Update for Saturday and Sunday

Calories:

Saturday: Under 1500

Sunday: Under 1500

Exercise:

Saturday: walked 3 miles

Sunday: took the day off

Did I eat less than 1500 calories today?

A salmon and spinach salad out made an accurate calorie count impossible. If I ate more than 1500 calories it was not by much.

Did I swim at least 1500 yards today?

Yes, 1500 yards

Did I walk 3 1/2 miles or more?

I walked 3 miles.

I am down 11 pounds at this point.

I have been busy the last few days. It is hard to keep up with this blog. If I type that I ate two granola bars and coffee with half and half for breakfast again I am going to die. I am sure my loyal readership is bored with those updates.

Since I last posted I have kept my daily caloric intake under 1500 cal/day. I am jotting down my daily calorie intake through the day. Keeping the calories under 1500 per day has been easy with the exception of last Sunday.

I missed exercise all together on Wednesday.

I am trying to swim 1500 yards per day. If I can make it to the pool that is no problem. The trouble is getting to the pool.

If I find that I didn't make it to the pool earlier in the day, then I substitute a walk of 3 1/2 miles. That is what I did today.

For the balance of this experiment I am going to just answer the following questions each day.

Did I eat less than 1500 calories today?

Did I swim at least 1500 yards today?

Did I walk 3 1/2 miles or more?

If I can answer yes to the first question as well as yes to either of the others then I think I am succeeding. Substituting walking for swimming is not going to result in meeting the swim goal, but I am getting daily exercise if I do the substitute. In fact I am swimming the 15oo yards(about 1 mile) in less than 30 minutes. When I walk it takes almost an hour to walk 3.5 miles. The real goal is weight loss and the development of new eating and exercising habits.

I am down 11 pounds at this point.

Exercise Update After 21,600 Minutes

I just reviewed my exercise efforts over what amounts to the first half of this diet. The breakdown is as follows:

Swim: 9 times for a total of 12950 yards. 1440 yard average swim

Walk: 4 times for a total of 11.45 miles. 2.86 mile average walk

Days without exercise: 2

Days with exercise: 13

I'm down 10 lbs for the diet and seem to be stalled. Maybe it is time to lean on the 'muscle weights more than fat' excuse. I do feel a little more muscle tone. I certainly feel better.

Monday Recap As Of 6 PM

Swam 1500 yards this afternoon. That is about 1 mile.


Today's Food So Far:

Coffee and cream...80c
2 Bowls of Fruit...200c
Yogurt...90c
Bowl of Cabbage Soup...400c

770c Total before dinner

Recap of Sunday

Did not post Sunday so need to catch up.

Sunday I walked 3miles in 45 minutes.

Breakfast: Coffee and cream....100c
Fruit...200c
Granola bars...360c
yogurt...180c
Tuna roll...525
Bowl of soup:
broth of chicken broth and V8 w/ beans, cabbage and turkey sausage...400c
Jamie made salad:
Romaine...5c
feta...100c
walnuts...185
avocado...80
w/ balsamic vinegar & olive oil...65

2200 Total Calories

Saturday 9 PM

Coffee with half and half....80c
12 oz nonfat plain yogurt...180c
4 granola bars...360c
medley of strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries and grapes...100c
chicken thigh...100c
1/2c cabbage and broccoli steamed with garlic, pepper, soy sauce & honey...50c
vegetable plate at Soul Fish....500c
(cabbage, black beans, pickled green tomatoes)

Total for day 1270

Walked 3 miles in under an hour...400c burned

I am enjoying the scenery of walking which makes it hard to get to the pool.

I calculated that at this level of exercise and caloric intake that I can lose about 2 lbs per week from here on out. That should put me about 15 lbs down for the end of this effort. I always loose about 5lbs right off the block. I don't really consider that true weight loss. Discounting that 5 lbs then I have lost near that 2 lbs/week rate so far. 2 lbs/week is not very rewarding. I need to look at this long range...beyond the two weeks that I have left.

Friday night 11 PM

Breakfast:
Coffee w/ half and half and pack of granola...200c

Lunch:
Arugula salad w/ balsamic vinegar, cherry tomatoes, blueberries and 1/2 lb of salmon 2T parmesan cheese...450c
Green Tea...0c

The Evening Graze:
6 oz. nonfat plain yogurt...90c
20 almonds....140c
Boca Burger...100c
Green Tea...0c
2 granola bars...180c
cherry tomatoes...25c
white wine...300c

1485c

Walked 2.2 miles

Update 15840 Minutes

15840 Minutes
14939 Calories...........901 calories under target
10450 Yards.............5390 yards behind schedule

Today:

Swim: 1200 yards

Breakfast: 288c

5 egg whites...75c
a few grape tomatoes chopped...20c
3T parmesan cheese...66c
1/2 cup broccoli chopped...27c
2T mild salsa...20c
coffee w/ half and half...80c

Lunch: 524c

tea w/ 1T honey...64c
Sunshine Burger...190c
Wheat toast...150c
mayo...120c

Dinner: 275c

Boca Burger w/ mustard...100c
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale...175c

Total Daily Calories: 1087c

Developing Habits

I've heard it said that it takes 21 days to develop a habit.

