Day 275: Working in the Coal Mine

Sure going to back to work on Monday is bad but going back to work after five days off is nearly unbearable. Especially when you know that there is a pile of stuff with your name on it waiting for you. This can, and in fact did, cause some uncontrollable (you might say compulsive) pistachio eating.

Breakfast
2 slices of multigrain bread
peanut butter
tea

Snack
1/4 cup almonds/cashews
1 joy stick
65 pistachios

Lunch
Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken

Dinner
Pork Cutlets a la Emily
String Beans in Oyster sauce

Though getting back to a schedule is not exciting, it does have it comforts. It is good to be home and away from the 24 hour a day temptation of all that the New York area has to offer. It's also good to be back to the hi-speed computer access and our regular beds. You wouldn't think this would be helpful, but in fact it is.

Day 274: The Dreaded Travel Day

I have written on this many times, and there is not much new to add, but the travel day is just hell on dieters who don't plan. There I said it. It's much easier to plan the trip from your home where you are well stocked than from where you are visiting where you are not. That said, I did spend over $100 in groceries while I was home, and though someone commented that I was "buying things I wouldn't eat" in fact we ate most of it and only returned with a few yogurts and a lot of multi-grain bread.

Breakfast
2 slices multi-grain bread
peanut butter
Tea

Pre-travel snack
a few different bites of yogurts rejected by kids
Ezekial cereal with some of that yogurt
a failed batch of tuna
Cheese stick rejected by Ruby

In the Car:
Tuna Salad, 6 "Scoopers"
About 1 Cup Cheerios (Yogurt Burst)
50% 1 Pink Lady Apple
Almonds and Cashews

Dinner
Talapia with Cabbage
Broccoli rejected by kids

There was a lot of eating other people's cast offs today, and that is often the worst thing you can do, because you really aren't planning for those calories, and it doesn't say much for the self-respect of the eater. However, as a parent, you get to do this without even thinking about it. I bet if every parent just watched themselves for one day on video, they would be absolutely shocked and horrified by not only how often they do it, but what kind of state the food is in when they eat it. I'm not going to explain that, I'm just going to let it sit out there. Anyway being on the diet a long time has made me understand exactly the carbs/sugars/calories of things that I am eating when I am eating grain/carb things and so now I'm realizing that 11 scoopers (1 serving) is about the equivalent of two slices of bread, so if I want to have that, I can, but is it worth trading out the bread? Not if it's from balthazar, but otherwise....

Day 273: Sunday, End of Long Holiday Weekend

I've said it before, but there's nothing like breaking your routine, putting you outside of your house, and giving you a lot of time to really challenge ANYONE's eating habits, let alone someone on a diet. Since Thursday I have had occasion to watch lots of different family members on both sides as they eat, and let me tell you, it is just a very strong reminder to me of how I originally got to be about 40 or 50 lbs overweight in the first place. There is the mindless noshing, the I want to taste some of everything, and the eat-because-we-have-nothing-else-to-do-eating. Don't forget there's the "There's all this food" and "Some of it is Delicious" and "Much of it is Dessert." Those also bear a great deal of the responsibility.

Breakfast
1 Slice of Rye
2 Slices of Multigrain Balthazhar bread
Peanut Butter
Tea

Snack
1 Venti Soy Cappucion (@Starbucks)
Almonds/Cashews
1 Joy Stick
1 Pink Lady Apple
1 6 oz. Dannon Lite N Fit Blackberry Yogurt
60 Pistachios

Lunch
2 strips Jennie-O
3 Eggs/Cheese Omelet

Dinner: Chinese
2 Spare Ribs
Some Steak N Vegetables
Chicken N Peapods
Caesar Salad (!)

This was overall not a great day. There was little exercise and there was such a great amount of time between lunch (12:00 pm) and dinner (7:30pm) that there was a tremendous amount of eating in between. Aside from all the snacking, I was so hungry when dinner came that I actually overate (which is something I haven't done in I don't know how long) and then felt awful the rest of the night. Oh well, there's always tomorrow. It should also be noted that the Dannon line of yogurts is NOT VERY GOOD. I am sticking with the Yoplait. Unless someone has a better suggestion.

272: The Day After the Day After

You think you're in the clear, but you're not. There's still leftovers and people are starting to try and push all these exciting, fresh-baked Christmas cookies and what not. That's not even counting the problems you have when you buy all those exciting, seasonal items. Yesterday, Ruby, my brother-in-law and I went to this incredible bakery and I got Ruby a chocolate madeleine in addition to cookies and some incredible multigrain bread and rye that I have not been able to stop eating. In addition to that, my sister-in-law purchased a sticky bun from the same bakery and we had a bit of that today. It was probably the 2nd best sticky bun I ever tasted in my whole life, which caused me to have to leave the room from the pleasure, I just could not be in the same room with the sticky bun, or calamity would have ensued.

Breakfast
2 Slices Multigrain Bread
1 Slice Rye
Peanut Butter
Tea
Coffee (with Soy milk)

Lunch
Leftover Chicken Kebab
Greek Salad with Feta

Snack
1/4 cup Almonds/Cashews
1 Pink Lady Apple
2 bites of Ruby's Pan-Pizza
1 bite of the World's Most Incredible Sticky Bun from Balthazahar (http://www.balthazarbakery.com/home.html)

Dinner
Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
NY Sirloin Steak

Another day, another two hours of tennis. I cannot tell you how great it is to find another way to sweat besides working out in a gym. It is obvious that I love tennis and were it not so expensive in both money and time to find a court and a league I would be involved in one. I remember that in 1992, the year that Emily and I were married, we signed up to play tennis once a week at the local high school that had indoor courts. That winter it snowed so much we had to dig our car out several times and really overcome a lot of desire to stay in the warm house to get out there and do it. But we knew we had to look good in the pictures, so more often than not we did it. Today, it was me, Emily, and my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. It was great tennis, though I was clearly the weak link, we all had a great workout. Then we scooted over to a local dive for steak and salad. Though the playing of tennis was its own reward, there is nothing like EARNING your meal, from a calorie perspective.

