Hustle and Bustle

I was out and about today keeping appointments that took me to Washington DC. Many people love the hustle and bustle of the city, it’s great to visit but it’s really not for me, I’ll take the quiet countryside any day. The picture above shows me driving past the National World War II Memorial to my left and unfortunately you can’t see that I'm looking at the Washington Monument to my right.

I’d like to tell you my diet-to-go meals were great today but I’m getting a medical test tomorrow that required me to be on liquid diet today, so no solid food. As I stated in earlier posts I’ve been having an issue with my stomach lately. If you say prayers, how about throwing one in there for me that everything comes out OK? I did pick up our next order of DTG food at Sport & Health today and I can hardly wait for breakfast tomorrow ( Corn Bread Muffin Orange Marmalade, Cream Cheese & Orange Juice) after the test.

Sometime tomorrow, if I’m feeling up to it, I’ll be keeping my normal workout at Sport & Health.
Happy Tuesday Everyone

Still Eating Good & No Diet Sodas

I’m still eating diet-to-go meals and find them very delicious. For breakfast today I had a Wild Cherry Muffin with Apple Butter, cream cheese and an Orange. Lunch today would have been Bistro Chicken Salad but I had a substitute meal of tomato melt that tastes somewhat like pizza. Dinner tonight will be Barbecue Chicken & Sauce, Anise Roasted Potatoes, Baked Beans and Green Beans & Almonds.

I had a good workout today at Sport & Health and enjoyed an unsweetened tea from McDonalds on the way home. I can’t believe it’s been a little over one month since I’ve had a diet soda. So far I've taken quitting diet sodas one day at a time. Ice tea with Stevia for sweetness has become a reasonable substitute beverage instead of the diet sodas. I’m actually saving money because a large soda at Wendy’s was about $2.40 and a large iced tea at McDonalds is only $1.06.

I noticed back on my November 28th post that Gritsy a representative from the Zevia soda company offered me the opportunity to sample their all natural sodas that are sweetened with Stevia. I’m really tempted to try them but my biggest fear is that I’ll like or even love them. There doesn’t appear to be any local distributors out my way and a case of the sodas cost a penny shy of 24 dollars. If I were to add another 10 dollars for shipping, we’re talking about an expensive new addiction.

With that said I find myself still tempted to try them they're available in six varieties: Natural Root Beer, Natural Twist (lemon-lime), Natural Cola, Natural Orange, Natural Black Cherry, and Natural Ginger Ale. Each soda is made without any artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, or artificial flavors.

Unfortunately I’d have to learn to ration the sodas, not because of health concerns but because of cost. I've never really have been good at drinking only one soda, it's more of an all day thing once I get started.

Happy Monday Everyone

Waffles and Maple Syrup

I attended Church this morning with my wife and enjoyed the rest of the day visiting family and grandkids. My diet-to-go meals were enjoyable; for breakfast I had 2 1/2 large waffles and maple syrup which is a substitute meals for Fajita Omelet. Lunch today was Sliced Turkey Breast on a Multi-Grain Roll with Mayo & Sliced Tomato and Tomato & Mushroom Salad. Tonight I’ll be eating Vegetarian Spaghetti Pie and Cauliflower for dinner.

Tomorrow's another workout day at Sport & Health

Happy Sunday Everyone

Let It Snow

We had a little snow here in Maryland today but nothing like what they had in Texas. Today was a lazy day and I just took it easy because I found it hard to get motivated and start any new projects. I always have projects I can work on but I find it’s always easier when I have a completion deadline. It’s always easier when I need to complete a project for a family function or something like that. I need to get in the right frame of mind and as I mentioned before many times sunny days have a lot to do with my mood.

My diet-to-go meals were good as usual; breakfast was a Plain Bagel with Cream Cheese and Apple Juice. Lunch was a substitute meal for Shrimp Mango Bisque, I had a tomato melt which is very much like pizza. Dinner tonight is one of my favorites, Tamale Pie with Ground Turkey, Baked Potato, Sour Cream & Chives and Corn on the Cob.

Happy Saturday Everyone

The Right Direction

It’s really no fun losing the same weight you just lost and gained back again for the second time. Although not fun, I still believe there’s a lesson to be learned during these occasions. For me in the past it’s always been all or nothing, on the track, off the track, now I’m learning I can slip regardless of the reasons; missed workouts, vacation, bad food choices, whatever and still head back in the right direction without feeling like I’ve failed or let someone down.

As I get older I do a bit more reflection these days and I think this (all or nothing behavior) is passed down through generations in some families. It’s not so much being taught to be a perfectionist as it is having parents that are more comfortable sharing their negative thoughts because they rarely received positive reinforcement themselves and felt awkward giving or receiving it. My parents were raised in the 1920s through the Great Depression and also World War II (1939-1945). I’ve found that many of the people in my age group had similar upbringing. I feel that my parent’s generation was more focused on putting meals on the table, saving and making sure that their children wouldn’t have to experience times like they did in their childhood. Unfortunately many today are experiencing financial difficulties as well as family members being away at war.

