"A watched pot never boils." It seems the more diligently I record my daily weight, the harder it seems to lose So more recently I skipped a series of weigh-ins, to find myself down 3-4 lbs. off my prior ongoing plateau. And then I weighed myself just before going to attend a family funeral in Massachusetts to find I had dropped back to last year's multi-year low, a similar recent drop. It had been a vicious bounce over multiple months, which ended up going up at one point over 20 pounds. And it wasn't like I was consciously overeating. I wouldn't say that that I was a spartan eater, but no radical changes in diet from when I was losing last year.
I drove up on a July Friday, roughly a 360 mile drive away up I-95 until Providence where I split off a loop that connects to Fall River (my destination), and I returned after a post-funeral luncheon on Saturday. I don't like to drink too much coffee or soda on my drives because of rest stops along the way. Friday night we had a family reunion at a favorite local restaurant (not that I had visited my folks' birth place all that often, especially since my military nuclear family stayed briefly with my grandfather while I was in sixth grade, maybe a half-dozen visits since then. I have a fondness for the cultural signature claim boils. (My granduncle, my grocer grandfather's partner/butcher, made the tastiest sausage links I've ever tasted, unlike any I've ever had since then.) A clam boil special was on the restaurant specials, and I think everyone (my mom, 6 siblings and myself) ordered it. Not as good as the ones I remember as a kid (my Dad was stationed at relatively nearby Otis on the cape from the time I was a Texas newborn to early primary school), but a rare treat. If I stayed longer, no doubt some lobster; when I've been at Shoprite lately, I've seen them promoting their live lobsters at roughly $7/lb., which is an amazing value. Oddly enough, for all the time I've spent in the Baltimore area since 2004, I haven't had the crabs.
I probably needed more refreshments (I did buy a couple of soft drinks on the way home) driving back on a hot Saturday afternoon through stop-and-go driving through Connecticut and NYC, but I was still stunned to find an interim weigh-in shortly after getting home to find myself at a point 2.5 pounds below the Friday weigh-in, but maybe as a result of a late dinner and lots of ice tea, I reverted back over the bottom.
I had a wound that opened while I was in Fall River, and I had to go to a local clinic to get some antibiotics prescribed. I ended up making two follow-up appointments (during a period of Sunday through Friday). It always annoys me how the weigh-ins at a doctor's office seem to be a few pounds over my morning weigh-ins: really, are clothes and shoes, or a modest breakfast/lunch really adding 4-6 lbs? But here's the real point: even though the doctor scale had me at 4 lbs. over my low. 2 days later on the same scale, my weight had gone up another 7 lbs! Maybe I should have been relieved that my Friday weigh-in was the same as my Tuesday one!
The important thing is consistency on weigh-ins of the same type. So that 7-lb. surge also seemed to transfer to my morning weigh-ins. And so while my weigh-ins were 3-4 pounds less than at the clinic, it seemed like for most of the last 3 weeks I plateaued at the higher rate, roughly 7-8 lbs. over the low. It looks like I'm finally whooshing back down, to maybe 1.5 lbs. over that low in an informal weigh-in after a hot drive home from Sam's Club on a flex day off. So I'm hopeful I'll be back at the low next week.
Some new favorites at Sam's Club. I love these Lipton's gallon ice-tea bags. It's like I run a cycle in my 5-cup coffeemaker, and fill the rest of my gallon pitcher with a small handful of stevia to sweeten. I'll usually stock up on KerryGold butter and cheeses. I wanted to replenish my sliced gouda slices I put on my grass-fed burgers; I don't know if it's discontinued, but I decided on baby swiss as an alternative. (The sliced cheeses aren't grass-fed, but I'll often use grass-fed with my omelettes.) I haven't seen cheap blueberries this summer, but currently you can buy a 2 lb. carton for just over $4. And I bought my first carton of fresh raspberries in a while, not cheap but reasonable. I've added watermelon to this summer's fruits. I like the fresh cilantro salsa; a current breakfast favorite is a 2-egg omelette with cheese, pepper strips and mushrooms, folded into a lower-carb tortilla and topped with fresh salsa. Buying a $5 rotisserie chicken is a no-brainer, as are sub $2/lb boneless chicken breasts. I'll sometimes add a bag of quinoa chips, and I'll usually stock up on nuts (almonds, walnuts, and pistachio nuts, mixed nut jars).
Around last-year's low, I bought, via the Internet, black and grey dress jeans at a daring 4-inch smaller waist size than my regular pants and jeans (along with smaller belt sizes. I was too demoralized to even open my purchase bag after the monster bounce. I recently tried on the black jeans--a bit snug, especially when I sit, but wearable. I probably want to lose another 5-10 lbs.
Even my mom noticed that my suit coat that I bought I think around 2003 looked big on me, at my uncle's funeral. So at least I'm making progress, but I need to drop another 20 lbs to get into the weight range I had during the 1980's and 1990's.
Saturday, August 18, 2018
Sunday, April 22, 2018
Resuming After a Long Break
Weight scales drive me up the wall. It goes beyond the fact you can weight in at the doctors 6 pounds more: really, do your shoes, clothes, maybe one or 2 meals account for that much? And if you complain, it's like, "These scales are more accurate." My Taylor scale is highly reliable--five minutes later, I will weigh the same to a fifth of a pound assuming the scale hasn't moved. But is it valid? I don't know if it's an issue of uneven flooring somehow, but sometimes just relocating the scale elsewhere in the apartment can mean a difference of up to 5 pounds--which is discouraging when you think you finally dropped those 5 pounds.
No, I haven't fully dropped up that up to 25 lb surge after last year's low mark. I have made progress, but I'm still about 11-12 pounds over last year's low. I still have to up my fitness regimen and find a Maryland doctor (given my sluggish hypothyroidism).
Some basic tips/notes:
No, I haven't fully dropped up that up to 25 lb surge after last year's low mark. I have made progress, but I'm still about 11-12 pounds over last year's low. I still have to up my fitness regimen and find a Maryland doctor (given my sluggish hypothyroidism).
