mostly conquered that since September, but today was just one of those days that I was heartily pissed off. So I compromised with myself. What I really wanted was 4 Skyliners and all the chili-cheese fries I could stuff in my face, plus another Skyliner or two and a gallon of beer to wash it down. Six months ago, I might just have done that. So, all things considered, I thought I did pretty well with my lunch :)

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/25:

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

40 oz water

20 oz coffee

Lunch 1/25 (Skyline):

2 Skyliners

2 Garden salads (about 12 oz) w/ honey french dressing

40 oz iced tea

I had 32 oz water and 20 oz coffee before dinner.

Dinner 1/25:

Sausage and cheese ravioli w/ homemade tomato sauce (~8-10 oz ravioli)

9 oz lettuce

4 oz green beans

12 oz water

I had a half of a mini bag of popcorn for a snack, plus some wine.

Change in Routine

Not much happening today. I returned to the gym and tried to outfox those people who hog the treadmills when I'm ready to use one. Typically, I'll ride the recumbent bike for 30 minutes, then switch to a treadmill. Problem is that lately, all the treadmills are pretty much taken by time I get off the bike, which noone except me is riding. So, today I decided to use the treadmill first. Of course, today all except one was in use first thing! And, by time I finished my walk, there was only one bike open. Grrrrr.....

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/24:

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

banana

12 oz milk

62 oz water

20 oz coffee

I had a cup of tea this morning, since I was cold...

Lunch 1/24 (Wendy's):

Spicy Chicken sammich

Spring Mix salad w/ fat free french

Mandarin orange cup

20 oz iced tea

Dinner 1/24:

Turkey brat (~ 3 oz) w/ mustard

12 oz salad w/o dressing

1-1/3 c (cooked) Pasta Roni Angel Hair w/ Parmesan Cheese

12 oz water

Celebrations and Goals

Yeah, I celebrated. And, I had a salad at one of my favorite restaurants. But I also had a steak! OK, it was a small one, about half the size I would have had before I started on this dietary oddessy. All in all, I think I did just fine.

So, breaking 200 for the first time in five years has gotten me thinking about what's ahead. Where should I stop losing? Should I set goals along the way? Once I'm done losing, how should I proceed?

For the first question, I Googled and found a BMI calculator with helpful tables and other information. According to the information here, I should weigh less than 174 (I'm 5' 10"). Wow, it's been a long time since I weighed that little! I'm not even sure if I can safely get down that low at my advanced age :) And, 174 is the top of my range, it would be great to actually be comfortably below the top. So, if I take the first two questions together, here's what I'm coming up with:

• First goal: 185
• Second goal: 173
• Third goal: 165(!)

I think that the first goal represents a weight which I can reasonably reach and maintain. I think it'd keep my doctor off my back, assuming my body recovers from whatever is happening to my liver. If I get here and can go no lower, but I maintain that weight, I think I'd be happy. The second goal is the top of the range per the BMI. I don't know if I can get there, but I'll do what I safely can to reach it. If I get that far down and my doctor tells me that I should be heavier, or if I get there and find that it's so much of a struggle that I'm not enjoying life, I'll revert to the first goal. The third goal is well within my "normal" range, per BMI. I have serious doubts whether I can hit that, and even more serious doubts about whether I can maintain that weight long-term. But, a guy can dream, and if I can do it and still be healthy and active without feeling like I'm killing myself trying to maintain it, well then, so much the better.

Which leaves the third question unanswered. I'll have a lot of thinking to do, and I'll need to ask some questions of the kind folks at McConnell before my subscription runs out. But enough thinking for one day... :)

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/23:

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

banana

40 oz water

20 oz coffee

Lunch 1/23:

Ham and hard salami (3 oz) and colby jack (1 oz) on white w/ mustard

8 oz lettuce w/o dressing

4 oz carrots

banana

32 oz water

Dinner 1/23 (Damon's):

8 oz charbroiled prime rib

6 oz salad w/ parmesan peppercorn on the side

10 oz baked potato w/ ~1/2 tbsp butter and ~1/2 tbsp sour cream

1 roll

30 oz iced tea

~1/2 c strawberry sorbet (from Graeter's)

Weight Update

Weight as of 6:30 AM 1/16: 198.0

Woo-hoo! I broke 200! Time to celebrate! I'm gonna go to my favorite restaurant and have ... errr... I'm gonna have.... ummmm.... a salad...

