154

After a long night of Wine-drinking, Ruby got me up early, and amazingly, shortly thereafter, I went to the gym and set a new record (for me)—3 miles in 34 minutes. Usually, the time (or my speed, counted in RPMs) was not a factor. I checked the distance. Now I realize that in order to get the best workout, I must keep my speed consistent, and understand what kind of distance I'm covering in what amount of time. I used to think that old saw "30 minutes of exercise three times a week" was enough, but now I realize there is a QUALITY too that is a factor. Humf, there are always more details to pay attention to.

Breakfast #1:
15 Cashews
5 Blueberries
1 Spoonful of Banilla Yogurt

Breakfast #2
1 Slice Multi-Grain Anadama
1 Tsp Peanut Butter
1.5 oz Jalapeno Cheddar Lite
Coffee

Brunch
3 Eggs
4 Strips of Real Bacon
Ass't Pieces of Fruit (Blackberries, Blueberries)
Coffee

Middle of the Day Snacking
2 Chicken Nuggets
1/4 cup unsalted cashews
coke zero

Dinner
Steak Tips
Broccoli
Peppadews (http://www.peppadew.com/)

For those paying attention, there will not be a weigh-in tomorrow. Instead, I will get weighed in August 8th, and the cycle will begin again.

153: Not Feeling That Well

This morning I found it hard to get up and I wondered if I had poisoned by eating at Bertucci's the night before, specifically hard-to-digest cheese and bread-filled meatballs. In any event, it certainly didn't slow down my eating too much.

Breakfast
2 Eggs Over Easy
2 Strips TB
1.5 oz 50% jalapeno lite cheddar
1 cup very strong coffee (12 oz)

Snack
1 6 oz yogurt
1 slice whole wheat toat with peanut butter

Lunch
6 slices ham
1 cheese stick

Dinner
Stirfry Chickena and Cabbage a la Emily
Peppadews
Pickles
Olives
50 % Lite Jalapeno Cheddar

After Dinner Snack
1 cup mixed, unsalted nuts
1/2 bottle wine (yep)

152: Sweet Salty

If you've worked at a restaurant, or are close with someone who cooks, you know the dirty secret: that they add sugar, salt, flour and butter (and variations on those themes) to every recipe. What's amazing to me is that I can often now taste those things where I never could before, and even more amazing, that I don't like them. It makes me quite sad to realize that if I am going to order meatballs out, they're going to contain bread, or that the sauce they come in will contain sugar. I know that if I'm going to eat out, it's not "are you going off SoBe", but "exactly HOW are you going off SoBe?" Again, it's not that I'm eating forbidden foods—it's that forbidden foods are HIDDEN in everything. Do I ask for butter on my steak? Corn starch in my sauce? High Fructose corn syrup in my bread? Sure, I could go on, but you know the rant.

Breakfast
1 Cup All-Bran
1/2 cup blueberries
3/4 cup Fat-free Milk

Snack
1/4 cup mixed, unsalted nuts
30 almonds
1 braeburn apple

Lunch
Grilled Bass
Mescaline Green
Mango Salsa

Dinner
Antipasto: Cheeses, Olives, Roasted Green (!) Peppers, Prosciutto (!), Broccoli, Eggplant
Meatballs in Sauce

I must recommit every once in a while to making sure I'm not eating more than 1 snack per period. It's summertime, and the discussions about my niece and nephew being in camp reminded me of the old camp schedule: Breakfast, activity period, lunch, longer activity period, dinner. I know that part of the way I will gain weight is if I'm carelessly snacking—I have to pick the midpoint of the period and make that the snack time, or divvy up the snack (like 15 pistachios here, and 15 there) and break it up over the period. This is challenging, and unfun. It's the only time I ever think I"m on a diet. But it bears repeating—I love everything that comes with being on a diet, like looking good, feeling good and being 'fleet of foot.' I never ever thought I would feel BETTER at 40 than at 35. Go figure.

151: The Stumble Inn

I was actually going to call tonight's entry "another day, another nut catastrophe." I have been quite hungry all the time lately and it seems like the only thing I keep around me is nuts (insert any number of jokes here). The Domania Gang did a walk today, and even though there was sweat, I can tell that I might actually be picking up some stamina. I keep thinking to myself what it will be like when I'm dressed up with a hat and scarf determined to go for my walk in the dead of winter—my guess is I'm going to spend more time at the gym and less time on the road.

