Weigh in: Flat line

192.4-->191.8-->191.8
Fat Flat line! First time ever the number didn't change from month to month. Still .6 lbs off my low from October 1st. Considering the two over-eating holidays we just passed and the unusually cold end of Fall/start of Winter that has slowed down my cycling, I'll take this as a win. 

Positives: 

• my weight lifting has gotten slowly but incrementally stronger and more intense. I can usually do close to  one real pull up during the session as a matter of course -- the first one months ago was under some extreme pushing. Now it's just hard, not ridonkulous. My midsection and arms are starting to feel different, weirdly hard even when I'm not tensing. Shirts fitting a little different. Could it finally be...puberty?!
• Moving to the lower calorie budget seems to be going well. Cheeto/Frito habit is at bay.

Room for improvement:

• Weekend & Friday night eating is still problematic. Granted, it's been reigned in a bit by the self-imposed embarrassment of reporting it in more depth at the end of these posts, but it remains a key to moving past this plateau my weight finds itself holding on to.
• Still very uncomfortable on the bike rollers. Must take them a bit more seriously to get some real cardio/bike handling improvement in before the warm weather comes back.

I don't do New Year's resolutions -- I've kinda been doing a New Day's resolution every friggin' time I sit down in the morning and pre-plan my day's eating, that's quite enough. I'm not on a diet plan, that would presume at some point I'd go back to my old way of eating. Every week I try to refine my eating, making it a bit healthier, a little cleaner.

Resolutions, hrrrrrm. Perhaps in 2014, instead of using weekends to simply indulge my old habits to avoid feelings of denial or lack, perhaps I can also use it to try out new, healthy options that would otherwise interrupt the busy lockstep of my work week. Maybe as I get tighter on the weekends, start including one of the weekend days in my weekly average for a more honest picture...

I lost about 20 lbs this past year, on top of about 20 lbs the year before that. If I lose another 10 or so this year to get to my nutritionist-approved goal of 180, that'll be all right by me. Perhaps I should set a reward for myself if I make my goal, other than a back-wax or fake tan? Maybe a new road bike, or a week long winter bike ride up the spine of Florida… My life seems a lot different than it was a year ago, and based on recent turmoil outside the purview of this blog, I suspect it will be much more different in a year from now. Here's to change, good, bad and all between!

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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2633

Way over budget but I'm cool with it -- it's the holidays, the schedule is out of sync, etc. But I'm treating myself well, and not letting the food beast dig it's teeth in too hard.

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MONDAY COUNT: 2205

SLEPT: 8:30pm-3:45am, 7.25 hr
Half day at work, errands to run. Despite the schedule being thrown into turmoil, kept the food in check. Good work out in the morning. Surprised to find myself slightly sore when putting myself to bed.

AM SNACK: 4:15 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 6:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10am, steel cut oatmeal, 410

LUNCH: 1pm, falafel, tomato soup, health salad, pickles, 760 cal

PM SNACK: 2:30 pm, momma salad, babaganoush, 100 cal

PM SNACK: 5pm, cashews, 160 cal

PM SNACK: 7 pm, poppa salad with bottled organic ranch dressing, 150 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, shirataki stir fry with shrimp, shitaki mushrooms and oyster sauce, 360 cal 

EVENING SNACK: 7:45, black peppercorn rice cracker thingies from Graze box, 105 cal
Surprisingly good. Slightly sweet soy glaze, peppery, crunchy, just enough. Three more snacks to decide whether this is worth keeping.

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TUESDAY COUNT: 3185

SLEPT: 9pm-3am, 6 hr
Set alarm for 4, but just woke up on my own at 3, felt pretty good, pleasing sore from yesterday's weights. Spent the morning cutting onions for knishes, too cold to ride. Ate well for most of this non-work day. Planned on Chinese for Jewish Xmas, with the same foods I'd always have with my parents and brother when I was a kid. It was so nice, I purposefully celebrated with B and the E's with some homemade ice cream. Not too much, so it wasn't a crazy indulgence. But that was enough to prime the pump and a few evening snacks went down after that. Again, not a huge amount in quantity but calorie-dense enough to simply destroy the budget. I suspect tomorrow won't be much better.

AM SNACK: 3:30 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 8:30am,  fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 310 cal

PM SNACK: 12:30pm, gold fish crackers, 200 cal

LUNCH: 2pm, mahi mahi, asparagus, poppa salad with organic ranch dressing, pickles, 600 cal

PM SNACK: 2:30pm, pomodoro rustica crackers & almonds from graze box, 115 cal
Nice basilly tomato snack, another good one.

PM SNACK: 3:45pm, momma salad, 100 cal
Got crazy sugar cravings when I gave my daughter a small quantity of M&Ms, did all in my power not to jump on the ice cream, brownies and other sweets in the house.

DINNER: 5:30pm, fried rice, lomein, egg roll, wonton soup, vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, +/- 1000 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7pm, cheetos with M&Ms, 2 brownies, +/- 700 cal

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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 3000

SLEPT: 8:45pm-4am, 7.25 hr
Considered biking this morning, but too cold and on the edge of snowing. Considered lifting, but happily still sore from Monday's lift, I guess I was really focused. Completed ice cream sandwiches and some trimmings ended up in my mouth, eh, it's a holiday (though I did send the few last scoops down the drain to prevent me or my kids from snarfing them) 

AM SNACK: 4:30 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

AM SNACK: 5:30am, a small handful of ice cream sandwich trimmings, +/- 100 cal

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9am,  steel cut oatmeal, 410 cal

JEWISH XMAS BRUNCH: 1:30-3:30pm, bagel with cream cheese and lox, small piece of ham, chocolate covered pretzels, roasted cashews, ice cream sandwiches, pickles, +/- 1,500 cal

DINNER: 7pm, ravioli with sauce, cheetos, +/- 830 cal
The extra thirty to bring up the count to a cool 3000.

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THURSDAY COUNT: 1980

SLEPT: 9pm-4am, 7 hr
Good weight session this morning, noticed my meager one pull up improving. The fact that I was sore the last few day's from Monday's session makes me think the turmoil in my life has helped focus my energies in this one productive way.