271: Day after Thanksgiving

Though I was going to be away from my beloved JCC for five days, I knew that Emily's sister and brother in law are always up for some tennis, even though we have to play inside this time of year. As it was we got my father-in-law's new wife to join us as the fourth and had a spirited game. At about the 1:40 mark, we had completed three sets (my team lost, natch) and we broke up as a foursome, but my brother-in-law stayed behind and he and I played singles for the rest of the time. It's good it was only fifteen minutes, because even though I'm in the best shape of my adult life, I was about to keel over from the three games we played.

Breakfast
2 Eggs
2 strips turkey bacon
teac
1 oz cheese

Snack
1 oz Peanuts

Lunch
Turkey
Sweet Potato
Brussel Sprout
Greek salad with Feta

Dinner
Shepherd's Salad: Cucumber, Tomato, Scallion
Hummous
Feta Cheese
Chicken Kebab
Peppers, Onions, Tomatos
Assorted Cheerios

For a day after Thanksgiving, this was pretty good. Aside from the exercise, the food was pretty restrained and there was almost no snacking, save the peanuts I had in my tennis bag that I had to cram down my throat as I was nearly shaking from my low-blood sugar. Once I had lunch though, everything was good and very sobe.

Thanksgiving

From the South Beach Newsletter: No Fasting Before Thanksgiving Dinner!

Employing a plan to avoid overeating on Thanksgiving is a good idea, but there's one strategy that's actually a recipe for failure: fasting before the big meal. Total deprivation actually leads to extreme hunger, cravings, and inevitably, overeating at mealtime. Fortunately, there are alternative tactics you can use to avoid overeating on Thanksgiving and throughout the year.

Eat healthfully throughout the day. As always, don't forget to include your snacks. The trick is to keep your eating as routine as possible so that you arrive at dinner no hungrier than usual. With hunger pangs at bay, you'll be better able to pass up highly processed carbs and bad fats and choose South Beach Diet™-approved foods — like lean turkey breast and roasted broccoli — instead. Engage in physical activity. This tip does double duty: It gives you an activity to focus on instead of food, and it gives your metabolism the boost it needs to burn off extra calories just in case you do overindulge.

Allow yourself a few indulgences. Go ahead and have a small slice of traditional pumpkin pie. Because it's a lifestyle program, The South Beach Diet™ allows — believes in — occasional treats. Just be sure to enjoy a small portion, savor every bite, and get back to your healthy lifestyle first thing in the morning.


Breakfast
Two Eggs (but I made three)
Three Strips of Turkey Bacon (but I made four)
1 oz of Cheese (but I prepared two)

Pre-travel Snack
1.5-2 cups Crispy Wheats (a Whole Foods-Wheat Chex)
1 cup soymilk

In the car
Chicken Snacks
Almonds/Cashews

Thanksgiving Dinner
1 Glass Red Wine
2 Slices Turkey
Salad
String Beans
1 Spoonful Sweet Potato
1 Spoonful Cranberry Sauce

Dessert
1 Sliver Pecan Pie
1 Tablespoon Haagen-Dazs Vanilla

Post Dinner
30 Pistachios
1 Morsel Turkey
1 Brussel Sprout

Still not 100% in the old muggin, I got up today and for the first time since I started the South Beach Diet, I made a breakfast for myself that I could not finish. Then Emily and I had an unbelievably poor car trip, where we were actually STOPPED on the Mass. Pike. After being in bumper-to-bumper traffic for about two hours (can anyone explain that phenomenon?) and finally hitting open highway, Magnolia needed us to pull over. Arggh. We hit the Connecticut rest station for about a half hour. We started at 12:00pm on the dot and arrived just 4 and half hours later (the same distance during the rest of the year takes about 2 and half hours). We were stressed out, but it was nice to see everyone (this was my family); Ruby found her cousins newly alluring and exciting; Magnolia felt the same way about their port-a-crib. Fortunately, Emily and I missed all the appetizers, so we only had to deal with the actual dinner. Things went really well, except that I helped clear Ruby's dessert plate which featured all four kinds of desserts (pumpkin pie, pecan pie, angel-cake and ice cream). As a Pecan Pie fanatic, I helped myself to the microscopic crumb Ruby left over. It was so good, I decided to have myself a sliver. And I thought, "Egads, I am just like dieters all across America on this day, succumbing to this very same thing."

Then, hours (and another terrible car ride) later we got home, and naturally Ruby was hungry. We examined what Emily's family's leftovers looked like, but Ruby wasn't interested. She had a yogurt, and she wanted to try some pistachios, which she liked. Then we had a pistachio party. She was fascinated in the 'breaking them open' part, and that necessitated doing it ALOT. Half a bag later, we were ready to go to bed.

Day 269: Erev Thanksgiving

Today I did not just will myself to get better, I planned a day where there was no alternative. In retrospect, this could have gone very badly for me, but fortunately, I skated by (as I am wont to do) with no ill effects. Still troubled by whatever stomach problems I have 'caught' from Emily, I try and take it easy today, except that I need to have a crown (that's a tooth-thingy) fixed. It also so happens that an important meeting with my boss and several folks from corporate has been scheduled without my noticing; it happens to coincide badly with my dental needs. Luckily, everybody is willing to move the time around but I still have to ask my dentist to "lean on the gas" and I don't mean give me more NO2. I realize as I'm asking this that "speedy" and "crown work" don't really belong together, but what can I do. I had not figured that I was going to be swallowing (unintentionally) all kinds of dentral detritus, such as tooth-drilling-shavings and crown-mold-castoffs. I begin to worry that this will upset my stomach, but fortunately the wildly unpleasant sensation of drilling caused all of my senses to go white-hot with despair, making me oblivious to everything else.

