"Eat Like a Bird, Fly Like an Eagle"



"Nothing Tastes Better Than Being Thin Feels"



Thanks again for all your help, Reddit. Your tips on protein, fat grams, and your general encouragement, have been priceless! I've been trying to keep a completely open mind about everything, and it seems to be paying off. I started off by clicking on the first random thing I saw; that openness of mind has made it possible for me to receive constructive criticism from sources like Reddit.

LEGEND:

DAILY MEAL ITEMS IN BLACK

THOUGHTS AND PHILOSOPHIES IN BLUE

EXERCISES IN RED (YOU'LL NOTICE THIS IS VERY SPARSE...)







I have an extensive plan that I'm following, but I really wanted to get started, so I'll be adding pieces of the plan to this blog as time passes - I haven't organized it properly in my head yet. It's represented by 5 S': SSSSS - but I'll get to that later.

Inspired by Oprah Winfrey's struggles, I am determined to do everything possible to make this diet work. Oprah has lamented many times about how difficult it is to lose weight and keep it off, yet she has managed to lose several times. I see this as multiple successes, not failures.

I've followed a similar pattern: in 2000 I lost 25 lbs. (on WW), just to gain it back slowly. Then in 2004 I lost around 15 to 20 fairly fast - and gained it back fast. 2008 was the turning point for me: I lost 40 pounds slowly and carefully over several months. That's the key, I'm finding: when you lose weight slowly, you keep it off longer. I was doing well until we moved our entire lives across the country.

I used that jolting experience as an excuse to throw in the towel. Starting in September of 2008 (to now - September, 2009), I slowly regained 35 lb.s. It has not been fun (well, maybe a little fun...); I have acquired multiple pairs of those expandable dress pants from Wal-mart, and just love them. I'm still 5 lbs. under what I was at the end of 2007 (220 lbs.).

I'm 5' 11" and I'm trying to stick to between 1800 and 2000 calories a day for now. I list my weight, exercise (when I do it) and calories. I don't list fat because - as you'll see - I have committed to eating a very healthy diet overall. Some of the stuff does have considerable fat, but I'm confident that over a week's period, I'll be getting an average of around 40 g of fat per day or less. I'm actually probably selling myself a little short because I'm not taking fiber into account.

Daily Log

11/2/2009 - 206.5 This jump up in weight makes sense - after the lunch and dessert splurges over the weekend. Now I'm off on my journey to make 200 lbs. I tell you, it'll be nice if and when I can stand in profile, in those jorts, and not have my belly stick out like that. Sigh! I've been thinking now, once I do reach my goal of 185 lbs., I've decided I'm going to continue on the same regimen (I hope it's not much less than 1800/day) and do one meal splurge a month and two dessert splurges a month.



Also, the way I've decided a splurge works is the following: splurge meals and/or desserts are separate from your daily calories. In other words, keep track of your cals as usual and just drop in a splurge. Does that make sense? That means, if you've had 1500 cals, for example, and then you have your meal splurge, you can still have 300 cals worth of dessert (well that's for me - you might have a different daily calorie count. From that standpoint, most people would probably have their splurge as early as possible in the day, in order to maximize it.)



Now here's the thing, if you find you're starting to put on weight again, just drop the daily calories a little, and keep doing that till you level out.





2 oatmeals calories 260

2 bananas calories 160

2 Oranges calories 100

Subway tuna minus ½ bun calories 530

BBQ Baked Lays 140

Cake calories 100

Salad 150

2 Malt balls 70

Snickers 72

Red sauce calories 300



11/1/2009 204.5 lb.s

Mexican Restaurant - Splurge meal - Far more than a day's calories, no doubt. What I've learned? Next time I get to enjoy a splurge I'm going to make sure I carefully plan ahead and determine what it is I really, truly like and want, and get that. Today's meal was a bit disappointing. Now for my next goal: 200 lbs. (Splurge dessert.)



10/31/2009 205 lbs.





Coffee shop 500

ravioli with swiss cheese 310

Splurge dessert rest of calories, no doubt. Chocolate malts from DQ are the absolute bomb of the universe!!! A large choc malt will definitely be part of every single dessert splurge I ever have - only part though :)



10/30/2009 203 lbs.





1 choc chip pb oatmeal bar calories 100

1 chocolate orange stick calories 30

banana calories 80

3 Mini whoppers calories 105

Mini kit kat calories 40

2 Snickers calories 144

Tuna Sub (minus half bun) calories 430

snickers 72

fish 362

Salad 185

Cake 100

Ice Cream 190

Malt balls, potato skin and a little corn 60



10/29/2009 - 205.5 lbs. (OK, my first two tries on the scale produced 204 lbs., but then a bunch after that were all 205.5, so I have to go with 205.5, which means that again I won't be splurging for a while.) Today is the first time I'm feeling squirrely about this whole thing - the weight-loss and all. I'm wondering what the heck I'm doing it for. So I have to stand back and figure out what my problem is.

