Still sick

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Since yesterday's pigout and water swilling did bubkes, according to the scale (on the upside, this is the lowest weight I've been at in years). I feel feverish, achy and yucky, and I just want to go back to bed.

So I am.

WEIGHT: 306.8

FOOD FOR THE DAY: Nothing yet -- no real appetite. Maybe a protein shake in a bit.

Oh. That's why.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

I'm sick. So's my boss, apparently.

I tried to do a bike ride last night, almost fell off after 15 minutes, woke up this morning feeling like I'd been beaten all night. Am currently drinking as much water as I can choke down, and took a C and two Ds. Exercise is cancelled for tonight.

WEIGHT: 307.6

FOOD FOR THE DAY: 10 oz steak, 1 handful french fries, 3 shrimp, 2 pieces of bread, a small caesar salad, a grande nonfat mocha frap, two scrambled eggs, 5 oz steak from a t-bone, half a hashed brown serving, 3 pancakes, and God help the person who gives me shit about it right now because I wanted something hot and IHOP was the only thing open at 11:30 PM, okay?

I've had seven hours of sleep

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

A little more, even -- went to bed around 9:30 PM last night (rest day, after all), woke up this morning around 5:00 AM. So why am I still tired?

My brain hates me.

At least getting up at Oh My God It's Early meant I got into the office early, which means I get to leave early, so I'll have time to do a bunch of stuff (guitar practice, editing, working on a sewing project and putting together Episode 117) this afternoon/evening before the gym. I may not like this kind of schedule, but it does allow for a lot of achievement.

WEIGHT: 307.6

FOOD FOR THE DAY: 2 scrambled eggs w/salsa, 2 pieces of bacon, a hashed brown patty and two pieces of toast (yeah, yeah, I know -- I was also freaking starving), a Thai chicken wrap, a cup of fruit salad, a Barq's Root Beer, a low-fat beef hot dog, 2 Vietnamese spring rolls, one bowl of pho.

What do I want?

Sunday, August 22, 2010

I've been thinking about that in the last couple of days, especially since I've been harping on my weight instead of my improving levels of fitness, which is the actual goal here. And my levels are definitely improving -- not only are the increasing times and levels I'm doing on the bike and in the pool demonstrating that, but I'm starting to see definition in my forearms and calves that's thrilling me to the bone. Even my upper arms and thighs are changing shape, and while my trunk is always the last to show any changes, I think I'm starting to see a couple of hints of muscle buildup there, too. By the time the triathlon rolls around, I will (please God) be ready for it.

I will also still be considered obese by the medical community, since I probably won't be anywhere below 250 pounds by then (BMI? Can kiss my ass -- weightlifters are considered obese by BMI measurements, which tells you something about that particular measurement). But that's okay, because the goal here isn't to lose weight -- it's to put on muscle, extend my stamina, and be able to successfully compete in an indoor triathlon. Any weight loss is, to be honest, just a pleasant fringe benefit.

That being said, I would be lying if I said I didn't like the idea of eventually, maybe, being just the tiniest bit ripped. Not slender (I suspect that's genetically impossible, nor do I particularly want that body shape), but lean, strong and muscular, like, oh, Gabrielle Reece:


Now, can I achieve a shape like this in my mid-40s? I don't know, even with plastic surgery to take in the excess skin (although Becky Griggs has made it very clear that it's not impossible). But hell, if I could get at least within spitting distance of a shape like this, I would be thrilled out of my gourd.

But I'm not trying to pay much attention to that at the moment -- right now, the immediate goal is to perform a 10-minute swim and a 30-minute biking session consecutively. That's hella more important than looking nice in a tank top.

Well, lookee there!

Added weights to the workout last night, and all of a sudden le plateau c'est cracked. Granted, I also didn't get up until noon or so, but still.

And today is Cheat Day, so since I pretty much splurged at the Cheesecake Factory on their Crispy Chicken Sandwich (oh, God, I do believe I would eat Spam willingly if it was covered with chipotle mayo), I may wind up doing leg weights tonight as well as bumping up the bike program to 5. It's still bitching hot out there, so I'm going to skip the swimming until later this week when the temps are supposed to drop down into more bearable levels. I keep this up, and running won't be that far off -- whee!