AM SNACK: 4:30 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am,  fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 310 cal

LUNCH: 12:30pm, chicken meatballs, jodpur lentils, steamed string beans, kimchi, 600 cal

PM SNACK: 3:30pm,  momma salad, babaganoush, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 4:15pm, smokey gazpacho dip with crackers from graze box, 85 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, Subway 6" veggie burger sub, chips, diet coke, 675

Indulged in chips strategically, needed to get closer to my bottom budget, but didn't have any healthy snacks on me...

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FRIDAY COUNT: 2795

SLEPT: 12pm-5am, 5 hr
Out with a god friend at lunch, out with another good friend in the evening, grabbed some food on teh way home, but only because dinner was kinda small -- tiny dishes, and we left before all our dished came because the kitchen at this new resto was shitting itself.  Sure I busted the budget but it was healthy, with friends, with in reason.

AM SNACK: 4:30 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am,  steel cut oatmeal, 410 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, Almond butter & grape jelly on whole wheat, roasted brussels, pickles, 725 cal

LUNCH 2: 1:45pm, small plate of vegetarian indian food, +/- 300 cal

Social lunch.

DINNER: 6:30pm, modern Korean tapas, +/- 500 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:30pm, 3/4 of a small chocolatey cake thing, +/- 200 cal

DINNER 2: 7:30, slice of large vegan Zen pizza, +/- 500 cal

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WEEKEND REPORT

BIKE CREDIT: +/-900 cal (cyclometer battery died)

SATURDAY COUNT: 3210

SLEPT: 9pm-2am, 5 hr
Got out early to ride about 50 miles, felt great despite my toes going numb (just ordered disposable chemical toe warmers used in ski-boots, hopefully that'll do the trick.) Great day out with my daughter, museums, friends and their children, ate out, felt really fun to spend an interactive day with Edie. Got to bed at a normal time, the ride helped me stay steady.

AM SNACK: 2:30 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

AM DRUGGING: 2:45am, 100mg caffeine in green tea solution

BIKE SNACK 1: 4:45am, granola bar, 350 cal

BIKE SNACK 2: 6:30am, granola bar, 350 cal

AM SNACK: 9am, cheetos, momma salad 400 cal
Extra momma salad left over because of holidays, down easy with a side of cheetos.

AM SNACK: 9:45am, chocolate ice cream, 660 cal

AM SNACK: 10:45am, half a small bag of chocolate chip cookies, +/- 150 cal

LUNCH: 2:15pm, fried fish po' boy, onion rings, too many fries, diet coke, +/- 1200 cal

PM SNACK: 3:30pm, half a chocolate chip cookie, +/-100 cal

PM SNACK: 3:45pm, small whoopee pie, +/- 200 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7pm, cheetos, chocolate chips, cashews, +/- 700 cal

SUNDAY

SLEPT: 8:30pm, 4am, 7.5 hr
Hard day to get through, hit the food hard, the only day of the week I really 'let myself go'. Entertaining 2 kids on a rainy day ended up being fun once I focused. Had an intense night out with a friend, food was not the focus.

AM SNACK: 4:15am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST 1: 4:30am, multigrain flakes with lo fat milk

BREAKFAST 2: 8:30am, sausage mcmuffin, hash brown, pancakes, diet coke

AM SNACK: 9am, 2 donuts

PM SNACK: 1pm, cookie dough

LUNCH: 2pm, 1 hot dog

PM SNACK: 3pm, a mess of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies

DINNER: 6:30pm, meatballs, buffala moz pizza, water

EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, handful of cookies, water

TV makes you fat.

Kill Yr TV

My brother is four years older than me. When I was little, between 4 and 7, I wanted to hang out with him and his friends, but of course they did not want a little pip squeak like me hanging around, being all child-like. Once, they were talking about all the clubs they were going to form, and of course I would be excluded. Building 3 foot Lego towers? Getting to kiss girls? Eat an entire pizza? They were all clearly out of my league. However, when they mentioned "TV club", they first said you have to watch 3 hours a day. I raised my hand, and then they changed it to 5 hours a day. I still raised my hand. Six? Yep. My prodigious television watching made me a shoe-in to the club, despite my youth.

I want back the several years of television that I watched in my youth. My parents plopped me in front of the TV whenever they were busy or wanted to relax, my dad with his headphones and reading material, my mom with her martini and her own television. Unlike the time I spent with them actively, my memory of television is hazy and vague -- Little Rascals in mind-numbing repetition strikes a bell, with a little Gilligan's Island and Munsters, but that's about it. Now that I have kids of my own who I find plopping in front of the single television in the house to get the dishes done and business in order (though the TV is much bigger than back in the day and is matched with a tablet and iPhones), I'm starting to wonder how it affected me, so I can be aware of how it's affecting them.

How it affects kids who watch it? Damn, how it affects kids who are ON it!

According to the science, it's probably a contributing factor as to why I was chubby as a kid and tubby as an adult. There is a lot of articles, listicles, opinion pieces and blog posts about the subject, but I'll boil it down here to the points that most resonate with me:

• Watching TV takes less energy than sitting still and reading a book. Your brain on TV literally slows down your metabolism. I call this the "numbing" effect of a good, immersive session of television watching. And man, did I go there a lot as a kid when things bothered me, things perhaps were out of my ability to understand.
• The messages of TV advertising are designed to make you want hyper-processed, bad-for-you foods.  No one is advertising the wonders of asparagus and a big green salad, but the fun & instant gratification of go-gurt, super sugar smack downs, and McClowny's Butt-Busting Burger Bonanza. Some would say that with repeated exposure, this could be seen as manipulative hypnotizing of the more innocent and vulnerable members of our society. But then again SHSHSHSH there is too big of an industry making too much money that pays off the politicians to really go there.
• Snacking and watching TV go hand in hand. When you sit for a few hours, you need to keep your hands busy. What a better way than to shovel in some yummies? Looking back, until just a year or so ago, there was nothing I liked better than turning on my favorite recorded shows and sitting down to a big plate of something delicious, and just losing myself in the sensations/lack of sensations. That "television bubble." 
• Partially due to that "numbing" quality of television + snacks, studies show that people who snack in front of the tube actually eat more in subsequent meals. For some reason, the food you eat in front of the tube just doesn't satisfy in the same way that a meal that is more focused on.

