Don't know and may never know

199 days

???.? pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.5 (pounds left: ?.?)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: ??.?)
• Average weight for the week: ???.??

___________________________________________________________

Got up and went right down to work...

I needed a short break from the rigidity of my routine, so I did it by not weighing myself, especially since nothing that went in yesterday has come out yet, so to speak.

So there'll be no number and no average. It's nearly two in the afternoon as I write this and I've just had a reheated piece of lemon-garlic chicken. For breakfast, we did the absolute usual pancakes thing. Coffee. GJuice, meds and vites. We're going to try and go see "Avatar" today.

Much later...

We did go see "Avatar." We had popcorn and pretzels with spicy cheese sauce. No drinks. Afterward, we went to Pollo E Paiso in Westbury and had the usual: salad, an empanada, chicken, skirt steak and shrimp with all the trimmings. And, of course, San't Gria. And later at home, another one of those "ice cream" sandwiches.

Followed by a slide back in the right direction

200 days

273.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

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

___________________________________________________________

The deep freeze continues

No workout today. Way too cold and I had the SYAC Last Chance R&E session at 9:00am. It was so cold last night we snuggled (yes, Oliver too) under the covers until nearly 7:00am, then the collective snoring of my wife and my dog drove me out of bed.

Two pounds came back off. If I can lose one more, I'll make the goal for the week, finally.

Breakfast

The Thursday special I ordered from Woodbury Country Deli arrived in the second delivery. The coffee was cold. There was OJ instead of Gjuice and I had a couple of pieces of corn muffin and blueberry muffin AND a plain bagel with cream cheese. All of this was consumed over a four hour period that ended near 12:30pm. There was no lunch.

Dinner

Before we left, I had a glass of red wine. After a movie, we ate at a Mediterranean place in Huntington. I had a salad, a cup of mushroom barley soup and a falafel. Before I went to sleep I had one of those "ice cream" sandwiches (the under 100 calorie variety) from the freezer.

A small slide backward

201 days

275.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.5 (pounds left: 3.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 82.0)

___________________________________________________________

The deep freeze returns

I started out well-intentioned at 6:10am and did my stretches all the way through. Then I took Oliver out for a walk. It was 5º F and according to the weather report, it felt like -5º F with the wind chill. I couldn't bring myself to do much in the way of the rest of my workout.

Breakfast

An Ezekiel muffin, toasted with butter and blackberry preserves. Oatmeal with flax, cinnamon and honey. Coffee and Gjuice to was down the meds and vites.

Late Lunch

Around 2:30pm I grilled up the Friday Italian Veggie Sausage (man it was cold out there!) and had it on a roll with a slice of American cheese and relish. Also had the remains of a ham and swiss cheese sandwich from last night's platter. Big water.

Dinner

Robin stopped to shop on the way home and made us lemon-garlic chicken. I cooked up a Trader Joe's bag of italian vegetables with penne and we drank some red wine. Lovely.

A surprise snowstorm

202 days

274.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

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

___________________________________________________________

No more excuses for not exercising

Even though I started a little late (7:30am?) and even though my toe was still not 100%, I forced myself into it this morning before losing any more time. I couldn't manage 26 push ups, or whatever I'm supposed to be up to now, but I did manage 16 without too much discomfort and I did get down and do the 100 crunches (30 left, 40 back, 30 right) and I did 40 minutes on the stationary bike until I was drenched to the bone.

Upstairs, the scale revealed its good news: three pounds back to wherever they came from. Then I had to go out and lo and behold, an unpredicted snow (no, the weather motif has not returned...I was just looking for a headline).

Breakfast

Bacon-egg-and-swiss with salt and pepper on a roll. Coffee. Gjuice to wash down the meds and vites.

Lunch

Ate more leftovers from Robke's, and believe-it-or-not, there's still another meal leftover from that night. Big water.

Dinner

Sandwiches and water, with some chips and Yodels at Girls Softball Registration.

Hump day returns

203 days

277.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

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

___________________________________________________________

More excuses for not exercising

I worked till around 2:00am last night. Then I couldn't sleep and watched "Family Man" until nearly 3:00am when Robin turned over and politely instructed me to turn it off.