A member of my family just passed away recently and I want to go to the funeral, but I can't, for various reasons. On top of that, my car is a disaster waiting to happen (all I need is to break down hundreds of miles from nowhere), and I don't want to use my wife's car, it needs to be looked at - I'd also rather not put the wear on her car anyway. I don't want her car to become a second "disaster waiting to happen." Better me than her.)



So why am I sharing my sob story? I'm not fishing for sympathy, I'm identifying a key problem that many people miss in their diet plans: you have to be constantly vigilant and honest with yourself about your circumstances and your state of mind. If you pretend everything's OK, when it's not, you will brainwash yourself into believing that nothing's wrong, when in fact something could be wrong. If something's wrong and you don't address it, you could be sabotaging your diet.



Be honest. Identify it and write it out. Now, it's not necessarily a fail-proof way to stay on your diet, but I promise it will improve your chances. Any kind of psychological disturbance can cause cravings of any sort to kick in. This is why people have a much tougher time with food during an economic crisis: for one, there's the constant underlying fear of losing one's job. These sorts of things will sabotage dieting efforts in a heartbeat.



No matter what your problems or misfortunes are in life, they will be much worse if you aren't exactly sure what they are; in other words, if you know what your fear is, you will lessen the anxiety associated with that fear a bit (given of course that it's not, "a meteorite is about to fall on my head.") You will thus lessen the impact of that fear on your diet.

Some people would rather not know what their fear is because they don't want to face it, or they don't have the energy to deal with it at the moment, hence they push the fear away into their subconscious and it sits there and spins out of control until pretty soon they're not feeling right, but they don't know why anymore. An underlying problem of this nature can be a constant energy drain (and low energy, or fatigue naturally spurs the urge to eat junk as a compensatory measure, because junk gives a short rush of energy.) It's always best to deal with any issues as they come along, confront them head-on and hopefully get them out of the way. At the very least (as I just did), identify the problem and write it out. Somehow, I find that to be very therapeutic, and it really seems to help keep me from ending my diet.





Lefse with 2 swiss' calories 200

2 Oatmeals calories 260

Orange calories 50

2 burgers (170 ea.) + swiss (70) 410

Chocolate orange sticks 5 160

Ravioli 360

Sauce 90

Hotdog 40

Banana 80

Side dish 120

Mandarin juice 30

Salad with Dressing 90



10/28/2009 - 204 lbs.





1 oatmeal calories 130

2 Bananas calories 180

2 Oranges calories 100

Subway Turkey breast calories 180

Baked Lays BBQ chips 140

Pear calories 50

Pizza calories 640

3 Swiss' calories 210

1/2 a serv of oil 60

Ice cream calories 180



10/27/2009 - 205.5 lbs.

Sorry the picture is so blurry this time. I didn't realize it till days after, so this is all I have for that day.



2 Oatmeal calories 260

Banana calories 90

Orange calories 50

Lefse 2 swiss' calories 200

Lefse 2 swiss' calories 200

Smores granola calories 100

3 Candies calories 50

Burger 170

bun 100

pasta 200

pesto 150

chocolate 220



10/26/2009 205.5 lbs.





1 Oatmeal calories 130

Banana calories 90

Apple calories 80

Lefse w/swiss 130

Lefse w/swiss 130

Smart Ones lemon chicken 230

Smart Ones Enchiladas calories 290

DQ Small Chocolate Malt 650



10/25/2009 205 lbs. I must have gotten on that scale about 10 times. Although it flickered a couple of times at 206.5, it always came to rest on 205 lbs., so I'm taking it :) Three more of these and I'll be able to splurge. I think I may wait till next weekend to splurge. Ooooh am I looking forward to it. Salad with chicken and blue cheese dressing (225 + 225) = 450

10 almonds in the salad 60

Ice cream bar 190

Ice cream 100

banana 90

Grapes 150

Soup 130

Pad Thai 380 Well the package says that 1/2 the recipe is just 380, but it's not. I wonder if they meant 1/4 is 380, but even that seems like it would be a little off. I could barely finish it - definitely not 380 then. I'm just going to say that it was the rest of my calories and pray - so much for my 205 milestone :(



10/24/2009 - 206 lbs.



I just noticed something that made me laugh; if you look at my 10/20/2009 picture, you'll notice my cat peeking around me and looking at the camera. I guess he didn't want to be upstaged.

So we had pancakes this morning and although I knew they'd be heavy in calories, I had no idea quite how many calories I'd be consuming. At least they're the first thing I had, so I have the rest of the day to make up for it.



