Project Be Less Fat 2017

[Archawkeye]

Day 23: Sunday, July 23, 2017
Weight: 224.4 lbs

Macros: 208/202 protein, 181/173 carbs, 87/90 fats, 40/38 fiber
Calories: 2320/2311
Water: 111fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Protein shake, peanut butter on wheat, special K protein with high-protein milk (FairLife) (392 calories)
Meal 2 - None
Meal 3 - Raspberries, almonds, roasted chicken breast, protein shake, slice of toast (488 calories)
Meal 4 - Chicken breast, protein shake with blueberries, tortilla chips dipped in hummus mixed with chia seeds (495 calories)
Meal 5 - Korean-style chicken, zuchinni, Yukon golden baby potatoes, Helles-style lager (636 calories)
Meal 6 - 2 slices of whole wheat toast with peanut butter (310 calories)

Exercise
Swam with the kids for 90 minutes.

Notes
Put some weight back on but no surprise there, I splurged yesterday. Still below the 225-226 plateau so I'm fine with it. Took the kids to the community center and swam with them for a good 90 minutes, was tuckered out after that. Swimming is nice because I don't sweat and it doesn't bother my knees.

I wife went to the grocery store and picked up some chia and flax seeds. I'm going to try both, but chia is usually mixed into something, like oatmeal or yogurt or something and I don't have either. I mixed into some pine nut hummus today and ate it with scoops, it was fine. I need the fiber.

I'm convinced I missed something in my food diary today, I feel like I ate a ton, but most of it was pretty healthy stuff so maybe that's just a consequence of choices more than anything. Even squeezed in a wonderful, wonderful beer.

As I said last time, this process is wearing off on my kids. They're starting to ask for more proteins, ask for healthy choices, eat fruits, eat vegetables, want to weigh their food, and want to work out and get exercise. It's encouraging to see. And it makes me wonder what other behaviors I have which may be less commendable that they're observing and picking up on! Oi vey.

[NoCarbsNoSugar]

Swam with the kids for 90 minutes.

Sounds like lots of fun.

[Archawkeye]

Day 24: Monday, July 24, 2017
Weight: 226.4 lbs

Macros: 192/202 protein, 174/173 carbs, 118/90 fats, 27/38 fiber
Calories: 2453/2311
Water: 120 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Protein shake, peanut butter on wheat toast with chia seeds, 3 eggs with salsa (753 calories)
Meal 2 - Protein shake, almonds, chips and hummus with chia seeds (680 calories)
Meal 3 - 8 oz grilled chicken breast with zuchinni slices (240 calories)
Meal 4 - (None)
Meal 5 - Apricot-glazed salmon with garlic rice (780 calories)
Meal 6 - (None)

Exercise
All Pro Beginner, Week 4, Day 1

Notes
More weight gain but I think that'll level off. Still frustrating to see, but I had a beer and am probably retaining some water. The weight is just material in my system, not fat. I know I'm losing fat. All Pro is getting hard. I failed on squats and overhead press today. I had already failed on squats so I'll be redoing those weights anyway. No problems so far on anything else, though bench press and biceps curl are getting tough.

The chia seeds are surprisingly good. Very nutty, they actually go well in a lot of foods. I don't buy the whole, "They really fill you up" thing, but they do taste good and they are loaded with good nutrients. I made some toast and put peanut butter on it, and sprinkled a tbsp of chia seeds on top and ate it - tasted great! Chia seeds are kinda messy, though. I was famished this morning so I went heavy on breakfast and morning snack. I know lots of people say it doesn't matter when you eat (pre-workout, post-workout, e.g.) but as a diabetic I can't just get a bunch of exercise and then not eat anything, it causes blood sugar problems. Speaking of blood sugar, I haven't been checking mine, I should resume doing that. I'm sure my sugars are better now that I'm eating less and losing fat. I've read that fat content in cells inhibits insulin function.

I'm well into week 3 now and show no signs of letting up. I don't know what's different this time. I tried to do "clean eating" or "Whole 30" or whatever it is last year and it was miserable. Utterly miserable. Just being told, "you can't eat <X> for a month" is infuriating. I love that I can basically eat whatever I want as long as I hit the calories and macros. And I just try to vary it up to make sure I get the micros too. I can feel my clothes getting looser (which figures, I just had my suits adjusted ...), and I can see a difference in the mirror, especially around my jaw line. Feels good.

[Archawkeye]

Day 25: Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Weight: 223.8 lbs

Macros: 221/202 protein, 127/173 carbs, 108/90 fats, 41/38 fiber
Calories: 2306/2311
Water: 109 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Peanut butter on wheat toast with chia seeds, 2 eggs with salsa, protein shake, raspberries (530 calories)
Meal 2 - Raspberries and 1/4 cup almonds (209 calories)
Meal 3 - Protein shake, chicken and wild rice stroganoff, black olives, cherry tomatoes, roast beef/turkey/salami sandwich (539 calories)
Meal 4 - Celery in peanut butter with chia seeds (315 calories)
Meal 5 - Beef and noodles, protein shake (714 calories)
Meal 6 - (None)

Exercise
Walked down 20 flights of stairs in a suit.

Notes
The increased fiber is beginning to work its magic. The weight dropped back down today to the 223-224 range, so I guess yesterday was a one-time blip from weight stuck in the system. I'm really, really liking the chia seeds. They go well with a lot of things. Today I mixed them in with some peanut butter and dipped celery sticks in them. Great! I had a mishap at lunch, I accidentally dumped by chicken and wild rice on the floor, so I only got to have about 4 bites of it, and I had to wing lunch with some Italian finger sandwiches we had at the office. The "sandwich" I had was like a 2" long section of a sub, and I only had one, but so I put it in MyFitnessPal as basically half of a sandwich. It came out with 286 calories - that seems maybe a little low but not unreasonable. Then the power went out at the office this afternoon and when the temperature started to rise, I got out. Walked down 20 flights of stairs. Way easier than walking up them.