So what if your a TV addict? Unlike, say, shooting speed balls and smoking meth, television does not rise to the level of "problem addiction", and because so many industries stand to profit, rarely rises to the level of "addiction" at all. What can one do? Well, once you decide it's problem and you want to stop, there are plenty of listicles on the Internet, two points of which I digest for your reading pleasure...

I guess this only makes sense if you watch a lot of TV, therefore certain low-viewership shows...

• Treat yo self! But don't indulge yo self. Stick to the limited number of shows you like, and don't just graze on the tube because your bored. Plan ahead. With the magic of DVRs, this is actually incredibly easy (and you can skip out on all the hypno-ads.) How much tube does it really take to de-stress? If it's more than a few hours a week, then your problems probably aren't being helped by your viewing habits.
• Keep your hands busy with something other than food. Some can do mindless repetition like knitting or needlepoint, while others will mount a stationary bike or treadmill. 

I guess if my 6 year old self were to peer into the future at my 42 year old self, the first thing he'd investigate is a) how awesome my own adult television is (OK, it's pretty huge and awesome) and b) how much time I get to tune out in front of it. On that count, he'd be pretty horrified to hear that I only watch one show without distraction (Sons of Anarchy, a poor replacement for Breaking Bad), and watch snippets of the Daily Show, SNL, NY1 and sitcoms like Parks & Rec with half an ear while lifting weights or trying to spin on bike rollers, maybe another 1.5 hours a week. I'm a bad, bad entertainment consumer -- I know more about TV culture through my guilty-pleasure reading of Entertainment Weekly, a habit carried over from my mom, than through actual watching of TV. I just don't have the time to watch the tube anymore.

When the harm out ways the benefits of media consumption, will it be too late to pull our selves away?

Which is not to discount the Internet. Put aside the instant availability of higher-quality ad-free content through streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, my little girl is just as comfortable on the big 60" flat screen in the living room as she is snuggled up in bed with a parent on one side of her, her baby brother on the other, and the iPad showing the same stuff as the TV right on her lap. To be fair, I do a bit of Internet-consumption at work and sometimes on the weekend on the couch while the kids watch the big screen, but I don't watch too much video. Damn, writing this just made me think that I can catch up with some programs on HBO through the tablet and headphones while the kids watch the TV. Damn it!

Telelove.

Life is good, I don't watch much boobtube anymore because between my family, my work, my friends, my cycling, and other interests (like, umm, blogging!) fill up that television-shaped hole that opened up in my childhood. 

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This morning while watching Yo Gabba Gabba, my pre-verbal son started frantically making raspberry noises with his lips while watching Biz do his "Beat of the Day". It was amazing. I would like nothing more than to get on Biz's lap and do a beat of the day with him, too.
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Just signed up for a free sample box from this subscription club. Could be interesting, add a little healthy variety to my lock step eating. Then again, at $1.50 per snack, it may make more sense to just buy my favorite stuff in bulk and make my own little portion-controlled servings, minus all the packaging and extra shipping. Then again, I do need to TREAT MAH SELF! We'll see, haven't done any straight-up product reviews on this blog yet.
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Uhhh, nose candy?

Drugs, ain't they a bitch? Started feeling ill on Thursday, with a stuffy nose causing pressure in my head, leading to a head ache and achy teeth. My parents used to administer me Afrin, a nasal spray that would clear up my stuffy nose right quick, usually right before bed. So for the first time since I was a kid, I got some and administered it to myself, and indeed, my stuffy nose disappeared and it helped me sleep.

So Saturday afternoon, I was wondering how it worked and what were the downsides, so I googled it and urrrrgh.  It works well, but after a few days, you may get a rebound stuffiness even if the original bug that caused it has passed. That will lead someone to continue to use it, months or years on end in a vicious cycle of addiction. Addiciton to friggin' nasal spray!!! Who woulda thunk it. The packages says do not use more than 3 days, and I realized I was on my third day, so I left it alone. I went to sleep with a clear nose but when I woke up at 6 on Sunday, my first thought was for a hit, then I remembered the article. Weird how easily I might fall into that trap. Fortunately my stuffiness and achiness seems to be on the decline, making my weaning off the junk not to bad.

In related drug news, I totally forgot to take my 100mg hit of caffeine when I went riding Saturday morning, I'm not a very good druggy, I suppose.
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Next week is weigh in. Last weigh in was a week late, and this is a short month. Hopefully the Xmas holiday won't screw me up like Thanksgiving did.
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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2365

Funny how one day of busting the budget can pull the weekly average out of the target zone. Very close to the old zone, but still.

Getting tired of the afternoon salad routine, which is dangerous, as it's a pillar of my daily eating, the main source of raw vegetables, and a good percent of my vegetable consumption over all. Swapped out the dressing on the poppa salad, thought of making something new but took the easy way out and bought a bottle of Whole Foods organic ranch. It's basically mayonnaise with a little tang of buttermilk and some chives, but calorie-wise it works. If I was making it myself, I'd use the same ingredients except the "expeller pressed canola oil" -- sure, expeller pressed is better than the chemical processes used to make this very refined oil, but using EVOO or coconut oil would still be better. Compromises, compromises!

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MONDAY COUNT: 2220

SLEPT: 8:30pm-4am, 7.5 hr
Decent weight lift in the morning. Good eating day, feels good to come out of the haze that too many calories and too few vegetables give me. I look forward to the day I kick that compulsive habit all together.

AM SNACK: 4:15 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 6:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 11am, fruit smoothie, 415 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, falafel, butternut squash soup, health salad, pickles, 790 cal

PM SNACK: 4 pm, momma salad, babaganoush, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 5:30 pm, poppa salad with bottled organic ranch dressing, 150 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, fish, asparagus, kimchi, 555 cal

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2270

SLEPT: 8:30pm-4am, 7.5 hr
Spent the morning making tomato soup, the hard way -- chopping and caramelizing tomatoes, using homemade chicken stock. The recipe called for 3/4 cup of olive oil and 1/2 cup of heavy cream, I ended up using about 1/8 cup of olive oil and 1/4 cup of cream, still came out to 360 cal for a 16oz portion. I guess that's all right, that's a big portion and still fits into the high end of what my Monday lunch will come out at.

