Day 338

So it's the weekend and the work week is just around the corner.  I went to the gym and did cardio.  I'm not feeling too bad from yesterday's workout.  At first I thought I'd feel it in my shoulders but it didn't make a showing. Also my legs feel great, another spot I figured I'd feel the workout.  I think that means my body may be getting used to this thing called exercise.  Of course I reserve the right to laugh in my face the next time I do Tabata or L decides we need to shake things up.  Which may be next meeting day.  Who knows.  ;) 

Breakfast: Skinny bun with almond butter, guacamole, and two slices of turkey.  20oz of cold water.

After workout meal:  I went grocery shopping as usual.  I picked up a half baguette and made a hoagy sandwich from the roasted chicken.  It had bacon, cheese, and guacamole on it.  I took the last of the chips and dumped them in a bowl with shredded cheese and microwaved them as a side with the sandwich.

Dinner: Two egg Fratta with broccoli and garlic.  I picked up some veggie "meat" at Costco today and I added that to the mix.  Also a bit of cheese and salsa.

Tomorrow is the last day of the year and with it comes New Years resolutions.  I generally don't participate in that game.  This year though I've got some stuff I want to work on, which is how I think it should be.  You look at the past year and decide you are going to do something different.  It's a conscious decision to make a change not a wish to do something you will forget after a month.  So in a couple of days I'll put those ideas in writing, something I'm learning that works for me, to help me visualize the new pathways.

Day 337

It's meet with L day.  We did a workout that was quite tough in it's way.  I was reminded of Tabata as it was a timed series.  They were basically one minute intervals with no rest until the entire series was done.  The series consisted of 5 different exercises.  Of which we did three whole sets and then some abs exercise, so I did sweat a bit.  Again a great workout with L.  We talked about the possibility of me doing an event in 2013.  I'd like to go for it, so the training will have more than one purpose in the coming year.  It's something to get me out of my comfort zone yet still work into the getting fit side of things. Speaking of getting fit:

Breakfast: Cherry Pie Larabar and 20oz of cold water

After workout meal: Hamburger on a chibatta bun with an egg, cheese, guacamole.  Chips with guacamole.

Had some holiday treats through out the day.

Dinner: I bought a roasted chicken yesterday and so today I shredded it.  I mixed in some BBQ sauce and made a sandwich for dinner.  It was a small baguette with guacamole, and cheese.  Later before I went to bed I had some of the popcorn that was a mix of plain,cheesed, and carmel popcorn.  I really didn't need it but suddenly I had this overwhelming urge to eat some.  Again holiday treats bite me badly.

Day 336

It's Friday.  The day before meeting L for another one of her patented workouts.  This week I skipped Monday (Christmas Eve) but worked out the rest of the week.  Friday though is my regular off day.  I always do the food a bit differently on Friday's.  Today will be no exception I'm sure.  There are Fridays when I go off track rather severely and other times when I just indulge a little bit.  I do know for sure that tonight I will be having a couple of adult beverages in addition to whatever I end up eating:

Breakfast: Egg and turkey sandwich on a skinny bun with almond butter and tomato.  No banana but still 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Chile Releno from TJ's mixed with quinoa and broccoli.  I also had a couple of handfuls of almonds to finish off the lunch.

Dinner: Nachos with guacamole and roasted chicken.  Some holiday treats again.  A bit later I went back to the chips and had a large serving of chips.  Dinner was accompanied by two adult beverages.

I wonder what L has in store for me? 

Day 335

Day after Tabata and I'm feeling good.  No real pains of working out.  Not that I expected there to be any pains but I'm always ready for the creaky joints.  Today though was more of the holiday treats.  Just can't get away from them, no matter how hard I try.  So definitely going to the gym tonight.  Otherwise here's the food list for today:

Breakfast: Turkey and egg sandwich on a skinny bun with almond butter and tomato.  Banana and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: I actually didn't have time for the Greek yogurt.  I just had a handful of  almonds

Lunch: Spinach salad with cauliflower, tomato, quinoa, salmon patty, and salsa for dressing.

Dinner: Sauteed broccoli, spinach, quinoa, and salsa.

Did the cardio workout after work.  Not much else to say.  Clothes still fitting even with the holiday treats.

Day 334

I said I was going to talk up TABATA INTERVALS for the instructor.  I've talked about TABATA before but wanted to remind everyone about it.  It consists of 4 different exercises that are broken up into 20sec intervals with 10sec rests.  It sounds easy at first but you get a really great workout and it's fun.  If by fun I mean you sweat and get winded quite quickly and you can't believe how long 20sec can be then ya it's fun.  I highly recommend it as a break from the normal workouts most of us are doing.  So again TABATA INTERVALS!  DO IT YOU'LL LIKE IT.  Really it's only 25min long and feels like you've be working out for an hour.  Now back to the regularly scheduled post:

Again trouble in the morning.  Well not really trouble but I couldn't get out of bed in time to eat breakfast or do the morning workout routine.  I barely got up in time to shave, brush teeth and shower.  I did drink my 20oz of cold water but that was it before heading out the door for work.  So here's the day broken down:

Breakfast: As I said I didn't eat breakfast but once I got to work I had an Apple Pie Larabar.

1st snack: My usual Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: I decided that I wanted Mexican so I went to the Taco Truck restaurant but they were closed so my second choice was Asian.  I had a noodle salad with beef.  It was a salad consisting of lettuce, cucumber, sprouts, scallions, rice noodles, and beef.  It has a light sauce that gives it an unusual taste.  Can't really describe it but it makes the salad.  I did eat the whole order but it was mostly greens except for the beef and one potsticker.

Dinner: Quinoa salad with broccoli, cauliflower, and tomato with salsa for dressing.  I had a couple of holiday treats (yes they are everywhere).

TABATA INTERVALS!  I figured I'd end on a high note.  Really you should try it.  Weds night City Gym at 6:35pm I'll be there and hope to see you there.

Day 333

It's Christmas!  I tried to be good but didn't have much luck.  At the same time I didn't overdo it too badly, in hindsight.  There was no structure today other than breakfast and brunch.  So I'm just going to write it up here in this form instead of listing it out like usual.  I had a Peanut Butter Larabar a breakfast or a pre-workout meal.  After the workout, which was a weight lifting and kettlebell combined program, I headed out to friends to celebrate Christmas.  They had an egg and bacon brunch ready and along with toast, sauteed mushrooms, and sausage I had seconds on the eggs.  Then the holiday treats started in force.  There were cookies, candies, and cheese and crackers.  Later in the evening we had mini crab cakes and two different versions of chicken gizzards.  Of course more holiday treats were eaten.  There were treats left over and I left them for my friends to consume.  Happy Days!  Damn! I just looked in my stocking and there are more holiday treats. As I said the other day I just can't win.  Ah well at least I should be getting it out of my system for a few months.  And tomorrow is TABATA INTERVALS, so I guess I'm fueling up for that.  Silly me.

Day 332

Again more holiday treats!  I can't win.  This time though I will save them for tomorrow.  I will be going to friends for Christmas and so will take these treats with me.  So hopefully they won't be coming home.  Actually they won't because if any are left they are going in the garbage.  I've had enough to last me until next year.  Ha, take that holiday treats!  Since it's Christmas Eve I made the decision to not go to the gym.  I will actually work out in the morning at home just like I did on Thanksgiving.  I'm feeling yesterday's workout but I still think I'm liking it a whole bunch.  I need a few more of those through out the week in addition to the cardio.  So here's what I did today in the way of food:

Breakfast: Egg and turkey sandwich on a skinny bun with tomato and almond butter.  Banana and 20oz of cold water.

Snack: Dammit, holiday treats are seducing me again.

Lunch: I needed real food so ended up at a sandwich shop and had an 8" turkey, bacon, and avocado sandwich with lettuce, tomato, pickles, cucumbers, black olives, and pesto.  I also had a snack bag of chips along with an adult beverage.  Of course I slipped some holiday treats in there also.

