Not as bad outside as inside

261 days

275.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.5 (pounds left: 2.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 81.5)

___________________________________________________________

NyQuill is on the job

It appears that I have caught something. Runny nose and scratchy throat. I took NyQuill at around 10pm last night and awoke to take more around 1:30am. But it did the job; it always does.

When I woke up, around 8:30am and feeling like dog meat, I passed on my exercise routine again. Maybe I'll feel more like it a bit later. Right now, I don't feel too well.

Breakfast

A half grapefruit, coffee and some Gjuice to wash down the meds and vites.

Lunch

An orange mango yogurt with Cool Whip and a big Water.

Around 2:30pm

An orange. More water.

Around 4:00pm

Tea, with jam and toasted Ezekiel bread.

Dinner

Salad, grilled chicken breasts and sweet potatoes.

A sunny Sunday morning

262 days

275.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 0.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 82.0)
• Average weight for the week: 276.8

___________________________________________________________

A good sleep was disturbed early

Around 5:15am, I got up and found my throat scratchy and a desperate need to blow my nose. I found a handkerchief but it wasn't going to cut it for me. I went to the kitchen and took a swig of NyQuill. That left me out cold until just after 9:00am. I'm taking the day off from working out to work on other things that desperately need doing.

I ended up doing a little bit, some stretching. Not much else. My average weight for the week was up 0.9 pounds from last week. Not a good direction. Got to start moving it back down again.

Breakfast

Pancakes with lite syrup and coffee. Another day without vitamins or medication. Need to get back to getting up really early. Like tomorrow morning.

Late afternoon

Vanilla tea with Stevia and a slice of toasted Ezekiel bread with some pear jelly on it.

Dinner

Robin was thinking of making pasta with meatballs.

Sunny Saturday, very windy

263 days

277.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 2.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 83.5)

___________________________________________________________

Off time, off routine again

Slept late, but this time I did most of everything. I didn't do enough time on the stationary bike, but I did enough to work up a decent sweat.

Blunch

Since I got up so late, and since I did the Kashi blueberry waffles on Thursday, I used my late morning snack as a combination of breakfast and lunch. That's the half Ezekiel muffin with the last of one jar of Nutella. I supplemented that with a quarter of a bialy with 1/3-less-fat cream cheese and a cup of coffee. I did not take my meds or vites, it being so late in the day already.

Dinner

We took Alex back to Sunnyside and then met Freddie at Les Sans Coulottes at 57th and 2nd Avenue for a wonderful French country inn dinner. Since I'd never had chicken Cordon Blue before, that's what I ordered. It was great, as was the mousse au chocolate dessert.

A place I thought I'd never go again

264 days

278.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 3.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 85.0)

___________________________________________________________

Off time, off routine

Slept late, but did all of the routine except the whole basement part. Adjusting to the real Tony Little workout on the roller has been a bit difficult. But I think I'll get it.

Got up at 8:30am or so. Did my exercises in pieces. Differently than usual. It's an off day and I did it in an off way. At this writing...11:06am, I've now done all of it except the treadmill. But I've got things to do.

Breakfast

"Normal" Friday breakfast of oatmeal with flax, honey and cinnamon. Coffee. Got to remember to take those pills.

No lunch, no small meals...just dinner

During the day I had a yogurt and a few glasses of water, but for the most part, I did nothing I was supposed to do.

For dinner, we went to Brooklyn and had leftover turkey soup at a friend's house. We also had some cheese and crackers and some wine.

Thanksgiving arrives...100 days have passed

265 days

276.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 1.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 82.5)

___________________________________________________________

There's just no logic to it, but the discipline is important

Slept late, but did the routine. Gained two pounds...not likely, certainly not based upon yesterday's consumption, but there could have been a serious lack of water. Go figure. Late weigh-in. A momentary blink of 275.0. Weighing yourself every day is statistically relevant only under the most identical circumstances of time. Even a half hour could mean a significantly different number. The way you stand. Look up? Look down? (You're pissing on your shoe.)

