This morning, the scale read the same as yesterday. A comparison to the scale St the gym was ambiguous, so who knows exactly what I weigh? It's clear at any rate the blitz worked-- I'm off the plateau.
Sadly, the level of planning and control and focus- and availability of precooked blitz food--is not sustainable. But I've got another week or so before vacation, and I think I can keep the focus at least to capitalize on this progress.
- iPhone uPdate
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Is This Even Possible?
I got on the scale first thing today, as I do every day, and I stared and stared at the number. I got off and back on sevral times, then went off and had my coffee and stared at the wall and weighed myself again before my shower.
I was down FIVE AND A HALF POUNDS from the day before!!! How can that be? Is the scale malfunctioning?
To recap, I've been plus or minus the same four pounds since February, on the mother of all plateaus. I very slightly exceeded that after my vacation, but quickly got back to the range. I started Weight Watchers on-line and felt comfortable with the points and the emphasis on fruits and vegetables. I lost a tiny amount of weight the first three weeks, from the top of the range to the middle, a whopping two and a half pounds. But I was using lots of the weekly points, especially having too much chocolate in the evenings, and even allowing more than a single serving of ice cream in the house, with predictable results. I decided it was time for drastic measures. Time to blitz my way off the plateau. There was one answer that towers over any other when desperate times are here: Cabbage Soup.
I've done a number of things right the past few days. Starting Saturday morning, I loaded up at the farmers market and at Whole Foods. I spent Sunday cooking cabbage and cauliflower. I made Cole slaw with ginger miso dressing, cabbage soup with lamb, and braised cauliflower. Hugely tasty. I included olive oil in the recipes. I've decided the savor I get, the richness, from sautéing the vegetables in good olive oil makes the difference between cabbage soup as medicine and having it as a satisfying dish. The same thing holds for the other dishes I made Sunday. If I'm going to live on it, it can't be just fuel. (On the other hand, I have gone too far the other way on previous blitz attempts and made lamb stew with cabbage- completely different proportions and way less effective.)
So I've been living on my cabbages, and peaches and cherries and watermelon. My points total plunged from averaging 33 last week to averaging 17 for the last five days. Another smart thing I've done is put the Cole slaw in tiny containers and have it for my afternoon snack. And, from the start, I decided on a single Dove dark after dinner. Just the one, no returns. For these five days, I've been able to stick to this.
My Monday weigh-in for WW was exactly the same as the week before, though I started with the cabbage on Saturday. If that was my only clue, I would be crushed, but I weigh myself daily and had seen lower weights. Tuesday was down a pound and a half from Monday, just below the lower edge of the range. Progress! I was up several times last night to pee, but that is not unusual. But when I looked at the scale, I truly didn't believe it.
My scale is an electronic scale, which I've owned for more than a decade. I got it because it has big numbers I can read without my glasses. Also because the number is the same whether you lean right or left, unlike my old dial scale. But it has a peculiarity which I believe is deliberate because other people have told me theirs work the the same way- it is biassed to show the same weight as the last time it weighed something. This really bummed me out once when I thought I was on a plateau but instead my weight was inching down. I have developed a technique to break the "stickiness" of it's number-- I have a brick in my bathroom (pulled from the tank where it had been used to reduce water usage). Every morning, I step on the scale with my brick that weighs about five pounds, then back on the scale without it.
So when I saw the weight the first time this morning, I thought the scale must be broken. It doesn't have any adjustment / calibration mechanism-- I checked it again this morning to be sure. I moved it around, making sure it was on a hard flat surface. I stepped on and off several times, with and without the brick. I did get one reading half a pound different, but that was it. I went away and came back half an hour later and it was exactly the same.
I'm still a little suspicious the scale is off. If the scale is accurate, then most of this weight is water. But so what? That probably means I've burned some fat up and replaced it with water, and finally peed it off last night. I've been both thirsty and peeing all day, just a side effect of the cabbage.
What will I see tomorrow? (I won't be home till bedtime so won't check tonight. Besides, I never weigh myself at night.) If it's still down, I'll check on the scale at the gym to see if it's in sync, just to make sure it's not the scale.
