Day 59

Ohh, Tuesdays!!! How you mock me!

The Great Rice Krispie Treat Debacle happened on a Tuesday. And while there was no debacle yesterday, I struggled throughout the day to not snack. And it was tough.

No breakfast shake for me to begin the day. Instead I had a breakfast bar and an orange. It was quite yummy, actually. Lunch, again the grilled chicken Caesar salad, again with a bit too much dressing. I think I need to take a break from that salad. I can't imagine it being that good for me as they're currently preparing it. And dinner? Well, I skipped dinner. This time totally on purpose.

The entire day, in addition to wanting to snack like a fiend, I wasn't hungry at all. I actually felt quite bloated. Stuffed, actually. Whether or not it deserved the blame, I blamed the orange chicken from the night before.

I didn't not eat entirely, though. I did have about six strawberries around 5:00 p.m., and about 20 grapes around 8:30 p.m. But even when I ate those things, I wasn't feeling hungry.

And I didn't snack. Thankfully. But God I wanted to. Oh, Tuesday...

So, just the facts:


Day 58 food:

Breakfast bar
Orange
Water
Banana
Water
Grilled chicken Caesar salad (3/4 order)
Water
Strawberries (about 6)
Grapes (about 20)
Water

Day 58 exercise: Three long walks plus 20 minute yoga workout

Daily weight: 240 lbs. (down 47)


Today should be another normal day. I'm thinking about going to the movies tonight, so perhaps there's some popcorn in my future. But we'll see.

Thanks for reading!

Day 58

Yesterday was a good day, though I did indulge in a dinner that I am certain must be bad for me. Nothing can taste that good and be even remotely good for me. But I didn't care, I was craving it, I have been a very good boy for weeks now, and I didn't overdo it.

For breakfast I managed to make a shake, though I have sort of stopped liking them that much. But it wasn't that bad. Lunch was the grilled chicken Caesar salad, as suspected, but they put so much dressing on it that it became sort of repulsive.

Between lunch and dinner I cut up some strawberries... delicious.

And for dinner, orange chicken with white rice from Wolcano. So freeeeking good. And horribly bad for you. I am fully expecting to be about eighteen pounds heavier this morning as a result. But, who cares. It was good, I stopped eating at 9:00 p.m., and I left some on the plate (though, not much, in all honesty).

A few of mini-triumphs throughout the day to report, too. Mid-morning a real estate agent who had showm my boss's house came by to thank me for re-arranging my schedule to do the showing, and brought a small box of Godiva chocolate for me. I must confess, i unwrapped the box, stared at the chocolate, smelled it (perverted, huh?), and even tried to rationalize the nutritional information. But didn't eat any. Later in the day, I made banana bread for my boss's son this afternoon. And it ws soooo tempting to taste the batter. I was trying to tell myself that I needed to taste it to make sure it came out okay, but I know it came out okay. I've made this same bread about 100 times. I can tell when the batter's bad. And I managed to avoid tasting it. And, the other mini-triumph, I managed to not eat the chocolate-dipped fortune cookie you get at Wolcano. Again, awfully tempting, but I resisted.

So that was the day that was. Now, the facts:


Day 57 food:

Shake (banana, blueberries, orange juice, ice, low-fat strawberry yougurt)
Water
Grapes (about 10)
Quaker Quakes (about 4 pcs.)
Grilled chicken Caesar salad (3/4 order)
Water
Strawberries (about 6)
Water
Orange chicken with white rice (about 4/5 order)
Water

Day 57 exercise: Four long walks

Daily weight: 241 lbs. (down 46)


Hopefully today won't be as challenging. Should be a pretty routine day (though I said the same thing about yesterday too!).

Thanks for reading!

Day 57

I fully expected to be in a tremendous amount of pain yesterday, but managed to make it through the day not feeling that bad at all.

