Losing a part of me

Yesterday was another day which had a lot of opportunities to go wrong, but I was able to stay on track. Leslie is such a wonderful support for that… there were two really bad decisions that I considered, and she talked me down from them both. Those are not good choices! I wanted the cheats… but I did not cheat. For lunch I wanted the same salad as I had yesterday… the seasonal salad that is 500 calories, with 52g of carbohydrates. Instead, I ordered the Greek Salad which has 300 calories and 18g of carbs. We then went to Costco, and as is always the case there on a Saturday, there were plenty of free samples to try. Thanks to my wife, I eschewed them all. This was not because of nagging – far from it! – but rather because she set the example of not having them when offered. Thank you Quetzal!

We decided to pick up some salmon for dinner, which I prepared with just a bit of lemon juice and a pinch of salt in the air fryer. Leslie cooked some rice, and we put the plates on the table to season as we desire. We both added a little lemon juice, and I decided to put furikake on the rice, and shao kao heat spices on the fish. The flavours were absolutely delicious! I know the rice is a starch, and I know that I ate a little too much of the fatty fish, but I know that I ate healthy, and I was not worried that I would be putting on weight because of it.

This is the third time that I have done the program in one form or another, and it is the third time I have lost over one hundred pounds. It is the first time that I have a supportive partner to help me, to encourage me, and to kick my butt when I am going to do something stupid. There are two sides of the coin; when I started the program the second time I was living with Liza whose words said she would be supportive, but her actions were absolutely not. Leslie is there for me every step of the way, and when I need help or encouragement, or even that kick in the ass, she is there for me. I am so lucky that my coin landed on the good side.

Waking up this morning to see another great drop on the bathroom scale felt great. Of the 2.2 lbs. that I gained the first two days I was in Dallas, I have now lost 1.6 lbs. while still eating a salad for lunch and a proper dinner (proper by the definition of healthy and satisfying while not overly indulgent). With that knowledge, I am optimistic that the remainder of my trip will be successful, by the definition of the word that I set down before leaving Canada. My goal then was to gain no more than two pounds on the trip. This morning I weigh 0.6 lb. more than I did on my last morning in Canada… and all of my planned indulgences are behind me. I had my sushi dinner and I had my Chinese meal. We bought enough salmon yesterday to make two meals, which means that most likely tomorrow evening I will make it again. This evening Leslie and I will decide what to eat, but there are plenty of options for us to choose that will not require me to cheat. It is possible that by the time I leave here on Wednesday I might actually have lost weight on the trip! How amazing would that be?

I realized another non-scale victory yesterday. A year ago I felt pains in my knees walking, but climbing and descending stairs was especially painful. A couple of months ago I realized that walking up stairs was easier, but I was still feeling it going down. Yesterday afternoon as Leslie and I walked to the car I realized going down the stairs that my knees were fine. I remember about a decade ago when I was trying to really get into jogging I was in Montreal and I went for a jog on Mount Royal. That evening I had dinner with friends who are into fitness and I kvelled that I was able to do it. They warned me that I should never jog downhill because it was bad for my knees. I did not understand at the time, but I guess it makes sense. The logic behind that might be the same reason I was able to climb stairs without pain a couple of months before I was able to go down without it. That is something to think about.

Speaking of jogging, I have been thinking for a few days that I might try going for a jog while I am here. Looking at the weather forecast for the next few days, I would have been much better off doing so these last few days when the temperatures were pretty reasonable. Fortunately for every other aspect of the trip, but not for my plans to jog, I got to spend all of that time with my wife, and when we only have a week together I am not taking any time away from us that I do not have to. The apartment complex has a gym, and I will go down there to see how the treadmill is. I would love to be able to start jogging on a regular basis by the time the weather in Canada warms up. For now, I will go back to the gym Thursday, I will lift some weights, and I will also get onto the treadmill for a bit.

While it will turn chilly and rainy tomorrow, today’s forecast high is a cloudy 15°. Leslie and I have a few things we plan to talk about, but I do not think we have any serious plans or errands that need to be done. We will have a mostly relaxing day enjoying each other, and yes that will likely include some time on the patio (unless we decide to go to one of our cigar lounges). We slept in and it felt wonderful to do so, as it was to wake up next to my wife. I could not help but think how much less space I take on the bed than I did a year ago… or the first time I came to Dallas to visit (and marry) her in June. As we snuggled a couple of nights ago she popped her head up with a look of concern and said, ‘What is this bump?’ I felt it and realized that it was the bottom of my sternum. She had never felt it before because it was always covered by a thick layer of fat. This is not the first time she has discovered something on me that had previously been buried under layers of schmaltz, and every time she does we look at each other with a huge smile and chalk up another NSV. One day I will be completely slim, and she will be able to feel every bone and every muscle. I am glad she loves me for who I am, because by the time I am done with this too slow but extreme body transformation, I will look nothing like the man she fell in love with!

I was not ready to get dressed this morning when we decided to have breakfast so I grabbed a t-shirt and threw it on. Only a few minutes later did I realize it was one of my Army shirts that I had brought for Leslie to wear because they have not fit me in years. Each and every time I put on a piece of clothing that was previously in one of the ‘does not fit’ bins I smile. I can do this!

Have a great day folks!