Get me outta here!

Okay, the whole being a shut-in thing ain't all it's cracked up to be. I'm starting to get a bit of cabin fever, and my diet (and my weight) are suffering.

More random granola-related snacking throughout the day, capped off by a large take-out Chinese dinner at the tail end. Sure I got in my three walks, but that's about it for any type of physical activity. And I'd walk more, but I can tell the pup is tuckered out before we even reach the front door. The long walks just take too much out of her.

I'm doing this for her, though, so I shant complain too much. That said, I do look forward to the end of the exile.

And while my back is starting to feel better (not 100% yet, but close), now my neck is starting to hurt. That's partially because my sofa isn't made for long-range sitting and sleeping (chosen strategically for that very reason, as I wanted to ensure that I always went to bed instead of sleeping on the sofa all night). A smart move under normal circumstances, but unfortunately it's not working to my advantage during this weekend.

Anyway, that's that. Today's a new day.

I'm contemplating starting a diet that a friend has recommended to me. I think it's related to Body for Life or something like that, though not that specifically. It's pairing a carb with a protein, eating every 4 hours, and sticking to it. Not sure if I'm going to officially give it a go, but we'll see.

Now, the facts:

Day 18 food:

Granola and cottage cheese
Granola bar (3)
Steamed dumplings (4)
Garlic chicken and rice
Crunchy noodles
Fortune cookies (2)

Day 18 exercise: Three long walks

Daily weight: 271 (down 13)


So the weight jumped a couple of pounds! Ugh. I did drink lots of water yesterday, so I'm hopeful it's somehow related to that. Anyway, off to face the day today.

Thanks for reading.

Shut-in.

I started to get a bit of cabin fever yesterday stuck at home with the pup, but it's worth it for her. That said, I just sort of snacked throughout the day then ate too much thai food for dinner. Ugh.

We did get in three long walks, which was good.

I started the day with some cottage cheese, banana, and granola. (For the record, bananas with cottage cheese doesn't taste as good as strawberries with cottage cheese). Then throughout the day I had two granola bars. By around 8:00 p.m., I ordered chicken satay (rubbery) and the steamed chicken dumplings from Sunset Thai. The dumplings weren't as good as I remembered them from the night before (so that habit is now dead).

After dinner, I finished off the sherbet and had another granola bar. Too much snacking!!

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

Day 17 food:

Cottage cheese, banana, granola
Granola bars (2)
Steamed chicken dumplings (16)
Chicken satay (3 pcs.)
Granola bar
Sherbet (large serving)

Day 17 exercise: Three long walks

Daily weight: 269 lbs. (down 15)


My back is starting to feel back to normal, but not 100%. Another day or two and I should be good to resume my yoga exercising.

Anyway, today's another shut-in day.

Thanks for reading!

Hanging in there.

Okay, so I picked the pup up from the vet following her surgery yesterday, and I've got to say... the scar is mind-blowingly disgusting! But she's my puppy and I love her and we'll get through this whole thing.

We managed two long walks, but she was too tired to do a long walk at the end of the day so I didn't get a third walk in. And I couldn't really do anything else at home because of my stuck back.

And food-wise, I barely ate all day... A couple of granola bars, a few mouthfuls of sherbet, and then... thai food for dinner. I definitely overate at dinner. Steamed dumplings (8 of 'em), won-ton soup, and pad thai. I probably didn't need the pad thai, and it wasn't that good anyways, but there you have it. That said, the dumplings were delicious!! You will probably see me write about them again.

So that was the day. Here, some facts:

Day 16 food:

Granola bars (2 of 'em)
Sherbet (small amount)
Won-ton soup (1/2 serving)
Steamed chicken dumplings (8)
Pad thai with chicken

Day 16 exercise: Two long walks

Daily weight: 268 lbs. (down 16)


So today (and thru Monday) I'm homebound with the pup.

Thanks for reading!

I'm sure this isn't good...

