It's a Wonder

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Wintry out there.  But the benign kind of winter, not bitterly cold and with white powdery snow instead of the wet, heavy, slushy kind.  Peaceful.

Breakfast:  Cornbread scramble, potatoes, coffee, 2 donuts

Not pictured:  DONUTS

Didn't need the donuts.  Picked them up and enjoyed them anyway.  As for the rest of it you know the drill.  I could eat this for breakfast every.  single.  day.

Lunch:

Dinner:

Exercise:  Yay, I made it.  Even though it was a bit of a struggle thanks to four hours of marginal quality sleep, I did get out there for a short walk.  I 'shoveled' when I got back (i.e. I pushed the inch or so of snow off the driveway), between those things I racked up about a mile.  Not a bunch of exercise but enough to get the blood flowing and I feel good.

97.8

Extra Extra Rest

Saturday, November 23, 2013

I got up at the usual time but was easily dissuaded from exercise by a lethal combination of wind, cold and the fact that I needed more sleep.  A LOT more sleep.  I ended up snoozing for another FIVE hours.  My goodness.  Not surprised that I needed more, but LOL at it being that much.

Breakfast:  McDonalds bacon egg cheese biscuit, 2 sausage burritos, hash brown, coffee

Lunch:  Italian beef sandwich, chicago dog, french fries, brownie

Dinner:  ~ 5 oz CF ground beef, milk gravy, mashed potatoes, peas

So much win in one bowl.

This is such a good meal.  Not super diet friendly, I guess, with the flour and milk and potatoes, but still tasty.

Also:  Bell's amber ale beer, might have a 2nd one if I feel like it.

Exercise:  Nope.  Did some work around the house which is good but it does not count.

Hoping to get back on the horse more tomorrow.  I have been out of routine the last couple days but made up some ground this evening in an effort to get going.  I am optimistic.

--

A Milestone Day But Unrelated

Friday, November 22, 2013

Good life day, awful day for eating.

Breakfast:  McDonald's bacon egg cheese biscuit, hash browns, coffee

Lunch:  Double cheeseburger, fries

Dinner:  Chips, onion dip, 2 Bell's amber ale beers

Exercise:  Nope.

Yikes

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Long, long, long day.  And with minimal breaks for food, it was ugly.

Breakfast:  2 slices sharp cheddar, coffee

Lunch:  Subway, foot long spicy italian on white, pretzels

Dinner:  Subway, foot long meatball on garlic bread, fritos

Fourthmeal:  McDonalds bacon mcdouble, mcchicken, fries, chocolate shake

Exercise:  Yeah, right.  None.

Hard Stumble

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Blowup tonight.  Boo.  I have several hours of work to do at home tonight, and the temptation of a quick takeout meal with no dishes got me.  My stomach is presently not pleased.  My wallet also.

Breakfast:  2 slices sharp cheddar, coffee

Lunch:  3 egg omelet with bacon, onion, avocado and cream cheese, 2 slices sourdough toast with butter, coffee

Dinner:  Domino's hand tossed pepperoni ham and onion pizza

Exercise:  Nope.  I did move my alarm up and was more alert than usual but my weak resolve was overcome by the siren song of napping on the couch.  Ugh.

---

Permanently Attached to Couch

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

I am in a rut.  I am able to get up when the alarm goes off, but do not yet have enough enthusiasm worked up to translate that into activity.  Instead, I park myself on the couch for however long.  Usually at least an hour.  It was closer to two hours today - coincidentally about how much past my bedtime I stayed up last night dealing with a recurrent personal matter.  Argh.

Anyway, maybe by the weekend I'll be more on point.  It's a process.

Breakfast:  2 slices sharp cheddar, coffee

I am liking this can of Cafe Bustelo I bought when it was on sale at the store.  I had my doubts as to how well it would work being automatic drip brewed (it's a very fine grind) but the results have been just fine.  We'll see how the rest of the can goes, I might end up liking it better than my usual choice (Meijer breakfast blend).  I have a can of Yuban to try as well.

Lunch:  3 CF jumbo eggs, scrambled with a splash of milk, made into a cheese and grilled onion omelet, 3 very thick slices of CF thick sliced bacon, leftover oatcakes.

Breakfast for lunch is so good.  Why eat actual lunch ever?

One of the better omelets I've made at home.  Enjoyed it.  It was hard to judge how long to cook the bacon, I undershot by just a shade.  I think I'll stick to the regular thickness.

