It's been a good week

I have eaten very well this week.  The test strips have shown me to be in ketosis all the time.  Even after my meal on Wednesday which I added a couple glass of Irish. The downside was that I was too occupied to exercise.  Maybe this will be the weekend I exercise at home. We'll see.

I have been spending most of my time in the hotel listening to books on tape.  I purchased a small speaker for my iPod.  It was really cheap ($7.00) and has a rechargeable battery.  Now if I am in my room, I am listening to an audio book or podcast.  Another advantage is I have not turned the television on during my travels the last two weeks.  The only television I watch is at home on the weekends and at a restaurant/bar which is showing sports.  I am proud of this accomplishment.

Next week I travel to Indianapolis for a conference.  I am predicting that we will be going out to eat quite a bit.  I may have to search the greater Omaha area for some Quest Bars.

Wonderful Weekend

Great time this weekend.  I was able to stay clean with the exception of a handful of trial mix this weekend.  Still able to stay in ketosis for 3 weeks straight.

The weather was above 50 and I fired up the grill.  We had fillets and I cooked my first spaghetti squash.  Both were great.

Leftovers the next night were even better for some reason.  I am planning on spaghetti squash being part of my diet on a regular basis.

Last night I tried a garlic Casar salad.  It was pretty good.  I will choose it over the regular any time.  Plus I will buy extra Parmesan cheese to make it even better.

A Great Idea

When visiting my parents, I picked up a great idea.  My father used to be a voracious reader until his stroke.  He now enjoys books on tape/CD.  He does not use ear buds or head phones to listen.  Instead he just plays them over a speaker. 

I listen to many audio books when away on business.  When driving I can listen through the car's speakers. Otherwise I had been listening with my ear buds.  I miss a lot of time listening to my audio books when in my hotel room when I usually have the television on.  The only time I listen other than in the car is when I am out walking. 

After seeing what my father is doing, I thought that if I can find a small and inexpensive speaker for my iPod, I could listen to my audiobooks and podcasts while in my hotel room: working out, playing pc games, crunching numbers for work.  I found a small and inexpensive speaker that is rechargeable and I did not turn on the television in my room once.  I think I am on to something here.

After the Return

I am back from vacation.  Went to Arizona to see my parents and do some chores: put up a ceiling fan and unclog a couple drains.  The weather did not cooperate at all.  It froze every night and we had to let the faucets drip.  The days only got into the 40's.  Hey, still better than it was in Nebraska.

Too soon and I am back on the road.  My weight was down to 183lbs. before I left.  I'll do the whole workup Friday morning and Saturday.

A full workout followed by a dip in the hot tub and left me totally drained.  I think I will only work on my gut and arms tonight.

Huge omelet for breakfast today.  Will go out for lunch with a coworker and then a good meal for dinner.

I find it hard to separate my beliefs that I grew up with from actual facts that disagree.  If there is a "study" that disagrees with what I believe, I will dig until I find the study and the data.  Most times I find that the data is not whole, does not support the conclusion, or has been manipulated so it yield results that are skewed to the beliefs of the researchers. I love to do this.  If the study is sound and the results are not what I believed to be true, I can change my position to accept it.

My problem is if there is a study supporting my belief, I accept it.  No questions asked.  I have gotten blindsided when quoting these studies and it is argued that they were not sound.  Not that they were incorrect, just the data did not support the conclusion. Then it does not matter if I can offer a study that does support it.  My position is on shaky ground and that one misstep will keep coming back to haunt me.

It has been awhile since I was able to sit in front of my computer. I will not bore you with trying to update you on what I have been doing since my last post.  I found my tape measure again and updated my graph:










 

Holding pretty steady for awhile now.  This week has been low calories because I have been working so many hours.  Tonight I will have a nice big steak with broccoli smothered in butter.

Had to buy a couple of pairs of jeans. My old ones were wearing out.  I usually buy 34X30, but I fit into 33X30.  Being optimistic, I bough the cheapest jeans possible.  I do not expect them to last very long, possibly 3 months. Then if all goes well, I will buy an even skinnier pair. Sound like a plan?  Anyone out there?

My relaxation plan went somewhat askew.  With losses by the Green Bay Packers and Nebraska Huskers, I found it hard to remain relaxed.  I had to do the all you can eat wings therapy at Quaker Steak and Lube to get back to relaxed mode (full and sleepy).  Then I stayed up till after 1:00am watching Return of the King with my oldest.

Today, I am back to work in the basement office.  Running out of busy work and will have to start a real project later this afternoon.

L8r,