Breakfast
1 Whole wheat english muffin
1 tablespoon of peanut butter
tea

Snack
1/4 cup mixed, unsalted nuts
15 pistachios
30 almonds
1 Braeburn apple
7 dried apricots

Lunch
Steak tips
Salad

Dinner
Stir-fry Brocolli and Cauliflower
Pepper Turkey
Pickles

I kind of am welcoming a more scaled back kind of eating. After a few weeks of extraordinary meals, I will be happy to just eat rollmops and some salads. Honestly, it's that kind of fetishy eating (that I gladly took part in last week) that drove me to be 40lbs overweight in the first place. While I doubt I will ever return to that level of poor eating AND lack of exercise, I feel that I must stay vigilant.

150: Back to Boston

Though a night of Sushi-debauchery is prone to produce some middle-of-the-night tossing and turning, I survived and got up at very early so I could go to the gym at the hotel and work out on their elliptical trainer. I noticed that it was by the same company as the one back home, so it was pretty easy to just get on and go. Ironically, the TV was on (loud) a morning news show and I suppose as the only one there I could have changed it or turned it down. I did neither, just put on my ear pods and got to work—three miles, 40 minutes. I was going to try and do four miles but time did not allow.

Breakfast:
Eggs and Bacon
Coffee
Plain (non-fat free) yogurt with berries

Lunch
Pastrami & Corned Beef Omelet
Cole Slaw
Pickles
Diet Coke

Snack
Strawberries
Grapes
Cheese
1/4 cup Mixed Unsalted Nuts
30 Pistachios
5 Apricots

Dinner
Trout
Fava Beans, Onions and Leeks
1 oz Peanuts
1 oz 50% Lite Jalapeno Cheddar

Another, big weird eating day. I got breakfast in my room and ordered the ham but got bacon instead. I had to push aside the delicious wheat toast and hash browns and orange juice that I did not order. Then later I found myself at the Carnegie Deli (one of NY's best delis, if not the best) and was somewhat flummoxed by what I should eat that did contain bread. I settled on more eggs, and wondered if this cholesterol thing might get me after all. Due to today's timing, lunch was at 11:30AM and so by the time I got on the plane at 1:30 I was quite hungry, and surprised at how much of the snack I could eat (I only had to give away my water crackers and snickers bar, but the large Russian man next to me was both grateful and surprised to get my bite-sized snickers bar). Back at the office for the next four hours I was still quite hungry, and this feeling did not leave me until I got home and had dinner. I am hoping to get back to a more normal amount of food tomorrow, and then next week (not next Monday) it's back to weighing in. So we'll see how I've survived this birthday-etc. week of feasting, and whether or not I have to rejoin my comrades back in Phase One.

Day 149: Trip to New York

A client visit beckons, and so I was to make my way south on a train to New York. For SoBe-ers, this means making sure I brought enough snacks for the four hour ride—because I know there's little for a SoBe-er to eat at the Bar Car (as it was, I was sent away for failing to wear shoes—that's a true story). In New York I was to meet with my oldest and dearest friend and have a Sushi dinner, replete with rice and sake. Knowing this, I made my way to the gym in the morning, but was 'signed out' of my machine (the 9:30-10:30 hour is rough) so I only got to two miles. But it's something.

Breakfast
2 Eggs, with Broke Toughened Yolks
2 strips turkey bacon (did I say I cut them in half so it feels like four?)
Tea

PostworkoutSnack
6 oz Fat Free (but not lite) Stonyfield Vanilla Yogurt
1/2 cup blueberries

Lunch
3 Rollmops: Black Forest Ham, Skim-Mozarella
Olives
1 Head Romaine Lettuce

Train Snack:
1/4 cup mixed, unsalted nuts
1 oz salted peanuts
1 braeburn apple
1 joy stick

Dinner
Edamame
Cucumbers with Soy Dipping Paste
1 Soft Shell Crab
Ass't Sashimi: Sardine, Tuna, Belly Tuna, Whitefish, Salmon, Sock-Eye Salmon, Giant Clam
Ass't Sushi: Tuna, Mackerel, Sea Scallops, Eel, Ponono, Fluke
Sake

It looks like a lot of food in this day, and I suppose it was; see my previous comments about how working out makes you super-hungry, and being stuck on a slow-moving, frequently stopping train can drive any dieter back to the snack bin.
The Sushi Restaurant we went to, Yasuda (http://events.nytimes.com/gst/nycguide.html?detail=restaurants&id=1002207994201) is one of the greatest I have been to (SushiSay is the other). The sushi is melt-in your mouth, and the dinner was one of the most incredible I've had—and there have been no lack of great dinners lately. Like the birthday dinner, to describe is to diminish, so you'll just have to make a mental note and go there when you get a chance—and sit at the sushi bar if you can. Anyway, I threw caution to the wind because I knew the hotel I was staying at had a gym, and I was going to get up work out the next AM.

