Day 48 - June 20, 2013

Weight:             238.8 lbs.
Body Fat %:     32.5%
Composition:    77.6 lbs fat / 161.2 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            48%  (114.6 lbs)

I've been calling it "clear diet fruit flavored soda," but it's actually name is Clear American Naturally Flavored Sparkling Water Beverage, but that's a pretty long name.

Breakfast was my standard McTazin, named after my wife.  I think it's a good healthy way to start the day.  There's a turkey sausage patty, an egg, some cheese and a multi-grain English muffin.  I washed it down with a cup of green tea and a slice of watermelon (more carb).

I finally purchased some ricotta cheese, which allow me to make a few different smoothies.  So, I was able to make a "Whey Too Good Smoothie" for my late morning/early afternoon (normally around 11 am) snack/meal/etc.  It was thick and rich.  I used some of the frozen turkey  meatballs that have been in my freezer for forever to make a meatball sandwich for lunch.  I poached them in some marinara, but the sauce defrosted the balls, but doesn't seem to penetrate or add any tomato flavor to them. Anyway, I tossed them on top of a whole-wheat bun.  I finished with a few baby carrots.

I added more turkey meatballs to some spaghetti and marinara for my carby post resistance training workout meal.  I rounded things off with some green beans and a Kiwi-Strawberry Clear American.  I think I fell asleep before I had any dessert.



Breakfast:
1 McTazin: Multi-grain English Muffin, turkey sausage patty, egg and cheese
1 cup green tea
Slice of watermelon
16 oz water


Mid-morning Snack:
1 serving Whey Too Good Smoothie: chocolate milk, banana, yogurt, pecans, ricotta cheese, flaxseed and whey

Lunch:
Meatball Sandwich
5 baby carrots
16 oz water

Post-workout out meal:
1 serving Whey Too Good Smoothie

Dinner:
Spaghetti & Balls
microwaved green beans
1/2 L Kiwi Strawberry Clear American Naturally Flavored Sparkling Water Beverage (Zero calorie)

Dessert:
?????

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 47 - June 19, 2013

Weight:             239.8 lbs.
Body Fat %:     32%
Composition:    76.7 lbs fat / 163.1 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            48.5%  (116.3 lbs)

I hurt my knee during yesterday's workout.  I took the advice of PT guy and tried to do squats, which always hurt my knees. I've been doing this long enough, to know to listen to my own body.  So, I iced it when I got home.

I hope the time on the treadmill and bicycle today warmed it up and stretched it out sufficiently.

Same breakfast today as yesterday, then a smoothie for mid-morning (really late morning).  Same lunch too.

After getting home from the gym, I slammed my chocolate milk and a random protein shake sample the Rush Nutrition people were handing out at the gym. Just to be consistent, I had the same dinner as yesterday as well, throwing in a side salad with balsamic dressing.



Breakfast:
1 McTazin: Multi-grain English Muffin, sausage patty, egg and cheese
1 cup green tea
16 oz water

Mid-morning Snack:
1 serving Neapolitan Smoothie: milk, yogurt, strawberries, flaxseed and whey

Lunch:
Meatball Sandwich w/ marinara

Post-workout out meal:
chocolate milk
random protein shake sample

Dinner:
Cheeseburger w/ cheddar and blue cheese
side salad w/ balsamic vinaigrette

Dessert:
1 serving Neapolitan Smoothie

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 46 - June 18, 2013

Weight:           240.4 lbs.

Body Fat %:     32%
Composition:    76.9 lbs fat / 163.5 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            48.5%  (116.6 lbs)

Today I got back on track, ready to to grind away for another 8 weeks (til next review).  I'm trying to get a bit more healthy carb in, especially after my weight training workouts.

I had a McTazin (I named it after my wife) for breakfast with some green tea.  I had a shake to carry me over to lunch.  Lunch was some frozen meatballs poached in bottled marinara sauce and placed on a toasted hamburger bun.  For dinner I made burgers with sweet potato fries.  The fries were baked and could have been a bit more crispy, but they were quite good.

My son and I napped a bit too long, so I had to delay my trip to the gym until after dinner.  I grabbed the rest of my smoothie after my workout, then for my next meal I tried to get some protein and carbs in.  I found a few chicken strips that my wife must have brought home from work/lunch. I made a jelly sandwich, a cookie, and ate the last of the honeydew melon.


Breakfast:
1 McTazin: Multi-grain English Muffin, sausage patty, egg and cheese
1 cup green tea
16 oz water

Mid-morning Snack:
1 serving Neapolitan Smoothie: milk, yogurt, strawberries, flaxseed and whey

Lunch:
Meatball sandwich - 6 balls in marinara sauce on hamburger bun
peach

Dinner:
cheeseburger on multi-grain bun
sweet potato fries
1/2 L of natural flavored sparkling water beverage

Post-workout Meal
1 serving Neapolitan Smoothie

Dessert:
Honeydew melon
2 chicken strips
2 slices bread
grape jam
1 cookie
32 oz water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 45 - June 17, 2013

Weight:            241.2 lbs.
Body Fat %:     31%
Composition:   74.8 lbs fat / 166.4 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            48.5%  (117 lbs )

I was very permissive with my diet today.  I just let things go. I'm still not focused.

I had a Bobbie from Capriotti's  for lunch today.  The Bobbie is like Thanksgiving on a roll (turkey, cranberry and dressing).  Dinner was served at Mr. Lucky's 24/7 @ the Hard Rock Hotel.  The 777 Steak and Shrimp Special (flat iron steak, mashed potatoes, shrimp, and salad with croutons and blue cheese dressing) is a favorite.  You can tell how the economy is doing when you eat it.  The more tender your steak comes, the better things are going.  And vice versa.  Apparently, the market must have taken a fall that day.  The shrimp, mashed potatoes and salad are always the same though, except this time they changed up the croutons.  Less crunchy, more buttery. Not sure if they were better or worse or just different.

I started the morning at the gym, but not working out. I re-upped my membership at Gold's Gym, dropping the MMA membership for basic.  I'll save a couple bucks a month.  New memberships comes with orientation with PT (Physical Training) guy.  Since I've been paying attention to the latest info since 1997, we had a pretty productive back and forth.  His biggest recommendation was to add more carbs to my diet.  Not sure how I feel about that.  He went into how adding a pound of muscle burns an extra 50 calories a day.  Thus, adding 10 lbs of muscle burns an extra 500 calories a day.  That's more calories than most gym workouts or meals. My new goal is to put the emphasis on building muscle.

PT guy described how long cardio sessions can be detrimental, and lead to the body breaking down muscle, instead of building it.  His advice was pretty similar to advice found in the Abs Diet book.  Use HIT (High Intensity Training) intervals for cardio.

Today's workout (brisk walking) was optional, but the lack of focus on diet was not acceptable. I got home, then went back out and drove to Sonic for half price (after 8pm) ice cream shakes.



Breakfast:
1 serving PB&J Smoothie Smoothie: yogurt, milk, peanut butter, banana, strawberries and whey

Lunch:
1/2 - 12" Bobbie from Capriotti's
16 oz water

Mid-morning Snack:
1 serving PB&J Smoothie Smoothie

Dinner:
Steak and Shrimp Special from Mr. Lucky's 24/7:  flat iron steak, shrimp, mashed potatoes and a salad
48 oz diet coke
4, maybe 5,  crackers

Dessert:
Strawberry Shake from Sonic

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 44 - June 16, 2013: Father's Day

Weight:             240 lbs.
Body Fat %:     31.5%
Composition:    75.6 lbs fat / 164.4 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            48.5%  (116.4 lbs )

Today is Father's Day and the first day of the next 8 weeks before I review the number again.

Here is the summary of the past 6 weeks:
Weight:          -13.4 lbs

Body Fat %: -4%

Fat (lbs):       -14.4 lbs

LBM (lbs):   +1 lb

H20(%/lbs): +1.5% / -3 lbs

Not bad, but I think I can do better.  I'm going to emphasize getting body fat down and resistance training.

It was hard to focus today.  It just felt very special, because it's Father's Day.  Started out with a card from my little boy that was unexpected and made me feel very happy.  After that I hit the gym, and did my weights workout today.  The rest of the day went off the rails.  Lunch was a (Double) Bacon Cheeseburger from 5 Guys with Cajon Fries and plenty of calorie free Coke beverage. They have the variety machine with all kinds of regular, diet, and zero coke family beverages.  It's called a bacon cheese burger, but its a double (2 patties).

I had a meeting tonight and grabbed dinner on the way home. Dinner was a Box Combo from Raising Canes. There was a 2-4-1 for Father's Day. I couldn't turn that down.  I gave my fries and extra toast to my son.

Dessert was a Blue Moon Short Straw Red Farmhouse Ale.  Pretty Good. Hopefully, I can get things back to normal tomorrow.


