DrFeelgood

0-1: Sunday was a nice day of recovery from all the holiday and birthday weekend shenanigans. I drank my one DrP in the "morning" (it was nearly 11am when I finally got out of bed) and then had a very light lunch of just a few tablespoons of leftover chicken tikka masala--and even that was only because it was slightly too much for my Monday lunch dish. For dinner MFG made a delicious soup with the leftover turkey, some mushrooms, and rice. I ate half a bowl and called it good for the day. 556 kcal was still more than my body requested, but I wanted to take in at least a little nutrition. 0-2: Today has been a great day getting back on schedule. I started with one DrP at my office in the morning, then lunch was a hearty serving of chicken tikka masala over rice with lime and cilantro. For dinner MFG made an outstanding beef chuck pot roast in the slow cooker with some peeled carrots and potatoes along with a side of garlic green beans. After eating my fill and logging my numbers I was still about 80 calories short for today, so I added a string cheese to bring the total up to 1807 kcal. Move was excellent! I went back to the gym for the first time in six years and did an inclined (10%) walk on the treadmill for 28 minutes, and that got me done and out in time to go pick up the boys from volleyball practice on the way home. It was a little rushed, but I was very pleased to get it done and to be feeling the results of a good hard workout. I wore my new earbuds and put a sitcom on my phone to drown out the gym racket, but it wasn't strong enough to preclude the call of the iron. I may be getting back under the barbells sooner than I thought--I'm going to try and hold out until next year. I want to lift, but I don't want to have to stand around waiting for the racks. Even after six years the humongous gym still only has two power racks. I'm feeling good, y'all. It's a blessing to back with you and kicking butt again.

Every so often I'm reminded of what a blessing-in-disguise Celiac can be. I only eat pies that I've made.

One more mini-challenge to go before the end of 2023, and I've been steadily dropping excess pounds for the last 12 weeks. My progress has slowed way down in November, so in this challenge I'm going to pick up the pace again. Five pounds in four weeks is easily doable, and that will put me under 220 lbs (100 kg) before my 46th birthday at the end of the year. I haven't crossed the 220-line since September of 2016, and that one was going in the other direction. What I've been doing has been working very well for me. Let's do it some more: DRINK - one Dr Pepper each morning. Any single container (within reason) counts as ‘one’ whether it’s a 12-oz can, a 20-oz bottle, or the 32- or 44-oz bladder busters from a drive-thru or quickie-mart. The point of the goal is to enjoy waking up with my favorite beverage without negatively impacting my fitness via too many empty calories or too much caffeine wrecking my sleep. EAT - programmed number of calories per day, no additional restrictions beyond what my system already demands. Energy is energy, and if my mood insists on “spending” calories on a bowl of ice cream for dinner then that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I will emphasize good nutrition since that helps me be able to stay low, but it won’t be a component of the metrics: All targets are based on an extreme fat burning (XFB) factor of 8 kcal per pound of body weight per day, programmed from my weekly weigh-ins. Sundays are 120% of XFB, and Wednesdays are 110% of XFB. These are more guidelines than actual rules, those zig-zag days may happen elsewhere in the week or not at all if I'm not feeling it. Absolute daily minimum is 90% of XFB: the grid won’t even recognize anything less than that and I’ll have to eat something else (or triple check my counts) to get the number up. Green is below 2384 kcal, calculated to be maintenance level at my goal weight of 190 lbs. Yellow is between 2384 kcal and maintenance level at that week’s weight, calculated from a factor of 11.25 kcal per pound (consistent with my activity levels). Red is above maintenance level at that week’s weight. High days might lead to a quasi-fast day here or there, not in an effort to "make-up" for overages but only as my body decides. MOVE - 3 days per week (MWF) do 20 consecutive minutes of deliberate exercise. With the golf season mostly on pause these will most likely take the form of my treadmill at home. Right now I'm alternating between steady runs (for cardio) and inclined walks (for lower body strength). If I end up with a particularly active day then I'll accept that as a pass for the goal and may choose to omit that day's workout. My usual grid is already programmed and ready to go. I've got all six weeks on there since I intend to keep cruising through this Week Zero and continue tracking the rest of the year even after this challenge ends. 2024 is on its way, and by the time it gets here I'll be closer to 50 than 40. I want to greet the arrival with plenty of momentum!