One thing I've noticed in the past one or two weeks is that my weight loss seems to have slowed down. The one thing I'm doing differently is, about two weeks ago I started drinking diet soda quite regularly again. I know it's supposed to be 0 calories, but I read somewhere that it can actually cause people to put on weight. I think the real thing though is, I need to cut back further on calories, so starting today I'm going to shoot for 1800. I'll probably bump a little over - closer to 1900 - but that's how my 2000 cal goal went too, yet it seemed to work out.

What's interesting though is, I guess a regular consumption of 200 calories would keep me around 203-205 pounds. That's good to know. We'll see what a 1800 calorie regimen does for me.





Butter 7 grams 50

Syrup 100

Pancakes 168 grams calories 587

Banana 90

Peanut butter 16 grams calories 95

So far...



10/23/2009 - 206 lbs.

(The first two weigh-ins registered 204.5. You can imagine how my heart jumped when I saw that! Sadly, the following 3 or 4 weigh-ins were at 206, but part of me knew that probably only a pendulum down-swing could explain the sudden drop of 2 lbs. (and I wouldn't be happy with the inevitable later balancing up-swing), so I'll take the 206; it's still a drop, albeit only ½ a pound.) You know, it's funny; about 21 years ago I saw the scale dip over 170 lbs. for the first and it made my hair stand on end. For the first time, my belly was sticking out a little further than my chest - at resting a position. Now, 21 years later, I'm dancing for joy when the scale flickers at a promising 204.5. When I finally reach my goal of 185, I'll be in 7th heaven, but part of me will still be channeling the kid who thinks "185 is still over 15 lbs. heavier than I used to be."



2 oatmeals calories 260

Banana calories 90

Banana calories 90

Spicy Rice Sushi calories 450

2 Oranges calories 100

Steamed veggies 100

T. Burger 160

Swiss cheese 70

3 Eggs 180

Lefse 60

1/2 pouch of meat 45

2 Swiss cheeses 140

2nd lefse sheet 60

Peanut butter 95

Ice cream bar 190



10/22/2009 - 206.5 lbs.



1 oatmeal calories 130

Banana calories 90

Orange calories 50

2nd Banana calories 90

10 almonds calories 60

Smart Ones Enchiladas calories 290

Ice Cream Bar calories 190

2nd Orange calories 50

3 Candies calories 50

Popcorn calories 100

1 Sheet of lefse 60

10 almonds calories 60

2 Grilled cheese lefses (1/2 lefse) 230

Turkey burger with lefse & swiss 310

Turkey burger 160

12 almonds 80 (Looks like a lot, doesn't it? It's exactly 2000 calories!)



10/21/2009 206.5 lbs.

1 oatmeal calories 130

2 Bananas calories - 180

Orange calories - 50

Tuna subway calories - 530

Baked Lays BBQ chips - 140

Almonds Packet calories - 100

Teriyaki Chicken

Ice cream bar

2 Eggs

2 Cookies



10/20/2009 - 206.5 lbs. You know, it's strange, I only just now realized that my scale only calculates in units of .5 lbs.

This morning I strayed from the norm: I had leftover pasta for breakfast. It was awesome!

I woke up at around 5:00 a.m. and wasn't able to fall back to sleep till 6:30 a.m. I sure hope this doesn't activate cravings. Also, I hope the loss of sleep doesn't make me relapse; my bronchitis is pretty much over (still have the occasional dry hack), and I want to keep it that way. I bet having all those chocolate cookies last night played havoc with my sleep - with the caffeine and all. If that happens again, I guess I'll have to moderate my cookie intake. Why does eating junk have to feel so good? You know, so and so on his so and so TV show said that if you drink in order to modify your mood (example, to "make you happy," or to "have fun," then that means you're addicted.) I guess I'm addicted to junk food, because every time I consider how to have fun, it ALWAYS seems to HAVE to involve food; and I don't mean that I shouldn't go out to eat when having fun, it's just food is the part I seem to look forward to the most (apropos, I still can't wait for my splurge, mm mmm mmmm!)



Leftover pasta with sauce calories - 290

Banana calories - 90

Chicken portabella sandwich calories uh-oh. 1500/1600 (Oh boy, I went to a sandwich place today which is NOT subway; you know what that means: no calorie information. I went ahead and ate my sandwich anyway. It wasn't until afterward that I really gave it some thought and realized that the bread alone (it was deliciously fried in butter) was probably around 800 calories. The rest of the sandwich (actually, it was like 2 sandwiches - even though it's "one" cut in half) was probably 700 or 800 (for a total of approx. 1500/1600) calories, so I'm in trouble. Because of that I've probably already reached my calorie limit for today (or more.) I'm going to go ahead and have a light dinner anyway and see what happens. Maybe I'll see a pound increase over the next couple of days. For the future though, when I eat there, I'm going to take half the sandwich home and eat it the next day (and count them as 800 calories each.) We'll see, I may find the discipline to shave off 200 calories the next 2 or 3 days.