Breakfast

Robin nearly freaked completely out when, around 10:00am I informed her I'd be right back. I was going for the Thursday special, the gastronomic highlight of my week. In various ways all employing clearly understandable language, she made it evident that that exercise would be a colossal mistake on my part. Not wanting to make such a mistake, I passed, and replaced it with the remaining two Kashi blueberry waffles.

No mid-morning snack...no lunch. Lots of Thanksgiving to come

Almost impossible to recount...a bunch of M&M's peanuts for sure. On the appetizers, I strayed from the table to avoid the seemingly inevitable. But I did some celery and carrots. I also did some shrimp and eventually, I'd say I had two pigs-in-blankets.

For dinner, I had a salad, then I had a turkey wing and part of another, some sweet potatoes, some scalloped potatoes, some filet mignon (which i ate while carving the turkey), some of Robin's wonderful spinach quiche and Jello® mold, some gravy...that's pretty much dinner. Dessert was out of hand. Two slices of mousse pie, one chocolate and one peanut butter. Intense. Wonderful. Coffee. Some mandelbread. A ginger cookie. Don't recall much else, but the damage is surely done.

The psychological edge of the half pound

266 days

274.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: -0.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 81.0)

___________________________________________________________

And then, just as things look bleak...

Got a late start this morning. Flesh willing, spirit weak. Started around 7:45am and took a quick look at the scale for encouragement before going down to crunch and machine. It said 276.0, which provided the necessary impetus. It was a two-pound drop in the right direction, but certainly no result of yesterday's behavior. Just another quirk of the variation of weigh-in times. It was post-constitutional, for sure, but not enough for my taste.

After the workout and the shower, and attempts to become dry, it said 277.0, then 275.0, then the number above. I took a furtive glance downward before the reading and for a moment, it actually said 273.5...but that's only a glance into the future. The half-pound right here gives me a three-and-a-half pound drop, which, by the way, I'll take.

Breakfast

Vanilla yogurt with Cool Whip, coffee, Gjuice with meds and vites.

10:30am

A half grapefruit.

12:30pm

Subway Veggie Delite. The woman there actually remembered my whole order. For that, I came up with the exact 52¢ they wanted.

2:00pm

A pear, shared with Oliver.

5:30pm

Tea, a slice of toasted Ezekiel bread with pear jelly. Four Ritz crackers with peanut butter and Nutella on them. Very small treat.

8:30pm

Dinner anyone? Yes indeed. It was two hot dogs with mustard, relish and ketchup. A glass or two of Snapple Diet Peach iced tea. And afterward, I got to lick the bowls when Robin made 2 chocolate mousse pies. Yum.

Yesterday's rain never really came

267 days

278.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 3.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 84.5)

___________________________________________________________

Hard to imagine it getting worse, but it does

Got started at 6:10am today and went the distance. But the weigh-in was disappointing. Another half-pound up. Go figure. Yesterday was the light-eating day of the week. Chinese food, especially the soup, I'm guessing, doesn't help much. A quick internet scan comes up with 178 calories for a bowl. Throw in a lot of crispy noodles and that has to jump to 250.

Breakfast

Kashi, granola, flax and banana in a bowl of soy milk. A swig of Gjuice to wash down the meds and vites and a cup of coffee to take downstairs.

10:30am

A half Ezekiel muffin toasted with almond butter. More coffee.

12:30pm

A spicy black bean burger on a Deli Flat with ketchup, artichoke and relish. A small water.

2:00pm

A pear, shared with Oliver.

6:30pm

There was no tea today. I had a few crackers with cheese and a small bowl of soup while I cooked Oliver's dinner. Then Robin came home and I had three slices of Pizza Supreme and a small water.

8:30pm

A Dunkin' Donuts hot chocolate (small) and two donuts. What was I thinking?

Another cool Monday, with rain on the way

268 days

277.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 2.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 84.0)

___________________________________________________________

Another week off to a bad start

Got started at 6:50am today and had to cut the treadmill off at 20 minutes to get showered and down to work.

9:15am

A half grapefruit and coffee.

11:30am

A lemon chiffon yogurt with Cool Whip, another cup of coffee and a swig of Snapple Diet Peach Iced Tea to wash down the meds and vites.