Some basic tips/notes:
- Try shopping at different supermarkets. Note that the following discussion doesn't constitute an endorsement but just an example of actual shopping. For example, at Sam's Club, the rotisserie chicken at $5 is a must; if you're lucky, you can find trays of cold rotisserie chicken parts (dark or white meat) for maybe $4. I'll usually grab the bulk-packaged produce like mushrooms, spinach or romaine lettuce, Roma tomatoes, maybe a bunch of bananas or a bag of grapefruit (last trip, plums for the first time in years), KerryGold 1-lb tubs of (grass-fed) butter and cheeses. They also sell Gouda cheese slices (I'll stick my Foreman grill burger with a slice and zap it for about 20 seconds). Grass-fed leg of lamb at least every other visit. I finally saw Arnold's sandwich thins (new recipe, tray of 6 (not 8 SC notes)), not cheap at $2.50/package. Some other decent deals here and there; they sell protein bars with decent net carbs at a good price and I picked up a good 2 bottle pack of apple cider vinegar with the mother at a good price (not to mention these jars of roasted red peppers insanely priced at 91 cents a jar. Another staple are these garlic/jalapeno stuffed olives (I eat a couple daily). Bags of almonds, walnuts and pecans. Walmart is my main grocer with probably the best selection and pricing of grass-fed ground beef, roasts and steaks. I'll occasionally find Wild Planet canned seafood at good prices, low-calorie drink mixes, etc. At Shoprite, I'll find ground buffalo and grass-fed ground lamb, good place to buy sandwich thins, they have sriracha-packed sardines (I'll sometimes eat sardines as a late-night snack), A&W root beer low-cal drink "sticks" (I recently bought a selzer soda siphon) and loaves of Ezekiel bread in the freezer. Oh, I finally tried the chickpea pasta which used to be stocked at my Arizona Sam's Club, not carried locally, but the Eat This website has recommended the Banza brand, which is also carried by Shoprite. I haven't shopped at Weiss in a while, but I found soon after my arrival here it stocks ground venison and also carries Ezekiel bread in the frozen food aisles.
- I recommend the eatthis.com website. They have changed my mind on a number of topics, including the use of artificial sweeteners (negative), eating potatoes, even pasta and underripe bananas (especially if chilled before eating: resistant starch) and more fiber-rich. I'm particularly interested in the satiating effects of potatoes, eggs, beans and meat.
Saturday, July 29, 2017
Back to Trader Joe's
The weight gain spike continues to hold. I need to cut back on nuts, I think, and I really need to get back on a sustained exercise regimen.
I made a second trip to Weis and my first trip to a Trader Joe's probably in at least 4 years (no outlets in WV, SC, and AZ). First, I stocked up at Weis on grass-fed beef, and some venison and bison. I didn't find much on Weis' sources for grass-fed beef, but the some packages of bison and venison had labels I could search on. The bison steak (medallions) came from Great Range Bison, and venison bore a Durham Ranch brands. One thing I noticed about (American) bison from both brand: grass-raised but grain-finished. I'm not happy about grain-finished--that implies they are fattened up for slaughter, and the Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio is likely not as optimal, although I'm not sure the nature and extent; I would suspect it depends on the duration of the grain cycle. The venison was sourced from New Zealand (I hate to make generalizations, but I believe Australian and New Zealand meat is grass-fed and grass-finished. I know Butcher Box emphasizes its beef products are grass-finished.) I was mildly surprised that deer or elk were sourced from down under; I can remember when I worked in WV, there is an abundant deer population that has been known to reach the local interstate, and one proud papa showed off his 9-year-old daughter's first kill. I don't recall when I bought my first venison; I probably found it at a Trader Joe's, although I haven't found it in more recent trips. My boss in late 2004 was a strident Maryland Democrat, so unhappy over Bush's reelection that he went out and shot a deer. The smell of venison stew from his crock pot filled our office suite (although I didn't really sample it). I like to diversify my meat sources.
I know I've discussed Trader Joe's in past posts. I first discovered it (and other California signature businesses like the infamous In 'N Out Burgers) when I worked for Oracle on an Oakland project in 1998 and when I moved to California (for about 18 months) in late 1999 (not my idea: it's what I call the job offer by extortion: I had been commuting on a subcontract to Santa Clara; as I was preparing to leave for the airport back to Chicago, my client boss told me not to come back Monday unless I took his offer. I didn't think I could under the no-compete terms of my subcontract.)
I remember my first impression of going to Trader Joe's, seeing aging, silver-haired hippies exit the store. I've been in a few natural food stores before, and to be honest, never cared for those (I only went to those, e.g., to buy Ezekiel/Food For Life products.) I went a few times to a Whole Foods store within walking distance of where I worked for client USPTO in Alexandra back in 2009-2010, mostly with friends for some pricey lunch deals. I hate to make sweeping generalizations but Trader Joe's strike me as somewhere between a natural food/health store and an upscale Whole Foods. Trader Joe's mostly sells price-competitive private-label merchandise, with a few name brand foods in the mix. For example, I can buy Ezekiel bread for about $6 a loaf at Weis and around $4.50 at Trader Joe's. And its private-label merchandise is priced attractively; for instance, I can usually find one sandwich thin brand going about $2.50/package at WalMart, and Trader Joe's sells its packages for the same price.
I ended up spending about $200. There are a few things I particularly look for at Trader Joe's: an extensive selection of nuts and nut butters; meats and seafood; the bread selection; dark chocolate (I remember fondly barrels of dark chocolate pieces wrapped in cellophane; I didn't see those last week, but they have an extensive selection of dark chocolate/combination items, including very reasonably priced 1-lb. Belgian dark chocolate bars); various sauces (hot, BBQ, curry, etc.) They do have an excellent organic produce section, although I go there more for their high-quality branded items; almost any supermarket has a decent produce section. They do supply some sturdy grocery bags/double-bags with handles which one can easily appreciate given flimsy plastic bags elsewhere.
