Hiatus

Not sure anyone is reading now days anyway. I've clearly plateaued around 210. It's been a drag to pull myself into the office to update this blog, too. Therefore, I'm taking an extended break. Should I choose to resume my endeavor seriously, I'll let people know.

Thanks for the support, folks.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
2x pop tarts - 8?

Lunch:
Smart Ones chix enchiladas - 7
pretzels - 4

Snack:
weight watchers bar - 3

Dinner:
salad - 4
4x pizza - 18
bourbon - 6

50/44

Hollow Chocolate Bunnies

My lunch was slightly derailed by the hollow chocolate bunny my purchaser delivered me as a token of gratitude for a year of constructive cooperation. I started with the ears, then that opiatish chocolate took hold and the carnage didn't end until Thumper's thumper washed down my gullet. We'll call that, what, six points?

Looking to get a bike ride in tomorrow or Wednesday. Why has it been so hard for me to mount the silver stallion? I also have a hilarious goal of waking at 6 tomorrow for a gym iron session. ROAR!

Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch:
2 Smart Ones sliders - 10
salad - 4
cookies - 4

Snack:
Thumper - 6

Dinner:
fish - 5
shrimp - 3
corn x2 - 6
ice cream sandwich - 4
bourbon - 6

54/44

Back to the Grind

Worked my tail off this weekend, and ate like a king. Spare ribs, ny strip steak, cookies. But damn, I earned it. Travel weight dripped off as well. I'll do my best to be more verbose this week. Ready to get back into some kind of groove.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch:
ham - 4
corn - 3
spinach casserole - 3
biscuit - 4
chix - 3
chipwitch - 5

Snack:
2 brown ales - 8

Dinner:
corn - 3
8oz steak - 12
2 cookies - 3
ice cream sandwich - 4

58/44

Back From Travel...So Is My Gut

Got a little wild with the food on business travel. I've got a weekend packed with activities to burn some cals. Let's get back on track, folks.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Snack:
donut - 8

Lunch:
3oz chix - 3
turkey sausage - 4
pretzels - 4
Fiber One bar - 4

Dinner:
salad - 5
10oz chix - 10
2 brown ales - 10

54/44

Shame Leads to New Lows Leads to Picasso Leads to More Gluttony

New lows as in weight. After my wo is me post last night, I weigh in at my lowest point of he year. Go figure. I expect a hefty weight gain tomorrow evening, though. Spent the day at VMFA, took in a hilariously large and tasty lunch at Amuse, and continued the bacchanalia at Rohrer Ranch. A couple bourbons, couple beers, chicken, tejas toast, chocolate. It can't end well. I figure I'll continue indulging this weekend and pick things back up strong next week.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
turkey sausage biscuit - ?
turkey sausage patty - ?
2x small waffles -?
milk
juice

Lunch:
chorizo and cheese stuffed peppers
crab cake
tres leches cake
white wine

Dinner:
chix breast
salad
tejas toast
1/2 dark chocolate covered pretzel
portion of dark chocolate bar
beer
bourbon

Harsh Realization

I realized something today that's been staring me in the face for a few weeks. I'm done with this. At least with the charade that I'll make 200 pounds in some short period of time. How do I know this? I'm cheating, and it's happening easier and easier each day. I stood up to the donuts a couple days ago, but I caved in a major way today. While sampling a 1/3 of a Paul's Donut, I didn't leave the break room until I'd scarfed 2 whole 'nuts. I told you it was like heroin.

It was a hard work week, and, for better or worse, I believe in rewards. I conquered this work week masterfully, crossed off a couple honey-do items, and felt the freedom to reward myself tonight. After killing two donuts in the span of a minute, a handful hours later I put a hurting a sixer of Legend Brown. On the plus side, my dinner consisted of a gardens worth of greens and a chicken breast. Perhaps I'm learning some good long-haul habits. Still, 200lbs hasn't fest so unobtainable since January 1.

I may take a vacation from this. Maybe a week or two, just to ditch the pressure for a couple weeks, come back renewed. I fully intend to meet my goal this year, but it feels like the wheels are spinning. Maybe this blog will gather dust. I'm just not sure.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch:
Lean Cuisine chix enchiladas - 5
salad - 5
Fiber One bar - 4

Snack:
2x Paul's Donuts - 12

Dinner:
chix caesar salad - 7
pudding - 3
beer - 12
bourbon - 3

57/44

Maybe No Ride

Was feeling a bit sleepy with puny legs. That made me bail on the the bike ride. Hoping to fit it in Saturday morning. In it's place, I mowed some grass and installed a new AC outlet. Unfortunately, I consumed the energy bar prior to canceling the ride. Harumph.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch:
2x turkey burgers - 10
salad - 5
snack bar - 2

Snack:
Cliff Bar - 7

Dinner:
salad - 4
pepperoni and cheese - 5
bourbon - 6

45/44

The McGriddles - Paul's Donuts Conundrum

You know you've lost a bit of the verve when you lose a couple pounds back to back and decide to reward yourself with a McDonalds McGriddles combo. Actually, that combo only amounts to 19 points, which is really fine if you're willing to go heavy on the salad and lean protein for dinner. Unfortunately, the company bought a few boxes of Paul's Donuts for our company meeting. I know of no Richmond analog to Paul's donuts. They achieve this heavenly, thick near-crispy exterior texture balancing a dense, yet tender interior. And they're so damn rich. I think they use a couple secret spices like nutmeg and cinnamon in the dough. Anyway, they have this smell that elicits a physio-chemical response that I can only guess is akin to what a heroin junky feels when he sees a bag of the white stuff. I had just eaten 19 points for breakfast and was fighting the urge to stuff two of the 'nuts in my mouf. Wha?

Thankfully, one of the beautiful things about dieting and eating in a generally healthy manner is that your body grows accustomed to healthy, nutritious fuel. And along those same lines, your body doesn't quite know how to react to violently sugary foods. I nearly fell asleep while watching our ISO-required 7 Levels of ESD protection video. What would happen if I chased one delicious confectionery with another? They might have to put me on a stretcher. It was just the push I needed to ward off the donuts. What a battle of wills.

Tomorrow, I ride.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
sausage, egg, and cheese McGriddles combo - 19

Lunch:
Lean Cuisine angel hair with marinara - 6
pretzels - 4
snack bar - 4

Snack:
apple

Dinner:
1/4 pound turkey burger - 8
corn on the cob - 2
salad - 4
bourbon - 6
ice cream - 4

57/44

Grind

I had a nice weight drop off today, and a semi-indulgent selection of foods. I fully expect another weight drop, but I've been surprised before. This is a short one. Much more to come tomorrow.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
turkey sausage, egg, and cheese croissant - 9
juice - 2

Lunch:
chicken enchiladas Smart Ones - 7
pretzels - 4
snack bar - 4

Snack:
bourbon - 8

Dinner:
6oz fish - 6
4oz shrimp - 4
asparagus - 2
corn x2 - 4
biscuit w/ strawberry jelly - 6

56/44

Back From Hiatus

I've been trouncing around Virginia stuffing myself with rich foods and tasty brew. One of my chief goals of the camping trip was to work my tail off on the mountain bike and hiking trails. Sadly, the rain cut those plans short. In the place of the hike was an order of chicken wings and beer.

The fun is over, and it's back to work. I found it interesting that, while I was hungry today, the sensation was not so overwhelming as to break me. In fact, my body seems to welcome fruit and salad.

I plan on taking a bike ride Wednesday and perhaps Friday.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch:
Swedish meatball Lean Cuisine - 8
pretzels - 4
desert bar - 4

Dinner:
salad - 3
1/2 chix kielbasa - 7
leftover brisket - 7
ice cream - 5

44/44

Keeping Steady and a Double Cheeseburger

Was a little disappointed to see the same weight this morning. Was busy enough later in the day to forget about eating. Sadly, I was so busy this evening I had to stop by the arches for a double cheeseburger combo, size medium. Still, I end today with a couple extra points left for a bourbon. Cheers!

Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch:
Lean Cuisine spaghetti and meat sauce - 7
pretzels - 4
Fiber One bar - 4

Dinner:
McDonalds - 22

Snack:
bourbon - 3

46/44

Couple Steps Back

I got a big head about hitting 208.4. That coupled with the amount of manual labor I did this weekend gave me an illegitimate license to eat everything in sight. I'm experienced enough to know this would happen, but I was still horrified when 211 was staring me down.

Clearly my sense of urgency has waned and I seem to be getting more and more comfortable with my current weight. I need to keep traction. Help.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
2x Eggos - 4
2tbspn maple syrup - 3
2c milk - 4
(best breakfast yet?)

Lunch:
Lean Cuisine bbq chix pizza - 9
Cheezits - 2
Fiber One bar - 4

Dinner:
bourbon -3
1/2 chix kielbasa link - 5
flat bread bun -3
salad - 1
taters - 6
biscuit w/ homemade strawberry jelly - 5

49/44

New Low, Folks

This is cool: I pigged out on Chinese last night then had my best weigh in of the year. Busted my hump in the yard today and treated myself to leftovers for lunch and a smoked brisket and Legend Browns for dinner. I'd type more, but my wrist is dead.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
Cliff Bar - 7

Lunch:
hot and sour soup - ?
orange chix + brown rice - ?

Dinner:
brisket - ?
corn - ?
creamed spinach - ?
roll - ?
taters - ?
ice cream -?
beer(s) - ?

I don't care/44

Sonofa!..Pizza!