Dinner:  Hamburger gravy (CF ground beef, a bit of butter, flour, onion, milk) on potatoes mashed with butter and whole milk, green peas.

It was even tastier than what you would think based on this photo!

Ohhhhhhh do I like this meal.  It really pushes my buttons.  Bought a half gallon of milk instead of a pint or quart in anticipation of doing Thanksgiving potatoes so I went ahead and made milk gravy instead of  gravy with stock.  Yum, yum, yum.  And, in a radical departure, I think I'm going to divide this into 3 servings instead of 2 so I'll have an extra batch of leftovers!  Of course that means I should double up on potatoes tomorrow night to have some of those leftover, but we will see.  Also:  I am full.

Exercise:  None.  Sigh.


90.6

Winded Out

Monday, November 18, 2013

The wind howled all night long.  Strong winds.  Trees down, branches down, debris.  Other than having a couple barrels of sticks to pick up, I was fortunate.  Needless to say this crappy weather has affected my exercise plans.  Sure, laziness and fatigue are factors too - and diet for that matter, I ate a LOT of pizza yesterday - but c'mon.  How about a little break from the crazy wind.

I am definitely eating a few too many calories and way too much starch.  Both will likely continue, though I do hope to start dialing down the starch.  If I do that and start exercising consistently the weight will come off.

Breakfast:  2 slices sharp cheddar, coffee

Lunch:  3 egg omelet with bacon, cream cheese, onion and avocado, 2 slices sourdough toast with butter, 1 small chocolate/coconut/almond cookie, coffee

No picture, but usual omelet.  Extra good today!  Also was given a cookie and felt obligated to eat it.  It was delicious.

Dinner:  Spicy beans with ~ 6 oz meijer deli turkey, kraft shredded colby jack cheese, pico de gallo and sour cream.

Lots of colors in this here bowl

Decided to dress up my spicy beans with some stuff left over from taco weekend.  Other than the cilantro being a bit overpowering it was good.  Not the finest batch of beans I've ever concocted but filling.

Exercise:  None.  Sigh.

92.6

Dreary, Dreary, Dreary

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Although it is very warm for November, it is shaping up to be a miserable day.  I skipped the walk (shocking I know) due to high wind and drizzle.  Crazy I know but I'm actually starting to look forward a bit to winter - for whatever reason I do better walking in the snow than I do the rain, even though the footing stinks.  Hmm.  Maybe that's not accurate.

Whatever, it's coming no matter whether I like it or not.

Breakfast:  Cornbread scramble, diced redskin potatoes, coffee.

Confirmed delicious for about the 50th time

I almost skipped going out today.  I could have stayed home and had bacon and eggs, it would have cost a lot less.  But I ended up going anyway.  This is pretty much my weekly treat, so I do not feel guilty.

Lunch:  Taco salad.  Romaine, leftover taco meat, pico de gallo, cheese, sour cream & hot sauce

Wondering how this is going to check out calorie-wise.

Very good.  This was actually a bit much, I think I will need to scale it down a bit.  And since I don't have my favorite restaurant taco salad available any more, I think this might become a regular feature.

Dinner:   Homemade pizza, iceberg salad.

Traditional style stuff.  Sunday dinner not at home.  Nuff said.

Exercise:  None.  I did putter around the house so I wasn't completely sedentary, but it was such a nasty day I stayed indoors.

91.0

A Tragic Lack

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Lacked bacon this morning.  And eggs, for that matter.  I had one egg, which was needed for the oatcakes.  No bacon.  Going to the farm today to stock up, but I guess I could have gone yesterday which would have alleviated all of this suffering.  I may not be entirely serious.  Being out of bacon and eggs is pretty low on the tragedy scale.  But things are definitely better with bacon.

Breakfast:  Oatcakes, coffee

Mmmmm, starch.

This is a bigger portion than usual - I normally divide the batch in three but this time just in two given the lack of things to go with it.  Also, I just realized that I forgot to add vanilla.  Oh well, they were still good.  That's the sort of thing that happens when you just plain wing the recipe.  I also tried a new kind of coffee today and was happy that it was fine.

Lunch:  Homemade pizza with CF pepperoni, 1 slice Armour 1877 salami, sauteed green pepper and onion

Yes, and yes again.  I could live on pizza.  I would be even fatter, but I totally could.

