Day 41: Bad News, Good News

Wednesday morning weigh-in: 148.6

Let's get right to breakfast:

Millville Multi-Grain Crispy Oats (you may know them better as 
     the Aldi brand of Multi-Grain Cheerios — 1 bowl)
coffee, medium black Tim Horton's (1 cup)
fresh cherries (24, exactly)

As the morning went on I found myself at Alumni Hall on the campus of Niagara University. The bad news is there was a funeral going on upstairs in the chapel, which really put the kibosh on the parking situation; the good news is, it wasn't my funeral.

it's a boysenberry!

Eventually got home to a quick lunch of

Tops Fruit-on-the-Bottom boysenberry yogurt (8 oz.)
leftover cheese & pepperoni pizza (1 cold slice)
water (12 oz.)

before running out the door again for a test drive which should appear in next week's Artvoice. Most fun I've had driving in years. Came home, cranked-up the grill and threw on an

Aldi Teriyaki pork tenderloin (I had a serving) 
along with
steamed yellow beans (I had a serving)
white rice (I had a serving)
Tropicana Cranberry Cocktail (12 oz.)

file photo

and while grilling:

Genny Light (1-12 oz. can)

followed by a miniscule dessert of

Baker's Treat Peanut Butter Wafers 
     (1 pkg. of 2, un-refrigerated — what?)


and an early evening snack of

Kutter's extra sharp cheddar (about 2 oz.)

It's too early to go to bed, but not too early to stop eating, so there you go!

Day 40: Breaking Into the Wine Box... Again

Tuesday morning weigh-in: 147.8

Day 40? If this were Lent, tomorrow we'd be pigging out! But it's not. So we won't. It was a back-to-work kind of day though, and time to break-in a new box of cereal


Millville Multi-Grain Crispy oats (1 bowl)
coffee, medium black Tim Horton's (1 cup)
fresh cherries (about 24)
Powerade orange-flavored drink (20 oz.)

I even made it to the gym for a bit today; it's been so long I almost forgot the combination for the lock, but I managed to squeeze in three miles or so on the treadmill. I'm hoping to get back again tomorrow, but I also need to fit in a trip to the local Porsche dealer for an upcoming YAK column.

Came home from the gym (20 oz. of water later) to a quick, late lunch of

Yoplait peach harvest yogurt (6 oz.)
sharp cheddar (2 oz.)
Tropicana cranberry cocktail (12 oz.)
graham crackers (2)

and dinner

pizza, cheese & pepperoni (3 slices — 
     hey, they weren't that big)
Franzia Chardonnay (1 glass)

No, I'm not a huge wine drinker. But I can turn into one when there's no beer in the house.

Had a

cluster of green seedless grapes

while watching this week's episode of 
So You Think You Can Dance. And no matter how many times I watch this show, I'll never think that about myself. I know better; I've seen the video from our wedding.

Day 39: Always Leave 'em Wanting S'more

Monday morning weigh-in: 147.0

Not as bad as I thought it would be.

Today, being a day off (as are most Mondays these days) meant I had time for a little more in the morning than the usual dry cereal and coffee (and no, not dry coffee). Also, being a Monday with fresh biscuits in the bread box could only lead to one end —

biscuit w/orange marmalade (1)
coffee, black Beaumont Columbian roast fair trade Keurig (2)

The Boy

and then it was off with The Boy to run an errand (sort of). Funny how you can drive the same roads every day, and then when you're in the passenger seat for a change how different it all looks. Eventually we headed home for the continuing saga of "As the Living Room Turns." But, progress is being made, as now we're constructing instead of deconstructing. This also meant I just about forgot lunch, and at about 4 p.m. grabbed a

Tops Fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt, strawberry (8 oz.)
blackberries (1 bowl)
water (12 oz.)

followed by

wine, Franzia Chardonnay (1 glass)

and dinner at 6

sloppy joe on a bun (1)
Trader Joe's potato pancake (2)
steamed edamame (1 serving)
water (12 oz.)

edamame

Had some writing work to catch up on, and snacked on



unsalted almonds (a fistful)
nectarine (1)

and then Tracy wandered into the room, offering a home-made

s'more (1)

It was then time to call it a night.

Day 38: A New Low

Sunday morning weigh-in: 146.8

Well that's a new low. And it's a smidge under my target weight, but experience tells me it won't hold. It is the light at the end of the tunnel, though.

