Author: Mitch Garvis

  • Day 613

    May you have an easy fast.

  • Day 612

    The vacation continues and my plans to stay good have not gone well. Leslie and I will have dinner this evening and then the fast begins. We will spend 26 hours reflecting and disconnecting. We will break the fast tomorrow evening and I suspect that with that my hopes to stay under 250 lbs. on this trip will be realized. Wish me luck!

    For those of you who are of the faith, may you have an easy fast and be inscribed in the Book of Life.

  • Day 611

    Today was another great day, but not for the weight management program. I am not completely off the rails, but I could do better. I am still hoping to weigh under 250 lbs. when I get back to Canada.

    Have a great day folks!

  • Day 610

    It has been a wonderful day but not one conducive to writing. See you all tomorrow!

  • Day 609

    My weight was up again this morning. I did not eat anything too off the program yesterday and I suspect it was due to the over-cheats from Tuesday. I am not terribly concerned.

    It was great to see my wife again. The airport was a shit show, and her flight was delayed by two hours, and with all of that I was thrilled to be with her again.

    Short but sweet. Have a great day folks!

  • Day 608

    Aside from the debacle with the car rental agency, yesterday was a good day in all respects save one. I did not stick to my program. Here is the Cliff’s Notes version: I had my breakfast at the airport (never a good start, although I did not do too badly). On the plane I had a couple of the mini protein bars that are on offer. At the airport in Dallas I tried to buy a sandwich but failed, owing to the abject stupidity of the young lady behind the counter, and knowing that if I had not walked away I would have offended her. I planned to buy the fruit and cheese plate on the second aircraft, but it turns out they do not sell food on shorter flights. It should be noted here that their in-seat guide claims that to be under 1,100 miles, while this flight was 1,235 miles. That changes not the fact that there was no fruit and cheese platter to be had on this flight. In place of same I opted for another of the mini-protein bars. I arrived at my destination hungry, and the 90 minutes I spent fighting with Avis Rent-A-Car (who for this trip can be referred to as the ‘We have your money because you pre-paid so go fuck yourself, Inc.’) did not help. When I pulled into Robert and Cecelia’s driveway at 2:15pm I was hungry, and when they offered me a sandwich I accepted. In the evening I met my buddy David at The Stonehaus and we decided to share a pizza. We then met other friends, and before he dropped me back at the hotel we stopped at CVS and I bought late-night snacks.

    If everything else I did yesterday can be excused, the late-night snacks was a boneheaded decision on my part. I should never have done that, but it is done.

    Result: This morning my weight crept back above 245 lbs. this morning. There can be no doubt as to why, nor that I deserved it.

    I woke up this morning and went for breakfast. I had a bagel with lox and cream cheese (not a smart move, but it was also not the worst I could have done), and three cups of coffee. As I sat there watching my movie it occurred to me that just two years ago I would come to this same restaurant and order two breakfasts… and not the reasonable bagel with lox and cream cheese. This is a huge improvement to be sure.

    I returned to the hotel and changed into my exercise kit. I went out for a 12.5km walk around my old neighbourhood as well as around the lake. It felt good, and it felt great to see that my average per-kilometre pace throughout was under 9:00/km. On my last few walks I have been happy to see a couple of split kilometres under that pace, but for the entire duration? It has never been close.

    I came back from my walk and showered, and before heading out to see my friend at the Stonehaus I made a meal replacement for myself. I would rather go there on a reasonably full stomach than be tempted by… well, there are myriad temptations there.

    At 3:00pm I teach and then I will drive south toward LAX. Leslie will be here in nine hours!!!

    Have a great day folks!

  • Day 608

    Aside from the debacle with the car rental agency, yesterday was a good day in all respects save one. I did not stick to my program. Here is the Cliff’s Notes version: I had my breakfast at the airport (never a good start, although I did not do too badly). On the plane I had a couple of the mini protein bars that are on offer. At the airport in Dallas I tried to buy a sandwich but failed, owing to the abject stupidity of the young lady behind the counter, and knowing that if I had not walked away I would have offended her. I planned to buy the fruit and cheese plate on the second aircraft, but it turns out they do not sell food on shorter flights. It should be noted here that their in-seat guide claims that to be under 1,100 miles, while this flight was 1,235 miles. That changes not the fact that there was no fruit and cheese platter to be had on this flight. In place of same I opted for another of the mini-protein bars. I arrived at my destination hungry, and the 90 minutes I spent fighting with Avis Rent-A-Car (who for this trip can be referred to as the ‘We have your money because you pre-paid so go fuck yourself, Inc.’) did not help. When I pulled into Robert and Cecelia’s driveway at 2:15pm I was hungry, and when they offered me a sandwich I accepted. In the evening I met my buddy David at The Stonehaus and we decided to share a pizza. We then met other friends, and before he dropped me back at the hotel we stopped at CVS and I bought late-night snacks.