[Archawkeye]

Day 27: Wednesday, July 25, 2017
Weight: 223.2 lbs

Macros: 211/202 protein, 139/173 carbs, 103/90 fats, 35/38 fiber
Calories: 2223/2311
Water: 153 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Protein shake, peanut butter on wheat toast with chia seeds, 2 eggs with salsa (428 calories)
Meal 2 - 4 oz chicken breast, protein shake (281 calories)
Meal 3 - Steak with black bean rice (390 calories)
Meal 4 - Hummus with chia seeds, Tostitos scoops, 4 oz chicken breast (451 calories)
Meal 5 - High protein wheat pasta with ground beef (1/2 cup each), salad with chopped almonds and goat cheese (460 calories)
Meal 6 - Hummus with chia seeds and celery, 3oz chicken breast (211 calories)

Exercise
All Pro Week 4, Day 3

Notes
I can eat the same damn thing meal after meal and never get sick of it. That's probably my number one asset with this diet. Looking back I had very little variety in what I ate today but I never noticed or cared. I do need to get more fruit and vegetables in, though. The days where I do the best are the days where I've got lots of both. The workout went well this morning. I was able to put up the squats on all 22 reps, which surprised me a little. Bench press is getting harder, and I'm starting to feel it in my bent over rows and SLDLs. Weight went down to 223.2 today. The feeling when I get below 220 will just be great. My suits are getting loose, too. It just figures, I just bought three new suits and shirts and now I'm losing weight. Hopefully they can size them so they look ok, but there's only so much they can do. I guess if that's the price I pay to get in shape, it's worth it. Isn't that part of the fun of reaching your goals? Getting new, smaller clothes that fight better and look great?

[janivl]

7 pounds in 27 days, sounds like someone has found their groove. Keep working hard!

[Archawkeye]

Day 29: Thursday, July 27, 2017
Weight: 221.4 lbs

Macros: 185/202 protein, 233/173 carbs, 94/90 fats, 41/38 fiber
Calories: 2463/2311
Water: 110 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - 2 eggs, chia seeds and peanut butter on whole wheat toast (299 calories)
Meal 2 - Protein shake, chips and guacamole (added chia seeds) (380 calories)
Meal 3 - Vermont chedder mac & cheese with broc**** (330 calories)
Meal 4 - Protein shake, chips with hummus (added chia seeds) (290 calories)
Meal 5 - Vegetable tempura, smoked salmon nigiri, halibut nigiri, crab nigiri, pieces of spicy salmon roll and shrimp tempura (865 calories)
Meal 6 - Leftover sushi from dinner (298 calories)

Exercise
None.

Notes
So my dates and days got screwed up at some point, but it's fixed now. I started on the second to last day of June so I'm 2 days ahead of the calendar day. Today's July 27th, so it's Day 29. Fixed it.

Wow. Down to 221.4 pounds this morning. I'd like to thank my fiber intake... I'll probably go up again tomorrow, I just feel very full today and I feel like the sushi had more calories than I've entered. We'll see. I'm just heartened that I'm getting down well below that 224-226 plateau, so I know I'm on the right track and just sticking with it is the right way to go. Too many people (myself included) lose patience too fast. I stalled for one whole week, and now we're moving again.

Went to the movies tonight with my wife, and we didn't get any popcorn or candy or soda or anything. Other than a few random sips here and there, I haven't had soda in almost a month. I almost have had about 10% of the amount of beer I usually drink. I've had some beer, but I just don't have very much of it, it cuts into my calories too much. I couldn't tell you the last time I went that long without drinking soda. People said getting off those artificial sweeteners defogs your noggin but I haven't noticed anything. I don't really miss it that much, I guess. I'd match rather budget the calories for beer and Scotch any way!

Eating out is challenging but I've done it twice now in the last two weeks and managed to be ok. The real challenge though will be vacation next week.

[Archawkeye]

Day 30: Friday, July 28, 2017
Weight: 221.0 lbs

Macros: 199/202 protein, 168/173 carbs, 97/90 fats, 42/38 fiber
Calories: 2276/2311
Water: 99 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Protein shake, 2 eggs, chia seeds and peanut butter on whole wheat toast (459 calories)
Meal 2 - Carrots and hummus (added chia seeds) (165 calories)
Meal 3 - Butternut squash & sage ravioli, protein shake (480 calories)
Meal 4 - Celery and guacamole (added chia seeds) (it's not as bad as it sounds - quite good actually) (165 calories)
Meal 5 - Peanut butter and chia seeds on whole wheat toast, protein shake (292 calories)
Meal 6 - 3 eggs, 2 small slices of bacon cheeseburger pizza, protein shake (714 calories)

Exercise
All Pro Beginner, Week 4, Day 3.
Swimming with the kids for a few hours.

Notes
Today marks 30 days since I began this journey. I don't think I ever explained what got me going on this. I've tried dieting and working out many, many times. I usually get, at best, 2 weeks in and something blows up in my schedule and I'm up super late and I skip a workout and that's that. I'm off the wagon.

I don't know what's different this time honestly. What got me started is we were watching American Gods and I was like, holy crap, Ricky Whittle looks fantastic. And my wife said, "You know, you've got that kind of build, if you just worked out, you'd be huge." Which is true, I do have a very bulky build, lots of shoulders. I hemmed and hawed over whether to even get started - we had a really busy couple of weeks coming up. But I finally just said screw it, I'm going to find a routine, I'm going to do the research, I'm going to figure out my calories, and I'm going to do this for real, no excuses.

I'm looking at MyFitnessPal and 1 month ago I weighed in at 232.4 pounds. This morning I was 221.0 pounds, for a total loss of 11.4 pounds. I've been taking some pictures and honestly, I'm not seeing much of a difference, but I can feel the difference in how my clothes fit. This is the longest I've ever sustained a dietary program, and the second longest I've ever sustained a weightlifting program. I did once finish a 10-week program (it took me like 15 weeks), and I did trim down on that program, but the last time I was this light was about 5 years ago when I was running 5ks three times a week and logging my food like a maniac. That time, I got sidelined by illness and never got back on the wagon. I can't jog anymore anyway, bad knees.

The only thing I can think of that's really different this time is this journal. It's a level of external accountability that I never thought would be helpful to me. I always figured you either have the self-discipline to do these things, or you don't, and if you don't, a journal isn't going to provide it for you. And I think that's true, but what it does do is give me pause when I'm making decisions on what to eat and whether to cheat. Maybe that is all self-discipline is. In any case, I plan to keep journaling, and for anybody who has been following along, silently or otherwise, thank you for your interest and support. It truly does help.

