248.2

Disappointed.  Getting through the weekend unscathed meant, at the very least, being the same weight this morning as I was on Saturday morning.  I had even hoped for better results, like a loss of a pound.  Yesterday was just okay.  But, that 1.4 pound gain feels more like a carryover from Saturday than a reflection of my Sunday. 

Hopefully, I will rebound quickly tomorrow.  But, even so, still slightly disappointed with the weekend and need to do a better job of not enjoying myself quite as much at weddings... or over weekends.  Eventually.  But, not now.

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 248.2
Change from previous: +1.4
Total: (30.2)
Total Days: 98

246.8

Last night we went to wedding and I enjoyed a few beers and some good food.  My goal was to limit the damage and with a day of exercise and helping my Mom move, that's exactly what I did.  So, I will take the 0.8 pound gain, be good the rest of today, and hope I start the week tomorrow with something similar to yesterday.

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 246.8
Change from previous: +0.8
Total: (31.6)
Total Days: 97

246.0

Down 1.2 after another solid day.  Shameful Monday might have been a good thing.  It cost me 4.2 pounds, but it woke me up and got me out of the rut I was in.  That's 7.8 pounds in four days!  If I can focus this weekend and get back to Monday unscathed, it could be a great week.

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 246.0
Change from previous: (1.2)
Total: (32.4)
Total Days: 96

247.2

Down another pound!  Back on a roll and down 6.6 pounds since Shameful Monday.   This is my lowest weight since November 21, 2012 when I weighed 243.4.  

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 247.2
Change from previous: (1.0)
Total: (31.2)
Total Days: 95

248.2

Down 1.6 pounds after a solid day.  Feeling better now that I have a little room between where I am and that 250 mark that kept haunting me.  Feeling better about my Joe Namath-like guarantee as well.  I would love nothing better than to be talking about breaking 240 a week from now.

This is the lowest I have been since December 1, 2012 and I am now more than 30 pounds down since February 4.

Here's to the pursuit of 240...

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 248.2
Change from previous: (1.6)
Total: (30.2)
Total Days: 94

The Sixteenth (And Last) Time Is The Charm! 249.8!

Well, that was quick!  After the debacle that will be forever known as Shameful Monday, I bounced back quickly with a 4 pound weight loss!  I expected a minimum of three days to get back under 250, if not longer.  This was a pleasant surprise.  Even more so because yesterday included a business lunch with the same guys who helped contribute to Shameful Monday.  Okay, they did nothing wrong other than visiting Pueblo.  I am not blaming them... well, other than maybe an one or two extra beers.  

I am back under 250 for the sixteenth time and the fourth time this year.  I am going Joe Namath on you and guaranteeing that this will be the last time... EVER!  Today will be about getting that weight down just enough where I limit my risk.  A 0.2 pound buffer isn't quite enough to make me feel comfortable.  But, I am still making that guarantee with a new goal of 235 by the end of May.  

In a week, I would like to change the conversation to breaking 240.  I am sure all of you reading this would like the same thing.  I apologize for the three week lull and hope to give you something more exciting and encouraging to read.

Here's to all of the days I spent at 250+, may I never see you again...

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 249.8
Change from previous: (4.0)
Total: (28.6)
Total Days: 93

Oops... 253.8

I was expecting to go back over 250.  I was not expecting to get back up to almost 254.  Too much bread, too much roasted garlic in oil, too many beers, too much food.  I accepted that I was going to go back over 250 and then let my guard down.  Because I relaxed and was content with it, I ended up not even making a reasonable effort to be good.

Shame on me.  This night should have been about still trying to limit the damage of a business dinner and then living with the slight gain.  But, sometimes this acceptance can be my worst enemy.  

So, while traveling to Chicago, I was able to lose weight for seven straight weeks.  Yet, one night with two colleagues from Chicago and I gained 4.2 pounds.  That doesn't make any sense.  Ugh...

Here's to never being okay with just being okay...

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 253.8
Change from previous: +4.2
Total: (24.6)
Total Days: 92

249.6

I can only say that my lack of posting has not been because of me not wanting to post bad results.  Three straight days of yard work left me with little time and even less energy and the blogs didn't happen despite me having them written in my head each and every night.  As proof that my lack of blogging is not simply an aversion to sharing bad news, I will tell you all the bad from the last three days instead of pretending that I have stayed 249.6 since Thursday!