I didn't have a breakfast shake as I had originally planned, but rather had a breakfast bar. I forgot to have a banana with it, though, and was feeling a bit hungry around mid-day. But, as has become a habit (probably a bad one) I skipped lunch and instead had some popcorn at the movies. From there, I watched the Oscars at a friends place, and heated up a bowl of my favorite Chunky soup. For as many times as I've eaten it, I still love it.

I also managed to get in a yoga workout, four long walks, drove a friend to the airport, and did a couple hours worth of work at my boss's house in anticipation of his arrival home from a business trip. And I got to bed at a decent hour (11:30 a.m.) so have given myself almost exactly eight hours worth of sleep.

So, that was the day. Now, the facts:


Day 56 food:

Kellogg's breakfast bar
Water
Popcorn (medium bucket)
Water
Campbell's Chunky chicken gumbo (entire can)
Water
Cinnamon twist (1 pc.)
Water

Day 56 exercise: Four long walks plus 20 minute yoga workout

Daily weight: 240 lbs. (down 47)


Today it's back to the bump and grind of my work day. Both bosses are in town, so should be a busy day. Plus, I'm looking forward to a grilled chicken Caesar salad for lunch!

Thanks for reading.

Day 56

Exercise-wise, yesterday was my best day yet. Food-wise, it was pretty good. But, I forgot to drink water throughout the day.

I had meetings in the morning, then a lunch date with an old friend from Boston, then plans to ride my bike along the ocean with another friend down in Santa Monica. The bike ride almost didn't happen because, it being so long since last I rode, I couldn't remember the combo to my lock. But, after a quick and fevered search through boxes of crap, I found the card from the lock with the combo.

Pre-meeting I had a breakfast shake, a bottle of water at my meetings, a chicken breast Caesar salad (which they charged $16.95 for!), and then some grapes throughout the day. Finally, I had a smoothie around 6:00 p.m. No dinner following the smoothie. I got home from the bike ride at 8:45 p.m., and could have easily whipped up a bowl of soup, but wasn't hungry at all, and felt like I'd eaten pretty good, if not perfectly during the day.

The bike ride, though, was pretty spectacular. It was a beautiful day, probably a smidge colder than I would have liked, but the ride along the beach was amazing. All told, I'd say we did about 12 miles.

So that was my day yesterday. Now, the facts:

Day 55 food:

Shake (banana, blueberries, OJ, strawberry low-fat yougurt, ice)
Water
Chicken breast Caesar salad (3/4 order)
Arnold Palmer (1/2 iced tea, 1/2 lemonade)
Water
Grapes (about 40)
Water
Banana strawberry kiwi smoothie
Water

Day 55 exercise: Three long walks plus 12-mile (approx.) bike ride

Daily weight: 240 lbs. (down 47)


Today will be a slightly frantic day, as I have to go to work to get a couple of things done before my boss arrives home mid-day, plus I have to drive a friend to the airport right in the middle of the day.

Thanks for reading!

Day 55

Yesterday wasn't a great day, but not for any reason that is particularly horrible, or anything that will tip the scales away from my favor.

In a nutshell, I ate very sparingly. Not 100% on purpose, but sparingly nevertheless.

I woke and had a banana and a Kellogg's breakfast bar. It was good, took my vitamins and went off to work. My plan had been to leave work at 1:00 p.m., head home to walk the pup, have a can of soup for lunch, then make it to therapy at 2:00 p.m. Unfortunately nobody made it back to the house until 1:50 p.m., so I missed lunch, miss the mid-day walk, and just barely made it to therapy on-time.

From therapy, I picked up sushi from Gelson's market. Avacoado roll and a spicy shrimp roll. The avacado roll was good (though it's gotta be kind of hard to mess it up), and the shrimp roll sucked. I only at 2 pcs. of the shrimp and 8 pcs. of the avacado.

From there, I worked until 7:00 p.m. Once home, I hemmed and hawed about what to have for dinner, but ultimately decided to skip it and have some popcorn at a 10:00 p.m. movie. I was breaking the after 9:00 p.m. rule, but talked myself into it anyway.

