Month 2 Day 19 - Switching Habits

One of the hardest thing about losing weight is switching habits. Food is such an integral part of everything I do that I need to change some of the habits that make me eat.

For example, at coffee break at work I'm usually ready for a bag of popcorn or pretzels or an occasional cookie. But those are all high carbohydrate and highly concentrated of flour and sugar. In the vending machine we have these little salami sticks - all meat, all protein, and very flavorful. The switched habit? Salami instead of sweets.

Another switched habit? Toast. I love toast. I especially love peanut butter toast, with the toast still hot to make the peanut butter liquify. Mmmm....mmmmm... :-) The habit, of course, is breakfast and bedtime. The switched habit? At breakfast, I'm eating higher levels of lean protein: peanut butter is protein, but definitely not lean, and loaded with sugar and salt. I'm dipping my bacon in the egg or cooking it in the eggs rather than using toast. At bedtime, I'm so satisfied with the high proteins through the day that I'm not feeling like a snack at bed time.

Yet another switched habit? Church. We are a doughnut Church. And a baked goods Church. And a cookies Church. I haven't had a doughnut at Sunday School for over a month. What is the changed habit? First, I eat a good protein laden breakfast before Church, so I'm less inclined to want a doughnut when the box is opened. Second, I don't go near the doughnuts... I wait until everyone's had their chance at them and then realize that all the good ones are gone. I wouldn't want the jelly filled ones even if I were still eating lots of sugar, flour and carbs.

Switching habits is hard, though. I've missed a few evenings posting my progress on this blog. Some of them have been the computer's fault - I don't know what caused the slowness, but I'm glad it's over. Sometimes it's my own fault... I wait too late in the evening.

In order to lose weight, switching habits has to happen.

Here's today's journal:
Weight - 232.6 up a pound from yesterday
Breakfast: Two fried eggs (down from three) and five strips of bacon
Snack: Two packs of salami sticks (four little sticks)
Dinner: Low carb burger at Hardee's (no mayo, no cheese)
Supper: 1 and 1/2 boneless pork chops, spinach salad with bleu cheese crumbs, 1T bleu cheese dressing, hard boiled egg and a little tomato

Didn't jog/walk today - need a rest day.

Month 2 Day 16 - A Goal

This whole project is a large goal, but I've decided to set a shorter term goal. I'm going to jog in the Roann Covered Bridge Festival 5K on Sept. 11.

I haven't run (or jogged) in a race for over 20 years. Since it's 5K it will only be 3.1 miles, but it will be a long distance for me. I've been up to just under 2 miles so far, so the goal will challenge me to stretch the distance over the next three weeks.

Tonight I did run just over 2 miles and I walked about 1/2 mile before I started running: that is the first longer distance challenge.

Here's today's journal:
Weight: 233.6 (down 1.4 from yesterday)
Breakfast: three fried eggs, five slices of bacon
Dinner: cottage cheese and tomatoes, two weight watchers string cheese and three strips of bacon
Snack: almonds (about a fistful)
Supper: chicken, cottage cheese, tomatoes

Month 2 Day 15 - My Birthday

I'm 52 today. 48 years to go. How will I live the second half of my life in comparison to the first half?

I hope that I have more faith in the second half than I had in the first. I hope I finally find a discipline that is consistent.

In the second half of my life I want to be actively involved with my physical health. The first half I've been pretty passive. Sure I went through my running years, my weight lifting years, my vegetarian years. But those times have been "cushioned" by fat years. In order for the next 48 years I can't be passive like that. My heart isn't new any more. My lungs have been breathing for 52 years. My eyes are still good, but good nutrition will be critical in keeping them that way.

For the next 48 years I want to be more genuinely emotional. I don't want to begin crying all the time, but I want to be less stilted in expressing my feelings for people.

The last half of my life will be marked with more education. I'm going to start my M.A. program in 2011 and plan to keep going with it. Will I ever do anything with it - teach, write, etc.? - probably not. But the action of keeping my mind sharp will keep the cobwebs from growing.

I got lots of birthday greetings today, at work, from people who live at Timbercrest, from family, Church people, Facebook friends, and mostly from Karen, Allison and Alex. Thanks!

