I've never been happier to be overweight!

201.0-->198.8-->196.2

And with this weigh-in, I have met my original, biggest goal of moving from the "obese" class of the Body Mass Index to the "overweight." Part of my mind quibbles -- though I am officially 5' 8" on my license and on old, abandoned dating profiles, in reality I am closer to 5' 7.75". If I were to be super anal and use the later number, I'm still .7 lbs away from my goal. Y'know what? F it. I made my first goal!

This marker has a special connotation of sweetness because this was the first month I rode a desk 5 days a week, and despite that huge change to my daily life, was able to keep my diet consistently healthy and in check. My next entry will be focused on the specifics of this change, and it's implications to the broader idea of health and healthy living.

Next week is the one year anniversary of this blog, which itself a reboot of a daily food diary blog that dragged on without much purpose or result for 5 years. In the introductory post, I gave myself three years to get to this point in my weight. I did it in one. So with the remaining 2 years on this arbitrary clock, I aim to the next goal:

• Get down to the BMI classification of "normal", whose outer-edge for me is 164 lbs. I've lost about 40 lbs in a year, can I do another 32 in another couple of years?

I'm now using the last hole on the belt I bought 9 months ago. It's snug but comfortable on that setting. Still, when I look in the mirror I still see a fat, flabby person, just smaller scaled. However....

This picture recently came up in my Facebook stream (I'm the one with the smaller black bar.) It's from the 2001 Mermaid Parade, and it shocked me. When I see a random picture of myself from 12 years ago, I'm surprised how chunked and uncomfortable I look. (And what the hell was going on with my hair?!) Back then, around 30 years old, I thought I looked fine and not that pudged out. Weird how the mind's eye works.

I don't know if I can lose another 30 lbs, but I've been pretty consistent in my diet for over 9 months and numbers are on a pretty straight directory. I guess when I flat line, that'll be time for a nutritionist consultation....

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Stumbled across this video recently, good review for a calorie counter like myself. You don't have to count calories, but if you don't appreciate the basic concepts presented here, you better be born with a  really fast metabolism. (via Gizmodo)

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Speaking of calorie counts, laws making restaurants post them is still bubbling in the news cycle. Frank Bruni's columns for the NY Times have been unbelievably poorly conceived at times since he stopped writing food reviews, but he hit the nail on the head last Sunday when he contemplated the move to post calorie counts in restaurants with more than 20 locations. This has been in effect in NYC for a while, and there is a move to do the same nationwide under President Obama's health plans. 

While there is no real downside to posting calorie counts (and as a 5-days-a-week calorie counter, it's personally a huge help) but the stats don't lie: most people don't pay attention to the calorie count posts and/or don't care. However, Bruni's summation is so correct that I'm reposting the heart of it right here, highlights my own:

Cheryl Healton, the dean of global public health at New York University, told me that education and information could be effective in influencing a discrete, relatively easy behavior, like persuading someone to get vaccinated. 

“But when it’s habitual and even addictive behavior, you’re in a whole new ballgame,” she said. 

Healton, an authority on tobacco use in particular, noted that the principal reasons for the remarkable decrease in smoking in New York City and elsewhere over the last few decades weren’t ominous commercials and warning labels. They were taxes and the bans on indoor smoking. People kicked the habit when it became onerous, in cost and convenience, not to. 

Farley, the health commissioner, agreed. “The structural things were more effective for smoking than the information was,” he said. And that — not any itch to play nanny — is why he and Mayor Michael Bloomberg support such measures as new taxes on sodas, which may never happen, and a ban on sugary drinks over 16 ounces, which is in legal limbo. 

We should certainly continue to give posted calorie counts a whirl. Even a tiny impact is better than none. But we also need a more forceful kick in our amply cushioned rears. We’re not as plump as we are because we’ve never had our eyes opened to the wages of a Whopper. We’re this way because it’s all too easy, in a pang of hunger and collapse of resolve, to turn a blind eye to the toll. 

Tru dat, Bruniski, tru dat.

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FBIWC will not be posting next week in honor of the holiday and our anniversary. Don't worry, I'll still be recording what I eat and will addend to the following post...
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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2351

Despite some up and down's, remained for all intents and purposes within budget, which surprised me. Despite some budget-busting, I feel good about the weekly vibe because sugar remained absent, and despite one Fun-Friday diet soda on purpose, the lure of the sweet fizzy acid drink remains in check.