Once at the movie, I was told that concessions would be closed until just before the movie began, so waited (impatiently). Before we could be let into the theater, though, I got a call that my boss's house alarm was going off. So, I missed the movie, and instead headed up to the Hollywood Hills to creep around an empty house with a security guard brandishing his gun. Very Law and Order: Special Personal Assistant's Unit.

Nothing at the house, so I headed home. Now it's 11:30 p.m., and I'm hungry. And tired. Rather than eat, I just went to bed.

So, that was the day that was. Nothing horrible, but I felt out of control the entire day. On the drive home after the potential break-in, I sooooo wanted to stop for food. I kept telling myself, I deserve an omlette. I deserve some Wendy's. But I didn't do it. Thankfully.

Anyway, that was the day that was. Now, the facts:

Day 54 food:

Kellogg's breakfast bar
Banana
Water
Avacado roll (8 pcs.)
Spicy shrimp roll (2 pcs.)
Water
Grapes (about 15)

Day 54 exercise: Three long walks plus 20 minute yoga work-out

Daily weight: 241 lbs. (down 46)


Today should be a good day. I'm hungry now, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to make a shake for myself to get the day started correctly.

Thanks for reading!

Day 54

Another good day yesterday, though my mind did wander quite a bit to all sorts of things that I shouldn't be eating.

I didn't make a shake for breakfast, though. I had one of those 90 calorie Kellogg's breakfast bars and a banana instead. It wasn't that bad a breakfast actually.

Lunch, my usual grilled chicken Caesar salad. And Chunky chicken gumbo for dinner.

But wow, was my mind racing all day yesterday. At every turn I was thinking about something else I could be eating rather than fruit or sensible meals. This city is filled with temptation at almost every turn. On my drive to work alone I pass four McDonalds, three Burger Kings, two Wendy's, one In-and-Out Burger, two Taco Bells, one KFC, and countless donut shops. It would be so easy to pull over and devour something. I could probably finish it before I would even realize what I was doing.

Anyway, I didn't do it. But the temptation is there, every day.

So, now the facts:


Day 54 food:

Kellogg's breakfast bar (90 calories)
Banana
Water
Grapes (about 15)
Grilled chicken Caesar salad (about 2/3 order)
Water
Orange
Grapes (about 10)
Chunky chicken gumbo (entire can, 2 servings)
Water

Day 54 exercise: Four long walks plus 30 minutes of yoga

Daily weight: 243 lbs. (down 44)


Today I've got a very busy day ahead of me, but no plans in the evening, so will need to forage for food. Tomorrow (weather permitting) I'm planning on riding my bike along the ocean in Santa Monica. Really looking forward to that!

Thanks for reading.

Day 53

Yesterday was another good day.

For one thing, I finally made myself a shake for breakfast, rather than skipping breakfast completely. It was good, though the banana wasn't quite ripe yet making it a smidge dry.

Had my usual salad for lunch, and (not surprising) had sushi for dinner (as it was so good last night I figured I'd keep things going).

Not much else to report, though I did get a phone call (which I screened out) from the person from whom I usually purchase pot. He generally calls whenever he gets in an order that is especially good. I'll probably call him back in the next couple of days to tell him that I'm not buying right now. He's a very nice guy, actually, so while I don't have any plans to buy, I also don't want to be rude. Okay, I'm sure this entire paragraph makes me seem like a total whackjob. I guess I am.

Anyway, it was a good day. Now, the facts:


Day 52 food:

Shake (banana, blueberries, ice, OJ, low-fat strawberry yougurt)
Water
Grilled chicken Caesar salad (4/5 of an order)
Water
Orange
Avacado roll (6 pcs.)
Spicy tuna roll (8 pcs.)
Water

Day 52 exercise: Four long walks plus 20-minute yoga workout

Daily weight: 245 lbs. (down 42)


So that was yesterday. Today should end up being very similar, though I do have dental work scheduled for later this morning. Perhaps some more soup later on!

Thanks for reading!

