Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Senior Edition

Original "Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much" posted just over 3 years ago - May 18, 2009.

Three years ago I weighed 255 lbs and was getting ready to have my 68th birthday.  Today, I weighed 239 lbs and just had my 71st birthday.

Something I try to avoid is looking at myself in a full mirror when I have no clothes on.  Since no one was home but Bella Boxer (her family is at the beach house this week), I figured I was safe.

Boy was I surprised.  After checking out the front of my body, I checked the side view.  Even tho I am about 15 lbs lighter than I was 3 years ago, my body still shows a familiar trait, belly overhang.  The other thing I noticed is that my rear end seems to have gone away to the point where there are just a couple of flabby butt cheeks back there.

Officially I am showing the true signs of aging.  My weight loss is usually from muscle mass and not necessarily fat tissue.  I try to remain active, but I have to admit to a basically laidback lifestyle with little exercise other than regular lawn mowings and long walks thru Costco and Sam's Club and occasionally a trip thru Lowes when I can't find something.

Basically, I am down to bone and fat and the bone is probably weakening more each day.  Heck, my muscles are getting so puny I couldn't even get the lid off a new jar of sweet gherkin pickles last week.  Had to find a tool to provide extra leverage.

Rather than drone on about things you may already know, I'll stop here and say that I am obviously marching downhill on the slippery slope of life.  My train of life hasn't come to it's destination yet, but it seems to be slowing in preparation for the eventual arrival in station.

JD, still pondering the wonders of the human body here in the Big Town of Savage.

PS - I know, I know, be more like my old work buddy Ray, you gotta have regular workouts to keep the muscle tone!  That rascal's a couple of years older than I am and I guarantee you he could get the lid off that new jar of sweet gherkins without any tools...

PPS - No, it's not me in the foto (you're lucky it's not)...

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Fresh Start - Finale

It's obvious I'm not serious about losing weight this cycle. After 2 months, I'm only looking at a small result. Thus; I'm discontinuing the 'Fresh Start' posts.

Do good stuff; have some fun,
JD

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Fresh Start - 7

I won't give in yet. A pound is a pound, especially if it's a pound - down!!!

Vacation season is here with families heading out of town for a break. I won't be leaving town, but am having a short vacation from cooking. As much as I enjoy cooking, I've been reminded that it's not always fun when you 'have' to do it. However, cooking when you 'want to', is great.

Son-in-law spent 3 nites with me last week and we went pretty easy on the food. Monday evening was hamburgers with store bought macaroni salad and some doctored-up Bush's Baked Beans. Tuesday was home fried chicken with same store bought side dishes. Thursday brought on some Jack Daniels beef BBQ w/cole slaw on buns along with some homemade broccoli salad, using sister-in-law's recipe. I think I use about twice as much bacon as she does, but it suits my taste. If ya gotta eat broccoli, you might as well make it enjoyable, right.

Had lunch with Fran, a friend from my working years, last Friday at Cantler's down in Annapolis on the river. We were a bit late to get a table out on the crab porch with the river view; we sat inside with the AC and decided to have normal lunch food instead of the steamed crabs. I had a delicious fried soft crab sandwich with some excellent fries and cole slaw. Food was very good and prices were reasonable, and lunch conversation is always fun with Fran.

If there was a backslide this week, it was with some black cherry ice cream in the freezer. I had this delicious ice cream two nights last week. Very good for my taste buds, but not too good for my calorie intake. Between my son-in-law and I, there is no more ice cream in the freezer. :-)

My average daily calorie count (ADCC) last week was just under 2200 calories; that's about 400 over my goal of 1800. What this really means is that the one pound loss is cumulative from the past few weeks. This week I'm shooting to meet my goal ADCC.

Next two weeks are mine to control food intake. I'm looking to make some progress and get out of the negative attitude doldrums I was under last week.

Do good stuff; have some fun,
JD

PS - Today, June 14, is Flag Day here in the USA. Fly your US flag proudly.

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Fresh Start - 6

One more week of no progress. I'm not even taking solace in the 'no gain' for this week. It's obvious I'm not serious about this whole episode.

I'm giving it one more week. If there's no progress, then I'll cancel the whole deal.

I know, I know; that's the easy way out of the whole affair. It might just be that I've gone as far as I can go until I get another health problem that kicks my ass!

I'll ponder it while you enjoy the upcoming week,
JD

PS - I can't even blame this one on son-in-law...it's all me!

PPS - You're right, I'm pissed at myself. Let's see if I'm pissed enough to do something positive...

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Fresh Start - 5

"No progress this week," he said matter-of-factly.

Simply stated, I didn't stick to my program of controlling snacks this week. Too many cookies, donuts and other junk. I'm completely baring my soul here - no self control this week.

I did get an opportunity to share dinner two nights. Friday evening, my son and his wife hosted a fine dinner of steak, baked potato, salad and cheesecake that my daughter also participated in. Good dinner, but most important was the opportunity to spend some quality time with my kids.

Sunday evening I visited next door for some wonderful lasagna that was prepared by my ex-sister-in-law. She has a recipe from back in the '60s that just comes out so well each time she makes it. I did over-indulge a bit and topped it off with a large slice of coconut cream pie, featuring her excellent crust.

Son-in-law will be here two nights this week...we'll see how the food goes there.