Breakfast
1/2 slice Vermont Bread
6 oz. Stonyfield Vanilla Yogurt
1/9th Banana

Lunch
Sirloin Cheeseburger with Bacon
Side Salad with Zinfandel Vinaigrette

Snack
A few handfuls of salted Cashews
chicken breast pieces

Dinner
2-Egg Cheese Omelet
1 Slice Wheat Toast

It certainly wasn't a regular eating day for me, since I was worried in the AM, spent the balance of the morning in a dental chair (thinking of Marathon Man) and then meetings, following by a meat-fest. When I got home I immediately took Ruby out on an emergency mitten-buying excursion, and then to market for a few items. Let me tell you, it is a crazy scene at 5pm Wed before Thanksgiving! Obviously, there has been a lot written about dieters and Thanksgiving; I'll let you know how it went.

Day 268: Sick to my stomach

Whatever Emily had, I got, and I can only pray that we don't pass it to our kids or anyone else. It's a roiling, cramping pain that leaves you feeling terrible, and suppresses your appetite, but oddly, didn't make food seem unappealing. I ate little today, but I did eat. Things looked good and I was hungry, but overwhelmingly, I chose not to eat.

Breakfast
2 Slices Ezekiel Bread
Peanut Butter
Tea

Snack
8 Dried Apricots
1/4 almonds/Cashews

Lunch
1 Cameo Apple

Dinner
1/2 piece Vermont Soft Bread Toast
6 oz Stonyfield Vanilla Yogurt
9 Cheerios (fed to me by Magnolia)
34% of a banana

When I got home today I did not feel like eating anything, and in fact, went to sleep shortly after. When I got up, I still could not fathom what I would put in my mouth since the BRAT diet—bananas, rice, applesauce and toast—which is often recommended for post-stomach trauma is about 50% anti-sobe. Magnolia insisted I eat many of her cheerios, so that was what made me think I could eat something. Actually, they were pretty good. Then the banana. Then I thought, I should eat some yogurt, as I know it is good for your stomach (it has to live cultures, though). For this reason I eschewed the corn-syrup laden yoplait and chose stonyfield. As of this writing, I actually feel much better.

Day 267: It's Downhill from Here

Emily truly sick; I stayed home to care for her and baby this AM; en route to work realized I too was feeling less-than-stellar. Couldn't stay long at work; tried not to touch anybody, left early.

Breakfast
2 Slices Sprouted Ezekial Bread
Peanut butter

10:30AM Snack
6 oz yoplait yogurt (blueberry)
1/2 cup blueberries
1 cup Hiprotein crunch cereal

Lunch
Hot and Sour Soup

Other Snack
1 Cameo Apple

Dinner
Chicken Burger
Broccoli

In retrospect having the hot and sour soup when you're feeling a bit etchy-ketchy in the stomach is not supremely wise; somehow I still thought it was better than not eating anything. Ditto for the rest of the day, though I'm almost certain that Aileen is right, and that HoneyCrisps might be THE apple to beat. Cameos, Pink Ladies and a good Golden Delicious are right up there, but I think the HC might take the top honors.

Feeling a little crappy as I write this. When you're trying to lose weight, you look at stomach illnesses in a whole new way, I promise you that.

Day 266: Shabbat it Ain't

Because Emily's sisters were here, and they're early risers, I was able to get to the gym for a second time this weekend. Because it's not 'no towels' shabbat, the gym was JAMMED. There were only a few machines left unattended. This meant I had to give up my beloved elliptical because there was a half hour wait on every one. I dutifully signed up and surveying my possibilities, took up the treadmill. Now if you don't me well you might not know that except for running away from something frightening, I have never really done any jogging in my life. I know that people expect that you jog when you get on the treadmill, but I have always been a fast walker, preferring not to break into a full hop-off my feet. Today I did just that, once again surprising myself inside the temple of old Jews who do more 'resting' and 'sitting' on the recumbent bikes than actual exercise. After a half an hour on the treadmill, I had only gone just over two miles, but it was much harder and I was obviously more worked out than I had been in previous work outs. In fact, yesterday I only barely needed a towel (which is good, because as you know, it was Shabbat and there are no towels, Genesis: 4-12). Today I was in definite need. After my half hour fast walk & jogging, I took my turn on the elliptical and went almost another two miles. Then I took a journey around the track.

Breakfast
2 Slices Ezekiel Bread
Peanut Butter
2 oz. Cheese
Tea

Snack
1/4 cup Almonds/Cashews
6 Dried Apricots
6 oz yoplait yogurt
1/2 cup Hi protein crunch cereal

Lunch
Hamburger
2 oz cheese
Peppadews
Pickles

Dinner
Rotisserie Chicken
Olives

So here we are, through Emily's birthday celebration and standing on the precipice of the "holiday season", always a killer for those dieting. Today marks only 99 days to my point of being on the diet for a year—I think at the point I can truly call it a 'lifestyle change.' Plus, I'm nearly deaf from two months with the iPod earbuds. On top of it, Emily came down with something—so she was sidelined for the night. I ate standing up, and was glad I'm not emotionally attached to my eating experience, or I would have demanded a refund.