Day 52

Yesterday was another good day. I'm sort of enjoying stringing together one good day after another.

Again, though, I did skip breakfast. There were no bananas in the house, and nothing else to make. But, once at work, I ate a Kellogg's Special K strawberry breakfast bar. It has 90 calories, and 1.5 g of fat. It was good, not particularly filling, and (like all foods with corn syrup) left me wanting about a half-dozen more, but I definitely don't feel like I fell off the wagon because of eating it.

Lunch I had my favorite grilled chicken Caesar salad, then went out for sushi for dinner.

After dinner I grocery shopped. A couple of thoughts on grocery stores. They're evil. Of all the edible foods at the grocery store, only 95% of the place can I actually eat. One aisle after another has food to tempt me. From baked goods to candy to chips to cheese to pudding to sausage to pastas. The good thing is, I don't feel like I'm confronting an ex-boyfriend when I walk the aisles any longer, the way I had felt when I would go to the store when I first started this whole thing. But it's still a strange place to go.

But, I bought my yougurt and bananas then got the hell outta there.

Anyway, that was the day that was. Now, the facts:


Day 51 food:

Special K strawberry breakfast bar (90 cal.)
Water
Grilled chicken Caesar salad (entire order)
Water
Spicy tuna roll (three pieces)
Salmon roll (four pieces)
Shrimp tempura (one piece)
Gyoza (four pieces)
Water

Day 51 exercise: Four longs walks plus 20-minute yoga work-out!

Daily weight: 244 lbs. (down 43)


Another full day of work today. I might go to church tonight, as it's Ash Wednesday. But then again I might go to a meeting for a show I'm working on instead. We'll see.

Thanks for reading!

P.S. No pictures today. The batteries died and I forgot to buy fresh ones at the store yesterday. I'll bring my camera to work and try and get a picture later on today.

Day 51

Yesterday was another good day, though I did have something for lunch that I haven't had in ages.

Yes, that's right folks, I had a sandwich. I don't know why, but I've basically avoided sandwiches this entire time. Perhaps because I have only liked sandwiches with cheese and mayo and salami and ham and and and... But anyway, I've stayed away.

The day was crazy enough that by 2:30 p.m., when I had a coffee meeting at a Starbucks, I hadn't eaten. So, I chose one of the prepared sandwiches they sell there. I was chicken breast with cheese and bacon and some veges. Per the label, 510 calories and 16 g. of fat. I probably could have picked the bacon and/or the cheese off, but I had to keep in mind this is about not living life out-of-bounds. 510 calories wasn't a diet-buster. And it was on hippie-bread (meaning something besides white or your run-of-the-mill wheat). Very good all around.

Late afternoon I had some dental work, and followed that up with a can of soup.

Not a bad day.

So, just the facts:


Day 50 food:

Water
Chicken breast sandwich with cheese bacon veges on grainy bread (510 cal.)
Water
Chunky chicken gumbo (entire can, 2 servings)
Water

Day 50 exercise: Three long walks

Daily weight: 245 lbs. (down 42)


So that was yesterday. Today I'm back to work at my afternoon job, so I'm hoping for a grilled chicken Caesar salad mid-day. Should be delicious!

Thanks for reading!

Day 50

Yesterday was a pretty good day, though food-wise it was bloated in the middle, though extremely light at the front and back.

I had a banana when I woke up, then nothing until lunch out with a friend. I chose a salad that didn't sound too healthy at all. It had buffalo chicken, crumbled blue cheese, ranch dressing, and bits of bacon. Yum, but... Not specifically the best choice I could have made. But there you have it.

I also snacked on chips and salsa before the lunch came.

Then, less than 45 minutes later, I was snacking on popcorn at the movies. I got through about half a bag. I wasn't remotely hungry, but God it tasted good.

And then I didn't eat anything the rest of the day. We were out of the movie around 6:00 p.m., so there wasn't much time anyway.

I don't feel bad about the day, but I guess I could have made a better lunch choice. There certainly were better salads on the menu. Oh well.