Just because it's Sunday, you think you know what I had for breakfast... but you're wrong.

coffee, black Beaumont Columbian blend fair trade Keurig cup (2)
cheddar, ham, and a hard-boiled egg on a biscuit (1)

I told you I'd be mixing things up a bit after reviewing the rut I'd been in. Afterwards went to church, came back and did a little writing, went off to gather some info for an article I'm working on, came back and did a little thinning-out of the foliage on the other side of the fence (preventative maintenance, I'm hoping) — I guess it was a coming-and-going sort of day.

Somewhere in there I squeezed in a bit of lunch...


Tops Fruit-on-the-bottom cherry yogurt 
     (8 oz.)
sharp cheddar (2 oz.)
nectarine (3/4 of one — the last quarter fell 
  on the sidewalk because, I guess, I was 
   trying to eat it left-handed. Didn't work 
    too well)
water (12 oz.)

More yard work, followed by dinner...

breaded chicken tenders, baked (3)
oven-roasted potatoes (1 serving)
steamed broccoli (1 serving)
Simpler Times Pilsner (1, 12 oz. can)

and dessert

Baker's Treat Peanut Butter Wafers (1 pkg. of 2, refrigerated)

Edd and Mike of "Wheeler Dealers"

Crashed in front of the television, which we moved across the living room and hooked-up again for the evening. Saw the end of this week's So You Think You Can Dance, two old episodes of Wheeler Dealers, and an episode each of Big Bang Theory and Switched at Birth. Whew!



All of this while downing

unsalted almonds (1 Andre the Giant-sized handful)
green seedless grapes (small cluster)

Good night — you've been a great audience!

Day 37: Two Coffees "to Go," Even if You Drink Them at Home

Saturday morning weigh-in: 150.0

Hmmph. I know how to make this work, I'm just not doing it. Okay then...

Nothing says Saturday morning better than 

grits & (2) soft-boiled eggs
coffee, black (1)
coffee, milk & a shot of caramel syrup (1)

The Beaumont Columbian Roast fair trade Keurig cups from Aldi are officially a hit. But I should know better to drink two and then get in the car for a drive to Batavia. 'Nuff said.

Lois Lane's '51 Nash Rambler Airflyte?

I was in Batavia for the 2013 Grand NASHional, a car show featuring the Nash, Rambler, Hudson, and AMC makes. They were serving hot dogs and drinks in the tent over on the side. I passed; I found that I wasn't even hungry. On the way home stopped first at a farmer's market and picked up some fresh fruit and veg, and then the Kutter's Cheese Factory store in Corfu. 






Ate a

nectarine (yes, just 1) 

and drank a

Sparkling ICE crisp 
     apple-flavored bottled water (17 oz. bottle)

on the way home, and stashed the cheese and other stuff in the fridge for another time. Probably tomorrow for the cheese, as it turns out.

Dinner was mostly on the grill,
and while grilling enjoyed a

Simpler Times Pilsner (12 oz. can)

and then

NY sirloin steak (1)
yellow wax beans, salted and grilled w/olive oil (a pile)
leftover mac & chicken salad (a portion)
fresh raspberries (a bowl)
Arizona pomegranate green tea (yes, the red green tea again)

Later, snacked on some 

green seedless grapes (and no, I'm not counting the grapes)

while Tracy and I watched the DVD of the movie 
The Odd Life of Timothy Green.

What I've always thought was odd is, why white wine isn't green if it comes from green grapes.


And I believe... yes, I believe that was it for the day. See youse with Sunday's report.

Day 36: Again With the Cheese!

Friday morning weigh-in: 148.4

Over a month in, and I'm realizing a thing or two:
     a) it's simple to lose a few pounds if you really want to
     b) when you write down everything you eat and drink, then stop and look back at a week or two of entries, you see what a rut you're in. That's "you" as in "me."

So I'm going to try and add more variety to the menu. Certainly more fresh fruit and veg. I always thought that I ate way more of both than I do — Ding! — wrong again!

So, breakfast —

Cap'n Crunch, dry (1 bowl — finally, it's almost gone)
coffee, medium black Tim Horton's 
     (1 cup — this probably won't change because coffee is not boring!)

And lunch —

Tops Fruit-on-the-Bottom raspberry yogurt (8 oz.)
Baker's Treat Peanut Butter Wafers 
     (1 pkg. of 2, refrigerated)
Tropicana Apple Juice (10 oz. — 
     very apple-y, I must say)
hard-boiled egg (1)

Dinner?

Started off at the Statler City lobby bar with

Sam Adams Summer Ale (2 pints)

and then

the usual Friday pot-luck-with-friends downtown grub

chicken & veg chowder (1 generous bowl)
Swiss cheese (too much — again with the cheese!)
chicken/pasta salad (2 generous servings)
home-made whole wheat bread (2 slices)
ambrosia (1 generous serving)
Miller High Life (1 can)

And believe it or not, that's that.

