Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Wednesday Weigh In
Dr Mom weighs in at 154.8 lbs this morning. We've been on a vegetarian diet since last Friday. The kids are at a residential camp, so there is no one to complain about the salad and lack of meat or desserts. I think it has helped with overall sense of bloat and, ahem, gassiness; which is quite surprising considering I have "issues" with fiber. I presume it is the reduction in fat intake which is responsible for that.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Wednesday Weigh In
Hubby weighed in at 165 lbs. Dr Mom an inauspicious 157 lbs. (Yes, that's more than last week, you got a problem with that, matey?)
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Weekly weigh-in
Dr Mom came in this morning at 154.4 lbs, while Hubby weighed in at 166.8 lbs. Yes, we weigh more than last week. As Hubby says, not an auspicious start.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
A new two
Since OEM has given up on me - though always welcome to return! - and since we haven't managed to write this blog since March... Hubby has decided that he wants to become my partner in dieting, at least temporarily.
Dr Mom's weekly weigh in today was 153.4 lbs.
Hubby's was 164.6 lbs.
Dr Mom's weekly weigh in today was 153.4 lbs.
Hubby's was 164.6 lbs.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Dr Mom's Wednesday Weigh In
Despite considerable back sliding - involving crisps, cake, chocolate, nuts and general snacking morning, noon and night - plus multiple visits to restaurants (last Wednesday I had meetings involving coffee, lunch, coffee and dinner) - I came out this morning at 149.4 lbs, which is just about the same as I have been for the past month. Must admit that's quite a surprise! I was fully expecting to have broken back through the 150lbs barrier.
It has also been raining pretty much continuously for the past two weeks, which means that I have only done a couple of long walks with Ruby. We were at Arasteradero yesterday for an hour but it was quite the mud bath. Today the rain has set in again.
Today I am at a conference all day, which will involve food at multiple opportunities. I plan to arrive this morning near the end of the "breakfast and networking" session so I don't eat anything. Well, anything much.
It has also been raining pretty much continuously for the past two weeks, which means that I have only done a couple of long walks with Ruby. We were at Arasteradero yesterday for an hour but it was quite the mud bath. Today the rain has set in again.
Today I am at a conference all day, which will involve food at multiple opportunities. I plan to arrive this morning near the end of the "breakfast and networking" session so I don't eat anything. Well, anything much.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
A Long Spring Walk
Yesterday Hubby, RubyDog, and I went for a 7.5 mile walk at Windy Hill. We set out at 9am, wearing our hiking boots which turned out to be a very good choice as it was muddy, muddy, muddy!
We walked up the Spring Ridge Trail to the summit of Windy Hill, something like a 1.200 feet climb along 2.5 miles. From the summit you can see the Bay and also the Pacific. Then we took the Anniversary Trail, which was a lovely winding path along the edge of the hill with great views across the Bay. We ate our chewy bars and dog snacks at a well placed bench, then turned onto the Hamms Gulch Trail for the return trip.
Spring Ridge Trail is very exposed, a wide, steep path that gently curves through meadow lands with very few trees. Hamms Gulch Trail is quite a contrast. The top part reminded up very strongly of Hawai'i, with moss covered trees, hanging vines, and water cascading off the hillsides. The spring flowers have started to open in abundance and the birds were very noisy just here. The trail itself consists of numerous switch backs, with the result that it is longer than the Spring Ridge trail, but a lot less steep. As the trail descends, California oaks feature more strongly, and it takes on the look of the drier foothills. The whole trail was thickly wooded, making for shade, birds, and a really delightful walk. We found another well placed bench to eat our sandwich lunch.
At the bottom of the trail, it crosses the confluence of Hamms Gulch and Jones' Gulch - two streams of which we'd never previously been aware. They had a fair bit of water in them. You cross by stepping stones, not too difficult a proposition; except that Ruby absolutely refused to step on the stones or in the water. She would rather have had her head pulled off than get her paws wet. In the end, Hubby had to go back across the stream and scoop her up in his arms to carry her across. She was in doggy disgrace for that.
