I’m not really sure where the rest of the day went.  However, I’m really much later than I expected to be, so I’m just going to add my food and get to bed!

Food for the day:

Total: 2301 (25% fat, 36% carbs, 37% protein)

Breakfast: protein pancakes, jam, fruit salad (390)
AM Snack: protein shake with berries (284)
Lunch: whole wheat pizza with turkey sausage/tomato sauce and cheese, apple (520)
PM Snack: carrots, hummus, blueberry bran snack cake (281)
Dinner: sirloin steak, corn, butter, salad w/dressing (680)
Late Snack: blueberry bran snack cake, plums (146)

Somewhere along the way I think I was planning on doing some cardio. Oops. I had originally planned for a rest day but with next week being complicated I was going to do some walking today. The soup took up the morning and then in the afternoon I decided to go and vote at the advanced polls. I have a test on election day and there’s just no way I’m going to work in a trip back to town to vote. So I added grocery shopping and a trip to Super Cuts - and that was a good part of my afternoon shot.

For the next two weeks I’m planning to lift on Wed/Sun only. Tuesday’s I have evening tests, which means I’ll not be able to get home in the afternoon to do any workouts. I’ll probably do cardio on Thurs/Sat. Depending on how prepared I feel for the tests I might try and get some in on Tuesday as well (at the college). I have a feeling that my schedule is going to have to be very flexible while I’m at school.

Food for the day:

Total: 2009 (29% fat, 36% carbs, 32% protein)

Breakfast: egg white omelet with cheese, zucchini bread, jam, fruit salad (339)
AM Snack: chocolate zucchini cake (78)
Lunch: whole wheat tortillas, spicy turkey meatloaf, salsa, cheese, apple (577)
Snacks: carrots, hummus (178)
Dinner: szechwan beef with stir-fry veg, salad w/dressing (585)
Late Snack: protein shake, plums (251)

So, my afternoon snack was…. beer.

I decided to be sociable when our Communications teacher didn’t show up. I had to prove my age at the college bar (which was funny) and couldn’t find my driver’s license. The guy eventually gave in and stamped my hand, telling me that he knew roughly how old I was. So I asked. He said early-30s, so I thanked him.  Of course then he really wanted to know how far off he was, and was surprised that I told him he was off by a decade. And no, this wasn’t a guy relying on tips. 

After the beer snack I managed to rearrange the rest of my day.  It wasn’t that tough as the afternoon snack I skipped was almonds, hummus and carrots - which is actually higher than the two bottles of beer.  I did some shopping on the way home and still managed to get a swim in.  So tomorrow is just a little cooking, some homework (I couldn’t concentrate on my drawing stuff tonight), and I need to go and vote.  We have a test scheduled on the night of our election so today, tomorrow and Monday are advance poll days.

Food for the day:

Total: 2013 (23% fat, 35% carbs, 32% protein, 10% alcohol)

Breakfast: two fried eggs, zucchini bread, jam, fruit salad (378)
AM Snack: none (0)
Lunch: whole wheat tortillas, smoked turkey, mustard, apple, chocolate zucchini cake (528)
Snacks: 2 beers (296)
Dinner: baked chicken with tomato/wine sauce and cheese, green bean & carrot mix, butter, salad w/dressing (583)
Late Snack: protein shake, plums (227)

So I did try and get some cardio in during my break today.  I was doing quite well until the rain started.  Oh well.  It was just heavy enough that there was nothing to do but head back to the car.  Okay, jogged back to the car a little.  I did eat my lunch in the car, hoping it would clear up (no luck though).  It’s not really worth mentioning, but:

20 mins - HRM: 126 cals, Max: 153 (86%), Avg: 130 (73%)

At least I got my homework done when I got back to school.  I forgot to take a picture of the stewed beef tonight, but will have it next week, so I’ll do it then (and post the general recipe).  It was so good.  I made a point to make room for some potatoes to have with it as well, so that was kind of nice.  So that’s me for the day and I’ll be in my bed shortly.

Food for the day:

Total: 2306 (24% fat, 39% carbs, 31% protein)

AM Snack (Pre-WO): protein shake, plums (233)
Breakfast: two fried eggs, honey oatmeal bread, fruit salad (449)
Lunch: whole wheat tortillas, eye of round, apple, chocolate zucchini cake (522)
Snacks: carrots, hummus, jack daniels & lemonade (264)
Dinner: stewed beef with mushrooms/onions, potatoes, green bean & carrot mix, butter, salad w/dressing (590)
Late Snack: protein shake, plums (248)

Well, tomorrow I lift!

Strangely enough, since I decided I was going to, I feel more in the mood for it. I’ve pulled out the sheets and will likely load the barbell before I go to bed. I’m just not that alert in the morning so it’s probably a good idea to be ready to go. I’ll still have to get up, having something (likely liquid) to eat, and wake up before I start.

