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Today's Update;
Still feeling rather blah, though perhaps slightly better. I kept busy. I walked 1.2 miles. I took my trike out for a ride for the first time in quite a while... and had to adjust the seat as I was now just a bit too far away from the pedals. Must be a bit less padding between me and the back of the seat!
I have not mentioned my foot lately. That is because there has been no real change. It's still bothering me. No worse. No better. Hopefully this period of taking things a bit easier will help it improve.

Big day tomorrow!! Going to wedding. It'll be a lot of fun.

-Norm

Today we went to a very nice wedding. We had a great time and I learned a lot. I set out with the mindset that this is a special day, a celebration, and would certainly have pitfalls and traps. I knew I would end up eating off-plan foods and had as my goal to make the bests decisions of the available options, while enjoying the celebration. To start off with I made sure to eat my full regular meal of morning oats. Then, when we got there, even though I wasn't hungry, I had a decent serving of the quinoa dish I brought, just to make sure I was full up of good food. Throughout the day I had a handful of tortilla chips. I had a small handful of peanuts. I had a bite size piece of pumpkin bread. I had a small hot pepper chocolate truffle. I had 2 slices of bread. (My bread, as healthy as bread can be for you). I ate fruit. They had lots. I ate some salad, no dressing. I had 3 vegetarian meatballs. I was quite impressed with the taste of the meatballs. They tasted great and could have easily been mistaken for meat. I'm not sure what all was in them but I'm sure I am glad I only ate three. I wouldn't have even tried them except a friend of mine made them and really wanted my opinion of them. All in all I could have done a lot worse. Keeping myself full of food I knew was good helped limit the stuff that wasn't.
But... I think we all know that eating crap food leads to craving more... so when I got home and wanted some chocolate I wasn't too surprised. But I didn't give in. Instead I ate two small leftover baked potatoes that were in the fridge. I didn't really want potatoes, but I figured being full of them would make it easier to skip the chocolate. It worked.
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I also had alcohol. I allow myself one ounce of bourbon every month. I skipped last months bourbon and so today I had 2 ounces of bourbon. Then I had a glass of red wine. I didn't plan on having the wine, but I don't regret it. It was part of a wonderful celebration and a great time was had by all.

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There were quite a few vegetarians at this wedding. I was amazed at how many of them were fat. Given the large number of over-processed fat-laden dishes they brought I shouldn't be. The vegetarian meatballs I had were just one example. There were several others I passed over.
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When it was all over and time to clean up I pitched in and helped. Wiping tables, putting up chairs, sweeping and mopping floors... physical work I haven't been used to in a long, long time. I am impressed with how much I was able to do. Yes, I'm very tired and sore for it now.... but I am so pleased at the progress I've made and the increased mobility and capacity for productive work. I'll sleep soundly and tomorrow I'll continue my journey home.

-Norm

What a nice day you had. Keeping everything under control at a celebration is a great victory and accomplishment. You handled it well. Happy McDougalling!

Good for you, Norm, sounds like a lovely time. All my best to the happy couple.

I'm happy for you that you were also able to be so mobile and help out with the cleanup, etc. Were there any people there who have not seen you in a while and were wowed with how great you look?

Hey, tomorrow is PIZZA SUNDAY!!!

I may have pizza Saturday tonight. We are going to be doing yard work and other manual labor all day. Hmmm, I think I will go make some dough and assemble some McD friendly toppings.

Yes, Norm, you handled the celebration well. A little bit of feast food allowed you to feel like you were celebrating the couple's special day and also showed you that you can keep from going off on a bad food bender! I'm sure they appreciated your ability to help with the clean-up as much as you appreciated it.

By the way, I had a vegan wedding. We opted for crudites rather than a full meal (for financial reasons). The only highly processed food at ours was the homemade carrot cake (and the champagne). Too bad we didn't stay on that course and know about McDougall then!