Damned diet

Back Home

Homeward bound today after a great visit with Carl and Sally. Once home, nothing to do but sit around watching football (Amy's idea) and allowing Amy to make me a great dinner. Can't beat it. Life is good :)

Not going to the gym tomorrow, I have a doctor appointment early. If it's not cold or rainy, I may walk tomorrow evening.

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/22:

South Beach bar

10 oz water

30 oz coffee

Lunch 1/22 (Wendy's):

Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe

Spring Mix salad w/ fat free french

Mandarin orange cup

20 oz iced tea

I stopped for a cup of Starbucks on the way home (Verona, OK, but not my favorite).

Afternoon Snack 1/22:

3 oz carrots

Dinner 1/22:

6 oz round eye steak

1 c (cooked) rice w/ beef gravy

12 oz salad w/o dressing

12 oz water

Fighting the Losing Fight

I'm up in NE OH again for the evening, visiting friends. Ordinarily, that means an evening of pizza and cheesy bread, but for this soldier waging his personal war against his cholestorol-laden butt, it meant lots of veggies and only a little pizza. Ah, war is hell...

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/21:

"Potato flip" (9 oz potato, 1 oz bacon and cheese)

8 oz water

24 oz coffee

Lunch 1/21:

Hard salami (2 oz) and provolone (1 oz) on white bread w/ mustard

12 oz salad w/ fat free raspberry vinagrette

apple

12 oz water

I had 20 oz coffee on the way to NE OH.

Dinner 1/21:

2 slices pizza (about 1/4 of a 12" pie, with 1 slice pepperoni, on slice carnivore special)

12 oz salad w/ 2 tbsp ranch dressing

6 oz carrots

apple

20 oz coffee

40 oz water

I had some wine with my hosts in the evening before bed.

My Poor, Sore...

Of all things that could possibly be hurting today after doing water aerobics yesterday, where do you think I'm feeling pain today?

1. My calves
2. My thighs
3. My hamstrings
4. Upper body
5. None of the above

The correct answer is 5. My butt hurts. Seriously. It's kinda painful sitting all day...

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/20:

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

apple

12 oz milk

62 oz water

20 oz coffee

Lunch 1/20:

Turkey and Bacon (5 oz) with american (1 oz) on ciabatta w/ mustard

12 oz salad w/ fat free french

3 oz carrots

32 oz water

Afternoon Snack 1/20:

6 oz grapes

20 oz coffee

Dinner 1/20:

3 oz ham

~1 c mac and cheese

4 oz green beans (sauteed w/ onions and garlic, mmmmmmmmmmm.......)

24 oz water

Water Aerobics - Take Two

Today was the second time I tried water aerobics. You'll remember my first attempt, as well as how I felt the next day. I again had a great time, and it was both easier and harder than last time. Easier because I was more familiar with what I was doing, harder because I worked harder this time. I've been pretty OK all day, but as I'm typing this, my legs are starting to seize up a little. I may need a good bit of wine tonight...

Diet Update

Evening Snack 1/18:

1/2 bag of popcorn

Breakfast 1/19:

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

banana

12 oz milk

36 oz water

56 oz coffee

Lunch 1/19:

Hard salami (2 oz) and provolone (2 oz) on white bread w/ mustard

12 oz salad w/ fat free raspberry vinagrette

apple

28 oz water

Afternoon Snack 1/19:

3 oz carrots

28 oz water

Dinner 1/19:

12 oz lettuce w/ fat free raspberry vinagrette

2 bowls chicken noodle soup (~4 oz chicken, 6 oz potato, 3 oz carrots, 2 oz noodles)

14 oz water

I had some crackers and cheese with my wine tonight.

Check-In With McConnell - 1/18

Check-in went well, and I hit a milestone, of sorts. When I first walked into McConnell, they weighed me at 234. Today, they weighed me at just under 204 (I was largely clothed both times). That's the 30 pounds that the gastroenterologist wanted me to lose. I still have a way to go before I get to a good weight for me, but that was the first step.