12:45pm

A combination of all the leftover salad stuff in one bowl and Won Ton soup in another. We brought in Chinese food last night and we ordered a quart of Won Ton soup and got 2-1/2 quarts in the box.

5:00pm

A banana, tea and Ezekiel toast with orange marmalade.

6:45pm

We ate the Chinese leftovers and tossed out whatever was left over after that. Boneless ribs, won ton soup, two moo-shoo chickens, some beef chow fun and some General Tso's chicken.

A an even more beautiful, if slightly cooler, Sunday

269 days

276.0 pounds*

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.5 (pounds left: 3.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 82.5)
• Average weight for the week: 275.9

___________________________________________________________

No surprises this morning

Yesterday, I went completely off the beaten path, with the sole exception of exercise. Today, there was none of that to speak of. I woke up at 9:30am and said @%$! it. Also, the asterisk above (*) refers to the fact that this morning's weigh-in was done with NO exercise and way later than usual. It still counts, but it's questionable, from a statistical viewpoint.

Meanwhile, net-net, a little under a half-pound higher than last week, so this ship moved in the wrong direction this week. And with Thanksgiving on Thursday, a difficult test lies ahead. Portion control, exercise and laying off the alcohol will be the keys this week.

Breakfast

Pancakes with lite syrup, coffee and Gjuice to wash down the meds.

12:25pm

Alex and I got sushi at Park's Happy Farm. Mine was a brown rice spicy tuna and avocado roll. And a Big water.

3:00pm

At Steve Epstein's memorial service in Manhattan, I consumed probably three vodkas on the rocks along with some cheese, a cracker or two and some brownies.

8:30pm

At Kinsale's bar and grill, I had a cheddar cheese melt with Irish bacon and crispy fries. I ate most of the sandwich and about half the fries. It was odd but somewhat liberating leaving over so much food, which wasn't a lot to begin with. Oh yeah...two Big waters. Nice glasses. I wish I'd taken one.

10:45pm

A key lime yogurt with Cool Whip and a pear. Another Big water. Oh yeah, and a handful of Z-crackers with nothing and a fingertip scoop of almond butter.

All in all, a real diversion from the strict routine. But I sure did work out this morning.

3:45pm

Le Pain Quotidien in Manhattan with Freddie and Alex and, eventually, Robin. I had a cup of green tea with Splenda and an odd assortment of finger sandwiches that we all shared. Mine was ham, Freddie's was egg salad and Alex's was some sort of pear and pesto affair. We were going to share a slice of apple pie but they were sold out.

7:30pm

We brought in way too much Chinese food from Foo Luck in Commack. Wonton soup, egg roll, boneless ribs, moo-shoo port, beef chow fun and General Tso's chicken. A little of each, too much of all.

And an even sunnier Saturday

270 days

274.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.5 (pounds left: 1.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 80.5)

___________________________________________________________

The wine? The garlic knots? The little dish of leftover pasta? The time?

The wine theory has already been somewhat discredited. A lot of what I ate for dinner last night was buttery, cheesy and oily, so that could certainly be a factor. The garlic knots, in particular, were swimming in oil even though I went for the less oily ones. Or maybe there's something to the theory about what time you weigh yourself. This morning, it was about an hour and a half later than usual. Either way, there's an additional half pound to account for this morning and I'm back to 19.5 pounds lost. But I live to fight another day.

Breakfast

Kashi Blueberry waffles with lite syrup, coffee and Gjuice to wash down the meds.

12:25pm

Alex and I got sushi at Park's Happy Farm. Mine was a brown rice spicy tuna and avocado roll. And a Big water.

3:00pm

At Steve Epstein's memorial service in Manhattan, I consumed probably three vodkas on the rocks along with some cheese, a cracker or two and some brownies.

8:30pm

At Kinsale's bar and grill, I had a cheddar cheese melt with Irish bacon and crispy fries. I ate most of the sandwich and about half the fries. It was odd but somewhat liberating leaving over so much food, which wasn't a lot to begin with. Oh yeah...two Big waters. Nice glasses. I wish I'd taken one.

