Time To Go

Friday, March 30, 2012
Day 88

I'm not ready but I'm ready. It's vacation time (at least it will be come morning). Ran aruond like crazy trying to get things done at work and I'm still at it -- it is helping that I had most of the packing and non-work stuff out of the way. I am determined to get a half-decent night's sleep before I hit the road.

Not going to update until I get back.

Breakfast: ~ 3 oz ham

Lunch: 3 egg omelet with bacon, avacado and cream cheese; 2 sausage patties; coffee

Dinner: Taco salad, spicy pork

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

I got my blood tested this morning and it was worryingly thick. I do wonder if I had too much Vitamin K (in the form of avacado probably) this week. Not a big deal, I just have to get re-checked in a week.

More Stuff

Thursday, March 29, 2012
Day 87

Not much new, just grinding away. Still a ton of stuff to do of course.

Breakfast: ~ 4 oz ham

Lunch: 3 Johnsonville beef brats, ~ 2 oz extra sharp cheddar

Dinner: Taco salad, spicy pork

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

I like each of these things but am kinda looking forward to a little dose of variety on vacation.

No exercise, regrettably.

Getting Closer

Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Day 86

The train rolls on. Vacation is getting very close and I'm alternating between being ecstatic to go and terrified of just how far behind I am. I'm in very good shape as far as trip preparation goes - I am essentially packed but for a few morning of departure items, which is an all time first for me. I usually pack after midnight the night before. I have a list of what I have to do before going and it's pretty manageable.

But then there is the work side. I'm just buried up to my eyeballs. The only saving grace there is likely to be that a lot of other people are gone next week as well.

Breakfast: ~ 3 oz ham

Lunch: 9 Rosina frozen meatballs, ~ 3 oz swiss cheese

Snack: Single serve pack of smokehouse almonds (260 calories)

Dinner: 2 egg omelet with 1 tub cream cheese, 1 large avacado; 4 sausage patties

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

No exercise.

I don't know why but I was actually hungry today. I was a little hungry before lunch and then late afternoon out of nowhere actual hunger hit. Unusual. I had some almonds on hand so I ate those and had some water and that solved the problem. I didn't end up eating dinner until after 8:00.

Had another inquiry today about whether I'm losing weight, which lead to a pleasant chat about how to go about doing it.

All Favorites

Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Day 85

The challenge is coming. I've been looking at stuff online, including restaurants, in anticipation of the upcoming vacation. Breakfasts (hopefully) won't be a problem. I can probably rein it in during lunch, though having sandwiches on bread will be different. Dinner, oy. It's probably a good thing that I'll be getting lots of exercise.

Breakfast: ~ 3 oz ham

Lunch: 3 egg omelet with bacon, avacado and cream cheese; 2 sausage patties; coffee

Dinner: Taco salad, spicy pork

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

Snack: 1 slice (7/11ths of an ounce) of swiss cheese. It just sounded good.

Yeah, that's a delicious food day. If I had some V-8 or a vegetable of some sort with breakfast and maybe half a grapefruit it would be pretty doggone hard to top this.

No exercise, though. Going to bed relatively early, hoping to grind out a ton of work tomorrow.

Salad Days

Monday, March 26, 2012
Day 84

A pretty good day today. It was a long day at work and I didn't get caught up at all but at least it was productive and billable. I should have gone back after dinner but elected to check a few things off the pre-vacation to do list around the house first. I really started to panic over the weekend about how much I have to do in the next few days. It's going to be ugly.

Also on the positive front I'm pretty happy with where the scale is. I'm only "officially" weighing once a month for sanity purposes but I have kinda taken to stepping on the scale any morning I feel leaner. I liked today's number. We'll see what it looks like this weekend though and vacation temptation is coming.

Breakfast: ~ 4 oz ham. I'm really just guessing at quantities, I've been buying a pound for the week and over five days that should be about 3 oz a day. It felt like I had a little extra today.

