Lux Life

Sunday, February 9, 2020

Yesterday was certainly indulgent.  I lazed about, ate a bit much, accomplished little and didn't feel too bad about that fact.  I do wonder if I had managed a nap whether I might have been a bit more productive but so it goes.  Nothing too ambitious planned for today, either.

I didn't pay too steep of a price.  A bit of puffiness this morning, a small tick up on the scale, but nothing of consequence.  I suspect if I'm a bit more active today that it'll end up a wash.

Breakfast:  Oatwaffles with lots of butter, 5 strips Smithfield thick cut bacon, coffee

Nine strips of bacon in the package.  I bet if I bought 12 oz packages (the ones I usually buy are 24, the Smithfield was 16) it would be the perfect size for two weekend morning breakfasts.  I'll have to look and see if there are any in thick cut.  Or I could just eat better bacon and deal with it.

Oh, and I had the end of a stick of softened butter to use up so use it I did.  It was glorious.

Lunch:  Leftover pork tenderloin with mushroom gravy, cheese roll, homemade kraut.  

This was just OK.  It needed something, maybe cayenne, to really be good.  It also could have been heated longer.  Oh well.  I ate most of it.  I'll probably have a Light Hearted Ale at some point too.  I like the kraut, though next time I'd probably use fewer carraway seeds.

Dinner:  Meatloaf, four cheese potatoes w butter, cheesy green beans, roll with butter

I loaded up the potatoes (ugh box potatoes with "ingredients") and roll with lots of butter.  Ate a bit more meatloaf and another half roll.  And yes, I did have a beer mid-afternoon.

Before I left I threw on a hoodie and ... it was loose?!  Wow.  I mean it's generously sized, but it actually fits really well right now.  And it was obvious to me.  A nice little boost.

Exercise:  I'm counting it.  Moved a bunch of stuff for a half hour of concerted effort including books and furniture.  Not ideal, but I did work up a sweat.

110.8

Wondering About The Stall

Saturday, February 8, 2020

Very glad it's the weekend.  Of course.

I found myself wondering after posting yesterday when I'm going to hit a stall.  I mean, my diet yesterday wasn't exactly clean.  I ate fast/restaurant food twice.  I ate wheat bread at all three meals.  The macros, if I tracked them, wouldn't fit with any diet, except maybe a pure calorie in/calorie out just because I'm so fat I have a high base metabolic rate despite being lazy.

It's going to happen sometime, but until it happens I guess I won't worry too much about it.

I will say that I was glad not to see a spike this morning after yesterday's mediocre decision making.  I've got a bunch of cooking projects lined up today, we will see how many I get through.  I'm enjoying the food I'm preparing (okay, except for the occasional FAIL) but will admit that it would be pretty nice if I could have a Friday night meatball sub and not pay (figuratively) for it.

This is going to be a long day.  I went to bed early but -- this is why I need to ban myself from electronics in the bedroom -- got caught up searching for something on my phone and didn't even try to sleep until after 11.  Probably got to sleep by 11:30, woke up at 4:45 and going back to sleep just wasn't possible.  So I got up.  Yikes.  Also, that's one more reason I was relieved not to see a jump on the scale this morning.

Breakfast:  Oatwaffles with a little butter, 4 strips Smithfield thick cut bacon, coffee

Consumed in stages, I decided not to run the blender at 6:00 a.m. so I had the waffles later when I finished making them.  Three sets packed away in the freezer for future consumption.  They're a great vehicle for butter, the bites with lots of butter were exquisite.

Lunch:  Pork tenderloin with mushroom gravy, homemade sauerkraut, bread with butter

A very homemade lunch.  Made mushroom soup from scratch for the gravy, made the kraut last weekend - this was the first time trying it - and baked the bread this morning.  All quite tasty.

"Snack":  12 oz Bell's Light Hearted Ale

A "Lo-Cal" IPA.  I've had Founders All Day IPA which is pretty good.  This definitely tastes like Two Hearted's lighter cousin to me.  Not bad.  Decided to have it before dinner so I can close the eating window, probably going to crash early.

