End Of (A) Line

Sunday, November 30, 2025

Last day of a much needed long holiday weekend.  As expected I could not get to sleep last night, too much time shifting.  I did force myself to stay awake when my eyes popped open at 7:00 but it was not pleasant.  A very slow start is underway.

Scale minimum up, not a surprise.  A mini feast on tap for tonight, leftovers Monday night and then things should be pretty normal until Christmas.  I mapped out a radical schedule change that really needs to happen, but I'm not sure how I'd be able to deal with the holiday.  Real life doesn't operate on that schedule.

Breakfast:  Spelt lazy bagels w/ chive and onion cream cheese, orange juice, coffee

 

Subbed sprouted spelt flour for regular in the lazy bagels this morning, turned out pretty good.  A slightly different (but not unpleasant!), kinda slightly rye-ish flavor profile.  Will make again.

Lunch:  3 eggs over, 4 strips thick cut bacon, hash browns in RCO

 

Saved by the weather, if it had been easier to go back out I probably would have cracked and bought lunch.  This was tasty as always, even if the eggs were the full spectrum from easy to hard.   Will have a glass of Coke later.

Dinner:  Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, peas, rolls w butter, jello salad, cranberry, 12 oz Miller Lite

 

Traditional second feast - doing it this way everything is prepared the way we like it, which is not always the case with the big potluck.  All delicious, just did a breast and not a full bird.

 

Just a glass of eggnog for the capper tonight.  No cookies and I'm too full anyway.

Exercise:  Nope.

98.0 

Luxuriating

Saturday, November 29, 2025

I have been taking full advantage of the ability to sleep as much as I can.  Borderline abusing it.  I was absolutely luxuriating in sleep-in privilege this morning and I knew it.  Now of course there is a downside, the coming week is going to capital S suck given that my schedule is now way off.  But at least I should be very well rested going in.

It is a wonder that we have two more days of weekend.  I was going to work yesterday, but did not.  So instead I think I'm going to go in for a few hours this afternoon and at least get things picked up.  We'll see how much actual work gets done.  I'll clean the coffee maker, grab the laundry, that sort of thing.  All of which needs to be done and there is never time to do it.

Anyway, scale was up again this morning, no surprise.  But it wasn't that much.  And I'm currently feeling pretty optimistic about a few more minor tweaks to the eating to continue the slow drip downward.  The current month has been good for that.

Breakfast:  2 eggs over medium in butter, hash browns in RCO, 3 strips thick cut bacon, coffee

This was more like lunch, since I didn't eat until almost noon.  A+ tasty.

Lunch:  Pepsi

Not planning to have any food, so I'll use this as my 'lunch'.

Dinner:  Double cheeseburgers, 12 oz Miller Lite

 

Worked longer than I expected so I chose not to cook.  Weather is awful and getting worse, so the local burger place was completely deserted.  I don't often tip for counter service but I did here.

 

And the capper, the rest of the lemon meringue pie with a glass of 2% milk.

Exercise:  Nope.  Not an active day.

97.8 

What's The Number

Friday, November 28, 2025

Part of the post-Thanksgiving fun is trying to guess how much the scale will be up.  I guessed a relatively small number, two pounds, since I didn't eat quite as much as anticipated.  Turns out it was only one pound.  Going to call that a big win.  

Speaking of which, I was actually able to speak one into existence.  Before I crashed last night, I verbalized a desire to get a good night's sleep from midnight to 8:00.  And what do you know, I went to sleep quickly and woke up just after 8:00, with only one minor 3:15 wakeup for a mild toe-curling cramp and water removal.  Big win.  

Been a lazy start.  I have more cleaning up to do, then I'll decide between office time and home projects.  Probably nothing too ambitious either way.  No shopping planned and I'm not going to go anywhere if I do not need to, the weather isn't great for driving.  I hit some ice yesterday and was lucky to avoid a mailbox.

Breakfast:  Roll w butter, 1 slice extra sharp cheddar, coffee

 

Had a last roll from the test batch, still good.  Very impressed by how well they kept.  Unsurprisingly I was not terribly hungry but I did want to eat something before coffee.

Lunch:  2 eggs over hard, hash browns in RCO, 4 strips thick cut bacon

 

If I want better eggs I'm going to have to use more butter/oil/grease, I just used an odd bit of RCO and it wasn't enough, the eggs stuck (to my nonstick pan).  Still tasted great though. 

Will have a glass of Pepsi later. 

Dinner:  Gardetto's rye chips, 12 oz Miller Lite, leftover turkey, stuffing and gravy, cranberry

 

Too many rye chips.  Going to pitch the rest.  Also need to never buy them again, that ingredient list is ugh.  I couldn't come close to eating the whole bowl of leftovers, I ate between a third and a half.

