The Weight Thing: Boxing!

Tuesday turned into a giant stressball of a day - so much so that it carried over into the evening. However, I did take time to go home, have dinner, AND get in a little therapeutic exercise with the Wii.

Specifically, I went nine rounds in the ring against some tough virtual opponents. It felt great. The energy rush also gave me the oomph I needed to get my deadline work done.

Now I just need to keep doing that.

The Weight Thing: Day Whatever

The problem with the daily roundup of my food and soda consumption is that it doesn't do a damned bit of a good, save for the fact that it allows me to pat myself on the back on those days when I don't overdo it on sugar and caffeine.

Markedly absent: Exercise. I haven't been exercising. I let the heel problem stop me from walking. Then I got new shoes, but weather - rain or cold - gave me excuses not to do it. And when the weather wasn't a problem, well, I always had something else to do. So, why not go down to the apartment complex gym to work out? AHA! They reprogrammed the security system, so I have to get my card properly encoded before I can go back in. I never seem to find the time to drop by the office to get that simple problem dealt with (but I manage to pick up the mail just fine).

Part of the problem is that just changing my diet helped a lot. I feel better generally and have more energy. But I need to keep improving.

I've got the Wii hooked up to the TV. I have NO excuse for not spending an hour or so each day running the boxing or tennis sims, at the very least. So - I'll try to be more proactive about that.

Diet is taking care of itself, actually. We don't keep many snacks in the house - what I do have are things like apples and yogurt, which are mostly harmless. I drink Cokes at work (less than I used to), but when I get home I usually switch to water or ginger ale. I need to be better about breakfast, though.

The Weight Thing: Day 93

Enjoying a day off from work, I actually got to have a leisurely pre-inauguration breakfast with Karen on Tuesday. She made eggs (mixed with mushrooms and cheese) and toast. We drank tea (caffeine).

For a snack, I had an apple.

For lunch, I had a tuna melt sandwich, tomato soup, and ginger ale.

For dinner, we had a Cuban pork lentil soup and salad. I drank ginger ale. Karen made an apple dessert - I had a couple of helpings, because it was freakin' delicious.

The Weight Thing: Day 92

I think the week got off to a pretty good start on Monday.

First, I had breakfast. It was a sausage, egg, cheese, and bacon sandwich from Wendy's with a sweet iced tea (caffeine/sugar).

I had a Coke (caffeine/sugar) while tinkering prior to the sprint retrospective.

Went to Abbey Road for a brainstorming lunch. I had the George, which is a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a Coke (caffeine/sugar).

I went home early to enjoy a couple of days off for the inauguration.

For dinner, Karen and I went to Los Tres Magueyes. I had enchiladas rancheras, rice, tortilla chips, salsa, and a Coke (caffeine/sugar).

For dessert, we had cake and hot tea.

The Weight Thing: Days 90-91

On Saturday morning, Karen made omelettes and tea (caffeine) for breakfast. Yay!

For lunch, I had leftover ziti al forno from Biaggi's. It was delicious. I drank water with the meal.

For dinner, Karen made tuna melts with cheese (love these a lot), tomato soup (great on a cold winter night), some buffalo wings from Whole Foods (pretty good!) and ginger ale.

On Sunday, we went to Gypsy's Shiny Diner for brunch. I had corn beef hash, hash browns, scrambled eggs, wheat toast, and hot tea (caffeine/sugar).

For dinner, Karen made Cuban pork chops (delicious!), a zucchini/vegetable mix that has a name I can't remember offhand, yellow rice, homemade Cuban bread, and ginger ale. We had cake for dessert.

Pretty good weekend, overall. My caffeine and sugar intake were fairly low and I didn't suffer overmuch for it.

The Weight Thing: Day 89

I didn't have breakfast on Friday. (I woke up rather late, didn't get to work until a little after 9 a.m. This totally messes with my routine of getting on a roll with the stuff I've got to do before the majority of other people start staggering into the office.)

For lunch, I went to a different Wendy's to have another shot at those buffalo chicken bites and chili, with a sweet iced tea (caffeine/sugar). This time, the bites were much better (not as overcooked as the batch I had a couple of days earlier) and the chili was quite good.

I had three Cokes (sugar/caffeine) during the day at work. Feels like I'm falling back into some bad habits in that regard. I need to start taking Coke Zero to work.

Munched on trail mix throughout the day to get little bursts of energy as I continued database work.

For dinner, Karen and I first went to the Tangerine Cafe so I could show off the coconut soup and delicious Thai food that I'd had previously with Dan and Marie. The restaurant was full except for three tables - two that appeared to be reserved and one right next to the door, which let in gusts of frigid air every time it opened (often, it seemed). Karen's just getting over a cold. We asked for a different table. The man who wanted to seat us asked the manager if we could have one of the reserved tables away from the door. The manager refused. So, we left.

