I increased my meds again yesterday. The upside is that I do not seem to be in as much pain, and I am seeing improvements in my knee. The downside is the constipation. Owing to that, my weight peeked back above that dreaded and disgusting number again this morning. Grr.
I am teaching a class today that I have been stressing over these last few days. I am not looking forward to it. I am, however, looking forward to the end of the day.
I failed miserably yesterday. I will not go into the sordid details, but it started before I got to the Thanksgiving dinner and ended shortly before I went to bed. I looked at yesterday as a cheat day and maybe that was a bad idea… or maybe I needed it with all of what is going on in my head. The result? This morning I experienced the largest ever single-day weight gain I can remember. It was disappointing but predictable and deserved. When I cheat, I gain weight. Big cheats can mean big gains.
I started writing today’s entry at 8:45am. It is now 5:52pm. Yes, it has been that busy of a day. I spent much of the day with my buddy at his in-laws house. They had a serious cybersecurity breach and I offered to go over to make sure they were safe going forward. I was hoping to be out of there within a couple of hours but honestly did not believe that would be the case. The fact that I got out after 4.5 hours having resolved every issue was a victory.
I gained more than five pounds overnight. I suspect had I weighed myself after my second bowel movement of the day I would have lost at least two and possibly more pounds of that. I honestly cannot remember the last time I had so productive a movement. The relief was tremendous, and I do not mind that a plunger was required to unclog the toilet.
I have not been on the program today, but I also have not been cheating like I did yesterday. The only food that I ate that was not part of my regular routine was leftover turkey. I only wish I could have gone out for a good walk today, especially since I will be teaching all day tomorrow. Maybe I will be able to go out after my class… we will see.
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving folks! Have a great day!
It’s not fair. Yes, I cheated yesterday. I had a few peanuts, as well as replacing my afternoon meal replacement with another omelette. My body’s punishment to me was nearly a full pound weight gain. That is not only excessive, but it is also cruel and unusual. There is no reason I should have gained that much weight for an omelette.
My buddy came over yesterday for a cigar and we had a nice time. It is always great to see good friends. I wish I was not so tired though… I had not been sleeping well the previous nights, and I felt I might fall asleep as we were smoking. Fortunately I got a decent night’s sleep last night and should be able to make it through today unscathed.
My plans for today are simple. I have a lot of studying to do, and while the forecast calls for wind, there should be no precipitation until 9:00pm. As such, I will be doing my studying on the balcony with a cigar in my hand. Hopefully I will be able to spend some of that time chatting with my wife, but other than that I will be focusing on cloud security. Fun. I will stay on track, and I will not be preparing a second omelette today. I know now how dangerous that can be.
Have a great day folks!
I cheated yesterday. In the afternoon I had a second omelette, followed by two meatless hamburger patties that I had left in the freezer. This was before I had two glasses of whisky during my final cigar sommelier class. I regret it and will try to do better today. You might ask, dear reader, if I have any food left in the house with which I could cheat without actually going shopping. The answer is yes, there is. While the refrigerator is empty, there is canned salmon and tuna in the pantry, as well as pasta with bottles of sauce. I will ignore them… but there is the option of cheating should my willpower falter again. That is to say nothing of the reality that I can so easily go to the supermarket should I so choose.
I must stay strong.
Possibly as a way to remind me what happens when I do not stay vigilant, I was extremely displeased to see my weight up nearly a pound from yesterday on the bathroom scale. This despite having finally being able to move my bowels yesterday afternoon. Yes, I know… eating too much does not get erased because of a good poop. If it did then I would never have gained all the weight in the first place! I should also remember that over three days I lost a lot of weight, and it is not unusual for there to be a slight adjustment from time to time. That it was as much as it was is my reminder that overeating, and then adding alcohol to the mix, is not a good strategy for weight loss. I will do better today.
My presentation went well l last night, and I am now officially a Habanos Sommelier. What will I do with that credential? I do not know. For the time being I am just happy to have it . I just posted it to my LinkedIn profile. Will it ever result in my getting gigs? Probably the occasional one. Am I ever going to rely on my cigar knowledge to earn a living? No. It is nice to have though… for someone who is so passionate about cigars.
Okay, I have procrastinated enough. I am going to post this article and then make a few phone calls. I have had too many interruptions, and somehow it is already noon! I am going to try to wait until 1:00pm to have my meal replacement, after which I might try to go for a jog. We’ll see. I do have a few minor errands to run today, but nothing too stressful or taxing. I do have to do some studying for a class I am teaching next month. I do not know if there will be a lot of new material in it, but I do need to go through it because of the different way this material is likely to be structured and communicated.
Have a great day folks!
Falling off the wagon can hurt a lot worse than it has these last few days. It is time to admit though that if I did not quite fall off, then I have not exactly been steadily on the wagon either. I cheated (some wrong foods, but all wrong portions) Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The only bright light is that I have still remained active. I jogged all of those days except yesterday, and even yesterday I got in my steps. I slipped for sure, and it sucks that I am more than five pounds heavier than I was Friday morning. Had I not jogged (or walked) it would have been much worse.