I also had my throbbing big toe cut up yesterday by a podiatrist, who suggested I stay off it for a couple of days.

But after three (very prodigious) trips to the can today already, I'm feeling a lot better and if it weren't for the fact that the cleaning girls will be here shortly, I'm ready to plunge back in and may do so before the day is up.

So yesterday was pretty good overall, I guess. A pound and a half off is better than on. I'll try to keep it going today.

Breakfast

Pineapple-coconut yogurt with Cool Whip. Coffee. Gjuice to wash down the meds and vites.

10:30am

Another cup of coffee and a half grapefruit.

Lunch

A late lunch...the Wednesday special. With a Big water and another to go downstairs with me afterward.

2:00pm

A pear. A Big water.

Dinner

Teriyaki salmon and spinach pie from Fairway. Big water, some iced tea. My dinner was fine, but Robin got sick.

Here we go again

204 days

278.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

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

___________________________________________________________

Foot trouble intensifies

I had a dentist appointment this morning, which I totally spaced out.

Yesterday morning, my big left toe had begun throbbing. I had this nasty ingrown toenail on that toe that is treated periodically by a podiatrist who numbs it up and cuts the nail away. I've actually done this a few times myself (without numbing it up, of course) and it has provided relief. I tried this again yesterday, but no relief was provided. Instead, the throbbing got worse.

This morning I made the call and as I was putting the 2:15pm appointment on my calendar, I saw the teeth cleaning staring at me. Nothing to do but reschedule. Work comes before teeth and so do painful toes.

The pain—and crazy sleep—prevented me from working out yesterday and again today. And the weigh in was another discouraging jump. Three-and-a-half pounds. YUCK! This has got to be another weird wide fluctuation. But I will not aid it. Today I will kill it (somehow).

Breakfast

Kashi and Flax with banana and soy milk (the soy milk is nearly gone and will be replaced by almond milk from here on out). Coffee. Gjuice to wash down the meds and vites.

10:30am

Went up and had another cup of coffee and half a toasted Ezekiel muffin with almond butter.

Lunch

The famous Tuesday spicy black bean burger. No cheese this time. Big water.

2:00pm

Left for podiatrist. No snack.

3:15pm

Home. Ate some popcorn and some cheese. Big water.

Dinner

There was no tea or toast today. Dinner was two slices of pizza and a root beer and a pepperoni-and-cheese garlic knot at Boy's Night Out.

An auspicious beginning, as someone said

205 days

275.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

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

___________________________________________________________

While I have no illusions...

With the best of intents, I tried to get up at 6:00am, but my back wasn't in it. At 8:05am, however, I did manage to get up and take the dog out into an horrific wind tunnel. Things were blowing all over the block. My garbage can and top didn't get too far, but it was moving. We're supposed to get more than two inches of rain today so things will not necessarily get better as the day goes on.

I didn't work out, but I did weigh in and I was down another half pound. I've scaled my goal back for the week. This week I want to make it. If it takes me another three weeks to leave the 270's for good, I'll be fine with that. I'll naturally be finer if I can make it happen sooner; I've been in this neighborhood for three months already. It's time to move on. I should be able to do it in a week, but that may be too fast. We'll see.

Breakfast

I supplemented my normal Monday half grapefruit with half of the blueberry bagel I bought last night, with a little butter. I'll have the other half later with jam or preserves.

10:30am

Another cup of coffee and the aforementioned other half. Actually used blueberry preserves.

Lunch

Today I made the box of macaroni and cheese that caused a fight with Lauren. It wasn't worth it. It was average good. Needed stuff on it. Big water. Small piece of baguette with cheese.

Dinner

I made myself a sandwich using a hard roll I bought Sunday that turned almost to stone. It had (from top to bottom) red onion, warmed artichoke, mayonnaise, sliced aged Gouda cheese and turkey pastrami. A Big water. And after that, a "no fat, no sugar" chocolate pudding made with soy milk. It was pretty terrible, though not terribly caloric (160 with the Cool Whip).

Much later...