Pre-Workout Meal:
12 oz chocolate milk

Lunch:
Bacon Cheeseburger w/ Cajon Fries and assortment of Zero Coke products from 5 Guys

Dinner:
Box Combo (4 chicken Finger, Texas Toast), gave my fries away
48 oz Coke Zero

Dessert:
Blue Moon Short Straw Red Farmhouse Ale

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 43 - June 15, 2013

Weight:           239.6 lbs.▼
Body Fat %:     32%▲
Composition:    76.6 lbs fat▲ / 163 lbs. lean body mass▼
H20 %:            48.5%  (116 lbs )

Not feeling all that motivated today.  Reasons include, 1) end of first 6 weeks, 2) tomorrow is Father's Day (are we going to eat our or going out to dinner/brunch?)

I grabbed breakfast from McDonald's, a sausage egg McMuffin. McDonald's has a new Egg white McMuffin with extra-lean Canadian bacon, white cheddar cheese and an English muffin with "whole grains".  I am most draw by the idea of a whole grain muffin, but what percent is actually whole grain. It could actually be more MacGuffin than McMuffin.

On the way back from the photo studio for picture day, we stopped at Teriyaki Madness for lunch.  It was actually a 3-fer.  I got to stop in and check out the bread outlet, price memberships at the 24 hr Fitness Sport and grab a "healthy" lunch all conveniently located on the way home in the same complex.

I didn't write anything down, I don't remember dinner at all. I'm sure it wasn't good. I'm still trying to solve the mystery, but I think I at least grabbed dessert at the Food4Less.


Breakfast:
1 Sausage McMuffin w/ Egg from McDonald
1 peach
16 oz water w/ lemon juice

Lunch:
Teriyaki Madness - teriyaki bowl with brown rice (only ate 25% of the rice)


Dinner:
??????

Dessert:
Strawberry danish

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 42 - June 14, 2013

Weight:             240 lbs.
Body Fat %:     31.5%
Composition:    75.6 lbs fat / 164.4 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            48.5%  (116 lbs )


Yesterday's 75.5 lbs of fat is the lowest fat weight since began.  The body fat % is the lowest as well.  However, weight has been going up .  So does that mean, I've been losing fat and gaining muscle?  Hopefully.

I replaced the watermelon in the recipe for the Endless Summer Smoothie w/ honey dew and added some peanuts to make an Endless Summer DewNuts Smoothie.

My son and I had lunch with my wife.  We wound up at pizza joint Giovanni's near her office.  I had the pizza lunch special, two slices and a soda.  There were some issues with getting the right soda, but other than that things were fine.

I missed my workout to make it to a toddler play event at Rock and Roll Kids.  After I arrived, I learned the event had been cancelled. On the way home I grabbed dinner from Fausto's Mexican Grill.  I grabbed two California Burrito (Steak, guacamole, sour cream, and rice [I think]).  One for the wife, of course.

I washed the day down with a calorie free clear fruit flavored sparkling water beverage.


Breakfast:
1 serving Endless Summer DewNuts: peanut butter, honeydew, strawberries, yogurt, milk and whey

Mid-day Snack:
1 serving Endless Summer DewNuts

Lunch:
2 slices of pizza
24 oz  Diet Coke
4 oz Dr. Pepper

Dinner:
1 California Burrito from Fausto's

Dessert:
1 L Clear American Black Cherry sparkling water beverage

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 41 - June 13, 2013

Weight:           239.6 lbs.
Body Fat %:     31.5%
Composition:    75.5 lbs fat / 164.1 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            48.5%  (116 lbs )


I woke up earlier than usual this morning.  My wife had an early morning meeting, leaving me on toddler duty earlier than usual.  Today was toddler snack class and then toddler dance class.  Snack class comes with temptations of   baby snacks.  Today we made watermelon out of Rice Krispies treats flavored and colored with Kool-Aid.  I had a couple of leftover bites then moved on.

Lunch was the last of the pulled pork.  There was enough pulled pork for 1.5 sandwiches and a bun. I nibbled a couple of carrot and celery sticks I found in the fridge.

When I got back from the gym, I slammed my chocolate milk post workout drink.  My meal within two hours of a lift, have a generous allowance for carbs.  So I decided to have a pita from Crazy Pita with some of their delicious pita bread and hummus.  I finished the day with the remainder of this morning's Juicy Fruit Juice smoothie.


Breakfast:
1 serving Juicy Fruit Juice smoothie: milk, yogurt, banana, strawberries, orange juice and whey
16 oz water

Snack Class:
two bites watermelon Rice Krispies treats
8 oz water

Lunch:
BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich
3 baby carrots
3 celery sticks
16 oz water

Post-workout out meal:
12 oz chocolate milk

Dinner:
Kefta Pita from Crazy Pita
Pita w/ hummus
16 oz sugar-free lemon lime soda
16 oz of water

Dessert:
1 serving Juicy Fruit Juice smoothie

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 40 - June 12, 2013

Weight:           239.4 lbs.
Body Fat %:     32.5%
Composition:    77.8 lbs fat / 161.6 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            48%  (115 lbs )


Today's smoothie choice was influenced by the now extremely ripe honeydew melon sitting on my kitchen counter.  Within the smoothie, it seems the melon just acts as a sweetener.  It's subtle flavor doesn't really come through. You taste the strawberries and dairy.

We did lunch with mom again today.  This time we went to Chili's.  I got the California Turkey Club lunch combo.  I chose the chicken enchilada soup to go with it.  I gave my fries to my son.  I chased everything down with some H2O.

After naptime, it was back to the gym again.  I watched Grid Iron Gang in the cardio theater while hitting the treadmill and bicycle.  I chugged the remainder of my smoothie for a post workout drink.  Dinner was leftover dark meat chicken from yesterday with more mixed veggies.  I finished the day with some fruit and water.


Breakfast:
1 serving Summer Smoothie: strawberries, banana, honeydew melon, yogurt, milk and whey

Lunch:
1 cup chicken enchilada soup from Chili's
California Turkey Club Toasted Sandwich
32 oz water

Post-workout out meal:
1 serving Summer Smoothie

Dinner:
1 chicken thigh
1 chicken leg (skinless)
1/2 slice of toast w/ whipped butter
1/2 bag of microwaved mixed veggies
16 oz water w/ lemon juice
16 oz water

Dessert:
pear
slice of honeydew melon
16 oz water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 39 - June 11, 2013

Weight:           238.8 lbs.
Body Fat %:     32.5%
Composition:    77.6 lbs fat / 160.9 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            48%  (114.4 lbs )


I made a quick peachy smoothie for breakfast.  After morning toddler activities, we met my wife for lunch at EPL.  I had a classic chicken burrito: lean chicken, beans, rice and tortilla.  I let the little guy have the chips. I washed it down with some antioxidants and calorie free-ness, an Arnold Palmer made with Minute Maid Lite Lemonade and unsweetened black tea.

After nap time, my son and I headed to the gym.  After working out, I had my usual chocolate milk.  For dinner I wanted to add some more carbs to help recuperate for the tough workout.  So, I  added a banana and two of the mini-est cupcakes (from Sunday's birthday party) to some rotisserie chicken and vegetables.

I finished the day with a smoothie and some nuts. I added the nuts so I could down my fish pill and multivitamin.


Breakfast:
1 serving Peechy Keen Smoothie: milk, yogurt, peaches, strawberries, and whey

Lunch:
1 El Pollo Loco classic chicken burrito
32 oz Arnold Palmer (1/2 minute maid lite - 1/2 unsweetened black tea)

Post-workout out meal:
12 oz chocolate milk

 Dinner:
1 rotisserie chicken breast
1/2 bag microwaved mixed veggies
2/3 large banana
2 mini cupcakes

 Dessert:
1 serving Peachy Keen Smoothie
a couple of almonds
16 oz water

 we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 38 - June 10, 2013

Weight:           238.4 lbs.
Body Fat %:     32.5%
Composition:    77.5 lbs fat / 160.9 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            48%  (114.4 lbs )


There was a long internal debate as to whether or not I was going to make it to the gym or not today.  It's Vegas and 105 degrees today.  Did I want to go to the gym and workout?  Did I have it in me?  Well, I needed something to do with the boy during the afternoon, so as intended I went to the gym for the free childcare (included, if not free).  While you're there you might as well workout.  So I hit up the cardio theater.  I watched the end of Angels and Demons while walking on the treadmill.  The ending makes no sense unless you've seen the rest of the movie, which I haven't.  So that wasn't fun, I prefer a good action movie while I'm the cardio theater.

I woke up, jumped on the scale and went to make a smoothie.  I had no bananas, so I had to limit my choices to smoothies that did not require a banana.  I found some over ripe peaches, and decided to make a peachy smoothie.  I cut up the peaches, put them in the blender and realized I didn't have any milk, which is a requirement for all the peachy smoothies.  I grabbed my son still in his pajamas and headed to the grocery store.  I came back and finished my shake, which was not so surprising, peachy.

