First, I wanted to thank Mike Good for the wonderful, gracious meal offered to us at Cabanas.  My girlfriend and I went there last night and we each ordered a shrimp dish.  She tried the Chipotle Lime Shrimp.  I went with the Shrimp Italiano (or was it Italiano Shrimp?).  Anyway, both dishes were perfect examples of healthy eating: reasonable serving size - mostly full of veggies, enough protein to satisfy, starch used sparingly, and spices used for flavor - not heavy sauces.  I shied away from the dish my girlfriend got because I have been avoiding potatoes during this contest.  The way Cabanas' roasted potatoes were presented was certainly diet-friendly, so I will try a dish with potatoes next week.

I must confess that I love to cook.  But in a strange bit of irony (and irony can be so ironic), I hate to cook for just myself.  In situations where my girlfriend works late or works an odd shift, I typically eat out and that's not good.  However, based on my experience last night, Cabanas will be on my radar for any "bachelor" meals - and I have some coming up this weekend.

As far as my contest progress, I am patiently racking up brisk miles on the treadmill.   I have been sticking around at the gym late to do some weight training on the machines.  But again, I am at a plateau.  Although my weight is staying stable at just under 200 lbs, I am noticing my body changing - in good ways.   Clothes fit better and I am using belt notches never used before.  My workouts are feeling less strenuous, so I am increasing the intensity gradually to stay challenged.

Eating has been stable - almost no unhealthy food has been consumed.  I don't use Vitabot every day, but I do know that I am in a calorie deficit every day.

The Super Bowl Party I attended tempted me - and I gave in - to a couple of cookies and a small spoon of "Death by Chocolate".  My host and one of his guests are marathoners, so I drew a little inspiration from talking to them about running, so it wasn't all sinful.

My progress so far:

14.8 pounds lost (6.96% of initial body weight)

96 miles toward my 1,000 mile goal

31 hours spent in the gym