One of the Scales is Off (maybe)

So I compared scales again this morning. I weighed in on the Taylor with my basketball outfit on. Then I weighed myself on the gym scale. The difference was .4 lbs. today. Now one thing to note is that sometimes I will weigh myself on the Taylor, step off, wait 30 seconds and step back on it again and the reading is different. I'll then wait another minute before weighing in again. Usually the 2nd and 3rd and 4th readings are the same. With that in mind, I think I may have just weighed myself once on the Taylor Tuesday morning. So I'll do the same test over the next few weeks until I get a good idea what the difference is between the two scales.

My eating habits have been pretty solid. I've been partaking of the WO in the morning, eating Goldfish crackers, yogurt and an apple for lunch and then just having one helping at dinner and not snacking after dinner. I've had a good week of exercise ... played ball on Tuesday, ran on Wednesday and played ball again this morning. I'll run 3 miles tomorrow morning and then either play ball or run on Saturday.

This morning I had my official weigh-in.

Same scale, same time of day with just a towel.

WEIGHT: 191.7
Difference: 25.8 lbs. since May 1, 2006 (avg. .2 lbs/day)

I'm going to start reporting what the average loss per day is since I started Shangri-La. At .2 lbs. a day, I'll hit my goal on October 4th, 2006.

Moving Towards the Home Scale

I bought a scale at Wal*Mart a couple of weeks ago. The scale is made by Taylor. I chose the low-end Taylor scale because all I needed was a scale that measured weight ... not body fat or body water ... just weight. Taylor seems to pride itself on being accurate. So far, I'm pleased with the scale.

Of course I became curious about how far apart measurements are between my gym's scale and our Taylor scale. Tuesday morning I put on my basketball clothing, socks and shoes, then I weighed myself on the Taylor. I made sure I didn't drink or consume anything before weighing myself on the gym scale. I weighed myself on the gym scale and found that there is a 1.1 lbs. difference between the gym scale and the Taylor. Whenever I weigh myself on the Taylor, I need to subtract 1.1 pounds to arrive at my gym scale number.

Now I've only tested this once. Tomorrow I will test the scales again. I'll continue to test the scales over the next few times I go to the gym. After getting a few samples, then I'll feel confident about weighing myself on the Taylor scale.

Why am I doing this? First, because I may eventually quit the gym and will end up using the Taylor scale. So I want the transition in weights to be accurate. I'm a nutcase ... I like correct data. As long as the two scales are about a pound apart, then I'm fine with using the Taylor for my official weight.

Secondly, I'm running on non-basketball days and I want to use the Taylor to weigh myself after the run.

I went running this morning ... it was beautiful outside ... the heat has broken here in Texas. It was 64 degrees at 6am. After a good 3 mile run I weighed in on the Taylor.

Unofficial Weight: 193.0 (Taylor) 191.9 (adjusted to gym scale)
Unofficial Difference: 25.6 lbs. since May 1, 2006 (adjusted)

Tomorrow I'll have more data as well as an official weigh-in. Eventually my official weigh-ins will be on the Taylor.

Another Side Effect?

So my grades from my Summer Semester came out finally. It turns out that Summer 2006 was my best term ever! I'm a B+ MBA student. But this term I earned 3 A-'s and 1 A.

What is significant about this is that I started the Shangri-La diet right end the end of April and the beginning of May. The Summer term started towards the beginning of May. So could the Shangri-La diet make one smarter too?

I'm half-joking when I ask that question, but that also means I'm half-serious. Maybe I'm not necessarily smarter by ingesting extra-light olive oil or walnut oil, but perhaps by losing weight I've gained confidence and thus am able to perform better in my classes.

Or maybe my better performance is due to the fact that I took two organizational behavior classes (generally considered easy) and one database class (I'm an IT nut, so it was easy). But I did take a tough finance course and I've only earned one other A- in all my other finance classes ... so maybe it was the diet.

Well, I have two more classes before I graduate in December ... one is International Financial Markets and the other is Advanced Master Negotiations. So if I perform well in these classes (A or A-), then maybe being on the diet and getting good grades has a correlation. Maybe Seth can use some students to test this theory! :-)

As for an update on the diet ...