09-02: 246.9 lbs (start) 10-15: 231.0 lbs (-3.1) 11-25: 224.7 lbs (-0.6) 09-09: 242.2 lbs (-4.7) 10-21: 230.9 lbs (-0.1) 12-02: 09-16: 238.8 lbs (-3.4) 10-28: 228.2 lbs (-2.7) 12-09: 09-23: 237.7 lbs (-1.1) 11-04: 227.1 lbs (-1.1) 12-16: 09-30: 234.1 lbs (-3.6) 11-11: 225.5 lbs (-1.6) 12-23: 10-08: 234.1 lbs (-0.0) 11-18: 225.3 lbs (-0.2) 12-30: The days around Thanksgiving were a roller coaster, but after a bit of fasting yesterday I managed to clock in this morning with another slight decrease and an excellent 12-week total of 22.2 lbs lost! I honestly couldn't be more thrilled to have made it through the first stage of our holiday gauntlet unscathed, and I was still able to enjoy all the good things--most of which I made. I'm going to push hard for the next five bonus weeks to see if I can drop that aggravating 5 lbs before the gauntlet's second stage begins with my son's birthday right before Christmas, then my own birthday, then New Year's Day, then our 20th wedding anniversary all in the span of 10 days. I'd like to hit that stage under 220 and primed for a 2024 dash to Onederland.

W5-Sat: one DrP. Lunch was leftover turkey with stuffing, gravy, and cranberries. We did an early birthday celebration meal for Bubbles, and she requested my chicken tikka masala for dinner--it was outstanding and I ate a little too much of it. In the evening when they were all having cake I added some potato chips and pistachios, but that didn't prevent my sweet tooth from rearing up later while watching movies, and I ended up eating about 40% of a giant bar of Hershey's Special Dark. That completely borked my bedtime, but I solved that by just not getting out of bed this morning. 2732 kcal for the final day of the challenge, substantially higher than I intended but a perfectly fine way to wrap up a nice long holiday weekend. Week 5 Check-in: scale number was middling today, so I'm going to roll with Thursday's provisional and call it good for the week. 225.1 lbs, down another couple of tenths from last week. November has seriously slowed my groove, but I'm still inching ahead despite missing over a third of my goals. It was nice to be actually productive instead of "exercising" for a change of pace. I really enjoyed the time I spent with my family and the effort at making good food for everyone to enjoy. 23.02 Challenge Wrap-up: that's two in a row, and while I wouldn't say this one was entirely back on form I'm completely proud of myself for sticking with it to the end. I've maintained my gains from earlier in the year and even managed to add a few more. My grid is still helpful as ever in showing me what I'm doing well and what I'm need to improve. DRINK - one Dr Pepper each morning: 37/42 on target, most of the misses were small apart from one extravagant and extra-tired day. I carded a bonus "0" day without ill effect. I can easily tighten this up for the remainder of the year. B+ EAT - 11 red days, 2 yellow, and 19 green. I was doing great until the clocks changed, which must've signaled my body to begin winter preps or something. Most of those big days were demanded by my metabolism--in some cases driven by extra-vigorous workouts. I don't regret the large numbers or the resultant slow progress; I only regret the relatively few times that I felt I was being mindless about snacking and the one or two food tantrums that followed a poor scale result. I know those pitfalls pretty well, and I think I can be on the lookout for them moving forward. C- MOVE - 13/18 planned Move days accomplished. The return to Monday volleyball has been a particularly difficult obstacle, and the earlier sunset following time change makes it tougher to get things done in the narrow window after work but before dinner. Wednesdays the family wants to eat as soon as I walk in the door, which doesn't help me out at all. I bought some wireless earbuds late in the challenge, and that definitely improves the treadmill experience, so I'll use that as my primary mode for the remainder of the year. I did have success a couple of times at getting my workout done later in the evening, which is something that I've historically been unable/unwilling to try--still not my favorite, but at least I know it's an option. C Total weight lost in this challenge was just shy of 6 lbs, averaging about a pound per week. My waistline has come down a good amount, and while I'm not in any way "lean" or "slim" I certainly don't feel anywhere near as fat as I was three months ago. If I had to chill here then I could happily do that, but I'm also still plenty motivated to keep drawing it down--even if the pace is less than half of what I know I'm capable of when I'm peaking. Best lesson from this challenge is that I don't have to be perfect to make progress, and if I can take that to heart then the rest of this year will be a nice and easy prelude to what's shaping up to be a solid 2024. And that prelude starts today. In the coming mini-challenge I'm going to tackle the singular goal of dropping 5 more pounds, although it doesn't have to end that way since I'm entirely likely to creep back up when we go birthday-Christmas-birthday in six days. I just want to get under 220 again at any point before I turn 46. New grid is already booted up and ready to go.