[Archawkeye]

Day 31: Saturday, July 29, 2017
Weight: 221.6 lbs

Macros: 196/202 protein, 396/173 carbs, 142/90 fats, 58/38 fiber
Calories: 3771/2311
Water: 100 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Protein shake, 2 eggs, chia seeds and peanut butter on whole wheat toast (459 calories)
Meal 2 - Organic milk and high-protein Special K (150 calories)
Meal 3 - Organic baby carrots in hummus, tomato avocado salad, Panko breaded chicken breast tenderloins (8oz) (782 calories)
Meal 4 - Blueberries, strawberries, Saison beer (338 calories)
Meal 5 - Ball park nachos (1/3) (137 calories)
Meal 6 - Chips and salsa, steak fajitas, 2 Dos Equis Amber, fried cheesecake (1904)

Exercise
30 minutes moderate walking pace, 1 degree incline.

Notes
I finally let myself have a true cheat meal today. Not a "cheat meal" where I maybe go over by a few hundred calories, but where I just eat whatever I want for one meal. So we went to Chavas, one of the best Mexican places in St. Louis, and I got a full boat of steak fajitas and I ate them all. Now, I don't know how many calories it really was. I didn't eat all the cheese (maybe 1/2), nor the sour creme (maybe 1/4th), nor the beans and rice (maybe half of each). I didn't even eat all of the steak, my daughter had two slices and my wife had one. I did eat all 3 tortillas. So, I logged the meal as a Chevy's steak fajitas, but this place doesn't use nearly as much oil and butter as a place like Chevy's. I would be surprised if it was more than 1,000 calories. But I did have 2 bites of the fried cheesecake dessert and drank three beers today.

I REGRET NOTHING!

As somebody once told me - nobody gets fat by indulging themselves once in a while. You get by indulging yourself constantly. I think having a once-a-week light cheat meal is fine, and then maybe once-a-month I do a "big" cheat meal. It's just a nice way to keep sanity, as well as keep the metabolism a little confused, maybe.

So the short version is I shouldn't be surprised or alarmed if tomorrow I've gained weight. I expect it'll come back off pretty quickly, too.

My goal for the next 30 days is to get down to 215 pounds. If I do, another cheat meal.

[Archawkeye]

Day 32: Sunday, July 30, 2017
Weight: 223.4 lbs

Macros: 198/202 protein, 158/173 carbs, 113/90 fats, 46/38 fiber
Calories: 2337/2311
Water: 128 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Protein shake, 2 eggs, chia seeds and peanut butter on whole wheat toast (317 calories)
Meal 2 - McDonald's eggs & sausage (415 calories)
Meal 3 - Ham and cheese sandwich on whole wheat toast, tomato and avocado salad (503 calories)
Meal 4 - Carrots and guacamole, protein shake (461 calories)
Meal 5 - Breakfast for dinner - eggs, peanut butter on English muffin, protein shake (641 calories)
Meal 6 - (None)

Exercise
Swimming 90 minutes with kids; gardening.

Notes
Well I'm paying for the cheat meal but it was worth it. Got some exercise in today, my eating was a little heavier than usual earlier on in the day. But when I got home from the pool my wife had made sandwiches and she measured everything out ahead of time! She's on board. The ol' plumbing is moving slowly again, so there may be more weight gain in my future before it starts coming off again.

After swimming, I went out to deal with our garden. I didn't turn it over properly this spring, and I planted late, so it got overrun with grass early on. I tried to keep it weeded but the grass would not be beaten. I finally gave up and chopped most of it down, just leaving some bell pepper plants and jalapeno plants. I did manage to get a few tomatoes and some sweet corn out of it. But that took another 45 minutes, so ... more cardio I guess.

This week is going to be tough. I'm going on vacation, and eating right will be a challenge. I don't want to annoy everybody by being difficult about what I'll eat, but I'm also not going to just throw my nutrition plan to the wind for 5 days. I know how many body works, I will gain it ALL back in no time. I can pack on the weight like you wouldn't believe.

[Archawkeye]

Day 33: Monday, July 31, 2017
Weight: 224.4 lbs

Macros: 168/202 protein, 182/173 carbs, 129/90 fats, 29/38 fiber
Calories: 2463/2311
Water: 107 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Cheerios in milk, 2 eggs with salsa, protein shake, chia seeds (489 calories)
Meal 2 - Protein shake, 1/4 cup almonds almonds (330 calories)
Meal 3 - Butternut squash and sage ravioli (320 calories)
Meal 4 - Guacamole and Scoops, Carrots and hummus (400 calories)
Meal 5 - Seared steak quesadillas with poblano salsa (924 calories)
Meal 6 - (None)

Exercise
All Pro Beginner - Week 5, Day 1

Notes
Still paying for the cheat meal as the pounds accumulate, but I think it's less about the cheat meal than it is about the irregularity. Much to my surprise, I finished all of my squat reps. I already failed multiple times so I'll be re-doing the same weight, but I really didn't think I could do 12, period.

The dinner was a Plated meal. It didn't look like much but that tomato poblano salsa was un-f'ing-believable. I went back for seconds and thirds (which added up to 1 serving still, since I only took 1/4 of a quesadilla in the first place, but still ....).

So the macros aren't quite there today and I had a choice to face. One more protein shake to pack on the last 30g, but incurring the calories, or let it ride? I decided to let it ride. 160g is maybe a little on the light side but I just feel full and like I've been eating too much and not exercising enough self control so I'm just saying no to myself tonight to reinforce the willpower habit.

Since I'll be traveling Friday, I am just doing two workouts this week. I'll wait 2 days and then on Thursday do another set of heavy weights, and that'll cap off my first cycle with All Pro Beginner! Next Tuesday when I'm back in town, I'll start over at 2x8 with, hopefully, some increased weights.

[Archawkeye]

Day 34: Tuesday, August 1, 2017
Weight: 222.0 lbs

Macros: 186/202 protein, 209/173 carbs, 101/90 fats, 27/38 fiber
Calories: 2426/2311
Water: 104 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Egg and protein shake (304 calories)
Meal 2 - Cheerios and almonds (270 calories)
Meal 3 - Chicken pad thai, protein shake (550 calories)
Meal 4 - Hummus and carrots with chia seeds (257 calories)
Meal 5 - Peanut chicken curry over sticky rice (850 calories)
Meal 6 - One bite of carrot cake, protein shake (195 calories)

Exercise
None.

Notes
Quick entry today because I'm running late - lost weight, feels good, making progress!

[Archawkeye]

Day 35: Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Weight: 220.4 lbs

Macros: 163/202 protein, 194/173 carbs, 78/90 fats, 23/38 fiber
Calories: 2491/2311
Water: 88 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Whole wheat waffle with peanut butter, coffee, protein shake (294 calories)
Meal 2 - 4 oz chicken breast (121 calories)
Meal 3 - Nigiri (271 calories)
Meal 4 - Carrots in hummus, protein shake (396 calories)
Meal 5 - Back Pocket Murderhorn beer, two servings of tilapia, tomato and avocado salad (1047 calories)
Meal 6 - Blonde ale, 2 powdered donuts, 1 ounce pour of Lagavulin single malt (361 calories)

Exercise
None.