148: The Next Thing

Well there isn't much excitement in trying to get back onto a diet, but that's what this week is about. I already know that I am going to dinner at a sushi place tomorrow night and I am going to allow myself a bit of rice, and maybe a few glasses of sake. But that's the end of this—toe in the water stuff, then I'm back for good.

Breakfast
6 oz yogurt, lite 'yoplait'
1 cup strawberries/blueberries
20 almonds

Snack
1/4 cup mixed unsalted nuts
1/4 cup cashews
30 pistachios
5 apricots (have learned my lesson there)
1 Granny smith apple

Lunch
Beef Kebabs
Greek Salad
Diet Pepsi

Dinner
90% Sirloin Burger
Pickles
Greek Salad with Cabbage

A fairly unspectacular eating day, except a project gone awry at work caused me to wolf down the remains of a bag of cashews. I am headed for New York tomorrow and more worried about where my next workout is coming from then if I will go off my diet. I called ahead, and the hotel has a spa, but WHEN can get I get that workout in, it would have to be like at 7AM.....

147: The Party Train Rolls to a Halt

Just a quick one tonight—the day has been filled with party leftovers in every category: spirit, food and equipment. We continued to celebrate with family, open presents, feast on leftovers and play on the bouncy-bounce and spend time relaxing under the tent. Every year the party seems longer and longer—a notion aided by the Thurs-Friday nature of Ruby and my birthdays. When they fall on Tues-Wed, it probably won't be such a big deal. We made a big deal out of it, no matter how you count it, and a great time was had by all, discounting those five minutes reserved for meltdowns by those feeling (and not feeling) their age. Today I got to play an hour of tennis against my brother in law who has pretty much been the player to beat in the family. That was great exercise, and thought I raises my metabolism, I also eat more, so it's probably an even swap. The whole thing about the birthday weekend, was that even though it was possible to stay on SoBe, it was almost possible to get an exact reading of what I ate. But here's my guess:

Breakfast (Pre tennis)
1 Slice Mastemacher bread
1 tsp peanut butter
Tea

Snack Post Tennis
6 oz yogurt with a cut-up nectarine
25 almonds
1 dragon stick
2 oz 50% lite cheddar

Lunch
Left over Chilean Sea Bass
Snowpeas
A few boneless spare ribs
6-7 oz. red cabbage

Late in the day snack
A few blueberies, 1 cherry
1/4 cup mixed, unsalted nuts
2 oz lite jalapeno cheddar
1 joy stick
1 Diet Coke

Dinner
Teriyaki Steak Tips
Broccoli and Peppadew Salad

Good grief, what a time. I certainly spent a lot of time running up and down, back and forth, sitting, standing, running, walking, inflating the bouncy-bounce and deflating it, carrying Mag from here to here. Though I'm not ready to get back to life as we know it, I'm sure ready to move on from the birthday. Thanks everyone who made it happen, made it special, or just didn't make it embarrassing.

146: The Party Continues

Ruby's fifth birthday party was today, and aside from the anxiety of two parents who want everything to come off right (when it really didn't have a right to) there was lot of potential for bad eating. I had my usual breakfast, in the hopes that proper eating would help me keep my balance when it got to the shaky 'have some cake' or other difficult choice points. I made it through the day still on SoBe; but I have definitely had a volume issue here and there. I sidestepped many things: cotton candy; two kinds of birthday cake; and even some pineapple that looked inviting.

Breakfast
Two Eggs (one egg broke in the pan; the other broke upon exit; I was rushing)
Two Strips Turkey Bacon
2 oz 50% lite cheddar
Tea

Lunch
Greek Salad
Cheese and Pepperoni off of three slices of cheese
2 Mini-Mops, 1 Slice Ham, 1 Slice Cheese

Snack
1/4 cup of mixed, unsalted nuts
3 oz Cheddar Cheese

Dinner
1 Glass Red Wine (Actually it was a princess cup)
2 Shrimp
1 oz Chilean Sea Bass
Beef Satay
4 Boneless Spare Ribs
Broccoli
Cabbage Salad

I really like wine. If I can keep up my exercise, I think that's the thing that I might most like to have back on my diet. I'm not sure it's worth it. Today, after the party, I went shopping for suits (with my Mom) and I got two of them. I think I may have been down a suit-size since last time I was measured, but I realized that by buying these two suits, I was making a multi-year commitment to stay at my current size or better. Even after 146 days, that felt just a wee bit scary. I did it. I was ready, and I was confident. But I did think on it, and think "I better not gain one pound back." It did make it easier to skip dessert when I got home (for the third time that day).

