Catching Up

Weight loss - So far so good. I have not lost a lot recently, but with my schedule which has equated to eating out a lot I am not that unhappy with it. Over the past two weeks of the All State Conference and the run of "Crazy for You" at Bourne High School I managed to not gain any weight. I have tried to keep running, but it is hard to maintain a consistent schedule plus it has been rainy lately. May go back to Atkins for a few weeks, it always has a way of jump starting some good weight loss for me. In general, I have found my portions of food to be a lot smaller. Last night I ordered a quesadilla for my meal and I was unable to finish it. Really weird for that to happen to me.

Sports - Kids are fully going in lacrosse and soccer. A lot of practices have been cancelled due to rain and it looks like another will be tonight. Good.

Fishing - Can't wait. Looking forward to a great year. I may purchase a couple new reels for the kids' rods and I am thinking about getting myself a nice setup that will allow me to cast the soft plastics I like so much, but still be able to bring in a nice fish if i manage to hook into one. I am not in a hurry for this, but it is probably the next toy I will treat myself to. Perhaps if I do well at Foxwoods during April vacation I will use any winnings (or lack of losings) to get this new setup. I am hoping that the bluefish come back to Buzzards Bay this year, I missed seeing those breaking schools.

Hap..........................py new Year! Wii

Restarting the Atkins diet again. It has become very uncomfortable to tie my shoes. So far, so good. Although I just realized that cucumbers have carbs. Bummer! I am up to 293, the heaviest i have ever been as far as I know. In the '03-'04 school year I went on the Atkins diet and was able to lose 40 lbs. This time I am hoping to lose that 40 lbs. and keep it off by switching to a more realistic type of diet like Weight Watchers. I was happy with the Atkins diet last time I did it and even after i stopped I was able to keep it off for a couple months before i restarted my Master's program at UMASS. That was the beginning of the end being around all the food hangouts of old and needing to eat out for all of my meals for three days a week.

This time I am hoping to have that 40 lbs. off around May and keep it off. The big challenges that i see ahead are a vacation to see my dad in February and the fact that I am teaching at Boston Conservatory this July. I am a bit nervous of the easy food places that i will be able to hit during that time.

I remember last time I did Atkins I thought about food non-stop. After i ate and in-between meals i just thought about what i would be eating next. The tough part about this diet is making sure that there is food ready to be eaten. Steak, chicken, eggs etc. all take time to prepare and are not easily brought or made at work!

Wii. Santa brought us a Wii for Christmas and it is really cool. We have Wii Sports and Wii Fit. Between boxing and hula-hooping I can actually get a pretty good workout in my living room in 20 minutes or so. Better than nothing and I am just way too cheap to get a gym membership.