TUESDAY: I played basketball of course, drank 12 fl. oz. of Mt. Dew, 1 dose WO, normal lunch (normal = cup of Goldfish crackers, Yoplait yogurt and 1 apple), 2nd dose of WO in afternoon, 1 SuperSonic cheeseburger and cream-slush before class and then two cookies before going to bed.

WEDNESDAY: 1 dose WO, normal lunch, 2nd dose WO, 4 homemade tacos and 1 cup of Dreyer's Double Vanilla ice cream.

THURSDAY: Basketball in the morning (had to cut it short 15 minutes as one of the guys tore a knee), 1 dose WO, normal lunch ... and since I'm writing this at lunch, I'll take my 2nd dose of WO at 3:30pm or so and then for dinner I'll probably eat leftover tacos.

After basketball this morning, I weighed in.

Same time of day, same scale, same outfit (dry towel):

WEIGHT: 193.3
Difference: 24.2 lbs. since May 1, 2006

So I gained .3 lbs. since Tuesday morning ... I still have to work that Sonic burger and those tacos out of my system. I'm not discouraged at all ... this has happened many times before along my journey.

My wife started the diet a few weeks ago. She told me that she has lost 2 pounds already! I'm excited for her!

The Pounds Are Coming Off More Slowly

When I first started the Shangri-La lifestyle (I don't view it as a diet in the sense that you go on a diet for a period of time and then you go back to whatever you did before) I would lose about 2 pounds a week. Now I'm losing about less than a pound a week.

This leveling is due to the fact that I've not been as rigorous in my routine as I was before we had our baby at the end of July. But now that life is beginning to settle down a bit and now that school has tapered off somewhat, I'm getting back into my habits.

This is my routine now:

• Running outside (about 3 miles each day now) on Mondays, Wednesdays and hopefully Fridays and Saturdays)
• Playing basketball on Tuesdays and Thursdays (an hour each day)
• Ingesting a tablespoon of Spectrum walnut oil (WO) in the morning and in the afternoon
• Skipping breakfast (or worded differently ... eating a tablespoon of WO for breakfast)
• Eating a light lunch (normally a cup of Goldfish crackers, an apple and a cup of Yoplait yogurt)
• Eating a nutritious dinner ... but not stuffing myself ... I stop when I feel satisfied
• Not eating after dinner ... just drinking water.

I'm hoping by sticking to my routine (as I did before) I'll be able to shed those last 8 pounds and keep 'em off for six months.

In order to make this blog more useful for those who are following it and who are curious about what I eat, I'll provide an update of how well I keep to my plan and any deviations from it.

Since I've gone below 200, I've not bounced above that mark ... this is encouraging to me because it tells me that the pounds are staying off.

Today I weighed in ... same time of day, same scale with just the towel.

WEIGHT: 193.0
Difference: 24.5 lbs. since May 1, 2006

Let the last 8 pounds fall.

And the Pounds Roll

Last week I strained my calf muscle. After a good sleep that night, I was feeling much better the next day. I played basketball on Saturday and did well.

Monday morning I ran 3 miles. Tuesday I played ball. Wednesday I ran 3 miles on the treadmill. This morning I played basketball.

Since I've been at home helping out, I've not been in my normal routine lately which means I haven't been diligent about taking my dose of WO. This morning will be the first time in a few days that I will have taken it. But the pounds are still rolling off. I'm less than 10 pounds away from my target weight.

This morning I weighed in.

Same time of day, same scale with just the towel.

WEIGHT: 194.5
Difference: 23 lbs. since May 1, 2006

The other day an old friend and co-worker came in my office to congradulate me on the new baby. He also asked me if I had been losing weight. He said that my face looks much thinner than he had remembered. I told him (proudly) that I had lost 20 lbs. since May 1st. He was impressed. Besides the benefit of feeling good about myself, comments like that really make it all worth it.

Life Gets in the Way Sometimes

I'm still going. We recently welcomed our 4th child into the world.

