Family and I went up to San Francisco today to see Swan Lake at the War Memorial Opera House. We had pretty good seats in the Grand Tier (which is the second layer of dress circle up, the first layer consisting entirely of boxes). The stage seemed a fair way away, though it must have looked tiny to the people upstairs in the balcony. The good side was that we could see all the pretty patterns that the swan chorus made. Nice costumes, minimalist but appropriate sets. Not too hammy. Good quality dancing. Surprisingly, I think Hubby and I enjoyed it more than the gruesome twosome. Deep Thought announced that she "quite enjoyed the music" while Little Starlet (for whose benefit the outing was originally arranged) pronounced it "boring" and "when can we go to see Mr Shakespeare again?"
Sitting in a theater for three hours doesn't burn many calories, but neither does it provide many eating opportunities. We did, it is true, partake of a cup of filter coffee and the cookie plate at the first intermission, but my section of the cookie plate consisted of two bite sized morsels, and the coffee was unsweetened, so I figure that wasn't bad. At least the sugar and caffeine injection helped keep my eyes open for the whole performance.
After ballet we went to Max's Opera Cafe on Van Ness for dinner. Deep Thought was desperate to have the blue cheese bacon burger but, alas, it was no longer on the menu. I had the shrimp louie salad - that's lots and lots of lettuce with cauliflower, carrots and red pepper, garnished with shrimps and avocado - with about a quarter of the dressing; then Deep Thought and I shared a half-portion of the chocolate cake. Even a half portion was enormous, so a quarter portion was just right. We scraped off the extra frosting on the top and felt very virtuous indeed.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Two More Days
Saturday: raging munchies all day. Foul temper. 2100 calories.
Sunday: foul temper. Not munchy. Don't yet know the number. Had:
Cereal with banana
Soup and a smallish ham and salad sandwich
A quarter of a Bear Claw
Salmon, rice, broccoli and spinach with pine nuts (a slightly odd combo).
If I still had them, I'd say I had PMT...
Sunday: foul temper. Not munchy. Don't yet know the number. Had:
Cereal with banana
Soup and a smallish ham and salad sandwich
A quarter of a Bear Claw
Salmon, rice, broccoli and spinach with pine nuts (a slightly odd combo).
If I still had them, I'd say I had PMT...
Home cooking
We ate our first home-cooked meal in four days yesterday at a friend's house. Cottage pie. Yum. It was quite a relief to have something that didn't come with a side or a dipping sauce. (There was, of course, HP sauce on the table, but only the smalls partook of that.) This would have been a relatively low calorie day except that the aforementioned friends put out the tortilla chips and dip on the table while we played a board game. I tried, I really did, but the Trader Joe's Cilantro Dip was very moreish.
Lunch, we ate at Bappo's Pizzeria in the Stanford Shopping Center. I had a chicken ligura foccaccia sandwhich, which I'm sure had a million calories, but at least it wasn't a pizza.
No evening nibbling. No cake. No coffee. No exercise either, but not a bad day all round.
Lunch, we ate at Bappo's Pizzeria in the Stanford Shopping Center. I had a chicken ligura foccaccia sandwhich, which I'm sure had a million calories, but at least it wasn't a pizza.
No evening nibbling. No cake. No coffee. No exercise either, but not a bad day all round.
Friday, January 29, 2010
My Virtue Runneth Over
Another fine day.
Shredded wheat for breakfast - nasty, but filling. Meeting in Starbucks in the morning, with a coffee but no nibbles. Lunch provided by my lovely friend Yin, consisting of bagel, alternative crisps containing lentils, and a bit of vegetable matter. (This was a sympathy lunch, in support of those of us who are Without Kitchen.)
Another walk in the afternoon, this one involving some uphill and downhill, at the Arasteradero Preserve in Palo Alto. Unfortunately many of the most scenic paths are currently closed due to overwhelming muddiness, but I still managed a nice loop of 2.78 miles, which took just under an hour. What was even more virtuous was that I did the last 20 minutes of the walk in the pouring rain. How devoted to personal self improvement is that? OK, I was at the top of the hill so I didn't have much choice, but hey - !
Girls night out with Little Starlet. Hubby and Deep Thought went to the school's Skate Night and ate tepid pizza. Little Starlet and I went to the local noodle bar. We shared pork dumplings, then Little Starlet had "simple chicken noodles" while I had orange chicken with sticky rice. The orange chicken was extremely spicy, so I didn't eat all of it, nor more than half the rice. Portions around here really are out of control. It had been such a virtuous day that we finished off our meal with small chocolate gelato's at the local gelaterie. Yum.
Shredded wheat for breakfast - nasty, but filling. Meeting in Starbucks in the morning, with a coffee but no nibbles. Lunch provided by my lovely friend Yin, consisting of bagel, alternative crisps containing lentils, and a bit of vegetable matter. (This was a sympathy lunch, in support of those of us who are Without Kitchen.)
Another walk in the afternoon, this one involving some uphill and downhill, at the Arasteradero Preserve in Palo Alto. Unfortunately many of the most scenic paths are currently closed due to overwhelming muddiness, but I still managed a nice loop of 2.78 miles, which took just under an hour. What was even more virtuous was that I did the last 20 minutes of the walk in the pouring rain. How devoted to personal self improvement is that? OK, I was at the top of the hill so I didn't have much choice, but hey - !
Girls night out with Little Starlet. Hubby and Deep Thought went to the school's Skate Night and ate tepid pizza. Little Starlet and I went to the local noodle bar. We shared pork dumplings, then Little Starlet had "simple chicken noodles" while I had orange chicken with sticky rice. The orange chicken was extremely spicy, so I didn't eat all of it, nor more than half the rice. Portions around here really are out of control. It had been such a virtuous day that we finished off our meal with small chocolate gelato's at the local gelaterie. Yum.
A Contagion of Virtue
(Doesn't that sound like a good title for a crime novel?)
1800 cals today - 2 pieces of toast, an M&S salad (240cals), supper was the grown-up version of sausage and lentils, and a glass of grapefruit juice. Doesn't sound enough to keep body and soul together, but I didn't fall over with hunger or anything.
I've bought a bunch of hyacinths (try saying that with a lisp) which are filling the house with the scent of spring. And it was a perfectly clear night with a glorious full (or full-ish) moon and Notsosmall and I saw Mars. So much is well with the world tonight.
1800 cals today - 2 pieces of toast, an M&S salad (240cals), supper was the grown-up version of sausage and lentils, and a glass of grapefruit juice. Doesn't sound enough to keep body and soul together, but I didn't fall over with hunger or anything.
I've bought a bunch of hyacinths (try saying that with a lisp) which are filling the house with the scent of spring. And it was a perfectly clear night with a glorious full (or full-ish) moon and Notsosmall and I saw Mars. So much is well with the world tonight.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Oh Virtuous Day
I've got to post smugly about my day.
- First of all, it is a No Cake Day. It was, admittedly, a two coffee day, but the first one was forced on me by the car wash taking over an hour to clean my car; which was pretty amazing given that the car is only two weeks old, so isn't even that dirty!
- Secondly, I had A Small Lunch - well, it involved a bagel, which I know has about a million calories in it, but it was Not Large. And lunch also involved a very nasty lemon flavored diet yoghurt (Light 'N' Fit Lemon Chiffon Yoghurt by Dannon), which I had really purchased for Deep Thought to consume with a school lunch, but she has been saved from that particular experience. (Also one I shall never repeat. Imagine eating toilet cleaner.)
- Third, and this is the really virtuous pinnacle of the day, I did my favorite six mile walk along the Bay Lands this afternoon. It's very flat but a long way and quite scenic. I can definitely feel it in my legs. I reckon I am doing a mile in 16 minutes, which doesn't seem too bad to me.