So what does this matter? Did my clothes fit me differently today? Not really, certainly not from yesterday. But this number was seven pounds above my goal weight. My goal weight has been the goal for thirty years. I don't know when last I actually saw it, except for a few days at the end of The Big Loss, in 1999. This goal could become reality some day. Even if what I saw today was ephemeral, it's still far below the range I've been in, and represents a real change from the plateau.
Sherbert update
I was down FIVE AND A HALF POUNDS from the day before!!! How can that be? Is the scale malfunctioning?
To recap, I've been plus or minus the same four pounds since February, on the mother of all plateaus. I very slightly exceeded that after my vacation, but quickly got back to the range. I started Weight Watchers on-line and felt comfortable with the points and the emphasis on fruits and vegetables. I lost a tiny amount of weight the first three weeks, from the top of the range to the middle, a whopping two and a half pounds. But I was using lots of the weekly points, especially having too much chocolate in the evenings, and even allowing more than a single serving of ice cream in the house, with predictable results. I decided it was time for drastic measures. Time to blitz my way off the plateau. There was one answer that towers over any other when desperate times are here: Cabbage Soup.
I've done a number of things right the past few days. Starting Saturday morning, I loaded up at the farmers market and at Whole Foods. I spent Sunday cooking cabbage and cauliflower. I made Cole slaw with ginger miso dressing, cabbage soup with lamb, and braised cauliflower. Hugely tasty. I included olive oil in the recipes. I've decided the savor I get, the richness, from sautéing the vegetables in good olive oil makes the difference between cabbage soup as medicine and having it as a satisfying dish. The same thing holds for the other dishes I made Sunday. If I'm going to live on it, it can't be just fuel. (On the other hand, I have gone too far the other way on previous blitz attempts and made lamb stew with cabbage- completely different proportions and way less effective.)
So I've been living on my cabbages, and peaches and cherries and watermelon. My points total plunged from averaging 33 last week to averaging 17 for the last five days. Another smart thing I've done is put the Cole slaw in tiny containers and have it for my afternoon snack. And, from the start, I decided on a single Dove dark after dinner. Just the one, no returns. For these five days, I've been able to stick to this.
My Monday weigh-in for WW was exactly the same as the week before, though I started with the cabbage on Saturday. If that was my only clue, I would be crushed, but I weigh myself daily and had seen lower weights. Tuesday was down a pound and a half from Monday, just below the lower edge of the range. Progress! I was up several times last night to pee, but that is not unusual. But when I looked at the scale, I truly didn't believe it.
My scale is an electronic scale, which I've owned for more than a decade. I got it because it has big numbers I can read without my glasses. Also because the number is the same whether you lean right or left, unlike my old dial scale. But it has a peculiarity which I believe is deliberate because other people have told me theirs work the the same way- it is biassed to show the same weight as the last time it weighed something. This really bummed me out once when I thought I was on a plateau but instead my weight was inching down. I have developed a technique to break the "stickiness" of it's number-- I have a brick in my bathroom (pulled from the tank where it had been used to reduce water usage). Every morning, I step on the scale with my brick that weighs about five pounds, then back on the scale without it.
So when I saw the weight the first time this morning, I thought the scale must be broken. It doesn't have any adjustment / calibration mechanism-- I checked it again this morning to be sure. I moved it around, making sure it was on a hard flat surface. I stepped on and off several times, with and without the brick. I did get one reading half a pound different, but that was it. I went away and came back half an hour later and it was exactly the same.
I'm still a little suspicious the scale is off. If the scale is accurate, then most of this weight is water. But so what? That probably means I've burned some fat up and replaced it with water, and finally peed it off last night. I've been both thirsty and peeing all day, just a side effect of the cabbage.
What will I see tomorrow? (I won't be home till bedtime so won't check tonight. Besides, I never weigh myself at night.) If it's still down, I'll check on the scale at the gym to see if it's in sync, just to make sure it's not the scale.
So what does this matter? Did my clothes fit me differently today? Not really, certainly not from yesterday. But this number was seven pounds above my goal weight. My goal weight has been the goal for thirty years. I don't know when last I actually saw it, except for a few days at the end of The Big Loss, in 1999. This goal could become reality some day. Even if what I saw today was ephemeral, it's still far below the range I've been in, and represents a real change from the plateau.