So, just the facts:


Day 49 food:

Banana
Water
Buffalo chicken salad (chicken, ranch dressing, crumbled bleu cheese, bacon, lettuce, carrots)
Tortilla chips (about 15)
Salsa (not very much)
Strawberry lemonade (one glass)
Water
Popcorn (about half a large bag)
Water
Water

Day 49 exercise: Three long walks

Daily weight: 245 lbs. (down 42)



So that was the day that was. Today, back to work, followed by dental work later tonight. I suspect there'll be soup in my future!

Thanks for reading!

Day 49

Yesterday ended up being a strange day, but I think I survived it as best possible.

First off, there had been plans to go to a casino buffet with the poker group out in Palm Springs. My plan had been to arrive later than everybody else. They would play for a couple of hours, then all of us would go to the casino, eat, then return to playing.

But, when they arrived out there, everybody was hungry then, so they had buffet lunch without me.

Probably for the best. Perhaps it's too soon for a buffet for me! So, I ended up snacking on grapes on the drive out, got an orange from a rest stop gas station along the way, and then got Chinese food for dinner. Probably not the strongest choice I could have made, but I made it nevertheless!

So that was the day. Now, the facts:

Day 48 food:

Water
Grapes (about 40)
Raspberry-flavored water (disgusting)
Orange
Water
Water
Steamed pork dumplings (2 pcs.)
Orange chicken (about 1/2 of a small container)
White rice
Water

Day 48 exercise: Three long walks

Daily weight: 244 lbs. (down 43)


So that was my day. I think I'm heading to Westwood later today to have lunch with a friend before seeing a move. We're probably going to go to Chili's. I usually have the buffalo chicken with the seasoned French fries. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that. Very not good for me. But we'll see.

Thanks for reading!

Day 48

Yesterday wasn't a bad day at all. Though strange.

My boss's house got broken into the night before, so I spent the entire day dealing with security companies, cops, glass replacement companies, etc.

But food-wise, I made it through the day without any glitches.

Again, I skipped my morning shake. Probably shouldn't have, but there you have it. Lunch I had the bare burrito from Baja Fresh. No burrito bowl from Chipotle, but it got the job done. Dinner I snacked on california roll from Gelson's. Not the best sushi I've ever had in my life, but it too got the job done.

But now I'm rushing because the police are heading back to my bosses house.

So, just the facts:

Day 47 food:

Bare burrito (chicken, black beans, rice, salsa, peppers and onions, guacamole)
Water
California roll (8 pcs.)
Water

Day 47 exercise: Four long walks

Daily weight: 246 lbs (down 41)


So that was the day. There might be a buffet in my future later today. More on that later.

Thanks for reading!

PS Pictures later!

Day 47

Yesterday I felt like things were getting back to normal.

Still, late at night, my mind wandered to cheating and how easy it was. But I was easily able to overcome that, which made me pretty happy. I did skip a breakfast shake again yesterday, but didn't feel hungry at all, and never really got hungry (even though I did devour my grilled chicken Caesar salad for lunch).

Other than that, not much else to report.

But, I did promise to talk about my other vices. So, today we'll talk drugs. Not all sorts of drugs, just one in particular. Pot. While I've come and gone on my usage of pot, up until January 1 of this year, I was using it pretty heavily, and it was running my life for me. While I think I agree with people that the drug itself is not addictive, the feeling you get when you're on it sure it. And that was pretty tough to give me. But, it's been almost seven weeks and I haven't had a lick of it. I've been tempted plenty of times, and I've even been offered it on a couple of occasions as well. But, so far I've turned it down or resisted the urges. I'm not sure that I'll never go back to it. And while I said that I would give myself 8 weeks or so to detox, at least, I think it's too early to consider going back. I simply don't trust myself yet to not binge eat while high.

So, that's the pot update. I'm very pleased that I've kept it at bay for so long. We'll see how long it lasts!


