Super Massively Frustrating Thursday

323/199.3/185

Almost 4 pounds higher than my weight 10 days ago. This is starting to drive me little bonkers.

Yesterday’s Meal Plan

Breakfast – Chicken with onions

Lunch – None

Dinner – Giant omelette  with sausage, onions, peppers, and cheese

Snack – Chicken

Calories – 1500

I missed lunch. Just couldn’t get to it. I took my sister out to Linner (lunch+dinner) at the Camellia Grill which serves diner food. I jumped on the omelette which for the most part is low carb. It comes with a giant order of french fries. I really wanted to bury my head in those fries but I only ate one fry.

I’m hoping the salt in the diner food is what caused the spike up in my weight. This is really getting frustrating. I haven’t held onto a weight gain for this long since I started the diet. Even when I pigged out over Christmas then New Years, I was able to lose all that weight pretty fast.  So this 10 days without losing the weight gain is making me Ultra Super Grumpy.

Biking Update

Wednesday is my day off. 😛

It was definitely a good day to take off because it rained all morning and was misting and cold all afternoon.

I’ll need to hit the levee hard today.

One bit of good news.  My resting heart rate is about 20 beats lower since before I started riding the bike.  It used to be higher than normal and now it is smack dab in the middle of the normal rate, so 3 weeks on the bike has already improved my health even if it has conspired with the evil scale to keep me from moving down.

Tip Of The Day

Never give up! You will always hit frustrating points in your diet and you just need to dig deep. If you are doing what you are supposed to be doing, the weight WILL start to come off. If not, then maybe something needs to be tweaked a bit. I know my calories are under 1500 almost every day so I should be able to lose about 2 pounds a week.

Not entirely sure about that omelette. I guess there could have been some hidden calories but I guesstimated pretty high.

Just don’t give up. Every diet is going to be frustrating. Nobody reaches their goal weight without more than a few frustrating moments.

That is why online forums and blogs are so great. You can come here and let off that anger and frustration with people who can relate to what you are going through.

I blame my sister. 😛 Just kidding Laura. 😀

Happy Dieting, see you tomorrow.

The Grumpy Man

Nature’s Fury!

I headed out for my bike ride late Tuesday afternoon with ominous storm clouds approaching.  My nemesis the wind, was laughing in my face as I hit the levee. I checked the weather map before leaving and it looked like I had plenty enough time to get back before rain would hit, if it even hit at all.

Definite improvement as I was able to ride into the wind without dying for 3.6 miles, although my legs were a bit wobbly when I turned around. Good thing the wind didn’t change directions or I might still be napping on the levee.

Turning around, I noticed the sky was a nice purple with little blips of lightning way off in the distance.  The idea of becoming a human lightning rod did not excite me so off I raced about as fast as my weak legs could go all the way back to my apartment and made it inside with almost no time to spare. I think it started raining and thundering about a minute after I sat down.

Biking Update

Road marker 350 – 7.2 miles

My first real bike goal was to be able to ride to the Huey P. Long Bridge which is about another 3 miles from where I turn around. At least now when I reach the turn around spot,  I can see the Huey off in the distance.

Weight Update

323/198.5/185

Yesterday’s Meal Plan

Breakfast – Chicken with onions

Lunch – Tuna with avocado and spinach

Dinner – Hamburger patty, cheese slice and spinach.

Snack – String Cheese

Calories – 1200

Still really liking the tuna and avocado. The chicken is a little better than the last attempt but not perfect.

I was adding a touch of cayenne pepper to the crock pot when I accidentally opened the big side of the bottle instead of the side with small holes. Probably dumped 4 tablespoons of heat into the chicken. 😀

I’ve been using tons of cayenne for the last 6 months to stimulate water drinking so I have a pretty large tolerance to cayenne.

Tip Of The Day

Rest. The body needs a break to give your muscles time to heal. Wednesday is one of my rest days during the week.  So today I will be resting and won’t hit the levee. Perfect timing since it has been raining all morning.