Here's today's journal:
Weight: 235
Breakfast: three eggs, five strips of bacon, a weight watchers string cheese
Snack: two meat snacks from the vending machine
Dinner: a low carb burger at Hardee's
Supper: (At Flanagan's in Fort Wayne) French Onion Soup, tossed salad with 1T bleu cheese dressing, broccoli, prime rib (trimmed)
Snack on the way home: Fruit Smoothie at McDonald's (in lieu of birthday cake)

No exercise today to speak of... it is my birthday, after all :-)

Month 2 Day 14 - Education

Knowledge is certainly power and that is certainly true of losing weight. The more you know, the more wisely you choose.

I have shelves of weight loss books. I have stacks of health and weight loss magazines. I've ordered programs on line.

I think I may be healthy learning disabled. :-)

I think the real truth is that you can know too much. There are a lot of good plans out there, but there can be also a lot of confusion. Sometimes one negates the other. High fat obviously cancels out a low fat diet. Low carb diet obviously defeats veganism. Counting points runs counter to meal plans like Jenny Craig.

The plan I've devised is a gleaning of several different plans, things that have worked for me over the years. It is a selective list, however. I thought a lot about my own needs, my age, my health, and what is realistic for me. For example, I know myself well enough to know that a low calorie diet simply won't work for me: I eat a lot, eating is an enormously important way for me to connect with other people, and I refuse to be rude to others in order to accomplish my own ends.

I'm told that applying knowledge to everyday living is "wisdom." I hope that's the case. I'm six weeks into the project, I'm flirting with ten pounds' weight loss, and I'm generally happy with what I've been eating.

I'll see how wise I am in 4 1/2 months. :-)

Here's today's journal -
Weight: I forgot to weigh today. One of my staff called off with a very early phone call and rattled our routine... we are so old. But in the process of it all, I just forgot.
Breakfast: Four strips of bacon, three fried eggs
Dinner: A pork cutlet, green beans, salad with about 1T ranch dressing
Supper: two hot dogs with chili at Hardee's (no buns)
Snack: tuna salad with mayo (not salad dressing) and pickles, tomato slices

By the way: Here's "The Plan" again
1) A Pre-Plan Week to transition
2) Write everything down that goes into my mouth
3) Go "protein heavy"
4) Get more good carbs, cut way back on flour and sugar
5) Be aware of my eating "problem times"
6) Daily exercise

Month 2 Day 13 - The Numbers Game

When I woke up this morning, I felt thinner. After my usual routine, I looked in the mirror and I thought I looked thinner.

Then I stepped on the scale. 235. What? I couldn't believe it.

So I took a shorter walk (across the covered bridge and back), kind of moping, kind of thinking, "what's up with this?"

When I got home, I weighed again, it was 234.6.

I keep a graph of my daily weights and it looks like a roller coaster. The up days I'm really down; the down days, I'm walking on air.

There are a lot of reasons for this "numbers game."

1) Fluid retention. This is really a big deal. Because I'm prone to a higher normal blood pressure, my body seems to be more sensitive to sodium and its effects. This has been especially noticable in the last ten years. Since I've been going "protein heavy" I can really tell that I'm not eating much bread-based food, most of which is loaded with sodium. But I've not been perfect.

2) Fluid in-take. Tied in a little bit with Fluid Retention, there are a lot of opportunities to get a lot of fluid during the summer besides drinking water: watermelon, canteloupe, tomatoes, and all the other fresh veggies available. They are yummy, low calorie, and full of water.

3) Skimping on exercise. When I push myself, it makes my organs function well - my heart pumps the blood, I sweat out the waste, my intestines work and digestion becomes, well, you know. When I don't push, when I'm just kind of rote, it shows on the scale. My body hasn't performed optimally.

When it comes to weight loss, there's always a numbers game. Count calories, count carbs, count points, on and on. The main game is to lose the pounds, however they're counted.

For me in this experiment, the numbers that count are the monthly weights. I was down the first month by a few pounds, it looks like I'm on track to lose much more this month, and that's the direction I need to go.

Here's today's journal:
Weight: 234.6
Breakfast: A bowl of watermelon
Snack: a meat stick and a cheese stick
Dinner: Low carb burger at Hardee's and a side salad with 1T dressing
Supper: Ham steak, grilled veggies, salad with 1T bleu cheese dressing, and a cup of cream of mushroom soup
Snack: Weight Watchers ice cream sandwich

Month 2 Day 12 - Not Much to Report

Today was a pretty ordinary day and I have no inspiration to try and make it seem intesting. :-)

Here's today's journal:
Weight: 233.2, up 4/10 from yesterday. This isn't bad because yesterday's drop was really big.

