January 31

Post 728, Day 31 of 2013
 - and 762 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

I am going to write about diet, which is a boring topic, so if that doesn't interest you, you can tune out now.

This is last year's weight chart: 

Year 2012 daily weight from December 31, 2011

You can look below to see this year's. The takeaway for both is a rising trend line. I feel a need to reverse that trend line. Now.

Well, actually, beginning tomorrow. 

This means I am going back to basics. And that means going back to a slightly modified Slow-Carb diet. Namely, three meals a day, six days a week, with each meal being based on protein, vegetables and beans. Except, not so much on the beans this go-round.

In fact, though, the diet is described more by what it leaves out during those six days: Starchy carbs (other than legumes), simple carbs, grains, dairy, (anything white except cauliflower).

And one cheat day (anything goes, but after breakfast) per week.

This is how I lost fifty pounds in about six months. 

No more fasting days. At least, for now. These were never designed as a weight loss strategy, and clearly, they haven't worked in terms of weight maintenance. Once I drop about ten pounds from the day, I might experiment with bringing back the (day after cheat day) Sunday fast. We'll see.

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 Food and Diet Section

First-half year 2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         207.6 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     209.2 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      - 1.6 lbs

Diet Comment

A drop - I'll take it.

Food Log

Breakfast
Skipped.

Lunch
Cocoa-Kale-hemp protein shake (Almond milk, hemp seeds, kale, cocoa, vanilla whey powder (24g protein), cinnamon, stevia-inulin blend).

Dinner

Chili (ground beef, red beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, spices) on broccoli.

Snack
Cole slaw and hard-boiled eggs.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  34 oz,  Water:  116+ oz 

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January 30 - One more big dinner this month

Post 727, Day 30 of 2013
 - and 761 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Excellent band meeting for my birthday - I got to hand out presents, and received a Guitar Center gift certificate. I'll spend that on stuff for the band - I don't need anything. 

I did get a useful gift, though, a tiny ("pocket-sized") rubber chicken from Tami, who noted, "Everybody feels a little foolish with a rubber chicken in their pocket."

Ain't it the truth.

I came out of the meeting well-fed, over-fed, and very happy. It was a wonderful way to cap off my birthday. But I wasn't finished until I'd had a piece of cake and some chocolates. Wow. 

Today, after that outrageous cheat day, I was feeling bloated and tired, and couldn't eat until lunchtime, when I had breakfast. Then, after work, I had booked dinner and a movie, Zero Dark 30, as another birthday celebration, with Al. 

Sigh. It was impossible to sleep through the movie, but I came out so-o-o tired. If the tickets hadn't been purchased in advance, I'd have canceled.

I need sleep. And weight loss. Mostly, sleep right now.

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 Food and Diet Section

First-half year 2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         209.2 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     207.2 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      + 2.0 lbs

Diet Comment

The fact that my weight is up only two pounds today is testimony to how much it had already gone up since the weekend. And, as a result of yesterday's cheat, I was not hungry - in fact, I was stuffed. I couldn't bring myself to eat breakfast for breakfast, so I ate it for lunch. And then, I was stuffed until dinner.

Food Log

Breakfast

Skipped.

Lunch
Cocoa-Kale-chia-hemp protein shake (Almond milk, chia gel, hemp seeds, kale, cocoa, vanilla whey powder (36g protein), cinnamon, stevia-inulin blend).

Dinner
At Ruby Tuesday's:

From the salad bar: Spring Mix, baby spinach, tomateoes, mushrooms, broccoli, green peppers, parmesan cheese and blue cheese dressing.

Blackened petit sirloin and spicy shrimp with spaghetti squash

Snack
Cole slaw and celery with home-made mayonnaise.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  34 oz,  Water:  76+ oz 

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January 29 - Birthday Cheat Night

Post 726, Day 29 of 2013
 - and 760 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

If it is my birthday, that means just one thing: 

I'm exactly three years away from retirement. Some people are lucky enough to earn a living doing what they love.

I have never been successful at that, always trying to do what I loved, only to be disappointed that the commercial version of the thing I love either won't support me or is a perversion of my loving ideal.

At the moment, I find myself in a job with a lot to love about it, and some things that really spoil it. My nature is to take it for what it is, enjoy the good parts, and try and avoid the bad. Failing that, don't let the bad parts ruin the whole, and make me forget my good fortune at being employed.

