DrFeelgood

I have a deterrent that's way more effective, but I can't really recommend it.

W4D4: one DrP in the morning, another Diet DrP in the afternoon. I started the day with a breakfast smoothie which wasn't really all that smooth since MFG replaced our blender and I still can't figure out the new one. Lunch was the last leftover pork chop with sweet potatoes and buttered green beans. When I got tired again in the afternoon I ran out for the extra soda and added a bag of Cheetos. Dinner at home was MFG's chicken-veggie stir fry over rice, and later in the evening I ate a banana. With the smoothie and the Cheetos my day ranged pretty high at 2389 kcal, yellow on the grid. After dinner I was doing the dishes when my stomach clamped down hard. That made for a pretty rough early evening, but eventually the pressure subsided and everything down there has just been super tense since. I'm coping, but I don't like it--pain sucks. As of now my main suspect is the Diet Dr Pepper I added over the last two days--it's the only 'new' thing I've ingested this week. I can't seem to remember if I've ever ruled it out before on the same grounds. You'd think I'd have kept better notes over the years. Anyway, no Move goal (unless you want me to count writhing and stretching in agony) because I was dying, but now that I'm dead I can get on with the program. Weight checks this week have all been steady in the right direction; I'm pleased with how we're rolling and very-much looking forward to next week's warm and clear weather forecast so I can get back out on the golf course.

W4D3: one DrP in the morning, then a large Diet (mostly) DrP in the afternoon. Lunch was leftover red beans with rice and sausage. I was flagging pretty hard in the afternoon so I went to grab the second soda and added a Reese's. For dinner MFG made ham, potato, and corn chowder garnished with cheddar cheese, and after a bowl of that I added a bit of leftover pork chop to hit my calorie target with extra protein. 1851 kcal. I've amended my calorie targets to 1850 per day for the rest of this challenge. The weekly decreases weren't particularly meaningful even though they do roughly reflect the change in my BMR as my weight decreases. I initially programmed them in because it felt numbers-y, but I'd rather just settle on a sustainable target and let the rate do it's own thing. 1850 feels really good most days, so that's where I'll live until I have a significant reason to change it. Bubbles came home for a quick visit between terms, and it was lovely to see her and give her a big hug. My new toilet seat also arrived yesterday, and the swap went smoothly so that's another item checked off my home-improvement list. The guitar tuners that arrived the day before weren't a good fit, so those went into my parts bin and instead of replacement I just repaired/rebuilt the old ones last night while watching movies with the youngsters. The guitar project took up the rest of the evening and the result is awful dang good if I don't say so myself.

I hope they're able to find a good treatment for your back soon and that the rest of life's present difficulties get resolved swiftly to your satisfaction.

It's always nice to check items off the list, especially when it makes the house a better place for MFG. _____________________________ W4D2: one DrP. Lunch was leftover fried chicken breast with broccoli rice au gratin. For dinner MFG made red beans and rice with sausage. 1809 kcal. Move was good; I did 25 minutes walking the inclined treadmill. For now that still feels like enough, and I'm not bored with it since I can just put on a TV show and go. The incline works my backside a lot more than a regular walk without tearing up my knees, and it's about as time-efficient as it gets. I did a bunch of guitar practice in the evening only to have the set-list yanked out from under me and changed: oh well, at least I'll have those songs ready for another time. After that I found a replacement for our large stainless braiser that's been the go-to pan for family dinners--the old one has warped over time and doesn't make good contact with the new stove top. MFG and I were initially looking at the Made In version, but on a whim I checked with All Clad and they had one that I like better for much cheaper, and it's made in the USA. That's a triple win! I've also got some OXO non-stick pans on order, so we're looking at a pretty solid overhaul of the cookware to go along with the new range. Bubbles will likely inherit the old stuff--it all still works fine, and if we had a gas cooktop then I'd still be using them. Most of what I do is in the enameled cast iron (my favorite) and the clad saucepans which are still GTG, but I'm excited for the braiser and I hope MFG will be happy with her new non-stick pans. Weight check yesterday was great, belt is on the verge of yielding another notch as of this morning, and my new 36 jeans are feeling comfortably loose--I reckon it won't be too long before I can bring the 34s out of retirement. Steady ahead!