Dinner: Broccoli and pot sticker soup mixed with some quinoa.  Plus some bacon wrapped scallops.  I was able to not over indulge in the scallops and was quite happy that I could control myself.  Add an adult beverage.

So I'm gearing up for tomorrow (Christmas) as I expect to be eating lots of holiday treats and snacky type stuff.  An actual meal will more than likely not happen.  As said earlier I will work out in the morning at home before I head out to the celebration.  I'm sure it won't offset the destruction done by the holiday treats but it may help a little.  If nothing else it will remind me that I can't do the holiday treats everyday.

Day 331

Well here we go again.  I went to the gym and did the workout L wrote up for me yesterday when we didn't work out.  I will say it was quite the sweat inducing time.  I like it because all I need is a dumbbell or two and I'm good to go.  So if the gym is busy or I can't make it to the gym I've got an excellent workout for...working out.  Yesterday one of my goals was to finish off all of the holiday treats.  In that way I hoped I could get it out of my system and be done with it.  I could only hope but unfortunately more holiday treats were given to me today.  So I give up!  As I said after the new year starts I'm on the wagon for cheating meals and treats.  So here's what I ate today:

Breakfast: Cherry Pie Larabar and 20oz of cold water.

After workout meal: Broccoli and cauliflower stir fried with three eggs and sausage.  Also a skinny bun with almond butter and two slices of turkey.  To drink I had an Honest Tea Lemonade and Green tea drink.

Dinner: Was at friends and they made split pea soup with bacon.  I had two bowls with crackers.

The workout really made me sweat.  I liked it and will use it again and again.  We've talked about how to change up workouts and body areas to focus on.  I've also figured out a few things I want to focus on for the coming year.  I've wanted to increase my mountain bike riding ability and so I'll be looking at working on my leg strength.  I'd like to try to increase the stability in my knees and ankles so I can ride some tougher trails.  I'd also like to see about increasing my arm strength and endurance.  That's because I want to start pistol shooting and I think that would help my targeting abilities.  So a couple of specific areas to work on in addition to the continuing fight to get down to the target weight of 225 and ultimately 200 if possible.   

Day 330

It's meet with L day!  I always look forward to this day of the week.  We will have a lot to talk about and today was no different other than the fact that we didn't work out.  What you say?  That's right L put on her "Talk Al Down" hat.  Frankly I am still expecting to get on the scale and see a drop in weight.  I expect this because my clothes continue to fit better and better.  As it turns out though I've hit that plateau where unless I do something drastic the weight stays right where it is.  Turns out that "something drastic" will have to be eating better.  I've felt like I'm eating better but I'm still having too many "cheat" days.  Nothing wrong with cheat days but too many of them sorta defeat the purpose of this whole idea.  We talked about the fact that I'm going to the gym six days a week (almost every month) so there just isn't any room for more gym.  I feel I'm working out enough.  So the only other place that can be tweaked is the food intake.  So after the first of the year that's what we're going to try.  I guess I am going to have to get "serious" about this, but until then this is how it's going down:

Breakfast: Greek yogurt and almonds.  20oz of cold water.

After workout meal: Turkey burger with an egg on whole wheat bread.  Add tomato, spinach, and avocado plus almond butter.  On the side, sweet potato fries.

Snacking throughout the day on holiday treats.  Cookies, candy, and assorted other goodies.

Dinner: Had a pear cut up covered in cottage cheese and salsa.

I had some more holiday treats before I called it a day.  The sugary goodness just would not let go.  This why I find myself in the dilemma I'm in.  I'm going to have to work on some mind tricks to fake myself out.  Of course we're talking about trying to change a set of pathways that have been in existence for 50 years.  So I'm guessing it won't happen overnite, but it would be nice if it could happen in a few months.  ;) 

Day 329

A new day in the journey.  This will be a different day also.  I'm meeting some former co-workers for Christmas breakfast.  We will go to Denny's and I know I'll try to be good but will probably not be as good as I should.  It's my one day off from working out so I'd better make it count.  Here's the damage:

Breakfast: Again I'm at Denny's and I ordered a breakfast burrito.  It didn't look to bad overall but when it arrived I knew I should only eat half.  Yay me!  I only ate half of the burrito but ate all of the roasted red potatoes.  I figured they should be better than hashbrowns.  Don't know for sure but I'll give it a shot.  Saved the other half of the burrito for dinner.

1st snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: I'd brought a Chile Releno from TJ's for lunch but ended up not eating it.  I think I was feeling the Denny's breakfast.  I just ate a bunch of almonds and a little bit of fruit.  I won't say that I wasn't hungry but still nothing really sounded good.  So I guess I just snacked on the almonds.  Not the best choice.

Dinner: Ate the other half of the breakfast burrito but it didn't come close to satisfying me.  I think I was once again in holiday eating mode as I started to snack on all the holiday junk food I'd aquired in the last 24 hours.  That included three different flavor types of pre-popped popcorn, sugar dipped walnuts, and peanut brittle candy.  I was finally satiated until later in the evening when I had a skinny bun with almond butter and two slices of turkey.  Finally I felt like I was good for the day.  Very crazy day glad it's finally over.

Day 328

So it's a day off from work and I've started to get into holiday mode when it comes to eating.  Yesterday after Tabata I went somewhat crazy and picked up a Big sandwich.  Now I ended up not eating the whole thing and will eat the rest today but I still broke protocol.  I'm okay now with it but I'll probably try to make up for it somehow.  I did go to the gym today and got in some cardio but I'm sure the food intake will offset any gym time.  Ah well you gotta live ( I just need to start living more within the program).  Okay here's how it went down:

Breakfast: Egg and turkey sandwich on a skinny bun with tomato and avocado. Banana and 20oz of cold water.

After workout meal: I went to the movies after the workout and ended up eating at the theatre.  I had a hamburger with onion rings and drink.  The hamburger was just a plain burger with some pickles.  The drink was a fruit drink so not a soda but still probably loaded with sugar.  I didn't drink the entire drink as it was a small but a small is bigger than most larges every where else.

Dinner: Ate the second half of the sandwich from last nite.  Along with that I finished off the sweet potato tots I'd picked up at TJ's and also three of the shrimp on a stick that are like corn dogs but with shrimp.

So I didn't do too badly today considering the alternatives.  I did go to the gym and didn't scrimp on the workout.  I enjoyed my day off at the movies.  Saw the Hobbit and it was great.

Day 327

Tabata!

Here's what I ate before I did Tabata:

Breakfast: No real breakfast as I slept in and just drank the 20oz of cold water.  Once I got to work I ate a Peanut Butter Larabar.

1st snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Today no salad just pizza.

Dinner: Went to a sandwich shoppe and had a big sandwich and a side of potato salad.  I only ate half of the sandwich and saved the other half for tomorrow.  The potato salad was made with big chunks of potato and had bacon in it.  I also had a soda.

I am totally enjoying the torture called Tabata Intervals.  I look forward to each session.  Tomorrow is a day off for me so I'm going to be curious as to how I'll do.  I'm planning on going to the gym at some point during the day.

Day 326

Another day and I am just doing fine.  I wore the slimmer clothes again today and people are commenting on the new stuff.  I seem to be a bit more confident due to the compliments.  I ate pizza for lunch again but otherwise it was a normal food day:

Breakfast: Egg and turkey sandwich on a skinny bun with tomato and avocado.  Banana and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Pizza and spinach salad.  A piece of cheese cake.

Dinner: Spinach salad with salmon, cottage cheese, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, and salsa for dressing.