I've had a taste for pizza going back to earlier last week.  I thought there would be pizza at yesterdays party, but no.  So I had pizza for lunch today with my wife.

Dinner was after a one day break, another BBQ pulled pork sandwich and some microwaved mixed veggies.  Dessert was the remainder of my peach smoothie from breakfast.


Breakfast:
1 serving Peach Vacation Smoothie: milk, peaches, yogurt and whey
16 oz water

Lunch:
2 slices of NY-style cheese pizza
32 oz Diet Pepsi

Dinner:
BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich
mixed veggetables
16 oz water w/ lemon juice
16 oz water

Dessert:
1 serving Peach Vacation Smoothie

we'll see what the scales says tomorrow ...

Day 37 - June 9, 2013

Weight:            239.6 lbs.
Body Fat %:     32%
Composition:    76.7 lbs fat / 162.9 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            48.5%  (116 lbs )


First thing in the morning I had a golf lesson (my first).  I'm not used to waking up that early in the morning, so I slept on the couch, which was uncomfortable enough for me to be able to wake up without hitting the snooze button or ignoring the alarm all together.  I woke up by 6:15.  I spent 15 minutes getting on and off the scale waiting for the same numbers to appear at least 3 times.  Then rushed to grab a breakfast smoothie, get dressed and headed out.  Luckily the course is only a mile from my house.

I learned today that golf is a sport.  I define as something in which athleticism make you better at, thus golf is a sport and so is baseball (even first base), but poker is not.  Poker is a game.  Second I learned that I suck at golf.  I thought the issue would be precision and accuracy.  I know I can hit a baseball or softball.  I can't hit a golf ball to save my ass.  
Note: you hit the center of a baseball, but the bottom of a golf ball.

Also, my lesson was at 7 am and the temperature was already 90 degrees by then.  I finished my lesson then hit what was left of my bucket of balls.  I was so bad at making contact with the ball, that it took forever to finish up my bucket of range balls.

After about 2 hours in the hot sun, I headed home and tried to grab some hydration on the way home.  I was so sore across my back (shoulder blade to shoulder blade) from my lesson.  I hydrated up the best I could, then went back to bed and slept a couple of hours.  I was sore the rest of the day.

Lunch was leftovers:  meatballs from a party and salad my wife brought home from work a few days ago.

I attended a kiddie birthday party for the second day in a row.  This one was catered with wings from Buffalo Wild Wings (BWW).  There were cupcakes from the Cupcakery, a local cupcake only joint.  There was even Diego from Go Diego Go to take pictures with.

Dessert was the remainder of my Blue Velvet smoothie from this morning.

Today was suppose to be a weight training day, but I was too sore from golfing to accomplish that.  That's compounded with missing Friday's interval training workout because of food poisoning.  We'll see how this week goes.


Breakfast:
1 serving Blue Velvet Smoothie: chicolate milk, yogurt, blueberries, whey and  flaxseed

During Golfing:
16 oz of water

After Golfing:
32 oz Vitamin Water Zero (XXX)

Lunch:
Sandwich: hamburger bun and 6 leftover meatballs
BBQ Ranch chicken side salad
16 oz water w/ lime juice

On the way to the party:
20 oz. Vitamin Water Zero (XXX )

Party Food:
5 wings from Buffalo Wild Wings (with a few various sauces)
a few carrot sticks
a few celery sticks
chocolate cupcake
32 oz. diet pepsi

Dessert:
1 serving Blue Velvet Smoothie

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 36 - June 8, 2013

Weight:           238.2 lbs.
Body Fat %:     35%
Composition:    83 lbs fat / 155.2 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            47%  (112 lbs )

Today's lesson learned was about what happens if you don't eat.  I didn't have any solid foods yesterday.  I limited myself to liquids I though my stomach could hold onto or would soothe my tummy.  I lost a lot of water as well.  The result was a quick weight loss, but increase in body fat % and decrease in H20%.  I'm trying to re-hydrate today. I'll see what the results were tomorrow.

In regards to the mystery of who/what was the cause of yesterday's food poisoning, I top two suspects are the plain yogurt that I was trying to finish off in my morning shake yesterday and the protein bar from the night before.  The yogurt had been sitting around the fridge for a while, but still hadn't past its expiration date.  The protein bar had previously been left in the hot car.  Those are the only two thing out of the norm I consumed yesterday.

It's going to be a busy day. It's going to be about 115 today, and we have an early kiddie birthday party to attend.  The hosts did a good job of keeping everything in the shade or out of the son.  I did a good job of keep everything out of my mouth.  By the end I'd only had a cheddar brat dog, a fork full of pasta salad, 2 bites of birthday cupcake, a slice of grilled watermelon and a few calorie free beverages.

I then had a long nap, which I followed up with a mid-afternoon snack.


Breakfast:
1 serving Hawaiian Five-0 smoothie: milk, yogurt, OJ concentrate, banana, strawberries, mango and whey

Party food:
slice of grilled watermelon
Johnsonville cheddar brat w/ bun and ketchup
2 bites of a super market cupcake
2 spoons of noodle salad
12 oz caffeine free diet coke
16 oz water

Mid-afternoon Snack :
1 serving Mango Tango Smoothie: mango, blueberries, banana, milk, yogurt, and whey

Dinner:
   -

Dessert:
1 serving Mango Tango Smoothie

 we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 35 - June 7, 2013

Weight:             239.8 lbs.
Body Fat %:     33.5%
Composition:    80.3 lbs fat / 159.5 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            47.5%  (114 lbs )


It's really hot this morning.  I was feeling a little queasy and dehydrated when I woke up.  I decided to water up and see how the day would go.

Looking at the scale, I think getting 8 hrs of sleep is a bigger factor than working out.  It's like a double bonus when I can successfully do both.

My son and I usually meet my wife for lunch on Fridays, but my tummy felt horrible.  Cane's sent me a thing for a free lemonade.  So we went there for lunch, as my son really wanted to go and was bugging me.  I wound up only drinking my lemonade, and watching my wife and son eat chicken strips, fries and toast.  I chased my non-refillable lemonade with a Sprite, hoping the bubbles would make my tummy feel better. What a day!  All I had for the rest of the day was water and ginger ale.

Mid-morning on was a blur. I felt horrible being anything but horizontal.

Update: my temperature is 100.5 degrees. Hope I feel better tomorrow.  Outside it's 108 degrees.


 Breakfast:
1 serving Mango Tango Smoothie: mango, blueberries, banana, milk, yogurt, and whey

Mid-morning snack:
1 serving Mango Tango Smoothie

Rest of the Day:
water, unknown volume
2 - 8 oz. ginger ales
16 oz Cane's lemonade
16 oz. Sprite

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 34 - June 6, 2013

Weight:           240 lbs.
Body Fat %:     32.5%
Composition:    78 lbs fat / 162 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            48% (115 lbs )


It was 107 degrees today in the dessert. I've been trying my best to stay hydrated.

As usual I took my son to to one of his toddler classes in the morning and then to the gym in the afternoon.  This morning's activity was a snack making class for toddlers.  My son enjoyed the fruits of his labor (no real fruit involved, but 20% real juice).  The project was an ocean themed snack made of instant pudding (w/ blue dye), cookies, fruit snack, teddy grahams and cool whip.  I'm sure it was tasty, but I'll never know.  My son finished about 2/3 of his snack.  I was able to resist temptation and not finish the rest for him.  I wound up just tossing what was left.

Before class, I had the usual, a smoothie for breakfast.  I started the day with a walk to the supermarket, because I missed last night's cardio workout and I wanted to make up for it.  After getting home from snack class, my son was more thirsty than hungry.  So I loaded him up with liquids and put him to bed for his nap.  I followed that up by doing the same for myself.  I had my mid (well, late) morning snack of the remainder of the smoothie from breakfast.  I topped off with water and fell asleep.  I slept through lunch and we both woke up in time to head out to the gym.

My wife brought home some salad from a lunch meeting at work, which was nice.  I didn't have to cut up the lettuce in the fridge that I've been procrastinating about.  So dinner was a nice BBQ Ranch chicken salad (light on the chicken) and another BBQ Pulled Pork sandwich (still delicious.)

Dessert was some fruit I picked up during today's early morning walk to the grocery store. I added a Balance Bar because I had missed a meal earlier.


Breakfast:
1 serving Blue Velvet Smoothie: chocolate milk, yogurt, blue berries, whey and flaxseed

Mid-Morning Snack:
1 serving Blue Velvet Smoothie

Lunch:
-  Slept through lunch

Post-workout Meal:
12 oz chocolate milk

Dinner:
BBQ pulled pork sSandwich
BBQ ranch chicken salad: chick peas, tomato, corn and lettuce
16 oz of water w/ lemon juice

Dessert:
Pear
Cookie Dough Balance Bar
16 oz water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 33 - June 5, 2013

Weight:           241.4 lbs.
Body Fat %:     33.5%
Composition:    81 lbs fat / 160.4 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            48%  (116 lbs )


The scale, which I don't like to talk about scares me sometimes.  This morning I looked down and it said 242 and 34% bf ... I was like , ok again?  Then I remembered that I forgot to take my shirt off.  Apparently my shirt weighs .6 lbs, because the number bounced down into a positive range quite nicely.

