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.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
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.
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