She and her mother are doing well. Despite the long days of watching the other 3 squids, I've managed to stay on the diet relatively well.

I played basketball on the 25th and weighed in as usual.

July 25 Weigh-in
WEIGHT: 196.0
Difference: 21.5 lbs. since May 1, 2006

I was so proud of myself after that weigh-in that I loosened up a little. I get curious about whether I can gain weight because the pounds seem to come off so effortlessly. So I pigged out on my mother-in-law's potatoes, green-bean casserole and spiral-cut ham. I ate big dinners and lunches on Wednesday and Thursday.

Thusday morning came around and I was on the basketball court again. About 30 minutes into my workout, I felt a tightness in my left calf muscle. It hit me right when I cut to the basket for a layup. I thought it was cramps because that's what it felt like, but the pain persisted especially when I tried to run. I stopped and tried to stretch it and massage it, but the pain didn't leave. So I had to shower early. It was painful to put pressure on it the rest of the day. I looked up my symptoms on WebMD and it turns out that it's a muscle strain.

This morning when I woke up, the pain was considerably less. I can walk "normally" now without limping. So I'll give it some rest until next Tuesday and then see how I'll do on the court.

Anyway, I weighed in Thursday morning too.

July 27 Weigh-in
WEIGHT: 198.0
Difference: 19.5 lbs. since May 1, 2006

Yesterday I had a really good day on the diet. I took the WO in the morning and then ate a McDonald's salad. Then I drank WO in the afternoon. I went to class that night and then didn't eat anything until I got home. When I got home, I just ate a ham sandwich. I really wasn't hungry all day long.

I havn't been taking the flax seed oil capsules lately ... just been forgetting. But I have been continuing to get some good sleep.

Anyway ... I'm still here. I probably will only post once a week until I hit 185 (which should be around the middle of September).

20 lbs. Later

There's not much to say at this point. I seem to be humming along in my quest for 185. I consider a day like yesterday a big success.

I took two tbsp of WO in the morning and then drank lots of water. I ate lunch at noon. I had a banana, a cup of yogurt and some pretzels. In the afternoon, I took two more tbsp of WO. That night I ate a decent dinner ... beef sandwich, grapes, pineapple, carrots, olives and a bowl of ice cream.

This morning I played basketball. I injured by left big toe. My right big toenail, if you recall, was ripped from the skin a few weeks ago causing me extreme pain. The right toenail is going to fall off ... it's completely black. Well this morning, I did it to the other toe. Although not as bad as the right toenail, it still hurts. I took my shoe off after playing and my sock was bloody. So at least the blood is escaping this time and therefore it isn't so painful.

So this week I only had two minor injuries ... a blister on my right hand (from sliding on the floor) and my toenail.

So after playing, I showered and weighed in.

Same time of day, same scale with just the towel (I finally realized I was spelling towel incorrectly).

WEIGHT: 197.0
Difference: 20.5 lbs. since May 1, 2006

Only 12 lbs. left & six months holding it to complete this quest.

Steady ... Steady ... Steady

My kids play this game that they made up. One of them stands against the wall while the other pretends to walk on a tightwire towards the one standing against the wall. While they walk, they hold their hands out to the side and say, "steady .... steady ... steady" and when they finally reach the other, they tickle each other and laugh. Anyway ... my weight is steadily holding and that made me think of their game.

I really didn't take the SW or WO this weekend. I just snack all the time and maybe eat an occasional meal. I did get to play some basketball on Saturday. Then the kids and I went swimming.

We've been melting here in Dallas. Last night coming home from class, the temperature was 98 at 10:00pm. We're supposed to be up to 106 today. The gym wasn't very cool this morning because of the heat.

Basketball was great this morning. I had a few solid games and I got a great workout.

After showering, I weighed in.

Same time of day and same scale with just the towl.

WEIGHT: 198.4
Difference: 19.1 lbs. since May 1, 2006

So I hope by Thursday I will have lost over 20 lbs. since starting the SLD. That will be a significant milestone for me. I remember one person who did the SLD who said that she had lost something like 25 lbs. I think it was around Thanksgiving time and she was pulling her turkey out of the refridgerator and it dawned on her that she had been carrying the weight of a turkey on her body all those years.