WEIGHT: 307.6

FOOD FOR THE DAY: 3 pieces of French bread with butter, a crispy coated chicken breast, chipotle mayo, french fries, a grande nonfat Starbucks mocha frappuccino with a shot of hazelnut, 1 liver sausage sandwich, 2 dill pickle slices.

The plateau continues

Friday, August 20, 2010

Which really, REALLY means more protein and weights, plus a touch more water, methinks. I should have done weights last night, but I stalled at home (I discovered the SHERLOCK fanfic community on LiveJournal and got sucked in, dammit) and wound up only having enough time to cycle (although I did bump the cycling program up to level 6 for a couple of minutes, until the burn got to be too bad and I dialed it back to 5. Got off the bike and woo, I could feel those extra levels). Tonight, I'm getting to the gym by 10:00 PM at the very latest -- a full hour should give me enough time on the bike AND the iron.

Looking back on it, I'm not really surprised at the plateau -- this has been a very stressful week, and we all know the effects of stress on Melanie's cortisol levels. The fact that I haven't ballooned up a couple or five pounds from retained water is, frankly, amazing, as is the fact that I haven't dived face-first into a plate full of comfort food despite the temptation. And oh, boy, there was temptation.

But now it's the weekend in a half hour for me -- in addition to editing and maybe taking in a movie or two with the Bodacious Brit, there is housework and (if the weather isn't too horrendous) yardwork in my future, which should have a pleasant effect on my stamina.

WEIGHT: 308.6

FOOD FOR THE DAY: 2 SB meal bars, 3 large chunks of roasted chicken, a scoop each of tabouleh, hummus and potato chunks, 1 floret of roasted cauliflower, a small portion of Greek salad, 3 starlight mints, 1 liver sausage sandwich, 2 dill pickle spears, 1 Weight Watchers English toffee ice cream bar.

I seem to be plateauing a bit

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Weight's been pretty much the same for the last 3-4 days, which one on hand is good -- the bod is consolidating the recent losses and finding a new stabilization point.

On the other hand, I probably need to add more protein to the diet, and step up the exercise, which means heavier weights and more time in the pool. I'm up to 24 laps in the pool, and yesterday's walk was my first time moving my own mass around on land (since I'm doing an indoor triathlon it's okay that I train on gym bikes, but there really is a huge difference between spinning and actually moving your own mass around on a bike).

WEIGHT: 308.2

FOOD FOR THE DAY: 1 SB meal bar, 1 Thai chicken wrap, 1 cup fruit salad (strawberries, melon, pineapple, kiwi, no syrup), 1 small caesar salad.

We have met stress, and kicked it right in the 'nads

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

I was not looking forward to today at all, because I knew it was going to be frantic, hectic, and a couple of other words ending in -tic due to things involving me wearing metaphoric white armor and carrying a blaster. I also knew that getting lunch at the regular time would probably not be happening due to said activities.

Before now, this would have resulted in me pounding down enough sugar to send a rhino into a diabetic coma just to handle the day, and feeling absolutely run down and lousy as a result. So I planned ahead -- I ate my meal bar first thing in the morning, then indulged in a walnut muffin mid-morning because I was going to damn well need the carbs by 2:00 PM. Which I did, as it turned out, but as a result of said carbs I did not have a meltdown, threaten to stab anyone or grab a couple of beers from the fridge and pop the emergency exit slide, so that was all good.

After the inital crisis was over, I had my usual thai chicken wrap and salad (cucumber/tomato/onion this time, and I have no idea where they get their tomatoes from but the damn things literally taste like plastic -- eurgh) for a late lunch, then came home after more work and had a couple of peanut butter sandwiches and an ounce of the yummy spicy popcorn for dinner. I may well have a protein shake as well later on, I don't know. I do know that I feel a heck of a lot better than I have after previous days like this.

That's all well and good, Mel, you point out, but don't you think you're overdoing it on the food a little in reaction to the stress? Actually, no -- having taken a look at my food intake yesterday (see, there's a REASON why I write everything down), I realized that I'd brought my calorie intake down a little too low by 600 calories or so. Yes, it's possible to bring your calorie intake down too low, especially if you're working out at the same time -- your body tends to think there's a famine going on and goes into lockdown mode. So today I stayed pretty much right around my target caloric intake, and I can feel the difference in my mood and energy level.