We certainly felt like we'd been for a walk! We stopped at the Portola Deli coffee shop for a latte reward at the end of the walk, and Ruby lay muddily on the floor. Hubby fell asleep in the car during the twenty minute drive home, while the dog snored on the back seat. I had a teeny little snooze on the bed when back home....
We walked up the Spring Ridge Trail to the summit of Windy Hill, something like a 1.200 feet climb along 2.5 miles. From the summit you can see the Bay and also the Pacific. Then we took the Anniversary Trail, which was a lovely winding path along the edge of the hill with great views across the Bay. We ate our chewy bars and dog snacks at a well placed bench, then turned onto the Hamms Gulch Trail for the return trip.
Spring Ridge Trail is very exposed, a wide, steep path that gently curves through meadow lands with very few trees. Hamms Gulch Trail is quite a contrast. The top part reminded up very strongly of Hawai'i, with moss covered trees, hanging vines, and water cascading off the hillsides. The spring flowers have started to open in abundance and the birds were very noisy just here. The trail itself consists of numerous switch backs, with the result that it is longer than the Spring Ridge trail, but a lot less steep. As the trail descends, California oaks feature more strongly, and it takes on the look of the drier foothills. The whole trail was thickly wooded, making for shade, birds, and a really delightful walk. We found another well placed bench to eat our sandwich lunch.
At the bottom of the trail, it crosses the confluence of Hamms Gulch and Jones' Gulch - two streams of which we'd never previously been aware. They had a fair bit of water in them. You cross by stepping stones, not too difficult a proposition; except that Ruby absolutely refused to step on the stones or in the water. She would rather have had her head pulled off than get her paws wet. In the end, Hubby had to go back across the stream and scoop her up in his arms to carry her across. She was in doggy disgrace for that.
We certainly felt like we'd been for a walk! We stopped at the Portola Deli coffee shop for a latte reward at the end of the walk, and Ruby lay muddily on the floor. Hubby fell asleep in the car during the twenty minute drive home, while the dog snored on the back seat. I had a teeny little snooze on the bed when back home....
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Dr Mom's Wednesday Weigh In
149.2lbs this week, another loss of half a pound. I need to make more effort to avoid snacking, especially in the evening. I also have to confess that the occasional brownie and such like has been sneaking back into the overall diet....
Monday, February 28, 2011
A Magic Sprinkle to Melt Away Appetite?
My delightful elder daughter has started looking out for useful websites on weight loss. I guess it was only a matter of time before my proto-teenager started trying to improve me. Causing the abandonment of Mom Jeans must be on the cards soon. Anyway, here is today's interesting little nugget, on a food supplement called SENSA. Apparently this tasteless, scentless food supplement is sprinkled on other food, causing a suppression of appetite in eaters that, according to the product website, caused an average weight loss of 30.5 lbs among 1, 436 men and women who used it over a 6 month period.
Hmm. No dieting or exercise required. If it is so effective, why isn't everyone talking about it? Why isn't everyone using it? Why isn't Oprah Winfrey promoting it?
One alternative weight loss website notes that the main ingredient in Sensa's "tastants" (i.e. the sprinkly stuff) is maltodextrin (i.e. sugar derived from corn). The effect of that will be to give bland foods more flavor which, it speculates, may have the opposite effect of making diners want more of them, not less. Way back in 2008, the ABC news show 20/20 exposed the failings of the science underpinning this supposed breakthrough.
I remain sceptical of any product that claims seemingly miraculous results. I'd rather stick with the tried and trusted methods of portion control, good food choices, and a moderate exercise plan to promote all round health.
Hmm. No dieting or exercise required. If it is so effective, why isn't everyone talking about it? Why isn't everyone using it? Why isn't Oprah Winfrey promoting it?
One alternative weight loss website notes that the main ingredient in Sensa's "tastants" (i.e. the sprinkly stuff) is maltodextrin (i.e. sugar derived from corn). The effect of that will be to give bland foods more flavor which, it speculates, may have the opposite effect of making diners want more of them, not less. Way back in 2008, the ABC news show 20/20 exposed the failings of the science underpinning this supposed breakthrough.
