Day 57

GOALS

• Goal date:                     March 26, 2011
• Weight goal:                206.0 pounds
• Total Inches goal:      120.9 inches

                              
 Today's Weight:        218.6 
 Yesterday's Weight:    218.6 
 Gain/Loss:             + 0.0 
                              

Well. We've seen this before, but it is always a little discouraging. The weight I gained on cheat day is not coming off. At least, not quickly. In the past, a semi-fast has produced immediate results. Yesterday's fast? Nothing.

What does this mean? Two things: First, I have some formidable numbers to meet if I'm going to meet my weight goal for this Saturday's weigh-in: I have to lose about 5-1/2 pounds in 5 days. This is not impossible. I have already experienced drops of more than 2 pounds in a single day. I have also lost that much and more between Monday and Saturday on 3 other occasions.

Note to self: It has happened 3 weeks out of the last 7-1/2 weeks (the time I've been tracking my weight), so, almost 50% of the time. Self:  stop fretting!

So... I will just stick to the plan. Well, maybe with a couple of adjustments:

Adjustment 1:  Before I started the plan, I was eating a portion (3 Tablespoons) of chia or hemp seeds every day. I have a bunch of hemp seeds in my freezer, and I'm adding that back in, divided between breakfast and dinner. Hemp seeds are such amazingly good and nutritious stuff - high in protein, high in good fats, low in carbohydrates. Chia seeds are similar, with less protein but much more fiber. But hemp seeds are what I have. When I'm done with these, I'll probably go back to chia seeds, which are less expensive. And have that extra fiber. Which leads me to...

Adjustment 2:  I will also be taking a laxative/stool softener every other day, or at the end of any day where I don't have a solid elimination.

Here is the new period's chart:

Here are today's food diary pictures:

Breakfast

Coconut oil, baby spinach, lentils, two egg whites and a whole egg. Top it with salsa, and you have what I call breakfast.

Lunch

Sliced ham off the bone, lentils and balsamic vinaigrette over Spring Mix greens and baby spinach.



Dinner

My favorite cole slaw (I make it myself with homemade mayonnaise) and a wild-caught salmon burger topped with pesto mayonnaise (yes, that, too) and peas and lentils. 

As always, please leave a comment if you read this blog post.

Day 56

GOALS

• Goal date:                     March 26, 2011
• Weight goal:                206.0 pounds
• Total Inches goal:      120.9 inches

                              
 Today's Weight:        218.6 
 Yesterday's Weight:    216.0 
 Gain/Loss:             + 2.6 
                              

A gain of 2.6 pounds is not unusual after cheat day. This celebratory (made my goals!) cheat day seems to have been inspired by seeing Cookie Monster on a recent episode of Top Chef. Anyway, it was atypical, in that I made breakfast, even though I ate it lunchtime (late nights these days mean that I sleep in on the weekends). All my snacks were cookies. Yum.

Tomorrow I will semi-fast - which means, just coffee and water until dinner-time. I have found this an effective (and cheap-and-easy) way of dealing with the gains of cheat day. Fast-follows-feast.

With only one data point, there's no chart for the day Here is yesterday's  chart again:

This is the meal I had to break my fast:



Dinner

A chicken cutlet rubbed with herbs and chili powder and sauteed in coconut oil with a side dish of cauliflower and black beans seasoned with a dollop of freshly made pesto mayonnaise. 

As always, please leave a comment if you read this blog post.