Although I did broadly hint at my shopping list in the last paragraph, here is a more specific listing (which is abridged, although I think it's fairly comprehensive):
I will say that I am annoyed I didn't find much about the sources of the meats, although I believe the lamb is sourced from New Zealand which is generally pasture-raised and finished. Generally the first few listed things ran at about $10 package or pound. Ground beef bricks (across retailers) tend to be $6-8/lb.
A couple of side notes:
I made a second trip to Weis and my first trip to a Trader Joe's probably in at least 4 years (no outlets in WV, SC, and AZ). First, I stocked up at Weis on grass-fed beef, and some venison and bison. I didn't find much on Weis' sources for grass-fed beef, but the some packages of bison and venison had labels I could search on. The bison steak (medallions) came from Great Range Bison, and venison bore a Durham Ranch brands. One thing I noticed about (American) bison from both brand: grass-raised but grain-finished. I'm not happy about grain-finished--that implies they are fattened up for slaughter, and the Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio is likely not as optimal, although I'm not sure the nature and extent; I would suspect it depends on the duration of the grain cycle. The venison was sourced from New Zealand (I hate to make generalizations, but I believe Australian and New Zealand meat is grass-fed and grass-finished. I know Butcher Box emphasizes its beef products are grass-finished.) I was mildly surprised that deer or elk were sourced from down under; I can remember when I worked in WV, there is an abundant deer population that has been known to reach the local interstate, and one proud papa showed off his 9-year-old daughter's first kill. I don't recall when I bought my first venison; I probably found it at a Trader Joe's, although I haven't found it in more recent trips. My boss in late 2004 was a strident Maryland Democrat, so unhappy over Bush's reelection that he went out and shot a deer. The smell of venison stew from his crock pot filled our office suite (although I didn't really sample it). I like to diversify my meat sources.
I know I've discussed Trader Joe's in past posts. I first discovered it (and other California signature businesses like the infamous In 'N Out Burgers) when I worked for Oracle on an Oakland project in 1998 and when I moved to California (for about 18 months) in late 1999 (not my idea: it's what I call the job offer by extortion: I had been commuting on a subcontract to Santa Clara; as I was preparing to leave for the airport back to Chicago, my client boss told me not to come back Monday unless I took his offer. I didn't think I could under the no-compete terms of my subcontract.)
I remember my first impression of going to Trader Joe's, seeing aging, silver-haired hippies exit the store. I've been in a few natural food stores before, and to be honest, never cared for those (I only went to those, e.g., to buy Ezekiel/Food For Life products.) I went a few times to a Whole Foods store within walking distance of where I worked for client USPTO in Alexandra back in 2009-2010, mostly with friends for some pricey lunch deals. I hate to make sweeping generalizations but Trader Joe's strike me as somewhere between a natural food/health store and an upscale Whole Foods. Trader Joe's mostly sells price-competitive private-label merchandise, with a few name brand foods in the mix. For example, I can buy Ezekiel bread for about $6 a loaf at Weis and around $4.50 at Trader Joe's. And its private-label merchandise is priced attractively; for instance, I can usually find one sandwich thin brand going about $2.50/package at WalMart, and Trader Joe's sells its packages for the same price.
I ended up spending about $200. There are a few things I particularly look for at Trader Joe's: an extensive selection of nuts and nut butters; meats and seafood; the bread selection; dark chocolate (I remember fondly barrels of dark chocolate pieces wrapped in cellophane; I didn't see those last week, but they have an extensive selection of dark chocolate/combination items, including very reasonably priced 1-lb. Belgian dark chocolate bars); various sauces (hot, BBQ, curry, etc.) They do have an excellent organic produce section, although I go there more for their high-quality branded items; almost any supermarket has a decent produce section. They do supply some sturdy grocery bags/double-bags with handles which one can easily appreciate given flimsy plastic bags elsewhere.
Although I did broadly hint at my shopping list in the last paragraph, here is a more specific listing (which is abridged, although I think it's fairly comprehensive):
- meat and seafood: seasoned rack of lamb; 2 pounds of ground (1/3 lb) buffalo patties; a pound of wild-caught sockeye salmon; a grass-fed ground beef brick; multiple tins of branded sardines, uncured bacon
- dark chocolate: power berries (2), chocolate almonds (2), mega-bars of dark chocolate (4)
- breads: Food for Life Ezekiel bread (2), flatbreads, lavashes (2), and sandwich thins (2)
- seeds and nuts: sunflower (2), macadamia (2)
- sauces and condiments: various flavors of BBQ sauce (4); spicy mustard; Sriracha ranch dressing (2); hot sauces (2) and curry sauce (2), free-range chicken broth
I will say that I am annoyed I didn't find much about the sources of the meats, although I believe the lamb is sourced from New Zealand which is generally pasture-raised and finished. Generally the first few listed things ran at about $10 package or pound. Ground beef bricks (across retailers) tend to be $6-8/lb.
A couple of side notes:
- If you haven't noticed, there is a glut on the market of eggs. WSJ and others have pointed out the average price per dozen is down to about $1.33. (I've even seen occasional bargains at 39 to 49 cents a carton.) At these prices, eggs are a no-brainer (including the highly nutritious yolk) for superior nutrition at a low price. I like to scramble a couple, add some sliced onions, mushrooms, and peppers (maybe some ham if I have leftover), toss in some cheese, put in the microwave for 2.5 minutes (your mileage may vary; I have a cheap, small microwave), put onto a large whole wheat tortilla (optional) and cover with salsa. Eatthis, one of my favorite nutritional sources, has pointed out the hype on brown vs. white eggs; basically, brown eggs cost more because they are laid by larger birds which are more expensive to keep. (Incidentally Eatthis did a critical piece on Trader Joe's here; among other things, yup, they don't like the buffalo burgers because of the fat content. (Ask me if I care; I cook my burgers on a Foreman grill with a drip tray.)