Sherbert update
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Cabbage Soup
Since Saturday, I've only eaten cabbage and it's close relative with a college education, cauliflower. Oh yeah, and fruit. Lots of fruit. Cherries and watermelon and peaches.
Sadly, it's not yet time for the winter vegetables, so my brassicas are from Whole Foods, probably the west coast. I've had cole slaw with ginger-miso dressing, braised cauliflower with beef broth and curry flavor, and cabbage soup with lamb necks. all really delicious, and I'm stuffed. But according to weight watchers, I've barely scratched my points. Plus, I think I spent less than ten dollars on four days worth of food.
When I was in Norway a few years ago, I attended a lecture on the civilian experience during the Second World War. The Nazis sent most of the food away to Germany, and so everyone was hungry. They grew cabbages on every square foot of land they could find. But it turns out you can stuff yourself on cabbages and still lose weight. Let's see how true that is.
I'm focussing on these "hero vegetables". Next up: broccoli.
Sherbert update
Sadly, it's not yet time for the winter vegetables, so my brassicas are from Whole Foods, probably the west coast. I've had cole slaw with ginger-miso dressing, braised cauliflower with beef broth and curry flavor, and cabbage soup with lamb necks. all really delicious, and I'm stuffed. But according to weight watchers, I've barely scratched my points. Plus, I think I spent less than ten dollars on four days worth of food.
When I was in Norway a few years ago, I attended a lecture on the civilian experience during the Second World War. The Nazis sent most of the food away to Germany, and so everyone was hungry. They grew cabbages on every square foot of land they could find. But it turns out you can stuff yourself on cabbages and still lose weight. Let's see how true that is.
I'm focussing on these "hero vegetables". Next up: broccoli.
Sherbert update
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Good Enough?
So is WW working?
I have stabilized my weight back where I was before vacation, and the weekly averages are trending every so slowly down. But I'm right at this same plateau I was on since February. Clearly my body likes being this weight. That probably worked to my advantage during vacation, and just as homeostasis keeps me from losing weight, it worked to keep me from gaining much.
Is this weight "good enough"? I've written about how its less than I weighed for sixteen of the years since I turned 35. But I really don't think it's "good enough". And let's not be too righteous about my goals: this is now much more about how I look than about being healthy and strong. I am healthy and strong now, though I was not when I started this a year and a half ago.
So if I actually want to lose weight, I can't settle in to a comfortable, treat-allowing, long-term way of eating. I've got to do something radical to de-stabilize the homeostasis that has kept me hear since February. I'll up the activity, clearly. But I've got to dramatically restrict my eating. I think I have two choices: Atkins, or cabbage and fruit. Either will work. Either will be "real weight loss". Both are hard to stick to for any length of time. But I've got the next two weeks to focus, with a limited social life, lots of work to do at work, and plenty of chores at night. After a two-week blitz, I'll revert to more normal weight watchers.
Given the time of year, I pick cabbage and fruit. On this way of eating, no breads or grains, but the emphasis is on vegetables and fruit, low fat, not much lean meat, any fresh fruit I want (except bananas which I don't really like anyway). If I were doing Atkins, the emphasis would be on meat with few vegetables and no fruit. I actually made cole slaw last week from a cabbage I got that day at farmer's market, and it astounded me how good it was - that fresh cabbage was better than long-distance stored cabbage. I had not really thought about the freshness of cabbage making a difference, not like tomatoes, for example.
So I'll be off to farmer's market after the gym in a few minutes, and I intend to stock way up. And then cook. Cole slaws with vinaigrettes, cabbage soup, fruits and fresh tomatoes, a zucchini or cucumber for variety, and we'll see where we go from there.
Let's see how my resolve works in the face of ice cream and beer season. But I'm off to the beach after my two week blitz, so I'm going to try to hold out till then.
I have stabilized my weight back where I was before vacation, and the weekly averages are trending every so slowly down. But I'm right at this same plateau I was on since February. Clearly my body likes being this weight. That probably worked to my advantage during vacation, and just as homeostasis keeps me from losing weight, it worked to keep me from gaining much.