Breakfast: Two sausage patties at Hardee's
Snack: Large can V8
Dinner: Roasted small chicken half, diet strawberry fluff
Snack: Fist of mixed nuts
Supper: Spinach salad with bleu cheese, mushrooms, nuts, egg, raisins, and 1T bleu cheese dressing, one hamburg on a bun, on hamburg without a bun, small serving of lasagna, broccoli/cheese, and a piece of Emery's faux peach pie

Month 2 Day 11 - Spiritual Discipline

Wholeness and wellness are more than matters of the physical body. They are exercises of the mind, emotions and soul as well. Today has been a good day for all four.

My sermon this morning was on Psalm 63, about King David's experience in the desert of Judah and God's faithfulness to him as he went through it, physically, emotionally and spiritually. God used the desert to remind Kind David that He can be found in the life that is there, even in the darkness of the night. Though David was in "a dry and thirsty land where there is no water," the king had seen God in His sanctuary and that provided an oasis for his soul and mind.

In Sunday School, I taught the junior high kids from the Book of Ruth and helped them tie together how the young life a foreign girl can teach them how to live for God in their school.

After that, I went to Hardee's for dinner. Karen had taken her mother to a family reunion today so she wasn't at Church. At Hardee's, I worked the crossword in the Sunday Star, did the sudoku and wordy-gurdy. Then it was time to visit some of our shut-ins.

I had great visits with several shut-ins today also. They are wonderful people. I wish I could spend more time with them.

This evening I did some pretty strenuous yard work digging out the edges of the sidewalk. I got a good start but we have a lot of sidewalk.

I also got in a 2.1 mile walk-jog, with about 1.8 of it straight jogging. It felt really good, the nightfall was beautiful and the stars inspired me, as King David mused in Psalm 63: "I think of You in the watches of the night."

Here's today's journal:
Weight: 232.8, down 1.6 lbs. (yea!)
Breakfast: three egg omelette with ground turkey and cheese
Dinner: Low carb burger at Hardee's, side salad with 1T ranch dressing
Supper: Tuna salad, cottage cheese and tomatoes, two cheese sticks, a few almonds, watermelon
Bedtime snack: watermelon

Month 2 Day 10 - Lazy Day

Today was a good old lazy day. Karen and I started out by going to a late breakfast at Bob Evans then a little shopping. Came home and worked on the bulletin for Church and watched some TV.

I wrote earlier in the week about "Fat and Fatigue" and I think there is a lot of merit to that idea. It was such a busy week that I needed a day to kick back.

Even though we went out, I ate within The Plan. Karen baked banana bread and made some things for a family reunion she's going to tomorrow, but I was able to resist the banana bread and other goodies. This is definitely one of those "problem times."

Today's journal:
Weight - 234.4, down again

Breakfast at Bob Evans: two eggs, sirloin steak, grits
Snack: almonds, a little watermelon, a cheese stick
Supper: lettuce wraps with ground turkey stuffing, cottage cheese and tomatoes

Sunday! Beware of the doughnuts! Beware of lunch out after Church!

Month 2 Day 9 - Sticking to the Plan

None too often do things go "as planned" with me. I am grateful that things usually go much better than I had planned, but often they do not.

Today (Friday) is a day they went as planned. I stuck to The Plan. I ate what I was supposed to, walked, watched for my potential weak areas, etc.

Two very big temptations were part of today. The first was dining out at El Mezquite (or as we call it, "Skeeterville"). This is my favorite place to eat, but the chips, well, I can handle a whole basket all by myself. The queso dip is superlative and everything tastes better with a scoop of guac and a scoop of sour cream. I was able to resist all of it. I had a few pieces of chips, but not much more.

The second big temptation was the Fun Fest Car Show. North Manchester's Fun Fest is an OK festival, but the Car Show is the big event. And with all the old Chevys, Model A's, street rods, and restored vehicles, there are also elephant ears and lemon shake ups, corn dogs and deep fried you-name-its. I can't say I didn't want anything. But I was alble to resist.

How was resistance possible? Because I stuck to the plan during the day. I wasn't hungry. My body was satisfied with what I had eaten and so my weak will was able to stand up to my stomach, because my stomach really didn't have much to complain about.

I need to stick to the plan more often. :-)

Here's today's journal:
Weight: 235.0, up 6/10 from yesterday. I've been bouncing around 234.5 and 235 the last few days, which tells me I've had a good stable drop.

