March 30, 2012: Post 90, Day 90

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Today's Weight:        198.6 lbs 
Yesterday's Weight:    197.8 lbs
Net Loss/Gain:         + 0.8 lbs

Daily weight from December 31, 2011 - March 31, 2012.

Year 2012 daily weight from December 31, 2011.

Diet Comment:
A little bump in the road is nothing that will stop the journey. 

Daily Comment:

It is almost the weekend, and I was trying to decide whether to change the schedule by having 2 cheat days in a row, or attempt to keep to the plan, or make some other change (regular day Saturday, cheat day Sunday, fast Monday).


I am faced with a really difficult Sunday schedule: An all-day recording session on Sunday, after which, I take the bass chair at Rooter's blues jam. There will be lots of off-plan food at the recording studio, and probably nothing I don't bring myself on-plan; and it will be a very, very long day (probably going on out until 2am Monday morning). 

Anyway, I was thinking about that when yet another factor came into play: This afternoon, I started feeling sick, with a sore throat and what feels like a low fever. After work, I made an early dinner, then went to a rehearsal. Psychically, I felt better. Physically, not so much.


After rehearsal, I came home and changed, and went to a club, feeling pretty much the same (but I had committed to showing up there). I had a shot of Jameson's (in a glass, sipped), and felt better.


Then I got home, and was really sick. And very tired. And I went a little crazy, and had a BIG cheat (you can read about it below). I don't know what in my was craving the nasty carbs, but I was too weak to fight it.

I think I'm going to try a reset: Saturday will not be a cheat day, that will be Sunday. I will fast on Monday. That seems like the path of least resistance.

Food Log

Breakfast

Green protein shake: kale, almond milk, an egg, vanilla whey protein powder (36g protein), vanilla, cinnamon, stevia-inulin blend.

Lunch

Roasted turkey breast on a bed of Spring Mix greens and red cabbage with chevre, a hard-boiled egg and balsamic vinaigrette. 

Snack
Celery and home-made mayonnaise.

Dinner

Italian chicken sausage with peppers and onions, and a side of 'faux' mashed potatoes (pureed cauliflower, butter. almond milk, salt and pepper). 

Snack
Oreos, a Reese's cup, a bowl of Ezekiel's Golden Flax sprouted grain cereal with almond milk and stevia-inulin blend.



Liquid Intake

    Coffee:   42 oz,   Water: 131+ oz

March 29, 2012: Post 89, Day 89 - Fast Day

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Today's Weight:        197.8 lbs 
Yesterday's Weight:    201.2 lbs
Net Loss/Gain:         - 3.4 lbs

Daily weight from December 31, 2011 - March 31, 2012. 

Year 2012 daily weight from December 31, 2011.

Diet Comment:
I guess we can rule out a little cheese as the culprit in yesterday's gain. It was part of my lunch salad yesterday (in fact, so was the chili I had the night before). I am happy for this correction, of course, but really, yesterday's kilo gain and today's 3+ pound loss are aberrations. 

The thing that makes me happiest on these charts isn't the squiggly line of daily readings, it is the trend line.

Daily Comment:

Because it came up, in one of those roundabout, seemingly random ways that things so often do, today I am thinking about Miss Marlene Feingold, retired 5th-grade New York City school teacher, musician, activist and one of the most influential people in my life.  


As friends with a neighbor who was a teacher in the same elementary school (and the one I went to), I met her a few years before my brother, Andy, was in her 5th grade class. 


She gave me guitar lessons - the only music lessons I ever got in my life (unless you count the HS music class where I played sax and bassoon - but that was really self-taught - there was minimal instruction and no personal instruction at all). 


More than that, she taught me a lot about life, about human interaction, about being happy without, or in spite of, social pressure to conform. The lessons I learned (this goes back to when I was 7 and 8 years old) have stayed with me my whole life, and have always been valuable. 


I am still in touch with her, and still look for opportunities to give her credit for her good work, her life's work, and how she helped shape me.

Food Log

Breakfast

Skipped.

Lunch
Skipped.

Dinner

Spinach, eggs and chevre (goat's milk cheese) and'smoked turkey breast on a bed of Spring Mix greens and red cabbage with balsamic vinaigrette.  

Snack
Baby carrots and home-made mayonnaise.



Liquid Intake

    Coffee:   38 oz,   Water: 131+ oz

March 28, 2012: Post 88, Day 88

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Today's Weight:        201.2 lbs 
Yesterday's Weight:    199.0 lbs
Net Loss/Gain:         + 2.2 lbs

Daily weight from December 31, 2011 - March 31, 2012. 

Year 2012 daily weight from December 31, 2011.

Diet Comment:
I'm not exactly sure what to make of the kilo gain. Could it be the added cheese (breakfast and dinner and snack). To me, it was most likely the late dinner (10pm) and late, big snack (midnight). Or both. Or neither. Whatever. It isn't important enough to give myself a brain-ache over.