Day 35: Is This Really the First Salad I've Had in a Month?

Thursday morning weigh-in: 149.0

Another boring culinary morning driving around Niagara County.

Cap'n Crunch, dry (1 bowl)
coffee, medium black, Tim Horton's

Wait a minute, there was something else. Not that I was hinting around, but when I stopped in the Subway on Pine Avenue I mentioned how good the photo on one of their signs looked, and walked out with a free sample of their

Orchard Chicken Salad (1 cup)

which has chicken, cranberries, apples, and celery. The calorie count? We don't do that here. But I'll say this: I liked it enough that I may buy one next time I'm in the mood for take-out.




Got home just in time for a light lunch of

Tops Fruit-on-the-bottom cherry yogurt
Baker's Treat Peanut Butter Wafers 
     (1 pkg. of 2, refrigerated)
Arizona pomegranate green tea (12 oz.)

Maybe I should start writing down what I do with my free time, because I can't remember what I did between lunch and dinner

Kirkwood Chicken Parmesan tenders (2)
leftover mashed potatoes, broiled (1 serving)
chef salad (what? how'd that get in there?)
Simpler Times Pilsner (12 oz. can)

Watched part of Tuesday's So You Think You Can Dance on the DVR, and then tuned in to the latest episode of Project Runway. Such drama! I helped myself to

unsalted almonds (more than a few)
Trader Jacques Fleur de Sel Caramel (the last 2)

and decided to call it a night.

Day 34: An Egg-cellent Day

Wednesday morning weigh-in: 150.4

I'm getting dizzy from this roller coaster ride also known as the weigh-in. But, trudge on we will.

You probably know my morning fare as well as I do,

Cap'n Crunch, dry (1 bowl)
coffee, medium Tim Horton's black (1 cup)

along with a lovely morning out and around the Niagara Falls area. Work, work, work. And home for lunch (in case you're wondering why I haven't been to the gym lately, it's the home improvement blues — I feel compelled to come straight home from work as long as our contractor friend is over. I'm an excellent supervisor!)

Tops Fruit-on-the-Bottom yogurt, cherry (8 oz.)
strawberries, fresh gutted (6)
unsalted almonds (a rather large handful)
water (12 oz.)
leftover grilled Italian sausage, naked 
     (1 — regular readers won't have to ask)

Then a little "supervision," a little yard work, and a little dinner (with the Little Woman working late, I was a little lazy here)

egg salad on 12 grain bread (1 sandwich)
Stockmeyer Harvest Potato Soup 
     (1 bowl — and I'm now officially over the 
          sodium limit for the month!)
pomegranate juice (12 oz.)

Had some writing to catch up on. And so I did. And while doing so enjoyed





hard-boiled egg (1)
Trader Jacques Fleur de Sel Caramel (2)
Trader Joe's Pumpernickel pretzel sticks 
     (7 — because 6 weren't enough)

And now it's off to bed, to dream of editors saying "That's good to go just as it is!"

Day 33: Dag-Blamed Vending machines!

Tuesday morning weigh-in: 151.8

and this time we'll blame it on Beer School! See? All you need is someone or something to blame and everything's A-OK!

So this morning I remembered the

Cap'n Crunch, dry (1 bowl)

but forgot a drink. And for some reason I never stopped for coffee. Perhaps my brain permanently shorted-out during last week's heat wave. Eventually I was in a building where a cold drink vending machine met me head-on. In went my buck, and out came

Powerade Mountain Berry Blast (20 0z.)

The sad part is that I was sure I was buying a bottle of water. "Gosh darn it," I remarked after examining the bottle, "whoever filled this machine really screwed-up!" Then of course, I looked at the button I had pushed, and, again of course, it said Powerade. Doh!

A quick lunch after a stop at the Artvoice office on my way home. 

Trader Joe's Greek yogurt, pomegranate (5.3 oz.)
ham & cheese roll-ups (3 — 
     this is what you have when you're too lazy to make a sandwich)
lightly-salted peanuts (a handful or so)

Quick because I thought my services were required by the home-improvement pooh-bah who's been helping with the work on our remodeling project. Alas, I wasn't needed today, so I headed over to the side yard and cut down more of the mess left from last Friday's storm. And a few small trees that, if they grew up, would have caused nothing but problems. Good-riddance to them all! Bah!

Dinner anyone? First, on the porch

file photo

Simpler Times Pilsner (1, 12 oz. can) 

and then

grilled Italian sausage on a bun 

     w/peppers & onions (1)

mashed potatoes (1 serving)
mixed steamed veggies (1 serving)
water (12 oz.)