Notes
Today was the last day of work before vacation. I'm sooooo close to dropping below 220 pounds, a place I haven't seen in YEARS. My wife and I are driving our four children to Minnesota tomorrow - a good 10-hour trip, so we partied a bit to loosen up for the trip. Thus, my food journal is less disciplined than usual. Still, based on my rate of weight loss, I can probably consuming in the neighborhood of 24000-2600 calories per day and still lose weight at this pound, albeit slowly. But I want to wait until I hit another 3-week cycle end (42 days) before making any adjustments. I worry that if I loosen it up to 2500 calories, I'll start eating 2700. I've been struggling to hit the macros as much lately, but that's partially because my major source of protein is the Costco Premier Protein drinks, which carry a nice 30g of protein, but they're 160 calories and pretty expensive. My wife ordered some Quest protein powdered, which arrived today. I'm thinking a couple scoops of that is a better and probably more cost-effective option.

So tonight I got to have a few beers and some Scotch, since I missed national Scotch day. That was nice. I've basically cut soda out of my diet and I honestly don't miss it that much. I was addicted to soda for a long, long time, and I've never once been able to really get it out of my diet. I'd just drink it at work or something if we didn't have it at home, but I don't crave it any more. I've also cut my beer consumption way back. I used to drink a beer a day and then several per day on the weekends, but I don't do that any more either and, honestly, I don't miss it. Although I think my wife maybe misses it, since a beer usually loosens me up a bit after work!

Tomorrow is my last workout for All Pro Beginner, my first cycle. I"ll see if I can't manage a side-by-side before-and-after shot. It probably won't be all that dramatic, it's just 5 weeks, but I'm just excited that I'm going to finish the program. My wife asked yesterday if this lifestyle of measuring everything is sustainable. I told her I'm diabetic, I should be eating this way anyhow, and while I don't expect to always weigh everything every single day, I have successfully replaced beer, soda, pizza, and junk food with healthier choices and I'm losing weight. So I sure hope it's sustainable!

[Archawkeye]

Day 36: Thursday, August 3, 2017
Weight: 220.6 lbs

Macros: 194/202 protein, 192/173 carbs, 76/90 fats, 18/38 fiber
Calories: 2491/2311
Water: 32 fl. oz. (did not track it well but I didn't have much)

Food
Meal 1 - Coffee, protein shake, Cheerios (288 calories)
Meal 2 - 4 oz chicken breast, 4 powdered mini donuts (381 calories)
Meal 3 - Ham sandwich, protein shake (410 calories)
Meal 4 - Pita chips and guacamole, chicken breas (291 calories)
Meal 5 - Bacon pancake, scallops, beer, and a few bites of sesame chicken (594 calories)
Meal 6 - Bite of raspberry pound cake, 1 Nutty Bar, half cup of homemade roast beef, chicken breast (409 calories)

Exercise
None.

Notes
Today was the first day of vacation. Spent most of the day traveling and I really feel like I ate much more than I apparently did. I didn't snack excessively in the car and my food choices weren't awesome, but I did ok on macros and didn't go over calories too much. So I guess that's a win? I also realized I have no way to weigh myself here. So I guess I'm going data-free until Tuesday.

[Archawkeye]

Day 37: Friday, August 4, 2017
Weight: No measurement

Macros: 127/202 protein, 300/173 carbs, 139/90 fats, 21/38 fiber
Calories: 3404/2311
Water: Did not track

Food
Meal 1 - Protein shake, cheerios, leftover shells and cheese (422 calories)
Meal 2 - Hamburger (no bun), pretzel chips, saltwater taffy (227 calories)
Meal 3 - Cheese curds, IPA beer, chips and salsa, pot roast (587 calories)
Meal 4 - Pumpkin beer, chips and cheese, cookie (563 calories)
Meal 5 - Beer, chips and olive dip, beans, potato salad, 2 cheeseburgers (1254 calories)
Meal 6 - Carrot cake (360 calories)

Exercise
Swimming in the lake.

Notes
Short day - on vacay - took a cheat meal for dinner. Drank a lot of beer. Enjoyed it.

[Archawkeye]

Day 38: Saturday, August 5, 2017
Weight: 220.6 lbs

Macros: 176/202 protein, 273/173 carbs, 75/90 fats, 8/38 fiber
Calories: 2750/2311
Water: 104 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Coffee, protein shake, Cheerios, 2 eggs (442 calories)
Meal 2 - Taffy (56 calories)
Meal 3 - Pot roast sandwich, ham (393 calories)
Meal 4 - Chips and cheese, 2 beers on the boat (545 calories)
Meal 5 - Chips and olive dip, 3xbeers, 10 ounce filet (1182 calories)
Meal 6 - None.

Exercise
None.

Notes
Found a scale. Shockingly, I didn't gain weight after yesterday. Not sure how. Today was better but not great. Mostly went over via beer consumption, but it's vacation! We are heading home tomorrow so if I can avoid snacking excessively in the car I will escape with minimal damage. According to MyFitnessPal, this amount of calories is STILL enough to lose weight for me. Seems close, actually, I think my TDEE is in the 2800s.

[Archawkeye]

Day 39: Sunday, August 6, 2017
Weight: 221.4 lbs

Macros: 128/202 protein, 185/173 carbs, 102/90 fats, 25/38 fiber
Calories: 2259/2311
Water: 32 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Cheerios and milk, protein shake (300 calories)
Meal 2 - None
Meal 3 - French toast casserole, bacon, breakfast potatoes, mixed fruit (454 calories)
Meal 4 - Guacamole and chips, protein shake (335 calories)
Meal 5 - Culver's double burger and fries (1170 calories)
Meal 6 - None

Exercise
None.

Notes
We drove back home a day early - the weather turned bad and we couldn't do any boating and my kids were getting stir crazy so we just hoofed it home. Food options were limited so I went with a double burger thinking the more protein the better, even if it's pretty fatty. Glad I didn't go triple, I didn't have the calories to spare for it. I should have dumped the fries and gone for more burger, I guess, sans bun. But, we're home now, and I'm back to my gym, and I won't have to have a second wonky workout week in a row. I can work out on Monday per plan, kicking off my second cycle of All Pro Beginner. I cycled up in weights on bench press, bent over row, and stiff-legged dead lift. I could have gone up on calf raise but I'm not convinced I'm doing them right yet. I need a step or a 2x4 or something.