Around midnight, I had to go pick Robin up at La Guardia. On the way out, I grabbed one of those artificial flying saucer thingies to eat in the car.

A very quiet Sunday morning, back on track

206 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: 275.6)

___________________________________________________________

Somehow, I managed to take one off

Not sure how, because yesterday was another very undisciplined day, but I did manage to lose a pound and end the week a mere half pound over my goal, and a net loss of 0.5 pounds from last week's average. So it's a small step, but in the right direction.

I also managed to get through the entire routine this morning, and I feel so much better for having done so, even all 25 fingertip push ups and all 30 minutes on two machines, split 15 and 15 while watching "Yellow Submarine" on DVD.

Breakfast

Two leftover pancakes from last Tuesday's dinner, with butter and syrup. Coffee, Gjuice, meds and vites. Another coffee accompanied me down to do this and, potentially, some work.

Lunch

I reheated some of Robin's leftovers from Robke's Country Inn.

Mid-Afternoon

Oliver and I shared a pear while I did some upstairs work.

Dinner

Reheated meat balls with spaghetti, shared, of course, with Mr. Fun. A glass of Harvey's Brist0l Cream too. Then some Smart Food cheddar popcorn while I did some more work downstairs.

Saturday: a day spent at my desk

207 days

276.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

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

___________________________________________________________

Curiouser and curiouser

I knew the blueberry pie couldn't have been too good for me, but a five pound gain? After losing four-and-a-half? There's no rhyme or reason to any of this.

Breakfast

I had Kashi blueberry waffles with a little butter and syrup. Coffee, Gjuice, meds and vites. The usual suspects. But I finally couldn't stand it anymore and took the hard roll that had been languishing on the kitchen table all week, buttered it and ate it while I sorted papers.

Lunch

Not sure what time it was, but it was an apple pie yogurt with Cool Whip and a Big water.

Dinner

With G&M again, we had a nice salad, followed by barbecued veal chops, some small pieces of filet mignon, string beans and an "experimental" noodle casserole that wasn't too bad. Snapple Diet Peach washed it all down, along with the meds and vites. Then we repeated the blueberry tea/blueberry pie episode of the night before.

Friday: Spending the day in NYC

208 days

271.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: -3.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 78.0)

___________________________________________________________

There's just no figuring any of this

I was sure I'd be heading back up into the 280's, but three weighings this morning proved otherwise. Four-and-a-half pounds, gone again, but to who on earth knows where?

Breakfast

Got up and had my oatmeal with honey, flax and cinnamon. Coffee. Meds, vites and Gjuice. Took a shower and headed into NYC.

Lunch

At the place I worked, I got a Reuben Sandwich, a bowl of chicken noodle soup, a can of Diet Pepsi and a bag of Cape Cod chips for lunch.

Afternoon

When I got home, I noshed. Don't recall on what. Drank some water. Very undisciplined.

Dinner

G&M invited me to join them for Chinese food. I had an egg roll, some spare ribs, some fried rice, cold noodles and General Tso's Chicken. Iced tea. Meds and vites. But afterward, I had blueberry tea and the most wonderful blueberry pie I've ever tasted.

Speaking of getting away...

209 days

276.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 1.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 82.5)

___________________________________________________________

Up at 4:45am

That pretty much sums up the rest of the day. I took Robin to LaGuardia to fly to Florida to be with her mom and dad.

Breakfast

On the way home, it being Thursday, I got my usual. I also got a poppy bagel with cream cheese. This wasn't from the bagel store, so the bagel was small and the cream cheese was slight. Nonetheless, it was quite satisfying to eat them both with coffee, get so much work done and have it still be so early in the morning.

Later...

Around 9:30am, I got in the car and drove to Mamaroneck to work for the day. I was home by mid-afternoon and I ran down to work as much as I could.

I came up around 4:30pm to feed and walk Oliver and to eat some more of those leftover sandwich parts. I also melted some cheese on some chips on a Deli Flat, which I ate while waiting for my tea. A nutty, hard-working but undisciplined day. Drank a bunch of water. Ate a bunch of things I can barely recall.