In fact, I was feeling so spandy, I went for a rather lovely walk, as we had something of a sprinkle here that did a nice job of cooling the temps down to reasonable levels (I mean, it's 8:30 PM and it's already down to 90 F -- that's just crazy cool). Since I could go outside without melting, I strolled around the neighborhood for a bit, checked out the local park and bike trails, then hightailed it home and set up the sprinkler in our front yard (which I have to go move in a bit).

This is a huge improvement on being curled in a fetal ball, let me tell you.

WEIGHT: 308.2

FOOD FOR THE DAY: 1 SB meal bar, a banana walnut muffin, a Thai chicken wrap, a small cucumber/tomato/onion salad, 2 peanut butter sandwiches with homemade marmalade, 1 oz. of Hotch chili con queso popcorn.

Is my hair on fire?

Monday, August 16, 2010

Or am I just running around like it is?

Oy. At least Saturday was wonderful. I keep trying to reconnect with how I felt then.

WEIGHT: 308.2

FOOD FOR THE DAY: 1 SB meal bar, 1 thai chicken wrap, 1 banana, 1 small caesar salad, 1 peanut butter sandwich, 2 clemetines, 1 handful of grapes

Well, look at that

Sunday, August 15, 2010

WEIGHT: 308.0

And that's after yesterday's sushifest. I'm good with that. As well as Cheat Day, I'm also taking today as my break day instead of tomorrow so that I can convince my brain to shut down at a reasonable time (work tomorrow, you see). The fact that I spent about 20 minutes out in some truly filthy heat trimming back the hedge hiding the pool pump so that a repair guy could come in and fix the pump motor that apparently went blooey may have had something to do with it, as well.

FOOD FOR THE DAY: Five Guys burger and regular fries, peanut butter sandwich, 1 oz. Hotch chili con queso popcorn, 4 clementines, handful of grapes, and one PB/chocolate protein shake.

Video Post 04: Saturday In The Pool With Melanie

Saturday, August 14, 2010

I really need to take Chlor-Trimeton more often

Because when I get sniffly and stuffed up from my allergies, I can't hear squat, and as a result I couldn't hear exactly what the waitress at Genroku was asking me after I gave her my sushi order (1 spider roll, 1 avocado roll, 2 pieces each of egg and cooked shrimp). I thought she was saying, "Are you sure you want the separate sushi pieces," to which I nodded yes because I was ferociously hungry.

A few minutes later, I get a platter with my spider roll, avocado roll...and 4 pieces of egg and shrimp sushi respectively. Turns out one order includes two pieces. Oh. Okay, good to know (and I bought some more Chlor-Trimeton later when I did the food shopping. Stupid sinuses).

But that's okay, because I did a training swim this afternoon (been away from the pool too long due to the heat -- bad triathlete, no new gear), and tonight is biking and weightlifting, plus some housecleaning I have scheduled for this evening. And besides, Genroku sushi is da bomb.

WEIGHT: 308.2 (Yeah, yeah. I'll be impressed when I drop below 306.9.)

FOOD FOR THE DAY: 1 spider roll, 1 avocado roll, 4 pieces each of egg and cooked shrimp sushi, a peanut butter sandwich, 1 oz. of Hotch chili con queso popcorn, 2 clementines, five chocolate-covered espresso beans, 1 chocolate/PB protein shake, 2 pieces of teriyaki beef jerky, and a handful of grapes.

The Process of Cravings

Friday, August 13, 2010

Okay, so the fact that I didn't have breakfast and ate a relatively small lunch added to various other stressors have awoken a desire. Namely, a desire to go to Starbuck's and order a grande Tazo green tea blended creme drink.

Not the healthiest thing in the world, true. But I can leave off the whipped cream and have it made with nonfat milk, I tell myself, and that's only 290 calories. With 67 grams of carbs, true, which would comprise close to a quarter of the usual carbs in a 2,000 cal diet, but still...

This, my friends, is where I use psychology to its fullest advantage. I have a Cheat Day where I can eat and drink pretty much anything I like -- my Cheat Day is Sunday, two days away. So I study this craving and think, "Yeah, that would taste really good. And I'll get myself one...on Sunday. In the meantime, I need to address the fact that I'm hungry, the cafeteria is closed and I'm stuck here for another 2.5 hours without cash for the vending machines. Where can I get something quick, tasty and at least relatively healthy?"

Going out to get something is an option, but we're pretty much surrounded by fast food joints and I just can't choke down a fast food salad, I'm sorry. A fast rummage through my purse, however, and SCORE -- I have just enough change to get a bag of light butter popcorn from the machines. Once again, not the healthiest thing in the world, but a huge improvement over PopTarts and it'll hold me until I get home to the food in my fridge.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get my snack on.