I have to say, I feel a calm that I haven't felt since before I started dieting, though. That's tough; you wonder why it is that eating the right amount of food should cause you to feel anxious, unfulfilled and deprived. The only thing I can come up with is, again, we're surrounded with pleasure food 24/7 whether it be commercials, smells, billboards, etc. It's like if you were single and surrounded by absolutely drop-dead beautiful people (the sex that you prefer, of course), but you weren't able to get close or start a relationship with any of them. How about the feeling you get when you're around someone who's broken your heart? That's obviously far more intense than simple food cravings; nonetheless, I've been in that situation (of being around an "ex") and the feelings I experienced are definitely from the same ilk as those that food cravings come from. How do you solve the ex problem? You go somewhere your ex isn't. Unfortunately, that's the only solution I can find for diminishing the food cravings too: don't be around pleasure food when you shouldn't have it.

For dinner I had:

Stir-fried chicken calories - 300

Easy digest beans - 180

Salad (Romaine, mushrooms, tomato, Alfalfa Sprouts salad dressing) calories 80



10/19/2009 - 207 lbs. Boy, am I hungry for my splurge. 2 more pounds.TWO MORE POUNDS!!! (Three days in a row of course.)

2 Oatmeals calories - 260

Orange calories - 50

Tuna Sub calories - 530

BBQ Baked Lays - 140

2nd Orange calories - 50

1 Apple calories - 80

Beans & Potatoes calories - 380

Fish calories - 80

4 Cookies 150

4 more cookies 150

Popcorn 100



10/18/2009 208 lbs.



3 sheets Graham calories 200

Rest of Pad Thai (340 grams) 700

Grapes 290 grams calories 200

10 Almonds 60

Popcorn 100 Shrimp 230

Spaghetti 118 + 29 grams 250

Cheese 25

Sauce 180

10 Almonds 60



10/17/2009 - 207 lbs. (Today marks exactly 1 month since I started dieting, and 207 marks exactly 8 lbs., which I was informally going for (per month, that is.) The scale displayed 205 several times this morning, but I posted 207 because that came up several times too - less pressure that way :)

Banana calories - 90

Coffee + Bagel + cream cheese approx. calories - 450

Smart Ones Fettucini calories - 340

Chocolate calories - 100

10 almonds calories - 60

3 Crab rangoons and 1/2 dish of pad thai (saving rest for tomorrow's lunch. That's a good way to do it: when you go out, ask for a to-go box as soon as they bring your meal and put half in the box.)



10/16/2009 - 208.5 lbs.

1 triple frosted chocolate cookie - 190

1/2 pumpkin frosted cookie - 90

1 banana - 90 Orange - 50

6 Candies - 100

Smart Ones enchiladas calories - 290

Swiss Cheese - 90 Orange - 50

Peach calories - 38 Weaner - 40

Ravioli with sauce - 390

Salad w/ 2 servings oil calories - 240

1/2 chocolate bar - 145

4 grasshopper cookies - 150



10/15/2009 - 208.5 lbs.

2 Oatmeals calories - 260

Grapefruit calories - 100

Sushi (with rice) calories - 450

Banana calories - 80

Triple-frosted chocolate cookie calories - 190

2 wraps calories - 260

2.5 servings Shredded Chicken calories - 150

Swiss Cheese - calories - 90

Refried beans - calories - 90

cookie calories - 190

cookie calories - 190



10/14/2009 - 208.5 lbs.



1 oatmeal calories - 130

Grapefruit calories - 100

Smart Ones enchiladas calories - 290

2 eggs calories - 120

15 almonds calories - 90

Swiss cheese calories - 90

1/2 sheet graham cracker calories - 33

6 Candies calories - 100

Cheetos calories - 120

2 low cal buns calories - 200

2 Turkey Burgers calories -320

Mayo calories - 40

1.5 Sheets Graham calories - 100



10/13/2009 - 209 lbs. Well, I guess the rooster's here. I like to think though that it's because I had to get up at 7:30 a.m. after having gotten up considerably later in the last couple days; it was the Weekend + Colombus day - and I was sick, so I was really trying to kick the bronchitis. I think it's just about gone :)

I have to say, today is the first day I've felt constant cravings, and I believe (and this is part of the plan) that it has to do with my wife being gone for two days (I miss her) and the fact that I didn't get eight hours of sleep; that causes the body to create more grehlin which sends signals to the brain to tell you you're hungry. Got to get some sleep tonight!



2 oatmeals calories - 260

Banana calories - 80

Grapefruit calories - 100

Shrimp marinara (L.C.) - 180

15 Almonds - 90

2 Eggs calories - 120

Swiss cheese - 90 (You know what, I scrambled the 2 eggs, mixed the 15 almonds in with it and put pieces of swiss cheese all over the top. With a little salt and pepper it was quite good.)