Lunch: Chef salad with italian dressing, coffee

Went to one of my favorite greasy spoons. This was actually a pretty darned good salad, I just wish it had a little more fat. The ham and turkey are lean and there was a hard boiled egg and a bit of cheese but it's not a stick to the ribs kind of meal.

Dinner: Taco salad, spicy pork

Back up to snuff tonight. It was a little smaller than usual which is just fine.

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

Shouldn't have these every night. I will have to skip one this week since I only have 3 left and I'm not going to the store to buy more.

No exercise today, just working a little around the house tonight. Not enough to count. It's not looking good for exceeding my target. Stupid work, stupid weekdays, stupid lack of hours in the day, stupid lack of discipline.

Again Too Late

Sunday, March 25, 2012
Day 83

The weekend just flew by. I'm not ready for another week.

Breakfast: 3 egg omelet with bacon, cream cheese and avacado; 2 sausage patties; coffee

Lunch: Leftover hamburger patty, probably about 1/2 lb before cooking

After golf: 12 oz Miller Lite

Dinner: 3 Johnsonville beef brats with jalapeno mustard, 2 oz swiss cheese

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

Real short on veggies today. Still need to fix that.

Got in 9 holes but rode for a good chunk of it. I did walk a few holes but was paired with guys who were riding, it doesn't work so well that way. The pedometer said I managed 3 miles but I have no idea if it's right, had a hard time getting it situated.

March days with meaningful exercise: 13

Staying Up Too Late

Saturday, March 24, 2012
Day 82

Another quickie. I need sleep.

Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled with 1 small tub cream cheese, 4 sausage patties

Lunch: ~ 5 oz ham, ~ 2 oz swiss cheese

Dinner: Grilled hamburger patty (with worcester sauce, minced onion, garlic powder mixed in), about 2/3 of a lb precooked

Quite good. Burgers always taste better to me when they're grilled and this was no exceptions. I didn't even need any condiments. I should have prepared a salad ahead but I ate pretty late and just focused on the grill.

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

Should probably cut these down.

Probably not enough exercise to count, I spent too much time sitting at a desk today. I did go grocery shopping but didn't bring the pedometer. Might try and get in 9 holes tomorrow, weather permitting.

It's Late So Whatever

Friday, March 23, 2012
Day 81

Quick delayed recap.

Breakfast: ~ 3 oz ham

Lunch: 3 Johnsonville beef brats with jalapeno mustard, 2 oz extra sharp cheddar

Dinner: Taco salad, spicy pork

Not as good as usual. Bummer.

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

No exercise. FAIL.

No Time To Eat

Thursday, March 22, 2012
Day 80

Super busy, no time to eat. Or post.

Breakfast: ~ 3 oz ham

Lunch: None

Dinner: 3 Johnsonville beef brats, ~ 2 oz extra sharp cheddar

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

Woefully short on vegetables and fruits today as well. This is not OK. Going to clean out the fridge and get to the store this weekend. I went tonight but only grabbed some better ham, pudding cups and some ground beef in case I can grill again tomorrow.

No exercise, another thing to get back on track ASAP. There just aren't enough hours in the day right now.

Phewwww

Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Day 79

Late recap.

Breakfast: ~ 3 oz ham

Lunch: 3 egg omelet with bacon, avacado and cream cheese; 2 sausage patties; coffee

Dinner: Taco salad, spicy pork

No exercise.

Dragging

Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Day 78

I got more rest last night but I have not been motivated at all at work and it's killing me.

Breakfast: ~ 3 oz ham

Confirmed that I do not like this kind of ham.

Lunch: 11 Rosina frozen meatballs, ~ 3 oz extra sharp cheddar

Cleaned up a couple open packages, so I ate a bit more than usual.

Dinner: Taco salad, spicy pork

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

No exercise, despite the fact it was in the low 80s today. Work is a major problem right now and combined with my lack of effort it's bad. Really bad.

Tired of Tired

Monday, March 19, 2012
Day 77

Stayed up way too late, accomplished way too little this weekend. I'm dragging.

Breakfast: ~ 3 oz ham

Ugh. Trying a different brand and it's not real good. Going back to the kind I like, even if it is $8.50 a pound.