So, now the facts:

Day 46 food:

Water
Grilled chicken Caesar salad (entire order)
Water
Orange
Water
Chunky chicken gumbo (entire can, 2 servings)
Water

Day 46 exercise: Four long walks

Daily weight: 247 lbs. (down 40)


Today should be another good day. Work all day, therapy at the end of the day, then I'm going to see a friend do her stand-up at a club here in Hollywood. Should be fun!

Thanks for reading!

Day 46

Ugh. I just had the entire blog written out for today, but sure enough my computer crashed. That's never happened to me before, and I'm a bit perplexed by it.

But oh well. So, now, because I have to head to work shortly, I will summarize that which I wrote out just before.

Yesterday was tough, but I survived. I punished and beat myself up a little bit, but it wasn't that bad. I woke up full, didn't have a shake, at grapes mid-morning, had a can of soup for lunch (a good correction for myself, delicious, good-for-me, filling), and then popcorn for dinner. I know, not the best dinner in the world, but I was full, didn't eat after 9:00 p.m., and had a great time at the movies.

So, just the facts:


Day 45 food:

Grapes (about 30)
Water
Chunky chicken gumbo (entire can, 2 servings)
Water
Popcorn (large from the Arclight)
Water

Day 45 exercise: Four long walks

Daily weight: 248 lbs. (down 39)



So that was yesterday. Today, I'm going to keep this going and put my slip-up behind me. Also, in the next day or so, I need to report on the other vices. This is called "Four Vices" for a reason. And I need to stop and acknowledge my abilities to keep the other vices in check. I'm doing pretty good, and need to appreciate that.

Thanks for reading!

Day 45

Yesterday was a very bad day. And it didn't seem like it was going to be that bad, but it got worse and worse as things went on.

I even debated being honest in this blog about what happened, but I need to be honest not only here, but with myself. I am not going to hold onto this for too long, but I need to keep it in mind to remind myself that reverting to old habits and behaviors will only reverse all the great work I've done thus far.

The day started out fine, shake for breakfast, remembered to drink water through the morning, then a few Quaker Quakes before heading to my afternoon job. Once there, I picked up a grilled chicken Caesar salad, which I devoured. Then, I snacked on Quaker Quakes throughout the afternoon. Probably consumed about six servings total.

Once home around 7:30 p.m., I was feeling wiped out (I think I was crashing after all the sugar from the Quaker Quakes). To energize myself, I ate the rest of the Mexican chicken (no guac, a good sign I thought). The entire time, though, from the beginning of my drive home, I was feeling like I wanted to eat and eat and eat.

So, I followed up dinner with a bunch of grapes, hoping that would hold me together. Didn't work. So, I threw together a batch of Rice Krispie treats. And... I ate almost the entire pan. Ahh yes, the binger is still in me, he was laying dormant for a long while, but he emerged last night. And I was on auto pilot for much of the night. I felt high. I kept telling myelf "only one more piece" but that didn't help. Finally, around 11:30 p.m., I took the pup for a walk and threw what remained of the treats away. I knew I couldn't cut them up and keep them around the house for a later date.

Now, technically, I chose the lesser of many evils. I was just as easily convinced that I could head to 7-Eleven and dive into some Nutter Butters, or Chips Ahoy, or... or... But I didn't do that. I ate the equivilent of about 4 cups of Rice Krispies (4 servings, 100 cal. per serving, 0g fat), 2/3 a bag of marshmellows (about 8 servings, 100 cal. per serving, 0g fat), and 2 tablespoons of butter (2 servings, 100 cal per serving, 22g fat total). And I drank water with it, like that made it all better, right?

So, that was the day that was. Of course, I pop on the scale this morning and sure enough I weigh in at three pounds heavier than I was yesterday.

So, today I have to brush myself off, keep my head high, and remain focused on the goal. Even with the three pounds I put on (maybe because of yesterday's eating, maybe for any other reason too), I'm still doing great (down 36 lbs. isn't too shabby).

Damn, this was tough to write.