Did cardio after work.  Started something a bit different in the morning before work.  I did some weight lifting with the kettlebells and dumbbells.  Nothing to heavy but just not the same stuff I've been doing in the morning.  Again trying to change things up a bit.  Especially since this week I noticed I'm not feeling really energized to work out.  So I'm not taking a break but not pushing as hard.  Of course all bets are off on Weds as that's Tabata!  I am looking forward to that one.

Day 325

The start of the work week and I'm having pizza for lunch.  It's leftover from the Day 323 (my birthday).  We got it at 2:30 in the morning.  They said they were hungry but of course they really weren't.  So here I am eating pizza for the next three days for lunch.  I'm throwing in a small spinach salad also to blunt the pizzaness.  On top of the pizza my supervisor brought in two (not one but two) cheese cakes and turned them loose on us.  A chocolate one and a regular plain one.  So more challenges to the waist line.  Here's how I did:

Breakfast: Egg and turkey sandwich on a skinny bun with tomato and avocado.  Banana and 20oz of cold water.

I'm not feeling the need for the early morning snack so have not been eating the Larabar instead I've been waiting and having

1st snack: Greek yogurt and almonds at the normal time.  Did have a piece of cheese cake.

Lunch: Pizza and a small spinach salad.  The salad has cauliflower, broccoli slaw, tomato, and spinach with salsa for dressing. Had a piece of cheese cake.

No afternoon snack

Dinner: Spinach salad with broccoli, tomato, cottage cheese, cauliflower, and salmon patty with salsa as dressing.  Had cottage cheese for the first time in 2-3 months.  I stopped eating cottage cheese because I thought it may have been contributing to me not dropping weight.  Since I now know that probably isn't true I'm eating it again.  Now if my weight goes up, well then.  After dinner I ate a cupcake that had been purchased for my birthday.

Went to the gym after work and did cardio.  Getting ready for Tabata on Weds.  Can't wait.

Day 324

237.  Of course I've not lost any weight in the last month.  Granted my clothes are fitting much better and I'm even wearing smaller size clothing.  Looking at myself in the mirror I see areas that look "less fat" but still are flabby.  L reminded me that my skin may not be as elastic as it could be so that it will "shrink" as I lose weight.  I still have the man boobs that caused me to start this whole process.  Rather annoying but I still know that I'm another year away from my goal.  Of course that means another birthday but that is how it goes. Here's what I did for the day:

Breakfast: Since I stayed out late on my birthday I got up later than I normally do on this day of the week.  I only ate a Cherry Pie Larabar and drank 20oz of cold water.

After workout meal: I was meeting friends for a day of shooting at the range so I cheated and stopped at McD's.  I got a quarter pounder, no cheese just the burger. It satisfied me until later in the day.

Dinner: Went with friends to a restaurant.  I ordered a hamburger that had bacon and cheese on it.  It also had tomato,mushrooms, and grilled onions.  It came with waffle fries, which I ate all of.  There were appetizers of onion rings and potato skins.  I had some of both.  Then it was time for dessert.  I had a pineapple upside down cake.  Which was delicious.

I met with L, even though I'd only had 5hrs of sleep due to partying late the night before.  We did the back program and I talked about once again not losing any weight but my clothes continue to fit looser and looser.  All week I wore smaller size shirts and pants.  I know that the clothes fitting better is a good indicator but I'd still like to see my weight go down.  I'm going to have to think about this and maybe cut down on certain foods that right now I don't worry about as much.  I don't know but I do know I want to figure it out.

Day 323 or It's My Birthday!

So it's my birthday.  No big deal other than I'm now 59 years old (or young depending).  I don't really feel bad about it but I must admit it's a bit of a challenge.  When this journey started the odds were somewhat stacked against me.  By that I mean I grew up in an envirourment that was a trap when it came to eating.  In my formative years I grew up in the midwest and was the product of a culture that saw food as the ultimate expression of love.  So when you were at the kitchen table if there was food you had to eat it.  And you didn't just eat some of it, you cleaned your plate.  Again you had to, otherwise you didn't leave the table. Then there were the grandparents, wonderful people but as a kid food was pushed at you and encouraged to overeat.  "Oh you're a growing boy you need lots of food".  So I'm trying to undo that mindset.  I think that's as much the issue as just being inactive is.  So that's why I'm committing to another year of personal training with L.  I need to keep reminding myself that I don't have to eat it all and as a matter of fact I only have to eat as much as I need.  Now I just have to learn to recognize how much I really need, not want.  Because I want it all. 

I've chronicled my weight gain and subsequent loss and re-gain earlier in this blog.  I also want to record my progress where I can actively read tthe history.  Every day has been a challenge.  If it isn't just me wanting to eat 2-3 hamburgers and onion rings and milkshakes then it's going to work and winding my way thru the minefield of treats due to birthdays or rewards for a job well done.

For my birthday treat at work I requested cookies, of course.  They were cookies from Trader Joes so they were at least a bit more healthier than say, Oreos.  I did eat my share of them as tthe day wore on.  I was working a long shift helping out due to the need for extra staffing.  The plan was after I got off to go to the local Mexican joint and have dinner and drinks with friends and co-workers.  I will say that this was one of the best birthday's I've enjoyed in a long time.  Now I don't have anything against birthdays as there's really nothing you can do about them.  So I figure it's in my best interest to just go with it and enjoy it while you can.  This time though was an exceptional time overall.

The day started out normal.  For breakfast I had my usual egg and today had steak strips on a skinny bun with tomato and avocado.  Ate my banana and drank my 20oz of cold water.  When I got to work the cookies were there waiting for me and so started the cookies pandemoneum.  I had a couple and then for 1st break I had my Greek yogurt and almonds along with some cookies.

For lunch I wanted to continue my birthday tradition of having Chinese food.  So I went to a fast food Chinese place and got a small order of food.  It did have fried rice along with Broccoli Beef and I added an egg roll.  I will admit it was just okay and more than likely didn't satisfy my craving for Chinese food.  For now though I'm holding back.  Oh and I had some more cookies.

Throught the rest of the day I had a cookie here and there until the end of the work day when I went to have one last cookie and they were all gone.  Finally!

So after work I went to the Mexican restaurant and met up with co-workers for night of fun.  While at the restaurant I had some fish tacos and rice and beans.  I also had a few adult beverages.  That was just the start.

Day 322

It's the day before my birthday.  I'm still doing what I should be doing and not forgetting my path.  This week so far I've worn smaller size clothes most days and am quite happy with that.  At the same time someone at work had brought in some cookies.  They didn't want them at home so bringing them to work got the cookies out of their house.  Unfortunately that put them within my reach so I had cookies with snacks and lunch.  Not a lot but enough that I knew I was overdoing it.  Ah well as I've said cookies are my kryptonite.  If I could live on cookies and sandwiches for my entire life it would be a great life.  Ha ha.  Here's the rest of the damage:

Breakfast: Egg and ham sandwich on a skinny bun with tomato and avocado.  Banana and 20oz of cold water

1st snack: Apple Pie Larabar

2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Small spinach salad with sauteed veggies and quinoa, tomato, and salsa for dressing.  Steak strips for protein. 

Dinner: Spinach salad with tomato, broccoli, salmon, and quinoa.

I think I will weigh myself on Saturday as I'm feeling like I've lost some weight.  Don't know for sure but since the clothes are fitting better and better every day you'd think I'm losing some weight, but we'll see.

Day 321

Tabata!  Need I say more?  It was Tabata Intervals at the gym today.  I'm starting to really like it and it's quite challenging.  It's quick and fun.  Wore smaller clothes again today, as a matter of fact I wore an XL shirt I just bought.  Everyone complimented me on how great it looked.  It was a style (polo) I've shy'd away from in the past.  Now though it's fast becoming my fave.  Here's how I ate my way thru the day:

Breakfast: Egg and ham sandwich on a skinny bun with tomato and avocado.  Banana and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Not really a snack as my boss brought in bakery goods for a meeting we were having.  I had some scone, chocolate chip bread, and a pastry. 

