Wrong Direction New Week

Monday, November 17, 2025

It had to be Monday again, didn't it.  That's unfortunate.  But we'll power through, since next week is a short week.  Super busy stretch coming up.

Scale was predictably up, but still disappointing.   Kinda backed up at the moment, need to find some time to take care of that.  Plus tighten things up in general.  Same story.

Slept okay, again straight through waking up at 5:00 for not quite seven hours.  I should get to bed just a little earlier, even a half hour would make a difference.

Breakfast:  Sargento cheddar cheese, orange juice, coffee

 

Again.

Lunch:  Smoked turkey breast, mashed potatoes, pepsi

 

Again.  Almost forgot the photo, remembered after digging in.

Dinner:  3x american tacos, 12 oz Yuengling

 

I was wrong, I did have one more Yuengling in the fridge.  Audibled at the last minute to american instead of mexican style and ... meh.  

 

And the capper.

Exercise:  Nope.  I might need to try the knee sleeve.

100.2 

One Thing Okay Better

Sunday, November 16, 2025

Ahh, that's a bit more like it.  Six hours of uninterrupted sleep.  Completely peaceful.  Woke up naturally with only a gentle nudge from the bladder.  A very pleasant start, especially coupled with the fact that it's Sunday and I can ease into the day.

Very mild disappointment with the scale being min up, not a big deal at all but I did get in a lot of movement yesterday.  If I don't get back to some drops this week I'll have to change things up to keep the body guessing.  Today probably won't be great and it will be up tomorrow no doubt.

 ETA:  A rare thing, I actually napped for a bit this afternoon.  Not long, but enough that I felt better after I did. 

Breakfast:  Lazy bagels with chive and onion cream cheese, orange juice, coffee

 

Again. 

Lunch:  Leftover brisket and cheesy potatoes, Pepsi

 

Didn't feel I got quite as much meat in my combo this week, but that's okay, it was enough.   Also, it was amusing to me that I spent more money at the BBQ place this week than I did at the grocery store.

Dinner:  Busy day casserole, cheesy green beans, NSA peaches, 12 oz Miller Lite 

 

Sunday dinners.  Very tasty.

 

And the capper.  Today's batch of cookies were not as good - used a different recipe and the stand mixer, the additional mixing called for made them chewier than I prefer.

Exercise:  Nope.  Was active around the house but nothing official.

98.8 

Enough With The Cramps

Saturday, November 15, 2025

That's a bit more what I expected.  Got to sleep at a reasonable time again and this time I didn't get moving until well after 6:00.  Of course it wasn't without incident, I woke up with mild leg and foot cramps about 1:30 and again with a foot cramp about 4:30.  That one was a bit more of a toe curler.  Between them I definitely lost some sleep, it wasn't eight hours straight through.

Anyway, once I got moving things are fine.  About to head out.  Scale was up, not a surprise.  Feel a bit bloated and definitely backed up.  Ate too close to bedtime and a bit much.  Not worried, some exercise should help things out.  Let's go.  Oh, and I took my blood pressure twice and got low good readings both times.  I'm almost starting to believe it.

Breakfast:  2 eggs over medium, 3 strips bacon, hash browns, raisin toast w jam, coffee

 

Once again I am left wondering, is this the last pre-golf breakfast out of the season? 

Lunch:   2x McD double cheeseburgers (minus ketchup), 12 oz Miller Lite

The burgers were notably awful.  I need a better plan for when I don't think I can hold out for the bbq. 

Dinner:  Brisket, cheesy potatoes, cornbread, 12 oz Miller Lite

 

The rare two beer day.  Felt like I earned it.   I reheated the meal, since I did not need to eat when I got back due to the McD stop.  So I went and raked first.

 

And the capper. 

Exercise:  18 holes with cart, less walking than typical.  1 hour of leaf raking, followed by a trip to the grocery store.  I am tired.

98.6 

Not Exactly Recovery

Friday, November 14, 2025

TGIF.  It didn't exactly start out the way I wanted.  I went to sleep at a reasonable hour last night, around 10:00.  That was later than I expected, honestly, but I wasn't unusually tired or sleepy.  But then I woke up a couple hours later and at 3:00 I determined that I just wasn't going to get any more sleep.  I dawdled but was still at work before 5:00.  It was a fantastically productive morning, but good grief.

It felt like I took a hit physically, too.  Definitely feel worse today in pretty much all aspects.  For the second day in a row I noted how nice it was at 5:00 am - both would have been great days for a walk.  But unlike yesterday I was limping a bit today as the knee regressed a touch.