And this is why weekends are the best.  I mean, no reason I have to wait until the weekend to make this, but I did and with no time constraints ... well, anyway, yum.  I scaled down the crust by a third to make a slightly smaller pie and tried using a different pan.  Fairly successful.  I may need to work the dough just a bit more to make sure it's fully combined, but yeah.  Yum. Myfitnesspal clocks this in at about 1,000 calories, which isn't all that awful for the big meal of the day.

Dinner:  Lettuce tacos.  Romaine hearts, taco meat w/ CF ground beef, pico de gallo, avocado, a little cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, lime juice

The spread.  Didn't eat all the pico or sour cream but DEMOLISHED the rest

ZOMG LETTUCE TACO

Holy moly were these delicious.  I used a recipe from the internet, chef pablos dot com, and made it all from scratch, starting with the taco seasoning.  Will make again!  I will probably eat the leftovers (no leftover guacamole for obvious reasons) tomorrow as a taco salad.

Exercise:  No walk, though I did stay awake which is progress.  I should move my alarm to half an hour earlier yet, but we will see.  Did go walk 4.5 holes, pedometer said 1.35 miles in 28:30.  And I did most of an hour outside working in the yard.  So it was a pretty active day.

--

These Are Not The Habits You Are Looking For

Friday, November 15, 2013

Overslept badly again.  I really need to go to bed earlier.  Much earlier.  Fortunately it hasn't mattered this week.  Still, really really really dragging today.

Breakfast:  2 slices sharp cheddar, coffee

Lunch:  Bowl of homemade beef barley soup, 5 strips CF garlic pepper bacon, most of an avocado

Not pictured:  Avocado.  Decided on that after eating the rest

The soup gets a low B grade.  It's edible, even borderline good, but it really doesn't have enough flavor.  I shouldn't be too surprised, since the only seasoning was a bit of basil and a bay leaf.  Needs more garlic, more onion and more spices.  I think I'd also prefer more of a stew consistency.  Oh well.  I have three pint jars in the freezer which I will eat without complaint.  Just next time, if there is a next time, I'll try something a bit different.

Dinner:  Homemade pizza with CF pepperoni, romaine salad with salsa ranch dressing

You cannot contain the tastiness.

Of all the habits that have stuck with me since childhood, pizza on Friday night might be one of the more unbreakable ones.  So delicious.

Exercise:  No morning walk again.  The closest thing I can claim is doing my grocery shopping after work.  Lame.

88.6

Howling

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Slept in again.  Another morning of howling wind.  I really need to suck it up and get out there, but ... man.

Breakfast:  2 slices sharp cheddar, coffee

Lunch:  Bowl of spicy beans with just a bit of mexican cheese, 6 strips CF garlic pepper bacon

Somehow I forgot to take a picture!  Fortunately this is standard stuff, nothing exotic.  I have plenty of pictures of both.

Dinner:  Leftover pork chop with "gravy", 3 small russet potatoes boiled and mashed with butter

Still not visually appealing, still yummy.

Once again good.  Not sure I would say that it was better the second day, but still very tasty.  This meal will go into the rotation I think.

Also:  I have a pot of beef barley soup on the stove and you know I am going to have to taste test that so figure a bowl or so.

Exercise:  No walk this morning.  As mentioned, super windy.  Should have sucked it up though.  I did manage 2.5 hours of low-intensity yard work (leaves etc) this afternoon, so I did move some.

91.0

Continuing the Semi-FAIL

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

I haven't quite gotten over the hump.  I'm not doing too badly on the eating other than needing to cut some starches (i.e. toast at lunch when out and potatoes, maybe be a bit less dependent on beans), but I am slacking big time on the exercise front.  Went back to sleep again this morning.  Try again tomorrow.

Breakfast:  2 slices sharp cheddar, coffee.  No banana, no picture.

Lunch:  3 egg omelet with bacon, cream cheese, avocado, onion; 2 slices sourdough toast with butter, coffee

Same lunch as yesterday.  I didn't remember to take a picture today, in part because I had company.  Not exactly worried about it since it was exactly the same - oh, the avocado was a bit less ripe but otherwise, yeah.  Same as yesterday.

Dinner:  Boneless CF pork chop, "gravy", 3 small russet potatoes mashed with butter and sour cream.

Once again not so visually appealing but tasty!