12-31: 218.7 lbs (start) 01-07: 218.5 lbs (-0.2) 01-14: 216.5 lbs (-2.0) 01-21: 216.3 lbs (-0.2) I mostly expected a slow down this week due to some higher eating days, but Friday's weight check was a half-pound lower so I didn't anticipate the sandbag number on Sunday morning. That's fine, it'll just pad the coming week and make 01-28 look even more impressive. Small drop - big drop seems to be my pattern right now.

W3D7: one DrP. Lunch was a massive baked potato with butter and cheese. In the afternoon I ate a Reese's while out and about with MFG. For dinner I got to break in the new stove top with a broccoli-rice au gratin and some shallow-fried GF chicken breast cutlets. 1828 kcal. Day was pretty chill--I managed to get a bunch of bonus walking in while shopping for new fry pans with MFG. Right before I started cooking dinner the installation tech for the internet showed up even though the bury team hadn't done their job, so with nothing else he could do I walked him through my plan for the network. After dinner was mostly just TV and games. Week 3 Check-in: scale said 216.3 lbs for a very slight loss over last week's interpolated number, so basically it's a wash. I'm okay with that since I spent half the week eating like a moron, plus I suspect that number is a bit inflated due to binding, and if my general pattern continues then next week should see a bigger drop. W4D1: two DrPs, a Coke, and a Squirt throughout the day. I woke up stupid early for no reason and couldn't get back to sleep, and by the time church duties rolled around I was already exhausted. I powered through the long morning with the caffeinated drinks in series, and I also raided the worship team snack bucket for a couple snack-sized bags of GF chips for some additional calories. When I got home I drank the other soda and ate a bit of leftover chicken and rice for a light lunch, then I snacked on a couple of cheese sticks through the afternoon. MFG made pork chops with sweet potatoes and green beans for dinner, and I ate measured portions to close out the day a little high but still within limits. 2250 kcal with way too much sugar, so I'll emphasize better nutrition for the rest of the week ahead.

W3D6: one DrP. Lunch was a huge portion (the last) of the leftover GF lasagna, which meant dinner was a smaller portion of leftover butter chicken over rice. 1857 kcal. The delivery window for the new range was 11am-3pm, right when nobody else was going to be home, so I just took the whole day off work. That let me spend the morning working on my other major home-improvement chore: replacing the three light fixtures in the breakfast nook, dining room, and entryway. As I finished those up I got the call that the delivery was en route, so I moved some furniture, took the old range out to the garage, and prepped for the new install. After helping the guy load/unload and get everything situated I took a break for lunch and to let the new range acclimate since it was 10ºF on the truck. Once it was closer to room temp I commenced with the install, which was over two hours of wiring it up and then trying to get the stupid thing to fit. Eventually I succeeded and got everything cleaned/polished, and that was right about when MFG and the boys got home from volleyball. I counted all the day's labors as satisfying my Move goal, mainly so I could just eat dinner and relax for the rest of the evening. MFG and I did an initial test of the stove elements and a burn-off of the oven, and everything looks to be functioning as advertised. I'll take that win. If the internet company's burial contractor had shown up like they said then it would've been a maximum-productive day, but since they suck I'll just have to settle for being mega-productive. I got a lot of things done well, aced all of my goals, and exhausted myself in the process--that's a pretty outstanding day. EDIT TO ADD: This was post 5,000! How 'bout that?

Thanks, I am feeling much better. Hope you're enjoying your quiet days. ________________________ W3D5: one DrP. Lunch was leftover lasagna. For dinner MFG made butter chicken with rice in her Instant Pot since the range is still out of commission. I ate measured portions that turned out to be very generous (that's what happens with 2MAD, I guess) and capped off the day on target at 1827 kcal. A couple of all-greens in row feels like a winning streak, especially after this morning's sneaky weight check showed that I've erased almost all of last weekend's increase. Maybe by Sunday I can drive off the rest and possibly even overtake myself again.

W3D4: one DrP in the morning. Lunch was leftover cashew chicken over rice. MFG made a GF lasagna for my dinner that was excellent. 1837 kcal. Move was a 22-minute incline walk on the treadmill before dinner. Easy Standard work day followed by a standard evening at home. It's good to be back on track; now to keep grinding down these belt notches.

