September 30

Post 963, Day 239 of 2013
- and 1000 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

One thousand days ago, I started this blog to journal my food intake as part of a weight loss initiative. On day 0 (December 31, 2010) I weighed 253 pounds. In the next 7 months, I lost 54 pounds. I've gained about 15 back since then, but I have hopes of getting my weight back down there...

Anyway, that was then. 

Note: I just opened up a spreadsheet and found out somewhere along the line, I got the math wrong, and it's really day 1003. I'll fix that tomorrow (day 1004)... The joke's on me.

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 Daily Weight

Today's Weight:         213.8 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     214.8 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      - 1.0 lbs

Diet Comment

Trying to turn this boat around. A good loss. Hopefully, many more to come.

Food Log 

Breakfast
A cacao-kale-hemp-chia protein shake (almond-coconut milk, kale, a large egg, raw organic cacao powder, hemp seeds, chia gel, whey powder (24g protein), cinnamon, psyllium and stevia-inulin blend).


Lunch
Two slices of pepperoni pizza (big fail... As Oscar Wilde said, "I can resist anything but temptation."). I tried to compensate with a salad of Spring Mix, red cabbage, black beans and balsamic vinaigrette.

Dinner

Grass-fed beef burger on coconut Paleo bread with guacamole and cole slaw.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  24 oz.   Water: 112+ oz.  

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September 29

Post 962, Day 238 of 2013
- and 999 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

I had a great time playing last night - I caught one of those sets where even the weakest musical link swung and grooved.

It was energizing, in contrast to the previous part of the weekend, which was an exercise in recuperative laziness.

Is lazy exercise an oxymoron?

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 Daily Weight

Today's Weight:         214.8 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     210.8 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      + 4.0 lbs

Diet Comment

I am surprised at how much weight is on me today - it doesn't feel like that enormous weight gain I'm showing. Well, a light day today.

Food Log 

Breakfast
Skipped. 

Lunch
A cacao-kale-hemp-chia protein shake (almond-coconut milk, kale, a large egg, raw organic cacao powder, hemp seeds, chia gel, whey powder (30g protein), cinnamon, psyllium and stevia-inulin blend).

Dinner

Grass-fed beef burger and lentils.

Snack

Buffalo chicken breast.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  30 oz.   Water: 64+ oz.  

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September 28

Post 961, Day 237 of 2013
- and 998 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

I was just so tired after last night's performance. Slept in, lolled around, did nothing.

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 Daily Weight

Today's Weight:         210.8 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     211.2 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      - 0.4 lbs

Diet Comment

Yesterday's bad end-of-day deal left me tired and more tired. And, not hungry. Given that I was eating birthday cake at 3am, I decided to extend the cheat a little, which ended badly - a lot of food eaten late, including a gross amount of cheese. 

This does not bode well for tomorrow.

Food Log 

Breakfast
Skipped. 

Lunch
Skipped.

Dinner

Ezekiel 4:9 Golden Flax sprouted grain cereal with blueberries, hemp seeds, coconut-almond milk, coconut sugar, and stevia-inulin blend.

Snack
Pepperoni, hard-boiled eggs and parmesan cheese.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  30 oz.   Water: 84+ oz.  

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September 27

Post 960, Day 236 of 2013
- and 997 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Gig tonight was pretty good - the performance was excellent at times, so-so at other times. Overall, though, the consensus in the band was that it went well.

I was just tired. That's the thing about Friday gigs for me - they follow work days, and playing until 2am makes for a long day. During the gig, I made some 'tired' mistakes. I don't think they were serious (except maybe for the bass solo I played when I missed an 'end' cue (sweat in my eyes) and kept playing after everybody else had stopped.

It got applause.

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 Daily Weight

Today's Weight:         211.2 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     210.4 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      + 0.8 lbs

Diet Comment

Yesterday's good eating doesn't seem to have moved the scale in the right direction, but maybe today's will.

Food Log 

Breakfast
Egg-and-black bean salad. 

Lunch
A cacao-kale-hemp-chia protein shake (almond-coconut milk, kale, a large egg, raw organic cacao powder, hemp seeds, chia seeds, whey powder (30g protein), cinnamon, psyllium and stevia-inulin blend).