The company ordered pizza for us. Thankfully, I eat lunch at a ridculously early hour and won the battle of wills. I'm friggin starving now just thinking about it. I'm tired, so this will be short. In fact, it's done.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
2 microwave breakfast soft tacos - 8

Lunch:
Pot Stickers Lean Cuisine - 7
Doritos - 4
Fiber One bar - 4

Dinner:
smoked chix (it's finally done!) - 7
2x sweet tater fries - 8
ice cream - 5
bourbon - 6

49/44

Rudder Correct

As expected, Tuesday's gluttony adversely affected Wednesday's weigh in. Thankfully, I was able to eat somewhat conservatively today and get in a nice workout. 20 miles on the Silver Stallion at 18.9mph. Nice!

I indulged at dinner and really have no idea what my tally is, but it was mostly healthy food. Check out the log.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch:
smoked chix thigh - 4
Crackerful - 4
Fiber One bar - 4
Snack bar - 2

Snack:
glazed Krispy Kreme (ooh yeah...actually disappointingly old and crusty) - 5
handful peanuts - 3

Dinner:
Dad's smoked chix (6oz?) - 6
corn - 4?
roll - 4?
1/4 sweet potato - 3?
salad - 2?
brownie - 6?
2c milk (1%, baby!)- 6?

59/44

I bet I earned 10ish points for my ride. Probably burned 700-1000 calories. Adam, how'd your run go?

Must Be a Fad...Damn you, Gyro....Double Damn You, Stuzzi

So it turns out everybody is hopping on the weight loss/fitness bandwagon. I spoke with my 90 year old grandmother today, and after I shared my weight loss endeavor, she shared her own story. Turns out she spends half an hour on a stairmaster at level 15. "Grams!", I exclaimed. "Please don't hurt yourself! That workout sounds crucial!". She allayed my fears and commented that it was merely a moderate workout that got her pulse into the 90s. She went on to say it was nothing like riding a bicycle into a 15mph wind for two hours. Still, I was impressed.

In related news, I think I just pissed off my one remaining reader.

Today was a horrific dieting day. In fact, there was no dieting at all. Work brought in lunch for a long meeting, and I ordered the gyro. That thing was colossal. Instead of pita, the meat and veggies were wrapped in a piece of naan the size of a large aerobie. Then for dinner, I met my lovely wife at Stuzzi. Stuzzi is the only pizzeria in Virginia that makes authentic Neapolitan pizza. Meat and cheese tray, focaccia, salad, and pizza down the tubes. There's no way I can calculate my points today. Thankfully I have a bike ride lined up with Pops for tomorrow. It ain't no stairmaster, but it will have to do.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch:
gyro - ?
Lays chips - ?

Dinner:
meat n cheese - ?
focaccia - ?
salad - ?
pizza - ?

owie/44

Quick Synopsis...There's BBall On

Ate like crap this weekend, but I also worked my tail off. 26 mile ride, lawn mowing, regrouting, etc. I was happy to see sub-210 this morning. After the master bath is done, I promise to be a bit more verbose on here. Until then, live with my food log.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
sausage, egg, and cheese McGriddles  + hashbrown - 19

Lunch:
smoked chix thigh - 4
Crackerful - 4
cookie bar - 2

Dinner:
chix leg, thigh, wing - 9
5 oz smoked chix salad - 5
cookie bar -2

bourbon - 9

54/44

Whoa Nelly

After getting over Can Can, I had a couple days of indulgent eating. Time to reel it in a bit. Planning on a long bike ride tomorrow afternoon. I'll do my best to keep the blog up and improve the content.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
cookie - 5

Lunch:
tuna casserole Smart Ones - 6
Crackerful - 4
Fiber One bar - 4

Snack:
apple
Crackerful - 4

Dinner:
1/2 rotisserie chicken - 15

Snack:
1/4 chicken - 8
bourbon - 9

50/44

Progress

Things are moving along nicely. All thanks to Can Can.

Monday Food Log:

Breakfast:
2x breakfast burrito - 10

Lunch:
thai chicken smart ones - 7
Crackerful - 4
Fiber One bar - 4

Snack:
apple

Dinner:
hotdog - 8
2x sweat tater fries - 8
ice cream - 4
bourbon - 6

51/44

Tuesday Food Log:

Breakfast:
breakfast burrito - 5
cookie - 5

Lunch:
2x chix sausage - 6
Crackerful - 4
Fiber One bar - 4

Snack:
apple

Dinner:
turkey sloppy joe - 10
sweat tater fries - 4
pudding - 4
bourbon - 9

51/44

Can Can, Brunch, and Sucker Punch

I feel that if it wasn't so late, I could work up a subtle and witty joke incorporating my gallbladder with the title of this blog. My day consisted of sharing brunch with some friends at Can Can followed by a matinee. Can Can does it to me every time. So good and so explosively rich. My recommendation: French Toast Pave.

I'm pretty stoked to have maintained my weight this weekend, especially considering I haven't eaten the healthiest food. After today's menu, I'm relishing a boring, healthy week day lineup.

Go Rams!

Food Log:

Brunch:
3/4 chocolate croissant - ??
smoked salmon omelette with chive cream cheese - approaching infinity
1/2 crispy, fried potatoes - ??
some crepe - ?
some french toast - ?
2x mimosa - ??
some pomme frittes - ?

Dinner:
chix salad - 10
3 cookies - ?

owie/44

A New Low!

I managed to hit a 2011 low Friday morning, weighing in at 209.6. It seems that my new regimen of starvation, water deprivation, and no exercise is paying dividends. I treated myself with a Wendy's single combo with large fries. What's interesting is that it wasn't the pinnacle of indulgence. It didn't tickle that itch I've had for almost three months. Fact is, I won't be craving a burger and fries again for a while. This is positive. Now, had I cycle 30 miles, it probably would have felt different.

Kept off the weight this morning, but I found myself hungry throughout the day. Snacked a bit more than normal and indulged in a rich meals at a friend's. Most assuredly I'll see some weight gained tomorrow, but I feel like I've found some traction and I expect more results next week.

Friday Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch:
single combo w/ cheese + large fries - 28

Dinner:
chix salad - 10
bourbon - 6

50/44

Saturday Food Log:

Breakfast:
turkey sausage, egg sandwich - 10

Lunch:
turkey flat bread sandwich - ?
baked lays - 4
cheese puffs - ?
2 spoons ice cream - ?

Snack:
roast beef slices - 3
baked lays - 6

Dinner:
chips/salsa - 4
lentil soup - 4?
chix flatbread wrap w/ Greek yogurt - ?
cookies - ?
beer - 4
rum - 3

oof/44

Slight Hiccup

Edo's Squid didn't kill me. Let's hope this weekend and lack of exercise doesn't either. Indulged in a bit of bourbon tonight along w/ a bit of Edo's leftovers. I feel like I may still lose some weight, though.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch:
lasagna Smart Ones - 6
Crackerful - 4
Fiber One bar - 4

Snack:
carrots and hummus - 2
bourbon - 9

Dinner:
2 chix sausages - 6
penne pasta - 12

49/44

Edo's Squid Halts My Grind`

This past week had me grinding it. Stringent dieting, hunger pangs, no alcohol, and it was working. The weight was starting to come off. I weighed within a pound of my 2011 low. Prior to these losses, I was precariously perched on the precipice of my will power. The plateau had lasted too long, the food tasted too good, I looked damn good at 212, why lose more? Grinding it out from this point is hard work, but I was doing it.

That brings me to tonight's dinner. Happy Bday, Mom. I was so ravenously hungry prior to dinner that I nearly snatched the menu out of my mother's hands as she spun her wheels trying to decide between the marinara and olive oil-pine nut pastas sides. Thankfully I made it to the bread and proceeded to go ballistic. Why do I even consider ordering the whole fish when there is duck breast on the menu? Dinner was excellent, but it has surely pushed me back a few paces.

Food Log:

yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch:
orange chicken Smart Ones - 8
Crackerful - 4
Fiber One bar - 4

Dinner:
2 x Italian bread - ?
fried squid (naturally) - ?
brazed fennel - ?
med-rare duck breast - ?
white beans w/ pancetta - ?
fried polenta - ?
some cannoli - ?
alot of tiramisu - ?

oof/44

Short One (interweb problems at home)

Couldn't get a post out last night due to some NIC problems. Anyhow, I've updated the current day and todays weight and tonight I will add another blog post and update the graph. Good news! The weight is coming off again. Fewer points and no alcohol, baby!

Food Log:

Breakfast:
turkey sausage, egg, and cheese croissant - 8

Lunch:
chix, onions, peppers - 14
snack bar - 4

Dinner:
PBJ - 12
veggies and hummus - 2
pudding - 4

44/49

Surviving the Weekend

Somehow I only gained a pound this weekend. I've learned not to attempt understanding at this point.

It occurred to me yesterday that perhaps I needed to lower my daily point allotment considering I had lost 15 pounds. I'm going to shoot for 44 points from here on out. While I believe I can fight through the normal hung pangs, I fear the worst when a workout is on the schedule.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
turkey sausage, egg, and cheese croissant - 7

Lunch:
vegetable spaghetti Smart Ones - 6
Baked Lays - 4
Fiber One bar - 4

Dinner:
chicken caesar salad - 10
texas toast - 4
praline - 5

Snack:
pudding - 4

44/44

Saturday was a Doozy

So much so I couldn't bear to weigh myself this morning. We'll just leave it at that.

The good news is I don't have any crazy plans for the next two weekends, and the next three weeks should be pretty tame. Just gotta put the time in on the Silver Stallion.