The cashew chicken was very-much worth it, and I have the leftovers today for lunch. I used this video as a basis: https://youtu.be/Fjxv5_BaBDk?si=ymaUyPoxykHfLAry The cereal mix maybe not so much--I think it may have been causing my sour stomach, and it has definitely been causing my recent calorie overages. Last night I told the boys to eat the rest of it. IIFYM, I guess? In my case I'm kicking the rest of the sodas to the boys, too, since they're working against my goals. ____________________________ W3D3: sour stomach all night led to a sick day, mostly just so I could get some actual sleep and delay my return to the office. Initially I thought I'd end up fasting for most the day since I wasn't feeling well, but eventually it subsided and left hunger in its place. I had my usual first-thing DrP, then I reheated a few carnitas tacos for lunch. In the afternoon I made a plate of nachos and drank another Squirt. For dinner MFG roasted a pan of chicken thighs with mixed grilled veggies and a few baked potatoes, and we also reheated the leftover mashers from the other night. I ate a jumbo portion with extra butter and was slightly over for the day, but in the evening my sweet tooth got the better of me and I added a bowl of mixed cereal to ratchet the day up to 2852 kcal. Too many red/yellow days in a row has me feeling pretty frustrated. I was all excited to find myself some GF treats while MFG and I were out and about last week, but the reality is that once I've bought them I feel obligated to eat them even though they just don't fit into my current TDEE goals. Lesson learned: no ad-libs at the grocery store, period. I still have a few days left this week to recover from the recent departure and get things under control again. Now that I'm back at the office I should be able to work a steady fitness groove.

You guys don't have Squirt over there? It's a classic here; I've been a fan since as long as I can remember. It's basically grapefruit soda--nice and refreshing, caffeine-free, and nobody else in my family likes it so I get to keep it all to myself.

W2D7: one DrP in the morning. For breakfast I ate a bowl of cereal that I'd bought while out with MFG on Friday--peanut butter Chex, I saw them and had to try them. Lunch was leftover chicken thigh with roasted veggies. In the afternoon I caved to the weekend (and football playoffs) and finished off the rocky road ice cream in the freezer along with some additional ham and cheese for a snack. For dinner I made a fantastic pot roast with braised carrots and mashed potatoes. After dinner I watched more playoffs with my son and added another big bowl of cereal (1/2 peanut butter Chex and 1/2 Cocoa Pebbles--awesome!) and a can of Squirt soda--a favorite that I also picked up on Friday. 3656 kcal for a big red day. Week 2 Check-in: Friday's provisional was 215.4 lbs, but after Saturday's excesses my Sunday weigh in was a full two pounds higher. I split the difference for the official number this week: 216.5 lbs. That seems fair since Friday's was probably a bit artificially low due to Thursday issues and Sunday's was clearly artificially high. Most of the week was really solid, performance-wise, so I'll be anxious to get back on that train. W3D1: one DrP on the way to church, another while at church, and a Coke after that one was gone. I also snagged a couple small bags of Cheetos for a morning snack. Lunch at home was leftover pot roast with carrots and mashed potatoes. Afternoon snack during the football game was chips and salsa with a Squirt soda. For dinner I made a cashew-chicken stir-fry with rice that I now jokingly call the $1,000 dinner since the ceramic top on our range cracked while I was making it. The dinner turned out good and a replacement for the range has been ordered. Day ran high owing to all the morning junk--2659 kcal. W3D2: last day of Staycation started with one DrP in the morning. I kept it light for lunch with just some chips, cheese, and a Squirt soda. For an afternoon snack I had another bowl of mixed cereals, then for dinner MFG made carnitas tacos in the slow-cooker since the stove is busted and that has also killed the broiler for some reason. After dinner we went out shopping for a new range and on the way home I grabbed a carton of ice-cream (chocolate peanut-butter, apparently that was my theme for the weekend) to share with the boys. 2483 kcal, back in the yellow after several straight red days. I bailed on my Move goal, but I stayed busy (all weekend, really) with finishing up the guitar project (or so I thought), cleaning up the house, fixing the fire-alarm system that inexplicably lost its mind for most of the morning, and defending my house and family from this evil Canadian weather that's been sitting on us since Saturday. The guitar project was very nearly done when one of the tuner buttons cracked in half, so after a few bleeped words I contacted the owner and advised him that it would be cheaper to just replace all the tuners than to try and find a replacement button let alone one that matches the rest. He agreed, so that's on order and the guitar is still in my shop until it arrives and I can finish the job. It really did come back together nicely, though, and I'm proud of all the work I did. I'm also beginning to see why the pros charge so much for their work--this could've easily been a $300 job. I only ask my folks to pay for parts and strings, and I do all the labor for fun since it's a great hobby. But I've gotten good enough at it that I think I should either start charging for my time or just turn down more projects. There's a side hustle there for sure, but I'm not sure I want it yet. Also most of the guitars I work on aren't worth what it would actually cost if I wasn't donating my time--so most of my advice to prospective clients would be, "Just buy something new." Long weekend is over, but I'm not back to work yet owing to a rough night with my stomach. Eating has been a little wild for a few days so I'll rest and recover today while I also steer my food back on course. Primary objective for this week is to steady the ship and maybe touch that 215 number again by Sunday morning.

