Day 259 : Sunday


07/31/2016
steps 6695
weight 189

It's 6 am and I'm watching a haron glide down to the river for breakfast. Although I'm down a pound from yesterday, I still have that “I'm full” feeling.

Spent a good part of today putting in a new kitchen sink for Bernie. It started out as just a new faucet, but as often happens, the sink and garbage disposal were shot. I also put in a water filtration system, and got done in time to watch the Chandon Polka Band at the Art Center with Gina at 7.

Breakfast – banana
Lunch – egg salad
Dinner – chicken and veggies
Snacks – , ice cream, popcorn, nuts

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 258 : Saturday


07/30/2016
steps 5408
weight 190

It was raining when I got up at 5, but doing okay. Up a pound from yesterday.

Still got some aluminum in my eyes, but as always, it'll work its way out. Finally looks like I stopped the leak in Gina's van, just in time for Tim to call with the news that Paula was selling her mom's low mileage car at a real good price. So now Gina has a van and a car.

A pretty quiet day on Diet 1, carbs and heat still knocking me out.

Breakfast – banana
Lunch – potato salad
Dinner – hamburger, potato salad, watermelon
Snacks – , ice cream

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 257 : Friday


07/29/2016
steps 6496
weight 189

Still tired this morning, but a much better attitude.

It took a while to get in the mood to tear into Gina van again. I tried stop leak, and just as things were looking good, I was peering at the engine looking for leaks and a heater hose blew in my face.
Very hot and it sprayed most of the aluminum stop leak on me and the rest of the van. I let everything cool down while I cleaned up and recovered. Then I tore it all apart again, and got it back together in time for neighbors coming over at 5, for a cookout on the deck.

Breakfast – 1 egg, home fries and bacon
Lunch – whopper Junior
Dinner – hamberger, potato salad, watermelon with blueberries, and corn on the cob
Snacks – , ice cream

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 256 : Thursday


07/28/2016
steps 5648
weight 191
VA weight 190.7

I'm just not in the mood this morning. Still above 190, still missing deadlines and still going up and down in attitude daily.
Feeling stuck!
Too many people in my life that are not going anywhere, and I think it's getting to me.
Too many, “Just another day”, habits!.
Get up, do this, then that, go to bed.
I need a change!
I got Gina's van back together, then a long shower and sitting the rest of the evening.

I dropped 3 lbs. of water weight! So dehydrated that I ate a quarter of a watermelon, and 5 freeze pops, and didn't pee until I got up at 6 am!

Breakfast – small hamburger
Lunch – chicken salad sandwich
Dinner – another chicken salad sandwich
Snacks – , bread, popcorn, 5 freeze pops, watermelon

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 255 : Wednesday


07/27/2016
steps 12159
weight 190

Slept for 8 hours last night, with lots of fun dreams and out of bed at 6 am!
It's another cool and quiet morning. Real nice.

Like a lot of people, I tend to grumble a lot, that's just the way my brain works!

But actually, I usually have life pretty good. In the morning I just sit for an hour or so, sipping coffee and relaxing while most of the world is trying to wake up, just to get their butts to a job they don't like, just to pay bills they wish they didn't have.

We all tend to ignore the nice things in our lives, I just happen to have a few more to enjoy!

Breakfast – home fries and one egg
Lunch – stir-fry
Dinner – sweetcorn
Snacks – , ice cream, popcorn

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 254 : Tuesday


07/26/2016
steps 8117
weight 192

Out of bed at 6 am, cat whining at the door.
I strolled into town for coffee and relaxed on the deck.

I finally got the corner of the garage roof done, a half-day job stretched out to 4. At least going up and down the ladder got me some much-needed exercise.

Carbs are killing me!
I have almost no tolerance for them, nowadays. Unless I am really active, like hard manual labor on a job, a sandwich, pop or high carb item will put me on the couch sleeping for an hour and leave me feeling dragged out for hours after that.

When I did drag my ass off the couch today, I finally tore into Gina's van. It's been slowly leaking radiator fluid for a year or so, and it was time to finally try and fix it.

Most of my time was spent looking for tools I don't use much anymore or don't have anymore.