Food Log:

Lunch:
PBJ - 12
baked Lays - 4
Ice cream - 4

Dinner:
chicken fajita salad - 13
strawberries, dark chocolate, and whipped cream - 3

36/49 (and the fasting begins)

Long Weekend...No Hunger Strikes

Took the day of today and used it well. 27 mile bike ride w/ Pops led to gluttonous patio meals. One more day of this.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
Cliff Bar - 7
Gu - 2

Lunch:
12 chix wings - ?
chips n salsa - ?
beers - ?

Dinner:
enchilada - ?
chili relleno - ?
taco - ?
margarita - ?
beers - ?

long bike ride - ?

oof/49

Stasis

I can't break this plateau. This weekend won't help, either.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch:
pasta - 7
baked Lays - 4
snack bar - 4

Snack:
Cliff Bar - 7

Dinner:
shrimp - 2
fish - 4
asparagus w/ parm - 1
bread w/ parm - 5
bourbon - 12

42/49

Shrugging Off Pizza...Piece of Cake

I was ravenously hungry today after my heroic bike ride. But after 70 days of dieting, it wasn't a big deal to just push through the hunger pangs. I managed to stay within my points limits, and even though I missed my workout tonight, I expect a weight loss tomorrow.

Oh, and the company bought us pizza today. I sat through the meeting one table in front of the spread, and had absolutely no problem ignoring the vile piles of dough and cheese.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
turkey sausage, egg, and cheese muffin - 6

Lunch:
chix enchiladas - 7
baked Lays - 4
Snack bar - 4

Snack:
Snack bar - 2
bourbon - 6

Dinner:
ravioli and chix - 12
salad - 2
pudding - 2
cookies - 2

47/49

Looking Like 30 in 120, Folks

It was a nice weekend away that blended occasional food splurges with exercise and sensible diet choices. It's pretty clear that I won't reach my goal after 90 days and that I'll have to shoot for 120. But I think that's okay, and quite frankly, it's probably healthier that way. To show that I can lose 30 over a longer period gives me hope that I may be able to keep it off. After four months, it'll feel more like a lifestyle change. This I hope.

So I ate chicken and waffles, fried calamari, and a skirt steak sandwich with fries. But I also ate salad for a couple meals. I enjoyed just two beers (and a bit more bourbon), but walked 6-7 miles around Atlanta.
There was a slight weight gain, but it wasn't egregious. That's how you do it, folks.

I have a somewhat lofty workout goal set for this week: 3 bike rides and two gym visits. That has me working out all but one day through Sunday. Today I cycled a wildly intense 20 miles with Pops. I reached that rare cycling zen state where you can't push too hard, the pain never comes. You may max out what the body can deliver, but it doesn't leave you wheezy, nauseous, or burning. I attribute this to the 50 miles I put in last week. The body is quickly tuning!

Food Log:

Breakfast:
turkey sausage, egg, and cheese muffin - 6

Lunch:
chix alfredo Lean Cuisine - 8
Cheezits - 2
Snack bar - 4

Snack:
Snack bar - 4
mixed nuts - 3
Cliff Bar - 7

Dinner:
2 chix sausages - 6
2 servings sweet tater fries - 8
chocolate pudding - 2

50/49

Leaving the Scale Behind

Kristy and I head to Atlanta tomorrow night and won't return until Monday afternoon. It will be a nice reprieve from the constant battle with the scale. I hope to eat well and walk some calories off around the city. That being said, how can I visit the Dirty South without sampling Gladys Knight's chicken 'n waffles? Wish me well, dear friends.

I blew up my no-carb diet in ecstasy-filled, refined sugar-rich dinner consisting of one of my all-time go to meals: PBJ + Ruffles + milk. Glory be. I came into this world with a PBJ in my hand, and I might just ask for one as my last meal. It seemed prudent to ween myself off the no/low-carb stuff  *prior* to travelling, you know, in case there are complications. I do expect an encouraging weigh-in tomorrow. I'll probably update the blog, but the graph will have to wait.

Adam and Sarah, I see you caught up this week. Thanks for the comments. I too think it would be interesting to augment the plot collection. We could be learning so much more. Maybe next week we can try some experiments. However, I must admit this blog is becoming a drag. Every night, typing the same trash. Incentive enough to hit my goal.

Food Log:

2 eggs - 4
3 turkey sausage links - 3

Lunch:
1/2 rotisserie chix - 16

Snack:
dark chocolate-dusted almonds - 3
so much water

Dinner:
PBJ - 12
baked Ruffles - 3
2c milk - 4
snack bar - 3

48/49

I Feel Funny

Day 2 of low-carb dining has come and gone, and I must confess that it's got me feeling strange. In general, my hunger just feels different...almost numb. I also feel bloated. All that being said, it was a joy to eat half a chicken, a couple eggs, sausage links, and two steaks today. Seems like losing a couple years off the end of my life is a decent tradeoff.

One nice thing about simple portion control is, it's easy to back food for work. Everything is fair game. Low-carb, not so much. I left for work this morning with no ready to eat breakfast, and had no suitable food for lunch. My suite mates must have found it odd that I scrambled eggs in my coworker's office and carved a chicken in mine. I love that one can stop by virtually any local market and pick up a small rotisserie chicken.

Hit the gym today, and finally hit a home run with both 30 minutes on the elliptical and a juice-head inspired bicep and triceps workout. I finally felt motivated, full of energy, and excited about my next workout. 'Bout time I got over the hump.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
2 eggs - 4
3 turkey sausage links - 3

Lunch:
1/2 small rotisserie chix - 16

Snack:
1/5 servings pistachios - 8

Dinner:
salad - 3
12oz sirloin steak - 12

46/49

Little Bit of Fail

Well, that didn't go as expected. Up a pound.

C'mon, low-carb, do your thing.

Enjoy the pajama pics, friends.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
3 sausages - 3
2 eggs - 4

Lunch:
chicken, egg, salad - 14

Snack:
mixed nuts - 3
almonds - 3
apple
gallons of water

Dinner:
8oz pork - 8
salad - 3
1 egg - 2
3 sausages - 3
bourbon - 6


49/49

Time to Sharpen Up and Get Ready for a Bit of the Old Ultra-Violence...err...Weight Loss

Friends, the days keep ticking by, and I fall further and further behind. We've proven that a tweak in chemistry can make up for an indulgent weekend, but it seems that every weekend ends up that way. Take this coming weekend, for instance. Kristy and I are heading to Atlanta, and there are a number of eateries on our list to hit up. It's darn near impossible to adhere to a diet when traveling.

I figure it's time to ratchet things up a bit. I've gotten comfortable with the food I'm eating, not to mention the quantities. The new plan is to hit my body with a low-carb diet throughout the week, starting tomorrow. It'll throw me off my game, probably make me crabby, and surely mess with my system. But I guess that's the point.

I hit the gym today, and again, it was filled with kids under the age of 18. Couldn't use the elliptical, so I went straight to the stretching and core workout...followed that up with a back, chest, and shoulders workout. No cardio, but I think I got my fill this past weekend. Hopefully in a couple days I can go for the full monty of biceps, triceps, *and* cardio.

Time to boil the eggs, thaw the sausage, crack the nuts, chop the salad, trim the meat, lift the iron, and spin the elliptical. Is it possible for me to reach the 207s by Friday? Dare I make that goal? It's on, b*tches!

Food Log:

Breakfast:
sausage, egg, and cheese croissant - 8

Lunch:
spaghetti and meatballs Lean Cuisine - 7
Crackerful - 4
2x banana-chocolate chip bar - 8

Snack:
Cliff Bar - 7

Dinner:
chicken and ravioli - 11
salad - 3
parm - 1
banana-chocolate chip bar - 4

53/49

Weekend Summary

Let me address the workouts first:

1. I realize I haven't posted my pajamas photo. Look for that Tuesday.

2. I didn't meet this week's goals either, but thankfully no one suggested an outfit.

3. I DID endure two crucial cycling trips. The first was a 20 miler Friday, and the second was a 32 miler that spanned three counties Saturday. Couple that with constant 15mph SE winds, and it was a hella-workout. I'll give myself 15 points for that one (honestly, I think it should count for more considering I burned ~1100 calories).

My weight increased, but I'm not too worried about it. I put my body through the ringer with those rides, and I fully expect to hit new lows this week. As far as my workout goals, because I'm traveling next weekend, I plan to just hit the gym twice.

Saturday's Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch:
3 chicken thighs - 12
snack bar - 4

Snack:
3 shot blocks - 3
1 Gu - 3

Dinner:
14oz prime rib (trimmed) - 24 (ouch)
salad - 4
baked potato - 5
horseradish sauce - 3
Jack Daniels - 15

79/49 ----> only gained .2lbs, though.

Sunday's Food Log: (I was famished today, and did my best to lay off the food)

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach  bar - 4

Lunch:
PBJ sandwich - 9
baked Cheetos - 5
2c milk - 4
snack bar - 4

Dinner:
4oz grilled fish - 4
4oz shrimp - 3
roasted potatoes - 5
2x chocolate-banana squares - 8

48/49

Winning...

...and damn near bi-winning, friends! Check your Charlie Sheen tigers-blood quotes if this doesn't make sense.

Okay, so after totally blowing up last weekend, I've successfully lost the gained weight PLUS dropped another pound within the span of one week. Winning.