Not quite on target yet
Dear OEM,
Our original goal was to lose 2 pounds a week. We're some way off that, aren't we? Here we are after three weeks and you've lost 2 and I've lost 1.2 - total. Hmm. We're going to have to get stricter.
Have you managed to do the once a week exercise yet, as per the manifesto?
Love
Dr Mom
Our original goal was to lose 2 pounds a week. We're some way off that, aren't we? Here we are after three weeks and you've lost 2 and I've lost 1.2 - total. Hmm. We're going to have to get stricter.
Have you managed to do the once a week exercise yet, as per the manifesto?
Love
Dr Mom
Oh bother I pressed post too soon
I was trying to say, see www.bighams.com/our-food/everyday/catalan-chicken .
Today involved eating lunch at Wagamammas with David to celebrate the arrival of the new Washing Machine (heavenly chorus sings "aaahhh"). I think it will be beans on toast for tea.
Anyway, that's the update. I've been busy trying to keep up with college work while writing a life of Ethel Grimwood for the Oxford DNB. She is quite entertaining, though sadly she died insane in Oregon.
Today involved eating lunch at Wagamammas with David to celebrate the arrival of the new Washing Machine (heavenly chorus sings "aaahhh"). I think it will be beans on toast for tea.
Anyway, that's the update. I've been busy trying to keep up with college work while writing a life of Ethel Grimwood for the Oxford DNB. She is quite entertaining, though sadly she died insane in Oregon.
New Beginnings
Today's weigh-in - 17.08. So that's 2lb back down on last week. I have a feeling there is just a natural 2lb variation in my weight week on week! However, I shall view this in a positive light and continue to monitor the grub and nosh (as Notsosmall Boy has taken to terming it. I think he's spent too long with the Beano Annual).
Yesterday was a College day, with three classes. It was very long. After last week's effort with a modest bowl of soup but two Crunchies, I thought I'd try the opposite tack and had a baked potato with some beef stew (mainly gravy, I fear - College canteens are much as they ever were). This filled me up satisfactorily and I only had one bar of chocolately goodness to sustain me through an afternoon of the Sale of Goods Act and How to Dismiss a Director.
Useful fact - a Bounty has only 137 calories as opposed to the 180 in a Crunchie. And you get to enjoy the coconut for the rest of the day as you pick it out of your teeth.
We then had a low cal supper of Catalan Chicken with Rice and Corn (it doesn't sound low cal, but actually nearly all the cals were in the rice - this is a Bigham's Ready to Cook meal and only has about 480 calories altogether and two of us ate it - see
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
What's Your BMI?
The Kaiser Permanente website has a Body Mass Index calculator at https://members.kaiserpermanente.org/kpweb/healthcalc/bmi.do
To use it, you need to know your weight in pounds and your height in inches. If you want to go the metric route, this is the calculation: Divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. To convert imperial to metric and find BMI, multiply your weight in pounds by 703, divide that number by your height in inches, then take the result and divide it again by your height in inches. (This calculation is courtesty of Kaiser Permanente's leaflet "Fit Tips: Fun Little Ideas for Big Results".)
My BMI comes out at 27.1, which is overweight. The ideal BMI for adults is considered to be 18.5 to 24.9. (I guess they use the same scales for men and women - presumably women are supposed to fall at the lower end of the range, men at the upper end.)
Just for interest, Kaiser Permanente also has a BMI calculator for children ages 2-19 at
https://members.kaiserpermanente.org/kpweb/healthency.do?hwid=calc020§ionId=calc020-sec&contextId=tf6820.
Deep Thought came out at 15, which puts her in the 15th centile for BMI. (A child of her age would be considered underweight at 14.)
To use it, you need to know your weight in pounds and your height in inches. If you want to go the metric route, this is the calculation: Divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. To convert imperial to metric and find BMI, multiply your weight in pounds by 703, divide that number by your height in inches, then take the result and divide it again by your height in inches. (This calculation is courtesty of Kaiser Permanente's leaflet "Fit Tips: Fun Little Ideas for Big Results".)
My BMI comes out at 27.1, which is overweight. The ideal BMI for adults is considered to be 18.5 to 24.9. (I guess they use the same scales for men and women - presumably women are supposed to fall at the lower end of the range, men at the upper end.)
Just for interest, Kaiser Permanente also has a BMI calculator for children ages 2-19 at
https://members.kaiserpermanente.org/kpweb/healthency.do?hwid=calc020§ionId=calc020-sec&contextId=tf6820.
Deep Thought came out at 15, which puts her in the 15th centile for BMI. (A child of her age would be considered underweight at 14.)
Monday, January 25, 2010
Perfect End to Dinner
As forecast, we went to Country Gourmet - http:://www.country-gourmet.com - for dinner: Basmati rice with stir-fried vegetables and chicken. I'd forgotten that they serve gargantuan portions, so I only ate about half the rice, all the chicken, and half the veggies. Deep Thought had a tuna melt, which looked rather good and was clearly a better size for a regular human being. Little Starlet had a garlicky pasta dish which had an overwhelming aroma. Both the kids finished off dinner with a sundae, from which the teeniest bites were consumed by parents.
On the way home, Little Starlet threw up in the back of my car. My nice, clean, ten day old car. I have wiped the vomit off the back seat, but I guess my first stop tomorrow will be the car wash.
On the bright side, I participated in the children's dance class this afternoon, so I think that counts quite adequately as 30 minutes of vigorous exercise.
On the way home, Little Starlet threw up in the back of my car. My nice, clean, ten day old car. I have wiped the vomit off the back seat, but I guess my first stop tomorrow will be the car wash.
On the bright side, I participated in the children's dance class this afternoon, so I think that counts quite adequately as 30 minutes of vigorous exercise.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Things are about to get worse
Have you noticed how downbeat our blog is? It's full of gloom and doom about what we've eaten, how our moods make us into ravening chocolate eaters, the woes of inadequate willpower, and the evil of our nearest and dearest who insist on eating ice cream and potato chips when we are meant to be nibbling on lettuce?
Well. Things are about to take a turn for the worse in Dr Mom's household. Tomorrow our kitchen is being demolished as part of the Great House Remodel (for more on that, see my other blog at http://remodelbox.blogspot.com). Hubby and I have spent the past two days packing the kitchen up. We've taken a lot, really a lot, of boxes to our storage unit. The food in the cupboards was pretty much a three way split between the storage unit, the dining room (for eating) and the garbage. We discovered that much had disappeared down the back of the main food cupboard. The record for out-of-dateness was May 2004.
We ended up at the pizza house at lunchtime because Deep Thought had a friend over and she turned out to be vegetarian; and of course we had planned to eat two meaty meals. Hubby and I were exceptionally abstemious, sharing one pizza between us. Dinner was pasta carbonara, using up the remaining egg and bacon. No time for treats or temptation for the rest of the time.
However, there is no way we will be able to eat at home most days. Tomorrow, the girls have a dance class that doesn't end till 5:30pm, so we shall be off to the Country Gourmet in Sunnyvale for a spot of all-American home cooking, restaurant-style. I figure we'll be calling on the hot food counter at the supermarket a fair bit. A big "Mi Pueblo" supermarket recently opened close to us, so that might be a good option. Of course, Mexican food is well known for its low calorie nature - NOT.
Well. Things are about to take a turn for the worse in Dr Mom's household. Tomorrow our kitchen is being demolished as part of the Great House Remodel (for more on that, see my other blog at http://remodelbox.blogspot.com). Hubby and I have spent the past two days packing the kitchen up. We've taken a lot, really a lot, of boxes to our storage unit. The food in the cupboards was pretty much a three way split between the storage unit, the dining room (for eating) and the garbage. We discovered that much had disappeared down the back of the main food cupboard. The record for out-of-dateness was May 2004.