AM SNACK: 4:15 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 6:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10:45am, steel cut oatmeal, 410 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, chicken meatballs, string beans, madras lentils, pickles, 680 cal

PM SNACK: 3 pm, momma salad, babaganoush, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 5:30 pm, poppa salad with bottled organic ranch dressing, 150 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, chicken breast, roasted broccoli, quinoa, kimchi, 720 cal

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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2010

SLEPT: 8:45pm - 4am, 7.25 hrs
Decent enough sleep, got weights in, in hopes of being able to ride one of the next few mornings, as the weather forecast predicts overnight temps over 30! Woooo! Had the urge to eat more after dinner, still almost 200 cal from my max, but instead decided to go straight to bed. Good choice, as by the time I was in bed, the urge had passed….

AM SNACK: 4:15 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 6:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am, fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 310 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, chicken breast, roasted broccoli, quinoa, pickles, 720 cal

PM SNACK: 3 pm, momma salad, babaganoush, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 5 pm, poppa salad with bottled organic ranch dressing, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 6:30pm, handful of roasted salted cashews, 160 cal

DINNER: 8:30pm, shirataki stir fry with shrimp, shitaki mushrooms and oyster sauce, 360 cal 

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THURSDAY COUNT: 2045

SLEPT: 9pm-4am, 7 hr
Could have slept in, but 7 is enough. Considered doing a few minutes on the rollers, but weather reports make cycling eminent in my future. After doing my daily food, my son's lunch, collected laundry, changed bedding and towels, installed a new toner cartridge, updated shopping lists for the weekend, sat down in front of the boob tube, thinking I'd have a good block of tune-out time. Within 15 minutes, the little one was up and wandering about, and the wifey went back to bed. -hrumph!- Turned off the tube yes, but enjoyed my one on one time with the little fellah. Good thing about on-demand and DVRs, I feel no sense of loss or urgency if I have to pop in and out of programs.

AM SNACK: 4:15 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal

AM DRUGGING: 8am, 2 ibuprofin
Headachey, nose has been stuffy/drippy the last few days. Could this be my first illness since revamping my diet? Within an hour, felt much better, but that might because I rode my bike (to work) for the first time since Monday, due to weather...

BREAKFAST 2:  9:45am,  steel cut oatmeal, 410 cal

AM SNACK: 11:30am, hot green tea, unsweetened

LUNCH: 1pm, chicken sausage, sofrito black beans, roasted brussel sprouts, pickles, 740 cal

PM SNACK: 3:30 pm, momma salad, babaganoush, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 5:30 pm, poppa salad with bottled organic ranch dressing, 150 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, Subway 6" veggie burger sub, diet coke, 435

EVENING DRUGGING: 11pm, afrin up da nose

Tired, but I knew a stuff nose would keep me up. My parents used to administer this stuff to me as a child, haven't had it since then. Very effective. Brought back a lot of memories of my parent's warm embrace of concern and love. Not enough, unforuntately, for a good night sleep….

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FRIDAY COUNT: 3280

SLEPT: 11:45pm-1:15am, 2:30am-5:30am, 4.5 hr
Hard time sleeping, just like last Thursday night. Kids up in the middle of the night actually helped me, as it forced me to get back into bed and comfort an upset 4 year old - sad, but so delicious. Before that happened, I went and gobbled up some crap in the kitchen -- feeling the edge of sick, felt sick-hungry, gave in with the pizza and brownies, but after that was down, I really didn't want to make myself sicker by moving on to M&Ms or Cheetos, so I stopped my moue dead in it's tracks with a small, compact bowl of homemade granola with whole milk. Really satisfying, helped blunt the sugar rush of the brownie that just went down. Despite it easily being a low-point, I can't help but feel a little proud of being able to think a little bit clearly about how I'm going to feel despite being in the middle of a binge episode.

AM SNACK: 1:30am, slice of cold pizza, brownie, small bowl of granola with whole milk, +/- 1000 cal

AM SNACK: 6am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am, fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 310 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, almond butter & grape jelly on whole wheat, momma salad, pickles, 610 cal

DINNER: 6pm, Stouffer' French Bread pizzas, fritos, handful of cashews, french fries, +/- 1200 cal

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WEEKEND REPORT

BIKE CREDIT: 545

SATURDAY COUNT: 4080

SLEPT: 7pm-2am, 7 hrs

Double your fun, double your calories. Hrumph. Didn't feel like riding but between the nice weather and the current chaos in my personal life, it was a no-choice kinda thing. Body definitely felt run-down the rest of the day, only Afrin saving me from a stuffy nose/head ache/aching teeth kinda day.

BREAKFAST: 2:30am, homemade granola with 2% milk, banana, +/- 500 cal

BIKE SNACK: 5:30am, homemade granola bar, 575 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 8am, sausage mcmuffin, 2 hash browns, diet coke, 650 cal

AM SNACK/MEAL: 10:45am, slice of pizza, half of Edie's chocolate yogurt, +/- 1000 cal

PM SNACK: 2-2:30pm, chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolate chip cookies, +/- 500 cal

DINNER: 5:30pm, falafel sandwich, fries, 8oz dark beer, +/- 1000 cal

EVENING SNACK: 8pm, 8 chocolate chip cookies, +/- 400 cal

SUNDAY
SLEPT: 8:30pm, 6am, 9.5 hrs
Sleep did me good. Felt better from the run-down aches of yesterday, hopefully quickly getting over this cold. Ate too much, but no compulsive binging. Cousins I only see once a year over for dinner, made pizza from scratch, haven't done that in a while. Spent part of the day churning ice cream and making ice cream sandwiches, oy….

AM SNACK: 6:30am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 8:45am, BLT on bagel, home fries, slaw, pickle, diet something
Out at a random diner. Left over 3/4 of a huuuge portion of potato, wtf up with that? I asked for Diet Coke, but it tasted like some off-brand diet cola, way too sweet and a weird aftertaste, so I left most of it over. 