With that said, I'm still nearly 3 pounds behind schedule. There's work to do and temptations at every turn. Take today, for example. I cycled an efficient 20 miles with Pops on my day off (18.0 average) which should only help the cause. However, it's dinner and drinks that sabotage such efforts. Kristy and I had a nice dinner at a local feeding trough, and of course I ate too much. That being said, what I ate was (mostly) healthy. Check the log for details. Following that, we attempted to meet some friends at Legend to see a familiar band perform. Only, the band we expected wasn't playing, and our friends weren't present. Now, I ask you this question. Would you make the trip from north-side down past the river to Legend and leave without sampling their offerings? Let me answer that for you: NO. Not only is it insulting to the band that IS performing, but you'd also miss out on the chance to taste their casked 1/2 Brown 1/2 Golden hybrid. So I drank two beers. These are the pitfalls of the weekend. Good food and good drink.

Speaking of good drink, and specifically beer: What's cool about this blog and the associated statistics is that we're all really observing a pretty neat science experiment. Correlate the food and drink combinations to weight loss/gain Correlate the workouts to the same. Some interesting conclusions can be made. Back to beer: I've mostly stayed away from beer these last two months, savoring bourbon in its place. However, if you payed attention to last weekend's blogs, you read that I consumed more than my fair share of brew AND my weight jumped astronomically. Beer is bad....for weight loss efforts. That taught me to stick with spirits and merely celebrate 197 with beer. So, after you read my food log tonight, you can expect a substantial weight gain tomorrow.

Food Log:

Brunch:
2 slices of microwave pizza - 10
cheesecake - 5
snack bar - 4
(c'mon, after my low{no?} carb efforts, I was preparing for a bike ride)

Snack:
peanuts - 4
turkey slices - 2

Dinner:
caesar side salad - 4
calamari - 8?
pork loin w/ cabbage and Israeli couscous - 12?
bourbon - 9

Snack:
2 Legend beers - 10?

68/49

workout - 20 miles on the Silver Stallion (probably worth 10pts, honestly)

Chopping Wood

Another good day of weight loss was had today. That low/no-carb diet screws up my system, though. When you pile on some carbs after a day of that, it becomes even worse.

Good news: my course is over.

Better news: I'm taking Friday off from work.

Great news: I'm cycling w/ Pops tomorrow. Hopefully 20+ miles.

I can't believe it's taken me a week to make up the damage that was suffered last weekend. Talk about a deterrent.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
2 eggs - 4
3 turkey sausage links - 3

Lunch:
turkey, roast beef, and cheddar sub - 15
chips - 5
cookie - 5

Dinner:
chix burger on sandwich thin - 5
sweet tater fries - 4
bourbon - 12

53/49

Low Carbtastic

My plan went as designed today. Nothing but carbs...well...if you don't count some dark chocolate dusting and a couple fingers of bourbon.

This class I'm in at work is kicking my butt. I'm horrible at Linux, and especially horrible at the embedded version. What's nice is that it's so intense (or demoralizing?) that it's my head I feeling hurting rather than my gut. Been consuming lots of water, but unfortunately, I haven't hit the gym this week. I had hoped that it would be an easy week of schooling with no work responsibilities. Sadly, I've been on the hook to help with some proposals that are due this week and that's kept me at work another hour to hour and a half every day. I don't get home until 7:30, about the time my workout would end. It's frustrating. Looking at taking Friday off to ride with my Pops.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
2 eggs - 4
3 turkey sausage links - 3

Lunch:
grilled chicken sandwich with blue cheese dressing - 15

Snack:
2 servings dark chocolate dusted almonds - 6

Dinner:
chicken quarter - 6
2 eggs - 4
chef salad - 6
bourbon - 6

50/49

Low Carb, On Hold, Get Ready for Take Two

We've scheduled an embedded Linux programming course for some of the engineers this week at my office. A nice perk is that they buy us lunch from this sub-par deli, Sam's. It's one of those places where the cheese steaks and gyros are good, but the turkey sandwich and salads are horrible. At least salads are an option. My plan for the day was to eat a chicken breast on the way to work (it's like eating a hotdog off one of those paper trays, only the tray is a plastic sandwich bag), order a grilled chicken salad with blue cheese dressing for work, throw in some mixed nut snacks, and eat more chicken for dinner.

We don't ask that much of our admin assistants. Make a few copies, proofread a proposal, transfer a call, maybe order an occasional lunch. How did she forget to order my salad? What? I can have the lunch YOU ordered? It's what? A sweaty roast beef panini literally dripping with grease and butter? Ah, how 'bout that! You ordered a side salad. Guess I don't much of a choice but eat that. Thanks.

So, change course. I friggin choked down a plain, cold chicken breast for breakfast just to adhere to a diet plan, all for naught. Harumph. The sandwich sucked.

So, tomorrow, I'll try this again. This time I have eggs for breakfast. At least the weight is starting to fall off. Still lost a week with the bacchanalia this weekend.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
chix breast - 6

Lunch:
roast beef panini - 20?
salad

Dinner:
chix burger - 8
chix thigh + leg - 5
sweet tater fries - 4
bourbon - 6

49/49

Wavering a Bit

Man, it'd be so easy to hang it up right now. The weekend weight gain was more draining than it was demoralizing. Five more pounds to make up. On top of that, they ordered pizza for the class I was in today.

My plan for this week is to try a couple days of the no-carb diet. Lots of meat 'n greens, liters of water. On top of that, I need to get back in the workout groove. Here's the plan:

2 weight lifting sessions w/ elliptical
1 long bike ride with Pops

Food Log:

Breakfast:
turkey sausage, egg, and cheese muffin - 6

Lunch:
pizza x3 - 27

Dinner:
8oz white meat chicken - 8
2 servings sweet potato fries - 8

49/49

Let's Pretend this Weekend Never Happened

A couple things happened (or didn't) that has me hurting tonight:

1. My buddy Stevo was in town. This inevitably leads to drinking beer.
2. VT knocked off #1 Duke in hoops Saturday night + I attended a birthday dinner the same night. More beer.
3. I failed to meet my workout goals. Couldn't drag myself to the gym today.

The weight plot tells the tale, as will the photo of me in size small pajamas. Stay tuned.

Food Log:

Lunch: shrimp salad - 10-15

Snack:
nuts - 3
turkey - 3

Dinner:
2x chix thigh - 8
2c corn - 8
salad - 4

41/49

Onward!

So, on the advice of a friend, I radically altered my diet to jump-start the weight loss process. Her advice was to eschew virtually all carbs and load up on water, protein, and sugar-less foods. Really eat up. That I did, and it was somewhat enjoyable. Thing was, I think she was hinting that I should ditch the Weight Watchers for a day or two, and not worry about the points; just focus on eating protein and dodging carbs. I altered this gameplan slightly to adhere to the chemistry of her plan, but still keep my points under 49. It actually worked out well, until I got home. More about that in a bit.

Drank a couple gallons of water today, and I'm not done. Ate four hardboiled eggs, and we know the effect that can have on my cholesterol. Suffice it to say this is a temporary diet. I actually felt sufficiently full throughout the day, but sustained a headache on my commute home and felt generally irritable. Sounds about right when you detox off refined sugars. Continued with my protein-rich, carb-starved diet for dinner, but sadly, I think I sabotaged the entire chemistry experiment by hitting the whiskey bottle pretty hard. Decent amount of sugar in those spirits. We'll find out tomorrow. I'll stick with this detox for as long as our pantry, fridge, and freezer can support it. Hopefully this metabolic shock is just what I need.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
2 hardboiled eggs - 4
3 turkey sausage links - 3

Lunch:
monstrous chef salad w/ grilled chicken and 2 hardboiled eggs - 10

Snack:
pistachios - 10

Dinner:
6oz pork chop - 8
caesar salad - 2

Spirits:
Our very own Sperryville-distilled Wasmund's Single Malt - 12

49/49

RAGE!!!

Yesterday I ate modestly, consumed an early dinner, and snacked on carrots when my hunger grew out of control around 8pm. I knew I was poised to lose a sizable chunk. I was predicting the 211s. Plus, there were other "indications" that I'd lose weight. I was just plain confident.

This morning was more painful than normal. Had to get up a bit early to make it to work for an early meeting, haven't been sleeping well because of allergies, and had to deal with an irrational weigh-in. Plus .6lbs? Really? I must have reweighed a half dozen time, repeating my morning ablutions. Hilariously, my weight increased to 214.2 after my second round. What the frak? This makes no sense. The only thing I can think is that I loaded up on motrin last night to treat my ailing back. Did I retain a couple liters of water? Bah!!!

This morning just sucked. I was feeling stressed about this thing last night but knew I had done everything right. I was going to lose a big chunk of weight. ROAR!!! 

Anyway, I must keep chopping wood. Sarah Allen-Short wrote me a long instruction manual detailing how to shock my metabolism back into losing weight. Thanks, Sarah. I will do my best to shed the habits I've fallen into and try some other methods. Perhaps that's the problem. Bring on protein-rich, natural foods and gallons of water!

Hit the gym tonight with renewed vigor. 30 obsessed minutes on the elliptical and a good bicep and triceps workout. It's amazing how much muscle mass you lose after missing three weeks in the gym. My arms look like noodles.

Food Log:

Breakfast:

turkey sausage, egg, and cheese muffin - 6

Lunch:

chix caesar salad wrap - 15

french fries - 11

Dinner:

mushroom ravioli - 11

chix portion - 3

1/2c strawberry milk - 3

49/49

I Think I'm Panicking

It's really not an option for me to fail at losing 30 pounds. This will happen. I'm starting to think I can't accomplish it in 90 days, though. I'm well behind the curve. What happened to those 2+ pound losses overnight? I guess this is the plateau people foretold. Still, I have to think with some epic workouts and a clean diet I can make up the time. Another couple weeks like this, though, and 90 days will probably turn into 120. Ugh.