10:45pm

A key lime yogurt with Cool Whip and a pear. Another Big water. Oh yeah, and a handful of Z-crackers with nothing and a fingertip scoop of almond butter.

All in all, a real diversion from the strict routine. But I sure did work out this morning.

Beautiful sunny Friday

271 days

273.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.5 (pounds left: 1.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 80.0)

___________________________________________________________

20 pounds, and for real this time

Two weeks ago, I had my colonoscopy. The morning of the event, I was at this same weight, but that was after a day of taking laxatives and drinking water. I knew the weight would go back up no matter what I did because that was nearly a five pound drop in a single day.

But today I'm there again and where just a short time ago I was frustrated by my inability to get under 280, I'm now flirting with 270 and I have lost 20 pounds since starting this thing. That's a good number. I'll take it.

Breakfast

Oatmeal with cinnamon, honey and flax, coffee and Gjuice to wash down the meds.

11:00am

A half grapefruit and a Big water.

12:25pm

A bowl of leftover penne with a single shrimp from last night, with some shredded parmesan/romano/asiago cheese on it, and a veggie Italian sausage barbecued and eaten on a Deli Flat with some mustard and emerald relish. And a Big water.

2:15pm

An apple, sliced, which I shared with Oliver, and a banana. And a Big water.

4:00pm

Numi Monkey Jasmine Green tea with Stevia and a toasted Ezekiel muffin—both sides—with raspberry jam on one side and orange marmalade on the other.

5:15pm

I reheated another very small portion of pasta in a horrible moment of weakness.

7:15pm

La Scala in Commack. We shared a salad and an eggplant parmagiana with capellini. I had a glas of pinot noir and we also had some complementary bruschetta and a few garlic knots.

Oliver barks me into action

272 days

274.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.5 (pounds left: 2.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 81.0)

___________________________________________________________

He just barked and barked and barked...

...I thought maybe he was trying to jolt me into action since I overslept until nearly 6:40am. But after doing my stretches, I dressed, took him out and found he was trying to tell us he had to go. Very unusual way for him, especially that early in the morning. However, it got the job done, and it got me going.

And then...the weigh-in this morning was a wonderful surprise. I was hoping I could shave a pound off of yesterday's 277.0. But two-and-a-half! I'll take it!

Breakfast

It's Thursday, so what else? B-E-S-W-S-A-P-B-R-W-D-P.

10:30am

A pineapple-coconut yogurt with Cool Whip and a Big water.

12:35pm

A bowl of salad and a Big water. While making the salad, I shared a pear with Oliver.

2:15pm

A navel orange. Another Big water.

4:00pm

Numi Monkey Jasmine Green tea with Stevia and a toasted Ezekiel muffin—both sides—with raspberry jam on one side and orange marmalade on the other.

7:15pm

Salad. Followed by penne pasta with shrimp sautéed in olive oil and garlic. Delicious.

A thoroughly beautiful Wednesday

273 days

278.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.5 (pounds left: 5.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 84.5)

___________________________________________________________

You just can't figure this stuff...

...you just have to keep at it. After all I ate yesterday, all I can figure is that in the middle of all that, I still drank lots of water.

So this morning, at least, I've shifted gears again and turned it back in the right direction. It was only a few weeks ago that I was frustrated by my inability to get under 280, so this feels a little better. Even with the ups and downs of the past ten days or so, I'm still keeping it lower.

Breakfast

Peach yogurt, Cool Whip, coffee and Gjuice to wash down the meds.

10:30am

Half grapefruit and a Big water.

1:00pm

The weekly Subway Veggie Delite. Big water.

2:15pm

A sliced pear, which I shared with my devoted hound, who has evolved into as much of a pear lover as his mom and dad. Another Big water.

4:00pm

Green Tazo Zen tea with Stevia and a toasted slice of Ezekiel bread with pear jelly.

7:15pm

Lamb chops with mint jelly and a sweet potato. With apple juice.