Obviously, the key here is for me to kick myself in the ass and get back on to the program. Four pounds in six weeks is just terrible, even for a slow-paced program such as I have.

Here's looking forward to some positive (or is it negative) progress at next Monday's weigh-in.

Do good stuff; have some fun, and do remember to fly your flag today in remembrance of those who've served and protected us all these years...

Dewey

PS - Dinner invites were to help celebrate my birthday (the big 69). I won't get to visit with my other daughter who lives in PA until next weekend where she and family will be here for a visit. Think I'm on the hook to grill some burgers that day.

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Fresh Start - 4

That single pound loss looks pretty impressive on that small-scale chart, doesn't it. :-)

But, no matter how you look at it, I always figure a pound down is better than a pound up, even if it does take two weeks to lose it.

This was a quiet week regarding meals without son-in-law here to stretch my cooking imagination. As I look back over my spreadsheet for the week, the only exciting dinner was the night I had strawberry shortcake, consisting of sugared-up strawberry slices w/syrup over about a 1" thick slice of pound cake from Costco and topped with some 'squirtem'.

You wouldn't think that would hold you for dinner, but I didn't get hungry before bedtime and was still in pretty good shape when breakfast came around. One other night I was feeling lazy so I had a toasted blueberry bagel with peanut butter spread on it. That also held me 'till morning.

Friday dinner consisted of some fried chicken wings and thighs. I had bought two chickens at Costco Wednesday. I carved 'em up and baked the white meat breasts with some rotisserie chicken seasoning and fried all the dark meat, gizzards and livers. I tried some new packaged breading I had bought for the fried chicken and surprisingly it had a pretty good flavor, especially after I salted it liberally when it came out of the deep fryer.

Sunday, I pulled the meat off 3 of the baked chicken breasts and diced them in medium size pieces. I sauteed some sliced carrots, a cup of frozen peas, a chopped red onion and some chopped celery in butter and olive oil with appropriate seasonings until they were about half cooked. I combined the chicken meat with it and added two cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup. After heating, I poured it all into a casserole dish and baked it in my counter-top oven for about 40 minutes.

Sunday dinner consisted of the chicken pot pie type casserole over some fresh cooked Pillsbury biscuits. Very, very good. I luv one-dish meals and this one hit the spot; and hopefully it'll provide a left-over dinner one night.

My mowing schedule worked out well this week for exercise as I got to mow the yard twice and of course made my mandatory walk thru the Costco aisles.

I pretty much stayed away from indulging in candies and cookies; maybe a total of 500 calories of small cookies all week.

Son-in-law isn't scheduled to join me again until the week of Memorial Day, so this week should also be flexible menu-wise. We'll see if anything exciting pops up. :-)

I'm writing this Sunday evening due to busy Monday schedule.

Do good stuff; have some fun,
JD

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Fresh Start - 3

Last time I went thru the watch my weight exercise and attempted to lose some weight, I managed to use the Stomach Stretch reports as incentive. That was just about a year ago. This time I don't seem to be able to marshal the necessary attitude to make it happen. I just don't feel the drive I had last year, when I used my health situation for motivation. I still need to reduce for health reasons, but it's not as bad as it was when I was 20 lbs heavier last year.

As the chart shows, there is no progress from last week. Looking back over my intake for the week, it's obvious why I lost no weight and fortunately managed to hold at 237. Just too many calories each day. It wasn't due to candy or cookies, but I just ate too much food and had a couple of desserts I could have skipped; strawberry shortcake Thursday and Friday evenings and apple pie Saturday nite. It's really hard to resist sister-in-law's apple pie, just great crust and it is strawberry season.

I also can't really blame it on son-in-law being here 3 nites this week as I am the one that fixed the dinners each nite and had nothing really extravagant. Steak and sweet potato, chili dogs with broccoli salad and cole slaw and Jack Daniels BBQ the third evening. I didn't overdo it at any of the meals.

I did mow/blow twice last week, Tuesday and last evening after the Dover CUP Race, but no other real exercise. Nothing out of the ordinary planned for this week that would expose me to high calorie situation.

No excitement here in the BToS to report either. So until next week, be sure to do good stuff and have some fun,

JD

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Fresh Start - 2

It's still a slow go, but slight progress nonetheless. Another pound lost even with son-in-law here 3 nites last week.

Biggest change in my diet has been to reduce chocolate intake to a minimum. Chocolate seems to be one of those snack items that just keeps shouting "eat more, Dewey...eat more chocolate"!

I am now down to after dinner mints that are only 25 calories each and I limit them to 'after dinner'. All of the creamy chocolate eggs the church was selling as an Easter fundraiser are now gone...but doggone it, they were delicious. According to my sister-in-law, I have to thank Barb's hands for molding those rascals into such delicious morsels.

No major restaurant visits last week, except for an OFL (Old Farts Lunch) last Monday at Jim's Hideaway. I had one of their steak and cheese sub specials with a few thick fries and a bit of ketchup (catsup, which is it). Was a nice change and as usual some good conservative conservation.

Didja ever notice that most old folks tend to be a bit conservative when it comes to politics, especially when it comes to wanting their government to show some 'fiscal responsibility'. That seems to be a major problem with our Congress/President and local Maryland Legislature/Governor.

