Tuesday, July 31, 2012

219 lbs (-10) [5X]

Regression! I took off a couple of days to build a play system for my 3-yr old. Today was spent hauling wood to the backyard and hand-screwing 38 pocket holes, and I apparently overestimated the calories I was burning. I was hoping to at least get some sun as part of the deal, but it was unseasonably overcast. At least I had my friends Bud Weiser & Evan Williams to help out.

What I consumed yesterday:
2.5 oz Nissin Cup Noodles Spicy Chile Chicken w/ 1 tbsp fiber, 2 tbsp whiskey, & no noodles
• Black coffee w/ 4 tbsp whiskey
• 24oz Budweiser & Clamato
• Starbucks Cool Lime Refresher w/ 3 tbsp whiskey
• Slice of Swiss cheese
• Black coffee w/ 3 tbsp whiskey
• 4 chicken wings
• Bunch of steamed broccoli
• 8 tbsp Old Overholt rye
• Chicken thigh

Monday, July 30, 2012

Total Wine -- 218 lbs (-11)

Finally made it to Total Wine & More in Bellevue and giddily stocked up on spirit for the month at awesome prices.

What I consumed yesterday:
2.5 oz Nissin Cup Noodles Spicy Chile Chicken w/ 1 tbs fiber, 2 tbsp whiskey, & no noodles
• 2 12 oz Budweiser Select w/ 2 tbsp whiskey
• Jade Dragon pork roll w/ dipping sauce
• Black coffee w/ 3 tbsp whiskey
• 2 Matador margaritas
• Matador Sopa de Aguacate
• 16oz Dos XX Amber

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Parfait Temptation -- 219 lbs (-10) [4X]

Holding the line at 219 lbs. Big temptation yesterday sitting at Dairy Queen with my 3-yr old, staring at a poster of peanut butter parfait. I'm starting to compile a list of things I'll eat when I reach my goal, and this is the first.

What I consumed yesterday:
2.5 oz Nissin Cup Noodles Spicy Chile Chicken w/ 1 tbsp fiber & 3 tbsp whiskey & no noodles (tastes like beef burgandy!)
• Starbucks grande sugar-free vanilla latte
• 6 mini dill pickles
• 2 peach slices
• 3 12 oz Budweiser Select w/ 4 tbsp whiskey
• 2 Jade Dragon tofu salad rolls w/ peanut dipping sauce
• 4 strawberries w/ sugar
• Black coffee w/ 3 tbsp whiskey
• 5 slices potato w/ cheese & extra bacon

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Budweiser & Clamato -- 219 lbs (-10) [3X]

Since I was able to lose weight on a diet of beer garden, I've decided to try adding Budweiser & Clamato to my arsenal, as that seems a little more foodie.

What I consumed yesterday:
• Black coffee w/ 3 tbsp whiskey (breakfast!)
• 24oz Budweiser & Clamato
• 3.75 oz Bumblebee Sardines in hot sauce
• 3 6oz Budweiser Select w/ 2 tbsp whiskey
• 4 small slices potato w/ cheese & extra bacon
• 2 16oz Manny's draft beer
• 4 Chiles on Horseback from Redmond Bar & Grill
• 1 slice of seared Ahi & side salad from same

Friday, July 27, 2012

I Had A Dream -- 219 lbs (-10) [2X]

[I thought I'd be a bit different and not title my posts, but my posts are coming through blank for some folks, so I'm adding a title this time. If that fixes the problem, and you're seeing one of these posts for the first time, please see my first post for context.]

I had my first diet dream. I went into a McDonalds, but the inside was a busy indoor bazaar filled with long tables stacked with Doritos, which I willfully avoided. Then I came to a restaurant-style booth with 4 people, one of whom said "Hey Jeff, remember [so-and-so]?" while pointing to the person next to him. I recognized both persons as old elementary schoolmates from ages past, but grown up. There was also a young boy at the table who said "remember me?", and I said I did not, and that my memory was very poor at my age. He was very disappointed and started to sulk away, so I stopped him and pleaded to know who he was. He said his name was Skippy, and that he used to follow me and the 4th person at the table to school. I remembered, and the boy was content and wandered off. I asked the 4th person how this boy could be Skippy, since he should be an older man by now, and she said that Skippy was reincarnated. I suddenly noticed 4 Doritos in each of my front pockets and was now on a muddy road in a rural area, talking to another old friend who had just moved there, and I was saying how glad I was now that he lived closer to me. He went back into his house and I started eating the Doritos. I was on the 3rd or 4th Dorito when I walked across the road in my socks, was overcome with a surge of willpower, and spit out the Dorito I was chewing. Then I woke up.

Everyone in my dream was a real person from my life, except Skippy. Why he was reincarnated and put chips in my pockets is a real mystery.