Orange calories - 50

3 candies calories - 50

Tuna Sub calories - 530

Blueberries calories - 90

3 sheets graham crackers calories - 200

WW chocolate ice cream cone calories - 140



10/12/2009 206.5 lbs. at 7:30 a.m. I was solidly at 209.5, and then at 10:00 a.m. I was solidly at 206.5 (no matter how many times I retried.) Boy, that sleep really is good for you! Or my mistakes in the last couple of days will come home to roost eventually. The pendulum is swinging all out'a whack!

Tuna sub at subway calories - 530

BBQ Lays Chips calories - 140

2nd half of blueberry chocolate bar calories - 220

Banana calories - 80 Chicken in swiss cheese and sauteed veggies in oil - most likely rest of calories.



10/11/2009 206.5 lbs. (at 4:36 a.m. it was 208 and at 7:30 a.m. it was 209.5; then at 10:30 it was solidly 206.5)

3 eggs calories - 180 Forgot about this - I put it in late. LIST, LIST, LIST.

2 burgers calories - 540

2 buns calories - 200

banana calories - 80

Almonds (10) calories - 60

Blueberries calories - 70

Cocktail tomatoes - I don't count calories for stuff like tomatoes, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and similar stuff, b/c it doesn't seem to affect my weight. We'll see; if it does, I'll have to make adjustments.

Cooked Pasta 118 g calories - 200

Pesto (31 grams) calories - 150

Chicken calories - 120

Salad (Romaine, tom. Mush. Alfalfa Sprouts, Mung Bean Sprouts 2 servings of oil) calories - 240 Dark blueberry chocolate calories - 220



10/10/2009 208 lbs. (It flickered once at 206.5 and then at 209.5, but it settled the rest of the time at the nice compromise of 208. How do you like them pendulums? Boy, if I'm really that close to 205, it means that soon I can have my meal + dessert splurge. Woooohoooo. I plan on having 2 baskets of chips and salsa, a grilled chicken salad with as much fattening ranch dressing as possible - I actually enjoy the grilled chicken salad more than the other main dishes - and then for dessert I will get a large package of oreos, 2 scoops of my favorite ice cream at my favorite ice cream place, and a pint of Ben & Jerry's. Wooohoooo!

Again though, that's not going to happen tomorrow or the next day, but after I've hit 205 three days in a row.)

7 Turkey Bacons calories - 245

2 Bananas calories - 160

2 Oranges calories - 100

Bread 56g calories - 200

Almonds 30 (28g) (So 1 = 6 cals)

Grapefruit calories - 100

3 Crab rangoons - ?

Pad Thai calories - ? I saved a lot of calories for dinner today, but together these may have been too much; we'll see :(



10/9/2009 - 209.5 lbs. (Well, when I first got on the scale it displayed 208 three times, but I couldn't believe it, so I retried and it showed 210.5 a couple times, and finally 209.5 a couple of times; that was a fair compromise. The good news:

Yahoo came out with an article about 8 foods that fight fat; I ran right out, and I bought all but 1 of those (I couldn't find soy beans.) I used a couple of them in today's diet. Bad news: I messed up yesterday; I forgot that I had salad, so I have to add 120 cals for the oil - just goes to show, you have to have a list. It turns out I'm not succeeding in removing 200 cals a day, but hopefully replacing my food with Yahoo's fat-fighting food will help.) 2 oatmeals calories – 260

Apple calories – 80

Orange calories – 50

Organic Lentil Soup calories - 360

2 98% fat free wieners calories – 80

Ravioli with sauce calories - 350 (about)

Almonds calories - 360

2 Swiss cheese slices calories - 180

Salad (Romaine + tomatoes + mushrooms + Brussel Sprouts and oil) calories - 120

Grapefruit calories - 100

Bread 15g calories - 60



10/8/2009 - 208 lbs. (Well I managed to stick to 1750, so it sort of made up for yesterday. Unfortunately I feel a little heavier today - and the jorts didn't feel they fit as comfortably, so although my weight is lower, I'm concerned that it may go up tomorrow.)



2 bananas calories - 160

2 oatmeals calories - 260

1 0range calories - 50

Baked chicken (L.C.) calories - 240

Another orange calories - 50

3 Sheets Graham crackers calories – 200

Popcorn calories - 100

Grapefruit calories - 100

Orange chicken calories - 590

Salad (Romaine, mushrooms, tomatoes oil) calories - 120

10/7/2009 - 208.5 lbs. (OK, so I'm guessing this is a solid example of a pendulum down-swing. The pendulum demons want me to think that I'm losing so that I'll run out and stuff my face till I can't see my feet, but I know better. P.S. - try to ignore the bad hair day - I stayed home from work today because of my constant bronchiole coughing, so that's bed-head you see there.