Overall I'm pretty happy with how well I did on vacation as far as eating. I let loose a bit but not excessively. I do worry that all the beer will stick to me like glue, but I'm not sure if that's real nutrition science or Internet urban legends.

I also need to figure out what to do on days where I'm low on proteins but too high on calories. E.g., if I've got 40 calories left in my day, but I'm like 30g of protein below my macro goal, am I better off having a shake and going over, or staying below my calories? Since my goal is fat loss, I've been erring on the side of low calories. I also think my protein macro is probably set a little on the high side, and going below it once in a while isn't the end of the world. Would love to hear anybody else's thoughts on that.

[Imp81318]

I also need to figure out what to do on days where I'm low on proteins but too high on calories. E.g., if I've got 40 calories left in my day, but I'm like 30g of protein below my macro goal, am I better off having a shake and going over, or staying below my calories? Since my goal is fat loss, I've been erring on the side of low calories. I also think my protein macro is probably set a little on the high side, and going below it once in a while isn't the end of the world. Would love to hear anybody else's thoughts on that.

I tend to take the same approach as you - I'm trying to lose fat so I hold my total calorie goal more stringently than I hold my protein goal. I also figure that the protein goal is set for maximizing muscle building ability and it is really primarily geared toward lean and highly efficient athletes and bodybuilders. I'm not saying that eating a lot of protein doesn't help you or I to build muscle and/or minimize muscle loss, but I personally am not terribly worried about having every workout be at the absolute peak efficiency for building muscle. I also know that I have my macro goals set quite high since I set them using my starting weight which is a good 30 pounds higher than my current weight.

[Archawkeye]

Day 40: Monday, August 7, 2017
Weight: 221.6 lbs

Macros: 160/202 protein, 199/173 carbs, 87/90 fats, 35/38 fiber
Calories: 2295/2311
Water: 140 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Premier Protein drink, Cheerios with almond milk (300 calories)
Meal 2 - Almonds, pita chips and hummus with chia seeds, watermelon (563 calories)
Meal 3 - Protein shake (2 scoops Gold Standard Chocolate with 6oz water, 6oz ice cubes), slice of toast with peanut butter and chia seeds, 5.5 oz Panko-breaded chicken breast tenderloins, roasted veggies (786 calories)
Meal 4 - Oskar Blues - Dale's Pale Ale (195 calories)
Meal 5 - 1/3c White wine & cheese risotto, 67g of grilled pork tenderloin, .5c sliced apples, .5c roasted bell peppers (241 calories)
Meal 6 - 1 slice of toast with 1 Tbsp peanut butter and 1 Tbsp chia seeds (210 calories)

Exercise
All Pro Beginner, Cycle 2, Week 1, Day 1

Notes
It's nice to be back to a semi-normal routine. Got up and worked out, went up in weights for a few exercises, and I could feel the difference, even with only 8 reps. Food was fine today. It was easier to stay on track and measure, even though we're still low on food because we haven't been to the grocery store yet since we got back to town. I also picked up the Quest powder on a recommendation posted here and it's pretty good. I mixed in 6 oz water and 6oz ice cubes and blended for about 45 seconds. Not as much foam as I expected. Taste was ok. I need to mix in some peanut butter or banana or something.

I overate at lunch, I didn't realize my wife was making chicken so I had the protein shake and then had chicken. I also had a beer this afternoon to pick up a badge for Untappd, which put a bit of a pinch on my dinner, but we had pork tenderloin on kabobs, it was a low-cal affair and all worked out well. Got plenty of water in today, and I'm optimistic that tomorrow I may move down off this 220-221 range I seem to be stuck at now. It's just about time based on historical trends.

I tend to take the same approach as you - I'm trying to lose fat so I hold my total calorie goal more stringently than I hold my protein goal. I also figure that the protein goal is set for maximizing muscle building ability and it is really primarily geared toward lean and highly efficient athletes and bodybuilders. I'm not saying that eating a lot of protein doesn't help you or I to build muscle and/or minimize muscle loss, but I personally am not terribly worried about having every workout be at the absolute peak efficiency for building muscle. I also know that I have my macro goals set quite high since I set them using my starting weight which is a good 30 pounds higher than my current weight.

Ok, good, so I'm not the only one. I haven't adjusted anything yet due to weight loss but I haven't lost that much yet either. Once I'm down a good 15 pounds I'll re-adjust. My protein goal is set for basically my goal weight, not my current weight, but I still think it's pretty high and dropping off it here and there won't be killer. My understanding is that you need the protein when cutting so your body maintains muscle mass and pulls energy from fat stores instead. Could be wrong about that. Fortunately, I like proteins better than almost anything else, so it's pretty easy for me to keep up.

[Imp81318]

No, you're definitely not the only one! And I wasn't trying to say that you don't need protein while cutting. My point was that I think that the "minimum" recommendations/requirements thrown around on here are not nearly as critical when you're cutting than they are when you're already lean and trying to build or maintain a large muscle mass. But I'm far from an expert on the topic so take my advice with a grain of salt.

On the protein powder, I like to mix it with either a glass of milk or cashew/almond milk. The milk adds more substance and flavor to it, while also giving you a bit of a boost in fat and protein, as well as vitamins, as well. And the cashew/almond milk is only around 35 kcal for an 8 oz glass. I also like to add frozen fruit and ice to it too so that I can get the added micro nutrients and knock out a serving of fruit for the day while also making the shake more voluminous and filling. Although this morning I didn't feel like washing my blender cup so I just dumped a scoop of protein power and 8 oz of cashew milk in a shaker cup and ran out the door.

[Archawkeye]

Day 41: Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Weight: 221.2 lbs

Macros: 146/202 protein, 241/173 carbs, 83/90 fats, 34/38 fiber
Calories: 2351/2311
Water: 121 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Premier Protein drink, Cheerios with almond milk (322 calories)
Meal 2 - Premier Protein drink, string cheese, chips and guacamole (420 calories)
Meal 3 - Leftover risotto and an "unwrapped" burrito bowl (500 calories)
Meal 4 - None
Meal 5 - Chicken shawarma with tahini and salad, Schlafly Helles lager, handful of Lucky Charms (stole from my kid!) (1110 calories)
Meal 6 - None

Exercise
None.