LUNCH: 11:45am, 2 hotdogs, a little chocolate ice cream

DINNER: 4:30pm, homemade pizza, a little sweet potato knish, pickles, 2 ice cream sandwiches

EVENING SNACK: 7pm, ice cream sandwich, 3 cookies

Meet My Meat

Black, gay, Jewish. I can't speak to his mental acuity or political leanings, but three out of five ain't bad

When someone says something horrible and defends themselves by saying, "Hey, my best friend is black/gay/Jewish/retarded/Republican", they're probably a horrible person. I guess I have to face the fact that I have spoken poorly of the concept of vegetarianism and veganism, and when it was brought to my attention that perhaps I'm a little prejudiced, I've defended myself by saying, "Hey, one of my best friends is a vegan!"

Okay, maybe I've moderated my tone and have withheld judgement a little bit more in the past few years since culinary school and started thinking of food less about sensations and profit and more about health individually, societally and environmentally -- being married to a vegetarian and having kids will do that to you, if you want to live in peace. But the fact remains, the HVS remains one of my best friends, despite life allowing us only tete-a-tetes every few months these past few years.

Well, the HVS recently recruited a co-president (aka wifey), and I was honored to be invited to a very intimate dinner with the HVS, Momma HVS and Sister HVS. It was a vegan meal of course, and the conversation veered toward this blog, of which various HVSs actually read, oddly enough. The HVS asked me about my meat consumption. She mentioned Michael Pollen, who we both respect. His stance is that nothing is wrong with veganism, but nothing is wrong with eating a small amount of meat sourced from environmentally sensitive, non-industrial sources. She also referred to "Vegan Until 6", a book by another writer we both respect, Mark Bittman. The book is angled like a diet & health book, where the basis is you act like a vegan until dinner.



The HVS asked me how much meat I ate, and it gave me a weird sense of anxiety -- I didn't really know. Despite recording every friggin' thing I've eaten in the past decade or so, as of late I don't think in terms of meat/dairy/grains/veg as much as I think of a balance of protein/fat/carbs.

Truth be told, once upon a time way before you were born, I spent a decade being a vegetarian, and within that time a few years as a "vegan". It's gotta go in quotes because I made a rule of excepting the animal-product ban from desserts. Looking back, that's LUDICROUS, as it undermined both the health and ethical aims of taking on such a relatively extreme diet. A couple of years ago when I visited a licensed nutritionist for the first time and presented her with a couple of weeks of my typical eating, the first thing she said was: I don't eat enough meat.

Actually, I think she said "protein", but it sounded like "meat" to me, as I regarded that as my primary source of that macro nutrient. She guesstimated my intake of protein/fat/carbs were around 10/30/60, and it should be closer to 20/40/40. She added that I should up the protein, lower the carbs and the fat will take care of itself.

Huh. So how am I doing? This past week was relatively good and tight, so let me look at my 21 meals over the five days and figure out some percentages.

• All my breakfasts are vegetarian ("Vegetarian Before Noon"?) Two of my five lunches were vegan, and one of my dinners was vegan.
• By volume on average, about 20% of my lunch is meat. About 25% of my dinner is meat 
• By caloric value, it's actually less, as I eat fish and shrimp and avoid calorically dense meats like beef, bacon n' burgers. About 15% of my caloric intake comes from meat sources.

Notably, during the week I am almost dairy-free. This is not intentional, but a side effect of keeping calories un-dense. My main dairy is full-fat Fage yogurt for some breakfasts. The only other minor sources are the cheese-dust on some cheetos and the butter I occasionally cook with. Maybe 5%-10% of my calories come from dairy during the week.

Due to a conspiracy by Big Salad, there is very little stock photography of women joyously eating multiple helpings of meat.

Thing is, I feel like I'm always eating meat, much more than before my consultation. Part of it was the slight aversion to meat -- it takes more effort to make, as its not that great if not cooked fresh. There is so much riding against meat, from all sides, it feels comfortable to abstain. It's expensive, and can be bloody. Let's not even go to the cancer & heart disease thing. However, I took a close look and decided I should worry about protein, not meat. Fish n' chicken came in, as well as regular servings of almond butter, fast food veggie patty, falafel and nuts. And to be honest, because of my culinary training, I have the confidence to cook a plain boring piece of chicken breast 10 different ways to Sunday that'll still make it sometimes tasty but always interesting. Yeah I indulge in some meat balls and sausage, but most of the time my meats are whole, and cooked by my own hand.

So sorry HVS, I'm pretty comfortable with my level of meat-consumption right now. (Though right now I'm listening to an hourlong debate on NPR about being vegan vs meat eating, so I reserve the right to roll back my smug finality.)  I think the only way it could be improved right now is to follow Mark Bittman's recommendation of paying attention to the sourcing. A lot of my day-to-day raw meats and fishes come in big bulk bags from the freezers of Costco. It's cheap and convenient, but not as tasty, interesting, fresh and ecologically/ethically friendly as what I could get from the butchers who set up shop at local green markets. Huh, maybe I should try some of them crazy expensive organic buffalo cuts that I see there. I promise I won't start that blog entry with, "Hey, my best friend is a vegan, but..."
-----

WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2457

Friday blew me out of the water, due to two reasons. One, only two hours of sleep messed me up. Two, I recorded what I ate in the evening honestly. Despite losing weight this past year, I'd let myself slip Friday night and just lump it in with the unrecorded "weekend." No more. We need more honesty, less flim-flammery.

-----

MONDAY COUNT: 2130

SLEPT: 9:15pm-4am, 6.75 hr
Good lifting session in the morning. Not the strongest, but the twinges in my back are getting better. Funny, I've noticed it's hard to lift after the weekend, but not today, because my diet was a lot more in line with how I eat during the week. All those excess calories and the sugar really does a number on me come Monday morning.

AM SNACK: 4:15 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 6:45am,apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 11am, stee cut oatmeal, 410 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, butternut squash soup, health salad, picked, 480 cal
Forgot to pack the falafel. -sigh-.