On a positive note, I will say that the shorts (or "jorts") seem to be buttoning much more easily.

As you can see below, I went 65 cals over today's goal (1800), so I'll have to either deduct more tomorrow, or deduct for 3 days rather than 2. I can't wait to resume excersizing - this bronchitis is killing me!

2 eggs + 1 egg white calories - 175

2 bananas calories - 160

Grapefruit calories - 100

Organic Lentil Soup calories - 360

2 98% fat free wieners calories – 80

Bread calories - 200

Cheese - 70

Salad (Romaine+Tomatoe+Mushrooms+ 1 tblsp Olive oil) calories - 120

1/2 lb. 93/7 hamburger calories - 320

Baked beans calories - 280



10/6/2009 - 210.5 lbs. You know, I'd like to think the "rest of the chili" was 800 calories, but as I scarfed it down, I realized that traditional chili doesn't have elbow macaroni, and since I used a generic chili posting somewhere online to obtain my calorie count, I'm probably waayyy off. No wonder I feel so satiated. (Sigh). Guess I'll be cutting off 200 cals a day for the next 2 days (and I'm sure my weight will go up.)

Buddig beef calories - 90

bananas calories – 160

Organic Lentil Soup calories - 360

2 98% fat free wieners calories – 80

Grapefruit calories – 100

Apple calories – 80

Popcorn calories – 50

Oatmeal calories - 130

Rest of chili calories - 800 ? (Read above, I guess I may be in trouble...)



10/5/2009 – 210 lbs. (the first weigh in displayed a 212, and the next couple showed 208.5. Naturally I wanted to take that one, but I tried again for good measure and the next couple were 210, so I posted that as a compromise.)



OK, my diet hasn't instantly improved (sorry, Redditers), but at least I'm starting to track protein. I am bringing 90 grams of sandwhich meat with me tomorrow to work (has 10 grams of protein) and then I'll have my usual fruit afterwards - that way I'm not just having fruit in the morning. My wife made amazing chili tonight, so I had that and stuck to approximate calories. I will do eggs and raisins and I did get lentils, so I'll be eating that for lunch tomorrow - I'm really looking forward to that.

2 Oatmeals calories – 260 (Protein 6g)

2 bananas calories – 160

Smart Ones Chicken Parmesan calories – 290 (Protein 26g)

2 Oranges calories – 100

Apple calories - 80

Chili calories - 600

Bread calories - 200

Banana Bread calories - 300



10/4/2009 - 209 bls.

Notice the great lighting? That's my little sister's doing; you're absolutely right, sis, day time lighting does make a big difference. Also, notice I'm finally buttoning my shorts! My belly's hanging over, but at least I can button them. I'm sure that's partly due to the fact that I didn't wait till the end of the day this time to take the pictures.

BY THE WAY - IF YOU CLICK THE PICTURE, YOU GET A LARGER VIEW



(Something interesting happened this morning - it has actually also happened many times before, when I've dieted in the past; I woke up briefly at around 7:30 a.m. and decided to weigh myself: I was 210.5 lbs. Now, because I'm still 100% sick, I went back to sleep. I then got up again at 11:00 a.m., re-weighed myself and this time, although it flickered once at 210.5, several consecutive weighs displayed a solid 209 - even after moving the scale around. Like I said, this phenomenon has happened to me in the past. Whenever I would not get enough sleep (I need more now that I'm sick), I'd either stay at the same weight, or actually gain weight. I wonder if proper sleep helps the body to not retain water, for some reason. This is part of my plan, by the way: proper sleep.







Pancakes with butter & Syrup calories - 450

Oatmeal calories - 130

2 Bananas calories - 160

Salad (Romaine, mushrooms & tomatoes) oil calories - 160

Steamed veggies calories - 100

Pork patties calories - 453

Baked beans calories - 250 ca.

4 1/2 sheets graham crackers calories - 300



10/3/2009 - 209 lbs.



(I'm not getting excited, especially after last night's splurge. This is probably a down pendulum swing. Let's see how high it swings tomorrow or the next day.)



1 Oatmeal calories - 130

2 Bananas calories - 160

Grapefruit calories - 100

L.C. calories - 340

Grapes (290 grams) - 200

Grilled Chicken breast - 2 or 300 calories

Green beans,

brocoli,

Salad ( spinach, chick peas, carrots, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, ham chips and french salad dressing) probably rest of calories, but maybe not quite.

10/2/2009 – 210 lbs. (5 bl. mark)

Today I have something new to introduce: "splurge meal/dessert." It really only works if you plan on losing about 8 bl.s or more - otherwise the splurge meal would set you back too much. You'll understand as you read on.



