Route

One of the things that we ended up doing during our recent California vacation was taking a bike ride. I wasn’t up for it at first: I was tired and just wanted to take a nap. But right as Erin was about to leave, I figured y’know, I really should do this so I jumped up and said “I wanna go too!!!”

I was mortified when I hopped on a bike. It was all I could do to not crash into the wall! I am trying to remember the last time I had ridden a bicycle…. had to be at least 10 years ago or so. I was worried that the old saying was false, and that one can forget how to ride a bike.

Image via Wikipedia

I was wrong, of course, and after a couple of minutes I was right back in the saddle. We got our group together and then got on the road.

The map above shows our route. We started out at the Marina International hotel in Marina del Rey. We had to ride a few blocks on city streets to get out to Venice Beach. From there, it was all bike path.

The weather was just about perfect. Not too hot, a cool breeze coming off the sea, clouds to keep the sun from growing too bright… Lots of lovely bodies to look at on the beach too, of course. And don’t look at me like that! If one goes out on Venice Beach, one has to expect to see attractive people. That’s part of the allure of the beach!

According to Google Maps, it’s a bit over 4 miles each way. My legs were feeling it on the way back home, too. I am one out-of-shape Biffster. Still, I managed to go the whole route without having to walk the bike. I kept up a very good pace – even passing people! – and I still had energy left for the rest of the day when we got back to the hotel.

None of that really matters, though. The important thing is: we had fun! It was fun to get outside and get some exercise in. I would’ve never, ever thought I’d say that.  :)

- M

Image by alancleaver_2000 via Flickr

Okay, seriously, enough! Since the start of March, I’ve lost a total of 0.2 lbs. I managed to get rid of all of the vacation weight, and have been stagnant ever since. You can see my current weight chart at the bottom of the sidebar to get a feel for how things are going.

It isn’t a surprise when I look back at what I’ve been eating and drinking. If it isn’t having a splurge on donuts a couple of weeks ago, it was having a soda bender last week. In my defense, I was sick and soda is one of my comfort foods. Comfort foods can be the banes of one’s existence, of course. But there was a study out this week that suggests comfort foods might be worth the extra calories for the mental and emotional benefits. But only when done in moderation, of course.

My point is: I am responsible for my current plateau. This isn’t a case where I am doing everything right and my body is being weird. I am not following the Plan very well, and it is showing up on the scale. In the most annoying way possible. Grrr

- M

Fortunately, there is one place where I am guaranteed to get some activity in, and I love to go there: the zoo!

Before you scoff, consider this: a day at the zoo forces you to walk. To walk a lot. At least at the Denver Zoo, if you want to see a lot of the animals there, you have a lot of walking to do. The elephants are at one area, birds off to another side, the polar bears and seals are completely across the zoo, etc. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the zoo’s map!

Lemme tell you, that is one heck of a walk. Especially when pulling a wagon that is loaded down with diaper bags, water bottles and children.

EXERCISE!!!!

One other suggestion for zoo-going: prepare your meal and snacks! Food at the zoo (or at least here at the Denver Zoo) isn’t too horribly priced, but it also isn’t the healthiest food. Instead of using up all of the exercise calories/Points by having a meal rife with fat (e.g. pizza, a burger, chicken strips), plan ahead. Pack a good, healthy lunch, along with lots of fruits and pretzels or the like for snacks. Kiddos will eat pretty much anything you give them at the zoo because of the wonders of the environment. And it may just build a life-long association between fun and healthy eating.

Or at the very least, you can enjoy the day, knowing that you’ve taken care of your body, and your weight-loss needs.

- M

Do you have similar experiences at the zoo? Or other places that also force you to get in a lot of exercise? Please share your story in the comments below!

Tuesday’s entry was all about eating too much when dining out.  When I am on top of things health-wise, I never have a problem with this. I stop eating when I am full, whether I am at home or eating elsewhere. My tummy and my mind are in harmony. Each knows what the other is doing. Both work together. Things get easy. Well, easier anyway. Dropping weight and keeping it off are never truly easy. But I digress.

Everyone who tries to lose weight knows the old adage: it takes 10-15 minutes for your tummy to tell your brain “Okay, that’s enough food, I’m pretty satisfied right now.” Those of us who end up very overweight ignores this adage in one of two ways

1. we eat too fast, and then we keep eating more and more and more before the signal between tummy and brain is received.
2. we ignore that signal

I’ve been down both routes. Fairly recently, too. Eating too fast is my normal problem. I can inhale food, if I am really hungry. There are also a few types of food that I eat super-fast, even when I try not to. (PB&J sandwiches, I’m looking right at you.) The end result is: I eat too fast, feel like I am still hungry, so I eat some more. By the time I get the signal that my tummy is full, I have eaten a lot of extra food. And I feel like a blimp.