265: A Tale of Two Cities

Today Emily's sisters all came in from New York to help celebrate her birthday. Today, this meant going out to Radius in Boston, and tomorrow it's a big brunch at the Westin. Long time readers will know that I also went to Radius for my birthday, but, due to childcare responsibilities (and sister-only invitation status) was left out tonight. Because we didn't really have a chance to go shopping today (there was a slate of birthday activities) the kids got your basic out of the box dinner—hot dogs, baked beans and mac and cheese. Now there's nothing wrong with that, it's just the way it went that was my dinner too. As I was just writing about, it is better not to want to fall in love with your dinner. As it was, I happen to love a Hebrew National hot dog just about as much as anything in this world.

Breakfast
2 Eggs, Over
2 Strips Turkey Bacon
2 oz private stock cabot cheese

Snack
1/4 cup almonds/cashews
10 dried apricots
6 oz lite yoplait yogurt

Lunch
3 Eva Chan Spare Ribs
Greek Salad

Dinner
1/4 lb Hebrew National Hot Dog
Baked Beans

Today's visit to the gym was a lesson in "don't get too comfortable in life." I left the house without a towel and expected to rent one (a service which they provide for $1) but was told that today there weren't any because "it was Shabat." Confused, I went towel-less into the gym, and settled into a machine. I try to position myself between the two televisions so I'm not at the mercy of a 30-minute long African infomercial and football. Today looked good as CNN was on the one I was closest to, but minutes into my workout, a man came and wanted to change the channel. He looked to me as if to ask "is it OK?" and in my desire to warn him not to put the football game on BOTH sets, he misunderstood, did just that, and got in my line of vision so I couldn't see anything. Minutes later, someone else came and changed it without asking HIM, and the cycle continued.

Day 264: Birthday Celebration Continues

Due to some quirk of fate, Emily birthday and mine fall on the same day of the week, every year since we've known each other. I suppose this is not that unusual, but it means that whatever happens on my birthday happens on hers, and that goes the 40th Thursday-to-Sunday celebrations. I have the added bonus of having Ruby's birthday fall on the day following mine, meaning there will always be lots of balloons. This year for Emily's birthday, there's a lot of food. Tonight it was Papparazi.

Breakfast
Two slices of Wheat Toast
Peanut Butter
Tea

Snack
1/4 cup Almonds/Cashews
1 Medium Dunkin Donuts Coffee (half decaf)
65 Pistachios
1 Cameo Apple

Lunch
Spicy Chicken and String Beans

Dinner
Salad with Goat Cheese
Boneless Breast of Chicken on Greens

263: Emily's Birthday

So of course on a big day with a plan for a big dinner, like poker or a 40th birthday I am wanting to watch what I eat. I have to start with two pieces of toast, because Ruby and I wanted to wake up Emily with flowers, and we had shopping to do. For reasons known only to the divine, there is no AM kindergarten today, so we are off on a some boring adult ventures like filling up the car with gas. However, at the supermarket she gets a banana-chocolate chip muffin (which she continues to eat the next day) and at Starbucks we run into one of her friends whose mother has to pay for her coffee drink with an American Express card. I try to slink out of the store, but Ruby and her friend are jungled up like a barrel of monkeys so I have twist her the right way to get her out the door. Aside from all that, people come to assess Magnolia and there's all kind of stuff going on. It's one of those days were you really could eat irresponsibly, if you weren't paying attention.

Breakfast
Two slices When Pigs Fly Harvest Wheat and Pumpkin Seed
Peanut Butter
Tea

Snack
6 slices toscano salami
few oz's cheddar cheese

Lunch
6 oz Blueberry "yoplait" lite yogurt
6 dried apricots
1/4 cup almonds/cashews

Metadinner
Hamburger (that I fed to Ruby and Magnolia)

Dinner: Le Soir
Rolls, etc.
Appetizer—Confit of Duck
Appetizer—Scallop wrapped in Bacon
Dinner—Steak
Pomme Frites (with Spicy homemade ketchup)
Asparagus
Sweet Potato Puree
Flourless Chocolate Cake

Emily and I did not get out to dinner until 9PM—which is usually when we're relaxing after putting the kids to bed, but we were sure hungry. I believe we did not overdo it, but I did allow myself a few exceptions—a bite of a rye roll (it was lousy with fiendish caraway seeds); some ciabatta bread crust with tapenade butter, and some pomme frites, probably around a dozen. We split the steak and only had one bite of the dessert. The appetizers were frugally sized. I'll tell you, I don't remember specifics, but I can tell you Emily and I have walked out of more than a few birthday dinners ready to keel over from over-eating. Happily, this was not the case tonight. But she's going out a few more times this weekend—fortunately, I'll be staying home and eating spelt.

Day 262: Sadly, Tuna on a Paper Plate

If you are someone looking to go on a diet, or succeed on the one you're on, I think lowering your expectations about each meal is crucial. That means not only getting less excited about each chance to feed, but to really recognize that it is a biological requirement and that if you don't LOVE every single meal it's OK. This may be fly in the face of the 'life-is-short' brigade who may think 'life is too short to eat bad food' and I am certainly not recommending that you eat bad food (though it will make the diet easier). Even though I have lowered my expectations about each meal, I can still amazingly be disappointed. Today, due to my choice to go walking, I had literally zero time to get something to eat, so I was forced to rummage around the Domania kitchen and so I made due with a can of plain tuna, two cheese sticks and a 11 oz V-8. Nutritionally, it was absolutely fine, and what there was tasted good. But when I caught a view of myself from the so-called "God's-eye-view" it was really quite sad.

Breakfast
1.5 cup Crispy Wheats
1 cup Lactose and Fat-free Milk
.5 cup Blueberries
Tea

Snack
12 oz Coffee (half decaf)
1/4 cup almonds cashews
10 dried apricots
60 Pistachios
1 Pink lady Apple

Lunch
6 oz. Can of Tuna
2 Cheese sticks
11 oz Can V8 Vegetable Juice

Dinner
Shrimp & Scallops a la Emily
Broccoli
2 Bites of Chicken

Emily was very unhappy with the dinner she made tonight. She complained that the broccoli was overcooked and the scallops were awful. I ate the broccoli but I'm not a scallops fan, so it wasn't much of a disappointment. As I mentioned, I am learning not to expect too much, and have been pleasantly delighted for about the past four months of Emily's cooking, so the diet has been relatively easy.