So yesterday I barely ate anything. Probably not good. But I figure if my choices are stress eating or stress not eating, I probably did better by stress not eating.

It's not like I ate nothing. I woke up and had about five strawberries, then went to Cantor's Deli for matzoh ball soup with chicken and noodles, and snacked on a granola bar and a little bit of sherbet late in the day.

It was a stressful day, though, and I think mentally I pulled through okay. The pup went in for surgery in the morning, and I got an update at 5:30 p.m. that she handled the surgery just fine, but that it'll be a bit of a recovery.

Anyway, I pick her up in a couple of hours (I stayed in bed until 1:30 p.m. moping), and now I'm starving like marvin so I'll grab some sort of lunch.

I also technically didn't get three walks yesterday because I didn't have the pup to walk, and because of my stuck back. Regardless, around midnight, I did the usual dog walk anyway, partially to keep her in mind, and partially to at least get out and do something.

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

Day 16 food:

Strawberries (5)
Matzoh ball soup with chicken and noodles (big bowl)
Granola bar
Sherbet (small serving)

Day 16 exercise: Two long walks

Daily weight: 268 lbs. (down 16)


So off to get lunch, then the dog. I hope she's not in too much pain.

Thanks for reading.

Today's the big day

So just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, I go ahead and throw my back out. Now, in theory, this whole new diet thing is totally random. I just woke up one day and decided to give it another go. But a couple weeks before I started I threw my back out similar to how it’s thrown out today, and that got me thinking… maybe a huge gut hanging off the lower half of my spine isn’t a good thing. Which makes it rather demoralizing that while in the beginning stages of this effort my back goes ahead and gets fucked up anyways.

And it’s not like I was doing anything too strenuous. I was bending down to put air in the tire of my bicycle. That’s it. Nothing more nothing less. And sure enough my back gets screwed up and now I’m in pain.

That and, today’s the day I take the pup to the dog hospital to have her lump removed. And the car’s still shot to shit, I still have to move, and… and…

Okay, enough whining. I’m still determined to make this thing work.

Yesterday, food-wise, wasn’t good, as I barely ate. A banana when I woke up, a can of soup when I got to work, and a granola bar mid-afternoon. Then, later in the evening, a few mouthfuls of sherbet. Oddly, I’m still the same weight from the past few days.

So, here are the facts:

Day 14 food:

Banana
Chicken and sausage gumbo (entire can)
Granola bar (oats and honey)
Sherbet (a few mouthfuls)

Day 14 exercise: Two long walks and a bike ride (2 miles?)

Daily weight: 269 lbs. (down 15)


So today to the doctor with the pup, then who knows what. Try and not break down, I guess.

Thanks for reading!

Keep on keeping on.

So I survived yesterday, but no doubt the next few days are going to get worse.

Tomorrow morning I'll take my sweet puppy in for surgery to have a tumor removed from her back. Ugh. Not going to be good. I'm also (though wildly less importantly) going to try and make a go of it in the next few weeks without a car. And I have to move at the end of the month. For whatever it's worth, I've put my brother out of my mind, so I'm done worrying and thinking about that.

My major concern is taking care of the dog. But I must also do my best to not lose myself and to drown my sorrow in food. So... wish me luck with that.

Yesterday, I had soup and a little bit of salad for lunch, and went to Chipotle for dinner. I also managed to find the sherbert I love so much (it's actually an orange sherbert/low-fat vanilla ice cream swirl), and that was delicious!!

Anyway, here are the facts:

Day 13 food:

Caesar salad w chicken (not that much)
Chicken tortilla soup (16 oz.)
Burrito bowl (chicken, rice, corn, salsa, peppers and onions, guacamole)
Orange/vanilla sherbert (small serving)

Day 13 exercise: Five long walks (ahh, not having a car) and morning yoga workout

Daily weight: 269 lbs. (a plateau?)


I don't think I drank that much water yesterday. Hopefully today I'll be better about it.

So that's about it. Thanks for reading!