Dinner:  Homemade pizza with pepperoni, ham, mushroom, green pepper, onion, various cheeses

Exquisite.  Love pizza night.  A fine capper to a day of feasting.  Did the now usual eat half, save half for Monday, though I will say the beer set off some cravings, some hunger.  Thankfully I'm sated after half.

Exercise:  Nope.  Disappointed in myself.

110.4

A Less Common Weekday Thing

Friday, February 7, 2020

Always TGIF.  Always.

Scale was kind despite last night's big dinner out, so things got off to a very good start.  I definitely noticed that my right leg, the good one, looks more and more like that of a normal person.  I've also observed some improvements in the jowl area.  As always, still super fat, but I like to see progress.

Ok night last night.  Woke up at 3:45 (bladder), went back to sleep, rest of the night so-so.  Snorelab said it was moderate early, then not much of an issue later on.  I don't think I'll ever solve that mystery but if I ever find something that works (I mean I assume weight loss will help) it'll be a great day.

Breakfast:  CFA chick-n-minis, coffee

I was a little hungry and wanted more coffee just before 10 so I stopped since I was in the area.  If I hadn't had a free offer for the minis I would have skipped them, but I did and so I didn't.  I should have asked for butter, but they were fine just not good for me.

Lunch:  Ham, medium avocado, 2 cheese rolls with a little extra butter

Out of yogurt and I decided not to have additional cheese beyond what was in the rolls.  All good and I was plenty satisfied.

Dinner:  Meatball sub

Not ideal, probably, but pretty good none the less.  Local place, though I don't think the meatballs are homemade.  Nothing fussy, just meatballs, a little sauce and mozzarella on a Turano roll.  Very good and quite satisfying.  I bought some beer at the store tonight but since it was warm I'll probably wait until tomorrow to try one.

Exercise:  Not really.  Spent almost an hour at the grocery store but I don't count that.  Forecast isn't great for the weekend but I definitely want to get out and do something. 

111.6

Creeping Closer

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Five weeks until a mini vacation.  It's just on the very outer fringes of within reach, but I can feel it's out there and that is a very good feeling.  And just a little bit motivating.  I have my real goal and stretch goal for where I want to be when that day rolls around.  Scale was good to me this morning -- despite two days in a row of mashed potatoes with lots of butter and little activity -- so that's a plus.  I have to go out to dinner tonight for work -- how weird is it that I don't want to -- so we'll see how that goes.  I'm definitely getting used to cooking and eating at home.

Sleep was ok last night.  Went to bed early, around 9, but didn't go to sleep until after 10:30 I think.  Woke up once around 2:45, slept so-so after that.  Snore score was higher, though not too terrible and very much concentrated in the first several hours.  Didn't really learn anything from that.  I tried to fall asleep on my back, which unsurprisingly didn't work, but at least it was pretty comfortable.

Lunch:  Deconstructed ham sandwich, medium avocado

Yup, ham >>>>> turkey.  This was Hormel natural choice smoked ham and it was quite good.  I didn't quite eat all the bread, it was quite stale.  Did eat all the butter though.

Dinner:  Bistro steak with lime butter, calabrese potatoes with sour cream, brussels sprouts with bacon walnuts and balsamic, roll with a bit of olive oil, pint of Amber Ale

Fancy restaurant dinner.  Quite good, but I would have been just fine with a meal at home.  I was very pleasantly satisfied and not bloated.  We'll see how much I pay for it on the scale.

Exercise:  Nope.  I did get up earlier this morning (and got to work earlier) but did not use the time for exercise.  Hopefully this weekend I can kick off a routine.

112.4

A Few Musings On The Plan

On January 18 I posted the following guidelines of how I wanted to eat --

What I need to formulate are a list of rules for myself.  "How I Eat".  

So, a first draft:

1.  It needs to be obvious enough that I don't have too many "can I eat this?" questions.  
2.  I shouldn't have to track macros or do any other detailed calculations. 
3.  Eat protein liberally, fat generously and carbohydrate sparingly.
4.  Avoid vegetable and seed oils like the plague and minimize other consumption of unsaturated fats / lineolic acid.
5.  Eat when hungry but it's okay to be hungry.
6.  Don't sweat the small stuff

Now, 2 1/2 weeks later, I'd like to post some thoughts.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with how things are going.  Over the course of those 17 days I have lost about ten pounds, despite a couple stumbles and without feeling deprived at all.

