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 ...