Day 261: Trip To New York

I was seeing a client who is deep in New Jersey, and I decided to take the train (the Acela) because it literally stops a few minutes from their offices. I made sure I packed lots of SoBe friendly snacks for the road, and in fact ate most of them. I probably could have gone without a few of them, but when you spend 8 hours on a train, you indulge yourself a little. I did not eat any of my joy sticks.

Breakfast
2 slices of when pigs fly bread
peanut butter
tea

Snack
1/2 cup almonds/cashews
6 oz yoplait lite yogurt (bananas and strawberries)
10 dried apricots
1 cameo apple (bruised)

Lunch
3 Roll Mops: Ham, Muenster, Pickles, Mustard
1 Romaine Heart
2 Slices Toscano Salami

Dinner
13 oz. Spinach Salad with Egg, Bacon and Cheese
Dressing

At the client meeting the clients were kind enough to provide snacks: water and cookies. The water was served in several different size containers (both sport bottles and non-sport bottles) and the cookies (served in plastic cups(!)) had the feeling of an afterthought. I demurred, citing the South Beach diet and quietly calculated how many cookies I would have had I not been on the diet. The number was at least two (there were chocolate chip and sugar) because I would have tried one of each; and certainly would have gone back for seconds. Instead, I contented myself with knowing that I had an apple and apricots in my bag, and I could eat them if I got hungry. As it was, they served us dinner on the Acela right away, a Spinach salad. I asked for, and got, a second helping, which was good because six ounces of spinach is NOT a dinner portion.

Day 260: Trip the Lite Yogurt Fantastic

I want to point out to people the very real threat of iPod ear damage, but I so rarely have the time to write about it here. There are a lot of links out there to studies, but I can tell you that common sense says when you put the loudest thing imaginable INSIDE your ear, you're asking for trouble. Start here (http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=11524&Page=1&pagePos=1) and then Google the rest. I mean it, it's trouble.

Breakfast
2 Slices of When Pigs Fly Bread
Peanut Butter
Tea

Snack
1/4 cup Almonds/Cashews
1 Honeycrisp Apples
60 Pistachios
8 Dried Apricots

Lunch
Chicken
Chinese Broccoli
1/2 Beef Teriyaki
Diet Coke

Dinner
Cheeseburger
Sauteed Onions
Pickles
Peppadews
String Beans

Tomorrow I'm going to New York to see a client. In my younger days a client-based trip, or really a trip anywhere meant a few things: one, wildly caloric breakfast such as a bacon egg and cheese or hostess lemon pie, and two, a similarly impossible lunch, very often a large meat sandwich with fried carbs of some kind on the side, often made possible by allowing myself to forgo all restraint once any time of routine is broken. It's amazing that just minutes ago I was packing rollmops for the train, weighing out nuts, counting out apricots and freezing some yogurt. I am all about making sure I have what I need to eat on the train (I'll be on it for 8 hours). I will miss my traditional Acela meal of Hot Dog and Fritos, but I'll live. Probably longer.

Day 259: Sunday, Sunday

Whether you're coming down with a cold or not, you can't help but admire and appreciate an incredible 65-degree day. Of course, no one was thanking their lucky stars more than the parents of the girl's outside birthday party that Ruby and I attended this morning. There was horsey rides, animal feeds, bunnies and ice cream and cake in a hayloft. You really couldn't have asked for more. Well, there could have been a SoBe friendly lunch for the adults, but aside from that you couldn't have asked for more. So that I didn't get low-sugared-out, I had a few cukes, and pieces of cheese, and the topping off of one slice of Domino's pizza. I must tell you that previous to being on the diet, I ate more than my share of cake at parties. In fact, at work, I was the cake maven—one of two people responsible for fetching the incredible, creamy, buttery sheet cake whenever there was a party—and we always found a way to have a party. Emily and I often discuss which dessert you would rate highest, and I think for me it's sheet cake. Luckily, this birthday cake was from Sudbury Farm—not of a tempting quality.

Breakfast
2 Slices When Pigs Fly Bread
Peanut Butter
Tea
1 oz. Cracker Barrel Cheese

Lunch
1 slice Domino's Pizza (Cheese Only)
1 cucumber slice, a few cheese slices
Leftovers Peppers and Onions
Leftovers Eva Chan Chicken
6 oz Yogurt

Snack
1/4 cup Almonds Cashews
8 Dried Apricots

Dinner
Trout Mystery a la Emily
Bok Choy

Still feeling kind of lousy, I almost thought I would skip going to the gym, because there was a lot to do at home and by the time it was time to go, it was dark and the day was wearing on. I did go though, figuring that the workout might help me feel better, giving me energy instead of sapping me of it. As it turns out, that was pretty much the case. I did feel better after going, if only because I didn't skip, and that's new for me. As a young lad, I was quite the skipper. I skipped everything, I was always about getting out of stuff. Once I hid my trumpet in a closest and took the empty case to my lessons so I didn't have to practice. So being committed to something is new, and feels good. I could get used to it...

PokerFallout

The day after the card game is always difficult, mostly because even if we don't stay up that late, there is a feeling of being 'wound up' that prevents you from going to right to bed when you get home. So there's a bit of a decompressing, which can turn a 1AM sort of "too late to go to bed night" into a "2AM you're really sorry you weren't asleep sooner"night.