Oh the cornbread stuffing is marvelous, and since I hadn't made it before I ended up making way too much. Now I have leftovers to go along with turkey lunches for a few days, and it's totally worth it! I used the GF cornbread recipe here: https://thedeliciousspoon.com/gluten-free-cornbread/ ...but I used regular whole milk instead of almond milk and I replaced the shortening with solid lard (as opposed to fresh-rendered). I also referenced her stuffing recipe (https://thedeliciousspoon.com/cornbread-stuffing/) but I added a pound of breakfast sausage, used red instead of white wine (since that's what was already open in the fridge), and substituted her vegetable stock with my own homemade turkey stock. I'm sure that stuffing recipe would work with any cornbread as long as it was cubed and thoroughly dried. I didn't go with a battle plan spreadsheet this year; instead I put everything on a list then arranged the cooking in my head to have it all ready right at dinner time. Worked great! This is going to be my stock menu going forward. Hopefully my other GF folks will get a chance to join us in the future. ______________________ W5-Fri: two DrPs in the morning just because it felt like a nice treat. Lunch was the last portion of potato casserole. In the afternoon I took a break from cleaning my garage/shop for a light snack of lunch meat and cheese. Dinner was Thanksgiving leftovers--still awesome! Later in the evening I snacked on a small bowl of potato chips while we were playing board games, then I toasted the last two GF frozen waffles and ate those for dessert with butter and maple syrup. 2582 kcal for a fine yellow day. Move was satisfied with several hours of manual labor cleaning out and reorganizing the garage/shop. It feels much better out there, and now I have plenty of space to get on with the next set of projects. Plus I worked some of my butt off in the process. I've been taking provisional weights over the last few days. Thursday was 225.1, then Friday said 226.8 after all the shenanigans. This morning read 225.3 which is right back down to last week's number. If tomorrow is lower then I'll take that one (would love to break 225), but if not them I'm plenty satisfied with Thursday's pre-shenanigans weight. It's been a good challenge, and I'm ready to wrap this one up following one more day of determination.

W5-Thu: one DrP. Lunch was a small portion of the leftover potato, ham, and cheese casserole just to keep me fueled up for the afternoon. Dinner was my Thanksgiving Day feast, and I absolutely nailed it! Turkey: spatchcocked and dry-brined for 3 days, herb butter placed under all of the skin, oiled on the outside, and oven-roasted at 425º until 151º internal (breast). The white and dark meats were both outstanding, but the star feature was the crispy skin. Stuffing: cornbread and sausage with onion, celery, garlic, and herbs. I made it with my homemade turkey stock (giblets and backbone) and a couple of eggs, baked until set and then broiled until the top was toasted. So good! Mashed potatoes: pretty standard, but I used my ricer to attain a fluffier texture. Gravy: skimmed the fat off the turkey stock and made a roux with some GF flour, then I stirred in 3 cups of the turkey stock, salt, black pepper, and splash of sherry vinegar to brighten it up. After tasting it needed some sweetness so I also added some maple syrup and then hit it with a few drops of hot sauce to round it out. It was awesome on top of the turkey and the potatoes and the stuffing. Glazed carrots: Alton Brown's recipe, always a hit. These have been a staple of our celebratory table for years and I have them down pat. Green bean casserole: another Alton Brown recipe, but this one I've tweaked a bit for my own tastes and to make them gluten-free. Most excellent! Jellied cranberries: the Ocean Spray can is mandatory, has been since I was a kid. I'm not even ashamed of it, they're great. I also pulled it all together with exquisite timing in just 4 hours of cooking today, then we sat down to a delicious family dinner right on schedule. And when all was said and done the leftovers were put away and the kitchen cleaned in less than an hour after dinner. MFG made some pies for herself and the kids, and I finished off most of a "pint" of Häagen-Dazs butter pecan while watching a movie this evening. 2704 kcal on the grid, and that red square is perfectly fine with me.