Congress seems to work under the mandate to buy everything you can think of, damn the cost and the State of Maryland works under the assumption, 'spend all you've got and ask for more'!!! Most of us old farts would prefer some fiscal conservatism in federal and state governments.

Since my mom's been dead for about 43 years now and I've been separated from my kid's mom for 18 years, there's no need for me to make a big fuss about Mother's Day. So I definitely did not eat a lot of calories yesterday. Take that as you will. I do still miss my mom on that special day. I try to remember her when she was alive rather than visit the local cemetery to view her grave marker.

Son-in-law is scheduled to be here 3 nites this week also. One night we'll have some very good Jack Daniels BBQ, some slaw and an appropriate side dish. Might have steak and baked potato w/salad another nite and the 3rd nite is still up in the air, but I do luv chili/slaw dogs. I think my visit to cousins in Danville just whetted my 'down home' appetite!!!

Spring's definitely here, so be sure to do good stuff and have some fun,
JD

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Fresh Start - 1

This is the first update to the spring 2010 Stomach Stretch effort here in the BToS. My last status was posted Thursday 22 April. It's been difficult breaking my snacking habits on cookies, candies and cakes. I don't claim success as yet. However I have cut back considerably and am bringing fewer of those items into the house.

The scale showed a weight of 238 this morning. That's right on 2 lbs lighter than the initial status 11 days ago. As you know, 2 lbs on a 240 lb frame isn't really significant and could go away with the next meal.

Looking back over that 11 day period, my spreadsheet doesn't show any significant calorie reduction for any of the days. I also had a 3 day trip to visit cousin Betty in Danville, who feeds me way too well as did cousin Billy when he had the shrimp boil dinner and just delicious hush puppies last Friday nite. Was great to visit with all my home town cousins again.

As far as exercise goes, I 'mowed and blowed' the lawn twice during that period and also did a bit of digging of old trees. Then of course there's my daily walk down to the local BToS post office to fetch my mail.

I plan to attend the monthly CARILLON Old Farts lunch today at Jim's, so will likely eat too much. Fortunately they don't have 'southern sweet tea' like I had for the weekend in Danville. Also, son-in-law will be staying with me 6 nites spread over the next two weeks. I think he's trying to cut back a bit too, so maybe I'll attempt to prepare some not-so-high calorie meals. :-)

Do good stuff; have some fun,
JD

PS - My laptop is about 6 years old now and feels like it crawling at times rather than being speedy like when it was new. I know nothing's changed in the way I use it, so I can only assume the regular updates from MS and associated applications have bulked up the system time required to perform the same processes. To make it worse, my son bought a new laptop last year and daughter has one in transit now. I seldom use the ol' laptop, so we'll see if I respond to the upgrade pressure and the great deals that are out there now...

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Fresh Start

The last stomach stretch report was about 11 weeks ago, almost one quarter of a year. Since that report, as shown by the chart above, I've managed to move from a stable 234 up to a stable 240.

After getting on the scales this morning, it became obvious that I will make no progress toward my ultimate goal weight without a vehicle to carry me on the ride; hence this is a fresh start on the ol' Stomach Stretch report.

Looking back over the post holiday period including February when we were inundated with over two feet of snow that lasted, seemingly, the whole month of February; I noticed that I've finally managed to eat all the holiday goodies that were left in the cupboard. That is except for two of the delicious, home-made, half-pound creamy chocolate covered Easter eggs that I bought from the Savage Methodist Church.

Looking back at my average daily calorie count over that period, it's in the upper 2200s. That's assuming that I was counting accurately. Even tho I wasn't attempting to be in tight control of my calories, as usual I do count them every day and note them in my spreadsheet that I started back in 2006.

It appears that I began this series of stomach stretch blog posts just about 11 months ago. I was very good at controlling my intake up until early November, about 6 months, and obviously let myself go over the holiday and post holiday period. Beginning today I am back in calorie control mode and will attempt to post a regularly scheduled update, initially on a weekly basis beginning Monday, May 3.

Do good stuff; have some fun,
JD

PS - One of the things that helps in burning off some calories, is mowing grass in spring. It's hard to go more than 5 days without spending those 75 minutes behind the mower and blower. Here's a shot from the front.

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Update 29

NO PROGRESS

Review shows no positive movement (weight loss) on the Stomach Stretch chart since the beginning of November. Three months with no progress. That indicates to me that I haven't been serious about this effort since then. After 6 months regular progress, 3 months static.

I conveniently blamed it on the holiday season, but in reality I gave in to the NORM...just float along keeping what ya got! No loss/no gain. I'm kidding myself if I continue on that course.

I am going on a hiatus from the Stomach Stretch Report. Initially I found that writing this each week was a good stimulus. Today it's obviously not working. I may come back when the weather breaks into spring and give it another shot.

I have counted my daily calorie intake and chronicled my weight since August 2006. This chart shows the movement in my weight during that period, ending today.
As you can see I am significantly lighter now than I was 3 years ago. My long-term goal hasn't changed, just my current mode of operation. I need to find some other motivation to pursue that goal.

I will continue to look inside for the drive to make it happen rather than join a group or subscribe to some fad diet, that's not my style. I'm more of a 'it is what it is' kinda guy. Find something that works and make it happen.