Winged this one.  The gravy was a box of Pacific organic cream of mushroom soup, 2 carrots, 4 ribs celery, a small onion, a little butter to brown the veggies, salt, pepper and cayenne.  Cooked in the oven in my enameled cast iron dutch oven.  Turned out delicious.  The chop was definitely on the small side,  but I didn't want to eat both.  I'll have the other chop (next time I'll use bigger chops or more of them) and rest of the "gravy" tomorrow.

Exercise:  None.  Grr.

--

Partial Fail, Still An Improvement

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

The end of the year is coming up so fast I can hardly believe it.  I don't know why it really hit me today, but it did.  Otherwise, not the greatest day.  I dawdled this morning and was able to excuse myself out of exercise due to an early work commitment.  Pathetic.  Try again tomorrow.  Also, despite feeling bloated when I got up, especially around the torso, I was actually down some and my shirt fit a bit better.  Go figure.

Breakfast:  2 slices sharp cheddar, banana, coffee.  No photo.

Lunch:  3 egg omelet with bacon, cream cheese, avocado and onion, 2 slices sourdough toast with butter, coffee

I know, I should have skipped the toast.

Nicely done and quite delicious.  Would (and will) eat again!

Dinner:  Leftover grass fed ground beef with ersatz onion gravy, 2 medium russet potatoes mashed with milk and butter, green peas.

There just isn't any way to make this visually appealing, sorry.  Sure is tasty though.

Very, very good.  Added a few red pepper flakes and I think that made it even better.  So delicious.  It didn't really occur to me until just now that if I had mixed veg instead of peas this would basically be shepherd's pie.  Whatever you call it, it is a fan favorite.

Exercise:  None.  Bah.

94.4

Pretty Much Kicking and Screaming

Monday, November 11, 2013
Veterans' Day

Body and brain got into a tug of war this morning.  I woke up on schedule, but was super tired.  So instead of investigating weather conditions outside, I napped on the couch.  This was no light doze, this was a boom, out cold for another hour kind of experience.  I figure I was short about two hours, which coincidentally was about how much I stayed up past my bedtime last night.  Idiot.  Oh, well, the things we do in the name of, well, never mind.  Anyway, long story short, tired, abbreviated morning routine, out the door.

Oh, and i think it goes without saying, I do not have today off.  Instead, it is very busy.

Breakfast:  2 slices sharp cheddar, coffee, banana

Hey, something different!  Okay, it's a banana.  Still not picture-worthy.

Lunch:  Spicy beans with ~ 4 oz meijer deli pepper turkey, some mexican cheese

Not terribly original, but delicious anyway

It occurred to me while I was eating this that it's not so terribly far away from a burrito bowl from a Qdoba or Chipotle.  I happen to use turkey but sometimes I have had chicken and I bet it would be really good with steak.  I skip the rice, maybe I should get a small quantity and try it (probably won't bother).  The onions etc in the spicy beans kinda take the place of the pico I would get.  So, yeah.  It's a lot like eating a burrito bowl.

Dinner:  2 jumbo CF eggs, 6 strips CF garlic pepper bacon, 1 medium avocado, 2 servings of oatcakes

Breakfast, it's not just what's for dinner anymore

All super delicious.  The oatcakes, however, are proving to be a gateway food.  I can't stop eating them.

Exercise:  Sigh.   I don't like skipping mornings, but I really was BEAT today.  I was ready to go to bed before 9:00 and just was not able to do so for reasons which I don't really feel like discussing.

--

Not By Exercise Alone LDO

Sunday, November 10, 2013

I am reminded this morning of just how important cutting out the starch is going to be.  I am definitely bloated as a result of eating so much of it yesterday.  Thankfully I know that I can, it is just a matter of doing it (he says while planning on hamburger gravy and mashed potatoes for lunch ...)  As with everything, it is a process.  And with that ... back to cleaning the house.

Breakfast:  Cornbread scramble, diced potatoes, coffee

Not sure what else I can say about this.  Nice shadow dummy.

The weekly treat.  So, so good.

Lunch:  Grass fed hamburger with ersatz onion gravy, 2 medium russet potatoes mashed with milk, butter and sour cream, peas

Yeah, the presentation leaves a lot to be desired.  Yum though..

Turned out quite good.  Not as good as with sliced beef, but a small ding.  Also should have added more water to the gravy so there was a bit more volume.

Snack:  Lots of chips and onion dip.  Conscious FAIL.