You've probably heard people talk about rewarding themselves at certain points in their diet; well, I'm one of those people. The mistake most make, though, is rewarding themselves based on a time-frame. If you say "I'm going to splurge every Friday," and you don't actually lose any weight, then the splurges will cause you to gain weight. If you do lose weight, but say only one pound, then the splurges would cause you to stay about the same weight.



I on the other hand have decided to base my splurges on weight-loss milestones. Every 5 bls. I get to splurge - but only for a meal (and dessert) or just a dessert. Here's what I mean: I want to lose 30 bls. at least, so I am dividing it into six 5-pound weight goals. At each 5 bl. loss I get to splurge for either a meal and a dessert, or just a dessert (I reserve the 10 bl. losses for the meal+dessert splurges.) In other words:



at 210 bls. = dessert splurge (today)

at 205 bls. = meal + dessert splurge

at 200 bls. = dessert splurge

at 195 bls. = meal + dessert splurge

at 190 bls. = dessert splurge

at 185 bls. = meal + dessert splurge



The other mistake people make is giving themselves a full day splurge rather than just a meal+dessert or just dessert splurge. I think a full day splurge is a bad move.

Having said all this, I do have to concede that I cheated: when I reach each 5 bl. mark, I need to have reached it for three days running before I splurge (Today's only the first day I reached it.) That's because of what I call my weight pendulum theory: if you look at my weight postings, you'll notice that sometimes they swing up and down as much as 2 or 3 pounds in just one day. Overall though, the mean of my weight steadily decreases; it acts like a swinging pendulum moving slowly down a slope. That's something a lot of people don't realize. They either get discouraged by the sudden upsurge, or too cocky by the sudden plunge in weight, and they let if affect their diet. If you can remember that your weight will swing up and down every day, then that should help you have the patience to wait and view it from an overall, broader time frame. you need to keep the swinging weight pendulum in mind, in order to stay on a steady course with your diet.



1 Multi vitamin

3 Fish Oils

2 bananas calories - 180

1 Grapefruit calories - 100

1 Orange calories - 50

3 Sheets Graham crackers calories – 200

Pasta with red sauce – 250 (about)

6 Claeys candies calories - 100

2 Oatmeal Packets calories - 260

Cooked Pasta 118 g calories - 200

Beef 4 ounces calories - 160

Sauce calories - 80

About four brownies calories - a lot (splurge dessert)

(Today's the first day I didn't have my highly coveted salad - romain, mushrooms, tomatoes and 1 tblspn olive oil. I was just too tired and hacking to put it together. But I did enjoy my brownies.)

10/1/2009 – 210.5 lbs.

Yup, I'm definitely sick. I have bronchitis, I just hope it's on the out'n out. The problem with getting sick is that now I have to stop exercising, so let's see how that affects my weight-loss.

1 Multi vitamin

3 Fish Oils

2 Bananas calories – 180

Sliver of Lisa P.’s pie – 100

6 Claeys candies calories – 100

L.C. – calories 290

3 Sheets Graham Crackers Calories – 200

Apple calories – 80

Popcorn calories – 100

Peas calories - 100

Cooked Pasta 118 g calories - 200

Sauce - 50

Meat calories - 90

Salad (0il) - 120

Turkey Burger - 160

2 Squares Chocolate - 150



9/30/2009 – 210.5 lbs.

HOORAY! Now THAT’S what I like to see. P.S. I’ve been feeling a little under the weather lately; last week I was getting over a mild bout of bronchitis, and then on Thursday, Sep 24, I got the flu shot and I think that may have thrust me back a couple steps because now the bronchitis seems to be edging back again. Starting an exercise regime (and a diet, for that matter) can often contribute to getting sick too. Also – and probably most importantly – the weather has gone through a drastic change recently.



2 Bananas calories - 180Organic Lentil Soup calories - 3602 98% fat free wieners calories - 80Another 98% fat free wiener - 40Popcorn calories - 1001 grapefruit calories - 1001 Orange Calories – 506 Claeys candies calories – 1001 Apple calories - 80Salad, Meat (90) + Oil (160) - 250Shrimp with scampi - 2751/2 Grilled cheese - 2002 squares of chocolate calories - 150

1 Multi vitamin

3 Fish Oils

2 Oranges calories – 100

2 Bananas calories – 180

1 Apple calories - 80

6 Claeys candies calories – 100

Organic Lentil Soup calories - 360

2 98% fat free wieners calories – 80

Popcorn calories - 100

Frozen vegetables calories - 100

Turkey Burger - 160

Southwest Style Rice - 230

Digestive Health - 90

Salad (Oil) - 120

Chocolate - 150



9/28/2009 - 212.5

Exercise: Treadmill: Speed-Walked 2 plus miles;

burned 300 cals; 33 minutes

Exercise: 8 lower back exercises

Exercise: Ab Exercises; Ab Exercises 2

Exercise: "Chair ups"; "Push-ups against the couch"

I went over on calories today because I wasn't diligent enough in counting BEFORE eating. The ravioli took me by surprise. Again, hopefully the exercising will help.

