Friday, May 31, 2013

Friday

153.2 this morning - still very uncomfortable in my skin.  I seem to be having a rather hard time shaking the inflammation after the race.  Not that I will stop plugging.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • a very few macadamia nuts
  • Chik-Fil-A grilled chicken salad with (unfortunately) ranch dressing
  • about 5 waffle fries
  • cashews
  • cheese
I think that was it - nothing, as far as I can tell, particularly inflammatory, except the oil in the dressing, fries, and chicken.  I'm quite bummed with Chik-Fil-A; they have eliminated the blue cheese dressing from their menu in an attempt to be more "healthy".  Yee-haw.

I have had bacon this morning, and we will be having braised short ribs for dinner, as it is surprisingly cold today - probably in the 50s at the moment, with a high in the low 70s.  Not quite right for late May, if you ask me.

No particular plans for the weekend, but I would like to get some exercise in - preferably outdoors.  And next week is our last home week before vacation.  Looking forward to it - a road trip up to Seattle/Victoria to see the kids.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Thursday

Still swollen - even more so, if you believe the scale - 153.8 this morning.  Ugh.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • double quarter pounder with cheese, no bun
  • two hamburger patties with cheese and green chili
  • tomatoes
  • pickled green beans
  • about 1/3 deli bag of Lays
  • 1/4 Hershey's dark chocolate with almonds
  • walnuts
That was it.  My feet were so swollen overall this morning that they itched.  Not a good thing, I think.

I forgot to mention yesterday that I did 50 crunches the night before.  As yesterday went on, they made my upper abs rather stiff - and they still are.  Will try to keep doing this sort of thing.  Also walking, once the blister is sufficiently resolved.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Wednesday

Pretty much fasted yesterday, so of course, I'm at 153.2 today.  Water - my ankles are stiff, the backs of my knees are stiff, my fingers are swollen.  Fasting breakfast again today because I didn't feel like getting up; we don't do a 16-8 routine or anything, and I usually eat something during the day, but I do like the convenience of skipping a meal if I'd rather do something else.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • macadamia nuts - probably about 20 throughout the day
  • hot and sour soup
  • mu-shu chicken without pancakes
  • a fortune cookie
  • cheese
  • chocolate - dark with almonds (1/4 Hershey's bar) and milk (small Ritter-sport)
That was it.  Like I said, hardly 5300 too many calories.  I was in mild ketosis at bedtime last night, which also isn't too surprising, given that through dinner (absent dessert), my carbs consisted of cabbage and bean sprouts and bamboo shoots.  Probably a similar pattern today.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

um, ... Tuesday

Holiday weekend; I tend to forget what day it is when it's the first day at work and not a Monday.  Good - and very busy - weekend.  Including Friday, here's what went on:
  • Carpet installation
  • Swamp Cooler repair
  • Graduation for my niece
  • Completion of two skirts (sewing) while listening to the Indy 500
  • Competition in the Bolder Boulder
After that, I sorta collapsed.  I'm not sure why, but I ended up with a nasty blister on the bottom of my right heel from the race yesterday - about 2 inches long and an inch across.  I got it drained and have a band-aid on it, and the foot's walkable, but it definitely colored my experience of the last third of the race.  Kinda painful.  I had no problems of the sort last year, in the same shoes, so I'm not sure what the deal was.  The shoes are going in the wash tonight, I think.  And they may be near due for replacement as well - that could be it.

I am definitely stiff and sore today - but in a very different way from a year ago, I think.  Credit there to Rolfing, because I'm symmetrically sore, and only from the waist down; the rest of me feels perfectly fine.

151.6 this morning, much due to inflammation, so I think it will go down over the week.  Here's yesterday as well as I can recall:
  • tea with cream
  • fat bomb smoothie
  • potato chips
  • 3 Fuzzy's shredded beef tacos, eaten with the corn tortillas (post-race recovery carbs, right?)
  • pork tenderloin with dried-fruit chutney (williams-sonoma recipe, omitted sugar)
  • salad with blue cheese, cranberries, and walnuts, balsamic vinaigrette
  • walnuts
  • 1/4 bar Hershey's dark chocolate with almonds
I think that was it.  Skipped breakfast this morning for convenience and because I wasn't particularly hungry; will be focused on anti-inflammatory eating today.

