It’s been a week since I’ve updated, and things have been middle of the road. Not good, not bad. Eating has been, for the most part, on track. I did lapse a couple of times. Nothing too bad, but certainly not making healthy choices that are in line with the Year of Discipline.

Over the weekend, I ate more than I should have, particularly on Saturday. I had pizza for dinner, and ended up eating more than two pieces, which is too many. I also had cheesy bread, which only added to the calories. I didn’t eat until I was stuffed, but I wasn’t too far away from that feeling. Fortunately, I got back on track this week.

I have been back on the plan since Saturday, and feel like I’m back in my rhythm. I’ve been making healthier choices, and eat normal-sized portions. I feel good about that. The one thing I need to work on is upping my protein intake.

When I used to take protein shakes, I felt much better after workouts, and had more energy. So, I’m going to go back to that. Otherwise, after a rough Saturday, things have been pretty good, and are getting back to normal.

Last week, Wednesday and Friday, I didn’t exercise because I had to work late. I know it was an excuse, but I was just genuinely tired. So, I skipped both workouts. I did, however, up the amount I was walking around, but I don’t think that was enough to compensate for not working out.

This week, I got back on track, working out on Monday. I think that next week, I’m going to go from working out three days a week to five. Now that the weather is getting nicer, I may start going for walks, and trying to be more active. That should help.

I’m still around 26 lbs lost since I started this thing, but I’d like to keep losing more weight. But for that, I’ll need discipline.

It’s been nearly a week since I’ve posted, and things have been so-so. On Thursday, I stuck to the eating plan. For breakfast I had yogurt and a banana. I had my normal cheese sandwich and pretzels for lunch, and I had an apple and a orange as an afternoon snack.

On Thursday night, I made pasta from Nadia’s “pasta of the month” gift she received from her sister. It was good, but I did not overeat. All in all, I felt good about my eating on Thursday.

Friday, we ran out of fruit at home, so for breakfast, I bought a fruit salad from my work cafeteria. I also had two biscuits with butter and jelly. I should have only had one.

For lunch, I bought a buffalo chicken wrap, as usual. I also had a Cherry Coke Zero and pretzels. I had an orange as an afternoon snack.

Friday night, I had leftover spaghetti for dinner. I didn’t overindulge Friday either. So, I felt pretty good.

We had friends visiting from out of town, so it was more difficult to stay on the eating plan. I need more discipline for that.

Saturday morning, we went to Eggspectation, where I had an egg-white omelette, a bown of fruit, home fries, and two orders of wheat toast. I probably could have done without the second order of toast, but all in all it was a relatively healthy meal.

For lunch, I had grilled cheese and pretzels. So, I was still on track. For dinner Saturday, we went to Jerrys where I had a cheesesteak and fries. I also had a slice of pizza. I’ve managed to trim the amount of food I eat when I got to Jerry’s by ordering a regular-sized cheesesteak instead of the large. This time, however, I inadvertently asked for a large combo.

The good thing is that they did not fill the large-fries container up completely. So, I ended up eating fewer fries than I do when I order the regular-sized fries. But, I had the slice of pizza, which more than offset the benefit of eating fewer fries.

For dessert, we had pound cake and ice cream. I ate a little more than I should’ve, and combined with dinner, took me off of my eating plan.

Sunday morning, Nadia made eggs, turkey bacon, and biscuits for breakfast. I didn’t overeat, and felt good. Nadia also made ziti as a late lunch. I ate a little bit more than I should have, but I didn’t overeat at lunch either.

For dinner, we ordered Chinese food. I got the usual, crab rangoon, shrimp lomein, a Philadelphia roll, and steam dumplings. I didn’t eat too much of it and felt pretty good afterwards.

I had a little bit of ice cream and pound cake, and that is probably what pushed me into another a day off the food plan. I think without the ice cream and cake, I would have been fine. But with it, I ate more than I should have.

Monday, I had two cinnamon rolls for breakfast. They were very good.

After that, I had to take my car inspected. So, I dropped it off at the mechanic and walked home. It was a decent bit of exercise. I think I walked somewhere between a mile and a half and two miles. I was a little sweaty, but I felt good. It was good to get some exercise.

For lunch, I had leftover lomein. This time, I didn’t overeat because there wasn’t very much left.

For dinner, we went to Smokey Bones with Nadia’s mom. We share a pretzel basket appetizer. I had one and a third pretzels. For the meal, I had salmon, broccoli, and a baked potato. I was going to get a loaded baked potato, but I didn’t want bacon. The waitress told me that bacon was really the only difference on the loaded baked potato, so I got a normal potato.

The meal was very good, and relatively healthy, so I felt pretty good. A little later in the evening, I had some Thin Mint cookies. I was going to eat pound cake and ice cream, but the cookies seemed like a slightly healthier choice.

Tuesday, I stuck to the eating plan, eating my usual breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack. For dinner, we had leftover ziti. I didn’t overindulge, nor did I eat more than I should have. I had just the right amount.

