Thursday, October 31, 2019

10/31/2019

216.0, down 1.75 lb from yesterday's 217.75!!!!!

WTF!!!!! HUGE WIN!!!!!!!!!

This won't continue, but WOW!!! I dropped 2.5 lb in 2 days (I was 218.5 on 10/29)!! It's drops like this that make plateaus worth tolerating. Clearly the Plan is working for me.

I'm not bored with the same. old. thing every day; the food is good, and I mix it up in the salads. Right now my salad has lettuce and three colors of peppers in it (red, yellow and orange). Tonight I'll have bok choy stir-fried with my chicken for dinner.

I've been combining pre-breakfast, breakfast and 10 a.m. fruit by starting the day with three glasses of water-with-lemon-juice and putting 1C strawberries on my bran pancake.

Today’s Plan:

Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, strawberries, water
11 am: 5 minutes on NordicTrack, water
Lunch: Fish, salad, water
2 pm: Wasa, water
4 pm: Wasa, water
5 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
Dinner: Chicken stir-fried with bok choy, water
7 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
7:30 pm: Apple, water
9:30 pm: Yogurt

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

10/30/2019 Weigh In

217.75, down 0.5 lb from yesterday’s 218.5! Yeah!! It does work!! WIN!!!

The tricks, of course, are to (1) actually reach my goal weight, and (2) actually maintain my goal weight once I’ve reached it. I have never persevered long enough to actually hit my goal. Ever. In my entire weight-loss history (and that history is extensive) I have never once gotten to goal. So: here’s the challenge. I will reach my goal of 160 lb within one year. It’s on my calendar.

After I reach my goal, I will do monthly challenges to maintain that goal weight. But let’s reach it first.

Today’s Plan:

Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, strawberries, water
10:30 am: 5 minutes on NordicTrack, water
Lunch: Chicken, salad, water
1:45 pm: Wasa, water
4 pm: Wasa, water
5 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
Dinner: Fish, salad, water
7 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
7:30 pm: Apple, water
9:30 pm: Yogurt

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

10/29/2019 Weigh In

218.5, down 0.5 from yesterday's 219! Hurray!! I'm working on the next 10 pounds!! 9.5 pounds to go .... It's so much easier for me to put it on than it is to take it off, so I'm really quite proud of myself for losing the 10 pounds in three weeks; it will probably take a bit longer than that to lose the next 10, though; it's coming off in fits and starts, little bit by little bit. Well, 2 lb per week is a healthy rate. Frustrating, but healthy.

The Plan with the NordicTrack ... yeah, that didn't work out. I did 5 minutes on the machine yesterday. But I ate right and will work up my time on the machine. So let's be a bit more realistic today.

My Reward comes today; I ordered these red yoga pants from Amazon. They should really be quite stunning! And they give me something other than shorts and the black yoga pants to wear to the gym ... which is good!

I have to modify the Plan today; I have a dentist's appointment at 11 (for fillings; I hope to God he uses his laser drill and not novocaine) and a client coming in at 2. But it still works!

Today's Plan

Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, strawberries, water
9:30 am: 5 minutes on NordicTrack, water
11 am: dentist
Lunch: Chicken, salad, water
1:45 pm: Wasa, water
4 pm: Wasa, water
5 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
Dinner: Fish, salad, water
7 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
7:30 pm: Apple, water
9:30 pm: Yogurt

Monday, October 28, 2019

10/28/2019 Weigh In

219.0. Again no change.

I rewarded myself for the 10 pounds lost yesterday with a new pair of RED yoga pants. They should arrive from Amazon tomorrow.

I didn't go badly off my Plan yesterday, but I did eat an extra bread serving. For whatever reason, I was HUNGRY last night. I don't know why; usually, I'm not hungry on this new lifestyle. Maybe I was just bored.

Y'know, I bet that if I climb on my NordicTrack for half an hour each day, the numbers might go down faster. What do you think? I'll give that a whirl this week and see what happens.