Breakfast was a  honey pecan smoothie.  I chose this one because I was out of bananas this morning.  That  narrowed down my choices.  It was tasty, but a serving only came out to about 8 oz, normally with the ice and air added from blending I get somewhere between 12 and 16 oz per serving.  It was a nice low carb way to start the morning (no fruit).

Lunch was scraps and leftovers I scrounged together some odds and ends. Dinner was more delicious BBQ Pulled Pork.  Tonight I tried out the whole grain buns.  They were kind of dense.  They were also gluten free.  What?  Whole grain and gluten free?  Those two things don't go together.  Well that's what the label said.  As expected, the increased thickness of the buns distracted from the delicious pulled pork by changing the meat to bun ratio.  It was still good though.  No salad around, so I dipped some baby carrots in hummus.  For dessert I tried to clean out the fruit bowl.


Breakfast:
1 serving Honey-Pecan Smoothies: milk, yogurt, pecans, whey, honey and flaxseed
 16 oz water w/ lime

Mid-morning Snack:
1 serving Honey-Pecan Smoothies

Lunch:
EPL chicken leg
remnants of my son's PB&J
16 oz. water

Dinner:
BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich
baby carrots
hummus
16 oz of water w/lemon juice

Dessert:
apple
pear
16 oz water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 32 - June 4, 2013

Weight:           241.4 lbs.
Body Fat %:     34%
Composition:    82 lbs fat / 159.4 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            47.5%  (114.5 lbs )


I'm going to continue to document the scale and fat analysis, but I'm rarely going to address it.  The jumps in the numbers seem kind of ridiculous.  According to my Tanita scale, in the last 3 days I gained 4 lbs of fat and lost 6 lbs of muscle, during a period in which I have been working out, including lifting weights.  That's just silly.

I know I said no more oatmeal smoothies, but I tried again.  Today's Blackberry Smoothie with oatmeal was better, still not good, but better.  For lunch I finished off the leftover chili.  I smoked a pork butt (shoulder) yesterday. Now pardon the pun, but that bird has come home to rouse. The anticipation of the deliciousness is unbearable.  I bought whole grain buns from Trader Joe's.  I also bough some honey wheat buns, just in case the whole grain buns overpower or clash with the delicious BBQ pulled pork.  I couldn't risk it. I made tonight's sandwiches on the honey wheat rolls and cover the pulled pork with thick sweat BBQ sauce.  I worry the sauce may have a lot sugar, but its so delicious and I don't use that much. MMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm! Well, there's lots of protein from the meat.  Yes, and some fat.  It's BBQ season!

I didn't make it to the gym today until after dinner time.  There was quite a number of people there for a Tuesday night in June.  Maybe they're all here for the same reason I am.  They spent all day barbecuing in their backyards too?

So this week' cheat meal will be Friday or Saturday.  I'm going to make BBQ nachos with the pulled pork and have a beer or two for one meal, then it's back on the grind. 


Breakfast:
1 serving Check Your Blackberry Smoothie: oatmeal, mixed berries, yogurt, whey and flaxseeds

Mid-morning Snack:
1 serving Check Your Blackberry Smoothie

Lunch:
Last of the remaining chili

Dinner:
BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich on Honey Wheat Bun
carrots
hummus

Post Workout Meal:
12 oz chocolate milk

Dessert:
Uneaten remnants of a PB&J

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 31 - June 3, 2013

Weight:  -


I did it again. I forgot to get on the scale before I drank my shake.  So, no weight stats.  I don't like not having that information. I eat so much better than I used to.  I've been going to the gym. I feel I make much better choices.  It has to make a difference, right.  I missed the weigh-in two days in a row.  I'll be heart-broken if the scale shows a weight game over the past several days.  We'll see tomorrow.

I tried the Ultimate Power Smoothie from the Abs Diet recipes, this time with vanilla yogurt, not plain.  Well, it didn't help much.  Still taste awful. You just have to take your medicine and chug it down.  I even added a frozen banana and frozen concentrated orange juice to no avail.  Cooked oatmeal just doesn't belong in a smoothie if you expect that smoothie to taste good.  I'm sure it's good for your insides.  I guess that's the sacrifice.

For lunch, since I still haven't picked up any chicken to throw in a salad, I just made another smoothie. I finished the remaining serving as a post-workout meal.  The leftover chili is still good and filling.  I wish I had made some salad, but carrots and hummus wasn't a bad choice.  I'm working my way through the fruit bowl for dessert.


Breakfast:
1 serving Ultimate Power Smoothie: milk, yogurt, oatmeal, peanut butter, whey, banana and frozen concentrated OJ

Mid-morning Snack
1 serving Ultimate Power Smoothie

Lunch:
1 serving Choco-nana Smoothie: chocolate milk, banana, yogurt, walnuts and whey

Post-workout Drink:
1 serving Choco-nana Smoothie

Dinner:
bowl of chili.
carrots
hummus

Dessert:
Some fruit?

 we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 30 - June 2, 2013

Weight:  -

Today is the 30th days of my program.  I plan to do a nice comparison of where I am today with where I started, but I forgot to get on the scale before drinking breakfast.  I'm pretty pissed at myself.  The smoothie was tasty though, I was just distracted while I was making it.

I forgot to pick up an 8 piece of chicken from EPL yesterday.  I wanted to use it to make salad this week.  So I had to pick up a salad for lunch from Wendy's. I started dinner at a parental gathering.  The entree choices were very carby, so I stuck to the salad and the fruit.  When I got home, I had some protein from a bowl of chili.  Dessert was a nice ripe peach and skinned apple.



Breakfast:
1 Serving Strawberry Field Marshall Smoothie: yogurt, milk, peanut butter, strawberries and whey


Post-workout Meal:
1 Serving Strawberry Field Marshall Smoothie

Lunch:
Wendy's half sized salad - BLT Chicken Cobb
16 oz water w/ lime juice


Dinner:
Salad
Watermelon
grapes
1/2 bowl chili
16 oz water w/ lime juice


 Dessert:
1 peach
1 apple
16 oz water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 29 - June 1, 2013

Weight:            243.6 lbs.
Body Fat %:     32%
Composition:    78 lbs fat / 165.6 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            48%  (117 lbs )


 Had a hair appointment early (for me) this morning, had to rush out again.  I finished the remainder of last night's bad smoothie.  I thought a little yogurt and the mixture sitting over night might improve things, but it didn't.  I chased it with a banana.  Lunch was on the go, so a quick lunch at the EPL, a two piece (thigh and leg combo.  I only ate the thigh and save the leg and flour tortillas for another time.

I had a smoothie in the afternoon and chili for dinner.  I believe there was fruit for dessert, but I forgot to write it down.


Breakfast:
1 serving Cereal Killer Smoothie: bran flakes, milk, mixed berries, honey and whey
2 tbsp yogurt
1/2 banana

 Lunch:
1 chicken thigh from El Pollo Loco
1 small side of BBQ black beans
1 small side salad w/ cilantro dressing
16 oz Arnold Palmer: 1/2 Minute Maid Lite Lemonade and 1/2 unsweetened Ice Tea (1 refill)

Mid Afternoon Snack:
1 serving Banana Split Smoothie: banana, yogurt, orange juice concentrate, milk and whey
10 almonds

Dinner:
bowl of chili

Dessert:
a few pieces of fruit, an apple and pear maybe?

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 28 - May 31, 2013

Weight:            243 lbs.
Body Fat %:     33%
Composition:    80 lbs fat  / 163 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            48% (116.5 lbs)

Fridays always start out as a rush.  I take my son to an relatively early class, that doesn't leave me time for dallying.  I started the day off with a quick smoothie from the Abs Diet book.  It was very tasty, now that I've started using vanilla yogurt instead of plain.

After class and playing at the park, we met my wife for lunch at Chili's.  I went with one of their lunch specials.  I got the California Turkey Club Sandwich.  I came with soup or salad, so I had the Chicken Enchilada Soup.  The soup was good.  The sandwich is actually a half-sandwich, but more than enough. There's avocado (healthy fat), bacon, Swiss cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and onions on wheat Texas toast. The sandwich was accompanied by french fries, which I tossed.  I'm sure they were good, but I didn't need the extra calories.  I washed it all down with some H2O.

I had a mid-afternoon snack, then headed out for more toddler activities.  Afterwards my wife and I went for dinner at what I was told was a Lebanese restaurant recommended by a friend.  I had the beef kabob. It came with a small side salad and Mediterranean rice.  My son barely ate his quesadilla, so I grab a piece and put some guacamole on top.

