Worn Out Wednesday

No not me. I know I just had a birthday back on the 7th. Today is the 1 year birthday of my diet.  ONE WHOLE YEAR!!! 😀

Who the heck has a diet that can get birthday gifts? Me, that’s who.

The last year has been a real pain in the you know what but it has of course been worth all the effort and sacrifice.  I don’t think the diet will see 2 years, but I can start on maintenance and hopefully maintenance will live a long happy prosperous life. 😀

323/197.8/185

Yesterday’s Meal Plan

Breakfast – Chicken and onions

Lunch – Big salad

Dinner – Hamburger patty, cheese slice, salad

Snack – String cheese

Calories – Under 1200

I couldn’t force myself to eat eggs today. Yesterday I had to drink a big gulp of water to get them down. I can’t stand them.  The bacon ran out because I kept using it for snacks too.  So I need to hit the store for some bacon and maybe a new snack.  Not sure what I can snack on in induction.  Maybe raw broccoli or cauliflower.

Bike Update

Road marker 290 – approx 5 miles.

I walk out of my apartment with the bike, climb up to the levee and see a flag that looks exactly like the one to the right. No movement at all. I wait a bit. Still no movement.

I head off in my normal direction and for the first time, I am not riding into the eye of a hurricane.

I felt good enough to continue several road markers past my last ride.  I didn’t have to shift to the lowest gear to get through the wind and small children pulling their red wagons did not pass me today.

Other bikers?  The blew past me like I was 92 using a walker. 😀  An overweight 90-year-old lady zipped past me like she was on a motor scooter.

Here are a few pictures from my ride out.

The Road Out

The Mighty Mississippi

 

A Spectacular Shot Of The Pavement

The Road Home

This leads us to my adventure getting back home.  That flag up near the top of the post. It lied!!!

I turn around after about 2.5 miles and to my horror. WIND! Where did that come from. Heck, I only did 3 miles total yesterday and now I need to do 2.5 miles back to my apartment in the wind.

That was not a pleasant experience. My legs were like rubber by the time I got back. Most of the ride back was in just about the lowest gear.  Even the tortoise decided slow and steady was too slow.

The good news is that I survived a nice 5 mile trek. Today I may shoot for the same distance.  Maybe the whole week I will go for 5 miles until Saturday when I will push it a bit.

I’ve decided I will have a normal ride during most of the week, then on Saturdays I will push the distance a bit followed by a rest on Sunday. I might toss another rest day in there. Maybe Wednesday but not this week. Maybe once I start hitting longer distances I will give myself  two days to rest during the week.

Tip Of The Day

Coke and all other sweet drinks need to go. Even if you aren’t low carbing.

These things are fueling obesity in America with the evil high fructose corn syrup. It is too easy to drink 2 to 4 of these things a day for a total of over 500 worthless sugar packed calories.

I was a big coke drinker.  I was hooked on the stuff, but to tell the truth it wasn’t that hard to completely remove it from my diet. I am not sure if I have had one coke in the last year. I’ve only had a few diet sodas and those were when I was at the home of friends or family. I always get iced tea when out at a restaurant.

Those sugar bombs are not worth the damage they do to your body.

I have to admit, I hate drinking water but I’ve been doing it for 1 year with not much trouble.  You can jazz it up with a lemon or lime twist. I’ve heard green tea has some healthy benefits.  I started and stopped with green tea because Atkins frowns on caffeine.  Mainly because caffeine can stimulate hunger, although I didn’t notice an increase in hunger during my coffee binges.

Find something other than the sugar bomb sodas that you can drink and run with it.  Cut that sugar completely out of your diet and never look back.

I do admit I am tempted to try a coke after a year just to see what it would taste like now. Probably taste like drinking a can of whipped cream.

Stay away Mr. Sugar Bombs!

Happy Dieting, see you tomorrow

 

The Grumpy Man

Tired Tuesday

This would definitely be a heavy coffee drinking day if I had not given up coffee for lent. I am really dragging today. Negative energy.

323/199/185

I was a little nervous I might bounce back over 200, so it was nice to see another drop this morning to solidify my position on the lower side of 200.

Yesterday’s Meal Plan

Breakfast – Eggs, cheese slice, bacon

Lunch – Chicken with onions and salad

Dinner – Hamburger Patty with salad

Snacks – string cheese, bacon

Calories – under 1200

Bike – Mile marker 250 – 3 miles

Yuck! I always say you can’t mess something up in the crock pot but I gone and done it with this batch of chicken. I used way to much water to make the broth and I had the bay leaves in way to long.  It tastes like a watery bowl of bay leaf. 😦

Not looking forward to lunch for the next 7 days.