Lunch: 2 eggs with mini tub of cream cheese and ~ 5 strips precooked bacon, 4 Meijer fresh sausage patties

Was in a breakfasty mood. Decided to eat at home instead of going out. This was quite good, although it was pretty funny that I forgot to scramble the eggs - I just cracked 'em right into the pan. Stirred them up and had an 'almost' omelet.

Dinner: Taco salad, spicy pork

Had a lot more beans than usual for some reason.

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

No exercise.

Streak Continues

Sunday, March 18, 2012
Day 76

The streak of great weather, that is. And we're supposed to have another four days in the mid- to upper 70s. This is just crazy.

Slept in today, didn't get nearly enough accomplished but of course it was far too nice not to golf. I really have to figure out a way to get more accomplished, I really need to finish the house projects. I did start the process of cleaning out my car (i.e. detailing it before spring break trip). I got another couple loads of laundry done. But that's about it.

Breakfast: 3 egg omelet with bacon, avacado and cream cheese. 2 sausage patties. Coffee.

Lunch: Jif peanut butter cup

I thought to myself "why didn't you get celery at the store yesterday you dummy". Um, yeah.

After golf: 12 oz Miller Lite

Dinner: American goulash (canned spaghetti with ground beef, ketchup and garlic powder), extra ground beef and parmesan cheese, salad with italian dressing

Of course I shouldn't have eaten any of the spaghetti at all, but I did. It actually worked pretty well dumping some extra ground beef on my plate and then just putting one spoonful of the regular goulash on top - it was just a super-beefy version of goulash. I might make this at home.

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

On the exercise front, I got in 18 holes of golf with cart. I did bring the pedometer with me this time and it logged 4.6 miles. I think that's probably high - maybe even way high - but I definitely got enough walking in for it to count.

March days with meaningful exercise: 12

Steak FAIL

Saturday, March 17, 2012
Day 75

Still another picture perfect day. It could have been mid-summer and it's March. Crazy. Loving it, though.

I could tell that I'd had too much starch yesterday. Felt just a tiny bit bloated this morning and if you believe the scale I was up a little. I'm not worried about it -- I am trying real hard not to worry about the scale other than at monthly weigh-in time -- but it's another reminder that I need to tighten it up. I am starting to think that ultimately I will end up following a life plan a lot like the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet but more on that some other day.

Breakfast: ~ 3 oz ham

Post-golf: 12 oz Miller Lite

Lunch: Taco salad, spicy pork

Dinner: A couple bites of steak, braised cabbage with 3 slices bacon, garlic

Totally screwed up the steak. Need to get more propane for the grill. The cabbage was good but it was supposed to be a side dish, not the meal!

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

On the exercise front, got in 18 holes this morning. I didn't get as much of an opportunity to walk, since I rode by myself (carts are required on weekends), but I figure I still got in a couple miles. Not great but good enough.

March days with meaningful exercise: 11.

One more thought on that subject -- I could not be happier with how much better I feel on the course. I know it's early and I haven't played in heat and humidity yet but I have a lot more energy. No struggles. And with a new pair of better-fitting shoes plus a quality ankle brace and I haven't had any foot or ankle pain this week! I'm really starting to get excited for what could happen if I continue to lose weight and get in better shape.

Too Much Starch

Friday, March 16, 2012
Day 74

Another beautiful March day. It was a complete zero at the office though. Sigh.

Breakfast: ~ 3 oz ham

Lunch: Western omelet (ham, green pepper, onion, american cheese), 2 small slices homemade wheat toast with butter, coffee

Walked to a different place for lunch since my car was in the shop. Good omelet. They have really good homemade bread, so I ate it.

Snack: Jif peanut butter cup

Dinner: Pizza with pepperoni, sausage, green pepper, mushroom, cheese - about 2 slices with crust, the rest of 1/2 of a 12" just toppings. Salad with italian dressing. ~ 16 oz Miller Lite

Post golf meal. Choice between this and a fish fry, I chose pizza and salad.

