Saturday's food diary

Today was a difficult day. I probably didn't do very well on the low carb thing. I went hiking with the Sierra Club on a trail I hike on often. I almost couldn't make it to the summit. I have been feeling weaker and less energetic at the same time I've been feeling calmer and more healthy. This makes no sense. I'm actually very worried now about my up-coming backpack trip and the big 17.5 mile hike I'm supposed to lead in December. I had no energy for the hike today, how will I manage those hikes coming up?

I'm not sure who I am going to ask for advice, but hopefully these pictures won't get me clobbered with criticism. I really am doing the best I can.

Hiking is the reason for living and it worries me I will ruin my ability to hike on this diet. And if this diet doesn't actually cause any weight loss, is it worth continuing?

Breakfast at the Daily Grind: bowl of eggs and bacon with coffee and half-and-half. The eggs need salt.



I really struggled on the trail. Here's a picture of edema in my wrist and hand. My blood vessels are huge. I have not felt this weak while hiking in a very long time. Normally I saunter up easily having conversations with people. Today I rest-stepped the whole way. I felt weak even in my arms. I use trekking poles and my arms were so weak I couldn't hold up my own weight.


At the summit I shared a tangerine with The Man. I got three sections. I also took a bite of his banana. I hoped it might help me with my weakness for the hike down. I had to turn down extending the hike for a big loop that I usually do. I didn't think I could do it. I feel really worried for the backpack trip I have planned later in November and for the 17.5 mile hike I'm supposed to lead in December. If this diet is only going to tear me down, I'm not sure I should continue.



Here's a picture to illustrate the hike. We started down in Montecito, the city you can see in the distance. You can see parts of the trail on the hillside below and the Pacific Ocean on the horizon.



Here's a small waterfall visible from the trail. It felt good to get out of the sun and into the shady canyon again.




Dog poop left on the trail really bugs me. This is the biggest bag of poop I've ever seen.


Here's a picture of what I look like. I'm pretty fat. Can you see my little green bird named Fergie on the counter? I think this diet is making me fatter even if I have lost a little weight. I think my body is eating my muscles rather than my fat. Everybody says that a low carb diet will allow you to burn fat for energy. I think my body is so totally broken that it's hopeless.


I was pretty hungry in the afternoon so I made a snack of liverwurst wrapped in lettuce leaves. I'm trying to avoid cheese. I'll probably find out that liverwurst is worse than cheese.


The Man cooked dinner and the cooking of it dragged on and on so I had a glass of wine to tide me over as I was pretty hungry. That's Ariel, our cockatoo, in the background.


Dinner at last. He made lamb chops with Indian seasonings, garbanzo beans, lentils, avocado and mango slices. It's not a low carb dinner and there's sugar in the yogurt he put on the lamb. But it was delicious and I was hungry and weak and didn't really care.


I cared so little that lentils and garbanzos are not "Paleo" that I ate a second helping. I could have eaten this dinner three times over, I believe.

That's it for Saturday. I'll do Sunday tomorrow and then maybe that will be enough of this boring topic. I hope I can find someone to send this series to so I can get some advice.