7/5/2020 Weighing In

Yesterday was 226.75; today I'm at 224.25. That's 2.5 pounds yesterday ... gone! I do love the start of a weight-loss journey...

I drank 100 oz H2O yesterday.

I was hungry yesterday. I therefore ate two more "fuelings" than I was scheduled to eat. Today's plan is for five "fuelings" and one "lean and green" meal comprising eggs and spinach (I do love a spinach omelette). And I'd better go get my first "fueling"; I'm hungry, but the bed needed to be made this morning (and it is indeed now relegated to the kitties for the day).

11/22/2019 Weigh In

212.0. No change since 11/17; that was Sunday and today is Friday. I stepped on the scales yesterday, but did not have time to make the blog entry.

It's been five days without change. I hate ... HATE ... plateaus. They are frustrating as all get out. If this one does not break tomorrow, I will do an egg-grapefruit day tomorrow to kick it into gear.

Next week is Thanksgiving. I'm off to the Boston area to visit my daughter; we plan to do sushi on the holiday itself (no one in my family, including me, likes turkey). I'm staying in a friend's condo in Gloucester, MA, about two blocks from the beach ... to which I will go and walk. I can walk a beach for miles and miles. The ocean air, even in late November, does something for me.

Jim wanted to be scattered at sea. I will fill four small urns with his ashes, one each for his three sons and one for me, and keep those, and I have part of his ashes (and his eyeglasses) in a lovely rosewood box urn on my dining-room mantel. That box urn I will eventually cause to be interred in a national cemetery (he was a veteran, and I will have my ashes interred with his when the time comes), but I will do as he wished and scatter the rest of his ashes on the Gloucester shore this Thanksgiving. It's been five years as of 12/7; it's time to follow his wishes.

Today's Plan:

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

11/18/2019 Weigh In

212.0. No change from yesterday.

I have no profound words this morning; I'll just keep on plugging away, taking the weight off little bit by little bit.

Today's Plan

Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, strawberries, water
11 am: NordicTrack, water
Lunch: Chicken, salad, water
2 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

11/17/2019 Weigh In

212.0, down 0.75 from 11/15's 212.75. I forgot to step onto the scales yesterday.

Hey, I've lost 17 lb since I started on 10/6 (I started, if you recall, at 229 lb)! And that's WITH the yogurt "cheat" every night! I shall continue the yogurt "cheat"; it adds good flora to my gut, it tastes good, and it keeps me away from worse things ... like chocolate ice cream...  I mix 1 tbsp of Hershey's special dark cocoa powder and 1 tbsp of sweetener into two ice-cream scoops (about 1 cup) of plain nonfat thick Greek yogurt (all that is about 90 calories).

I have three more pounds to go for my next Reward (another new pair of yoga pants). I think I'll wear yoga pants on the plane to and from London (whence I shall travel very soon), along with my pressure socks and a t-shirt and a sweater.

I saw "Mary Poppins" at Schenectady Light Opera Company (SLOC) yesterday (the show was delightful!). At intermission, they had for sale soda and cookies and muffins. I bought water. And I walked to and from SLOC ... probably a total of about a mile. I need to walk more.

Today's Plan

Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, strawberries, water
11 am: NordicTrack, water
Lunch: Chicken, salad, water
2 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

11/13/2019 Weigh In

213.5. No change.

Thank goodness no change. I ended up finishing off the crackers in the house last night, on top of following my Plan for the rest of the day. That added probably 1000-1100 calories to yesterday's intake. That can't go on, of course; the rationalization is that now the crackers are GONE and I'm not buying any more. But did I need to finish them all off last night? I did not. I simply had a case of late-night munchies.

Back to the straight and narrow today.

Today's Plan

Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, strawberries, water
11 am: 5 minutes on NordicTrack, water
Lunch: Chicken, salad, water
2 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

11/9/2019 Weigh In

215, down 0.25 from yesterday's 215.25.

Yesterday's egg-grapefruit day was a success. Eight eggs, eight grapefruit halves, eight glasses of water and nothing else for one day cleanses the system and kickstarts the weight loss. 0.25 lb is a good start; we'll see what tomorrow brings.

And I'm almost halfway to my 10-lb mini goal (10 pounds is a far more achievable goal than is the ultimate goal of 150 lb; that's 65 lb from now, and I need to break that one down; the whole goal is just daunting. I will get there, little bit by little bit).