The morning after

My ass is still complaining about the bike ride last night, but my legs feel amazing. One of the cool things about regular exercise is that it sucks donkey gonads when you start doing it (and yeah, it continues to suck when you're tired, stressed or just not in the mood to get to the gym), but once you settle into a routine, you really do get this burst of endorphins that make you feel damn good about yourself. You may be dripping sweat and aching in places you never thought you'd ache directly after the exercise, but there's this sneaky little internal cheer of "Hell yeah -- go me!" that makes you grin even as you limp to the shower.

WEIGHT: 309.8

FOOD FOR THE DAY: 3/4 of a caesar salad and 3/4 of an 8" pepperoni pan pizza (team-building lunch, so I figured what the hell, and I STILL couldn't finish the damn pizza), 1 bag of light butter popcorn, 1 peanut butter sandwich, 1 oz. Hotch chili con queso popcorn, 1 Weight Watchers English toffee crunch ice cream bar.

Ow.

Just did 30 minutes on the regular bike, and I would kill for a chamois. Up until now I've been using the reclining bike, but I figure I'll have to use a regular exercise cycle for the indoor triathlon, so I may as well suck it up and start riding on that.

And yes, my butt bones are killing me. But I still did a full 30 minutes and I can feel the difference in my legs from the reclining bike, so that kicks ass.

FOOD FOR THE DAY: A poppy seed bagel with cream cheese, a Thai chicken wrap, a large fruit cup (pineapple, melon, strawberry, no syrup), one banana, a chicken caesar salad with two chicken breasts and three teaspoons of Marie's caesar salad dressing, one helping of chocolate-covered espresso beans (I know, I know, but it's 120 calories and they're YUMMY), and four pieces of teriyaki beef jerky.

Hee, hee, hee...

Thursday, August 12, 2010

WEIGHT: 310.8

And gosh, the Crimson Tide is over, plus I did the usual riding/weightlifting combo last night. Hands up of people who are surprised? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

So the downward trend recommences, and I've decided what my goal/reward is, because it's much easier for me to work towards something concrete that I REALLY want. And in this case, I want a day off where I don't have to do anything.

As soon as the scale reads 299.9, I will be scheduling a lovely day for myself, during which I may well find a nice spa somewhere and get a facial, manicure, massage, or something pampering like that. Woohoo!

Video Post 03

See?

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

311.6 as of this morning, and I had three boneless pork chops and a can of corn for dinner, then was so damn tired that I just went to bed instead of hitting the gym. Which seems to show that you really do need sleep as well as good nutrition and exercise.

FOOD FOR THE DAY: SB bar for breakfast, and sushi (a spider roll, an avocado roll, two pieces of omelette, two pieces of cooked shrimp and one piece of squid) and two small scoops of green tea ice cream for lunch. I love sushi, but I'm always hungry a couple of hours later, and today isn't any different.

Somewhat bummed

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Over a bunch of little things, none of which I can really do anything about at the moment, but they're aggregating to a level that really aggravates me (and yes, I did that deliberately -- isn't it pretty?).

Of course, the Crimson Tide's habit of carbonating hormones isn't helping things any, nor is the fact that I drank a ton of water yesterday in an attempt to keep my throat wet and non-irritated (stupid allergies) and promptly added another pound as a result. It's water weight -- I KNOW it's water weight. It will come off on Thursday. But in the meantime it's like, "Really? I really need this now?"

Nonetheless, I hit the gym last night and did 40 minutes on the bike, so booyah for me, and tonight should be biking, weights and maybe a swim if the water cools off at all. I wish people actually read this so that someone would kinda slap me upside the head and say, "Oh, get over yourself, Mel -- you're sticking to the exercise and you're eating reasonably. Everything will be fine."

What I really need...is a treat, something to look forward to (and work towards). Maybe a clothes spree once I hit 300? A day off? Must think about this a bit...

WEIGHT: 312.4

FOOD FOR THE DAY: A SB meal bar for breakfast, and three chunks of chicken, a scoop of roasted potato chunks, a scoop of tabouleh, a scoop of hummus, and two pieces of roasted cauliflower for lunch.

Viva Las Vegas!