What I consumed yesterday:
• 1 cube each of cantaloupe, honeydew, & pineapple
• 2 5.5 oz V8 juice
• .75 oz The Laughing Cow Light Blue Cheese wedge
• 1.5 small bowls of assorted Thai food
• 7 tbsp Evan Williams whiskey
• 3 small slices potato w/ cheese & bacon

Thursday, July 26, 2012

219 lbs (-10)

10 lbs (of 49), wahoo!

What I consumed yesterday:
• 12oz Stella
• 5 12oz Modelo Especial
• 2 Saltines
• 4 slices potato w/ cheese & bacon
• 4 slices potato w/ cheese & bacon (no potato)

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

220 lbs (-9)

What I consumed yesterday:
• 12oz Modelo Especial
• 12oz Alaskan Summer
• 12oz Widmer Hefeweizen
• 12oz Rolling Rock
• 12oz Redhook ESB
• 12oz Miller Lite
• 12oz Heineken
• 2 Kobe beef sliders w/ 1 bun
• 4 eggs w/ 3 slices bacon

Hmm, no regression here. Not quite sure what to make of that--a new commercial diet perhaps?

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

221 lbs (-8)

1 week down, 51 weeks to go. So far, I've managed to get back to my "natural weight", and I hope to keep it there while navigating the temptuous waters of a 2-day beer garden and my mom's visit. Wish me luck!

What I consumed yesterday:
• Black coffee w/ 3 tbsp whiskey (breakfast!)
• 3 5.5 oz V8 juice
• 2 Metamucil multigrain wafers
• .25 cup whiskey
• 3 meatballs w/ 3 tbsp shredded parmesan & thin slice garlic bread

Monday, July 23, 2012

221 lbs (-8)

Starting tomorrow, two days of beer garden just a hop, barley, and malt from the building I work at. I expect a bit of regression here.

What I consumed yesterday:
• Hot dog (no bun)
• Apple slice w/ dab of caramel
• Starbucks grande sugar-free vanilla latte w/ 4 tbsp whiskey
• 12 oz Budweiser Select
• 3 Banquet chicken tenders
• McDonalds Caesar salad w/ grilled chicken (no dressing or tomatoes)
• 12 oz Budweiser Select w/ 4 tbsp whiskey
• 8 seedless red grapes

Sunday, July 22, 2012

221 lbs (-8)

Lots of manual labor yesterday (and more today), disassembling and hauling furniture and stuff. While I don't like exercising for exercise sake, it's great to burn a bunch of calories doing something useful. That said, I do have a stretching and exercise routine that I've done every morning since I can remember. And I will take a walk during work days, if I can squeeze one in, because it invigorates me (as do power-naps, but neither work nor home are good environments for those right now).

I watched The Immortals last night. It would be fun to look like Mickey Rourke, but that would take a more serious lifestyle change. He turns 60 in September, FYI.

What I consumed yesterday:
2.5 oz Nissin Cup Noodles Spicy Chile Chicken (no noodles)
• Tillamook reduced fat cheddar cheese slice
• Baby carrot dipped in Jif chocolate silk peanut butter
• .75 Fosters Farm corn dog
• 2 12 oz Budweiser Selects w/ 2 tbsp whiskey
• 2 Jade Dragon tofu salad rolls w/ peanut dipping sauce
• .3 cup Mezzeta pepper rings
• 12 oz Coca-Cola Vanilla Zero

Saturday, July 21, 2012

223 lbs (-6)

What I consumed yesterday:
• Several cups of coffee (black)*
• 4.5 oz pouch StarKist Tuna Creations (Lemon Pepper)
• .75 oz The Laughing Cow Queso Fresco & Chipotle cheese wedge
• Palmer Peppermint Patty
• 5.5 oz V8 juice
• 2 12 oz Budweiser Selects w/ 1 tbsp whiskey
• 3 Buffalo chicken wings
• Bite of leftover Banquet chicken tender w/ dab of ketchup

First day of no change since yesterday. Most days will need to be like this, so I'll try not to be disappointed.

The hardest thing about eating at home is the temptation to eat someone else's unfinished food. I don't like leftover food going to waste, which is silly, because my eating it isn't going to accomplish anything other than me possibly gaining weight. But it is hard to resist all the same, and I have no great defense, other than to keep my resolve strong.

Alcohol is another temptation, as I love to drink. It isn't the calories per se, but the lack of eating control that a certain amount of alcohol brings. I find the more I drink, the less I can resist eating leftover food or finishing off a family-size bag of chips. I'm not prepared to give up drinking for this diet just yet, so I plan to be very moderate instead. And if I am over-tracking to my monthly weight-loss goal of 5 lbs, I will allow myself the occasional day off.


