239.4

For the first time since February 29, or 212 days ago, I am back under 240!  On that day, i weighed 238.8.  I crossed over 240 on March 1 and have been there ever since.  Down .8 for the day.  Down 13.2 over the last six weeks.  And, down 5.6 over the last three days.  I am still 5.2 pounds behind my original goal for today.  But, considering I was 9.5 pounds behind just three days ago, I am okay with that. 

After tomorrow night, I plan on two more weeks of complete diligence that will, hopefully, put me at or below my original pace goal.  Making better choices.  And, finally saying no to my temptations.  Not only feeling better physically, but feeling better mentally.

Day 42 - (0.8), Overall - (13.2), Pounds To Break 220 - 19.6, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - (5.2)
The Commitment - Day 3 - (0.8), Overall - (5.6)

240.2

Day 2 of my "commitment" and I am down another 1.6 and 4.8 in just a couple of days.  "The Commitment", sounds kind of like a Nicholas Sparks' movie.  I really need to name these things better.  This is a new recent low and the last time I weighed this exact amount was March 2.  My mini-goal is to lose a couple of more pounds, get under 240, and try to stay there even after our dinner on Saturday night.  It would be great to start a new week just at or under 240 and start looking at some numbers on the scale with a "3" in the second digit!

Day 41 - (1.6), Overall - (12.4), Pounds To Break 220 - 20.4, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - (5.5)
The Commitment - Day 2 - (1.6), Overall - (4.8)

241.8

Now that's how you get something started!  Down 3.2 after Day 1 of my "commitment".

Now, I must confess that I still ended up cheating... though I wasn't conscious of my decision.  My old nemesis, free food, tried to ruin Day 1.  I wasn't aware there was free food in the office.  I wasn't even invited to the party.  But, as I walked past a conference room where a baby shower was taking place, I heard a bunch of ladies yell my name and invite me in to partake in all of the extra food they had.  I promise you it was actual people yelling my name and not the sound of free food calling me!  So, I joined them.  And, I was good... or so I thought.  I filled my plate with mostly salad with a light dressing.  Then, instead of making a sandwich, I put some deli slices and pickles on my plate and skipped the bread and mayo.  But, I also grabbed some provolone and some blue cheese crumbles for my salad.  When I left the room, I felt good about my decisions.  But, almost immediately after updating myfitnesspal.com with the details, my brother sent me an e-mail that read, "I thought you weren't eating any cheese?".  I have heard of Facebook creeping before, but never MyFitnessPal creeping!  But, he was right.  I had forgotten.  I honestly would have skipped the cheese had I remembered.  It was an oversight and not a decision to cheat.  So, apologies to my brother and our commitment.  And, thanks for keeping me on track you psycho obsessive nutbag (you can see that this type of behavior is a family trait).  Based on my results, I still met up with my old nemesis, free food, and won this battle.

So, back to my commitment.  I have to make a slight modification.  This is the problem with life, or at least my life recently, too many "events".  I picked this two weeks because I had nothing going on.  And, as soon as I had written it in this blog, my boss and his girlfriend invited Lori and I over for dinner on Saturday.  There is no way to stay true to my committment.  No way that I can go and have a salad.  No way that I can skip the beers and mafiosas (a treat I have only heard about and not experienced) and drink just water.  She is an awesome cook and it will be an Italian smorgasbord of authentic delights.  She is even making home-made pasta!  My best bet would have been to say we had plans and then hope for another invite.  I wanted to go and didn't want to risk that not happening in the future.  So, here is my new "modified" commitment.  I will do awesome through Saturday night.  I will limit the damages that night as much as possible without offending (lol).  Then, I will add two more weeks to my original dates.  So, 18 of 19 days of being "almost" perfect.  And, then I will pray that nobody else asks me over for dinner, to a fundraiser, in to a conference room with free pizza, to a sporting event, or out to a favorite restaurant.  That's all...

By the way, I also had bowling last night.  I skipped the Shock Top pitchers and the chili cheese fries that looked really good.  Despite my teammates attempts at getting me back over 250, I was good.  Just thought you should know.

