Truth be told, I’ll likely have 3-4 more days off at least this summer before football season kicks off. The reason that football season is relevant is because I work in the media, and we cover a bit o’ sports.

Last week was about resting and rejuvenating, of course. However, I had a big to-do list. Here’s what I got done:

1. Bought a new TV. I was without one. In my line of work, I need a TV.

2. Bought a toaster oven. Reason why forthcoming.

3. Organized the house. (Thanks, Jen)

4. Got my home theater re-established. (Thanks, Frankenstein.)

5. Caught up on all Web correspondence.

6. Decluttered big time.

7. Watched some baseball.

8. Re-established a pretty serious workout routine.

9. Put together a list of food staples from which to establish my diet for the next three months. Notice I didn’t say A diet. I said MY diet. I read, researched, browsed, etc., and came up with a list of food staples that covers the foundation of macro-nutrients, which I *think* are comprised of carbs, fats and proteins.

Anyway, I’ll show off that list later. It’s a good list. Some of these foods required baking, ergo, the toaster oven.

10. Re-established ryanwelton.com. If you’re a member of the Tumblr community or are from Oklahoma, please follow!

Surprisingly good: Brown rice, canned peas, tuna, tbsp. of Miracle Whip.

Now, the problem: It was 735 calories, of which I ate probably 80 percent. However, if I can not “eat the whole thing,” which is always a goal — as in “Ryan, don’t eat the entire bucket of chicken” or “Ryan, they make ice cream in containers smaller than a gallon” — then we have something here.

The takeaway is thus: Only brown rice and whole wheat pasta for awhile. This will require creativity.

Like an dingbat, I hadn’t charged my Cybershot’s Lithium battery in awhile, so no snapshot of the bachelor-food masterpiece. Tried doing it with the Blackberry, but those things just aren’t made for anything but e-mail and light browsing.

I’ve heard and long suspected that if crackheads would just eat a healthful diet, they’d be able to at least appear functional.

OK, perhaps I’m exaggerating. And, I certainly don’t mean to take the joy out of food. Nor would I want to give anybody an excuse to develop a crack habit. However, for me, food is becoming more functional and less aesthetic as I get older.

I enjoy it just as much, but I’m having to work to find *new* things to like to meet functional as opposed to aesthetic needs. And, I have to tell you: I’ve lessened my calorie intake by nearly 1,000 calories per day, and I’m not suffering in the least.

Heck, because I’ve got my daily food routine down pretty well, netting a loss of 7 pounds as of Dec. 20, I don’t stress when I have a cheeseburger or a piece of cake. Note that the word “extra” never comes into play.

One treat per day. So, make it a good one.

Anyway, thought I’d share the foodstuffs I’ve found that are super lean and super tasty and FILLING. Filling is the key item here. I don’t do hungry.

1. The most important item I could recommend is Nature’s Own double-fiber wheat bread. It has 50 cals a slice and 5g of fiber each. And, it not only doesn’t taste like cardboard, it’s some of the best bread I’ve had.

2. The second thing is good breakfast cereal. I love FiberOne’s raisin bran, but I’ll eat Kashi’s GoLean honey flax almond cereal on the weekends. You cannot eat this stuff before going to work. It tears up your insides and makes you poop them all out, which is at one time healthful but also inconvenient.

Both cereals have two things in common: High fiber, high protein.

3. Grapefruit. I’m not a fruit guy, but with a couple packets of sugar, a half grapefruit in the morning is very enjoyable. But here’s why it’s important: There is something about grapefruit, in grapefruit that is, that keeps your body from craving munchies throughout the day. I don’t know what it is, but a colleague recommended working in some grapefruit to my diet for that purpose, and he was a billion percent right.

4. Durkee’s ‘Grill Creations’ St. Louis Style chicken and rib rub. This makes a plain chicken breast come to life. When I decided to alter my diet long-term, I started (and am still working) to find things that I’d love to eat. It has no calories, and I can eat chicken breast for dinner now three times a week.

5. Bush’s beans. Pinto, black, kidney. A little mustard, and you not only have a filling meal but also a tasty one.

That’s all I’ve got for now. The Kashi cereal is starting to work it’s magic, and I’m about to reenact the scene from Steel Magnolias where Tom Skeritt runs through the yard, into the house and straight for the facilities. Ciao.