Monday, August 9, 2010

And oh, we had a great time -- spent a chunk of time out at Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, walked around the Strip, walked around the Bellagio (that place is practically a small city -- walking around it is no small shakes), saw some great shows and generally relaxed and enjoyed ourselves.

And I'm pretty happy with the way I was eating over the weekend -- I did my best to stick with reasonably acceptable food (I originally wrote 'reasonably healthy', then realized that scrambled eggs, steak, and margaritas probably don't fall in that category). Yes, there was a bounce in weight, but I also started my period on Saturday morning, and I always swell up like a sponge during the Crimson Tide (plus, ahem, *output* has slowed to a crawl). It'll come off in two days.

I also learned something interesting yesterday. As 1) it was Cheat Day, 2) we were running around like maniacs trying to get to the Luxor to see the Titanic exhibit before getting on the plane, and 3) the both of us were starving, I indulged in a crispy chicken sandwich and fries from the Luxor McDonald's for breakfast, and half a burger and half an order of curly fries from an airport restaurant. I was only able to finish half an order because after three weeks of eating decent food, fast food is really sort of gross. Both the chicken sandwich and burger were tasteless and overly greasy, and even my beloved fries were...eh. To add insult to injury, my stomach got moderately upset after the McDonald's, and I felt bloated and gassy for the rest of the day. By the time we got home, I slugged down a protein shake with gratitude.

So, fast food -- ultimately, pretty yucky. The bag of peanut M&Ms I shared with Lyndon, however, were fabulous (well, it IS chocolate, you know).

WEIGHT: 311.2

FOOD FOR THE DAY: Breakfast was a SB meal bar, lunch was a Thai chicken wrap and a small Caesar salad. I think I may well thaw out some steak tonight and have that with a salad for dinner, and some clementines for dessert.

Phoo

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Today we went out to Hoover Dam. Didn't take the indoor tour because we were carrying stuff too big for the security requirements, so we just walked around outside taking pictures and video for about 45 minutes. In 107 F temps. Yeah. Mind you, we brought plenty of water, but we were still a bit wrung out by the time we got back to the hotel, so my food intake isn't quite what it should have been.

But what the hell -- it's Vegas, baby.

WEIGHT: 310.4

FOOD FOR THE DAY: part of that lime-chipotle stark salad from yesterday, three eggs, a 6 oz. steak, a couple of forkfuls of hashed browns, a piece of white toast, a medium chocolate shake from DQ (won't apologize for it -- I was dying for something sweet and cold after we got off of the dam), 2 squares of Bellagio chocolate, a grilled chicken breast with cherry tomatoes, lettuce, Cole slaw and a piece of bread. Oh, and a banana strawberry coconut smoothies with breakfast. And it was all yummo.

Waking up in Vegas

Which will happen tomorrow. In the meantime, I have had a great time wandering around the strip, and I keep swilling water because it's 107 degrees F. And the two margaritas, but we won't talk about those right now.

WEIGHT: 308.8

FOOD FOR THE DAY: one bag of cranberry nut mix, one granola bar, one small chicken Caesar salad, a slice of beef, swordfish, pork, duck, turkey, two Cali roll pieces, seaweed salad and pickled Ginger for dinner, a piece of sugar-free cheesecake, and a few bites of lime-chipotle salad with grilled steak.

In the arms of Morpheus (no, not Laurence Fishburne)

Thursday, August 5, 2010

The Bodacious Brit came by my desk today, as he often does, and said, "After we get back from Vegas, how about we have someone come and clean the ductwork? Because I woke up this morning feeling like I'd been beaten."

I said it sounded like a plan to me, especially since the guy across the street runs a company that does this (I'm all about supporting my local folks) and God knows when, if ever, the ducts have been cleaned in this place. I do know that we get horrendous amounts of dust in the bedroom, to the point where I just can't sleep up there because I feel like I'm choking. (Yes, I vacuum. Yes, we have filters on the air intake systems -- the expensive HEPA ones, not the cheap-ass plastic foam and cardboard filters. Doesn't matter -- we still wind up with a shitload of dust.) We have a big, high-quality HEPA air filter next to the bed, and even that doesn't really help during times like this when the temps go up and the air quality goes all to hell.

So I did a little research -- the EPA says getting a professional duct cleaning job will run anywhere from $450 to $1000 for a 3-4 bedroom house, and should last 4-6 hours. Apparently there are a lot of cleaning scams out there, so I want to make sure that what's negotiated up-front will match what we're paying for. It's a bit pricey, but the end result should be much-improved sleeping conditions for the both of us, which is always a good thing.

