Mark: Day 4

I totally had a plan for Day 4. I had my bags packed - a bag full of food boxes, my gym bag to hit the gym at lunch time - and then everything fell apart as something came up that completely derailed my day and sent me off to a completely different destination and kept me out until about 7 last night.

I baked a nice basic white loaf the evening before, and made myself an almond butter sandwich (226 cal) for breakfast. That was the only part of the plan that worked out. Almond butter is pretty cool - it's quite a bit more expensive than peanut butter, but it has a unique flavor that makes it a nice treat. And since I only eat a tablespoon at a time, the cost (about $9 for a jar - the equivalent peanut butter would be about $4) is, wait for it... spread (ha!). And of course, black coffee (7 cal).

Lunch turned out to be a bag of trail mix I got out of a machine, less the M&Ms (which have milk chocolate in them - which didn't occur to me until after I bought them - 220 cal). I also had more coffee (7 cal) with some Splenda, which I have been trying not to use, but I really needed a little indulgence at that point.

That was it until I got home and was able to eat the left over sweet and sour beans (360 cal) with brown rice (160 cal) I had planned to have for lunch, also the left over coleslaw (95 cal). I also had a Blue Moon (beer) (160 cal) with dinner.

Then, because I had been hungry all day, I also had a serving of Sicilian Tomato Salad (88 cal)



which tastes awesome and is super easy to make - chop some onions, chop some fresh tomatoes, throw them in a bowl with some red wine vinegar and olive oil, add basil and oregano.The great thing about this dish is it's even better as a left over because the ingredients have had more time to marinade.

I took the dog for a walk so I could get my 10,000 steps in, and then had a slice of the raisin bread (166 cal). I had a glass of wine (150 cal) after all the dishes were put away to relax and think about the day.

Day summary:

Calories consumed: 1,634

Exercise calories: 353

Steps: 11,134

Weight: 169.6

Weight was exciting - I've been trying to break the 170 barrier for more than a month now, and the fact that I had plateaued was one of the reasons I wanted to do this diet. It's only just barely under, and clearly it could be water weight, but it's exciting nonetheless.

I feel pretty good. I don't miss meat all that much - but I do miss cheese, as well as being able to use eggs and milk. I've been having some stomach pain this past week, but I think it started before the vegan challenge - perhaps related to the antibiotics I was taking following my oral surgery last week. Hard to say. Hopefully it will quit soon.