There's a weird space of hanging out in the 240 lb neighborhood. On one hand, I've lost nearly 100 lbs, so on one level, I'm feeling confident and fitter. Yet on the other side of the street, I'm far from being fit and lug around extra weight. Early in my IT career, I was concerned when my weight ballooned up to 241. Today, here I am, partly proud that I'm there again!

—briefly proud, anyway. See, it's not something that I'd print on a t-shirt or even reference in passing. I want so much more! All of this is just part of an off-season training approach as I get ready for 2021.

And the funny thing is that specific weights don't hold the same luster for me anymore. Sure, I'd like to pass 208 this year, thereby knocking out 2019's lightest weight, but I'm far more interested in establishing km/mi paces.

And while it may seem I've got the fireworks blasting over here, after losing a battle with a feral kitten, I have stayed behind to lick the wounds of my hands. I've chosen extra sleep to accelerate the healing process since I don't want to damage my hands any further hitting the bag. Most of the marks are little more than aggravated paper cuts, but I fear the poison applied to the blade.

It is now just a few hours into the 2nd half of the current expedition. As such, to evade paralysis by analysis, I'm not going to peek at the scale any longer—it's how I used to approach my weightloss; the Expedition's weigh-ins were it!

Furthermore, while I still have plenty of months left on my Cronometer membership, as of today, I've quit updating it. To use it as a primary thrust requires faith to apply assumptions:

1. How much confidence can I have that the data are true and the foods I eat are equivalent?
2. Can I trust that the RDAs are valid for a 5'9, 240 lb, 42-year-old man who trains 6 days a week?
3. How well does my body absorb the nutrients in spinach or whatever?
4. Does my microwaving and dehydrating wipe out things like its Vitamin C?

Ultimately, if I'm lowering caloric intake to the point where I get just enough of whatever is the lowest 100% nutrient, can I trust it? Can I go hungry and have the mental confidence that I'm 100% provided for?

What was the problem I had with this high nutrient, low-calorie, plant-based et al diet? It was The Bump, what I reference as once I'm off the diet, my weight skyrockets up the scale. The diet is not sustainable. It's a lot of external monitoring.

So, I'm off the scale and I'm off the calorie computer. I remain off the carbs as well—even more so as I'm heeding the threat of Total Carbs.

While I have this 1lb of meat with 3-ish eggs goal a day, I'm letting my appetite direct my intake. I start this morning off with 16 oz of coffee with 1 tbsp of Kerrygold butter and another tbsp of MCT. Yes, it's a couple of items from plants, but this is a meat-based diet, not a strictly-meat diet! I really want to avoid the cult-like behavior that some diet adherents proselytize. Sorry folks, I remain unlabeled!

I like the idea of having the fundamentals in my head and just wing it. If I am focused on the exact nutrition all-the-time, that means that I'm focused on food all-the-time, which means that I'm like to eat or want to eat all-the-time. Willpower to fight off desire is in a limited quantity.

I'd rather be in the position where I need a reminder to eat (and enjoy what I consume).

The days fall off the calendar and leaving only hours before I reach the halfway mark for The 16th Expedition. While there are some good developments in this stint, I fear the results won't show up on the scale this time. Despite yesterday's post, I considered punting the whole carnivore approach and returning to my old retro diet, one that I know will work...and yet; I remember the 808-day adventure. If a plant-based, low-calorie, high fiber, low net carb approach worked, it would have worked!

Yes, did I drop from 331 to 208 on it—YES, absolutely yes. HOWEVER, did I ultimately go from 208 to 292 in its aftermath? YES, ABSOLUTELY YES! Big picture: it failed to bring me home. I have no interest in the short term. I want to cross the threshold.

My hesitancy in adopting a meat-based approach is the unknown. It's a fear: "eat this, not that" mantra that has been drilled in my head, the "vegetables good / red meat bad" nonsense.

I also fear that the boredom will break me in the Christmas season. In these past years, I haven't fared well during it. With this consideration, while I wrote that I was only going to eat this:

• Meat
• Eggs
• Salt and Potassium Chloride
• Butter
• Water

I'm adding transitional options:

1. Re-opening the lab: diet drinks and MIO Green Thunder.
2. Bulletproof Coffee (MCT oil, Kerrygold butter) It's delightful and I don't see doing this long term, but I want it as a bridge over the upcoming Christmas season.

I'm dropping the three-week trial period and taking this into the new year.

What I hope to address in the future is my training regimen for the upcoming year. Right now, my legs are a little jacked up from my newer activity, which basically tells me that I need to add more emphasis on recovery.

EVENTUALLY, this site is going to be much more about running...perhaps even to Outrun the Night.