2nd snack: Let's just say, more bakery goods

Lunch: I've started to shoot for smaller salads and so lunch today was smaller.  It still filled me up.  So spinach salad with roasted cauliflower and sauteed broccoli and onions with a tomato, quinoa, and steak strips.  Had salsa for dressing.  Of course I had some bakery goods with lunch.

3rd snack: Again bakery goods

Dinner: Pot stickers with some lamb and broccoli in some chicken broth mixed with some BBQ sauce.

I will wear another of the XL shirts I now own tomorrow.  I'll see how they look this time.

Day 320

So day 320, still 40 some days to go to make a year of this blog.  I'm good to go for the continuing journey.  I will say that today I had a very hard time getting out of bed.  To the point of actually not eating my normal breakfast because I wanted to sleep in later.  So on that note here's what I did:

Breakfast: Cherry Pie Larabar and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Spinach salad with sauteed broccoli and onions, roasted cauliflower, quinoa, broccoli slaw, tomato and salsa for dressing.

2nd snack: I normally don't have a snack in the afternoon.  Today though I felt a bit of hunger so I had a slice of whole wheat low carb bread and peanut butter.  I wonder if my change in the morning breakfast routine had anything to do with my afternoon hunger?

Dinner: Broccoli with quinoa, cheese, steak strips and salsa.

Lunch this time was smaller but still rather big.  It wasn't adequate though I guess as I was hungry enough to eat the afternoon snack.

At the gym tonite I noticed my legs were not into it on the recumbent.  I had to really work to keep the momentum going.  I had to laugh as the nite before I was thinking I was gliding through the workout.  Funny how 24hrs can make a difference.  The other thought I'd had the night before was how my legs felt and they didn't feel fatigued like they have in the past.  So I wonder if I'm once again over training like I feel I'd done before.  I don't want to hurt myself.  I want to move forward not backward.  If I hurt myself then I'm going to slow down my progress.  May have to take a few days off here in the next week or two.  Or at least take a break from all the cardio I'm doing and do some extra weight lifting.  Of course then we get into the issue I've had recently with my arm and shoulders.  Ah well you can't make an omelet without breaking the eggs.  Ha there's a food metaphor for you.  Hope it doesn't make you hungry.

Day 319

Here's the list for today:

Breakfast: Egg and ham sandwich with tomato and avocado on a skinny bun.  Banana and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Peanut Butter Larabar

2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Spinach salad with steak strips, quinoa, broccoli slaw, tomato, sauteed broccoli and onion, roasted cauliflower, and salsa for dressing.  It was a big salad but tasty.

Dinner: Microwaved broccoli with cheese, quinoa, and salsa along with some steak strips.

Lunch was really a big salad way bigger than I really needed and I ate the whole thing.  I went to the gym after work (imagine that) and did cardio as I'm still taking it easy on my shoulders.  I'm starting to wear my smaller clothes more often as the month progresses.  Which is really cool!  I recently ordered some clothing for work that has the biz logo on them and I can't wait as they are all XL.  That's huge for me as most of my shirts are still 2XL.  The clothes just keep fitting better.  I've decided that this Saturday (the day after my 59th birthday) I'm going to hit the scale and see if I've lost any weight.  If I have great but if not no big thang as my clothes are really my scale.  We'll see.

Day 318

So I went to the gym today and did cardio along with some core work.  It was a good combo.  The day was rather normal on the other hand.  I got a bit of a late start though and ended up not eating the after work out meal until almost 2pm.  I'd gone to the gym around 10am.  Still a good day.  Here's what I ate when I did eat:

Breakfast: Apple Pie Larabar and 20oz of cold water.

After workout meal: Crusty roll with a hamburger, an egg, tomato, avocado, and spinach.  Also tried something new from TJ's.  They were sweet potato tots.  I had them with BBQ sauce and they were quite good. 

Dinner: Crusty bread with chicken patty, chicken meatball, tomato, and almond butter.  Had small bowl of sauteed broccoli and onion, cauliflower, and quinoa mixed with more chicken meatballs.

So there we go short and sweet ( oh wait ) speaking of sweet I had a Toll House ice cream cookie sandwich.  I think it's my new guilty pleasure.  Just have to make sure I don't eat them every day.

Day 317

So my arm is much better today. Thank goodness.  I was definitely worried.  Not enough to go to the doctor but still worried.  As a matter of fact at this moment I'd be hard pressed to say it was ever hurting.  So I guess I don't know why it happened.  I lifted weights on Sunday and did Tabata (one component had a weight lifting aspect to it) on Weds and then Thurs it started but I'm not sure really what caused it.  Oh well, I'm moving on.  Today was my day with L and we did lower body to give my arm more time to rest.  I also spent the day with friends after the workout and we went to a burger joint for lunch.  We then headed back to the friends house for dinner later.  I ate the following:

Breakfast: McD's egg mcmuffin, hash brown, and a milk.  I got in my 20oz of cold water also.

After workout meal: Bacon cheeseburger with avocado and steak fries.  I only had the fries that came with the meal ( the fries were bottomless ) and I had them with ketchup instead of tartar sauce like usual.  I realized later though that I forgot to tell them no mayo or other condiment of that type.  So I ate a bit more fat than I needed too.  Especially since I did the bacon and avocado.  I drank unsweetened ice tea.

Dinner was a Bean/Ham hock soup with more ham served with crackers and different cheeses.  I also had an adult beverage that was rum mixed with cola.  I also had a brownie, about 2"x2".

Day 316

Wow, woke up this morning and I could barely move my left arm.  As long as I didn't raise it about my shoulder I was okay.  I couldn't tell if it was sore from over work or I'd actually done something internally in my shoulder.  It was very painful that's all I really knew.  As the day went on though it did seem to be getting better.  Not quickly but there did seem to be some improvement.  So by the end of the day I was hopeful but I'll wait and see how it feels tomorrow.  I'm going to tell L that we should probably work on either core or lower body just to give my arm a rest.  Okay here's what else was happening today:

Breakfast: Egg sandwich with ham, tomato, and avocado on a skinny bun.  Banana and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Chile Releno from TJ's with cheese and avocado.  Also a Starbucks latte low fat drink with protein.

Dinner: Three street tacos from the taco truck restaurant.

I went out after dinner to an art gallery for some culture and had a glass of wine.  That was a bit different for me.  I met a couple of people and had some interesting conversation about stuff that I wouldn't normally discuss.  I felt I could go a ways out of my comfort zone.  So maybe I'm a bit more confident having lost the weight.  It was....fun.

Afterwards at home I had a bag of 100cal popcorn.

Day 315

Woke up this morning with some pain in my left arm.  Not sure why but my inner thighs are a bit achy too.  So I guess it could be Tabata but am not pointing the finger yet.  Otherwise a good day as I wore smaller clothing and got more compliments about losing weight.  That just makes it easier to keep up the work of going to the gym and eating better.  So the list for today:

Breakfast: Egg and ham sandwich on a skinny bun with tomato and avocado.  Banana and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Roasted brussel sprouts, rutabaga, sauteed peppers and onions, and pulled chicken with cheese.

Dinner: Chicken meat balls mixed with spinach, brussel sprouts, and rutabaga with salsa.

Did cardio after work.  My arm felt better and my legs were starting to feel the workout from the night before, but overall it was a good workout.

Day 314

TABATA INTERVALS!  Ouch.  Today was mostly lower body with just a hint of upper body.  Mano man what a workout.  I'll be feeling my legs tomorrow for sure.  Nothing else to say other than here's food:

Breakfast: Egg and ham sandwich on a skinny bun with tomato and avocado.  Banana and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Peanut Butter Larabar

2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Pulled chicken wrap with sauteed peppers and onions, tomato, cucumber, and cheese.

Dinner: Spinach salad with a can of tuna mixed with the roasted brussel sprouts and rutabaga along with salsa as dressing.