Oh - and here's the weird thing.  I am NOT in shape right now - far from it.  Didn't train much for the race, unlike last year, when we did a goodish bit of walking in anticipation.  And I will grant that our pace was hardly fast last year.  But we beat it by about 2-1/2 minutes this year.  With the blister.  I had enough left to run the final hill (until the turn into the road behind the stadium, that is), and the stadium itself.  And didn't need a nap yesterday, either.  In years past, a complete collapse was inevitable.  Gotta love coconut oil, I guess.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Friday

So, I ate rather badly yesterday, and behold - this morning, I see 150.8 on the scale.  Anyone who thinks Calories-In, Calories-Out makes sense must go mad trying to figure things like that out.  Here's yesterday:
  • scrambled eggs
  • sausage
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • macadamia nuts - about 20
  • a vending bag of M&Ms
  • a 1/2-pound ground beef patty with green chile and cheese on it
  • about 1/2 cup of cottage cheese
  • 2 pieces of cheddar
  • 3 dark chocolate almonds
  • 1/2 small bag of Lay's
Not a good contrast with Wednesday, in junk-food terms.  And by the day's end, my ankles were round protrusions between my feet and legs.  Nasty.  I didn't even bother to test for ketosis last night, after the chips.  I blame hormones.

Working from home today.  I think I have the carpet guys and someone to fix the swamp cooler coming - that's the price I pay for the ability to telecommute.  Hope they'll all keep me busy enough to avoid heavy snacking - they, and work, obviously.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Thursday

151.2 this morning; not sure why.  Slept pretty well last night, but did have a nasty toe cramp yesterday evening and a minor leg cramp overnight, which probably means I should be salting my food more.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • about 15 macadamia nuts, I think
  • salad with chicken and parmesan cheese and (nasty) caesar dressing
  • summer sausage
  • bratwurst - about 2/3 of a brat
  • salad with italian dressing
  • a few potato chips - maybe 6
  • 1/4 Hershey's dark chocolate bar with almonds
  • 2 pieces of medium cheddar
I was in "trace" ketosis again at bedtime last night; I'm thinking it needs to be stronger for me to lose weight right now.  However, that was a pretty healthy day's eating, all things considered.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Wednesday

The renewed commitment to low-carb eating seems to be going well; I'm down to 151.0 this morning, even with sore feet and ankles and swollen fingers.  I don't know if it's the commitment, or that our evenings have been crazy-busy lately, but I have had a much reduced urge to snack so far this week.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • scrambled eggs
  • bacon
  • the usual supplements
  • salad with chicken and blue cheese dressing
  • small steak
  • green beans with bacon and onions (Southern style)
  • 4 dark chocolate almonds
A short list - usually bodes well.  A little ketosis last night at bedtime.  Fasted breakfast for convenience today; I have another chicken salad with me - this time, with a new Caesar dressing recipe.  And a lot of Parmesan cheese.  I think we've been a bit low-fat over the past couple of days, but the eating feels basically right.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Tuesday

We ate pretty well yesterday.  And I'm down a bit - 152.2.  Fingers are still a bit swollen, so there's more water there to remove.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • a small handful of macadamias (about 6)
  • salad with chicken breast and blue cheese dressing
  • burger with cheddar and bacon mixed in
  • salad with vinaigrette dressing
  • walnuts
  • 3 chocolate almonds
That was it.  We did discuss ways and means to eat for the next few weeks, and we're going back to hard-core low carb.  Meat and leaves.  Which, I would tend to say, describes yesterday pretty accurately.  I showed a trace of ketosis at bedtime, about what I would expect.  We've had breakfast today - eggs and bacon - and I have another chicken salad.  I mean to make some homemade Caesar dressing for these salads, but haven't had the presence of mind to do so the last couple of days.  Hopefully tonight.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Monday

Woke up bloated and stiff and sore again today; this is getting rather old.  Nonetheless, 152.8 this morning.  Yesterday went something like this:
  • tea with cream
  • strawberries and cream
  • bacon
  • the usual supplements
  • cheese
  • chips and salsa
  • one and a half cheese enchiladas with green chili
  • a bit of spanish rice
  • a few cashews
I think that was it; we were pretty busy most of the day so there wasn't much time to sit around and snack.  Also went for a mile-and-some walk yesterday morning - hope it helps doing the Bolder Boulder this coming weekend.