I’m sure there were exceptions to the rule back then but I don’t remember parents in my neighborhood sharing their feelings with the kids much. It was more like, Johnny put your bike away, Johnny would ask why and the response would be, because I said so, don’t ask again. In today’s time we’d say Johnny you did a wonderful job cutting the grass and it would be so wonderful if you could do just as good a job trimming. Back then it would have been, I thought I told you to cut the grass and trim, Johnny’s reply would be, I did, parents reply, well if you trimmed what about the grass near the cloths line? There didn’t seem to be a lot of explanations in those days, or touchy feely type encounters, maybe just on the (Leave It to Beaver) show? Thankfully I think we have all learned that positive reinforcement works so much better in families as well as the work place.

As a result of this type of upbringing I always knew I was loved but I think I adapted the all or nothing attitude, do it right or don’t do it at all. So if I couldn’t diet perfectly, what’s the use, I’d give up? I never really minded making a mistake, I just felt bad letting people down. The truth is we are human and we will let each other down from time to time. I’m sure I passed some of the negative traits on to my kids before I even recognized I did, hopefully each generation gets a little better.

Oh, I almost forgot I did lose 4 ½ pounds this week and had a great workout at Sport & Health, I also picked up my next order of Diet-to-go food and all is well.

Happy Friday Everyone

Busy Day

I had a busy day today keeping doctor appointments and getting some blood work done. I guess when you get older that's what seems to keep you busy (doctor appointments)? Of course there's always BINGO waiting somewhere down the road, hopefully no time soon.

Tomorrow's another workout day for me at Sport & Health with my trainer.

Happy Thursday Everyone

Short Post

I had a good workout at Sport & Health this morning and also picked up my next order of diet-to-go food. Upon returning home I found that I was missing 3 meals in my order.
Everyone should know that this is not the norm and more of a rarity; I’m actually quite surprised there haven’t been more mistakes, after all, we’re all human not machines and my orders (delicious freshly prepared meals) have been quite accurate for nearly a year. When you consider that fast food chains have trouble getting your order correct from the order box to where you pick up the food, this little oversight is not an issue at all. Also, my dealings with diet-to-go customer service makes me feel comfortable knowing they will make it right by either quickly shipping my misplaced meals or crediting my account. I emailed them asking for a credit and I will supplement the overlooked meals with salads and yogurt.

Happy Wednesday Everyone

Too Tired To Go Out

I really don’t have much to report today except I was up a good bit of last night.
Thankfully I had recorded many Cool Tool episodes and watched several in the middle of the night when most folks are sleeping. It was my own fault, I ran out of decaffeinated tea and made regular and had a couple large glasses last night to close to bedtime.

Insanity is said to be doing the same thing over and experiencing a different result, maybe I’ll learn one day. Today’s diet-to-go meals have been very good, for breakfast Apple Oat Bran Muffin and Apple Butter with Apple Juice. For lunch I had Grilled Turkey Ham & Cheese Sandwich with Mushroom & Artichoke Salad and Apricot Pudding.

Tonight’s DTG dinner is the first meal of week 2 and I’m really just to sleepy and tired to get in the car and go out tonight. Tomorrow is my workout day at Sport & Health where I also pick up my DTG food order. I plan on eating a salad and maybe a yogurt and getting to sleep fairly early to make up for last night.

I also plan on getting to Sport & Health early and picking up the food and eating breakfast when I get home.

Wow today is December 1st already; Christmas is only 24 days away, are you kidding me?
How many of you can remember as a kid when the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas seemed like an eternity?

Happy Tuesday Everyone

I Think I’ll Call It A Day

I finally got around to using that concrete/cement mixer that I purchased on ebay and modified by adding stiffeners, wheels and handles back on November 10th. My youngest son was off work today so he agreed to help me mix and haul the many buckets of motar mud I needed in order to build a shower base by laying down a rubber membrane and pouring a moist cement shower bed for tile. The mixer really worked great and made the mixing easy, now if it could have only helped carry the buckets.

As a result of a busy morning I didn’t make it to Sport & Health for my workout at Sport & Health until 3 PM. Concrete in the morning, cardio and weights in the after noon and great diet-to-go meals, I think I’ll call it a day.

Happy Monday Everyone

Hung Out At Home

My wife wasn't feeling up to par today and as a result was up most of the night so we didn't make it to church this morning. We just hung out at home and enjoyed our diet-to-go meals today and took it easy. Tomorrow is another workout day for me at Sport & Health.