Got in 9 holes after work. Got a late start so we had to take a cart, but I did get in some extra walking whenever possible. Not a great exercise day but it counts.

March days with meaningful exercise: 10

I Keep Forgetting To Add Titles

Thursday, March 15, 2012
Day 73

Pretty standard day today. I was hoping to not work this evening and get some things done around the house but I have to say I don't have much enthusiasm. Need to get caught up on some rest.

Breakfast: ~ 3 oz ham

Lunch: 3 egg omelet with bacon, avacado, cream cheese. 2 sausage patties. Coffee.

Dinner: Taco salad, spicy pork

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

Warm Warm Wednesday

Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Day 72

Good day today. It was 70 degrees, which is record warmth for this time of year. I was able to sneak out early and get in 9 holes of golf. I walked, testing out my new shoes. They're good.

Breakfast: ~ 3 oz ham

Lunch: 9 Rosina meatballs, ~ 2 oz extra sharp cheddar, ~ 3 oz V-8

Snack: Jif peanut butter cup

Dinner: "Lo-cal" wrap w/ roast beef, ham, turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato and chipotle ranch. Side salad (lettuce, tomato) with italian dressing.

Stopped at a local place after golf for dinner. I would of course prefer low carb to low calorie, but whatever, I'm adaptable. I just looked it up and according to the menu, the wrap is under 200 calories. I'm assuming that does not include the (ugh) low fat ranch, so add some more there. Heck, there were 190 calories in the full fat Italian dressing.

All in I would be surprised if it were more than 600 calories, so I'm not sweating it. I just do wish that I could actually order what I want without causing problems by doing so. Sigh.

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup.

March days with meaningful exercise: 9

Spring Fever Big Time

Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Day 71

Another warm day and they are now predicting a run of about a week straight in the 70s. This is crazy. I don't really have time but I think I might need to go for a walk tonight.

(Obviously starting this post early because I'm enthused)

Breakfast: ~ 3 oz + ham

Lunch: 9 Rosina frozen meatballs, ~ 2 oz CB extra sharp cheddar, ~ 3 oz V-8 low sodium

Dinner: Creswick Farms NY strip steak, grilled. Some asparagus, boiled, with a pat of butter.

I forgot to look and see how big the steak was. Probably about 8 oz or so, there was a pretty good fat cap that I didn't eat. I just quick grilled it outside and it turned out delicious.

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

Not going to get meaningful exercise, since it's well after 10 pm and I'm still at work.

Standard

Monday, March 12, 2012
Day 70

Not much exciting about today other than I received a new pair of golf shoes. Very comfortable, hoping to test them out on Wednesday, weather permitting.

Breakfast: ~ 3 oz ham

Lunch: Taco salad, spicy pork

Dinner: 3 Meijer premium hot dogs w/ jalapeno mustard, 2 oz Cracker Barrel extra sharp cheddar

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

No exercise as I went back to the office right after work and stayed until midnight. Sigh.

Nine Good Holes

Sunday, March 11, 2012
Day 69

Starting the post a little early because I'm so pleased.

It was a beautiful day out there - mid 50s, some sun, not too much wind - so I went out to the golf course. I walked nine holes. Easily. Not tired, never out of breath, nothing! It's a hilly course so it's not an easy hike. I forgot the pedometer but it was at least 2.5 miles. Just over two hours to play nine, which means we weren't hurrying but didn't dawdle. Very happy about this.

Breakfast: 3 egg omelet with bacon, avacado and cream cheese, 2 sausage patties, coffee

So good. I've said it before - if it didn't cost nearly $13 with tip I'd eat this three times a week.

Lunch: 2 meijer premium beef hot dogs with jalapeno mustard, 1.6 oz Kraft sharp cheddar

Dinner: About 1/2 of a 12" homemade pizza (5 slices of varying sizes) with various toppings, salad (iceberg mix, tomato, cheddar, bacon bits) with italian dressing.

Ugh. Quite uncomfortable after this, my guts are definitely not used to digesting flour at the moment. I really needed to just do a dish of toppings with a little sauce for myself. Next time, I (hopefully) will.

