Chart Update & Eating On The Go

Yesterday was Tuesday. Weigh-in day! I had what I thought was a good week, but lately it’s seemed like that’s made no difference when it comes to my scale. I’ve posted a gain during three of my last four weigh-ins (I’m a total of 5 pounds above my all-time low), and I’m ready and have been trying to turn this ship around. If you’ve ever driven a watercraft (which I have), you’ll know they don’t turn easily, or quickly. I’m hoping my turnaround will be speedier than that of a ship. To use a sailing term, it’s time to “come about.”

So I stepped on the scale, then updated my weight chart:

I stayed even. I’m still at 237 pounds, which is a loss of 165 pounds.

The whole chart:

I was happy with not gaining or losing. I’m writing this some 14 hours after the weigh-in, and I’m still happy with this. There were no gain-induced binges. I don’t feel compelled to manipulate the image so it looks like a loss. I feel a little like a paramedic arriving at the scene of a trauma: the first step towards getting someone well again is to stop the hemorrhaging and stabilize the patient. This week, I was stable. I ate well, exercised a lot, and I’ve felt good about myself, too – which is equally important.

I’m also reminded by something my friend Gerri told me a few months ago. Gerri (I’m not even sure if I’m spelling it right, I’ve never seen it written down) is an octogenarian and a regular at Slimmons most days of the week. I see her at nearly every one of Richard Simmons’ classes, and she dances and has a great time, and always has a big smile on her face. Earlier this year, during a similar week where I stayed even, she told me: “You know, David, when you’ve gotten as far as you’ve gotten, not gaining is a loss.” And she’s right.

Earlier this evening (I’m writing this late Tuesday night) I took one of Richard’s classes at Slimmons, and it was fantastic. I wore my new shoes for the first time, and they’re very supportive and comfortable, and it wasn’t too crowded. Class on Tuesday nights starts at 6:30, and at 4:30, I found myself in a predicament. I was getting hungry, and knew I needed to eat something before going to class. I was running errands, and I was one of those situations where if I went home, I’d be able to spend 5 minutes there before turning around and getting back in the car. Plus, I had brought workout clothes with me, just in case, so I didn’t need to go home. On the other hand, if I went straight to Slimmons, I’d get there 90 minutes early.

I decided to drive to Beverly Hills and find something to eat there, so I could beat some of the rush hour traffic. I ended up at the Whole Foods that’s 6 or 7 blocks from Slimmons, wandering the aisles looking for something that would fill me up, but not sit like a brick in my stomach. Here’s what I ended up with, and it involves… oddly-colored vegetables!

I carton of washed and ready-to-eat celery sticks and baby carrots, including yellow baby carrots! This is the first time I’ve seen yellow baby carrots – although I’ve eaten their grown-up relatives. And since most baby carrots are not babies at all (they’re actually oddly-shaped full-sized carrots that get chopped up, peeled, and tumbled), it doesn’t surprise me that yellow carrots can also come in baby sizes.

In the back of the photo, you can see a smaller container full of different types of berries, and at the bottom of the photo, you can see part of the 1-liter bottle of sparkling water I bought. Three hard-boiled eggs from the salad bar, which I ate before I remembered to take a photo, rounded out my purchase, although I only ate one of the yolks. I ate all the fruit and veggies, and it hit the spot, although I wish I’d thought to grab a little dressing of some sort at the salad bar, for veggie-dipping purposes.

I still arrived at Slimmons a good hour before class started, but I ate in my car, and played iPhone games, and the time passed like that (imagine me snapping).

Keep it up, David!

Some Thursday Food Notes

What’s been on my mind, lately, food-wise.

1) Tupperware. I love me some Tupperware.  My aunt gave me some new Tupperware as a Christmas present, and I’m using it all the time.  It’s from their FridgeSmart collection – containers specially designed to keep produce fresher, longer.  It works because the containers have vents that you can open or close, depending on the type of fruit, so the gases that speed up the rotting process can escape.  This picture is from a couple weeks ago, but I never posted it, as my spur-of-the-moment trip to Michigan made me change a lot of plans:

From left to right, that’s celery, radishes, scallions, carrots, and broccoli.  I ate lots of it before the Michigan trip, but came home a week and a half later to find the radishes, scallions, and carrots still good!  The broccoli, not so much.  Want some Tupperware of your own?  Why not buy it from a former child star?  That’s right – Danny Pintauro from Who’s the Boss is a Tupperware representative – check out his website here!

2) Carrots. I love baby carrots.  I can eat an entire 1-pound bag over the course of a day – I did that yesterday, actually.  And here’s a fun fact for ya – did you know that a vast majority of baby carrots aren’t actually babies at all?  Take another look at the packaging next time you’re at the store.  Chances are, the bag will read “baby-cut” carrots, which means they’re actually full-size carrots that are cut down into 2-inch chunks, peeled in industrial peelers, and tumbled so all the edges get smooth.  I had heard that years ago, and was reminded of it a few days ago in Michigan when I found the largest baby carrot ever in my baby carrot bag:

Click here to read a USA Today article about the history of baby-cut carrots.  It’s actually pretty interesting.

And has anyone seen, at their grocery store, the new baby carrot bags?  I remember reading in September about how baby carrot companies were launching a baby carrot marketing campaign encouraging people to “eat ‘em like junk food”.  Part of the campaign was redesigning the packaging so they looked more like snack food bags:

I haven’t seen these bags at any stores by me yet, what about you?  I think the whole thing is kinda silly, but I don’t have kids, which seems like the target demographic.  And here’s the website that goes with the campaign.  Kinda annoying, but for all you iPad and iPhone users, it has “the world’s first carrot-crunch-powered video game,” so drop everything right now and head over to the App store!

3. 7-Eleven. Remember a few weeks ago, when I posted the pic of the 7-Eleven that’s opening next door to my gym?  Well, I went to the gym last night for the first time since returning from Michigan, and it’s open for business.

I’m going to try to stay out of that 7-Eleven altogether.  I don’t need the temptation so close to my gym, period.  I’ll keep you posted.

I had a nice workout last night, too.  I spent about 45 minutes doing toning/strength training (emphasis on arms, shoulders, chest, back, abs), and then wanted to do a little bit of cardio, but the ellipticals were all in use, so I headed outside and ran around the block for about 12 minutes.  I walked a little to cool down, and headed home.

4. Juice. I’ve been a juicing fool.  I have a bowl of citrus, courtesy of Tavi’s fruit trees, so yesterday and today I’ve been starting off my day with a tall glass of juice.  It’s a mixture – the juice of one grapefruit, two tangerines, and one orange (that I had in my fridge from before):

Tasty!  Yesterday, it was just part of my breakfast – I also had a packet of instant oatmeal, and a yogurt.  I didn’t really eat a proper lunch, but grazed all day:  the aforementioned 1-pound bag of baby carrots, 2/3 cup butter beans, another tangerine, 1 box of raisins, 2 rice cakes.  Dinner was two open-faced tuna sandwiches:  2 pieces wheat toast, each topped with tomato slices and tuna salad, which I made from one 5-ounce can of tuna (packed in water), mixed with mustard, radishes and scallions, and a couple tablespoons of Greek Yogurt.

Keep it up, David!