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/18:

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

banana

12 oz milk

62 oz water

20 oz coffee

Lunch 1/18:

Roast beast (4 oz) and american (1 oz) on a sub roll w/ mayo

15 oz salad w/ chunky bleu cheese dressing

banana

32 oz water

Dinner 1/18:

3 oz fish (left over from Saturday)

1 small fajita (left over from Friday)

2/3 c rice

12 oz lettuce w/ 2 tbsp ranch

12 oz water

My Wife Loves Me

My wife loves me. She made me one of my favorite dishes tonight, and she didn't even know it was one of my favorites. She made scalloped potatoes, and she made them better than I make them (which is saying something). I was good, I only ate as much as I should have, but if I wasn't trying to be careful about what I eat, I could have eaten the whole pan, they were that good. Yep, my wife loves me :)

Check-in with McConnell tomorrow. Keeping my fingers crossed...

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/17:

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

banana

12 oz milk

62 oz water

20 oz coffee

Lunch 1/17:

Hard salami (2 oz) and provolone (1 oz) on white w/ mustard

6 oz salad w/o dressing

3 oz carrots

banana

32 oz water

20 oz coffee

Dinner 1/17:

Ham (3 oz)

Scalloped potatoes, about 8 oz

9 oz salad w/ fat free italian

6 oz carrots

12 oz water

Planning for the Future

My membership with McConnell will be ending in a few months, so I need to be planning for how to continue exercising beyond the end. I won't be able to walk every day, this is Ohio, after all, and the weather won't allow it. We went looking for recumbent bikes today, just to get an idea of prices we might have to pay. Nothing firm yet, but I have an idea how much money I'll need to save to make it happen.

More geocaching today, it was another great day for it. Other than that, not much...

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/16:

1/4 c (precooked) pinhead oats w/ 1/4 c milk and 1/3 c dried fruit

8 oz water

28 oz coffee

Lunch 1/16 (Chik-fil-A):

Chicken strips, about 4 oz

2 side salads w/ low fat honey mustard

Fruit cup, ~4 oz

24 oz iced tea

I had 20 oz coffee from Caribou.

Dinner 1/16:

6 oz fish (left over from Saturday)

4 oz chips (left over from Saturday)

10 oz salad w/o dressing

2 slices toast w/ 1 tbsp butter

10 oz water

Weight Update

Weight as of 8:45 AM 1/16: 202.0

Geocaching Day

What a fun day! After a reasonably lazy morning, Amy and I went Geocaching today. If you want to see how we did, I think you can do a search on all caches found under our handle, TheBaldAndTheBeautiful. We bagged nine caches, and to everyone's shock and amazement, I beat Amy to all of them. Usually, Amy is the best seeker of our little team, so that I pitched a shutout is quite the accomplishment for me.

Diet Update

Evening Snack 1/14:

10 saltines w/ 1 oz chedar cheese

Wine

Breakfast 1/15:

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

12 oz milk

8 oz water

28 oz coffee

Lunch 1/15 (Wendy's):

Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger

Spring Mix salad w/ low fat honey mustard

Mandarin orange cup

40 oz iced tea

Dinner 1/15 (Big Boy):

Chicken strips (~6 oz)

Baked potato (~12 oz) w/ butter and sour cream

~10 oz salad w/ thousand island dressing on the side

1 c vegetable soup

~6 oz mixed fruit

24 oz iced tea

Lazy Day

Lazy day today, just the way I like it. :) Would have been lazier, but a certain pair of kitties were impatient for their morning feeding. But that's OK. Any day I have all morning to read the funnies and play crosswords and sudokus is a good day in my book.

Oh, and my calves still hurt...

Diet Update

Evening Snack 1/13:

5 saltines w/about 1 tbsp butter

6 oz carrots

3 oz Better Cheddars

Lots of wine (Zinfandel from Bogle Vineyards)

Breakfast 1/14:

1/4 c pinhead oats (precooked) w/ 1/4 c milk and 1/3 c dried fruit

8 oz water

28 oz coffee

Lunch 1/14 (Arby's):

Chicken, bacon and swiss sammich

Santa Fe salad w/o chicken

1 potato cake

20 oz iced tea

Dinner 1/14 (Old Bag of Nails):

Fish (4 oz) and chips (6 oz)

House salad w/ sweet and sour dressing

1 c cole slaw (I had both mine and Amy's)

30 oz iced tea

Water Aerobics - The Day After

Ugh. Ouch.

We were warned during water aerobics to make sure we got our heels down while exercising, or we'd end up with sore calves. So, I made sure I did.