Friday's weigh-in was as expected and I went above 250.  In fact, I gained 2.6 pounds and weighed in at 252.2 on Friday.  While a little more than I had hoped for, I fully expected it and it didn't phase me.  

I lost 0.8 pounds on Saturday morning and another 0.4 pounds on Sunday morning after two average days.  Sunday was my recovery day and after losing 1.4 pounds, I found myself back where we left off four days ago.

I wanted the title of today's (or tonight's as the case may be) blog to be something along the lines of "The Fifteenth Time Is The Charm" and indicate that it would be the last.  But, I just got home from a business dinner with some colleagues from Chicago and am going to bed without exercising.  So, sadly, tomorrow will not likely bring me the news I wanted and the fifteenth time under 250 will not be the charm.  

So, I will work towards the sixteenth time... and the last.  Have faith.  If not, I may continue posting the same boring posts and you all may start regretting ever encouraging me to post daily!  

Here's to the sixteenth and final time breaking 250... 

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 249.6
Change from previous: no change (via +2.6, -0.8, -0.4, -1.4)
Total: (28.8)
Total Days: 91

249.6

Back under 250... for the second time.  Actually, this is the 14th time I have broken 250 in the last four years.  The first time was in 2010 when I was doing good.  On that occasion, I broke 250 and never went back above 250.  That is until 2012.  In 2012, I lingered around 250 for about a six month stretch and bounced around between 240-255.  During that stretch I broke that barrier 11 times!  Finally, this week, I have done it twice more.  

Okay, so that is the long and boring story about breaking the infamous 250 barrier.  So, what's the point of my story?  Well, unfortunately, I don't think it's my last time.  Fourteen is not the charm.  Today, I am having lunch with friends and dinner with my Mom, sister, and Lori.  So, I am guessing that I will once again go back over 250 on the morrow despite any good intentions. 

But, sometime over the next three days, I will break that barrier for the 3rd time recently, the 15th time overall, and the last time ever!  Then I will stay under 250.

Here's to good friends and family, even if they mean I have to go through this one more time...

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 249.6
Change from previous: (1.6)
Total: (28.8)
Total Days: 87

251.2

Down 1.8 this morning.  You will be proud that I am posting daily as I promised.  You will wait to be even more proud the first day that I gain weight and post when my resolve to post daily is tested.  I am dropping the pace updates from my status.  I am too far behind and it only serves as a negative reminder.  Not that I still don't plan on trying to close the gap.  I will let you know if I ever do.

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 251.2
Change from previous: +0.8 (via no change, -1.0, +1.2, -0.2, +1.8, +0.2, +0.6, -1.8)
Total: (27.2)
Total Days: 86

Daily

dai·ly

  [dey-lee] 

adjective

1.

of, done, occurring, or issued each day or each weekday

Such a simple word.  Daily.  It means every day.  Not weekly.  Not every other day.  Every day.  Such a basic premise.  Yet, I can't for the life of me seem to be able to abide by my promise to post to this blog and enter my food in myfitnesspal.com daily.  I admit that it is easier for me to post good news than bad.  But, I have found that even on my good days I still struggle to make it a priority to post.  

For example, I actually was finally able to break 250 pounds!  After being disappointed last Wednesday that I was the same weight, I woke up Thursday and weighed in at 249.4!  I was thrilled.  Yet, I still didn't find the time to blog.  That night we went to Texas Roadhouse and I did really good.  No, really! I did.  I was intent, as always, to not go back over 250 after breaking it.  I walked out of the restaurant proud of myself.  Then I gained 1.2 pounds the next morning.  

The weekend wasn't much better and included me making a bad choice on Saturday night and drinking and eating far too much at Buffalo Wild Wings.  Last night, more bad as we went to Colorado Springs to see Lori's sister's new house and ended up at Red Robin.  The worst part was that I had way too many calories and I didn't even enjoy my meal.  Ultimately, there is no worse feeling than eating too many calories and not thoroughly enjoying them.

The net results since I last wrote is a gain of 2.6 pounds and leaves me at 253.0.  The bad news is that I haven't done much over the last three weeks.  The good news is that despite all of this I remain surprisingly positive and still feel good about where I am at and where I will be over the next couple of months.  Tomorrow is a new day... which means a new blog... and new entries in MFP.  Daily.