Day 40 - (3.2), Overall - (10.8), Pounds To Break 220 - 22.0, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - (6.7)

245.0

I got back to 245 quicker than I got to 240.  I don't think I have ever been that "good" at Mi Ranchito's and it still cost me a pound.  I guess I penciled in a gain.  But, when I got home last night, I had high hopes of being the same this morning. 

So, further in to the rabbit hole I go.  But, today I start on my two weeks of...  hmmm, I was going to say hell.  But, I need to celebrate the next two weeks.  So, today starts my two weeks of living right!

Day 39 - 1.0, Overall - (7.6), Pounds To Break 220 - 25.2, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - (9.5)

244.0

Awful weekend.  I now find myself even further behind pace and 4 whole pounds away from getting under 240.  Not good.

Tonight, we have our quarterly Mi Ranchito's dinner with my Mom.  I plan on limiting the damages and not being my normal self.  But, it will still be a struggle to not go back over 245.  I had mentioned my commitment of a week of diligence to my brother.  Sadly, that couldn't start for me last week.  I could have been better, yes.  But, I had too much going on to be diligent. 

So, it starts tomorrow.  And, I am committing to two weeks of diligence.  From Tuesday, September 25 through Monday, October 8, I will commit (or at least promise to try really hard) to do the following...

- No soda.
- No beer.
- No fried foods.
- No cheese.
- No bread.
- No ice cream.
- 14 days straight of entering everything in myfitnesspal.com.
- 14 days straight of at least 30 minutes of cardio.
- 10-12 days of weight lifting.
- Nothing that I would consider an "exception".

My goal is to get under 235 in that period.  I need something to kick this in to a higher gear.  This slow down and up is not working and I am painfully behind the pace I set for myself... with the posted pace not even agressive as what I really had in mind.

Day 38 - 2.4, Overall - (8.6), Pounds To Break 220 - 24.2, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - (8.0)

240.6

Down .8 pounds and ever so close to the 230s.  It's kind of like Chinese water torture... slow and brutal... drip... drip......  drip..........  drip.........................

Instead of focusing on how I am still 3.3 pounds behind the pace I set for today, let's celebrate some of the good news.  In five weeks, I am down 12 pounds.  I wanted 15.  But, if you told me I could lose 12 pounds every 5 weeks over the next four months, I would be more than thrilled.  Instead of hovering around the low 250s, I am now hovering around the low 240s.  I feel better in my clothes and feel better mentally and physically. 

See, that wasn't so hard to say now, Anthony, was it?

Day 35 - (0.8), Overall - (12.0), Pounds To Break 220 - 20.8, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - (3.3)

241.4

Down .4 pounds.  Creeping was the wrong word.  Not even sure "inching towards" 240 would be correct.  I am at a snail's place.  But, I will take the drop since I still couldn't muster up the energy to get to the club.  Did I tell you how much I hate being sick?!

Day 34 - (0.4), Overall - (11.2), Pounds To Break 220 - 21.6, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - (3.7)

241.8

Down 1.2 from yesterday and at a new low as I creep ever so close to the 240 barrier that has eluded me.  Still not feeling great, but closer to human each day.  May push my luck and go to the club this evening.

Day 33 - (1.2), Overall - (10.8), Pounds To Break 220 - 22.0, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - (3.6)

242.2, 242.8, 243.4, 243.0

I hate being sick.  I hate being sick now even more than I used to.  It's because when I'm sick, I don't feel like exercising... even if I feel like exercising.  So, my new pact with my bro to go a perfect week is somewhat sidelined by my inability to exercise and lift weights.  So, the perfect week will have to wait.  But, I can still work on a really good week.

Despite not feeling great, the Mexican fiesta still took place, along with lots of my favorites.  Somehow, maybe it was all of the activity in getting ready for the fiesta, I was able to only gain .6 pounds.  I was pretty happy with that.  I was less happy after I gained another .6 the next day without Mexican food as an excuse... well, other than the leftovers. 

Back down .4 this morning.  Not a bad weekend.  But, I still find myself making little progress and not managing to get under 240.  So, I will try to get healthy and owe my brother that perfect week.