So, the facts:

Day 44 food:

Shake (banana, blueberries, ice, OJ, low-fat strawberry yougurt)
Water
Quaker Quakes (1 serving)
Grilled chicken Caesar salad (full order)
Water
Quaker Quakes (4 servings)
Water
Mexican chicken (not tons, about 1/2 of a small tupperware)
Water
Grapes (about 20)
Rice Krispie treats (2/3 of a tray...)

Day 44 exercise: Three long walks

Daily weight: 251 lbs. (down 36)



So, onward and upward. I will remember, but I won't beat myself up, and I will remain focused on the goals ahead of me.

Thanks for reading.

Day 44

Yesterday was an interesting day because I was in such a snacky mood all day. I didn't ever indulge my snacks with anything bad, but I was still wanting to snack throughout.

There were two things that contributed to that. First, I don't think I drank enough water. I sort of hate the way the filtered water at my morning job tastes, so that stops me from really drinking a lot, and second, I didn't really have lunch. I had a few mouthfuls of the leftover Mexican chicken, but not an entire meal.

So, between grapes and rice cakes, I was always sort of picking around.

But I kept the urges to snack on something worse at bay, and in the end feel good about the day I had.

So, the facts:

Day 43 food:

Shake (banana, OJ, ice, blueberries, low-fat strawberry yougurt)
Water
Mexican chicken (three mouthfuls)
Water
Buttered popcorn flavored rice cake (1)
Water
Low-fat lemon yougurt (one small container, 180 calories)
Grapes
Quaker Quakes (1 serving)
Water
Mexican chicken (full order)
Water

Day 43 exercise: Four long walks

Daily weight: 248 lbs. (down 39)


So that was the day that was. Today should be another regimented day, so there probably won't be too many problems to report.

Thanks for reading!

Day 43

Yesterday wasn't my best day foodwise, but I (again) don't feel completely terrible abou it. And it's not like I sucked down tons of things I shouldn't have, I feel like I just ate a bit more than I needed to.

But that said, I did try and make good choices, I drank lots of water, and I got in four long walks.

I was out of bananas in the morning, so skipped making a shake and just made a huge pot of Mexican chicken. Waking up at 11:30 a.m. didn't hurt in the skipping the shake thing.

To go with the Mexican chicken, I made some quacamole and chose to snack a bit on it wtih these baked pita chips I bought. Delicious, but also kind of snacky, and a snacky that I haven't normally done. I followed that with a plate of the Mexican chicken, which was great, but maybe a bit fuller than I would have wanted.

Only about four hours later, and not that hungry (not hungry at all really), I ordered dinner out with a friend before playing in a poker tournament. I chose the crab cakes with a salad. I'm pretty sure crab cakes aren't good for you, but the salad was quite perfect, so, again, I'm not going to be too harsh on myself.

One funny thing happened. As the batteries died yesterday morning, I had to get some from the 7-Eleven last night. So there I was at the 7-E at midnight, and the guy who works there sort of looked at me funny as I bought batteries and nothing else. He sort of mumbled, "haven't seen you lately," and I felt like cheering. Funny, I thought.

So, just the facts:

Day 42 food:

Mexican chicken (chicken, green peppers, guacamole, rice, onion, small amt. of cheese)
Guacamole and chips (1 serving of chips, 4 grams of fat, about 2/3 of one avacado, 8.3 million grams of fat (but the good fat, right?))
Water
Crab cakes (three small ones)
Corn and cucumber salad (nice size)
Water
Water
Water

Day 42 exercise: Four long walks

Daily weight: 250 lbs. (down 37)


So that was the day that was. Today back to the daily grind, so should be a pretty easy day.

Thanks for reading!

Day 42

Yesterday went well.

I woke up and had a shake for breakfast, then had a grilled chicken Caesar salad for lunch. The salad was miserable, though, so I barely picked at it. The croutons were bad, there was hardly any dressing, and the chicken was bone dry.