Instead, we went to Biaggi's. I had the ziti al forno, a Caesar salad, bread, stuffed mushrooms, and ginger ale. For dessert, we split a piece of lemon tower cake, which was fantastic.

The Weight Thing, Day 88

On Thursday morning, I had a breakfast sandwich and sweet iced tea (sugar/caffeine) from Wendy's.

For lunch, I went solo with a legal pad to Neo-China for General Tso's chicken, white rice, egg roll, wonton soup, and unsweetened hot tea (caffeine).

For dinner, Karen made enchiladas, yellow rice, and salad. I drank ginger ale with it. For dessert, we had a few chocolate puffs.

Now that Thursday's roster of what I ate is complete, it's time to face a harsh reality: I'm not getting any fatter, and I do feel more energetic and healthy, but I'm really not losing much weight because I quit exercising after getting a sore foot from walking. I have to get back to exercising again if I want to make progress beyond just simple health maintenance.

The Weight Thing: Day 87

I was up early, but I didn't do much in the way of breakfast.

For lunch, I went to Wendy's. I had their new buffalo chicken bites and a bowl of chili with a sweet iced tea (caffeine/sugar). The chicken wasn't much to talk about, but I always enjoy the chili - especially on a cold day.

While at work, I had a couple of Cokes (caffeine/sugar).

For dinner, we went to Carmen's. Now that Karen makes my favorite ropa vieja, I didn't bother ordering it. Instead, I tried something new: Camarones criollo - grilled shrimp in a creole sauce, with yellow rice and plantains. I drank Jupina (sugar) with the meal. It was tasty.

No dessert!

The Weight Thing: Day 86

For breakfast, I had a chicken biscuit and sweet iced tea (sugar/caffeine) from Chick-Fil-A.

I had a Coke (caffeine/sugar) around sprint time.

For lunch, I had a Filet-o-Fish and a Dr Pepper (sugar/caffeine).

When dinner rolled around, though, Karen came to the rescue with a salad, minestrone soup, and garlic knots. I drank ginger ale with dinner. We had chocolate puffs for dessert.

The Weight Thing: Day 85

I was up early to take Stefan to his Dad's house before school, so I picked up some hot chocolate and a blueberry muffin for breakfast.

At work, I had a Coke (caffeine/sugar).

For lunch, I went back to Smokey's BBQ Shack with Dan and Marie. I had the shredded pork and Brunswick stew, with sweet iced tea (caffeine/sugar).

I had another Coke (caffeine/sugar) at work.

For dinner, we went to Los Tres Magueyes. I had enchiladas rancheras and a Dr Pepper (caffeine/sugar).

The Weight Thing: Days 82-84

Another weekend wrap-up!

On Friday, I didn't have breakfast.

I had a Coke (caffeine/sugar) at the office.

For lunch, I went home and had a microwaved personal pizza with a Diet Mountain Dew (caffeine).

For dinner, Karen and I went to Gypsy's Shiny Diner, where I had a pancake breakfast with scrambled eggs, home fries, and toast. I also had a Coke (caffeine/sugar).

On Saturday, I worked a bit. I munched on snacks at the office (junk food) and had a Coke (caffeine/sugar).

For dinner, Karen and I went to Steak 'N Shake. I had a Frisco melt with chili cheese fries and a Coke (caffeine/sugar). Followed that up with a chocolate/banana side-by-side shake for dessert.

On Sunday, brunch at Cracker Barrel. I had a scrambled egg/ham/cheese/peppers skillet with a biscuit and a Coke (caffeine/sugar).

For dinner, I got takeout from Lubrano's. I had a salad, lasagna, and bread, with a Diet Mountain Dew (caffeine).

The Weight Thing: Day 81

Breakfast on Thursday: A hot chocolate from Starbuck's.

Lunch: I joined Dan and Marie for an Indian buffet restaurant called Kandas. I'm outside my comfort zone when I try that kind of cuisine, but the curried chicken was fantastic. I drank Coke (sugar/caffeine).

Throughout the day, I had a few more Cokes. This was not a good caffeine/sugar moderation day for me.

I sat down to have a dinner of chicken wings before the Stratics HoC chat for Fallen Earth, but then Dan and Marie invited me to dinner at Wasabi. Well, how could I refuse THAT? So, I had Thai spicy beef, rice, miso soup, and water to drink. Tempura cheesecake for dessert.

The Weight Thing: Day 80

I decided to have some breakfast on Wednesday morning. Stopped at Wendy's, picked up a breakfast sandwich and sweet iced tea (caffeine/sugar).

For lunch, I went to Woody's and had a buffalo chicken tender sandwich with fries. Honestly, I didn't eat many of the fries. I enjoyed the tenders, though.

During the workday, I had two Cokes (caffeine/sugar).