Here's to dictionary.com...

Update

Not sure why I haven't been as good about blogging as the last time.  I think about it daily, even thinking of topics and things I want to say throughout the day.  But, I have yet to make it a daily priority.  While I don't find that to be a critical failure, I still believe that trying to fit this in to my day is vital to my success.  So, I will keep trying.

The last five days have been an odd mix of emotions and can be broken down in to the following three chapters, all of which would have been better in small chunks as three separate blog posts.

Happy And Ashamed
This sums up Thursday and Friday and the subsequent weigh-ins.  There was a valid reason I didn't blog on Friday.  I was upset.  After two decent days, I had actually gained .4 pounds.  On Thursday, rather than going out for dinner as originally planned, Lori and I decided to be really good and try to reverse the trend of doing decently and not seeing any results.  So, we decided to skip dinner, work out, and only eat a salad.  The result?  I woke up the next day weighing exactly the same as I had on Thursday!  And, for the first time since renewing my journey, I was not able to keep a positive attitude.  I went to work angry and upset and my weight had an impact on my mood the entire day.  

Part of me was wondering if I wasn't getting enough calories.  Part of me didn't give a shit.  So, when I saw some leftover food from a meeting at the office, I decided I was going to eat.  At the very least, I was going to up my calories slightly.  In the battle that raged in my head, 'slightly' gave in to 'I don't give a shit' and I consumed a plate with a fried chicken breast patty, ranch dressing, some buttered pasta, a salad with blue cheese crumbles, and some green beans.  When I was done with that, I went back for seconds.  I felt full and sick and remembered that feeling I hadn't felt in weeks.  Rather than reacting to that horrible feeling and making a dinner adjustment, I ended up eating poorly at a fast food restaurant.  By the time I went to bed, I was truly ashamed at myself.  

On Saturday morning, I woke up and prepped myself for more disappointment.  Instead, I stepped on the scale and was down .8 pounds to a new recent low of 251.4!  I still felt full and that pain in my stomach was like a lump of shame.  But, somehow it was much easier to take after finally losing weight.  Not sure if I needed the calories.  Not sure if it was just some weird timing.  I sat there looking at the scale, happy and ashamed.

Angelo's
On Saturday, Lori and I woke up and took a long walk around the neighborhood.  Then we went to some stores and did some more walking.  After dinner, we went down to the Riverwalk and decided to walk again.  After our walk, we decided to enjoy the beautiful evening with a beer out on the patio at Angelo's.  

Here's the problem with that plan.  My one beer turned in to three.  In addition, just because you decide to ONLY have beer at Angelo's, doesn't mean that everyone around you is only going to have beers and that the kitchen is going to stop cooking food.  So, we sat there smelling every garlic knot, calzone, and pizza being cooked and delivered.  We watched those pizzas go by and saw all of the tables enjoying them.  And, after about 90 minutes, we gave in to the enticing aromas and ordered a couple of pieces of pepperoni pie.  

When we were done, we decided we needed another walk!  The next day, I paid for my weakness and gained 1.6 back and weighed in at 253.0.

Back On Track
Sunday was good.  Not great.  Just good.  On Monday, I woke up at 252.8.  Monday was much better.  Monday was the best all-around day I have had in a week.  This morning I lost 2.4 pounds and found myself at a new recent low of 250.4 and close to breaking 250.  I have said that before.  So, I won't get overly confident.  My excellent day today could result in seeing a 240-something number or could result in me gaining a little bit.  But, I promise not to do anything too shameful.

Here's to blogging daily so that blogging my updates doesn't take so bloody long...

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 250.4
Change from previous: (1.8) (via -0.8, +1.6, -0.2, -2.4)
Total: (28.0)
Total Days: 78
Ahead/(Behind) Pace: (17.5)

252.2

Hmmmmmmmmm...

Another fairly decent day with no result.  This morning was supposed to be the day that I went sub-250.  Instead, I have gained .4 over the last two days.  Need to take a hard look at those two days and switch something up.  Looks like the storm has subsided.  We will hope that we are simply in the eye of the storm and things are quiet for a bit.

