After taking nearly three weeks off due to work travel, this week I have been easing back into it. I started out back at 3mph on the treadmill and have been inching it up each day. Today I got back above 7k steps and 3 miles for the first time since starting back, and that felt really nice. As for my weight, this is one of those days where the trend lines still look awful but the daily number was very good. My five day moving average will go up again tomorrow, but that will also mark the point where the number is accurate since it will have five days of true data. I fully expect the movement to go back downward on Saturday. Most importantly, I am a full five pounds lighter today than I was on Monday. Normally I would say that is too much -- in my (unprofessional) experience, about two pounds per week give-or-take is a healthy and sustainable amount to lose. But it is also my experience that when you first start working out after weeks of inactivity, your body responds by dropping a bunch of weight immediately in the first few days before it settles down into the real trend. Which is a very long-winded way of saying, I don't expect to be back below 270 before the end of the month, but I should re-cross that line again somewhere shortly thereafter. I have said it a billion times, but weight loss is an emotional bear trap. The best I can do is stay focused on the fundamentals (drink more water, eat less crap, get more exercise) and let the numbers take care of themselves. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

Traitor

(Blake's 7 Wiki Recap)

The newly-reformed crew of the Scorpio go on their first mission, in order to find out how it is that the Federation has been expanding again so quickly. Turns out, it is through the use of a pacifying laser thing that turns its targets completely peaceful and compliant. This episode also marks the (not very surprising) return of Servalan, although it does not explain how exactly she survived the destruction of the Liberator. The script was written by Robert Holmes, easily one of my favorite Doctor Who writers, and it bears all of his trademarks. It is dark and grim, in fact if came out this decade one might even describe it as gritty. The symbolism is also very clear, with the last cells of resistance struggling in brutal conditions while the top Federation brass are constantly shown in erudite settings sipping cups of tea and having intellectual discussions. Then stuff gets blown up. It's a good one.

Stardrive

(Blake's 7 Wiki Recap)

One thing that surprised me about the Scorpio initially was that although it bore several similarities to the Liberator it was lacking in raw performance. That gets addressed directly in this episode. The ship's drive gets irreparably damaged in a collision with an asteroid (which is totally Avon's fault, btw), and they are left searching for a solution. Fortunately they discover that a noted scientist has developed a magical Whatever Drive nearby, and they mount a mission to acquire it. Stuff gets blown up. The shocking bit is right at the end, when said scientist is installing the drive on the Scorpio while they are being pursued by Federation fighters. They are moments away from being in range of attack, and Avon cold-bloodedly lets the scientist die as the final connections are made and the Scorpio leaps to Ludicrous Speed. I mean, Avon has always been a brutally amoral person, but this was particularly cold. In related news, Avon continues to be my favorite character on the show.

That's four episodes into this season, with only nine left in the series. I am going to be seriously bummed when I hit the end.

STATS:

Episode(s): Blake's 7: Traitor
Steps Walked: 7,034 today, 4,938,266 total
Distance Walked: 3.11 miles today, 2,554.02 miles total
Push-ups Completed: 0 today, 12,350 total
Sit-ups Completed: 0 today, 7,765 total
Weight: 274.42 lbs (five day moving average), net change -32.58 lbs

STATS:

Episode(s): Blake's 7: Stardrive
Steps Walked: 6,929 today, 4,945,300 total
Distance Walked: 2.93 miles today, 2,557.13 miles total
Push-ups Completed: 0 today, 12,350 total
Sit-ups Completed: 0 today, 7,765 total
Weight: 274.82 lbs (five day moving average), net change -32.48 lbs