    If everything else I did yesterday can be excused, the late-night snacks was a boneheaded decision on my part. I should never have done that, but it is done.

    Result: This morning my weight crept back above 245 lbs. this morning. There can be no doubt as to why, nor that I deserved it.

    I woke up this morning and went for breakfast. I had a bagel with lox and cream cheese (not a smart move, but it was also not the worst I could have done), and three cups of coffee. As I sat there watching my movie it occurred to me that just two years ago I would come to this same restaurant and order two breakfasts… and not the reasonable bagel with lox and cream cheese. This is a huge improvement to be sure.

    I returned to the hotel and changed into my exercise kit. I went out for a 12.5km walk around my old neighbourhood as well as around the lake. It felt good, and it felt great to see that my average per-kilometre pace throughout was under 9:00/km. On my last few walks I have been happy to see a couple of split kilometres under that pace, but for the entire duration? It has never been close.

    I came back from my walk and showered, and before heading out to see my friend at the Stonehaus I made a meal replacement for myself. I would rather go there on a reasonably full stomach than be tempted by… well, there are myriad temptations there.

    At 3:00pm I teach and then I will drive south toward LAX. Leslie will be here in nine hours!!!

    Have a great day folks!

  • Day 607

    I cannot decide if it means anything or not. After all, I know that when I weigh myself at 3:15am the readout will be completely different from when I weigh myself when I normally wake up. I was absolutely not planning to even step onto the bathroom scale this morning… I packed my suitcase last night and the scale was in it. As fate would have it I packed all of my golf shirts, so I needed to take one out to wear today. I opened it up and decided to see what the dreaded machine would say… even though I was sure to be disappointed.

    244.4 lbs.

    Two hundred and forty-four pounds.

    I did not see any chance that it would happen after the crap I had gone through these last ten days or so, but I achieved that goal. This morning, in time to fly to California, I have lost 150 lbs. 150.6, to be specific.

    For the first time since I set the goal in that app that came with my bathroom scale, I have less than fifty pounds to go to to my ultimate (and unrealistic) weight goal!

    I am currently on the plane on the first leg of my flight to LAX. I drove to the airport (a first – when the trip is short enough it is cheaper to pay for off-airport parking than it is to pay for the Uber to and from), I got through Security and Customs and I had my breakfast wrap (minus the bacon). As I promised myself I would, I swapped out the potatoes for slices of tomato. All in all I am not disappointed by what I ate. I did not bring snacks for the airplane but I will likely try to buy some nuts at the connecting airport. I do not want to be stuck on the second airplane hungry.

    Speaking of food and planning: I brought two meal replacements for every day I will be in California. I will still be eating smart, but I am not going to go completely off the program… just a little off the program. I will not be disappointed if I come back to Canada 2-3 lbs. heavier than I was this morning. I will be extremely upset with myself if it is worse than that. I brought the bathroom scale with me to try to keep me honest… to remind me every morning that I am not going to let myself go.

    It was a brisk morning in the Greater Toronto Area but the forecast for Los Angeles is sunny and mid-70s. It will be a lovely week, and I am looking forward to seeing my wife tomorrow… and all of my friends while I am there.

    Have a great day folks!

  • Day 606

    I wrote yesterday that it had taken nine days from crossing off 250 lbs. to crossing off the next number (248.0) on the sheet on my fridge. Even with the amazing exercise I did yesterday I did not expect that I would be taking another triumphant walk to that sheet again before I returned from California. Knowing that I did not stick to the program yesterday I was doubtful I would see any progress on the bathroom scale… although thanks to the exercise I did not expect to lose any ground either. How thrilled was I then to step onto that appliance with which I have a longstanding love/hate relationship and see a drop? It was no minor drop either… I weigh 2.2 lbs. less this morning than I did yesterday! While it will be impossible to know for sure, another half-decent (and not even extreme) drop from today to tomorrow will mean that I am actually going to fly to California below 245 lbs… and I will have officially lost one hundred and fifty pounds.

    Why impossible, you might ask? With my flight scheduled for 7:00am I will be leaving the house at 3:30am to drive to the airport. Even if I was not planning to pack the bathroom scale to take with me, a 3:00am weigh-in is meaningless. I will step onto the scale Wednesday morning in the hotel room when I know my weight will be up a pound or two because of the travel day, but I will still be in good stead compared to where I was a week ago. During the trip to California having the scale there will help me (as I have discussed), but I do not expect to return from the trip weighing less than I did this morning. My goal is to not weigh over 250 lbs.