I also find myself falling into the average person syndrome, wasting a ton of time on the Internet looking for somebody to show me how to do it, or explain this or that, instead of just getting in there figuring it out as I go.

Breakfast – banana
Lunch – ham and cheese sandwich
Dinner –
Snacks – , watermelon, popcorn, freeze pops, and cake

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 253 : Monday


07/25/2016
steps 7780
weight 190

Up at 5 am.
Crazy dreams last night.
In one, I had to defend something with a 6 shooter that looked real cheap.

The next dream I had a really badly made WW2 Japanese rifle, not sure it had bullets.

In the last dream, a friend was giving me a tour of an old, run down southern mansion/ museum, where the north was not regarded nicely. I was getting really nervous when a cat scream from outside woke me up!

Breakfast – banana
Lunch – pizza slice, 6” sub
Dinner – stir-fry
Snacks – , popcorn, freeze pops

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 252 : Sunday


07/24/2016
steps 7803
weight 190

Up at 6, and it's cool outside.
Left arm still acting a little weird. That's about 4 days now.

I finally got to work repairing the corner of the garage roof that got hit when the tree came down in February.

And a bit more work on the kids books.

Breakfast – banana
Lunch – 2 ham and cheese sandwich
Dinner – sweetcorn and beats
Snacks – , popcorn, cheese, ice cream and freeze pops

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 251 : Saturday


07/23/2016
steps 9099
weight 190

It's a quiet morning on the deck, and I'm still recuperating from too many carbs and too much heat!
I should also mention that my left arm has been a bit numb the last 3 days? Mostly a faint tingling in the fingers, and I get the impression that there is a nerve pinched some were like in my armpit. And of course, the old vague worries of a pending heart attack!

We headed down the Mercer, PA for a book sale and signing, stopping on the way at the Andover fleamarket. Had a nice time chatting with a couple of the other authors. I knew and we checked out the local museum.
Way too hot.

On the way back we stopped at Conneaut Lake Park, and Gina road the old carousel. The park seemed a lot better attended than in previous years, I hope it keeps improving.
We got home about 4:30 PM, and I passed out on the couch till it cooled down a bit.

Breakfast – banana
Lunch – 2 ham and cheese sandwiches
Dinner – sweetcorn and baked beans
Snacks – , an orange, cheese, ice cream and freeze pops

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 250 : Friday


07/22/2016
steps 5894
weight 191

This morning I got up just in time to close the house up and clear the decks for the thunderstorm and a couple hours of rain. Then it was over to Bernie's for a couple hours of chatting and snacks.

I came home about 1 PM, had a sandwich and passed out on the couch from the heat and carbs.
Woke up about 4 PM with ZERO energy, and fired up the air-conditioning!

I did manage to finalize the Mary Measure story.

About 6:30. We headed to Pymatuning Lake for ice cream and then over Lineville, PA to watch the car and wander around.

Breakfast – banana and wedding cake
Lunch – chicken quesadilla and chips
Dinner – ice cream
Snacks – ham and cheese sandwich, banana

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 249 : Thursday


07/21/2016
steps 6895
weight 192

It's cool on the deck, 50°. I'm up 2 lbs, too much wedding cake!

I finally overpowered my curmudgeon attitude and settled on a map app for the phones and tablet. “here” maps.

I got back to work on the Mary Measure story, mostly just to have something to show that the Erie writers group.

Diet 1 went out the window for another day.
2 old habits I haven't dealt with yet!

Snacking in front of the TV, I've been working on, but the habit of eating in social groups is still pretty bad. Since it involves other people, it can be complicated, both in the cause and the cure.
The same triggers and social approval, that drinkers have a problem with.

Breakfast – French toast made with wedding cake
Lunch – ham and cheese sandwich
Dinner –
Snacks – cake and doughnuts

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 248 : Wednesday


07/20/2016
steps 8498
weight 190

Another Pissy night, but the moon was out when I got up and my weight was down again. I also had an epiphany about why I was suddenly getting up to piss every 2 hours, watermelon!
On top of whatever I was drinking the last 2 nights, I had a lot of watermelon.
Lots of watermelon!
And it's not direct, it takes a bit of time to work through the system.