This is why it's no biggie

309.4 this morning. Booyah. And that's with a just-avoided migraine. Double booyah.

So I've now had my breakfast (PB sammich and 1 oz. of that lovely hatch chili con queso popcorn), and I'm packing up my clementines and heading into work. Seeya!

Begging for more

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

I had a Moment(TM) last night at the gym. As I was on the bike, merrily pedaling away (I brought the flipcam so that I could record another videocast, but there were other people in the gym so I couldn't record anything, sorry!), I was also reading Bobke II, a collection of diary entries and columns by the cheerfully insane cyclist and TDF commentator Bob Roll. If you have any interest in cycling, or simply enjoy reading great (and more than slightly gonzo) sports commentary, I highly recommend this book.

Anyhoo, there I was, reading Bobke's wit and wisdom when I stumbled across a section that pretty much sang to me. He was on a practice ride, after a year of having really shitty form, and suddenly everything clicked and he was just powering along like a machine, at which point he said, "My legs were begging for more."

And I grinned, because that's how I felt last night. My legs were sneering at me and saying, "That's all you got? Really? Really?" I did a Level 3 ride with variable inclines for forty minutes, and if it hadn't been so late I could have easily ridden for an hour or longer. All of which means I'm finally at the point where I can start stepping up my game, switching around the programs and tackling tougher rides, which is just so damn cool.

Plus my legs? Calves are starting to look damn good, people.

WEIGHT: 311.2 (slight bounce in water weight due to the salty stuff I ate yesterday -- no biggie)

FOOD FOR THE DAY: SB meal bar for breakfast, 2 pieces of chicken, greek salad, tabouleh, hummus, cauliflower and some potato chunks for lunch, and 3 clementines for dessert. Yummo! Afternoon snack of three more clementines, then dinner was two PB sammiches and 2 oz. of hatch chili con queso popcorn.

By the way

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

I know I may be boring people by posting all this food information -- feel free to skip those entries or sections. What I'm trying to do is accurately track everything that goes into my mouth, so that I can 1) take a look at it later on, 2) get an honest idea of what I've been eating, and 3) make a course correction if it looks like I'm eating too much garbage (why am I eating it, is it caused by stress, how can I rectify that situation, etc.).

So far, it seems to be working.

Slight change in plans

As I was about to fall asleep on my keyboard, I went home early and took a badly needed nap, then woke up and got the boys their Organix Indoor Feline food, then realized I was ferociously hungry, despite eating two apples and another SB bar in the afternoon. So dinner was a peanut butter sandwich on sugar-free whole wheat bread and a 1 oz. serving of this amazingly yummy hatch chili con queso popcorn I found at Whole Paycheck.

Which means the food intake in total today was:

2 SB meal bars - 420 cal
3 apples - 216 cal
1 thai chicken wrap - 610 cal
1 small caesar salad - 363 cal
1 PB sandwich - 258 cal
1 oz serving of hatch chili con queso popcorn - 110 cal

2,047 calories. A little low (seriously -- I should be eating around 2,480 calories a day right now), but adequate. I may have some yogurt when I get back from the gym, who knows.

The Fiber, the Fiber...

Since this weekend is Viva Las Vegas, I'm pulling four 10-hour days to make up for Friday (since I'm a contract stormtrooper and don't get paid if I'm not at the Death Star). And since Mellie gets hungry if she stays at work late, she had a couple of brain cells fire in the right order this morning and grabbed a bag of apples and a couple of South Beach meal bars. This way, I won't be tempted to hit the vending machines during the long stretch of this evening, plus I get at least some fiber from the fruit.

Unfortunately, I'm also extremely tired right now because it's God's Own Hairdryer in the clavicle of Texas, and that's playing merry hell with the air quality. Our buildings are air-conditioned, of course, but we also have a Level Orange Air Pollution alert right now, which means that there's various particulates in the air -- pollen, mold, fuel fumes, alien sperm, I don't know what -- that are making it seriously unpleasant to breathe. As in, I woke up last night choking and had to go downstairs and sleep on the couch, and that didn't even really help. And I wasn't the only one -- my boss said he woke up from a nightmare and pretty much went into a panic attack from feeling like he couldn't breathe, and Lyndon's eyes were bright red this morning (he brought a bottle of Visine to my cubicle and asked me to work my magic, since he can't put drops in his own eyes because they automatically slam shut at the approach of the dropper. Even I have to grab his lids and pry the damn things open to get the Visine in there).

