Day 189: Over Half a Year

http://www.redcross.com

For those of you who are amateur mathemagicans, you might recognize that 188 is the magic number—the number of days when you actually pass the half-year mark. And so, as of yesterday, I have passed over half of a year on the South Beach diet. Of course, you have already figured out that I didn't start January 1—as most dieters do. Instead, I rose to the challenge of my wife complaining that there MUST be something I could do about my snoring. She said it was like someone shouting in her ear. In response, I went to my doctor to get a sleep study, figuring that if I got on the apnea machine it at the very least would make a noise that was consistent and more tolerable than snoring. When I told my Doctor (Dr. Parent) about my plan to lose 30 lbs by my daughter's birthday she said "If you want to succeed try the South Beach diet." Then, just a month ago Emily told me that my sleep breathing had gone from horrific snoring to "sweet puffs of air." So if that's not success, I don't know what is. To sum up: I feel better. I have more energy. I don't cower from physical exertion or exercise (like I once did). I don't avoid looking at myself in the mirror, and I've freely purchased new clothing. Do I miss eating irresponsibly? YOU BETCHA. But the truth is, I don't miss it as much I thought I would. With the exception of a few bites of pizza, and a few Dim-Sum-a-lettos, I can do without most everything bad for me. But it's still a walk along the razor's edge in terms of volumes. If you're a long time reader, you know that I'm this close (use your imagination) to a total nut-free-for-all. Plus, I know in my future I'll need to change up my eating and go heavier on the exercise if I want to get to 185. Remember, I started at 226.

Breakfast
1/2 cup Oatmeal
6 oz Yogurt
1/2 cup Strawberries/Blueberries
Tea

Snack
12 oz. Coffee
3.6 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar Lite
1/2 cup Almonds/Cashews
35% of a Mealy Apple

Lunch
Greek Salad with Tuna
Olives
A Slice of Chicken Breast

Dinner
Rainbow Trout a la Emily
Green/Yellow Wonder Beans
1 Bite of a Nathan's Hot Dog (But how could I refuse?)

Today, as on nearly every Sunday since I started exercising, I went to the gym. Today, the Sunday before Labor Day, the median age of folks there was 50. It was not crowded, but of course, they had CNN on playing not only Katrina disaster stuff but the other disaster of our age—the soon to be Supreme Court and Rehnquist's death. Ugh. Really, I mean I'm there to try and work out, and work all this stuff out in my head and I have to be faced with the absolute horrors of our world. Worth noting, as Ruby will not be going to school at the JCC come October, our membership will expire, so I will have to seek out horrible, spirit-crushing television and workout equipment elsewhere. But where else can I go where no one looks better than me? Where absolutely everyone knows what Kasha Varnishkes is, and most likely just ate some? As usual, these are questions for another day.