3 Puppies officially is in print today. And I got the website updated.

We also got Gina's brother John's wedding out of the way, and I went up 2 pounds. Also my 1st time at a church since mom's funeral in 2005, a bit uncomfortable, for a nonbeliever.

There's nothing more uncomfortable than spending the day surrounded by people who know they are right.

Breakfast – banana
Lunch – ?
Dinner – wedding cake and pasta
Snacks – cake and ice cream

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 247 : Tuesday


07/19/2016
steps 6086
weight 192

I'm not too perky this morning. I had to get up 3 times. The last night, and leg cramps are coming back. I haven't had any bananas in a week!
But I'm down a pound, though.
,it was back to Cleveland for some more work on the bathroom remodeling and I got the back window in the car tinted. It was a bit of a pain in the butt, I had used heat gun to form the plastic over the curved glass. But it looks okay, now

Breakfast – banana
Lunch – salad
Dinner – 3 small slices of pizza
Snacks – almonds, banana, watermelon

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 246 : Monday


07/18/2016
steps 8086
weight 193

I spent today on the computer and finally got 3 puppies uploaded and waiting for final approval. Also organized a few more files while I was doing it. Next I have to update the website, which I haven't touched since October.
Gina has been stressing out over something the last couple days, so I'm staying out of her way.

Breakfast – ?
Lunch – ?
Dinner –
Snacks – ?

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 245 : Sunday


07/17/2016
steps 8412
weight 193

Cool and quiet on the deck this morning, and a young raccoon waddled over to me and said Hi, after rummaging through the kitchen. I don't know what he said, but it was probably something along the lines of “You're out of cat food.”

I took Gina to Edinburgh, PA, for a late breakfast at 11 AM, then we raced back to Conneaut to get ready for Haley's graduation party in Mentor.
We got there about 2 o'clock, had something to eat and said hi to everybody.
We also had a personal tour of the historic summerhouse, where the event was being held.

We got home about 5:30 and relaxed the rest of the night, going for a stroll around town, just before dark.
Then I wasted the rest of the evening trying to find a downloadable mapping program for the cell phone that did what I wanted it to do. The problem is, of course, is that everything is being geared toward people who really don't want to use their brains anymore.

No one actually wants to look at a map anymore and figure out where they are going or where they want to stop. They just type in point A and point B, then let the program tell them when to stop, when to go, when to eat and probably even when the pee. It's the cell phone version of the calculator syndrome that took over in the 70s.

Breakfast – biscuits and gravy
Lunch – small slice of pizza
Dinner –
Snacks – 2 ice cream and some cheese

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 244 : Saturday


07/16/2016
steps 6412
weight 192

Too many snacks from the party Thursday, and very little willpower. Another day of screwing up, topped off with dinner at Chops with Jay Faye and Rich, old work friends of Gina's, who came up to visit.

More food, more carbs, and more pounds!!

Breakfast – chips
Lunch – meatloaf sandwich and chips
Dinner – corned beef sandwich, fresh broccoli, chicken wing and fries
Snacks – chips, chips and more chips

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 243 : Friday


07/15/2016
steps 10797
weight 190

WOW! . I only gained a pound. After yesterday's pig out, great.
It's nice and cool on the deck at 5 AM, quiet to, just me, the cats and the frog down on the river.
Quiet, something good. Even make city people nervous, and many people don't notice.
Quiet enough to hear bullfrog couple hundred feet away.

Wheezer came back this morning after a six-day trip, and Gina got up just for that, then went back to bed.

I got the side windows on the Mirage tinted, but fucked up the back window. I'll give it another try in a few days.

Breakfast – burrito
Lunch – baked beans and chips
Dinner – meatloaf, potatoes and wine
Snacks – lots of chips and salsa, root beer, cheese,nuts ( party leftovers)

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 242 : Thursday


07/14/2016
steps 9764
weight 189

A very hot day yesterday, and I was whipped by the time I got the roof on, and still feeling dragged out this morning.

Cats waking me up at 3 and 5 AM, didn't help.

Light rain at 5:30 AM, it's cool outside, and the birds are twittering away.
Today is a day of relaxation, an old work friends of Gina's are coming over this afternoon for a visit.