Looking at the individual rules:

1.  I haven't really had any questions.  A couple times I have eaten things, e.g. Chick Fil A, which don't fit the rules (eff you peanut oil).  But for the most part it's been pretty question-free.

2.  I haven't tracked any macros or done any calculations.

3.  Only partial success here -- I've been pretty good at getting my protein and fat but I've perhaps been over liberal with the carbs.  I'm not going to freak out about it as long as the scale continues to tick down, but I could probably cut them by about half.

4.  Pretty happy with the oil avoidance.  I've used a bit of olive oil here and there, no more than a couple tablespoons total.  I mentioned CFA.  Other than that cooking and eating at home has allowed a drastic reduction in "vegetable" oil consumption -- I'm sure it's hidden in some products I've consumed but I sure haven't voluntarily added any to anything I've cooked.  I have had a bunch of avocadoes so I haven't exactly eliminated the unsaturated fats.

5.  Excellent job with this one.  I haven't been hungry for breakfast during the week, so I don't eat it.  No unnecessary calories consumed.  And with the liberal consumption of fat I've been sated.  Honestly, I'm rarely very hungry.  This is helping with portion control too, e.g. eating half as much pizza at a sitting. 

6.  Not much sweating going on.  I do wonder some about the conflicting advice that's out there and as mentioned above I dock myself some points for eating too many carbs, but I'm not going nuts.  Again, while things are progressing nicely I'm not going to be too concerned.

I'm still super, super fat.  I suspect that no matter what I eat as long as it's in moderation I'd lose weight right now.  The degree of difficulty will ramp up once I've lost all the easy weight and I have to figure out how to eat to continue to lose.  But that's a problem for way down the line.

Getting Labs

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Hump day.  No humping will be involved, though one might be busted.

I'm starting to look forward to the day I can stop giving sleep updates.  Another not great night last night, though it was interesting I guess.  Went to sleep relatively early, before 10:30.  Woke up at 12:45, then again at 2:00 and at 4:15.  Knee soreness.  I didn't use a sleeve, just the knee pillow which only has so much usefulness since I seem to change positions an awful lot.  Wasn't ever awake for very long, but I was awake enough to check the time.  I did get at least a little REM sleep later on, since I had a dream about being driven to the airport.  Still, it felt somewhat inadequate.

The interesting part was that I used the Snorelab app for the first time in quite a while and it had me for a much lower level of snoring - both in terms of frequency and volume - than I had experienced before.  Some of that may just be positioning of the phone, since it's not quite as close as on the other bed.  It may well be accurate -- I'm not particularly tired or sleepy despite the interrupted sleep and I didn't have a headache when I woke up, so who knows.  Something else to watch while I try to figure this out.

Lunch:  Deconstructed turkey sandwich, Fage vanilla TruBlend yogurt, medium avocado

Same as yesterday, just with vanilla yogurt.  I've decided that turkey is about my ninth favorite lunch meat and there really isn't any reason to buy or eat it.

Dinner:  2 Kiolbassa beef smoked sausages, TCD style mashed potatoes

Pulled out some Kerrygold for the potatoes.  Good stuff.  Really, this meal couldn't be much easier.  Peel potatoes, put them on the stove, stick stuff in oven, see you in 25 minutes.

Exercise:  Nope.  On the plus side I felt more mobile this evening, so the weight loss is having a positive impact even if I'm still gimpy.

113.8

Another Win For Tacos

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

It's getting so that Tuesday morning is a highlight of the work week.  I get to see what magic Taco Monday has wrought.  Good news again this week, even though I was not active yesterday.