Nice hair...NOT!





(Oops...am I slipping?)

1 Multi vitamin3 Fish Oils2 bananas - 1801 grapefruit - 100Tuna Sub, 6-inch Classic sandwich (Subway) Calories: - 530Baked Lays BQ Chips - 1403 candies - 50Ravioli - 412.50Honey Ham - 90Sauce - 200Salad Oil - 1202 Corn on the cobbs - 3001 Multi Vitamin3 fish oils3 Sheets Graham Crackers - 2002 eggs - 160Salad; Oil 120Potato Salad 70g 100Baked Cheetos 120Frozen Veggies - 100DQ Small Fudge Sundae ca. 300Grilled Chicken salad with ranch dressing (not fat-free) - a lot!6 chips with salsa1 banana

Saturday 9/26/2009 – 210.5

Exercise: Treadmill -Speed-Walked 2 plus miles; burned 250 cals; 32 minutes

Exercise: First time - I tried these 8 lower back exercises

I obviously went over today. Hopefully the exercise will smooth it over.

1 Multi Vitamin

3 fish oils

2 Apples - 160

Ice cream - 250

Cake - 50

Cheese slice - 25

2 98% fat free wieners - 80

Chicken salad - 204

3 Graham sheets - 200

Steak dinner (6 0z) 900

Baked potato w/some sour cream ca. 300

Garlic Bread - 200

Ice Cream - 100



Friday 9/25/2009 – 210.5



1 Multi vitamin

3 Fish Oils

1 Apple 80

Peas in a pod – 50?

Apple – 80

Pear – 50

L.C. – 290

3 Sheets Graham Crackers 200

6 Candies 100

Ice cream and cake 400

Subway Tuna 530

BBq Chips Baked Lay - 140

Popcorn - 100



9/24/2009 – 212.5

Exercise: Treadmill - Walked 2 plus miles; burned 220 cals; 40 minutes



Exercise: Treadmill - Walked 2 miles; burned 200 cals; 33 minutes (knees feeling a bit tender, so put down incline to "0")



Treadmill - Walked 2 miles; burned 240 cals; 35 minutes

1 multi vitamin3 Fish OilsBanana 90Swedish meatballs lean cuisine 300Graham Crackers 200Banana 90Pear 503 Scrumptious Candies 50Frozen Veggies - 100Mexican soup - 4 cups - 6003 Graham Cracker "Sheets." 2001 Vitamin3 fish oils2 bananas 180 (Subway) Serving Size: 223g; Calories: 280, Total Fat: 4.5g, Carbs: 46g, Protein: 18g 280Plus a bite of my wife’s Club Sub 50Pear 506 delicious candies 100Orange 50Pad Thai - quite a bit (plus had a little of wife's) probably rest of daily calories1 Vitamin3 fish oils2 Bananas 180Orange 5012 Candies 200L.C. 200Brownie 100Pear 50Popcorn 1002nd Brownie 100Mexican Soup 450More Mexican soup 300Sherbert 1501 Multi Vitamin3 fish oils2 Bananas 1802 Apples 160 (Subway) Serving Size: 1 6-inch sub / 250g; Calories: 530, Total Fat: 31g, Carbs: 45g, Protein: 22gBQ Chips 140Grapefruit 100Candies 1002 Brats 540Sorbet 200Salad - the oil = 2101 Vitamin3 fish oilsGrilled Chick Salad Mr. Smiths ca. 5002 Bananas 1801 Grapefruit 100Apple 80Chicken Primavera:1 Chicken breast 2501/2 tblspn cornstarch 151/2 Cup half-and-half Cream 160 (1 US cup = 16 Tablespoons)1/6 Cup white wine ca. 50Sorbet ca. 300Popcorn 1001 Vitamin3 fish oils2 Turkey Burgers 3202 Eggs 1602 Bananas 180Milk 20Brownie 100DQ Sundae w/Pecans 3501 brat 2702 Corn on the cobbs 300container of raspberries w/whip cream ?Sliver of Ruby's pie – ca. 100Banana – 901 Vitamin3 fish oilsSubway Tuna 530BQ Chips 140Banana Shake 228Frozen Veggies 100Brownie 100Cheese 251 portion Spaghetti ?Ice Cream bar 1001 Vitamin3 fish oils2 Bananas 1802 Apples 160L.C. 6 pointsPopcorn 100Crackers 250 calsCheese 25Spaghetti 1 large portion – probably quite a bit

Labels: a detailed daily weight-loss plan