Happy Sunday Everyone

I Guess Caffeine Addiction Is For Real

Today as usual my DTG meals were filling and very good. For breakfast I had Omelet Pomodoro with Sicilian Asparagus Cuts and Tips. Lunch today was a Mirkin Burger (Vegetable Burger) on Kaiser Roll with American Cheese, Sliced Tomato, Salsa Cup and Diced Pears. Tonight’s scheduled dinner would have been Italian Chicken and Cous Cous Pilaf but I chose a substitute meal of Italian Shells. Today I just hung around the home front and continued to work on some DIY projects I started a while back.

I almost slipped today and poured myself a diet soda; I haven’t had a diet soda since Nov 5th. I believe for me stopping diet sodas is actually harder than it was to quit smoking 30 years ago. I’ve keep myself happy with unsweetened tea which is readily available from most all of the fast food restaurants. I also have been keeping packs of Stevia on hand so I can sweeten the tea and coffee when I purchase it. The problem is that I never seem to make enough at home because I drink it so regularly and quickly. Today I was outside and really wanted a cold drink while I was working. I didn’t want water and unfortunately I didn’t realize I finished the container of tea last night. Normally I just throw about 10 bags in cold water and let it steep all night, remove the bags and refrigerate. I almost went for the diet soda, when my wife reminded me the tea could be made quicker by using hot water. I guess I just got comfortable making the tea one way, thanks to my wife that pointed out the oblivious that I had overlooked as I was just looking for the quick fix. I guess Caffeine Addiction is for real.

Happy Saturday Everyone

Stinkin Thinkin - Weight Gain & I get It!

I worked out with my trainer Brian this morning at Sport & Health and I had a great workout but an unfortunate 5 lb gain at the scale this week. It would be so easy to just say I ate like a pig yesterday and leave it at that but that would not be completely true and it’s so much more complicated than that.

I’ve been doing a lot of things right but I’ve obviously been doing some things wrong here lately. I’ve been embracing what I will call (stinkin thinking) over the past 1 ½ weeks. As you know I have added two Kashi snacks to my regular diet-to-go meals daily.
This past week I’ve also purchased several bottles of carrot juice thinking it would help my stomach pain which could be coming from my gallbladder acting up? At first I didn’t care for the carrot juice but after the first bottle it started tasting thick and creamy like a carrot milk shake, as sick as that might sound, I really liked it. Also on several occasions I’ve run out of Kashi bars and thought eating multi grain pretzels could be used as substitute snacks.

Yesterday on Thanksgiving I ate my normal DTG breakfast and decided I would enjoy dinner with my family and take a moderate break from my DTG meals of lunch and dinner. My meal consisted of about a large table spoon of the following, but since I didn’t measure let’s call it ½ cup of each of the following; stuffing - ½ cup, macaroni and cheese -1/2 cup, cabbage that goes in stuffed ham – ½ cup, ½ cup limo beans, ¼” slice of ham about 6” x 4”, romaine lettuce salad with crotons and cheese. After I finished my first plate I went back for a second salad with a deviled egg and for desert I had pineapple and grapes.

Now let’s talk about what I didn’t eat that made me think I was saintly or should have gotten a good behavior award. Turkey and turkey skin, mashed potatoes, rolls, lots of ham, cookies, pretzels covered in chocolate topped with a pecan, cakes, pumpkin pie, whipped cream, cheese cake, chocolate pie, apple pie, beer, diet sodas, specialty candies and a whole lot of other goodies I didn’t bother looking at.

The funny thing is I’m not angry or mad, maybe a little disappointed, but not broken or ready to give up because, I get it! I started to make up my own rules with foods higher on the glycemic-index that turned to sugar and as far as yesterday’s meal most of what I ate was starch and loaded with salt. My trainer shared with me that he ate sensible and had only a small desert and gained 3 pounds.

I’m going to share with you a comment that was left on my blog back on July 20th by Kevin after I returned from vacation. Kevin thanks for the great wisdom that I believe applies equally as well today – Thanks, I get it!


Back On Track
Have A Great Friday Everyone


Kevin said...
Don't stress too much about the extra pounds. I really doubt that they are fat pounds. More likely, they are all water weight brought on from the change in diet. When you are on DietToGo, you are eating less calories than your body burns so the body doesn't have the ability to build up a big store of carbohydrates (for an energy store). As soon as you start eating normally (the average person needs between 2000 and 2500 calories a day to maintain their weight), the body quickly replenishes its carbohydrate store.

In order to store carbohydrates (not a fat, which is a long term energy storage mechanism), the body requires a lot of water. The water is used to store the carbohydrates in.

When you first restricted your calories when starting DietToGo, the first week you probably lost a bunch of weight. This weight was mostly water as your body burned down it's store of carbohydrates before burning fat for energy.