Dinner

Italian-style chicken sausage (with onions and peppers), cole slaw, and a salad with Spring Mix greens, black beans and creamy balsamic dressing. 

Snack (Post-gig "breakfast")
Egg salad sandwich on coconut Paleo bread, cole slaw, pepperoni, and two big slices of birthday cake. 

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  30 oz.   Water: 124+ oz.  2 shots of Jameson's.

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September 26

Post 959, Day 235 of 2013
- and 996 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Today, after what I regard as a rather serious misunderstanding in a group message thread (with the band), and one too many political rant, selfie and animal picture, I deactivated my Facebook account.

I can't believe how bad being on Facebook had begun to make me feel. I had to cope with feelings of anger, sadness and shame. And for what?

Today, I couldn't come up with the positives. I will miss only seeing the pictures of my friends.

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 Daily Weight

Today's Weight:         210.4 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     213.2 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      - 2.8 lbs

Diet Comment

Look at the results of a day of adequate hydration, and no snacking! That, as they say, is the ticket. And kudos to Andy for giving me the in-person figurative 'smack upside the head' that led to this turnaround. Hopefully, it is that: Turning the corner on what has been a bad six months.

Food Log 

Breakfast
A cacao-kale-hemp-chia protein shake (almond-coconut milk, kale, a large egg, raw organic cacao powder, hemp seeds, chia seeds, whey powder (30g protein), cinnamon, psyllium and stevia-inulin blend). 

Lunch
Egg-and-black bean salad with cole slaw on Spring Mix greens.

Dinner

Italian-style chicken sausage (with onions and peppers) and Shahi Rajma (red bean curry) and broccoli. 

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  30 oz.   Water: 122+ oz.  

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September 25

Post 958, Day 234 of 2013
- and 995 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Today, after what I regard as a rather serious misunderstanding in a group message thread (with the band), and one too many political rant, selfie and animal picture, I deactivated my Facebook account.

I can't believe how bad being on Facebook had begun to make me feel. I had to cope with feelings of anger, sadness and shame. And for what?

Today, I couldn't come up with the positives. I will miss only seeing the pictures of my friends.

Edit: Eighteen hours after pulling the plug, there is a great sense of relief. 

I think Facebook may be contributing to the decline in people's interpersonal communication skills. And I have to admit, I was way behind the curve in coming to this realization, with, perhaps, a bit of denial about it.

Also, I am on my phone (data-wise) much less frequently during the day. And I don't feel I'm missing out on anything.

Final word on the subject, is that I am a little embarrassed about being an advocate for Facebook right up until the end. 

Mmmmmm, crow. Yummy.

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 Daily Weight

Today's Weight:         213.2 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     212.0 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      + 1.2 lbs

Diet Comment

I see now that I have to guard against midnight snacking, a result of me staying up later than I probably should.

Food Log 

Breakfast
Skipped. 

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 cabbage, onions, mushrooms, green peppers and broccoli. Yes, it's the same meal I always have here, and yes, the same picture, too.

Dinner

A cacao-kale-hemp-chia protein shake (almond-coconut milk, kale, a large egg, raw organic cacao powder, hemp seeds, chia gel, whey powder (30g protein), cinnamon, psyllium and stevia-inulin blend). 

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  20 oz.   Water: 100+ oz.  

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September 24

Post 957, Day 233 of 2013
- and 994 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

I had a bad moment when I realized that the band has no bookings after this Friday's show. None.

And the problem with this information (besides the obvious one) is that it takes me right out of the moment. My brain automatically goes into computation mode, calculating the probabilities of the future.

Never a good thing. Most of the time you spend in the future you do risk analysis. It's a calculus you can't do, existing only in your head, The probability of this or that happening is unknowable; the idea that you have enough data points to create a chart is delusional.

To come back to the present, I had to do some quieting, some releasing.

That's better.

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 Daily Weight

Today's Weight:         212.0 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     214.0 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      - 2.0 lbs

Diet Comment

This is a new day, diet-wise. I'm going back to strict: Nothing off-plan, one day (only!) per week for cheats.