Bike Update

Once again, the wind tried to beat down my spirit. The wind was blowing so hard up on the levee I could barely get the bike moving.

Luckily the wind was blowing against me on the way out. I have no idea how I would have made it back if the wind was blowing that hard against me on the way back. The ride home was easier but once again carrying the bike up to the 3rd floor on rubbery legs nearly kilt me. 😀

Oh, one of my reader’s, Optifast Loser, mentioned on his blog that he too had trouble with his bike seat but he was able to fix it. So I decided to take another look at my bike seat and lo and behold, I fixed it. I wasn’t closing the clamp the right way. So now I am 100% happy with the bike. 😀

As long as it doesn’t kill me…. 😀

No mishaps on the levee yesterday other than the wind conspiring with Wal-Mart to break my spirit.

Tip Of The Day

The Town Drunk

I saw this tip on another blog yesterday and it hit home so I mention it here.

 

Alcohol. If you are a drinker, you need to be careful with alcohol when dieting. I don’t drink anymore, but I know the perils of alcohol on a diet. Many times in the past alcohol led to diet disruptions or even quitting.

First you have to worry about the calories in the drink itself. If you are drinking liquor with a mixer then potentially even more calories.

Second, and the main danger, lowered inhibitions. After a few drinks, you are much more likely to agree with your friends that the Super Grande Nachos  with extra everything is an essential part of a diet . Been there, done that.

If you can truly moderate your drinking then a little wine or light beer won’t destroy your diet, but a bad night here and there really can destroy all your hard work. Be careful.  I would suggest a moratorium on alcohol during your diet but if you must have a few drinks then make sure you keep it to a few. 😀

Happy Dieting, see you tomorrow

The Grumpy Man

Milestone Monday!!!

Time to celebrate!  The big 200 has been cracked. I haven’t been under 200 in at least 26 years. Next stop 185 and then on to my final goal of 175.  As Kool & The Gang best said it…… “Celebrate Good Time, come on!”

323/199.7/185

Yesterday’s Meal Plan

Breakfast – Chicken & onions

Lunch – Eggs, slice of cheese, bacon

Dinner – Hamburger patty with salad

Snack – string cheese, bacon

Calories – Around 1200

Once again I was really hungry last night. I had an extra bacon snack. Bacon violates my rule of thumb on snacks. It is too darn tasty to have around. I think I’m already about 3 or 4 portions down from where I should be. Maybe I need to find another meat source to go with my eggs. Maybe Canadian bacon slices or pork slices.

Not sure why I have been hungry the last few days. I do think once I start riding the bike daily I will probably need to add a few more calories into the mix.

Bike Update

I really should learn to take my own advice at some point. 😀

Yesterday I said I wouldn’t head up to the levee until I had regained my bike balance and control. Well, I of course then took the bike right up to the levee.

The wind was killing me. Blowing right at me and nearly holding me in place.  I think people were walking faster than me.

Small children on the tricycles were blowing past me and giving me a kick and ugly glare as they passed. I need to lose weight so I can pedal that sucker easier.

I did ride a little bit longer than the last ride but I probably only rode about 1.5 miles (total 3 miles) before turning around. Coming back was much easier with the wind at my back so I decided to see how fast I could get the bike moving at which point I flew off the pavement and onto the grass. 😀

No injuries or wipeouts, just a red face from embarrassment. 😀

Good thing I did that on the grass side and not the pavement. I would be writing this post from the hospital had I done that on the pavement side because it is a much steeper grade. Another lesson learned.

The hardest part of the ride occurs once I am back at the apartment. I have to lug the bike up to the third floor with Jello legs and all worn out. Here are a couple of pictures. I am still having a tough time getting good pictures with my mp3 player.

There is a tiny sliver of the bike road. Lots of creepy trees hiding the view of the mighty Mississippi.

And thar she blows! The Huffy Savannah bike. My only beef with the bike is the horrible seat adjustment. It is impossible to raise the seat. I’ve tried 3 times and it always falls back to the lowest spot the second I climb on. 😦

Maybe once I get down a few more pounds the stupid seat will stay in place.

Tip Of The Day

I am saying this tip over and over in my head to try to make me follow through.

Don’t over do it!