Breakfast: four strips of bacon, three eggs fried in the bacon grease
Dinner: Low Carb burger at Hardee's, side salad, 1T dressing
Supper: Grilled Chicken tossed salad at El Mazquite with pico de gallo and 1T dressing

No snacking today - didn't feel the need to

Month 2 Day 8 - When You Can't Say No

I don't know how many people are in jobs where eating is required, but it is occasionally required in mine.

The occasions? Birthday dinners. We help our residents at Timbercrest celebrate their birthdays each month with a dinner. A local Church brings in a cake and the meal is nice, and we as staff help with serving the meal. They are great fun (but I happen to think that older adults are great fun on a daily basis anyhow). :-)

I did OK for the meal itself - chicken cordon bleu, a twice baked potato, and green beans almondine. I would have skipped the tater if I had much of a choice.

The Church brought in a home made birthday cake - like my Mom used to make. It was a cherry cake with butter cream frosting. Our dining services provided "birthday cake" ice cream, which is vanilla with little pieces of candy and frosting mixed throughout.

Now, the complicating factor is that many of our residents feel very parental concerning staff. If I had skipped the tater, there would have been questions. If I skipped the cake, I would be been seen as rude to our Church guests (who brought it). And what is cake without ice cream?

In all, I failed "The Plan" with the birthday dinner, but kept on track the rest of the day.

That seems to be the necessity when you can't say No. In the past, I would have two servings of chicken cordon bleu, any left over taters, cake and ice cream. So I kept within reason, but outside the parameters.

Here's the journal for Thursday, Aug. 11 -
Weight: 235.0 - up 6/10 from yesterday
Breakfast: three eggs, four strips of bacon, 1 cheese stick
Dinner: See above :-(
Supper: McDonald's southwest chicken salad with 1T SW dressing
No snacks today

Hope to do better on Friday!

Month 2 Day 7 - Fatigue and Fat

There is no denying the effects that the heat has on my energy level, consequently on my enthusiasm for exercise. There's a lot of "want to" but a few blocks from the house the air is so thick it's hard to stay moving.

This sort of heat-induced malaise can affect overall motivation to lose weight. It's part of the cycle: being overweight in this heat is more difficult to deal with, but the heat robs the energy to want to do anything about it.

The irony is that all the books and articles and websites and programs tell you ways to "burn" fat. They say that you can "melt" away the pounds. They promise to "fire up" your energy levels.

This was Bible Study night, so I didn't get to walk and I cheated a little on the Plan.

Here's today's journal:
Breakfast: two sausage patties at Hardee's and some Smoky-Links at work (leftovers from breakfast in the dining rooms)
Dinner: Cobb salad at Main View: chicken, bacon, cheese on lettuce with tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, onions and guacamole, with 1T bleu cheese
Snack: Once slice of water melon
Supper: Low-carb burger at Hardee's (no cheese, no mayo), side salad with 1T ranch dressing
Snack at Bible Study: caramel corn made by Kris, banana pudding made by Kay, peanuts (reasonable amounts of each)

Month 2 Day 6 - Unintended insults: "Executive Cut"

I take used men's clothing to the local prison each month for their prisoner release program. Mostly they're clothes from men at Timbercrest who no longer need them... they're wearing white robes now. :-)

Anyhow, a volunteer had a sale of some of her late husband's clothes and wanted to give what was left to me to take to the prison. I was happy to oblige.

When I went to her house to pick them up, she was explaining to me that her husband's suits had been tailored to be "executive cut."

I said, "Oh, what's that?"

She said, "You know, cut to be a little narrower in the shoulder and wide in the waist."

She then put her hand on my belly.

If I didn't really care for this volunteer a great deal, I might have told her to keep her clothes. But I didn't. I just chuckled, swallowing my feelings. I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it. But it hurt my feelings nonetheless.

Sometimes people who don't have weight problem don't understand the struggle it is for those of us who do. I've made progress that I can see and feel, but it hurt to know that she didn't notice.

Today was a pretty good day. Here's the journal:
Weight - 234.4, down 1.8. I'm glad for the loss, but I think much of it is simply from sweating it away in the heat and humidity we're dealing with

Breakfast: Two fried eggs (in non-fat Crisco spray), some deli-sliced turkey, a V8
Dinner: Low carb burger at Hardee's (w/o cheese or mayo), side salad with 1T ranch dressing
Snack: reduced fat triscuits and low fat cream cheese with pepper jelly at Management Team
Supper: Chicken-bacon-ranch salad from Subway with 1T ranch dressing, one string cheese

Month 2 Day 5 - Outdoors

I've spent a lot of time outdoors the last few days and it as been enriching.