Today was a good day. I tried to stay productive, even though I'm still not feeling great. I putted around outside trying to get my storage shed organized. I also walked 2 miles. I don't feel any better than I have been but I don't feel any worse, which is good. After the celebration yesterday and all the work cleaning up, I'm pleased to not feel worse for it today.
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My mother is finally coming around!! She wants us to come over for thanksgiving dinner and was worried we wouldn't come because of my dietary changes. So I offered her the easiest compromise I could think of, and that is, I asked if she would set aside some veggies and mashed potatoes for me, before adding any dairy/oil. I told her that would give me plenty to eat that I'd be happy with and that if she'd do that I'd even eat a small amount of turkey with it, but that I'd pass on the stuffing and deserts. She seemed thrilled and relieved that she could make me happy with so little work on her part. I am amazed that she has even come this far, and not only willing to do it, but brought the subject up in the first place. This is a radical change from her dogged resistance in the past. I owe it to my not being in-your-face or judgemental about this in the past, and letting my continued weight loss over time convince here where words couldn't.
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Tomorrow: Pizza Sunday!! I have thought about skipping pizza Sunday because of yesterday's splurging and thanksgiving coming up. But that wouldn't be fair to my wife. She so looks forward to it, and she's been such a good sport about everything. And right now it is part of a routine that is working for me so I'll stick with it.

-Norm

Glad to hear about your mother. Same with my family members. The more our family members see us "walking the walk" instead of just "talking the talk," the more they will understand how serious we are about getting healthy.

Sounds like you handled the celebration very well, and enjoyed yourself also! Good for you - because all of us have occasions like these, and they are a test of sorts. I am gathering up my dicipline for the inevitable round of treats starting at work next month!

hey Norm

good going at that wedding. Really, get togethers aren't impossible for the most part. There's usually a relish tray, and often something "rich" like guacamole fulfills the sense that you're celebrating while not blowing off the path completely. Going in with your tummy full of good food, and with your mind made up was WISE

Smart cookie!

keep on going, man. You're doing it!

Today's Update:

All is well. Yesterday was Pizza Sunday. I did not walk at all yesterday. Weather was downright miserable. Today I stayed very busy, including walking 3 miles. I have decided it is that time of year I really don't want to be walking in the evening after dinner, so I will do all my walking earlier in the day until late winter / early spring.
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I have been making an effort to go to bed earlier and get up earlier. I notice I've also been sleeping longer. My cpap machine reports my weekly average exceeded just over 8 hours this past week. That is a noticeable improvement. My one year average is around 6.5 hours a night, so I'm getting more sleep. And not just more sleep, but better sleep.


-Norm

That's great news about the sleep Norm. How wonderful!

Good sleep should never be over-rated. As much as I am grateful for having a CPAP machine, I am hoping at some point weight loss will allow me to stop using it.

Norm, your mileage ticker has me inspired to start walking again. I got into the habit over the summer, but did some damage to my foot, and then got cellulitis in October and stopped doing any exercise at all while I rested to recuperate from THAT.

anyway, I'm so glad you're here, so glad you're sticking it out. Your kind of success gives me energy and enthusiasm to continue working at my own journey! YOU ROCK!

Yaaaaaaay NORM!

I have a full-face CPAP mask and feel like Darth Vadar. However, my sleep is interrupted each night by the sound of rushing air because my husband's CPAP mask leaks. He has tried several different masks and none of them fit him right.
It doesn't seem to bother his sleep though!

I adjusted my CPAP pressure down today, 4/10ths of one cm/h20. We'll see if that makes any noticeable change in things. This will be the lowest setting I've used in 7 years. Can't wait for the day I get to do away with it altogether!
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I walked 3 miles today, as well as 3 miles yesterday. My exercise ticker shows I've gone over 100 miles total!! Yay!!
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I feel better than I had been over the past week or so, but I'm not back to feeling as well as I was before then. Still, I'm feeling much better than I used to, so I'm not complaining.
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I continue to do more and be more productive. This results in less time spent sitting in front of the computer. Some of you have noticed that my every day updates haven't been every day lately. Don't think for a minute that this means I've lost or am losing interest in the changes my life and diet have taken. On the contrary, I'm as committed to them as much as ever. I'm just spending more time away from my computer, which is a good thing.

-Norm