Obviously: March days with meaningful exercise: 8

Full of Stupid Ideas

Saturday, March 10, 2012
Day 68

Color me delighted that today is Saturday. I stayed up too late last night but still was able to get up at a reasonable hour. Lazed about a bit, had breakfast, and decided to clean out my closets. What the **** was I thinking? I'm still right in the middle of the ginormous project (which also features about 20 loads of laundry) but good grief. What a terrible idea. I have many other things to do.

Breakfast: 2 egg omelet with 5 strips precooked bacon and 1 minitub cream cheese. ~ 3 oz V-8

This turned out quite well. I had some Meijer lazy man's bacon on hand and had intentionally purchased some minitubs of cream cheese (Kraft sells 4 packs) to duplicate my favorite omelet. I neglected to buy an avacado so I just had bacon and cream cheese. Will eat again! Now I just need to find some really good sausage patties.

Lunch: 1.6 oz Kraft sharp cheddar

Yeah, cheese really shouldn't be a meal. Or even a main course. Idiot. I didn't really want to stop what I was doing so I just grabbed a couple slices and went back to work.

Dinner: Taco salad, spicy pork

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

On the exercise front, I've been working hard pretty much all day. I'm starting to feel it a little. Stiffening up when I sit down. Oh well. Not looking forward to losing an hour tonight to the time change either. Hoping to get out on the golf course tomorrow -- it's warm enough today but very very windy.

March days with meaningful exercise: 7.

Most Standard Day Ever

Friday, March 9, 2012
Day 67

The most standard food day imaginable. I got a decent night's sleep but didn't make up any of the shortfall so modest energy. On the positive side, it is Friday and that is pretty much never a bad thing.

Breakfast: ~ 2 oz ham

Lunch: 9 Rosina frozen meatballs, 2.4 oz Kraft sharp cheddar

Dinner: Taco salad, spicy pork. Lots of hot sauce

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

I have quite a few frozen meatballs left, but really need to switch to homemade once I get a supply of local ground beef. I should remember to google for any tips on freezing, I might as well make a big batch. Also need to cut down on the taco salads (but they're so good) which should happen -- warmer weather this week should be good for grilling if I can just get home at a reasonable hour. The time change should help too.

On the exercise front, today barely qualifies, I did a lot of hoofing this evening, got groceries. Actually "getting groceries" might be a misnomer -- I went to Meijer and bought about $25 worth of food ... and $60 worth of general merchandise.

FAIL.

March days with meaningful exercise: 6

Yawning and Stumbling

Thursday, March 8, 2012
Day 66

Rough day today. Sleep deprived. Ran out of gas mid-afternoon.

Breakfast: ~ 2 oz ham

Lunch: 9 frozen meatballs, 2.4 oz Kraft sharp cheddar, Jif peanut butter cup

Dinner: Taco salad, spicy pork

Snack: Way too much popcorn

Yeah, FAIL. I'm ticked off about the popcorn. At least it's gone. No more of that. I don't know why but I was legit hungry today after not having any meaningful issues in weeks. It may be the laxness in food choices, it could be the lack of sleep, it could be many things. But it's not good.

I'm going to bed. Tomorrow will be a better day.

Late

Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Day 65

Standard. It's late, will probably format later.

Breakfast: ~ 3 oz ham

Lunch: 3 egg omelet with bacon, avacado, cream cheese. 2 sausage patties. Coffee

Dinner: Taco salad, spicy pork

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

No meaningful exercise, at work until midnight.

Luck Untranslated

Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Day 64

Most of the day was completely standard. After work I went to pick up an item from an auction house and decided that since I was in the vicinity I would visit a casino in the area. It's been open for a year or two but I have never been there (this is about an hour away). So I went.

I was not a big winner.

(LOL)

I didn't lose much but it was enough to remind me why I'll never be a gambler. I think I'll stick to trying to win stuff in random drawings.