Notes
Well apparently although I'm doing well on my nutrition program, it's making me grumpy I need to lighten up! So I had a beer with dinner tonight, it definitely takes the edge off after a long day of work, and there's plenty of good beer I can have that won't break the calorie bank, though I probably can't also have a cup of risotto and two helpings of chicken on those days. Still, considering I wasn't monitoring my intake all that closely today, I did ok. I need to take some protein powder to work, I have a blender in my office I can use to make shakes.

No, you're definitely not the only one! And I wasn't trying to say that you don't need protein while cutting. My point was that I think that the "minimum" recommendations/requirements thrown around on here are not nearly as critical when you're cutting than they are when you're already lean and trying to build or maintain a large muscle mass. But I'm far from an expert on the topic so take my advice with a grain of salt.

On the protein powder, I like to mix it with either a glass of milk or cashew/almond milk. The milk adds more substance and flavor to it, while also giving you a bit of a boost in fat and protein, as well as vitamins, as well. And the cashew/almond milk is only around 35 kcal for an 8 oz glass. I also like to add frozen fruit and ice to it too so that I can get the added micro nutrients and knock out a serving of fruit for the day while also making the shake more voluminous and filling. Although this morning I didn't feel like washing my blender cup so I just dumped a scoop of protein power and 8 oz of cashew milk in a shaker cup and ran out the door.

That makes sense to me and I like your shake recipe. So far I've just been drinking the Premier Protein drinks they sell at Costco, they pack a LOT of protein (30g) for a small shake. But, they're pretty expensive, and my kids keep taking them, so I'm trying to switch over to just making shakes. Love the idea of throwing some frozen fruit in to hit micros and thicken it up a bit with some flavor.

[Archawkeye]

Day 42: Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Weight: 219.4 lbs

Macros: 207/202 protein, 175/173 carbs, 63/90 fats, 30/38 fiber
Calories: 2216/2311
Water: 92 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Premier Protein drink, 3 Tbsp egg whites, 3 Tbsp egg product, whole gain white bread (1 slice) with 1 tsp peanut butter and 1 tbsp chia seeds (353 calories)
Meal 2 - Premier Protein drink, organic Kirkland hummus from Costco, chia seeds, 75g of organic baby carrots (401 calories)
Meal 3 - Leftover chicken shawarma and tahini sauce (390 calories)
Meal 4 - Double rich chocolate Gold Standard Whey protein shake (2 scoops) with water (240 calories)
Meal 5 - Plated sesame noodles with vegetables, blonde ale beer (832 calories)
Meal 6 - None

Exercise
All Pro Beginner, Cycle 2, Week 1, Day 2

Notes
AT LEAST I'm below 220 pounds! I hit that once briefly last fall and before that ... well, it's been years. I'm really starting to see how my body's weight loss cycle works and this dip is consistent with the overall trend. I should see another day, maybe two, of loss, followed by a rise and plateau for 2-4 days, then a drop again.

Workout was good this morning, but I had to rush through the end and I skipped calf raises. I'm not the least bit concerned about calf raises. I can barely do them, I've got 200 pounds of weight loaded on the bar and my grip gives out before my calves do. But I'm doing well with the other exercises. I was super not motivated this morning and procrastinated for a good hour before finally going downstairs. But, as usual, once I got started, it was no big deal.

I've started bringing a couple of scoops of protein powder to work for one of my meals. I have a blender in my office so I tried that today, it worked great. In the grand scheme of my meals, it's pretty low-cal, and it helps a TON with getting my protein goals in. I didn't have a protein with dinner tonight and I still made my goal. Fell short on fats, through. Hrm. Needed more peanut butter I guess.

Little low of water today but I'm making up ground now. Getting down to 215 during this cycle certainly seems doable! The lowest I have weighed in my adult life is around 214 or so. The day I pop below 210, I might faint.

[Archawkeye]

Day 43: Thursday, August 10, 2017
Weight: 218.4 lbs

Macros: 242/202 protein, 114/173 carbs, 75/90 fats, 29/38 fiber
Calories: 2256/2311
Water: Did not track it today

Food
Meal 1 - 1 slice whole wheat toast + 1 Tbsp peanut butter + 1 Tbsp chia seeds, 3 Tbsp egg white, 3 Tbsp egg product (295 calories)
Meal 2 - 2x Premier Protein chocolate protein drink, Tostito's Scoops with Guacamole, string cheese Premier Protein drink (570 calories)
Meal 3 - 8 oz brisket with coffee BBQ sauce (390 calories)
Meal 4 - 2x scoop of Gold Standard Whey protein double rich chocolate in water with frozen strawberries (240 calories)
Meal 5 - Edamame spaghetti (it's as weird as it soudns), salad with pistachios and goat cheese, 7 oz ribeye steak, 1 x bottle of Backpocket Murderhorn Belgian-style strong ale from Coralville, IA (762 calories)
Meal 6 - None

Exercise
None.

Notes
218.4, baby! Woot! I might have one more day of loss in me then I should hold on to water and fat for a few days before another drop. That's been the pattern, at least. My suits are getting pretty loose, I'm practically swimming in my bigger clothes now. Total weight loss is 25.1 pounds so far. And, I'm finding ways to eat things I like, and work beer and other treats back into my diet. By far, the biggest key to that has been the whey powder mix. It allows me to get 50g of protein for 240 calories. If anything, it has cannibalized my fat calories, I've been struggling to get enough fat. I might need to work some peanuts or peanut butter into the shakes.

I'm not seeing the results in the mirror yet the way i'd like, but I was carrying around at least 50 pounds of excess body fat and I'm still carrying around at least 25, probably more. Still have the love handles and the gut I don't see either going away any time soon. But I'm starting to thin out around the jaw line and I can tell by how my clothes fit that I've lost significant fat. It might only be a few inches off the waistline, but being successful at this is incredibly satisfying. I used to never understand people who said things like, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." I'm not trying to get "skinny," I don't like that look, I'm trying to get fit. But I see the point - when I am faced with the option to snarf a donut or something, I think - I only have so many calories to play with, and I'd rather save them. I'd rather not eat that, and go to bed satisfied that I had another successful day and am getting closer to my goals.