All I'm saying is TABATA INTERVALS. Ya baby that's it!

Day 313

So had an appointment with the chiropractor today.  He's a bit off the beaten path so with my work schedule and the drive I'm always hitting him late in the day.  So I always make the appointment as late in his work day as possible so that I can get there before he closes.  Well this time he had already closed for the day and I'm a bit annoyed.  I had decided that I'd skip the gym to do the chiro visit.  So I didn't get adjusted and I didn't get to the gym.  A bit of a downer overall.  Still though my clothes are fitting better and better.  I'm also getting more questions about my weight loss and that feels great.  So even though it seems like I'm not losing weight according to the scale I'm obviously shaping up.  Here's the food for the day:

Breakfast: Egg and ham sandwich with tomato and avocado on a skinny bun.  Banana and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Pulled chicken wrap with sauteed peppers and onions with tomato, cucumber, and cheese.  It was a birthday at work so I had a small piece of cake, it really was a small piece.

Dinner: Roasted brussel sprouts and rutabaga along with spinach and chicken meatballs mixed with two eggs baked in the oven.

So no gym but tomorrow is Tabata so I'm looking forward to that.

Looking good or at least not as fat

I've been getting a lot more comments lately as to my health.  And by that I mean people are noticing that I'm getting skinnier.  At least it seems that way.  I can see it as I start to wear smaller clothes.  For example I wore a shirt on Saturday that was ten years old that I'd not ever been able to wear.  It was a cool shirt and I bought it with the idea I'd lose weight and then be able to wear it.  Well it took 10 years but I'm wearing it now!  Then Saturday night I wore a pair of pants that I had just bought that were a full two sizes down from what I've been wearing for the last year.  I'm thinking I may have to have a seamstress re-size some of my clothing to better fit me.  Some would say I should just buy new stuff but a lot of my clothes are newer, they'd just stopped fitting.  So I continue to mine my closet for clothes that used to fit but stopped fitting over the last 10 years.  I hope to make that a habit and not a random one time thing.  This is what motivates me now.  Not the scale (even though it's good to see the number go down.  It's just depressing when you think you've lost weight but the scale doesn't reflect that loss.  So how my clothes fit is a much better indicator and the fact that I can buy smaller clothes helps too.

Day 312

Start of a new work week and workout schedule.  Heh not really a new workout schedule just making a small change from the last couple of weeks.  I'm trying to add in more lifting of weights.  So I did weights yesterday and I'll do weights on Thursday (a couple of days from now) with the Tabata Intervals in between.  Plus doing the cardio on the other days.  Of course meeting with L on the Saturday plan.  Today was a good day as I ate the pulled chicken wrap for lunch.  I as usual overstuffed the wrap, so tomorrow I'll be a better judge of portions.   It was quite tasty though, if I may say so myself.  So here's how the plan went food wise:

Breakfast: Egg and ham sandwich on a skinny bun with tomato and avocado.  Banana and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: none

2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Pulled chicken wrap with cheese, tomato, cucumber, and sauteed peppers and onion.  The wrap is a low carb high fiber with 110 calories.  It was rather satisfying, I think it was the cheese.

3rd break: none

Dinner: Wasn't quite hungry so I had a skinny bun with the chicken meatballs and a dollop of pulled chicken with almond butter.  It actually hit the spot and I wasn't hungry for more.

Did the cardio tonight and it seemed a bit easy but that's okay.  I may have been experiencing a bit of over training.  For the last four days it's went like this, Friday day off completely, Saturday was workout with L and we did core so no real legs, Sunday was a lifting day and I didn't do any squats between sets.  So today my legs felt pretty good and strong.  Considering I go to the gym six days a week I may need to alter my schedule. Still go but break it up a bit more.  We'll see how I feel after tomorrow as it's a cardio day again.

Day 311

Got up a bit later than normal ( see day 310).  Not that much later though just not my usual time.  Still went to the gym and lifted weights.  Here's what I did:

Breakfast: Apple Pie Larabar and 20oz cold water

After workout meal: Burrito from the taco truck restaurant

Dinner: Won ton soup with pot stickers, broccoli, celery, and chicken.

Made pulled chicken for lunches next week.  I'll make some wraps along with an onion, pepper mix, and cheese.

Day 310

So it's workout day with L.  We haven't met for two weeks so there will be lots of grilling in terms of my workouts.  I answered truthfully as it wasn't any different than normal.  I only skipped one of my regular days as it was the day before Thanksgiving and I had to budget my time a bit differently.  Today is also my work's holiday get together and we will be eating at an Italian restaurant.  I've ordered the steak (it was just ok) and I'm sure there will be lots of adult beverages consumed.  In that department for me more than normal as I've been coerced into taking a taxi instead of driving.  If I drive I have maybe one or two beverages as opposed to this time having 5-6.  ;) It was a fun time as we went to a club afterwards and danced until the wee hours.  If you remember this would be the second time in about three weeks that I closed a bar down.  I'd better watch it or I'll start acting like a twenty year old.  It's a great group of people though so that makes it fun.  I did do the food run after the bar though so that was a bit disconcerting even though I didn't eat it all.  I got to the " I'm satisfied " feeling and put down the fork and threw the rest away.  So here's the rundown:

Breakfast: Cherry Pie Larabar

After workout meal: A turkey burger on a skinny bun with an egg, 2 slices of ham, avocado, tomato, spinach, and almond butter.  Also nine onion rings.

Dinner: As I said this was at a restaurant.   The meal consisted of a 6oz steak with a portabella mushroom gracing the top of the steak, along with mashed potatoes and broccoli.  Appetizers were sauteed shrimps and the thin sliced crunchy bread with an Italian topping.  I've talked in the past about social gatherings and how they cause you to over eat.  Tonight it wasn't much different but I didn't eat all of the meal.  I left some of the potatoes and a quarter of the steak, mostly due to it not being cooked properly.  I understand though as they were cooking for about 25 people and timing can be quite a bitch in that situation.  As it was one of the diners didn't get her meal until about 3-4 minutes had passed since the last person got theirs.  A pleasant meal with the owner checking with us a various times to ensure we were happy.  The wait staff did a good job of dealing with the large group and I don't believe any one's glass was ever empty for very long.  So 3-4 adult beverages were consumed by me and then the after dinner party went to a comedy club and I had another beverage.

After the comedy club we went dancing.  I did dance for a good portion of the evening (cardio) and consumed more beverages interspersed with glasses of water.  After dancing we then went to a local food hangout and had crepes.  Interesting late night munchies choice.  I had a pizza version (of course).  I only ate about two-thirds though as I was satisfied at that point.

So there we go another day in the journey to my goal.  I think overall it went well, especially getting together with L again.  I will be doing it again in a couple of weeks (my birthday coming up) but not quite to that extent.  There will be adult beverages though I'm sure.

Day 309

My normal day off from working out has been a rather normal one. The boss did bring in scones for everyone and I did partake.  By the time the day was over I'd had about 2 1/2 scones total.  Bits and pieces as I'd walk by except for the whole one in the morning.  At lunch I dressed a bit up with some ice cream.  Quite yummy.  Otherwise a regular day of food:

Breakfast: Egg and ham sandwich with tomato and avocado on a skinny bun.  Banana and 20oz of cold water.

No 1st snack meant too but got distracted.  I did have a scone so I guess I did have a 1st snack

2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Finished off the pulled pork wraps.  Made this one with avocado and sauteed peppers and onions, along with some more roasted peppers.  Also had some scone and ice cream.

No 3rd snack

Dinner: Okay my usual Friday nite dinner was a mixture of stuff.  I had 8 bacon wrapped scallops and 3 shrimp-dogs with BBQ sauce.  Then a bit later had a bag of 100cal popcorn. Much later had a ham sandwich.  Consisted of ham and almond butter on a skinny bun.  I succumbed to the pull of this sandwich as I've been noticing a craving f9or it all week.  So gave in but it wasn't that bad of a craving downfall.