Give me the Nutter Butters

Okay, we're in the midst of a tough day. My car is dead, I have to move out of my apartment in a couple of weeks, a lump on my dog's back has grown to the size of an egg, and I had a big brawl with my older brother that's now got me in knots. All I want is to stay in bed and eat all day.

Now, I'm not going to let myself do that... but it's awfully tempting.

Yesterday for all intents and purposes was a fine day foodwise, though I probably was malnourished due to not eating too much. I got a very late start to the day, and picked up soup and a salad from the supermarket. I ate the salad pretty soon after picking it up, then ate the soup about an hour after that, so by the time I was done eating it was after 4:00 p.m., and I didn't get hungry again that night except for a small pang late late. I had a cup of yougurt and that did the trick.

Anyway, probably not good, but I'm not feeling too terrible about it.

So, just the facts:

Day 12 food:

Caesar salad (not an enormous portion)
Tortilla soup (16 oz.)
Yougurt (small cup)

Day 12 exercise: Yoga workout and three long walks

Daily weight: 269 lbs. (down 15)


So today will be a test for me. Between getting the dog to the vet, getting to the airport to pick up a rental car, figuring out my apartment situation, and finding a new car... I'm going to be put to the test. Wish me luck!

Thanks for reading.

Ahh the lasagne

So yesterday was a great big test, and I think I passed. I probably could have made a couple of better choices (well, maybe one, but who knows for sure), but overall I think I did just fine.

The morning started early (okay, 9:30 a.m.!), but early for me. I managed to sneak in a yoga workout and a long with the pup before throwing together some cottage cheese, strawberries and granola and hitting the road for Palm Springs.

Once there, we played poker all day, and the snacks were flying fast and furious. I brought along a bag of Quaker Quakes to snack on, kept up with the water drinking, and resisted the fabulous-looking guacamole and chips and spinach dip and crackers. Not easy though! I also ate a banana I had brought along.

For dinner, I had a little bit of everything. Lasagne (small-ish piece), bread with tomato, one sausage, and some salad. Water throughout. And then some extra salad when all was said and done.

Now, truthfully, I probably could have easily skipped the sausage. I probably could also have done without the extra helping of salad (it was mostly dressing, but ooooh so good). Anyway, it’s what I did. I did my best to eat like a normal person. No second helpings, no heaping plate full of crap. The one bad thing, I think, is how quickly I ate. I felt a bit like a prisoner devouring a last meal… For the future, I will be better aware of that and enjoy it a bit more.

And then… birthday cake. Again, normal people eat birthday cake, they just don’t eat five slices. So, I had a small slice of lemon cake (again, sooo delicious).

When I got home at four in the morning, I took Tessie for a walk, then ate a few mouthfuls of sherbert.

Overall, a big eating day for me. But I did my best to eat in moderation, and I think I pulled it off.

Now, just the facts:

Day 11 food:

Cottage cheese, strawberries and granola
Banana
Quaker Quakes (probably 12 or so)
Lasagne (small slice)
Caesar salad (two small servings)
Grilled sausage (one link)
Bread and diced tomatoes
Lemon cake (small slice)
Sherbet

Day 11 exercise: Yoga workout and two long walks

Daily weight: 269 lbs. (down 15)


So today back to normal. No more birthdays. No more lasagna. Stay tuned.

Thanks for reading!

The streets of Los Angeles

There are three things in Los Angeles: quiet residential streets, large highways, and the avenues that connect the two. These avenues are like an enormous oversized Vegas buffet, offering, even at one in the morning, your choice of almost anything you could possibly want. Coming home from a poker tournament last night (I didn't win...) I struggled not to stop somewhere for something. From telling myself to be good (I'll get some sherbert!) to just saying fuck it (In and Out Burger anybody?), it took all I had not to stop. Not easy.