A thoroughly awful Tuesday, foodwise

274 days

278.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.5 (pounds left: 6.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 85.0)

___________________________________________________________

This is just...wrong

This day was a throwaway...and it's going to haunt the rest of my week. For starters, my weigh-in was at 4:10am. I had to get up really early to take a drive to deep Jersey for work. The weighing was after a practically non-existent morning event and after only a little bit of stretching. Today there was no real workout to speak of.

After showering and dressing, I went to the bagel store and got a blueberry bagel with cream cheese, a black-and-white cookie and a chocolate covered, cream-filled donut. Where I was going, there's usually nothing to eat and I didn't want to be hungry all day. I got a large black coffee and it took me nearly the entire trip to consume all that crap.

For some strange reason, they decided to order a pizza for lunch, so I had two slices and a bottle of water. The rest of the day, we snacked occasionally on pretzels while we worked. At one point, I think I also had a handful of peanut M&Ms left over from Halloween.

I finally got back in the car around 5:45pm. I got home after stopping at Boston Market to pick up dinner at nearly 8:15pm. I had a chicken pot pie with a side order of macaroni and cheese and a piece of corn bread. More water.

I'm not ill, but I certainly would like to have a do-over on this one. Tomorrow, it's back to good health and fitness.

Sunny and cool Monday

274 days

277.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.5 (pounds left: 4.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 83.5)

___________________________________________________________

Holding steady

Well...this kind of blows my alcohol theory, as I had at least two glasses of wine at The Orient last night and my weight today is identical to what it was yesterday. My workout was just as strong as yesterday's so it can't be that.

8:45am

Half grapefruit, coffee, Gjuice and pills.

10:30am

Peach yogurt with Cool Whip. A Big water.

12:30pm

A sardine sandwich on Deli Flat, with a slice of red onion and a sautéed artichoke heart and three olives. A Ritz cracker with some almond butter. A Big water.

2:15pm

A banana and a sliced pear. A Big water.

6:30pm

Two hot dogs, with ketchup, mustard, relish, one mini-knish and baked beans. Water. Pills.

Later, some 7Up and a piece of a cookie, two half Z-crackers with cheese and a little almond butter.

A warmer, drier morning but not sunny

275 days

277.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 2.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 83.5)
• Average weight for the week: 275.5

___________________________________________________________

And now two and a half go back on

It was a slightly late weigh-in again, but the facts are undeniable. Regardless of what I eat, when I have a drink, the weight bounces up dramatically. Still, the bright side, if there is one, is that the average weight for the week is 2.6 pounds lower than it was last week. So, as I like to say, I'll take it.

Breakfast

Pancakes, no butter. Syrup. Coffee. Apple juice with the pills.

Dinner

The Orient. Several dishes and bottles of wine were shared among eight participants. A wonderful dinner. Too much food.

Not such a nice Saturday either

276 days

274.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 0.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 81.0)

___________________________________________________________

Now two pounds come back off

I've lost the ability to figure. I'd hoped I would lose a little, but this is just too good. However, in all fairness, I weighed in this morning way before I did any of my exercises.

Lunch

Two Kashi waffles with syrup.

Snack

Tea with a half Ezekiel muffin and Nutella. Followed by a Big water.

Later snack

A pear. A Big water. A few Z-crackers with almond butter.

Much later...

Dinner with our friends at Morton's. First there was "the ultimate Mortoni," which is basically a vodka martini with two olives stuffed with blue cheese. That was followed by a warm delicious onion bread and butter. Then a Caesar salad. Then a filet mignon, potato skins, scallops wrapped in bacon, macaroni and cheese. All topped off with coffee and a very healthy slice of key lime pie with whipped cream (and a taste of Robin's incredible chocolate cake). All in all, I'd say it was enough to undo weeks of dieting and exercise. :-(

Friday brings a nor'easter

277 days

276.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 1.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 83.0)

___________________________________________________________

And now another full pound and a half!

This is really frustrating. Maybe too much dinner? I can't imagine where another full pound and a half came from in yesterday's food fest. Although Thursday is a heavy day, calorie-wise. Either the egg sandwich or too many tacos.