Dinner:  Chop suey casserole, green beans with cheddar cheese, 1 1/2 rolls with butter.

Stealth photo means lousy quality.

Sunday dinners.  Oh well.  I had already wrecked the day with the chip binge.

Exercise:  No morning walk again - howling wind, golf later hopefully.  I can handle a lot of conditions but very windy is one I don't enjoy.  9 holes with cart.  2.3 miles per the pedometer.

98.8

Excessively Breakfasted

Saturday, November 9, 2013

So glad it is the weekend.  I have lots to do, much of which will of course remain undone, but I have the luxury of some extra time.  I burned through some of it making a full breakfast.  Of course it was much more than I am now used to ... quite full as a result.  But it was good and I have some oatcakes in the freezer now.

Breakfast:  2 jumbo CF eggs, scrambled with a splash of milk and a pinch of mexican cheese.  6 strips CF garlic pepper bacon, oatmeal pancakes with banana, the other 1/2 of the banana, coffee

Breakfastus Excessivus

Decided to experiment with banana pancakes this morning ... except I forgot to add the mashed 1/2 banana to the batter.  So I added it to the last big oatcake.  A bit overpowering, but tasty.  Next time I'll try it in the batter, and maybe I'll have some peanut butter on hand too.  Oh, and I tried using honey instead of maple syrup as the sweetener.  It paired nicely with the banana but is a little bland on its own.  I think I like maple better.

Lunch:  3 small cups of chili with cheese, jalapenos and sour cream, 24 oz Miller Lite

Mmmm, chili with fixins.

Very tasty.  I could have had more jalapenos.  I could have had less of everything.  Whatever.

Dinner:  Lazy man's roast beef dinner.  ~ 5 oz Spartan deli roast beef, several yukon gold potatoes mashed with butter and milk, ersatz beef onion gravy, frozen peas.

Adding a small onion, chopped, to the gravy produced fabulous results!

Still all kinds of yum, but it hit me later -- why am I paying for deli roast beef when I could have just thawed out a pound of plain old grass fed ground beef, cooked it up and made a delicious onion gravy to have with it?  The roast beef is good but it's not twice as much good and the grass fed stuff is better for me obviously.  I could have also made hamburger gravy, another favorite, with my remaining supply of milk.

Oh well, more ideas.  Good but must they all involve potatoes?  I finished my bag of yukon golds, so I'm down to a stock of ~ 4 lb of organic russets.

Exercise:  Didn't walk this morning.  Wind was absolutely howling, 30+ mph.  Also knew that I would be cleaning and golfing.  Did golf, 18 holes with cart, some extra walking.  Pedometer said 4.85 miles (including trip to grocery store afterward).  So, something.

96.6

Oh Hai Friday

Friday, November 8, 2013

Yeah, I'm going there.  TGIF.  I am so ready for a weekend, even though it's been a reasonably good week.  I woke up on time, was a little sluggish getting out the door, did my walk and now I'm trying to get enthused enough to go to work.  I'll get there.  I just won't be early!

Breakfast:  2 slices sharp cheddar, coffee.  The usual.  If I had had any hard boiled eggs made up I would have had one or two of those, but I didn't.  Instead, I put that on the list of things for next week.

Lunch:  Spicy beans, 2 leftover CF bacon cheddar brats, mexican cheese

This much win can barely be captured by the bowl.

This was the tastiest batch of beans ever.  They were done just perfectly and the cheese was a stellar addition.  Wow, so good.

Dinner:  ~ 5 oz Meijer deli seasoned roast beef, ersatz gravy (Meijer naturals beef stock, about a tsp of flour, some butter), 2 medium russet potatoes mashed with a little milk and butter, Meijer frozen peas.

And voila, lazy man's hot roast beef

And then capping off a day of tasty eating, this.  I am a stone cold sucker for a hot turkey or roast beef sandwich.  So I made one, just minus the crummy white bread.  If I pick up a little more roast beef tomorrow -- it is surprisingly hard to even find one that doesn't have soy -- I might do another batch and add onion to the gravy.

Exercise:  Same loop as yesterday, 1.35 miles in 28:10 according to the pedometer.  Some day I really should reconfigure it, but I guess I've gotten adjusted to it being off by some.  Felt okay for the most part.

97.2

Wake and Ache

Thursday, November 7, 2013

The title amuses me.  And for once it's not applicable.  I got up early, felt good - other than the discomfort I felt from dreaming about being late for something right before I awoke - got in a walk and generally feel much better than I have any right to expect given that I got 6.5 hours of sleep.