 

And tonight's capper, leftover lemon meringue pie and a glass of 2% milk. 

Exercise:  Nope.  Definitely not a very active day.

97.0 

Prep Day

Thursday, November 27, 2025

Thanksgiving Day 

Thanksgiving means prep.  Lots of prep.  We do a family dinner and everybody brings stuff.  I had two pies, two sides and rolls to do, so I was very busy all day.  But the payoff was worth it and everything tasted great.

Scale minimum up, fine after yesterday's food choices. Not enough sleep after being kept awake by surprise insomnia.

Breakfast:  2 eggs over medium, hash browns in refined coconut oil, coffee

 

Solid.

Lunch:  Trader Joe's sourdough rye chips, Pepsi

 

Picked these up for this exact purpose (actually I was going to get cornbread crackers but they could not be found).  They were quite tasty.  Seed oil slop though, unfortunately, like most TJ's food, so it's not like they'll be a regular thing.

Dinner:  Thanksgiving feast

 

Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, mac and cheese, jello salad, rolls w butter, cranberry, a couple olives and a celery stick with ranch (earlier), a glass of lemonade, 12 oz Labatt Blue Light, pumpkin pie, lemon meringue pie.

Whew.  I didn't add a lot after the first (pictured) plate, just a little more turkey, stuffing, jello, cranberry and a mini roll.  Small servings of most things.  Had the smallest slices of pie I could cut.  And I still ate too much. 

Exercise:  No, though I was on my feet and moving all day.

96.0 

 

Pre Storm

Wednesday, November 26, 2025

It would be the calm before the storm, but the storm has arrived - wind is howling and it's snowing sideways as I write this.  At least work has calmed, it has been decidedly quiet this afternoon.

Thankfully I have not identified anything I need to pick up at the grocery store, I have gas in the tank for travels tomorrow (weather permitting) and I won't really have to do anything other than cook.

Scale was down the minimum this morning, which was nice.  I am not sure what's up with the processing system, I eat too much to have this little solid output.  At least the liquid is normal other than telling me I should drink a little more water.

Breakfast:  1 slice Meijer extra sharp cheddar, potato roll w butter, orange juice, coffee

 

Nothing new.  Rolls are still surprisingly good.

Lunch:  Italian beef, Pepsi

 

I managed to not order fries.  Harder than you think, this place has the best fries around and it's not close.

Dinner:  Home cracker crust pizza w Niman Ranch pepperoni, 12 oz All Day IPA

 

I was pleased to find one last All Day in the back of the fridge.  Once I drink a few more Miller Lites I'll probably buy some more.  Pizza was very tasty.

 

And the capper.  Last of this batch. 

Exercise:  Uhhh.  I almost think I should count it.  Had a section of fence come down, so I moved it (that sucker was heavy) and tied up the standing sections to support them. 

95.8 

Wildly Heated

Tuesday, November 25, 2025

One day down, two to go this week.  Thankfully the calendar isn't too packed, lots of folks are taking time off.  I need the catchup time.

Not an ideal night of sleep.  First (almost) four hours were great, had to get up for liquid removal, then I predictably could not get back to sleep.  I tried and may have had some intermittent success, but it felt like I was awake pretty much the entire time over the next three hours.  Lazed about after that.  I'm not super tired, thankfully, but I'm also not rested.

Scale was good, even though I haven't finished processing Sunday's excesses (or what I ate yesterday for that matter).  BP readings were wild, I took two and they were completely different.  Even the pulse numbers were not consistent at all, though both were high.  Not surprised by that, I was a little heated overnight and it feels like I'm fighting something.

Breakfast:  1C spicy beans, potato roll w butter, coffee

 

A little change of pace, figured I'd try it here and there at least during the winter months.  Tasty.

Lunch:  Smoked turkey, mashed potatoes, Pepsi

 

Dinner:  Leftover lasagna, 12 oz Miller Lite

I was going to make a salad too, but I'm pretty wiped out.

 

And the capper.  Early bedtime coming up.

Exercise:  Nope.  Still not feeling great.

96.0 

First Post Crash

Monday, November 24, 2025

I certainly crashed hard last night.  Finished dessert about 8:15 and by 9:00 I was done.  I'm sure the massive hit of sugar from the cake and ice cream was the coup de grace.  Having been up since 0 dark 30 teed it up and then WHAM, time to crash out.  And it'll probably happen again on Thursday.

Anyway, last night was a mess.  I was really not feeling it when I woke up at 5:00, it was one of the rare occasions where I could go back to sleep.  I snoozed intermittently until I was late.  While I felt a lot better when I finally did get up it still was not nearly enough sleep.  I spent entirely too much metabolic energy on digestion.