9:05am

Oatmeal, with flax, cinnamon and honey. Coffee. Gjuice and pills.

10:30am

A half grapefruit and a Big water.

12:00pm

Barbecued Italian Veggie Sausage, with mustard and a Big water. A really Big water.

2:00pm

Raspberries, pears and bananas, sliced, with Cool Whip.

4:00pm

Tea with toast and jam.

7:15pm

Foo Luck in Commack. Spare ribs, fried dumplings, chicken with eggplant, General Tso's chicken and Young Chow fried rice.

Cool, windy Thursday morning, rain on the way

278 days

275.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 0.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 81.5)

___________________________________________________________

And now a full pound

I knew I couldn't depend on staying as low as after fasting for a day for very long. But now I've gone and gained another full pound back after working really hard yesterday to stay low. I guess it could have been worse...I could have jumped all the way back up to 278. Still, I'm staying on the same plan. It feels right for now.

9:30am

The Thursday special, bacon-egg-and-swiss-with-salt-and-pepper-on-a-roll (bacon very well done, please!). Coffee and Gjuice.

10:30am

A half grapefruit and another cup of coffee.

12:30pm

My Subway Veggie Delite and chips with a Big water.

2:15pm

A fresh pear and a Big water.

4:00pm

Tea, with jam and bread.

7:00pm

Taco night. Meat, cheese, lettuce and tomato, combining into one of our kids' old favorite meals.

Not so nice out...drizzling in front of Ida

279 days

274.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: -1.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 80.5)

___________________________________________________________

All that gurling for a half pound

Now if I can just follow the plan, as I've been doing, I should be able to continue moving downward from here. Provided, that is, that Hurricane Ida doesn't send me into a binge!

8:40am

Strawberry kiwi yogurt with fresh black raspberries and Cool Whip. Coffee. Gjuice and medication.

10:30am

A half grapefruit and another cup of coffee.

12:30pm

My Subway Veggie Delite and chips with a Big water.

2:15pm

A fresh pear and a Big water.

4:00pm

Tea, with jam and bread.

6:00pm

A few Z-crackers with cheese.

7:15pm

Four mini-pizzas in the m'wave and a reheated piece of chicken cutlet with mustard. A Big water. And later, before bed, a Z-cracker with cheese and one of those frozen fruit bars...raspberry.

Should be another warm, sunny day

280 days

273.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: -1.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 80.0

___________________________________________________________

It's like a TV show inside of me...

Boy...would it be nice to start at this weight tomorrow morning! But it's all a "fake" result because how many days am I going to eat nothing at all?

First food...

Actually, when I came out of anesthesia, they gave me some apple juice and two packages of graham crackers. When I got home, around 12:30pm, I had a bowl of Kashi cereal with some flax, some granola, a banana and some soy milk. I also had a toasted half Ezekiel muffin with almond butter and some coffee, some Gjuice and my medicine.

Next food...

Around 5:15pm, while making dinner for Oliver, I had some Green Tazo Zen tea with Stevia, a toasted slice of Ezekiel bread and some orange marmelstein.

Last Food

Robin brought in Chinese food from China View. Soup, spare ribs, egg rolls and cold noodles with sesame sauce.

This is really Monday

281 days

278.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 3.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 84.5)

___________________________________________________________

Don't know what did it...

But it's another pound-and-a-half gain. I really didn't eat much yesterday. Maybe it's just a course correction.

Anyway...no food today as I prepare for my annual colonoscopy. See you tomorrow!

Starts out cold and gets almost hot

282 days

276.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 279.5 (pounds left: -3.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 83.0)
• Average weight for the week: 278.1

___________________________________________________________

Two glasses of wine.

Don't know if I mentioned those last night. But I probably should have. They're most likely the culprit behind the half-pound gain. Nonetheless, I end the week three pounds under my goal, so I'll take it.

Breakfast

Pancakes with lite syrup. Coffee. Gjuice. Medication and supplements.

Late morning snack

Didn't get around to it.

Lunch

No lunch.

Afternoon

No piece of fruit.

Tea

Monkey again. This time with red raspberry jam on the Ezekiel toast.