I started off the day with a high-nutrient, high-protein shake, finished off yesterday's chili for lunch, and had a high-protein shake for dinner. Tomorrow will be a 24-hour fast, and we'll see in the next two days where the weight goes.

Daily Comment:

I've been thinking about my bass playing today. The reason is, I got a note from the leader of one of my new projects explicitly laying out what he expected of me. There were basically two items that meant something to me: 

1. No singing. Check - no problem from me there. My singing, once strong (like, 30 years ago) is now a distraction, something I haul out only when necessary.
2. Learn the songs as recorded. Uh-oh. This is something I've been reluctant to do my entire musical career. In fact, I don't think I play a single bass line like 'the record' and I never have.

My process for learning songs is to listen to them a lot, think of the feel of the song, get an idea for a bass line (it may or may not be similar partly or entirely to the one on recording, but it is never the same) and bring that idea to the next rehearsal. I refine it over multiple plays within the ensemble, and then, when everybody is happy. Lock it in. 


I have never played with a group whose goal was to duplicate the recorded songs. These groups exist, and there are good ones, with excellent musicians, too. But I don't find that interesting. 

I'm kind of a one-trick pony. I play bass my way, and only my way. Luckily, it is pretty versatile trick, and I've rarely been in a situation where I couldn't hold down the bass part.


The one situation where that has occurred was when the people I was playing with had a very specific bass line/arrangement in mind, one that I didn't know, and they couldn't be (musically) flexible enough to let me do my thing. 


I may have only one trick, but it's a good trick and it accommodates a lot of different music situations. But not every one.

Throughout my career, when someone has wanted me to play with them, they've gotten me,  not my version of someone else. That was what they wanted, and it has usually worked out pretty well. I've never been fired for not being good enough at playing bass (it's always been personal issues - and  not in the negative-about-me sense of that. Usually.).

So, I wrote this guy back (after waiting a short time, so I wouldn't be emotional/defensive/aggressive in my response). I wrote him that, if he wanted me to play the recorded arrangement of a song, there were probably one of a few ways to proceed: Spend some extra time with me helping me work out a part that would work with the arrangement if it was giving me trouble; skip any songs where my take on the song wasn't to his liking; or, find a bass player who did things his way. I expressed that this last option was not one I desired, but would let him make that call.

He called back later in the evening. All's well. We're committed to moving forward. That made it a good day. 

Food Log

Breakfast

Green protein shake: kale, almond milk, an egg, vanilla whey protein powder (36g protein), vanilla, cinnamon, stevia-inulin blend.

Lunch

Chili (ground grass-fed beef, peas, tomatoes, mushrooms, black beans, tomato paste, spices) on a bed of Spring Mix greens and red cabbage.   

Dinner

I didn't feel like fussing much, so I just had some hard-boiled eggs with celery sticks and home-made mayonnaise. After, I had a chocolate egg cream protein shake (vanilla whey protein powder (w/36g of whey protein) plus an egg, cocoa, almond milk, cinnamon and stevia-inulin blend).

Liquid Intake

    Coffee:   22 oz,   Water: 96+ oz

March 27, 2012: Post 87, Day 87

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Today's Weight:        199.0 lbs 
Yesterday's Weight:    199.8 lbs
Net Loss/Gain:         - 0.8 lbs

Daily weight from December 31, 2011 - March 31, 2012. 

Year 2012 daily weight from December 31, 2011.

Diet Comment:
A full day of eating yesterday, but the scale acts like it wasn't. That's a good thing, I guess. The more important thing though is that I was able to guess my weight exactly before I stepped on the scale. Nice trick, and quite consistent with my attitude about my weight: No single day's weight is important at all.

Daily Comment:

So tired today - It is my second consecutive night of inadequate sleep time. 

Worse: I know now that I will be dragging my ass for the next 5 Mondays, thanks to signing up to be part of the host band at the Rooter's blues jam on Sunday nights (it ends at 1pm, but being part of the host band means I won't get home until nearly 2am. 

Maybe it's a dumb mistake, but I really like playing with the other people in the band, and don't get the chance very often. Plus, I will get to play with a bunch of "guests" I don't regularly have the opportunity with.

Why sacrifice my health (lack of sleep is implicated in everything from cognitive problems to weight gain)? I do it because I feel so much better when I play more. As I've said, playing is my joy. And, to the degree that doing what gives you joy is a positive thing, I feel it mitigates the health risk. Not to mention, not doing it doesn't guarantee I will get enough sleep.

Food Log

Breakfast

Spinach, peppers and onions, and goat cheese omelet. 

Lunch
Tuna and egg salad on Spring Mix greens with red cabbage. The picture didn't come out, though. Too bad. It was - and looked - good.

Dinner

Chili (ground grass-fed beef, peas, tomatoes, mushrooms, black beans, tomato paste, spices) and fresh-grated Romano cheese..   