* I am no longer going to mention this unless this pattern changes

Friday, July 20, 2012

223 lbs (-6)

Still losing weight quickly, but I expect to slow down shortly after 220 lbs, as that seems to be my "natural" weight. Despite my disdain of the diet culture, I have dieted before, and found that I quickly get to about 220 lbs, fight to get under it, and eventually gravitate back to it. I reached 214 lbs in October 2008, and 205 lbs near the end of 2006, so those are the first "floors" I need to punch through. If I gravitate back to 220 after reaching 180, well, at least I'll have fun doing it.

What I consumed yesterday:
• Cup of coffee w/ 5 tbsp Starbucks peppermint mocha + 2 tbsp whiskey (breakfast!)
• 5 oz Libby's Vienna Sausages
• .75 oz The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese wedge
• 5.5 oz V8 juice
• 12 oz Budweiser Select
• 4 scrambled eggs w/ ~ 2 tbsp grated cheddar
• Several cups of coffee (black)

Thursday, July 19, 2012

225 lbs (-4)

What I consumed yesterday:
• 2 cups of coffee (black)
2.5 oz Nissin Cup Noodles Spicy Chile Chicken (no noodles)
• ~5 baby carrots
• 2 Starbucks grande sugar-free vanilla lattes w/ fat-free milk
• 3 pretzel M&M's
• McDonalds caesar salad w/ grilled chicken (no dressing or tomatoes)
• Cup of coffee w/ 5 tbsp Starbucks peppermint mocha + 2 tbsp whiskey

I took a personal day yesterday. For me, eating less at work is much easier than at home. At work, I am often so busy I have to go out of my way to eat. At home, or even running errands, there are plenty of opportunities to eat, especially when I am feeding my 3-yr old. My secret weapon here is Cup 'O Noodle broth, which acts as a tremendous appetite suppressant. Skinny Vanilla lattes from Starbucks are good, too. After I plateau, I will probably switch to putting a couple tablespoons of low-fat chocolate milk in coffee.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

226 lbs (-3)

1 day down, 364 days to go. Off to a good start, but I expect the first 10 lbs to be relatively easy and fast (and the last 10 lbs to be a horrendous physical and psychological battle).

What I consumed yesterday:
• 4.5 oz pouch StarKist Tuna Creations (Sweet & Spicy)
• 5.5 oz V8 juice
• Banana
• McDonald's McChicken patty (plain, no bread)
• ~10 McDonald's french fries (stolen from my daughter)
• Several cups of coffee (black)

A friend of mine brought a neat and clever website to my attention, http://www.stickk.com, which helps people achieve ambitious personal goals (like weight loss) by publishing a "commitment contract" for friends and relatives to see, and backing that with financial stakes. The site was started by Yale University economists and is based on principles supported by mounds of research data. I have decided not to use this tool (for this particular goal anyway), mostly because this blog serves a largely overlapping purpose (and also because I am irreverent). It's good to know that it's there in case I need it later, and I recommend trying it if you need social help dieting using proven methods. If anyone has used it, I'd love to hear about your experience.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Happy Birthday to Me -- 229 lbs

Happy birthday to me. My name is Jeff, and I just turned 49.

Personally, I don't like society's obsession about weight, but for the next year I am going to obsess about mine. For various atypical reasons, I plan to lose 49 pounds by my 50th birthday. I don't particularly care about my appearance, and my doctor says I'm perfectly healthy (despite a decidedly unhealthy lifestyle). So why would I purposely subject myself to something so unpleasant as dieting for such a long time?

Hello!?! I'm going to be turning 50! It seems like just yesterday I was 180 lbs, full of wonderfully naive dreams, and ready to take on the world. Today I'm 229 lbs, approaching the end of the road with a trail of trashed ideas and unfinished projects behind me, at once both cynical and apathetic about the world. I don't see myself picking up my personal litter or improving the Human Condition, but going back to my high school weight seems doable, especially if I take out a whole year to do it.

The more substantial reason I'm doing this is because I want to accomplish more things that are meaningful to me, and I've been having trouble carving personal time out from my heavy workload and demanding 3-year old (1 of 5 kids, BTW). I plan to rectify that by recouping time from less eating, which should also result in less pooping and less sleeping (digesting makes me really tired!). I mostly enjoy all of those things, but those moments are brief and vanish forever, so I would rather spend that time creating things that may stick around for a while.

I don't have a particular dieting plan, other than to avoid any commercial diet, maintain this blog (for a year), and never do anything like this again. I'm not interested in eating right or exercising, and though I may do both sometimes, I may subsist on whiskey and tobacco at others. Society and health science can kiss my hemorrhoidal ass.