For dinner, I ordered Papa John's. Double pepperoni pizza with robusto sauce. I also ordered wings, but I put those in the fridge, saving them for Thursday. I drank ginger ale with dinner.

For dessert, I had black cherry yogurt.

The Weight Thing: Day 79

On Tuesday, I didn't have breakfast. I actually woke up later than I had intended. So, technically, breakfast was the Dr Pepper (caffeine/sugar) that I had at my desk before the sprint meeting.

For lunch, though, I went to Smokey's BBQ Shack with Dan and Marie. I had a combo platter of shredded pork and beef brisket, with green beans and mixed greens, and a sweet iced tea (caffeine/sugar).

Later, I had another Coke (caffeine/sugar).

For dinner, I had a microwaved personal pizza by DiGiorno's, but drank ginger ale with it. I like to think that it's to my credit that I didn't have any caffeine and not much sugar after work.

For dessert, I had some black cherry yogurt.

The Weight Thing: Day 78

Karen left town on Monday for a business trip.

So, naturally, without adult supervision things start reverting to savagery.

For lunch, I had one of our leftover chicken burgers from Backyard Burgers with a Diet Mountain Dew (caffeine).

I munched on some Doritos as a snack.

For dinner, I had a couple of smoked sausages with mustard. Cake for dessert! To drink, I had ginger ale. For dessert, cake.

Throughout the day, back at work, I had two Cokes and one Dr Pepper (caffeine/sugar).

The Weight Thing: Day 75-77

I'm combining the Friday-Sunday weekend because it was mostly a blur due to all the work I was doing on OtherSpace.

On Friday, I had a snack of ropa vieja. For dinner, before going to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, we had pork chops, apples, and pasta with broccoli. I had ginger ale and Diet Mountain Dew (caffeine) throughout the day. For dessert, tres leche cake!

On Saturday, I had a snack of pasta with broccoli. For dinner, we went to El Dorado in Brier Creek. I had carnitas, rice, chips and salsa, and a Coke (caffeine/sugar). It wasn't much to write home about. For dessert, tres leche cake!

On Sunday, Karen went shopping and came back with Backyard Burgers - my first experience with them. I had a spicy burger and a Diet Mountain Dew (caffeine). For dinner, we went to Mimi's, where I had salisbury steak, some mashed potatoes, a couple of pieces of bread, iced water, and a Coke (caffeine/sugar). For dessert, tres leche cake! (It's almost gone! NOOOO!)

The Weight Thing: Day 74

So, Thursday:

I woke up late, but Karen made omelettes for brunch. The omelettes had cheese, apples, and bacon in them. An unusual flavor, but very tasty. I drank orange juice.

I had a snack of ropa vieja while watching some football.

And, at dinner, we had leftovers: Ropa vieja, rigatoni, and garlic knots. I drank a black cherry soda with dinner. We had tres leche cake for dessert. As Karen predicted: It was even better!

The Weight Thing: Day 73

No breakfast, but the day started off with great promise, as Karen announced she was going to experiment with a ropa vieja recipe that night.

For lunch, inspired by Marie's blog, we went to Cool Runnings in Cary. I ordered the ribs, which were on special. They were as awesome as Marie said they'd be. I also had plantains and a pineapple soda (sugar).

For dinner, Karen made ropa vieja, black beans, and rice. I drank root beer (caffeine/sugar). Let me take a moment to say that I've been eating ropa vieja for about 20 years now, since I first tried it in Tampa. The best ropa vieja that I'd ever had was at La Teresita. Until now. If I hadn't wanted to leave room for dessert, I would have made a big pig out of myself and gotten thirds.

Dessert, you see, was Karen's tres leche cake effort. And it was *better*, in my estimation, than what we got at Carmen's. The cake at Carmen's was blissfully good. Karen's was above and beyond that. Her review of the cake: "It'll be better tomorrow."

Happy New Year!

The Weight Thing: Day 72

On Tuesday, I didn't feel all that well. So, no breakfast.

We had a late lunch at Stonewood Grill. We started with their chicken wings, which were pretty good. I had a tempura-battered crab cake burger, which really was much better as just a crab cake. I had fries with it. I drank unsweetened iced tea (caffeine).

For dinner, Karen made baked rigatoni with ham and zucchini. I drank a root beer (caffeine/sugar) with the meal. For dessert, I had an apple tart with ice cream. Excellent stuff!

The Weight Thing: Day 71

We had breakfast on Monday. A soft-boiled egg, soy sausage, cinnamon roll, orange juice, and some tea sweetened with sugar.

I had a large glass of Cheerwine (sugar/caffeine) while working on web stuff later.

For lunch, we cobbled together a meal out of leftovers - small burritos, pineapple au gratin, and rice. I drank root beer (sugar/caffeine) with lunch.

For dinner, Karen made ham sandwiches and tomato soup. I drank ginger ale with dinner. Homemade dessert: Apple and cheddar tarts. Yum!