Today's Plan

Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, water
9 am: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
10 am: Strawberries, water
11 am: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
Lunch: Chicken, salad, water
1 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
2 pm: Wasa, water
3 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
4 pm: Wasa, water
5 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
Dinner: Fish, salad, water
7 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
7:30 pm: Apple, water
9:30 pm: Yogurt

Sunday, October 27, 2019

10/27/2019 Weigh In

219! Down 0.25 from yesterday! Ten pounds gone from the start of this phase of losing the tonnage, three weeks ago! HUGE win!! Time for a REWARD!! Mama needs a new pair of yoga pants!

Today's Plan

Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, water
10 am: Strawberries, water
Lunch: Chicken, salad, water
2 pm: Wasa, water
4 pm: Wasa, water
Dinner: Fish, salad, water
7:30 pm: Apple, water
9:30 pm: Yogurt


Saturday, October 26, 2019

10/26/2019 Weigh In

219.25. Still no change. But 9.75 pounds gone from the day I restarted, so that's good. Only 0.75 pounds of it were this week, though; that's bad.

This is one tough plateau. It will break eventually, but "eventually" is taking its own sweet time coming, I must say! Talk about frustrating....

Yesterday did not go as planned at all. I ended up actually eating less than planned; I skipped out on breakfast and lunch. I had an extra piece of fruit, dinner, both bread servings and the yogurt. But I can't really do that every day; I was hungry by the time I finally ate, and I'm sure I didn't get all the nutrition my body requires on a daily basis. And I didn't drink nearly enough; I think I got in only half of the water requirement. Well, I'll do better today.

Gotta go grocery shopping today with the $67 left in my checking account after paying the massive bills this month. But I only need lettuce and chicken; those are cheap. And payday is on Friday, so we're good.

Today's Plan

Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, water
10 am: Strawberries, water
Lunch: Chicken, salad, water
2 pm: Wasa, water
4 pm: Wasa, water
Dinner: Fish, salad, water
7:30 pm: Apple, water
9:30 pm: Yogurt

Friday, October 25, 2019

10/25/2019 Weigh In

219.25. No change.

It’s coming off, but in its usual fits and starts. Ugh. That’s the frustrating part of this journey.

Of course, yesterday did not go according to plan. I forgot when planning it that I had Toastmasters last night, which screwed with the planned times. Today will be better; I have no evening plans.

Here’s wishing for daily visible weight drop! But I know that’s pie in the sky. It comes off at its own rate. Little bit by little bit.

Today's Plan

Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, water
10 am: Strawberries, water
Lunch: Chicken, salad, water
2 pm: Wasa, water
4 pm: Wasa, water
Dinner: Fish, salad, water
7:30 pm: Apple, water
9:30 pm: Yogurt

Thursday, October 24, 2019

10/24/2019 Weigh In

219.25. No change from yesterday.

That's not a huge surprise, given that I ate sushi last night. It was good sushi, too, but it's not on the Approved Foods List at all (well, the fish is, but rice? Not!!). At least I didn't gain.

So. Today's Plan

Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, water
10 am: Strawberries, water
Lunch: Chicken, salad, water
2 pm: Wasa, water
4 pm: Wasa, water
Dinner: Fish, salad, water
7:30 pm: Apple, water

I'll skip the yogurt tonight unless I'm really hungry at 9:30 pm.

I go to the gym for a personal training session today. That's a Good Thing.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

10/23/2019 Weigh In

219.25, down 0.75 from yesterday's 220.

Gotta love an egg-grapefruit day! It's not even all that difficult to do; I got munchie/hungry last night at bedtime, but that's really the only time I was hungry all day, and I did manage to survive that. However, it is only for ONE DAY; more than that and I lose all those phytochemicals in the veggies and I would build up my already high bad cholesterol from all those egg yolks. I try to limit egg-grapefruit days to only one per month.

Today is a different kettle of fish. I have a dinner planned with my friends at a sushi restaurant. An all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant. While fun, I shall keep a tight eye on what, exactly, I'm eating. And no tea/lemonade mix; just water tonight.

Today's Plan
Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, water
10 a.m.: Pear, water
Lunch: Chicken, salad, water
2 pm: Wasa, water
4 pm: Wasa, water
5:30 pm: Salad, water
Dinner: Sushi, water
7:30 pm: Apple
9:30 pm: Yogurt

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

10/22/2019 Weigh In

220. No change. Again. No change since Saturday, and today is Tuesday.

Hmmm.