So, when you went on your vacation and started eating more calories a day (especially carbohydrates), you simply put back on the water weight you lost when you first restricted calories.

The good news is the water weight should come off rather quickly as you return to your diet. I bet that on vacation you probably ate more carbohydrates than you were eating (mostly from bread, I bet).

Anyway, don't sweat it. It is good to give your body a vacation every once in a while from the stress of under eating and losing weight. For us obese people, our quest has to be viewed as a marathon and not as a sprint. Eating normally for a week or two every once in a while is a good thing and not a bad thing.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I'd like to wish each of you and your families a very safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Embark On Such An Endeavor

I had a good workout at Sport & Health this morning and completed my normal cardio and weight training exercises. Upon returning home I enjoyed my diet-to-go breakfast, took a second shower and headed out with my oldest grandson to baby sit three of my other grandchildren. Normally I wouldn’t embark on such an endeavor all by myself (that’s why I took the 8 year old with me) but my wife was working at home getting ready for Thanksgiving and my son’s day care provider needed to leave at 1 PM. Everything worked out well, we colored pictures of Thanksgiving Turkeys, watched some Dora and Ben 10 and I only had to change just one diaper. My son was scheduled to be home at 4 PM but didn’t get home until 5:30 with the fog and Holiday traffic. Unfortunately I forgot to take my diet-to-go lunch with me, luckily my son had some dark wheat pretzels which I sampled to keep me satisfied until I got home for dinner.

I have to admit I’m very much out of practice and I did have to invoke a three minute time out for one. Overall we had a great day and between the gym and baby sitting Grandpa’s beat and ready for bed.

Happy Wednesday Everyone

Grandparent’s Day

Today my wife and I spent the day visiting three of our grandchildren at their school for Grandparent’s Day. We attended a morning session for one and an afternoon session for two. They said there were 677 grandparents in attendance; it’s amazing what you can do if you don’t have to go to work, isn’t it? I looked around the room and said to my wife what are we doing here with all of these old people? When I arrived home, as I looked in the mirror I got my answer, I am one of those old people it’s just hard to believe time flies by so quickly and because I’m old I guess I forget I'm old sometimes.

I ran into my old coworker and friend John and his wife at the school today. It’s funny how you can go from attending meetings and working on projects together to traveling 60 miles from work to visit your grandkids classrooms, who would have thought? We were glad to attend and the kids were pleased to have us there and we both had assignments from the kids, both written and coloring. I almost stayed in the lines for the most part but I got a cramp in my back sitting on the little chairs that sit about one foot off the ground designed for only one adult cheek. I shouldn't be complaining because if I hadn't lost weight I'd needed a row of seats to sit and a group of strong seniors to help get me up. I never knew my grandparents they had passed early before I had the chance. Being a grandparent is such a blessing because some (like my grandparents) will never get the chance to know the kids. I've always felt like I missed a lot not knowing mine and I'm pleased that my kids and their kids have had that opportunity. Of course getting and trying to stay healthy is a big part of the equation. Even with that said, you never know, a coworker of mine at age 52 died suddenly of a heart attack a couple years ago. I just got word this morning that his wife who was just accepting his passing, passed herself this week of a brain tumor, she was also in her early 50's as well. Unfortunately (like me) their grandkids will never get to know theirs either, so I don't take it for granted, it's a blessing and a gift to have and be grandparents.

My diet-to-go meals today were good so far, for breakfast I had Noodle Kugel and Applesauce with Cranberry Juice. For lunch I had Chicken Alfredo Melt with Roasted Veggie Salad and an Apple. Tomorrow’s another workout day at Sport & Health and I’m also feeling the workout in my back from yesterday. I guess healing is a slow process for grandparents and even young pro football players.

Happy Tuesday Everyone

Stretching & Lint Removal

I started the day off performing my stretching exercises at home that my trainer from Sport & Health Brian provided for me. My wife tried a few of the exercises herself and said they actually made her feel better. Before it started to rain this morning I decided to clean our dryer vent using a product I purchased after seeing it featured on the DIY show (Cool Tools.) After my stretching and lint cleaning I enjoyed my diet-to-go breakfast of Mango-Cranberry Muffin, Orange Marmalade and Yogurt Smoothie. These little projects keep me busy instead of thinking about food and this neat little rotary brush system you use with a cordless drill REALY WORKS WELL.

Our dryer vent runs about 35 foot and I generally clean it with a leaf blower. The product I purchase on line is the Lint Eater Rotary Cleaning System by Gardus, it can also be purchased at Lowes. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that clothes dryers are associated with about 15,000 fires per year which results in deaths and injuries. Fires can occur when lint builds up in the dryer or in the exhaust duct, you can see an actual cleaning at this link. If you haven’t cleaned your dryer vent lately, do your family and self a favor and maybe save your lives. My leaf blower use to do what I thought was a great job but the brush and extension kit scrubs the walls and a whole lot more lint came out that would have never come out with the blower alone.