Scale was fine, down some.  No price paid, apparently, for the fast food lunch yesterday.  It looks like I might get some golf in tomorrow, so maybe I'll be able to exercise off another pound or at least cancel out a probable trip to the BBQ place.

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

 

Again.  And again at 4:30 a.m.

Lunch:  3 cheese dogs, mashed potatoes, pepsi

 

Again.  I was pleasantly not overly hungry.  Ready to eat, sure, but I didn't have any moments where I thought I needed to.

Dinner:  Leftover enchilada eggs, 12 oz Miller Lite

 

It wasn't quite 12 oz as the can foamed and overflowed when I opened it, thankfully over the sink.  But a nice cold Miller Lite went down smoooth. 

 

And the capper.

Exercise:   Nope.  Not today.

97.2 

Well That Was Certainly A Day

Thursday, November 13, 2025

I'm getting too old for this.  Today was a cortisol special.  Stress from the get go.  I set my alarm for 5:30, knowing I needed to get to work early.  Woke up at 3:30 and knew there was no way I was going back to sleep, so I was at my desk before 5:00.  Worked nonstop until almost 7:00 pm.  And by nonstop I mean I took 10 minutes to drive thru McDonalds but ate it on the road, no break.

Scale was up the minimum, not surprised given the lack of sleep.  I expect it will be up again tomorrow due to today's events. 

Breakfast:  Sargento sliced cheddar, orange juice, coffee

 

This variety of cheese is still an 8 oz package, so I ate 2/11ths of that.  At 4:30 a.m.

Lunch:   2x McDonalds double cheeseburgers, small Coke Zero

Racked my brain for something that would be a good choice and I could get within my 10 minute window.  Failed to think up anything better.  I would have much rather eaten at home.

Dinner:  Leftover enchilada eggs, 12 oz All Day IPA

 

 

I think I'm out of Yuengling.

 

Capper of cookies and milk as usual, last of this batch.

Exercise:  Uhhh, I dunno.  I had a 20 minute out and back hike at a hospital and did a few sets of stairs today.  Pretty active for a work day.

98.2 

Invested

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

I am absurdly invested in this.  I have no idea why it's working, but I love that it is.  Another nice drop on the scale this morning.  A flip in the eating today since I'm out of turkey and will be making eggs for dinners the rest of the week tonight.  Let's keep it rolling.

Nothing else of note.  Feeling decent.

Breakfast:  Cabot seriously sharp cheddar cheese, orange juice, coffee

 

Again.

Lunch:  3 cheese dogs, mashed potatoes, carrots, pepsi

 

No idea if I'll continue with the carrots in the future but I figured I'd work on eating this batch up.

Dinner:  Enchilada eggs, 12 oz Yuengling

 

Different sauce this time (SOMOS).   I inadvertently made them Detroit-style, since I forgot to sauce before the cheese.  Oops.  Also chucked the peppers and onions since they looked gross.  Still tasty.

 

Capper of chocolate chip cookies and 2% milk once again. 

Exercise:  Nope

98.0 

Flow Resumed

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Back at it.   It didn't take long yesterday for the outflow of water to resume, it appears as that I handily took care of anything that retained due to Sunday eating.  And then some.  Another nice drop on the scale this morning and a pretty good BP number.  Off to a fine start, even if last night's sleep was so-so.

Another super busy stretch.  I should have gone back last night but did not, the cold, snowy weather convinced me to stay home and self-nest.  Not too many regrets about doing it, though I really do need to up the tempo and duration of work.

Breakfast:  Cabot seriously sharp cheddar, orange juice, coffee

 

Again.

Lunch:  Smoked turkey, mashed potatoes, pepsi

 

Again.  Hey, I'm going with what works.

Dinner:  Leftover chuck roast, matchstick carrots in butter, avocado, 12 oz Yuengling

 

The roast and seasoned carrots were quite good.  The avocado was not.  

 

Chocolate chip cookies and 2% milk to cap off another day of eating.

Exercise:  Nope.  I should note that I felt pretty good coming home tonight, more pep, more mobile.  It was a nice feeling.  Also being bothered less by the bad knee, it still barks when I hit uneven ground or move it the wrong way, but it's not hurting consistently.

99.0 

Little Ups

Monday, November 10, 2025

Not a surprise to be up this morning, even though it's the first time this month.  I felt a little backed up and did not dispose of much liquid last night or this morning.  Completely understandable.  It wasn't even that much.  Anyway, let's see what happens when I run last week's eating back for the most part.  I'm quite curious to see how it will go.

Other than that, is Monday.  Never ready for it.  Being unable to sleep last night did not help.

