Has this ever happened to you?

You start a diet and exercise program, follow it diligently for more than a week and you’re “sure” you’re already feeling results so you decide it’s time to step on the dreaded scale.

That’s when reality hits: Weight loss? Zero pounds.

You rub your eyes. You step off. You give the scale a second chance before flinging it off the lanai.

You step on again and this time, it says … same as two weeks ago?

What the … ?

Now, I don’t expect to move mountains in just 10 days, but a baby step or two would have been nice.

Zero pounds?

You mean to tell me that eating oatmeal, brown rice and salads offers the same weight results as a bacon double cheeseburger and fries? And don’t tell me of portions or eating small meals is the key, I’m trying all of that, too.

Reality bites and I feel like I just got punked.

My first reaction was to look up Pizza Hut’s  phone number, but fortunately my cell phone was in hiding and not within reach.

A calmer, gentler me minutes later rationalized the biggest mistake of the day was stepping on the scale so soon after starting the diet.

I have to believe that if you’re feeling better from dieting and working out, it will work out in the long run.

Right?

But I’m curious as to how many people this happens to and how you deal with it.

Let me hear some success and failure stories.

How do you cope?

This year’s NBA playoffs have brought one of the funniest sports commercials I’ve seen in a while.

It’s when Dwayne Wade baits Charles Barkley into talking about why Philadelphia hasn’t made a statue of him yet. Barkley’s “You tryin’ to be funeh?’ line is classic.

Check it out at Charles Barkley and his statue

It still doesn’t top my all-time favorite “Chicks Dig the Long Ball” commercial Chicks Dig The Long Ball that features former Atlanta Braves Cy Young award winners Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, but it’s right up there with Miller Lite’s “Tastes Great, Less Filling” classics.
Anyone else got some memorable — funny — sports commercials to share?

X X X

I get a lot of flack from friends on the Mainland who aren’t able to enjoy the outdoors year-round like we can here, particularly because I’ve become a workout hermit of sorts lately.
Instead of hitting the beach or hiking trails I’ve recently been turning to the illiptical machines, stairmasters and treadmills for hours at a time.
The allure is the TVs on the newest equipment. Since I started this recent diet binge — or maybe I should call it attempted lifestyle change — I’m timing my workouts to watch the NBA playoffs.

I’ll be sweating out today’s Hawks-Celtics Game 7 for a lot more reason than just hoping Kevin Garnett finallly gets his ring.
The 40 games in 40 nights or whatever they call it has been a godsend for me. Great games, great young talent to watch.
This is my first extended look at Chris Paul and New Orleans. The way he sees the floor and changes gears is incredible. With Paul, Tony Parker and Deron Williams the new wave of superstar point guards has taken over, just as Dwight Howard has become the most dominant, athletic big man in the game today.

Anyone think Lebron James and the overlooked Cavs can sneak back into the finals?

I’m off the midnight shift for the rest of the week, as usual.

Since I work one day shift a week on Wednesdays, I have one of the most eclectic jobs in the newsroom.

One day it’s a traffic story, another day it’s about saving a dog, and today it was all about the Hawaiian Kingdom Government taking over the Iolani Palace grounds.
I don’t get into sides on these issues, but I appreciate the passion and beliefs that people stand up for. It ended peacefully, which was probably the best news of all.

* * *

Diet update: I (heart) Country Cafe is great for dieters. Brown rice, greens and furikake salmon or mahi. I need to be more Cat-like and start taking photos of these dishes.

After the long stand off today my big meal was at Karen’s Kitchen — brown rice, salad and mahi. Of all the great food over there I think this may have been the healthiest choice, and to me that’s an A-plus of a baby step.

Exercise-wise, played a little basketball after work yesterday, biked and did 35 minutes on the illiptical machine.

Bottom line, I know weight loss is slow but I’m tackling this about as head-on as you can.

I know “patience is a virtue” and “good things come to those who wait,” but if I were to gain weight after all this I’d make up my own fortune cookie and it would read something like this: “Eat what you will, because sometimes, you’re just screwed.”

* * *

Spike’s Ultimate Fighter is on tonight. I think it’s the best of the reality shows, next to the Deadliest Catch, of course.

Having Rampage Jackson and Forrest Griffin as the coaches was a stroke of genius by Dana White. It’s the best matchup of coaches since Randy Couture and Chuck Liddle in the show’s first season.

I’m a Rampage fan. You? Feel free to vent your UFC thoughts here, because I love this sport.

Here’s something people who burn the Midnight Oil can appreciate: Some days, you come home and just sleep. No working out, no binging on food … just sleep.

Since I switched to four-day work weeks I’ve made Mondays, following my second overnight shift, the day of rest. I get home before 10 a.m. rarely leave the bed until I return to work at midnight.

It makes the rest of the week that much easier and after three straight days of 60 minutes on the illiptical machine and 200 flights on the stairmaster, golf, basketball and swimming,, so I don’t feel too bad about resting. I believe the body needs it, particularly as you grow older.

The added bonus to sleeping all day? Too tired to eat!

So, as promised, my diet update yesterday is open for public consumption: Switched to oatmeal overnight and cut out Jack in the Box tacos (damnit). Still having a java blast and fountain diet coke to start the shift; also had a banana, apple, yogurt and a couple of pop tarts. This morning, I made a salad to take to work, and since I like to snack, I’m trying out the flavored Quaker rice snacks.

So far, pretty good, but I couldn’t see eating the rice cakes all the time. Just a good change of pace.

For me, that’s about as good as it gets. A friend gave me some Arbonne weightloss shakes to try and some natural vitamins, so adding them into the mix and seeing where it goes.
My goal for when I get off this morning is to find a personal trainer and settle on a real weightloss program, be it weight watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem or something else.

A few years ago I did the Atkins and it worked while I was on it, but like all fad diets as soon as I quit, I gained it all back.

No more fads for me, but I’m still looking for input on what’s worked, and not worked, for you.

Join in!