Gingerly I step back on track

210 days

276.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 1.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 82.5)

___________________________________________________________

One more is gone, gone so many times already

I had a wonderful night's sleep but did not wake up motivated to do any exercise.

Breakfast: Coffee. Then, a while later, more coffee and raspberry yogurt with Cool Whip. Gjuice for meds and vites.

Mid-Morning: Had the merged breakfast and snack at 10:30am. Toasted Zeke muffin with almond butter, wonderful Kashi Go Lean, flax and a banana with almond milk and some Blueberry diet green to wash down the meds and vites. More coffee.

The rest of the day kind of got away from me...

I spent most of the day preparing for the evening's softball registration. I had my usual Wednesday lunch, the Veggie Delite from Subway, and I had a great sandwich at R&E: turkey, bacon and swiss with lettuce, tomato and mayo on a roll. I had water. I had some yodels and some chips. I had some smaller sandwich pieces. I pretty much lost control.

Almost all the way back to form

211 days

277.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

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

___________________________________________________________

No gain, no loss

But in one respect at least, things are much improved. I did almost my whole exercise routine. Stopped counting down pushups at 13 from 25. Started to feel "my backbone slip," as the old song goes. But I did all the rest and 18 minutes on the stationery bike. Not quite back up to 30 yet. That cold in the end of November and through most of December really took it out of me.

Breakfast: Coffee.

Mid-Morning: Had the merged breakfast and snack at 10:30am. Toasted Zeke muffin with almond butter, wonderful Kashi Go Lean, flax and a banana with almond milk and some Blueberry diet green to wash down the meds and vites. More coffee.

Lunch: Lunch was late, and it was a leftover salad and a reheated piece of chicken (Brazilian). Big Water

Mid-Afternoon: I had a pear with Oliver. And another Big water.

4:00pm: I did not have tea today. I did feed and walk Oliver.

Dinner: There was no Boy's Night Out tonight (again) so we made crepes for dinner. There were some leftover so I froze them.

Back to some exercise

212 days

277.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 2.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 84.0)

___________________________________________________________

Somehow, I gained a pound since yesterday.

This morning, it was eye pain, not back pain. But I did manage to put together 10 push ups in two sessions of 5 without too much discomfort. My back is coming back.

Breakfast: Half grapefruit, coffee, Gjuice, meds and vites.

Mid-Morning: White chocolate raspberry yogurt with Cool Whip. Coffee and one of those toffee squares (37 Cal).

Lunch: Three of those new veggie "links" grilled in a frying pan and served on a hot dog bun. Big water. Some pretzels and aged gouda cheese.

Mid-Afternoon: A banana and the rest of the pretzels.

4:00pm: Tea Time. With Stevia. It was Tazo Zen Green. And I had a wonderful end piece of Ezekiel toast with grape jelly.

Dinner: We had hot dogs, two each, on rolls, with sauerkraut, relish, ketchup, mustard, meds and vites and Blueberry Diet Green Tea!

Took a day off altogether

213 days

276.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 1.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 83.5)
• Average weight for the week: 276.1

___________________________________________________________

But I did not go to hell in a hatbasket

Just part of the way. Back still hurt this morning, but not nearly as much as earlier in the week. Nonetheless, I'm going to try and focus more on eating less than on working out until the pain is really gone. Net a 2.5 pound gain over the week. Not at all what I'm trying to accomplish.

Bleakfunch

Lauren was here overnight and we hit the bagel store (finally) just around noon. I had an eight-grain bagel with cream cheese to go with my coffee and Gjuice, meds and vites.

Dinner

Started with a very nice salad. Lauren made me one of those giant mushroom parmesan things; we also had spaghetti and meatballs. Big water.

Trying to put on the brakes

214 days

276.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 1.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 83.5)

___________________________________________________________

Bad week for workouts

Back still hurt this morning, but not nearly as much as earlier in the week. Nonetheless, I'm going to try and focus more on diet (after tonight, that is) than exercise over the next few days until my back is 100% again. I'll ease back into it.

My weight miraculously stayed the same. I neglected to mention in last night's post that we also had salad and bread before the macaroni and cheese.

Breakfast: Coffee, Gjuice with meds and vites and Kashi Go Lean blueberry waffles with a little butter and syrup.