145: Deadline

Everyone already knows that I lost 30 lbs, but Emily gave me a 30-lb barbell for my birthday so ostensibly we could both appreciate what a feat that really is. And you know, it made me think of that old playground teaser, "what's heavier, a ton of bricks or a ton feathers?" I couldn't believe it when I lifted up that barbell—I couldn't do it with one hand. Really amazing. It is from this point that I begin to try and make other long-overdue changes in my life. Today, after a particularly grueling workout (3 miles today was MUCH harder after a night of white sugar, starch, flour and dairy), I went from the elliptical to the track. I was thinking to myself "I don't want to walk on the track", but when I actually did I got like a "whoosh" feeling of actually doing it. It made me realize that you do have to fight through that initial hesitation because the 'high' of success is so worthwhile. To say "I did it" instead of "I couldn't do it" or "I didn't even try" makes a life worth living.

Breakfast
1 Slice Mastemacher Bread
1 oz 50% Lite Cheddar
1 Tsp Peanut Butter
Tea

PostworkoutSnack
2 6oz Lite "Yoplait" Yogurts

Lunch (@ the Rain-forest Cafe)
House Salad with Balsamic
Cheeseburger
2 Lettuce Wraps (with Chicken)

Afternoon Snack
1/4 cup nuts

Dinner
Salmon with Black Bean Sauce
Beef Teriyaki
Eggplant with Garlic
Sirloin with Jade Broccoli

Today I was determined to get back on the SoBe. In fact, today I felt like I was off my oxygen tank. I had to get back on just to get back with my life. I am determined to never be more than 200lbs again—ever. And it looks like this might take a bit of concentration and lot more effort to get safely into the 180s.

144 Erev Deadline: Don't Worry, Be Happy

The title of this blog is referring to the deadline of Ruby's birthday (tomorrow) that I set for myself to lose the 30lbs (or 40, as the Sleep Clinic Nurse noted). "Erev" is the Hebrew word meaning "the night before".

Whenever I have a day off but Ruby has school, we have fallen into a pattern where I will drop her off and then head off to the gym. It's actually pretty nice and if I time it right I can watch her class go swimming (naturally, like my broken yolk(s) this morning, it didn't). As with the last few times I have been to the gym, I have been tortured by upsetting television that makes it hard to properly concentrate. Today, it was the London Bombings (again). Why must they play CNN? I'm not saying that it's not important to be well-informed but I can get my information outside of my hour workout window. I was concentrating on my birthday today, but I did observe some things to laugh about.
• 2 70 year olds horsing around while playing basketball
• a 70 year old man riding the recumbent bicycle in an oxford shirt.
• An ad on the 'wellness machine' that takes your blood pressure that said "this space for sale.'
• A young guy who was playing air guitar and drums while on the workout-bike.

Breakfast
Two Eggs Over Easy
Turkey Bacon (2.5 strips)
2 oz 50% Lite Cheddar
Peppadews
Tea

Workout Snack
1 6oz strawberry yogurt
1 cup strawberries
20 almonds

Lunch (a cobbled together thing)
Leftover chicken and cabbage stir-fry
Salami and Cheese
Pickles

Post Lunch Snack
~1/2 cup nuts
1 oz cheese

Dinner (It's a biggie)
I got the 7-course tasting menu at Radius, Boston. It looks like a lot of food, but the portions were small and I shared them. There was also a bottle of Syrah that was magnificent. The list below does not even begin to do justice to the exquisite food.

Three Rolls with Butter
Squash and Yogurt
Oyster
Gnocchi
Squab
Fluke
Lamb
Pineapple/Ginger Ice Cream (palate cleanser)
Chocolate Gnash

I didn't have the best eating-strategy-day to prepare for a big dinner. I did however, do 55 minutes and 4 miles on the elliptical trainer. I would have gone the full hour but I thought I was going to cramp out. I was determined to raise my metabolism. Emily and I discussed where this dinner would take place for a long time and we finally decided to go to Radius. Everything about the meal was incredible, and slowly but surely, I had one of everything that I had avoided for 144 days—the four bad white things: whole milk, white sugar, white flour and white starchy vegetables (potato). It didn't feel like playing hooky as much as it felt like "I've saved and now here's that rainy day." I knew I was going to get back on the horse tomorrow. But it was a glorious few hours.

