Alligatorob's Diary

Hi Rob,
Nice to hear you having a good holiday. Good for you trying to stay on track while away--I know you've done it before, so I know you are good at that, but still admirable.
 
One place I've never had the opportunity to go to, New Orleans. I might be just a tad jealous. Especially the crawfish omelet!
 
Been out of internet range for a while, but am in New Orleans this morning, limited access, but some. I have been eating a lot, but not really bingeing. I am sure I would gain weight if I kept this up, but I will do my best not to.

My wife fell and broke her wrists, so will have to cut the trip short, headed home tomorrow. Not terrible breaks, but not great.

Fishing was pretty good. Will try to keep checking in when I can.
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I agree: you´re glowing! Sorry to hear about your wife´s wrists. Breaking one is bad enough but both at once is awful! Glad to hear they´re not complicated fractures, but still.
 
That is a lovely photo, Rob. You do look really happy & at a healthy weight. Those fish look great. I'm so sorry about your wife breaking both her wrists. That really will be very frustrating for her.
 
Last day in Louisiana, flying back in the morning. I did not binge, probably not calorie lite, but no binge.

Breakfast was 2 eggs over easy, grits and catfish in this place:IMG_2634.jpg
Lunch was a muffuletta salad, a small piece of boudin, and a beer. Dinner was 2 relatively small beignets and 1 ounce of whiskey. Then spent a while at Preservation Hall listening to jazz:
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No pictures were allowed of the performance. Had a good time.
Good for you trying to stay on track while away--I know you've done it before, so I know you are good at that, but still admirable.
Thanks Liza, but I would not call it staying on track exactly, just no big binges. Semi-success I guess...
One place I've never had the opportunity to go to, New Orleans. I might be just a tad jealous. Especially the crawfish omelet!
You should go, one of my favorite cities. The omelet was great! I love crawfish.
Oh, so sorry about your wife.
Thanks, she went to the orthopedist today and got re x-rayed, turns out only one wrist is actually broken, the other just bruised. But she has badly pulled a finger on the had with the bruised wrist so will have to keep a splint on it for a few weeks. The broken hand will be casted as soon as swelling allows. Not great, but could be worse.
I agree: you´re glowing!
Not sure that was a glow so much as a sunburn, LOL. Thanks for the complement!
what sort of fish did you haul in?
The primary target was Redfish (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_drum), and that's what you mostly see in the picture. In Louisiana the limit is 5 fish per day in the 16 to 27 inch slot, you can keep one over 27 inches. I fished for 2 days and probably caught 100, but only about 8 keepers. Lots of big ones over the slot limit had to be released, the biggest was 40 inches. In addition I caught about 15 speckled trout (no relation to real trout, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weakfish), and a few sheepshead, fresh water bass and various other fish. It was fun.
I'm so sorry about your wife breaking both her wrists. That really will be very frustrating for her.
Thanks, it is. I am cutting the trip short to take care of her, the grandkids have been there, so she has had help but loses it tomorrow. Thanks for your nice words, I do feet good.
Rob, you look fantastic!
Thanks Emily, but I doubt I really look fantastic. However such a complement from a nice young lady is always welcome! Will tell the wife to stay away from handcuffs, LOL!
I looked up the Laura Plantation
It was, the most impressive Plantation tour I have been on. Learned a lot, much of the tour was about the slaves and their history. The plantation was Creole and all spoke French. Apparently the Laura slaves and those on neighboring plantations brought many of the Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit stories from Africa to this area. The originals were written in French and then translated to English, Disney and Song of the South came much later. Also the Domino family, of Fat's Domino fame came from the area. I'd go back.
 
No binge is the main thing. And you DO look good; if we all agree you'll just have to accept it :p

Had to look up muffuletta salad. Looks like something I need to try!
 
Wow, thanks for the cool pictures and description of the plantation tour. I've only been to New Orleans once, and loved it completely and utterly. We camped in a swamp on a sandbox we needed to wade to because of the rain - very fun! And went to the voodoo museum, folk museum, and ate amazing food listening to amazing music. We also walked around a cemetery where a pack of wild dogs almost got us - we had to run to the car and hop on the roof! Just walking around looking at the gorgeous architecture was wonderful. I'll have to remember Laura Plantation - it sounds really informative and interesting. I grew up in an old house where the back bedroom had no windows and had a secret crawl space in the wall that I imagined sheltered runaway slaves from the Underground Railroad, as other houses in our area had. I loved reading people like Fredrick Douglas and feeling like our area was part of that history of helping people become free.