- As you may know from my signature political blog, I have an aversion to political correctness, and this extends to various fads, including the anti-GMO movement, organics, gluten-free, free range and other assorted distinctions. I realize some readers may feel the same thing about my focus on grass-fed/finished meats, but I assure you I can taste the differences (and I've been intentionally focused on more Omega-3's in my diet, particularly in their more natural food form (e.g., oily fish)), although I will occasionally buy leaner ("loin") conventional steaks. There are obvious exceptions, and if you have certain rare allergies or medical conditions where you have been instructed to avoid certain foods, I don't intend to suggest abandoning professional advice based on specific knowledge of your health. But, for instance, minor nutritional variances can be offset by changes in your diet. I'm not willing to pay twice the price for produce because of minor alleged nutritional improvements (keep in mind there is also a trade-off in nutritional decay from the point of harvest). Trader Joe's was particularly promoting Angus beef. This distinction is largely marketing hype. Angus is more of a common breed of American cattle, not some genetically, nutritionally superior super-breed.
Sunday, July 9, 2017
The Super Spike Continues
I had started an unpublished post at the end of April, a month after my last post:
And eating during a 2700-mile move with a U-Haul towing my car tends to be difficult--usually I ate at a gas convenience store or adjoining fast feed place for lunch and maybe a diner or fast food place near a hotel for the night. (I did eat some protein cookies I had brought in the truck cab for dinner in a WV hotel stay.) The "free breakfasts" at hotels were mostly a joke; the closest I had to a hot breakfast was a buffet pan of dried out cheese omelettes and bland sausages. Most of the time it was like the ubiquitous packaged blueberry or banana nut muffins. Why not go through a drive-through? It's almost impossible to thread a truck towing a car through many of these things. You have to find ways of turnarounds with right angles. Maybe shopping centers with lots of empty parking. I remember stopping at my first hotel, not sure if there was a path around the back of the hotel.
I'm now getting back to more of a routine and will likely publish on a more frequent basis (of course, I maintain a daily publication schedule on my flagship political blog).
I do have some notes on my core diet options. Butcher Box has rolled out a new custom option since I suspended my account about 3 months back. But returning to the Maryland area has resulted in some updated options, although I live in a smaller town not big enough for a Sam's Club and the nearest one is about a 30-minute drive away. It appears there are some nuanced offerings between the current and last Sam's Club, e.g., they don't carry some of the cheeses and grass-fed offerings in my current one. (My AZ one also carried ground lamb and grass-fed ground beef.) I usually end up buying a (grass-fed) boneless leg of lamb for $20-30 every other visit. Neither carried sandwich thins ( for God knows what reason) which I had been buying for years.
I have discovered more grass-fed options at my local vs. AZ WalMart, including steaks and roasts. One day I even found the grass-fed burger packs on sale for about 1/3 off--still far more expensive than conventional grain-finished beef. I also visited the Weis supermarket chain (there was one near where I went to MVA to revert to my MD drivers license, auto tags, etc.) I also found them stocking a variety of grass-fed meats at competitive prices--including venison (listed as $10/lb ground--I found some discounted packages). I like to vary my meat sources; I recall buying ostrich and buffalo at BJ's in the past. One of the reasons I went to Weis is that Food for Life listed them as a local vendor of their sprouted grain products. (Just like when Safeway stocked it, I found a few loaves stored near other, e.g., gluten-free bread in frozen foods.) Given the current options at Weis and WalMart, I may defer resuming my ButcherBox subscription.
I have yet to return to Trader Joe's for the first time in nearly 4 years, maybe a 40-minute drive away.
Not to promote WalMart (I get no incentive of any kind from any vendor I've mentioned in my blog, also ncluding Amazon, Netrition, Vitacost, etc.; I spend my own money across a number of vendors) But after doing a search on Food For Life's Ezekiel bread, I noticed browser ads for jet.com, a relatively recent WalMart acquisition. If you do a search on the website, you'll find that they do carry grass-fed meats and Food for Life products (shipped frozen) for a flat $5 or so handling charge and shipment is purportedly free for orders at least $35. (This is similar to how Netrition handles some low-carb bread loaves.) Now granted the loaves aren't cheap (you should expect something in the $5-8/loaf), but I recall Amazon and/or its partners were also adding shipping charges nearly doubling the cost. I haven't tried jet.com yet, so I can't vouch for them, but I'll probably try them over the next couple of months. (Usually ground beef ranges $5-8/lb., roasts about $7.50/lb., cheaper cuts like stew meat about $10-12, and steaks $12-24/lb., depending on the cut.)
I've occasionally encountered the super-spike; I think about a year or 2 back I got a 12-lb or so surge that literally took weeks to drop, almost as if I had to lose the same weight a second time. I feared the same would happen again when in my last post I noted a quick 6-point bounceback, and that extended in the days that followed up to 12-15 pounds. Since then I've slowly lost back to the 10-12 lb. level, which means basically 10 points net gain over the past month.I'm currently cycling between 15-20 pounds over my annual low. A lot has happened over the past 3-4 months, including changing jobs and relocating across the country. I've been fairly lax over watching the diet, including eating some frozen burritos and pizza. (I even did the ultimate cheat--I bought a pint of Blue Bell Cookies and Creme ice cream--I discovered by accident that my WalMart in Yuma was selling Blue Bell, a legendary Texas-based ice cream as I passed an aisle end display case and caught out of the corner of my eye. I probably hadn't had Blue Bell in 8 years.) I suspended my ButcherBox subscription, mostly because of uncertainty over the timing of my move. (I had a lot of grass-fed meat in my freezer back in Arizona but finished it off.) I usually don't keep to a diet during stressful circumstances during my job changes.
And eating during a 2700-mile move with a U-Haul towing my car tends to be difficult--usually I ate at a gas convenience store or adjoining fast feed place for lunch and maybe a diner or fast food place near a hotel for the night. (I did eat some protein cookies I had brought in the truck cab for dinner in a WV hotel stay.) The "free breakfasts" at hotels were mostly a joke; the closest I had to a hot breakfast was a buffet pan of dried out cheese omelettes and bland sausages. Most of the time it was like the ubiquitous packaged blueberry or banana nut muffins. Why not go through a drive-through? It's almost impossible to thread a truck towing a car through many of these things. You have to find ways of turnarounds with right angles. Maybe shopping centers with lots of empty parking. I remember stopping at my first hotel, not sure if there was a path around the back of the hotel.