That is not even 40,000 minutes.

36 % of the way through

14400 MINUTES 36%
13852 CALORIES 35%
9250 YARDS 23%

Update Day 10

First let me add to yesterday's total. I had a veggie plate last night at Soulfish. I would share the Soulfish website except there does not appear to be one. No website but they do have great catfish. I did not eat any last night.

My three veggies:
Marinated cukes and onions.
They were very tangy and did not taste like they had too much sugar.
Mexican style Black Beans
Steamed Broccoli w/ a light dusting of parmesan cheese

Soulfish did a great job with portion control with the veggies. About 1/2 cup for each veggie. I know the veggies had little or no calories but I will claim 100 calories per dish to account for any sugar or fat that may have been added.
300 calories eaten last night

On to today

Breakfast: 260c
The regular breakfast of coffee w/ half and half...80c
Pack of two granola bars...180c

Lunch: 300

A veggie plate at Caritas Village:

My friend Carl gave me a tour of the community veggie gardens which supply this restaurant in Binghampton.

A veggie medley which included some broiled heirloom tomatoes fresh from the garden.

Apparently a meal includes dessert. I had to pass on that.

I am claiming 300 calories for that meal.

Afternoon and early evening snacks: 380c
one gala apple...80 calories
4/10 of a pound of grapes....120 calories
pack of granola bars...180 calories

Dinner: 150c
One chicken thigh skinless...100 calories
Lima Beans....50 calories


Total; 300c from last night plus 1010c for today as of 9 PM

I did not make it by the pool today, but I did walk for one hour along the river and back through South Main. 3 1/4 miles total distance. I think that burned about 400 calories.

Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut

I swam 1650 yards and then I ate the following:

one orange...60c
1/8 melon...30c
15 grapes...30c
2 egg whites...30c

and then this:


We went out for a Diet Coke and 640 calories later....The Peanut Shoppe on Main Street must be the only thing left from the old Memphis. Peanuts are still roasted the old way as shown in pic. And they still have the same number of calories as they did 50 years ago.

4oz fresh roasted peanuts in shell including tax...$1
true cost: 640 calories

1534 calories for the day.

The guy after me got a full pound plus 1/2 lb of Candy Corn. Jamie did some damage too.
Oh yea, the Peanut Shoppe had no diet drinks.

1PM Update

Breakfast

pack of two granola bars...180c
coffee with 3T half and half...60c

Morning Snack

pack of two granola bars...180c
1/2 cup blueberries...20c
8 oz yogurt...120c

Lunch
green tea with 1T honey...64c
Boca burger with 1 T ketchup...120c

Update

11520 minutes, 11008 calories, 7600 yards

It has also been confirmed that I am losing 40,000 centigrams/day on this diet.

I was not sure of the exact number but I could just feel the centigrams falling off.

40K Diet Gets New Color Scheme

background: cantaloupe
text: coffee or is that Bocaburger
title: egg white
link: blueberry
post title: white seedless grape

These colors have made me lose my appetite

8:00 PM Update...1305 calories

I need to make up for my gradual start in the pool last week. I need to swim every day and increase the distance. Last week I swam 6000 yards. I need to be swimming 10,000 yards each week. So I am behind by 4000 yards. I intended for the swimming to be back end loaded. As I progress it should get easier and I can add more distance. Today I swam 1600 yards.

Breakfast: As usual granola bars, coffee and half and half....260c

Morning snack was a bowl of melon, berries and grapes...120c

Lunch:
Turkey burger....160c
ketchup...20c
One onion cooked with the burger...30c

Afternoon snack:

small orange...70c
nonfat unsweetened yogurt...100c
granola...90c
1/4 cup blueberries...20c

After Swim Graze
2 almonds...15c
2 egg whites...30c
2 granola bars...180c
grapes...25c
4 slices of eggplant...20c
1T balsamic vinegar...5c
1T olive oil...120c
1/8 cantaloupe..40c

Update as of Midnight

Minutes: 10080
Calories: 9703
Yards: 6000

I had a 200 calorie brownie last night after I posted. That is included in the above totals