I had to go to the gym late tonight.  Normally I go in the afternoon, but my schedule said otherwise today. Afterwards I finished the day with the worst smoothie so far.  It was made with bran cereal and tasted like it.


Breakfast:
1 serving PB&J Smoothie: yogurt, milk, peanut butter, banana, strawberries and whey
16 oz water

Lunch:
Cup of Chicken Enchilada Soup
1/2 sandwich - California Turkey Club Toasted Sandwich
20 oz water

Mid-afternoon Snack:
1 serving PB&J Smoothie

Dinner:
Beef kabob
side salad
1/2 serving of Mediterranean rice
1 bite of chicken quesadilla with a dollop of guacamole

Post-workout meal:
1 serving cereal killer: bran cereal, milk, mixed berries, ice, and whey

 we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 27 - May 30, 2013

Weight:            242.8 lbs.
Body Fat %:     34%
Composition:    82.5 lbs fat / 160 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            47.5%  (115 lbs )

Hard to know what to take seriously about the scale, but looks like body fat is sliding down a  bit.

I made a change to the smoothies.  I stopped using plain yogurt.  The sourness and lack of sweetness was sucking the sweetness out of the other ingredients.  Every smoothie so far hasn't been bad, but definitely didn't taste good.  They've been kind of bland.  I made today's shake with non-fat vanilla yogurt.  There was also watermelon and strawberries.  It tasted great, like nice fresh fruit.  Still tying to finish off the watermelon.  I bought a medium one over a week ago, and its lasting forever. I thought this shake would finish it off, but there's still some left for another shake tomorrow. This particular shake had so few calories (92) that I  wondering if that was enough, so I added extra whey to it. There's not any fat except for the 2% milk, and I don't usually like to start the day with too much fruit.  Maybe I'll add peanut butter or something next time.

I finally ate the last of the jambalaya for lunch.  For dinner I made chili in the slow cooker and headed to the gym. There's lots of beans, protein and fiber in the chili, not the gym.

After working out, I realized I had left my usual after workout meal (12 oz. chocolate milk) at home.  Lucky for me it was demonstration/exhibit day in the lobby of the gym.  I ingested several cocktails of free nutritional supplement samples.  I don't really know what was in them.  I asked a few questions, but did not get a ton of details in return.  If I fail any PED tests, I'll know where to look for answers.

I stopped at three different tables.  I think I drank two  protein shakes (sample sized), plus an amino blend, possibly of the branched-chain variety.  Again, I don't really know for sure.  Either way, it was the best day ever to have forgotten my post workout drink.

I made a side salad to go with the chili for dinner.  There were also a couple of pizza bread bite things that were also free samples from the gym lobby.  My wife got to eat the sample of steak taco I brought home (Baja Fresh).

 I don't remember dessert, I never wrote it down.  It was probably some fruit and nuts, right?


Breakfast:
1 serving Endless Summer Smoothie: milk, watermelon, strawberries, yogurt and whey.


Lunch:
1 1/3 laddles brown rice
2.5 laddles of leftover jambalaya


Mid-afternoon snack:
1 serving Endless Summer Smoothie

Post workout meal:

Post workout cocktail of free nutritional supplement samples (one was something about amino acids or branched chains, two were protein drinks, I think)

Dinner:
bowl of of salad: romaine lettuce w/ balsamic vinaigrette
2/3 bowl of chili w/ a dollop of sour cream and tbsp of shredded cheese
4 Domino's parmesan bread bites (part of the free sample palooza of earlier)
16 oz of water w/ lime juice
16 oz of water


 Dessert:
?????

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 26 - May 29, 2013

Weight:            244 lbs.
Body Fat %:     34.5%
Composition:    84 lbs fat  / 160 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            47.5%  (116 lbs )


The total fat analyses I've been doing lately screws with my mind.  The numbers bouncing around seems to motivate and then demotivate me .  Hopefully, in the big picture the numbers are trending in the right direction.  I'm wondering if I should stick to the everyday full analysis or return to once a week.  I'm going to continue the rest of the week, then evaluate if I want to continue with the dailies or make it weekly.

Breakfast: another shake.  I've been using plain yogurt, I think its sourness is negatively affecting the taste of the entire shake.  I had to grab lunch on the go, due to a lack of protein (meat) in the fridge.  I tried the Cobb salad from Wendy's, then the remainder of this morning's smoothie before hitting the gym.  Dinner was jambalaya and dessert was fruit and nuts.

The lesson I learned today is that if you are going to do mindless cardio, do it in the cardio theatre.  There's not better genre of movie to watch while doing cardio in the cardio theatre than a mindless action movie. Today was Tokyo Drift.  Loud exciting action sequences, just don't expect that any effort went into script writing.


Breakfast:
1 serving Strawberry Field Marshall Smoothie: yogurt, milk, peanut butter, strawberries, and whey.

Lunch:
BLT Cobb half-salad from Wendy's
16 oz water

Mid-afternoon snack:
1 serving Strawberry Field Marshall Smoothie: yogurt, milk, peanut butter, strawberries and whey

Dinner:
1 laddle brown rice
2.5 laddles jambalaya
16 oz water w/ lemon juice

Dessert:
Some watermelon
14 almonds
16 oz water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 25 - May 28, 2013

Weight:             245 lbs.
Body Fat %:     33.5%
Composition:    82 lbs fat  / 163 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            47.5%  (116 lbs )


The scale was not my friend today, but probably a good blast of truth and common sense.  Back on the grind without too much damage done.

I lifted weight for the first time since I started today.  It went fine, no DOMS so far.

Breakfast was a smoothie again.  There's a heart-healthy serving of cooked oatmeal in this smoothie.  I'm not sure how I felt about that.  Could use a little sweetening, but I don's want to add any artificial sweetener. Maybe I'll add honey next time.

Lunch was leftover wings from Buffalo Wild Wings with the celery and carrot sticks that came with them.  Instead of the blue cheese dressing, I dipped in hummus.   Dinner was reliable jambalaya and brown rice again.  Dessert was an orange and nuts.


Breakfast:
1 serving "Ultimate Power Smoothie": milk, yogurt, oatmeal, peanut butter, and whey
16 oz water

 Mid-morning Meal:
1 serving Abs Diet Ultimate Power Smoothie: milk, yogurt, oatmeal, peanut butter, and whey

Lunch:
4 leftover BWW paresan garlic wings
leftover celery and carrot sticks w/ hummus
16 oz water

Post-workout meal:
12 oz. chocolate milk

Dinner:
1 laddle brown rice
2.5 laddles jambalaya
16 oz water w/ lemon juice

Dessert:
1 large (unripe) orange
15 almonds
32 oz. water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 24 - May 27, 2013

Weight:             244.2 lbs.
Body Fat %:     33.5%
Composition:    82 lbs fat  / 162 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            47.5%  (116 lbs )


So apparent the burger and fries (and ice cream) diet doesn't work.  It must have been just a stupid anomaly of the scale yesterday.  Today is a federal holiday (Memorial Day), so I might as well finish the experiment today and get back on the grind tomorrow.

The pastrami burgers provided lots of protein, as well as fat and carbs.  One big meal instead of several smaller ones throughout the day probably slowed down my metabolism.   Not getting any real exercise, besides chasing my son around, couldn't have helped either.

Breakfast was another smoothie recipe that I got from the book Abs Diet.  The smoothies seem to make breakfast simpler and faster in the morning.  Lunch was back to Sammy's.  It was delicious, but I won't be back anytime soon, for my sake.  Skipped the ice cream and beer tonight, just fruit, nuts and clear sugar free black cherry soda.

What's the scale gonna say tomorrow?


Breakfast:
2 servings Chocolate Factory Smoothie: chocolate milk, yogurt, peanut butter, whey and flaxseed

Lunch:
1 Sammy's LA Pastrami - Pastrami Burger: 1/2 lb pastrami + 1/4 cheeseburger
1/2 small bag of garlic fries
20 oz. clear sugar-free black cherry soda

Dessert:
2 big slices of watermelon
15 almonds
 20 oz. clear sugar-free black cherry soda

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 23 - May 26, 2013

Today*
Weight:             245 lbs.▲
Body Fat %:     31.5% ▼
Composition:    77 lbs fat ▼ / 168 lbs. lean body mass ▲
H20 %:            48.5%  (119 lbs ▲)

 *  I got on the fat (analysis) scale about 5 times, but I still can't believer that such a dramatic change could take place over 24 hours. There has to be an error somewhere.  I'll measure again tomorrow morning.

Yesterday
Weight:             244.2 lbs.
Body Fat %:     34%
Composition:    83 lbs fat  / 161.2 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            47.5%  (116 lbs )

I don't normally do a full analysis beyond once a week, but I just wanted to see the numbers today.  I know these number can't be humanly possible.  Human error? do I know how to use a calculator?  Is the scale inaccurate?  Could a drastic increase in simple carbs draw more water into the muscles?  Was I retaining water due to inflammation in my elbows (from boxing class yesterday).  I don't know.