The second trap plays most into my problems. There are certain foods or certain times where I simply will continue to eat. Even if I am stuffed to the gills. Even if I really don’t even want to eat anymore. A country breakfast (eggs, bacon, hash browns and pancakes). Apple crisp. Jumbo shrimp. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Sitting in a movie theater. Eating a dog at Coors Field. All very dangerous, because I cannot stop myself. I know that I should stop. I just choose not to.

These are what I must work on. I cannot allow myself to get too hungry, because then I eat too fast. I can’t get my “usual” at a breakfast joint, because I’ll eat every single crumb on my plate. I have to be smart about these things. I have to plan strategies for when (not “if” but “When”) these situations arise. Be ready for them.

You know the Boy Scouts motto? Be Prepared? Same thing.

What can I do? I know I won’t be able to lose weight fast enough to fit in these clothes again before summer ends. It does stay warm enough in Denver that these can serve as my fall wardrobe. But not having enough clothes that fit? Big-time bummer.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Show notes:

Lost a bit this week. Yay!

Mother’s Day was a problem, but I had been good enough during the week to minimize the damage.

Hydroxycut is in the news, reminds me of phen-phen from a decade ago.

And it turns out that those of us who are obese might just be addicted to junk food.

2002 Study:
Reduction in Dopamine correlation with BMI,  Result: use over-eating to trigger the reward centers
http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/food/junkfood_addiction/dopamine.html
2008 Study
Very similar: ghrelin.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/humannature/archive/tags/junk+food/default.aspx
http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v11/n4/full/oby200368a.html

Video entries are fun! I don’t promise I’ll do them every week, but I’ll sure try.

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Task Force on Epidemiology and Prevention has warned that recent research demonstrates that type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are closely related…

The study is quick to point out that this is very preliminary, and requires a lot more testing and study. Of course, they easy link between the two is obesity: People who are over weight are prone to OSA, and those who eat enough sugar-rich foods to become over weight are on the track towards type 2 diabetes. I am assuming this study takes this into fact, but it is always dangerous to make assumptions.

The study also makes screening suggestions:

While people with OSA should be routinely screened for metabolic disease and type 2 diabetes as screening tests are inexpensive and easy to conduct, people with diabetes should be screened for OSA particularly when they present classical symptoms such as witnessed apneas, heavy snoring or daytime sleepiness and poor workplace performance.

I think that this is very responsible. And is directed right at medical insurance companies. Insurance companies are normally fast to pay for diabetes screening/treatment. But OSA is another matter. Sleep studies are expensive, as are CPAP machines and supplies. This study says up front that the insurance companies really should pay for these to avoid further complications. I think that is a very responsible tack to take.

As for me, I’m in trouble. I most definitely have OSA, and it went untreated for a long time. I am also pre-diabetic. The combination of the two could lead to big health problems in my future.

The idea behind the diet is pretty straight-forward: eat like people along the Mediterranean always have. That means a whole lot of whole-grain breads and pastas, fruits and veggies, and olive oil. Daily yogurt and cheese. Smaller portions of fish and skinless poultry. And very little of other types of meats, sweets, etc. It makes a lot of sense, and should be easy to follow. Especially for someone addicted to breads and pastas like me.

My problem is visualizing what I should eat frequently versus what I should try to avoid all together. Fortunately, I was able to track down an awesome  food pyramid tailored for the mediterranean diet (oldwayspt.org). There are actually two pyramids available for download/printing; one for adults (includes wine) and one for children (no wine). This makes a very easy-to-read guide to foods that are okay. Theoretically, that’ll make it much easier to create food plans. And to put lunches together.

My favorite part of this: since nuts are one of the Daily foods, it means I have (get) to eat a lot of peanut butter. YUMMY!

I have had a horrible, horrible cold all this past week. It’s been bugging me and annoying me all week, and made me miserable enough that I stayed home from work all week. For me, there’s always a toss-up between whether I will eat a lot while I am sick for comfort, or whether I’ll feel too bad to eat at all, and I end up losing a bunch of weight.

This time around, I split the difference. I ate more than I should have, most definitely. I didn’t track my points/food journal through most of the week, because I knew I was being bad. But what I was eating too much of was relatively not bad. Having an extra 3-Point WeightWatchers cookie dough sundae is much better than having a 27-point pint of Ben & Jerry’s cookie dough ice cream. Having a peanut butter and spreadable fruit sandwich adds a lot more nutrition than a bunch of peanut butter cookies. All in all, I thought the trade-offs were acceptable. And it shows in my weight. I oculdn’t have gone too far overboard since I didn’t gain any weight. And my body still ended up getting the nutrition that it needs.

I am 95% over this cold finally, so hopefully I’ll get back to losing weight in the upcoming week.