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MONDAY COUNT: 2060

AM SNACK: 6am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 9:45am, Fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 310 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, almond butter & grape jelly on whole wheat, health salad, 630 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, momma salad, 100 cal

PM SNACK: 5:45pm, apple/carrot/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/kale/cayenne juice, 170 cal

DINNER: 6:30pm, 2 knishes, pickles, assorted European chocolates +/- 450cal
Family I don't see often enough over, made them a small flight of knishes, they brought some nice chocolates from their European adventures. Felt wrong to not try them.

PM SNACK: 8pm poppa salad, 100 cal

EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, Fritos, 300 cal

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2430

Good eating day despite breaking the budget slightly. Got home to a little dinner party with some adult friends of Edie and pizza all around. I was going to go straight for salad to take the edge off, but it seemed a bit anti-social not to join in. I did serve a nice plate of European chocolates that was gifted to my family yesterday, and fortunately was able to resist it's call.

AM SNACK: 6am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 9:15am, steel cut oatmeal with butter, brown sugar, vanilla & cinnamon, 350 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, chicken meatballs, madras lentils, steamed string beans, 610 cal

PM SNACK: 4:15pm, momma salad, 100 cal

PM SNACK: 6:45pm, slice of streetza, +/- 300 cal

PM SNACK: 8:30pm ,poppa salad, 150 cal

DINNER: 9pm, grilled pork tenderloin, roasted broccoli & cippolini onions, multi grain rice, 620 cal

EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, Fritos, 300 cal

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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2980

Good eating day despite busting the budget. Just got honestly hungry in the evening, grazed but avoided sugar temptation.

AM SNACK: 6:30am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 8am, fruit smoothie, 410 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, grilled pork tenderloin, roasted broccoli & cippolini onions, multi grain rice, 620 cal

PM SNACK: 4:15pm, momma salad, 100 cal

PM SNACK: 6:45pm, apple/carrot/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/kale/cayenne juice, 180 cal

PM SNACK: 7:15pm, poppa salad, 150 cal

DINNER: 7:45pm, sauteed chicken breast, roasted asparagus, shirataki noodles in garlic & butter, 670 cal

EVENING SNACK: 8pm, Fritos, 250 cal
Ran out!

EVENING SNACK: 10pm, pretzels with peanut butter, half a slice of pizza, +/- 600 cal

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THURSDAY COUNT: 2120

Woke up at 5 to do weights, do a food shop, collected laundry, take Mili to school, etc. Spaced in the heat of things and left my breakfast at home! Indulged in some Micky D, skipped the 120 cal hashbrown. A little annoyed with myself because weigh in is tomorrow, but in reality it's no biggie.

AM SNACK: 5:15am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 9:15am, sausage McGriddle, 420 cal

Eating this while riding to work, really tasted it. It does taste good, but it's REALLY salty and REALLY sweet. How did I not notice this before? Texturally, it's a wonderful combination of soft and chewy, like a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie made out of sausage and pancake. Hmmmm. This may be an evil convenience food, and was probably made by machines and people working minimum wage, but the thought that went into it's design is immense.

LUNCH: 1pm, grilled pork tenderloin, roasted broccoli & cippolini onions, sofrito black beans, 500 cal

PM SNACK: 4:15pm, momma salad, 100 cal

DINNER: 7pm, falafel platter with hummus, babaganoush, grape leaves, whole wheat pita, +/-800 cal

EVENING SNACK: 9:45pm, cheetos, 300 cal
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FRIDAY COUNT: 2165

Up at 4:30 for a happy weigh in. Did some cooking projects before everyone work up while I appreciated the new soreness in my pectorals. I just started using some push-up bars on yesterday's work out and man, if that little elevation didn't make all the difference.

AM SNACK: 5am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 9:30am, steel cut oatmeal, 350 cal

LUNCH: 1:15pm, Quarter Pounder, 20oz diet coke, 540 cal

PM SNACK: 4:15pm, momma salad, 100 cal

WORK BEER: 5pm, half a can of Mexican lager, +/- 75 cal

PM SNACK: 6:15 pm, apple/carrot/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/kale/cayenne juice, 190 cal

PM SNACK: 6:30pm, poppa salad with miso tahini, 100 cal

DINNER: xpm, scallops, brussel sprouts, cous cous, 510 cal

EVENING SNACK: 9:45pm, Fritos, 300 cal