This is the probably the time when I need the most encouragement from my readers. Wait...I don't think they exist anymore. Just a week after the costume ideas escalated to a point of madness, people have all but forgotten what is on the line. I mean, I posted my workout goals Sunday, and there have been zero costume instructions. Woe is me.

At least there's Adam. Adam, who has fought through flu, vomitous kids, and barren energy stores, has left me regular comments. Any man who calls me an Adonis deserves his own paragraph. Adam, I thank you. And as far as the Thor the Mountainclimber goes, those pictures are a lesson in smoke and mirrors. Let's start with the backpack. The waist belt of the pack beautifully tucks away my love handles. The black lycra shirt? Well, it does a great job of optically smoothing the topography of my man-boobs. And yes, the above-shot photograph lessons the doublyness of my chin. Still, I think we can see some real improvement.

Food Log:

Breakfast:

turkey sausage, egg, and cheese muffin - 6

Lunch:

fettuccine alfredo Smart Ones - 6

Crackerful - 4

snack bar - 4

Snack:

apple 

Dinner:

roast beef, cheese, horseradish mayo sandwich - 12

baked Lays - 4

cheesecake - 5

Snack :

carrots 

49/49

Pizza

So I've determined that pizza is about the worst food one can eat while dieting. It must be the sodium and binding agents that keep the weight elevated for days. My weight has been heading in the wrong direction, and while I'm confident it will drop, I must confess I'm getting nervous. Not only am I falling pretty far behind, but the carbs in that pizza has my hunger raging out of control. Must control my appetite! Must really control my post-workout appetite!

Well, I got some photos back from the hike this weekend, and it's reassuring to compare my present form to that of my December body. Remember, it was that hike in late 2010 that got me juiced for my diet. Check out the difference:

Before:
  

After:

Now, it's a bit apples and oranges. Shetland wool does not a svelte appearance make. And lycra really doesn't add any pounds.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch:
spinach and fettuccine alfredo Smart Ones- 7
Crackerful - 4
snack bar - 4

Snack:
banana
apple
bourbon - 6

Dinner:
soup - 2
beef and bird sandwich - 11
mashed taters - 3
cheese cake - 5

48/49

Acountability

Today found me sore, pooped, and generally lazy. Somehow I motivated to the point of fertilizing my lawn along with adding a layer of lime. Following that, I slept for two hours. Now, normally, if you're going to work out, it's not recommended that you nap just prior. In fact, it comes close to guaranteeing you won't work out. This is the beauty of public accountability. Would I be required to wear UVa garb for my next photo update? Not that big of a deal. In fact, the dramatist in me relished the idea of posing for a photo wearing a UVa t-shirt over two polo shirts, both with popped collars, along side a crisp chardonnay and a wedge of parm. But I think this public deal focused me on the idea of failing to the point that it just wasn't an option. My workout sucked, I counted the minutes until completion, but it was completed.

My workout plan for this coming week is as follows:

2 gym days
1 cycle day

First to comment on this post gets to pick the photo conditions for next week should I not meet my workout goal.

Food Log:

Breakfast -
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch:
3 pieces thin crust pizza - 18?
1 breadstick - 4?

Dinner:
1 6oz filet - 8?
mashed taters - 6
asparagus w/ cheese - 1
cheese cake - 5
truffle - 1
wine - 6
whiskey - 6

61/49

Workout:
30 minutes on the elliptical
chest, back, and triceps

Just a Note

I'm either bushed or sick. Probably both.

Managed to make the hike this morning, and it was well worth it. White Oak Canyon is a real gem. Frankly, it's a better hike than Old Rag.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
Cliff Bar - 7

Snack:
3 Cliff Shot Blocks - 2?

Lunch:
Peanut butter sandwich- 11?
turkey roll - 6?

Dinner #1:
garlic chix with brown rice - ?

Dinner #2:
3 pieces flat crust pizza - ?
1 breakstick - ?

How am I starving right now? I suppose if you believe the calorie calculator for the White Oak Canyon hike, I burned 3000 calories. Perhaps I've still banked some?

No idea/49

Oof

Not feeling the best tonight. Sore throat, flushed, and a slightly upset stomach. Perfect for the night before a long hike. Wish me well. Please be allergies.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
South Beach bar - 4
yogurt - 2

Lunch:
chicken salad - 6
Crackerful - 4
Snack bar - 3

Dinner:
general tso - a lot

a lot/49

Halfway Home

Day 45. Let's take a moment to reflect on the past month and a half. It's really been action packed, with two birthdays and a romantic holiday. Couple that with two injuries that kept me out of the gym and off the bike, and I feel pretty good about the fact that I'm only 1.4lbs off the mark. What I consider the primary challenge at this point is fighting the boredom of healthy eating. Putting a time limit on the loss really forces me to minimize cheating. If this was a classic "life change" thing, a pizza here and a Five Guys burger there wouldn't really matter. Eventually I'd reach my goal.

 I'd say I'm well past the point of obsessing over how little I'm eating. In fact, it seems more than adequate. It's just boring. Healthy is just boring. Look, salad on my diet is truly like eating rabbit food. A salad in other circumstances can be a delicious meal. Walnuts, feta, dehydrated cranberries, a rich balsamic emulsion, hell, tortilla strips, meat, croutons. That's mostly healthy eating. It just won't lose you 1/3 pound a day.

Cheers to me! I'm back in the gym, baby. I wrung out that elliptical for 30 minutes and dusted off the guns with a bicep and triceps workout. My back is still in shambles, but if it hasn't healed by now, perhaps a workout is the proper medicine. One more gym trip this week, and that UVa gear will have just been a bad dream. Looking forward to my hike Saturday.

Food Log:

Breakfast-
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch-
6" turkey, cheese flatbread (Subway) - 11
Crackerful - 4
Fiber One bar - 4

Snack-
Cliff bar - 7

Dinner-
2c vegetable soup - 2
turkey and cheese sandwich - 11
van Winkle 12yr bourbon - 6

49/49

Top 5! Breakfast Foods

Well, I better get that UVa t-shirt from Craig. Feeling run down tonight, and I skipped my workout. I still have time to fit them all in, but it'll be tight. Looks like we have some interesting ideas for next week.

Today's post will rate the various breakfast foods I've consumed with some regularity these last two months. Let me know if you have some other treasures I should try.

1. Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Croissant

This right here is magic. 2 minutes in the microwave, and you've got a flakey, tender sandwich. While the muffin version gets almost soggy, the croissant stays dry and is a bit more flavorful. Perfect sandwich for the drive to work. At 8 points, it's more expensive than the options listed below.

2. Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage, Egg, and Cheese English Muffin

This is a more tender version of the previous sandwich, but after being micowaved, the muffin gets too soft, almost soggy. Toss a couple drops of Texas Pete on this baby, and you've got a serviceable breakfast sandwich. Sausage and cheese on a diet is just great. 6 points.

3. South Beach Cinnamon Raison Breakfast Bar + Peach Yogurt

Take the bar, crumble it within the package, open the yogurt, drop in the bar crumbles. What you have created is a overly processed culinary masterpiece. On it's own, the breakfast bar is painfully sweet. Added to the yogurt, the less desirable bar tastes are rounded out by the sweet and slightly sour taste of the yogurt. The cinnamon and peach flavors meld well to form an almost cobblery taste. Perhaps what I like best, though, is the consistency. Chewy, bite size morsels floating in thick, peachy yogurt. 5-6pts

4. Yogurt + Blueberries

Like above, mix the blueberries in with the yogurt. I've found pretty much anything mixed with yogurt is great. Nuts, granola, fruit. Anyway, this breakfast tastes great, and you feel good about yourself. "Hey, my pansy arse is eating yogurt and fruit. I'm hella-healthy!" The only problem is, it doesn't fill you up quite like the other options. Plus, like #3, I have to wait until I arrive at work to eat this. 1-2pts

5. Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage Bowl

Now, I've only had this once, and it was weeks ago. I fairly remember it tasting fantastic. Scrambled egg, sausage, cheese, what's not to like? It gets dinged points for not being portable. I'd like to try it again, though. Probably around 6pts.


Food Log:

Breakfast:
sausage, egg, and cheese croissant - 8

Lunch:
orange chicken Smart Ones - 8
cheezits - 4
Fiber One bar - 4

Snack:
Cliff Bar - 7

Dinner:
turkey, cheese sandwich - 11
vegetable soup - 2
cheesecake - 5

49/49

Time to Hit Cruise Control

Two birthdays, numerous birthday dinners, Valentine's Day all are responsible for the various hiccups on my weight loss plot. However, these excuses for gluttony have run their course. Now my only temptation is slinging back a few cold ones with the cornhole team. I must say it's near torture to watch my friends imbibe at a match, immune to guilt I feel, then continue the night at a local watering hole for victory (or more likely triage) beers. I look forward to the spring season that will have my svelte, sub-200 pound,  gorilla juice-head body tossing cornhole bags and draining brew with impunity.

Until then, I leave the cornhole match immediately after we lose...or win, and satisfy my food and drink cravings with apples and bananas. Bah!

Looks like I'll have to don Craig's UVa t-shirt should I fail to meet my workout goals. I must say I'm disappointed in Stevo's lack of creativity, and to suggest UVa gear? I just don't get it.