Basically, I know how to control my weight, I just need to be more dedicated to the effort. I'm not really a 'dedicated' person; I tend to be laidback and just let things happen.

While I won't do the Stomach Stretch reports, I will post a status report from time to time.

And that's how it is here in the BToS,
JD

PS - Much of the incentive for the long term weight loss goes to my Pen Pal Susan. She can be so demanding. I'm only glad she lives so far away that I don't see her personally. Those emails can really be insistent.

PPS - Bad snow, 30+ inches, here in the BToS last weekend. Another 10-20+ inches is forecast for Tuesday/Wednesday. Here are some pictures that were taken around my house and neighbor lady's house early Sunday morning. Still more snow blowing to be done after these were taken.

Click on pictures for larger image.
This is upstairs neighbor 'Big D' doing a little cleaning to widen the spot where he parks.

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Update 28

I'm at same weight as I was two weeks ago. Obviously, I have had no success in moving into serious calorie control at a level to lose weight. The chart above shows the reality of the situation since the end of November and during the holidays. The condition has now stretched almost all the way thru January.

I can say that I have finally gotten rid of almost all holiday treats in the house. I do still have some fruitcake, but may undertake an experiment to determine just how well a sealed Claxton fruitcake will hold up in the freezer. I can't afford to be eating anything quite that rich in the immediate future.

Son-in-law was here two nights last week, but I can't really blame anything on him. Both evening meals with him were reasonable. Tuesday nite was salad, steak and baked potato. I use a little salt and pepper on the baked potato instead of butter and sour cream like I used to and I'm a Worcestershire sauce on steak kinda guy. Thursday nite wasn't too bad, even tho I did have a small half rack of ribs at Famous Dave's. I went easy on the beans and cole slaw.

I made a mincemeat pie on Thursday, but have only eaten two small pieces. One while it was still warm with a sliver of vanilla ice cream on it. The other Friday after a lite lunch w/no ice cream.
I probably should be somewhat pleased that I am stable after two weeks, but when I look back at the graph showing the big picture, it shows that I'm really back where I was in early November. I interpret that as almost 3 wasted months in the grand scheme. However, my body is probably saying, "It's about time you allowed me to adjust to all these changes!"

You know, our bodies don't really appreciate what they consider deprivation of 'proper food' and nourishment. Mine rebels. If I'm eating low calories for a few days, I may begin to feel chilled after sitting watching TV for a while in the evening. After losing some pounds, I sometimes notice my muscle mass is dwindling...but some of that could just be a indication of the 'old fart syndrome'.

I think I'm one of those northern Europeans whose body is designed to survive with fewer calories during the hard, cold winters. You know, we usually carry a few extra pounds of fat to provide added body fuel during tough times. There's a reason why historic pictures show many full-bodied women. They were the ones that made it thru the brutal winters on reduced intake. Or am I off on a tangent here. :-)

I won't divulge my overall long term goal for this weight control exercise, but I still have a long, long way to go. I originally hoped I might get close by the end of 2010. Now it appears it will take considerably longer, possibly another year even; or maybe longer...hope I hold out that long.

I definitely need to dedicate myself to intelligent eating without going overboard on cutting back to the point that it negatively affects my body and I also need to become more diligent on the calorie burning side of the equation. I'm not the type that can eat a whole lot of some low-calorie food just to be full. I seldom have hunger pangs as is, as I mentioned before, I just enjoy eating good food.

Since the weather's been a bit nicer/warmer the past week or so, I did get back into my local walks around the Big Town of Savage. Even took the camera along one day and snapped this foto of the Carroll Baldwin Hall, which dates from the early '20s. You can still see a remnant of the 17" mid-December snowfall.
Click picture for larger image.

Do good stuff; and definitely do have some fun,
JD

PS - I managed to get the new TV installed at the beach house and even managed to lift the 32" crt TV into the back of the van for the trip home. Talk about a cumbersome, heavy object...man! I must have followed the approved procedures for lifting. After a dose of ibuprofen prior to bed, I woke up with a well-functioning back the next morning.

PPS - The new counter top oven is doing really well. Only mishap so far is when I cooked the mincemeat pie. It called for temp of 425 for about 30 minutes. Even tho I had the oven up to proper temp prior to inserting the pie into the lower-middle rack position of the oven, I didn't realize just how active the upper heating element would be during the cooking stage. Unfortunately, the top crust was dark brown and over-done (altho not burned). Next time I'll try it on the bottom rack position.

The blackberry pie I cooked the week before came out well, but was baked at a lower temperature. My cousin told me once, "Ya gotta play with 'er to figger it out!" But, I think he was talking about his girl friend. :-)

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Update 27

Weight chart reflects reality. It's reading a pound lower than last week, but in reality it's reflecting that I've spent a week stabilizing and finishing off all the Christmas treats that've been around the house.

I made a carrot cake earlier last week, which normally I would top with cream cheese icing. This time I was in the mood for a change. I had a a container of coconut, pecan icing that I normally would use on a German chocolate cake. So I topped the 13x9, single-layer carrot cake with that icing. Gotta tellya that I've always had a soft spot for that icing...the coconut combined with the little crunch from the pecans just works wonders for me. I have about 2 pieces of the cake left, which I'll finish off today and tomorrow.