I’m looking at my list and I did pretty well. I ended up with 10 1/2-cup jars of the cranberry sauce (as well as a single 1 cup jar and an almost full 2nd). It was really made for my mother to have with her (now homemade) smoked turkey. That’s the only slightly negative thing about the homemade stuff, it’s not quite so moist. Of course, that’s because they’ve pumped the luncheon meats full of water, so it’s not a bad trade-off. The turkey was the best. The eye of the round roast is a touch dry, but I’ll get better at it as I go along.

I ended up getting 20 servings of the stewed beef (done with a few mushrooms and onions) at 314 cals 34g protein, 15g fat, 6g carbs - it means tomorrow I can actually have some potato with it since it’s a lifting day. So I froze 9 double portions of it, which will be nice to have as the evenings get colder. Oh, and I ended up with some well concentrated stock with 5 ounces of chopped meat in it as well. I’ve got plenty of stock now… think I should start making soup!

The blueberry bran muffins turned snack cake were pretty good. I substituted yogurt for the original cottage cheese which dropped the protein a little bit and raised the carbs. However, it did use up the yogurt that was short dated. Since I still had yogurt left, I made a second pan in the afternoon. Yes, 46 piece in the freezer seems excessive, doesn’t it. However, I take a piece (sometime two) each day and my mother takes another, so it’s not as bad as it sounds. Oh, and I made some fruit salad as most of the soft fruit season here is past (just plums left really). This week’s fruit salad is all home canned fruit (peaches, sour cherries, sweet cherries) with a few chopped apricots. Have to watch there aren’t too many of those!

The hair is coloured and the laundry is almost dry. In fact I stopped posting so I could go take it out. So, it’s just about 10pm and I’m done for the day. (Yikes) I think tomorrow I’ll also take my shoes and a different shirt and maybe do a little walking during my 2 hour break. If I don’t then I will work on my homework from the morning class. So it’s one or the other. I suspect that the weather will end up being the deciding factor. I don’t want to do any high heart rate cardio, which I seem to do in the fitness center. So if the weather sucks it will be homework instead. Looking at my schedule for the next two weeks (evening tests on both Tuesdays) I might have to do Wed/Sun lifts in which case I might do cardio at the fitness center Tues/Thurs those weeks. I’ll cross that bridge at the time.

So, that’s it for me tonight. Just the food, then off to my bed.

Food for the day:

Total: 1994 (35% fat, 31% carbs, 33% protein)

Breakfast: two scrambled eggs, zucchini bread, jam, peaches (361)
AM Snack: chocolate zucchini cake (156)
Lunch: whole wheat tortillas, eye of round, nectarine (372)
Snacks: blueberry bran snack cake, carrots, hummus (281)
Dinner: hamburgers(2), condiments, edamame, salad w/dressing (692)
Late Snack: protein shake (135)

So I wimped out and didn’t lift this afternoon. Partly because I was kind of late home and the weather was nice enough that I decided a swim was a bigger priority. We’ll close it in a couple of weeks, so every last swim counts. I’m a little concerned that I’m not antsy about it. I think I’m going to plan on doing a workout (even an abbreviated one) on Thursday before school. If I can work in a little cardio tomorrow morning that would be a plus. I finished off my homework tonight so my entire day is free for chores.

So tonight I cut two blade roasts into pieces and have a roasting pan’s worth of beef with mushrooms and onions stewing away in the oven. I’m hoping that it will be done in about an hour or so and I can get a decent night’s sleep. I’ve also got the bones and scraps simmering away on the stove as well, making more stock for the freezer.

Tomorrow’s chores… cranberry sauce (canned), blueberry squares (these are the muffins I made in the past, but trying them in a 9×13 pan), laundry, colour hair, and maybe some gardening. Oh yes, and divide up the stew and freeze it, and deal with the stock. That sounds like a good day’s work, doesn’t it?

Food for the day:

Total: 2002 (24% fat, 35% carbs, 39% protein)

Breakfast: protein shake with oatmeal and frozen berries (361)
AM Snack: chocolate zucchini cake (156)
Lunch: whole wheat tortillas, mustard, roast turkey, nectarine (392)
Snacks: honey oat scones, jam (256) <– my mother made them, they were warm…
Dinner: balsamic pork tenderloin, bean carrot/blend, butter, salad w/dressing (514)
Late Snack: protein shake (180)

So, I feel better, but I still have a slightly annoying cough.  It seems to come and go.  So I set tomorrow as a rest day (calorie-wise) and I’ll see how I feel when I get home.  I suspect I’m going to wimp out and just coast a little this week.  I’d like to feel that my energy levels were back to normal (or even a little higher) as that’s what I expected coming off a maintenance week.

Strangely enough I really wasn’t hungry today even though I’ve effectively dropped my calories by over 1000.  Odd, but I suspect that it will be a day or so before my body realises that it’s getting less food. 