6000 yards is 3.41 miles

8/9/09 Update

No swim today

What I ate yesterday and forgot to include:

one small orange...60c

Breakfast:

Coffee w/ half and half and a packet of two granola...200c

Morning Snack:

V8...70c

Lunch:

bowl of fresh fruit...100c
w/ plain unsweetened yogurt...80c

Snack:

bowl of fruit...100c

Snack #2

2 egg whites...30c

Dinner:

Two skinless chicken wings...200c
White wine....300c
carrot ginger soup...60c
broccoli added to soup...100c
salad:
romaine w/ parmesan cheese, egg whites, raisans, balsamic vinegar, olive oil...75c

TOTAL FOR THE DAY: 1375

Burger & 2 beers & still on target

Breakfast:
granola bars and coffee w/ half and half...300c


Lunch:
bowl of mixed berries and cantaloupe...100c

Dinner:
Hamburger on bun w/ mustard, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles...500c
2 Red Stripe beers...300c

Total for the day: 1200c

Swim: 1200 yards

Diet Hits the Road

After my standard 220 calories granola, coffee and half and half, with two 18 year old daughters finally in tow, the diet took a quick road trip to Blythevegas for a birthday lunch with 82 year old Ukulele Frank. The girls made sure that we listened to country music on the drive. They have discovered the Al Green of country music, Willie Nelson. Upon arrival Frank rendered his own uked up version of Fat Man in the Bathtub

Percy made guacamole. Looked great but I can not say how it tasted. I did eat a piece of salmon and a salad with some great iced tea. Unsweetened of course. I'll call that meal 500 calories



I had nothing to do with this pasta dish:




Ukulele Frank transformed into just plain Frank of Frank, Ben and Jerry's fame. He had homemade ice cream to serve. Buttermilk sugar and orange zest. I had one spoonful and it was great: 50c



Frank's grand kids had other ideas for dessert. They made brownies.

I had a spoonful again: 100c

After an afternoon of laughs, the girls and I headed home and Cloody and Frank headed off to an 'all you can eat' seafood restaurant. No lie it is called Big Butts

Frank, Clara, Frank and Clara


I was home for dinner:

1/2 chicken breast
green beansjavascript:void(0)
red wine (It is Friday)

600 calories

Total for the day: 1470

No time to swim today.

Does anyone know the calorie count on squirrel?

Update as of Midnight

Minutes...5760
Calories..5458
Yards.....4800
Pounds....-5

Check my math. I'm not sure that I am getting enough fat to the brain.

Day 4

A good day. I was fairly busy and did not have any trouble keeping my mind off food.
I swam 1200 yards again.

Breakfast:
package of two granola bars...180c
coffee with half and half...80c

Lunch:
1 cup mixed berries...65c
1/3 cantaloupe...100c

Snack:
1 oz peanuts...170c

Sample at Costco:
details below...11 calories

Dinner:
1 cup raw spinach...7c
I would have had more but that was the last of it.
Spinach was topped with the following:
a few Craisans...50c
a few drops of olive oil..50c
a little balsamic...5c
1T Parmesan Cheese...22c

1 Bocaburger...100c
topped with 2T ketchup...40c

6 oz blueberry yogurt...140c
couldn't eat the sweet fruit at the bottom of the container.
granola bar...90c

Total calories for the day: 1111 calories

I am drinking plenty of water...the swimming is making me thirsty.


Had the treat of watching Percy navigate Costco today. She had more calories in samples than I ate all day. I had only one sample: the imitation crab meat. At 81 calories for 3 oz. I estimate that sample was worth about 11 calories. I drank a diet Coke while Percy had the huge bread roll stuffed with chicken, cheese and cream sauce at the snack bar. Again, I am sure that with the 20 oz Sprite and one refill her snack was 1000+ calories. I wish I had taken the camera.

How much olive oil?

After an afternoon snack of an orange (45c) and ten almonds (70c), my calorie count for the day stood at 445 going into dinner.

I swam 1200 yards again today.

Dinner was at Sauces, a small restaurant around the corner. This was tough. We ate at the bar and I must have had 4 waters with lime. For my meal I ordered the cumin carrots and the sauteed garlic spinach. A fine meal. I have no idea how many calories that I consumed but I am sure nearly all of them came from olive oil.

spinach...1 cup cooked...40 calories
carrots...1/2 cup....25 calories

That is 510c for the day plus whatever the calories in the olive oil. If there was a half a cup of olive oil and I don't think there is any way that was the case then that bumps me up to 1460 for the day.

Jamie thinks 1/2 cup and took this pic with her phone.

Water is the only drink for a wise man.-Thoreau