Food Log 

Breakfast
A cacao-kale-hemp-chia protein shake (almond-coconut milk, kale, a large egg, raw organic cacao powder, hemp seeds, chia gel, whey powder (24g protein), cinnamon, psyllium and stevia-inulin blend). 

Lunch

Wild-caught salmon and black bean salad on Spring Mix and cole slaw blend.

Snack
Almonds.

Dinner

Grass-fed beef burger with cole slaw on a slice of coconut Paleo bread. Not shown: Another burger with cole slaw on a slice of coconut Paleo bread.

Snack
Pepperoni and cole slaw.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  24 oz.   Water: 144+ oz.  

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September 23

Post 956, Day 232 of 2013
- and 993 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

After a wonderful and tiring weekend, I am full of gratitude and love for my loving family and friends.

I know, this isn't news, isn't interesting or even 'original'. 

Still, it is true, and it is what's on my mind right now.

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 Daily Weight

Today's Weight:         214.0 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     215.0 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      - 1.0 lbs

Diet Comment

This is a new day, diet-wise. I'm going back to strict: Nothing off-plan, one day (only!) per week for cheats.

Food Log 

Breakfast
Skipped.

Lunch

A cacao-kale-hemp-chia protein shake (almond-coconut milk, kale, a large egg, raw organic cacao powder, hemp seeds, chia gel, whey powder (24g protein), cinnamon, psyllium and stevia-inulin blend). 

Snack
A high-protein, high-fiber, low-carb gluten-free cookie I got in the mail as a sample.

Dinner

Grass-fed beef burger with cole slaw on a slice of coconut Paleo bread. Not shown: Another burger with cole slaw on a slice of coconut Paleo bread.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  30 oz.   Water: 128+ oz.  

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September 22

Post 955, Day 231 of 2013
- and 992 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

I love my brother Andy. Apparently, more than I can imagine.

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 Daily Weight

Today's Weight:         215.0 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     215.0 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      - 0.0 lbs

Diet Comment

This is a travel day, back home.

Food Log 

Breakfast
A half a slice of pound cake (I intended to skip breakfast, but Harold insisted I help him).

Lunch

At David's Brisket House: A small sandwich of pastrami on rye, a small sandwich of brisket on rye, a lot of cole slaw and pickles.

Dinner

The end of protein bars. I had two, and through the rest (almost a whole box) away.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  20 oz.   Water: 68+ oz.  

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September 21

Post 954, Day 230 of 2013
- and 991 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Today is a party day.

I'm drove out of driving rain in Syracuse towards a beautiful afternoon in New York City, in the shadow of the Throggs' Neck Bridge in Queens, NY.

Every year, in September, there is a reunion of old friends. Friends who grew up in the same neighborhood, went to the same schools, hung out on the same corner, who, in their post-high school years still hung out, even as they left the neighborhood, and, weather allowing, got together every Sunday for decades for a little choose-up fun softball game.

These are people who valued their connections. When one of them succumbed to cancer, the memorial turned into a reunion. And every September since, for fifteen years, we've been getting together. Originally, at the softball field. When that got bureaucratically complex and difficult, to the site of another hangout, which had become known as Robinswood Park. Back in the day, we just called it 'the Bay.'

So, enduring friendship. The crowd has waxed and waned. Three years ago, we had the first rainout. Beginning about five years ago, the crowds got a bit more sparse. The turnout today was much lower than the max, but above-average the last few years.

It is always fun. There are always some surprises, some people you haven't seen in a very long time, some funny stories you were part of that you don't remember. And always a sense of relief that whoever does show up is still around.

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 Daily Weight

Today's Weight:         215.0 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     214.4 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      + 0.6 lbs

Diet Comment

This is a travel day, too.

Food Log 

Breakfast
A Protein bar.

Lunch

A Protein bar.

Snack
Some chips.

Dinner

At the Clinton Restaurant, I had a mixed salad, warm bread, a cup of pasta fagioli, veal scallopini a la Marsala, and ice cream. There was a glass of chianti along the way.


Snack

Some Jameson's reserve.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  32 oz.   Water: 84+ oz.  

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