Lunch: The other half of this week's Ezekiel muffin, toasted with Nutella. Also, a single serving of pretzel nuggets with three thin slices of aged gouda, cut to the size of each pretzel, then consumed slowly and deliciously. What a great snack. A little high in calories but great crunch and taste. A Big water. The second actually.

A little later...

Around 2:30pm, Robin left and I heated up a piece of chicken leftover from the last time we had Brazilian style. Too many bones, not too old but getting close. Another serving of pretzels. I should just throw them out.

And "much" later...

Artisanal, with Mindy & Ray. I had a dirty martini and participated in two bottles of wine. Ray and I each had the most wonderful seven hour lamb. We had gougeres and fondue and cheesecake and warm chocolate tart and coffee and cappucino and a lot of fun.

Pushing the stone uphill

215 days

276.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 1.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 83.5)

___________________________________________________________

Still pushing in the wrong direction

Back hurt too bad to work out this morning. Gained another pound. Not having an easy time right now, but a little more pushing should make it happen soon.

Breakfast

Oatmeal with cinnamon and honey, with Gjuice, meds, vites and coffee.

Mid-Morning

A half grapefruit. More coffee.

Lunch

A reheated slice of pizza and a veggie Italian sausage on a hot dog bun with ketchup, mustard and relish. Big water.

Mid-Afternoon

A pear shared with Oliver. A Big water. Also, some pretzel nuggets and aged gouda slices.

Late-Afternoon

Nada.

Dinner

Out in East Northport with friends. I had an unsweetened iced tea with lime, we all shared a macaroni and cheese appetizer and I had Crispy Cod with Risotto as my entrée. It turned out to be fried, of course, meaning I'd rather not step on the scale tomorrow.

Scales tip the other way again

216 days

275.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 0.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 82.5)

___________________________________________________________

All that junk food will kill any well-intentioned plan

And that includes this one. Another two-and-a-half pound gain breaks a three-day downward streak. Got up around 7:20am and did my routine, including the crunches, but only did about 10 minutes on the stationery bike. My back still hurts way too much to do this strenuously.

Breakfast

Thursday morning Jagermeister, with Gjuice, meds, vites and coffee.

Mid-Morning

Yogurt with Cool Whip. Coffee.

Lunch

Leftovers à la carte. I had the rest of Robin's hanger steak and vegetables from last Saturday night. I also had the two remaining platter sandwiches, which I used for the Hellman's Real vs. Light taste test. Big water.

Mid-Afternoon

Big water and a handful of sourdough pretzels, leftover from R&E.

Late-Afternoon

Nada. I had it later, after dinner (tea and toast with grape jelly).

Dinner

Lamb chops, mint jelly and sweet potatoes. Big water.

Back too stiff, sleep too short...

217 days

273.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: -2.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 79.5)

___________________________________________________________

...but scale improves

Slept until nearly 9:00am but the pain returned upon waking. After getting home near 1:00am I stayed up working until past 2:00am. Lots of late nights lately. But in spite of my not feeling up to working out this morning, another three pounds are gone and the positive (negative?) trend continues.

Breakfast

I passed on the scheduled yogurt this morning and had my croissant instead. No butter, no cheese, just the raw deal. Coffee, Gjuice, meds and vites.

Lunch

Veggie Delite from Subway. Big water and a BIG bowl of carrots and broccoli, heated in the microwave, with Asiago shredded over it.

Dinner

Tonight was R&E at Girls Softball so I had a turkey, swiss, lettuce, tomato and mayo on a roll. I also had some pretzels, some Yodels and a few smaller sandwiches from the platter. And, of course, water and meds and vites.

Nasty back pain carries over

218 days

276.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 275.0 (pounds left: 1.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 82.5)

___________________________________________________________

Didn't think I'd be able to walk this morning...

...much less work out. I started the day using a ski pole to hold myself up. By 9:00am, I was able to get down to the stationary bike and do a session, watching the end of "Sin City." But I can still feel the thud, the clear and present pain in my lower right back. Not good.