Egg-grapefruit day today.

You know, the funny thing about an egg-grapefruit day is that you really are not hungry. It's rigorous and it's nothing to do every day, but I don't get hungry on it. And it actually works. I expect to see SOME change tomorrow after having completed it.

Today's Plan
Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: 1 egg, 1/2 grapefruit, water
10 am: 1 egg, 1/2 grapefruit, water
Lunch: 1 egg, 1/2 grapefruit, water
2 pm: 1 egg, 1/2 grapefruit, water
4 pm: 1 egg, 1/2 grapefruit, water
Dinner: 1 egg, 1/2 grapefruit, water
7:30 pm: 1 egg, 1/2 grapefruit, water
9:30 pm: 1 egg, 1/2 grapefruit, water

Of course, it would help to hop up on the Nordic Track for half an hour. I haven't done that, and I do need to start. Gotta get in shape for the Great Western Trek next summer (or the summer after; depends on money)!

Oh, hey ... it's Derek Jacobi's birthday today! Happy Birthday, Sir Derek!

Monday, October 21, 2019

10/21/2019 Weigh In

220.0. No change. Yet again.

This is still called a plateau. Frustration increases since I've been following my Plan and am still seeing no immediate results. If this happens again tomorrow, I'll do an egg-grapefruit day to kick the weight loss back into gear (gotta get some real, uncracked eggs for that; all I have are egg whites).

I'm on a panel, speaking tonight, so I need to vary my Plan just a bit.

Today’s Plan
Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, water
10 a.m.: Strawberries, water
Lunch: Egg white and spinach scramble, water
2 p.m.: Wasa, water
4 p.m.: Wasa, water
Dinner: Chicken with Diet Center mayo, salad, water
9:30 p.m.: Yogurt with apple chunks in it (with cinnamon and stevia ... yum!), water

Sunday, October 20, 2019

10/20/2019 Weigh In

220.0. No change. Again.

This is called a plateau. Frustration reigns since I've been following my Plan and am seeing no immediate results. As a member of the first TV generation, I'm used to instant gratification; I want it NOW. Well, I guess I'm paying for that one-pound precipitous drop a few days ago.

Nine pounds gone from Day 1 of this weight-loss session. That's a win.

Today’s Plan
Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, water (1/4 C egg whites, 2 Tbsp unprocessed wheat bran, cinnamon, stevia)
10 a.m.: Apple, water
Lunch: Fish, salad, water
2 p.m.: Wasa, water
4 p.m.: Wasa, water
Dinner: Chicken, salad, water
7:30 p.m.: Strawberries, water
9:30 p.m.: Yogurt (with 1 Tbsp dark chocolate powder, 1 tsp stevia, a few drops almond extract ... yum)

Saturday, October 19, 2019

10/19/2019 Weigh In


220.0, down nothing from yesterday. That's not a surprise, but...

I have lost 9 pounds in two weeks! WIN!!

Today’s Plan
Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, water
10 a.m.: Strawberries, water
Lunch: Fish, salad, water
2 p.m.: Wasa, water
4 p.m.: Wasa, water
Dinner: Chicken, salad, water
7:30 p.m.: Apple, water
9:30 p.m.: Yogurt

Personal training this morning, and I'm running late. Of course.

Friday, October 18, 2019

10/18/2019 Weigh In

220.0, down one pound from yesterday’s 221.0!

I have lost 9 pounds in two weeks! WIN!!

I had a hard time sticking to my Plan yesterday due to scheduling; I wasn’t hungry at all, probably because I was so busy. So the fish salad I was supposed to have for dinner morphed into an egg-white-and-spinach scramble ... which was quick, easy, and quite tasty and filling (who knew!).

Today’s Plan
Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, water
10 a.m.: Strawberries, water
Lunch: Fish, salad, water
2 p.m.: Wasa, water
4 p.m.: Wasa, water
Dinner: Chicken, salad, water
7:30 p.m.: Apple, water
9:30 p.m.: Yogurt

Thursday, October 17, 2019

10/17/2019 Weigh In

221.0, down 0.75 from yesterday’s 221.75.