Lee and I are going to review our current eating habits with an eye toard improvements tonight.  Not sure what will come of it, but I'll post the plans once we know them.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Friday

Huh.  The magic of menopause struck again yesterday, oh joy.  Explained the water retention and some of the aches and pains.  152.6 this morning.  Here's yesterday:
  • scrambled eggs with ground beef, spinach, and cheese
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • strawberries (about 10)
  • macadamia nuts (about 20)
  • burger patty with blue cheese in it
  • sliced tomatoes
  • sliced dill pickles
  • cheese
  • cashews
  • almond dark chocolate bar (1/4)
Not great, but could be worse, I guess.  Today I'm working from home again, so we shall see how things go.  I've had breakfast, and I have set up shop at the other end of the house from the kitchen, so I am hopeful.

A few more ounces of water to be lost, I think.  My feet were still sore and stiff overnight.  And I will work this weekend on moving toward a more whole-30-ish approach, trying still to figure out if that's where we want to go for a while.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Correction

Weight this morning is 153.0, not 130.0.  Wishful thinking.

Thursday

Woke up this morning with a knot in a part of my back that I can't reach, and that makes it hurt when I move my head pretty much any direction.  I hate that.  This will be short.  130.0 today; here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • 13 macadamia nuts
  • about 1/2 pound of strawberries
  • hot and sour soup
  • cashew chicken
  • a fortune cookie
  • 1/4 Hershey's almond dark chocolate bar (16 carbs' worth)
  • two pieces of cheese
No ketosis at bedtime; slept well enough.  Still stiff and swollen pretty much all over.  I've taken an Advil to see if anti-inflammatories will help any.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Wednesday

My feet are still so swollen that my toes hurt.  Along with wrists and thumb joints and other miscellaneous bits.  I just feel inflated.  Annoying.

152.8 today, so it is going away, although not in the way I would have expected.  I think I won't go into details.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • eggs scrambled with ground beef and spinach
  • a bag of M&Ms
  • a bag of peanuts - both around 3 pm due to hunger that would not go away
  • Fuzzy's shredded beef salad (small this time), with just their hot sauce for dressing
  • pickled green beans
  • two pieces of cheese
Somehow, it felt like more.  No ketosis at bedtime, though.  And my legs are fasciculating this morning, although I didn't have any cramps or anything last night.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Tuesday

Successful fast yesterday, followed by a fasted mile-and-a-bit walk at Lee's pace (faster than I would have preferred on swollen feet).  153.8 this morning, so some of the water is gone.  I was also in moderate ketosis last night.  Back on track.

Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • two sirloin burger patties
  • TJ's green chili salsa
  • monterrey jack cheese
  • potato chips (1/2 Lay's deli bag)
  • 1/4 of a Hershey's dark chocolate almond bar (large size - roughly equivalent to the amount of Lindt I normally have)
And that was it.  I'm now re-reading my Whole 30 guide, thinking about taking another stab at that.  Lee says he's on board, but we will be having some conversations about what is truly entailed before I believe it.  

Monday, May 13, 2013

Monday

Bad weekend.  Awful, in fact.  Partially redeemed by yesterday, but only partially, and not at all reflected by the scale.  Which said 155.0 this morning.  Like I said, awful.  Saturday lunch consisted of a deli bag of Lays (more than 2 servings, I believe) and about 2/3 of a bag of dried cherries.  Do I know why?  No, I don't.

Some of the 155 pounds is water, for sure.  Every joint I have is constrained by water right now.  Probably affected by my 4-mile walk on Saturday - I had breakfast at the golf course and then walked home via the trail along Ralston Creek.  I'm still feeling it - but it needed to be done.