Or so I thought...

Ouch.

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/13:

South Beach bar

12 oz milk

40 oz water

40 oz coffee

Lunch 1/13:

16 oz salad w/ 2 tbsp bleu cheese dressing

6 oz grapes

32 oz water

Dinner 1/13 (Las Margaritas):

El Tapatio (chicken and chorizo) w/ "mexican salad" and mexican rice

small salad (~4 oz) w/ no dressing (none was offered, odd)

chips and salsa

40 oz iced tea

Water Aerobics

Today was the day I agreed to go to water aerobics. I woke up after a shorter-than-normal night of sleep, tired and grumpy. I was sooooooo tempted to just sleep in and not go, just blow the morning off as a bad idea. But, a promise is a promise, and I steeled myself for the worst.

I had a blast.

Seriously.

No, I'm not gay.

I had a few fears going in. First, I was afraid that I'd get caught up in the rhythm of the music and over exert myself again. However, as it turned out, I had three things going for me. For one, the music was so quiet, I could hardly hear it, even when I was standing still. Also, I was concentrating so hard on what I was doing, I could block it out. And, the resistance of the water was a constant reminder to work hard, but not too hard.

My second fear was that I'd look like an idiot. I think part of the thing with the regular aerobics class was I was paranoid that people were going to see me struggling, or looking weak and slow, so I pushed myself too hard. I went in with the same fears with the water aerobics, and when I was struggling early on with some of the moves, I started to get frustrated. So, I looked around to watch some of the others to see if I could figure out how they were doing the moves when I realized something.

I couldn't see what they were doing. Their bodies were mostly underwater, and with all the splashing and crap going on, I couldn't see what they were doing. Which could only mean one thing.

Noone could see what I was doing, either.

Once I figured that out, I relaxed and had a lot of fun. Enough so that I may even go back next week. I'm not sure if I got quite as good a workout as I normally do with the bike and treadmill, but I can honestly say that I have been bone-tired exhausted all day.

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/12:

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

banana

12 oz milk

40 oz water

40 oz coffee

Lunch 1/12:

Hard salami (2 oz) and provolone (1 oz) on white bread w/ mustard

10 oz salad w/o dressing

apple

32 oz water

Dinner 1/12:

3 oz turkey kielbasa

7 oz Pasta Roni Butter and Garlic

2 slices toast with butter

10 oz salad w/o dressing

28 oz water

Check-In With McConnell - 1/11

Another good check-in this morning. I'm very close to the 30 lb mark, which is good news.

I purposely slept in this morning, because I have been very tired lately. Can't do that tomorrow, I'm expected in water aerobics... Anyhow, I did get a 30 min walk in tonight with Amy, so I at least got out for a bit.

Diet Update

Breakfast :

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

banana

16 oz milk

32 oz water

20 oz coffee

I had a cup of tea between breakfast and lunch.

Lunch :

Hard salami (2 oz) and provolone (1 oz) on white bread w/ mustard

10 oz salad w/o dressing

banana

32 oz water

Dinner :

Sweet and sour shrimp (4 oz shrimp) w/ veggies over ramen noodles (7 oz)

10 oz salad w/o dressing

28 oz water

Oh, and Amy made me eat a half bag of popcorn. :)

Slow Day

Not a lot happening today. Another longish day at work, but I was faithful to my exercising before going in. Check-in with McConnell tomorrow morning....

Diet Update

Breakfast :

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

1 banana

12 oz milk

62 oz water

20 oz coffee

I had 14 oz tea between breakfast and lunch.

Lunch :

Hard salami (3 oz) and provolone (1 oz) on white bread w/ mustard

10 oz salad w/o dressing

1 banana

32 oz water

14 oz tea

Dinner :

Pork chop (4 oz) w/ gravy over buttered noodles (4 oz)

10 oz salad w/o dressing

12 oz water

A few notes:

• I'm eating less meat at lunch, partly because hard salami is fattier than other meats that I regularly eat, and partly because the meat is cut so thin, I'd have to put an insane number of slices on my sammich. Too much work.
• I'm eating 10 oz salad at a time because I'm lazy. I need around 9 oz veggie per meal, and my salad comes in 10 oz bags.

So now you know...

I Love My Job

Back to the gym this morning. I ran into the aerobics instructor this morning, she reminded me that she's starting up water aerobics this week, and that I'd agreed to try it out. Whoopee! Stay tuned for Thursday, see if I'm still moving at full speed.