Is this weight "good enough"? I've written about how its less than I weighed for sixteen of the years since I turned 35. But I really don't think it's "good enough". And let's not be too righteous about my goals: this is now much more about how I look than about being healthy and strong. I am healthy and strong now, though I was not when I started this a year and a half ago.
So if I actually want to lose weight, I can't settle in to a comfortable, treat-allowing, long-term way of eating. I've got to do something radical to de-stabilize the homeostasis that has kept me hear since February. I'll up the activity, clearly. But I've got to dramatically restrict my eating. I think I have two choices: Atkins, or cabbage and fruit. Either will work. Either will be "real weight loss". Both are hard to stick to for any length of time. But I've got the next two weeks to focus, with a limited social life, lots of work to do at work, and plenty of chores at night. After a two-week blitz, I'll revert to more normal weight watchers.
Given the time of year, I pick cabbage and fruit. On this way of eating, no breads or grains, but the emphasis is on vegetables and fruit, low fat, not much lean meat, any fresh fruit I want (except bananas which I don't really like anyway). If I were doing Atkins, the emphasis would be on meat with few vegetables and no fruit. I actually made cole slaw last week from a cabbage I got that day at farmer's market, and it astounded me how good it was - that fresh cabbage was better than long-distance stored cabbage. I had not really thought about the freshness of cabbage making a difference, not like tomatoes, for example.
So I'll be off to farmer's market after the gym in a few minutes, and I intend to stock way up. And then cook. Cole slaws with vinaigrettes, cabbage soup, fruits and fresh tomatoes, a zucchini or cucumber for variety, and we'll see where we go from there.
Let's see how my resolve works in the face of ice cream and beer season. But I'm off to the beach after my two week blitz, so I'm going to try to hold out till then.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Monumental Bike Ride
Yesterday, I took a walk along a bike-hike trail. Towards the end, I was hot, foot-sore, and cranky about retracing my steps. I continually eyed the bicycles going in both directions, thinking about how free and fast they seemed. I occupied myself during the walk thinking about whether I should get myself a new bike, one I'd actually want to ride. Then, right at the end, the penny dropped. I belong to a bike-share! There aren't any bikes anywhere near where I live, but plenty near places I want to ride. And those bikes are way nicer than any bike I've ever owned. So I formed a plan.
This morning, it was up very very early, and down to park on the street outside my office. I used my bike key, and was off and gliding in minutes. I dislike hills, but downtown DC, where all the monuments are, is totally flat. It's all landfill of a swamp, after all.
The bike has only three gears - but I only used two of them. I was off to the Capitol first (driven by which light was green) and then down the length of the mall to the Lincoln Memorial, and then down into Potomac Park to Hain's Point. I'm a bit nervous about urban riding, but I was rolling before 7:30 am and there was little traffic to contend with. I have been observing bikes around town, and it seems to me that bikes choose between car and pedestrian rules as it suits them.
I saw bunches of bikes down along Hains Point. Every bike I saw going in direction passed me, but I didn't care. It was relatively low humidity and a good breeze was blowing, and it just felt really good. I stopped down at the point to get a sip of water, and almost immediately was set on by biting flies. I didn't linger, and headed on back. I accidentally rode through the FDR memorial (saw the "no bikes" sign on the way out) and wandered through the sidewalks around the memorials, a bit turned around. I was surprised to realize I had come on the Korean war memorial. Things are all torn up between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument where the reflecting pool is being reconstructed.
This is the longest bike ride I've taken in a couple of years - more than ten miles. It felt good, though I was plenty ready to be done. But I thought about how with this bike share, I certainly can explore different parts of the District or even Alexandria. The bikes are often at metros, so it would even be possible to do a one-way ride, or a walk and a ride to make a circuit. Early in the morning is the ticket.
I don't know how much I'll do this, but there are possibilities, and this certainly was fun. Here are the stats and the link:
Monumental Ride
Ride Time: 1:07:13
Stopped Time: 6:50
Distance: 10.88 miles
Average: 9.71 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 22.99 miles/h
Ascent: 246 feet
Calories: 480
This morning, it was up very very early, and down to park on the street outside my office. I used my bike key, and was off and gliding in minutes. I dislike hills, but downtown DC, where all the monuments are, is totally flat. It's all landfill of a swamp, after all.