Before heading out to Sport & Health for my regular workout I decided to eat my diet-to-go lunch of Curry Chicken Salad, Mandarin Oranges with Melba Toast. I was like in slow motion during my workout today taking everything very slow and watching out for my back, I also cut my speed back slightly on the treadmill.

I’m looking forward to one of my favorite diet-to-go dinners tonight of Italian Meatball on Fettucini, Pomodoro Sauce with a Veggie Blend.

Happy Monday Everyone

Another Birthday Celebration & Salad

Today we celebrated one of my grandchildren’s 5th birthday. The theme of the party was Ben 10 so naturally the birthday boy wore his Ben 10 halloween costume. Of course his younger brother joined suite by wearing his hulk halloween costume. As the guests arrived some felt left out because they didn’t realize it was a costumed birthday party. Of course it wasn’t a costume birthday party, but come on it was his birthday, so you had to let him wear a costume if he wanted to, especially Ben 10.

My wife and I attended church early and headed to the store then home to make a large salad to take with us. I also made a gallon of green tea and brought my Stevia for sweetness. Naturally I suggested (forced) several people try the Stevia sweetener, everyone liked it but they were making jokes about me pushing the white powder on them to get them hooked. One fellow there has been on Weight Watchers for several weeks and has lost 13 pounds, so he shared with me how glad he was to see salad was there at the party to indulge in.

I know it’s not desirable to skip meals but we’ve been running so much today we didn’t eat breakfast and figured we’d take our DTG lunch with us. In all the rush to make a 12 PM party we forgot the DTG lunch so we both had to moderate salads for lunch. We both plan on eating our DTG dinners.

I have to say that in the beginning I was really miserable when I attended parties and couldn’t partake in the great food, ice-cream and cake. It really is no longer an issue because I’ve learned to enjoy family, friends, grandkids, my tea and salads in a whole new way.

Stretching + Four

Today’s workout at Sport & Health was all about stretching exercises for my back and as I anticipated I did unfortunately gain 4 pounds since my last weigh in. Surprisingly, my trainer Brian also was anticipating a gain for me because of my 1 ½ weeks of inactivity and missed workouts.

I’m not happy about the gain and I need to move forward not backwards, but I’m trying to keep my eye on the bigger picture and not focus on minor setbacks or fluctuations like my back injury and inactivity. Brian has given me some stretching exercises to do daily to help my back. He also suggested that I swim in lieu of tread milling for a while. I’ll continue my stretching and weight training at Sport & Health and do my cardio for a while at a private indoor pool I have access to.

My diet-to-go meals today were delicious as usual, for breakfast I had Egg Quesadilla, Potato Cake and a Citrus Cup. Lunch was Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup, Corn & Spinach Salad and Yogurt Drink. Tonight’s dinner will be Chicken Stroganoff on Bow Tie Pasta, Broccoli & Carrots with Toasted Almonds.

Going back and getting started again is the hardest part, but it’s doable if you keep focused on the journey and not the sprint.

Happy Saturday Everyone

Anticipating A Gain

As most of you know I’ve hit a plateau over the past month with no losses and at times modest gains of a couple pounds. Tomorrow I will meet with my trainer Brian at Sport and Health. Because of hurting my back I’ve been totally inactive for over a week (a real couch potato). In addition, a few weeks prior I added two Kashi bars a day to my food intake. Being at home inactive I’ve also had plenty of salads and extra fruit when hungry in addition to my regular DTG meals. When I’m busy I’m not eating extra salads and fruit. Diet and exercise go hand and hand, when you take one away, there's a price to pay.

Because of this, I’m anticipating a gain; the real question is how much of a gain?
I haven’t weighted in since 10/30/2009 due to a schedule conflict and back issues.
I’ve also been experiencing issues with my stomach. The doctor thought it may be my gall bladder because I’ve lost and gained large amounts of weight many times in my life.
Tests indicated that there are no stones but it may not be operating properly? There’s also a possibility it could be a hernia or symptoms of gerd? I will most likely need to get to the bottom of it with more tests. Naturally all of this has also caused me stress trying to figure out what’s going on.

The real issue here is how will I deal with all of this? The old Steve would have thrown in the towel and called it quits with a big what’s the use. The new Steve is focused on the bigger picture and the realization that life is a journey and full of ups and downs.

I’m not sure if I’ll be working out or be doing stretching type exercises tomorrow; however I can honestly say it feels good to be getting back to a routine. The only thing I have control over is how I handle a gain and what I do about it. I really hate to gain after losing 100 pounds, however what ever it is, I chose to face it and move forward, not quit.

