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Happily, I report a 2 pound loss this week. This brings me to a loss of 11 pounds since starting this blog. Hooray! What has been working for me is a combination of things that I’m still working to perfect. First, I’m getting more sleep. This is big for me, because I have sleep apnea. I’m still working on this aspect, because getting more sleep means that I’ve been late to work more than ever lately, despite the fact that I go to bed earlier than ever.

Another thing I’m doing is moving my meals away from bedtime. This helps with the apnea, as well. I’m not perfect at this yet, because I’ve had a longtime habit of snacking just before sleep. I’ll keep working on this.

I’ve basically stopped using sugar, with the exception of a small amount (less than 1 tsp.) in coffee or tea, which I only have once a day. There are a few cans of Coke in my fridge, but they’ve been there since before Christmas. They’re only in there because, for me, a Coke craving is like a chocolate craving — nothing else will do. Luckily, I get these cravings very rarely.

As mentioned, my coffee consumption is down to 1 cup or less per day. More often than not, in fact, I skip it altogether. The only reason I still drink it at all is because it’s brewed constantly at work, and knowing that it’s there draws me to it. Now that I have the hot chocolate containing 15 grams of protein, I find that having this instead not only satisfies the coffee desire, but it does so in a way that satisfies my hunger for the next 2-3 hours as well.

I have recently started using my stationary bike, too. This is what’s going to put me over the top when it comes to weight loss. Not only am I using up calories, I’m building muscle and getting back into the exercise habit. Now, if I can find a way to eliminate the lingering amount of fatigue I still feel due to the apnea, I’ll start going back to the gym. I really want to get back there, but need a bit more energy before that will happen on a regular basis. (I tried a CPAP machine. Couldn’t get used to it.)

The final thing I’m doing is eating every 2 hours, having 15 or so grams of protein each time. This is accomplished quite easily because of the products that I use. The variety is quite good. There are shakes, bars, soups, drinks, cereals, and the aforementioned hot chocolate, along with custom supplements that provide what my body needs to function well. There is little or no prep time, and that makes it very convenient to have during the work day. This system is working for me.

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday, I was feeling completely out of sorts. The world was on a tilt, and I was tilting in the opposite direction. It was not fun. Despite all the weirdness, insecurity and the return of those old sugar cravings, I stuck to my guns, knowing that today I’d be out the other side of those withdrawal symptoms and back to feeling great.

The QuikStick beverages were quite helpful. They helped to satisfy the sugar cravings, and kept my taste buds satisfied between meals. They’re really quite good for this purpose, and they provide the quick energy I need to keep going all day long. Check them out one of these days.

Anyway, I’m back in the game, and feeling more empowered than ever. I’m not quite ready to get back to the gym, although I know it would feel great to do so. Maybe after the New Year, at a time when everyone else is getting back to the gym, too.

I’d love to get into the habit of a morning workout. Years ago, when I was a mere youth in my prime, I’d gotten into the habit of a morning workout at a gym near the bank I’d worked at at that time. I’d do 30-45 minutes at the gym, then go to a nearby breakfast shop for an egg, a slice of toast with butter, and a coffee. I lost weight consistently for a while that way, but the gym wound up closing and my habit shut down with it.

These days, I find it nearly impossible to get up in time for work, let alone early enough for a workout before work. I’m hoping that, once I lose a bunch of this extra weight, I will again be able to rise early and get that workout in first thing in the morning. For now, I’ll just concentrate on the food. Then I’ll add a workout whenever I can fit it in. One of these day, I’ll be strong enough to choose exactly when and where to work out, and I’ll do that consistently.

One foot in front of the other. I’ll get there.

Uh-oh. Here it comes. Yesterday’s unusual meal (unusual for me, lately, that is) is starting to have an effect on me. I don’t use table salt, haven’t for years. I use little to no salt in cooking, too. So, when I eat at a restaurant, or at someone’s house who uses what I consider “a lot” of salt in their cooking, my body eventually rebels in one way or another.

Sometimes, the rebellion is in the form of “I want more of that yummy salt!” This is part of what I’m feeling today. I’m also getting a reaction to the higher-than-I’m-used-to amount of sugar that I had yesterday, in the pie, the wine, and the packaged crackers and other nibblers that I had. My body wants more of the same today. I’m not surprised.

My daughter does a second Thanksgiving at her home the weekend after Thanksgiving. She does this because Thanksgiving leftovers are so good, and she wants leftovers of her own. I can’t blame her. I, too, look forward to her “Thanksgiving, Part Deux” because I know that she will give me lots of leftovers to take home with me, and especially because I get to spend another day with her.

Of course, this second indulgence will wreak havoc with my eating plan, since I’ve already begun to lose some of the momentum I’ve built up. That’s OK. I have every intention of living my life as a normal (for me) human being. This includes a bit of overindulging during the holidays. I will pay for it eventually, but I know the routine, I know what to expect, and I know how to get back on the wagon once it’s all over. (Think oatmeal with peanut butter for breakfast. It’s a very strong restart.)

During the next few weeks, it’s quite likely that I will wind up going off program quite a bit. Again, it’s OK. I’m allowing myself this time of imperfection. We are none of us perfect, and I will not hold myself up to an impossible standard. Why do that? It’s only a recipe for failure.

In expectation of what’s to come, I will say now that it is very likely that this blog will suffer a bit during the hiaitus. I hope that you will be patient with me during the lull. I promise that I will be back after the New Year, if not sooner. I may even stop in now and then, in the weeks to come, but it’s quite likely that I will be less consistent than I’ve been so far. (I know this game so well.)

In the meantime, enjoy your holidays. Don’t over-discipline yourself. Eat the holiday foods, in moderation if you can. If you indulge in alcohol, have that glass of wine, that beer, or that mixed drink, unless it’s a problem for you. What I’m trying to say is, don’t set yourself up for failure by expecting superhuman strength in the face of that bowl of stuffing or that slice of pumpkin pie, or whatever it is that calls to you. Have some fun. Together, we will come back stronger than ever after these weeks have gone by.

In case I’m not around to say it, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy All-the-others-I-missed. Happy New Year, too! See you in 2010, if not sooner!