My waist is shrinking. At first I was excited that I had to constantly pull my pants up, but now it's starting to get annoying. I'm on the last hole of my belt ... so I'll be needing new pants and a belt before too long.

As for SLD diet today ... I think I'm going to take a tbsp of WO in the morning and ditch the SW. I didn't know if it was just me, but I found out that others also tended to be more hungry when they drank the SW. I've noticed that the WO in the afternoon will supress my hunger for at least 3 hours. I hope it will have the same affect when I take it in the morning too. I'll let y'all know how it goes.

Great Morning of Basketball

I think the shot of Omega 3 EFA's into my diet is helping me sleep more soundly at night. Last night I fell asleep soundly and was ready to get up when the alarm sounded.

This morning at basketball, I was active and accurate. It was a lot of fun.

After ball, I weighed in.

Same time of day & scale with just the towl.

WEIGHT: 198.7
Difference: 18.8 lbs. since May 1, 2006

Another side benefit (which has been mentioned by others) is smoother skin. Before getting on the SLD, I would often have skin outbreaks on my nose and nostrils. Every week or two, my skin would get really dry and red. Sometimes it looked really bad. Since taking a shot of oil every day, I've never noticed the skin on my nose go dry. The real test will be when the winter comes.

Anyway ... down with the pounds!

Broken!

I finally broke the 200 barrier!

Yesterday, I worked out ... did some shooting drills and then biked for 30 minutes. I weighed in and was 201.3. I wasn't suprised. For food yesterday, I had the SW in the morning, a McDonald's salad for lunch and then I ate a cup of yogurt and some green beans before class. On break, I ate a nectarine. When I got home, I found leftover pizza. So I ate 3 slices.

This morning, I played some great games of basketball. After showering, I weighed in.

Same time of day on the same scale with just the towl.

WEIGHT: 199.7
Difference: 17.8 lbs. since May 1, 2006

The last time I remember being under 200 lbs. was December of 1997. I was at my brother's for Christmas and I remember eating a lot of food. When I stepped on his scale and saw that was 200+ I was shocked. That was the first time I broke 200 lbs. I don't think I ever fell below the 200 mark since then. So for me, this is a personal victory. Now it's time to work on creating a buffer zone so I won't be bouncing back and forth between 199 and 201.

Today's menu: SW for breakfast. Yogurt, a nectarine and some wheat thins for lunch. Later in the afternoon I'll be taking a swig of walnut oil. I don't know what my wife will cook up for dinner. I'll probably have a salad.

I don't know if I stated why I switched to walnut oil. I read an entry on Seth's blog that he was testing with it and found some positive side effects.

To test this idea, I made two changes: (a) I started drinking 2 tablespoons/day
of walnut oil. Walnut oil (12% omega-3) is a much better source than olive oil
(1%) or canola oil (7%). (b) I started taking 10 flax-oil capsules/day (= 100
calories/day). Flax oil (58% omega-3) is an especially good source. (I drank
Spectrum refined walnut oil, which has little flavor, and I mixed it with water
to reduce its flavor. Another walnut oil I have tried, International Collection,
has a strong walnut flavor.)

What got me interested in it was the side affect of better sleep. I've always have had a hard time falling asleep ever since I've gone back to school to work on my MBA. So I'm giving walnut oil a try. I'm also taking 1000mg of flax-oil a day (usually with dinner). So far, I've been able to fall asleep faster and get up when the alarm sounds. Anyway, read the post to get the full scoop.

Unofficially at 200.0

Yesterday, I didn't take the ELOO in the afternoon as I was out of ELOO. My wife bought some walnut oil for me yesterday. So I'll be replacing the ELOO with WO. I ate a McDonald's salad for lunch and then before class, I ate a cup of yogurt and some cherry tomatos.

On my break during class, I ate one apple. When I got home that night, I ate some BBQ beef and some chips and salsa.