I saw bunches of bikes down along Hains Point. Every bike I saw going in direction passed me, but I didn't care. It was relatively low humidity and a good breeze was blowing, and it just felt really good. I stopped down at the point to get a sip of water, and almost immediately was set on by biting flies. I didn't linger, and headed on back. I accidentally rode through the FDR memorial (saw the "no bikes" sign on the way out) and wandered through the sidewalks around the memorials, a bit turned around. I was surprised to realize I had come on the Korean war memorial. Things are all torn up between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument where the reflecting pool is being reconstructed.
This is the longest bike ride I've taken in a couple of years - more than ten miles. It felt good, though I was plenty ready to be done. But I thought about how with this bike share, I certainly can explore different parts of the District or even Alexandria. The bikes are often at metros, so it would even be possible to do a one-way ride, or a walk and a ride to make a circuit. Early in the morning is the ticket.
I don't know how much I'll do this, but there are possibilities, and this certainly was fun. Here are the stats and the link:
Monumental Ride
Ride Time: 1:07:13
Stopped Time: 6:50
Distance: 10.88 miles
Average: 9.71 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 22.99 miles/h
Ascent: 246 feet
Calories: 480
Potomac River Walk
Saturday, I had to go early to the airport to put my boy on a plane for frisbee camp. It's been brutally hot, but it was slightly less horrible on Saturday, especially early. By nine a.m. the boy was beyond security and out of my reach. I had missed my normal weekend gym appointment, and decided to take a walk.
I know there is a bike-hike trail all along the Virginia side of the Potomac River for miles, from somewhere opposite the District down to Mount Vernon. I've seen it, but never been on it in the section south of the 14th St bridge. It took a bit of casting around in the airport to find it. I've walked around between terminals and down to the hangars before, but which path would keep on going wasn't obvious to me. I came to a dead end in the rental car garage, and consulted the closeup satellite view on google maps to figure out where to try next.
I ended up on the correct side of the metro tracks, and the actual exit to the trail was alongside the little known Congressional parking lot. (There is a very close-in lot - as close to the terminal as the metro station - restricted to Congressmen and Supreme Court justices. I was glad to see it was nearly empty, as they should all have been hard at work.) I followed it south towards General Aviation, and was much relieved to come upon a signpost, pointing one way for Alexandria and another route to Crystal City.
I hadn't really planned on this walk, and I was wearing shorts and a tee shirt, and sandals. My plan was just to walk until I was ready to turn around. I knew there was a sailboat marina between airport and Alexandria, but only had the vaguest notion how far anything was. I figured I could find water or a bathroom at the marina if necessary.
It was really lovely. It was hot, and it was humid, but I just walked along and it wasn't too terribly bad. Much of the walk is through woods, and it was shady. A slight breeze was blowing, and I was efficiently sweating off the heat. I was listening to a fascinating book on the ipod, which helps the miles click off. The walk led along the shore, and at one point was on a boardwalk above a little swamp where hibiscus were blooming. As I went, it got more and more crowded. Lots of walkers, runners, and plenty of bicyclists. Finally, I came to a power plant along the shore and turned around to come back. I dislike retracing my steps, but this was linear. A look at the map suggested that the next metro stop was still slightly further away than turning around, and I did have other things to do during the day.
The return trip was hotter, but just as nice. I remembered to start up my tracking app on the phone, so I have stats for the return trip. I also experimented with the technique of taking photos of myself, trying to capture the lovely feeling. The last bit of the walk was really hot, and I was thirsty and had to pee. My shoulder bag seemed much heavier, and I started carrying it in my hand to take the weight off my shoulder. I started to get a blister from the sandals. The bicycles started to seem really appealing to me. I eyed all the different ones I encountered, thinking seriously about going bicycle shopping later. I was really ready to get back to car. Just as I did, my boy texted to let me know he had arrived at the destination.
Part of what really appealed to me on this walk was because it was a place I've never been before. There was the thrill of discovery, the joy of exploration, along with the good sensation of striding along while listening to a great book. I've got to get out more, go on along and find new places to explore.
I went on into the airport terminal where I was glad for the air conditioning. I used the rest rooms, and got a sandwich and bottle of water from the fancy grab and go restaurant there. I just sat on a bench in the terminal and enjoyed the sandwich and water in the air conditioning, before driving home in the heat.