Breakfast
Two slices when pigs fly bread
peanut butter
tea

Lunch
Tuna
Romaine lettuce
Cabbage
Feta Cheese

Dinner
Chicken a la Eva Chan
Stir Fry Cabbage and Peppers

Needless to say, by the end of the 'day after' I am usually ready to totally conk-out, and this night was no different, I felt like I was coming down with some of whatever's going around. You know that "uh-oh" feeling you have when you're getting a cold? That's what I had. I started taking the vitamin c and Airborne as a double dose.

257: Yet Another Poker Game

As always, I must begin my day with a high protein breakfast, and as I am beginning my education in real calories and fats, I realize that adding an egg here and there, or an additional strip of turkey bacon is not that bad. (By the way Ruby likes turkey bacon now. That only took 250 days). As another nod to the game I also forgo most of the nut and 'nut-related' snacks during the day because nuts are one of the few SoBe friendly snacks that everyone loves at the game. As a matter of fact, I watched with great irritation as one of the players basically took my private collection of nuts, held it in his lap, and continued to reach in, take out a fistful, sort them, eat them, and repeat the process over and over again. I was trying to refrain from giving him the hairy eyeball. Why should I care what he does with my nuts? (I'll let the laughter subside for a minute). After all, I brought them to the game, so they're fair game for everybody. But it was the way he was holding them. And then fistful after fistful. I sort of felt for him, because I know how addictive they are. But I also thought "put them back, you thoughtless nut sifter!" I might have to bring them in little bags next time.

Breakfast
3 Eggs
2.5 Strips Turkey Bacon
Tea

Snack
8 Dried Apricots
Dunkin Donuts Medium Coffee (half decaf)

Lunch
Chicken and Broccoli with Brown Rice

Poker/Snack/Dinner
2 Pickles
1/2 cup Almonds/Cashews
slices of salami/pepperoni/cheese
1 cheese stick
Orange Beef
Chicken and Broccoli
String Beans with Pork
Shrimp with Vegetables
.5 Teriyaki Stick
Boneless spare ribs

Lastly, I am realizing that anytime you are sitting in one place for a long time it's challenging not to eat, and doubly challenging if there's a lot of food nearby for you to choose from. Ultimately, the card game is healthier from a food perspective than it ever was, we have now officially gone from a fried-chip based game to a meat and cheese game, so that's good. We've just got to work on the volume.

A Day Without Nuts

In response to my possible overdoes of nuts, I have committed to going a day without nuts. This is challenging because I am so used to eating them in the morning, for breakfast, for snack, and anytime I want to eat but not commit to a type or volume of something. But I had to see if I could do it. On the dried-apricot front, I have realized that I must practice portion control—I will eat as many of them as are near. That's really the problem with all SoBe friendly snacks—if they're allowed, you want to eat them. If you're hungry, bored or stressed, you'll just keep eating. Eating feels good. Ergo, watch out.

Breakfast
1 Cup High Protein Crunch
1 Cup Lactose Free, Fat-Free Milk
1/2 cup Blueberries

Snack
1 oz Cracker Barrel Cheese
8 Dried Apricots
1 Cameo Apple

Lunch: Chinese
Beef with Broccoli
House Special Egg Drop Soup

Dinner
Snap Peas
Steak Tips

I also realized with some grimacing that Emily and are eating protein every night. Of course, it would be much easier to forgo this if we were eating any kind of carbs, but without pizza and pasta it's very hard to think how to go vegetarian without going 'frookie.' Sure, there's tofu and we could just eat salad and vegetables, but I'm just not there yet. I do feel an obligation to try and better myself as an eater, but I understand it's an evolutionary process (that's a dangerous word lately).

255: NutWenedsday

I totally went nuts today. I had a nut-attack. It was 'nut' very good. However, this was balanced out by a VERY brisk walk at Domania with almost the whole gang. It was quite chilly, so it was both helpful and necessary to walk fast. We stopped counting the minutes a long time ago, but I bet we were under 35 minutes.

Breakfast
1 Slice When Pigs Fly Bread, 1 Slice Soft Whole Wheat
Some Chunky (Super) Peanut Butter
1 oz Cracker barrel cheese

Snack
1 Fuji Apple from Costco
8 dried apricots
1/4 cup almonds/cashews plus a handful of cashews
60 pistachios

Lunch
Stir-fried chicken with spicy string beans

Dinner
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Bok Choy
Sweet Potato

We went on a field trip to Costco as an office-outing and we got lots of snacks, including salted cashews and salted pistachios which are practically irresistible. It's not that they're so good, it's just that they're so salty. It's really hard to control yourself around Costo-volumes of nuts, but the apples are a different story. We have gone a few times to Costco since I've been on the program and there's little in the way of multi-pak snacks that are SoBe friendly. Except for Tuna, Cheese, Vegetables and Apples you're really trying to spend time in the Gum aisle or get the hell out of there fast.

Day 254: Satisfying Your Sweet Tooth

From the South Beach Newsletter: Looking for sweet treats that won't sabotage your diet? Sugar substitutes such as aspartame and saccharin are fine (but cancer causing-Ed.) on The South Beach Diet. So is Splenda (not yet proven-Ed.), a natural sugar substitute made from sugar cane. Here's what Dr. Agatston recommends for satisfying your sweet tooth:
• Sugar-free gelatin
• Ricotta cheese with vanilla or almond extract and mixed with a
sugar substitute
• Sugar-free fudgsicles
• Sugar-free hard candies
• Sugar-free Popsicles
• Sugarless chewing gum
• Cocoa powder, no-added-sugar
• Sugar-free, caffeine-free carbonated sodas
• Sugar-free, caffeine-free drink mixes (like Crystal Lite)

Breakfast
2 slices When Pigs Fly Bread
Super Chunky Peanut Butter
Tea

Snack
1/4 cup almonds/cashews
8 dried apricots
1 joy stick
60 pistachios

Lunch
Salad with Cheese, Tuna, Red Peppers

Dinner
Sweet Hot and Sour Tilapia
Bok Choy

Am sensing a complete nut-attack coming on. Mostly, it is caused by stress but the next most common cause is SITTING TOO CLOSE TO THE PISTACHIOS. Note to self: bring in celery sticks to work. Emily continues to do amazing things in the wok. However, from studying models of excellent nutrition, I am clearly not eating enough 'orange' foods. Also very low on red foods, now that I'm off pizza. My barber keeps trying to talk me into jogging. He says his metabolism is so high he can eat anything he wants and drink anything he wants. That sounds good, but I'm not sure I can get into jogging (or running as 'they' call it).