W5-Wed: one DrP. Breakfast was a single GF freezer waffle that I toasted under the broiler and ate with butter and syrup. Lunch was the last leftover roasted chicken thigh. I didn't snack all day except for the small taste-tests I needed to accomplish some of my prep cooking. Dinner was my GF deep-dish Italian-sausage pizza (delish!), and there were a couple of extra-thin slices of provolone left over after I finished building it so I ate those as well. Pretty good day at 1853 kcal. I was supposed to Move today but since I've been on my feet and cooking for nearly 8 straight hours I'm more than happy to count that as meeting my exercise goal. MFP says 8 hours of cooking burns 1600 kcal. I'll claim about a quarter of that. First soldier to fall in line for Thanksgiving day was my GF cornbread that I made last night. I cubed it up and left it out to dry overnight, but it needed some extra help this morning so I popped it in a low oven for an hour. That stuffing is going to be so good! Second one was the GF fried onion strings that are a component of tomorrow's green-bean casserole. Third is the turkey stock that's been simmering all day and is nearly done now. Then I can relax for the rest of tonight and get back to doing it all over again for tomorrow's main event!

Especially if you do so right after the warranty expires.

Thanks. Those short ribs are worth it, especially if you can find some good ones. I made the ones from this year's half-beef, and they weren't the greatest quality--too much concentrated fat and not very well cut by the processor, and they were still outstanding! __________________________ W5-Mon: one DrP. Lunch was a chicken tikka masala over jasmine rice out of my freezer. When I got home I had a string cheese and some more pistachios before dinner, which was MFG's roasted Green chicken thighs with potatoes and green beans. After dinner I got a little snackish again and ate some tortilla chips with melted cheese, and that completed the day at 2,118 kcal. Move was a bust, unless you count meandering around the megamart before picking up the boys at volleyball. At least I found a sweat band for when I'm on the treadmill (hair is getting long enough to get in my face now) and a couple of birthday cards for MFG and Bubbles. I was going to walk on the treadmill later in the evening, but I got tied up paying bills and adding Boomer to the car insurance, and I couldn't get away from my desk until well after 9pm. By then I was toast, and all I had left was a shower and bedtime. W5-Tue: one DrP. Lunch was leftover Greek chicken with potatoes and green beans. MFG had some chips and salsa out when I got home from work, so I snacked on a little bit of that until dinner, which was her ham-and-cheese potato casserole (yum!). I've been (internally) yelling at myself throughout the evening to stay out of the pantry and especially the pistachios. I need to reboot and halt the after-dinner snacking routine that crept back in over the last few weeks; I'm almost certain that's what has been slowing down my progress. Off work until next Monday! Lots of good things happening this week, and I'm excited for all of it. Now I'm off to start prepping foodstuffs for our Thanksgiving meal and tomorrow night's GF deep dish pizza that I've been craving for months.

Yeah, I've been aware of those since before the internet. Their mom and I sure are proud of them! It's good to recognize their efforts, and it's especially gratifying to see such dividends for all the years of hard work we've invested in them. ______________________________ W4-Sat: one DrP. Lunch was leftover enchilada casserole with a side of beans. Throughout the afternoon I snacked on pistachios and cheese, then I fell head first into my holiday stash of Reese's cups and devestated an entire 8-pack. For dinner I made those braised short ribs with mashers and peas, and it was all excellent but kinda small to split 6 ways. Later in the evening I had a bowl of cereal and a single serving of ice cream topped with a couple more Reese's cups. Day went way out of spec at 3056 kcal. Week 4 Check-in: the Saturday morning weigh in was disappointing, which undoubtedly contributed to my lack of care for the rest of the day. Scale said 225.3 lbs which isn't even a rounding error away from the previous week. I had hoped for a better number (didn't even bother with a Sunday check) since my belt was feeling so nice. Oh well, I still did all my workouts, tracked my calories, and stuck to my DrP goal, so "Task Failed Successfully" I guess. W5-Sun: one massive DrP in the morning during rehearsal before church services (I was running the sound desk), then I had another small one with lunch. After services the whole worship team (and all of the families) stayed for our Thanksgiving fellowship with ham, turkey, many potatoes, and some other sides and desserts. I stuck to the safe things and kept it pretty light. When we got home I ate the rest of my Reese's stash (that will not be replenished this season) and had a few more pistachios while watching shows. I didn't really need much for dinner--just a small plate of deli turkey slices and provolone, then I finished off the ice cream (less than half a pint) while watching a movie with the kids. 2768 kcal in the log, but that felt like an over-count since I was broadly estimating most of the day. Onward with Week 5 and all the goodness it's set to provide I'd like to see 224 at the end of this one, but I'll take whatever the week is willing to give.