I measured my weight the same as I do everyday .  I got on the scale in the morning, before eating or drinking anything, but after my first morning pee.  It's the best I can do to try to keep the conditions similar for each weigh-in.  I know a single poop could change things quite a bit, but I can't control for that.  If I have to go, I have to go; and vice versa. 

Oh well.  Life goes on.  I'll retest tomorrow.  And repeat today (sounds like fun).   I'll eat similarly to what I did yesterday.  Let's see what the scale says, maybe I've stumbles across the greatest diet ever (pastrami burger, fries and ice cream diet).

I didn't exactly match yesterday exactly.  I had a bacon double cheese burger instead of a pastrami burger. Then I had an ice cream shake instead of scoops, but the idea was the same.  The beer at the end was much better tonight though.

The scale is going to be interesting tomorrow.


Breakfast:
2 servings Blue Velvet Smoothie: mixed berries, chocolate milk, yogurt, flaxseed and whey

Lunch:
Five Guys Bacon (Double) Cheese Burger
2/5 of an order of regular sized fries (w/ Cajun seasoning)
1 Minute Maid Lite Strawberry Lemonade (2 refills)

Dinner:
1 Sonic strawberry cheesecake shake


Dessert:
Blue Moon Belgian IPA
15 almonds

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 22 - May 25, 2013

Weight:             244.2 lbs.
Body Fat %:     34%
Composition:    83 lbs fat  / 161.2 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            47.5%  (116 lbs )


The analysis had some good news and some bad new.   Weight was down in general, but up .2 lbs from yesterday.  Fat is up .5% from last week.  I somehow gained a pound of fat and lost 2.8 lbs of lean body mass, including an additional pound of water.  Seems strange, right.

Today I had this week's usual breakfast of sausage, eggs and oatmeal.  Now lunch! Oh lunch!  Lunch was the most calories I've eaten (in one meal) since I started.  There was probably more calories than some whole days.  It was planned to be this week's cheat meal.  I had the pastrami burger at Sammy's LA Pastrami.  I had no idea how big this "sandwich" would be. I also ordered the garlic fries.  My son fell asleep in the  car on the way there, so we ordered from the drive-thru and took it home.  I washed it down with a sugar free lemon lime soda.  I finished this 3/4 lb. behemoth of a sandwich and many of the fries.  Oddly enough, I think I could have continued and the old me would have kept eating, but I stopped.  Such a big meal put me out.  I think I slept for another 4 hours.  I knew I wasn't going to eat another real meal that day after that.

So for "dinner," I suggested ice cream.  My wife went along with it.  We went to Thrifty, which is a brand of ice cream shops (formerly based in the eponymous drug-store) that rarely exists anymore. My wife grew up with the brand, so she was easy to convince.  There "scoops" produce cylindrical ice cream scoops, which looks really funny on a cone.  I suggest ordering in a cup.

I figured I would get things back on track by finishing the day with a healthy snack of fruit and nuts, but I finished the whole day off with a beer, my first since I started.  The beer sucked, which made it less than worth it, but I couldn't stop myself from finishing it. You can't waste beer! Right?

We'll see how this all turned out tomorrow at the scale.


Breakfast:
2 Farmer John's pork breakfast sausages
1 scrabbled egg
1/2 serving of oatmeal with tsp honey and splash of almond milk

Lunch:
1 Pastrami Burger from Sammy's LA Pastrami: 1/4 lb cheese burger w/ Provolone cheese + 1/2 lbs of pastrami
1/2 medium order of garlic fries
Sugar-free lemon/lime soda

Dinner:
2 scoops ice cream from Thrifty: pecan praline and Amaretto cherry

Dessert:
1 banana
15 unsalted almonds

Night cap:
Blue Moon Blackberry Tart Ale

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 21 - May 24, 2013

Weight: 244.6 lbs

What the deuce?  That's a 2.4 lb swing since yesterday.  I am very surprised (positively).  When I began adding complex carbs in, my thought was that in case a certain percentage of weight loss was water, I wanted to get that gain out of the way (no tears later). I also wanted to max out the glucose in my muscles and liver, which comes with a certain degree of water. Turns out since I started adding in complex carbs I've lost weight, and today was a substantial loss.

Breakfast was familiar: oatmeal, sausage, egg and tomato juice. I had lunch with my wife at Buffalo Wild Wings.  The lunch special comes with 8 wings (I ate 4, based on my restaurant theory), and I upgraded the fries to a salad with blue cheese dressing.

It was back to the gym again today.  I did some sparring in boxing class today.  I did some face punching and some face punching avoidance for cardio.  By the time I got home, my wife was hungry and waiting.  So I didn't have time for my post workout meal: chocolate milk.  I downed a banana and the remnants of my son's peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat.  Dinner soon followed.  Sound familiar: brown rice and jambalaya.  Dessert was watermelon and almonds.  Hopefully, the scale continues to move in the right direction. 


Breakfast:
1/2 serving oatmeal with honey and almond milk
1 breakfast sausage
1 scrambled egg
8 oz V8 spicy tomato juice

Lunch:
4 Buffalo Wild Wings parmesan garlic wings
1 side salad

30 oz water


Post workout meal:
1 banana
part of a PB&J that my son didn't finish

Dinner:
1 scoop brown rice
2.5 scoops of jambalaya with chicken, shrimp and smoked sausage
16 oz water w/ lemon juice
16 oz water

Dessert:
2 big slices of water melon
15 almond
16 oz water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 20 - May 23, 2013

Weight: 247 lbs.

 
Today was a challenge.  A challenge that I had hoped to avoid.  During my last pizza binge, I asked my wife to only bring the leftover pizza home if she was going to eat it for breakfast. I didn't want the temptation sitting in the fridge every time I open the door.  Oh course she said, "sure, honey!"

Breakfast was simple, just like yesterday with some oatmeal, sausage and tomato juice, then came lunch.  I had another round of indecision paralysis.  What was I going to have for lunch and where was I gonna get it?  I almost broke down and ate the pizza that was still sitting in the fridge. I figured that if I chucked the crust, the pizza was mostly tomato sauce, cheese and meat.  Then I looked at the white bread that was the foundation of the pizza and I had to say no. I had a shake from the Abs Diet book instead.

I went to the gym again today to give the little guy something to do in the afternoon.  In the cardio theatre at my Gold's, I watched most of Adam Sandler's Wedding Singer while walking and biking.  Dinner was brown rice and jambalaya again and probably will be for a while (keeping it simple).


Breakfast:
2 Farmer John's pork breakfast sausages
1/2 serving of Old Fashion Quaker Oats
8 oz VB Spicy Tomato Juice
16 oz water

Mid-morning Snack:
1/2 serving salted peanuts

Lunch:
Chocolate Factory Smoothie: chocolate milk, yogurt, peanut butter, whey and flaxseed.
    
Dinner:
1 scoop brown rice
2.5 scoops jambalaya w/ shrimp, chicken and smoke sausage


Dessert:
Several slices of watermelon
15 (unsalted) almonds

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 19 - May 22, 2013

Weight: 247.4 lbs

Got the train back on the rail today.  I'm experimenting with adding in complex carbs (oatmeal, brown rice, etc.)  I wanted to have some oatmeal with breakfast.  But 1) the normal portion size fills me up - no room for other food 2) I don't want to add to many additional carbs.  So I made a half serving of oatmeal and ate it with a scrambled egg, a breakfast sausage and some spicy tomato juice. I missed my mid-morning snack, too busy running around at another kiddie birthday party.  I was able to avoid the pizza and cupcakes this time.  Lunch was a half salad that I bought for lunch yesterday at Wendy's.

I went to an afternoon boxing class.  Class ended early, so I walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill.

Dinner included more complex carbs.  I had some brown rice with the jambalaya I made tonight.  Dessert was simply a banana and a handful of almonds.


Breakfast:
1 egg scrambled
1 Farmer John's pork breakfast sausage
1/2 serving of oatmeal (non quick oats)
8 oz V8 Spicy Tomato Juice
16 oz of water

Lunch:
Half Salad from Wendy's - Apple Pecan Chicken Salad
16 oz water

Post Workout:
12 oz chocolate milk

Dinner:
1 ladle brown rice
2.5 ladles jambalaya w/ shrimp, chicken and sausage (recipe from FoodNetowrk.com)
16 oz water w/ lemon juice
16 oz water

Dessert:
1 banana
1 handful of almonds
16 oz water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 18 - May 21, 2013 - a Bad Day

Weight: 247.2 lbs

Today was a real off day.  Things never seemed to click at any point.  I mentally could not get things on track. Looking at the scale tick up another .2 lbs in the wrong direction was a frustrating way to start the day.