So, when dinner rolled around, pizza at poker night, I opted for two slices. While delicious, I probably could have stayed at just one slice. The other thing that happened while enjoying the pizza is, I had to stop myself after about four bites and tell myself to slow down. I did slow down, and ended up enjoying the food much more.

And that was about all to report from the day. On a note unrelated to all things vice, I did buy a new TV and spend half the day setting it up and re-arranging my furniture. Because of that, as you'll see, the phototgraphs will be of me standing in front of my front door, rather than my living room wall.

So, now the facts:

Day 41 food:

Shake (banana, orange juice, ice, blueberries, low-fat strawberry yougurt)
Water
Grilled chicken Caesar salad (1/3 order)
Water
Quaker Quakes (1 serving)
Water
Pizza (2 slices)
Water

Day 41 exercise: three long walks

Daily weight: 250 lbs. (down 37)


So today I have more poker (for this double-whammy, I will take next Saturday off). I'm all out of bananas, so will probably just have some yougurt for breakfast. And that's about it.

Thanks for reading!

(Okay, no pictures today. Batteries died and I haven't bought fresh ones...)

Day 41

Yesterday was another good day.

The first good thing about yesterday was, the thoughts of the pizza I ate the night before didn't linger at all. That made me pretty happy, because even a few short weeks ago, I would have obsessed over the ramifications of something like that for days.

I also had therapy yesterday, and that went very well. I can't really remember everything that was discussed, but it was good. More on this as my brain crunches through everything.

Another nice thing that happened was this. I rent a parking space from an older Russian man. His English is pretty good, not spectacular. And he's a very nice guy. And when I met up with him to give him the rent, he commented on my weight loss. That made me really happy, because he's a guy who I only see once a month. And it's not like I'm wearing different clothes. Same baggy clothes I always wear.

Anyway, food-wise, I missed lunch. Had some Quaker Quakes mid-day, then sushi for dinner. I don't feel that bad about missing it.

So, just the facts:


Day 39 food:

Shake (banana, OJ, ice, blueberries, low-fat strawberry yougurt)
Water
Tangerine
Quaker Quakes (2 servings)
Water
Avacado roll (6 pcs.)
Spicy tuna roll (4 pcs.)
Water

Day 39 exercise: Three long walks

Daily weight: 250 lbs. (down 37)


Today I have poker, and I think I'm going to end up having lunch out with a friend. That means I'll have to pick a nice salad off of a menu with bazillions of other things I'd rather eat. Wish me luck!

Thanks for reading.

Day 40

Yesterday evening I gave into temptation, and then let myself go a little further than I should have.

I don't think I ruined things or anything that dramatic, and, asa small victory, I haven't really beaten myself up about it that badly either, which I'm pretty happy about.

But, that said, I still did indulge. Basically, I had to go to the Ikea in Burbank, and there's a California Pizza Kitchen right across the street. So, throughout the day, I convinced myself that the shrimp scampi pizza was a healthy choice. And while it was sort of the lesser of many evils, it wasn't ideal. I also got a cup of the Sedona tortilla soup. And the final kicker... when I was eating the pizza, I wasn't hungry about half-way through it, but I still finished it. That was reverting to an old habit of finishing everything in front of me, regardless of whether or not I'm hungry.

Oh well. It happened, and I'll get over it.

The rest of the day went just fine. Shake for breakfast, salad for lunch, and some rice cake snacks throughout the day.

So, just the facts.

Day 39 food:

Shake (banana, OJ, blueberries, ice, strawberry low-fat yougurt)
Water
Grapes (about 20)
Quaker Quakes rice cakes (about 1 serving)
Grilled chicken Caesar salad (full serving)
Water
Quaker Quakes (about 1 serving)
Water
Sedona tortilla soup (cup)
Shrimp scampi pizza (entire individual pizza)
Water

Day 39 exercise: four long walks (no yoga...)

Daily weight: 252 lbs. (down 35)



Today, more work, therapy, then the dentist to deal with a pain in one of my teeth. ugh.

Thanks for reading!