Day 55 - Weigh-in, New Goals

GOALS

• Goal date:                     Feb 26, 2011 (Today!)
• Weight goal:                217.8 pounds
• Total Inches goal:      124.25

 Today's Weight:        216.0 

 Yesterday's Weight:    217.6 

 Gain/Loss:             - 1.6 

Here are the numbers for today's edition of the weekly 'official' weigh-in and measure-up:

            Last Week      Today       Difference

Weight        218.6        216.0        -2.6 lbs

Chest          40.5         41.25       +0.75"

Waist          41.0         41.0        -0.0"   

Hips           39.75        39.5        -0.25"   

Total "       123.0        121.25       +0.5"

Over a week's time, a loss of 2.6 pounds but a gain of 1/2 an inch!  I am very happy with the weight results, of course, exceeding, since they exceeded my goals. This week was odd in that I was 100% on-plan, 100% maintaining my hydration levels, and my weight was up and down, up and down and finally completely overwhelming with almost 3 pounds lost in the last two days. And I am baffled by the total inches measurements. All I can tell you is that my rate of elimination (bowels) has become very erratic, and when I was weighing myself and doing the measurements, I felt bloated.

Still, I can celebrate the fact that in 7 weeks, I have lost 22.8 pounds. That is counting back to January 8, the first Saturday I weighed myself. I would have to use an estimated weight to go back to when I started the diet, so I am not.

This is also the week I cycle off the 'P' in PAGG. It will be interesting to see how that effects me.

Here's the story with graphics. First, my overall weight chart:

Here is the daily chart:

Now it is time to set the next short-term goal: On March 26, 2011, I expect to weigh 206 pounds. Or less. And I will measure 120.9 total inches. Or less.

Cheat day food story:

Breakfast/Lunch

Three strips of center-cut bacon, a peppers-and-onions omelette made with butter and fresh-grated parmesan, a toasted pumpernickel bagel with smoked-salmon cream cheese, and a whole Ruby grapefruit. Coffee from Ethiopia by way of Cafe Kubal.

Snack



Dinner

Two slices from my new favorite pizza place, 'Gianni's Bronx-Style Pizza' Mmmmm-good.  Gloria's lives! (my Clearview friends will get the reference).

Snack

Sadly, not as good as I remembered. That didn't stop me from eating them all.

As always, please leave a comment if you read this blog post.

Day 54 - No trouble

GOALS

• Goal date:                     Feb 26, 2011
• Weight goal:                217.8 pounds
• Total Inches goal:      124.25

                             
Today's Weight:        217.6 
Yesterday's Weight:    218.8 
Gain/Loss:             - 1.2 
                             

All right.

In the 'what a difference a day makes' category, we have my mysterious weight pattern of the last few days, resolved with a scale weight down 1.2 pounds in a single 24-hour period. I am now below my goal weight for both the day and the period, which ends tomorrow.

Other than a Ruby grapefruit and a bunch of Oreos (both of which are in hand), I have no plans for my cheat day tomorrow, because I have really not been having any cravings. In fact, the last few cheat days, I have had to force myself to eat, because I was more busy than hungry!
Today was a perfect day, at least as far as the diet goes: All meals 100% on-plan, all PAGG doses taken, more than a gallon of water drunk. I also added a mild laxative pill to the mix in the evening to 'get things moving'. Worked like a charm, as you can see:

Today I ate similarly to what I have eaten the entire week, 3 meals, on plan, using PAGG supplementation, drinking nothing but coffee (black, no sugar, thank you), seltzer, and water. Here's the photo-diary:

Breakfast

Baby spinach, black beans, 2 egg wiites, one large egg, fried (let's call it what it is) in 2 tsp of organic butter, topped with salsa.

Lunch

Black beans, tuna, and balsamic vinaigrette over Spring Mix greens.



Dinner

Turkey burger sauteed in butter and coconut oil, with broccoli and black beans in a balsamic sauce. Not shown: One hard-boiled egg.

As always, please leave a comment if you read this blog post.

Day 53 - Trouble?

GOALS

• Goal date:                     Feb 26, 2011
• Weight goal:                217.8 pounds
• Total Inches goal:      124.25

Today's Weight:        218.8
Yesterday's Weight:    218.4
Gain/Loss:             + 0.4

What is going on? I don't know, but I have stalled, even, slightly reversed. I am now above both the trendline and the goal line. I am searching for an explanation.