Breakfast: ~ 3 oz ham

Lunch: 9 Rosarita frozen meatballs, ~ 2 oz extra sharp cheddar

Snack: Fat Freddie beef sausage stick

Dinner: Denny's original grand slam (2 eggs over medium, 2 bacon, 2 sausage, 2 pancakes)

Yeah, Denny's. I wanted breakfast - this was a very late dinner for a weeknight (9:30 ish) and something I used to do often years ago when I would be out at night. I did eat the pancakes (and the margarine, ugh) - no syrup though. According to the Denny's website the meal has 830 calories and 68g of carbohydrate.

I doubt it will have much of an impact, since I'm still good on calorie intake for the day. I should, however, be a little more strict with myself.

On the exercise front, I did several laps around the casino, but that hardly counts and I took in enough tobacco smoke to cancel out any health benefits.

Extra Standard

Monday, March 5, 2012
Day 63

Another busy Monday. Didn't get enough sleep last night so determined to crash early tonight. Very standard fare on the eating front, this is the good stuff:

Breakfast: ~ 3 oz ham

Lunch: 9 Rosarita frozen meatballs, ~ 2 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese

Dinner: Taco salad, spicy pork

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

I meant to have some V-8 with lunch and just plain forgot. I have also considered having a banana - even though so very high in carbs, I'm thinking about having a couple a week in hopes of keeping the night cramps away.

March days with meaningful exercise: 5.

Barely made it today but I figure spending a couple hours hoofing around big box stores is sufficient. I'm tired and my shoulder aches.

One Day Weekend

Sunday, March 4, 2012
Day 62

Being gone all day yesterday, I had to cram in a ton of stuff today, plus I wanted to assemble the stuff I bought at Ikea yesterday. I could write pages on what's happened this weekend but I didn't get a third of the way through my to-do list and it's already pushing midnight so it's going to have to wait until later. I will say that what I've accomplished so far has made it possible for me to do more stuff!

Breakfast: Umm, it was more of a brunch since I didn't get up until 10:00. See below.

Lunch: 3 egg omelet with bacon, avacado and cream cheese, 2 sausage patties, coffee

Snack: Jack Link's pepperoni stick

Dinner: Fajita salad from a different Mexican restaurant - lettuce, tomato, cilantro, chicken, green peppers, onions, sour cream and guacamole, plus a little salsa

I am a mexican food junkie. My regular stop is closed on Sundays, so I hit a different Mexican joint. They had several salad options and I finally chose the fajita salad. I love fajitas and this was just like having them, except with no tortillas (or shell), beans or rice. Quite good.

On the exercise front, today barely qualifies. I did a lot of running around and shopping but nothing super sustained. I also moved a ton of stuff around during the assembly and organization process, so it counts.

March days with meaningful exercise: 4.

Barrel'd Etc.

Saturday, March 3, 2012
Day 61

Long day today. I got up early and hit the road for an out of town shopping expedition.

Breakfast: Cracker Barrel double meat breakfast - 3 eggs over easy, 2 slices bacon, 2 sausage patties, 1 slice LC toast with butter, coffee. According to the menu, 8 carbs.

I love Cracker Barrel's breakfast and wish our town had one. It's a treat to be able to stop there.

Lunch: IKEA Swedish meatballs platter - 15 meatballs, scoop of potatoes, a cherry tomato.

Picture should be coming whenever I get around to uploading the picture. One of my stops was IKEA and you can hardly stop without eating in their cafeteria. Carby but a special treat.

Dinner: Greek salad - lettuce, chickpeas, tomato, cucumber, feta cheese, olives, greek dressing, plus gyro meat. One piece pita bread.

Got really hungry and had 3 options for dinner at about 8:00 -- a Coney Island (eastern Michigan version of a diner), McDonald's or Arby's. I went with the Coney Island. The salad wasn't bad.

Fairly carby day, but I think one every once in a while is a good thing. It keeps the body guessing. I could definitely tell the difference this morning in the output though.

Got in a ton of exercise. Did two full laps around Ikea. Went to a big golf show and did a couple laps there. Did some other shopping. One of my more active days despite six plus hours in the car.