[Archawkeye]

Day 44: Friday, August 11, 2017
Weight: 219 lbs

Macros: 189/202 protein, 192/173 carbs, 83/90 fats, 36/38 fiber
Calories: 2427/2311
Water: Did not track it today

Food
Meal 1 - 3 Tbsp egg whites, 3 Tbsp egg product, 2 Tbsp peanut butter, 2 slices Brownberry Dutch Country whole wheat toast, 2 Tbsp chia seeds, Premier Protein chocolate drink (700 calories)
Meal 2 - String cheese, Premier Protein chocolate drink (240 calories)
Meal 3 - 75g baby carrots and 1.5 oz Jif To Go creamy peanut butter (281 calories)
Meal 4 - Gold Standard Whey, 60g double rich chocolate protein shake in 16 oz water (240 calories)
Meal 5 - Chips and salsa, grilled shrimp, salad, Iowa sweet corn on the cob, Helles-style summer lager beer (726 calories)
Meal 6 - 2 sugar cookies (240 calories)

Exercise
All Pro Beginner, Cycle 2, Week 1, Day 3

Notes
Weight has stabilized, as expected. I haven't been tracking my water very carefully, which means I haven't been drinking enough of it, which means I haven't been regular, which means weight retention. Workout was fine, had a little knee pain on squats, but no show stoppers. I fought a battle of wills over having the cookies today and ultimately lost. I didn't go horribly over on calories so not that big of a deal, but I don't like giving in like that. Willpower is a muscle, too, and it can be trained through proper exercise.

This will be another challenging weekend. We have a gala event this weekend at which I am speaking and there will be finger food, dinner, and an open bar. I've basically decided already to make it a cheat meal and not worry about the calories, but I'll feel better about it if I've moderated by intake during the day.

[Archawkeye]

Day 45: Saturday, August 12, 2017
Weight: 219 lbs

Macros: 129/202 protein, 197/173 carbs, 64/90 fats, 15/38 fiber
Calories: 2404/2311
Water: 107 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Premier Protein chocolate drink, 3 Tbsp egg whites, 3 Tbsp egg product, 1c Cheerios, 1/2c almond milk (325 calories)
Meal 2 - None
Meal 3 - 12 Chick-Fil-A grilled nuggets, about 1/3 container of a fries, 1 stick of Little Caesars crazy bread, some Charley's fries (630 calories)
Meal 4 - 1 slice of Little Caesar's pepperoni pizza (280 calories)
Meal 5 - Pork tenderloin, Scotch, beer, apple pie (1048 calories)
Meal 6 - 2 sugar cookies (240 calories)

Exercise
An hour of moderate walking at the gym.

Notes
Weight stabilized at 219, as expected.

I recently launched a series of podcasts at work, and our first four episodes are out. I downloaded them all to listen while I was at the gym and walked for about an hour. We had kind of a crazy day of running errands so I was not able to stick close to my nutrition plan. Well. I shouldn't say not able. I should say it was difficult and I didn't plan well enough so I ended up just eating what was within arm's reach. I had determined this would be a "cheat day" regardless, or more specifically, dinner would be a cheat meal because we were going to a gala at which I was speaking, and it's virtually impossible to weigh and measure your food at those things.
However, when you're a speaker, you typically get called up to the stage in the middle of dinner so you don't actually get to eat much. I think I drank more calories in Scotch than I ate in food. I didn't even track the finger foods, I don't remember what they are or how many of them I ate. The gala was fun, I got to open for one of my childhood sports heroes, who was the keynote speaker. Memorable event!

[Archawkeye]

Day 46: Sunday, August 13, 2017
Weight: 218.2 lbs

Macros: 227/202 protein, 213/173 carbs, 87/90 fats, 32/38 fiber
Calories: 2526/2311
Water: 77 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Premier Protein chocolate drink, 3 Tbsp egg whites, 3 Tbsp egg product (210 calories)
Meal 2 - Premier Protein chocolate drink, 2c Cheerios, 6.5 oz grilled chicken breast (664 calories)
Meal 3 - Protein shake (60g), Peanut butter, baby carrots (566 calories)
Meal 4 - Little Debbie Nutty Buddy (1 bar), granola bar (255 calories)
Meal 5 - BBQ ribs, sweet corn on the cob (758 calories)
Meal 6 - Popcorn, handful of Lucky Charms (74 calories)

Exercise
Light swimming with kids.

Notes
I am in plateauland! Bouncing around 218-219 it seems. I'm posting this on Monday morning so I already know my weight bounces back up to 219 after this day. It's fine. It'll drop again soon. Struggling a bit with motivation to work out and diet fidelity but we'll get there. I do have moments through where I look in the mirror and think - you've never been a fit guy, you couldn't do it in your 20s or 30s, what makes you think you can do it now with a busy job and busy family life? Then I think nah, that's quitter talk. And the only way you can fail in a competition against your own psyche is to quit. If you don't quit, by definition, you haven't failed yet. Onward and upward!

[Archawkeye]

Day 47: Monday, August 14, 2017
Weight: 219 lbs

Macros: 166/202 protein, 193/173 carbs, 95/90 fats, 24/38 fiber
Calories: 2318/2311
Water: 108 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Coffee, Premier Protein chocolate drink, 3 Tbsp egg whites, 3 Tbsp egg product (212 calories)
Meal 2 - Plain nonfat Greek yogurt with Oats & Honey Granola and Chia seeds (235 calories)
Meal 3 - Chips & guac, string cheese, 2 moz sticks, 2 Panko breaded chicken breasts (899 calories)
Meal 4 - Cup of Cheerios (100 calories)
Meal 5 - Ribeye steak, teriyaki chicken, roasted veggies, brown rice, 1 stick of Crazy Bread, homemade strawberry ice cream with chocolate topping (871 calories)
Meal 6 - None

Exercise
All Pro Beginner, Cycle 2, Week 2, Day 1

Notes
Got through my workout but it's getting rough. And I'm only in week 2. I wonder if I'm losing some muscle mass from the diet. I tried re-running my math and macros and I definitely got different numbers, but not hugely differently. I've lost about 15 pounds, so that does mean less calories. I'm considering lowering my calorie limit and lowering my protein a little. My lean body mass is closer to 160-180 pounds, and I think a 1x multiplier is plenty. I went high at 200+ because I'm diabetic and a high-protein, low-carb diet makes sense. For now I'm sticking with it until I move off this plateau and then we'll see how quickly the weight is coming off. It should be slower now but I'm far from stalling out.