Nonetheless, I am really looking forward to retirement. I'm looking forward to retirement, to the adventure that starts when I don't have to be at work at eight in the morning, or ever.

One of the things I like to do is research places that seem like good spots for retirement. Due to limited funds and a culture that looks at old age as a disability (unless it is accompanied by wealth), none of them are within the US. 

Putting myself at a geographic remove from non-local friends and all my family (who are all five or more hours travel time away), is not the big deal it might be for other people. It is a fact that the only way I will be able to spend significant time with them after retirement is to live outside the country in a low-cost area, allowing me to save enough each year to spend a couple of months traveling in the US. That's how - and maybe the  only way - I will get to spend some quality time with them.

My post-retirement fantasies are in places like Ecuador, Thailand, and Uruguay. I have been corresponding with the author of a new book on expat life in Cuenca, Ecuador, literally (pun!) the best I have ever read on expatriating (anywhere). He wrote, "I can tell you've got the bug, bad, bud."

Indeed. One thousand, ninety-five (1095) days to go. No need to ask who's counting.

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 Food and Diet Section

First-half year 2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         207.2 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     207.2 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      - 0.0 lbs

Diet Comment

No change. After a small breakfast, two meals out with snacks. That's a lot of food. This is a cheat day, even though it is much to close to my last cheat day. This month is a bust. Tomorrow, weight will be up. Thursday, the last day of the month, the weight will be up again - that should be my highest weight since last November. I will skip my cheat day Saturday. 

The plan to deal with my January weight gain (Dec 31st, 2012 is the lowest weight on the chart) is to go back to basics: Eat on plan six days a week, one cheat day. Starts in February.

Food Log

Breakfast

Chia gel.

Lunch
At Ling-Ling's Chinese Buffet and Grill:

Brussels sprouts, kimchee, and from the "Mongolian Grill" my go-to dish, pork and chicken with bean sprouts, cabbage, onions, mushrooms, green peppers, snow pea pods and broccoli.

Snack
Celery and home-made mayonnaise.


Dinner
At the world-famous Dinosaur BBQ, I had Cajun deviled eggs, BBQ Cajun blackened salmon, cole slaw, corn bread, cottage cheese with chives, and a shot of Jameson's. For dessert, I had a slice of carrot cake.


Snack
A bag of 'natural' chocolate peanut butter cups (like Reese's, but smaller, and made without corn syrup or GMO soy products).

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  28 oz,  Water:  96+ oz 

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January 28

Post 725, Day 28 of 2013
 - and 759 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

A simple sort of day. A back-to-work kind of day. A typical lousy weather Winter Syracuse day. A nothing-planned and nothing-done outside of work day. A day with no conversations until the end of the day, when my son called, and that was a brief conversation, as he is busy moving. 

Tomorrow will be kind of opposite. Tomorrow, my birthday, I have plans.

Grateful there's a tomorrow to think about, just briefly, because I realize I'm just grateful for the moment. 

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 Food and Diet Section

First-half year 2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         207.2 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     208.0 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      - 0.6 lbs

Diet Comment

Well, there you go. A day of fasting and... almost nothing. Today was going to be my first completely normal eating day this year, but in the middle of the day, I got so busy, I forgot to eat lunch, snacking right after work instead. We'll see what that means tomorrow.

Food Log

Breakfast

Cocoa-kale-hemp protein smoothie (almond milk, chia gel, vanilla whey powder (24g protein), hemp seeds, cocoa, cinnamon, stevia-inulin blend, and kale).

Lunch

Skipped.

Snack

Pepperoni and celery with home-made mayonnaise.

Dinner

Shahi Rajma (red bean curry) with scrambled eggs. Not shown: Spring Mix greens and baby spinach salad with cole slaw mix and balsamic vinaigrette.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  26 oz,  Water:  78+ oz 

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January 27 - Fast Day

Post 724, Day 27 of 2013
 - and 758 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Spent the day working on i am Fool music. I am creating CDs of the 'rough mixes' of the songs we recorded last April Fool's Day, that J. and more recently, new member Tami have been putting vocals on. 

The songs sound pretty good. Yesterday, I went by the Wailing Trailer recording studio and added a backup vocal (my first studio vocal recording), which was the dead-last final recording work on the project.

I make CDs for the group, because I can print labels directly on the CD, thanks to my Epson Artisan printer, using HP technology on screen-printable CDs. Therefore, doing the CDs involves not only burning the music, but some artwork as well. 