Sleep experiments continue.  I went with a knee sleeve and attempted knee pillow last night.  I was able to fall asleep okay though it took a little while, but woke up at 4:15 with (sigh) knee pain.  I did get back to sleep, though it was suboptimal.  It felt a little odd and I'm not entirely comfortable with wearing the sleeve overnight but at the same time I did manage to get nearly six hours before I woke up and the knee otherwise feels fine today. I do think I should measure and get a properly sized knee sleeve, the ones I have are generic L/XL and I don't remember how well sized they were when I purchased them.

Lunch:  Deconstructed turkey sandwich, cherry Fage trublend yogurt, medium avocado

Avocadoes have been on sale so I have quite a few stocked up.  It may have been a bit much to add it to the mix.  I didn't have any butter left out so it doesn't look as nice as usual.  Bread turned out nicely, just made a freeform boule using the Artisan Bread in 5 Days method.

Dinner:  2 Kiolbassa beef smoked sausages, TCDish mashed potatoes, some oven roasted green pepper and onion, jalapeno mustard

Good stuff.  I think this is my favorite of the Kiolbassa products I've tried.  Heated them in the oven with the peppers and onions, timing worked out beautifully.  Potatoes must have been bigger than usual, the potato-butter ratio was off, though I didn't measure the butter.

Just because it was so pretty, before going in:

And guess what, I'll be eating almost exactly the same thing tomorrow.  Different yogurt tho.

Exercise:  Nope.  It's going to be after 8:00 by the time I get everything cleaned up.  Need to move on this.  Even though I'm gimpy I really need to improve my fitness level before vacation.

114.4

Bounce Back From Bowl

Monday, February 3, 2020

Okay.  Super Bowl excess has been excessed, now it's time to excise that excess.  Or something like that.

Not a good night of sleep.  Awoke repeatedly with knee pain, never found a comfortable position that would last.  Dozed fitfully for an hour in the recliner after getting up before the alarm.  At least my back didn't grumble when I got up, though I was careful to take it easy.  I hate the idea of taking unnecessary pills but I may need to explore whether I can take over the counter anti-inflammatories.  I may also have to try sleeping with a knee compression sleeve on, though that makes me a little nervous.

Lunch:  Leftover homemade pepperoni mushroom pizza

My thoughts are so off today that I'm thinking that if I could just eat very low carb at the other meal of the day I could get away with eating pizza for one meal ... and that I should try it.

Dinner:  4 tacos mexican style, plus avocado and hot sauce

Love Mondays. 

Exercise:  Nope.  I mean, probably not, there's always a chance I squeeze in a short walk.

116.2

Life Upgrades Modest Division

Sunday, February 2, 2020

In a great mood this morning.  Hoping it continues, this is nice.

First night on the new mattress gets mostly positive reviews.  Went to bed early, decided to watch a few minutes of TV before going to sleep.  Bed was comfortable and I had no trouble falling asleep as soon as I turned the TV off.  Did wake up a couple times with knee pain and a full bladder but I was able to go right back to sleep - neither of course is a mattress issue.  A bit of back pain getting up.  I do have to tweak the setup with a more visible clock because I had no idea what time it was when I got up, ended up being 7:30.  Physically it feels like I got some decent sleep.  So I'm giving it a B+.  Their literature says it takes 30 days to get fully adjusted, we'll see how it goes. 

Incidentally, there is no connection between my good mood and the fact that I had pizza yesterday and still saw a little dip on the scale.  Nope.  None whatsoever.

Breakfast:  Leftover oatwaffles with butter, 2 strips leftover Kiolbassa pepper bacon, coffee

Last of these leftovers.  Other than taking a while to heat up the waffles in the oven -- I don't currently own a toaster -- this couldn't be easier.

Lunch:  Cheeseburger egg strata, Fage 5% plain greek yogurt

Well, I suppose I was due for a fail.  I mean, the dish turned out, it just doesn't taste great.  It tastes overwhelmingly like the mediocre ground beef that went into it.  I didn't add onion for reasons and bacon might have helped too.  Ate about half my piece and gave up, went for the yogurt to supplement.  I'll give another piece a shot with a bunch of primal kitchen ketchup but I'm not optimistic.  Oh well.  And it's not like I won't be eating 5000 calories on Super Bowl Sunday.