Breakfast:  Cabot seriously sharp cheddar cheese, orange juice, coffee

 

Again.

Lunch:  Smoked turkey, mashed potatoes, pepsi

 

Again.  The turkey this week is not as good as the last two, but that's okay, paired with the mash it's fine.

Dinner:  3 tacos mexican style, 12 oz Yuengling

 

Not their best.

And the capper of chocolate chip cookies and 2% milk.

Exercise:  Nope.  Now this is something I need to fix.  Not tonight, though, back to the office I should go.

100.8 

Into Existence

Sunday, November 9, 2025

Call it complaining, call it speaking into existence, call it whatever you want.  I actually slept straight through until 5:00 am this morning.  Of course the only reason I woke up at 5:00 -- from deep sleep at that -- was cramping in both feet at once, but hey, six hours or so uninterrupted was delightful.  I even got back to sleep after easily dealing with the (mild) cramps. 

I was not at all sure what the scale would bring this morning, but it was solidly down again.  Hooray for that.  I'm very pleased to see the downward progression this month.  Also had a very much improved BP reading.  Still a long way to go on the weight and fitness front, but I'll celebrate small wins along the way.  I am predicting that tomorrow will not be a win.

A wintry day today, so nothing outside will be happening.  A little cleaning up, maybe a little cooking and a lot of work coming right up.

Breakfast:  Lazy bagels w chive and onion cream cheese, coffee

 

A little smaller batch this week.  I still have a little cream cheese left, so maybe once more.

Lunch:  Leftover brisket and cheesy potatoes

 

Very tasty, reheated w a pat of butter.  Also a small glass of Pepsi.  Still working on last weeks 1.25L bottle. 

Dinner:  Chuck roast w gravy, mashed potatoes, carrots, 12 oz Miller Lite

 

Delightful as always.

 

And the chocolate chip cookies and 2% milk capper.  I definitely overbaked this batch. 

Exercise:  Nope.  Spent most of the day at the office.  Up and down a lot, but nothing that counts.

100.0 

Bonus Days

Saturday, November 8, 2025

Days like today feel like a bonus.  The weather was nice enough to be outside.  Occasional peeks of the sun.  No wind.  No parka needed.  Not warm, but you aren't suffering if you're dressed appropriately.  And it's a Saturday, not a Monday or something.

It's been a week of two phase sleeping and I'm kind of annoyed by it.  I wake up in the middle of the night -- 2:15 this morning, dispose of some water, then don't get immediately back to sleep.  I bet it was almost 4:00 before I did.  Which really cuts into the sleep when you have to get up on time.

Anyway, scale was down a bit again which was nice.  Lower legs are notably less swollen for once.  Won't last, but it's always a nice thing to see.

Breakfast:  2 eggs over medium, 3 strips bacon, hash browns, raisin toast w jam, coffee

 

Standard pregolf breakfast out one (maybe) last time for the season.

Lunch:  16 oz Mich Ultra

Post-round.

Dinner:  Brisket and cheesy potatoes, cornbread

 

Drove over to the BBQ place after golf, so I was ready to eat when I got home.  As usual, I ate about half of the brisket and half of the potatoes.  I'll eat the rest for lunch tomorrow. 

 

Capper of some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and 2% milk.  Definitely not my finest batch, but still tasty.

Exercise:  18 holes with cart.  Lots of walking, I'm fairly tired.

101.0 

Off Record And Vibing

Friday, November 7, 2025

I just could not get to sleep last night.  I wasn't particularly tired when I went to bed and I most definitely was not sleepy.  I tried for a while, then got up and did a few more things.  Tried again, still no luck.  It was at least 1:00 by the time I finally dozed off.  No idea what caused it.  I was more active than usual - even though I didn't record it as exercise I rearranged some furniture and vacuumed and such.  I guess that's a possible cause.  But I was definitely alert and it is very unlike me to be doing tasks at 11:00, and then again at midnight.  Vibing.  I'd be fine if I didn't need to devote quite so much time to sleep, but a semi-consistent schedule would be nice.

Anyway, I again didn't know what the scale would bring.  Not much sleep, a little backed up, felt a bit bloated, didn't dispose of as much water yesterday.  Still down a good amount.  Nice.  Let's keep that run going.  

Breakfast:  Cabot seriously sharp cheddar cheese, orange juice, coffee

 

More OJ than usual today as I finished off this week's small bottle.

Lunch:   3 cheese dogs, mashed potatoes, pepsi

 

Again.

Dinner:  3 eggs scrambled with a little cheddar cheese, 4 Smithfield sausage links, 12 oz Yuengling

 

The sausage links seem oddly oversalted tonight.  But okay.  Not an exciting dinner but it was fast and easy which counts for a lot.