Day 32 - (0.4), Overall - (9.6), Pounds To Break 220 - 23.2, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - (4.4)

242.4

Down .8 pounds and at a new (recent) low.  After four weeks, I am down 10.2 pounds and 2.0 behind my pace.  After a fast start, I am not thrilled.  But, I will take it and be content.  I will tell myself what I tell my daughter, even if it is harder to convince myself.  Don't be in a hurry.  10 pounds per month still gets you to a great place by the end of the year.  Though, I am hoping that my two weeks of diligence to end September give me a little bit of a headstart. 

Day 28 - (0.8), Overall - (10.2), Pounds To Break 220 - 22.6, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - (2.0)

243.2

Down another .8, but still 2.4 behind the pace I established.  Maybe I can run a marathon on Saturday to offset my Mexican fiesta!

Day 27 - (0.8), Overall - (9.4), Pounds To Break 220 - 23.4, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - (2.4)

244.0

Down .8 after an okay day. 

Made an agreement with my brother to go a week without any exceptions.  Unfortunately, that week can't start yet because we gave friends coming over this weekend and the dinner menu consists of green chile, chips and salsa, guacamole, beef, chicken, fideo, and margaritas - all of it home-made (yes, even the chips)!  I am not even going to pretend that there is even a small chance of being good.  As my brother said yesterday, I may end up hitting 250 after that night. 

So, our commitment to each other is 9 days, from September 16 through September 24, with NO exceptions.  I need a run of days like that.  In fact, I am actually going to strive to go from this Sunday all the way through the end of the month.  That includes a visit from my Mom and a likely trip to Mi Ranchito's.  But, I need to figure that out someday and it might as well be this trip.

Day 26 - (0.8), Overall - (8.6), Pounds To Break 220 - 24.2, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - (2.8)

244.8

Ho hum day.  Not much to say.

Day 25 - (0.4), Overall - (7.8), Pounds To Break 220 - 25.0, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - (3.1)

245.2

I can't tell you how hard it is to post on here when I have had a bad day, or bad weekend in this case.  I want so badly to get through a weekend a little lighter and start a new week on a good note.  Even more so with my lack of recent success.  I think, more than anything, posting these posts just feel so redundant and boring.  "I suck", "curse the weekend", "back to it", blah blah blah, yada yada yada.

We had originally planned on going to Elitch Gardens (a Denver amusement park) on Saturday.  I thought with all of the walking, an hour or so in the wave pool, climbing some steps for some of the rides, and an average amusement park lunch, I would be down a little or pretty much equal heading in to Sunday.  But, after finding out the water park portion of the amusement park was closed as of Labor Day, we decided not to go.  So, with absolutely nothing planned other than letting Kelsea see Niko's new apartment, we did the next best thing... we looked for a good place to eat. 

Kelsea suggested Duffy's Cherry Cricket, a place I had been to years ago when consulting in Denver and a place recommended to her by some people she works with.  The Cherry Cricket is a bar near the Cherry Creek Mall hidden amongst a bunch of high-priced shopping.  Well, it used to be just a bar.  After being featured on a couple of food shows on television, including Man Vs. Food, business is booming and the restaurant expanded a couple of years ago and must seat at least three times the number of people than it did 15 years ago. 

The Cherry Cricket is known for their burgers with a ton of toppings to choose from, including the infamous peanut butter and egg combo.  I skipped that, though I did have the egg... and bacon, and cheese, and mayo, and french fries, and chips and salsa, and a good portion of Lori's burrito.  When I had previously frequented The Cherry Cricket 15 years ago, I got the same thing every time I went and loved it.  I was going to get the same thing again, a white chili chicken burrito.  But, I wanted to try the burgers as well.  So, when Lori ordered the burrito, I figured I could try both.  I didn't intend on eating mine and almost half of hers.