Happy Friday Everyone

Egg and Broccoli Pie, Oh My

I started the day with a tasty diet-to-go breakfast of Egg and Broccoli Pie and Apple Juice.
The crust is thick and flaky with egg cheese and broccoli. The pie is very large, filling and very good; I add some hot sauce to give it extra kick. My wife was out shopping with her sister today so my lunch of Michigan Turkey Salad with Dakota Roll was right on target for a lazy guy on a lazy day, all I had to do was open and eat. Dinner tonight is Blackened Turkey Loin with Carrot Chipotle Puree and Asparagus Risotto.

It was kind of a dark and overcast day and I’m still taking it easy resting the back. After laying off my workouts at Sport & Health for a week I actually feel very guilty. I meet once again with my trainer Brian on Saturday; hopefully I haven’t fallen too behind being inactive this past week?

If my new lifestyle is to be truly sustaining, it only makes sense that things like this will happen from time to time. I believe the important point to make to myself and others, is to accept it and get right back on the horse, in this case right back in the gym.

Happy Thursday Everyone

G2 Whoops!

Today I enjoyed my pancakes and sausage for breakfast and stuffed potato skins for lunch, it doesn’t really sound like diet food, does it? That’s because it’s not diet food unless you think of diet food as great tasting, reasonably portioned, reasonably priced and freshly prepared meals as diet food. Diet-to-go food has been my main food source since Jan 20, 2009 and I’ve lost 100 pounds to date.

My back is feeling a lot better and I will resume my workouts at Sport & Health with my trainer Brian on Saturday. To recap, I hurt my back at home last Friday simply bending at the waist, while turning to the right as I extended my arm and bam that’s all it took for a pulled back. I ended up missing my workouts this week as a result of the injury.

Today my brother and sister in law dropped by for an early visit, while coffee, creamer and Stevia sweetener kept me content for several hours while we were solving the mysteries of the universe. OK solving the mysteries of the universe was actually in my performance plan before retirement; we were actually just shooting the bull today.

I spent some time at the grocery store today purchasing some tea and looking for a Stevia sweetened beverage to supplement my diet soda addiction. I haven’t had a soda since Nov 5th, notice I didn’t say I quit because that seems so permanent, and I want to leave my options open, because I really miss diet sodas. I looked at so many different brands it wasn’t until I got home I realized the Pepsi low-calorie Gatorade 'G2' I purchased has 70 calories per bottle. I can't see as good as I once could so my eye focused on the 25 calories, but that was per serving and the bottle has 2.5 servings. I won't waste them so maybe I can have one after a workout, but this can’t be my diet soda replacement, way too many calories. I know many of you are saying just drink water, I do, however water alone just doesn’t work for me. I also know some of you are saying add a little lemon or orange twist, right? I did a little surfing on the net and I see that several companies will be releasing Stevia sweetened beverages in the near future; I believe Canada already has released one. Until I find a good replacement for diet sodas, iced tea sweetened with Stevia will have to do.

Happy Wednesday Everyone

Lost In Translation

My diet-to-go breakfast was tasty and filling, I had a Greek Style Burrito with Chicken Sausage and Fajita Veggies. Yesterday I cooked up some onions and mushrooms and placed them in the refrigerator. This morning I scooped I hefty portion of the cooked heated vegetables on my Burrito which was heated in the toaster oven. I just finished lunch which is one of my favorites (Tomato Pesto Meltover) and Apple Cake. If you haven’t guessed already I used the remaining cooked onions and mushrooms to top off my Tomato Pesto Meltover, it was delicious.

I’m still nursing the sore back, but it’s feeling a little better everyday. I have my option of resting until my scheduled workout with my trainer Brain at Sport & Health this Saturday morning or working out Thursday if I’m able. If my back is not feeling normal by Saturday morning my trainer Brian will help me with some stretching exercises instead of my normal routine. A few years ago my supervisor hurt his back bending over and as a result missed over a week from work. I guess I really never fully understood how such a simple action could cause such pain, but it really does, and I do now!

Since I can’t talk about my workout and I’m sure you are tired of hearing about my back I thought I’d share a humorous adventure my son shared with me. My son works with a gentleman that came to the USA from Albania several years ago, I've actually met him and he's a very nice guy. Recently while they were working together my son told him he was running out to the store to get some liquid nails. Apparently something was lost in translation but the outcome was kind of funny. When my son returned to the job site his coworker asked, (with a slight accent) so bro, where are these water screws and how are they used?” I have to admit the thought of learning a new language and understanding a (liquid nail) would be difficult in any translation.