Capped off with chocolate chip cookies and 2% milk

 

This is one weird-ass diet but I am not complaining. 

Exercise:  Nope.  Definitely a low movement day, about all I did was the grocery shopping.

101.8 

It Deepens

Thursday, November 6, 2025

Another day, another sizable unexpected drop.  I could get used to this, though I know I shouldn't.  It feels like I have let go of decent amounts of water this week but I could not tell you why.  I haven't been anything close to low carb.  The main thing that is different is the lack of dining out.  No other dietary discipline, no exercise.

There are various theories out there that could possibly explain it but which I've never really given a lot of credit to - resistant starch (from the potatoes), food combining (protein + carb OK, protein + fat OK, carb + fat NOT OK) and I'm sure there is more.  I doubt I'll invest any time in studying them, instead I'll just continue my n=1 experiment and if I keep losing weight I'll keep eating things.  If I don't I'll eat something else.  Or eat less.  Or exercise.

On that note, I woke up mad that I'll have to do something different today, as I have a seminar that takes up the middle part of the day -- I'll be having something catered for lunch instead of something at home.

Breakfast:   Cabot seriously sharp cheddar, orange juice, coffee

 

Again I'm not doing on the math on how much cheese, it was 5/26 ths of a 7 oz package.

Lunch:  Taco salad, coffee

 

I was pleasantly surprised to see a mexican buffet at the seminar.  In hindsight I would have liked to have made a significantly bigger salad, but it was very tasty.  Just taco meat, lettuce, tomato, onion, cilantro, cheese and tiny scoops of beans and rice.   I was able to pass on the cookies, though they did look good.

Dinner:  Leftover enchilada eggs, 12 oz Yuengling 

 

Last of the eggs.   Did a better job on the reheat tonight, 18 minutes.  Could have gone 20.

 

Capped with chocolate chip cookies and 2% milk.

Exercise:  Nope.  I did walk the few blocks to my seminar and back, but not counting it.

103.2 

Another Unsolved Mystery

Wednesday, November 5, 2025

My prediction skills are off this week.  I expected to be up a little today, that was my guess.  Nope.  Another drop, and a pretty decent one at that.  On further reflection I did feel a little less bloated - less of a wheat belly - but it's not like I had no carbs yesterday.  It's a mystery, but at least this one is a good one.

Honestly I'd like to keep eating the exact same thing for a few more days to see if it continues, but alas I am out of turkey from the BBQ place.  And cookies for that matter.  Maybe I'll make another small batch tonight.

Breakfast:  2 slices smokehouse cheddar, orange juice, coffee

 

Again.

Lunch:  2 cheese dogs, mashed potatoes, pepsi

 

House made dogs from the BBQ place again. 

Dinner:  Leftover enchilada eggs, 12 oz Yuengling, 1 additional cheese dog

 

Chocolate chip cookies and 2% milk to cap it off. 

 

Butter was more melty and I spooned instead of scooping.  Result:  More spread.  A little more crispy.

Exercise:  Nope.

105.2 

Junk And Weirdness

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

I always enjoy these weird days when I attempt to predict the weight of the day and end up being way high.  Expected to be up today, nope, down a pound and a half.  Huh?  Let's review.  I had a huge lunch, including cleaning up the tortilla chips and a glass of pepsi.  Wasn't sure I would even need dinner.  Then I had tacos, cookies and milk.  That's a lot of calories, a lot of carbs, a lot of everything.  No exercise, though I was more active than usual and it was nice to get a few things done.

Still, no reason at all why the scale should be down.  And I even got a much lower BP reading this morning too.  Weird.

No complaints though.  Started this early and need to do a lot of work today.  Let's get to it.

Breakfast:  2 slices smokehouse cheddar, orange juice, coffee

 

I think I may attempt a day without coffee just to see if it impacts the sinus irritation.  They certainly dry right out and swell by mid-morning as it is.

Lunch:  Smoked turkey, mashed potatoes, pepsi

 

Last of the turkey.  I won't get to the BBQ place every week since it's 40 minutes away, but I'll be going more often.  

Dinner:   Enchilada eggs, 12 oz Yuengling

 

Needed the beer to work up the motivation to make dinner.  I was sorely tempted to drive thru somewhere.

Chocolate chip cookies and a glass of 2% milk for the capper. 

Exercise:  Nope.  I'm having less ongoing pain, but it's still obvious the leg is very screwed up.  Walked a block or two up a significant hill after voting and it was NOT a pleasant experience.

108.6