205.8

Sorry for the late entry.  But, I have been out of town today.  I even planned to get busy blogging something more substantial than my daily weight.  But, as I sit in my hotel room, tired with work to still do, it does not appear that tonight will be the night.  See you tomorrow night.

205.6

Crap... I think I told my brother I would be 202 by this morning.  Hey Frank, I lied.  Down 1.6 with three days to go until my official December 1 weigh-in.

207.2

Down 2.0 pounds from yesterday with a hike at the Pueblo Reservoir planned for the afternoon.  Would have been happier to have been down a whole 4 pounds this morning.  Time to forget about all of my December 1 and December 14 goals and just get back on track to break 200 by the end of the year. 

209.2

Six days ago, I weighed 204.0 and had tears of joy in my eye as I drove to the fitness club.  This morning, I was close to tears again.  But, for obviously different reason.   The Turkey Day damages were 4.2 pounds.  I knew I wasn't as good as planned.  But, 4.2 pounds?!  Really?!  What a dumbass I am...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers!  205.0 this morning.  Not a good number going in to Thanksgiving dinner.  But, a much better number than last Thanksgiving.  And, for that, I am thankful.  Will post some more thoughts regarding Turkey Day later tonight.

205.4

Maybe...

206.2

Okay, never mind.  I won't be getting to 202 by Sunday.  Sad day.

205.4

We went to Red Lobster last night for Kelsea's birthday.  While I was better at Red Lobster than I was at Texas Roadhouse, my body couldn't do both in a weekend and still go down.  So, once again, I start off the week with a weight gain.  Still, I hope to get to my December 1 goal of 202 by Sunday, despite having Thanksgiving in the mix.  

204.0

Given that we broke down and had Texas Roadhouse last night, that is a pretty good weigh-in and made my morning.  Now, I try to avoid my Monday morning failures and start the week on a good night.  Today's weight is exactly a pound under what I hoped to be. 

204.0!!!

Under 205!  Only one barrier to go!  I felt overwhelmed when I stepped on the scale this morning and saw that number.  I wasn't expecting it.  You all know what a big emotional baby I am.  So much so that I actually started crying on my drive over to the club this morning every time I ran that number through my head.  Two hundred and four frickin' pounds!  One hundred and nine pounds lost!  Crazy.

Since I am on the topic of being emotional.  Wouldn't you think that all of the televisions in a workout area on a Saturday morning would be tuned to ESPN and college football?!  I didn't pay attention, got moving on the treadmill, and then realized that the television staring me straight in the face was on the Hallmark channel.  With a full room of ladies, I didn't dare get off the treadmill to switch the channel.  So, there I was watching some Christmas story with Gary Sinise that I had seen before.  A tear jerker, as if they play anything else on the Hallmark channel, about a reunion of a father and a daughter and the obligatory love story.  So, there I sat reading the captions and watching the second half of this movie.  Despite knowing how the movie was going to end, I soon found myself tearing up when the sad blind girl says goodbye to Sinise's character and again when everything ends happily.  Grown men should never be caught crying in an athletic club...  unless they break multiple bones.  Damn Hallmark channel!

Only four pounds to my ultimate goal and two pounds away from my December 1 goal.  Maybe I can stay focused, not have another two week lull to start December, and actually beat my December 14 date.  Wish me luck. 

205.0!

With two days to go until Sunday, I already find myself at the weight I was hoping for.  Love it!  Down .8 and 3 pounds away from my December 1 goal with 12 days remaining.  I just realized this morning that I have lost 8.6 pounds in the 15 days since I have returned from Las Vegas.  And, one other tidbit of info... as of November 14, I had exercised 250 straight days!  That streak will move to 255 tonight despite the fact that I have not felt 100% the last three days and went to Harry Potter at midnight last night.  It was very difficult rising out of bed this morning to go to work.  But, that .8 pounds gave me a little  spring in my step that might not have been there otherwise.  Hopefully, tomorrow is the day I finally break 205.

205.8

Nice.  Another .8 pounds down and that included a filet for dinner which has historically caused the opposite to happen.  I am hoping that means good things to come.  That leaves .8 to lose over the next three days.  I find myself getting more anxious the closer I get to 200.  I can hardly believe I am reading the scale right these days.  So close...

206.6

Down 1.2 pounds!  That leaves me 1.6 pounds to get to the next barrier of 205 pounds.  Once again, I have squandered half a month with little to show for it and now have exactly two weeks to lose 4.6 pounds.  Please send me all of your positive thoughts!  Thanks in advance...