Breakfast was ho-hum.  I started thinking about pizza by 9 am and feeling bad about it.  I called my wife around lunch time and explained how my day was going.  She, oddly enough, was feeling the same way.  So, up went the white flag. Dinner would be pizza at Brewer's Cafe (Barley's Casino and Brew Co.) tonight. We also had a Groupon that was expiring soon.  I skipped lunch, partly due to food indecision paralysis (where to eat, what to eat, when to eat, etc.) and partly to save the calories for dinner.  Tonight was my first binge.  It's the worst day on the diet since I started, and I felt bad about it from the start.  I knew I had to get back on the rails the next day and not let this thing spiral.

Overall, I didn't get too far out of line (who am I kidding?).  I skipped lunch, not a good thing for metabolism, but I saved calories there.  I only ate two slices of pizza (far less than I used to eat on a regular basis.)  I didn't want to order the onion rings, but my wife wanted to order them ("for our son" ).  So I wound up eating half of those.  I only drank water, but finished the meal with bread puddling and a scoop of ice cream on top. I really fell off the wagon.  I felt out of control.


Breakfast:
 2 egg omelet with chorizo, spinach and onion
 16 oz water

Lunch:
No lunch

Dinner:
1/2 an order of onion rings
2 slices of meat lover's thin crust pizza
32 oz water
2 oz sample of blue berry hefeweizen

Dessert:
Slice of bread pudding with vanilla sauce and a scoop of ice cream

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 17 - May 20, 2013

Weight: 247.4 lbs/247 lbs


WTF? I stepped on the scale and almost 1.5 lbs had appeared since yesterday (a non gym day).  It took a while to feed my son this morning.  He must have been hungry.  Nature called right after that.  I then decided to try the scale again, why not?  Apparently, I must have pooed about half a pound (.4 pounds to be exact), because the scale was reading that much lighter.  Are you kidding me.  Oh well, another day.

So on Mondays I have boxing class first thing in the morning.  So my intention was to have a pre-workout meal (chocolate milk), but in all the rush of getting my son ready, I forgot.  So I worked out on an empty stomach.  My chocolate milk turned into a post workout meal.  After a cardio or resistence training workout, there is some leeway for carbs two hours afterwards (How to Get Thinner by the Minute - John Berardi, Ph.D.)  I figured I'd be fine with a chicken burrito from El Pollo Loco, so that's where I went for lunch with the wife.

I honestly, don't remember the rest of the day.  I don't think any bad food decisions were made, I just didn't mark anything down to remind my self.  As I write this several days later, I just don't have any recollection of what happened the rest of the day.


Post workout meal:
12 oz. chocolate milk

Lunch:
EPL avocado and chicken burrito
24 oz water

Dinner:
?????

Dessert:
?????

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 16 - May 19, 2013

Weight: 246 lbs


After yesterday's diversions, there was not much damage at the scale. Since I started a lifestyle change, I haven't had cravings for sweets.  I've always had craving for sweets, as long as I can remember.  Now when I get a craving, it's for bread really (pizza, pancakes, hamburger bun with a hamburger in it).  Come to think of it, I've always loved white bread, since I was kid.  My aunts told me that my father used to love white bread too.  Perhaps, it's a genetic hand me down.  Anyway, I did some internet reading on artificial sweeteners (just simple Google).  There is anecdotal evidence that suggests that artificial sweetener may cause an increased desire for sweet food items.   I have passed on the artificially sweetened drinks (water, please!)  I haven't craved sweet desserts at all.

For breakfast I made everyone a chorizo and spinach omelet.  For lunch I got lazy, and decided to eat out instead of prepare a meal.  I though falafel sounded good, it's just chick peas.  So, I went to a nearby Mediterranean restaurant I had never tried (Parsley).  They didn't seem to have falafel by itself, so I order the falafel bowl, which include 6 falafels, a layer of Mediterranean rice and a layer of salad.  I wasn't too sure about the rice.  I asked the woman behind the counter about the rice, but she wasn't too knowledgeable about what type of rice it was.  It was yellow and she just described it as Mediterranean rice.  I think she squirted some tzatziki on everything at the end.

My theory is that you can get away with eating half of any meal that's served to you in a restaurant and still be full.  So I ate half the falafel, but finished off the rice and salad because they wouldn't age well in the fridge.  For dinner I ate my leftover falafel and remaining chicken thigh (leftover from earlier in the week) with half a bag of microwaveable mixed veggies. Dessert was the remaining strawberries that my son didn't eat that day, plus a few baby carrots.    Not a bad day.

No gym today.



Breakfast:
Chorizo, spinach and onion omelet
16 oz water

Lunch:
Falafel Bowl: 4 falafel on top of "Mediterranean rice" and Mediterranean salad
16 oz water

Dinner:
Leftover falafels (2)
Leftover chicken thigh
1/2 bag of microwaved frozen green beans
16 oz of water

Dessert:
 4 unripe strawberries
2 handfuls of baby carrots
16 oz of water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 15 - May 18, 2013

Weight:            246 lbs.
Body Fat %:     33.5%
Composition:    82 lbs fat  / 164 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            47.5%  (117 lbs )


The scale was good to daddy today. The comprehensive weigh-in looked good. My son was even a good boy at the restaurant this morning.  What a good start to the day. 

So as planned, I went to Timbers this morning for breakfast/brunch.  First, I went to the gym and did an interval cardio workout (for the first time since I started).  I did a 25 minutes pyramid with 3 min warm up and cool down. After getting home, showering and gathering up the family, I headed out for brunchfast.  I upgraded from the Baby Bear (2 eggs, 2 sausages or bacon, hash brown and 2 pancakes) to the Big Bear (3 eggs, 2 bacon, 1 sausage, hash browns and 2 pancakes.)  I made the change for the additional protein.  The plan was to fill up on the proteins and if their was any room left, to have some of the pancakes and potatoes.  Well, I ate all the protein and still had room left for the hash browns and 1.5 pancakes (w/butter and syrup).  I also had 2 glasses of water.  It was a lot food, I chewed slowly, but there was still plenty of room.

I took my son to a toddler birthday party today.  Would  I eat the cake or a veggie option?  Well, there was a veggie (fruit) option, but I was distracted and just threw a cupcake down my throat before I realized what I had done.  We stopped at Fat Burger on the way home (what was I thinking, right?).  I'd been dying for a burger all day.  I left out the fries and figured I would eat my burger with some veggies at home. 

I ordered a large just out of habit.  I'm starting to think more about portion control.  Once I took it out of the bag, I knew I probably would have been content with a small or a medium burger.  I didn't need the 1/2 lb burger, even though there was plenty of protein (and fat and processed carbs). Yes, I ate the bun.  I'm learning! I'm learning.  Trying to change my ways.  I washed it down with my half multivitamin, Omega-3 capsule, and a Coke Zero.  That was my first sweet bubbly brown water drink (cola) since I started.  I was done after a few sips, but finished drinking it anyway (hard to explain why - guess I didn't want to waste it?)  Back to usual tomorrow.  I don't miss my old habits much.



Pre-Workout Meal:
12 oz chocolate milk



Post-Workout Brunch:
Big Bear Breakfast - 2 fluffy pancakes, 3 scrambled eggs, 2 slices of thick applewood smoked bacon, 1 breakfast sausage, hash browns and a thin orange slice (might be garnish, but still tasty.)
24 oz water


Party food:
1 cupcake


Dinner:
Large Fat Burger w/ cheese, no pickles
Handful of baby carrots
20 oz. Coke Zero

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 14 - May 17, 2013

Weight: 246.2 lbs.

Still nice to see the scale is working again.  Breakfast was a tasty omelet with chorizo, spinach and onion.  I had lunch with my wife (and son).  We went to Buffalo Wild Wings and had the lunch special (upgraded the fries to a salad).  I'm guessing they don't serve many salads there.  My salad came with the butt of the head of lettuce (which should have been thrown out, not into my salad).  I also had 8 garlic Parmesan wings.  I could have been content after 4, but I finished the other 4 anyway.  I figured a light dinner would offset the extra wings.  I had a salad for dinner.  The romaine lettuce in the fridge had turned on me, so I made the salad with Spring Mix. Dessert was a little fruit.  I think it was a good day.

So five days in a row at the gym, still inspired mostly by having an afternoon indoor activity for my son during the hot Vegas Spring (it's not even summer yet).  I walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill, then did about 30 minutes on the bike.  I took a peek at the Friday afternoon boxing class.  I would have jumped in had I been wearing a shirt without sleeves.  So next week

I decided a few days ago that tomorrow's breakfast is gonna be a cheat meal.  I'm going to have pancakes.  I'm not sure how many pancakes.  I'll finish the sausage and bacon and eggs first.  I'm also going to do a cardio or weights workout before hand to prime the carb burning pump. We'll see how it goes.