I think you did amazing going to such a world renowned food Mecca and not binging! I hope your wife's wrists and finger heal up quickly. That sounds so painful and frustrating. And hopefully you'll get to go back soon and get to see the rest of your itinerary. The fishing sounds wonderful, but what did you do with all those fish you caught? Sounds like too many for you to eat while there.
 
It sounds like you had a great time even though it was cut short. Hopefully, you will get back to continue where you left off. The vote is everyone else v/s Rob. We win. :ROFLMAO: You look great!
 
Well I am home, and binged for the first couple of days, have to confess it. Yesterday I managed to get back on track without a binge, and no binge is my goal today.

I guess I still don't understand bingeing, when I am doing it I know its the wrong thing to be doing, but the compulsion is so strong... I suppose at least some of y'all can relate to that. I find that at about 1,200 calories a day I do not get powerfully hungry, that's all it takes. However it takes ten times that to be full enough to stop bingeing... I seem to be able to not binge one day at a time, will try that strategy again.

Good news is yesterday's food was fine, I even managed to locate an edible peach on one of the trees. I was surprised it has frosted and the trees are losing their leaves. Peaches should be gone by now. Its been a good peach year, ate my first August 13 and probably the last October 17, a record long season. The freezer is full of various kinds of frozen peach stuff, should have plenty for winter. We have one very large apple tree, and it still has some edible apples, got a lot of those this season also. And our young pear trees produced a bit. Still getting the last out of the garden too, but its looking sad...

My wife is slowly figuring out what she can and can't do with her hands. Her right is only badly sprained, not broken, though it does have one badly injured finger. Its in a splint, not a cast. That helps. Her left is in a cast, it is broken and will probably be casted for a while. I am adjusting to the role of nursemaid/housekeeper, not always real well, but getting by... so far. One rather delicate problem is how to use the facilities with no hands, first thing I did when I got home was to install a fancy toilet seat bidet in her bathroom. Seems to be helping with that problem... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078XLBZZZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
No binge is the main thing.
Absolutely! Just have to keep working on it.
And you DO look good; if we all agree you'll just have to accept it
Ok, thanks for that!
Had to look up muffuletta salad
Actually its the first muffuletta salad I have had. I have however eaten many a muffuletta sandwich, my mother used to make them. Salad was good, very similar just more lettuce and no bread.
I've only been to New Orleans once, and loved it completely and utterly. We camped in a swamp on a sandbox we needed to wade to because of the rain - very fun! And went to the voodoo museum, folk museum, and ate amazing food listening to amazing music. We also walked around a cemetery where a pack of wild dogs almost got us - we had to run to the car and hop on the roof! Just walking around looking at the gorgeous architecture was wonderful.
I have always liked New Orleans, there is a lot of tourist stuff, but you can look past at least some of it and find things of real interest. Like your cemetery story! I used to enjoy going to see Marie Laveau's grave, an old unmarked above ground crypt in a very old cemetery near the French Quarter. The kind of place many a horror movie has been set in. What I went for was to see the recent voodoo offerings people were leaving, bones, shells, even some black roses once. I think these were left by those who really still believed in voodoo. Unfortunately the Catholic Church has closed that graveyard off to the public, you can only go in with organized tours now. Just doesn't seem the same...
I grew up in an old house where the back bedroom had no windows and had a secret crawl space in the wall that I imagined sheltered runaway slaves from the Underground Railroad, as other houses in our area had. I loved reading people like Fredrick Douglas and feeling like our area was part of that history of helping people become free.
Good story, and who knows maybe it was a part of the underground railroad! Lots of places were. I feel a particular connection to the slavery issue - I know my family owned slaves. As a young child my mother met some of the former family slaves, and we have copies of writings about them. All sanitized I am sure, according to family myths it wasn't so bad, the slaves actually loved their masters (my ancestors). I am quite sure the truth was very different. I do have a copy of an old letter from an ancestor complaining that he had to sell "Sara" to pay for his mother's move, letter doesn't say, but I doubt Sara was his mule...
It sounds like you had a great time even though it was cut short. Hopefully, you will get back to continue where you left off. The vote is everyone else v/s Rob. We win. :ROFLMAO: You look great!
Thanks Cate, I appreciate it. And despite a few detours I am trying to continue where I left off. Your complement is noted, and appreciated!
nice to read about an ecological success story.
Yes, the Redfish is one. Growing up on the Gulf coast most people considered Redfish trash fish and did not keep them. Not sure why they do taste pretty good, and are fun to catch. That was until Paul Prudhomme made blackened Redfish famous. Suddenly demand soured and the fishery was unregulated, they were nearly wiped out. It took a few years of not allowing any fishing, and now the limits are pretty strictly enforced. But numbers are back and they are not too hard to find.
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I don't know Rob, I could not consistently eat only 1,200 calories and not go off my diet - that is too few calories for me. I can have a day here and there with that few calories and be ok, but not consistently. I just can't get in all the nutritional categories of food with so little calorie content to work with either. Have you tried eating healthy fats to curb cravings? I eat full fat yogurt, nuts, avocado, eggs, cheese, and use.a lot of olive oil in cooking. I also eat things like oats that fill me up with fiber if I am really feeling famished. And I need to make sure I get at least a palm-sized portion of protein per meal. That really seems to help a lot.