Food for the day:

Total: 1998 (25% fat, 38% carbs, 35% protein)

Breakfast: protein shake with oatmeal and frozen berries (361)
AM Snack: none (0)
Lunch: whole wheat tortillas, mustard, roast beef, nectarine (394)
Snacks: carrots, hummus, chocolate zucchini cake (256)
Dinner: chili with cheese, multi-grain tostidos, salad w/dressing (733)
Late Snack: protein shake, nectarine (254)

Well, it’s official, the rest week is over (okay, it was 8 days).  The leftover bacon is in the freezer… darn.  That’s probably the only thing that I might miss.  Although I can probably find a way to work in a piece here and there in the future.  So tomorrow it’s back to a deficit I go.  My first workout will likely be on Wednesday though, just some light cardio.  Unless I’m itching to lift on Tuesday afternoon that it.  :)  That’s probably the biggest difference between this and the last time I did a maintenance/rest week.  I had a ton of energy by the end of it.  Today I just feel… okay.  However, comparing it to feeling like crap last week, I’ll take it!

I considered going back to the Metrology stuff after dinner, but decided not to.  In the end I did clear up what I needed to do (and am even ahead on a few things).  What I’ve decided though is to maybe give up my weekday evenings so I don’t have to give up my weekends to homework.  Anyway, the laundry is done so it’s off to bed I go.

Food for the day:

Total: 3165 (38% fat, 36% carbs, 22% protein)

Breakfast: bacon and eggs, honey oatmeal bread, nectarine (692)
AM Snack: zucchini bread, jam (291)
Lunch: whole wheat tortillas, cheese, nectarine (732)
Snacks: carrots, hummus, 12-grain crackers, cheese spread, jack daniels & lemonade (501)
Dinner: sirloin steak, corn, butter, salad w/dressing (550)
Late Snack: whole wheat tortillas, cheese, nectarine (400)

(For those not following along, or visiting for the first time, please note that this is a maintenance week. The theory is to let the body reset hormonal levels before putting it back into a deficit. The calorie levels are specifically not weight loss ones.)

Well, I did the first four things on my list.  And half of the Engineering Drawing work.  I did fire up the CAD software, and did the first example drawing, but that was it. I think tomorrow I’ll start with the review questions for Mfg Materials and the work on the CAD stuff. Metrology can wait until Wednesday or even next weekend. I really don’t need much of a review for it at the moment. Just doing a little tidying up on that stuff.  I likely didn’t mention it but I also put a pot of lamb stock on during the day (using the bones from last night and some scrap pieces I had in the freezer).

So, it was really just a homework kind of a day. I think I will be able to find time tomorrow to make the cranberry sauce, but I’m not committing to it at the moment. Since the lamb stock is made I will have to find some time to pick out the meat and get it in the freezer.

Food for the day:

Total: 3242 (39% fat, 38% carbs, 21% protein)

Breakfast: bacon and eggs, honey oatmeal bread, nectarine (637)
AM Snack: chocolate zucchini cake, almonds (320)
Lunch: whole wheat tortillas, cheese, lentil soup, nectarine (705)
Snacks: carrots, hummus, 12-grain crackers, cheese spread (415)
Dinner: roasted tomatoes/onion/cauliflower, whole wheat pasta, parmesan cheese, smoked turkey & chicken sausage, salad w/dressing (752)
Late Snack: whole wheat tortillas, cheese, nectarine (412)

(For those not following along, or visiting for the first time, please note that this is a maintenance week. The theory is to let the body reset hormonal levels before putting it back into a deficit. The calorie levels are specifically not weight loss ones.)

Okay, so for the moment I’m going to continue the maintenance/rest stuff until Sunday. Hopefully on Monday I’ll go back to rest day calories and see how I’m feeling Tuesday (ie. back to lifting). Even if I have to drop the weights a bit I think I’ll just feel better doing a workout.

I have a huge amount of homework this weekend. So, here’s the plan:

- minor rewrite on Communications assignment (as I was explaining it to someone today I realised I hadn’t added something he wanted us to do).

- finish Math homework (bad student, but I’ve stopped listening to the teacher in class - it’s a long story - so I’ve got the first assignment done and almost half the homework) - test on Tuesday - scary for some as she hasn’t finished teaching what’s on the test yet (although I will do the homework for it and cover it myself this weekend).

- consider finishing two missing segments on math assessment website. I technically don’t need to do them, but might give them a shot (Oct 5th is the deadline if I’m going to do them).

- type up notes from Manufacturing Management (as a review of sorts) as we have a test a week from this Tuesday.

- do assignment for Engineering Drawing (1st priority) and try and do at least a few example drawings (although stuck where I stopped in class on Monday).

- do review questions for Manufacturing Materials (started, but not complete) - test date not set, but probably only a week or so away.

- summarize Metrology notes if time (this is a would like, not a must) as I’m pretty sure this class is a no brainer for me.

See, that should keep me busy this weekend! Yikes!

Food for the day:

Total: 3162 (38% fat, 29% carbs, 29% protein)

Breakfast: bacon and eggs, zucchini bread, jam, nectarine, peach (748)
AM Snack: chocolate zucchini cake, almonds (345)
Lunch: whole wheat tortillas, mustard, smoked ham, nectarine, zucchini snack cake (457)
Snacks: almonds, soy nuts, jack daniels & lemonade, carrots, hummus (562)
Dinner: bbq lamb loin chops, roasted brussels sprouts/onion/cauliflower, salad w/dressing (776)
Late Snack: protein shake, peach (275)