Anyway, the day wasn't that bad though. A banana early on, soup for lunch, a bunch of cherries mid-day, and for dinner a salad from the salad bar at the supermarket. I have no clue which dressing I ended up using because they were all mis-labeled, but I'm certain it wasn't fat free or in any way redeeming. I did my best to not overload the salad though, and think I succeeded.

At the poker tournament, there was more to snack on than you could believe, but I just kept drinking my water and forced myself to ignore the food all around me.

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

Day 10 food:

Banana
Chicken and sausage gumbo (entire can)
Cherries
Salad (lettuce, peppers, corn, croutons, chicken nubs, mystery dressing)

Day 10 exercise: 20 minute yoga exercise and three long walks

Daily weight: 270 lbs. (down 14)


So today I'm heading to Palm Springs (more poker...), and will be confronted with a lasagne. Must only eat a small portion!!

Thanks for reading!

Introducing... yoga.

Yesterday I received a couple of yoga DVDs from Netflix. One of them would probably be a bit easier if I didn't have a big belly in the way, but the other was pretty good. It's called A.M. and P.M. Yoga for Beginners. Hopefully I can keep it up and do it a few mornings or eveings a week.

I did good with the food yesterday as well, though things worked in reverse. Banana in the morning, Chipotle for lunch, then cottage cheese with strawberries and granola for dinner. No snacking either.

I did see a commercial for hot dogs, and I never thought a hot dog could look so delicious. The good thing, though, is I didn't feel torn. I feel pretty resolute about keeping up with this, and while a hot dog would sure taste good, losing weight feels better.

So that was the day. Now, some facts:

Day 9 food:

Banana
Burrito bowl (chicken, rice, peppers and onions, salsa, guacamole, corn)
Cottage cheese, strawberries and granola

Day 9 exercise: Three long walks and yoga exercise

Daily weight: 270 lbs. (down 14)


I feel like I need to start eating something different than the same things I've been eating... I think I need to hunt down a good salad, or perhaps a chicken something, or something. Who knows.

Thanks for reading!

Doing the work

Yesterday wasn’t that bad a day at all.

And… I actually ate breakfast (though I skipped lunch). When I got up, I made myself some cottage cheese with sliced strawberries and granola. For all its earthy-crunchy-ness, it was actually really delicious.

Later in the day I had a banana, and then went to Chipotle for dinner.

And I managed to get in a hike up Runyon. Also, the yoga DVDs arrived, but I didn’t get a chance to watch them. Hopefully today I can check them out and determine if either will be good for me.

Not too bad at this juncture.

So, just the facts:

Day 8 food:

Cottage cheese, strawberries and granola
Banana
Burrito bowl (chicken, peppers, onions, rice, corn, salsa, guacamole)

Day 8 exercise: Two long walks and a hike up Runyon

Daily weight: 272 lbs. (down 12)


Today will hopefully be as easy as yesterday…

Thanks for reading (and sorry for the short entry… running late!)

The end of week 1

So there you have it. I survived a week of this, and I feel so much better for it. It certainly wasn't easy, but I at least don't feel like I'm going to have a heart attack on a daily basis, and eating less food certainly costs less than eating more food.

Yesterday was good. I skipped breakfast, but had a banana on the way to the airport to pick up a friend. From there, I sent to my favorite shitty sushi place (try saying that a few times fast... shitty sushi) and got what I normally get from there: the chicken teriyaki bowl, spicy tuna roll and avocado roll. (Oh, and get this, the prices have gone up there as well... almost $3 more for the exact same thing...)

It was definitely too much food for me though, so I saved most of the sushi for dinner. Late afternoon I did a hike up Runyon Canyon (getting easier by the day), then watched the election results and ate the leftover sushi. I also snacked on some granola after dinner, but not that much.

Sometimes I stare down at my belly and wish it could just go away instantly. I know that's never going to happen, but it's sort of startling that I can make a change to my body (like the change I've done in the past week). It might not be the insta-gratification I seek, but I'm not going to complain.