Saturday Karen and I went to an outdoor wedding reception. Sunny, warm, nice to barefoot over clean cut grass.

Sunday after Church, Suzy and Harry invited me to a picnic with their Izaak Walton League group. Before we ate Harry and I and Jackie took a 50 minute hike in the woods. The woods were steamy and warm but we saw lots of nature: snails, fish in creeks, ferns, a flock of turkeys (a hen and about seven chicks), and all manner of trees. It was a perfect barefoot hike over a wonderful array of surfaces: mud, sticks, rocks, streams, moss, leaves, dirt, grass.

Later on Sunday I took a group from Timbercrest to see the Fort Wayne Tin Caps play baseball. We didn't have sunny seats (thankfully), but it was nice and the atmosphere of the ball park is almost as I remember it as a kid. The exception, of course, is there is no cigar smoke. :-)

Today went for a walk-jog in the early evening. It was still 90 degrees at 8:30, so it was a little hard going for a fat old man, but I moved over two miles and jogged about 1.5 of it. The warm evening had its own magic, and the thick clouds that held in the heat all day gave way to a black dome of the sky spangled with stars.

Here's the journal:
Saturday: weighed 235.6, up .6 from Friday's unexpected low
Breakfast: three egg cheese omelette, three strips of bacon
Dinner: None (breakfast was at 10:30 a.m.)
Snack: Can of V8 and a cheese stick
Supper: pulled pork with no BBQ sauce, lots of fresh veggies, a few baked beans

Sunday: weighed 235.6, same as yesterday
Breakfast: three fried eggs (in Crisco no-fat cooking spray)
Dinner: Hamburg on a bun, cole slaw, baked beans
Supper: Hot dog, chips, peanuts (a Tin Caps game)
Snack: String cheese

Today: weighed 236.2, up .6, I think thanks to the picnic and ball game
Breakfast: single egg omelette with cheese and smoked sausage, V8
Dinner: bbq beef with very little sauce, steak dianne with fat trimmed and no sauce
Snack: Low-carb burger w/o cheese at Hardee's
Supper: Stuffed green peppers, about 1/2 c rice with muchrooms and basil

That's all for now - I'm sorry about the delay in posts: computer's acting up again. I hope I don't need to take it in :-(

Month 2 Day 2 - Dealing with Little Sleep

I had a hard time sleeping last night. I had caffeine, which I swore off about a year ago. I hadn't prepared well enough for the service for Transfiguration and so I had some Diet Dr. Pepper (about three larges) around 5 p.m.

Sleep is very important to weight loss because good sleep is essential for balanced health. God made us to rest. Trying to get along with just 3-4 hours of sleep weakens the body's natural strength. This results in the body's attempts to build strength through food . . . too much food to compensate for the poor health caused by lack of sleep.

I'm going to bed early tonight. This won't compensate foe the lack of sleep I had last night, but it will make tomorrow a better day.

Today's journal:
Today was a pretty good day!
Weight - 234.8, down 3.2 lbs. from yesterday and the lowest so far
Breakfast - Half a banana, an apple, a string cheese
Dinner - beef barbecue (with most of the sauce cleared off), cooked carrots, small salad with cheese and 1T ranch dressing
Supper - broiled haddock, plain baked potato, salad with cheese and 1T bleu cheese dressing

I have felt very full all day.
Also, I have kept hydrated pretty well.

Day 31 - Second Month Starting Fresh

The day started well: I weighed 238, down a pound from yesterday.

I went very heavy on the protein today. I've felt pretty full all day. I don't feel as puffy. I had three eggs (cooked in Crisco spray) and a weight watchers string cheese for breakfast. For dinner I had ham on a sandwich at Rotary. For supper, I made a three-egg omelette with cheese and three strips of bacon.

My carbs were pretty simple: a small can of V8 for breakfast and supper, bread (Rotary sandwich), tossed salad with fresh veggies, an apple for break, a bag of Sun Chips (whole grain).

I also did NOT have the carbs that tempted me: cookies from Nordmann's at Rotary, pretzels at break, peanut butter toast for breakfast.

I took a 1.6 mile walk this morning. I didn't jog - it was so humid. I wanted to jog, but I just couldn't breathe well enough.

Day 30 - More Analysis

My weight was 239.0 this morning. Only three pounds lost in the first month. That means I now have five months in which to lost 47 pounds.