This morning I played basketball for about 90 minutes at one gym. Then I went to my "normal" gym and played for about 30 minutes more. I showered and weighed in.

Same scale, but about 3 hours later.

Unofficial Weight: 200.0
Difference: 17.5 lbs. since May 1, 2006

I was beat and had no energy at that point. So I ate a yogurt parfait (sp?) which was like frozen yogurt along with some fruit. I also drank some OJ. Then the family and I went swimming.

Just like last week, I took the kids to Sonic. I had an orange cream slushie with 4 tator-tots and a bite of my son's corndog. I'm done for the afternoon. I'll have a salad tonight and then call it quits.

I just need to do good tomorrow and hopefully on Monday I'll break that barrier.

Great Week

I'm really proud of myself. I worked out Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and I'm playing basketball tomorrow. I stuck with the SLD every day this week and I feel great!

Yesterday before class, I went to Taco Bell and ate a crunch wrap supreme and a taco. After class, I ate two slices of turkey and some zucchini (sp?) bread.

This morning I did my plyometric workout and then biked for 30 minutes. After showering I weighed in.

Same time of day & scale with just a towl.

WEIGHT: 200.4
Difference: 17.1 lbs. since May 1, 2006

So no big loss, but still inching closer to that 200 mark.

Back to Last Week

Yesterday was good. I drank the SW in the morning, ate a cup of Yoplait cream peach yogurt and a Gala apple. I partook of the ELOO in the afternoon.

When I got home, I dug into a Rice Crispy treat. I fixed some mini bite sized pizzas for the kids. I ate about 3 or 4 of those along with a salad. Then I ate some banana bread and a few more bites of a Rice Crispy treat. Then I drank lots of water. I was done eating by 6:00pm.

This morning I played basketball for an hour.

After showering, I weighed in.

Same time, scale with just the towl.

WEIGHT: 200.7
Difference: 16.8 lbs. since May 1, 2006

I like how I got to 200.7 this week. It was "normal." Last week's 200.7 was probably due mostly to other factors. This week's 200.7 came the same way I've been losing most of my weight ... sticking to a routine and steadily losing the pounds.

So now the task at hand is to stick to the plan. I'm not going to binge on pizza this week. I drank SW this morning and am going to eat my same lunch as I've always had ... yogurt & apple (with an extra treat today ... cherry tomatos). Tonight I'll have a salad and then that's it.

I'm hoping to go to the gym tomorrow morning. I have class tonight and will be getting home late ... so it all depends on how good my rest is tonight.

2.8 Pounds Off the Mark

So I never recovered from that Papa John's Pizza binge last Thursday night. I'll be heading into a Thursday morning weigh-in above the 200 mark.

I played basketball this morning. It wasn't full-court. Only 4 people showed up, so we played 2 on 2. It wasn't much of a workout, but I was dead by the time we finished.

Same time, scale with just a towl.

WEIGHT: 202.8
Difference: 14.7 lbs. since May 1, 2006.

After basketball this morning, I drank my SW. I didn't eat until 11:00am. For lunch I ate a handful of Goldfish crackers and a nectarine with some V8 fruit juice. A couple of hours later I ate some Sunchips.

Tonight we'll have a small picnic when we go the park to let the kids play, then I'll be done eating for the day. Tomorrow I won't be able to work out in the morning. I might go to the gym at night.

Thursday will be the next big weigh-in to see if I break that psychological 200 lbs. mark.

Wild Swings

I'm struggling to push past that 200 mark. My weight has wildly been swinging between 204 and 200. But after reflecting on why that is the case, I understand.

On Thursday when I hit 200.7, I ended up eating about 5 or 6 slices of Papa John's pizza that night.

On Friday I polished off the pizza for lunch and then ate a huge taco salad dinner that night followed by angel food cake with strawberries and 100% cream. Later on while watching TV, I ate a Moose Tracks ice cream bar.

Saturday was better, but not much. I played basketball for 2 hours from 7-9am. Then I took the kids up to the gym and played another hour of basketball while they played in the child care place. I showered and weighed in at around 202.4. Then I took them swimming. We swam for about 90 minutes and then went to Sonic. I ate a strawberry sundae. The rest of the day I just snacked and ate whatever.