We ended up at the pizza house at lunchtime because Deep Thought had a friend over and she turned out to be vegetarian; and of course we had planned to eat two meaty meals. Hubby and I were exceptionally abstemious, sharing one pizza between us. Dinner was pasta carbonara, using up the remaining egg and bacon. No time for treats or temptation for the rest of the time.
However, there is no way we will be able to eat at home most days. Tomorrow, the girls have a dance class that doesn't end till 5:30pm, so we shall be off to the Country Gourmet in Sunnyvale for a spot of all-American home cooking, restaurant-style. I figure we'll be calling on the hot food counter at the supermarket a fair bit. A big "Mi Pueblo" supermarket recently opened close to us, so that might be a good option. Of course, Mexican food is well known for its low calorie nature - NOT.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Tomorrow is Another Day...
...which is just as well as today started with pancakes and syrup, encompassed soup and sanwich at lunch and then dinner out at Carluccio's with Jack and his boys. So there was much yummy bread, and a tasty chicken wrapped in parma ham thing (with a few potato slices and some spinach). I didn't have pudding, even though my Spouse was non-supportive by eating a delicious bread and butter pudding with chocolate and raisins thing (I had a small corner of it just to see how good it was).
Of course, next time we go there, I will have to have the pudding now!!!
http://www.carluccios.com/our-food/menus/dessert-menu/CA272_Winter2010_DessertMenu_ForWeb.pdf
Bad news: the poundage lost in week one seems to have been a mirage - I haven't been that bad this week and they have returned on the scales. I guess I really am going to have to go to the gym...
Of course, next time we go there, I will have to have the pudding now!!!
http://www.carluccios.com/our-food/menus/dessert-menu/CA272_Winter2010_DessertMenu_ForWeb.pdf
Bad news: the poundage lost in week one seems to have been a mirage - I haven't been that bad this week and they have returned on the scales. I guess I really am going to have to go to the gym...
Bad Hotel Days
I spent Thursday and Friday at a hotel conference center, at a conference sponsored by the Women's Foundation of California. It was a tremendously interesting and energetic conference, filled with inspiring speakers and committed workers in California's nonprofit sector. I had eye opening conversations with the executive directors of Girls & Gangs, an LA based nonprofit that works to take girls out of the gang culture; Foundation for a College Education, from East Palo Alto, that helps 40 kids a year find places at college; and Breakthrough Silicon Valley, that concentrates on promoting achievement among high potential Latino kids from disadvantaged backgrounds, starting with middle school. I learned that the nonprofit sector employs 10% of the Californian workforce, and I found out what the "Tea Party" movement is. So it was all good.
Except for the eating. Which was not.
Well, you know how hotels and conferences go. First of all, you have to keep eating in order to stay awake, no matter how interesting the speakers may be. There is just something about sitting still for long periods, exercising only your ears, that makes that essential. Second, there is the constant stream of food. Coffee and cookies at break. Cooked breakfast. Tempting buffet at dinner. Drinks and dessert in the evening. It has to be described as a calorific couple of days.
Except for the eating. Which was not.
Well, you know how hotels and conferences go. First of all, you have to keep eating in order to stay awake, no matter how interesting the speakers may be. There is just something about sitting still for long periods, exercising only your ears, that makes that essential. Second, there is the constant stream of food. Coffee and cookies at break. Cooked breakfast. Tempting buffet at dinner. Drinks and dessert in the evening. It has to be described as a calorific couple of days.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Emotional Eating
What you need, OEM, is a strategy for gaining control of your "emotional eating". I found several articles on the web about this, including this one from the Mayo Clinic. Seems to me that you are already following a number of the suggestions, such as keeping a food diary (and the no deprivation one is clearly very important).
I am also a toadal emotional eater. Eat when I'm bored, eat when I'm happy, eat when I am cross... I guess the strategy would be to reach for something that is less calorific for a start. So reach for the yoghurt not the crisps. Have a cup of cocoa instead of a chocolate bar. Plus the action of having to make something will decrease the amount of food you eat, because you have less time!
I also suffer from Lack of Willpower. Today I'm heading off to a hotel in Santa Cruz for a conference (today and tomorrow). Which means - hotel food. Large portions. Too much choice. Cooked breakfast maybe. Temptation and almost guaranteed failure. I'm thinking of going vegetarian for the couple of days, but I may have missed the boat on that one.
On the bright side, I did do my dance class last night. Any progress on that front for you? Now it's stopped snowing in good old Blighty, might a brisk walk around the park be another way to work off the annoyance?
I am also a toadal emotional eater. Eat when I'm bored, eat when I'm happy, eat when I am cross... I guess the strategy would be to reach for something that is less calorific for a start. So reach for the yoghurt not the crisps. Have a cup of cocoa instead of a chocolate bar. Plus the action of having to make something will decrease the amount of food you eat, because you have less time!
I also suffer from Lack of Willpower. Today I'm heading off to a hotel in Santa Cruz for a conference (today and tomorrow). Which means - hotel food. Large portions. Too much choice. Cooked breakfast maybe. Temptation and almost guaranteed failure. I'm thinking of going vegetarian for the couple of days, but I may have missed the boat on that one.
On the bright side, I did do my dance class last night. Any progress on that front for you? Now it's stopped snowing in good old Blighty, might a brisk walk around the park be another way to work off the annoyance?
Revelation
OEM eats when annoyed.
Crisps and Cake.
OK, so now I have identified a 'food trigger', what am I supposed to do about it?
Eating seems better than kicking the cat or shouting abuse at random strangers. What alternative activity can you suggest, O Fount of Wisdom? Dr Mom? Anyone?
Crisps and Cake.
OK, so now I have identified a 'food trigger', what am I supposed to do about it?
Eating seems better than kicking the cat or shouting abuse at random strangers. What alternative activity can you suggest, O Fount of Wisdom? Dr Mom? Anyone?
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
A Two Crunchie Day
I was at college (finally open), where they are packing an extra session in each time to try to catch up on the lost snow days. Despite this, and despite the TWO Crunchies (I meant to have a Crunchie and a Kit Kat, but the vending machine wouldn't let me), Authorities assert that I have only had 1800 and some odd calories today. Thus:
Cereal and Banana (sensible breakfast)
A modest bowl of celery soup (yukkish, will shun in future) with a bread roll and 5g butter
Aforementioned delicious chemical confectioneries
The healthy dinner I planned for yesterday but didn't have because David was manky (Salmon, pak choi, & mushrooms with noodles (there's garlic and chili and ginger and soy sauce in there too, but they don't count).
A pot of fresh pineapple which I was pleased to discover only had 88 calories in it - I'd meant to eat half of it, but on discovering the count ate the lot. Will stock up on this.
Tomorrow I weigh. My guess is that I will not have lost anything, but am hoping for remaining the same!
Cereal and Banana (sensible breakfast)
A modest bowl of celery soup (yukkish, will shun in future) with a bread roll and 5g butter
Aforementioned delicious chemical confectioneries
The healthy dinner I planned for yesterday but didn't have because David was manky (Salmon, pak choi, & mushrooms with noodles (there's garlic and chili and ginger and soy sauce in there too, but they don't count).
A pot of fresh pineapple which I was pleased to discover only had 88 calories in it - I'd meant to eat half of it, but on discovering the count ate the lot. Will stock up on this.
Tomorrow I weigh. My guess is that I will not have lost anything, but am hoping for remaining the same!
Wednesday Weigh In - Dr Mom
Bad day yesterday, involving a bagel, Starbucks and some potato chips.
Today's weigh in - 158 lbs, which is two pounds heavier than last Wednesday.
Today's weigh in - 158 lbs, which is two pounds heavier than last Wednesday.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Outlook Gloomy
So after a flying start in week one, week two is turning out to be dire.