I've been bad about climbing onto my NordicTrack lately; I'll use today to kick that back into gear.

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, salad, water
7 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
7:30 pm: Apple, water
9:30 pm: Yogurt

11/8/2019 Weigh In

215.25. No change.

Well, that's surprising, considering all the Club crackers I ate last night.

I shall do an egg-grapefruit day today to clean that mess up.

Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Egg, 1/2 grapefruit, water
11 am: Egg, 1/2 grapefruit, 5 minutes walking, water
Lunch: Egg, 1/2 grapefruit, water
3 pm: Egg, 1/2 grapefruit, water
5 pm: Egg, 1/2 grapefruit, water
5 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
Dinner: Egg, 1/2 grapefruit, water
7:30 pm: Egg, 1/2 grapefruit, water
9:30 pm: Egg, 1/2 grapefruit

11/7/2019 Weigh In

215.25, down from the aberrant 215.5 of yesterday and back to where I was two days ago.

Good. No Club crackers last night!

Today's Plan:

Pre-breakfast: Lemon juice, vitamins
Breakfast: Bran pancake, strawberries, water
11 am: 5 minutes walking, water
Lunch: Chicken, salad, water
12:30: gym with personal trainer
2 pm: Wasa, water
4 pm: Wasa, water
5 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
Dinner: Fish, salad, water
7:30 pm: Apple, water
9:30 pm: Yogurt

11/6/2019 Weigh In

215.5, up 0.25 from yesterday’s 215.25.

That’s what I get for eating a stack of Club Crackers at 3 a.m.

I couldn’t sleep last night, I was so hungry. I’m not sure why; usually, I’m fine after the yogurt. But last night, I was STARVING. And thus I made a bad choice.

Tonight I have a date. We’re meeting at the coffee shop at Barnes and Noble in Wilton. His name is Richmond; I don’t know his surname, which is fine; he doesn’t know mine, either. We’ll see what happens....

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, salad, water
7 pm: Tea
When I get home: Apple, water
10:30 pm: Yogurt

11/5/2019 Weigh In

215.25, down 0.25 from yesterday! Little bit by little bit...

I cannot sing the praises of the old Diet Center weight-loss diet highly enough. It works. I feel good while I'm on it. And the weight comes off at a healthy rate.

Diet Center has revamped its weight-loss diet, I believe; it's now online and not quite so regimented. Me, I like the old regimen. I don't need the online thing, I have done this and am doing it on my own, and I have no doubt that I will reach my goal weight.

However, I have a trip coming up; I'm off to London right after Thanksgiving. The eating regimen will be different for a week. I will take food with me on the plane for the trip so I don't eat airline food on the way over. I will get a lot of exercise while I'm there; I'm going to be walking around museums and around the streets of London doing the tourist stuff I've never done. I will, though, maintain control of my eating whilst there, but I will not kick myself for stalling or even gaining a bit over that week; I will simply return to the regimen when I get back.

Last year at the holidays, I said those very words and didn't follow through. I ate whatever I damn well pleased from November until October; the result was that I gained back 29 of the 50-something pounds I lost last year. I shall remember that, and not repeat the mistake.

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, salad, water
7 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
7:30 pm: Apple, water
9:30 pm: Yogurt

11/4/2019 Weigh In

215.5. No change from yesterday. And that's okay.

I didn't quite follow my Plan yesterday. I skipped lunch; had brunch instead because I didn't get my keister downstairs to the kitchen until around 12:30-12:45. So I gave myself a three-egg-white-one-egg-yolk spinach omelette and a bowl of strawberries for brunch, then chicken and bok choy for dinner. Not a huge deviation, but worth mentioning.

Daylight savings time ended yesterday. Can't wait for March when it starts up again!

Today's Plan (which I shall follow better, since it's NOT 12:30 at this moment):

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, salad, water
7 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
7:30 pm: Apple, water
9:30 pm: Yogurt

11/3/2019 Weigh In

215.5, down 0.5 lb from yesterday's 216.

It's coming off! Every loss is a win for me and my health! Little bit by little bit, I'm losing all there is of it ("it" being the extra tonnage).

And now it's time to eat. I'm hungry, and it's well past breakfast time.

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, salad, water
7 pm: 5 minutes on NordicTrack
7:30 pm: Apple, water
9:30 pm: Yogurt

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.