I’ve said this before and I will say it again. I need to say it and read it over and over to try to drill it into my stubborn head.

We all have trouble with moderation. Even when it comes to diet and exercise we tend to go overboard. This leads to burnout and giving up.

I think I said this recently but I need the tip today because I’m already planning these long bike rides yet I can barely pedal as fast as a kid on a tricycle and I have zero stamina.

I need to tamp down that enthusiasm just a tad and slowly work my way back into a semblance of shape.

Slow and steady really can help you win the diet race. So take it slow and steady to avoid burnout.

I’m just going to try to go a little further each day. Maybe once a week on Saturday I will try  a longer ride but every other day I will just slowly try to build a little more stamina.

Happy Dieting, see you tomorrow

The Grumpy Man

Same Weight Sunday

I have my full grump on today. A combination of no coffee combined with only losing one pound in the last week has me on full grump alert. This is not a drill. The emergency broadcast system will alert you of your local  evacuation plan.

I had a great diet week with a tiny drop in weight. Yes  I know, 1 to 2 pounds is what I should expect from here on out, but I thought good old Atkins induction would keep things moving a little faster. This time it is not.

323/200.6/185

Yesterday’s Meal Plan

Breakfast – Eggs, cheese slice, bacon

Lunch – Hamburger patty and salad

Dinner – Hamburger patty and salad

Snacks – string cheese, bacon

I was pretty darn hungry again last night.  Not sure why. I’ve been eating the same way for so long now without hunger, but the last few days my body as been asking for more.

I have the chicken in the crock pot and all done so I’ll be back on chicken with onions for lunch the next 10 days. It doesn’t taste very good.  I think had the bay leaf in a little too long.  It is a wee bit overpowering. Can’t taste anything but bay leaf. 😦

Bike

Took the bike out on the 2nd test run and it appears I have everything tightened up. There is a slight rattle that I can’t figure out where it is coming from.

One thing I learned from the test ride is that I am even worse shape than I thought I was in and I thought I was in pretty lousy shape.

The muscles that I haven’t used in 20 years were very angry to be awakened from their deep hibernation. It is going to take a while to get in decent shape.

After my mishap on the first bike ride, I am staying off the levee until I feel I have regained my bike skills and balance. Maybe a few more days. Wiping out on the levee would not be good as there is a pretty steep drop to one side which is also concrete.  Plus there are always a good deal of bikers, runners and walkers up on the levee.

Lent Update

No coffee has been really tough. A Catholic friend of mine just reminded me that on Sunday one can indulge in the items given up for lent. 😀

He gave up the internet for lent but he just posted on face book to remind me that he isn’t giving up the internet for 6 weeks straight because he can at least check the net and play around on Sundays.

As I have mentioned before, I am not Catholic, but I attended Catholic schools my whole life. I can now recall making sport of my friends over the whole Sunday issue.  I think strict Catholics tend to pay no attention to the Sunday cheat but others run with it.

As I said back in school, how hard is it to give something up for 6 days? Not very hard in my book, so even though I would love to fire up the coffee maker and even though I have an excuse to do so, I will not. Taking this one all the way from beginning to end. So the extra grumpiness will continue.

Going to Home Depot the other night almost sent me into a fit. The Home Depot near me is within a few blocks of a coffee roasting company and the aroma of freshly roasted coffee was intoxicating.  It had me thinking about the Starbucks right next to Home Depot.  I think I need to avoid that area until lent is over. 😀

 

Tip Of The Day

Staying Positive –  This is hard to do at certain times during the diet. As you can see, I’m aggravated by my recent progress but I can’t let that get me down. Grumpy is ok but down is not.

When I feel my positive energy shifting to negative how do I switch it back.

1. I head to my favorite weight loss forum and VENT and SCREAM and VENT some more.  I try to release that negative energy ( oh no, I sound like some new age hippie beatnik).  I usually get plenty of responses with encouragement, support and a few good spirited jokes.  It is always great to be able to interact with people with the same frustrations.

2. I look at my closet. When I started I had about 2 shirts that fit and one pair of pants. I now have probably 30 shirts (way too big now) that I can wear. Most of the pants, I can no longer wear or suits or sports coats.  I went from being too big to wear anything in my closet to too small.  Anytime I feel down, I head to the closet and even put on a pair of the biggest pants.

Now, not everyone can do that, but if you have been on a diet for a while, you may have some clothes that fit better. The clothes that don’t fit can be a goal for you to shoot for. Thinking about getting back into your favorite pair of jeans can help turn that negative thinking back into positive thinking.