I remain sceptical of any product that claims seemingly miraculous results. I'd rather stick with the tried and trusted methods of portion control, good food choices, and a moderate exercise plan to promote all round health.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
More Sinned Against Than Sinning
Little Starlet and I went up to the city today to the Sundance Kabuki Theatre see the National Theatre live broadcast of the Donmar Warehouse production "King Lear" with Derek Jacobi. He was outstanding. In fact the whole play was fabulous, there wasn't a block of wood attempting to act on the stage at all. A fine avoidance of teapot Shakespeare. Little Starlet more or less followed the play - I had forgotten, and so didn't explain, the Gloucester/Edgar/Edmund sub-plot - though she thought that Derek Jacobi had been replaced by another actor in the final scene. Quite why, I have no idea. There you are, the mind of a 9 year old.
The relevance of all this to this blog is that it meant I had a rather odd eating day. I began with a bowl of granola. We headed out at 9am. The play/broadcast started at 12:30pm and ended at 4pm, which meant that lunch would not be happening. So we stopped at the Fillmore Street Cafe for a breakfast bagel at 10:30am. I had a latte and the 49ers, consisting of ham, egg, and cheddar cheese on a plain bagel. Little Starlet had the Fillmore Special, with sausage, egg and cheese. Very hot and tasty.
We then headed up to the Japantown shopping area. It was freezing cold, icy wind blasting poor Little Starlet's uncovered legs (she never will listen when I tell her to put more clothes on), so we went inside to look at the stores. After walking though the Japanese language bookstore and admiring the plastic dolls with penises, we found ourselves at the Anderson Bakery. Little Starlet had a slice of chocolate ganache cake, while I toyed with a light, fluffy, delicious slice of coffee creme cake. As I always say to the girls, if you MUST eat food that's bad for you, at least make sure it is high quality. This certainly was worth every calorie.
We went into the theatre food-free, but once the intermission came along, it was clear that Little Starlet required yet more sustenance. So we went to the Peet's Coffee concession in the theatre and bought bags of popcorn (and yet another latte for me).
Hubby and Deep Thought have spent the week in Bear Valley. They got back this afternoon just before Little Starlet and I returned from the city. We were all exhausted and lacking imagination, so we tucked into Whole Foods' frozen pizza for dinner: pepperoni, hawaiian, and chicken quesadilla (note, three pizzas between four of us, so a small concession to thinness there).
All in all, a very fun day, but a bit peculiar on the dietary front.
The relevance of all this to this blog is that it meant I had a rather odd eating day. I began with a bowl of granola. We headed out at 9am. The play/broadcast started at 12:30pm and ended at 4pm, which meant that lunch would not be happening. So we stopped at the Fillmore Street Cafe for a breakfast bagel at 10:30am. I had a latte and the 49ers, consisting of ham, egg, and cheddar cheese on a plain bagel. Little Starlet had the Fillmore Special, with sausage, egg and cheese. Very hot and tasty.
We then headed up to the Japantown shopping area. It was freezing cold, icy wind blasting poor Little Starlet's uncovered legs (she never will listen when I tell her to put more clothes on), so we went inside to look at the stores. After walking though the Japanese language bookstore and admiring the plastic dolls with penises, we found ourselves at the Anderson Bakery. Little Starlet had a slice of chocolate ganache cake, while I toyed with a light, fluffy, delicious slice of coffee creme cake. As I always say to the girls, if you MUST eat food that's bad for you, at least make sure it is high quality. This certainly was worth every calorie.
We went into the theatre food-free, but once the intermission came along, it was clear that Little Starlet required yet more sustenance. So we went to the Peet's Coffee concession in the theatre and bought bags of popcorn (and yet another latte for me).
Hubby and Deep Thought have spent the week in Bear Valley. They got back this afternoon just before Little Starlet and I returned from the city. We were all exhausted and lacking imagination, so we tucked into Whole Foods' frozen pizza for dinner: pepperoni, hawaiian, and chicken quesadilla (note, three pizzas between four of us, so a small concession to thinness there).
All in all, a very fun day, but a bit peculiar on the dietary front.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Dr Mom's Wednesday Weigh-In
Hello OEM, Nice to see you around the blog. Go indemnity!
This morning I weighed in at 149.6lbs, which is heavier than last week - but then last week I was a prune. I'll write another entry to explain how I've been this week. Suffice it to say that the dots on the WeightWatchers weight tracker log graph thingy show a downward trend, and that works for me.