I'll try to rate more foods in my next blog entry. Perhaps I'll tackle breakfast.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
sausage, egg, and cheese croissant - 8

Lunch:
Smart Ones rigatoni - 8
Crackerful - 4
cheesecake - 5

Snack:
1.5 banana
pistachios - 5

Dinner:
2c basil shrimp - 10
1c rice - 5
cheesecake - 5

50/49

Happy VDay, Friends

Love my wife.

Food Log:

Breakfast:

turkey sausage, egg, cheese muffin - 6

Lunch:

thai chicken Smart Ones - 7

Crackerful - 4

Mint cookie bar - 2

Snack:

apple

pistachios - 5

Dinner:

1.5 crabcakes - ?

asparagus

roated taters - ?

shrimp

wine

cheesecake 

?/49

Welcome Back, Exercise....and You Too, Post-Exercise Appetite

Yeah, so that dinner last night crushed me. Thankfully, I was able to get out on the bicycle with Pops today. We rode almost 24 miles at a very modest pace. Eventually, after a couple weeks of consistent training, cycling is a truly enjoyable source of exercise. However, the first few rides out are downright painful, unending, and really no fun at all. Four hours later I feel as though a bus ran me over. I get light-headed every time I stand up. At least I sleep well tonight.

The downside of this extreme form of exercise is the voracious, unyielding appetite that follows. I went on an eating tear that lasted three hours. It's not like I binged during dinner. I just ate three different dinners, each separated by an hour or two. This sort of thing can't go on.

Okay, so my body is healed, and I have grandiose plans for exercising this week. Here's the plan:

Tuesday: biceps, triceps, 30 minutes on the elliptical

Thursday: chest, back, shoulders, 30 minutes on the elliptical

Saturday: 3-4 hour hike of White Oak Canyon

Sunday: if I manage to get on the bike after the hike, that's a bonus. I'm not committing to this.

You folks keep me to this. The first person to comment on this blog entry gets to choose the outfit I wear for my next picture (within the bounds of good taste).

Food Log:

Lunch:
1c chili - 5
turkey, cheese muffin - 6
2 cookies - 6

Snacks (throughout the day):
bourbon - 12

Dinner 1:
cheeseburger - 13
2 servings sweet tater fries - 10

Dinner 2:
Crackerful - 4
2 cookies - 6

Dinner 3:
bowl cereal w/ a side of milk - 7

69/49

Oh, What Have I Done?

It's late, I'm full and tired, this will be short. I woke up to a mighty 2.2 pound weight loss. This got me right back on track. However, I ruined it with a gluttonous dinner at Kitchen 64.

Food Log:

Lunch:
Trader Joe's chicken burger - 8
1 1/2c basil chicken - 8
bourbon - 6

Snack:
movie popcorn

Dinner:
prime rib salad - countless
bread - many
chocolate cake with coconut icing - approaching infinity

49++/49

Top 5! Brought to You By Stevo, the Birthday Boy

Each day brings a new viewing record for my blog, and I'd be lying if I said it hasn't gone to my head. We're probably just days away from Weight Watchers Magazine syndication. At least part of this is thanks to Sarah Allen-Short, who I believe has sped-read my rags over the past day or so. To address your comments, yes I'm using the Points Plus system, and no, I don't count points for fruit.

But with success comes pressure. Not only must I ratchet up the weight loss, but I must raise the content bar. My buddy Stevo had the brilliant idea of rating my microwave meals, and I'll probably create lists for various meals and snacks. My first list, though will rank the microwave lunches I've consumed since the start of my diet. Clearly, there are better options out there than the ones mentioned, and I'll count on you to point those out. Considering Kristy does the bulk of our grocery shopping, the freezer is a sometimes exciting, sometimes dreadful grab-bag of frozen dishes. Here we go:

Top 5 Microwave Meals:

1. Smart Ones Thai Style Chicken and Rice Noodles

Microwave meals tend to lack flavor and variation in texture. That's what makes the Thai Style Chicken so surprising. It's got a lovely peanut sauce that marries sweet and savory, and there's a nice texture contrast between the soft, spongy rice noodles and carrots. Plenty of protein, which is key during a diet, but the real jewel is the sauce.

2. Lean Cuisine Chicken Enchilada Suiza

Again, your best bet is to stick with ethnic food, as it provides the most flavor of all your options. Now, the enchilada itself is pretty horrid, as it resembles tasteless chicken mash wrapped in a band aid. However, the secret is in blending the side bowl of rice and corn in the fake cheese soup upon which the enchilada rests. I find that when dieting, I really miss cheesy, rich foods. This scratches that itch. Mix in about 10 shakes of Texas Pete and you have yourself an extremely adequate meal.

3. Smart Ones Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Microwave pasta is pretty easy to pull off, and Smart Ones does just fine with this dish. Spaghetti provides that comfort food fix that I tend to miss when dieting. The sauce is bland, but the meal is filling, thanks to the meat product and mushrooms. Again, a few shakes of hot sauce makes the flavor tolerable.

4. Lean Cuisine Cheese Ravioli

Pasta, cheese stuff, marinara, what's not to like? The meager portion, that's what. This one comes through in the umami taste category. Just wish there was twice as much.

5. Lean Cuisine Sesame Chicken

Honestly, this one probably belongs at or near the top. Ample chicken portions, fried breading, sweet sauce, it's really a renaissance meal. It gets ranked this low because I've probably eaten this thing a couple hundred times in the last three years. Still, eat this if you haven't yet.

I eat one of these probably 3-4 times a week, and it's a testament to the convenience and adequate quality that I've stuck with them this long. Each of these dishes equates to 6-8 WW points, so I really should be eating two of these over lunch. Also, the flat-bread and pizza options are quite tasty, but I'm not sure how many points they cost, and we just haven't had them in the freezer for a while. In the coming weeks, I'll probably rank my bottom 5 microwave lunches.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch:
Trader Joes chicken burger on wheat bun - 8
baked Cheetos - 5
Cinnamon snack bar - 3

Snack:
apple

Dinner:
basil chicken - 5
1c rice - 5
2x fresh spring rolls - 10
bourbon - 12

54/49

Matt Zuckerohrer, A Sellout

Blogspot has some interesting features that allow you to plot page visits over the past day, week, month. I was somewhat proud to see I've had over 600 site visits since its inception. My visitation has grown over the past month and even week, and it's not surprising considering I've started throwing around shout-outs. Another cool feature Blogspot provides is monetization using Google's Adsense. Screw the diet, and screw your unimpeded reading experience. I'm making a cash grab! You'll soon see my paltry blog peppered with ads, that ironically, will probably focus on food, grocery stores, and restaurants (considering my regular topics).

Now, truly coincidentally, I just watched Social Network tonight. I must say it will be a bit disappointing if I don't walk away from this diet and blog with an office in Palo Alto and a few hundred mil. That being said, if any money is made at all, it should go towards funding my whole-hog roast with Bottoms Up! appetizers. Unfortunately, after studying some of the Adsense business models, I discovered that 30+ days into my blog, I would have netted roughly $1.50. Unless my readership increases by several orders of magnitude, I assure you the ads won't be around for long.

It's nice to see the comments roll in, and I thank you guys for sticking with this blog. Updating it on a daily basis tends to dilute the quality. I find myself with maybe one interesting story a week, but I've committed to typing out something each day. I'm sure it makes for boring reading, so I'll try to up my game.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
turkey sausage, egg, and cheese muffin - 6

Lunch:
chili - 5
Crackerful - 4
snack bar - 3

Snack:
pistachios - 5
apple

Dinner:
luscious hamburger on wheat bun - 11
sweet tater fries - 10
snack bar - 3
bourbon - 6

54/49

Snacks and Boredom

It's no coincidence that the diet (and life in general) becomes boring right about the time I hit a consistent string of weight losses. That's normally a sign that I'm doing something right. Which itself is a sign that I'll struggle to keep the weight off after I've reached my goal. Thankfully, I've found new and interesting snacks to make my boring afternoons a bit easier to handle. Pistachios, baby! While one of the healthier nuts, it's also probably the tastiest, in my opinion. Not to mention you burn a few calories while shedding the shells.

I skipped the gym again tonight due to a lingering back issue. It doesn't look like I'll get a workout in until this weekend. I plan to take a 20+ mile bike ride. Thanks for the various comments, friends. It's nice to get some encouragement regarding my mini-plateau. When I've lost 15 of my 30 pounds, we'll start to plan the victory party. Adam suggested smoking a whole pig. I'll be interested to hear other suggestions.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
turkey sausage, egg, and cheese muffin - 6

Lunch:
chicken enchilada - 7
baked Lays - 4
mint chocolate cookie crisp - 2

Snack:
pistachios - 5

Dinner:
chix burger - 8
mac n cheese - 4
potatoes and green beans - 5
cupcake - 8
milk - 2

51/49

Nothing Motivates Like the Enemy

Every wrestling opera needs a heel, and folks, I've found mine. It seems the positive vibes were too much for one "m-roll", the villain who commented on yesterday's blog entry. Now, we all know that the power I've accumulated over the past weeks in the form of my rabid, faithful blog following, could crush her with just a few stinging comments. However, I ask you to take the high road with me, dear readers. Let the rage drip away along with the weight. A graceful victory is like no other. Know this, m-roll, I will lose the weight!

