208.3

I have successfully lost 10 pounds but it is about to all go south because I had beer tonight.

Today I hit the double nickles in the birthday world. That's as cryptic as I can get without saying I turned 55. Anyway, the two weeks of Phase One of the South Beach diet are behind me and I can return to alcohol consumption. I'm supposed to stick to wine and perhaps a light cocktail but avoid the beer. But Dammit, it's my birthday and I want a beer.

And man oh man...it was good. I had a Kokanee at the Hub Tavern. I was joined by several pals and we had a nice time.

After two weeks of no beer, you have to savor the moment. The beer comes to the table in a frosty pint glass. You observe the foamy head as you take in the first malty aroma. You sip.....and hold the frothy bubbles in your mouth as they lightly explode with hoppy goodness. You swallow and your joy is complete as you experience a religous moment.

I really like beer.

211.8

Finally, my weight loss has returned to the right direction. The losing direction. I have to keep on top of working out because that really contributes to the loss. Even if I just take a long walk, that makes a difference.

I am looking forward to having some wine here in a couple of days. That's been one of the hardest parts about this diet. No booze! It's a damn good thing I'm only an amateur alcoholic.

213.4

I'm going in the wrong the direction. Must exercise...must workou.......



...no will power

212.8

I have flatlined at 212. Been here for two days now. My workouts have been pretty lame the last couple of days so that's what I'm blaming it on. I'll do better tomorrow.

I think I'm past the worst of the cravings. I'm still hungry a lot of the time but that just takes will power now.

I hope my will power is good enough to lose some more poundage.

212.4

It's the Lental Season again and I am using the precepts of the South Beach Diet program to lose weight during the Lental Season. I started last week at 218 so you can see it is working. I'm up a pound and a half today but I weighed myself after getting up early to shovel snow and then having some breakfast.

I shall endeavor to record my weights here as I have already forgotten how it has gone so far.

Susan and I have a week to go before we can get off Phase One, which means we will be able to drink alcohol again. We can drink wine but should stay away from beer. I think the only reason I'm losing any weight at all is because I'm not drinking beer.

My birthday is in a week though so that means beer and Whammy's from Dick's Drive-In.

New Years Resolution

I have not yet gotten around to making a resolution for the New Year because I generally hate them. You don't follow through and it's just a giant set up for failure.

Unless you set up it so that if you fail, you die!

I think that is what I am up against as far as my health and my present weight. I would like to weigh 200 pounds. I currently weigh 219.7 as of this morning.

I really need to change my attitude and start a regular workout regimen.

So my plan is to come in to work early in order to take a long lunch. I will run over to the Valley YMCA and work out for 45 minutes or so. I have a membership which I have used all of three times over the last year.

I will start this new regimen...tomorrow!

Health of my Heart Update

You may have figured out by now that I'm not doing anything about my knee. I'll ride it out for a while longer and see what will happen.

What will happen is I will go five or six years without any problem and then it will lock up on me again and I will suffer until it fixes itself and then I will get another x-ray for hundreds of dollars and then ignore it.

Right now I am dealing with new heart issues. That is to say, I have new issues with my old heart...not issues with my new heart. I still have the same old decrepit heart I've had for nearly all my life.

I noticed after the first of the year that my stamina was waaaaaay down. I climb the stairs and have to catch my breath. Then I started feeling some symptoms of a blockage, pressure in my chest, numbness in my left arm, soreness in my jaw...but never at the same time.

As recently as the last couple of weeks, I started feeling an irregular heart beat. Sometimes it would really flutter around in there.

So I called my Cardiologist and described my symptoms to the nurse and they told me I have an appointment set for Feb 3rd. That was three weeks ago. Apparently, I didn't express the urgency of the symptoms I was feeling.

Mom has wanted me to switch Doctors for a while and the fact that they took three weeks to see me set her off again. I made a call to Spokane Cardiology last Tuesday, Jan. 24th. They said they could get me in the next day at 9:30.

An hour later, I got a call at work from my Cardiologist's office saying they could suddenly get me in the next day at 12:30.

Perhaps it was a mistake but I decided to stay with my Doctor. I like them and they know my history.

I told them what was going on as far as getting in to be seen. Dr. Byazrova, the Doctor who put in my Defibrillator, was embarrassed.

Anyway, they got me set up for a Nuclear Stress Test which showed I have no blockages but I do have a Premature Ventricular Contraction...better known in the Medical World of abbreviations as a P.V.C.

I'll find out more on Monday but this will probably be treated with drugs rather than surgery. So that's good news.

In the meantime, the flutters continue.