I was in the store one morning last week and they had spiral sliced hams for $.99/lb. I got one of those rascals and cooked it later that afternoon in my replacement for the ol' toaster oven. Ham was much better than I thot it'd be as the brand was one I wasn't familiar with. I've eaten a couple of sammiches off it and gave a few slices to the lady next door.

My old DeLonghi toaster oven was showing some age. It was a great kitchen tool. I had it sitting atop the microwave. That rascal would hold a 9" pizza (I know, too small, right) and was great for quick toasting/reheating. I worked that rascal to death and covered it with grease over the 3 years I used it. The only downside was small volume for baking. Rascal wouldn't hold much sizewise.

This new Hamilton Beach even has a convection feature. It will hold 2-12" pizzas and had plenty of room for the 9 lb ham when I cooked it. With added volume, the food is far enough away from the heating elements that it cooks evenly. So far I've cooked the ham, biscuits, roasted a duck, a 12" thin crust pizza and the 13x9" cake. That rascal has so much more capability than the DeLonghi, but it's not as convenient for 'quick' food like making garlic bread for dinner.

Son-in-law wasn't here this week so it was kinda quiet. He'll return for the second week of the next report. So I will only be able to blame 2 days of the next report on him. Of course if I have a really good weight loss, I could give him credit...naah, why would I do that??? Simpler to say that if he weren't here, results would have been better. :-)

I had a fine lunch at Gunnings Seafood Restaurant in Hanover last Wednesday. My old bud Clarke's daughter Robin is currently out of work and while I don't have much sway in finding jobs for folks, she had some free time and I thot I'd find out as much as I could and get a copy of her resume and see what would pop up work-wise.

It was a delightful lunch. One thing that happens is that friends' kids are always known as 'kids'. Typically, you visit with the friends and the kids are just there. It was a good experience to spend over an hour talking with Robin and getting to know her as an adult. I have a much better appreciation for her capabilities in a work environment and her interpersonal skills than I ever did before. I found out that she can do more than just hit and chase a ball and go to the beach; which is all I knew before.

Not only that, but I also had a wonderful Fried Soft Crab sammich. I'd been wanting one for the past couple of months. Robin had what they call a Crab Puff. Of course I indulged with some french fries and some delicious cole slaw. And, of course, a bottle of Yuengling Lager. I believe Gunnings is one of those places that actually makes most of their own food, much as the Sunset does.

It appears I've rambled on about everything this morning. I'm more in tune with 'calorie control' this week and actually hope to get a bit of exercise too. Altho, I do know that I have to make a run to the ocean mid-week to install a new 42" flat-screen TV in our rental townhouse. The old 32" CRT model is losing picture quality and the Panasonic Viera will be just about right for the size of that room. I'll get a bit of exercise just hefting those two sets around. Hope I don't get a bad back to go with it. :-)

I'm a bit late with the report this morning. I stayed up late last nite watching the 2, hour episodes of Chuck and the end of an old TCM BW movie. Ain't TiVo wunnerful!!!

Remember, "it ain't what you eat...it's how much you eat". "Portion control is the key to effective weight control." Just do it and you too can be a healthier person.

Do good stuff; have some fun,
JD

PS - It appears the new toaster oven is actually known by Hamilton Beach as a counter top range with convection and rotisserie. I had that rascal in the basement for about 18 months, still in the box, before I installed it this week.
PPS - Since we're doing fotos...here's the 73lb TV box. Nice that they put handles on the sides for old farts like me...

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Update 26.5

I've decided that I need some incentive to get back on track in my Stomach Stretch program. Weight Watcher gal Elita is constantly letting me know that I can do better. I'll attempt to gain some incentive by switching from my original chart that shows a total loss of 21 lbs since last May and use a chart that begins with December 09; shown below.
The incentive comes from viewing this chart that shows no progress, a 3 lb gain and a 1 lb gain during December. This chart looks the way I'd like my income to look; not my weight!

Like so many other folks at this time of year who are trying to lose some weight, I'll be starting fresh rather than taking solace in the previous 20 lb loss since May.

Don't get me wrong, I feel good about that loss and the smaller size clothes, but as we all know that's all just a pile of BS if I don't get back on the program and make some progress soon. So that's the approach I'll be taking; starting yesterday when I came to this conclusion. Plus, I'm really looking at this as a permanent life style change for my health. Eat right and try to keep fit (that's a whole other issue).

Gaining 4 lbs doesn't happen in a vacuum. I can fall back on my trusty ol' villian of a son-in-law who was here with me for parts of the previous 3 weeks...I think I feed the boy a little too well and then to top it off I feed myself a little too good too. :-)

One of my Christmas gifts was to spend an evening with my son, his wife and my younger daughter for dinner at the Sunset Restaurant down in Glen Burnie. Previous day I had dinner with son-in-law at Gunnings...two dinners out on two nites in a row ain't the smartest thing a guy can do. But spending quality time with family is one of the smartest things that I can do!