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 252.2
Change from previous: +0.4
Total: (26.2)
Total Days: 73
Ahead/(Behind) Pace: (16.8)

251.8

Just one of those days.  Exercised for 55 minutes... not including the walk to the gym.  Ate fairly decently.  Did all the same stuff I have done for three straight days with a different result.  I fully expect to see a better number tomorrow morning.  Til' then...

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 251.8
Change from previous: no change
Total: (26.6)
Total Days: 72
Ahead/(Behind) Pace: (15.9)

251.8

In my best Matthew McConaughey voice...  alright, alright, alright!  Down 1.4 from yesterday and down 6 pounds in three days after ending my bad week and starting my three weeks of renewed focus.  Inching closer to that next barrier of 250.  After falling behind my pace by 19.9 pounds, I have narrowed that gap to 15.4 pounds.  This is my lowest weight since December 15, 2012.

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 251.8
Change from previous: (1.4)
Total: (26.6)
Total Days: 71
Ahead/(Behind) Pace: (15.4)

253.2

Day 2 of the storm and a renewed attitude.  Down another pound and Tuesday through Friday are now a distant memory.  Now time to get under 250 and stop talking about it!  Tomorrow WILL be a new low... this time around.

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 253.2
Change from previous: (1.0)
Total: (25.2)
Total Days: 70
Ahead/(Behind) Pace: (16.3)

Tough Week

Since I last blogged, my progress hasn't gotten much better.  The last five days included a dinner at Mi Ranchito and a relaxing night of pizza and beers on the riverwalk at Angelo's.  I am in a funk.  I am not sure what has happened over the last 11 days ever since getting down to 253.  Not sure what the cause of my general malaise has been.  Maybe I needed a few days mentally.  Maybe that is just a lame excuse for my bad decisions.  Either way, enough is enough.

My weight on Wednesday was 254.0, up .8.  I gained 2 more pounds after Mi Ranchito and weighed 256.0 on Thursday.  That weight was actually higher than what I weighed when I last returned from Chicago.  On Friday morning, the damage was .8 and left me at 256.8.  Angelo's cost me another pound.  So, yesterday morning, I weighed 257.8, higher than when I left for Chicago the last time!

I woke up yesterday and realized that this new positive-energy-never-get-angry-at-myself-take-it-all-in-stride attitude wasn't cutting it.  So, I am going back to the Anthony that doesn't let Anthony take these bad weeks in stride.  That Anthony would be kicking this Anthony's ass right now!  Instead of calling it a "week of exceptions", I am calling it "The Lull Before The Storm".  Yesterday, I decided that it was time to devote three straight weeks to NO exceptions.  It's time to buckle down and be perfect for a stretch of time.  It's time for a storm.  It's time for a three week storm.

This morning I woke up down 3.6 pounds from yesterday.  I am back to 254.2 and glad that the week of exception didn't cost me more than a few days and a little more than a pound.  And, glad that I am still committed to this journey.

By the way, for those who have read this blog for the past few years and make an immediate association with Mi Ranchito and me gaining weight, well, you are correct.  That connection exists. But, after some recent poor experiences there, you will be happy to know that I don't plan on returning.  The service, food, and most importantly, margaritas, have fallen off drastically.  That should be good thing for my weight loss... until I find a new Mexican restaurant.

Here's to the impending storm...

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 254.2
Change from previous: +1.0 (via +0.8, +2.0, +0.8, +1.0, -3.6)
Total: (24.2)
Total Days: 69
Ahead/(Behind) Pace: (16.8)

Up .2... Walking In Place

So, after a weekend of connectivity issues and replacing a router, the blog is back.  And, based on the .2 pound change since Thursday, my five days seems uneventful at the very least, and lacking any progress at the worst.  Like walking on a treadmill, lots of things are moving, but little has changed.  So, here's a recap...

Thursday, April 3 - "Grazing" - After a trip to San Diego, my Mom was back in town and wanted to have dinner with us and catch us up on California stories.  To avoid a Mi Ranchito or Texas Roadhouse catastrophe, my wife suggested we just pick up Collette's.  While not great, a sandwich at Collette's and being good the remainder of the day should be at least good for a break even day.  She agreed and I was confident that this dinner was not going to set me back! 