Tomorrow back at it with L.  She was out of town last week so I was on my own (and I did fine had a great workout that lasted over 2hours).  I look forward to what ever she has for me. 

Day 308

So I'm feeling a bit of the Tabata workout today.  It's not bad and certainly not bad enough to not want to continue to do the workout.  I still went to the gym after work and did the cardio workout.  I just noticed that when I was on the recumbent my legs were not as "springy" as usual.  I still tried to give it maximum effort all the way thru and I feel like I succeeded for the most part.  The stair stepper section was still up to par so it was just the recumbent that I really felt a bit off.  I feel like that's okay though.  So what'd I eat today:

Breakfast: Egg and ham sandwich on a skinny bun with tomato and avocado.  banana and 20oz of cold water.

Skipped 1st snack

2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Pulled pork wrap with avocado, sauteed onions and peppers.  I've eaten the pulled pork all week and it's good but still missing something.  I'll try to figure out what's missing for next time I make it.  Not sure if the rest of the ingredients need tweaking or what.  Maybe some cheese or sour cream?  Oh also a half of a banana muffin and a small amount of vanilla ice cream.

No 3rd snack

Dinner: Spinach salad with broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, chicken meatballs, and salsa.

Day 307

Again nothing exciting to report other than I did the Tabata Intervals again.  This time was just as intense as the first time.  I'm quite sure I will make this a regular thing.  I was smarter this time in a way and didn't go for the macho approach.  The deal as I explained last time is that once you start doing the exercise a certain way you have to keep it up for the entire section.  So push-ups were one of the exercises we did and I went for the knees approach.  I'm really glad I did as I'm sure I'd not have been able to do full push-ups for the entire set.  So I kept that in mind all the way through.  It was still tough and taxing.  So I got in a really good workout and it was intervals so I'm sure I burned fat.  So the food portion of the day went like this:

Breakfast: Egg and ham sandwich on a skinny bun with avocado and tomato.  Banana and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Apple Pie Larabar

2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Pulled pork wrap with sauteed peppers and onions with avocado.

No 3rd snack

Dinner: Spinach salad with chicken meatballs, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, and salsa.

Clothes are still fitting great.  So far this week I've worn skinnier shirts and pants each day.

Day 305 & 306

Behind again.  I guess I shouldn't be too surprised as it's been over 300 days of entries in this blog.  I've written about every day in that time period and will continue to write about this journey as it goes along.  So nothing too exciting, just the normal stuff.  Went to the gym and did cardio and lifted weights.  Tried to keep eating better and making a rather good try at it.  Here's what I ate:

Breakfast: Both days the same.  Egg and ham sandwich on a skinny bun with tomato and avocado.  Banana and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Day 305 had an Apple Pie Larabar and day 306 skipped the snack.

2nd snack: Both days had Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Both days had a wrap made with pulled pork that I made myself.  The wrap also had a tomato, avocado, and sauteed peppers and onions.

No 3rd snack either day

Dinner: Spinach salad with broccoli, tomato, and cauliflower with chicken meatballs and salsa.

Day 305 did cardio and day 306 lifted weights. 

Day 304

Nothing to really say on day 304 other than I continued to eat my way thru Thanksgiving leftovers.  Fortunately there isn't much left so I'm confindent that I'll get back on track with my eating better.  I'm making pulled pork for lunches for the coming week and it's smelled great all day.  Made it rather hard to focus on eating good meals.  I ended up going for sandwiches and finishing off the leftovers.  Here's what the day consisted of:

Breakfast: Cherry Pie Larabar and 20oz of cold water.

After workout meal: This was an interesting meal.  I started with a half a loaf of garlic french bread that was filled with turkey, avocado, tomato, cheese, and then proceeded to stir fry some lamb with stuffing and an egg covered in salsa.  That particular meal felt like the old days where I ate a meal (sandwich) and then gave into the continuing hunger that probably was more boredom than actual hunger.  I fell for it hook, line, and sinker.  At least I worked out before I succumbed.

Dinner: Had the rest of the bread filled with the last of the turkey, tomato, and pulled pork.  This time it satisfied me until later in the evening when I had a bag of 100cal popcorn while reading.

I didn't go to the gym today but instead went for an hour long walk.  I walked the Whatcom Falls trails like I used to do in the old days.  I kept mostly to the actual trails and so there was lots of ups and downs as I walked.  I finished it off with an uphill section that surprised me. When I used to do this particular walk, by the time I got to the top of the one actual hill I was rather beat.  Today not so much.  I definitely brought the sweat but felt really good by the time I got home.  It was a nice change of pace and scenery. 

Day 303

My normal day with L except she's out of town and I'm on my own.  I had a little trouble getting out of bed but otherwise I was at the gym by 10:30.  I'd decided that I was going to lift weights and do the cardio.  So I was at the gym for about 2 1/2 hours.  I pushed myself a bit and I was very happy with the end result.  During the interval part of the cardio I allowed myself to go for 9 out of 10 instead of 10 out of 10 like normal.  That was my only concession to the extra workout.  The other difference for today is that I didn't weigh myself.  I'm holding off for a few weeks and will only weigh myself every once in a while for the foreseeable future.  All week my clothes fit fine, even after Thanksgiving so I'm still on track.  That's what getting on the scale is for and since I'm wearing my clothes that are smaller, that's my new scale.  If the skinny pants start not fitting as well than I know it's time to workout harder or cut back on the pizza and cookies.  Or both.  So here's what actually happened:

Breakfast: Turkey and egg on a skinny bun with cheese and almond butter.  The turkey was Thanksgiving leftovers and I topped it off with 20oz of cold water.

After workout meal: Lamb, stuffing and two eggs with salsa.

Dinner: More Thanksgiving leftovers including stuffing, turkey, lamb, and pumpkin pie.

Day 302

The day after Thanksgiving was fairly normal as it's my day off from working out. That did seem to be a bit of a goof but I figure tomorrow will be a hit it hard day.  L is out of town so no organized workout other than what I can conjure up myself.

Breakfast: Lamb and egg sandwich on a skinny bun with avocado and tomato.  Banana and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Apple Pie Larabar

2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Thanksgiving all over again.  Stuffing with lamb and pork with cheese (okay the cheese wasn't Thanksgiving )

Dinner: More Thanksgiving with an adult beverage.  Stuffing and turkey and lamb and veggie salad along with some pumpkin pie.

I'm now committed to 18months of the gym.  They had a Black Friday special where if you bought 6mon you get 6mon free.  I'd already renewed at the beginning of Nov so with that combined I'm good for 18mon.  At first it seemed rather silly but I then realized that more than likely I'll still be going anyway so might as well get a deal.  It works out to about $11 a month.  Plus the added benefit of knowing I'm good for that long makes me not want to waste it.  That's a bit different from the old days where I'd sign up for a year and then stop going after a couple of months.  Granted I've not done that in twenty years but it's still in the back of my mind how I wasted that time and money.  I don't look back in regret but the missed opportunities do influence me at times.

Day 301

Thanksgiving!  This is going to be easy.  I did workout at home and I did eat more than I should have.  There I said it.  Really though it was a good day.  I did belt loop #5 for almost the entire day and it wasn't until I felt my stomach hurt that I loosened to belt loop #4.  I worked out in the morning with weights and had a really good workout.  I broke a sweat and I could feel it in my upper body.  Of course it did make me feel I could overindulge and so I probably ate thirds when I normally wouldn't have.  No worries as I was prepared for over eating.  So here's how it played out:

Breakfast: Apple Pie Larabar and 20oz of cold water.

After work out meal: Egg and ham sandwich on a skinny bun with tomato, avocado, and almond butter.