Then there's sister-in-law, who just makes the best doggone desserts around this time of year. I'm sure you have a family member who's just like that...ain't enough for them to just make great desserts, they have to share 'em with ya. Don't take that the wrong way, I really enjoy the desserts and appreciate her kindness; but doggone it makes controlling calories difficult. :-)

They claim it takes about 3500 calories to make up a pound. So that means that during the month of December I have eaten about 14,000 calories more than I should have. A 1.5 oz package with two Reese's Peanut Butter Cups contains 220 calories. Quick calculation indicates that I ate the equivalent of 64 packages of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to gain those 4 lbs. Damn, I'll bet they were delicious too. :-)

I sure hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are embarking on a fine new year. I'm looking forward to it myself. I actually spent most of the morning Sunday filtering out oversized and 'wear no more' clothes from my closets. Now everything in there fits my smaller size. I'm gonna give all the large ones away.

That way, not only will I have to report weight gains on the Stomach Stretch report, I'll also have to spend money on clothes if I gain. As an old retired fart here in the Big Town of Savage, I certainly can't afford to buy BIGGER clothes...I will NOT go thru that cycle in the future!!!

One of my favorite signatures for emails is appropriate advice for the new year, please take note.

Do good stuff; have some fun,
JD

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Update 26

It appears to me that the month of December and the Christmas time of good eats has overwhelmed my self-control to the extent that I showed a 3 pound gain at the morning weigh-in.

Obviously, I let the apparent stabilizing effect of the previous 2 week report go to my head (make that my belly). I've eaten way too much of a wonderful fruitcake I purchased from O&H Danish Bakery in Racine, Wisconsin. It appears that the UPS delivery was timely enough to grab my attention. It doesn't help that my ex-sister-in-law makes such wonderful cookies, cakes and pies and insists on sharing.

I actually thought I might come thru this fairly well, but my estimation of calories in these homemade desserts is definitely on the low side. While my daily intake is showing an average daily calorie count of approximately 2050 for the month of December, it's doubtful I'd be gaining 3 pounds at that level. I can only surmise that I've under-counted or conveniently forgotten about specific portions of dessert snacks that went uncounted. That's easy to do during the holidays.

I'm not going to sit here and pledge to get my act under control, however I will attempt to improve gradually until I can see some progress. My next report is scheduled for Jan 11 and we have New Year next week...I'll have to watch all the way thru that too.

Plus my son-in-law will be with me for 3 nights this week. I'll likely be cooking for 2 of those 3 nights and possibly going out the other.

My son and my younger daughter are planning to take me to my favorite restaurant, the Sunset in Glen Burnie one evening for dinner. It's possible that may happen before the next report also...I will definitely enjoy that night out. Having said all that, we'll just have to see how things go during the next 2 weeks.

Do have a Happy New Year and don't over do the celebrating,
JD

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Update 25

The ol' chart doesn't lie. Still at 231 after 2 weeks of normal calorie control eating. Shows body is stabilizing at this weight. It fluctuates up a couple of pounds and back down depending on the dynamics of solid matter moving thru my digestive system. I usually weigh in when I first get up in the morning before ingesting anything. That tends to give more consistent readings. Of course, later in the day after eating and drinking iced tea, coffee, etc., it'll change. Water weighs approximately 8lbs/gallon, so a pint of drink is about 1 pound.

If you look at the chart you can see the drop last reporting period was a bit more than normal. This overall period continues the normal downward slope from 4 weeks ago. This emphasizes that I'll have to stick to the program right thru Christmas week...not an easy task. I'm already noticing all types of sweet treats popping up for me to try...aren't they just so wonderful to look at and to eat!

Except for two lunches and a dinner with cronies, this period has been fairly uneventful regarding food. I didn't have my son-in-law here during this two week period; thus I can't blame any slip-ups on him. :-)

However he will be here about 5 nights the next 2 weeks. I'm preparing a pot of beef stew for tonite's dinner. Haven't made stew in a while, but watched Tyler Florence on the food channel making his Ultimate Beef Stew and figured I'd make a pot of JD's Ultimate Beef stew too. I'll let you know next report how it turns out. I'll have some (right from the can) biscuits to go with it too.

I made a pot of pulled pork BBQ last week, as mentioned in an earlier BBQ posting. It was very good and I still have some left in the freezer to have one evening meal next week. I'll make a batch of cole slaw to put on top and as a side.

One good thing does happen next week; that's the Winter Solstice. Right around Dec 21 we'll have the shortest daylight hours of the year here in the BToS. After that the daylight hours will slowly begin to lengthen. That gives us something to look forward to during the two coldest months of winter, January and February. The increased daily sunlight will begin the march of warmer spring temps.

I don't know about you, but I can cope with cold temps much better when the sun's shining than I can on cloudy, overcast days. Just something about that warm sun on your bare skin.

Merry Christmas and good eatin' to ya. Do good stuff; have some fun,
JD

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Update 24

First item on this report is that the diuretic experiment didn't go too well, so I went back on the med after a week. Main symptom was a slight increase in my BP, nothing major, but I wasn't comfortable with it. I'll try that experiment again, maybe at a time when I'm getting more exercise and am about 10 lbs lighter.

As you can see by the chart, I'm down about 4 lbs for the month of November with no change in variables. Of course I had been at a pretty steady weight for considerable time prior. The 231 weight has been stable for most of this week, 232 last Thursday and 231 Sunday and today. Given my initial weight of 255, progress continues.

