I like Mr. Scale’s new refrain, “203.0 pounds,” which he gave me once again today. I slept in until 6:30 this morning. I must have needed some extra sleep last night.

I still am not feeling back to normal. Yesterday I had a bit of a set back. Hopefully, today will be better. I think it is a combination of my allergies, and a hold over bug from last weekend. If it doesn’t improve soon I will have to stop in and see my doctor, to make sure it isn’t anything serious.

Yesterday was a fun day with Dotti, as we ran some errands together and visited. We even stopped by the mall and had one of our All American cones.

In the evening, we watched a movie together on DVD, and it seemed to drag on forever. (The run time was 176 minutes, but we had to pause it a number of times, and it just never seemed to come to an end.) I almost always feel robbed after watching anything on the television. I invest a certain amount of my finite allotment of time, and what I get back is seldom even close to as valuable to me as that time was. And the political, and ethical messages in most entertainment offerings are completely hostile to my own views and standards. (The movies and television shows made before 1960 are less so but even they are not all that I would wish for.) I personally would love to be rid of the television permanently from my life. (I used to be an avid sports fan, but I even gave that up a few years back. The only thing I normally watch now is something that we have purchased or rented: a DVD or VCR tape. I never do watch, and I never have watched, any regular TV entertainment program that has been made in the last decade. - and that has been one of the most positive changes that I have ever made in my life. We sometimes will do a TV Guide crossword puzzle when I am driving Dotti in the car on a trip, and I have never even heard of most the shows they use as clues.) Dotti looks at the television quite differently, and so we still have a television sitting in our living room. For Dotti, I would do anything, even tolerate the propaganda box. It is a weakness I have. :)

For eating yesterday, I had my standard breakfast (5.0 pt.). At lunch I had a 6 inch Subway turkey sub. (6 pt.) For dinner I had 3 egg sandwiches (3 pt.) and a diet cream soda (0.0 pt.). This brought my meal points up to 14.0. For snacks I had a big day. I had popcorn (2 pt.), a whole Kashi bar (5 pt.) in two halves at two different points in the day - actually Dotti and I split two of them, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. I also had 10 cough drops (3.0 pt.), an All American ice cream cone (3 pt.), and a small White Chocolate Mocha (3.0 pt.). That totaled 16.0 snack points, and brought my total points for the day to 30.0.

For water, I drank 15 cups or 120 ounces.

120 days OP, a lifetime to follow.

-Al-

239.5/203.0/200/BMI:25.4/WK-17/Weight Loss Graph

I Stepped up on Mr. Scale this morning at 5:45, and he said, “203.0 pounds.” Actually I like to see that I am not jumping all over the place, and I haven’t yet grown accustom to the new level yet. So, for now he can keep saying that with my blessing. :)

Yesterday was an interesting one for me. I started off writing my journal entry, and then it wasn’t long before it was time to get ready for the Vancouver/Portland Zonie lunch. Joan (Jsche123) dropped by and road with us to the lunch, where there were 9 more Zonies waiting for us. (My watch says that it was still before noon, and they were early, we weren’t late. :) ) We proceeded to have a very nice lunch and some great conversation. I was sitting across from JoAnn (JoJo) and Mary (B2 Yellow) and we had a very nice chat about Weight Watchers and computers. They both appear to be doing very well on program! There was a lot of success around the table with us! Everyone seemed to have a good time, and it was nice to say high to the returning, (and thinner!) Zonies from the last lunch as well as meeting the new ones. (Juju and Carole were down on the other end of the table this time, so I did not have the opportunity to follow up on the karate conversation with Juju, or the photography and other topics of discussion that Carole and I had covered during our last lunch.)

After lunch, Joan came back to our apartment with us, and she and Dotti visited until after I was long asleep. They spent some time in chat online, and then shared their own stories with each other. I let them visit, and was in my study most of the evening working on answering some emails and reading some things from a few sites on the Internet. The evening went by quickly and before I knew it, it was time to lay down and read (I am reading an old Sci-fi book by EE Doc Smith: Triplanetary - the first book of the 7 book “Lensman” series. I read this series back in high school and was completely taken with it. I have read the series once again a few years ago, and am ready to read it again.) and then go to sleep. Alas, the weekend had come to an end.

I felt a bit better yesterday, and so I hope that is a good sign that things are perking up.