It's snacks and crap around the house all day, but at least it's cooler.

Breakfast – burrito
Lunch – whopper Junior
Dinner – 2 homemade burgers and pasta salad
Snacks – chips and salsa, root beer, cheetos

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 241 : Wednesday


07/13/2016
steps 10860
weight 189

I'm up at 5 AM, and a perfect day out on the deck as the sky slowly starts to lighten up. The birds are already chirping away.

Thanks to working in the hot sweltering weather yesterday, I'm back to 189 on scale this morning. Much of it is water weight, going up and down, but some, thanks to actually working in the heat, is fat burning off.
Today I'll have the translucent roof over the other deck, just in time for more guests tomorrow.

Bernie and Hilda came by in the afternoon and took Jean and I out to the white turkey for root beer floats.

Breakfast – banana
Lunch – banana
Dinner – salad
Snacks – to freeze pops

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 240 :Tuesday


07/12/2016
steps 11700
weight 191

Yeah, back up a bit, but thinking about it. I've been halfheartedly battling the 190 barrier for a while now, getting just below it, celebrating and going back up. The same as the 195, 200, 205 marks.

No one pays much attention to a pound or 2, but those arbitrary 5 lb. marks hold more importance, and seem so much higher when you are looking at them from the heavy side.

Also why the next 5 lb mark is so important. Till you get to that next Mark, those 1 to 4 lb. fluctuations will keep you bouncing back to and often above the mark you thought you had finally beat.
A very frustrating and discouraging event, but only temporary. That is only temporary if you stay focused and don't let it get you down. Give in and you can easily jump up to the next 5 lb. mark. Now that will really put a strain on your Diet 1 schedule.

Right now I have to put on my Diet 1 blinders, and ignore that 190 mark on the scale, staying focused first on the 185 mark just down the road then my final goal of 170.

Breakfast –
Lunch –
Dinner –
Snacks –

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 239 : Monday


07/11/2016
steps 10129
weight 189

that's what a day on a tight diet plus hard work on a hot day can do. 5 lbs. lost in 24 hours.
Sure, it's probably mostly water loss, and I can feel it in my joints and crêpe paper skin. But hey, it puts a smile on your face to see the scale drop. Now to try and hold it down with another tight day of light food and hard work.

Well, I didn't get that tight, but not as bad as last Saturday.

Breakfast – burrito
Lunch – quesadilla
Dinner – chips
Snacks – 1 Orange, 1 ice cream, and some pretzels

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 238 : Sunday


07/10/2016
steps 13505
weight 194

Well, Mike's gone, I'm still here, and it's time to get back on track.

I've got pounds to lose, books to write and a 100 other projects waiting, including the Diet 1 blog that hasn't been updated since Day 193.

I did get 2 more days posted on the blog, and finally got back on track today. I spent the day working and sweating in a third-floor attic in Cleveland.

Breakfast – burrito
Lunch – one half salad
Dinner – one half salad
Snacks – one quarter cantaloupe, one fruit sickle

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH


Day 237 : Saturday


07/09/2016
steps 8505
weight 193

Except for Diet 1, I had a great day today. Gina and I started our day with a private tour of the Cleveland Public Library and the special showing of Shakespeare's 1st folio.

Then we meandered around town, hit a park for lunch, and over to Lakewood for Ed's 50th birthday party. Once again, I tossed Diet 1 out the window, eating chips, nachos, chicken fingers and quesadillas, washing it all down with Coca-Cola.

This was after a burrito for breakfast and a Chipotle's chicken bowl for lunch.

We got home at 6:30 PM and I passed out on the couch, got up at 11:30. Just long enough to drive my asked up to bed, then slept till 5:30 AM Sunday. Someone might optimistically say I was tired from a day of hot weather and driving, but I'm putting it down to an overdose of carbs.

And I'm not exactly bouncing with energy as I write this Sunday morning!

Breakfast – burrito
Lunch – Chipotle's chicken bowl
Dinner – chicken fingers and quesadillas
Snacks – 2 cokes, nacho's

Remember!
1 bite at a time, and 1 day at a time!
KRASH