I'm still writing stuff down, but when the list says things like:
40g cereal
30g Goldfish
40g Cake
a medium sized handful of Sweet Chili Crisps
360cal Sandwich from Waitrose
1/2 Pot soup ditto
3 leftover meatballs with about 15 strands of spaghetti and a grating of cheese
4 water biscuits and 40g St Agur
you can tell that the menu planning and eating sensible meals at sensible times portion of the plan has gone out the window.
To be fair, I went to Waitrose to avoid scavenging for more crisps, and the lunch was on plan, AND I bought ingredients for a healthy and light supper (salmon, pak choi, shitake mushrooms) but David is lying on the sofa like a wet weekend (in fact, in much the same condition that Mum and Dad were in last week - so maybe it wasn't jetlag but a bug which they've kindly left behind) and only wanted to nibble a piece of toast, so dinner was off.
On the plus side, I've done all my prep for tomorrow's classes (all THREE of them, they're trying to make up for lost time by packing an extra session into each day, as if anyone can concentrate for more than twenty minutes anyway). But guess what? A new band of snow is due to pass over us tomorrow - they'd better not cancel again or there will be ructions...
I'm still writing stuff down, but when the list says things like:
40g cereal
30g Goldfish
40g Cake
a medium sized handful of Sweet Chili Crisps
360cal Sandwich from Waitrose
1/2 Pot soup ditto
3 leftover meatballs with about 15 strands of spaghetti and a grating of cheese
4 water biscuits and 40g St Agur
you can tell that the menu planning and eating sensible meals at sensible times portion of the plan has gone out the window.
To be fair, I went to Waitrose to avoid scavenging for more crisps, and the lunch was on plan, AND I bought ingredients for a healthy and light supper (salmon, pak choi, shitake mushrooms) but David is lying on the sofa like a wet weekend (in fact, in much the same condition that Mum and Dad were in last week - so maybe it wasn't jetlag but a bug which they've kindly left behind) and only wanted to nibble a piece of toast, so dinner was off.
On the plus side, I've done all my prep for tomorrow's classes (all THREE of them, they're trying to make up for lost time by packing an extra session into each day, as if anyone can concentrate for more than twenty minutes anyway). But guess what? A new band of snow is due to pass over us tomorrow - they'd better not cancel again or there will be ructions...
Monday, January 18, 2010
Cruel and Unusual Punishment
Kids demanded fried eggs and bacon for breakfast. Since today is a very rainy public holiday - kids off school - and both are apparently experiencing a growth spurt - which translates into perpetual foraging for food - how could I say no? But how cruel is that, to make the dieting mother cook bacon?
Succumbed to a small bacon sandwich, only two rashers and one slice of bread, but still...
Hmm. Jeans feeling tighter again today.
Succumbed to a small bacon sandwich, only two rashers and one slice of bread, but still...
Hmm. Jeans feeling tighter again today.
Feeling a bit disheartened today. 2600 calories, many of them gratuitous.
Aged Parents have gone home, having been here since Wednesday with some of the nastiest jetlag I've ever seen. And gastric issues. I'm worried about Dad who has aged an incredible amount in the last six months and is not what he was.
I think there is a direct correlation here between the piece of cake, the 40g of crisps, the 140calories of Goldfish and the two Golden Crunch Cream biscuits and my state of mind.
On the up side, I have now thrown out the biscuits on grounds that 79 calories per biscuit is just not worth it when they aren't that nice. In future, when I want 200 calories of chocolatey goodness, I will go out and buy a Crunchie or a Milky Way or a Thorntons Mint Truffle Bar...
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Illusions, Delusions, and Conclusions
I think I am starting to feel and look a bit thinner. That must be a delusion.
I had a small spoonful of gluten free fruit crumble with a splash of soy milk based custard for dessert at a friend's house today. Surely that has almost no calories in it, since it has hardly any normal food stuffs in it. That must be an illusion.
You can't lose weight without eating less. That's the only conclusion.
I had a small spoonful of gluten free fruit crumble with a splash of soy milk based custard for dessert at a friend's house today. Surely that has almost no calories in it, since it has hardly any normal food stuffs in it. That must be an illusion.
You can't lose weight without eating less. That's the only conclusion.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Cake and Happiness
We did go out for pizza last night and I was sooooo goooood. I ate half a pizza, when I would normally have eated a whole one (some 1200 calories, according to the California Pizza Kitchen's nutritional menu); and I also shared a salad with Hubby. He suspects that the salad had a fair few calories in it, as he chose the "Thai Chicken Salad" which turned out to have deep fried noodley things on the top and a sweet dressing, but still - ! Salad!
The best part was that I went to bed without a headache and got up in the morning without one too. There may well be something in my mother's theory.
Today I was quite good and a little bit bad. Weetabix for breakfast. Wholewheat pitta bread with curried chicken salad for lunch.
I did accidentally eat a two egg cheese omelette mid-morning.... Well, I was teaching Deep Thought how to make one (for her own snack) and Little Starlet requested one. Then Little Starlet was very rude about Deep Thought's product (which was actually perfect) so I told her she couldn't eat it. And I couldn't waste it, could I? And WeightWatchers thinks that eggs are good - a "filling food". So that was only four points of harm done.
Then this afternoon we stopped off at my favorite coffee shop - the French one - to pick up coffee and snackerel for the afternoon. The kids had been at a dance class and I'd promised them a treat. We each had a very small chocolate cake (1" square) which was delicious, and just the perfect size. I count that as naughty but nice, and in keeping with manifesto points 2 (everything in moderation), 3 (no deprivation) and 8 (one visit to a coffee shop per day).
The thing I am noticing is that I am not wanting to eat so much in one sitting. I had got into the habit of eating till I felt a bit queasy, or had that badly stuffed feeling, and now I am able to stop when I get to the end of what seems an appropriate portion.
Tonight we are having healthy roast chicken, boiled potatoes and some other vegetable. (Hubby is cooking.)
The
The best part was that I went to bed without a headache and got up in the morning without one too. There may well be something in my mother's theory.
Today I was quite good and a little bit bad. Weetabix for breakfast. Wholewheat pitta bread with curried chicken salad for lunch.
I did accidentally eat a two egg cheese omelette mid-morning.... Well, I was teaching Deep Thought how to make one (for her own snack) and Little Starlet requested one. Then Little Starlet was very rude about Deep Thought's product (which was actually perfect) so I told her she couldn't eat it. And I couldn't waste it, could I? And WeightWatchers thinks that eggs are good - a "filling food". So that was only four points of harm done.
Then this afternoon we stopped off at my favorite coffee shop - the French one - to pick up coffee and snackerel for the afternoon. The kids had been at a dance class and I'd promised them a treat. We each had a very small chocolate cake (1" square) which was delicious, and just the perfect size. I count that as naughty but nice, and in keeping with manifesto points 2 (everything in moderation), 3 (no deprivation) and 8 (one visit to a coffee shop per day).
The thing I am noticing is that I am not wanting to eat so much in one sitting. I had got into the habit of eating till I felt a bit queasy, or had that badly stuffed feeling, and now I am able to stop when I get to the end of what seems an appropriate portion.
Tonight we are having healthy roast chicken, boiled potatoes and some other vegetable. (Hubby is cooking.)
The
Bad Day
Nearly 3000 calories.
Too many people in the house.
Can't get on.
Grumpiness abounds.
But at least it's raining and the snow has nearly all disappeared...
Too many people in the house.
Can't get on.
Grumpiness abounds.
But at least it's raining and the snow has nearly all disappeared...
Friday, January 15, 2010
Addiction is Such a Headache
My headache has continued, though not so badly today. It only came on in the early afternoon. My mother's theory is that I am so addicted to sugar, caffeine, salt, fat and so on, that my body is experiencing a "cold-turkey" reaction now that I have reduced the amount and frequency with which those items are being consumed. There may be something in that.