Dinner

At Greg & Michelle's house. We had Caesar salad, chicken wings and skirt steak. For zazurp we had fruit and I had a peanut caramel bar that said "Verified Organic" and "Certified Vegan" on it. It had a chemical taste and carried 100 calories.

Last night may have been a first frost

283 days

276.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 279.5 (pounds left: -3.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 82.5)

___________________________________________________________

Cold and sunny

Okay...Saturday morning and somehow I didn't blow it! I didn't lose another ounce, but I didn't gain anything.

Breakfast

Kashi blueberry waffles with lite syrup. Coffee. Gjuice.

11:30am

A half Ezekiel muffin, toasted with Nutella. More coffee.

2:30pm

Ate Robin's leftover pasta and chicken from last night. A Big water.

7:30pm

Bronzini (a fish) with potatoes and some green vegetable. Gougeres to start, a little bread and Pinot Noir. For dessert, we shared a ginger cake with prune ice cream. Water. Capuccino.

A new low!

284 days

276.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 279.5 (pounds left: -3.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 82.5)

___________________________________________________________

Bigger than the weather

I was pretty sure I'd lose another half pound, but pleasantly shocked and surprised to lose another pound and a half. This is truly bigger than the weather for me. Just when it was beginning to seem impossibly frustrating, a little light shines in. I know it'll be easy to blow it, but it's also getting easier to live on six meals a day and drink a lot of water.

Breakfast

Wonderful oatmeal with flax, honey and cinnamon. Coffee, Gjuice and the usual gang of idiots.

10:35am

A half-grapefruit and a Big water.

12:35pm

I made myself a veggie Italian Sausage on the grill, with a roll, mustard and relish. Another Big water. Then, after coming back from getting gas in the car and picking up the stuff I need for Monday, I heated up the cup of lentil soup I bought at Shoprite yesterday. Another Big water. I also had a few slices of aged Gouda on Z=crackers.

4:00pm

Tea, Numi Monkey, with Stevia. Ezekiel end and near piece...they looked like one until they fell apart in the toaster...with orange marmalade.

5:30pm

A white chocolate raspberry yogurt with Cool Whip. Another big Water.

6:30pm

An individual pizza (small) in the microwave. On the stove, a bowl of whole-wheat angel hair pasta with leftover tomato sauce and frozen veggie balls. A little salt, pepper, butter and cheese to add flavor. Another big Water.

Beautiful morning after wonderful night

285 days

277.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 279.5 (pounds left: -2.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 84.0)

___________________________________________________________

Ballgame over, World Series over...

Yankees win! Thhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuhhh Yankees win!

9:45am

The Thursday special, washed down with Gjuice (and pills of all nations) and coffee. Just one big cup. A Big water came down to work with me immediately following a nice, leisurely bitefest. I'll take a short work break since I didn't finish eating the eggs until nearly 10:20am and I need to be back here for yogurt in 10 minutes!

12:30pm

A bowl of salad. A Big water.

3:15pm

A small serving of split pea soup from the soupermarket, with oysterettes and some shredded parmesan. A Big water.

4:10pm

Tea with toasted Ezekiel, smeared with Cape Cod pear jelly.

Dinner...

Robin is out with her friends tonight, so I'm fending for myself. I consumed the rest of the salad with some additional artichoke, onion and olives. I also ate the remains of Robin's shrimp marinara from more than a week ago. There was only a tiny bit left, like three forkfuls. There was no dessert, but there was a Big water.

Not quite a frost yet

286 days

278.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 279.5 (pounds left: -1.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 84.5)

___________________________________________________________

Little relief

So I won't have to listen to the Jersey electioneering anymore, but now I'm going to have to hear all about the anti-Obama backlash. People are so fickle. Like more of the same would have made things better.

8:05am

Watermelon yogurt with Cool Whip, coffee and Gjuice with meds and supplements.

10:35am

A half grapefruit and Big water.

12:30pm

Subway Veggie Delite, with the works, and my new favorite Baked Lays Sour Cream and Cheddar chips.

2:00pm

A pear. And a Big water.