The brain needs some rest too, so that is why the tip of the day is so short today. 😛

Happy Dieting, see you tomorrow.

 

The Grumpy Man

Tired and Sore Tuesday

I’m tired today. Tired because I couldn’t fall asleep last night. My energy cycle seems to be all wonky. I have no energy during the day then it kicks on at 1am and I can’t sleep. 😦

Don’t think I feel asleep until about 5am.

I’m also tired of the stupid scale sitting on 199.

323/199/185

Yesterday’s Meal Plan

Breakfast – Chicken with onions

Lunch – Tuna fish with avocados and salad

Dinner – Hamburger patty, slice of cheese and salad

Snack – String cheese

Calories – 1200

Biking Update

I was definitely worried that I would use the bike repair as an excuse to miss a few days of riding so I wasted no time in forcing myself to work on the bike.

Actually, the repair was easy. Just loosened a bolt and the thingamabob popped back in place on its own. Then I just had to tighten the bolt back up.  Repair time was a total of 2 minutes.

The wind was tricky again. I thought I had a head wind but that was just some random swirling wind. I actually had a tail wind which made the ride home a real pain. My legs are still feeling it today.

Road Marker 350 – 7.2 miles

Tip Of The Day

Don’t over do it. Don’t push too hard too fast. This can be a fine line to walk because you need to push yourself some to see some improvement but if you push too hard, you can end up burned out and miserable which leads to the end of your diet and workout plans.

If you combine workout burnout with plateau frustration then  you have the perfect storm for quitting.

So, you need to keep yourself from getting burned out. If you are exhausted from a workout on the previous day, then simply take a day off. Don’t push yourself to total exhaustion. Or have a light workout day. Just be careful that if you take a day off, it doesn’t stretch to more than one day. As I said, it is a fine line to walk. Teeter to far to one side and you burn out and teeter to far to the other side and you get used to taking the day off.

I have two off days scheduled each week, but if one day I am simply too tired to hit the bike, I have no problem just taking an extra day off.

Just remember, if those batteries are on empty, give them an extra day to recharge.

Happy Dieting, see you tomorrow.

The Grumpy Man

Mechanic Monday!

Biking Update

The bike ride perhaps could have gone a bit better on Sunday. I braved the ferocious winds with the intention of adding  a bit of distance after my day off on Saturday.

I took to the streets to avoid the head winds on the levee and things were going just fine.

I hit my turnaround spot so I headed to the levee to catch the tail wind home. As I pushed the bike up the levee something went wrong with the thingamabobs and upon reaching the top of the levee, the back wheel wouldn’t budge.

A little short of breath from the climb up the levee and worn out from the ride, there was only one thing to do at this point. Only I didn’t have a samurai sword to perform hari kari, so instead I called my step-dad to come pick me up. Thanks Sam. You saved my life.

I should also think the inventor of the cell phone. 😀

He thinks the gizmo that holds the thingamabobs together came loose which allowed the wheel to jam up against the bike frame. In theory it shouldn’t be hard to fix, so I will work on that later on today. I need to get this thing fixed today so I don’t use it as an excuse to skip my ride.

Oh along with wind, I also hate the sun. It was hot out there today even though a day like today will feel like winter come June – August.

One way trip to road marker 330 – 3.6 miles

323/199.2/185 😦

I really thought I would have a loss today. I figured some of that weight had to be water. Definitely not the way I wanted to start the week.

Yesterday’s Meal Plan

Breakfast – Tuna with avocados and spinach

Lunch – Chicken with onions and salad

Dinner – Red beans with ham

Snack – String cheese

Calories – 1000

Figured I was no longer in Ketosis anyway so I had a few extra carbs on Sunday. My step dad made some awesome red beans that put mine to shame. Might have had something to do with the salty meat and Tony C’s mixed with the beans.

Oh….that takes me to my next topic…..

Salt. My whole life I have heard from all the health nuts that we don’t need salt and once you stop using it, you will never miss it ever again.