Breakfast:  2 slices sharp cheddar, coffee.  No picture.

Lunch:  Sandwich with roast beef, ham, cheese and mayo, potato salad, a couple chips, small cup of beef barley soup, lots of coffee

This is not the lunch you are looking for.

At a seminar.  I ate what they had.  Skipped the brownie though.  I would have dressed my sandwich with more veggies but the line order was all out of whack - I mean, the bread was in the middle.  Sheesh.

Dinner:  2 CF bacon cheddar brats, jalapeno mustard, 2 medium yukon gold potatoes mashed w/ butter, milk and sour cream, 1 medium large avocado.

I know, I eat strange combinations of things.  Hey, it's what I had.

Yum, though the brats were definitely not as good as the hot italian links.

Exercise:  Added two long blocks to the neighborhood loop.  Took me onto a less busy street, though I did have to cross the busy street twice.  Still a winner.  Pedometer said 1.30 miles in 26.5 minutes.  Felt good throughout which is a rarity.

95.2

Not Sure What To Call It

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

This isn't complete success, and yet there are definitely elements of success there.  I have been infinitely better with the eating, even though I am still eating too much starch (darn those potatoes).  But steps in the right direction.  Exercise is not coming along as fast as I want.  Things are in good shape around the house, shaky at work.  So it's a mixed bag.

Breakfast:  2 slices sharp cheddar, coffee.  No picture.

Lunch:  Cornbread scramble, diced potatoes, coffee.  LOTS of coffee.

ZOMG YUM

Went out.  Favorite meal.  Honestly would eat as much as 2/3 of my meals here if I could afford it.  It's that good ... but they don't do dinner. (hah)

Also, and this is random:  Took this picture on the 'square' setting.  Curious to see if it makes a difference in the blog.

Dinner:  Spicy beans, mexican shredded cheese, 2 good sized yukon gold potatoes mashed with milk, butter and sour cream.

Holy mother of starch Batman!

I got a little carried away.  Oh, well.  It was delicious, and I bet it was still under 1000 calories.  I would tally it up but you know what?  I ate it already.

Exercise:  Yeah, none.  Stayed up way way way too late last night with some personal stuff and barely dragged myself out of bed at 7:00 this morning, far too late for anything resembling exercise.  I haven't even been real active otherwise today.  Maybe early bedtime tonight.

More Excusy Yet

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Very tired this morning.  Nobody's fault but my own.  I was ready to go to bed at 9:30.  Was not able to do so until 11:30.  I just don't do six hours or less any more, at least not without some fairly significant unhappiness.  Tired, a little achy, headachy.  Coffee is helping, but it is not substitute for a good night's sleep and a brisk walk.

Breakfast:  Coffee, 2 slices sharp cheddar cheese.  Again, no picture required.  It's cheese.  I eat too much cheese.

Lunch:  3 jumbo eggs scrambled with a bit of whole milk, cooked in butter/olive oil, a little onion, some mexican shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream.  3 thick slices bacon

No such thing as too much bacon.  This definitely wasn't.

Once again, yum.  I don't know why I do so well getting through the morning on just a little protein and fat, but I do.  Still nice to come home and whip up something like this.

Dinner:  2 leftover CF hot italian sausage links cooked in a can of rotel sauce (of which I had a spoonful or two), 2 yukon gold potatoes mashed with butter, milk, sour cream.

Potatoes junkie? Afraid so.

I shouldn't eat potatoes.  Bad starch.  But they are delicious.  So I had some.  Tried yukon golds, quite good.  I probably like plain old russets the best though.

Exercise:  None.  As mentioned, I was very late getting up and very sluggish when I did.  I didn't quite break through to getting out the door.  Unacceptable.  I moved around a bit more than usual otherwise today but not enough to actually call it exercise.

Partly Excusy

Monday, November 4, 2013

Made it through the weekend without catastrophe, that's a very good thing.  I also got quite a bit of stuff done around the house.  A good thing.  I didn't go into the office, which is not a good thing, but on balance it was one of the better weekends I've had in a while.  Outside of some personal news that is, but that's not relevant to this space.

Anyway, game plan for today is to keep on truckin'.

Breakfast:  Coffee,  ~ 2 oz dill jack cheese.  Using it up.  No picture.