Here's the stats and a link to the map of the return trip. All told, nearly six miles. Not bad for a totally impromptu stroll. And I didn't go buy a new bicycle after all.
River Walk Map
Walk Time: 58:06
Stopped Time: 5:27
Distance: 2.82 miles
Average: 20:35 /mile
Fastest Pace: 12:43 /mile
Ascent: 64 feet
Calories: 217
I know there is a bike-hike trail all along the Virginia side of the Potomac River for miles, from somewhere opposite the District down to Mount Vernon. I've seen it, but never been on it in the section south of the 14th St bridge. It took a bit of casting around in the airport to find it. I've walked around between terminals and down to the hangars before, but which path would keep on going wasn't obvious to me. I came to a dead end in the rental car garage, and consulted the closeup satellite view on google maps to figure out where to try next.
I ended up on the correct side of the metro tracks, and the actual exit to the trail was alongside the little known Congressional parking lot. (There is a very close-in lot - as close to the terminal as the metro station - restricted to Congressmen and Supreme Court justices. I was glad to see it was nearly empty, as they should all have been hard at work.) I followed it south towards General Aviation, and was much relieved to come upon a signpost, pointing one way for Alexandria and another route to Crystal City.
I hadn't really planned on this walk, and I was wearing shorts and a tee shirt, and sandals. My plan was just to walk until I was ready to turn around. I knew there was a sailboat marina between airport and Alexandria, but only had the vaguest notion how far anything was. I figured I could find water or a bathroom at the marina if necessary.
It was really lovely. It was hot, and it was humid, but I just walked along and it wasn't too terribly bad. Much of the walk is through woods, and it was shady. A slight breeze was blowing, and I was efficiently sweating off the heat. I was listening to a fascinating book on the ipod, which helps the miles click off. The walk led along the shore, and at one point was on a boardwalk above a little swamp where hibiscus were blooming. As I went, it got more and more crowded. Lots of walkers, runners, and plenty of bicyclists. Finally, I came to a power plant along the shore and turned around to come back. I dislike retracing my steps, but this was linear. A look at the map suggested that the next metro stop was still slightly further away than turning around, and I did have other things to do during the day.
The return trip was hotter, but just as nice. I remembered to start up my tracking app on the phone, so I have stats for the return trip. I also experimented with the technique of taking photos of myself, trying to capture the lovely feeling. The last bit of the walk was really hot, and I was thirsty and had to pee. My shoulder bag seemed much heavier, and I started carrying it in my hand to take the weight off my shoulder. I started to get a blister from the sandals. The bicycles started to seem really appealing to me. I eyed all the different ones I encountered, thinking seriously about going bicycle shopping later. I was really ready to get back to car. Just as I did, my boy texted to let me know he had arrived at the destination.
Part of what really appealed to me on this walk was because it was a place I've never been before. There was the thrill of discovery, the joy of exploration, along with the good sensation of striding along while listening to a great book. I've got to get out more, go on along and find new places to explore.
I went on into the airport terminal where I was glad for the air conditioning. I used the rest rooms, and got a sandwich and bottle of water from the fancy grab and go restaurant there. I just sat on a bench in the terminal and enjoyed the sandwich and water in the air conditioning, before driving home in the heat.
Here's the stats and a link to the map of the return trip. All told, nearly six miles. Not bad for a totally impromptu stroll. And I didn't go buy a new bicycle after all.
River Walk Map
Walk Time: 58:06
Stopped Time: 5:27
Distance: 2.82 miles
Average: 20:35 /mile
Fastest Pace: 12:43 /mile
Ascent: 64 feet
Calories: 217
Friday, July 29, 2011
Time to try credit again
I've not been entering anything here, while I took my vacation break ( which oddly seemed to include a couple of weeks leading up to vacation). Now I'm tracking in WW, but that isn't the same as what I mean the credit log for. "Credit" is a concept for positive reinforcement. What am I doing that is praiseworthy? And I do like my scoring. Time to focus on that again. Maybe not every day- especially if I raise the bar for what is worth noting.
We'll see how it goes.
Sherbert update
We'll see how it goes.
Sherbert update
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