But the scale told a better story this morning. Another 2.5 pounds shaved off the total. Back in the right direction for two consecutive days.

Around 10:30am

Like last week, I combined Breakfast and mid-morning snack in one, resulting in a sumptuous cereal, banana, Ezekiel muffin, almond butter, coffee, grapefruit juice and meds affair.

Around 1:30pm

Had my lunch, changing the menu today opting for a cheap trip to Italy. I reheated a little bowl with two meatballs and some leftover spaghetti sauce Robin made last week. I used a hot dog roll to sop up the mess (and make two mini-meat ball heros, and sprinkled on some shredded parmesan cheese. I consumed this while waiting for a slice of pizza to reheat. Two nice Big waters and another trip outside with the saw to continue cutting down the tree.

Later...

We had no formal dinner to speak of tonight. Robin and I went to "The Concert Hall" on the upper west side of Manhattan to see Little Feat. My "dinner" consisted of jelly beans and water. On the way home, after midnight, I stopped at bagel boss and got an 8-grain with cream cheese and ate it before I got back to the house. I also picked up a croissant for tomorrow morning.

"Monday, Monday"

219 days

278.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

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

___________________________________________________________

"Can't trust that day"

Well...it appears to be real. When I saw 279 on the scale yesterday, I was shocked. I was sure something was wrong with the equipment. And I clamped down on the intake a bit. And I have another half pound I have lost over and over lost again. Right direction. But is it a wake-up call?

I did most of my workout; shorted on the treadmill but did everything else. Unless I've developed an alter ego that eats all day and doesn't write about it, I can't figure out how this happened, but it appear to be very real indeed.

I don't feel like I gained any weight. And even though I zoomed up so high, I did start last week at 274, so it was five pound jump, not a nine-pount jump, like it was from Tuesday. Anyway, enough rationalizing and back to the matter at hand.

Breakfast

A half grapefruit, meds and vites washed down in the juice thereof, and coffee.

Otherwise

Can't really recall what I ate the rest of today. At one point, I had it all down here but then it appears the blog software has lost it. I know I didn't have a sardine sandwich for lunch, opting for something a bit more carniverous, though I don't really recall what it was. I know I drank a lot of water and stayed within the rules.

Such an awful end to such a promising week

220 days

279.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.0 (pounds left: 7.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 85.5)
• Average weight for the week (273.6)

___________________________________________________________

If I thought yesterday's reading was weird...

On top of the freezing cold, this morning my back was worse. And worse than that, I went to the trouble of weighing myself without a workout and after going all the way to 276 yesterday, I hit 279 this morning. I have no idea what's going on. This is totally weird.

Oddly enough, the average weight for the week is exactly the same as last week. Maybe the end of this week was some kind of weird fluke-a-thon.

Breakfast

Pancakes, just like every Sunday.

Lunch

No lunch really. A pretzel outside the Guggenheim Musem in New York City.

Dinner

Had some salad, some water, an egg roll, the end of a loaf of Italian bread and some Jarslberg on one half and some Nutella on the other. Robin brought me some chicken wings from Fairway. I tried a few and went back to work. Big work this weekend.

A week in the toilet—go figure!

221 days

276.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.0 (pounds left: 4.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 82.5)

___________________________________________________________

I couldn't believe my eyes

My back was still bad this morning. I was up three times during the night, but I managed to get myself to do a substantial part of my workout (no living room part today). After my shower, I got on the scale and had to do it two or three times. How do I put it delicately? After being pretty good yesterday, and after losing what seemed to be a much larger than usual quantity of digestive residue this morning, I had somehow gained another 2 pounds.

For the moment, I'll repeat the adage that weight can fluctuate quite a bit in a single week. But this is a very big fluctuation. I'm not happy.

Breakfast

Saturday special. Kashi blueberry waffles with a little butter and a lot of syrup. Gjuice with meds, vites and coffee.

Mid-Morning

Toasted half of an Ezekiel muffin with Nutella. Big water.

Lunch

Barely an hour later, I reheated the last leftover piece of Robin's lemon/garlic chicken with rice. I ate it with a piece of Italian bread toasted and wrapped in Jarlsberg cheese. While it was cooking, I had a few chopsticks full of cold noodles and sesame sauce and when I was done I had a forkful of leftover spaghetti. Big water.