[Archawkeye]

Day 48: Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Weight: 219 lbs (7 day avg 218.86)

Macros: 165/167 protein, 166/195 carbs, 95/87 fats, 19/38 fiber
Calories: 2305/2230 (75 over)
Water: 124 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - 2 slices of Brownberry Dutch Country bread (toasted) with 1 Tbsp Jif creamy peanut butter; 3 Tbsp egg whites and 3 Tbsp egg product topped with Curt's Special Recipe salsa (350 calories)
Meal 2 - Premier Protein chocolate drink, 30g of Tostito's scoops with 1 cup fo Wholly Guacamole (410 calories)
Meal 3 - 5.4 oz grilled teriyaki chicken breast, .5c roasted broc****, .5c cooked rice (503 calories)
Meal 4 - Advocare Meal Replcaement Shake (220 calories)
Meal 5 - Home Chef Roasted Salmon with Ginger-scallion Sauce and grilled beans; Schlafly Helles-style lager, 2 eggs (822 calories)
Meal 6 - None

Exercise
None.

Notes
I finally decided to rework my macros and calories. It's not a huge adjustment, but an adjustment was due. I've basically lost about 15 pounds since I started, and it's about time to make some adjustments, particularly given how much I've learned since I did my first take on the math. Also I've been holding steady in the 218.5-219.5 range for a good week now. It's an unusually stable compared to prior plateaus, where I bounced around a 3-4 pound range. It's possible that I'm approaching an equilibrium, but I really think it's just a water-related plateau and I'll start dropping again in a day or two. In any case, it's been almost 50 days, and I'm ready to rework the plan.

I got a BF% estimate of 23% on the forum a while back, but my calculated average was 27%, so I split the difference at 25%. My weight has been stable at 219 for a week, so I re-ran Katch-McArdle with a 1.25 multiplier (I used 1.3 last time) and I arrived at 2478 TDEE. I took 10% off of that and got to 2230, which is slightly lower than what I had previously. For macros, I ran the protein and fat using kg multipliers based on lean body mass and got to 167 and 82 respectively (I had previously used goal weight instead of LBM). Unfortunately, unless you pay for premium, MyFitnessPal doesn't let you set macros by value, but using percentages I got it close enough, and those are the values I'm using. It's significantly less protein but I wasn't hitting the protein milestone most days anyway, I was typically in the 180-200 range, and I found myself eating extra food when I wasn't really hungry just to hit the goal. Since I'm in fat loss mode, that seemed silly.

So we'll see how this goes and whether it makes any kind of difference.

[Archawkeye]

Day 49: Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Weight: 217.8 lbs (7 day avg 218.54)

Macros: 182/167 protein, 221/195 carbs, 80/87 fats, 35/38 fiber
Calories: 2258/2230 (28 over)
Water: 125 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Premier Protein chocolatlet drink, 1c Cheerios, Tbsp egg whites and 3 Tbsp egg product with chia seeds, topped with Curt's Special Recipe salsa (365 calories)
Meal 2 - Banana muffin topped with Frosted Flakes, Premier Protein chocolate drink (344 calories)
Meal 3 - Salmon with ginger scallion sauce, 6 baby potatoes, 1 slice of Chicago deep dish pizza (692 calories)
Meal 4 - None
Meal 5 - 1 slice of Chicago deep dish pizza, chef salad with Balsamic vinagerette dressing, Advocate meal replacement protein shake eggs (806 calories)
Meal 6 - 1/3 bar of chocolate brownie (51 calories)

Exercise
All Pro Beginner, Cycle 2, Week 2, Day 2

Notes
It's probably coincidence, but I adjusted my nutrition plan yesterday to take account of my new weight, and, viola, I dropped weight. Whatever the cause, there's an important psychological effect to changing weight. Since I usually go over my calories by just a little, adjusting down by even a modest amount - in this case less than 100 calories, has helped reduce my intake a little. Workout was tough again this morning, I'm not sure, but I think lack of sleep. I was able to power through 2x12 squats at the same weights two weeks ago, and now I'm getting dizzy over 2x9s? Could be I'm losing some muscle mass while cutting, but not enough to explain that kind of difference. I've definitely felt not motivated to work out this week. Probably a combination of things, I've generally been tired lately. I wonder if maybe I'm haven't been getting enough carbs. If so, the new macro balance should help a bit.

Now that the kids are back to school, my wife is also doing her own thing, which makes it easier, too. She's on a soda "detox" right now. I've had maybe one or two sodas in the last few months. I don't miss it.

[Archawkeye]

Day 50: Thursday, August 17, 2017
Weight: 216.0 lbs (7 day avg 218.2)

Macros: 190/167 protein, 286/195 carbs, 100/87 fats, 35/38 fiber
Calories: 2953/2230 (723 over)
Water: 116 fl. oz.

Food
Meal 1 - Whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter, egg whites + egg product with chia seeds topped with salsa, protein drink (446 calories)
Meal 2 - Pita chips and hummus, chocolate iced Boston creme donut, string cheese (650 calories)
Meal 3 - Garlic bread, chicken breast, whole wheat spaghetti, 1 brownie (630 calories)
Meal 4 - Protein shake (240 calories)
Meal 5 - 1 slice of thin crust sausage pizza, Belgian wit beer (370 calories)
Meal 6 - Ginger beer, deli meat sandwich with avocado (617 calories)

Exercise
None.

Notes
It's day 50 and I dropped to 216 pounds. Given the anniversary and the success, I sort of took today off and just ate whatever. Partly as a reward to myself - I think cutting loose once every 50 days won't exactly kill my progress. But I also wanted to get a sense of what my diet was like when I wasn't really watching it. Even then, I didn't eat as much today as I normally would. For example, there were 4 slices of pizza. Old me would have eaten them all. I wanted a third beer but I didn't get it. I had a second brownie with my lunch, but I gave it away. There was a whole spread of snacks this morning at the office - cheesecake and pretzels with cheese dip, more donuts, muffins, etc. I had one donut. Normally I'd have made at least 3-4 trips back to the kitchenette to get more. I easily passed up another 1,500 worth of food today that the old me would have eaten. And despite that, even only sorta letting go, my diet blew up to almost 3,000 calories.

It's no wonder I got so damn fat! This was a great experience today on several levels. One, to allow myself to relax a little and just enjoy some delicious snacks and foods I normally avoid. Two, to realize just how bad my diet was before. I feel a little bad still that I went over by so much, but that's just emotion speaking. I know in my logical brain that one day like this every once in a blue moon won't make a difference. But my motivation to stick with the nutrition plan is renewed, both because I reached a milestone in terms of both fat loss and days, and because I don't want to go back to my old ways.

The attachment is my weight loss chart to date - Day 1 through Day 50. Lots of ups and downs but tracking it every day has been really, really helpful.

And now, back to my regularly scheduled program.