12-31: 218.7 lbs (start) 01-07: 218.5 lbs (-0.2) 01-14: 216.5 lbs (-2.0) Pretty solid week that ended super weird, so that number is an interpolation. Friday morning I was down to 215.4, but after a jumbo Saturday my official weigh-in on Sunday morning was 217.5. I have elected to split the difference for this week. That 215 number was so pleasing that I decided to loosen up over the 3-day weekend (the end of Staycation), and it showed. I'll tighten the controls again, and I should be able to crack that 215 in the week ahead.

W2D6: one DrP in the morning. I took the opportunity on my last day of Staycation to go up to the city and watch my boys play volleyball. We had a nice break between morning and afternoon games, so MFG and I went out and did some shopping, then we went to Taco Casa for lunch where I had a tostada and a large Dr Pepper (2 on the grid, and totally worth it). I also treated myself to a Reese's at the store. On the way home we picked up some ice-cream for the boys, then we reheated leftovers for dinner. I had some ham, a couple of rotisserie chicken wings, and another twice-baked potato. That left me about 220 calories shy which was just right for 3/4 of a cup of rocky road. 1832 kcal--not the most quality calorie day but still well within limits. I probably could have counted all the walking for my Move goal, but I'm okay with taking a hit on that square. The rest of the evening was pretty laid back, although I did get another bracing glue-up done on the guitar repair before settling in for some gaming then an early-ish bedtime. Provisional weigh-in yesterday was outstanding! I needed a sanity check since the week's numbers have been stellar but I don't feel like I've been depriving myself at all. It also didn't help that Thursday night's gut-bust had me feeling all bloated and terrible and that when I watched the video of band rehearsal I looked even fatter than before. Pleasantly the scale says I've lost quite a bit this week; hopefully that holds up for tomorrow's official check.

W2D5: one DrP, and I had a nice fresh pear for breakfast. Lunch was leftover pasta with meat sauce (no sausage). I had a couple of string cheeses for snacks in the afternoon, then dinner was ham and twice-baked potatoes with a nice green salad. I was under calories for the day when I went to band practice and was planning to eat something else when I got home to hit my target, but then my stomach had a violent response (I'm suspecting a soup the MFG made: I tasted two small spoonfuls to help her adjust the seasoning, but I didn't eat enough to warrant any calorie counts; alas it had tempered eggs added at the end and I'm pretty sure they jacked me up), so I drank a can of Sprite to calm it down, which actually helped quite a lot. That was medicine, not food , so I still counted the calories but I didn't ding myself for an extra soda. 1865 kcal. Another day of Staycation chilling at home and working on the guitar repair, which mainly requires a ton of effort for a short period then a huge break to let glue dry then rinse and repeat as needed. I'm currently on my third glue-up, and if all goes well then it should only need two more; but those two are going to be doozies. When I wasn't working on the guitar project I replaced the light fixture in the breakfast nook that's bothered MFG for years, and we both like the new one much better. I also handled dinner preps yesterday, so that took up some time and netted extra activity. A fine day on all targets, and today I already seem to be mostly recovered from the Eggsplosion™.

W2D4: one DrP. Lunch was leftover chicken thighs with veggies. I had a string cheese in the afternoon, then MFG brought home a slew of rotisserie chickens from the warehouse club, so I broke them down for her and snacked on three of the wing pieces in the process. For dinner we made pasta: mine was GF fettuccine with very-meaty tomato sauce and a hot Italian sausage link. 1835 kcal on the grid, but it felt like way less. I was busy all day fighting with the new guitar repair project that resisted every single one of my efforts to fix it. I knew these loose braces were going to be tricky, but they're beating my expectations by a lot. Anyway I'm counting being generally upright and mobile for many hours as having satisfied my Move goal for the day.