Dinner Part 1:  Super thin crust pizza with pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, green pepper

Not bad, but not as good as homemade.

Dinner:   Ham, salami and cheese sandwich w mustard, a few tortilla chips w guacamole salsa, celery sticks, cheesy potato soup

To my surprise -- realized as I was headed home -- no beer.  A highly unusual super bowl.  I did have a mini sandwich in addition to what is pictured.

Exercise:  Nope.  I went to Wal Mart for an item and wanted to walk around for a while, but I wore a different pair of shoes after throwing some inserts in ... which did not make them comfortable.  Ouch.

115.2

Matt Day

Saturday, February 1, 2020

How about that, the first month of the year is in the books, we're that much closer to spring and oh did I mention that I'll get to sleep on my new mattress tonight for the first time?  Yeah, I might be just a little too excited about that and not just because I had another crappy night of sleep on the old one.

I'm not going to do any particular recap on January, but I will say that it was quite successful.  I think takeout meals numbered in the single digits and outright fails were even less.  The scale said just under 20 pounds vanished.  Of course that's the easy weight and a lot of it was just water, but it's still gotta go and I won't miss it.  I have just under six weeks to vacation and I'd love to see a similar amount hit the road.   It would be even better if my leg would cooperate and I could start walking.  I'm cautiously optimistic.

Breakfast:  2 strips leftover kiolbassa pepper bacon, 2 frozen oatwaffles with butter, coffee

Inspiraion strikes again.  Since I have no bread products currently made, how about something from the freezer like a couple oatwaffles?

Lunch:  Beef stew and two cheese buns

It's been a busy day of cooking so far.  Stew, cheese buns and bread dough all complete.  The freezer will be well stocked.  Still need to try baking a mini loaf since I need bread for another project.  This is also generating a LOT of dishes, thank goodness for dishwashers.

Dinner:  Homemade pepperoni and mushroom pizza

Another pizza success.  I really like how these turn out.  This one was a bit greasy since I used more pepperoni than usual but that's not a bad thing.  And once again I ate half (admittedly of a large pie) and will have the other half for lunch on Monday.

Exercise:   Yes.  Went for a walk after dinner.  Only 15 minutes, not even a mile, but I'm counting it.  If I have to suffer I'm counting it.  I'd much rather walk in the morning, but I figured I'd go downtown and get in a few blocks.  It remains to be seen how much I pay for this tomorrow.  Some grumbling from the knee (mostly the PCL from the feel of things) and thigh and foot but it was tolerable.

117.2

What About Those Peanuts

Friday, January 31, 2020

Despite a misstep yesterday on balance it's been a very good month.  And it's Friday which is even better.  I've been working on my list of things to try and accomplish this weekend and it's more manageable than usual.  I'm taking that as a sign that progress is happening.

Felt okay again this morning.  Actually, it was interesting, in most areas I felt lean (leaner for me, that is), with the exception of a bit more upper belly bloat.  Again makes me wonder if there is something to the idea that lineolic acid causes that sort of thing and pushes me to stay away from oils, in this case refined peanut oil at CFA.  At least that's what I think they use, I can't say that I looked.  I know it's not lard, tallow or butter.

On a related note, I bought some peanuts a couple weeks ago and they're just sitting (in sealed cans, not in shells).  I wonder if I'll end up eating them.

Midday edit:  Ooh!  My new mattress came this morning!  I'm not going to be able to stop smiling all afternoon.  I assume it'll have to "inflate" for a day or two before I can sleep on it, but it's here.  So excited.

Lunch:  Ham and bean soup with bacon, 2 buttermilk wheat rolls with lots of butter, 2 oz expired guac

Freezer meals are great.  Rolls were frozen too, then thawed overnight in the fridge.  All good.

Dinner:  4 strips Kiolbassa pepper bacon, 3 slices extra sharp cheddar, 2 rolls with butter, Fage cherry TruBlend yogurt

Cleaning some stuff up.  Should have been quick and easy but the bacon was being fussy.  That's what I get for trying something different.