I'm now getting back to more of a routine and will likely publish on a more frequent basis (of course, I maintain a daily publication schedule on my flagship political blog).
I do have some notes on my core diet options. Butcher Box has rolled out a new custom option since I suspended my account about 3 months back. But returning to the Maryland area has resulted in some updated options, although I live in a smaller town not big enough for a Sam's Club and the nearest one is about a 30-minute drive away. It appears there are some nuanced offerings between the current and last Sam's Club, e.g., they don't carry some of the cheeses and grass-fed offerings in my current one. (My AZ one also carried ground lamb and grass-fed ground beef.) I usually end up buying a (grass-fed) boneless leg of lamb for $20-30 every other visit. Neither carried sandwich thins ( for God knows what reason) which I had been buying for years.
I have discovered more grass-fed options at my local vs. AZ WalMart, including steaks and roasts. One day I even found the grass-fed burger packs on sale for about 1/3 off--still far more expensive than conventional grain-finished beef. I also visited the Weis supermarket chain (there was one near where I went to MVA to revert to my MD drivers license, auto tags, etc.) I also found them stocking a variety of grass-fed meats at competitive prices--including venison (listed as $10/lb ground--I found some discounted packages). I like to vary my meat sources; I recall buying ostrich and buffalo at BJ's in the past. One of the reasons I went to Weis is that Food for Life listed them as a local vendor of their sprouted grain products. (Just like when Safeway stocked it, I found a few loaves stored near other, e.g., gluten-free bread in frozen foods.) Given the current options at Weis and WalMart, I may defer resuming my ButcherBox subscription.
I have yet to return to Trader Joe's for the first time in nearly 4 years, maybe a 40-minute drive away.
Not to promote WalMart (I get no incentive of any kind from any vendor I've mentioned in my blog, also ncluding Amazon, Netrition, Vitacost, etc.; I spend my own money across a number of vendors) But after doing a search on Food For Life's Ezekiel bread, I noticed browser ads for jet.com, a relatively recent WalMart acquisition. If you do a search on the website, you'll find that they do carry grass-fed meats and Food for Life products (shipped frozen) for a flat $5 or so handling charge and shipment is purportedly free for orders at least $35. (This is similar to how Netrition handles some low-carb bread loaves.) Now granted the loaves aren't cheap (you should expect something in the $5-8/loaf), but I recall Amazon and/or its partners were also adding shipping charges nearly doubling the cost. I haven't tried jet.com yet, so I can't vouch for them, but I'll probably try them over the next couple of months. (Usually ground beef ranges $5-8/lb., roasts about $7.50/lb., cheaper cuts like stew meat about $10-12, and steaks $12-24/lb., depending on the cut.)
Sunday, March 26, 2017
A Follow-up Spike?
I really didn't intend to post so soon again but I had forgotten to mention in my last post that for the first time in months I had finally decided to buy some new dress jeans and belts; it's been frustrating because the dangerous weight around the middle seems to stubbornly defy visible loss. I end up wearing bigger waist slacks which otherwise run baggy on me. Nevertheless, I have noticed that I've lost a few inches around the waist and have had to tighten up my belt a few spokes. I still can't find anything bigger than say 46 inches at a WalMart so I still have to go mail order/Internet. (I know, some people's heads can't imagine 46 inches, never mind anything bigger. I was in the best shape of my adult life around 24, and I wore around 34 inch waist slacks. I ran across some of them during a recent move and it was like they were mocking me.) So I took a little gamble and tried ordering slacks and belts about 6 inches smaller in the waist (without a tape measure); maybe I'm a victim of wishful thinking. It may depend on the cut of the clothes, but even if they run a bit small, it gives me more incentive to lose a little more.
I was actually surprised to break my blog jinx (i.e., a weight bounce the day after a post) and temporary break through a ten-multiple threshold; was I in the middle of a monster whoosh? After all, my last bounce only peaked a couple of pounds before whooshing back down a couple of new pounds. Alas, no. I weighed it this morning with a 3.5 lb spike--and initial indications that it could double or more tomorrow. The only thing I can do is keep in mind, no, I did not go on an eating binge; it's likely just water retention. Probably it will coming off a pound or two a day over the coming week; there have been days where I seem to be going to the restroom constantly. I have had 6-10 pound bounces on multiple occasions over the past year. But sometimes these bounces can recur for weeks without hitting a new low and/or come off very slowly like losing the same weight all over again.
Why water retention? Could it be a serving or two of lightly salted quinoa tortilla chips I purchased recently from Sam's Club? I don't think so. That probably didn't help, but it's not like I'm eating bags of chips. It reminds me of my old Yahoo low carb recipe days when a woman complained she wasn't losing weight and had posted her diet, and the Atkins fundamentalists quickly decided the corn kernels in her mixed veggies were the problem. I suspect it's part of a bigger picture of my body stabilizing to a lower weight.
I hope the weight spikes peak with tomorrow's weigh-in; but if it continues for a third day, I'll probably stay off the scale for a while. I register my weight at a web portal, but I refuse to record my weight during bounces; if I report a 3-lb bounce on the portal, I'll get a patently absurd warning that I'm on track to put on another 1000 pounds this year.
