Hopefully tomorrow will be back to normal for a few days.  I cannot wait!

Another quick thought for you:  While I wouldn’t say I totally subscribe to the primal lifestyle, I do agree with most of it.  That being said, MDA is one of my favorite blogs with regards to this.  Last year Mark did the Primal Challenge, which I participated in.  This year I plan to do the same, why don’t you join me and do the Primal Challenge as well?

Don’t forget, Wednesday’s Word of the Day is back tomorrow morning.  I also have another surprise I am working on – you’ll know about it soon, I promise.

It looks like the next few days will be pretty intense at work.  My quarterly meeting I have with my bosses is coming up next week, so I have a lot of preparation to do between now and then.  Nevertheless, I am going to be sure to keep on track with the eating and exercise.  It may mean the exercise is short intervals throughout the day, but something is better than nothing, right?

Unfortunately this comes to an end tomorrow morning.  I am really ready for a real vacation at work.  I have written on here before that I feel blessed to have a job that I love, but this last year has been extraordinarily busy, and it doesn’t seem to be letting up.  Fortunately I still have over two weeks of vacation to use before March 1 of next year, and trust me, I will use it.

Tomorrow I kick things back into gear.  I have been coasting for way too long.  I am not sure what the exercise will be tomorrow, but my eating will be great.  I am planning on going in pretty early tomorrow, so I will probably break up my day with short spurts of push ups, squats, or a walk around the building.

Oh, and for those of you who have been requesting my videos to start back up, you will be pleased to know that Wednesday’s Word of the Day is recorded and scheduled.  I am still not feeling very motivational, but Wednesday’s Word of the Day is back in production.

I have two goals for the upcoming week.  Get back on track with eating, and get back on track with exercise.  Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

As I wrote yesterday, I expected to gain today, and honestly, I am getting what I deserve.  While I haven’t done bad all week, I have really just held it to maintenance levels.  Add that on top of a bad Sunday last Sunday and the gain today makes sense.  I had hoped it would not be as much as it is, but honestly it has been that high since Monday morning of last week.  So what is the number you ask?  I gained five pounds, which puts me back at 198.  For those of you who have really good memories, you will note that I have either weighed 198 or 193 each of the last five weeks.  Odd, isn’t it?  As for the measurements – they weren’t too bad.  I gained a tenth of a percent in body fat, putting me at 20.9%.  My BMI went up 0.7 to 28.4.  My neck went up an eighth of an inch to 16.625″.  My chest decreased a quarter inch to 44.125″.  My stomach increased 0.75″ to 40.5″.  My waist decreased an eighth of an inch to 37.625″.  My thighs decreased 0.375″ to 22.125″.  My calves remained the same at 16.25″.  My biceps increased by half an inch to 13.25″.  Last, my forearms increased by a quarter inch to 12.125″.

• Brother is still improving, and his mood seems much better.
• Brother-in-law is scheduled for surgery next week.  Hopefully the cancer is limited to his thyroid.
• Probably not going to be a good weigh-in this week.  If not, I am getting what I deserve.
• Great day with the family today.  Very active and eating was spot on.
• While I am not one to arrive very early, I quickly get frustrated at people who are consistently late.  Note to self: re-read Pippa’s post.
• The four-day weekend is great, but I am not looking forward to the deluge of work come Tuesday.
• Awesome, awesome, awesome fall weather right now.  Eighty degrees and very low humidity (for us) – 40%.  Woot!  I love it!
• I have smoked about three gallons of peppers this weekend.  This is a lot of work, but boy are they great!
• Just had a fantastic apple and some wonderful grapes!  I love, love, love good, fresh fruit!

That’s all from me for now.  What about you?  In a sentence or two give me a touch and go about part of your day today.

The Bad: He is having to stay for at least a month in a nursing home.  While he is well on the road to recovery, he is having trouble walking.  He is retaining a great deal of fluid in his legs, feet, and especially his left knee.

The Ugly: Much of his troubles right now are because of his own laziness and fear of needles.  While he needed a shot in his knee, he is so scared of needles that he refused to get the shot.  He has since given in and done this, but it is about two weeks later than it should have been.

There is a lot more to this story than I am willing to publish here; however, the simple fact that he is recovering is the most important part.

The Good: This leadership program that I started this past weekend is going to really be a good thing.  We had a dinner last night that solidified that.  Tomorrow morning is a breakfast where our group is introduced to many leaders in the community.  On top of that, I think the relationships I am building with this group are going to turn into strong friendships that last a lifetime.  I am truly thankful I was chosen for this.

The Bad: My boss and another senior office in our company warned me that the time commitment for this program was nothing to be taken lightly.  They both warned me that it is much harder to fit this in that you initially think.

The Ugly: I am barely into this, and I am realizing they were right!

Don’t misunderstand me, I am really thankful.  I have already made a few contacts that I think I have a lot in common with.  I have been very reserved with people for a long time.  This is helping me to open back up and trust people again.

The Good: My back is much better.  In fact, I am hardly feeling any pain now.  Woot!  Tomorrow I think I will be totally well.

The Bad: I haven’t done any substantial exercise this week.  Thankfully I did quite a bit last week.

The Ugly: My indiscretions on Sunday (which I didn’t write about) are going to haunt me all week.  Why, oh why does it have to work this way?

Today was another IF day.  Now that I am about well in the back, I am ready to start back on the 100 push ups program.  It seems I get just within reach on this and something happens.  I really want to hit 100.

The Good: My oldest son has finally decided that taking over my computer repair business is a good thing.  He has been doing much of the work and is making a fairly decent profit.

The Bad: He is still a beginner and doesn’t understand all that he needs to understand yet.  While he is willing to learn, it takes time.

The Ugly: Right now most of the jobs that seem to be coming our way are the very complicated one.  Why, oh why can’t some easy ones come our way? 

This is something I have been waiting on for a while.  If he will get serious about this, he can make some serious money and have fun doing it.  I think that is about to happen.

1. Just because it is a salad doesn’t mean it is good for you.
2. Processed sugar has no place in my diet.
3. In the absense of processed sugar, I have realize how great raw fruit is for dessert.
4. Too much healthy food is still too much food.
5. There are some foods worth avoiding at all costs.
6. Skinny and unhealthy is nothing more than another form of unhealthy.
7. Muscles are good.
8. Just because my plan works for me, doesn’t mean it is right for you.
9. Nuts and nut butter are the bane of my existance.
10. Yes, you can do it.

What truths have you learned in your quest to lose weight and be fit and healthy?  Please, share them in the comment box below!

Today was my first IF day for the week – I ended it with hot wings.  I also had an apple and some fantastic Walnut Butter this evening.  Mmmm.

My back is better today, but still hurting some.  Hopefully tomorrow will be the end of pain.

I fell like this post is a bit sporadic.  My mind sure feels like it is somewhere else right now.