Okay then! It’s coming off!

I varied from yesterday’s plan only by subbing a bowl of strawberries for the Orange last night.  But this Plan is very, very easy to stick to. I don’t get hungry, cravings are in the background and quite manageable. I eat nine times per day, so feeding my need to eat something is satiated. Yeah, this plan works. And I feel good. I have more energy.

Today’s Plan
Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, water
10 a.m.: Apple, water
Lunch: Chicken, salad, water
2 p.m.: Wasa, water
4 p.m.: Wasa, water
Dinner: Fish, salad, water
7:30 p.m.: Orange, water
9:30 p.m.: Yogurt

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

10/16/2019 Weigh In

221.75, no change from yesterday.

That's no surprise. I did, after all, drop over a pound between yesterday and the day before. Little bit by little bit.

TODAY'S PLAN
Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, water
10 a.m.: Apple, water
Lunch: Chicken, salad, water
2 p.m.: Wasa, water
4 p.m.: Wasa, water
Dinner: Fish, salad, water
7:30 p.m.: Orange, water
9:30 p.m.: Yogurt

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

10/15/2019 Weigh In

221.25, down 1.25 lb from yesterday's 222.5!!

YEAH!!!!

I'll take it!!

2.75 lb to go to my first reward for losing 10 lb! Let's see: that reward should be ... hmmm. I'll figure it out. There's nothing I really desperately want or need right now.

Today's Plan:

Pre-breakfast: lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, water
10 a.m.: Orange, water
Lunch: Chicken salad, water
2 pm: Wasa, water
4 pm: Wasa, water
Dinner: Fish salad, water
7:30 pm: Apple, water
9:30 pm: Yogurt

1/2 hour exercise

Monday, October 14, 2019

10/14/2019 Weigh In

222.5, down from yesterday's 222.75.

There's a poem that I read as a kid about a child who wants a little bit of pie. Then another little bit of pie. Then another, and another and another. Finally, "Little bit by little bit,/You've eaten all there was of it." Well, little bit by little bit, my weight goes down and down and down. Finally, I will reach my goal weight. Little bit by little bit.

Today's Plan:

Pre-breakfast: lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, water
10 am: apple, water
Lunch: Fish, salad, water
2 pm: Wasa, water
4 pm: Wasa, water
Dinner: Chicken salad, water
7:30 pm: Orange, water
9:30 pm: Yogurt

1/2 hour exercise (Nordic Track)

Sunday, October 13, 2019

10/13/2019 Weigh In

222.75, down from yesterday's 223.0.

Hey. 0.25 pound is 0.25 pound. It's better than nothing. And I was hungry yesterday. I was (and am) very proud of myself for sticking to my Plan! I did NOT eat crackers. I did NOT eat a second dish of yogurt. I did NOT eat pizza. And I could have. But that would have sabotaged the Plan. All I did was move the times up by half an hour. That worked.

Today's Plan

Pre-breakfast: lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, water
10 a.m.: Strawberries, water
Lunch: Fish salad, water
2 pm: Wasa, water
4 pm: Wasa, water
Dinner: Stir-fried chicken and bok choy, water
7:30 pm: Apple, water
9:30 pm: 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

Saturday, October 12, 2019

10/12/2019 Weigh In

223.0, down from yesterday's 223.75 (no change yesterday from 10/10).

0.75 lb gone. Last Saturday, I weighed 229.0, so there is now six pounds less of me this week! I'm happy about that!

No time to ruminate on it, though; gotta get ready to go to my personal training session this morning. And the traffic will be horrid, I think.

Today's Plan is the same as every day's Plan. It works well for me.

Pre-breakfast: lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, water
10 a.m.: Apple (in the car), water
Lunch: Chicken salad, water
2 pm: Wasa, water
4 pm: Wasa, water
Dinner: Fish salad, water
7:30 pm: Pear, water
9:30 pm: Yogurt


Thursday, October 10, 2019

10/10/2019 Weigh In

223.75, down from yesterday's 224.75.