Happy Tuesday Everyone

Watch Your Hands

I knew when I woke up this morning that I would not be working out today at Sport & Health. It’s really strange how such a small action like bending and turning could throw my back out so easily but I can assure you it did. I’ve been using a heating pad off and on and it’s actually been painful just to turn on my side at night while sleeping. Just the effort of lifting my body and initiating the turn becomes a big event. My back is feeling a little better but it still is hurting and has muscle spasms. Wednesday is my next workout day; I’m really hoping I feel well enough to return after resting today and tomorrow. I didn’t need consensus from anyone not to workout Saturday or today, the pain in my back made it easy to utilize common sense for my decision.

Diet-to-go meals were very good today and as follows: Breakfast - Cranberry Oat Scone, Orange Marmalade and Orange Juice, Lunch - Turkey Cutlet Sub - Seasoned Turkey Cutlet & Pepper Relish on a Wheat Sub Roll and Applesauce, Dinner - Chugwater Chili, Sour Cream and Shredded Mozzarella Biscuit.

I’ll share a little something with you all that brought me a big smile today. We picked up our 2 year old granddaughter today and brought her to our house for a couple of hours. After I got her out of the car seat I opened the tailgate to get a small bag from the back compartment. As I got ready to close the tailgate I moved her to the side and said “watch your hands.” As I closed the tailgate with her safely to the side, I realized she had both of her hands in front of her, staring at both of them. As I realized she literally was watching her hands as I had asked her to do, I got a big smile on my face and just laughed to myself until I could share the precious moment with Granny and now all of you.

As I’ve said many times before grand kids are such a blessing.

Happy Monday Everyone

I No Longer Dwell On It

My wife and I started our day with our diet-to-go breakfast of a Peachy Keen Muffin, Apple Butter and Cranberry Juice. After we attended Church we picked up chocolate donuts and stopped in to visit the grand kids for an hour. After our visit (no donuts for us) we headed home for our DTG lunch of Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Honey Wheat Roll. Ya know, after avoiding goodies like chocolate donuts for 10 months, it's really not that hard anymore to pass them up. Naturally I still would like one (OK, a half dozen) but I no longer dwell on it.

More rest, relaxation and the heating pad were in order for my back today. I’m looking forward to dinner tonight; we’re having Turkey Salisbury Steak with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes, Whole Green Beans and Sesame Breadsticks.

Let’s just call today another day of rest. Hopefully I’ll feel well enough tomorrow to perform my workout at Sport & Health, or at least a portion of it.

Happy Sunday Everyone

Absolutely Nothing

Unfortunately I did absolutely nothing today except use my heating pad on my lower back and enjoyed my diet-to-go meals. Breakfast was one of my favorites, 2 and 1/2 large Waffles with Peaches & Apples in Syrup. Lunch was 1 and 1/2 Reuben Sandwiches -Grilled Turkey Ham & Swiss with Russian Dressing, Mushroom & Artichoke Salad and Citrus Fruit Cup. Dinner tonight is Chicken Parmesan, Broccoli Florets and Whole Grain Roll. I'm sorry I missed my workout today but there is no way I could have gotten through it with my back still hurting.

I'm hoping with another day of rest I'll be able to do something on Monday.
When you're not feeling well it certainly is nice not to have to think about what you are going to eat for meals, the planning and preparation is all done by Diet-to-go.

Happy Saturday Everyone

Stranger In The Gym

I woke up this morning feeling great and had my diet-to-go breakfast of Plain Bagel
and Cream Cheese. My new grandchild was over for an early morning visit and he was crying very loudly as his mom changed him on a blanket on the couch. I thought I could possibly comfort him and I simply bent down from the waist turned slightly to my right and brushed his hair back with my hand. My gesture did somewhat comfort him but as I made this motion I felt something pull in my lower back and let out a groan.

My wife and I were headed out for a 2+ hour drive to Baltimore and I really didn’t give my back another thought. When we arrived at our destination and I went to get out of the car I felt like I could hardly walk without back pain and spasms. My foot and leg felt as if they were a heavy weight and difficult to lift as I walked. We arrived home about 5 hours later and my back hurt even worse. I stopped at Sport & Health and picked up our next order of DTG food and I felt like a stranger in the gym. Here I am lifting weights since January and feeling strong and now it’s taking everything I can muster to carry the two bags to the car like a little old man, OK big old man.

I called my trainer and told him about my back and told him I’d sleep on it and see if it feels any better in the morning before canceling my training workout. I really have my doubts based on the way it’s feeling right now that I’ll be working out tomorrow.

I’ve taken some Tylenol and plan on using the heating pad.

Happy Friday Everyone

Laziness Had Set In

Like usual I started my day with my diet-to-go breakfast, today’s was a Homemade Cinnamon Power Bar, Yogurt and Orange Juice, It’s really quite delcious. I generally take the power bar and cut it into 3 slices and heat it in the microwave to enjoy with a cup of coffee.