For the rest of the day there was Turkey dinner consisting of turkey, lamb, pork, stuffing (made with sausage and oysters), mashed potatoes and gravy, sauteed veggies, and other stuff.  From the time we arrived until we left there were deviled eggs and then after the main meal we had pie.  Lots of different pie's.  There was Apple w/ice cream, and pumpkin pie, and pecan tarts.

I didn't eat anything for the rest of the day as it seemed redundant.  There were leftovers and alot came home with me for the coming weekend.

So there we go, Thanksgiving.  It was a rather successful day as I didn't really horribly overeat and I actually worked out in the morning.  It was a normal workout, one I'd probably have done at the gym if it was open.  

Day 300

How ironic that Day 300 is the day before Thanksgiving.  I expect to eat a big meal and enjoy myself for a day and then get back to it.  It makes me laugh, but this is day 300 not 301 so here's what happened:

Breakfast: I did my new thing (don't think I'm going to keep it up though) where I sleep in and don't eat breakfast.  I woke up and jumped right into showering and shaving.  After I got out of the shower I did use the foam roller to try to re-align my back.  I also drank the 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Was a Peanut Butter Larabar

2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Sandwich made of sourdough bread, egg/tuna mix, tomato, cheese, spinach, and roasted peppers with peanut butter.  A couple of small pickles.

No 3rd snack

Dinner: Spinach salad with quinoa, cauliflower, and the rest of the egg/tuna mix with salsa.

I had planned on going to the gym but this morning decided not to.  I had a big project to do after work for Thanksgiving.  I had told myself I'd do the kettlebell workout but by the time the end of the day came it was out of my mind.  I ended up instead doing some cleaning of the bathroom and kitchen.  I also washed clothes so that I wasn't on the computer all nite.

I again noticed on day 299 that after I'd eaten the dinner I made, which was very good, I was almost immediately hungry.  It's starting to make me laugh at myself, as I know that I'm not really hungry but I'm trying to get that first bite endorphin high.  It's quite the psychological conundrum as I fight with myself for control of my food desires.

Day 298 & 299

So behind again.  Playing catch up. Fairly normal days nothing to heavy to report.  I did wear skinny clothes both days and am pretty happy about that.  Let's get to it:

Breakfast: Both days was the egg and ham sandwich on a skinny bun with avocado and tomato.  A banana and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Day 298 Apple Pie Larabar
               Day 299 Cherry Pie Larabar

2nd snack: Both days was Greek yogurt and almonds.  I was slipping and not putting the bag of almonds away after getting my serving for the yogurt.  I've started to put the bag away again.

Lunch: Day 298 was a Tuna/Hard boiled egg mix in a spinach salad with cauliflower, tomato, and quinoa with dressing.
           Day 299 was the tuna/egg mixture on sourdough bread with tomato, spinach, cheese, and roasted peppers with peanut butter.

3rd snack: Day 298 no snack
                Day 299 had two jalapeno poppers with a crab mixture stuffed in them.

Dinner: Day 298 made a salad of cauliflower and broccoli with quinoa and salsa.  Followed by the rest of the bag (about a half bag) of the Popchips.
            Day 299 sauteed broccoli and peppers with quinoa.

Went to the gym and did cardio both days.  Day 299 almost didn't go as I felt a bit off.  Rather tired in a way.  I did go though and as soon as I was on the treadmill and getting started I had to laugh as I felt good and glad to be there.  I knew that would happen which is why I didn't let myself slack.  Gotta keep it up so Thanksgiving won't be such a big hit in the stomach.  I'm planning on working out Thanksgiving morning before heading out to the pork out.

Day 297

What a weekend.  On Sat I did the workout with L and then got ready to meet up with some people from work.  What a crazy time we had and then after shutting down the bar we went and ate pizza.  That was not the end though as I got to take the leftover pizza home.  I ended up eating pizza all weekend.  Man, I think I'm calling pizza my new krytonite.  It used to be cookies, but now it's pizza.  Also it was a late night and I ended up sleeping until 11am.  So my day was a bit compressed.  I still went to the gym though and did my usual grocery run.  I did skip a few around the house chores.  Still got the coming weeks worth of lunch materials together and am continuing the trend from last week, sandwiches.

Something came up when I was eating my after workout meal (which I will describe in a bit).  As I took the first couple of mouthfuls the deliciousness of the food was intense.  It made me think about the fact that after I was done eating this meal that was it no more and yet I know for a fact that when I'm finished my brain will be wanting to achieve that first bite all over again.  So I'll feel that I'm not full and still hungry.  I've talked about this before, the satisfied feeling that turns into thinking I'm still hungry.  When I mentioned this before I'd figured out that if I could wait a bit I'd get past that still hungry feeling.  This time though it's more of a conclusion as to why that feeling happens.  Seriously, think about it.  When you're eating something really delicious you want it to last forever because once it's gone, the feeling is like a lover spurning your advances.  Okay a bit over the top but I think the analogy is fairly accurate.  I also look at this thinking as ammunition in the battle of the bulge.  The more we know about how our bodies react to food the easier it is to fight the good fight.

Breakfast: Cherry Pie Larabar and 20oz of cold water.

After workout meal: The second half of the "healthy" burrito from last nights dinner mixed with a couple of eggs and baked in the oven.  Of course that wasn't enough so I dipped into the pizza box and had two slices.  This was a late lunch as I didn't get out of bed until 11am and then went to the gym and did my grocery shopping.  So I ended up only having two actual meals.

Dinner: I bet you can't guess what I had for dinner?  And the prize goes to...Pizza.  There are four pieces left. I'm going to just do it and eat them all, so I don't have to think about pizza anymore.  Here's an interesting side note, I only ate three of the slices.  I was going for the fourth one and realized I wasn't hungry for more.  I did eat some of the quinoa I'd cooked up for the coming week, later in the evening but more of a snack.

Day 296

237.  So there it is a tiny bit of movement.  I spoke to L about this and we did come to a consensus.  She pointed out that as you continue to lose weight and get closer to your goal weight or the weight your body thinks is the comfort zone the process slows considerably.  So I'm actually close to my goal weight, even though I want to lose more, so this mechanic applies at the moment I'm having these negative thoughts as to why the scale is stalling.  So to rectify this I'm doing the following.  No longer weighing myself every week.  I'll weigh myself every few weeks and work really hard to break myself of the habit of stressing over the scale weight.  My new benchmark will be how my clothes fit.  I've noticed recently that some of my clothes from my skinnier days are starting to fit again.  I have a closet full of those items of clothing that I wore for short periods of time because I got fatter so they didn't fit anymore.  Now they are and that will be my new focus not the scale.  This will be part of my new year plan, not a resolution as I don't believe in those, but a life change.  I will continue to tweak my daily and weekly workouts to reflect this new change. 

Wow only 4 more entries and I'll have hit 300!  Certainly didn't think I'd be able to keep it going but sure am glad I did.  Speaking of which here's Day 296 in all it's glory:

Breakfast: Peanut Butter Larabar and 20oz of cold water.

After work out meal: Pan fried Cod fillet sandwich.  It consisted of a piece of Cod, an egg, tomato, avocado, and spinach on two slices of sourdough bread.  On the side a big helping of yam fries.

A friend from work was having a birthday gathering so we went to a Mexican restaurant. I had a "healthy" burrito.  It had mushrooms, chicken, black beans, rice, and other veggies and I added sour cream and guacamole.  Had some adult beverages during the night as we closed down the bar we went to.  I haven't closed down a joint in quite a few years so somewhat of a new experience.  I was the driver so I was good and only had one adult beverage.  Everyone else took advantage of my goodness and had a great time.  Some more than others.  Oh and I wore a shirt that I've never been able to wear due to it being too small (I thought it looked kool in the store and didn't try it on first).  So for me that was very cool.