A pound a day! Very, very nice! I'll take it! At that rate, I would be 70 pounds lighter in 70 days ... by Christmas. Yeah, like that's going to happen.

The reducing diet is going well. I'm a little hungry by meal times, but the meal satisfies. Yesterday's herbal teas kept me happy for snack in the morning. Today I'm doing fruit for a morning snack ... actually, for a top-off to breakfast, since I just woke up at 10 a.m. So the very first thing I get to do is drink three glasses of water, one with lemon juice in it, eat a bran pancake and ... oh, I'll eat an apple first thing.

Lunch is chicken salad and water. Right now, I have to thaw the chicken.

2 pm is herbal tea.

3 pm is Wasa and water.

Dinner will have to be early today; I have a Toastmasters meeting at 6, so dinner, fish (probably halibut tonight; I bought haddock, halibut and salmon yesterday), Wasa and water, will be at 5.

I'll get home from the Toastmasters meeting at about 8:45, at which point I'll have a bowl of strawberries and water.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

10/9/2019 Weigh In

224.75, down from yesterday's 225.75.

Another pound gone! 

The rate won't last, but I'll take it while it's good for the taking.

Today I have meetings all day. That means, of course, that I must brown-bag my lunch and daytime snacks. I have herbal tea and Wasa at work, but no salad or protein (other than protein powder which is not in the Plan). I shall bring with me a bag of salad greens and a cooked salmon fillet. As my husband always said, "Prior planning prevents poor performance." 

Today's Plan:

Pre-Breakfast: glass of lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: bran pancake made with cinnamon and stevia, water
10 a.m.: herbal tea, water
Lunch: salad, salmon, water
2 p.m.: Wasa, water
4 p.m.: herbal tea, Wasa, water
Dinner: salad, chicken, water
7:30 p.m.: apple, water
9:30 p.m.: 1/2 C Greek yogurt with cocoa powder and almond extract, water

UPDATE:

Yeah, the schedule worked sort of okay today. And the herbal tea worked magnificently as a midmorning and mid afternoon pick-me-up. I had fish for dinner rather than chicken. I was hungry at dinnertime, but the salad, fish, apple and water filled me nicely, and 1/4 C of yogurt was probably overkill.

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

10/8/2019 Weigh In

225.75, down 1.25 lb. from yesterday's 227.0.

YES!! 1.25 lb lost yesterday ... I'll take it.

And I woke up this morning not hungry. Yes, I can easily eat, but I'm certainly not ravenously hungry. I rather like the two cheats I had yesterday (an extra piece of fruit and 1/2 C plain nonfat Greek yogurt with almond extract, Stevia and cocoa powder); they seem to satisfy the hunger. I shall keep them for the moment.

I am working on exorcising the demon that has kept me fat for all these years. I've always been heavy, and that has sat badly with a demon whose voice has been with me forever. The driving force behind that demon ... a fat-shaming close family member ... has been dead and gone for nearly five years now, and it's time to get that voice out of my head. I deserve to be fit and healthy ... even though, yes, I'm now in my 60s and have arthritis in one hip and extraordinarily tight hip flexors in both hips, so I now walk with a gimp and can't run at all. I walk, actually, like my grandmother walked ... grabbing onto solid objects as I pass them for support. That pisses me off. I never liked that grandmother much.

This is the shape I need to get out of before I go on my Grand Tour of (some of) the western National Parks next summer. Weight loss, NordicTrack, and personal trainer to the rescue!

Goals. Time to set goals. I will weigh 210 lb by Thanksgiving. That's a goal. It's achievable; not easy, but achievable. I have 1.5 months to lose 15.75 lb. It's an important goal; I'm off to England for a week right after Thanksgiving! First time in decades I will have visited London!

Long-term, 145 remains the pie-in-the-sky dream, but that is totally invisible to me at this moment. I'll do this in shorter chunks.