Sunday I was much better. I drank my SW in the morning and then had a P&B sandwich with chocolate milk for a snack. After church, I ate a taco salad around 3pm and then I was done for the day. That night, I drank two tbsp of ELOO with water at around 8:20pm.

This morning I did my plyometric workout and then biked for 30 minutes. After showering I weighed in.

Same scale, time of day with just a towl.

WEIGHT: 204.00
Difference: 13.5 lbs. since May 1, 2006

Today I plan on drinking lots of water to try to "cleanse" my system out. I'm commited to eating well today and tomorrow. I need to do better on the weekends. Somehow I need to find a weekend routine ... something to keep me from eating out of boredom. I also need to not visit the Tom Thumb on Friday to buy those ice cream bars!

If I were around 190 and popping back and forth between 190 and 194, I wouldn't mind so much. But I really want to drop below that 200 mark for good.

Tomorrow is the 4th of July. What will I weigh? Maybe after I get the food out of my system and after a good session of basketball (if anyone shows up tomorrow) then I'll be at 200.

Pressed Hard This Week

Amazing! I was really surprised when I stepped on the scale this morning. Before basketball, I put on my shoes and then weighed myself ... I was about 208. So I figured I was about 204 without the clothes and shoes.

I played basketball. I played every game. We started at 6:50 and finished at 7:20. I was exhausted by the time we were done playing. I could hardly walk up and down the court. I drank a diet Pepsi yesterday before my database final and since I don't drink caffeine that often, I had a hard time getting to sleep last night. So I was playing basketball on 3 hours of sleep (I think I finally fell asleep at 1:45am and got up at 5:10am).

After showering, I stepped on the scale.

Same scale, roughly the same time of day (maybe about 15 minutes later than usual) with just the dry towl.

WEIGHT: 200.7
Difference: 16.8 lbs. since May 1, 2006

I think the dramatic drop was due to a few reasons. When I weighed in on Tuesday, I still had a lot of food and water in my system. By Wednesday, most of that food was out of my system and I had been drinking a lot of water. I also was back to my "routine" on Tuesday & Wednesday. I drank my SW in the morning, ate a light lunch, took my shot of ELOO in the afternoon and ate very light dinners. Then this morning, as I usually do, I didn't fill up on a lot of water when I played basketball. I usually wait to drink water until after I weigh in. I've always been doing this. So since I played for 90 minutes today rather than 60 minutes, I probably lost more H2O than normal.

So I'm .7 lbs off from my mark for the 4th. I'm going to be right around 200 for the 4th of July. I may even be below 200 next Tuesday.

Tonight, I'm going to bed early and then going to the gym tomorrow. I've only worked out twice this week. I need to get a session in tomorrow and then play some more ball on Saturday. I haven't done my plyometric workout for over a week. I've noticed my legs are a lot heavier. I need to get them feeling light again.

Hard Pressed This Week

I popped back up to 204.

WEIGHT: 204.2
Difference: 13.3 lbs. since May 1, 2006

I ate a lot of food on Monday. I also didn't drink my SW in the morning. I did take my ELOO in the afternoon. I intended to go to the gym in the morning, but our son has been sick and so he's been coming up to our room in the middle of the night. So I slept in ... a lot.

This morning I got a few games of basketball in. I didn't do well at all. My shot is off again. I weighed in and was disappointed. Tuesdays seem to be down days for me lately.

So I have 7 days to lose 4.2 pounds. Historically speaking, I lose just over 2 pounds per week. If I really want to hit 200 next week, I really need to exercise tomorrow, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and then eat good on the weekend.

Back In Business

Well the toe is better now. It's still draining a little.

I played basketball at 7:00am this morning. I used my new shoes for the first time and I think they'll work out great. My toe leaked into two pairs of socks while I was playing. But there wasn't any pain.

After ball, I came home, drank some Gatorade and then we all went to the gym. I shot around while waiting to play some more basketball. I got to play one game. After that, we all went swimming for about 90 minutes. I weighed in while at the gym.