Lunch was great on a rainy chilly day here in MD I had Broccoli & Cheddar Soup,
and 2 large Soft Pretzels with Mustard. Dinner tonight is Stir Fry Chicken with Oriental Veggies and Brown Rice.

I had several DIY projects I planned on starting today but just about the time I was ready to begin we lost power due to the rainy windy conditions we’re having here which they say is a nor eastern storm. After the power was restored I really had lost my drive to get everything out and begin because laziness had set in.

I just kind of hung around the house and took it easy, two days of rain and I’m once again ready for some sunshine please. Tomorrow was to be my workout day at Sport & Health but I have an appointment that conflicts with the scheduled workout so I will meet with my trainer on Saturday at Sport & Health for my workout.

I've still had no diet sodas, but man do I miss them really bad.
Happy Thursday Everyone

First And Foremost

First and foremost I’d like to say Happy Veterans Day to all present and past military personnel and their families.Thank you for all that you have done to keep our Country safe and free.


I left before breakfast and arrived at Sport & Health for an early morning workout. I thought because of the Holiday it would be crowded but surprising it wasn’t. I spent about and hour and 45 minutes completing my workout and made my way home for my diet-to-go breakfast of Cranapple Muffin, CranOrange Cream Cheese and an Orange. Lunch today was Ravioletti Pasta Salad with Everything Flat Bread.

After lunch my wife and I headed out to Virginia to my son’s house to help him install a ceiling fan and large foyer light. It’s been raining here in MD and Virginia all day and the temperature has been hanging around 47 degrees.

Happy Wednesday Everyone

EBAY Detour

It seems like when I start a project I generally create other little project detours in order to complete the first project. Personally I think this is a good thing because for me the secret to not eating food I don’t need or really want is to keep busy.

Currently I’m building a shower base where you lay down a rubber membrane and pour a cement shower bed for tile. I could rent a concrete mixer or buy a new small one but I generally do things the hard way for some reason. I've checked the local want ads with no luck so I did a local search on ebay and bid on two concrete mixers, the one I won for 80.00 bucks including tax is an old electric (some surface rust) mixer made by J.B. Foote Foundry Co, Inc, but it’s large and works. The gas powered one I didn’t win I lost by 1 dollar went really cheap for about 30 dollars. You win some you lose some, right?

The one I purchased I picked up today and it had no wheels or way to carry it from place to place. I had some tire wheels I bought for a prior project and spent a few hours outside modifying the mixer with wheels, raised height, and handles to lift and push it around.
I was so busy I actually forgot to eat lunch and didn’t pick up my diet-to-go order yet.
I guess when I forget to eat I’m having fun so again this is a good thing for me.

Tomorrow is another workout day for me at Sport & Health.
Happy Tuesday Everyone

What Are You Doing, Changing Up On Me?

I had a good workout today at Sport & Health and for the last couple of months I’ve been going to the same fast food drive through getting a diet soda after my workouts. I knew I was drinking way too many diet sodas when the lady at the drive through hands me an unsweetened ice tea with a comment of “What Are You Doing, Changing Up On Me?” I replied with yes I’m trying to quit and it’s very hard, she replied with “you don’t have to tell me, I know”.

Today I brought my stevia sweetener with me and added it to my tea for sweetness. I’m sorry I keep talking about diet sodas and sweeteners but apparently diet sodas obviously played a big part in my daily life. I’m not sure if I’m addicted to the carbonation, caffeine, flavor or just having something to do similar to smoking.
Iced tea is OK and so far I’ve had no diet sodas since Thursday, November 5, 2009. I enjoyed my DTG breakfast of Strawberry Banana Muffin with Vanilla Cream Cheese and an Apple this morning. For lunch I had a tomato melt which is a substitution meal. Dinner tonight is Tomato Veggie Pie, Cous Cous and Angel Food Cake for desert.

Happy Monday Everyone

Sweet Leaf Stevia Brand Wins

I’m happy to report that I put the Sweet Leaf Stevia brand to the taste test in my coffee and cold iced tea and it does taste great with no after taste. Because it’s cleaned with only water opposed to chemicals I will most likely only buy the Sweet Leaf brand in the future. It’s true the other two brands cleaned with chemicals taste better out of the pack, but I really never plan on eating it out of the pack so Sweet Leaf wins hands down. I’m thinking no chemicals are a good thing. Thanks again Erin for the healthy insight and info, I'm glad I took the next step to try it in cold tea and coffee.

My wife and I had our diet-to-go breakfast of Eggs Florentine and Chicken Sausage with Asparagus Spears then headed off to Church. Lunch today is one of my favorites (Tuna Meltovers) which we both eat cold opposed to heating and Peach Crisp for dessert. Dinner tonight is Chicken Creole, Creole Vegetables, Brown Rice and a Whole Grain Roll.

Tomorrow’s another workout day for me at Sport & Health.
Happy Sunday Everyone