Scale was up but I was expecting worse.  I think once I clear out the waste it'll end up being only a fractional gain.  Which is good, since there is plenty more eating on tap this week.

Breakfast:  1 slice extra sharp cheddar, potato roll w butter, coffee

 

I never though a half batch of rolls could seem like so many.  No chance I finish them all even though they're supposed to be good for a week.

Lunch:  Smoked turkey, mashed potatoes, Pepsi

 

Again and again tasty.  Weather is supposed to turn so I probably won't hit the BBQ pace next weekend.

Dinner:  3 mexican tacos, 12 oz Miller Lite

 

Okay.   A little burned out on these tbqh.

 

And the capper.   Freshly baked, really nailed this batch,

Exercise:  Nope.  Not going to lie, I physically felt like crap today.  Tired, strained, aches and pains, you name it.  Hoping a little extra sleep will help things.

97.4 

Wake Up Get Up

Sunday, November 23, 2025

At this point I never know when I'm going to wake up.  Today, it was 4:00.  And of course my brain immediately switched on and further sleep was out of the question.  It's annoying.  I did manage to delay getting moving until after 5:00, but no additional sleep was had.  We'll see if I need a nap later.

A very pleasant surprise to see a modest drop on the scale.  I full expected a chunk gain after too much eating yesterday.  At least it was a fairly active day.  I have a similarly long list of things to do today, but thankfully not as much cooking.  Just need to make a lasagna.

Time to get cracking.

Breakfast:  2 eggs scrambled, potato rolls with butter, coffee, orange juice

 

Decided not to do anything complex.

Lunch:  Leftover brisket, cheesy potatoes, Pepsi

Always tasty.

 

Had some Walgreens roasted peanuts for a snack.  Bah.  Not good and roasted in canola.  At least I just bought the single serving size.

Dinner:  Lasagna, salad w homemade no oil parmesan peppercorn dressing, garlic bread, 12 oz Miller Lite, cake and ice cream

 

Birthday party.  Scale will be up tomorrow, that's for sure.

Exercise:  Nope

96.0 

Suprisingly Petty

Saturday, November 22, 2025

Well that was different.

I was sound asleep.  Probably dreaming about something, but it wasn't memorable.  And then, for some reason, about 5:00 my brain gave me an image of Tom Petty in full yellow suit, with top hat and all, and I bolted awake.  Shook.

And I have absolutely no idea why.  I'm not a Petty fan, can't think of a reason why I would have even given him a thought since he passed away.  Probably why it was shocking enough to wake me.

Whew.  What a way to start the day.  On a happier note, I was pleasantly surprised to see the scale down this morning, despite the larger dinner than usual (in the form of the keto bowl) and having added a few calories of cocoa butter in the coffee.  Good times.

Super, super busy weekend lined up.  I tired myself out good last night, let's get cracking.

Breakfast:  2 eggs over hard in butter, hash browns in refined coconut oil, coffee

 

For fun I attempted what might have been my first ever chef flip of the eggs -- yes, I was unsure enough that I did it over the sink -- and pulled it off the the second try.  The first was a little too zesty and I flipped them all the way over back to where they started.  That was fun.  Now to just get the timing down...

Also, while this was not a huge quantity of food, it produced tremendous satiety. 

Lunch:  Brisket, cheesy potatoes, cornbread

 

Pretty good.  Will have a small glass of Pepsi a little later.   Also had a glass of milk to use it up.

Dinner:  Spicy beans, homemade potato rolls with butter

 

Fresh batch of beans, going to try an experiment with them.  Test run (half batch) on the rolls, they turned out pretty good and I determined that yes, I can make rolls.  The downside is that I have a lot of rolls. 

 

And the capper.  Last of this batch.

Exercise:  Nope.  Super busy but nothing dedicated.  Hoping to do some dedicated time over the holiday weekend to get back into a routine.  It will be a challenge though -- I was musing earlier yesterday that my bad leg and knee were improving, then ... I carried in fifty pounds of groceries, unevenly balanced, and I received a wake up call as to how badly damaged that leg is.  Ouch.  

96.4  

What Sounds Good

 Friday, November 21, 2025

TGIF.  It's been a week.  But the good news is that things are already slowing down a bit for the holidays.  I have high hopes that next week will be productive due to it being quiet.

I had to wait for a meeting to start this morning so I spent an inordinate amount of time mapping out things to cook - I have things to batch cook for the freezer, party food to make for a birthday party this weekend, Thanksgiving preparations to make.  Lots to do.  And it all sounds good.  I was oddly encouraged by yesterday - I was hungry when it was time to eat, I ate, and I was promptly full.  Those signals almost never work correctly due to how broken my system is.