Nor am I going to take this all for granted. I know full well I can slip up at any moment. All it takes is one stop at Wendy's, or one trip to the 7-Eleven, and it could be curtains for this whole effort. But at a bare minimum I'm going to do my best to keep it going. I'm not getting any younger, that's for sure.

So that was the day that was. Here, some facts:

Day 7 food:

Banana
Chicken teriyaki bowl (rice, chicken, brocolli, lettuce)
Spicy tuna roll (7 pcs. total)
Avocado roll(6 pcs. total)
Granola (about 1/2 cup)

Day 7 exercise: Runyon Canyon hike and three long walks

Daily weight: 273 lbs. (down 11)


So onto Week 2. If I can keep up 11 pounds a week I'm sure I'll be stoked! But obviously that pace won't continue... Today, though, I've got a couple of yoga DVD's arriving from Netflix. Hopefully one of them will be a good fit for me, and help me to continue in this effort.

Thanks for reading!

So this is working...

Yesterday was a good day, and I'm starting to feel changes in my body, which only make me feel better about what I'm doing.

Okay, late sleeper again, banana when I woke up, then went to work.

I did stop and stare at my clothes (I have a lot of chothes) and felt so miserable about how stretched out all my stuff is. One of these days I can't wait to just grab a shirt because I like it or because I want to wear it, and put it on and go. Now, though, I have to choose one of the more stretched out shirts, and the baggier pants.

Anyway, my belly had gotten so big that I couldn't wear my belt where I have normally worn it, across the center of my stomach. Instead it was sitting below my belly (because it wasn't big enough to make it around). Well, now it's finally back up around the belly, a great sign of things to come.

At work, I had a can of soup and then some strawberries late in the day.

Dinner was at Chipotle (where, unfortunately, the cost of good eatin' has just gone up, about $.75 more for dinner).

And while, at midnight, I could have easily snacked to my heart's content, I didn't feel like I *needed* to do it (and so I didn't).

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

Daily 6 food:

Banana
Chicken and sausage gumbo (entire can)
Strawberries (6)
Burrito bowl (chicken, rice, salsa, corn, peppers and onions, guacamole)
Sherbert (about 5 spoonfuls)

Day 6 exercise: Three long walks

Daily weight: 274 lbs. (down 10)


Today should be a pretty easy day. Lunch with a friend later today, then free for dinner... Might go to a movie.

Thanks for reading!

Easy easy easy hard!

Okay, yesterday was basically a cake-walk, until the very end. But I know what I did wrong, and how to rectify the situation.

I only had one meal. The way the day went: I woke up late (shocker!), had a banana and did a hike up Runyon Canyon (getting easier!). I came down from Runyon and by the time I got my act together to get something to eat it was already 4:00 p.m. By the time I was finished eating (Chipotle, shocker) it was after 5:00 p.m.

So, no dinner after the Chipotle. And I thought a few mouthfuls of sherbert and some rice cakes would do the trick. Not so. Around 11:30 p.m. I felt like I was going to pass out (not good, I know) and I had some cottage cheese with sliced bananas, strawberries, and granola. Then, I ate about eight more handfuls of granola.

So, it was a midnight binge on mostly good-for-me food and then an overdose of granola.

Grrr. From now on, no skipping dinner. It could have been much worse (the perils of living so close to a 7-Eleven...).

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

Day 5 food:

Banana
Burrito bowl (chicken, rice, peppers and onions, salsa, guacamole, corn)
Cottage cheese w/bananas and strawberries and granola
Granola
Rice cakes (about 10)
Sherbert (about 8 spoonfuls)

Day 5 exercise: Runyon hike and two long walks

Daily weight: 275 lbs. (down 9)


So today should be a pretty normal day. Thanks for reading!

That wasn't half-bad.

Okay, Day 4 is over and done with, and we're onto Day 5.

Yesterday, I slept pretty late, then got up and did a walk up Runyon Canyon. It felt decidedly less painful than the walk on Thursday, which made me pretty happy. Don't get me wrong, though, it still kicked my ass.