Time to go see if I can unroll the mattress, hoping to sleep on it Sunday night.

Exercise:  Nope.

116.8

All Expired Dinner

Thursday, January 30, 2020

An all around average day.  Nothing too good, nothing too bad.  No great accomplishments.  Didn't feel great, didn't feel awful.  All average.

Had a checkup with the doc, glad that my blood pressure is fine.  Top number is pushing it a bit, but still OK.  Pulse was also ok.  We'll see if the blood work shows anything interesting.   

Lunch:  2x CFA spicy chicken sandwiches, side of mac and cheese

Too much, wrong stuff, stomach let me know it too.  Next time, whenever that may be, I'll get less.  I need to come up with some other enticing options that are in that area.  Maybe I'll try the Chipotle since the Qdoba is mediocre.

Dinner:  2 eggs over medium, Alexia hash browns in butter, 5 strips Kiolbasa pepper bacon, 2 oz homestyle guac

One way to tell I've been overbuying groceries:  Most of the dinner items were past their good by date.  Seriously.  I figured the bacon and guac were probably just fine since they were sealed - the guac was definitely past its prime but edible.  I can't read the date on the eggs, they're probably close but there is only one left in the carton and they're eggs.  At least the hash browns weren't out of date as far as I know and the butter was fresh.  Sheesh.

Exercise:  Well, sorta.  I spent an hour and fifteen minutes wandering around Meijer, worked up a sweat since I was wearing my winter coat.  Need to stop doing that.  Pretty weak but I'm counting it.

116.2

Possibly Unblocked Or Less Blocked

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Feeling so positive I'm taking a break at work to start today's post.  I woke up this morning and felt okay, nothing especially great or bad.  Snoozed a bit but got going in a timely fashion.  No major aches and pains - leg is down to what basically feels like a contusion in the mid-femur area, foot okay.  Did the usual morning routine and left -- and took the stairs like a normal person.  Without feeling strained!  First time in ten days I haven't felt the need to take them very slow and cautiously.  Sure, the leg and knee issues were a major factor, but I was also just struggling.  No explanation, but man am I happy about it.  Let's hope it continues.

Lunch:  Salami, 2 slices extra sharp cheddar, leftover homemade rolls with butter, Fage cherry tru blend yogurt

Cleaned up the salami, it was a bit much.  I was quite sated.  Quick and easy, which is good since it was after 1:30 before I could eat.  Stupid meetings.

Dinner:  Leftover spicy stewed beef,  TCD style mashed potatoes with lots of butter

Really good.  The zip of the beef pairs so nicely with the richness of the buttery potatoes.  I'm a fan of this combination.

Exercise:  Nope.  On the plus side, I moved much faster today since I wasn't limping and didn't feel strained.  It was a really nice feeling.  Almost (almost!) had pep in my step.

116.4 

Taco Power

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

A moment of levity this morning.  Before stepping on the scale I summoned the power of tacos, beseeching them to give me a lower a number.  I don't know if it worked, but they did.  Despite not much activity there was a bit of a drop.  Happy and another win for tacos as diet food.

Lunch:  Qdoba brisket bowl, a little white rice, extra meat, a few peppers, red and green salsas, cheese, guacamole.

Only an OK effort, some of the rice was undercooked.  Otherwise, it did the job.  I was hungry, as it was after 2:00 before I could eat -- I have no problem going 18 hours, but beyond that I want food.  Didn't want to wait the extra half hour to get back home either.  This is not my "usual" Qdoba and I've consistently found that it's not as good.

Dinner:  Spicy stewed beef, 2 homemade buttermilk wheat rolls stuffed with a cube of extra sharp cheddar and topped with butter and a sprinkle of parmesan

Freezer find, plus I baked up the rest of my bread dough.  Works pretty good as rolls and the cheese was a fun add.  I wasn't super hungry, despite eating at 7:30, so I didn't eat the full container of beef and will have the rest tomorrow.

Exercise:  Nope.  I did switch shoes today and my foot at least felt better, noticeably less pain.  Some gradual improvement with the knee and leg, so hopefully I'll be able to do something soon.  See my doc later this week, not that I expect that to affect anything.