But, shortly after dinner, I ate more Thin Mint cookies. normally, this wouldn’t be a problem because I eat one serving. But, this time, I ate a serving and a half. Not the worst thing in the world, but if I keep doing it, it will move me away from my goal. So, I need to get back on track.

As I said before, things have been so-so. I need to stay focused, continue my workout routine, and keep going. Things haven’t been horrible, but they aren’t exactly where they need to be so I need to work on getting there.

Monday was a good day for the Year of Discipline. I stuck to the eating plan, making sure I didn’t overindulge. Breakfast and lunch were the usual. For dinner, we ordered Chinese food. I had a Philadelphia roll, steamed dumplings, spring rolls, and crab rangoon. I think I ate a tiny bit more than I should have, but I didn’t feel stuffed so I think I was okay. I had worked out earlier that day, so I felt good.

I followed Monday up with another strong day Tuesday. Stuck to the eating plan. Breakfast and lunch were easy, as always. We had Chinese food again for dinner. I had essentially the same thing as the night before. But, this time I added lomein. I think the lomein pushed me into a little too much to eat. Again, I didn’t feel stuffed, but I definitely ate more than I should have.

Wednesday, I stuck to the plan again. Breakfast and lunch were on the program. For dinner, we had chicken with lima beans and asparagas. So, I did stick to the meal plan, but I didn’t work out. I’ll have to work out tomorrow, which is my normal off-day. I haven’t weighed myself in about a week, but I will tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll be pleased with the results.

This weekend was so-so, in regards to my Year of Discipline eating plan. Friday night, I took Nadia and Nyah to Silver Diner. I had a slider basket, and a chocolate milkshake. I shared that with both Nyah and Nadia, so I didn’t drink all of it. Still, it’s a lot of calories.

Saturday morning, I started the day with a banana and yogurt. For lunch, I had a buffalo chicken salad. Normally, Nadia puts provolone in it. But, I bought some bleu cheese crumbles. Due to a slight mixup, I ended up with both on the salad. It was probably a little more cheese than I needed, but Nadia removed a lot of the provolone, so it wasn’t that big of a deal.

For dinner, I had a cheesesteak at Jerry’s. I, again, got the regular size instead of the large, which essentially cuts a third of a portion out. But, I ate a lot of fries. Towards the end, I ate a few more fries than I should have. I probably ate about three fries that were “activity eating,” so once I realized it, I stopped. When we got home, I had one serving of Thin Mints. I never eat one serving of Thin Mints, so this was a pretty huge accomplishment. 

Sunday morning, I had oatmeal for breakfast. I also had a small cup of cocoa. I guess I lost track of time, because I was practically starving by mid-afternoon. I guess I lost track of time because it felt like we had just eaten, but in reality about five hours passed.

For a late lunch, I had hot dogs, and a tiny bit of leftover wheat spaghetti. Up to this point, I felt pretty good about how the weekend was going food-wise.

Then, for dinner I had nachos. A while back, I bought some canned chili, so we decided to use it up. I had two servings of the nachos, in part to use up the leftovers. It was definitely more than I should have had. But, I didn’t want to throw out the meat or the lettuce. The problem was that the chili had ground beef in it. We always eat ground turkey.

So last night, and into this morning, my stomach has been upset because — I guess — the amount of ground beef I ate. I feel pretty queasy. Hopefully, I’ll recover today, once the ground beef passes through my system.

All in all, the weekend was average, as I ate more fries, even if only three, and ate more ground beef than I wanted. If I’m not careful, I can get back into old habits. So, I’ve got to tsay focused and on top of things.

Today was a good day for the Year of Discipline. I stuck to the eating plan, and was able to fit into a shirt that did not fit in the beginning of the year. I feel really good. I’m also able to make it through my workout easier than when I started.

I stuck to the eating plan for breakfast and lunch. I forgot to eat my usual orange as my mid-afternoon snack. So, when dinner time came, I was hungry. I ordered a pizza, mainly to try out Papa John’s new wheat crust. I read in a book the other day that a lot of the calories in pizza a with no toppings come from crust.

Papa John’s online ordering makes it very difficult to know if you’ve actually ordered the wheat crust. I’ve already eaten some of the pizza and I’m still not sure that I got the wheat crust. It’s not brown, so I’m not sure.

One thing I did notice, however, is that the crust is significantly smaller. The end of the pizza is flatter, which means that if you eat the crust, you’re not eating as much bread. Good.

I had a few breadsticks. They were considerably smaller than usual, but that means I eat less. I almost had more than I wanted. I picked up one, after eating three small ones, and was getting ready to eat it. I asked myself if I really wanted it, or was just eating it because it was hot and there.

So, I put it down. I was also tempted to have another slice of pizza, but I decided not to.

All in all a good day for the Y of D. Sticking to the plan and starting to see results. I’m psyched.

I’m a month and a half into the Year of Discipline, and I’m starting to see progress. I’ve been following my eating/working out plan. I haven’t had any major lapses, though from time to time I have eaten a little more than I should.

I try to stay conscious of what I am eating, so I don’t overindugle. I’ve also been good about working out. Even if I don’t actually work out, I try to perform some sort of physical activity for at least an hour. Thus far, I have lost 25 lbs.