Lee has messed up a knee - torn meniscus - and one of the self-care recommendations he got was to take walks.  So we will be doing that - more urgency once the doc says to.  Did one yesterday morning and will do one before dinner.

Managed a lower carb day yesterday.  Here's the scoop:
  • tea with cream
  • strawberries and cream
  • cheese
  • fritata with red peppers (brunch starts here)
  • bacon
  • green olives
  • cheese
  • sausage
  • chicken with rosemary cream sauce
  • a mimosa
  • half slice of salami
  • small filet mignon (here's where brunch ended and dinner began)
  • salad with blue cheese dressing
No noticeable ketosis at bedtime.  I'm fasting this morning due to overwhelming sleepiness when the alarm went off.  I got some really good sleep over the weekend, that's one good thing.  Brought no snacks with me today, so the goal is to fast until dinner, which will be after the walk.  That's the plan.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Friday

I guess yesterday was marginally better than earlier in the week - at least the scale moved in a downward direction.  153.0 this morning.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • a bag of M&Ms
  • a bag of salted peanuts
  • shepherd's pie (ground beef, mirepoix, mashed potatoes)
  • "like it" sized berry/ice cream stuff from Cold Stone
  • walnuts - no portioning
That was it.  The ice cream seemed to help keep the carb cravings down for the rest of the evening, although it wasn't all that good.  I find commercial food less and less satisfying over time.

Had breakfast today: eggs and bacon and vitamins.  Not sure what I will make for dinner, but since I'm working from home, it seems entirely unreasonable to eat out.  Need to go survey the freezer.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Thursday

153.2.  I'm fighting - and losing to - a lot of carb cravings still.  Last night, I ate a bunch of cashews - multiple servings, guaranteed - and two, or possibly three, handfuls of chocolate cherries.  Which I no longer even like.  And yet I kept going back for more.  I'm not sure what I want exactly, but this has been rough.

Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • possibly the usual supplements (I know I haven't had them today)
  • double quarter pounder with cheese, no bun
  • shrimp with prosciutto
  • sliced tomatoes
  • cashews
  • chocolate cherries
That was it, but those last two items queered the day, as it were. Shepherd's Pie for dinner tonight - I made it last evening, with a real mirepoix, properly sweated onions and all.  A bit of beer in the sauce (which was just beef stock).  Butter-laden potatoes on top.  It tasted quite good in the making, so I'm hopeful it will be good tonight - and enough to keep me from being on the quest for the perfect carb fix, whatever that might be.

Working from home tomorrow.  Could be good, could be awful, in terms of eating.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Wednesday

Stress spawns carb cravings.  At least, I think that's what it is.  Last night, I ate a milk chocolate bar, a small bag of chips, and an unknown quantity of dark chocolate cherries.  No ketosis, and a pound of weight.  152.8 this morning.  Ugh.  I think I'll skip my report of yesterday, because it included lunch and 3 handfuls of potato chips.  Bad, bad day.

Fasting breakfast due to sleepiness.  May or may not help.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Tuesday

151.8 - or possibly, 152.2 - this morning - I stepped on the scale twice, and in the course of half an hour, lost 0.4 pounds.  Which is fine, but does tend to reduce one's confidence in the scale.  Per the ketostix, I had no ketosis overnight.  Probably to be expected; here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • about 1/4 cup of sauerkraut
  • a vending bag of M&Ms
  • 3 macadamia nuts - for salt more than anything
  • 2-1/2 potato skin appetizers (with cheese and bacon)
  • steak
  • green beans
  • 2 squares of Ghirardelli 86% chocolate (possibly better than Lindt)
A bit carby, for me at least.  I think the potato skins each represented a hollowed-out 1/8 of a potato; not sure what that amounts to.  My original intention was to have shrimp wrapped in prosciutto, but we got home so late that Lee wanted to go out and get something - which inevitably took longer than cooking would have.  Oh, well.  Shrimp tomorrow.  Today, I don't know.  I have a meeting over lunch that supposedly will include lunch - and given that I don't eat lunch, I can't say what that will end up being for me.  I also have a bag of strawberries with me, and I had a light breakfast - eggs and 1/4 of a sausage patty (didn't care for them one bit).