As I mentioned above I made a recent trip to Sam's Club--and found another shopping staple has disappeared: a natural, no-nitrates-added thickly sliced bacon multi-pack (in addition to sandwich thin mega-packs). (There are multiple 4-lb. bacon alternatives, including frozen meats.) Some of the new staples: as mentioned above, quinoa tortilla chips (they carry a couple of brand), and New Zealand grass-fed cheddar cheese. I'll usually grab some grass-fed ground beef and typically one of their imported lamb options (including ground lamb and boneless leg of lamb, which I'm pretty sure is pasture-raised). I had a look in their processed meats/sausages section and found some already-cooked grass-fed beef sirloin slices (seasoned) for roughly $11+/lb., which is not a bad price. For the occasional dessert or treat, there are various things like dark chocolate bark (with seeds and/or nuts) and various clusters with ingredients like coconut, chia or other seeds, There are also boxes of Nature's Bakery flavored (e.g., raspberry) fig bars made with 100% whole wheat. They are also hyping anything "organic" or "free range". For example, they have various free range chicken sausage varieties. I'm generally a skeptic when it comes to processed meats (I literally do not remember the last time I ate a hot dog), but I noticed they had linguiça which I decided to try (there is a heavy Portuguese population in my folks' hometown of Fall River, MA; in fact, my mom's cousin worked in a Portuguese bakery, not to mention one of my sisters in law is of Portuguese descent.).
Next, I flirted with the idea of posting a Butcherbox link, which might provide a slight incentive to me if anyone clicked on the link. I've mentioned Butcherbox in recent posts. Basically, for about $130/month (including shipping) they will ship 7-10 pounds of mostly premium cuts of grass-fed beef, organic chicken or heritage pork (or mixed meats). I subscribe to the beef program. In any event, I didn't want to make it look like I was a shill for any vendor (I've mentioned WalMart, Vitacost, Netrition, and certain food brands, in the blog, and I've not gotten so much as a discount coupon from any of them, never mind free products. I spend my own money and do take advantage of occasional sales, open to the general public.)
So if you are interested in what Butcherbox has to offer, go to butcherbox.com. They often run a new customer promotion like, e.g., a free add-on package of heritage bacon with your first shipment and $10 off your first box.
Some of the worst temptations come from your fellow workers. For some reason, my co-workers celebrate Pizza Thursdays. Even the late shift guys; I've temporarily rejoined the late shift and saw my two principal co-workers walk in with small pizza boxes; I don't mean one or 2 slices, but whole pizza pies. (Neither guy is thin, but they aren't my size.) If and when I eat pizza, I like the works, but like many, if not most people I savor pepperoni (and sausage) pizza, I don't think I've bought a slice of pizza since last August when I lived in temp housing. It's pure envy; a protein bar or cookie is no alternative to freshly baked pizza: pure pizza envy. But it does show I have willpower.
Finally, I've had a nagging cough/cold over the last few weeks. My supervisor thinks it could be local allergies and suggests consuming locally produced honey. I'm not sure it's allergies, but in fact, if you check into mainstream health portals, you'll find honey listed with many beneficial effects including a natural cough suppressant. So I'll take the extra 21 calories in a teaspoon of honey; yeah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I was actually surprised to break my blog jinx (i.e., a weight bounce the day after a post) and temporary break through a ten-multiple threshold; was I in the middle of a monster whoosh? After all, my last bounce only peaked a couple of pounds before whooshing back down a couple of new pounds. Alas, no. I weighed it this morning with a 3.5 lb spike--and initial indications that it could double or more tomorrow. The only thing I can do is keep in mind, no, I did not go on an eating binge; it's likely just water retention. Probably it will coming off a pound or two a day over the coming week; there have been days where I seem to be going to the restroom constantly. I have had 6-10 pound bounces on multiple occasions over the past year. But sometimes these bounces can recur for weeks without hitting a new low and/or come off very slowly like losing the same weight all over again.
Why water retention? Could it be a serving or two of lightly salted quinoa tortilla chips I purchased recently from Sam's Club? I don't think so. That probably didn't help, but it's not like I'm eating bags of chips. It reminds me of my old Yahoo low carb recipe days when a woman complained she wasn't losing weight and had posted her diet, and the Atkins fundamentalists quickly decided the corn kernels in her mixed veggies were the problem. I suspect it's part of a bigger picture of my body stabilizing to a lower weight.
I hope the weight spikes peak with tomorrow's weigh-in; but if it continues for a third day, I'll probably stay off the scale for a while. I register my weight at a web portal, but I refuse to record my weight during bounces; if I report a 3-lb bounce on the portal, I'll get a patently absurd warning that I'm on track to put on another 1000 pounds this year.
As I mentioned above I made a recent trip to Sam's Club--and found another shopping staple has disappeared: a natural, no-nitrates-added thickly sliced bacon multi-pack (in addition to sandwich thin mega-packs). (There are multiple 4-lb. bacon alternatives, including frozen meats.) Some of the new staples: as mentioned above, quinoa tortilla chips (they carry a couple of brand), and New Zealand grass-fed cheddar cheese. I'll usually grab some grass-fed ground beef and typically one of their imported lamb options (including ground lamb and boneless leg of lamb, which I'm pretty sure is pasture-raised). I had a look in their processed meats/sausages section and found some already-cooked grass-fed beef sirloin slices (seasoned) for roughly $11+/lb., which is not a bad price. For the occasional dessert or treat, there are various things like dark chocolate bark (with seeds and/or nuts) and various clusters with ingredients like coconut, chia or other seeds, There are also boxes of Nature's Bakery flavored (e.g., raspberry) fig bars made with 100% whole wheat. They are also hyping anything "organic" or "free range". For example, they have various free range chicken sausage varieties. I'm generally a skeptic when it comes to processed meats (I literally do not remember the last time I ate a hot dog), but I noticed they had linguiça which I decided to try (there is a heavy Portuguese population in my folks' hometown of Fall River, MA; in fact, my mom's cousin worked in a Portuguese bakery, not to mention one of my sisters in law is of Portuguese descent.).
Next, I flirted with the idea of posting a Butcherbox link, which might provide a slight incentive to me if anyone clicked on the link. I've mentioned Butcherbox in recent posts. Basically, for about $130/month (including shipping) they will ship 7-10 pounds of mostly premium cuts of grass-fed beef, organic chicken or heritage pork (or mixed meats). I subscribe to the beef program. In any event, I didn't want to make it look like I was a shill for any vendor (I've mentioned WalMart, Vitacost, Netrition, and certain food brands, in the blog, and I've not gotten so much as a discount coupon from any of them, never mind free products. I spend my own money and do take advantage of occasional sales, open to the general public.)