207.8

Blah, blah, blah... down .6 pounds.

208.4

Not sure what I hate more... myself or Monday mornings.  I can hardly believe that I hit a new low and then turned around and gained 2 whole pounds back!  Ugh.  I have once again made the goal ahead of me that much more difficult and now need to lose 6.4 pounds in only 16 days.  Okay, I made the decision... I hate myself more than I hate Mondays.

207.2

Oh Anthony...  you are so stupid.

206.4!

After two weeks, I finally get to see a new low.  Down another pound and at a new low of 206.4!

207.4... Still

No change.  No new low. 

207.4... Six Days

So, the answer to the question, "How many days does it take to put Las Vegas and the weight gained behind me?", is six.  Thrilled to be back at my lowest.  Excited that it took me only six days.  Bummed that I ended up losing about 12 days because of my vacation.  Disappointed that I only have 20 days left in November to lose the 5.4 pounds needed to get to my goal.  Upset that I will start December still over 200 pounds.  Elated that I am even having a discussion about potentially breaking 200 within the next few weeks!  Thrilled, excited,  bummed, disappointed, upset, elated... so, how do I feel this morning.  Still great!

Tomorrow will be a new low...

No Buffet!

Now that I have gotten most of the post-vacation weight off, I can finally talk about Las Vegas again and not be sad.  When Lori and I started talking about our vacation plans, we agreed to partake in one buffet.  Lori actually said that we could do one of the casino buffets and she would be glad to accompany me to my favorite sushi place, Yama Sushi, while I indulged in their all-you-can-eat sushi.  My head was already struggling with the thought of one buffet.  But, two was out of the question.  I debated going to Yama Sushi and just having a couple of my favorite rolls and some sashimi.  I decided that it was better to not even enter those doors and risk the temptation.  I knew that, once I added up the cost of my sushi and realized it was about the same price as teh AYCE sushi, I might change my mind.  So, one casino buffet it was.

Originally, we were still debating between the World Buffet and the Village Seafood Buffet at the Rio.  I love seafood and pretty much only wanted to consume large quantities of shrimp, lobster, and any other unsuspecting shellfish I could get my hands on.  This despite my known, though very slight, shellfish allergy... heck, that's what Benadryl and a couple of margaritas are for!  I have always wanted to go to the Village Seafood Buffet.  But, the more I read about the lobster and shrimp options online, the less appetizing and more expensive that proposition seemed.  So, I changed my mind and decided that a bunch of shrimp cocktail and crab legs at the World Buffet would more than suffice.  And, I hate to admit it, I was pretty excited about going to the buffet... even if it was mixed with a tinge of guilt.

We went to Cabo Wabo on the second night, mostly to sip on a couple of margaritas and enjoy our favorite past-time, people watching.  We hadn't eaten yet and after perusing the menu, we decided that the Mexican fare sounded awfully appetizing and decided to eat there as well.  It was excellent.  Of course, when you love Mexican as much as I do and only get to eat it every six weeks, even Taco Bell can be great Mexican food.  I ate too much chips and salsa.  But, I guess you already assumed as much.  I ate my fish tacos, my beans, my rice.  And, we still had those scrumptious margaritas.  As we sat looking out over the strip watching the crowds around Planet Hollywood, I realized I had eaten way too much food.  At that moment, I told Lori I know longer wanted a buffet at all.  She told me she was fine with that and was doing the whole buffet thing for me in the first place.

Like most moments like this, I half expected that, by the next afternoon, a less full stomach would think that the buffet sounded great again.  That never happened!  We still ate a few too many calories at each meal.  But, we never ate a large meal again.  I am not proud of myself about the weight gained.  Certainly not proud of my Cabo Wabo feast.  But, I am proud that the buffet no longer sounded good to me and that I managed to leave Vegas without ever gorging myself.  The thought of it even makes my stomach a little ill now.  My buffet days may finally be behind me... along with chunks of my ass that have slowly fallen off of me as well.  That makes me smile.  Here's to being proud of eating good food in small portions and not so proud of eating enough cocktail shrimp that you puff out your chest until it's even with your protruding gut (or protruding "fountain of youth" - sorry, three people will get that joke) and proclaim that you "got your money's worth!"... 

208.2

Sneaking up on a new low.  My next milestone, 205 pounds!