Day 253: Monday

I am trying like mad to mix up the breakfast meal again. It's hard because mornings call for something without a lot of fuss, which is why turkey bacon and eggs is out. It's so easy to have toast, but I must keep on searching. Hard boiled eggs with salmon? I don't want to smell fishy at the office. I continue to search...

Breakfast
6 oz yogurt lite strawberry yoplait
1 cup Wheatabix
1/2 cup blueberries
tea

Snack
1/4 almonds/cashews
8 apricots
60 pistachios

Lunch
Mixed Greens
Goat Cheese
House-Dried Tomatoes
Tuna

Dinner
Pan-Fried Chicken a la Emily
Cabbage

I must apologize for people who read this blog who don't have someone to cook dinner for them. As some of you know, I was the primary cook in our house for nearly two decades. I am by no means a great cook, more like a short-order diner cook. My specialties were eggs, bacon, toast, and occasional other things: chili, pasta sauce, tuna, pizza, and for about two years things in the wok including a very serviceable 'salad Cambodian' imitation. I never ever was as good as Emily has gotten in just a year. I try to take up the cooking on the weekends and some nights, but ultimately I think she likes to cook and may even like her cooking better than mine. So, in cooking silence, I enjoy the bounty, which is truly, revolutionary. I'm not sure how anyone could seriously stay on a program without the aid of their S.O.

Day 252: [sobbing, whimpering]

At the gym today I began my program to run at a lower, fat-burning rate, as was recommended to me by health professionals and sister-in-laws a like. So this means instead of elliptical-ing (jogging?) at a rate of 6 mph, I was more like at 5 mph. It was challenging to keep my heart rate at 117, so I was often either at 124 or 114. By running slower, I realized that it was less important to listen to fast music and simultaneously, it was easier to keep going. I did four miles in about 50 minutes. As an added bonus, the TV aimed at my elliptical was on the "Shaft" remake with Samuel ("Shmutty") Jackson. Quite a bad film, but the 'closed caption titles' made it unintentionally hilarious. A tried hard to remember the scene in its entirety. Someone is getting roughted up on a roof somewhere.

YOU LIKE THAT?

[sobbing, whimpering]

AHH!

YOU WANT A TASTE OF THAT?

AHH AHH!

[engine revs]

[crying]

Breakfast
2 slices When Pigs Fly Bread
Super chunky peanut butter
Tea

Snack
1/2 cup almonds/cashews
50% honey crisp apple
4 bites Banilla yogurt
1 chicken nugget
5 dried apricots

Lunch
2 Eggs Over Easy
2 Strips Turkey Bacon
1 oz Cracker Barrel Cheese

Dinner
Shrimp & Broccoli a la Emily
1 Hot Dog

It seems kind of funny to have a hot dog for dessert, but when you're hungry, and you've run out of dinner, it has to be done. I don't have any more explanation than that. And for the record, Aileen was right, Honeycrisp apples are FANTASTIC, if not very very sweet.

251: Sssssaturday

I noted after talking about calorie counts of breakfast that Eggs are 80 Calories each, that Turkey Bacon is 35 Calories a slice, and that cheese is about 120 calories for an ounce. Further, that whole milk and sugar comprise less than 100 calories and coffee has zero, so having some of Emily's coffee was not too bad.

Breakfast
2.5 Eggs
2.5 Strips of Bacon
1 oz Cracker Barrel Cheese
Tea
(50% of Emily's) Coffee with Milk & Sugar

Lunch
Tuna on Romaine with Feta

Snacks
6 oz. yogurt strawberry lite
1/4 almonds/cashews
6 apricots

Dinner
Snap peas
Bok Choy
Rainbow Trout

I need to make special mention of Emily's wok prowess—tonight's dinner was as good, if literally, not better than anything I've had in a Chinese restaurant. It's just been amazing to see someone take so completely to an art as Emily has to wok cooking. I consider myself very lucky. I must make sure I keep her stocked with lots of fish sauce.

250: Little Imagination

I am going through something of a 'creative desert,' which is making writing the blog temporarily much more difficult. This is in most part due to the fact that I am doing several side creative projects and that's where much of my creative energy is being directed. So some days you may have to suffer through plain reportage.

Breakfast
2 Slices When Pigs Fly Bread
Super Chunky Peanut Butter
Tea

Snack
1 oz Cracker Barrel
8 Dried Apricots
1/4 cup Almonds/Cashews

Lunch
Super Salad:
Red Leaf Lettuce, Chicken
Olives, Tomatoes, Cheese
Balsamic Vinegar

Dinner
Some kind of Weird Hamburger
Broccoli and Peppadews

Emily got me some kind of pre-fab hamburger from Whole Foods that the texture of canned ham but the taste of something very strange. I think it was made with jalapenos and pecornio cheese. I cooked it for like 15 minutes in the pan and I was still not convinced that I had prepared it properly. Unless you like chewing meat-flavored bit-o-honey, avoid at all costs.