Some observations: The only "new" addtitions (all in-plan foods) are guacamole, chick peas, and natural, nothing-added roast turkey. I have been somewhat irregular this week - which is to say 'transit time' has become very, very long. My activity level has been the same. I have been drinking as much or more water, and about the same amount of coffee, as usual.

If my weight isn't down to daily goal tomorrow morning (admittedly, this would be a rather unusual 1-day change, but not without precedent), I will do another semi-fast, to try and salvage the goal.

Still keeping the faith.

Today's food:

Breakfast

Baby spinach, black beans, 2 egg wiites, one large egg, sauteed in coconut oil, topped with salsa.

Lunch

Roast turkey and lentils with balsamic vinaigrette over Spring Mix greens. 



Dinner

Chili (black beans, grass-fed beef, tomatoes, spices) over cauliflower, topped with guacamole.



As always, please leave a comment if you read this blog post.

Day 52

GOALS

• Goal date:  2/26/11
• Weight goal: 217.8 pounds
• Total Inches goal: 124-1/4

Not a lot of progress, a loss of only .2 pounds, at 218.4. Still under the goal weight, and on track for meeting Saturday's goal, though.

Today's food:

Breakfast

Lentils, baby spinach, 2 egg whites, 1 large organic egg; sauteed in macadamia nut oil, topped off with guacamole.

Lunch

Roast Turkey, lentils and balsamic vinaigrette over Spring Mix greens.



Dinner

Chili (black beans, grass-fed beef, tomatoes, spices) over mixed veggies and a little guac.



As always, please leave a comment if you read this blog post.

Day 51

GOALS

• Goal date:  2/26/11
• Weight goal: 217.8 pounds
• Total Inches goal: 124-1/4

On the scale this morning, my weight dropped by a 1/2 pound to a very satisfying 218.6 pounds. Under the goal weight, and on track for meeting Saturday's goal.

Today's food:

Breakfast

Baby spinach, lentils, chick peas, 2 egg whites, 1 large organic egg all sauteed in coconut oil and topped with salsa.

 

Lunch



Roast turkey, black beans, chick peas and balsamic vinaigrette over Spring Mix greens.

Dinner

Chili (black beans, lentils, chick peas, grass-fed beef, tomatoes and spices) over cauliflower, topped with guacamole.



As always, please leave a comment if you read this blog post.

Day 50

GOALS

• Goal date:  2/26/11
• Weight goal: 217.8 pounds
• Total Inches goal: 124-1/4

Weight today was 219.1 pounds on the scale. A scant 3 ounce loss - but it keeps me under the goal weight, and I expect after eating on plan today that tomorrow's loss should be more dramatic, and I still have full confidence of meeting Saturday's goal. Check the chart:

Today's food:

Breakfast

Black beans, 2 egg whites and 1 whole egg and baby spinach sauteed in coconut oil, topped with salsa.







 Lunch



Natural turkey, black beans and garbanzo beans over Spring Mix greens with balsamic vinaigrette.



   

Dinner

Tuna, black beans and chick peas over steamed broccoli with a little  balsamic vinaigrette.

As always, please leave a comment if you read this blog post.

Day 49

GOALS

• Goal date:  2/26/11
• Weight goal: 217.8 pounds
• Total Inches goal: 124-1/4

After yesterday's cheat day, I weighed in at 219.4, which is actually still slightly under the day's goal weight. That means over the next 6 days, I have to lose 1.6 pounds to meet my February goal. Achievable? You betcha. I wouldn't be surprised if I was there by Tuesday. In fact, I'll be surprised if I'm not!

Here's today's chart:

Today is another semi-fast, so only dinner. Here it is:

Dinner

At Santarita's, a burrito bowl, shown here haslf-eaten: grilled chicken, black beans, fresh salsa, grilled vegetables, guacamole.

As always, please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you.