I am always surprised at how time intensive taking care of someone is. I bet your wife will appreciate the bidet, and it could come in handy it the current toilet paper shortages continue!

We just watched Tarantino's "Django Unchained" last night. I can't imagine living back then when slavery was considered normal. I'm sure it would help with the guilt thinking that your slaves loved you. It must be strange having that practice in the family history.

I watched a voodoo-like ritual once, it was a shaman woman practicing animism in a Buddhist shrine in Korea. She was sacrificing a chicken and doing a ritual with fire. I was a little squeamish about watching the chicken's life be taken, so I only saw a little.

Anyway, glad you are back on track, and I hope you'll experiment a little with diet and get some more stick-to-your-ribs food in there!
 
We just watched Tarantino's "Django Unchained" last night. I can't imagine living back then when slavery was considered normal. I'm sure it would help with the guilt thinking that your slaves loved you. It must be strange having that practice in the family history.
throughout history and even today, it seems like science is something people only believe in when it's eiher convenient or when it doesn't conflict with their outdated beliefs.
 
Today was a good day, ate well and did a workout. Felt good to get the exercise, but I am feeling a bit sore, not sure why.
I could not consistently eat only 1,200 calories and not go off my diet - that is too few calories for me. I can have a day here and there with that few calories and be ok, but not consistently. I just can't get in all the nutritional categories of food with so little calorie content to work with either. Have you tried eating healthy fats to curb cravings? I eat full fat yogurt, nuts, avocado, eggs, cheese, and use.a lot of olive oil in cooking. I also eat things like oats that fill me up with fiber if I am really feeling famished. And I need to make sure I get at least a palm-sized portion of protein per meal
Thanks for the suggestions Marisa. I will keep trying, but I just don't seem to have found that right combination for me. I make a change and sometimes it feels better for a few days but then things go back, or sometimes it just doesn't work. It won't hurt me to stay near that 1,200 mark for a while and then I'll try again... Something has to work, maybe just the trying will help.
We just watched Tarantino's "Django Unchained" last night. I can't imagine living back then when slavery was considered normal. I'm sure it would help with the guilt thinking that your slaves loved you. It must be strange having that practice in the family history.
You know I suspect most of us have slavery, either as masters or slaves, or both in our family histories its just a matter of how far back. Mine is just closer than some. I doubt the people who actually owned and controlled the slaves believed they were loved, its just what they told the others and eventually became the family myth... Will have to look for the movie.
throughout history and even today, it seems like science is something people only believe in when it's eiher convenient or when it doesn't conflict with their outdated beliefs.
And some people have distorted science to support their beliefs. For example it was really believed that slaves wanting freedom was a form of mental illness, Drapetomania ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drapetomania ). One of the causes was treating slaves too leniently. This was once considered science... Probably by some of my ancestors...
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I make a change and sometimes it feels better for a few days but then things go back, or sometimes it just doesn't work. It won't hurt me to stay near that 1,200 mark for a while and then I'll try again... Something has to work, maybe just the trying will help.
I hope you find your happy place with that Rob. i know i would be sooo hungry with only 1200 calories!!

I'm glad your wife has you looking after her--that's when having a partner in life seems like a good idea!
 
I second what Liza said, and hope you find your happy place with food! I like the idea that maybe just the trying on its own will help. I am finding that with tackling the emotional stuff that gets me to overeat. Just seeing that I buy into some of the negative emotions stops me from doing that, and short circuits overeating.

The Django movie was really good, but also a typical Tarantino with lots of gore. I agree about the science. It depends on people starting with good assumptions!
 
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