    I went for my longest walk in months yesterday and I felt amazing for it. I will go for another outing this afternoon, although I will consciously not exert myself to the extent that I did yesterday. The 15km that I walked yesterday was amazing and it felt great, but I did not have to spend the following day on airplanes. I will plan for a 10-12 kilometre walk today, and no more.

    The timing of yesterday’s walk screwed with my meal replacements. I had intended to prepare a meal replacement before going out, but something distracted me. When I returned it was after 4:00pm. While this was not my plan at the time what I ended up doing was this: I had a meal replacement immediately after my shower, and then at 9:30pm (way too late, I know!) I made an omelette. The omelette was not only an aberration from the program, but it was also way too late, which is why I was fully expecting to not lose weight today. I should mention that while both of these facts are true, I was still allowed (according to my modified program) 450 calories on the day; the omelette I prepared accounts for about 350 calories, with 27g of protein and only 14g of carbohydrates. As far as cheating goes, this was not much of one!

    I have to pack my suitcase today! I am very excited about that. No, I do not enjoy packing. When packing means that I will be seeing my wife shortly then it is a happy chore indeed! Speaking of my wife, I am going to take a bit of time this morning to have a video cigar date with her. After today our next cigar date will be together. Yay!

    The next journal entry I write will be from the airport tomorrow morning. I know that I will be eating my breakfast in the airport, and I will be careful to not indulge. I must not allow myself those breakfast potatoes which I do not love but never seem able to resist. I will do so tomorrow. Wish me luck!

    Have a great day folks!

  • Day 605

    I wonder if the tremendous loss that I recorded on the bathroom scale this morning was my body catching up with the week that it spent messing with my head, or if it was because the weight of this week’s anxiety and stress drained from my mind and body throughout the day yesterday. Whatever it is, I was 2.8 lbs. down from yesterday morning… and 1.6 lbs. down from my previous best weight! You read that right… This morning I am once again at my best weight ever! This despite my eating another hearty dinner of chicken and broccoli last night. Happy New Year indeed!

    Adding to the elation of all that, my BMI is now below 32 for the first time (it peaked around 49.7 when I began this journey), and my BMR is down to 1958 (down from about 2900 at the outset). The bathroom scale might have known that it has not been nice to me this past week and it just wanted to make it up to me… but unless it really changes its mind in the next two days then I will be flying to California under 250 lbs… and while I would need to see another significant drop in the next forty-eight hours to get to 245 lbs. (as I had hoped I might just a couple of weeks ago), I might just be closer to that goal than my last one.

    Speaking of goals… I crossed another number off on my refrigerator this morning. It took nine days from the day I hit 250.0 until I dropped below 248.0, but I walked triumphantly to that paper and crossed it off triumphantly right after Floof and I got back from our walk. I don’t think either Leslie or I care who wins that bet that we made but I know that we are both doing very well… and the fact that we are encouraging each other makes it a victory for both of us!

    I am hoping that I will not be tempted to veer from my program today. Let me rephrase that: Of course I realize that I will be tempted to veer, but I am going to do my best to stay on track. I had a lovely omelette this morning, and for the rest of the day I will endeavour to have three meal replacements (properly timed), the rest of my coffee, a lot of water, and a cigar… or more likely two. As I have told many people, cigars are non-fat, zero calories, keto and gluten free, so if I indulge then the only affect it will likely have on my weight is to distract me from wanting to eat. I am also hoping to go for a good jog/walk today. I had planned to yesterday, and then I sat down to the task of changing passwords, one that I started earlier in the week when I realized how many older and reused passwords I had. It is not something that many people think of, but changing a password can take a couple of minutes; if it only takes 2 minutes to change one password then it is worth it, right? Well I had 275 passwords that needed changing and while I had probably gotten through fifty of them during the week, that left 225 or so that I changed yesterday. That makes 7.5 hours of effort! By the time I looked up from it I realized I had not only missed my first meal replacement of the day, but it was actually dinner time. I will do better today… and should sleep a little easier knowing that my password manager security score has gone from an abysmal 43% to a very respectable 82.4%. For someone who claims to be a cybersecurity-minded guy I do not think this was a waste of time.

    I suppose I should not sit at the computer all day again… it looks to be a beautiful day outside and I am going to take advantage of that. In fact it is my intention to turn the computer off in a few minutes and to not turn it on again until tomorrow. I don’t know if that is realistic, but I think I can give it a go.

    Have a great day folks!