This morning I weighed in at 149.6lbs, which is heavier than last week - but then last week I was a prune. I'll write another entry to explain how I've been this week. Suffice it to say that the dots on the WeightWatchers weight tracker log graph thingy show a downward trend, and that works for me.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Nearly There
Dr Mom, where are you? Are you still suffering from the lurgy? If so, I hope it has the beneficial weight-loss side effect. But I'd rather you were better.
I am getting fatter this week. I am revising. It is unpleasant. Gu Rocky Road snacks make it slightly better.
The worst will be over by next Friday. At which point, I am signing up for Swimathon, with a view to getting David and NotSmallAtAll to be on my team. You have to do at least 1.5 km - I can do the .5 - well, .75 actually - and David can do about 100metres. NotSmall, fortunately, has form for swimming 2km all by himself. So between us, we should be able to do it easily - and more to the point, I will become healthier.
Now I must stop prevaricating, and learn about the indemnity basis for assessing costs.
I am getting fatter this week. I am revising. It is unpleasant. Gu Rocky Road snacks make it slightly better.
The worst will be over by next Friday. At which point, I am signing up for Swimathon, with a view to getting David and NotSmallAtAll to be on my team. You have to do at least 1.5 km - I can do the .5 - well, .75 actually - and David can do about 100metres. NotSmall, fortunately, has form for swimming 2km all by himself. So between us, we should be able to do it easily - and more to the point, I will become healthier.
Now I must stop prevaricating, and learn about the indemnity basis for assessing costs.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Dr Mom's Wednesday Weigh-In
Apologies for radio silence this week, I've been having a crazy busy week. This morning I weighed in at 151.8 lbs, which is a loss of a princely 0.4 lbs this week, but 10 lbs since the start of January. I reckon that is some kind of milestone.
I only achieved this loss by eating almost nothing on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. On Sunday I wasn't well and spent much of the day in bed at the mercy of mysterious vertigo that left as suddenly as it arrived, but which had the virtue of making me feel nauseous and so not want to eat. For the rest, plates of salad greens dressed in vinegar. Banana for snack. That kind of thing. Yesterday I was visiting a friend at home and refused a biscuit. These are the lengths you have to go to in order to lose weight when you are 42. Bleugh.
I only achieved this loss by eating almost nothing on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. On Sunday I wasn't well and spent much of the day in bed at the mercy of mysterious vertigo that left as suddenly as it arrived, but which had the virtue of making me feel nauseous and so not want to eat. For the rest, plates of salad greens dressed in vinegar. Banana for snack. That kind of thing. Yesterday I was visiting a friend at home and refused a biscuit. These are the lengths you have to go to in order to lose weight when you are 42. Bleugh.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Marked Up, In All Senses
This morning I took Ruby for a 50 minute walk at Windy Hill which is, as the name suggests, a hill and thus pretty good exercise. After I took her home, I went shopping. Of course, I hadn't taken the precaution of eating anything at home after my walk, so by the time I got to the pet food store I was feeling hungry. Ah, I think, I can feel a coffee at that Starbucks right there coming on. So I buy my nonfat decaf latte (nicknamed the "Why Bother?" by the staff in our local Starbucks) and add to it a Fruit, Nut and Cheese Platter (460 calories) as that is the only thing available to eat that isn't cake.
It consists of half an apple, a small wedge of brie, a little cube of gouda, and a slice of cheddar, accompanied by two wholewheat crackers and what appears to be a quarter cup of unsalted almonds with dried cranberries. It was actually pretty tasty and filling, and generally just what the doctor ordered.
The breakdown of nutrition reveals 29g fat, 34g carbs, 6g fiber, and 19g protein. I'm not really sure where all that carbohydrate is coming from, but there you are. Plug it into the WeightWatchers calculator and get out 12 points spent. Yikes! I guess I can see where it is coming from now I reflect upon it... The apple would count as zero points. The almonds and cranberries can't be more than 4 points, and the crackers surely no more than 2. So the cheese must be the remaining 6 points, which makes sense when you consider that one ounce of brie is 3 points all by itself.