208.6

I am not going to lie.  I was disappointed when I got back from Las Vegas and realized I had gained almost 6 pounds.  I know I shouldn't be this upset and I get better each time this happens.  I guess it is a lot harder to gain 6 pounds back when you have only lost 10 and a lot easier to stomach, no pun intended, when you have lost 106!  If not for my goal of getting under 200, I don't even think I would blink an eye at this vacation indulgence.  I guess we will see when I get there.  But, the best part of this "new" me is that no matter how disappointed I am in myself, I never let it derail me off of this course or from my ultimate goal.  I lost 2 more pounds this morning and find myself only .8 off of my pre-vacation weight and 1.2 from my low after just four days back.  This new resolve is what gets me past that disappointment and is one of the things I am most proud of.  Looking forward to what the scale has to share with me tomorrow morning!

November 1 Status Update... From October 31... Written On November 8

Last Sunday, October 31, was my seventh official weigh-in against my monthly goals. Below is a quick status update... better late than never...

• On October 2, I weighed 213.0 pounds. My November 1 goal was 200.0 pounds.  Ha!  What was I thinking?!  Last Sunday, I weighed 207.8. I missed my November 1 goal by 7.8 pounds and lost only 5.2 pounds in the month of October. This is the third straight month that I have missed my goal. 
• My December 1 goal was 195. Well, I don't think that is going to happen.  I am going to try and be a little more realistic over the next two months.  So, my new goals are December 1 - 202, New Year's Day 2011 - 197.  That puts me around December 14 to break 200!  A little later than I thought a couple of months ago.  But, pretty close to how long I thought it would take me when I started this whole thing in March.
• I have lost 105.2 pounds since the middle of January. I have lost 94.8 pounds over the 33 weeks since the start of this blog. And, I have lost 89.8 pounds since returning from Las Vegas on March 23.
• My streak of exercising at least 30 minutes has now reached 236 straight days... though that streak is now 244 as of tonight!
• I lost .168 pounds per day in October. My goal weight for December 1 would require me to lose .193 pounds per day. That seems a lot more reasonable than the goal I set for October!
• My plan was to start P90x with my brother on November 8. My brother ended up "ballooning" to an obese 180 pounds and couldn't wait for me any longer.  So, he already started the program for his second go of it.  So, I will postpone my start date a little longer with the intent of being closer to 200 when I start as I originally planned.  Right now, I am tentatively planning to start at the beginning of December.
  

I give myself a D for October. A bad start resulted in an okay month.  But, 5.2 pounds is 5.2 pounds.  I am trying to see the positive in that number despite my disappointment.  Here's to November and new starts...

210.6

Same weight as yesterday.  Any Monday where I haven't gained is a good Monday. 

210.6

Down another 1.2 pounds.  How long will it take to put Las Vegas behind me?

211.8

Home again...  and down 1.8 pounds. 

The Damages... 213.6

My goal was to come back at or below the weight that I was when we left for Las Vegas.  Yeah right.  After too many margaritas and too much good food, I quickly realized that I now only hoped to gain less than five pounds.  Well, I missed both those goals and ended up gaining 5.8 pounds.  Even more disappointing given that we skipped the all-you-can-eat buffets!  Hard to believe that I actually did worse on this trip than I did on my March trip with the boys when I only gained 3.6 pounds... and that included a buffet!  I knew this trip right at the beginning of November would haunt me.  But, this was worse than I expected.  So, now I start November in a whole.  Very disappointing...

Everything Costs Money In Vegas

There is some irony that Lori and I chose to, once again, go to Las Vegas on vacation mainly because we couldn't afford to go anywhere else.  We were able to book $29 one-way fares with Allegiant's new flights out of Pueblo.  By the time taxes and fees were added, we had spent a total of $160 on airfare.  Combine that with discounted nights at the Flamingo because of reward points with Total Rewards and our airfare and four nights of hotel was approximately $250!  Neither of us are big gamblers... I guess that makes our vacation choice even more ironic... so we end up not spending money on the main thing Vegas wants you to spend money on. 

But enough about us.  The point of my story is that this isn't what Vegas is about.  Despite signs for discounted drinks, free shows, and cheap steak and egg breakfasts, don't let any of this fool you.  Vegas is about money.  And everyone you see wants their own little piece of the pie.  From the guy in the bathroom of the Bellagio handing you paper towels to the people on the bridges hawking $1 bottles of water to the folks claiming they can get you tickets to those cheap shows to the taxi and shuttle drivers to those who provide housekeeping services, Vegas is about money.  The expectation of tipping is so ubiquitous that I even saw a tip jar at the Panda Express! 

