
And so it begins—again. My post-title search revealed that I embarked on a similar course of action exactly four years ago. Obviously, I failed miserably, and things are a lot worse now than they were back then. I’m motivated to get it done right this time. And man, oh man, I have a long way to go.
This morning’s starting stats:
- Weight: 267.1 pounds
- Belly Circumference: 52 inches
- Waist: 44 inches
Shocking, I know. I haven’t been on the scale in months, but the last time I weighed in I was around 235. I really let myself go.

So, the plan is a simple one: eat smarter, reduce carbs and calories, and exercise more. That means no more sweet treats, better meal choices, and yes, a significant reduction in beer intake. At tonight’s SOB I’ll be doing the gin and soda water thing. Interestingly, a shot of gin has more calories than a bottle of Zero beer (75 versus 60), although the beer is carby. Still, if I drink fewer shots of gin than than bottles of beer, that’s progress. My style is to order a gin shot in a tall glass, and a can of soda water on the side. I refill the glass from the can three times before ordering another shot. I just need to do a better job pacing myself so as to avoid getting floored.

I’ll be doing the ab work once again as well. Sit-ups and leg lifts to start. This morning I stretched my walk to over 9K as I once again endeavor to achieve a daily goal of at least 20,000 steps.
I installed a calorie tracker app on my phone to help me manage the food intake.

A boiled egg and some apple and orange slices for breakfast. Swan served a banana too, but I rejected that high-calorie option. For lunch I had a salad and a burger patty.
The only way to go from here is down. Or so I hope. My goal is to once again break the 200 pound barrier. Wish me luck!

And so it ends. The last day of my month of tracking expenses looked like this:
- Alcohol: 1350 pesos
- Dinner: 800 pesos
- Lady Drinks: 985 pesos
- Fruits and Veggies: 1000 pesos
- Trike: 100 pesos
- Charity: 2000 pesos
- Tips: 200 pesos
- Total for October 31: 6435 pesos
Hey, it was Halloween, of course I went a little wild!
And here are the results from the month of logging where it all goes:
Monthly Expenses % of Income
- Groceries: 78,600 pesos (21%)
- Charity: 59,000 pesos (16%)
- Rent: 38,000 pesos (10%)
- Helper Salaries: 30,000 pesos (8%)
- Alcohol: 27,900 pesos (8%)
- Dining Out: 24,400 pesos (7%)
- Swan Allowance: 16,000 pesos (4%)
- Transportation: 15,700 pesos (4%)
- Entertainment: 14,000 pesos (4%)
- Utilities: 13,700 pesos (4%)
- Lady Drinks: 13,000 pesos (4%)
- Healthcare: 12,800 pesos (4%)
- Tips: 8700 pesos (2%)
- Hotels: 7800 pesos (2%)
- Visa Extension: 6200 pesos (2%)
- Snacks: 4200 pesos (1%)
- TOTAL EXPENSES FOR OCTOBER: 370,000 pesos (-5000 pesos)
So, my expenses exceeded my income by 5000 pesos. I can and will fix that going forward. I see several opportunities for being a tad more frugal that will more than make up for the deficit. And just for the record, the 365,000 pesos I call income has a 30,000 peso cushion that goes into savings, so I wasn’t really in the red. Still, my goal is to save at least 50,000 pesos a month, so I need to do better.
And now, about last night. Swan and I dressed up and headed out to It Doesn’t Matter to celebrate Halloween.



Swan says IDM is her favorite hangout, and we spent most of our evening there last night. We had a brief nightcap at Wet Spot and ran into my neighbor Mike there. When it was time to go, I hooked up a free ride home with him. And you already saw the banana split I had at home.
Now for a look back at the past:




Someone new for today’s YouTube video: Joy of the Jungle. In just over two minutes, she tells us five things that will make your Filipina angry with you. Okay, if you say so. In my mind, I was comparing and contrasting with one of my favorites, the Filipina Pea. Well, the Pea is in a whole other category, the one where confidence and competence reside. It’s worth two minutes of your time to see for yourself. And Joy is cute enough, but she’s no Pea.
And now, the funny part:



Alright, some sit-ups to perform, then I’ll get ready for the SOB and hope the gin plan goes well. I’ll let you know about that tomorrow.
Today’s song was something I happened to come across randomly. I want to break free, too. But I can’t believe they express that sentiment in North Korea!