Day 249: Sugaree

I realized after I last wrote in a dismaying fashion about the 400-calorie breakfast (below) that two slices of bread and super-chunky peanut butter was around 400 calories, too. And same with Turkey Bacon and Eggs. So I guess that's the gold standard of SoBe breakfasts. Even so, I accidentally went on a sugar-spree today, what with a super-sweet breakfast, hoisin sauce for lunch and more Ribs'n'stuff for dinner.

Breakfast:
1 Cup High-Protein Crunch
1/2 cup fat free, lactose free milk
1/2 cup blueberries
tea

Snack
Medium Dunkin Donuts Coffee (half decaf)
1/4 cup almonds/cashews
12 dried apricots
1 fuji apple

Lunch: Chinese
Moo Shi Pork with Hoisin Sauce
Sauteed Chicken with Asparagus

Dinner: Blue Ribbon BBQ (Left overs)
Ribs
Burnt Ends
Baked Beans
Bok Choy a la Emily

I have slowly started again with four snacks during the day and this is mostly because I am getting up earlier and so I'm getting hungrier more often. I must fix this again, because I have not yet added additional exercise. Also, I have to start doing the lower intensity 'fat burning workout' instead of the higher intensity 'cardio workout.'

Day 248: More of Same

Went for a walk today with a pregnant coworker. She used to be the fastest walker and now she is somewhat slower. Walking today I remembered that I could barely make it the first time around. This time, we were able to keep a good clip and continue talking the whole time. That's real progress, even if I'm not losing any weight.

Breakfast
2 Slices WPF Bread
Super Chunky Peanut Butter
Tea

Snack
1 oz Cracker Barrel Cheese Stick
12 Dried Apricots
1/4 cup Almonds/Cashews
1 Cameo Apple

Lunch: Chinese
Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
Shredded Pork with Peppers, Cabbage
Wonton Soup

Dinner: Blue Ribbon BBQ
Ribs
Burnt Ends
BBQ Chicken
Beans
Cole Slaw

Also today we were looking at the calorie counts of peanut M&Ms as well as Candy Corn. Peanut M&Ms are surprisingly not that bad—I think a slice of white bread is worse for you, from a carbohydrate, sugar and calorie standpoint. Isn't that amazing? I'm still not having any peanut M&Ms, but it made me think that I might need to reassess my stance on candy.

Day 247: Detecto Says....196....Again...

As the chocolate hangover subsides for most people, I am up early in the morning and headed to the doctor's office. As always, I am busy weighing my clothes to find the lightest pants I have before I set out. I decide on the linen capris and vamoose. As has been the case every visit since the second week of July, I am stuck at my 30lbs off weight of 196. Just can't move that needle. I am grateful, and can only breathe again, once I realize I have not gained any weight back on. In fact, the fear of it so greatly motivates me. I suspect if I can get through the so-called "Holiday Season" this year at the same weight, I should pay back the diet gods by heading back to phase one for the new year. I may have to, if I get carried away in a turducken frenzy.

Breakfast
2 slices When Pigs Fly Harvest Wheat
Super-Chunky Peanut Butter
Tea

Snack
1/4 cup Almonds/cashews
10 dried turkish apricots
1 braeburn apple
30 pistachios

Lunch
Roll Mops: Ham, Mozzarella, Mustard
Romaine Hearts
Olives

Dinner
Meatballs
Sweet Potato
1 oz. Cracker Barrel Cheese

Amazingly, I did not eat one morsel of chocolate during the Halloween season. I did not want for it, though like an old man wistful for his salad days, I did take a few moments to reflect on "great experiences of eating Reese's Peanut Butter Cups I have known." I did confirm today that the apples I was eating were "Cameos"—and sold by geewhizfruit.com, even though they don't advertise them. They get little attention, but they are worth seeking out.

Day 246 All Hallow's Evening

"Visions of Sugar Plum Fairies Danced in My Head" as I set about making breakfast this morning. After all, it was Halloween. I was to dress Ruby in her Belle (from Beauty and the Beast) costume. I was to take her to school. I thought about giving her a cupcake for her breakfast but decided since she'd be eating so much candy for dessert, she didn't need it. I thought I would try a new breakfast, a Kashi-type product simply called "Hi-Protien Cereal." I picked it out at Whole Foods because I want to eat something different for breakfast that's not eggs or toast. And the other day I had purchased some fat-free, lactose-free milk. Unfortunately this morning when I read the calorie count I was shocked. 150 calories was for ONE HALF CUP. That's ridiculous. I had to have whole cup of cereal, but then I was committing to nearly 400 calories for breakfast. That's not good.

Breakfast
1 cup High Protein Cereal
1/2 cup Lactose Free Milk
Tea

Snack
1/4 cup Almonds/Cashews
50 Pistachios
1 Braeburn Apple
1 Joy Stick

Lunch
Sauteed Shrimp and Broccoli

Dinner
1 Small Chicken Breast
Slices of Cheddar
Crab
Snowpeas

I'm not sure if it will always come to be this way, but Halloween is a very simple affair in my neighborhood. At around 6, we all started to collect ourselves and walked the neighborhood for "Trick and Treat." Just like I remember, people leave their lights on if they're giving out candy, and off if they're not. But I have a question—do people give out individual candies or bags? I grew up in a neighborhood where bags (full of multiple pieces of candy) were the standard. Most people in my neighborhood gave out individual pieces or let trick or treaters pick candy from a bowl. Emily thinks I am nuts for filling bags, and in fact we did stand out as kind of extravagant—but I don't feel bad about that. One household who shall remain nameless told me she was giving out candy "from last year's Halloween." Aside from how poor that is—giving out stale candy—I never heard of anyone who could keep chocolate in their house for one year! I made a note to separate that candy from the rest so Ruby wouldn't eat it. Naturally, it got mixed up with the rest.