09-02: 246.9 lbs (start) 10-21: 230.9 lbs (-0.1) 09-09: 242.2 lbs (-4.7) 10-28: 228.2 lbs (-2.7) 09-16: 238.8 lbs (-3.4) 11-04: 227.1 lbs (-1.1) 09-23: 237.7 lbs (-1.1) 11-11: 225.5 lbs (-1.6) 09-30: 234.1 lbs (-3.6) 11-18: 225.3 lbs (-0.2) 10-08: 234.1 lbs (-0.0) 11-25: 10-15: 231.0 lbs (-3.1) Another slow-down last week, although I didn't particularly expect this one. My eating was pretty solid and I did substantially more than my scheduled workouts, plus my waistline still feels like it's trimming down nicely. Oh well, I've been surprised in the good direction before so I gotta take the offsets as well. We'll see what happens this week with a small break from work and plenty of cooking (and eating!) on the agenda. I'm going to work hard to stay on track and try to drop another pound by the final weigh-in.

W4-Fri: one DrP. Lunch was leftover stir-fry with GF noodles. I snacked on pistachios when I got home, then MFG made enchilada casserole with refried beans and Spanish rice for dinner. Bubbles has a friend at college who was very excited to have found a pack of gummy bears that were gluten-free for me, so she brought those home and I ate them for my dessert today. It's nice to have friends I've never met. That closed out the day at a very-respectable 1865 kcal. I just finished my Move goal: a walk-run-walk on the treadmill for 20 minutes. The run portion was 10 minutes starting at 6 mph and increasing to 8 mph. I haven't moved that fast under my own power in quite a while, and it felt good. On the way home from work today I ducked in to Target and got a cheap pair of wireless earbuds so I can run on the treadmill without getting tangled up in my phone while watching a show. The audio quality is not great, but they work perfectly for what I wanted--they distract me from the countdown timer on the treadmill, they have over-ear hooks so they don't fall out of my head when I'm being all vigorous and junk, and they were on sale for $20. All wins. Bubbles has been regaling us all evening with tales from campus. Apparently all of her friends think I'm the coolest dad ever. I finally get to be cool in college, it's just a couple of decades late! I'll take it. Preview of tomorrow's dinner:

That's how I used to roll in Iowa--turkey in a food-safe bucket of brine parked by the garage door overnight. I've only been able to do that once since moving to Oklahoma, and I didn't enjoy that winter at all. That was 2016's battle plan--long before gluten freedom--so this year's looks a little different. The baked-squash casserole is made with breadcrumbs, so it's no longer on the menu. I'm making a GF cornbread-sausage stuffing this year in place of the squash and the wild rice au gratin. But if you want to make one it's very similar to this: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/206515/southern-baked-yellow-squash/ My main variation is that I oven-roast the squash chunks instead of boiling them. It makes for a better texture in the finished dish. I remember telling you about it. In fact I think I posted that same picture in my NF challenge at the time.

With a spreadsheet, natch. I outsource the baked goods.

W4-Thu: one DrP. Lunch was leftover tacos. I snacked on some pistachios when I got home from work, then MFG made a stir-fry (ground chicken and veggies) with some GF rice-ramen noodles. After band practice I added a small bowl of cereal and closed out the day at 2214 kcal. Perfectly fine day. Feels like my new belt is pretty close to claiming its final notch already--not that big a surprise since it started in the middle. I should have bought an even-smaller one before they were all sold out. Bubbles is coming home today! She'll spend the next week with us, and her boyfriend is planning to visit after Thanksgiving, too--he's a good kid and I'm looking forward to spending some time with him. She'll have to go back to school before her birthday (19, wow!), so we'll do an early celebration. Boomer just passed his driver's test, and he got his PSAT scores back--top 0.5% in the nation and should be eligible for National Merit Scholar with a high-likelihood of getting a full ride at his first-choice university! Brick scored 32 on his ACT (his reading score was almost perfect) and is looking toward ROTC en route to becoming a fighter pilot! Butch is still kicking butt in his freshman year and enjoying learning to golf with me--he's also enjoying learning harmonica, which is slightly less enjoyable for me but at least he's getting pretty good fairly quickly. MFG is going to be 45 next week, I have to find a way to make a big fuss without making a big fuss. Life is good, friends. I'm trying to savor it all. The coming week kicks off our holidays-birthdays-anniversary gauntlet, so I'm going to be working hard to stay on course (and just keep slimming) while still enjoying every special day along the way as much as possible.