Seriously?!  Did you do something extra special when you asked me what my two items were and whether I wanted noodles or rice?  In fact, the people at this Panda Express should have paid me for dealing with their rudeness.  And, since I am ranting, do I really need someone to hand me a paper towel in the restroom?  I have always been perfectly happy getting my own paper towel and not feeling obligated to tip the old man who watches me wash my hands.  In fact, I am guessing that the towel guy contributes to two bad habits.  I figure that the men around me think that if they don't wash their hands then they don't need to worry about tipping.  I can't say for a fact that this is true, but judging by the number of men that I saw not wash their hands in every single bathroom that I went to, whether attended or not, I have to believe that the Bellagio is a contributor to this nasty trend.  The second habit this must be causing, and again this is pure speculation, is that people are now holding it in rather than use those bathrooms.  This is not a healthy habit either and by the time those people figure out how to get out of the hotel, through the casino, and over to one of the cheaper hotels that make you grab your own towel, these folks could be risking serious bladder infections!

Well, you get my point.  I read a list of people you were supposed to tip and the expected amounts and I had to laugh.  Maybe that's why my brother tips the pizza place even though he goes and picks it up himself.  I guess the way they hand him the pie must have been what earned the tip!  Damn Californians!

So, Lori and I woke up that first morning after only about six hours of sleep and made our way to the "four bridges circuit".  This is the four bridges that connect the Flamingo/Bill's corner to the Bally's corner to the Bellagio corner to the Caesar's Palace corner and back to the start.  This is the same circuit that I had planned to get up and walk/climb when I was in Vegas with the boys in March.  I never made the circuit on that trip.  Despite starting my exercise program, I wasn't in good enough shape yet and I really never felt like dragging myself out of bed each morning after late nights and a lot of walking. 

But, seven months later, I am a different person.  I not only made myself get out of bed and dragged Lori along, I was excited to take on the circuit.  We walked quickly on the bridges and grounds, dodging the early risers along the way, and then bounded up two steps at a time up the stairs.  We passed the bridge people, that combination of homeless people, musicians, and water sellers, all looking for their share of the Vegas pie.  Each of the homeless holding their obligatory cardboard sign with various messages, including way too many with the once-funny but now tired "Why lie. I need a beer" sign... though judging by the giggling, some folks haven't seen as many homeless people as I have.  I appreciated the ones I had never seen before, such as the one that said, "My parents were killed by Ninjas.  Need money for Kung Fu lessons". 

Some of the homeless were still sleeping, it was early.  But, a couple of them caught our attention as we made repeated trips past them.  The one on the Bellagio was picking up trash that people left behind... a rant for another day.  I was impressed.  Another man said good morning to us every time we walked past him.  We wondered if he would ever make the connection that he had seen us before.  But, I imagined that we were part of a herd of faceless people that walked past him hour after hour.  On our fourth pass, I thought I saw him notice my shoes... not a surprising thing since they have neon green on them.  The next trip by, I was sure he looked at the shoes again and then back at us and a light went off.  By the sixth trip, he smiled and laughed and said "Good Morning again!".  We both laughed.  The other gentleman that made an impression was a musician playing a guitar and singing.  His first impression was a good one too as he was singing a song I like, "Losing My Religion", by REM and doing a good job of it to boot.  He also made us laugh when he jokingly said, "You know you are going in circles, right?".  I wasn't sure if he was trying to help the lost tourists or just confirming it to himself. 

Well, on our last circle, I pulled out some money and gave some bills to each of these three.  Now, before you go and think that I am bragging about being kind, that is definitely not the case.  I typically don't give money to homeless people.  I know where this money is going and have never wanted to be a contributor to the cause... oh yeah, plus I am a cheap bastard.  And, I don't normally give money to street performers unless they really do something that catches my eye.  But, by the time we were done, I felt a connection to these three and they had all interacted in a positive way with us, and that was enough for me.  Oh, and to confirm my suspicions, we saw one of those homeless guys making his way to the liquor store that we had just left a little later.  He didn't acknowledge us.

So, even an early morning walk isn't free in Vegas.  But, that's okay.  That money was the most productive money I spent while there and I loved getting up every morning and getting my heart rate elevated... even if it meant a nap later in the day.  Here's to sticking with a plan and finding ways to exercise no matter the situation...