I started out well to day, I think. I went heavy on protein: sausage for breakfast, turkey for dinner, a low carb burger at Hardee's for supper. At Bible Study, I stuck mostly to nuts and grapes (good carbs) although I did have a large cookie that Kay brought [homemade, I might add].

Other carbs I had to day that were good: a large can of V8 for snack, brocolli slaw (drained) for dinner, a side salad with 1T dressing for supper.

When I got home from Bible study, I had some canteloupe, steak jerky, and two weight watchers string cheeses.

Just by count, I had six servings of protein/meat, six servings of good carbs and one serving of bad carbs - those cookies.

I hope better balance will be the rule for the next six months. :-)

I should add that I feel really full... a good place to be.

Day 29 - Evaluation

Tomorrow will be the end of my first month. I've started to do some evaluating of my progress so far and here's this dirt:

First, my weight has been a roller coaster the last 30 days. The first day of my Pre-Plan week I weighed 242.0 and today I weighed 238.2, down 3.8 pounds. I guess that's good, but not good enough to make 50 lbs. in six months.

I've been as low as 236.6 (down 5.4 lbs.). Tomorrow's weigh in will be my actual loss for the month.

Second, I've cheated far too much. My plan has been to be protein heavy, but in the last three weeks (after my Pre-Plan Week) I've had carbs in the form of:
- peach pie (homemade by Karen)
- fruit with yogurt (several times)
- Apples
- fruit smoothies at McDonald's
- cinnamon rolls (at Bible Study - thanks Kris)
- lots of bread - mostly whole grain, but bread nonetheless, plus other breads and hamburger buns
- ice cream (three times)
- tortilla chips at El Mez and Mi Pueblo
- mashed potatoes several times
- popcorn
- Wheat Thins and other crackers
- Oatmeal with raisins and nuts
- pretzels

I've had plenty of "good carbs" along the way - salads, vegetables, fruits, etc., but way too many of these bad carbs.

Third, I'm not getting the rest I need. Sometimes I'm trying to do everything on six hours of sleep. This is simply not possible. My body tries to defend itself with weight and fluid retention.

Fourth, an upside has been that I am getting regular exercise and heavy work at least five times a week. This has been a strong change from being mostly sedentary. It's a slow change, but a good one.

Tomorrow, I plan to edit the plan to be more specific in light of this evaluation.

Today's weight: 238.2
Breakfast: Nothing (I skipped) - I need to re-read Day 20
Snack: an apple, 1T peanut butter, 1 string cheese, two small Slim Jims
Dinner: a chicken thigh (no skin), a chicken wing (no skin), scalloped cauliflower, baked potato with 1t butter and 1/2T sour cream
Supper: tortilla chips (rats!), grilled chicken tossed salad (with cheese), salsa, 1/4c guacamole

Exercise: Mowed the lawn this evening

Day 28 - The First Month Approaches

I have a little anxiety about the approach of the end of my first month of six months to lose 50 lbs. It's been something of a roller coaster ride, with not quite as much progress as I had hoped.

This morning I did some gardening for about two hours and then we went to Warren Dunes for the day. It was a very active day overall, with lots of walking and swimming.

A highlight on the exercise front was climbing up an enormous dune at the beach. It is steeper and larger than Mt Baldy at Indiana Dunes.

I had to make an intentional effort to stay hydrated because the temps were in the low to mid 90's.

So what did I eat today?
Breakfast: Two slices of peanut butter whole wheat toast
Dinner: Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, canteloupe, fat free Pringles, a few cheese cubes, grapes, three mini Chips Ahoy
Snack: a weight watchers string cheese and a little more canteloupe
Supper: half a roasted chicken, french fries*, a very small serving of baked beans, a very small serving of cole slaw
Dessert: a small fruit smoothie at McDonald's

* - I ordered a baked potato and the waitress brought fries. I didn't want to waste the food, so I went ahead and ate them.

Days 24-25-26-27 - Computer fixed

Finally, I got my computer cleaned and scanned and dumped a lot of unused programs (like, I still had AOL on here!).

The last few days have been pretty stable, although I haven't lost much weight. I'm down to just over 236. I haven't walked-jogged since Friday morning, which makes me feel little guilty. I did do a lot of gardening Friday night, so I don't feel that badly about missing the walk-jogs.

Hopefully, things are back on track with the computer, finally, and I'llbe back to journaling regularly tomorrow.