R.E.P.O.R.T. Card

Despite the holiday weekend, I thought today would reveal nothing had changed. Instead, I was quite disappointed. But first, grades:

• Real, natural foods: Pass. 
• Enjoy the dining experience: Pass
• Portion control: Pass. 
• Only at mealtimes--no snacking: So-so. No crazy snacking that I recall but probably some. 
• Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: Pass. Actually got a bike ride in and some swimming. 
• Treat yourself: Fail. Definitely had some extra treats. Chocolate. Pancakes. Whipped cream. Ice cream. Did I mention chocolate?

Weekly weigh-in: 166 (+1.0 lbs versus last week and -1.0 to-date)

Final Grade: Sad face. 

Time to focus and take this experiment seriously. 

Stuck

I've decided to move my weigh-in day to Tuesday because, for some reason, I always seem to have breakfast before realizing it is Monday. Hopefully I will not start messing up on Tuesdays, too!

This past holiday weekend went, I think, reasonably well. I got a lot more exercise in since Monsieur is very keen on it. So, we went for a swim on a couple of days and got in a (for me) long bike ride. Yesterday, we rode for almost 12 miles. Took our bikes down to Whole Foods, picked up picnic supplies, and then rode to a park, where we ate under two huge oak trees that housed some very grumpy squirrels. Then, we looped around before returning home, so by the time I hopped off my bike, I felt I had worked out.

I think that my eating was fairly French, but I did indulge in a few more treats than needed. In retrospect, I realize that I often forget about the French mentality towards food. I just haven't yet made it my own and, truth be told, I'm starting to worry.  I don't know if I ever will.

Of course, the books (Losing It In France--Les Secrets of the French Diet and The French Don't Diet Plan: 10 Simple Steps To Stay Thin For Life) that inspired me to try the French diet are by non-French people who discovered the diet/lifestyle's myriad of benefits. Presumably, they have adopted the French diet as much as possible and continue to adhere to it, even after they have returned home. But I'm wondering if it's possible for someone who hasn't lived in France for an extended period of time to actually start to think like a French person...???

I am starting to think that I may actually be stuck and kidding myself by saying things like "my eating was fairly French". Sure, I may be more French than your average American, since I do like to cook and I have cut out things like sodas and most processed foods. But I was like that even before starting my French experiment. It's the rest of the French diet that seems so hard to make my own: portion control, listening to my body for cues on hunger/satiation, and--perhaps most importantly--feeling enough pride in myself to say "I deserve to be svelte and healthy and fit, and I deserve that a whole heck of a lot more than I need that candy".

Maybe I need to re-read those books and remind myself of what is possible?

All I know is that I haven't made that much progress in the three months and that makes me sad. I don't want my French experiment to be a failure.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day! 

I can barely believe it is already the 4th of July and we are in the middle of summer.  The weather where I live has been a bit erratic--super hot some days and then cool and breezy others. 

Yesterday, Monsieur gave me the option to play some tennis pre-dinner or go for a swim. I felt very worn down because I'd been running around most of the day, so I chose the swim over more running around. Our pool was so warm that it felt like getting into a hot tub, and my muscles felt soothed despite swimming around for nearly 30 minutes. They say that exercise is--paradoxically--a good way to re-energize when you're feeling tired, but I've often felt that it depends on the type of exercise you pick and your reasons for feeling tired. I'm glad to say that now I'll know to choose a swim over something more vigorous the next time I feel too tired to move.

Anyway, there isn't much on the agenda for today. Mes parents will probably join us for some sort of BBQ dinner. I would have liked to have baked something special for today, perhaps something like Ina Garten's Flag Cake:

but that will have to wait for next year. Instead, I think I will just serve up some strawberries and whipped cream. Maybe I can add some blueberries, too, and really be patriotic. :)

I wish you and yours a wonderful 4th of July!!

R.E.P.O.R.T. card

Luckily, I remembered to weigh myself before anything else this morning.

I had no idea what to expect today. Last week seemed to fly by and I didn't do a good job of recording what I ate. I certainly didn't do much by way of planning what I ate, either.

So, I think we'll have to take these grades with a grain of salt:

• Real, natural foods: Pass. I recall making dinner a few nights and eating things like salad, rice and some protein.
• Enjoy the dining experience: No grade.
• Portion control: Pass. 
• Only at mealtimes--no snacking: Fail. Some chocolate and a bag of gummy bears went missing last week. 
• Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: Fail. Monsieur and I went on one after-dinner walk, but other than that, I don't recall doing anything else other than thinking about how I should be exercising.
• Treat yourself: No grade. 

Weekly weigh-in: 165 (-1.0 lbs versus last week and -2.0 to-date)

Final Grade: YAY!! 

