About those situps

They did something - I can feel it when I stretch, now.

Tuesday

I'm not entirely sure what's going on with me right now - yesterday I woke up with a backache that made me feel like my entire body was about to sneeze - a certain vibrating sensation that normally shows up in my sinuses but was all-pervasive.  I still feel hints of that this morning, but it has concentrated itself nearer the nose.  I don't feel sick, exactly, just a bit off.  I guess it's a Paleo cold.  I have Airborne; will probably have one sometime today.  Supposedly, they don't do anything, but they've headed off a real cold for me more times than I'd care to recall.

In addition, my stomach's been a little off over the past few days as well.  This whole thing may be somehow related to the weird chain of gained weight I was seeing over the weekend and late last week.  I was 147.0 this morning, so down a tiny bit from yesterday.  Here's the eating:

• scrambled eggs
• bacon
• tea with cream
• the usual (Monday) supplements
• hazel nuts - 2 handfuls
• a roasted chicken breast - no skin
• some salsa
• a large handful of cashews
• a tiny strawberry Haagen-Dasz (those little cups are oh-so-handy, and are frozen so solid that they take forever to eat.  The perfect cheat-y snack)

My sleep over the last few days has been rough.  I fall asleep easily enough, but I am not getting into the deep sleep - I dream myself into wakefulness several times over the night - generally not enough to need any effort to get back to sleep, but enough to know I'm awake.  Then, when I wake up in the morning, I don't feel at all rested.

It all could be stress, maybe.  I'm on the brink of a job change (decidedly for the better, but still...) and that might be bothering me at some subconscious level, although I don't feel consciously stressed.  It could be a lack of exercise - the whole go-to-the-gym thing hasn't really become a habit (okay, I went once last week and haven't been since).  Hard to say.

On the exercise front, I did do a bunch of sit-up-y things last night - crunches with one of those metal headrest jigs.  I did 50 regular crunches, 15 side crunches each side, and 25 lower ab exercises.  It hurt when I got up, so I think it might have done some good, but I don't feel any after-effects just now.

Vacation next week - starts Friday evening, actually.  New Orleans for Mardi Gras.  I will do my best to behave, but that town knows what to do with food.  That's one of the reasons I'd like to get some of these 6 pounds off before we go; it will be harder after.

Monday

Frustrating weekend - no other way to put it.  Last week, a 20-hour fast gained me 0.3 pounds; over the weekend, I ate fairly well (a few potato chips on Friday dinner being the only really bad thing I recall), and by yesterday morning, had gained a pound and a half.  Yesterday, I ate no better and no worse than Saturday, and this morning, I'm down nearly 2 pounds.  I do not get it.

Oh, well.  147.2 this morning and glad to be there, although I woke up aching head to toe for no particular reason.  Nothing like Advil for breakfast.  Here's yesterday's details:

• bacon (I didn't have it until nearly lunchtime, though)
• the usual supplements
• tea with cream
• bell pepper chunks (probably an entire pepper's worth - orange and yellow)
• dip made from sour cream and a spice blend
• cheese
• about 9 nasty rice/nut crackers (to finish the dip)
• salami
• chocolate cherries
• a TJ's dark chocolate bar (about 2" square, 1/8" thick)
• taco salad with grassfed beef

I think that was it. 

We did a movie Saturday night and I brought dried strawberries and coconut chips.  Crunchy and tasty, and about popcorn-sized, so they proved quite adequate.  I'm getting short on dried strawberries, though - going to have to get the dehydrator out and do some more, I think.  They probably won't be quite as good, being out of season and all, but they'll do.

Friday

Okay, what gives?  I fasted yesterday - ate nothing except tea with cream until 3:30 pm.  Roughly a 20-hour fast.  Broken with a meal at the kebab/gyro place near home, and basically no snacks all night.  The result?  147.7 - up a third of a pound from yesterday.  Just how much more does muscle weigh than fat, anyway?

Here's the details:

• tea with cream
• the usual supplements
• two pieces of cheese
• house salad with a mildly sweet, mediterranean dressing
• gyro meat (probably 2/3 pound)
• strawberry/mango juice (my only significant carbs for the day)
• two chocolate almonds

That's IT.  I spent the evening pulling down old radio mp3 files and did not eat another bite until breakfast this morning.  You know, maybe Taubes is off a bit in his specifics, maybe insulin isn't the "MASTER HORMONE", but there is no way on earth that energy balance has jack to do with my weight.  Mysterious forces are at work here.

What the...?

This just showed up on my facebook page in an ad for overstock shoes.  I think they're missing the point somewhere.

Thursday

I was hungry all day yesterday.  No idea why, I just was.  I did end up eating hazel nuts midway through the day, but it wasn't boredom, I don't think.  Got home, had dinner, and I needed more.  It's weird when that happens, but I did the best I could to go with it and stay reasonably sane (but only reasonably, as you'll see).  And at the end of it all, 147.4 on the scale this morning - go figure.  Here's the breakdown:

• scrambled eggs
• bacon
• the usual supplements
• tea with cream
• hazel nuts
• meatballs with commercial "vodka" pasta sauce and parmesan cheese
• salad with meat and cheese in it
• blue cheese dressing
• cheese
• cashews
• godiva pearls (only about 6 of them, I think)
• two chocolate cherries

I put the cashews in a small container with the chocolates, to keep the quantity from going mindlessly high, and it worked.  And after the cashews, I didn't feel quite so ravenous, so I was able to stop eating.

No exercise last night - I was tired and achy and felt vaguely like a cold or something was looming when I got home from work.  May have been hunger, I guess.  It seems to be gone this morning, I'm happy to say.

Wednesday

Still effing 148.1 this morning, and I'm irritated.  Here's yesterday's eating:

• scrambled eggs
• bacon
• tea with cream
• the usual supplements
• Olive Garden salad with their dressing
• Olive garden mixed grill (steak, chicken, peppers, zucchini)
• about 2 pieces of fried potato
• one Ande's chocolate mint thing
• iced tea
• hot tea
• two chocolate cherries

I'm seeing some very light fasciculation in my calves, but no cramping, and I'm obviously not seeing weight loss just now.  Kinda annoying, and I really want to get away from this half of the 140's.

Most of the stiffness from the gym on Monday is gone, which is nice.  I'll probably do some situps and pushups tonight.