4:00pm

Nice Tazo Green tea with Stevia. And another Big water.

7:00pm

A wonderful salad, followed by Ben Benson's meat loaf with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.

And later, during the Yankee game, a bag of popcorn.

Election day: will it bring relief?

287 days

280.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 279.5 (pounds left: 1.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 87.0)

___________________________________________________________

The seesaw of stress

Easy come, easy go? I don't think so. A pound-and-a-half down from yesterday is encouraging, but in the longer view, the daily weighings are deceptive. They're great for discipline, and short-term motivation, but not for much else.

Got to sustain yesterday's effort. One day at a time. I hate clichés, but that one is really true...you can only really do something about now.

Today is finally Election Day. Hopefully, the past few months of obnoxious, rabidly partisan advertising will cease at last. Months of living in New York and having to endure seemingly endless hours of vile debate among the contestants in New Jersey is really taking a subconscious toll on me. Still, I hope that when people get inside the voting booths, they take a moment and realize that it's only a year ago that they voted resoundingly for a major change and that it's going to take a little more time, especially in this economy, for that change to really take root and become effective.

8:15am

Kashi cereal with some granola, flax, banana and soy milk. Gjuice with the meds and coffee to follow.

10:35am

Went up and had my toasted half-Ezekiel muffin with almond butter. Came down with a Big water.

12:05pm

Went up and had a spicy black bean burger with a slice of red onion, some artichoke on top, some emerald relish on top of that, finished with ketchup on a Deli Flat. Followed up by a small Z-cracker and another Big water.

2:30pm

Had a bowl of watermelon while I did some paperwork. Big water.

4:00pm

Tea with orange marmalade on toasted Ezekiel bread.

7:45pm

Portofino, for Boy's Night Out. A bottle of water and two slices of 'za. One with zazeech and one with meatballs.

Cool Monday returns

288 days

282.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 279.5 (pounds left: 2.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 88.5)

___________________________________________________________

Back in the same old place

Another net loss of a little over a half pound for last week. I need to get past the psychological barrier of 280 and really be under that number next Sunday. The weekend, with Halloween and all that junk, made it hard. Thankfully, the candy is all gone...Robin took it to work. So that's one less temptation.

8:45am

A half grapefruit and a cup of coffee.

10:30am

Had a watermelon yogurt with Cool Whip, then went back down to work. Big water.

12:30pm

Had the remaining leftover tortellini with eggplant and a sardines in chipotle sauce sandwich on a Deli Flat with a slice of red onion and an artichoke heart spread across the top. Big water.

2:00pm

A bowl of cut up watermelon. Big water.

4:00pm

Tea with jam and bread. Orange marmalade on Ezekiel toast with Tazo Zen green tea with Stevia. I also had a Z-cracker with some melted shredded Asiago on it and one with a smear of almond butter.

7:00pm

Salad, veal chops and sweet potatoes and Big water.

Later, before going to sleep, I had a Z-cracker sandwich with a few slices of Cantal in-between. Even that didn't help the Yankees.

A wet and windy Sunday

289 days

281.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 279.0 (pounds left: 2.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 88.0)
• Average weight for the week: 280.3

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Slept late, on purpose

Got up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head... Walked the dog, stretched a little, but went right to the other stuff, including resetting clocks all over the house. Perhaps I'll work out a bit later.

I know the weigh-in is another alcohol-related tragedy. It'll take about three days to work off the weight from that and yesterday's chocolate-inspired indiscretions. Still, overall, I think this was a good week in spite of the fact that I've now been doing this for two and a half months and only have a little more than a dozen pounds to show for it.

Breakfast

Coffee, Gjuice with my pills, a blueberry bagel with a few pieces of melted Cantal, a half of a half with almond butter and Nutella and the other half with butter and apricot preserves.

Lunch

There really wasn't much of a lunch. Just some light snacks with fruit—a bunch of pears—and not enough water.

Dinner

Since Alex was coming home, Robin made her favorite dish—lemon chicken with rice pilaf—and then we drove her back to Queens and made it home in time to watch Game 4 of the World Series.