So if you are interested in what Butcherbox has to offer, go to butcherbox.com. They often run a new customer promotion like, e.g., a free add-on package of heritage bacon with your first shipment and $10 off your first box.
Some of the worst temptations come from your fellow workers. For some reason, my co-workers celebrate Pizza Thursdays. Even the late shift guys; I've temporarily rejoined the late shift and saw my two principal co-workers walk in with small pizza boxes; I don't mean one or 2 slices, but whole pizza pies. (Neither guy is thin, but they aren't my size.) If and when I eat pizza, I like the works, but like many, if not most people I savor pepperoni (and sausage) pizza, I don't think I've bought a slice of pizza since last August when I lived in temp housing. It's pure envy; a protein bar or cookie is no alternative to freshly baked pizza: pure pizza envy. But it does show I have willpower.
Finally, I've had a nagging cough/cold over the last few weeks. My supervisor thinks it could be local allergies and suggests consuming locally produced honey. I'm not sure it's allergies, but in fact, if you check into mainstream health portals, you'll find honey listed with many beneficial effects including a natural cough suppressant. So I'll take the extra 21 calories in a teaspoon of honey; yeah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Forgetting to Eat?
It's spooky how often as I reach a diet low and publish a post here, I immediately go into a bounce which takes a week or so to resolve.The good news is this time I went past my new low and have lost the next couple of pounds which had been foreshadowed by earlier interim weigh-ins. I think I've taken out the low I set during my Nutrisystem phase; my new target is about 20 pounds away; this was based a BMI index ceiling for my height that many health insurers set for the individual coverage market. (I really didn't want bundled services, just bare bone coverage for catastrophic risks.) It also serves as an upper bound for my weight range during my workout 90's and 2000's and about 15 pounds over my low-carb diet low in 2004, which stalled out. Easier said than done, because even at a 1.5 lb/week clip, which hasn't happened during this diet experience, it will take at least 3 months to take out that upper-bound target and another 2.5 months to reach my 2004 low.
I did have one of my funny diet anecdote moments yesterday. I sometimes vary my diet; I'm currently on a later work shift and so I'll bring one or 2 protein bars and/or cookies for my dinner period. For breakfast this week I've been doing 2-3 slices of bacon. an omelette (a couple of eggs, fresh mushrooms, onions, jalapeno peppers and some KerryGold cheese; I'll stick it in the microwave for about 2.5 minutes), which I'll often stuff into a low-carb tortilla and add some picante sauce/salsa--the hotter, the better. (I'll often add a handful of nuts, this week dark chocolate covered almonds.) For lunch this week, it's been a grass-fed/finished burger on my Foreman grill, condiments including sriracha sauce, Roma tomato slices, and onions on a whole-wheat sandwich thin bun (which seems to have disappeared from my local Sam's Club but I can find in more expensive units at WalMart).
So anyway, I stuck my omelette container into the microwave after retrieving my bacon slices. Apparently the bacon fat satiated my appetite, and I didn't hear my microwave timer go off. I later go to warm up a cup of coffee to take to work and find my untouched omelette container in the microwave. So it turned into a mid-afternoon snack (not bad, even cooled down).
Some brands/names I like on this phase of the diet:
I did have one of my funny diet anecdote moments yesterday. I sometimes vary my diet; I'm currently on a later work shift and so I'll bring one or 2 protein bars and/or cookies for my dinner period. For breakfast this week I've been doing 2-3 slices of bacon. an omelette (a couple of eggs, fresh mushrooms, onions, jalapeno peppers and some KerryGold cheese; I'll stick it in the microwave for about 2.5 minutes), which I'll often stuff into a low-carb tortilla and add some picante sauce/salsa--the hotter, the better. (I'll often add a handful of nuts, this week dark chocolate covered almonds.) For lunch this week, it's been a grass-fed/finished burger on my Foreman grill, condiments including sriracha sauce, Roma tomato slices, and onions on a whole-wheat sandwich thin bun (which seems to have disappeared from my local Sam's Club but I can find in more expensive units at WalMart).
So anyway, I stuck my omelette container into the microwave after retrieving my bacon slices. Apparently the bacon fat satiated my appetite, and I didn't hear my microwave timer go off. I later go to warm up a cup of coffee to take to work and find my untouched omelette container in the microwave. So it turned into a mid-afternoon snack (not bad, even cooled down).
Some brands/names I like on this phase of the diet:
- MiRico low carb breads. Hard to get locally and usually bread shipment costs are prohibitive. I think Netrition stocks them: they usually have a flat, nominal shipping charge like $5. The loaves sell for around $6.30. It's a different type of bread, which I would describe as having a chewy texture, but I like it. For the occasional post-work snack, I might spread some Braunschweiger (organ meat spread) I had found recently at my WalMart on a slice.
- Guy's sugar-free BBQ sauce. I think I also ordered this from Netrition.
- Quest Blueberry Muffin bar. I'm really not into protein bars made to taste like souped-up candy bars (I just noticed some even are made in a birthday cake flavor; it just struck me it's been years since I had a slice of wedding or birthday cake; for some reason, it's like families and kids have transitioned into cupcakes, at least for my grandnieces/nephews.) I bought a lot of discounted "crunchless" vanilla almond bars from Quest and had also ordered a box of their new blueberry muffin flavor. I tried one for the first time yesterday evening, blew me away.
- ButcherBox Beef. They recently included a couple of thick filet mignons in a monthly shipment. I have yet to be disappointed in a cut, but these were so tasty off the Foreman grill: I thought I was in heaven.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Defensive Over Email Spam?
Well, finally since Jan. 28, I've finally reached a new diet low--by about 3.5 lbs. I almost hesitate to mention this, because it seems each time I post a new low, it turns out to be a resistance point it can take weeks to move past. I often do an informal weigh-in after work, which suggests whether a whoosh will continue. This test sometimes fails. There have been times I thought I had another pound or 2 left based on an informal weigh-in, and I actually get a bounce. But there were signs I could take another 1.5 to 2 pounds out in this whoosh.