You know something, that is not entirely true. Another reason I did not fall of worse is because I have stayed mostly mindful, even in my cheating. Yes, my portion sizes of chicken and salmon were too damned big… but they were still healthy proteins, no sauces. Yes, I bought a couple of bags of mini crisps which are bad for my weight loss… but I did not buy the Ruffles potato chips that would have been much worse (not to mention also come in much larger bags, which would have been just as empty when I was done with them). Over these few days I have bought both peanuts and almonds from Bulk Barn… but they have been very reasonable quantities each time. My second worst cheat was yesterday when I found a bag of almonds in my pantry yesterday (which should not have been there) which I opened and finished… again, it was a terrible cheat, but they were finished by 5:30pm, and I skipped two meal replacements in the evening to counterbalance that. Frankly, my worst cheat (and the one that bit me hardest) was the smoked turkey drumstick that I bought and devoured Tuesday. Had it been roasted turkey then the only problem would have been the portion size (which could easily have been three meals). According to sources, the 27g of fat also has 2,800mg of sodium.
My goal for today is to get back onto the wagon. I plan to head for the gym around 11:45 for a good run on the treadmill. My gym is only a few blocks from the train station, where I have to pick up my cleaning lady at 2pm, and if I time things right then I don’t have to make the round trip twice. On my way there I will drop some shirts off at the dry cleaners, which I should have done yesterday had I thought of it. Yes, my new shirts are due to arrive on Monday, but that does not mean my old shirts are going in the garbage. As long as I do not make any pit stops to buy snacks along the way, I will be fine. Unfortunately, the gym is two blocks from Bulk Barn, my dry cleaner is attached to Fortino’s, and the cleaning lady and I need to hop into Wal-Mart to pick up some supplies. I suppose it will be a good test of my willpower.
This evening, Leslie and I are sitting down (virtually) with the Rabbi to go over the details of our wedding. While it is exciting, it is also stressful. I also have to make a number of calls today and tomorrow about the logistics; If it were not for the time zone differential it would be slightly less stressful for me, but there it is. I am extremely excited about the wedding, and this morning I went downstairs to my storage locker to bring up my garment bag suitcase; While my regular suitcase has a compartment for hanging shirts and a suit, I have long suspected that for this trip I would be better suited (no pun intended) with the luggage designed for that purpose.
Leslie made a great point this morning… I need special fun socks for the wedding! We went through some options online and picked out the perfect pair. One more job that I had almost neglected is now done!
My plan for today is to get through it without any cheats. I will hit the treadmill at the gym, followed by a hydro massage and then shower, sauna, shower. My cleaning lady will be here in the afternoon, and while she is here, I will make some of my calls about the logistics. If the weather cooperates, I might also have a cigar on the balcony while she is here. Following the call with the rabbi, I will head to Taekwondo, where I will likely take it easy because of my elbow, which is still in a lot of pain (although much less so for the Aspirin). If I can get all of this done, plus my errands, then I know that when I step onto the bathroom scale tomorrow morning, I will weigh less than I did today.
Have a great day folks!
Today is Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement. We fast from sundown yesterday to sundown today, which means there will be neither meals nor meal replacements until dinner. It is a day when we ask G-d for forgiveness. I have a lot to ask, and will be in synagogue all day. Actually, I will be at the Canyon Club, which is a hall my synagogue rents for the High Holidays every year… but it’s the same thing.
I did eat out yesterday… breakfast (a piece of avocado toast with tomato and a poached egg), and lunch (a half turkey sandwich from Von’s). Neither was over the top, although it would have been smarter to eat less bread.
For dinner, my friend Kareene offered to cook for me, which was very nice of her. It gave me the chance to see her children (and her dogs). She prepared seasoned chicken brochettes with rice and grilled vegetables. On the surface, that sounds like a healthy meal that is completely friendly to my program. It should, by all accounts, have been a good meal to start my fast with.
It may sound good, but in fact it was disastrous for both my fast and for my diet… although only temporarily. Here’s how:
1. The brochettes were store-bought, and while they were very tasty, they were so salty that within 30 minutes my mouth and throat were crying out for water.
2. The salt content caused me to retain water, and the numbers on the bathroom scale were extremely unfriendly this morning.
I assume they over the next couple of days, the numbers on the scale will stabilize back to where they were yesterday. However, by the time I got home to my buddy’s house, I needed water. There was no way I could have made it through the night without.
There are Jews who do not fast on Yom Kippur. There are some who will drink water only, or coffee, or whatever. I try to eat and drink nothing at all. This year I failed in that. I own it. With that said, I woke up this morning and did not have coffee, and I did not take a drink of water. I did brush my teeth and took my pills, but until we break the fast this evening, there will be nothing else. I hope that it is not too hard.
It is great to see all of my friends down here. I don’t miss everything about California… but I do miss them.
Have a great day, and an easy fast, and the best for a happy, healthy, and sweet New Year.
I do not like gaining weight. I really do not like gaining a pound and a half overnight. I really did like the piece of chocolate birthday cake that my godson’s parents gave me and devoured every last bite of. Sometimes it is had to see the cause of the effect. This is not one of those cases.
Leslie and I had a lovely omelet for breakfast this morning. Sautéed onions, dill, and cheese make for a good eggy breakfast. We also had some fresh blueberries to compliment the meal.
In a couple of hours, we will drive to Cambridge for my birthday party. It will be good to see my friends, but I know Leslie is reticent about meeting a bunch of new people. The last few days have taken a bit of a toll, and I understand that. I hope today will be fun though… and that I do not go too crazy off my diet.
I made a conscious decision to take a couple of days off of my power walking. I know that my leg muscles needed a bit of a break! I will try to go for another walk on Monday, and then Tuesday I am driving to Montreal… where yes, I can still walk!
Thursday I will be driving to Long Island, where I will meet Leslie and her son on Friday. I am really excited about that! I have not met him yet, but we have spoken, and I cannot wait to get to know him. I am also excited for my buddy who is getting married, but that is of course secondary to my meeting the boy.
Have a great day folks!