Had a good work out and talk with L today.  As I've said earlier we talked about some stuff I can do a bit differently and I think it will help my confidence. L will be out of town next week so I'm on my own for the next two weeks.  And Thanksgiving is Thursday.  I've already thought about my plan for that day.  For now all I'm saying is, it's Thanksgiving and I'm going to eat turkey and stuffing and other good stuff. Stay tuned.

Day 294 & 295

Getting behind so am going to combine a couple of days into one post.  Both days were fairly straight forward.  Went to the gym on day 294 and did a combo of cardio and weights.  On day 294 I wasn't feeling too much push back from the Tabata workout class the nite before.  My arms were a bit touchy but over all I still felt like lifting weights would be okay.  For the cardio I just did the stepper and recumbent but only did intervals on the stepper.  Day 295 is my normal skip day, it's a Friday so I figure I can take it easy.  Especially since the next day is meet up with L day.  So here's the food entries:

Day 294 Breakfast: Egg and veggie burger sandwich with tomato and guacamole.  Banana and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Day 294 half of a Cherry Pie Larabar Day 295 skipped this snack

2nd snack: Day 294 & 295 Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Day 294 Subway small (3") and a wrap with turkey.  At a meeting so lunch was provided.  Day 295 Sourdough sandwich with roast beef, turkey, cheese, roasted red peppers, and tomato with peanut butter. 

3rd snack: Day 294 half of a Cherry Pie Larabar Day 295 skipped the snack this day also.

Dinner: Day 294 three falafal balls and three chicken meat balls mixed with the stir fried veggies and salsa.  Plus a slice of sourdough bread with some tomato and almond butter.  Day 295 local burger joint organic hamburger with cheese and half a bag of Popchips.  Also an adult beverage.  Later had baby carrots and a handful of almonds.

So there are two days of fun.  My clothes continue to fit well and I feel like I'm doing the right thing at the end of the day.  I look forward to tomorrow and what the scale has to say.

Day 293

Now for something completely different....haha not really.  I did try something different at the gym today and I might keep it up.  It's called Tabata Intervals.  Basically a 25 minute class where you do a specific exercise for 20 seconds, then rest for 10sec and then go again for a total of 8 sets.  You rest for a minute and then do it again with a different exercise, then rest for a minute and finish out with a different exercise.  So you end up doing three exercises for eight 20sec sets each and that's it.  Sounds easy right? Wrong!  A couple of rules, if you are doing let's say pushups and you go for 20sec doing a normal push up (on the toes not on the knees) you must continue that version for the entire eight segments, no cheating.  The objective is to keep the same intensity all the way thru to the end.  It's all up to you, not trying to keep up with the others in the class, just yourself.  I was sweating as much as I do when I follow my normal cardio workout, that takes an hour and the class only lasted 25min.  Like I said it was different and I'm willing to try again next week.  It would be a good break from my normal routine.  Here's what happened in the food arena:

Breakfast: Turkey and egg sandwich with tomato and guacamole on a skinny bun.  Banana and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Apple Pie Larabar

2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Sourdough sandwich with turkey, roast beef, Swiss cheese, tomato, pickle, and peanut butter.

No 3rd snack

Dinner: Chicken meatballs mixed with stir-fried cauliflower and broccoli with salsa.  A slice of sourdough bread and almond butter.  A bit later a bag of 100cal popcorn.

Day 292

It's that time again where I regale you with my awesome accomplishments in the weight loss arena. Of course it's all malarkey but still fun to talk about.  Today is the beginning of a short work week due to Veteran's Day.  I'm quite happy to say that the day went off as planned.  I actually got out of bed with enough time to get in a morning core workout and still felt like I accomplished something other than waking up in time to go to work.  At the gym I did the cardio workout and switched the machines around a little bit.  I did the recumbent second and the stair stepper last.  Instead of the other way around which was the norm up to this point.  I am skipping the afternoon snack as lately I've felt that lunch was so filling that I didn't need to eat anything between lunch and dinner.  Of course the workout comes in there between those two meals but I still feel I'm good without the snack.  I'm going to try this for a few weeks and see.  Here's how I ate my way thru the day:

Breakfast: Egg and turkey sandwich on a skinny bun with guacamole and tomato.  Banana and 20oz of cold water.

1st snack: Apple Pie Larabar

2nd snack: Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch: Turkey and roast beef sandwich on sourdough bread.  Added tomato, roasted red peppers, peanut butter, and cheese.  This was a big sandwich and it was all I needed.  I was very satisfied.

3rd snack: As I've stated I'm skipping this snack for the foreseeable future.

Dinner: My regular dinner bowl filled with chicken and jalapeno meatballs, stir-fried cauliflower and broccoli, topped with mango-peach salsa.  A bit later had a 100cal bag of popcorn.

I'm still getting belt loop #5 to work and #6 is peeking around the corner but still hiding rather well.  That's okay as I know it's there I just have to work for it.

Day 291

Yay it's another day off!  In the past I've always tried to be a good person and not over indulge.  Quite often though it was not what really happened.  I'd end up eating three or four meals that were, quite frankly, over the top and made me feel guilty and fat.  Combine that with sitting in front of the computer, either watching movies or playing video games and, well you get the picture.  So yesterday was a day to remember in the future.  I got up and went to the gym (lifted weights), came home and then joined up with a friend to go to the movies.  After the movie went out to eat and had a pleasant but not crazy meal.  Came home and spent some quality time with the computer and later ate the rest of the earlier meal (yes I didn't eat it all at the restaurant) and had a great time before going to bed.  Wholly satisfied with my day.  Here's the finer points:

Breakfast: Yogurt and 20oz of cold water.

After workout meal: An egg and turkey sandwich on a skinny bun with spinach and almond butter.

Late lunch: Went to a restaurant and had a turkey/bacon sandwich with tomato and cheese.  Also had a salad bar (8" plate) with no dressing and a beer.  Had some of my dining companion's fries (probably @ 15) and only ate half of the sandwich as I was saving it for later.

1st dinner: Finished the sandwich from lunch along with a bag of Cheetos (quilty pleasure)

2nd dinner:  Stir fried cauliflower, broccoli, and carrot shreds mixed with quinoa.

And then later had a snack of popcorn.

I went to the gym in the morning and did weights.  I ran one of L's routines from a couple of sessions ago.  I walked away feeling good and so am encouraged to continue trying to work in weights a couple of times a week.  I know it's good for me.

I did have a small epiphany as I was eating 2nd dinner.  I'd finished and was satisfied but at the same time still hungry.  I started to think about eating more ( and the eating more was going to bad stuff) but was able to consciously convince myself to wait a bit and if I was still hungry then I could eat more.  So I listened to myself and waited.  Guess what? I decided that I really wasn't hungry after all.  I've actually never experienced the "let's wait and see" feeling as in the past I've always given in immediately and ate more.  I then would feel bad both mentally and physically.  Need to remember that for the future also.

Day 290

I've got an extra day off this weekend so am taking advantage of it and really doing nothing.  I generally don't do anything on the weekends but with the extra day it just makes sense to me to slack off completely.  I still went to the gym in the morning and did some grocery shopping as I'm going to be busy tomorrow (the extra day off).  Otherwise it's a "do whatever" kind of a day.  These are the days that can be problematic in the sense of getting bored and then turning to food to entertain myself.  So we'll be watching out for that.  Confidence is high though.  Let's find out how I did:

Breakfast: Greek yogurt and 20oz of cold water.

After workout meal: Torta (Mexican sandwich) with Carnitas (pork) and a banana.

Dinner: A Panini sandwich and a deli chicken salad with cabbage and fried chicken.  Also an adult beverage.

Later that night snack: 100cal bag of popcorn and an apple. 

So I did quite well in the food department as I didn't really go crazy when I got bored.  I guess I kept myself distracted without getting "hungry".  At the gym I did a cardio workout and plan on a weight workout for tomorrow.  I'll use one of L's plans and start the week out right.