For eating yesterday, I didn’t have a cup of coffee for breakfast for the first time in quite a while. I expected a caffeine headache sometime during the day, but it never came. I may be able to wean myself off of it altogether soon. So, I only had 3 / 4 cup of Life cereal (2.0 pt.) and 1 cup of skim milk (2.0 pt.) for a 4.0 point breakfast. At the lunch I had a plateful of salad, that was entirely free except for a little pinch of cheese that would not have filled up a fork, which I counted as 1 point. Afterward I followed my little point encyclopaedia (that would be Dotti :) ) to the hot food counter, and we each got a small piece of pizza (3.0 pt.), and a small baked potato, with another pinch of cheese (3.0 pt.). For a drink I had a diet Snapple (0.0 pt.). That came to the same number of points as I normally have for lunch: 7.0. For dinner I had half of a Heaven’s Bistro Pizza (4.5 pt.). That brought my total points for meals to 15.5. For snacks I had a Mr. Cookie Face (3.0 pt.), a Kashi bar (5.0 pt.) and a yogurt (2.0 pt.), for a total of 10.0 snack points. My total points for the day was 25.0.

For water, I drank 9 cups, or 72 ounces.

121 days OP, a lifetime to follow.

-Al-

239.5/203.0/200/BMI:25.4/WK-17/Weight Loss Graph

I woke up a bit late this morning, not feeling well. Even though I am not up to par, Mr. Scale attempted to cheer me up when he said, “201.5 pounds.” A pound and a half from goal, and I am not up to celebrating this morning. Maybe tomorrow.

The fact that I am writing this at all today, the way I feel, is an indication how important the journal has become to me.

I didn’t feel too bad yesterday morning at work, but at lunch I was suddenly feeling ill again, and this time I didn’t take a walk. The rest of the afternoon I felt bad, and all evening long my stomach was feeling bad. I laid down early to read and then I dropped off to sleep.

Yesterday I ate my standard breakfast (5.0 pt.), and my standard lunch. For dinner, I tried to find some things that would settle my stomach down. I had a 1.5 cups of Life cereal (4.0 pt.), a cup of skim milk (2.0 pt.), and 56 ounces (weight not volume) of Cream of Wheat (3.5 pt.), with a quarter cup of skim milk (0.5 pt.) over it. That brought my meal points up to 22.0. For snacks yesterday, I ate 15 cough drops while driving, I had a cup of coffee at work (1 pt.) and a Mr. Cookie Face (3 pt.). The added up to 8.5 snack points, and brought my total for the day to 30.5 points.

For water, I drank 10 cups, or 80 ounces.

122 days OP, a lifetime to follow.

-Al-

239.5/203.0/200/BMI:25.4/WK-17/Weight Loss Graph

I woke up this morning, still under the weather. I got up to weigh at 6:50 AM. Mr. Scale said, “201.5 pounds.”

Yesterday was an abysmal nightmare, of disaster reports and ever more graphic detail on the World Trade Center’s destruction. There was simply nothing else to focus on because of the magnitude of the horror. The ramifications of this attack will echo down the halls of history for many, many years. It will mark the beginning of this new century -- which is in reality only 254 days old, plus a few hours -- with a bloody monument to political, and possibly religious, hostility. Who among us will ever get on a plane again without remembering yesterday? Who will ever see another picture of New York City without checking to see if it was taken before yesterday, with The Towers still standing, or after, with a vacant place where the 110 story buildings once stood, like the gaps in a mouth with the front teeth missing? Who will be able to look at the Pentagon Building the same way again? Who among us will forget the day when 4 airliners all crashed on the same day, but that momentous fact was covered as only a footnote to the complete picture of mass death and destruction that was unleashed on American civilians? And for those who lost loved ones in the tragedy, yesterday will not only always be remembered, it will be a day that, when remembered, will lash out with a stab in the heart that will never completely go away.

It seems so mundane, and almost profane, to continue on with discussing the events of daily life, but life must go on. It gives those who perpetrated this attack even more power over our people and our lives if we do not pick up and move on.

I was home ill yesterday, and it looks like I will be again today. My stomach is giving me grief, and I am hoping that I can kick the problem soon.

For eating, I had 3 / 4 cup of Life cereal (2 pt.), and a cup of skim milk (2 pt.). For lunch I had two tomato sandwiches (1.5 pt.), and an orange WW Smoothie Shake (2 pt.). For dinner I had 3 tostadas (6 pt.). That brought my points for my meals to 13.5. For snacks I had little candy bar that Joan handed out at the Zonie dinner on Sunday, called a “Cow Pie.” (1.5 pt) I had 2 Kashi bars over the day. (10 pt.) I also had a Mr. Cookie Face. (3 pt.) Just before going to bed I had half of a pita bread with Laughing Cow cheese spread on it. (2 pt.) That brought my snack points to 16.5, and my total points for the day to 30.0 pt.

For water, I drank 12 cups, or 96 ounces.

123 days OP, a lifetime to follow.

-Al-

239.5/203.0/200/BMI:25.4/WK-17/Weight Loss Graph

I woke up at 5:45 AM and stepped up on Mr. Scale. He said, “203.0 pounds.” That is back up to where it was a couple of days ago, but it might have something to do with the fact that I drank my water late yesterday, having not been drinking it throughout the day as I should. Also I weighed earlier than I did the last couple of days.

