pressing on my belt (and the next weigh-in)

I'm going on a 35K hike this coming Sunday, not Saturday, to accommodate by buddy JW's business schedule. I'll actually be coming into work on Saturday so I can do as much proofreading as I can, and also to start making up for the 34 hours I still owe the boss thanks to my week-long spell in the hospital (I made up some hours already, hence the below-40 number of hours I still owe). Next week is going to be a bit of a circus because (1) my hospital appointment is on Thursday, and while I won't be working the whole day that day, I do plan to come to the office somewhat late; and (2) I'll be leaving for the east coast a bit early on Friday, which means I'll probably come to the office early to compensate for that fact. I'm also cooking food for Friday, having decided to step up and take care of September's office-party meal and also have a bit of a cheat day (although, actually, the entire east-coast walk is going to be a month-long cheat day, with the caveat that I won't go totally nuts on the carbs).

Right now, I'm feeling a bit of weight gain. I can still cinch my belt down to what used to be the second-to-last hole (I punched four new holes into the belt), but it's a tight fit, so I may have gained an inch or so around the waist. Because I'm doing a long walk on Sunday, I won't do my weigh-in and stats until Monday morning. I'll be very interested to see how a 35K walk affects my blood pressure, blood sugar, and weight (assuming I fast once I get home from that walk). I'm sort-of fasting today, and while I'd normally fast on Saturday as well, I plan to eat early in the day (nothing past 1 p.m.) to give myself some sustenance, as well as the time to digest whatever I eat and get it out of my system by late Sunday morning. Messing with my digestive system isn't something I like doing, but it's hard to imagine fasting on Saturday, then walking 35K on Sunday on an empty stomach. A man has to eat.

So that's where things stand. This week and next week, I'll do what I can to empty out my fridge so there's nothing that can rot for a month while I'm away from home. Most of the perishables are already gone; there are a few things left, but they ought to be eaten or thrown away by next week. (Come to think of it, I'll be fasting on Wednesday, next week, in preparation for Thursday's hospital appointment. Once I'm out of the hospital (hopefully with the news that my numbers have mostly improved), I'll probably have a cheat meal plus a cheat snack that same day: the doctors will no doubt prescribe another 100 days' worth of medicine for my next checkup, which will be around late December, I think, so I'll have plenty of time to work off any indulgences. (September 16 + 100 days = about December 27, which is a horrible time for an appointment since I'd like to eat freely at Christmas and not have to worry about my numbers... postpone until late January, guys?)

Righto—more later.