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