117.4

Synonym Needed For Wiped

Monday, January 27, 2020

Whew.  After 8:00 pm and I just got home.  Long, busy day.  Mondays.

Pretty unremarkable in most respects.  Sleep was mediocre but at least I didn't have to get up.  Not much pep when I did.  Clothes are definitely a bit looser than they were a couple weeks ago -- nothing super dramatic but it's still obvious and a good feeling.

Lunch:  Leftover pizza from Saturday night

Ate it cold, at my desk.  It was good, though it would have been better reheated.

Dinner:  4 tacos, mexican style, plus a little avocado and hot sauce

Usual Monday dinner, also eaten at my desk.  I don't like this theme.

Exercise:  Nope.  Lacking in both time and energy.  A very lame excuse but true.

118.4

Making Rolls

Sunday, January 26, 2020

A positive morning mood today.  Managed to sleep straight thru until 6, then dozed until 8 as the aches and pains -- including, unusually, a grumbly back -- weren't enough to force me awake.  Bladder finally kicked me out of bed.  I've been in no hurry to get going.  Also positive, noticed a bit of belly shrinkage.  Still super fat, blah blah blah.  Even a small visible improvement is exciting though.

Breakfast:  2 strips thick cut bacon, medium avocado, coffee

Threw out the heel of the bread yesterday, it was well past prime.  Made some dough yesterday using a different recipe and bought mini loaf pans, so tomorrow night I'll probably try baking up a mini loaf.  There will definitely be trial and error involved.

Lunch:  Leftover biscuits and gravy

Lesser quantity of gravy than yesterday, but more biscuit than expected.  Still good.

Dinner:  Chuck roast with gravy, instant potatoes, carrots, homemade buttermilk wheat rolls with butter, 12 oz Miller Lite

Only overdid it somewhat.  I used quite a bit of butter on the rolls and added some to the potatoes.  In addition to what's pictured I had a second roll, a few more carrots and another T of potatoes. Oh and I must have added the gravy after taking the pic.

I made a pan of rolls, thought they turned out nicely.

Exercise:  Nope.  Not quite as active today, more of a rest day though I did a decent number of things.  All low intensity though.

118.4

Pork n Dairy

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Glad for a weekend.  I have ambitious plans, even if I may not be too strong in the ambition department.  We'll see how things unfold.

Decided to try starting on the bed last night, switching to the recliner if needed.  I managed to fall asleep reasonably fast and stayed asleep until just before 5:00.  Wasn't too exhausted when I got up and I was not able to fall back asleep in the chair.  Gave up before 6:00 and decided to just start the day.  Remains to be seen how this will impact my productivity.

Felt a bit leaner -- of course we are talking fractionally, not significantly -- this morning even if the scale didn't show it.  I've been pretty liberal in my starch consumption this week and should probably reduce it some, but I'm not going to worry too much as long as it's primarily a carrier for butter instead of a standalone.

Breakfast:  3 strips thick cut bacon, bread and butter, medium avocado, coffee

A very enjoyable breakfast.  Easy too since I had cooked the bacon yesterday.  Avocado was just perfection, completely ripe and so good. 

Lunch:  Homemade spelt buttermilk biscuits with homemade sausage gravy w CF sausage

Wasn't entirely sure how this was going to turn out, but it turned out quite good.  Used up a sausage that's been sitting in the freezer for a while.  As for the biscuits, note to self:  Butter the pan.  Doh.  The parts that didn't stick were pretty good, though they didn't rise as much as hoped.

Pretty frustrated right now with how I feel right now.  It's physically hard to do much of anything, between the leg and just generally feeling, I dunno, strained.   Fatigued isn't quite the right word.  Weak, tired and hurting.

Dinner:  Homemade pizza with pepperoni, bacon and mushrooms

Yeah, I love pizza night.  Not super impressed with myself and how I ate today, but at least it was all home cooked.  And once again I'm not tempted by the other half of the pizza, I'll have a great quick lunch on Monday.  Also:  I finally have been feeling better since late afternoon.  Got some things done, it's all good.  I was pretty worried earlier.