Tami is a graphic designer, and does great work, and did the design for a one-off for a club-owner we want to hire us, but these CDs are a gift to the band from me, so I didn't want to consult her. J. has said all he wants on a CD is the bands logo, but it looks terrible with a hole in the center. So I ended up with a simple design - nothing that will go to the outside world, just something for us.

I find this sort of work entertaining, even fulfilling. Although I have a very limited toolset when it comes to graphics, I think I have a good eye, and working with what I have, I've produced some satisfying stuff. And, it is time well spent, if for no other reason than that I enjoy it. This present project is more utilitarian, but the simple result is still satisfying.

What more could I ask of a Sunday?

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 Food and Diet Section

First-half year 2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         208.0 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     205.4 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      + 3.6 lbs

Diet Comment

Not better than nothing, but the same.

Food Log

Breakfast

Skipped.

Lunch

Skipped.

Dinner/Break-fast
Baby carrots with home-made mayonnaise.

Snack
Hard-boiled eggs, cole slaw, baby carrots with home-made mayonnaise.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  30 oz,  Water:  98+ oz 

Please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you!

 

Januaray 26 - Cheat Day

Post 723, Day 26 of 2013
 - and 757 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

I admit it - I will miss my weight goal, to be near 200 pounds on my birthday. I am either going to have to go back to the original eating rules I followed to lose fifty pounds in the first six months of 2010, or....

do something else.

Yeah, probably that.

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 Food and Diet Section

First-half year 2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         205.4 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     205.4 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      - 0.0 lbs

Diet Comment

Not better than nothing, but the same.

Food Log

Breakfast

Ezekiel Golden Flax sprouted grain cereal with blueberries, almond milk, and stevia-inulin blend.

Lunch

Pizza Supreme. Not shown: A bag of 'natural' chocolate peanut butter cups (like Reese's, but smaller, and made without corn syrup or GMO soy products).

Dinner

From Village Burger:

Moroccan Burger, Cajun fries, onion rings and cole slaw. (not shown)

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  30 oz,  Water:  64+ oz 

Please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you!

 

January 25

Post 722, Day 25 of 2013
 - and 756 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Today was all about catch-up. Catching up at work, catching up with sleep, and just thankful that I have another day to do it, and trusting that there'll be another tomorrow.

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 Food and Diet Section

First-half year 2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         205.4 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     206.6 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      - 1.2 lbs

Diet Comment

Better than nothing, and I'm not concerned.

Food Log

Breakfast

Cocoa-kale protein smoothie (almond milk, chia gel, vanilla whey powder (36g protein), cocoa, cinnamon, stevia-inulin blend, and kale).

Lunch

Salmon and red bean salad on baby spinach.

Dinner

Turkey burger with salsa and guacamole. Not shown: Baby spinach with red beans and balsamic vinaigrette.

Snack
Hard-boiled eggs and guacamole.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  30 oz,  Water:  90+ oz 

Please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you!

 

January 24 - Fast Day

Post 721, Day 24 of 2013
 - and 755 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Down day - physical, not emotional. Last night's concert was emotional, in a good way, but it left me too excited to sleep well. I called in sick, and spent most of the day sleeping. It doesn't give me much to write about.

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 Food and Diet Section

First-half year 2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         206.6 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     206.0 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      + 0.6 lbs

Diet Comment

Yesterday I ate my meals in restaurants, including one that, even for me, was gigantic. I think I ate mostly on-plan, (except for an Irish coffee at the Wailers show) but the sheer quantity of food, and the fact that its preparation could and probably did include off-plan items like starches and sugar (however little of either) negated any benefit of careful choice from the two buffets.

Spending all day sleeping allowed me to easily do the full twenty-four hours of fasting, Then I made an on-plan meal, and a late on-plan snack.

Food Log

Breakfast

Skipped.

Lunch
Skipped.

Dinner

Shahi Rajma (red bean curry) with scrambled eggs. Not shown: Baby spinach salad with red cabbage and balsamic vinaigrette.

Snack
Hard-boiled eggs and red cabbage slaw.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  42 oz,  Water:  116+ oz 

Please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you!

 

January 23

Post 720, Day 23 of 2013
 - and 754 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

I actually regret the post I wrote yesterday.