I was exceptionally good today until 3:30pm. I went for a walk with friends which involved up-hill, breathlessness and everything - so I've done my one episode of exercise this week. (Any movement on that front for you, OEM, if you'll excuse the pun?) As for food, it was Weetabix for breakfast, salad leaves sprinkled with parmesan cheese with a small tin of tuna for lunch, vinegar for the dressing (6.5 WeightWatchers points altogether).
But by the time I picked up Deep Thought from school I was getting a bit desperate. Off we go to jolly old Starbucks for a grande latte (decaf) and a slice of marble cake. It happens that Starbucks had a leaflet on its food values, so this is a piece of marble cake: 350 calories, 13g fat, 53g carbs (incl 33g from sugar); which adds up to 8 WeightWatchers points.
Now Hubby is on the way home and I think we are heading out for pizza.
I was exceptionally good today until 3:30pm. I went for a walk with friends which involved up-hill, breathlessness and everything - so I've done my one episode of exercise this week. (Any movement on that front for you, OEM, if you'll excuse the pun?) As for food, it was Weetabix for breakfast, salad leaves sprinkled with parmesan cheese with a small tin of tuna for lunch, vinegar for the dressing (6.5 WeightWatchers points altogether).
But by the time I picked up Deep Thought from school I was getting a bit desperate. Off we go to jolly old Starbucks for a grande latte (decaf) and a slice of marble cake. It happens that Starbucks had a leaflet on its food values, so this is a piece of marble cake: 350 calories, 13g fat, 53g carbs (incl 33g from sugar); which adds up to 8 WeightWatchers points.
Now Hubby is on the way home and I think we are heading out for pizza.
Healthy Soup, Cake and Chocolate
Also Yorkshire pudding and roast chicken. But in more moderate quantities than I am accustomed to, so I refuse to feel bad.
Healthy soup recipe:
Chop up an onion and two garlic cloves. Peel and dice a butternut squash and some carrots. Peel and chop up a piece of fresh ginger. Bung it all in a saucepan with some vegetable stock/water, salt and pepper. Bring to boil then simmer until done. Put in blender and whizz to get rid of the lumps.
This is my favourite soup: in colour it matches my kitchen walls, so it is also cheerful to eat!
Hope you're feeling better Dr Mom!
Healthy soup recipe:
Chop up an onion and two garlic cloves. Peel and dice a butternut squash and some carrots. Peel and chop up a piece of fresh ginger. Bung it all in a saucepan with some vegetable stock/water, salt and pepper. Bring to boil then simmer until done. Put in blender and whizz to get rid of the lumps.
This is my favourite soup: in colour it matches my kitchen walls, so it is also cheerful to eat!
Hope you're feeling better Dr Mom!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Headachey
I'm suffering a lot from headaches at the moment. The last time I was like this I was still at work, in an office job, and the doctor said it was probably due to scrunching badly over the computer for long hours; and sent me off to a physical therapist, whom I saw repeatedly till he almost dislocated my neck and I said thanks very much, I'm off.
At the moment the only thing that seems to be helping is going to bed. I wonder if I'm just sleep deprived in some way. Last time the physical therapist said that lying down provided relief because it took the pressure off the over-working neck muscles. If that's the case, shouldn't I wake up in the morning with no headache?
Well, I've had a headache now for 48 hours. I just got up from four hours in bed - what a great use of time. I'm starting to feel like a Victorian neurasthenic.
On the bright side, it does stop you eating.
At the moment the only thing that seems to be helping is going to bed. I wonder if I'm just sleep deprived in some way. Last time the physical therapist said that lying down provided relief because it took the pressure off the over-working neck muscles. If that's the case, shouldn't I wake up in the morning with no headache?
Well, I've had a headache now for 48 hours. I just got up from four hours in bed - what a great use of time. I'm starting to feel like a Victorian neurasthenic.
On the bright side, it does stop you eating.
Backsliding
It was necessary to feed people lunch today and all there was was sausages and eggs. And dinner was Chinese takeaway (although I only had about half the usual quantity and felt v full and stopped, which is a novelty as generally I would keep going until it had all gone). So total for day is somewhere over 2500 cals. Never mind; I will make healthy soup or something for tomorrow...
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Yay!
Let there be rejoicing in the land, let there be cakes and ale (oh, all right then, cut the cakes and ale).
246lb, or 17st 8lb.
The required two pounds have gone, melted, disapparu! So I guess not eating does work after all. If I kept this up for 8 months with no backsliding, I would be positively sylph-like.
Let's not be over-excited. One day at a time...
246lb, or 17st 8lb.
The required two pounds have gone, melted, disapparu! So I guess not eating does work after all. If I kept this up for 8 months with no backsliding, I would be positively sylph-like.
Let's not be over-excited. One day at a time...
Still snowing
...so college was cancelled yet again. No idea how they're going to get the timetable caught up in time for the exams. Hey ho.
Parents arrived from Oz in flurries of snow and a taxi that got stuck trying to turn round and had to be dug out/ pushed by friendly passing strangers. And yet I still managed to resist eating cake to keep them company.
However, in town this afternoon arranging a complicated car-and-keys meet-up with David so I could collect Son and Heir from school I succumbed to the M&S mint choc truffle bar. 200 gratuitous calories BUT I only ate half of it and gave the rest to David in exchange for the car keys. Yay for me. Large dinner of casserole and dessert, but D maintains that the day's consumption still added up to 2000, largely because I'm not eating much in the way of calories at breakfast/lunch (though I am sticking to the manifesto and actually having meals, at regular times, just not very calorific ones).
Tomorrow am I weigh in. I suspect that, despite all this virtue, no actual progress has been made. However, if I can keep on not snacking all the time, I guess it will have to have an effect sooner or later!
Parents arrived from Oz in flurries of snow and a taxi that got stuck trying to turn round and had to be dug out/ pushed by friendly passing strangers. And yet I still managed to resist eating cake to keep them company.
However, in town this afternoon arranging a complicated car-and-keys meet-up with David so I could collect Son and Heir from school I succumbed to the M&S mint choc truffle bar. 200 gratuitous calories BUT I only ate half of it and gave the rest to David in exchange for the car keys. Yay for me. Large dinner of casserole and dessert, but D maintains that the day's consumption still added up to 2000, largely because I'm not eating much in the way of calories at breakfast/lunch (though I am sticking to the manifesto and actually having meals, at regular times, just not very calorific ones).
Tomorrow am I weigh in. I suspect that, despite all this virtue, no actual progress has been made. However, if I can keep on not snacking all the time, I guess it will have to have an effect sooner or later!
Wednesday Weigh In
Dr Mom - 156.2 lbs. Loss of 1.8 lbs. (Caused by massive dehydration rather than true weightloss, of course.)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Great Expectations (Not)
First of all, the problem with this dieting thing is that you think about food all the time. It may be even worse than when you aren't dieting.
I feel like I've failed on just about every front this week. Unlike the exceedingly virtuous OEM, I have definitely fallen foul of treat foods, going out to eat, coffee shops, and so forth, to the undoubted detriment of my waistline. I am expecting that tomorrow morning's weigh-in will result in more pounds, not fewer.
But are we down-hearted?
Well, yes actually.
I feel like I've failed on just about every front this week. Unlike the exceedingly virtuous OEM, I have definitely fallen foul of treat foods, going out to eat, coffee shops, and so forth, to the undoubted detriment of my waistline. I am expecting that tomorrow morning's weigh-in will result in more pounds, not fewer.
But are we down-hearted?
Well, yes actually.
Historical rambling
1870 - a good year for Prussians (not so good for the French). Gladstone was in office and passed the Married Women's Property Act which enabled married women to legally own their wages and to inherit money. A good year; a good number of calories to have consumed!
If I haven't lost any pounds this week I shall sulk!
If I haven't lost any pounds this week I shall sulk!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Heaping Failure Upon Failure
I really am doing very badly at this dieting thing.