Watched the latest installment of Under the Dome on the DVR before settling-in to some computer time, accompanied by

Clancy's baked Pita Chips (1 small bowl)
Trader Jacques Fleur de Sel Caramel (3)

after which we said good-night.

Day 32: We Enroll in Beer School

Monday morning weigh-in: 150.6

Today's... no, this week's mantra: no potato chips. Let's see how long that lasts!

Breakfast, while doing this week's New York Times crossword puzzle,

Beaumont fair trade coffee, Columbian roast (2 cups)
grits, and 2 soft-boiled eggs (this never gets tiring! - 1 bowl)

and then it was outside to continue the house foundation project. Oh, didn't I mention that? It's all tied-in with the living room remodel. Don't ask.

Lunch couldn't come soon enough.

water (4, 12 oz. each [not all at once!])
ham and cheddar on 12-grain bread (1)
Tops Fruit-on-the-Bottom yogurt, boysenberry (8 oz.)


[see paragraph 4]

Dinner? Hah!

[see lunch, but substitute 
    Trader Joe's Greek yogurt,
        mango (5.3 oz.)]

And then... and then we were off to Gene McCarthy's Tavern on Hamburg Street for Beer School. Beer School! A pint of your choice to start the evening, then a bowl of gazpacho, a cheese platter for two, and nine different beer tastes, carefully chosen to accompany nine classical music pieces played live by a pianist and a cellist. Just like the old days in Genie's back room. Hah!

Because the listings would go on and on, I'll jot them down quickly here, if you're at all interested:


the cheeses: 
smoked gouda, smoked cheddar, goat, pepperjack, Swiss — with a small assortment of crackers and a dallop of a neighbor's habeñero jam

the beers: 
a pint of Community Beer Works American IPA; 
while the tastes were Brooklyn Brewery Pilsner, Mendocino Brewing White Ale, Brewery Ommegang's Hennepin, Gordon-Biersch Brewery's Blonde Bock, New Glarus Brewing's Framboise and Cherry (2 different beers), Samuel Smith's Spicebush, Adirondack Brewing's IPA, and Michigan Brewing's Barley Wine.

According to my notes, my favorites were the two from New Glarus (only available, alas, in Wisconsin), and Mendocino Brewing's White Ale.


The Gazpacho was also fabulous.

It was a great night, but now, it's over.

Day 31: Canal Fest. Un-fried Food. Really!

Sunday morning weigh-in: 151.4

Well it was another "steady-as-she-goes" day, after all. Who'd a thunk it?

This morning had my favorite breakfast, which somehow I hadn't had all week

grits and soft-boiled eggs (2 — eggs, that is)
Beaumont fair trade Columbian coffee, black (2 cups)

and then headed out to church, which is just a short one-block walk to Canal Fest. Now you'd think anyone... anyone who's trying to control/lose weight wouldn't go anywhere near this giant celebration of fried food. But go we did, mainly to check out the annual craft show; and also to have a bit o'lunch.

chicken salad w/cranberries and walnuts on a hard roll (1)
Long Island strawberry tea, unsweetened (about 10 oz. of mostly ice)

There, see? It can be done. Was it health food? Well, no, but I still say "Yay, me!" for finding something that hadn't gone into a vat of hot fat.

After that we came home to the rather unpleasant chore of cutting up a tree which had fallen Friday evening during that storm which had just about everything but sharks. It's all out at the curb now, and I worked up an appetite for a little something before dinner.

Simpler Times Pilsner (12 oz.)

Not bad stuff. We picked it up Saturday at Trader Joe's, where they have quite a variety of beers I'd never heard of.

Dinner, was breakfast.

scrambled eggs (one-and-a-half — 
     that's what you get when you cook three eggs and split them two ways)
turkey bacon — insert joke here — (5 strips)
Trader Joe's potato pancake (one-and a half-ish — 
     cooked four, split three ways)
orange juice (12 oz.)

and dessert

Trader Jacques Fleur de Sel Caramel (3)

HGTV Star? Not this guy!

Watched the season finale of HGTV Star. Ugh, what a terrible season, probably my last time watching this show. It didn't help that while watching I snacked on

water (3, 12 oz. each)
Lay's dill pickle potato chips 
     (not many, thank God!)

I think I may be done with those chips for a while, too. Enough is enough.

Good-night, Seattle!

Day 30: Trouble Up the Thruway?

Saturday morning weigh-in: 151.4

Who of you out there is willing to take the blame for another weight gain, because it certainly can't be my fault.

Today's not looking much better, as we're scheduled to go to a friend's graduation party in Greece, N.Y., which will also necessitate a stop to the Trader Joe's in Pittsford. Oh my!