They say one sign of a food allergy is craving the food you're allergic to. I have seen reformed alcoholics appear to grow adopt a drunken demeanor when talking about the challenges of their addiction. I have heard people describe in great detail, and actually make attractive, books, movies and TV shows they don't like. I have seen athletes re-injure themselves in rehabilitation.

Yesterday, that was me.

I'm not sure where the impulse to do something you actually mean to avoid doing comes from, but suspect it is a corollary to the (lmythical/mystical?) 'Law of Attraction' - the part where the thing you pay most attention to is the thing that manifests itself, positively or negatively. The corollary is that your mind can't differentiate between positive or negative, that the statement, "I want this" is equivalent to the statement "I DON'T want this."

Don't poke the bear. 

Heard this quote from Teddy Roosevelt today, it has been relevant to my thinking for quite a while:  "Comparison is the thief of joy." Also relevant to my seeing the Wailers for the first time since 1979, which was, of course, with Bob Marley. What a joyful show!

The Wailers at the Showroom of the Turning Stone Resort/Casino. That tiny man is my number 2 bass inspiration: Aston "Family Man" Barrett.

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 Food and Diet Section

First-half year 2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         206.0 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     204.2 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      + 1.8 lbs

Diet Comment

Yesterday's cheats and snacking have temporarily derailed my weight loss, but I am unperturbed. Today I will not fail, and enjoy my regular lunch out with Al, skipping breakfast as I am wont to do on these days. Going to see the Wailers at the local Indian Casino meant two buffets in one day!

Food Log

Breakfast

Chia Gel.

Lunch
At Ling-Ling's Chinese Buffet and Grill:

Brussels sprouts, kimchee, and from the "Mongolian Grill" my go-to dish, pork and chicken with bean sprouts, cabbage, onions, mushrooms, green peppers, snow pea pods and broccoli.

Dinner
At the Season's Harvest Buffet at Turning Stone Resort and Casino:

Salad: shrimp, mussels oreganata, roast turkey breast, pepperoni, baby spinach, calamata olives, celery, tomatoes, broccoli, blue cheese dressing

Shrimp in garlic sauce, salmon, roast beef with horseradish, broccoli, refried beans. 

Shrimp with vegetables 

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  30 oz,  Water:  100+ oz an Irish coffee at the show

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January 22

Post 719, Day 22 of 2013
 - and 753 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Politics. I hate politics the way I hate car crashes I see on the highway. You know, the ones that, even when the car or cars involved are off the road, still snarl traffic due to curious onlookers in the cars that aren't directly involved.

That is the way I think of American politics: A wreck. And, I am just as, or maybe even a little more, morbidly curious about what happened and what is going on as the next rubbernecker.

I ignored the Inaugural. Although I'm very glad it is President Obama and not President Romney that is being sworn in, I see no reason to celebrate. I'm not a fan of the president, although I am completely satisfied that he is the better choice for this country than his most recent opponents.

But the first four years of his presidency did nothing but inspire me to mistrust him. And not for the things he didn't do, or the things he couldn't get done, but for the things he did.

He continued, and even amplified, W's policies of rendition, surveillance, drone warfare (even extending it to surveillance of America's citizens at home), he privatized the Iraqi invasion, enforced anti-pot laws against people in states that had legalized their marijuana activities, he sold out the health-care initiative to the health insurance cartel, he compromised the social safety net.

I saw all this while not really caring, or closely observing, just by occasionally hearing the news on the radio (I never watch news on TV or read newspapers). I can't imagine what else has been going on that I don't know about.

Somehow, the only good thing he did that comes to mind was the FICA rebate, and I lost that at the beginning of the year.

And that's what happens when the 'good guy' wins in this country!

I guess I am (and should be) grateful that the better man is President. 

  

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 Food and Diet Section

First-half year 2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         204.2 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     204.0 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      + 0.2 lbs

Diet Comment

The two meals I ate yesterday, one heavy, one light, but very late, resulted in a net difference of approximately zero. What do you know about that?

Food Log

Breakfast

Fail: Left-over pizza at the office. What I get for skipping breakfast and then being hungry in the morning.

Lunch

Roasted turkey breast on Spring Mix greens with baby spinach, red cabbage and balsamic vinaigrette.

Snack

Pepperoni, baby carrots and home-made mayonnaise.

Dinner

Dal Buckhara (black gram lentil curry) on cauliflower

Snack

Pepperoni and guacamole.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  30 oz,  Water:  154+ oz

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