Exercise:  Not really.  I mean, I was active.  I moved a bunch of stuff -- slowly and gingerly in most cases, but I moved it.  Maybe even for long enough to count it.  But nothing intentional.

120.0

Stiff Like Board Extra Stiff

Friday, January 24, 2020

As usual, very happy that it is Friday.  Much to do today but there is a weekend - and time to do personal projects - in sight.  Maybe someday the project list will diminish to the point where I can focus more on relaxing but for now it feels good to knock things off.  Plus with multiple reorg projects going things are kind of a mess at the moment.

Not a good night last night.  I wasn't sleepy and I can't force it.  I rarely have had trouble dropping off when lying down but since I'm not a back sleeper it's a struggle in the recliner.  I did manage a few hours, but when I woke up an hour before my alarm I was so uncomfortable I hit the bed and managed to find a position I could live with.

Feels like a significant setback with the leg.  It was very stiff this morning and it was hard to lift it enough to get into the shower.  Very unstable as well.  Initially I couldn't get enough bend to get into my car, but it did loosen up enough after a couple minutes.  Now that I'm at my desk at work it's feeling a little better, but we'll see how it goes when I get up.  I did order a couple things from Amazon in hopes of improving my foot issues and I should really make a focus on wearing slippers or shoes on my hard concrete base floors.  May have to go back to compression sleeves for the feet too.  If I start having issues with my right leg or foot it's going to get ugly.

On a more positive note the scale continues to tick down, even after yesterday where I ate bread twice and had a little popcorn.  Happy about that and I really haven't been hungry at all.  Meal sizes are coming down but I'm staying sated.  Butter is a miracle food (and I'm only half-joking about that).

Lunch:  4 strips thick cut bacon, 2 slices extra sharp cheddar, buttermilk wheat bread with butter

Was going to have eggs but decided to skip it.  Baked up extra bacon so I'll be having that this weekend, nice to use up the package.

Dinner:  Salami, 2 slices extra sharp cheddar, buttermilk wheat bread w butter, Fage cherry TruBlend greek yogurt

A lot like lunch, actually.  Whittling some things down.  Disappointed to read the Fage label and it's low fat yogurt, though at least it's 1.7% and not garbage 0%.  Too bad, because it's pretty good.  I think I made up for it with my other food choices.  Might have popcorn later.

Had popcorn.  It was excellent.  Cooked in coconut oil, topped with melted butter and garlic salt.

Exercise:  Not a chance.  Limping badly.

119.6

Fifteen Yards Excess Bread

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Amazing how fast this month is flying by.  Reserved some dates for a long weekend trip in March and happy that it is within sight at about six weeks out.  Really could use a break soon.

Fair sleep last night, temporary recliner only night two.  It was hard to fall asleep and I did wake up about 4:00 with a vicious foot cramp - one issue with the recliner is that my legs are too long for the platform and the one foot is all messed up anyway.  I dealt with it and went back to sleep.  Felt reasonably good when I woke up, like the sleep was of acceptable quality.  No word on the mattress front, I was hoping they'd ship before the end of the week so I could maybe be sleeping on it by next weekend.

Lunch:  Salami, 2 slices extra sharp cheddar, buttermilk wheat bread with butter, Fage vanilla TruBlend yogurt

Late lunch due to work commitments, needed something fast.  This loaf of bread turned out well, I tried to influence the shape a bit more.  Also trying Organic Valley cultured butter, it's fine but I think I like Kerrygold best.

Dinner:  Leftover carnitas with Frontera avocado tomatillo salsa, green beans, bread with butter

This was OK.  Did the job.  Debating whether to have something more.  I should have made potatoes instead of eating more bread but I didn't run the dishwasher last night.  Oops.  Didn't feel like a hand wash project before dinner.

Decided to have a little popcorn.  Popped directly in butter -- tasted fine but I didn't care for the visual browning.  Should ghee-ify first I guess.  Added a little smoked paprika.  Good stuff.

Exercise:  No, though I again limped less today.  Might try pushing it this weekend a bit.

122.2