Lunch:  2 eggs fried in bit of butter and olive oil.  A bit of sour cream.  3 thick strips of bacon

Best bacon ever?  Could be!

New variety of bacon to me.  YUM.

Dinner:  2 CF hot italian sausage links, spicy beans (drained), a bit of sour cream and a little sargento mexican blend cheese

Zesty!  Spicy!  Delicious.

The hot italian links were a new one to me and I finally prepared them right.  Other sausages I have grilled and it just dries them out.  I simmered these in water with a bit of olive oil, the water steamed off and the sausages grilled for a bit.  Turned out fantastic.  Also tried a twist on the beans, good result.

Exercise:  Short walk, according to the pedometer 0.75 mile in 16 minutes.  Felt terrible for much of it - stiff, achy, sore, really really fat.  Finally loosened up some the last couple blocks.  Why so short?  Two reasons, which are really just excuses:  I got a late start.  Got up with the alarm but dozed on the couch for a while.  I hate walking when there is lots of traffic.  Give me peace and quiet.  Also, it was windy.  I was prepared for cold, not so much for wind.  As soon as I finish this I am going to fish out the rest of my cold weather walking gear so I don't have that excuse going forward.

100.4

Made It To A Day Two For Once

Sunday, November 3, 2013

I don't know why this is so hard.  I survived the temptation of half price halloween candy at the grocery store yesterday.  I managed to avoid the siren call of dessert tonight.  Several times today I thought about saying eff it and binging.  But I made it.

Breakfast:  Corn bread scramble with eggs, bacon, tomato, cheese, avocado; diced potatoes, pico de gallo.  Coffee.

So very, very, very, very good.  

This is absolutely my favorite meal right now.  So delicious.  I would eat this for breakfast every day if I could.

Lunch:  Spicy beans and turkey;  banana

Not pictured:  Banana.  I mean, it's a banana, right?

Dinner:  Spaghetti with meat, salad with a bit of italian dressing, parmesan cheese, 2.5 slices garlic bread

Above average stealthiness, below average photo!

I don't have control over Sunday night menus.  I either need to resign myself to eating crap or else start bringing my own food.

Exercise:  Actually got up and went for a walk.  Pedometer said 1.1 miles in 22 minutes, so a bit less than that distance wise.  Also played 13 holes of golf with cart, probably good for another 2.5 to 3 miles.  Feeling it tonight.

101.6

Serious Fat

Saturday, November 2, 2013

I have been unable to maintain any kind of discipline.  The results have been horrific.  I will weigh in tomorrow morning for the bad news, but I know that I have gained weight at an alarming rate.  My midsection is much bigger around than it was six months ago, or even in July.  NEED to do something about it.  So:  Try again.

Simple rules:  No sugar.  No fast food.  No pizza.  Minimize starch.  Eat real food.  Eat at home, or when eating out choose breakfast foods, salads, etc.  This isn't rocket science.

Breakfast:  All meat omelette, 2 slices sourdough toast with butter, coffee

I could have done without the toast.  And I think I'm going to switch to a different omelette.  On the bright side, I didn't eat it all ... because I was full.

Lunch:  Spicy beans with turkey.  I also had more coffee during the morning.

Not the best batch of beans ever - more watery than gravy-y

This has become a standby.  It is so easy to jar pints of beans and stick them in the freezer.  What I really hope to do is to do a batch of beans or soup or chili each week and stock the freezer - I should use them up at about that pace so it should work out nicely.   I can skip a week from time to time to reduce any excess inventory.  And I can let the stuff cook while I'm doing weekly cleaning stuff or watching football.

Dinner:  ~ 8 oz grass fed NY Strip steak, mashed potatoes with milk, butter and sour cream, green beans

Yumm-O !

 The quality of meat makes such a difference.  Even though the steak was undercooked just a bit (on the border between blue rare and rare instead of rare/medium rare as I prefer it) it was very good.  I got a little carried away with the potatoes - I had 3 small russets left from a couple weeks ago so I used them up, it was more than enough for 2 servings.  I am ... full!

Snacks:  ~ 2 oz dill jack cheese

Exercise:  I actually woke up early enough to walk this morning.  I didn't and I'm slightly ashamed by that.  In fairness it was cold and raining and I had not organized my rain gear or cold weather gear.  So I'm doing that now in order to not have that excuse tomorrow.  I am getting in some movement cleaning the house and I'll walk around the grocery store later.