So yeah, Mellie is a little tired today, and isn't particularly looking foward to going to the gym tonight. But a triathlon waits for no woman, so go I will (cycling and weights tonight, I think), and I'm going to bring the flipcam with me and do another video, as I may be having some new visitors to this page fairly soon.

WEIGHT: 310.8 (unsurprising, since yesterday was my rest day and I had lemon chicken and a crispy spring roll for dinner last night during FutureClassics, and then a piece of corn on the cob and a potato chip before I hit the hay).

FOOD FOR THE DAY: Since I was running out the door yet again for work, I had a South Beach meal bar for breakfast, an apple as a mid-day snack, and a thai chicken wrap and caesar salad for lunch. I'll probably have another apple or two this afternoon, and a protein shake and a couple of artichokes when I get home -- mmm.

TMI Post: Here Comes Another Special Delivery

Monday, August 2, 2010

Okay, seriously, this is going to be TMI. Bail now while you can.

Still with me? Okay -- apparently I've been getting sufficient amounts of fiber in my diet, because oh sweet mother of Cthulhu, today has been the Day of Poop. As in, I've hit the can three times already to contribute to the land mass of Texas. And we're not talking rabbit pellets here, either -- we're talking healthy, cohesive, adult-sized deposits.

I don't know if it's the fiber, or the heat (105 F at 2:00 PM. I ask you), or the biking/swimming/weightlifting, or my metabolism decided to give my GI tract a jump start, or what, but DAMN. And the volcanic gurgling coming from my midsection suggests that the DoP is not over yet.

*blink*blink*

Um, no, it's not. Gotta go -- literally.

Hitting the gym, PM Style

Over on my Facebook page, I sometimes post "It's gym time!" as I head off to Snap Fitness 24-7, usually around 10:00 PM. Last night, two people said, "You shouldn't work out this late at night -- you'll be up all night!"

Um, that may be true for other people, but for me it's not. After I've done forty minutes on the bike, plus whatever else I had that night (weights or swimming), the only thing I want to do when I get home is take a shower and do a faceplant. I know some people are energized by going to the gym -- yeah, not me. I do it because it's good for me, and it helps me go to sleep.

And to be honest, sometimes I can't get to the gym until 10:00 PM or later. Frex, yesterday was spent editing MMM, doing laundry, watering the lawn, enjoying my cheat meal at On The Border, editing the podcast, and running to the store for a stockup. By the time all that was finished, it was 11:00 PM. I'm supposed to skip a workout just because it's night time? I don't think so.

Yeah, I suppose I could have moved the workout back, but why? I like working out at night. The gym is less busy, if not totally deserted, and I can hit all the machines I need without waiting for someone else to finish. It's a safe facility so I don't feel uncomfortable being there by myself. And it's kind of peaceful to pedal away and drip sweat, kind of like a physically active meditation.

Oh, and there have been suggestions that I just work out in the morning. Uh...huh. People, have you SEEN me first thing in the morning? I'm running on the lizard brain until 9:00 AM at least -- if I hit the gym early and someone annoyed me, I'd probably wind up latching onto a limb and gnawing it off in my ire. And orange jumpsuits just clash with my hair so badly, you know?

WEIGHT: 310.8

FOOD FOR THE DAY: Breakfast was a bowl of lower-sugar oatmeal, and I just had a large cup of cut watermelon chunks as a midmorning snack. I may do a Thai wrap and a cup of cottage cheese for lunch, since dinner will be at FutureClassics and that means Chinese food.

It's Cheat Day

Sunday, August 1, 2010

And, lo, I did cheat with steak fajitas at On The Border (a handful of chips and salsa, steak and onions, sour cream, guacamole, and refried beans with melted cheese) and a luscious green tea creme drink from Legacy Books' cafe, because those things are damned good. Also had the last of the zucchini and a cob of corn for breakfast (tried to have one of the chicken breasts, but it didn't seem done enough to me and the cats were weaving around my legs giving me their piteous, "But we're HUNGRY" expressions, so I chopped it up and gave it to them).

Oh, and as of this morning I'm 311.0 exactly. *grins*