Dinner

Went to NYC to Les Sans Culottes for a French country dinner. Wine, women...no songs to speak of. Great sausages and pâté, duck with cherry sauce, mousse au chocolate and a giant crepe that we all shared.

Good sleep, bad back and setback

222 days

274.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.0 (pounds left: 2.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 80.5)

___________________________________________________________

See saw swings both ways

My back sent me a message when I first stood up this morning; it said "bend the wrong way and I'll make you sorry." I got up at 7:35am but I have so much to do today I decided to hold off on the workout until later, if at all. Then the scale revealed a 3.5 pound gain. Garlic bread? Egg sandwich? Chocolate slices? I guess there are culprits everywhere but the single most frustrating thing about this process is how hard it is to lose a pound and how easy it is to gain three.

Breakfast

Oatmeal, coffee, grapefruit juice, a slice of Italian bread toasted with almond butter on one side and Jarlsberg light cheese on the other. Meds, vites and down to work.

Lunch

Didn't have time for the mid-morning snack today. Had my usual Italian Veggie Sausage for lunch on a roll with mustard and relish. Big water.

Mid-Afternoon

Had a pear, shared with Oliver. Big Water.

Late-Afternoon

No tea or toast today. No time. Did run up at some point for Big water, also gobbled down some pretzels and more of that chocolate orange.

Dinner

Chinese take in, mostly soup and appetizers. Won-ton soup, spare ribs, fried dumplings, egg roll and cold noodles with sesame sauce. Big water.

Today was pretty good overall

223 days

270.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.0 (pounds left: -1.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 77.0)

___________________________________________________________

Getting back to a better routine

I worked until nearly 2:30am last night, but I managed to get up around 8:25am and start working out. I finished by 9:35am and took a shower and weighed in. Same as yesterday.

Breakfast

The Thursday Heart Attack on a Plate. It wasn't as good this morning as usual. Like they rushed it. I brought it home and ate it with coffee, grapefruit juice and meds and vites.

Lunch

Actually...there was no lunch. At some point around 1:00pm, I went upstairs and threw a frozen slice of pizza into the toaster over then ran downstairs to work for a few minutes while it heated up and a few minutes turned into a few hours and when I finally came up around 5:45pm to feed and walk Oliver, it was crisp and nearly charred. I gave some of it to Oliver and ate what I could, but it was way overcooked. So I grabbed a handful of dark chocolate slices from a "chocolate orange" Robin got as a Christmas gift.

Dinner

Spaghetti, meat balls and garlic bread. But first, salad. First I had the leftover salad, then some of the new salad. Two Big waters.

Will today be an improvement on yesterday?

224 days

270.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.0 (pounds left: -1.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 77.0)

___________________________________________________________

So far, at the earliest point, it is

In spite of staying up late to watch the rest of my movie last night, I got up and did some exercises the morning. Not a full routine, but a good bit of it. It's true what they say about getting motivated to work out in the freezing cold.

But yesterday was probably good, judging by the result. Another pound is gone.

Breakfast

Peach yogurt with Cool Whip, coffee, grapefruit juice, meds and vites.

Mid-Morning

A half grapefruit and another cup of coffee.

Lunch

Veggie Delite from Subway. This time, they put the chips on for me and cut it into four pieces. I like that. Less work, more time to eat and enjoy. Big water and another to go back down to work.

Mid-Afternoon

An apple and some tea and toast.

Dinner

Three slices of pizza, a few Yodels, some pretzels and a fair amount of water (though not "Big" per se). Tonight was my first of five annual girls softball registration nights.

Finally warming up a little, but still freezing

225 days

271.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.0 (pounds left: -0.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 78.0)

___________________________________________________________

Has the weather motif run its course?

No exercise this morning. I was up watching a movie, couldn't sleep and stayed up too late to get up as early as I needed to today. But in spite of no "movement" both in my gym and my bathroom, I managed to shake off 2.5 pounds. Go figure.