What helped, unfortunately, I've had some cough/cold/flu thing going on over the weekend, which adversely affected my appetite (and I really don't eat that much to begin with). I know--some jock somewhere is snickering at a fat man who says he's got no appetite, like he wants to buy a ticket to see the show. I usually don't get colds or flus, but there's been a thing going around with co-workers and as an IT person, I often have to work in cold server rooms (computer servers and peripherals can get very hot) and in this area of the country, the outside temperature is already reaching or topping 100. So the swing between temperatures can seriously mess with one's body. I'm almost out of it (famous last words), but it's also possible I was somewhat dehydrated during the period and will replenish any water loss.
I don't know why (I've occasionally purchased big men's underwear from famous brand and are on their email lists), but it seems lately I've been deleting at least one bra sale email a day. I realize they probably think I'm married and have a wife or daughters with undergarment needs, but it's not like I have need of man boob support.
When your waist as a man, exceeds, say 42 inches or so, your clothing options diminish; yes, there are ultra-expensive specialty big & tall men's shops, but for the most part I've never been able to shop for suits, dress shirts, etc., and/or find the styles I prefer; I've generally done mail order or the Internet. Now granted, being over 100 lbs. overweight, I can stand to lose inches almost everywhere but even around my waist I don't "shake like a bowl full of jelly".
I can only imagine how hard I would be to fit if I were a woman. I inherited a barrel chest from my Dad's side of the family (the only one in my family). I never went into the serious bodybuilder or gym rat mode, but I would do some modest weight training; when I worked out every couple of days or so, I could easily max out the Universal bench pressing machines (at 320 lbs. or so, much more than I weighed), leg presses, etc. I looked more like a weightlifter than a bodybuilder. (Weightlifters are bulkier while bodybuilders have more defined physiques). I didn't really do weights to attract female attention (I'm straight), although I secretly hoped that they would notice. As a geek and a younger college student (I earned my first degree at 19), I've had a modest dating history, but I've struggled with my weight over my adult life. What I've noticed is that young women flirted a lot more when I was at a more normal weight. Whereas I was a couple of inches taller than my Dad, I was a normal height, not tall, which most women seem to prefer.
I have a naturally massive chest (about 56-58 inches), and trying to buy suit coats and dress shirts was a headache. Even with modest workouts I couldn't get my arms into the sleeves and shoulders; I had to buy athletic cut suits (with room for the chest, shoulders and arms, more tapered in the trunk and slacks); I would be lucky if I could find one or 2 suits I could try per store, and even then I would have to have many alterations made. I used to wear suits all the time as a business school student, professor and consultant. Thank God as an IT professional, I can wear business casual. I don't think I've had to buy a new suit in 10 years; I still have a couple I can wear when necessary.
So let's just say I have a little empathy for the problems naturally very well-endowed ladies go through trying to get fitted, (I think, like most guys, I find curves attractive (maybe signifying fertility?), although I've never dated a curvy woman. ) I suspect, though, they would be even harder to fit if they had my rib cage. But seriously, I could do without the bra ads.
What helped, unfortunately, I've had some cough/cold/flu thing going on over the weekend, which adversely affected my appetite (and I really don't eat that much to begin with). I know--some jock somewhere is snickering at a fat man who says he's got no appetite, like he wants to buy a ticket to see the show. I usually don't get colds or flus, but there's been a thing going around with co-workers and as an IT person, I often have to work in cold server rooms (computer servers and peripherals can get very hot) and in this area of the country, the outside temperature is already reaching or topping 100. So the swing between temperatures can seriously mess with one's body. I'm almost out of it (famous last words), but it's also possible I was somewhat dehydrated during the period and will replenish any water loss.
I don't know why (I've occasionally purchased big men's underwear from famous brand and are on their email lists), but it seems lately I've been deleting at least one bra sale email a day. I realize they probably think I'm married and have a wife or daughters with undergarment needs, but it's not like I have need of man boob support.
When your waist as a man, exceeds, say 42 inches or so, your clothing options diminish; yes, there are ultra-expensive specialty big & tall men's shops, but for the most part I've never been able to shop for suits, dress shirts, etc., and/or find the styles I prefer; I've generally done mail order or the Internet. Now granted, being over 100 lbs. overweight, I can stand to lose inches almost everywhere but even around my waist I don't "shake like a bowl full of jelly".
I can only imagine how hard I would be to fit if I were a woman. I inherited a barrel chest from my Dad's side of the family (the only one in my family). I never went into the serious bodybuilder or gym rat mode, but I would do some modest weight training; when I worked out every couple of days or so, I could easily max out the Universal bench pressing machines (at 320 lbs. or so, much more than I weighed), leg presses, etc. I looked more like a weightlifter than a bodybuilder. (Weightlifters are bulkier while bodybuilders have more defined physiques). I didn't really do weights to attract female attention (I'm straight), although I secretly hoped that they would notice. As a geek and a younger college student (I earned my first degree at 19), I've had a modest dating history, but I've struggled with my weight over my adult life. What I've noticed is that young women flirted a lot more when I was at a more normal weight. Whereas I was a couple of inches taller than my Dad, I was a normal height, not tall, which most women seem to prefer.
I have a naturally massive chest (about 56-58 inches), and trying to buy suit coats and dress shirts was a headache. Even with modest workouts I couldn't get my arms into the sleeves and shoulders; I had to buy athletic cut suits (with room for the chest, shoulders and arms, more tapered in the trunk and slacks); I would be lucky if I could find one or 2 suits I could try per store, and even then I would have to have many alterations made. I used to wear suits all the time as a business school student, professor and consultant. Thank God as an IT professional, I can wear business casual. I don't think I've had to buy a new suit in 10 years; I still have a couple I can wear when necessary.
So let's just say I have a little empathy for the problems naturally very well-endowed ladies go through trying to get fitted, (I think, like most guys, I find curves attractive (maybe signifying fertility?), although I've never dated a curvy woman. ) I suspect, though, they would be even harder to fit if they had my rib cage. But seriously, I could do without the bra ads.
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