Day 143: Detecto Again Says 196.5

You know, it was the kind of day where I knew I should stay in bed, but decided 'what the hell, I'll chance it.' After all, making a decision to change your life (which I didn't really know I was making when I made it) is a kind of ballsy thing, so you get used to taking chances. And in a way, I think that's what success is—being willing to fail. And so I thought I would go visit Detecto today, since it was essentially the deadline I had set out for myself. Though the news was not exhilarating—I was hoping to have a "Breaking Away" moment where I lean at the tape when I see my weight is 195—but it certainly wasn't bad. For all practical purposes, I achieved my goal—if you will allow me a half pound here and there. So now, the REALLY scary part—how I conduct myself this next four days—and how I get on with my life. Will you still be reading?

Breakfast
Two Tender Strips of Turkey Bacon
Two Harshly, Almost Vulcanized Eggs
Tea

Snack
1 Medium Dunkin Donuts Ice Coffee (Half Decaf), Black with Splenda
Nutsapalooza
6 oz strawberry yogurt lite
~8 Strawberries

Lunch
An Asparagus-less Chicken & Asparagus sandwich without the bread
Lettuce
Tomato
1 French Fry, dipped in ketchup
Red Peppers
Yogurt Sauce
Diet Pepsi

Dinner
Chicken, Cabbage, Onion Stir Fry

The failure to lose weight certainly drove me to the nuts this morning, after a near-successful day without them (too much). I hit them hard today, and I can't even really count, I felt, as I have often in the past, like the first Ghostbusters ghost in the library, with cashews coming out of my mouth as fast as my stubbly little hands could shovel them in. It wasn't pretty, but I could already feel a sense of "I'm going to eat these....fill in the blank.... because it's my birthday." I don't think I can survive too much of that, which is why I realize I need to keep a fairly rigid stance on that kind of thing, if I'm to keep my progress. Tomorrow night is dinner out, and who knows, the whole volcano might blow for the night. But at least I know I will have bookend workouts to make it OK. Physically, that is.

142: The Day after Nutopia

Yesterday I ate my weight in cashews, so today I vowed (well, vow is a strong word) not to eat any nuts at all. In fact, I started my day with peanut butter and succumbed to some almonds at around 5:45. But it was an important first step. Also, I believe I confirm that I do feel bad when I get to Wed. and I have not walked or exercised at all. Tomorrow sure to be another scorcher but I do believe I will work out on both Thurs and Friday as I have both days off. In the meanwhile Emily and I have been discussing what kind of food we'll need to feed adults who bring kids to Ruby's party. Emily wanted "honey-stung drummies" and I, of course, vote for deep-fried twinkies, but we'll probably split the difference and get a large greek salad.

Breakfast
1 Slice Mastemacher bread
1 tsp peanut butter
Tea
3 Blackberries

Snack
7 Apricots
1 Strawberry
1 Granny Smith Apple
20 Almonds

Lunch
4 Roll Mops (Ham, Turkey, Low-Fat Mozzarella)
1 Head of Romaine Lettuce
Olives
Pickles

Dinner
Bok-Choy Chicken a la Em
~5 Slices Salami
1 oz Pepper Jack (not reduced fat)

Can't decide whether to weigh in tomorrow or just keep to the schedule, or take a few weeks off from detecto and then return. The questions weigh heavily on my head so rather than make an intelligent decision I might just to leave it to whether or not I can get Ruby off to school and into my Dr.'s office at a reasonable time to get it done. I wanted to bring them a big nut platter of thanks, but as of this writing I have not been able to make it happen. Sure, I could send chocolate, but they don't want that, do they? They're an office of healthy women. OK, maybe they do want chocolate, but I think it sends the wrong message. Well, the gift is right but the thought needs more work...

141: A Boy's Night Out

You know things have changed when a boys night out doesn't include any liquor, smoking, starchy products or dessert, and wraps up by 11:00pm. So I suppose on the precipice of 40, I am taking some kind of serious responsibility about my life. Now if I can only keep it up for the rest of my life.