I've started religiously putting my food into the WeightWatchers points tracker, and am being reminded (as I was last time I did it) of how monsterous it is that boring stuff can cost so many points (aka calories). For dinner tonight, in lieu of the out-of-date tortellini that I had planned to give us - Monday night has to be a fast dinner because the girls have a dance class that ends late - I ended up serving gnocchi and alfredo sauce. How bland can you get? A small plate, nay, a teeny tiny plate, of this stuff cost me EIGHT points. Oh come on. A chocolate croissant comes out at six.
So I am reminded that I need to (1) stick to tomato based sauces, (2) cut down on cheese (a mere 2oz, which is barely enough to dress two crispbread, comes out at six points), (3) drink more tea.
Today I had a meeting in a coffee shop, so I did drink a nonfat, decaf latte - which the local Starbucks guys refer to as a "What's the Point". Truly.
I've started religiously putting my food into the WeightWatchers points tracker, and am being reminded (as I was last time I did it) of how monsterous it is that boring stuff can cost so many points (aka calories). For dinner tonight, in lieu of the out-of-date tortellini that I had planned to give us - Monday night has to be a fast dinner because the girls have a dance class that ends late - I ended up serving gnocchi and alfredo sauce. How bland can you get? A small plate, nay, a teeny tiny plate, of this stuff cost me EIGHT points. Oh come on. A chocolate croissant comes out at six.
So I am reminded that I need to (1) stick to tomato based sauces, (2) cut down on cheese (a mere 2oz, which is barely enough to dress two crispbread, comes out at six points), (3) drink more tea.
Today I had a meeting in a coffee shop, so I did drink a nonfat, decaf latte - which the local Starbucks guys refer to as a "What's the Point". Truly.
High level of grumpiness...
... course being completely messed up by snow. Have prepared one set of classes for Wednesday, only to be told that now we're going to do last week's classes instead (which I haven't had time to catch up on). I know I'm behind - that's pig flu for you - but this is seriously not helping, folks.
And so to food. Oddly, despite the above, I have managed to stay on track today. I had 1800 calories by the end of dinner (cereal, soup and a small sandwich, 40g crisps, then meatballs and spaghetti with peas for dinner). So I had enough left over for a piece of fruit cake and 20g of blue cheese.
Ahh, the great British staples!
And so to food. Oddly, despite the above, I have managed to stay on track today. I had 1800 calories by the end of dinner (cereal, soup and a small sandwich, 40g crisps, then meatballs and spaghetti with peas for dinner). So I had enough left over for a piece of fruit cake and 20g of blue cheese.
Ahh, the great British staples!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Another Disasterous Day
I was doing so well too. We went to the diner this morning, and I elected to reject my usual Eggs Benedict (1,000,000 calories) and have two poached eggs with toast instead. All very modest, and highly approved of by WeightWatchers. Then I had an extremely Dieting Luncheon, consisting of two crisp bread, a bit of cheese, half an apple and two slices of tomato.
Then the girls got into a big grumpy mood. The only thing that would bring them round was a promise to play "restaurant". So we selected our menu, went food shopping, came back and cooked it, and then Little Starlet was the server while Hubby and Deep Thought were the customers (LS and I joined after the paying folks were served). The menu was a thoroughly British homemade deep-fried fish and chips with peas, Heinz treacle pudding with Ambrosia Devon Custard, and mugs of steaming tea. All very yummy actually - though the batter decided that it preferred to cook separately from the fish, which ruined the presentation but still tasted good - but according to WeightWatchers amounted to 19 points.
This brings my daily total to over 30 points (The injustice! After eating crispbread for lunch!) which translates into something like 3,000 calories. (Footnote: From what I can see, 1 point equals about 100 calories. It just makes the numbers smaller for the hard of thinking...? Or perhaps there's more to it than that.)
I feel nice and full, but somewhat horrified. Of course, I should have known better, and served everyone else the fish etc while I stuck with more crispbreads.
Looking on the bright side, I didn't visit a coffee shop today.
Then the girls got into a big grumpy mood. The only thing that would bring them round was a promise to play "restaurant". So we selected our menu, went food shopping, came back and cooked it, and then Little Starlet was the server while Hubby and Deep Thought were the customers (LS and I joined after the paying folks were served). The menu was a thoroughly British homemade deep-fried fish and chips with peas, Heinz treacle pudding with Ambrosia Devon Custard, and mugs of steaming tea. All very yummy actually - though the batter decided that it preferred to cook separately from the fish, which ruined the presentation but still tasted good - but according to WeightWatchers amounted to 19 points.
This brings my daily total to over 30 points (The injustice! After eating crispbread for lunch!) which translates into something like 3,000 calories. (Footnote: From what I can see, 1 point equals about 100 calories. It just makes the numbers smaller for the hard of thinking...? Or perhaps there's more to it than that.)
I feel nice and full, but somewhat horrified. Of course, I should have known better, and served everyone else the fish etc while I stuck with more crispbreads.
Looking on the bright side, I didn't visit a coffee shop today.
Of Cabbages and ... things
I have spent the day trying to understand the Allotment of Shares. (I keep envisioning rows of cabbages and brussels sprouts with share certificates instead of leaves. The surreal does not really help with law, I find, but I can't help it.)
Despite this, I have stayed (just) within the calorie allowance - and that included Toad in the Hole for dinner (but no potatoes). I think this is a triumph, but I'm not convinced I will be able to keep it up for the next two days during which I have to learn about a) standard contracts for the sale of goods and b) company insolvency and liquidation. And the Aged Parents return from Oz on Wednesday morning so much cake will have to be consumed.
Cross that bridge later.
Despite this, I have stayed (just) within the calorie allowance - and that included Toad in the Hole for dinner (but no potatoes). I think this is a triumph, but I'm not convinced I will be able to keep it up for the next two days during which I have to learn about a) standard contracts for the sale of goods and b) company insolvency and liquidation. And the Aged Parents return from Oz on Wednesday morning so much cake will have to be consumed.
Cross that bridge later.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
No cake today!
I think this counts as a major achievement. I'm going to say it again, I'm so surprised. NO CAKE. In fact, no treats of any kind, apart from a nonfat, decaf latte as fetched from Starbucks by Hubby this afternoon.
Breakfast: weetabix and milk
Lunch: pasta with chicken and red peppers in cream (I ate only half the pasta that Hubby put out for me).
Dinner: well, ok, we did go to the California Pizza Kitchen... But I elected to have chicken salad sandwich on herb focaccia bread, which was 995 calories, instead of a pizza which is more like 1200. So I felt very thin doing that. Had a small cup of pea soup on the side. Vegetables! How virtuous.
I had a continuation of yesterday's headache today, and retired to bed for three hours in the late morning. Feeling better now.
Breakfast: weetabix and milk
Lunch: pasta with chicken and red peppers in cream (I ate only half the pasta that Hubby put out for me).
Dinner: well, ok, we did go to the California Pizza Kitchen... But I elected to have chicken salad sandwich on herb focaccia bread, which was 995 calories, instead of a pizza which is more like 1200. So I felt very thin doing that. Had a small cup of pea soup on the side. Vegetables! How virtuous.
I had a continuation of yesterday's headache today, and retired to bed for three hours in the late morning. Feeling better now.
Hunter-Gatherer
Still freezing. We rescued the cats from the cattery and went to the supermarket, where there is no milk or bread to be had and not a lot of fresh meat - anyone would think there was a war on. Many ill-tempered people stomping about demanding to know why the shelves are empty - presumably they lack the wit to look outside at the ice on the uncleared roads, or the imagination to realise that food does not miraculously grow overnight on the shelves. (Though the inability of the various Councils to clear the roads does raise both questions and hackles.)
