Week 22 Progress Report … and Nothing Else

I’m on time for once! Here are the box scores for this last week:

Starting Weight:	248.8
Original Target*:	263.0
Adjusted Target:	247.0
Actual Weight:	244.8
Loss/Gain:	– 4.0
Total Loss:	57.8
% of Goal:	41.7%
Avg. Loss/Wk.:	– 2.6
*Original target calculated from a starting weight of 302.6 lbs. and an average loss/wk. of 1.8 lbs.

It seems that over the last month or so, I’ve been trading weeks of good drops with weeks of marginal losses: 0.8, 2.4, 1.0, 2.6, 0.8, 4.0. But then, the low-drop weeks had special events which involved a feast of some sort. From Memorial Day through today, I’ve been averaging about a 1.8 lbs./week loss rate, which is what I’d planned for all along, so the fluctuations even out. I don’t expect another family feast episode until mid-August when some family comes in from Arizona. Even then, I’ve got so many delicious recipes with low calorie counts that I can keep everyone happy while still managing my plan.

On the clothes front: The khakis I bought three months ago are now a tad bit loose. The belt I bought to go with them is now on the fourth notch. My closet-dive didn’t produce much in the way of pants with smaller waists, and all but two of my slacks are now way too big for me. So I figure by the end of August, I’ll have to buy not only a couple more pairs of khakis but also some slacks and a pair of jeans—with 40" waists. (I do have shorts—which I can fit into now—but I haven’t been keen on shorts since the year I burnt the hell out of the backs of my knees working a pushcart in Gene Leahy Mall. Some things just stay with you, like crabgrass.)

I’m sorry I have no deeper thoughts or interesting stories to share this time. But hopefully, I’ll have a couple of recipes posted later this week. Until then, feel free to share your own successes and concerns, or to write to me with questions. Have a great week!

Week 6 Progress Report: Eat the Barbecue!

Image source: Wikimedia Commons.

Start Weight:	281.0
Original Target*:	291.8
Adjusted Target:	279.2
Actual Weight:	276.0
Loss/Gain:	– 5.0
Total Loss:	– 26.6
% of Goal:	19.2%
Avg. Loss/Wk.:	– 4.4
*Original target calculated from a starting weight of 302.6 lbs. and an average loss/wk. of 1.8 lbs.

About six months ago, my brother Ted decided to buy a new gas grill to replace one that had done yeoman service for close to a decade but was slowly falling apart. However, between one family crisis and another, plus his normal workaholic ways, it sat in its box by the back sliding door to the porch. Finally, this last Friday and Saturday, Ted made the time to put it together.

Friday night, we discussed what we would make for Sunday evening’s dinner to inaugurate the new grill. My initial suggestion was to try a recipe I’d found for a variety of chicken we had got from Central Market in Southlake the previous week. Ted thought about it and replied, “You know what I haven’t had for a long time? Barbecued chicken. I really enjoy it, but for some reason, I just haven’t had it or made it.”

He had me at “barbecued.” So I spent some time on Saturday looking up low-calorie barbecue sauce recipes. They’re out there.

Baked Chicken Breast with Parmesan Crust

Image source: Food Network.

This is my first attempt at posting a printable recipe.

I decided to host this blog on Blogger because that’s who hosted my other two blogs. I knew, however, that doing printable recipes would turn out to be problematic because of Blogger’s limited widget support. At one point, though, I was starting to move this blog to Wordpress out of sheer frustration. But I think I’ve hit on an acceptable solution.

About the Recipe:

The recipe comes from Ted Allen of Food Network Magazine. I found this recipe when I was looking for low-calorie entrées last week. Anything that’s got Parmesan cheese and panko breading can’t be bad, right? So I fixed it for Thursday dinner, and it was an instant hit. The few adjustments I’ve made only go as far as preparation; nothing about the ingredients needs changing. The recipe assumes 8-oz. breasts, a total of 2 lbs.; keep that in mind when you’re counting the calories.