March days with meaningful exercise: 3

Phew

Friday, March 2, 2012
Day 60

Long week. Not as productive today.

Breakfast: ~ 2.5 oz Creswick Farms beef jerky. (out of ham)

Lunch: 6 meijer frozen meatballs, 2 oz extra sharp cheddar

Dinner: Taco salad, spicy pork

March days with meaningful exercise: 2.

Did a bunch of shopping tonight so I got in about 45 minutes of decent walking.

Keeping a Theme

Thursday, March 1, 2012
Day 59

A brand new month is here and that means lots of things. I guess it does anyway.

I went to sleep and got up early, made it to the office almost an hour before opening. This is a step in the right direction. Had a reasonably productive day. Then I did some babysitting and errands and next thing I know it's almost time to crash again.

Breakfast: ~ 3 oz ham

Lunch: 9 meijer meatballs, 2 oz Kraft extra sharp cheddar

Dinner: 2 McDonalds double cheeseburgers, no ketchup, no buns

Dessert: NSA rice pudding cup

After babysitting ran way long I found it was 8:00 and I still had two more stops to make. McDonalds was the only drive through on the way, so I went with it. Standard and not especially good. At least I got something in my stomach.

I should probably go shopping tomorrow since I'm out of a few things. We'll see.

March days with meaningful exercise: 1. I chased my niece around for a couple hours and did a big lap around Meijer. It counts.

February in Review

February 2012

Months completed: 2

Weight lost: Uh, well, here's the deal. I have a scale. It has a large capacity, but as of January 1 I was well over that capacity. When I weighed in on February 1, I was one pound under capacity, so I'm less than sure that figure was accurate.

I'm now well under that capacity. If (and it's a medium-sized if) the February 1 weigh-in was accurate, I lost 17 pounds in February. Not quite to my 20 pound goal, but close. Total weight loss is, I believe, in excess of 50 pounds.

Heath status: Pretty good. I had a six month checkup. All my blood work came back good. Good cholesterol was a hair low, but nothing worth worrying about. Energy level is way up. I am sleeping much better since I got the wedge pillow -- and it can get even better if I ever buy a new mattress. Legs are bothering me a little and I've been getting night cramps. Otherwise, super. Call it a B+.

Eating habits: I will give the eating an overall grade of C+, same as last month.

I did a good to very good job of avoiding major stumbles. Again, I had one and it was entirely predictable. I'm pleased that it did not escalate or result in abandonment. There were some minor issues with Sunday dinners, but nothing out of line. I've had way too many taco salads, where I don't have good nutrition information. There is also a relative lack of vegetables, other than taco salads, which will be an ongoing issue, and an excess of dairy. I'm never going to be an herbivore but I really should make an effort to eat more servings of veggies. I'm not setting too many specific goals in this department but I do want to eat more real meat (less processed stuff, less supermarket meat), less dairy. Not doing so good there.

Exercise habits: Overall grade of D+.

Maybe that's a little harsh. I did get in about 10 measurable days out of 29. Five plus short of my goal. Weekdays are the real problem, I haven't gotten in a real good routine where I consistently have time and energy to get out there and do it. Need to do better in March.

Life habits: Hmm. In other areas I'll give myself a B-.

Just like last month, I made some progress toward getting organized at work. Reducing stress will be an ongoing issue. At home, I have made cleaning progress. Still a ways to go on that. On the down side, I struggled again with maintaining a consistent and sufficient sleep schedule. I didn't make nearly enough progress with the housecleaning. I'm still behind at the office. Lots of work to be done. This is not a recording.

March goals:

1. Lose 15 pounds. I'm male and still extremely fat. This should be doable. If I exercise and clean up the diet just a shade it's super easy.
2. At least 15 days of meaningful exercise. 30 minutes+, less if I get real tired. Yes, walking counts.
3. Follow the weekend cleaning routine at least 2 of 4 weekends.
4. Get the back part of the house (bedrooms and baths) detail cleaned. Getting there on this one.