Day 48 - Weigh-in and Cheat Day

Here are the numbers taken at today's edition of the weekly 'official' weigh-in:

            Last Week      Today       Difference

Weight        220.8        218.6        -2.2 lbs

Chest          41.5         40.5        -1.0"

Waist          41.25        41.0        -0.25"   

Hips           40.25        39.75       -0.5"   

Total "       123.0        121.25       -1.75"

A loss of 1 kilo and an inch-and-three-quarters!  Still kicking ass on this diet, and well on my way to meeting my goals.

Here's the story with graphics. First, my overall weight chart:

Here is the daily chart:

I only have one picture from breakfast. Everything else will be described.

Breakfast

Toasted multi-grain bagel with lax-seeds and cream cheese-salmon spread, a pumpernickel bagel with the same spread, and a peppers, onions and cheese omelette. 

After Breakfast

 
While running errands, In the late afternoon, I had coffee and Oreos (about 10).

I had dinner at the world-famous Dinosaur BBQ, where I went to see the Carolyn Kelly blues band. I know most of the people in the band, have played with a couple of them, and they were kind enough to invite me to step up for a few songs. Great fun. I had my favorite sandwich, the BBQ Pork Carolina, which is pulled pork in their barbecue sauce topped with cole slaw on a Kaiser roll. I had French fries and rice-and-beans as sides.

Please leave a comment if you visit this blog. I appreciate it.

Day 47

GOALS

• Goal date:  2/26/11
• Weight goal: 217.8 pounds
• Total Inches goal: 124-1/4

After yesterday's indulgence I added a couple of pounds, coming in at 220.7. This is only 1/2 pound above the day's goal weight, and I still have a shot at making tomorrow's weigh-in goal by having done a semi-fast (no food until dinner) today; but I might not. If I make goal weight tomorrow, I will have a whole cheat day. If not, it will be a 'regular' day. Either way, with 8 days to go before this period's final weigh-in, I am confident of my success.

Here's today's chart; notice the much smaller cheat meal/day bump:

I am quite pleased to have "gotten away" with yesterday's overeating (and alcohol) so "cheaply".

Today's food:

   

Dinner

Wild-caught mahi-mah (lightly sauteed in macadamia nut oil)i with roasted red pepper sauce. Steamed broccoli with herbed butter.  Not shown: Mesculin and chick-pea salad with one sauteed shrimp.

As always, please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you.

Day 46

GOALS

• Goal date:  2/26/11
• Weight goal: 217.8 pounds
• Total Inches goal: 124-1/4

My weight this morning was a very satisfactory 218.8 pounds. This is below both the trend line and the goal lines on my graph:

Although my initial plan for the day was to eat more or less normally, with maybe a little less emphasis on protein and more beans for breakfast and lunch. Well, in the end, breakfast and lunch were business as usual.

Dinner - that was another story. The salad bar at the restaurant was unusually small (for this type of restaurant, compared with other Brazilian Chiaruscaria restaurants I have been to), and the only vegetables I could eat were the greens. Then came the 'river of meat' - 5 kinds of steak, chicken, salmon, sausage - endless. All very tasty. I must have eaten about 6 pounds. I didn't eat anything that was off-plan (eating only the inner part of some meat preparations that had a glaze, refusing all sauces). It was very good, but there was no way this was not going to pack on the pounds.

After dinner and the great show (Robert Cray and Shenekia Copeland) I dropped everybody off (I was the designated driver). On my way home, I decided, on a whim, to stop in at my favorite bar (it was on the way) to see friends and 'represent' for a few minutes before hitting the sack. What is that you're saying, "Best laid plans..."? Yeah.

The bar owner poured me some Jamerson's 12-year-old, and today became my cheat day (should have had dessert at dinner, lol).

Tomorrow I will do a semi-fast, as I have said I would do after all cheat days going forward (that means skipping breakfast and lunch). If I recover my trajectory by weighing in at or under my goal weight, I may declare last night a 'cheat meal' and proceed with my scheduled cheat day, followed by still another semi-fast.

