Just got back from Costco (what a madhouse, never again on a weekend) and we avoided the hotdog/soda and all the end-of-aisle samples. Going to try to run our two half-miles this evening when it's cooler (unless it's raining, then we'll use the treadmill). Workouts and wife's yoga back on track. I've already lost 7 of the 14 lbs. I gained in June, wife lost 3 of the 5. Our clothes are more telling than the scale, feeling good and we're going to pull out the clothes containers in a few days to downsize again. So, once again I've dipped back out of obesity (202 lbs. per BMI) and sticking with it.

Thinking back to those 3 weeks of carefree eating out, more observations:

Quality and quantity (quality being what I really enjoy eating, not health-wise). No matter how much I enjoy a large piece of honey glazed salmon with oven roasted veggies (usually asparagus with almond slivers), or grilled shrimp, scallops or whatever (any number of healthier ways to cook seafood), *nothing* [food wise] is as satisfying to me as a big ol' fried seafood platter! Oh man, nothing taste as good to me as dipping fried seafood (shrimp, oysters, crayfish, crab [soft shell and/or stuffed crab], fish, clams) in tarter and cocktail sauce, served with hot soft buttery hushpuppies and something saucy (etouffée or gumbo), and then washing it down with a Dr Pepper (or several). Nothing. If any food is my downfall, there it is. And no food gives me as much of that relaxed and satisfying overstuffed feeling when I'm done.

However, what I've noticed is that [peak enjoyment] only applies to the first several bites. After that, the taste/enjoyment curve plummets, which doesn't happen with healthier baked and grilled dishes (and I mean really healthier, not trashing up a healthier dish). So I might not enjoy the healthier options as much when I first start eating a meal, nor do I get that really full feeling that makes me want to rest or take a nap, but the healthier options typically taste consistently good throughout the meal, down to the last bite. So maybe not as good at first, but better at the end. I don't know if it's psychological (knowing I'm eating better, with no regrets) or that any food that's too breaded, rich, salty or sugary just isn't as enjoyable taste-wise after several bites, although when I'm done I have a more satisfied feeling of being full (stuffed, really).

Today wasn't easy going back to Costco, wife kept reminding me that there's a pot roast that's been cooking in the crock pot since this morning (parents prepped it last night, stuffed it with onion and garlic, then wife added carrots and potatoes and put it on to slow cook). Meh, not really my thing (although I enjoyed it), what I *really* wanted was that $1.50 dog and soda (w/refills).

Reference pics of an *excellent* single large seafood platter (Superbowl 2016) and today's pot roast lunch...