So. Today's Plan:

Pre-Breakfast: glass of lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: bran pancake made with cinnamon and stevia, water
10 a.m.: orange, water
Lunch: salad, chicken, water
2 p.m.: Wasa, water
4 p.m.: 1/2 C Greek yogurt with cocoa powder & almond extract, water
Dinner: salad, chicken, Wasa, water
7:30 p.m.: apple, water
9:30 p.m.: 1 C strawberries, water

The yogurt and the strawberries are cheats on the strict diet. I figure that if I plan the cheats, I won't cheat the Plan.

UPDATE at 10:26 pm:

I stuck to the Plan ... except for some of the times. I exchanged the timing of the Greek yogurt and the strawberries (1 cup of strawberries is less than I wanted it to be...), and I had the Greek yogurt at 8:15, not at 9:30. I am now going to bed comfortably full.

Tomorrow will be challenging since I'll be in my office all day with clients. I'll likely do the same Plan tomorrow, except I'll substitute salmon for chicken for lunch.

Monday, October 7, 2019

10/7/2019 Weigh In

227.0, down from yesterday's 229.0.

That feels good. Two pounds gone in one day on the conditioning diet. Today begins the weight-loss diet. That's a whole different kettle of fish. Speaking of which, I'll be eating a lot of fish. And chicken.

As lovely as it is, the two-pounds-per-day thing will not last; I know that. I will hit plateaus, I will get frustrated, I will curse and vent and bitch and moan ... and the weight will come off. It just won't do it the way I want it to. Well, so be it. When needed, I'll do an egg-grapefruit day. 

And it's time to get onto the NordicTrack. That will do at least two things: it will help the weight peel off and it will get me into shape for my Grand Plan for next summer.

It's also time to start taking advantage of the swimming membership I have at the gym. I love to swim. I love to be in the water. But it's something of a PITA to drive from Schenectady to Guilderland to do that.

Time to eat breakfast. Breakfast will be a glass of water, then a bran pancake (2 Tbsp unprocessed bran, 1 egg, some flavoring ... I'll use cinnamon) and a glass of lemon juice/water and vitamins. That'll keep me going til 10:30, at which point I'll have a pear and a glass of water. Then at noon I'll eat a salad with lots of lettuce and spinach and some chicken and a glass of water. At 3 pm, I'll have a Wasa and a glass of water. For dinner at 6, I'll have broiled salmon, lots of salad, Wasa and water. For snack at 7:30, I'll have an apple and water. And I'll spend the entire day peeing. When I get hungry in the evening, I'll climb on the NordicTrack and get my blood sugar cranked up with some exercise.

So ... that's the Plan for today.

UPDATE: I stuck to the Plan pretty well today. I added 1/2 cup Greek yogurt with almond extract and cocoa powder for dinner’s dessert and an orange at about 9:30 tonight. That’s not a bad plan; with those two additions, I did not feel hungry. And that makes me happy. It’ll slow down the weight loss somewhat if I continue those two cheats, but not significantly, I think.

Sunday, October 6, 2019

10/6/2019 Weigh In

229.0. Grumble.

When last I weighed myself, 11 months ago, I was 200.75. Clearly, I've slipped. My excuse (and that is EXACTLY what this is): Christmas happened. With eggnog cheesecake. Then I didn't go back onto the Plan. While Christmas will happen again, eggnog cheesecake won't.

It's time to get it back in gear and get this show on the road.

I started the Diet Center conditioning diet yesterday, and have one more day to go with that. Then it's chicken-and-fish, chicken-and-fish, chicken-and-fish forevermore.

I have a goal. I have Big Plans for next summer: I'm going to camp my way through the western National Parks. I'll start at probably the southern end with Grand Canyon, then drive up through the Rockies, hitting national parks along the way. I've gotten lots of recommendations for which parks to see; the Big Four on my list are Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain and Glacier. To do this effectively, I need to be at least 50 lb ... preferably 70 lb ... lighter than I am right now by the time my birthday rolls around in late June.

I Can Do This.

MEASUREMENTS

Neck 16.5"
Chest 46.5"/43.25"
Waist 47"
Hips 46.5"
Upper L arm 13.25"
Upper R arm 14"
L thigh 22.5"
R thigh 23"
L calf 15"
R calf 15.5"