Those two simple steps help me turn that frown upside down…….well, I wouldn’t go that far they change my scowl to a smirk.

Happy Dieting, see you tomorrow

 

The Grumpy Man

Second Attempt Saturday!

For those of you who did not read the breaking news yesterday, the maiden voyage of my bike did not go as planned.

I didn’t even make it out of the gate of my apartment complex so it was an epic fail indeed.

I learned a key lesson. DO NOT RIDE when you know all the bolts aren’t tightened 100%.  My step-dad didn’t have an Allen wrench for the bolt holding the handlebars so it was a little loose.

I still decided to test the bike to see if everything else was fine. Bad bad bad bad idea.

As I was nearing the gate the handlebars came loose and I took a tumble to the right.

A few minor scraps but nothing serious. One of the reflectors broke off, but I think I can fix it easy enough.

So last night I took a trip to Home Depot to get a metric wrench set and an adjustable wrench. Also picked up a 68 piece screwdriver kit. Once home I was able to tighten every everything. I’ll give it another once over before heading out again.

Not 100% sure I will be able to ride today. The palm of my left hand is a touch tender and sore. Not sure exactly how I landed on it since I fell on my right side. I’ll test it out later to see how much it hurts to ride with it.

The weight is moving ever so slowly now even in Atkins induction.

323/200.6/185

Yesterday’s Meal Plan

Breakfast – 3 eggs, slice of cheese, bacon

Lunch – Hamburger patty and salad

Dinner – Hamburger patty and salad

Snack – string cheese

Calories – 1267

End of my shopping cycle. I need to warm up the crock pot and cook some chicken with onions later today. Decided to stick with chicken again.

I am still feeling extra grumpy as I continue to have withdrawal symptoms from giving up coffee for lent.

I was grumpy enough to punch a unicorn yesterday. Don’t worry, no unicorns were harmed during the production of this blog.

The Keys Incident

Last night as I am on the way out to Home Depot, I can’t find my keys.  I only keep my keys in one spot when I get back to my apartment. They are ALWAYS on a table near my computer desk along with my wallet, cell phone, change, mp3 player and various other items. Always.

Either in my pants or on that table, those are the only options.

They weren’t there. I checked the pants from when I was riding. Nope. Not in the pants so I dropped them back on the couch. Checked the couch cushions. Checked computer chair cushions. Checked every square inch of the apartment. Checked the pants again.

At this point I start freaking out a little bit. I only have one car key and it costs an arm and a leg to get a new one and given I drive a 200-year-old car, I have no idea what I am going to have to go through to get a new key. My apartment complex charges an arm and a leg for lost keys too. So I am more than a little worried at this point.

Worry transforms to fear when I realize that if the keys are not in my apartment then there is only one place I could have left them. I can’t be in my apartment without my keys because of the door lock. So I must have left them in the door. I run to the door and open it, but alas no keys. They have been taken out of the door.

So now I am sure that the guy to the left took my keys and is waiting until later to enter my apartment and steal everything before putting it all in my car and driving away with all of my belongings.

So I ransack the apartment again. I check the pants again and then I toss the pants over on another chair.

Nothing. Feeling more than a little deflated at this point. I get up and go over to the pants a 3rd time and shake them in anger and the keys hit the floor…. er…..what the……

Where did they come from? I searched them twice and probably shook them a few times before.  Where did those keys come from?

MASSIVE RELIEF. It was like Christmas come early.

Tip Of The Day

I was just reading another weight loss site and as a tip they said to set achievable goals. That is certainly true and I constantly tell people they need to set reachable goals to gain momentum.

BUT….. the site said upon reaching those small achievable goals it was okay to eat your favorite meal even if it is pizza or a cheeseburger.

NO! NO! NO! We need to get out of the mindset that food is a reward, not condition it even further. What a terrible tip! Bangs head against the wall.

I am not saying we should never treat ourselves from time to time. I will still eat the occasional fast food once I reach my goal. But then I will moderate the rest of the week so that one trip does no harm.

But we should not be using food as a reward.  Take a relaxing day off from exercising, take a trip to the store to buy some new clothes or something else you have wanted but do not reward yourself with a mega meal. Don’ t those idiots realize how long it takes to drop a pound or two that you may gain from a mega meal?  That tip made me Grumpy. 😀

Happy Dieting, see you tomorrow.

The Grumpy Man