I weighed in at 11:00am rather than 7:15am. But other than that, same scale with just the dry towl.

WEIGHT: 203.5
Difference: 14 lbs. since May 1, 2006

I'm ready to break the 200 mark by July 4th. July 4th is a Tuesday. Maybe we'll play ball that morning. Either way I'll be weighing in that day.

Injury

My toe nails have problems. I don't mean to gross people out, but I have fungus under my nails. A couple of months ago, my left big toe nail was so brittle that when I stubbed it on somebody's shoe in basketball, it broke off and it was kind of painful. Last year I talked to my doctor about the problem. She confirmed that I have fungus under the nails and prescribed the appropriate medication. But my insurance won't cover it. The medication costs hundreds of dollars. So I let it be.

This Tuesday I stubbed my right big toe on somebody's shoe. It hurt really bad. In the locker room, I expected to see blood when I took my shoe off. But there wasn't any ... just lots of blue under the nail. I drove to work in excruciating pain. I could hardly sit still it was hurting and throbbing so badly. It felt like a car was parked on my toe ... like a car door was shut on my toe and remained shut. I finally decided to leave work and go see the doctor. I knew the doctor wouldn't be able to do much, but I wanted to know if it was broken or not and I wanted some painkillers in case the pain didn't subside.

I had it x-rayed and it's not broken. But the nail was about 80% separated from the skin. There is a lot of blood built up underneath. I took lots of ibuprophen that day and that helped me cope with the pain. Tuesday was just a bad day ... the toe injury, didn't do too well on a group presentation and the Mavs lost. I'm glad that day is long gone.

After a good sleep, I woke up Wednesday morning and it was feeling much better. I could walk much better, but still had a gimp. I didn't have to take any ibuprophen.

Last night I had another good sleep and this morning I'm feeling much, much better. I can walk normally now. I think I might be able to play ball on Saturday. Before I play though, I'm going to buy some quality basketball shoes. The cheap ones I bought in January slide too much and I think the constant jamming of my toe to the front of my shoe doesn't help. Anyway, the pressure is mostly gone and I can bend it and apply most of my weight to it again.

What is so frustrating is that I think I was really starting to have some solid games in basketball between last Saturday and Tuesday and now it's all interrupted. I missed basketball this morning.

So back to the purpose of the blog ... I expect my weight will be about the same or even slightly more by the time I weigh in next time.

I'm still on the "diet" ... I'm drinking the SW and ELOO. Yesterday and Tuesday I missed, but today I'm back on. I ate breakfast this morning (wheat chex with blueberries) so I'll be taking the SW at 11:00am and eating lunch after 12:00pm. Then I'll take my swig of ELOO this afternoon.

Weekend Update

Friday morning I worked out ... I did my plyometric workout and then biked for 30 minutes. I weighed in and I had gained! I was 205.3 ... a bit suprising. Friday wasn't a good day for eating. I was working from home and had access to lots of snacks ... M&M's, Cheetos, leftovers and on and on. That night, we had a BBQ and I ate a lot. It wasn't a good day at all for the SLD.

Today I was going to play basketball, but we didn't have enough to play. So the family and I went to the gym. I shot around at that gym for about 30 minutes (I was on fire beyond the 3-point line). No one showed up, so I went upstairs and did bike for 20 minutes. After that, I was heading back to the locker room and saw that they were playing 8 on 8. So I got another warm body and we played 10. The streak continued. I bombed 3-pointer after 3-pointer. When you're on, it feels so good. I knew that it wouldn't last for long, so I kept jacking em' up. I played two games and then had to go because the family was leaving.

I showered and weighed in.

This morning I weighed in about 3 hours after I normally weigh in. Other than that, it was the same scale with just the dry towl.

WEIGHT: 203.8
Difference: 13.7 lbs. since May 1, 2006

After they gym, I made a big smoothie for me and my wife ... frozen berries, OJ, banana and strawberry yogurt ... that was lunch. Tonight we're going out to eat with friends, so I won't be eating all afternoon.