So, my foot is feeling better with each passing day, and my back has recovered quickly. I'm making a play for the gym tomorrow. I can taste it! My gorilla juice-headedness has waned over the past two weeks, and I'm eager to get my sweat on. And Lord knows I need the get back on the other side of the weight loss curve. I miss those days when weight loss was seen back-to-back-to-back-to-back.

Big shout out to Craig Campana, who has been leaving pretty regular comments and has responded to my daily weight-twitter. You my boy!

Food Log:

Breakfast:
turkey sausage, egg, and cheese muffin - 6

Lunch:
thai chicken Smart Ones - 7
baked Lays - 4
mint chocolate cookie crisp - 2

Snack:
trail mix - 10

Dinner:
ham, turkey, cheese sandwich - 10
vegetable soup - 1
3 small, lite beers - 9

49/49

Foot Bone's Connected to the...Back Bone

I packed my workout clothes today. Back in the groove!, I thought. But after sitting with my legs crossed for a half hour at work, my back tweaked. This happens occasionally, and when it does, it's impossible to sit for long periods. I took myself home, applied heat, and laid down for the day/night. Wee bit depressing.

So I've decided to take Stevo up on his suggestion to award the readers w/ various embarrassing outfits when I don't meet my workout goals. I'll define the coming week's goals each Sunday night and will document them throughout the week. Obviously, this starts next week.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch:
orange chicken Smart Ones - 8
baked Lays - 4
cupcake - 3

Snack:
pretzels + dip - 8

Dinner:
sandwich - 9
chili - 8
ice cream - 3

49/49

Diet Destruction

This quote from yesterday turned out to be hilarious:

"Dinner:

not sure what I'm getting, but let's keep it somewhat reasonable!"


Ended up ordering a burger, fries, crab dip, and peanut butter pie. Unknown to me was the fact that the burger was a double bacon cheeseburger. What's hilarious (and glorious) is that I only gained .4lbs. Woot.


Today was worse. I cut loose a bit at our joint birthday family celebration, and my free fall reached terminal velocity at Craig's super bowl party. Needless to say I have my work cut out for me going forward. Time to resume exercising and healthy weekend eating. Check out this rap sheet:


Food Log:


Lunch:


2 small sandwiches - 18
vegetable soup - 1 
cupcake - 3
cake - 5


Dinner:
2 servings white chili - 12
cheese - 2
sour cream - 1
2x bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers - countless
chips and queso dip - countless ^2
chocolate cake - bunches
many 'a bourbon - mondo


approaching infinity/49

Falling Behind

Well, I missed my first post yesterday. Kristy's birthday celebration had us out until 1am. What's interesting is that the wine pairing dinner and subsequent drinks didn't keep me from shedding weight. I'm not out of the clear, though. I'm taking her out tonight for dinner and a movie.

I'm still losing weight, but I'm falling behind the curve. Thankfully, my foot seems to be mostly mended. Time to hit the gym next week. Stay tuned for my decision on clothing.

Friday's Food Log:

Breakfast:
turkey sausage, egg, cheese muffin - 6

Lunch:
12" turkey, cheese sub on wheat - 18

Dinner:
strawberry and greens salad w/ lime cumin vinaigrette - few
sausage, potato, cheese amalgam - countless
seafood cakes - countless
pistachio ice cream angel food cake - moderate
wines, beers - countless

Saturday's Food Log:

Lunch:
5/8 thin crust pizza - 20
garlic butter - 10?

Dinner:

not sure what I'm getting, but let's keep it somewhat reasonable!

Real Food and Real Hunger

Muahahaha! I knew if I lauded one reader publicly, others might retort with comments! Had an additional blog comment today and another person tell me they're still reading. Perhaps I'll honor the most verbose commenter each week.

Stevo had an interesting idea that has me wearing different outfits for my weekly photo determined by adherence to my workout plan. If I follow the plan, I get to wear the Maroon Effect shirt. If I skip my workouts, UVa gear or bra and panties (which is worse?). Let me know how you feel about this, folks.

I met a couple buddies up at Buffalo Wild Wings for some real bar food and a couple beers. My, did it taste great. But a sampling of forbidden fruit has this sinner craving more! Came home from the bar famished! I must have eaten a pound of carrots at Rohrer Ranch.

Food Log:

Breakfast:

turkey sausage, egg, and cheese bagel - 6

Lunch:

curried tuna - 6

cheezits - 4

Fiber One bar (much to the detriment of my work-suite mates) - 4

Snack:

banana

Dinner:

2 chicken soft tacos - 8

chips/salsa - 8

3 pints light beer - 12

48/49

Shoutout to Jen Noble!!!

It's been thirty days. I've hit the first milestone signifying the first third of my journey is complete. At this point I had hoped to lose 10lbs. If you notice the statistics on the left, I'm down exactly 9.8lbs. Not bad.

I'd like to give a formal shoutout and "thank you" to Jen Noble. Jen has been my most consistent commenter, and it's nice to know at least one person is reading this babble.

Sucked it up and used both crutches and the boot today, and I must say my foot is feeling a bit better. Surprisingly, I actually think it's easier (and faster) to use two crutches. The problem is it's affecting my productivity at work. Instead of jumping out of my seat to confer about something, serious, well thought out plans and schedules must be made before I venture out of my office. I try to condense as much activity into one trip as possible, simply to reduce the number of trips. Why? It's tiring, and I'm sick of explaining my inexplicable injury.

As far as food goes, I've come to find that the quantities I'm eating are satisfying. In the past, it felt like I was starving myself. The only torture I live with now is knowing that I can't, on the spur of the moment, order a large, sweaty pizza. I'll make 200lbs, this is not in doubt. It's just going to be a boring trip.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
turkey sausage, egg, cheese bagel - 6

Lunch:
2x chix sausage - 6
cheetos - 5
Fiber One bar - 4

Snack:
trail mix - 10

Dinner:
bunch of sushi - 18
banana
apple

49/49

Security in the Idea of Snacks

Funny tidbit: I missed a photo update last week and was eager to add one today. It's hilarious how much bigger I look today than I did on 1/18. I must have been sucking it in on the 18th.

I packed a bit light today, totally forgetting to pack snacks. No apple, no trail mix, no almonds, nuthin. As I got a hair hungry around 3, I almost panicked at the thought of having nothing healthy to eat. Pretty bizarre. Having a dusty pack of trail mix sitting in my drawer would have probably persuaded me to abstain. Having nothing made me crave for donuts, chips, etc.

I'm really missing my workouts, and my foot is taking its sweet time to recover. That's all I got, folks.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
South Beach bar - 4
yogurt - 2

Lunch:
gumbo - 9
baked Lays - 4
cottage cheese and blueberries (rad combo) - 2

Dinner:
gumbo - 9
mac 'n cheese - 8
salad w/ oil and parm - 4
peach crisp - 3
chocolate popsicle - 3

48/49

Routine is Good

I find it interesting that after roughly five days of eating like my old self, it's so easy to revert back to the twig and berry diet. Perhaps I'm just eating less when I'm eating the bad stuff. Who knows/cares? What I do know is that I dropped a pound and easily ate enough to feel full, yet I didn't use my entire point allotment.

The foot, while improving, is still jacked up. I felt like Snoop Dogg this morning as I slowly bent out of my car and pimp walked to the office door at rate of just under 1/2 mph. The steroidal anti-inflammatories conjure up the Charlie Sheen in me. I don't think I slept a wink last night, and I sported the reddest face, truly lobster-red, at the office this morning.

Oh how I desperately want to weigh <217.0. Been flirting with it for a week.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
Vita-top - 2

Lunch:
curried tuna - 6
baked cheetos - 5
Fiber One bar - 4

Snack:
apple
trail mix - 10

Dinner:
fish - 5
shrimp - 7
broccoli slaw - 1
blueberry crisp - 3
asparagus

43/49

I Love Meatloaf

Opted for the Comfort meatloaf last night, and it did not disappoint. Shared a great evening with some close friends to close out my birthday week. Understandably, there's a huge blip on the weight loss graph today, but I'm not too worried about it. The weight just dripped off after my previous birthday dinner celebration, and I fully expect the same to happen this week. I'm so ready to keep a steady track beneath the blue line.

My bum foot is rebounding nicely, and I'm inclined to believe my mother's theory that it was bursitis as opposed to a stress fracture. Looking forward to a couple gym trips this week, followed by an epic bike ride next weekend.

This ends an interesting week that saw me work only two days and suffer an injury. It'll be nice to return to work, knock the dust off my desk, and fall back in line with my old eating routine. This should benefit the blog as well, as I transition from luscious feasts to boring hamster food. Complaints of trail mix malaise and apple reviews are most assuredly better reading than what I've put out this past week. I suffer so you, my two trusty readers, can have a brief chuckle or spark of inspiration over your morning Fiber One.

Food Log:

Lunch:
curried tuna - 6
baked cheetos - 5
cupcake - 8
1c milk 2

Dinner:
2x chix sausage - 6
2x sweet potato fries - 10
cupcake - 8
1c milk - 2

47/49

What a Comeback!

I probably won't have time to write an entry after dinner tonight, so I'm sliding on in now. Somehow, I've reached a new low weight. Those cupcakes are magical! Anyway, this has me feeling pretty good about going out tonight and just enjoying myself without overthinking things.

Here's what I've had today, and anticipate having tonight:

Food Log:

Breakfast:
cheerios w/ milk - 5

Lunch:
leftover seafood and pasta - 8?
cupcake - 8?

Dinner (courtesy Comfort):
trout filet w/ maple butter - 10?
side of scalloped taters - 16?
side of greens or mac n cheese - 4? or 16?