There are days that I truly love my job. Today was one of them. I love nothing more than to be given something to do and be given the uninterrupted time to do it. Today, I got such an assignment, and before I knew what had happened, a full day had passed. Gotta love it :)

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/9:

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

1 banana

12 oz milk

62 oz water

20 oz coffee

Lunch 1/9:

Hard salami (2 oz) and provolone (1 oz) on white bread w/ mustard

10 oz salad w/o dressing

6 oz apple

32 oz water

Dinner 1/9:

Chicken parmesan (4 oz chicken) w/ tomato sauce, cheese and 4 oz wheat pasta

10 oz salad w/o dressing

5 oz mixed veggies

12 oz water

Weight Update

Weight as of 5 AM 1/9: 203.0

Very odd. I had thought I was much better this last week about both exercise and food. I'll have to have a closer look at what I'm eating...

Dad's Surprise

Sorry for the lack of update yesterday. I didn't want to post early and inadvertently tip off my dad. Tomorrow is his <mumble> birthday. Some of the people on his bowling league got wind and threw a small party for him. A little birdie told me about it, so Amy and I went for a visit.

Weight update tomorrow, assuming I remember.

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/7:

Potato flip (12 oz potato)

8 oz light yogurt

8 oz water

28 oz coffee

Lunch 1/7:

Grilled roast beast (5 oz) and colby jack (2 oz) on white bread

10 oz salad w/ fat free italian

1 large apple

28 oz water

Afternoon Snack 1/7:

8 oz apple slices

20 oz water

Dinner 1/7 (some little German restaurant in Kent):

Small side salad w/ bleu cheese on the side

1 german sausage (~3 oz)

~6 oz sauerkraut

1 roll with butter

20 oz water

Evening Snack 1/7:

peach brandy

Breakfast 1/8:

1 english muffin w/ butter

8 oz light yogurt

1 grapefruit

8 oz water

36 oz coffee

Lunch 1/8 (Applebee's):

Fish and chips (6 oz fish, 3 oz fries)

2 side salads(12 oz) w/ bleu cheese on the side

1/2 c cole slaw

16 oz water

20 oz coffee

Dinner 1/8:

Personal pizza (8") w/ german sausage and onion

36 oz water

Another Day...

Went to the gym this morning, even though my knee still hurt. I took it easy on both the bike and treadmill. I just didn't enjoy the pool enough last time to want to go back down. Oh, well...

Not much else. Just wanted to get done before Sci-Fi Friday!

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/6:

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

1 banana

12 oz milk

62 oz water

20 oz coffee

Lunch 1/6:

Roast beast (3 oz) and colby jack (1 oz) on wheat bread w/ mustard

10 oz salad w/ fat free raspberry vinagrette

6 oz apple

32 oz water

Dinner 1/6:

Pasta (1-1/3 c) w/ 5 oz meatballs and tomato sauce

10 oz salad w/ fat free italian

12 oz water

I'm Getting Old

I'm getting old. Seriously. I know I'm only in my mid-thirties, but somehow my body is much older. Today, my right knee decided to take a vacation in the middle of riding the recumbent bike. I don't think I was doing anything odd, though I may have been pedaling a little fast. Suddenly, lots of pain, for no reason. I even tried walking it out on the treadmill, but I ended up going home from work early so I could take some good drugs.

I'm getting old...

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/5:

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

4 oz pineapple

12 oz milk

62 oz water

20 oz coffee

Lunch 1/5:

Roast beast (3 oz) and colby jack (1 oz) on white bread w/ mustard

10 oz salad w/ fat free italian

1 banana

28 oz water

Dinner 1/5:

Chicken teriyaki stir fry over japanese noodles

9 oz mixed veggies

12 oz water

Check-In with McConnell - 1/4

Had my check-in with McConnell today. Again, things look pretty good. Though I'm up a pound from last week, I'm down for the month, and down about 26 total from the first time I stepped foot in McConnell. Not bad for a little over three months.

I actually tried the pool today. I walked laps for about 10 minutes (water is chest high on me). It wasn't bad, but I doubt I'll do it again unless my knees and/or back really are screaming.