PM SNACK: 4 pm, momma salad, babaganoush, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 5:30 pm, poppa salad with homemade Italian, 150 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, chicken breast, roasted brussel sprouts, kimchi, 480 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:45pm, cheetos, 300 ca

-----

TUESDAY COUNT: 2620

SLEPT: 8:30pm-4am, 7.5 hr
Good eating day, but emotions running rampant, making it harder to stay focused. Calorie budget allowed for cheetos at the end of the day, but made me hungrier, finished the bag (only a little left), then tasted my kid's kraft mac, which didn't taste good to me. Just read an article over dinner about the recent research on the healthfulness of nuts, so I hit up the almond butter, which brought me to where I wanted to be. Probably one of the healthiest "out of control" moments yet. 

AM SNACK: 4:15 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 6:45am,apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am, fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 310 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, chicken meatballs, roasted brussels, sofrito black beans, pickles, 550 cal

PM SNACK: 3 pm, momma salad, babaganoush, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 5:30 pm, poppa salad with homemade Italian, 150 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, pork tenderloin, roasted broccoli, quinoa, kimchi, 600 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:45pm, cheetos, 300 cal

EVENING GORGE: 8pm, cheetos, bite of mac n cheese, a few spoonfuls of almond butter, +/- 400 cal

-----

WEDNESDAY COUNT: 1990

SLEPT: 9:15pm-4:15am, 7 hr

About 10 minutes on the bike on the rollers this morning, quite enough.

AM SNACK: 4:30 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am, steel cut oatmeal, 410 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, pork tenderloin, steamed string beans, quinoa, pickles, 590 cal

PM SNACK: 3 pm, momma salad, babaganoush, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 5 pm, poppa salad with homemade Italian, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 7:30pm, handful of roasted salted almonds, 170 cal

DINNER: 8:30pm, shirataki stir fry with shrimp, shitaki mushrooms and oyster sauce, 360 cal 

----

THURSDAY COUNT: 1965

SLEPT: 9:30pm-4am, 6.5 hr
Long hard day. Got home late, felt hungry, realized I was under budget by a few hundred calories, a big no-no. Realized I don't HAVE to eat chips to make up the calories, I can indulge in something nutrient dense AND healthy: nuts. So obvious, why is it only hitting me now?

AM SNACK: 4:30 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2:  9:45am, fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 310 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, pork tenderloin, roasted broccoli, quinoa, pickles, 600 cal

PM SNACK: 3:30 pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 5:30 pm, poppa salad with homemade Italian, 150 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, Subway 6" veggie burger sub, diet coke, 435

EVENING SNACK: 10:45pm, roasted salted cashews, 160 cal

----

FRIDAY COUNT: 3580

SLEPT: 12:15am-2:15am, 2 hr

Not an easy night. When I realized I was up, I got productive, making granola, banana bread, a new batch of vanilla extract as well as work food for myself and a packed lunch for my boy. Watched some TV, just went with it. Took a hit of 100mg of caffeine right before I left. I figure if the science is true that it simply puts a brick under the brake pedal instead of stepping on the gas, I should still be relatively mellow, as I'm low energy. However, it should prevent those tired stress hormones from coming out and making me indulge in carby, fatty foods....

AM SNACK: 3am, iced green tea

AM SNACK: 4am, tasting of fresh granola, +/-50 cal

When you cook, y'gotta taste.

AM SNACK: 5:30am, freshly baked banana bread, +/- 700 cal
A little taste and I just had to. It was good.

AM DOSE: 7:45am, 100mg caffiene in a 1/4 ounce water solution.

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2:  9:45am, fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 310 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, almond butter and grape jelly on whole wheat, health salad, pickles, 610 cal

PM SNACK: 3:30 pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

DINNER: 5:30pm, chicken burrito, chips & salsa, +/- 800 cal

EVENING SNACKS: 6-6:30pm, chocolate chip cookie, chocolate cake, slice of pizza, +/- 800 cal

----

WEEKEND REPORT
The computer ate my draft entry again, but this time I had it backed up on Friday afternoon. It seems because I've been working on the 'weekend report' through the weekend, it's causing some conflict with google's blogger thing. I did have a full itemized report, with estimated calories on Sunday (about 3500) but I'll just rant here, and hope I can work it smoother next week.

Since recording the weekends, its becoming clearer what my 'let it all hang out' eating looks like. I kept on eating from 4:15am to around 1:30, where I was just so full, and picked up eating at a party around 8 in the evening, where a bowl of dark chocolate squares really wrapped it's arms around me.

Sunday I took it a lot easier, just one breakfast, just one lunch (with a salad), a couple of small (sweet) snacks in the afternoon, one dinner. However, I pounded almost a full pint of ice cream in the evening which left me feeling bleah. Emotional eating.  While looking at it written down, it's clear I ate horribly, to be honest it's a little better than when I was not recording it and trying not to think about it. Small steps.

Weigh in: High n' Tight

I thought the dog (i.e. an internet hick up) ate my homework, but fortunately when I got home last night, my browser was still open on a draft of this entry, so I was able to retrieve it from the jaws of internet death....

191.2-->192.4-->191.8
When I weighed in last week, I rang up 196, which momentarily gave me the heebie jeebies, then I remembered I had several extra meals and drinks in me due to the holiday. To be fair to myself, I punted to this week, which was the dietary equivalent of a high n' tight.

Oh no no no. Internet, I said HIGH n' TIGHT!!

Thank you.

I'm writing this Friday morning, under all sorts of pressures, which oddly enough makes me think perhaps this is the weekend to seriously try and abstain from a) junk food & sugar definitely and b) excessive calories maybe. If not the whole weekend, even a part of it will be better than it's been, and other than cutting out chips during the week, is the main key to getting to my new goal weight of 180. -----

The experimentation with caffiene continues. Found this interesting, informative piece from 2010 that makes me feel I'm on the right track. Caffeine isn't a stimulate like amphetamines, which acts like a lead foot on the gas pedal -- it is more like a brick wedged under the brake which allows the gas to do what it will without interference. It won't give you more strength than you have, but it'll allow you to use all the strength you have longer and faster without getting pooped.