Today's food:

   

Breakfast

Baby spinach, black beans, 2 egg whites and 1 whole egg sauteed in macadamia nut oil.

Lunch 

Tuna, lentils, and balsamic vinaigrette over baby spinach and Spring Mix greens.

Dinner

The only picture from dinner is of the salad: Romaine and mesculin with chipotle vinaigrette. What came after: sausage, salmon, 5 or 6 different cuts of steak, chicken... I'm leaving something out (but I didn't leave anything out at dinner (except maybe some sauces).

As always, please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you.

Day 45

GOALS

• Goal date:  2/26/11
• Weight goal: 217.8 pounds
• Total Inches goal: 124-1/4

Scale weight today was 221. A notch above goal weight for the day. I noticed a discrepancy in my spreadsheet that made me re-do the "Goal, Actual, Trend Weights" chart. I'm still on track, but the 'Goal' line has become more aggressive, so at first glance, it doesn't look like I'm doing as well as yesterday. In fact, I'm doing better.

Today, I did a semi-fast: No food until dinner. I may make this a weekly habit - skipping 2 meals one day per week. I am thinking the optimal day to do this is post-cheat day. I had my best weight-loss week ever when I did that. It doesn't seem to stress me out (as long as I stay hydrated, and don't cut out the coffee).

Tomorrow will be an interesting challenge. I am going to go light on the protein and heavy on the beans and vegetables for breakfast and lunch - because dinner is going to be a river of meat. I have a travel day at work, then I'm going to see Robert Cray at the Turning Stone Casino. Dinner is at the Casino's Brazilian Churrascaria, where I will be served an endless variety of meat without limit. The restaurant also has a huge salad bar, but most of the preparations are off-plan; only a few will work. Probably no simple beans available, although I might be able to find some as a simple salad ingredient. If it is like the other restaurants of this type I've eaten at, there will be no pictures due to low light (and lots of small portions served sequentially).

Here's today's picture of dinner:

   

Dinner

Mixed vegetables with a pepper-egg sauce (1 large organic scrambled egg, water, fresh-ground pepper) with a wild-caught salmon burger and a splash of balsamic vinaigrette.

As always, please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you.

Day 44

GOALS

• Goal date:  2/26/11
• Weight goal: 217.8 pounds
• Total Inches goal: 124-1/4

As expected, late night snacks do not look good on the scale the next morning. I don't think this is going to be a major factor in the long run (weight fluctuates for a lot of reasons on a day-to-day, and weighing myself every day, while providing motivation and lots of data points, is ultimately just feeding my obsessive-compulsive monster). Scale weight: 222.8. A notch above my goal. The trend is still good, though:

Here's today's pictures of what I ate:

Breakfast

Baby spinach sauteed in macadamia nut oil with 2 whole,large organic eggs and refried beans.

Lunch

Sliced rotisserie chicken and black beans in balsamic vinaigrette over Spring Mix greens.

   

Dinner

Chili (black beans, grass-fed beef, tomatoes, spices) and steamed green beans

As always, please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you.

Day 43

GOALS

• Goal date:  2/26/11
• Weight goal: 217.8 pounds
• Total Inches goal: 124-1/4

This is my 6-week anniversary. My weight today was  223.4 pounds on the scale.The trend is now back in place.

All is well, I guess. Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast

Spinach, black beans, 1/3C egg whites + a whole egg, microwaved and topped with salsa.

   

Lunch

Rotisserie chicken, black beans and balsamic vinaigrette over Spring Mix greens.

   

Dinner

Chili (black beans, grass-fed beef, tomatoes, spices) over cauliflower with freshly grated parmesan.

Late-night Snack

Unusually, at the end of the night, I was hungry. I ate a hard-boiled egg, and, a little while later, made a fried egg (in organic butter). Both were large organic eggs. Good solid protein and healthy fats, but my experience so far says this is not going to look good on the scale tomorrow.

As always, please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you.