Snack
More of the chili I had for dinner.

Liquid Intake

    Coffee:   32 oz,   Water: 128+ oz

March 26, 2012: Post 86, Day 86

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Today's Weight:        199.8 lbs 
Yesterday's Weight:    201.2 lbs
Net Loss/Gain:         - 1.4 lbs

Daily weight from December 31, 2011 - March 31, 2012. 

Year 2012 daily weight from December 31, 2011. 

Diet Comment:
After yesterday's Fast, I am back in the 'sweet' spot, weight-wise, at just under 200 pounds. And, the trends look excellent. I imagine I will close out the quarter on my next weigh-in a pound or two lighter than when I started it.

Daily Comment:

Monday has arrived with a blast of brutal cold, made much worse by over a week of summer-like days. Now, neither the arrival of Monday nor cold weather in March are news, but a late night Sunday after pleasant a continental hot weather aberration has shocked me. Unpleasantly. I feel oppressed!

Not really. Just a sunny, chilly, shitty Winter Monday.  With blue skies.

Food Log

Breakfast
Green protein shake (vanilla whey protein powder (w/36g of whey protein) plus kale, an egg, almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon and stevia-inulin blend).

Lunch

Smoked turkey breast, with Spring Mix greens, hard-boiled eggs, red cabbage and balsamic vinaigrette. 

Dinner

Wild-caught salmon burgers with Shahi Rajma (red bean curry) and broccoli. 

Snack

Celery and home-made mayonnaise.



Liquid Intake

    Coffee:   22 oz,   Water: 128+ oz

March 25, 2012: Post 85, Day 85 - Fast Day

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Today's Weight:        201.2 lbs 
Yesterday's Weight:    199.2 lbs
Net Loss/Gain:         + 2.0 lbs

Daily weight from December 31, 2011 - March 31, 2012.  

Year 2012 daily weight from December 31, 2011.  

Diet Comment:
Today is a 24-hour fast day. I did not put on much weight on my cheat day, but I am sticking to my plan. It would have been so easy to just start eating, at 1pm, but no calories until 6pm is the way I played it.

Daily Comment:

I had my first rehearsal with Mama Bare today. Good stuff. Easy group to get along with. They're a little more adventurous and a little less 'sounds like the record' than Big Talk, my other side project, who showed up at the Bridge Street jam with another bass player, a friend of the guitarist. 


I felt for a while like I was being replaced, and think, if he had been a better bass player, I might, possibly, have been replaced. That would have stung, but would have been ok. Also, I could be completely wrong, and the other bass player might have been there just to cap his visit to Syracuse. Who knows? 


I played a good set at Bridge Street, and a great set at Rooter's, the second jam I went to, so, really, who cares? The important thing is the playing I did, not the playing I didn't do.

Food Log

Breakfast
Skipped.

Lunch

Skipped.

Dinner

Grass-fed beef with Dijon mustard, with Spring Mix greens, red cabbage and balsamic vinaigrette.  

Liquid Intake

    Coffee:   32 oz,   Water: 120+ oz

March 24, 2012: Post 84, Day 84 - Measurement Day, Cheat Day

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Today's Weight:        199.2 lbs
Yesterday's Weight:    198.4 lbs
Net Loss/Gain:         + 0.8 lbs

Quarterly daily weight from December 31, 2011 - March 31, 2012. 

Daily weight - the long view - from December 31, 2011 - December 31, 2012.  

                   Last week    This week     Gain/Loss

  Weight:     196.4  lbs   198.2  lbs    + 2.8  lbs
  Chest:       39.00 "      39.00 "      - 0.00 in
  Waist:       37.00 "      37.00 "      - 0.00 "
  Hips:        37.00 "      37.00 "      - 0.00 "
  Total in:   113.00 "     113.00 "      - 0.00 "
  % Body Fat:  16.9  %      16.9  %      - 0.0  %

This is a chart of my weekly weight since 12/31/2011. (First quarter, 2012). 

This is a weekly chart of measured total inches (sum of chest, waist, hips) since 12/31/2011.  (First quarter, 2012).  

Diet Commentary
After the big weight-loss I had due to illness right before my last measurement-cheat day, a return to a more normal weight. Although I had a bad dietary day yesterday, which included a donut and candy, I am not at all disturbed by the slight 1-day weight-gain on the scales this morning.

Daily Commentary

Another lazy, easy weekend day, ending up with some jamming that was more enthusiastic than for the enthusiast, which is to say, I don't know how good it sounded, but it sure was fun.

Food Log

Brunch

Onion,peppers and eggs with bacon and pork sausages; Ezekiel Sprouted Grains Golden Flax cereal with blueberries, almond milk and stevia-inulin. 

Snack

Dark chocolate-covered blueberries and acai berries. Pasta with tomato sauce and balsamic vinaigrette for a little zip.

Dinner

Liquid Intake

    Coffee:  32 oz, Water:  64+ oz.