Starting to mix a 100 mg dose of caffeine powder (measured on a proper electronic cocaine chemist's scale into my pint of cold brewed green tea before a bike ride, so far it feels right. According to lore, 100mg is the equivalent of 1 strong cup of coffee or a few cans of diet coke, which surprises me -- I guess my tolerance is really a lot lower than it used to be.

-----

WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2177

Despite getting a little indulgent to celebrate with friends 

-----

MONDAY COUNT: 2025

SLEPT: 8:15pm-4am, 7.75 hr
Felt real good to get back to clean light eating after 4 days of packing it in. Felt too off to lift weights this morning, despite getting enough sleep -- amazing how 4 days of bad eating can so quickly make me feel less-than. Hopefully will be back in the saddle tomorrow.

AM SNACK: 4:15 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 6:45am,apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10:15am, whole fage with almonds, agave and vanilla, 310 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, falafel, butternut squash soup, roasted broccoli, 790 cal

PM SNACK: 4 pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 5:30 pm, poppa salad with homemade Italian, 150 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, scallops, asparagus, kimchi, 465 cal

-----

TUESDAY COUNT: 2005

SLEPT: 8:45pm-4am, 7.25 hr
Woke up feeling good and looking forward to lifting weights, since I was feeling food-hung over and a little drawn the morning before. However, during my brief stretches, I felt unusually stiff, and during this:

I found just getting into position was uncomfortable and strained, and after 3 attempts, gave up trying to get the weights into first position. Oddly enough, later in the morning my back complained when picking up my son, and my ride to work was staight-backed and slower than usual. I think this is the first time in over 2 years I actually hurt myself while lifting weights...

AM SNACK: 4:15 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 6:45am,apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am, steel cut oatmeal, 415

LUNCH: 1pm, chicken meatballs, steamed string beans, Madras lentils, pickles, 650 cal

PM SNACK: 4 pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 5:30 pm, poppa salad with homemade Italian, 150 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, sauteed chicken breast, roasted broccoli, kimchi, 480 cal

-----

BIKE CREDIT: 540cal
WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2175

SLEPT: 9pm-2:45am, 5.75 hr
Woke up before the alarm went off, revved up and ready to roll -- after a few weeks of no riding, I was primed. Checked the phone before even getting out of bed - 41 degrees, perfect.

• 40 and above, definitely ride, 
• 35 and below, definitely don't ride, 
• 35-40, depends on mood and wind strength

Felt slightly sore from yesterday's weights, and the muscle in my back was still ouchy, but once on the bike it didn't bother me at all, which obviously suggests a muscle I don't work out enough because it's totally unused by biking!

AM SNACK: 3:15 am, iced green tea, granola bar, 575 cal
Dosed with 100mg caf, equivalent of a strong cup of coffee. Felt right, though got a little tired around 3pm.

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am, fruit smoothie, 410 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, sardine & avocado on whole wheat, roasted broc, kimchi, 610 cal

PM SNACK: 3:30 pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 5:30 pm, poppa salad with homemade Italian, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 6:15pm, cheetos, 300 cal

DINNER: 8:30pm, shirataki stir fry with shrimp, shitaki mushrooms and oyster sauce, 360 cal 

-----

THURSDAY COUNT: 1960

SLEPT: 9:30pm-4:15am, 6.75 hr
Did light chores and housework in the morning, had a big day at work and various activities after. When I finally got to bed around 11, I hit the bed with what felt like a narcotic sleep.

AM SNACK: 4:30 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am, steel cut oatmeal, 415

LUNCH: 1pm, chicken sausage, roasted brussel sprouts, sofrito black beans, kimchi, 650 cal

PM SNACK: 3:30 pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 5:30 pm, poppa salad with homemade Italian, 150 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, Subway 6" veggie burger sub, diet coke, 435

-----

FRIDAYCOUNT: 2720

SLEPT: 11pm-4am, 5 hr
Considered lifting weights this morning, but three factors kept me from it:

1. still a little sore from the previous work out and my back muscle was still twangy.
2. not enough sleep
3. rattled from the big day I had yesterday

Still, was productive and the house ran smoothly until I arrived at work. Took a nice long bike ride in the rain on a Citibike to work to get a little bit centered, helped. Caught a movie between leaving work early, avoiding the end-of-week-work-snacks n' booze, then a wonderful dinner at a vegan place with the HVS and her snickle family! 

AM SNACK: 4:15 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am,  whole fage with almonds, agave and vanilla, 310 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, almond butter & grape jelly on whole wheat, roasted brussel sprouts, kimchi, 650 cal

PM SNACK: 3:30 pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 4:30, medium pop corn, "small" diet coke, 700 cal

SNICKLEDINNER: 7pm, spring roll, kale salad, singapore mei fun, chocolate cake, pomegranate creme brûlée, a few sips of wine, +/- 750 cal
Vegan vittles in the West Village, celebrating a life change for the HVS and a birthday for Momma HVS. Was bragging how after counting calories this long, I can almost estimate calories by how it makes me feel. I should check myself -- I'm probably wildly off with the actual calorie count, but relatively accurate with if the food will spike my blood sugar leading to weight gain (like wine and cake) or leave me feeling satisfied without feeling weirdly full (rice noodles, spring rolls, salad.)

-----

WEEKEND REPORT

BIKE CREDIT: 775
SATURDAY COUNT:x
SLEPT: 11pm-6:30am, 7.5 hr
x

AM SNACK: 6:45am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 8:45am, sausage mcmuffin, hash brown, diet coke, 500 cal

BIKE BOOST: 9:15am, 100mg caffeine in water solution, 0 cal

BIKE SNACK: 11:30am, granola bar, 575

LUNCH: 3:30, 4 slices of streetza, small amount of potato chips, +/-1000 cal

DINNER: 8pm, chiptle shrimp burrito, +/- 1000 cal

EVENING GORGE: 8:30pm, M&Ms and cheetos

SUNDAY
SLEPT: 11pm-7am, 8 hr

Spent the morning doing bike runs to Wholefoods and Costco, spent the afternoon cooking. Granola & granola bars, sofrito black beans, momma & poppa salads, juicer packs, a round of noisy ice cream for the kids, pork tenderloin into marinade to get tasty in a few days.