I ordered the sandwich and then asked my son if he wanted to order an extra order of pasta with meatballs because I wanted one bite of the pasta and one meatball.  My first bad addition.  So, I ate my sandwich.  Then had my bite of pasta and my meatball.  And, then we sat at the kitchen table and listened to stories... and I started grazing.  First it was a couple more bites of pasta.  Then it was some small chunks of bread I gave to the dog while also taking matching bites.  Then it was the chiles I love so much, first on bread and then on Dorito's that my son had gotten out and left on the table. Then some more pasta.  I grazed my way to a 1.6 pound gain.  Sure, better than Mi Ranchito, but still less than desirable.  Grazing is a bad habit.  Next time I need to remove myself from the table and listen to the stories elsewhere.

Weight on Friday, April 4 - 254.6

Friday, April 4 - "The Exception" - As far back as Lori's visit to Chicago, we had talked about going out for margaritas and chips and salsa.  Lori continued to talk about getting a margarita each weekend after that and I kept pushing it off.  Not because it didn't sound excellent.  But, because I didn't want to slow my momentum.  These are the exceptions I have talked about that would be fine when I am sub-220.  But, not so fine at 250+.  But, I realized that I had put it off long enough and I accepted the exception and everything that would come with it. 

So, dinner on Friday was chips and salsa, some guacamole, and some bean dip along with some margaritas.  The night was excellent.  We ran in to some friends we hadn't seen in a few months and had a great time.  And, I gained another pound.  It was worth it.  Now, I can go another 6-8 weeks before we do it again and it's out of both of our systems.  Exceptions by choice are much easier to handle than the gain from mindless "grazing".

Weight on Saturday, April 5 - 255.6

Saturday, April 5 - "Sam-ples" - Not sure what happened on Saturday.  We weren't horrible. At worst, I expected a slight loss.  But, it was another day filled with a lot of grazing and the worst thing were the samples at Sam's Club.  I had stopped eating the samples when I was being really good.  I haven't gotten back to that discipline yet.  Saturday ended up being the ultimate "walking in place" kind of day.

Weight on Sunday, April 6 - 255.6

Sunday, April 6 - Three days of exceptions, only one planned.  Enough was enough.  Sunday was a solid day and I was back in the groove.  Good days are pretty boring... so, I won't bore you.

Weight on Monday, April 7 - 254.0

Monday, April 7 - Another pretty decent day.  Zzzzzzzzzz....

Weight on Tuesday, April 8 - 253.2

So, I have been all over the place and find myself right back where I last left you.  Which means I wasted five days and fell even further behind my pace.  But, I stayed positive, I enjoyed a night out with Lori, and I am ready to get busy again no worse for the wear.

Here's to walking in place...

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 253.2
Change from previous: +0.2 (via +1.6, +1.0, no change, -1.6, -.8)
Total: (25.2)
Total Days: 64
Ahead/(Behind) Pace: (13.3)

253.0

And, I'm back!  Limited my snacking and was finally rewarded with a new low and my lowest since December 17, 2012.  Time to get busy on getting under 250 again.

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 253.0
Change from previous: (1.8)
Total: (25.4)
Total Days: 59
Ahead/(Behind) Pace: (10.6)

254.8... X2

Oops, forgot to post yesterday.  In the end, it mattered little as I was the exact same weight two days in a row and only .4 lower than Monday's weigh-in.  Hmmm.... need to make some adjustments. 

While I joked about doing better in Chicago, there is some truth to it.  And, I think I know the culprit.  When staying in a hotel, that trip to the store or to the restaurant was the pivotal moment where I had to make a good or bad choice.  But, once made, it was over with.  Typically, I was making very good choices.  Once I was back in the hotel, barring ordering from room service, my temptation options were limited.  However, my house is a different thing altogether.  The pantry still has Dorito's, Cheeto's, nacho chips.  The refrigerator still has guacamole, cheese, soda.  The kitchen table has a small glass bowl on it filled with M&Ms and Hershey Kisses.  The hotel didn't have any of these things.

So, today I did much better with all of those sneaky saboteurs and anticipate a better weight tomorrow morning.  I need to figure this out quickly... or hope they send me away on business again.  LOL.

Starting weight (this time): 278.4
Current weight: 254.8
Change from previous: (0.4) and No Change
Total: (23.6)
Total Days: 58
Ahead/(Behind) Pace: (11.9)