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/4:

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

1 banana

12 oz milk

30 oz water

20 oz coffee

Lunch 1/4:

Roast beast (3 oz) and colby jack (1 oz) on wheat bread w/ mustard

6 oz salad w/ fat free raspberry vinagrette

3 oz celery

6 oz apple

32 oz water

Afternoon Snack 1/4:

1 banana

Dinner 1/4:

Turkey brat w/ mustard

10 oz salad w/ fat free italian

3 oz celery

1-1/3 c Pasta Roni Butter and Herb

12 oz water

Evening Snack 1/4:

2 oz mixed nuts

1 glass port

Back to the Gym

Back to the gym this morning. I did my resistance training for the first time in ages, felt pretty good. I did 30 minutes on the recumbent bike, but only 20 on the treadmill. I had intended to take a swim today, but ran out of time. Maybe tomorrow...

Or not. I forgot, I have my check-in tomorrow. Hmmmm... maybe if I swim first. Have to think about that...

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/3:

South Beach bar

8 oz light yogurt

12 oz milk

34 oz water

20 oz coffee

I had 32 oz water between breakfast and lunch.

Lunch 1/3 (Wendy's):

Spicy chicken sammich

Spring mix salad w/ fat free french

Mandarin orange cup

20 oz iced tea

Afternoon Snack 1/3:

1 banana

Dinner 1/3:

4 oz pork chop

9 oz salad w/ fat free italian

1/3 c stuffing (Stove Top)

3 oz carrots

2 slices toast w/ butter

12 oz water

Old Fashioned Buckeye Butt Kickin'

I know I'm jinxing myself by talking about it before the end of the game, but just as I was getting ready to start my post, while watching the Fiesta Bowl, Brent Mussberger spewed the above line. I'm not a big fan of Brent, but I did think the line was quite amusing...

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/2:

1/4 c (uncooked) pinhead oats w/ 1/3 c dried fruit and 1/4 c milk

8 oz water

28 oz coffee

Lunch 1/2:

Left over burrito from New Year's Eve

1 c mexican rice left over from New Year's Eve

9 oz carrots

20 oz water

Afternoon Snack 1/2:

20 oz coffee

Dinner 1/2:

2-1/2 waffles w/ butter and maple syrup

6 oz sausage

6 oz salad, 3 oz veggies w/ fat free italian

10 oz OJ

Evening Snack 1/2:

5 oz Chex mix

14 oz water

Weight Update

Weight as of 9 AM 1/2: 202.0

All in all, I'm pretty happy. Now, it's time to get to work and lose the rest of this weight!

Beautiful Day

What a beautiful first day of the year! It was warm enough out that Amy and I decided to snag a few caches while we were up in northeast OH. Of course, that was only after we actually got our butts out of bed. Last night was a long, but good one.

Diet Update

Breakfast 1/1:

1 brownie biscotti

24 oz water

24 oz coffee

Lunch 1/1 (Texas Roadhouse):

6-7 oz ribeye

12 oz baked potato w/ butter and sour cream

6 oz salad w/ bleu cheese on the side

30 oz iced tea

Dinner 1/1:

Grilled cheese sammich (~3 oz cheese)

6 oz carrots w/ 1 oz hummus

12 oz tomato soup

20 oz water

I think I'll skip the wine tonight...

I Can't Believe...

I can't believe I ate the whole thing. The veggie tray, that is. I ate lots of veggies. Lots. Tons. Hoo-boy.

I can't believe I drank the whole thing. Lots of wine. Tons. Lots. Varying flavors, textures, aromas. All of it wonderful. Hoo-boy.

But, on the whole I was pretty good. I didn't overeat on any of the "less good stuff," and as for all the wine, we partied here at the Riverside Inn, where we spent the night.

More later...

Diet Update

Dinner 12/31:

10 oz salad w/ light italian dressing

1 slice pizza (1/8 of a 10" pie from Marco's) w/ pepperoni and mushroom

1 small piece of a chicken burrito-ish thing (about 1/6 of the meal) from Mariachi Loco's

about 1/4 c rice and 4 small pieces of sweet and sour chicken

40-50 oz water

Evening Snack 12/31:

more veggies than I remember (conservative estimate around a pound of veggies)

~20 mini white tortilla chips w/ 1 tbsp queso

1 piece brownie biscotti

~1/3 c mocha gelato

lots of wine (whites, reds, fruits, bubbly, you name it, we drank it)