I am thinking about going back to work today. I feel a little better this morning than I have been feeling the last couple of days. It would be nice to get back to normal again.

Yesterday I did little but rest. I did some things on the computer, and in the evening Dot and I watched a Christmas movie: “The Bishop’s Wife.” It was nice to forget the news and the sadness for a couple of hours. I am sure that the stress of the last couple of days has not made me feel any better.

For eating yesterday I had my standard breakfast (5.0 pt.) and my standard lunch. (6 pt. -- minus the fruit.) For dinner I had half of a Heaven’s Bistro Pizza. (4.5 pt.) That totaled 15.5 meal points. For snacks I had a Kashi Bar (5.0 pt.), a Mr. Cookie Face (3.0 pt.) and a bag of popcorn (2.0 pt.), which added up to 10 snack points. So, my total points for the day came to 25.5.

For water yesterday, I drank 8 cups right before going to bed. Yesterday was not a normal day at all for me. I felt ill, and the events of the world were holding my attention. I did not even think about my water until I checked my journal and noticed there were no check marks under the water category. So, I set to catching up.

I will see how things work out today.

124 days OP, a lifetime to follow.

-Al-

239.5/203.0/200/BMI:25.4/WK-17/Weight Loss Graph

At 5:45, I stepped up on Mr. Scale this morning and he said, “202.5 pounds.” It seems he can’t find exactly what he wants to say the last few days. Up, down, up, down.

I went to work yesterday morning, but by lunch time I was feeling bad again. So, I headed back home. I hope today will be better. It is a very frustrating type of illness. I feel bad at certain times and not too bad at others. I feel like I have a fever, from the way my forehead and cheeks feel, using their own sensory inputs, but when I put my hand on them, they feel normal. The thermometer shows no fever. My stomach feels knotted but not nauseous, I have moments of lightheadedness, and my joints sometimes ache. (Of course sitting on the sidelines I have my old enemies of allergies and stress, either or both of which might be involved by moving to new and higher levels of activity.) Whatever it is, I hope that it soon finishes its visit to my body and moves on.

For eating yesterday I had my standard breakfast, and my standard lunch. For dinner, Dotti went and got a six inch sub for me (6 pt.). That brought my meal points to 18.0. For snacks I had 6 cough drops, a Mr. Cookie Face (3 pt.), and a Kashi Bar (5.0 pt.). That made 10.0 snack points, and brought my total points for the day, to 28.0.

For water, I drank 9 cups, or 72 ounces.

125 days OP, a lifetime to follow.

-Al-

239.5/203.0/200/BMI:25.4/WK-17/Weight Loss Graph

*** Weigh-in for WEEK 18 ***

Week Completed:	__18__
Weigh-In Weight:	202.5
Body Mass Index:	25.35
Week’s Average Points/Day:	28.3
Pounds lost this week:	0.5
Pounds lost total:	37.0
Pounds to go to 10%:	0.0*
Pounds to go to goal:	2.5
* Made 10% at 215.5 pounds on 7/14/01

___________________________

I stepped up on Mr. Scale at 7:00 AM and he said, “202.5 pounds.”

I am happy to take a half-pound loss this week. I am just happy that I am feeling a bit better. It is nice to finally start to shake off whatever was making me feel so bad all week. Yesterday I felt a lot better. I was not 100% but I went to work and made it through the entire day, and actually felt pretty good at the end of the workday. There was no doubt that stress was giving me some grief, but deep breathing and muscle relaxation techniques took care of that, leaving me feeling pretty good.

I did eat a large number of cough drops to clear out my throat from the allergies. They really did the trick, but it took 8 points worth of them. Fall is coming soon, and I am hopeful that the cooler weather will keep some of the items created by our beautiful plant life, out of the atmosphere for a few months, and let me get over their affects.

For eating yesterday, I had my standard breakfast (5.0 pt.) and my standard lunch (6 pt. minus the fruit.) For dinner I had 3 tomato sandwiches (2 pt.) and a diet cream soda. (0 pt.) For snacks I had a total of 26 cough drops throughout the day (8.0 pt.), a Kashi Bar (5.0 pt.) and a Mr. Cookie Face ice cream sandwich (3.0 pt.). That bought my snack points to 16.00, and my total points for the day to 29.0.

For water I drank a cup and a half at work, and then drank my 3 cups from my large mug in my car while driving. I then drank 5 and a half cups at home in the evening, for a total of 9 cups, or 72 ounces.

Here’s hoping that the upcoming week is a better one than the last one!

126 days OP, a lifetime to follow.

-Al-

239.5/202.5/200/BMI:25.35/WK-18/Weight Loss Graph