Hogwash! Balderdash! Codswalllop! Poppycock! Malarkey! Horsefeathers!

I call shenanigans on anyone that tries to spread those lies. 😛

I’ve been on a low sodium diet for probably around 8 months. I keep my sodium under 1500 mgs almost every day. About the only time I go over that number is when I go out to eat which as you know is not often.

My red beans taste like dried beans. My step-dad’s red beans tasted like the elixir of the gods.

The whole idea that our palates will magically transform to the point we no longer crave salt on our food has as much truth to it as stories about this guy……

That is not to say some meals can’t be very nice with limited sodium, but that whole idea that we will no longer like or crave salty foods is pure fiddle-faddle. 😛

Yes, after a night out dining, I need to drink more water but it is worth it for some real flavor now and then.

Hopefully the bike riding will get my blood pressure down enough that I don’t need to worry as much about salt. 😀

Tip Of The Day

When purchasing a bike, have the bike store put it together for you. 😀

Not much of a tip but it can save lots of frustration and aggravation when your wheel suddenly decides to jam 3.5 miles from home.

11 Tips To Starting A Diet

1. See your doctor.

2. Clean the pantry and fridge of all junk food.

3. Start a weight loss diary and food log.

4. Choose a diet and develop a meal plan.

5. Find some form of support group for weight loss online.

6. Tell your friends and family you are on a serious diet.

7. Purchase vitamins and supplements to help the body out.

8. Weigh yourself at minimum, once a week.

9. Slowly add exercise to your plan (SLOWLY. DO NOT OVER DO IT).

10. Stay positive even when things get tough. The support groups can help you stay positive.

11.  Eat less and move more. The key to any successful diet. 😀

Happy Dieting, see you tomorrow

 

The Grumpy Man

 

 

 

Starting Over Sunday

That button sure would come in handy after a day like Saturday.

My hand refused to stay away from the chips basket and the salsa. It reminded me of Evil Dead II or that horrible Michael Caine film, The Hand.

My hand just kept reaching for the chips and my mouth joined with my hand in mutiny. My brain looked the opposite direction and just whistled a guilty tune as if nothing was happening. 😀

I can hear the scale cackling with laughter in my bathroom just full of glee at the prospect of my weigh-in this morning. Excuse me while I grab my hammer…….

323/199.1/185 😦

Yesterday’s Meal Plan

Breakfast – None

Lunch – None

Dinner – Chips with salsa, chicken fajitas with rice and beans

Snack – Leftover fajitas.

Calories – 2000+

Skipped breakfast and lunch because I knew I was going to hit dinner hard. Chicken and onions aren’t bad but the rice, chips and tortillas will definitely knock me out of ketosis.  Should have just left the remaining tortillas on the table but I brought it home and snacked on it later in the evening. 😦

Biking Update

Er… hmmmm…. er…….

The weather got me.  I looked at the local wind gage on the internet and it showed sustained winds of up to 20 miles per hour and gusts to 25.

Didn’t even give it a try. Just said no thanks, not going to happen.

Sunday was supposed to be a day of rest but I will be up on the levee with my makeup day for skipping Saturday.

Tip Of The Day

Cheats aren’t the real problem with a long term diet. It is the period after the cheat that we make our real mistakes.

I say it all the time, but I will say it again and again and again.

Just pick yourself up and brush off the dirt.

Sometimes there is a lot of dirt. 😀

I didn’t have the best week last week.  Ate too much. Ate things with lots of sodium, but it wasn’t all bad. I improved on the bike and haven’t missed a day…oh wait. er….. Hadn’t missed a day until yesterday which I will make up today.

Now that I have had 2 cheats in one week, I am mentally ready to get back to work. I am going to hit that levee today even if I see a tornado and flying cows on the levee.

The most important thing to do when you have a hiccup is to just brush it off and get back on the diet. Don’t let one or two bad meals give you the excuse to quit.

I used to do that. Now they are just something to write about, learn from and move on.

Happy Dieting, see you tomorrow.

 

The Grumpy Man