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Wonder Woman and Dr. Fate. Vancouver Island schools are still closed.

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 38
Yesterday was the anniversary of my mother passing away.

But is this relevant? It’s germane to my state of mind, which is terrible, and my state of diet, which is weak. I was walking to work from the chiropractor, who did a nice job shoving my SI joint back into place. I also have to place my shoulders down and inward all the time with deliberate thought.

Speaking of deliberate thought, as I was walking to work from the chiropractor – and feeling like I was puffing out my chest like a superhero to keep my shoulders in place – it occurred to me that the mental issues will also require consistent activation of the brain’s equivalent of shoulders. I.e. the conscious mind.

I’ve done this before where you question each thought with “is this reasonable, balanced and fair to others and yourself?”

However, it’s exhausting.

I was looking for a Shazam/Wonder Woman image but this worked. Snow Day in Vancouver.

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 37
I really should have poked myself in the eye. Good thing I didn’t say that thing about committing to restart the diet. I had a sugar meltdown in the afternoon. And, honestly, I feel like crap. I was please I pushed through two-thirds of a high intensity workout, but I felt like a horse on a high calorie diet.

I promised myself I would not whine. I need to deal with my fatigue and energy levels without throwing in the towel.

I see a substitute personal trainer today. I’ll try to open up the energy valves there.

Is it bad that I’m looking forward to the new Batwoman TV show? All school districts around the lower mainland are closed except Vancouver‘s. -4° and snow on the ground. Call the fuzz.

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 36
I would like to put in an order for will power please. Level 10.

And a side of fries.

No, no, that’s not right. Just will power, with a side of grace and humility. OK, and if there are some chocolate almonds lying around, I’m good for that.

Wait, wait. What is will power? I Googled: “pricing for will power” I got:

“Pricing power is an economic term referring to the effect that a change in a firm’s product price has on the quantity demanded of that product. Pricing power ties in with the ‘Price Elasticity of Demand.’”

So I conclude that there’s no such thing as will power because if you can’t buy it online, it can’t be real.

Images with lots of Spider people make me feel better. Calgary -26° and “ice crystals”. Yikes.

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 34
I declared yesterday a muffin day. I was so tired and messed up that I ate muffins and then went home to bed. Only to wake up to situational stress from the kid’s school. I didn’t even make it all the way through for a blog post.

Yes, it’s going that well.

Today I went to Stinky Gym where there were posers, loud talkers, cursing personal trainers, no space to stretch and people not sharing machines. However, I did see people with greater lard issues than me working hard on cardio equipment. For you folks I have nothing but respects, empathy and – if this is not too over the top – love.

Tonight we finally properly celebrate my wife’s birthday … There shall be Indian food and cake!

Black Canary in honour of my wife’s birthday. Snow threatened for Victoria BC. The gardeners will be ticked off.

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 32
It’s my wife’s birthday. I made cheesecake. It’s in the fridge. Honest.

Seriously, I’m a mess. I am suffering from a languor (I had to look this one up) that’s leaving me so low-energy that it’s a slog getting through anything. I skipped the gym today because of fatigue and I also plan to walk home (and need the time) so that I can deliver flowers to my wife that are from my sister. The odds of them being pulverized on the bus are high.

If I can’t off load some stress or turn the stress into motivation or wine or something, I’m sure I’m going to achieve any of my goals.

They’ve been foreshadowing Infinite Crisis for years on the TV. -6° in Twillingate. Not bad.

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 31
In case you needed support for the assertion that it’s a bad idea to go shopping when hungry, I can assure you that it’s a bad idea to go shopping when you are hungry. It was The Attack of the (On Sale) Expensive Tortilla Chips. I mixed it with a lot of meat so that’s OK, right?

I also have not had a chance to breath due to work and related issues. Sucks on the diet front. Yoga was subtle. I didn’t realize how good it was until I sat for 45 minutes.

Spider-man Noir is really cool. Victoria BC at -4°. Panic in the streets.

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 30
I have discovered that this long persistent cold has put a barrier around my high intensity workout. I haven’t fully completed one since either early in this phase or late in Phase 8. At the gym yesterday, I wanted to see if I could push past it. It was going better but the SI (sacroiliac) joint complained when I overdid it on a new contraption that simulates you pulling a sled. I stopped and stretched and the SI joint seemed fine. I moved to the kettle bell portion and on the swing that I had declared was the last, the SI joint complained again, so I stopped and called it a session. I broke through a plateau but I am not back to where I was. Truly this bug is a bear.

Of course I was worried that the joint would give me grief but when I got back to the office, it felt like those times when you stretch, a clunk comes from your back and then there’s a new looseness. That was a bit of luck.

And diet … not 100% by-the-book, but not a train wreck either.

Not bad for a grumpy Monday. Now let’s set what Tuesday has for me.

A crossover that won’t happen in movies. Vancouver sees winter. -3°

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 29
We start a Monday with a communications challenge. I’m exposing myself with this blog and the journey always includes notes from people that observe that the diet process is stressful and I should find an easier way to do it.

In my experience “easy” ways to diet are accompanied by the sales of useless products by snake oil salesmen with a side order of swamp land in Florida. I.e. there is no easy way. I’m committed to that.

At risk of exposing myself to further ridicule, I have almost three years of data that show my body is resistant to easy weight loss, regardless of how I restrict calorie intake, what type of diet, etc. The assertion made by many that exercise alone does not always lead to weight loss I have illustrated to be true. At least for me. However, I do enjoy the increase in strength.

When it comes to stress, I think perhaps the stress associated with some exceptional goings-on, which are utterly unrelated to diet/fitness, may in fact be subtly related; there is only a small amount of energy for an individual’s stress management and willpower. In other words (one example only) dealing with the shit from the kids’ schools eats into my ability to concentrate on, plan and execute a strict diet.

The goal for this week? Accept that stressful things have to be dealt with, but try to do so with calm and aplomb. And stay away from the fucking chocolate and refined carbohydrates.

Retro Spider-man always helps my mood. Light snow in West Vancouver. Unacceptable for February. Sorry rest of Canada.

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 28
No blog post yesterday. I was too messed up by situational stress and feeling crappy. Eating is off. I am grabbing carbs for basic fuel – so it feels. Is that real? I went to the gym but could not get near a deadlift station. Most annoying. I did a second set of three bench presses and I really felt it later even though I lightened the weight for the second set.

The problem is I feel worse off than when I stopped before Christmas. This cold thing is going on for a month and I’m struggling with it every day. I try to imagine what this would be like without it.

I know I can hear people saying I should see the doctor. He’d say get more rest.

Ya think?

I stumbled across this image on the web. I’m not sure if it’s real.

Mutant Diet Phase 9 Day 26
Anger and diet. Not a good mix. Frustration and diet. Not a good mix. What is a good mix? Peanuts and chocolate.

I wonder about institutions. The Vancouver School Board could not be annoying me and my fellow parents any more than if they hired a Mariachi band to play outside our windows while we were all collectively having a migraine headache.

Don’t. Make. My. Diet. Harder.