This morning, I put on a shirt that didn’t fit at the beginning of the year. Guess what… it fit! It’sa great feeling to have concrete proof that the hard work is paying off. It will help me stay motivated and keep going.

I skipped breakfast this morning because I had a doctor’s appointment and wasn’t hungry before I left. I probably should have eaten, but since we didn’t have yogurt or a banana, I decided to skip it.

For lunch, I had my usual sandwich and 100-calorie pack. I also had an apple, since I skipped breakfast. I also had a Cherry Coke Zero and a bottle of water. It was pretty filling, and I wasn’t very hungry in the afternoon.

Still, I ate my orange, even though I wasn’t hungry, because then I won’t be as hungry before dinner, and thus will likely eat less.

For dinner, we had salad and whole grain spaghetti. It was pretty good, and I ended up eating a little more than I hope planned. I don’t feel like I ate too much, but I did have a second helping of spaghetti that I probably could have done without. I didn’t overeat, though. And, I didn’t have any dessert.

While that’s all well and good, I didn’t work out today. My hip was bothering me for some strange reason, and my thumb needs to rest. So, I decided to skip the workout. I regret the decision a little bit, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. I might workout tomorrow to make up for it. If not, I’ll resume my normal workout on Wednesday.

I’ve got to stay focused.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve updated. I’ve been sticking to the eating plan for the most part. While I’ve strayed from my normal routine due to having to work from home because of the huge snowstorms we’ve recently had here on the East coast, I’ve still been limiting my intake, and watching what I eat.

A minor triumph occured on Friday when I went to Jerry’s Subs and Pizza for dinner. Instead of the largest cheese steak, I got the regular (medium) size, whichis about a third smaller than the large. I also didn’t eat my daughter’s leftover fries, which I would have done before. I believe that doing this cut something like 40% of the calories I would have had during that meal.

I haven’t really worked out in the last week, though. I did get a decent amount of exercise thanks to shoveling, but I need to ensure that I get back on schedule this week. I weighed myself today, and I was down a total of 23 lbs. I need to stay focused and keep going.

I have a repetitive use injury in my thumb from shoveling. The doc told me to rest my thumb and hand, and it should go away. Unfortunately, I type for a living, and I updating this blog is probably not helping. I’ll need to rest it for the next 2-3 weeks. Hopefully, I’ll be able to. 

All in all, I’ve been good, but not great with the Year of Discipline. The snow threw a wrench in the program, but I managed to stay relatively close to the track, if not on it. But, I do need to refocus.

It’s been a while since I’ve updated, but things have been going as planned. I’ve been sticking to the food plan, for the most part. I had to make an exception for the Superbowl. I allowed myself to eat buffalo wings, nachos, and shrimp cocktail. I didn’t over indulge, but I came pretty close.

Over the weekend, we received a major snowstorm. We got around 30 inches of snow. That’s not a typo. On Friday, I worked from home, but still stuck to the plan. Saturday, I also stuck to the plan. I didn’t actually work out on Friday, but I shoveled a lot of snow, which I think counted towards my exercise quota.

I shoveled snow five times, trying to stay ahead of the snow. I also helped my neighbor clear out her driveway, and helped get my neighbor free from his driveway. He was stuck. This entailed pushing his pickup truck up an icy hill.

And, lastly, Nadia and I walked to the store to get some food before the Superbowl. It was a good workout, especially when we walked through an unplowed parking lot.

I felt good about the level of physical activity I performed over the weekend. My back was really sore Monday.

Wednesdau they’re calling for more snow. If we get it, I might substitute shoveling for my workout. If not, I’ll resume my normal schedule then.

Anyway, sticking the plan. Plugging along. And, feeling good.

Another day of sticking to the eating plan. Breakfast was the usual. For lunch, I substituted a tuna sandwich for my usual cheese sandwich. I also had an apple and an orange in the afternoon.

For dinner, I had wheat spaghetti with tomato sauce and sun dried tomato flavored chicken sausage. Despite it sounding kinda nasty, it was quite good. I also had a small piece of Nadia’s birthday cake. It should be gone hopefully tomorrow. 

Having the cake here has been tempting, but it has been a good test in self control. I could have easily finished it days ago. But, eating small quantities of it, is helping me get accustomed to discipline. That’s a main part of the reason I do things like order pizza, and eat cake.

Most of the time, these sorts of things don’t appear on diets. But, for me, the problem has always been self control and limiting the quanities. Sure, it would be easy for me to just avoid it altogether. But, in the long run, that wouldn’t help me as much because I wouldn’t be able to resist it if it is in the house, or if I am out somewhere that cake is being served.

So, I like to have it from time to time, so I can ensure that I gain more self control, and I can resist it whenever I encounter it.

Today was also a good day in terms of focus. I had a project come on my desk yesterday for a new feature to one of my company’s projects. I need to have it finished by Friday. I got a lot of it accomplished today. I’m way ahead of schedule, and if I stay focused, there is no reason for me to miss my deadline.

All in all, a good day for the Year of Discipline.