Breakfast
1 Slice Mastmacher Bread
3 Tsp Peanut Butter
2 oz Jalapeno Lite Cheese

Snack
~1 Cup Cashews
7 dried apricots

Lunch
3 Roll Mops: Turkey, Ham, Low-Fat Mozzarella
Pickles
Olives

Dinner
Sirloin Steak
Salad
Broccoli
String Beans

I almost titled tonight's blog "Cashew-Mania" as instead of the usual 1/4 mixed nuts for a snack, I had to make do with all cashews, which then much to my chagrin, I realized I could not stop eating throughout the day. Because of this I eschewed any other snack ('cept apricots which I really ate as a 'lunch dessert').

Day 140: Thinking About Ray

For some reason, I am visited by thoughts of my friend and former college roommate Ray (pictured here with his daughter, Halie) whenever I go to the gym. I believe that this is often because he, more than anyone, both by his urging and his example, tried to get to me to be active, whether it was drafting me to be on his ice-broomball team or rousting me out of bed in the morning. Prior to sweating in the JCC, and a ten year run of tennis with Emily, most of the sweating I did athletically in my life was in his presence. He was an all-star's all star as an athlete: he could run, and would play any sport if a bunch of guys were getting it going. He was an amazing guy who truly helped me to be the person I am. I guess I am also thinking about him a lot because he would have been 41 tomorrow, but that he worked at the World Trade Center in NYC and you know the rest of that story. I know he would have got an amazing kick out of the fact that I was working out and trimming down. I'm sure he would have challenged me to a race of some kind, which I undoubtedly would have lost. I sure do miss him.

Breakfast
2 Strips LRTB
2 Eggs Over Easy (just absolutely perfect proving that patience is a virtue)
~3 oz. Jalapeno Lite Cheddar
Tea

Pre Workout Snack
1 Slice "When Pigs Fly" Anadama bread
1 Tsp Peanut Butter

Lunch
6 oz Strawberry Lite Yogurt
1.5 Cup Fruit: Blackberries, Blueberries, Strawberries
1/4 cup Almonds

Post Lunch Snack
1/2 cup Cashews
2 Slices Ham
1 oz Jalapeno Lite Cheddar

Dinner
Trout Cambodien
Stir-fry Peppers and Onions

So I was at the gym today. I did 3 miles in 45 minutes on the elliptical machine. I did bring my ipod which was good because on the TV was ESPN but it was a hunting show. Last week it was a 30 minute infomercial about starving african children. I must speak to the management—can't they just play videos? Even a simple blue screen would be more appealling.

Felt like I ate a lot today, but this is mostly because I was so hungry prior to going to the gym (I went at 12:30ish) so I had to eat, and then of course when I came back I also had to eat, but it wasn't exactly lunch, and so, well you get the picture.

I am considering a trip to Detecto on Wed (July 20th)—just to get a 'last weigh in' prior to Ruby's birthday, which was of course my line in the sand. Why not, right? I may as well know exactly what I weigh going into the weekend of semi-debauchery.

139: The Day After

I have a parenting tip for you all. If your children don't sleep through the night, you probably shouldn't go to bed at 2:30am. It is not helpful. The day after the game is always a tough one, because you are fighting a sleep deficit so you never quite have the 'get up and go' that you have on most days. This reminds me that one of my most difficult areas of discipline is getting to bed on time. I rarely want to 'get to bed.' I have always been something of a night owl and as a parent, it's one of the few times when the house is quiet and you can focus on things for yourself. Then I realized another cliche, 'early to bed, early to rise' is also true. Another strike against my way of living.

Breakfast
1 slice Mastemacher Bread
1 Tsp Peanut Butter
Tea

Snack
1/4 cup mixed unsalted nuts
6 oz yoplait strawberry yogurt
1 cup strawberries
1/4 cup almonds
2 oz jalapeno lite cheddar

Lunch
Romaine Salad
1 Joy Stick

Dinner
Stir-fry cabbage with steak

I've been thinking also about my friends just hopping on the SoBe diet. It made me think of three things (aside from writing down what you eat) that have helped me immeasurably since starting the diet.

1. Shop often. The diet won't work if you don't look forward to eating all the time. I found that diets where you felt like you were being cheated never worked for me. That's why when I found something I liked, I bought a lot of it (turkey bacon, cheese sticks). For vegetables, fresher is better, so that's why Emily and I are always at the market.

2. Plan Your Eating Day Ahead of Time. Though you never know EXACTLY how your day is going to go, the more you think about where you're going to be and what you're going to eat the better off you are. For me, eating is not just a biological requirement but a vastly enjoyable and important facet of every day. When you're watching what you eat you can't afford to have a shitty meal, so I often think not just about the day but about the week. How often will I eat yogurt, carbs, salads, etc.