Breakfast:
Chorizo and spinach omelet (2 eggs)
16 oz water w/ lemon juice
16 oz water



Lunch:
Side salad w/ blue cheese dressing
8 Parmesan Garlic wings

24 oz water


Dinner:
Salad w/ blue cheese, blue cheese dressing, croutons, pecans, apples and shredded  chicken
16 oz water


Dessert:
1 banana
1 pear
16 oz water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 13 - May 16, 2013

Weight: 246.8 lbs

Finally saw some progress on the scale again.  Now moving in the right direction. Chorizo is powerful stuff, it can easily overpower everything else.  Got a good balance with spinach and onion along with the chorizo and egg.  Lunch was the remainder of the grilled shrimp from a few nights ago and the cauliflower mock mashed potatoes. Had a lovely, if garlicky, lunch. I kept dinner pretty simple, chicken thighs from yesterday and some frozen mixed vegetables.  Mango for dessert was nice and ripe.


Last night, I added a fish oil (Omega-3) capsule and half a daily multi-vitamin (2 tablets daily, but I only take 1 since I think I'm getting a lot of vitamins and minerals from my diet and I don't want to overdue it.)



Breakfast:
Spinach, chorizo and onion omelet
16 oz water w/ lemon juice
16 oz water


Lunch:
Leftovers:  grilled shrimps and cauliflower "mock" mash potatoes (and a few apples slices my son didn't finish in his lunch.)
Handful of almonds
16 oz water
16 oz water with a few bits of apple (a failed experiment)


Dinner:
Grilled chicken thigh
1/2 bag of microwaved frozen mixed vegetables
16 oz water w/ lemon juice
16 oz water


Dessert:
1 mango
16 oz water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 12 - May 15, 2003

Weight: 248 lbs.

Looking down at the scale this morning was very frustrating.  The scale was still moving in the wrong direction.  It's more infuriating that  I have also worked out both of the last two days (which means I burned more calories than any of the days that the scale moved in the correct direction. These are the type of things that usually drive me to give up and console myself with a pizza (or at least half of one.) 

Breakfast was leftover dinner bits from the other night, plus 2 eggs (for even more protein).  Lunch was also mostly leftover from the fridge.  I'm experimenting with shakes/smoothies.  Getting the proportions and taste right are the tough parts.  For dinner I grilled a package of chicken thighs, so there's chicken for dishes for the rest of the week.  Shredded chicken can be added to salads or just about any dish.  The thighs can also be eaten as they are.

So today is the third day at the gym.  It's very hot outside and only going to get hotter.  It was 102 yesterday.  So, I need somewhere to take my son in the afternoon, but its too hot out to go to the park.  So I take him to the gym (free childcare included).  While I'm there, I figure I might as well get a workout in (otherwise people look at you funny).  My gym has a cardio theatre where you can watch movies while doing your cardio.  So the last two days I watched the last hour of Forrest Gump and Big while walking and bicycling.

I wonder if it's possible that I'm not getting enough calories, so my body is holding tight to what it has.  I'm thinking of adding a few smoothies  to my daily menu.   I noticed in previous diets that when I've fallen off the wagon, I lose weight and look leaner for the next few days, perhaps my body responding to an end of scarcity. Still trying to figure it all out.


Breakfast:
Leftover bits of steak and shrimp from a couple days ago
2 eggs.
16 oz water


Lunch:
Leftover Tuscan white bean soup
smoothie - plain yogurt, honey, 1/3 banana, 3 strawberries, tbsp of crunchy peanut butter


Dinner:
chicken thigh
ear of corn
16 oz water w/ lemon juice
16 oz water


Dessert:
1 mango

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 11 - May 14, 2013

Weight: 247.4 lbs.
 
 
The scale has been stalled or moving in the wrong direction the last few days, even though I worked out (boxing) yesterday.  What's going on?  Anyway, I had an omelet with chorizo this morning.  I originally meant to add spinach.  That would have been even better.  Something to think about for tomorrow.

I wanted to keep the GI Load low for breakfast, but I was still hungry, so I ate fruit (mango).  Preferably I'll replace it with a vegetable tomorrow.  I've run out of animal proteins in the house.  I boiled a couple eggs and diced them.  I added them to my salad.  The salad could have used a little bacon for flavoring.  I've been avoiding bacon because of the nitrates.  Dinner was more trying to clean-out the fridge of leftovers, mostly soup.  Dessert was a quick apple.

Went to the gym again today.  Hope it shows on the scale tomorrow.  I'm really sore from Monday's boxing workout.  Instructor decided to skip the warm-up.  At my age that's muscular suicide.  I've been paying the price with DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.)  My pectorals are sore and swollen, and my arms don't have a full range of motion.  I imagine it's similar to what it must feel like immediately after breast augmentation surgery.


Breakfast:
2 egg omelet with chorizo, onion and cheese
1 mango.
16 oz. water w/lime juice
16 oz water

Lunch:
Romaine salad w/ 1.5 diced boiled eggs, homemade blue cheese dressing, blue cheese, and a few croutons.

Dinner:
1 bowl Tuscan white bean soup
1 bowl Roasted tomato soup
no room for water
 
Dessert:
1 apple (peeled)

 we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 10 - May 13, 2013

Weight: 247 lbs.


I went to the gym this morning for boxing class.  I had to rush upon waking up, so I grabbed a quick mini shake, got dressed, grabbed the baby and headed out.  After class I had a full shake.  My biggest issue of the day in retrospect is that the protein I added to the shake has creatine included in the mix.  I've gained water weight from creatine before and never really lost that weight.  So I think I'll throw that stuff out and get some protein from Trader Joe's tomorrow.

I wanted to eat some oatmeal to clean out the insides (with the insoluble fiber). We'll see if it worked.  I finished off the steak that was in the fridge.  It was dry aging.  It did taste a bit better than the steak from two nights ago, so I guess it worked.  Both were delicious. Not much variety left in the fruit bowl tonight, so it's bananas or lemons.  So bananas.  Let's see how the scale reflects all this tomorrow.


 Breakfast:
Mini shake: 1/4 cup almond milk, 1/4 cup plain yogurt, a few strawberries, 1/3 banana, tbsp protein powder
Post workout shake:  1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1/2 tbsp honey, 2/3 banana. a few strawberries, 1 scoop protein powder


 Lunch:
1 serving quick oats w/ a splash of almond milk, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/3 banana, tbsp honey
16 oz water

 Dinner:
6 oz rib eye
2 cups mock mash potatoes
16 oz water w/lime juice
16 oz water

 Dessert:
half handful of pecans
1 banana
16 oz water

 we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...

Day 9 - May 12, 2013: Battling the Buffet

Weight:           246.8 lbs.
Body Fat %:     34%
Composition:    84 lbs fat  / 162.8 lbs. lean body mass
H20 %:            47.5%  (117 lbs )


Good news from the scale, especially after a healthy but large dinner last night.

Today is Mother's Day.  I'm also going to face the biggest challenge since I started: The Vegas Buffet. My lack of foresight has me waiting in line for 40 minutes to eat brunch, but I'm here.   There is a massive variety of food.  What am I going to do? Sunday brunch at the buffet in the Sunset Station Casino includes complimentary champagne or mimosas.  So the first decision is do I drink free alcohol?  Alas, the answer was no.  Instead I ordered a cranberry juice and a water.  What about all the food.  There's an Italian section full of pasta and pizza.  The Asian section has fried and steamed rice.  The International (South of the Border) section has empenadas, tortillas, taco shells, churros and plantains.  Of course there is also my arch nemesis the dessert section.  Temptation is near and far.

Well, my strategy was to fill up on meat and vegetable dishes, avoiding  the pasta, noodles, mashed potatoes, bread, pizza, stuffing and rice.  For dessert I stuck to the NSA (no sugar added, not no strings attached) desserts, yes plural.  The NSA caramel ice cream was the biggest standout. I had a spoonful or two of non-NSA "peach cobbler" and bread pudding.  Neither was very good coincidentally.  Overall, quite a bit of food for one meal (2 meals really, it was brunch).  For me at a buffet it was impressively healthy and half of the usual amount of food I eat at a buffet.  I normally shun the veggie dishes, so that they don't take up too much tummy real estate that I could fill with other foods.  I had a total of two plates of meat and veg (with plenty of space left on the plate), plus one for desserts of mostly NSA items.  I didn't get too far out of pocket at the buffet. We'll see the affect on the scale tomorrow.

So full from brunch, wasn't really hungry the rest of the day.  Grabbed a couple of pieces of fruit for dessert.  My wife also decided to share here chocolate covered strawberries with me.  I had one, plus a couple of pecans.


Brunch:
buffet:  including prime rib, turkey, sweet potato, chicken, salmon, meatball (just one), fruit and probably something else I've forgotten.  Dessert included a scoop of NSA -vanilla and caramel ice cream, a 2 square inches of NSA carrot cake, and  a couple of spoonfuls of NSA coconut cream pie, non NSA "peach cobbler" and bread pudding.


Dinner/Dessert:
1 banana
1 orange
1 chocolate covered strawberry
1/8 cup pecans

16 oz water

we'll see what the scale says tomorrow ...