Well, things may be improving. After a week of working out every day (although I did take yesterday off as a rebuilding day--I have a nasty cold and just didn't have the energy to work out), I weighed myself in the middle of the day, only a few hours after eating lunch, and found myself at 180. That means I managed to drop 4 lbs somewhere somehow this week. That's good.

It's my eating that continues to be a problem. All this working out makes me hungry, and so I'll eat and eat and eat. My food choices, while not necessarily horrific (it's not like I'm binging on Twinkies or anything) are not super-healthy, and the size of the portions definitely will cause some problems. Here's what www.shapefit.com says about portion sizes:

* 1 oz. meat: size of a matchbox
* 3 oz. meat: size of a deck of cards or bar of soap-the recommended portion for a meal
* 8 oz. meat: size of a thin paperback book
* 3 oz. fish: size of a checkbook
* 1 oz. cheese: size of 4 dice
* Medium potato: size of a computer mouse
* 2 Tbs. peanut butter: size of a ping pong ball
* 1 cup pasta: size of a tennis ball
* Average bagel: size of a hockey puck.

I don't know about you, but I couldn't tell you the last time I consumed a piece of meat that was only the size of a bar of soap, unless it was then followed by several more similarly sized pieces. I LOVE meat. I have a number of friends who are vegetarian, even vegan, and while I can certainly respect the reasons behind their choices, I cannot follow suit. I agree with comedian Dennis Leary: "Broccoli is a side dish, folks. Always was, always will be." I have actually had physical cravings for steak when I haven't had much red meat in a while. My vegetarian friends are quick to point out that the foods that tend to induce cravings are the unhealthy ones. I agree. Never in my life have I craved celery. But I've craved Oreos for sure. But as long as I exercise to compensate, and don't overdo it, I should be able to indulge my cravings occasionally. The problem is, the restaurants don't seem to agree with those portion sizes either. Come on, have you ever ordered a steak (that wasn't a super-expensive filet mignon or something) that was the size of a bar of soap? I usually order the prime rib that ends up being half a cow.

So I guess the lesson I must learn is, if I'm not willing to cut back on portions, I must compensate with even longer and more strenuous workouts to make up for it. I wish my gym was open 24 hours a day. I could just sleep on weekends...