The other thing I wanted to comment on was the price. It cost $4.95. I reckon that, even on a generous calculation - given that Starbucks can buy everything wholesale - the contents can't cost more than around $2.50 (cheese $1, apple $0.50, crackers $0.25, almonds and cranberries $0.50, packaging $0.30). So the markup is around 100%. Not a bad way to make a profit, eh?
It consists of half an apple, a small wedge of brie, a little cube of gouda, and a slice of cheddar, accompanied by two wholewheat crackers and what appears to be a quarter cup of unsalted almonds with dried cranberries. It was actually pretty tasty and filling, and generally just what the doctor ordered.
The breakdown of nutrition reveals 29g fat, 34g carbs, 6g fiber, and 19g protein. I'm not really sure where all that carbohydrate is coming from, but there you are. Plug it into the WeightWatchers calculator and get out 12 points spent. Yikes! I guess I can see where it is coming from now I reflect upon it... The apple would count as zero points. The almonds and cranberries can't be more than 4 points, and the crackers surely no more than 2. So the cheese must be the remaining 6 points, which makes sense when you consider that one ounce of brie is 3 points all by itself.
The other thing I wanted to comment on was the price. It cost $4.95. I reckon that, even on a generous calculation - given that Starbucks can buy everything wholesale - the contents can't cost more than around $2.50 (cheese $1, apple $0.50, crackers $0.25, almonds and cranberries $0.50, packaging $0.30). So the markup is around 100%. Not a bad way to make a profit, eh?
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Mmmm, Bacon's Up.
It's Wednesday, and that means cleaners at our house. They take over the entire house and clean every room simultaneously for a total of four hours. That might make it seem like we live in some kind of mansion, but we don't. We do have a nice house, but the main factor is their obsessive need to clean every surface, move every piece of furniture, and even tidy up inside drawers and cupboards. My usual strategy is to go out for lunch as it is impossible to eat while other people are working so hard.
Generally on a Wednesday, the diner at Stanford - the Palo Alto Creamery, Fountain and Grill, to give it its proper name - calls to me. And Ruby. We typically go for lunch, or brunch, or whatever you want to call it, and Ruby enjoys a little under-the-table treat, before we head off for a walk. The wait staff often bring her out a bowl of water and a dog biscuit, which she never eats as she doesn't like "milk bones" as they are called. Today lunch was two poached eggs, hash browns, four slices of crisply cooked bacon, and a slice of cracked wheat toast with raspberry jam, plus decaf coffee. This comes to a princely 14 Weightwatchers points, and worth every one of them. Ruby enjoyed her morsels of bacon and potato. In the past I have bought a side of bacon just for her, but I think we need to watch her weight too... and having an extra side of bacon on the table is no inducement to good behavior for Dr Mom!!
We rounded off our lunch with a 50 minute walk at the Palo Alto Baylands (worth 3 points).
Generally on a Wednesday, the diner at Stanford - the Palo Alto Creamery, Fountain and Grill, to give it its proper name - calls to me. And Ruby. We typically go for lunch, or brunch, or whatever you want to call it, and Ruby enjoys a little under-the-table treat, before we head off for a walk. The wait staff often bring her out a bowl of water and a dog biscuit, which she never eats as she doesn't like "milk bones" as they are called. Today lunch was two poached eggs, hash browns, four slices of crisply cooked bacon, and a slice of cracked wheat toast with raspberry jam, plus decaf coffee. This comes to a princely 14 Weightwatchers points, and worth every one of them. Ruby enjoyed her morsels of bacon and potato. In the past I have bought a side of bacon just for her, but I think we need to watch her weight too... and having an extra side of bacon on the table is no inducement to good behavior for Dr Mom!!
We rounded off our lunch with a 50 minute walk at the Palo Alto Baylands (worth 3 points).
Dr Mom's Wednesday Weigh In
Today I weighed in at 152.2lbs, which is exactly the same as last week. Not so much a plateau as a return to snacking, I think. But since I didn't actually put any weight on, even the snacking must be under some kind of control. Got to hunt out that willpower again.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Snacking is bad for you - shock
Well, it's not bad for you if you then reduce the amount of food you eat at the meals. In fact, eating many small meals are better for you than a small number of big meals. But the harm is done when the meals are normal, and the snacks are additional. I'm just reviewing my points for today, which came in at 43. I earned 10 activity points today (walked the dog twice for a total of 80 minutes, dance class tonight with about 90 minutes activity). So I spent my daily allowance of 29, my activity earnings of 10, and squandered 4 points from the weekly floating allowance.