To food. Not a bad day - slightly better balanced, insofar as I had toast for breakfast (after cat collection, so a failure on the timetabling front) and then soup and a sandwich for lunch so was not starving all afternoon. Dinner was a 'Box Indian' which had rather a lot of calories (1300 and change) but it was scrummy! And I let the Boy Wonder have the Naan bread, so that was a plus on two fronts - I didn't eat it, and he did. Naan is now among the 'delicious foods'...
So all in all, about 2300 calories today. Could have been worse. I notice that there is, however, complete failure on the exercise front so far - but I'm not going out until the snow melts.
To food. Not a bad day - slightly better balanced, insofar as I had toast for breakfast (after cat collection, so a failure on the timetabling front) and then soup and a sandwich for lunch so was not starving all afternoon. Dinner was a 'Box Indian' which had rather a lot of calories (1300 and change) but it was scrummy! And I let the Boy Wonder have the Naan bread, so that was a plus on two fronts - I didn't eat it, and he did. Naan is now among the 'delicious foods'...
So all in all, about 2300 calories today. Could have been worse. I notice that there is, however, complete failure on the exercise front so far - but I'm not going out until the snow melts.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Not quite getting it yet
Today I went to the coffee shop just once, for a small latte and a cranberry scone. Well, yes, I know the cranberry scone is technically cake (again), but it didn't have any chocolate in it. So it was practically a serving of fruit.
Breakfast: 2 weetabix and 1% milk.
Snack: Aforementioned coffee and scone.
Lunch: Salad leaves with dried cranberries and glazed pecans (I actually left most of the pecans because they were too sweet, imagine that). Brown, sunflower seed bread.
Dinner: Homemade chicken lasagne, made with fat free ricotta, low fat mozzerella and grilled chicken.
I haven't quite got as a far as actually counting the calories yet. At the moment I'm trying to rein in my cake habit.
Breakfast: 2 weetabix and 1% milk.
Snack: Aforementioned coffee and scone.
Lunch: Salad leaves with dried cranberries and glazed pecans (I actually left most of the pecans because they were too sweet, imagine that). Brown, sunflower seed bread.
Dinner: Homemade chicken lasagne, made with fat free ricotta, low fat mozzerella and grilled chicken.
I haven't quite got as a far as actually counting the calories yet. At the moment I'm trying to rein in my cake habit.
Smugness Abounds
Today I seem to have eaten -- ta da -- 2082 calories:
Breakfast - 2 pieces of toast and Bovril
Lunch - 60g spaghetti with 10g butter and black pepper
Snack - 30g Goldfish (140 calories - but a surprisingly large number of 'Fish)
Dinner - a baked potato with the same casserole as yesterday.
As my sources inform me this was 1700 cals, I then enjoyed THREE slices of Genoa cake (100g= 300 calories or thereabouts). Yay, cakey goodness. (Actually, it wasn't a very nice cake, but it was what the Happy Shopper over the park had available when the boys went out foraging for supplies on Wednesday. I can see cake taste testing is going to be a vital element of this exercise...)
I didn't mean to eat so little and was pretty hungry this afternoon, but I lost the will to work out how many calories were in spaghetti so I just didn't eat until the man with the calculator came home. In future I will try to eat more lunch (isn't that a manifesto thingy?) and also a better breakfast - but again, that depends on the weather clearing up.
Still two feet of snow over everything, no snowploughs in evidence and subzero temperatures keeping it all icy. Tomorrow we venture out to rescue our cats from the cattery and to the supermarket. Turns out OEM does not drive in snow...
Breakfast - 2 pieces of toast and Bovril
Lunch - 60g spaghetti with 10g butter and black pepper
Snack - 30g Goldfish (140 calories - but a surprisingly large number of 'Fish)
Dinner - a baked potato with the same casserole as yesterday.
As my sources inform me this was 1700 cals, I then enjoyed THREE slices of Genoa cake (100g= 300 calories or thereabouts). Yay, cakey goodness. (Actually, it wasn't a very nice cake, but it was what the Happy Shopper over the park had available when the boys went out foraging for supplies on Wednesday. I can see cake taste testing is going to be a vital element of this exercise...)
I didn't mean to eat so little and was pretty hungry this afternoon, but I lost the will to work out how many calories were in spaghetti so I just didn't eat until the man with the calculator came home. In future I will try to eat more lunch (isn't that a manifesto thingy?) and also a better breakfast - but again, that depends on the weather clearing up.
Still two feet of snow over everything, no snowploughs in evidence and subzero temperatures keeping it all icy. Tomorrow we venture out to rescue our cats from the cattery and to the supermarket. Turns out OEM does not drive in snow...
Successes and Failures
I think that'll be a heading that gets used quite frequently.
Visited the movie theater last night. Did not eat ice cream. Did not drink coffee. Didn't consume anything at all - mainly because Hubby dragged me away from the concession counter.
Earlier in day, did visit coffee shop twice. Horrible remodelling noise at our house, so I just had to get away. Once with Hubby, to discuss landscaping plans. Once just because. On second occasion, succumbed to a slice of chocolate cake.
Bah.
Visited the movie theater last night. Did not eat ice cream. Did not drink coffee. Didn't consume anything at all - mainly because Hubby dragged me away from the concession counter.
Earlier in day, did visit coffee shop twice. Horrible remodelling noise at our house, so I just had to get away. Once with Hubby, to discuss landscaping plans. Once just because. On second occasion, succumbed to a slice of chocolate cake.
Bah.
Chewy Bar Review
OEM and her family were staying with us over the holidays. On the last evening, after Little Starlet and the Boy Wonder had retired to bed, we had a taste test on several diet/chewy/granola bars. And here are the results...
Think Thin Brownie Crunch Bar: 60g, 230 cal. 2/10 Comments: "Dog laxative with added mud." "Bad breath after a hard day's night." "Dry and disgusting." "Foofy with disgusting crunchy bits." "Dry, with the aftertaste of used socks." "Stale, old chocolate with socks." "It's like there are little insects trapped in it."
Think Thin Chocoate Fudge Bar: 60g, 230 cal. 2/10. Comments: "Hints of third hand bubble gum." "Dry but chewy." "Chewy in a bad way." "Waxy chocolate coating."
Bumble Bar Chocolate Crisp: 45g, 200 cal. 3/10 "OK, in a very small quantity." "I'd be happy to put this out for the birds." "It would be better without the chocolate flavor." "Textured in a chewy sort of way." "Bitty."
Somersalts Cocoa Flavor: 30g, 150 cal. 1/10. "Aren't these dog biscuits?" "Doesn't taste of anything." "Like chewing a lump of stale bread."
Think Thin Brownie Crunch Bar: 60g, 230 cal. 2/10 Comments: "Dog laxative with added mud." "Bad breath after a hard day's night." "Dry and disgusting." "Foofy with disgusting crunchy bits." "Dry, with the aftertaste of used socks." "Stale, old chocolate with socks." "It's like there are little insects trapped in it."
Think Thin Chocoate Fudge Bar: 60g, 230 cal. 2/10. Comments: "Hints of third hand bubble gum." "Dry but chewy." "Chewy in a bad way." "Waxy chocolate coating."
Bumble Bar Chocolate Crisp: 45g, 200 cal. 3/10 "OK, in a very small quantity." "I'd be happy to put this out for the birds." "It would be better without the chocolate flavor." "Textured in a chewy sort of way." "Bitty."
Somersalts Cocoa Flavor: 30g, 150 cal. 1/10. "Aren't these dog biscuits?" "Doesn't taste of anything." "Like chewing a lump of stale bread."
Thursday, January 7, 2010
On Being Brave
Go, Over-Educated Mother! Now you've revealed the secrets of the scales, you have truly committed yourself to thinking thin! I am proud of you.
Now, as for me, if this jack hammering in my front yard goes on much longer, I shall be shaped like a balloon (the library having fewer basic human attractions than Starbucks).
Now, as for me, if this jack hammering in my front yard goes on much longer, I shall be shaped like a balloon (the library having fewer basic human attractions than Starbucks).