W2D3: one DrP. Lunch was leftover tacos with Spanish rice. For dinner MFG oven-roasted chicken thighs and a sheet pan medley of veggies--potatoes, mushrooms, peppers, onions, squash, tomatoes, and spinach--that was super tasty, nutritious, and filling. When I did my numbers after dinner I still had 200 calories left for the day, so I treated myself to a Reese's when I took Butch out shopping for jeans. 1839 kcal Finished the Art guitar and got it broken in a bit; it's playing really nice! As I was putting it away on the rack I got a text from a young man in my church with another acoustic repair project for me, so now that one is on my bench. It's going to be a tricky repair, but I think it'll come back really nice if I can pull it off.

Honestly I haven't tried to segregate them since whites and yolks need each other. If my hypothesis about autoimmune damage is any kind of accurate then I don't think it would matter since both white and yolk are chock full of proteins. As long as they're cooked thoroughly and I'm not in recovery from a gluten episode they seem to be infrequently okay. Thanks! I don't think acrylic is her preferred medium, and she's never done a guitar before, but I think they came out just fine. The trickiest bit for me was trying to get a flat clear coat over the texture of the paint. I mostly succeeded, but I know where all the trouble spots are--which is why none of them appears in this camera angle. She had a very busy year and didn't get to spend anywhere near the amount of time on it that she wanted to, but so far we're both pleased with how it turned out. Of course, she hasn't seen the finished result in person yet.

In fairness that was just one week so far this year. Last year's looked like this: All over the place.

W2D2: one DrP. Lunch was the last of MFG's beef stroganoff over rice. Dinner was ground beef and refried-bean tacos (corn tortillas, cheese, lettuce, tomato, you know the drill). 1855 kcal. In addition to staying busy for much of the day with my guitar project I also did an inclined walk on the treadmill in the afternoon--24 minutes total. I can tell that even just one cardio session has already stoked my appetite because I'm having to say no to snacks again. At least that's a decent indicator that my metabolism is still chooching. The guitar project is pretty tasty. It's still not quite up to my standards for finish, but it looks, feels, plays, and sounds very good; especially for a $100 marketplace score. I'm pleased that it's done.

Sounds like workout fuel. There's something heavy in your vicinity that refuses to be moved and something sturdy that doesn't want to be tenderized.

That's what happened with me last challenge, I think--going below 1800 was too much. Staying in the mid 1800s is much easier--amazing what a difference just 50-100 calories a day can make when you're riding the margin. Also, I notice that you've closed the gap I widened last week. I'm both happy for you and not so happy...

If it's not a "Hell yes!" then that's an automatic "Nope."

Thanks! I think the egg thing is even more frustrating than the wheat thing. Wheat is more ubiquitous (harder to avoid) but easier to replace. Nothing that I've found yet matches the cost, availability, and macro-nutrient content of eggs. That said, I managed to make it 48 hours without any noticeable detriment; so I'll be okay with rolling them in very infrequently, never in the evenings, always cooked as hard as I can stand them, and only when I can tell that my system is up the challenge. Of course the very second I let my guard down is the one time they'll choose to punish me. ____________________ W2D1: solid day with one DrP in the morning, then I reheated the leftover beef & broccoli for breakfast. For lunch I browned the last of the sweet potato hash and pan-seared a very small tenderloin steak that I managed to harvest when trimming the cuts for stir-fry. I ate about 2/3's of that plate then gave the rest to MFG. Dinner was her beef stroganoff (using the rest of my sirloin preps that didn't get used for beef & broccoli) over egg noodles, but I had extra rice from the night before and used that instead of the noodles. 1832 kcal on the grid, and I'd wager that my deficit was a bit greater than that number. No church-band duties, so I stayed home and caught the live-stream service. After that I took care of a few things around the house before finally convincing myself to get out in the shop and work on my ongoing guitar project--a custom-painted (by an artist friend) six-string electric hardtail that's eventually destined for a charity auction (unless it sucks). Lots of level-sanding and polishing happened yesterday, hopefully the rest will happen today and then it'll be ready for assembly. My staycation to-do list is slowly getting whittled down. 👍