W4-Wed: one DrP. Lunch was leftover butter chicken with rice. Dinner was tacos. I snacked on more pistachios and cheese in the evening and closed out the day at 2065 kcal. Those pistachios are too easy, I need to put them somewhere much less convenient. Move was fine. I went to the course after work and spent half an hour working on my short game (chip & putt), then I walked the fairways adjacent to the driving range and hit all of the loose range balls back over the fence.

W4-Tue: one DrP, then just water. Lunch was the last of the pot roast with carrots and potatoes. For dinner MFG made butter chicken over basmati rice, which was excellent. I bought a Reese's on the way home for a treat, but after I snacked on some pistachios I was at my calorie target and decided to save it until the next day. Alas as the evening wore on I snacked on even more pistachios, then I added some cheese, then I gave up and ate the Reese's; and even then I was still hungry so I had a bowl of cereal. That ran the day up into the red (2628 kcal) a bit but only by as much as MFP said I burned the day before. That's small solace, but it works.

W4-Mon: one DrP then just water all day. Lunch was leftover pot roast with carrots and potatoes. Someone brought a bag of Halloween candy to the office breakroom, so I indulged in a few of the gluten-free treats throughout the afternoon. Dinner was MFG's zuppa toscana and I added a string cheese to close out the day right on target at 1802 kcal. Move was excellent! My plan was to hit the golf course after work and walk a few holes, but command authorized an early dismissal and the extra hour meant I could play the entire front nine before needing to go pick up the boys at volleyball. I finished in just over 100 minutes and shot a 51 (not great, but getting better) with pars on the 1st and 9th, and my scoring app said I walked over 3 miles in the process. MFP said I burned 800 kcal. That's basically my entire week's worth of exercise already done. I'll try to not let that subvert my goals for Wed and Fri.

W4-Sun: one DrP in the morning, then I made my weekly smoothie before church. Lunch afterward was the last 7 oz. of leftover pot roast and the leftover grape juice from the smoothie. In the afternoon we went out and did some shopping, so I treated myself to Hershey bar with almonds. For dinner MFG made a pot of red beans and rice with sausage. Later in the evening I added a GF cheese sandwich and closed out the day at 2525 kcal, higher than the planned 'zig' mostly because I was feeling the lack of yellow squares on the grid. All is well and proceeding smoothly, let's have a great week!

Nicely done! I fixed the spreadsheet for you--it was just a missing formula.

W3-Sat: one DrP, then just water. Lunch was leftover goulash. I had some small afternoon snacks of cheese and cashews. Dinner was MFG's slow-cooker pot roast with carrots and potatoes. Easy 1803 kcal to be right on target for the day. Week 3 Check-in: scale weights were 226.6 and 225.5 over the last two mornings, so I'm taking Sunday's weight for my official number. I couldn't be more pleasantly surprised after the way my eating went this week--I would've been satisfied with just a slight gain, but instead I actually lost 1.6 pounds. That's 5.5 so far in this challenge, 21.4 in the last 10 weeks since respawning, and nearly 30 from my biggest of the year back in March. Belt is still coming in nicely, and I've noticed that it's much easier to see the scale numbers now that my paunch isn't obstructing the view. Even though I've slowed down a bit I'm still moving in the right direction, and I'll happily take this week's results. I didn't do any workouts this week, but I played a fair bit of golf and was otherwise active at work (redoing my office) and with my other projects at home. Comparing recent outings to my first 18-hole round of the year in August I can definitely say that my endurance is significantly improved (not to mention my swing and my short game), and I'm not having anywhere near as much joint pain as I was when I came back to the forum. I do need to get back on top of my core and glutes strengthening. This coming week's forecast is really nice, so I'll probably try to fit in as much golf as I can after work for my Move goals.

09-02: 246.9 lbs (start) 10-21: 230.9 lbs (-0.1) 09-09: 242.2 lbs (-4.7) 10-28: 228.2 lbs (-2.7) 09-16: 238.8 lbs (-3.4) 11-04: 227.1 lbs (-1.1) 09-23: 237.7 lbs (-1.1) 11-11: 225.5 lbs (-1.6) 09-30: 234.1 lbs (-3.6) 11-18: 10-08: 234.1 lbs (-0.0) 11-25: 10-15: 231.0 lbs (-3.1) Smashed the 20-lb mark (21.4 total) with two weeks to go! Not looking likely that I'll hit 27, but I might could get to 25 which would still be an outstanding result; and I'll almost-certainly break the 220-lb barrier in early December as long as I don't go overboard with Thanksgiving and birthday shenanigans. My holidays plan is to just keep doing what I'm doing. 👍