I, personally, think a stable, slow loss of 24 lbs over 6.5 months is pretty good. As you can tell from previous reports, I haven't been starving myself or depriving myself of foods I enjoy. I've just attempted thru the whole exercise to control my portions. It seems I can enjoy any food, as long as it's in moderation and that I take that into account in the overall calorie count scheme.

This system seems to work for me, especially since I have time to sit at my computer and fill in the details on my spreadsheet several times a day, noting foods and calories. I know I've mentioned this before, but my spreadsheet has a daily record of food/calorie intake going back to September 2006. During that period I may have missed short periods when on travel, but never when I'm at home. Guess that is an advantage of being a retired 'old fart'. I'm now 68 and hoping to count a few more if I can continue this program and try a bit harder to get some regular exercise (I'm no good at that). Possibly I need to enter daily exercise in my spreadsheet too. :-)

Son-in-law spent 5 nites with me over the past 2 weeks. We weren't extravagant with our food, but very good, I thot. I made a pot of SW chili and prepared a batch of cheese dip and chips to go with it. It's the same chili I've detailed in previous reports. We had pizza at Ledo's one evening, I went with my usual 1/2 pepperoni (their really thick sliced, spicy kind) and half Hawaiian. The next evening we had some Jack Daniels Beef BBQ with cole slaw and macaroni salad. It was my first experience with the JD BBQ and it was very good. As you may know I'm more of a pork BBQ kinda guy, but this was very good. I bought it frozen at Sam's or Costco. I had the pizza leftovers later in the week.

The second week we had some sauteed pork tenderloin medallions, onions, peppers and mushrooms with angel hair pasta in a marinara sauce, dinner rolls and salad. Tuesday nite we visited Don Pablo's, where I had some enchiladas and the normal sides. Was a busy nite with many large families with kids. Possibly folks in town getting together prior to Thanksgiving.

Then of course there was Thanksgiving. All the kids/grandkids along with my ex's family (wife, sister-in-law and M-in-law) had a wonderful meal and good conversation. My job was simple, buy turkey, make King's Arms Sweet Potato Pie casserole, make gallon of sweet tea and provide ice.

Nothing exciting food-wise outside that. Just normal eating here at home. As you know the month of December is fraught with potential pitfalls for folks that are attempting to control their calories. I have a fruitcake and a cranberry pecan cake coming from O H Danish Bakery in Racine Wisconsin. They had a free shipping deal that I just couldn't resist. I usually get their Kringles, but decided to try other favorites this time. They ship UPS and I've had good luck with the condition of orders. We'll see how it goes with these two cakes that are due delivery Wednesday this week. I'll share with family and neighbors.

I don't have before and after fotos and ain't the prettiest guy to post fotos of anyway, so don't expect that. I'm back at it until my next report Monday, December 13.

Here's good eatin' to ya during this holiday season,
JD

PS - Son-in-law won't be here during this two-week period, but I've scheduled a short trip to Danville to visit cousin Betty. She always prepares way toooooooooooooo much down-home food!

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Update 23

This Stomach Stretch report is really a tale of two weeks. The first week was one of a 4 pound weight loss and the second a 4 pound weight gain.

During the first week, I had some kind of stomach problem where I couldn't really eat very much due to the associated requirement to spend added time in the 'reading room' with my current book 'Obamaland'. The next Monday weigh in showed me at 231 pounds, a 4 pound drop from the previous Monday. I had averaged just under 1600 calories per day for the entire week. I knew that weight would come back on quickly if I indulged the following week.

My good cardio doctor doesn't have me on too many meds, but he has prescribed a daily diuretic med to reduce the tendency of my ankles to swell. I first started taking this med when I weighed in the 260 range a few years ago. I'm the type person that doesn't want to take any more meds than necessary and have used this as part of my incentive to lose body weight.

Last Monday morning, after weighing 231, I made a conscious decision to quit taking the diuretic med, knowing my body would retain added fluid (water weighs approximately 8 pounds/gallon); thus increasing my weight. But what better time to perform this test than when I have just had a slight reduction from illness and reduced intake the previous week. In the past I have tested my weight without the diuretic for a few days and usually gained about 5 pounds, which have come off within 3 or 4 days after going back on the diuretic med.

As you can see in the chart, my weight did indeed increase by about a pound per day, then stabilized and has leveled off at 235, the same weight I was at for the previous report. So while my weight shows on the chart as constant over the two week period, it really has fluctuated due to body conditions. I can also relate that my ankles, while not as thin as with the diuretic, are not swollen either. That's the up side of the 'cease diuretic deal'. I will continue to abstain from taking that med as long as I control my weight and show no swelling.

My calorie intake for the last week was approximately 1950 calories per day. I can blame none of that on my son-in-law, as he was not staying with me over that two week period. However, he will be staying with me over the next two weeks up until Thanksgiving.

Looking back over my food intake spreadsheet for the past week, I see things like breakfast at Bob Evans, cold cut sub, steak sub, pizza, home made vegetable beef soup and blueberry muffins for breakfast. So I've eaten well which obviously has contributed to the weight returning, along with the body fluid increase.

As I mentioned, Thanksgiving is on the docket for next Thursday. My sole responsibility for that is to make 'Kings Arms Sweet Potato Pie', a sweet potato casserole made from a Williamsburg recipe my ol' buddy Gene put me on to quite a few years back, that's always fun to make, and eat. Oops, almost forgot I also make a gallon of Cousin Betty's southern style 'sweet tea' for Thanksgiving dinner.

