HELP WANTED: WILLPOWER

Honestly, I don't feel like writing much today.  I am very disgusted with myself.  My weight this morning was 241.9 lbs.  I have been steadily gaining a pound or two for the past few weeks. This is likely what it is like to be an alcoholic that knows that he should stop drinking.  I am not an alcoholic. But I am an overeater.  I need to find, once again, the willpower that allowed me to be so successful for so long. Yesterday, I did manage a 10 mile urban walk back from my dentist appointment - so that was something positive. That's it... I am done for the day.

My smile is masking my underlying depression that my weight is heading in the wrong direction

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Your Food Diary For:

Friday, May 6, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Malt-o-meal Cereal - Honey Nut Scooters	480	96	6	12	840	36
	480	96	6	12	840	36
L U N C H
Jason's Deli - Pumpkin Cheddar Flatbread	400	40	16	24	760	0
Jason's Deli - Salad Buffet	850	28	78	18	875	15
	1,250	68	94	42	1,635	15
D I N N E R
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich	575	58	31	22	586	22
Butter Cookie	220	23	12	7	70	18
	795	81	43	29	656	40
S N A C K S
Apples - Apples, 3 medium apple	240	66	0	0	0	48
	240	66	0	0	0	48
Totals	2,765	311	143	82	3,131	139
Your Daily Goal	3,919	490	130	196	2,300	147
Remaining	1,154	179	-12	113	-830	8
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 1,989 extra calories from exercise today

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NOT ALL CARBOHYDRATES ARE CREATED EQUAL

Recently I was reviewing the 'nutrition information' of a flavorful zero calorie drink - Vitaminwater Zero.  I was astounded to see that it had 5 CARBOHYDRATES as the 2.5 servings per bottle each contained 2 grams of carbohydrates.  Did this mean that I was drinking calories? If I was drinking calories that would be one of the dumbest things one can do if one is trying to lose or maintain weight.

How could I have missed this?  I had a quick panic as I tried to calculate how many of these drinks I had had in the previous weeks.  A quick search on the internet allayed my fears.

I was under the impression that it was a fact that one could know that 1 carbohydrate equaled 4 calories.   It turns out that this is mostly true - but not completely true.  

The explanation lies in the fact that this product is sweetened with stevia and erythritol.   These are plant-based, ultra low calorie natural sweeteners.  The carbs are from the erythritol which is a sugar alcohol.   Erythritol provides 0.2 calories per gram of carbohydrate.  This is way, way under the 4 calories per gram that most carbohydrates provide.  As the calories are so very low - it is as if it contains zero calories.

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 Tuesday MENU

breakfast  three poached eggs, oatmeal, center cut bacon, corn thins       820 calories 
lunch        Whitefish, mango, granola, medjool dates, yogurt almonds  1076 calories

dinner       Codfish, mango, Kahuna Mix, fruit                                         972 calories

SNACK   two apples                                                                                 814 calories

total calories consumed 3683 calories

calories burned

HOME STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL 92 minutes, level 20                     2307 calories

CALORIES BURNED 2307 CALORIES

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Tuesday net calories 1376 calories

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HECTIC TRAVEL SCHEDULE

Right now I am in the middle of a very hectic travel schedule. I will have had 5 consecutive days of trade shows, divided between three different cities, and three different trade shows.  When I looked at this schedule as it was approaching it appeared to me that there was no way that I could keep up my consistency of working out each day.

It appears that I was wrong (as I often am...)

I did have to schedule two workouts at 2:00AM and 3:00M in the morning.  Last night I did not get to exercise until 10:00PM and this morning I was back at it again at 6:00AM.  It appears that my last challenge will be to get to the elliptical machine before midnight on Wednesday evening and I will have successfully not missed a day.

MAY 30  TNNA SHOW                                     COLUMBUS, OHIO
MAY 31  TNNA SHOW                                     COLUMBUS, OHIO
JUNE 1   CHICAGO TEXTILE SHOW             CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
JUNE 2   CHICAGO TEXTILE SHOW             CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
JUNE 3   SHIPSHEWANA FABRIC SHOW      SHIPSHEWANA, INDIANA

I even managed to SQUEEZE IN a Rolling Stones concert along the way!

When criss-crossing the countryside on a tight schedule it is very helpful to have a reliable car.
I enjoy my 2012 HONDA CR-V (with approximately 115,000 miles...and counting...)

MONDAY MENU

breakfast    cup oat meal w/prune, two eggs, two slices turkey 'bacon'                     355 calories
lunch          MARIANO'S HUGE SPINACH SALAD with all the fixin'                  750 calories
dinner        spinach salad w/hearts of palm, beets, onion, tomato, mushrooms, etc
                  salmon burger, bowl MISO soup, potato pancake, cucumber salad
                  fresh corn on the cob                                                                                449 calories

calories consumed 1554 calories

calories burned
stair climbing from ground level to 25th floor          80 calories  (4 MINUTES, 43 SECONDS)
10:00PM elliptical machine          32 minutes         479 calories
stair descending from 25th floor to grind floor          20 calories  (2 MINUTES, 43 SECONDS)

total calories burned 579 calories

MONDAY NET CALORIES    975 CALORIES