After the walk I headed to Chipotle for what was probably too large a meal, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't that bad for me. I always get their burrito bowl, and it's pretty jam-packed with stuff, but none of it (except the guacamole -- the good fat!), was particularly bad for me. I'm also making an effort to jack it up with as many vegetables as possible, adding in the fajita mix and the corn. Not too bad!

I stopped by my boss's place mid-day to drop off a couple more things for his barbeque, and resisted the temptation to snack on all the good eatin' sitting around the house.

And last night was Saturday night poker. I won $1. Yes, a buck. And for dinner we've been ordering from a Brazilian restaurant called Bossa Nova, which also has lots of pastas, pizzas, etc. I ordered grilled shrimp with veges and rice. I resisted the bread and fought off the temptation to eat dessert.

So that was that.

Now, some facts:

Day 4 food:

Strawberries (6)
Burrito bowl (chicken, rice, peppers and onions, guacamole, salsa, corn)
Grilled shrimp and rice with veges

Day 4 exercise: Two longs walks and a Runyon Canyon hike

Daily weight: 275 lbs. (down 9)


Today, hopefully a jaunt up Runyon, and perhaps another lunch at Chipotle. Hmmm...

Thanks for reading!

Making it work.

So Day 3 wasn't that much of struggle, though my God temptation was everywhere.

I had to do some grocery shopping for my boss for a barbeque he's having tonight, and I went to a place called Smart and Final (it claims to be a warehouse store without membership). Wandering the aisles of the store I was struck by just how unredeeming every lick of food in the place was. And I was equally drawn to all the food and repulsed by it.

I think the crux of the problem is this: I couldn't imagine buying anything in the place and just enjoying a little bit of it. I could polish off a tray of brownies, an enormous bag of chips, a box of cookies, a pound of cheese, whatever.

My body is also adjusting to having less food, which is good and slightly uncomfortable at times. I get hunger pangs when I'm clearly not hungry, and I have been doing my best to fill that space with fruit and water. So far so good.

And I went out to dinner with my friend David to my favorite Asian restaurant, Wokcano on Third. Normally, I would get the orange chicken for dinner, and while I can pretend that chicken isn't bad for me and orange is just a fruit, I knew better. And while I was desperate to eat it, I didn't want to sacrifice what I've accomplished over the past couple of days.

Anyway, that was the day that was. Here are the details:

Day 3 food:

Banana
Chicken and sausage gumbo (entire can)
Granola bar
Strawberries (about 6)
Steamed chicken dumplings (6)
Spicy tuna roll
Avocado roll

Day 3 exercise: Three long walks

Daily weight: 277 lbs. (down 7)

So that was the day that was. Today, hopefully a hike up Runyon Canyon, and poker tonight. I wonder what I'll eat for dinner?!

Thanks for reading!!

Here comes Day Three!

Okay, I've survived two days.

My friend Jay came to hang out yesterday, and he and I did the hike up Runyon Canyon, which totally kicked my ass. Seriously. Talk about underlining just how breathtakingly out of shape I am. Anyway, I did it, I didn't drop dead of a heart attack, and I felt pretty good afterwards.

I had a large lunch and a large dinner, though, both chock full of rice. But I managed to stay away from cheese, eggs, butter, cream, milk, chocolate, fast food, donuts, etc. etc.

The good news is, I actually feel good today. My back isn't hurting, I'm not short of breath, and I woke up a lot easier than I usually do. So, hopefully something is working.

So, here are the facts:

Day 2 food:

Burrito bowl (chicken, rice, peppers, onions, salsa, corn, guacamole)
Banana
Quaker Quakes (about 10)
Jambalaya from BJ's
Pinkberry yogurt (strawberry/banana/granola)

Day 2 exercise: Two long walks plus Runyon hike

Daily weight: 279 lbs. (down 5)


So that was the day that was. Today, hopefully more of the same. Wish me luck!