A true test for me looms over the next two months of holidays. As you are aware, it's entirely toooooooooooooo easy to indulge in sweets during this period. I intend to come out of this holiday period a bit lighter than when entering. I won't set a goal weight, just to continue my long term weight loss program.

So that's my calorie and med report for today and all I have until my next report around Nov 30, the Monday following Thanksgiving. Should be an exciting report after Thanksgiving and having son-in-law to share the calorie intake blame. :-)

JD

PS - Enjoy Thanksgiving and think about me attempting to control my treat intake. :-)

PPS - I'm also going to stabilize my Stomach Stretch report interval at 2 weeks, so there should be a report every other Monday morning. The bi-monthly deal wasn't looking too good as the reports wouldn't be consistent as they are with the Monday schedule.

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Update 22

Wow, it's the first of the month already and time for my first bi-monthly Stomach Stretch report. As you can see from the chart, I have lost one pound again. Progress is progress. :-)

I completed my average daily calorie count for the month of October which came in at approximately (it's approximate since you can't really, truly be accurate when counting calories in food, even with all the counting aids provided on food packages and within web site charts) 2100 calories per day.

An average daily count of 2100 definitely isn't as low as it should be for someone who's actually trying to drop some excess weight, but considering I lost about 2 pounds during the month, it's not all that bad either. As I mentioned in my previous report, I didn't get as much exercise as I would have liked this month either. Obviously, I am basically a slacker, who'd rather sit at this computer and type out blog posts and facebook entries.

As I mentioned in my last report, son-in-law was here the past two weeks and doesn't appear to have thrown me off calorie schedule. I didn't get carried away with meals. My recollection is that we had grilled boneless rib steaks (about 16 oz before cooking), baked potato and salad two of the six nights he was here. We also had chili dogs one night; fried chicken w/waffle fries another night and homemade pulled pork BBQ another evening. We also went out for some excellent Chinese food one night last week. It was good that we were eating home cooking, where you know the exact content of the foods you eat vice guessing what restaurants put into their dishes.

As I won't have a house guest the next two weeks, I will be able to control my intake a bit better. We'll see how/if it works out. :-)

I need to mow the lawn and put down some fertilizer early this week. Fortunately the extended forecast is for sunshine thru the week.

That's all I've got until next report around the 15th of the month,
JD

PS - I know most folks enjoy daylight savings time, but when this time of year comes around I, for one, am very glad to see it go. I dislike immensely not having the sun rise until 7:30. I look out my front window at 6:45 or so and see kids walking up the sidewalk heading for the local schools and it's still pitch dark. At least with the time change, daylight will be showing up before 7AM. So what if it gets dark at 5:30, not much you can do in the evenings anyway once the temp drops for late autumn/winter.

PPS - Bi-monthly will actually become bi-weekly with the next report being Monday 16 Nov.

Stomach Stretch - Eat Too Much - Update 21

It's been a month since I last dropped a pound...this is likely just an aberration of my body mass, however a pound is a pound.

It has been a quiet week here in the BToS with nothing exciting happening on the food front. Wednesday I had lunch at Famous Dave's up in Columbia. Didja ever get a lunch time seat in a restaurant where you were looking right into a window where the blinds were wide open and bright light was blasting you? We had one at Famous Dave's, a real bummer

Like most restaurants today, it's kind of dark on the inside, depending on a small bulb in a fixture above the table. This type lighting is fine for evening meals, but lacking at lunch time. So they open the blinds. I'm not a real complainer kinda guy, but I did mention the blinds to the manager when he stopped by to touch base with his lunch customers. He indicated he would change them, but that there were folks presently sitting at those tables and he couldn't do it until they left. I believe we left before they did. I had the chopped, smoked pork sandwich with some Wilbur Beans and slaw. Food was a nice change for me.

Earlier in the week I bought a shank portion of a Smithfield Ham and slo-roasted/smoked it a bit on the ol' Weber Grill. Came out tasting pretty good and I've had sammiches off it this week. I don't cook 'em very often, but home cooked, cured ham is just so much better than manufactured ham slices that you buy in the store to use on sammiches. Even the best of that stuff is a bummer. Almost as bad as manufactured chicken or turkey breast slices. Real bummer!!! And that's just my opinion...you're probably one that luvs it. :-)

Son-in-law is scheduled to spend 3 nights with me each of the next two weeks. I haven't gone thru any menu preparation as yet, but will probably bore him with stuff he always eats here, steak, pasta, chili dogs, hamburgers, etc. He'll just have to put up with it!!!

Exercise is picking up a bit this week. I actually was able to mow the lawn before the rains descended upon the BToS. Seems they've been here forever, I'll probably have to mow again as soon as the grass dries a bit. Also have to do a bit of overseeding and get some winterizer to apply. Other days, I donned my slicker and walked around the BToS for some exercise. I've traversed all the streets. Hopefully my next walk, the weather will be decent enough that I can take a few fotos along the way.

As I mentioned last post, I'm going to change my posting frequency. I originally planned to post monthly, but now think it will be more effective if I post twice a month vice just once. So I'll shoot for a Stomach Stretch Update on the 1st and 15th of each month.

JD