Good news on the scale this morning, most of which I attribute to clearance.  I've pretty much spun my wheels this week, though it's good to get back to near the low.  Sleep was meh.  Last night's annoying wakeup happened about 12:45 -- I'd been asleep for three hours.  Sure enough, can't get right back to sleep, but at least it was only an hour and I got quite a bit more after that.  Still, the messed up sleep made it harder to get going this morning and I was not early.

Breakfast:  2 slices Meijer extra sharp cheddar, orange juice, coffee (w/ cocoa butter)

 

As a change up I added cocoa butter to my last two cups of coffee.  Added 80 calories, all fat, some body and a bit of chocolate flavor.

Lunch:  3 cheese dogs, mashed potatoes, Pepsi

 

Tasty.  I think I'll try giving up the Pepsi after I finish the bottle I have left, which at this rate will take another week. 

Dinner:  Keto bowl

 

I was very full.

 

And the capper. 

Exercise:  No, I can't count it, though I was certainly beat after spending a couple hours shopping and dragging in 50 lb of groceries.

 97.4 

Back Up Sounds

Thursday, November 20, 2025

A night to forget.  I got to sleep okay, about 10:30.  Woke up at 2:45 to something beeping, wasn't mine.  Never did decide if it was a truck backing up or someone's smoke detector.  Anyway, I could not get back to sleep.  I should have gotten up and going but I didn't.  Finally dozed back off at 5:00 so I slept until 7:00 and did not get in early.

Unsurprisingly the scale was meh, minimum up reversing yesterday's minimum down.  My body has pretty much figured out what I'm eating and adjusted accordingly.  Time to change up.  One thing I probably will NOT do is add more sandwiches and other bread products as yesterday was the worst day I've had for sinuses in weeks and the sub at lunch was the most notable deviation.  Cause and effect?  Who knows, but I would not rule it out.

Breakfast:  2 slices Meijer extra sharp cheddar, orange juice, coffee

 

Again.

Lunch:   3 cheese dogs, mashed potatoes, Pepsi

 

I was hungry, so I was glad it was lunchtime.

Dinner:  Leftover enchilada eggs, 12 oz All Day IPA

 

The egg casseroles are stupid easy.  Reheat and eat.   And just like at lunch, I was hungry.  Then I ate and I was notably full.  This is .. encouraging?

 

And the capper. 

Exercise:  Nope.

98.8 

Peak Of Week

Wednesday, November 19, 2025

I seem to have one day each week that hits peak work insanity.  This week it was today.  I was not able to do lunch at my usual time, so an audible was involved.  The rest of the week won't be so bad.

Didn't get up quite as early this morning, but was still at work before 7:00.  Probably earlier tomorrow, assuming I can get to sleep on time.  Scale was minimum down, BP was okay.  

Breakfast:  3 slices Sargento cheddar cheese, orange juice, coffee

 

Ate the odd slice.  Seriously, why 11 slices in a package?

Lunch:  Deluxe sub, Pepsi

 

This is one half, not sure why they wrapped 'em separately

 

I was actually very full when I finished the sub, which is encouraging.  I was also musing that I wished they sold the mini cans of Pepsi or Coke individually, since that's all I really want, just a few ounces.  No such luck.

Dinner:  Leftover enchilada eggs, 12 oz All Day IPA

 

Had a can of All Day tucked away in the fridge, I may even have one or two more to break up the large number of Miller Lites I have to clean up.  Eggs were tasty.

 

And the capper.

Exercise:  Nope.  Not a notably active day.  

98.6 

Multiple Times

Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Another day closer.  Off to an okay start, it was a fairly productive morning.  Woke up a little before 5:00, so I got in to work pretty early.  We'll see how the afternoon goes.

It was fairly apparent yesterday that I dumped a little extra water, and sure enough the scale bounced back down reversing the gain from Sunday.  More has departed this morning.  Also got a decent BP reading.

I did spend a little time mapping out some holiday cooking projects, I'll have a lot to prep for Thanksgiving. The trick may just be not eating all of it!

Breakfast:  2 slices Sargento sharp cheddar, orange juice, coffee

 

Again.

Lunch:  Smoked turkey, mashed potatoes, Pepsi

 

Again.  I really like this lunch, if the BBQ place were closer I'd eat it 4x/wk instead of 2. 

Dinner:  Enchilada eggs, 12 oz Miller Lite

 

Changed up a bit, different peppers/onions, more eggs, Frontera enchilada sauce.  Very tasty.  It amuses me that this mostly just looks like a photo of cheese.

 

And the capper. 

Exercise:  Nope.  Definitely not active today.

98.8