Scary Numbers
OK so I did the scales thing and have decided to be brave and post the result even though I NEVER reveal my weight. You are sworn to secrecy, oh great reading public. 248lb, or as we say on this side of the pond 17st10. Ouch.
Today I have eaten: 3 pieces of toast with butter and Bovril, one sandwich made with two boiled eggs and a large teaspoon of mayonnaise, and dinner was 250g of mashed potato with beef casserole (beef, onion, carrot, parsnip, turnip, garlic, cooked in a bottle of beer, a stock cube, some anchovy sauce, mustard, a bouquet garni and some thyme. Oh and 1 tablespoon of oil for frying off the meat to start with). It's winter food. I don't know how many calories are in it, but I'm putting dinner down as 1000.
Oh, and I ate seven Junior Mints I found in my handbag left over from flying home. Did you know, one box of JM (52g) is 220 calories? Compare this to the utterly disgusting ThinkThin products of the same weight and calorie content that we sampled recently - JM yummy and delicious, and 7 of them is about a quarter of the boxful. I know which I'm recommending as a diet treat!
By the way, do we have to count cups of tea???
Today I have eaten: 3 pieces of toast with butter and Bovril, one sandwich made with two boiled eggs and a large teaspoon of mayonnaise, and dinner was 250g of mashed potato with beef casserole (beef, onion, carrot, parsnip, turnip, garlic, cooked in a bottle of beer, a stock cube, some anchovy sauce, mustard, a bouquet garni and some thyme. Oh and 1 tablespoon of oil for frying off the meat to start with). It's winter food. I don't know how many calories are in it, but I'm putting dinner down as 1000.
Oh, and I ate seven Junior Mints I found in my handbag left over from flying home. Did you know, one box of JM (52g) is 220 calories? Compare this to the utterly disgusting ThinkThin products of the same weight and calorie content that we sampled recently - JM yummy and delicious, and 7 of them is about a quarter of the boxful. I know which I'm recommending as a diet treat!
By the way, do we have to count cups of tea???
A Few Teething Troubles
Lack of food is not really an issue here in the great US of A. There is abundance all around, and particularly in coffee shops...
Referring back to the manifesto, yesterday I managed to score on one, but fail dismally on at least two. I went out in the evening to my regular Scottish Country Dance class, so I get a win of two hours exercise. However, I score badly on the coffee shop visits, as I went once at lunch time and once again in the afternoon. On the second occasion, Deep Thought compelled me to share a piece of chocolate cake with her, and how could I deprive my child?
Today I had a fairly modest salad and grilled chicken lunch - possibly with too much bread - but this evening there are dinner plans, so it could all go horribly wrong.
Referring back to the manifesto, yesterday I managed to score on one, but fail dismally on at least two. I went out in the evening to my regular Scottish Country Dance class, so I get a win of two hours exercise. However, I score badly on the coffee shop visits, as I went once at lunch time and once again in the afternoon. On the second occasion, Deep Thought compelled me to share a piece of chocolate cake with her, and how could I deprive my child?
Today I had a fairly modest salad and grilled chicken lunch - possibly with too much bread - but this evening there are dinner plans, so it could all go horribly wrong.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Cold Comfort (Food)
There are 27 centimetres of snow outside and England has ground to a halt. College cancelled. Perfect day to start the new regime. Not least because we can't get to the shops and the last Waitrose delivery is running out.
Yesterday was pretty low-cal (2000 or thereabouts, according to my Amazing Calculator (husband) who is in charge of the Hard Sums), even though I hadn't started yet. That would be because of the lack of food in the house (see above). Today David and Boy Wonder ventured over the park with a sledge and came home with supplies (bread, milk, chocolate...)
Today's count is 2100 so far, so there is scope for actually eating a small piece of the aforementioned chocolate. Isn't it surprising how many calories are in a really small bit of butter?
Major failure du jour - forgot the weighing in bit. Will remedy in the morning.
Yesterday was pretty low-cal (2000 or thereabouts, according to my Amazing Calculator (husband) who is in charge of the Hard Sums), even though I hadn't started yet. That would be because of the lack of food in the house (see above). Today David and Boy Wonder ventured over the park with a sledge and came home with supplies (bread, milk, chocolate...)
Today's count is 2100 so far, so there is scope for actually eating a small piece of the aforementioned chocolate. Isn't it surprising how many calories are in a really small bit of butter?
Major failure du jour - forgot the weighing in bit. Will remedy in the morning.
Weigh in - Dr Mom
I weighed in this morning at 158 lbs.
My house is currently being remodelled. I have men on the roof, a guy jack hammering up the front yard, and more men making dust and noise in the back yard. My lovely cleaners are also here doing their stuff. Alas their stuff has to be done to the background noise of loud Spanish radio.
So I am going out.
To a coffee shop - but the library first. So virtuous.
My house is currently being remodelled. I have men on the roof, a guy jack hammering up the front yard, and more men making dust and noise in the back yard. My lovely cleaners are also here doing their stuff. Alas their stuff has to be done to the background noise of loud Spanish radio.
So I am going out.
To a coffee shop - but the library first. So virtuous.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
A Chewy Mistake
I was late going to the supermarket and got hungry, so I picked up a chewy bar thing called "Kind Plus Protein" (in Almond, Walnut and Macadamia flavor). 40g bar, 210 calories. I just put it into my WeightWatchers "points tracker" and discovered that it is worth FIVE points - which is the same as my entire dinner last night.
Sticking with the Manifesto
The challenge of having a manifesto is finding a way to accomplish all its parts simultaneously. I think I succeeded yesterday in achieving at least two.
First, I ate less and in moderation: Weetabix for breakfast, soup and a slice of bread for lunch, modest homemade fish pie for dinner. Then I rejected deprivation by eating half a tin of biscuits after the kids had gone to bed.
So far so good, eh?
I also re-ignited my WeightWatchers account yesterday. I added my current weight (to be revealed tomorrow, which official Day One) and started inserting the data for the food I'd eaten. But since the tin of biscuits sent me over the edge for the entire week, I decided that perhaps I'd better start again.
First, I ate less and in moderation: Weetabix for breakfast, soup and a slice of bread for lunch, modest homemade fish pie for dinner. Then I rejected deprivation by eating half a tin of biscuits after the kids had gone to bed.
So far so good, eh?
I also re-ignited my WeightWatchers account yesterday. I added my current weight (to be revealed tomorrow, which official Day One) and started inserting the data for the food I'd eaten. But since the tin of biscuits sent me over the edge for the entire week, I decided that perhaps I'd better start again.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Dieting Manifesto
Over-Educated Mother and I have drawn up our ten point weight loss manifesto, and here it is:
1. Eat less food.
2. But eat everything we want to in moderation.
3. No deprivation allowed.
4. Eat slower and with more thought.
5. Don't think about food all the time: Menu plan at the start of the week.
6. Limit daily calorie intake to 2,200 in the first four weeks. Reduce to 2,000 daily in second four weeks; then 1,800 in last four weeks. See what happens.
7. Good breakfast is essential.
8. No more than one visit to a coffee shop per day.
9. Stick to a proper time table for meals: No late lunches or dinners. No snacks between snacks.
10. Exercise once a week at first rising to three times a week.
1. Eat less food.
2. But eat everything we want to in moderation.
3. No deprivation allowed.
4. Eat slower and with more thought.
5. Don't think about food all the time: Menu plan at the start of the week.
6. Limit daily calorie intake to 2,200 in the first four weeks. Reduce to 2,000 daily in second four weeks; then 1,800 in last four weeks. See what happens.
7. Good breakfast is essential.
8. No more than one visit to a coffee shop per day.
9. Stick to a proper time table for meals: No late lunches or dinners. No snacks between snacks.
10. Exercise once a week at first rising to three times a week.
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