Going Down in Flames

Things may get out of hand here. Look, I strategically took leave from work on my birthday in part to exercise and offset some of the birthday weight gain. My best intentions were sabotaged! Not only is my injured foot preventing me from exercising, the steroidal anti-inflammatory medication is going to pack the weight on. My hungr is growing out of control, water retention will be at an all time high, I'm going to have a Barry Bonds moon-head! Age and aging are cruel beotches.

My parents hosted Kristy and I for a joint birthday meal tonight. As usual, the food was just lovely. My mother has a talent for preparing healthy food, and advertised it as such. However, she pulled a bit of a bait 'n switch. In addition to the advertised seafood with wheat pasta, she snuck in a cheese fondue appetizer and some out of this world coconut cupcakes. Pffft, it was great, especially considering my juice-head appetite. Had just a great time with them tonight, eating, joking, reminiscing by the fire.

Food Log:

Lunch:
curried tuna - 6
baked Lays - 4
Fiber 1 bar - 4

Snack:
2x apples
carrots
trail mix - 10

Dinner:
cheese fondue w/ veggies and bread
cheese spread and crackers
mussels, shrimp, scallops over wheat angel hair
bread
salad
1 cupcake
some wine

No idea on the points.

Speed Bump and Broken Feet

Well, I saw that one coming. Huge weight gain after my delicious birthday feast. Here's to working it off. It'd be a heckuva lot easier if I hadn't injured my right foot, though. After working out Monday night in my Hokie-colored AirMax90s, I haven't been able to put weight on my foot. I finally limped into a Patient First and I may have a stress fracture. Stoopid shoes. To quote my old friend Daynon, "You've been hurt since I've known you".

Food Log:

Breakfast:
sausage, egg, and potato bowl - 6

Lunch:
turkey sandwich thin - 5
leftover cheesecake - 18

Snack:
apple

Dinner:
parmesan artichoke dip - 2
quinoa - 6
grilled chix - 3
baked Lays - 4
Ice cream bar - 3
cottage cheese -2

Forgot to log my workout from yesterday:
biceps and tricepts

Buuuurp

Food Log:

Lunch:
chix burger on Sandwich Thin - 5
baked Lays - 4
birthday cake - 8
milk - 2

Dinner:
bacon-wrapped filet
grilled shrimp
lobster queso dip
loaded baked potato
cheesecake

Frozen Tundra, Mighty Plateau

Tonight begins the 5 day debauchery that is my birthday. Food, drink, and good times. I've taken the next two days off for a couple reasons.

1. Sleep in. I love sleeping in.

2. Time to work out, and take long bike rides. This will offset some of my calorie intake.

3. Chair shopping. Yeah, sounds weird, but I received a nice bonus for my 10 year work anniversary. Thinking about treating myself with a Throne of Rohrer, leather chair.

Here's the rundown:

Breakfast:

Jimmy Dean turkey sausage egg and cheese muffin - 6

Lunch:
chix cacciatore - 7
baked Lays - 4
Fiber One bar - 4

Snack:
Cliff Bar - 6

Dinner:
chix cacciatore (the leftovers won't end) - 7
birthday bourbon - countless points


I might as well mention this here. I'm glossing over my points over the next week. It's gonna be rough. What will be interesting is to see if I can rebound from my weight plateau or gain.

Here's how I know who is still reading this crap. If you've read this, I need a pep talk. This week will be rough on morale, and I need your help. Leave me a comment.

Get the Poison Out

As I was perusing my RSS feeds, I came across an interesting article that contained tips on losing weight and keeping it off. I was shocked, SHOCKED that the guy used some of the same methods as me. Tell everyone? Make it extreme? "Why, you're crazy Matt!" "How will you ever succeed?" Seems like my bulbous, sparsely haired noggin ain't just a hat rack, folks. Check it out:

http://lifehacker.com/5726897/guilt-shame-and-weight-loss

So, as I mentioned in various posts last week, I missed three workouts. Two due to pure laziness, one due to frigid temperatures. It's interesting that going just a week without exercise can have a noticeable effect on appetite and overall disposition. You see, by cancelling my Sunday bike ride, I was blessed with the ability to hunker down by the fire and watch football all day. Sounds great, eh? Well, all that free time and lack of productivity produced in me a general sense of malaise. "Maybe I'll eat something. That'll make me feel good". "Maybe I'll have a nip or two of bourbon. I've got the points". Next thing you know I'm constantly hungry and feeling worthless. After exercising, endorphins just seem to fill a void. Instead of searching for a feeling within myself, I'm overcome by a sense of accomplishment and generally feel great. It's like I've leached out the poison.

So that brings me to today. I would call today a banner day in the 3 month "epic struggle to lose weight". I feel like I pigged out at lunch. Ate a mid-afternoon snack when I could have gone without, leaving a modest, but fulfilling amount of points to spend on dinner. And prior to dinner, I got the poison out. Crucial 30 minutes Monster-Energy-Drink-infused spin session on the elliptical. I followed that with a gorilla juice-head bicep and triceps workout. I must say I'm feeling glorious today. It's been about a week since I've felt this good, and it's no coincidence that's the last time I worked out.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4

Lunch:
cottage cheese - 2
Smart Ones lasagna - 7
baked Lays - 4
Fiber One bar - 4

Snack:
trail mix - 10

Dinner:
double chix burger w/ guac - 9
sweet potato fries - 5
veggies with parmesan-artichoke dip - 2

49/49

Workout:
see above

Lazy

Had a bike ride scheduled for today, but I blew it off. That's three straight workouts I've blown off this week. Sad. Here's to a birthday week packed to the hilt with exercise and non-diet food. Speaking of which, how can I possibly pull this week off? Birthday dinner with my wife Wednesday, birthday dinner and drinks with friends Saturday, and a birthday meal with the parents scheduled some time in between. I'll be lucky keep a flat weight curve this week.

I was pretty hungry today, and I'm eager to get back to my work day routines. Here's the day's tally:

Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 2
South Beach bar - 4
muffin top - 2

Lunch:
1/2 pound shrimp - 2
baked Lays - 4
cake - 4
1c milk - 2

Snack:
apple - free
popcorn - 7
bourbon (c'mon, playoff football) - 9

Dinner:
turkey sandwich on Sandwich Thins - 4
cheezits - 4
butternut squash soup - 2

47/49

Pizza Bloat

Understandably, I put on a bit of weight over the last day. Pizza, cake, beer will do that. I was actually surprised how small a bump it was, though. Of more concern was my appetite and cravings today, both of which I'll owe to the previous night's decisions. The simple idea of eating more than I should became less blasphemous, and therefore more possible. I still ate my allotted points, but this is why I'm strict. I can see myself slipping quickly.

Food Log:

Lunch:
PBJ sandwich thin - 6
baked Lays - 4
cake - 4
2c milk - 6

Dinner:
4oz shrimp - 2
2 fish tacos - 10
1/2c black beans - 3
bourbon - 12

47/49

Bring on the Birthday Celebrations

It's late, so this is short. Plan was to watch an 80's cover band for Kristy's birthday celebration. That would have allowed me to eat a salad for dinner at the restaurant adjacent to the venue. Unfortunately, the show was sold out, so we hosted a small gathering and ordered pizza. It resulted in a points explosion! Read on for details. Needless to say I'll be riding my bicycle all around Richmond this weekend.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 3pts
South Beach Bar - 4pts
blueberries - free

Lunch:
Chicken sausage sandwich - 6pts
baked Cheetos - 5pts
Fiber One bar - 4pts

Snack:
2 apples

Dinner:
3 pieces thin crust pizza - 21pts
2 breadsticks - 7pts
1 slice cake - 4pts
beer - 18pts

72/49

Ground Hog Day

Seems like I eat the same breakfast, the same lunch, and the same snack every day. The food is not bad, per se, but it's gotten stale. Maybe it's more than just the food, but the routine. Breakfast at 8:30, lunch at 11:30, snack at 2:00, workout snack at 4:30 every day. Speaking of workouts, I bailed again today. If the routine and food is getting old after 17 days, what will day 50 feel like? I shudder to think.

Here are a couple bits of good news. Firstly, I dropped nearly pound at this mornings weigh-in, and I have reason to believe the weight loss with continue tomorrow. Reaching sub-220 will be a bit of a victory. Secondly, I found myself without appetite mid afternoon. I had to consciously decide to eat an apple at 2:00 and trail mix at 3:00. This is a good sign that my stomach is shrinking, and the current volume of food is sufficient.

I'm possibly experiencing something I remember from a low-carb diet from around 2005. After your body aligns with the diet and chemistry, you stop lusting after certain foods. Now here's what's interesting. That in itself should be considered a victory. It'll be easy from here! However, it feels more depressing than anything. I used to derive such joy from food. The anticipation, the craving, and finally the hit! as you swallow your first bite. Sounds eerily like a drug addiction. But when these things cease to provide anticipation and joy, it's almost like a bit of yourself has been removed. Time to find that joy and anticipation elsewhere, I suppose.

Food Log:

Breakfast:
yogurt - 3pts
South Beach bar - 4pts

Lunch:
Trader Joe's chix burger on Sandwich Thin - 5pts
Baked Lays - 4pts
Fiber 1 bar - 4pts

Snack:
Honey Crisp apple (disappointing. where's my Pink Lady?)
trail mix - 10pts

Dinner:
chicken sausage sandwich - 6pts (oh my, this is a steal!)
french fries - 4pts
bourbon - 3pts
ipa beer - 5pts

48/49