Day Something: on the road to Oz

So we are about at the half-way mark. Thing have definitely slipped around the edges, but what I'm noticing is that my eating has really shifted noticeably - much much reduced carbs, much smaller dinners, much more veg, and gazillion times more eggs. And I'm now pinging around between 187 and 189 lbs. I always considered 189lbs a target weight, as that was my never-shifting weight when I was at university. So to be back there again and even a little below is kind of amazing.

I ended up skipping in a hotel corridor the other day in an effort to get some exercise in. My room was tiny, no gym in the building, and snowing outside. A couple of very odd looks from guests wandering by, but got 2 x 5 minutes skipping in. Not the whole thing, but a little something something which is important.

Really looking forward to the trip to Australia. My mum's 70th birthday, and time hanging out with my nieces and nephews (ages 3 to 7) with whom I'm striving to be an engaged and totally cool uncle. That, and it's easing into summer there, so two or so weeks of warm weather I hope.

Back on the road, path

I'm off traveling for another three days this week, back a bit, and then off to Australia for three weeks to spend time with my family - my Mum's 70th birthday. Not sure how the diet thing is going to work there, were it's not typical to have an egg white and an apple for dinner...

Last week was a bit of a mess - missed a few days exercise, wasn't great either on the diet.

But I'm back, stretching and flexing and eating...

whining

OK, I know I'm wingeing here. I'm sure that's the kung fu way.

But my workout time feels like it's doubled because of the bloody targetted whatsits. I do an uppercut, then have to wait for everything to settle down before I do another. In the meantime the sun has risen and set...

New week, new weight

Monday morning weigh in: 189.2lbs. The lightest I've weighed for at least 10 years. And there appears to be occasional muscles showing in various places, although I'm not ripped, shredded and rippled like RenJen.

Found the workout today to be a struggle. Sit ups hurt, the dips were hard, the targetted stuff boring and impossible, the back kick incomprehensible.

The stork was fine.

an espresso

not on the banned list (at least, not mine) and I make a really good espresso at home each day (none of this Starbucks bollocks I'm afraid, Ren) - grind my beans, draw my espresso.

But today, went to a new store that just got a really good write up in Toronto. Ordered a double espresso. Gave the woman a $5 tip on a $2.50 coffee, A. because I've never done something like that before and B. because it makes this Not Just Another Coffee.

And sat at my table, and savoured it - the pale swirls in the crema like Jen's incense, the dark taste that ebbs down and out, the white cup.

crap

very sad day yesterday. My best friend, lives in the UK, my age - 42. Died overnight of a massive heart-attack. Has a wife and a young son, 2 years old.

going out to dinner

a serious block on the egg white shake thing.

still, stuck to protein for the meal, albeit it with wine. So failed, but failed less than I might have.

good news, bad news

Didn't get to my workout today - just too much other stuff going on.

But did do my skipping - a record of 340 skips without stumbling.

I'll take that small victory

Day 23 check in

Hi everyone.

Tried the smoothie w. egg whites and banana and the like last night for dinner and... hey, it actually worked. It substituted very nicely for dinner, and I'm sure I'm starting to see my checkbones now.

A good work out today. The v-sit ups were a killer.

Day 22: good trends

Weighed myself today - it's my weekly check in. I'm down to 190.6 lbs... I can't remember my start off weight, but it was at least 5lbs heavier than that. So that's good. I can see results.

That said, I'm a long way from Jen and Ren's 6-pack.

Psyched to be at home all this week, which means the eating thing is going to be a lot easier to manage. That said, it's also a lot tougher diet than I've EVER done before. Dinner feels ... extreme. Egg whites and some fruit. (Do I cook the egg whites? Drink them raw? Something else). And it's Canadian Thanksgiving today, so there is a LOT of good food on offer...

Day 19 - the diet thing

The exercises I can keep up with - I'm doing OK with all of them and seem to be getting stronger, longer, deeper, higher, etc etc. Although my sidekicks look more like an accidental spasm than anything else.

But the diet is proving tough. Carbs beckon me from every corner, crooking their plump finger at me and enticing me into the darkness...

Day 15 - good news, bad news

A skipping record for me - 385 skips in a row. Hurrah!

Finally weighed breakfast and I now see just how small a bowl of porridge I get for 120gs of carbs. *sigh*

grams of stuff

Patrick asked how I'm doing with all of that - well, not that great.

I've got no real concept of what Xg's of this and X grams of that looks like, and as I'm travelling and eating out it's proving hard to figure. I did some Google hunting, but didn't get anything useful in helping convert grams to an amount of food. (Anyone got any tips?)

I'm home for 24 hrs, so I plan to weigh and eat as I go today and tomorrow.

It's Saturday morning

4am Vancouver time, and I'm finally on my way back home.

I was doing pretty well sticking to the diet, but the last 36 hours have been a write-off. It's been near impossible to track down a piece of protein, and when I had a quick meal with an old friend in Portland it was pasta and bread. I'm starting to see just how carbs based our diets are. By "our" I mean "mine"

I'm back on the road again Monday - Friday next week: Montreal, Virginia, DC and then Connecticut. Maybe I should take protein shake powder with me