Started out the day cautiously, with

coffee, black (1 cup)
buttered bagel, plain (1 top, 1 bottom)

Then after a quick jaunt to Towne Mini, to test drive the new Paceman for an upcoming You Auto Know column, we headed up the Thruway.

Trader Joe's can be pretty tempting, but we showed quite a bit of restraint before heading off to the party. Then I shifted gears.


Coca-Cola (12 oz.)
Smarties 
     (a handful, which I mistook for M&Ms —
      surprise!)
M&Ms 
     (a handful, and no, 
      I didn't mistake them for Smarties)
pulled pork (1 sandwich)
potato salad (2 huge helpings 
     — if things go wrong today, this is why)
italian sausage w/peppers & onions, no roll 
     (2, see above)
rigatoni (a normal-sized pile)
water (16 oz.)
followed up with
Dunkin' Donuts Box O'Joe coffee, black (1 cup)
chocolate cake w/decadent frosting (1 piece... somehow only 1)


and when we got home we got into the Trader Joe's bag, while watching the DVD of the 2012 movie
2 Days in New York




Trader Jacques Fleur de Sel Caramel (3)
Trader Joe's Ode to the Classic Potato Chip potato chips 
     (not as many as I thought I'd eat, only because I wasn't 
      hungry at all)

along with

John Sleeman's India Pale Ale (341 ml)

Say good-night, Gracie.

Day 29: Le Jambalaya Est Trés Bien!

Friday morning weigh-in: 151.0

Blame it on the Arby's. Arby's! What was we thinkin'? Today's another day, however, and so we trudge on...

Cap'n Crunch, dry (1 bowl)
water (20 oz.)

and just to mix things up a bit,

water (16 oz.)

Made it home for lunch, and for once it was actually the traditional noon-time meal (meal time, that is), of

ham salad on rye (1 sandwich)
sharp cheddar (2 oz.)
strawberries (the fattest six in the container)
water (12 oz. + five more during the afternoon project)

A little bit o'time spent on the home improvement project, with the making of tonight's chicken wing dip sprinkled in between chores (hey, what better way to improve the the atmosphere in the kitchen than to crank-up the oven on a 90° afternoon?), before heading downtown to Statler City where Mike the bartender poured me

Great Lakes Brewing Co., The Wright Pils (2 pints)

before heading over to The Old House Downtown for a friendly get-together. As good as everything at the dinner buffet looked, I got hung-up on one thing and kept going back. Here's how it looks in the log book:

The Old House Downtown

jambalaya (3 bowls)
chicken wing dip w/tortilla chips 
     (1 embarrassingly-small serving)
Busch Light (12 oz. can)
strawberry rhubarb pie 
     (1 embarrassingly-small serving)



all washed down with 

home-made coffee ice cream (1 small bowl)

The drive home was especially exciting with all of the thunder and lightning... and jambalaya after-effects. Hat's off to you, Mary!

Stay classy, blog readers.

Day 28: O Cap'n! My Cap'n!

Thursday morning weigh-in: 149.2 lbs.

Steady as she goes, matey!

After the success of yesterday's frozen water bottle, I took along a couple from home for the work drive today. I wish I'd thought of that years ago. And breakfast... breakfast was something I thought of years ago (but rarely got):

original, 1963 Cap'n

Cap'n Crunch cereal, dry (1 bowl)
coffee, medium black Tim Horton's (1)
frozen water 
     (not to be confused with ice — 
      16 oz. and 20 oz.)

new, creepy Cap'n

This Cap'n Crunch seemed a little different from what I ate as a kid. For one thing it didn't seem to hurt the roof of my mouth as much; they must have rounded-off the corners or something. And for another thing, that new image of the Cap'n is just creepy. Bring back the 1963 version, I say! Someone at Quaker should walk the plank over that decision.

Lunch (no gym again, as the living room project starts to take over my entire non-working life, or so it seems) was around one o'clock

Tops Fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt, boysenberry (8 oz.)
Baker's Treat Peanut Butter Wafers (1 pkg. of 2, refrigerated)
lightly-salted peanuts (a handful or so)
water (4, 12 oz. each during the course of the afternoon)

Dinner was another lazy affair, with me filthy and Tracy getting home late

Arby's roast beef sandwich, regular (2)
Arby's onion rings
Tops Cherry Limeade (12 oz.)

and later, as Tracy, Katie, and I watched the premier of season 12 of Project Runway

John Sleeman India Pale Ale (341 ml)
Lay's potato chips, dill pickle flavor (a faceful or two; or three)

Which sent me off to bed pondering what might have been had I gone to fashion design school. Hah! Not!