3.Carry Friendly Snacks with You—If I'm getting on the road for God knows where, I always bring a bag of nuts (you can pickup Salted 1 oz packs of Planters at Costco if you're not the measuring-out type) or a joy stick or an apple with me. Being on SoBe and finding yourself with cascading blood sugar can lead to eating crappy stuff, or worse, making you feel sorry for yourself because there's nothing for you to eat and you're starving. Since being on the diet, I have unapologetically torn into my snacks or lunch whenever I have to, because I getting that hungry is just not good.

Day 138: Game Day

I'm always gearing up for the game, trying to 'budget' accordingly. Though I know I won't go OFF the diet, I do know I'll eat more than usual, it's inevitable. I found that if you're only eating the right kind of foods, if you eat a little too much of them, it's not so bad. There was also another full-out walk with the Domania gang, and it was a hot day. We are using our best guesses to estimate the length of the walk and so far we guessing it's over 2 miles. If anyone ever told me I was going to willfully walk two miles twice a week, I would have told them they were nuts. Real nuts, cashews, like. I mean, that's crazy. Also, it may be coincidental but I notice that when I walk on poker days I do better. As it was, I was the big winner.

Breakfast
2 Strips TB
2 Eggs Over Easy
Tea

Snack
1/4 Mixed Unsalted Nuts
6 oz Lite Strawberry Yogurt

Lunch
Sashimi (2 pieces octopus, 2 whitefish, 2 salmon, 2 tuna)
Miso Soup
Salad

Poker Snack
Olives
~ 2 cups mixed unsalted nuts
6 oz Jalapeno Lite Cheddar

Dinner
Steak Tips
Swedish Meatballs
Salad with Fat-Free Red Wine & Vinegar Dressing
Chili
Pickles

Through consensus, the poker game's diet has changed quite a bit. We have all but abandoned the surfeit of corn chips and potato chips that lined the halls in favor of cheese and nuts. We've abandoned subs and pizza for meat and salad. And for with a few bottles of exception, beer and snapple have gone away and been replaced with diet coke and water. The gambling and cigar smoking is about all that's left. I must say also that though I do not get the RDA amount of required sleep on a game night, since I've been on the diet I NEVER feel bad in the morning the way I used to. My head was so heavy, and my body was so sluggish, it would often take a sugar shock to get me going—hostess lemon pies, and a large coffee, or dunkin donuts, or some awful thing.

BLOG EXTRA---> Just take a look, if you will, at my diet from a night at the poker game from the year 2001 (I have used my memory, this was not written down at the time for obvious reasons). You will not believe it, but this is what I ate in one night. I've looked over it and I can't believe it myself.

Drinks:
1 Beer (Miller Genuine Draft)
1 Bottle Snapple Tea

Poker Snacks:
4 oz Funyons
4 oz Doritos 3Ds
2 oz Fritos
1.5 cups Sweet and Crunchy Nuts (these are sugar coated, deep-fried peanuts)
3 Bonbel Baby Cheeses

Poker Dinner:
1-2 Buffalo Chicken Fingers with Blue Cheese
Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken
Chili Cheese French Fries

Dessert
1 Chocolate Taco or 2 Dove Bar Minis

You could see why I gained 40 lbs over the years, not to why I suffered through multiple nights of chronic heartburn. If you're out there contemplating a change in your life, I bet you're not as bad off as I was then. All I can say is I'm glad I changed my ways, and my ability to get up in the morning tells the whole story.

Day 137: Another Poker Game Looms

Not only is there a card game looming, but I have a sense that the week that begins tomorrow may spell the beginning of a period where there are going to be all kinds of things (like food) surrounding me. I know a few people have had some interest in my birthday, whether it was celebrating it, or buying a life-size bag of potato chips for me to roll around in, as a celebration of my weight loss. Even folk at work were speculating on an appropriate gift. If I didn't convey my feelings here in the blog, then I'll say it again—the gift of their support is the greatest thing I could get. The fact that they have taken out their lunch hours to join me on a walk two or three times a week has been overwhelming. Sure, we all get something out of it, but I have gained my health, and for an old Jewish man, that's a big deal. If you don't believe me ask my Uncle Moey.

Last year, I'm sure I imagined my 40th birthday as most men do: surrounded by red meat, cigars and other vices inappropriate to a family-friendly blog. But oh how things have changed. There might be red meat, but the days of creamed spinach, potatoes and the like are gone. The only vices left are gambling, smoking cigars and being really, really cranky and rude. Don't ask me to give those up, I just can't.