If I look back on the scores for the day, I spent 4 points for breakfast, 12 points for lunch, 13 points for dinner, and 13 points on snacks. If I had not eaten the snacks, then I'd have been a more reasonable one point over the daily allowance. (Are you following this?)
Ergo, if one stops snacking, one should lose weight faster. QED.
Mind you, the snack in question was a large latte and a chocolate croissant from the Mayfield Bakery, so they were points well spent.
If I look back on the scores for the day, I spent 4 points for breakfast, 12 points for lunch, 13 points for dinner, and 13 points on snacks. If I had not eaten the snacks, then I'd have been a more reasonable one point over the daily allowance. (Are you following this?)
Ergo, if one stops snacking, one should lose weight faster. QED.
Mind you, the snack in question was a large latte and a chocolate croissant from the Mayfield Bakery, so they were points well spent.
Dr Mom's Wednesday Weigh-In
Today the scales report that I am 152.2 lbs, a loss of 2.8 lbs this week. Yesterday when I ate dinner, I could hardly eat anything, I was so full. :-)
Monday, January 24, 2011
Keep on Snacking
I haven't eaten anything very extravagent this week, so I am hopeful that there will be a small loss on Wednesday. We did have "smorgasbord" lunch yesterday at a friend's house - involving bagels (sharp intake of breath), salami (ouch) and various other bits and bobs - but this followed a 90 minute walk at Fremont Older, with a lot of uphill.
Anyway, today I wanted to share with you a tale of two chewy bars.
First exhibit, the "Pure Fit" bar, granola crunch flavor. 210 calories. Vegan, gluten free, blah blah. Verdict? Looks like dog poo, tastes like dog poo, smells like dog poo...
Need I say more than that I nibbled the end and then threw it away. Bleugh. I didn't bother to work out the points, as I'll never eat one.
Second exhibit, the KIND fruit and nut bar in apricot and almond flavor. Now that's more like it. Crunchy, chewy, sweet and salty all at once. Alas, it costs 5 weightwatchers points. FIVE. That is the same as two boiled eggs and a slice of toast.
These snack bars are a killer.
Anyway, today I wanted to share with you a tale of two chewy bars.
First exhibit, the "Pure Fit" bar, granola crunch flavor. 210 calories. Vegan, gluten free, blah blah. Verdict? Looks like dog poo, tastes like dog poo, smells like dog poo...
Need I say more than that I nibbled the end and then threw it away. Bleugh. I didn't bother to work out the points, as I'll never eat one.
Second exhibit, the KIND fruit and nut bar in apricot and almond flavor. Now that's more like it. Crunchy, chewy, sweet and salty all at once. Alas, it costs 5 weightwatchers points. FIVE. That is the same as two boiled eggs and a slice of toast.
These snack bars are a killer.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Glum Mum
Sorry to abandon you Dr Mom.
I seem unable to stop eating all the time right now.
Stress levels through roof.
Exams loom imminently. Job applications ditto.
Spouse is (sort of) job hunting.
Notsosmall is waiting to hear if he has got into any of his(our) schools of choice and in the meantime seems to have become totally disaffected with education. I don't think the two things are connected.
Neighbours have tonight decided that playing loud and unpleasant thugga-thugga-thud music is the way to spend an agreeable evening.
Am gibbering. And eating. Cheese anyone?
I seem unable to stop eating all the time right now.
Stress levels through roof.
Exams loom imminently. Job applications ditto.
Spouse is (sort of) job hunting.
Notsosmall is waiting to hear if he has got into any of his(our) schools of choice and in the meantime seems to have become totally disaffected with education. I don't think the two things are connected.
Neighbours have tonight decided that playing loud and unpleasant thugga-thugga-thud music is the way to spend an agreeable evening.
Am gibbering. And eating. Cheese anyone?
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