Breakfast

Kashi GoLean with some granola and flax and almond milk and a sliced banana. Coffee, OJ, meds and vites.

Mid Morning

Coffee with a half Ezekiel muffin, toasted with almond butter. Big Water after the coffee.

Lunch

Spicy black bean American cheeseburger on a toasted Deli Flat with red onion, warmed artichoke and ketchup. Big water.

Mid Afternoon

Shared an apple with Ollie. Big water.

Late Afternoon

Royal Vitality tea with Stevia, a toasted slice of Ezekiel bread with strawberry jam. Big water.

Dinner

Salad and chicken from the Brazilian place in Mineola. With carrots, broccoli and "chips." Big water. And two more before the night is done.

Maybe even colder than yesterday

226 days

274.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.0 (pounds left: 2.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 80.5)

___________________________________________________________

The rest of the week is supposed to be much nicer

It's still way too cold, but I forced myself to work out this morning. My treadmill session was quite sweaty, but I didn't get to 30 minutes. Maybe tomorrow. Too much other stuff to take care of this morning.

Breakfast

Half grapefruit, coffee, meds and vites.

Mid-Morning

Orange Mango yogurt with sliced banana and Cool Whip. More coffee.

Lunch

Two hot dogs on the frozen grill with ketchup, mustard and relish. A small bowl of chicken soup. Big water after.

Mid-Afternoon

An apple, which I shared with Oliver. A Big water.

Dinner

Right...no tea or toast today. I started with a small salad and some dressing and shredded cheese. I finished the other half of my sandwich from yesterday. We also reheated several leftovers including: meatloaf from last week (one half-slice each), chicken from dinner Saturday night and lasagna from Christmas night.

Maybe the coldest day yet

227 days

274.0 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.0 (pounds left: 2.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 80.5)
• Average weight for the week: 273.6

___________________________________________________________

This says Sunday, and it really IS Sunday

Way too cold to do much of anything this morning. A few stretches, not much else. Started the week at 274 and ended in the same place, but this time, with a net gain for the week of 0.8 pounds. Another week moving back up. The holidays excuse evaporates this week. Time to get back on track, or maybe I just need to step up my overall effort.

Breakfast: Coffee while cooking pancakes for breakfast. Meds, vites and OJ. I also finished those awful (sic wonderful) cookies.

Lunch: Reheated a small piece of chicken from last Wednesday night and gobbled it as we went out grocery shopping.

Late afternoon: Royal Vitality tea, Ezekiel toast with apple cinnamon jelly.

Dinner: Chicken soup with noodles, brisket sandwich with brown gravy and knishes from Boomy's. We also reheated and ate some leftover food from New Year's Eve that we'd brought home.

Colder and colder, but still happy to be here in the future

228 days

274.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.0 (pounds left: 2.5)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 81.0)

___________________________________________________________

This says Sunday, but it's really about Saturday, January 2nd

We were supposed to do a lot of things today, but they didn't materialize. I did my exercises, but not too much in the basement, mostly upstairs. I'm trying to reconstruct this from memory but not having much luck.

Breakfast

Made myself two blueberry Kashi waffles after determining (by phone) that there were no blueberry bagels to be had at Bagel Boss. Coffee, orange juice, meds and vites.

Snacks: Had a few, and some water, but hardly enough. A pear with Oliver for sure.

Dinner

Brought in Italian food with some friends (their place, their house). Chicken and pasta dishes. Pretty good.

Happy New Year!

229 days

274.5 pounds

___________________________________________________________

Objectives

• Week's End: 272.0 (pounds left: 2.0)
• Year's End: 193.5 (pounds left: 81.0)

___________________________________________________________

This says Sunday, but it's really about Friday, New Year's Day

Last night was fun, but...I knew it wasn't going to be easy. No workout today.

Breakfast

We ate at a friend's house. There were bagels, scrambled eggs, pancakes, fruit, coffee, tea, etc. The works. Nice breakfast.

Dinner

We never really ate lunch and I didn't do any of my regular things today. We went to a movie, where we had popcorn, then we went to the new Landmark Diner and I had a "Vegetarian Reuben" sandwich, which was pretty good. I had water with it.