Breakfast
1 Whole Wheat English Muffin
2 Tsp Peanut Butter
Tea

Snack
1/2 cup mixed unsalted nuts
1 cheese stick
6 oz V-8
1 Granny Smith Apple

Lunch
Chicken Salad over Salad
No dressing

Dinner
Korean Pork
Stir-fry Cabbage Onions

Today we went for a walk with the Domania gang and even though about halfway through the sun started bearing down on us, I realized that by using a trick taught to me by a co-worker of using my full stride to walk, it wasn't that hard to get the walk done, and when I concentrated on walking I realized I didn't have to fall behind the pack today. Yet another liberation brought to you by SoBe. As friends of mine (and wives) start working through the diet, I am remembering the hard days at the beginning. From where I am now, it felt easy, but I know that wasn't the case. I want to kick back and relax and enjoy where I am, but I am staying firmly within the SoBe city limits.

Day 136: But you can HAVE a Potato

One of the most curious things about being on a diet is how people continuously insist that I CAN eat "carbs" now that I'm on Phase Two of South Beach. I know they all mean well—they all just want to share the joy of the glycemic-coma inducing spud. But the truth is, I don't want the potato. I don't want the white bread. I don't want the pasta. I did have a moment of longing as I poured Ruby's untouched second helping of whole-milk-soaked Golden Grahams down the disposal, but aside from that and dreams of Kellogs, Post and General Mills cereals, I want to be on my relatively carb-free existence. I eat bread every few days, and once in a while I'll have some whole wheat pasta or oatmeal. But I don't crave the carbs so much that I'm looking for any excuse to eat them. Quite the opposite really, I prefer to stay on the regimen, and see where I can get to next. I assume that at some point, I will plateau and THAT will be my goal weight. I will almost certainly still have a spare tire.

Breakfast
6 oz. Yogurt
1 Cup Strawberries
1/4 cup Almonds

Snack
2.5 oz Jalapeno Lite Cheddar
1 Joy Stick
12 oz coffee

Lunch (Not Your Average Joe's)
Halibut
Asparagus
Strawberries
House Salad

Dinner
Tilapia a la Emily
Fava Beans and Leeks
Sugar Snap Peas
A Bissel Salad

What would I eat if I was going to go off my diet? What do I crave that I have denied myself? What do I miss the most? The truth is, sitting here at the computer, I can't answer that question. I was having a fond remembrance of a steak, onion, cheese, ham and pepperoni sub that I ate about a year ago (with potato chips). To say my gluttony had reached epic proportions that day is probably an understatement. The thought of eating that kind of food brings up a kind of revulsion that I had for my self—and I don't want that. I think I might eat a few nachos; eat some popcorn at the movies; have an ear of buttered corn at a barbecue, like that. Maybe have a bite of something chocolate. But I don't see a full-tilt binge in my future. Maybe an egg roll at a Chinese restaurant, maybe a slice of pizza. For extremists, maybe a Hostess Lemon Pie with a chocolate milk back. But that's where I draw the line.

Day 135: MacWorld Cometh

Another tricky day—not quite routine, but not exactly lounging around the homestead. I was up like normal with Ruby and off to school, but MacWorld not open till 11AM, so I WENT TO WORK OUT. (By the way I was the only man there). It is really unbelievable to me that I am now starting to cram workouts in when I have free time. This time previously went to watching TV or stuffing my pie-hole with greasy fried food. Took a break from MacWorld and ate at Legal's. Everything is sure very yummy there. Tonight there was also a film (Batman Begins), where for the first time in 135 days (or so) I allowed myself to have exactly 10 kernels of popcorn. It was really satisfying, but it was not, as I feared—irresistable.

Breakfast
2 Eggs Over Easy
2 Strips Turkey Bacon
1 Tsp Peanut Butter

Snack
1/2 cup strawberries
6 oz lite blueberrie yogurt
1/4 cup mixed, unsalted nuts
1 joy stick
1 granny smith apple
NEW-> 10 kernels popped corn

Lunch
tomatoes with feta, romaine lettuce
halibut with spinach

Dinner
Scrod
Fava Beans 'n' Leeks
Squash 'n' Onions

Felt like a lot of food to eat today, but days that begin with a workout (not to mention walking the conference show floor) always seem to be like that. I must also add that I did not properly thank the people at Jennie-O in my list yesterday. They really helped me with that turkey bacon thing.

Lastly, I need to send out cheers of inspiration to three friends who have recently jumped on the SoBe bandwagon (you know who you are). Go, I say go!