Now I really wish I had done a better job of keeping track of what I ate and how much I exercised so I could keep on doing it. I think I'll just have to stick to the French diet principles and see how next week looks.

Oops

Early this morning, Monsieur declared a vegetable garden emergency and I went out to work in the garden as soon as I got up. Since this was such a different thing to do for me (especially first thing in the morning), I completely forgot that it was Monday and that I was supposed to get on the scale before eating.

Instead, I tended to our overheated vegetables.

Then, I made the bed. I had breakfast. I did some laundry. I went to the grocery store (because I wanted to be prepared for this week's French eating!). I checked the World Cup score (France beat Nigeria.)

At some point during my food shopping it hit me--I had not weighed myself.

By the time I realized, it was definitely much too late.

So, I'm setting an alarm on my phone so I don't forget tomorrow.

In the meantime, I've already planned meals for today through Wednesday. I have to get back to the basics of the French diet--eating real, healthy foods, and being mindful of quantities and enjoying the experience.

Sorry for the mixup!

Re-thinking Exercise

Yesterday I wasn't feeling tip top for some reason. I had a lingering headache and ended up taking a long, unplanned nap in the afternoon. I wish I could say that helped me to feel better, but the headache remained. So, I decided to go for a walk to my local library and search for some new mystery novels.

Getting out of the house did help lift my mood and the air felt wonderfully fresh. The walk itself was done at a very leisurely pace, and although I didn't find anything worth bringing home with me, I would rate the whole experience a success.

After I arrived back home, I found that Monsieur had sent me an article from the New York Times about a bodybuilder from Ghana who has opened a gym in lower Manhattan and is helping older adults (mostly women, mostly over 70 years old) establish regular exercise routines. Many of them have suffered falls and this wonderful man, whose name is Mr. Addo, has helped them to recover their strength, balance and flexibility. Often, his clients have recovered so well that they have been able to abandon their walkers or canes.

Luckily, I am not yet in Mr. Addo's target demographic. Well, I am a woman, but not yet over 70. :) Still, I kept wishing there were a local Mr. Addo that would help me. I have definitely made a more concerted effort in the last few months to exercise more regularly, but most of my efforts have been around cardiovascular types of exercise: walking or cycling. Reading about these older people and their falls made me wonder whether my current lifestyle might be putting me on a path to future falls. I never really focus on my balance, and rarely think about flexibility. And I definitely feel that I am getting weaker as years pass.

A few years ago, before my papa became ill and helping my maman take care of him became my somewhat full-time job, I used to go to a local gym for personal training sessions. I did get stronger and a bit leaner (although the truth is that the biggest factor in weight is still eating--what and how much).

Reading about Mr. Addo and his clients has made me wonder if I shouldn't re-look at that gym and maybe even bring my maman with me. The French way of incorporating exercise naturally is definitely still the best overall philosophy (in my ever-so-humble opinion) but adding some type of strength and balance increasing activities can never hurt!

R.E.P.O.R.T. card

I'm back after a long weekend spent visiting Monsieur's famille. We went to celebrate his maman's birthday, so there were plenty of dessert treats over the last few days. Another thing to note is that there are various family members have their own particular diets that they follow. Maman is a fish-eating vegetarian (pescatarian?), Monsieur keeps mostly kosher (no pork or shellfish), and my soon-to-be-sister-in-law is a bacon-eating vegetarian. Add to that some food allergies/intolerances (including my own) and mealtimes can be challenging.

In any case, we had a wonderful time and I ate fairly well (Sunday night was the only really carb-intensive meal), so all in all I'd rate the visit a big success.

So, grades:

• Real, natural foods: A-
• Enjoy the dining experience: B+ 
• Portion control: A
• Only at mealtimes--no snacking: B-
• Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: B+
• Treat yourself: D

You'll notice that my lowest grade was in the Treat Yourself category. That's because there were many more desserts consumed than normal. Chocolate cream pie was this year's birthday "cake", and several servings of ice cream and some cheesecake were also consumed by yours truly.

But, on the positive side, I did try to be more aware of what my body was telling me and stopping when I felt satisfied but not stuffed. And, we went on several longer walks, so I got more exercise in.

Given all that, I wasn't sure of what to expect.

Weekly weigh-in: 166 (+0.0 lbs versus last week and -1.0 to-date)

Final Grade: B

Luckily, my weight didn't go up, despite the increase in sweet treats and somewhat larger amount of bread/pasta consumption. 

I'm giving myself a B instead of a C because I was more aware of my eating and did a better job of reminding myself to think like a French eater and I hope to maintain that attitude. Here's hoping that next week we see the results of that!