I'm toying with the idea of suggesting we walk to dinner - there's a Qdoba within walking distance, as well as a Wendy's and the BBQ place.  Without the dogs, though - that would complicate things too much.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Monday

I will call yesterday a cheat day; it involved a LOT of corn products.  151.4 this morning, thankfully, but with an unhappy stomach.  Here's yesterday as I recall it:
  • scrambled eggs
  • bacon
  • tea with cream
  • a few hash browns (the crispy bits)
  • most of a large movie popcorn
  • cheese
  • carne asada flank steak
  • guacamole
  • salsa
  • chips (and I finished the bag, but there weren't that many)
  • an Aunt Sally's triple-chocolate praline
I think that was it.  I'm paying for it this morning.  Grabbed a few spoonfuls of sauerkraut in lieu of breakfast, hoping to calm things down a bit.  If and only if I get hungry, I can have some macadamia nuts at work; otherwise, I think I'll aim for a fast day.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Friday

Last workday - thank heaven!  The sun is out, most of the snow from Wednesday has melted (although last night's freezing temperatures and frost finally did in my poor daffodils!), and the weekend looks set fair.  And my right ear is partly deaf.  Started at bedtime last night; I have irrigated it with peroxide and water and have done the Neil-Med thing to my sinuses, and took a Sudafed this morning.  So far, no improvement.  I'm still hopeful that the Sudafed will do something.

Woke up feeling like an inflated balloon this morning, head to toe, so inflammation is rife.  152.2 this morning.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • 3 pieces of Swiss cheese and a bite of Muenster curd (they've started getting rather ripe, so I stopped there)
  • Fuzzy's giant salad with shredded beef and queso for dressing (a few tortilla chips in there, but not many)
  • 2 squares of Lindt 85%
  • 1/2 cup of walnuts
I look at that, and I figure heavy ketosis.  But the bedtime test?  Clean - no trace, nothing.  Go figure.  Things are definitely out of whack right now.

Gardening and things of that sort this weekend, I think.  I have more areas that need cleanup.  And I would really like to get my hearing back, too.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Thursday (according to the calendar, anyway)

Seems like it should only be Wednesday - fine by me that it's closer to the weekend.  152.4 this morning.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • 10 macadamia nuts
  • 6 grilled Chik-Fil-A tenders with ranch dressing dip (not a very good combo)
  • a regular size order of Chik-Fil-A fries with ketchup
  • scant 1/2 cup walnuts
  • cashews from the big container - more than I should have
But that was it!  No idea why that would lead to weight gain - but my ankles are puffy, so water, I guess.  The chicken was pretty salty, as were the cashews.  At bedtime, I tested "Moderate" ketosis, so go figure.

Maybe it's stress.  From all the stupid weather, I mean.  

All I've had today so far is cheese - not even any supplements.  Wasn't sure if the roads were passable this morning, or icy.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Wednesday

And, ... it's snowing.  Once a week, regular as rain (is that a saying?  It sounds like one.)  The roads this morning were only wet, primarily because it only started snowing some time after 4 am.  

I didn't eat much yesterday, but am back up to 151.0 this morning, and aching head to toe.  Inflammation, I guess, from Chinese food for dinner.  I took three Advil for breakfast, basically, but it hasn't kicked in yet.  The aching didn't help with sleep last night - I slept until around 4 (which is why I know it hadn't started snowing by then), but restlessly.  Here's yesterday:
  • tea with cream
  • the usual supplements
  • scrambled eggs
  • bacon
  • 10 macadamia nuts
  • hot and sour soup
  • mushu chicken, no pancakes (chicken and egg, and cabbage, mostly)
  • 1/2 cup of walnut pieces
That was it.  

I have a day full of meetings ahead of me, and would really prefer to curl back into the fetal position and whine all day.  Not going to happen, though.