AM SNACK: 7:15am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 8:30am, misc Wholefoods breakfast bar, small half full box

LUNCH: 11am, slice of pizza and a churro from Costco cafe

PM SNACK: 1pm, pickle

PM SNACK: 2:30pm, half of Edie's granola bar

PM SNACK: 3pm, bowl of cheetos

PM SNACK: 3:15pm, an Edie granola bar

PM SNACK: 3:30pm, toasted challah and peanut butter

DINNER: 6pm, sweet & sour shrimp, pork fried rice, egg roll, diet coke

Thanksgiving Punt

It's that kinda punt.

This was to be a weigh in post, short n' snappy, but this month my last-Friday weigh-in fell on the morning after Thanksgiving dinner. Due to (what I hope is) an inaccurate reading, I'm going to punt and do my weigh in one week late. Y'know, for ego's accuracy's sake.

-----
I've been keeping a blog in one form or another since 2006, and regardless of the topic, whenever Thanksgiving comes up, I get a case of the sads and pretty much write the same thing every year. Rather than trying to say the same thing with different words, I'll go all vacation-style and quote myself from the first year of blogging:

Thanksgiving in Andover, a suburb of Boston, this year is the first time in my life I've spent this holiday away from my hometown, NYC. Though I guess I should of saw it coming a million miles away, I'm missing my parents horribly today.
Different wings of the extended family took different holidays, and our wing was Thanksgiving. This was the only time of year my mom would 'cook', and by cook I mean coordinate. My dad would be responsible for the turkey and the salad, my mom would put the potatoes in the oven to bake, I would be responsible for the stuffing. My mom would make a big deal about how I 'made' the stuffing, but in reality it was from a box of Stouffers. I remember one year I suggested we actually stuff the turkey with it before cooking, I think the level of complexity it entailed was beyond the pale for my mom. My Brazilian uncle would bring really good homemade chocolate mouse, a trendy thing in the 70s. Aunts would bring booze and other pies. My mom could NOT go to sleep unless ALL the dishes were washed and set up to air-dry. The house (and in later years the apartment) was always full of people on Thanksgiving, and it was always a home-cooked meal. My mom would buy the turkey at least a week in advance, the table would be set at least 48 hours in advance, the nervous tension she had the day of, hours before anyone were to come and the entire home was scrubbed clean and there was just nothing left to do other than lie down and watch TV.
I look forward to the day of regularly hosting a holiday in my home with family and friends, with homemade food and days of preparation.

Its 6 years later, my family has arrived, and Thanksgiving brings a lot more to be grateful for this year. However, I'm still not getting to really do the meal like my parents did. Maybe in another 6 years....but for now, things are pretty great. I love and miss you, mom & dad!
-----

WEEKLY AVERAGE: ----

I knew this would be a challenging week, so rather than force the issue, I retired poppa salad for the week, so there would be less waste and less beating myself up. Sucks that I weigh in the morning after Thanksgiving. Went off the rails slowly but surly starting Thursday, so didn't record my eating....

-----

MONDAY COUNT: 1975

SLEPT: 8:30pm-4am, 7.5 hr
After the horrible eating weekend, good to have a good day. Despite the excessive calories the day before, I still was quite hungry after dinner….the body doesn't bank calories against habitual cyclical hunger, unfortunately. Still, it wasn't overwhelming, and motivated me to get to sleep, or perhaps I would have given in.

AM SNACK: 4:15 am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 6:45am,apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal
Thought I bought ginger but got lost on the way from the market to home.

BREAKFAST 2: 10am, steel cut oatmeal, 415

LUNCH: 12:45pm, falafel, butternut squash soup, roasted broccoli, 850

PM SNACK: 4 pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, hake loins, asparagus, kimchi, 400 cal

-----

ROLLER CREDIT: 30 cal
TUESDAY COUNT: 2245

SLEPT: 8:30pm-3am, 6.5 hr
First attempt at riding on rollers instead of a ride, due to cold weather. I thought I'd automatically do 2.5 hours on the rollers, but I quickly discovered there is a learning curve -- riding on rollers is a LOT different than riding normally, despite being on the same exact bike. I was able to do it for about 30 minutes, most of it holding on to a wall, with lots of breaks as my arm would start to hurt. Towards the end, I forced myself to let go of the wall and hang on for dear life, almost crashing off the rollers several times but got it. After a brief pause, I tried again and had to grab a side table because I got so wobbly -- I realized my core was getting tired quickly. So rather than make myself miserable and learn to hate it, I stopped and moved on. Today, maybe 15 minutes with only 3 minutes with both hands. Next week, we'll try to move on from that number. AND I'll not eat the granola bar until AFTER the calories are burned, he he.

AM SNACK: 3:15 am, iced green tea, granola bar, 575 cal

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal
Too much fiber residue in today's juice, had to strain it. Maybe because I've amped up the kale? Hmmm.

LUNCH: 12pm, chicken meatballs, steamed string beans, Madras lentils, 630 cal
Busy at work, helpful to keep the hunger at bay.

PM SNACK: 3:30 pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, sauteed chicken breast, roasted brussel sprouts, quinoa, kimchi, 760 cal
The grain pushed me over budget, but it was a calculated risk -- I was so damn hungry and tired, I knew I needed something extra to slow that train down. It worked.

-----

WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2070

SLEPT: 8:15pm-2:45am, 6 hr
Was aiming to wake at 4, but got up and couldn't fall back asleep. Felt surprisingly mildly sore in the midsection from yesterday's brief roller experiment. Despite it being relatively unpleasant, I'm very happy with this result, definitely going to keep trying.

AM SNACK: 3 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:30am, whole fage with almonds, agave and vanilla, 310 cal

LUNCH: 12:15pm, chicken sausage, sofrito black beans, roasted brussel sprouts, 650 cal

PM SNACK: 3:30 pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

DINNER: 8:15pm, arepas, vegetable chips & guac, +/-800 cal
Out to dinner with a friend who I don't see enough due to her brave career choices. Thanksgiving gives us time to check in, too bad it's usually over food!