So, we spent the rest of the day shopping and trying to make that miserable feeling go away.  I was stuffed.  Right about the time I was feeling like a normal human being again, Lori and my son wanted to go to dinner.  So, we ended up at the place I thought we would go originally, Red Robin, a family favorite.  Now, before you thing this story takes an even more tragic turn, let me just say that I didn't eat.  Well, very little.  I picked at a few fries, took a small bite of my wife's burger and my son's wrap, and had a couple of spoons of my daughter's shake.  That was enough to make me feel slightly gross again.  But, all in all given the circumstance, a minor dalliance with willpower.

Despite my late night restraint, it wasn't enough to keep me from gaining 3.2 pounds on Sunday.  Yesterday wasn't a whole lot better.  Played in a scramble golf tourney and ate and drank.  Ate some more last night.  The only good thing was the 18 holes of golf. 

I somehow managed to get 2.2 back this morning, leaving me 1.8 higher than I started the weekend.  I hate this sense of relief mixed in with my anger.  I should just be mad at myself.  I hate that my son moved to Denver.  As soon as I pass Castle Rock on the way to Denver, all I can think about is what I want to eat.  It's a good thing I don't live in a big city.  And, it's a good thing that I decided I am never visiting my son again.

That puts me way behind pace...

Day 24 - (2.0), Overall - (7.4), Pounds To Break 220 - 25.4, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - (3.1)

243.4

First, the bad news.  I am actually 1 pound heavier than I was last Friday. That's not good.

Now, for some good news.  I am down 1.4 from yesterday... the first decent drop in days.  And, I am back on pace.  Exactly on pace to be more specific.  My three week goal was 243.4.  After starting so well, it seems somewhat bittersweet.  But, in the grand scheme of things, I am where I wanted to be and will take some solace in that.

Day 21 - (1.4), Overall - (9.2), Pounds To Break 220 - 23.6, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - 0

244.8

At this rate, I will be 300 pounds again soon.  But, I will be really strong! 

I went from two weeks ahead of pace to now being behind pace by almost a pound. 

Day 20 - +0.8, Overall - (7.8), Pounds To Break 220 - 25.0, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - (0.9)

244.0... Again

Once again, a near perfect day is squandered by...  well, I don't exactly know why.  This has become somewhat disheartening and my initial goal of just getting under 240 again seems like it is permanently on hold.  I did this once before and was pretty confident about my formula.  The only thing that has changed is that I am now lifting weights daily.  In fact, I haven't lifted this hard since I was a teenager.  But, I still have a hard time believing that this is the reason I have flatlined on this phase of my journey. 

Yesterday, I ate well, lifted weights at lunch, bowled for two and a half hours, and still made it to the club for 30 minutes on the treadmill.  I didn't even eat or drink anything at the bowling alley!  What would normally be a 2 pound loss resulted in absolutely NO CHANGE! 

The only other possibility besides gaining muscle weight is the possibility that I am not getting enough calories.  The only way to fix that issue is to begin to eat less healthy foods.  I say this because I honestly could not eat much more food.  I eat plenty of food and am always full.  Yet, because of my choices, I am having a hard time getting my calories up.  The solution of changing the foods to higher caloric foods just doesn't feel like the answer.  But, if things don't turn over the next week, it is my only option.

Day 19 - no change, Overall - (8.6), Pounds To Break 220 - 24.2, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - 0.3

245.0 Yesterday, 244.0 Today

Well, I got 2 of the pounds back over the last couple of days and that puts me back slightly ahead of pace.  Still 1.6 behind where I was on Friday with a pretty ugly weekend.

Day 18 - (1.0), Overall - (8.6), Pounds To Break 220 - 24.2, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - 0.7

242.6 Yesterday, 246.0 Today

I followed up a perfect day that saw me STILL gain .2 pounds with an absolutely dreadful day that included CiCi's pizza buffet, a lot of cashews, and some chocolate-covered pomegranate to complete the fat trifecta.  That combination resulted in more than 4,000 calories, or more than I had consumed total for the three previous days!  And, I paid for it dearly with a 3.4 pound gain this morning.  That also puts me behind pace.

Day 16 - 3.4, Overall - (6.6), Pounds To Break 220 - 26.2, Ahead/(Behind) Pace - (0.4)